"Riles, something happened" I say to my best friend as soon as I approach her in the school hallways
"I don't need to know what happened"
"No, I need to tell you. You need to know"
"Maya, I know a lot of things are going to happen. You know what else I know? I liked the new boy and you stepped back for me... And then I saw how scared you were for him. You need to feel whatever you feel. How could I ever keep that from you? Whatever happens, happens" Lucas walks up to us
"My brother!" Riley is about to punch him on the arm but he stops
"Hey! Hi. Hey, Riley. You know, um... I want to thank you again for believing in me and giving me the confidence that I would be okay"
"I will always believe in you. And I will always be here"
"Thank you, Riley" he looks at me
"Hi" I slightly blush
"Hey" I reply to him. After our kiss in Texas we shared a lot more kisses when we were sure we'd be alone. Always romantic, always heated. I swear every time we kiss it's like flying, the whole word disappears. The best thing is that things aren't complicated between us. I expected things to change but they didn't thankfully, it's amazing.
"Wow" he says with a smile before going to class, making Riley frown.
Soon after Charlie walks up to us, making me grin
"Hey, Riley"
"Hi, Charlie"
"Charlie Gardner!" I say with enthusiasm
"Stop it"
"Cheese souffle!"
"Maya, we just got back. What could he possibly know? Who could have possibly said anything?" we turn around to look at Zay, I'm sure he told him
"He made me"
"How did he make you?"
"I was like, 'you wanna hear a great Riley story?' He said, 'yes'."
"I heard you and Lucas are just gonna be friends" my best friend nods
"Yeah, actually, what we're doing is-"
"I heard you're free. Are you free?"
*later, that night, Matthew's apartment*
"I don't want this" Mr. Matthews says
"We're confused"
"I don't want this either" Topanga adds
"We're going into high school"
"Do you know what your priority is in high school, Riley? High school. It's where you further your minds and you get an education. You know why? So that you're smart enough to not find yourself in a situation like this"
"We're not in a situation. Everything's fine. Maya?" Yeah, I can't lie to them
"We're in a situation"
"Why do we have to have feelings?"
"You don't. Get rid of 'Em" Funny considering that he's the one who taught us how to switch off our phones and connect with people instead
"You think you like Lucas?" Did she really use the word 'think'? Hell yeah, I like him!
"How can you not like him?"
"I didn't think you liked anybody" I roll my eyes
"It's my facade"
"Don't use big words correctly. It's not who ya are"
"We're Riley and Maya"
"We know our priorities"
"And nothin' and nobody could ever come between us"
"You are two confused kids who think you know what you're doing. But you don't. So, don't do anything. Nothing is as easy as it seems when feelings are involved" so she's saying that I should back up after I had found enough courage to admit my feelings for Lucas?
"Mom, it is easy. Lucas is like my brother and... I want Maya to be happy"
"You think being the master of tombstone the bull is hard? That is nothing compared to being the master of your feelings, Riley. They will shake you around and they will send you flying. Sometimes you hold on and sometimes you let go. It's the scariest ride there is"
"Well, what do you want us to do?"
"Don't feel. I want you not to feel"
"Do they have to go to high school?"
"No! I have the power. I can hold them back"
"Dad, you can't hold us back. We're growing up"
"Can I hold them back?"
"No"
"Can anything hold them back?"
"No. Are you okay, Riley?"
"I'm going to need to figure that out" I frown
"Are you okay?"
"I'm gonna need to let her figure that out"
"Oh, no... They're gonna figure it out. What do we do?"
"We trust them"
"That's the worst idea I've ever heard" I don't have to figure out anything, I like Lucas, that's how it is.
*The next day, at school*
"The hoover dam on the arizona/nevada border holds back ten trillion gallons of confused 14-year-old feelings that look to smack down the concrete structure of your life and my life, and it can't take it and I don't want it, so everybody sit here and nobody move! Because as strong as the structural integrity of the hoover dam might be, just one little, tiny drop of water that makes its way through this barrier will chip away at the structural integrity of our lives as we know them, and the immediate result is the end of my personal happiness! So, your assignment is to hold everything back until I die and not let anything through! Riley, what's that?" Mr. Matthews asks her as he sees her opening a note
"Nothing"
"Riley... Did something get through?" I can't hold myself back anymore, I have to tell her
"Riley, something is happening between me and Lucas"
"Oh, boy" She turns around
"Yes, Charlie. I will go out with you" what? He asked her out?
"Hoover dam"
"Isn't it amazing how comfortable we are with each other?" Riley asks Lucas, who's sitting between the two of us on the bay window
"No! I don't feel comfortable at all"
"This is the kind of thing that we could never do, Lucas, when we were just... "Hi." "Howdy." 'Hey' 'Hi' Now you know what we are? Poom!" she punches him on the arm. Okay Riley, no need to hit my boy-my friend, we're still trying to figure that out
"Could you maybe not hit me anymore?"
"You're my brother. Be my brother. Give me advice, feel good about it, and nothing will ever be uncomfortable at all"
"Okay, let's try. What do you need advice on"
"The Charlie Gardner of it all. What does a first date mean in the language of 'boy'? I want to break your code. What does he want? Tell me! What?"
"Yeah... Charlie gardner. I'm not uncomfortable at all. Where is your dad? Why isn't he kicking me out? I'm in your daughter's room!" Mr. Matthews nods
"Yeah, I see ya! You sure this isn't just so he gets to sit there and be there with her like that?"
"No, this is real"
"Why do you need another brother?" Auggie asks
"I'm just trying to do everything best for everybody concerned" I raise my hand
"I'm concerned" Do Riley and Lucas still have feelings for each other? Did I do a bad thing by telling my feelings? Was the kiss a mistake after all?"
"Get out" Mr. Matthews tells me and Lucas
"Yes sir" he goes out of the bay window, followed by me
"Let me walk you home"
"You don't have to Huckleberry"
"I want to, really" I smile
"Thanks"
"You're welcome" he holds my hand
"Lucas do you..." I hesitate for a bit
"Yeah?"
"Nothing, never mind"
"Come on Maya, tell me" he says before giving me a quick peck on the lips
"Do you still like Riley?" his smile falls. I should have known, it was too good to be true. I sigh
"I knew it"
"No, Maya, wait. Listen, I had a talk with Elliot in Texas and he helped me-"
"You had a talk with Elliot?!" this was Elliot's plan! He said he wanted to help me out and here we are! This was all planned!
"Yeah. He helped me realize that I don't like Riley" I feel much more relieved
"I don't like her, it's just that she was once my crush, there was a kiss-" I roll my eyes playfully
"Don't remind me of that"
"The point is: I don't like her anymore, it's just the memories I like. That's why I can't be her brother, I'd make things weirder between us. Something happened and we can't cancel it, that's why I wanna be just her friend, plus, Auggie doesn't want another brother" I giggle
"I'm serious, I don't feel anything for her"
"You promise?" he nods
"I promise" I stop walking
"Well, we've arrived"
"Maya, this is not your house, this is not even your neighborhood"
"I know, it's just very late and it's dangerous out there, I don't want anything bad happen to you"
"And I don't want anything bad happen to you"
"You are not walking me home. You don't know how to behave"
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know how to keep a low profile"
"Oh yeah, and why is that?"
"It's pretty clear that a perfect Texan boy doesn't belong there"
"Come on Maya"
"I said no, not this time" he sighs and I kiss his cheek
"But thank you for wanting to walk me home"
"No problem" he smiles at me and I look down, blushing
"Can... can I get a kiss?" I ask in a low tone, almost whispering
"What? I couldn't hear you" Lies, I know he did
"You heard me"
"No, I didn't" he lays his hands on my waist
"Stop lying" he lifts my chin up
"Yes, you can" he says with a smile before kissing me. I missed that feeling. His lips are so soft and move in perfect sync with mine. I wrap my arms around his torso, pulling me closer
"I really like you Maya" I blush harder
"And I really like you too Lucas" he chuckles
"I can't believe I made you blush"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about. My cheeks are red because it's very cold"
"Oh, really?" I nod furiously
"Yup" he slightly laugh
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow Maya"
"Bye"
"Bye" he gives me one more kiss before I head home.
*The next morning, at school*
"Matthews, we know that everything you teach is always about us, but this is just lazy!" I say with a smile as I read what it's written on the blackboard 'Riley. Maya. Lucas'
"I don't have the time! I'm going right for it! You don't think I could mash this up with the end of world war II if I wanted to? America loves Russia! Then America doesn't love Russia! Japan loves France now! Japan asks France to go bowling! So they go on a couple of dates, but then Japan says to France, 'I just want to be friends' So France says, 'I got enough friends' So they try to be civil with each other, but there's a certain chill while they're hanging out by the lockers. There's a chill! You don't think everyone in this room is going bowling with everybody else at some point? Riley, Maya, and Lucas is all about everybody in this room, in every room, in the whole world, and the universe! They just got there first! The jerks!" Woah, he really looks worried for us
"Dad!"
"You're going to high school. You are growing up in spite of my wishes. It's real now. What's happened already is nothing compared to what's gonna happen to you now. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. Don't let anything bad happen to you!" he grabs his suitcase although the bell hasn't rang yet
"The class isn't over yet, sir"
"Nah, I've had it" Great, so now school is over. Everyone stands up
"Ready for our date?" I nod
"Yeah" We walk to Topanga's and order two smoothies. I'd be kissing him right now but Elliot, Zay and Farkle are here, which would make it very weird. Seems like Lucas feels the same way since he isn't even holding my hand
"So this is our new relationship?" he nods
"Yeah"
"How's it going so far?" Farkle asks Zay
"Weird, man" I roll my eyes
"You don't have to watch"
"I can't look away!"
"You think hey like each other?" Is Farkle serious? I can hear him
"I do. But I think they liked each other better when she was yelling at him all the time" I didn't yell at him all the time!
"What about Riley and Lucas? Do you think they're brother and sister?" he asks Elliot
"Absolutely"
"So... what are you thinkin'?" Lucas says in an attempt to distract me
"Oh, now? Oh, it's so funny you mention that. Actually, right now, in this exact moment, what I was thinking, what was running through my head was actually, if you don't start talking to me, I'm gonna pour this smoothie right over your head. So, why don't you give me the best you got?" he smiles at me and it takes a lot of effort to not smile back
"Did I ever tell you once, I delivered a baby horse?" I fake smile before pouring a smoothie over his head
"Want me to help you with the other?"
"You'll have to clean it up later, Elliot"
"Eh, who cares?" he pours the other smoothie too and leaves.
"Actually, it looked kind of like this. The miracle of life" I chuckle
"You've got a little bit of something..."
"Oh, I do?" I nod
"Yeah, just a little bit of smoothie all over your head and face"
"Yeah, I've noticed" he smirks
"Why won't you give me a smooch?" he gets closer
"No, Lucas, no!" I laugh as he hugs me tightly and rubs his face all over mine
"You are crazy!"
"So? How was the smoothie?" I smirk
"I don't know, maybe I should taste it again" he smirks back and kisses me
"Get out of here!" Zay yells at us and I pull away in embarrassment
"I'm gonna visit Riley and bring her here for her date with Charlie"
"Okay, I'll clean up in the meanwhile"
"See you later" I kiss him on the cheek
"Bye" I leave and head to Riley's
"Oh, thank goodness" Ms. Matthews says in a sigh while she puts Riley's head on my lap
"Okay, she's all yours. She drools a little" she leaves. How do I wake her up?
"Go to school. Brush your teeth. Comb your hair"
"Mmm. You're not my mother" she sits up
"No, it's me" there's a brief moment of silence before we both laugh nervously
"How did you time with Lucas go?" this is gonna be very awkward...
"It... we sat there with absolutely nothing to say"
"Been there, done that"
"Yeah, well... You guys won't have to worry about that anymore now that you're brother and sister, you know"
"Mm-hmm. You guys have loads to... to talk about"
"I love talking to him"
"I love making fun of him"
"Why?"
"Why do I love to make fun of him?"
"Yeah" because I like him very much, because I don't know other ways to show affection, because I might even love him
"Because he's great"
"Yeah"
"And he needs someone like me to take him down. And he needs someone like you-"
"For why? For why does he need me?"
"To build him up, to tell his ranger Rick stories to, and make him feel like a hero. You like his stories and... and he likes yours"
"Yeah. Why do you have smoothie all over your face?" I laugh
"Long story"
"Go clean yourself"
"Yes ma'am" I head to the bathroom and clean my face.
What a crazy day, I still remember the day I said that Lucas was never going out with me, who would've thought that a year later we'd be going out on dates and kissing? Nobody. And now everything is better, I feel happier, much happier. My life is upside down and I don't mind it at all, changes aren't a bad thing sometimes.
"Are you done?"
"Yes" I check my hair, wait, since when do I care about my appearance? I shrug and walk Riley's to Topanga's where I sit on my usual spot while she greets her date
"Hi, Riley"
"Hi, Charlie" Lucas stands up and reaches her
"Riley, I can't be your brother anymore"
"Hey, Friar. Do you think you can pick a better time for this big announcement? Riley and I are gonna go on a date"
"You are?"
"No holding hands or talking. Best date ever. I know it's not, but it's what I got"
"Those are the rules? Who goes on a date and doesn't talk to each other?" he sits next to me
"Oh, yeah. We do. Hi"
"Hello"
" Hey Riley, can we go? I like to be there for the previews of coming attractions. When I'm not there for the previews of coming attractions, I feel like I didn't see the whole movie"
"Hey Riley, what do you do when you sit next to Huckleberry?" I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't asking for advice, just curiosity.
"Maya, I can't give you advice like that"
"Sure you can. You're his sister, right?"
"Nope. Not anymore"
"Why? Auggie says we can't"
"Hey, Friar-
"And you know what? I think he's right. You already have two great brothers"
"Hey, Friar!"
"Then what will you be?"
"He'll be me, because it's me now" thank you Charlie Gardner for ruining this moment.
"Yeah. Sorry. You have every right"
"I also want to be there early to get snacks 'cause if we're not talking or holding hands, I was gonna buy some popcorn and licorice"
"You mean popcorn and chocolate"
"I'm not you!"
"Okay! Anyway, Auggie loves you, Riley. So, I'm gonna step back from being your brother"
"Say 'me now'" I slightly kick his butt.
"Me now" I just said it because I wanted to, not because Charlie told me so
"You have every right" he sits back down
"I break the licorice into little pieces so every time I take a handful of popcorn, I get a surprise. I'm adorable. How are you not seeing this?"
"You see? Lucas does anything for anybody. I mean, he sacrifices being Riley's brother so he doesn't hurt Auggie's feelings" why are Zay and Farkle making all of these conspiracy theories?
"Well, same with Riley. She's stepping back from Lucas because she's doing exactly the same thing" I frown. What?
"Farkle, stop"
"But I thought she didn't like him like that anymore"
"No, Riley's stepping back from Lucas because she doesn't-" Elliot covers his mouth as he drags him away, followed by his sister. Is she really stepping back?
"What was that?" Lucas asks and I sigh, trying to realize what just happened
"I-I don't know"
"Hey, you look tense" he holds my hand and I instantly calm down
"You okay?" I nod
"Yeah, I'm just a bit tired"
"Do you wanna go home?" I shake my head
"No. I wanna stay here, with you and do anything, even nothing, as long as we're together" he smiles widely
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me" I blush
"You look cute when you blush" I think that now I'm the same shade as a tomato
"Stop complimenting me" he pokes my cheeks
"Never, you know why?"
"Why?"
"Cause I love the effect they have on you. It makes me feel good complimenting you and have that reaction from you. It makes me feel like I'm important to you" I frown
"Huckleberry, you are important to me"
"I am?" I nod
"No doubt about it. Am I important to you?" Charlie leaves while Elliot and Farkle come back in
"Absolutely" he wraps an arm around me as I lay my head on his shoulder
"I like you Maya" he kisses my head and I look into his eyes
"I like you too cowboy" he chuckles before starting to kiss me slowly
"Get a room you two!" We ignore Elliot's comment and I sit on his lap
"Well, Farkle, I don't know about you but I think these two really like each other"
"Maybe you're right, Zay, maybe you're right" We ignore everyone and keep kissing each other, his hands keep going up and down my back, sending shivers all over my body while my fingers run through his dark blonde hair
"Guys, stop" We ignore Zay and keep kissing. I don't want this moment to end
"Should we pull away?" Lucas asks in between kisses
"Not yet. I don't want this to end"
"Okay" somehow my back ends to lay on the couch, with Lucas on top of me
"Enough!" Elliot walks up to us and pulls him away
"Elliot!"
"You're scaring the clients by almost fucking in public!" I sit back up
"Geez, okay"
"Let's go home" he grabs me by the arm and starts dragging me away
"See you at school!" I yell before Elliot leads me outside
"I get that you like him, but you should really learn how to contain yourselves, in public at least"
"We were just sharing a few kisses" he raises his eyebrows in disbelief
"Your tongues we down each other's throats!" I roll my eyes
"No biggie"
"You were about to have sex!" I punch his arm
"We weren't!"
"Yes you were!" I wanna change argument
"Are you sure you're not jealous?"
"Maya, we agreed on staying friends"
"That doesn't mean that you don't have feelings for me anymore"
"Maya, I have a girlfriend"
"Oh!" I say in surprise
"Yeah"
"Well, lucky you" I truly mean it, I just hope that the girl isn't just one of the many Elliot's plays with.
"Thank you. But seriously, try to contain in public" I nod
"I'll try"
"Great. I know that it's a lot to ask since you two got a lot of sexual tension but-"
"Stop!" he laughs
"Okay. Okay. We're here" we come inside the building, take the elevator a go inside the apartment where I find Riley sitting on the couch.
"How was your date?" I ask as I approach her. Mr. and Ms. Matthews are talking in the kitchen, they seem pretty upset, what happened?
"I don't know. Do we know anything?" I raise my hand
"Ring power" she takes it
"Ring power"
"Thunder"
"Lightning"
"A little scared"
"Me too" the door opens, revealing my mom, what is she doing here?
"Katy, you're finally here"
"What's happening?"
"Maya" the three adults approach me while Elliot sits on the couch as well, next to me
"Elliot told us" I frown
"About what?"
"He told us the truth about the flask" Riley doesn't look surprised, how does she know?
"What?! Elliot!"
"I couldn't keep it to myself Maya, I felt guilty" his mom glares at him
"As you should"
"Maya, why didn't you tell us the truth?"
"I wanted to protect him. I didn't want him to fall of your pedestal. People would expect that from me, not him"
"What do you mean, baby girl?"
"Come on, mom. I'm the troublemaker, I'm the broken girl, the one without a conscience, the one who makes stupid decisions-"
"Don't you ever say that again" I sigh
"Riles, you know it's the truth"
"It's not" Mr. Matthews continues
"Maya. You showed us to be responsible, to have matured. You started to have hope and you also showed us to be very loyal to your friends"
"But hiding this was the wrong thing to do this time. We understand you wanted to protect him. We've done the same thing"
"You did" Ms. Matthews nods
"Yeah. But you have to understand us as well. We are his parents, wouldn't you like to know if your underage kid is drinking?"
"This was also very unfair for you. You got grounded for something you didn't do" I nod
"I understand your concern. I won't do it again"
"Great, now, you" Elliot is being pointed by his mom
"We're gonna have a very serious talk later, but for now, give me your car keys" he nods and hands them to her
"Great, and no more going out without telling us where and who you are going, got it?"
"Yeah"
"Please don't be too harsh on him. I kept him from telling you the truth"
"Don't worry Maya, nothing bad will happen will happen to him" I look at Ms. Matthews, who is still glaring at him, I can tell she's furious.
"Let's go home baby girl" I stand up
"Yeah. See you tomorrow?"
"Sure, Peaches" I can't help it but feel bad for Elliot. God only knows what is gonna happen to him now.