A/N Okay so this episode is inspired by S5 E15 of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I wanted to write this episode to raise awareness about gun control since we live surrounded by violence. This part won't have a major impact for the storyline aside from the fact that (spoiler alert!) Maya won't walk for a while.
Okay I'm gonna leave you to the episode now ✌🏻
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"Violence!" Matthews starts his lesson
"It's never the right way to solve your problems. Violence always leads to more violence. Don't think that in a conflict the other one turns the other cheek when he or she is hit. People are dumb" he slightly frowns
"Or smart. It depends on the situation. You know what? No, they're dumb. As I was saying: they're not gonna turn the other cheek. They're gonna smack yours back instead. And what does violence leads to? Riley"
"Other violence"
"Good answer. And when violence expands? Farkle"
"Wider conflicts. In other words: wars"
"Perfect!"
"What does this have to do with us, Matthews?" I ask
"Yeah, we aren't violent, you know that" Smakle adds
"Yeah, the only one who could've used violence was Lucas" Missy completes
"And he's gone" I can feel the pain in Zay's voice. Even though I have a history with people I love leaving I can't even imagine being apart from Riley so I can't understand what he got through. He was literally destroyed when he left. We all were, but him in special. He just didn't show it, but I could see it.
"Trust me, guys. Violence has to do with your lives. Without violence and wars you probably wouldn't be here today. Can someone make some examples?"
"All history" I frown at Smakle, what does that mean?
"What?"
"All throughout history there were wars. There has never been peace"
"What can we do to stop violence?" I ask
"Be kind to people, turn the other cheek. Get involved"
"In what?"
"Everything. When you see a situation you don't like then stand out. Class dismissed"
*Hours later, at Topanga's*
"Hello, honey" Elliot welcomes me with his usual smile. I'm so tired right now but I manage to put a smile on my face and give him a quick kiss when I walk behind the counter to put my apron on.
"Hi, baby"
"Hi, baby? Wow"
"What's so funny?" he smirks
"You know, for someone who always complains about stupid couple's nicknames you sure use a lot of them" I scoff
"Oh, please. I just used it this once"
"Do I have to remind you of honey, sweetheart, babe, dadd-" I quickly cover his mouth
"Don't you even dare to say it out loud" he arches a brow
"Really? You're the only one allowed to use it? Man, I would love to scream it like you usually-"
"Do you wanna die young or...?"
"At least I'd be remembered as a hot teen instead of a crinkly grandpa"
"Or as 'the guy who didn't listen to his girlfriend and refused to shut up'"
"You got me there" he kisses my head
"I'll go get table three. You can rest for a few minutes and chill with the others" Wait, the others are here? Why have I not noticed it?
"Well, hello to you too, daddy" I playfully punch Zay and sit between him and Riley.
"Stop making fun of me. At least I have a partner instead of jumping from a person to another"
"Someone's in a sassy mood today"
"Missy, when is Maya not sassy?"
"You're right. You are so smart. That's why you're my girlfriend" I smile at the couple. They could literally be considered the new Corpanga. Well, not really. Cory and Topanga still remain superior.
"Peaches?"
"Yeah?"
"You knew that we were here, right? I mean, you looked to stunned when you saw us. Didn't you see us when you came in?"
"Sorry to disappoint you, Riles. But I didn't. I just came in a walked behind the counter to talk to your brother"
"Talk? More like dissing" Farkle calls her out
"Smakle!"
"You know it's the truth"
"You know what, Maya? Today we're gonna have a slumber party! I wanna catch up a little. We don't hang out as much as we used to"
"Yeah, you're right. And I'm letting it happen because of a boy"
"Yeah, and I'm letting it happen because of a girl"
"Hey, that's not-" Riley shushes her girlfriend
"From now on I'll be more focused on you"
"Hey, Maya. Can you-"
"Not now, El. I'm focusing on Riley"
"That's cool and all but can you-"
"Elliot, not now. I'm not gonna compliment how great your hair looks today" he sighs heavily
"I was going to ask you if you could put the cookies out of the oven before they get burnt but okay I guess..."
*At night*
"Bye"
"Bye, El" he kisses me before leaving as Riley enters the bakery
"Are you ready for tonight?!"
"Hell yeah, I'm ready for tonight!" we high five and I take my coat
"Today we're gonna have a Twilight marathon" I frown as I close the little shop
"I thought we agreed on a Chucky marathon"
"Maya, I wanna sleep tonight" I roll my eyes playfully
"Okay, whatever, let's go" we link arms but we're stopped by a man with a hood on. I don't have a good feeling about this
"Um, sorry, but you just-" I see him holding something with his right hand. Shit, please don't let it be what I think it is
"Riley, shut up"
"Why, Maya? I'm asking nicely to-" he points the object at us. I was right. It's an actual gun
"Give me the money! Come on!" I quickly pull out my wallet and notice that my best friend is standing still
"Riley, give him the money" I say as calm as I can possibly be
"Maya, I'm scared"
"I said give me the money now, damn it!"
"O-Okay, it's in my purse" she starts searching for it
"Take your hands out of the purse!"
"But I have to give you-"
"I said take your hands out of..." I see that he's about to shoot her and I can't let that happen.
"Riley, get down!" All I can manage to do is put myself in front of Riley to protect her before everything goes black...
*At the hospital, Elliot's POV*
How could I let this happen? I should've walked them home like I always do instead of leaving earlier to study. If it weren't for me then they'd be fine by now!
Riley's physically fine but she's still shocked, this was a traumatic experience for her. She hasn't spoken since I found her and hasn't said a word to the police to tell what happened.
Hell, I don't even know what happened. I just decided to walk back because I forgot my phone and found my sister crying over Maya, who was laying on the ground.
About her. She got shot. We don't know how it happened yet but I'm so angry at me for not being there for her. She's still in recovery room. We don't know anything about her health conditions. She could be dying from what I know for God's sake!
Shawn comes back in the waiting room. He's on the verge of a mental breakdown, just like Katy, mom, dad, Riley and I. Josh stayed at home to babysit Auggie but they're pretty worried as well.
"I talked to the doctor. Maya's in stable condition" everyone sighs in relief
"Now, the bullet was very close to her spine, but they got it. There's a possibility there may be nerve damage but let's pray there isn't"
"Hunter's family?" Katy and her husband walk to the nurse.
"She's awake"
"Can we see her?" my sister asks
"Sure. Come on in"
Maya's POV
I feel horrible. That's it. That's all I have to say aside that I'm still alive. The doctor said that Riley is completely fine and I'm so glad she is.
The door opens and both the Matthews' and my family walk in, well, rush in. Mom kisses my head
"Hi, baby"
"Hey" I answer in a raspy voice
"Mom, you didn't have to come all the way out here. That audition was really important"
"Stop it, now, I'm just glad that you're okay"
"Just think, we moved out to Greenwich Village from Fordham because we thought it was too dangerous" I make everyone laugh except for Elliot and Riley.
"How are you, sweetie?" Ms. Matthews asks me
"I'm okay" I glance at all of them. They're looking at me as if I was made out of crystals and I hate it. I don't want them to see me like that. I wanna be strong for them
"Hey, don't be looking at me like that. You know no little bullet is gonna stop me"
"Are you in pain?"
"Well, Matthews. It isn't as bad as the last time Shawn made lasagna" he holds out a plastic bag
"I guess you won't be wanting this, then" I stare at Riley, she's so shocked right now.
"Riles, you wanna talk about it?"
"He was aiming at me" there are a few moments of silence before I speak
"What are you doing all the way over there?"
"I'm scared to touch anything. I don't wanna pull anything out"
"Come on, girl, get over here and give me a hug" she smiles and hugs me before I start screaming to scare her
"Aagh! Oh, my gosh!" I laugh
"Psych" She manages to put on a smile, perfect.
"I can't believe you guys think this is some kind of joke. Don't you realize what happened? Maya took a bullet for her" my boyfriend says, clearly concerned
"She saved my life" Riley says while giving me another tight hug
"I did? I was just trying to get the hell out the way"
"Maya, stop it, I don't think it's funny"
"Elliot, come on, man. We gotta have a sense of humor about this. This kind of stuff happens all the time"
"That's the problem. It happens all the time" His mom pats his back
"Elliot, I know you're upset. You've been through a traumatic experience when you found your sister crying over your girlfriend's unconscious body. Now, if you just calm down, we can talk about this rationally"
"You're always in control, aren't you? Always know what to do, always know what to say.
You know what gets me? The police aren't gonna find this guy. And if they do, so what? He'll be out in six months!"
"That's not gonna happen"
"It's happened to people"
"But the legal system isn't perfect"
"It's such a joke. People aren't even afraid of it!"
"Look, I'm frustrated too. But as a lawyer, I have to have faith in it no matter how much I wanna go out and knock some heads. Eventually the system will come through. You should have faith too. You're studying law after all"
"I'm all grown up, mom. Don't tell me any more fairy tales"
"Can you guys leave us alone?" I ask
"Of course, babygirl"
"You can go back home. I don't need anyone babysitting me"
"Well, you're not gonna get rid of me that easily" a slight smile appears on my face
"Oh, baby, I'm too weak to fight. You can stay" I reply dramatically to Elliot
"Get better, Maya"
"We'll see you tomorrow, honey"
"All right"
"Goodnight my fierce, Amazon warrior"
"Bye, peaches" Riley gives me another hug and I do the same prank as before
"Psych, psych" she sighs in relief
"Stop that!"
"We'll be waiting for you in the car, Elliot" Matthews tells his son before everyone walks out.
"Elliot, I get you're upset right now but I'm okay. Look at me, I'm-" he holds my hands
"You got shot, Maya. Of course I'm looking at you. You're stuck in a hospital bed and we don't even know if you're legs are paralyzed or not yet! And you should've seen yourself before we got you here. I thought you were dead for a good amount of time! I-I-I thought that the universe was falling apart!" I rest my hands on each side of his face
"I'm still alive. That's all that matters right now. Look, I'm smiling, okay?" I wipe away his tears
"There's no need to cry right now. I'm cool, I'm fine. Forget about the past and the future. Live in the moment" he keeps sobbing uncontrollably
"I should've been there"
"You're crazy, right? You're double the size as me. Do you know how hard would it've been to cover you instead?"
"You know what I meant"
"El, stop. Things went this way. There's nothing you can do to change them" he sighs
"Yeah, you're right. I guess"
"Good" he bends down and I kiss his forehead
"Now go back home and get some sleep" I scoff and point at the heart monitor
"I don't know if I can get any sleep the way that thing is here beeping"
"Well, if it stops beeping, you're gonna sleep a lot longer than you planned" I softly chuckle
"Touché...Is Riley gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll talk to her and make sure that she eats three times a day. Oh, and I'm gonna check if she sleeps eight hours-"
"Yeah, we get it. You'll take care of her"
"Goodnight, Maya"
"Goodnight, Elliot" he gives me a fake smile before closing the door behind him. Something tells me that my talk didn't really convince him.
*A few days later, in the middle of the night*
"Take your hands out of the purse!"
"But I have to give you-"
"I said take your hands out of..."
"Riley, get down!"
Bang.
I wake up screaming and with Riley hugging me tightly.
"It's okay, Peaches, I'm here, I'm here..." she gently brushes my hair.
The scene keeps playing in my dreams every time I sleep and I'm so sick of it.
"Sorry I woke you up" I whisper when I'm finally calm
"It's fine. I was having the same nightmare" I rest my head on her shoulder.
Even though the others are trying to help we are actually our support system for each other. All of our friends and family visit us but it's useless, I only need Riley.
The only one who I'm shocked isn't with us at all times is Elliot. Ever since that visit he never came back to visit me. I wonder if I said anything wrong.
*The next morning*
I'm awaken by the sound of the door opening
"Good morning" Farkle, Zay, Smakle and Missy say together but I shush them while pointing at a sleeping Riley on a chair
"Hey, guys. How's it going?"
"Well, better than you for sure" Smakle hits Zay and I chuckle
"It's fine, Smakle. He's not wrong"
"Hey, cheer up! We brought you someone special" my eyes light up
"Elliot?"
"Well, we were hoping for you to say our names but I guess that's fine" I hear Josh say as he comes in with no other than the ones and only Lucas Friar and Alice Bradford.
"Guys! Hi! I'd stand up and hug you right now but, well, you know" they all laugh before hugging me
"Sorry for not coming earlier but I was always stuck babysitting Auggie" I smile at him
"It's fine, Boing. I'm glad you're here"
"And I came as soon as I heard the news"
"Yeah, me too. Are you okay?" The cowboys says as he kisses my forehead
"I am now"
"Are you comfortable?" Josh asks as he fluffs my pillow
"Yeah, thanks"
"You know, you two really make a cute couple" I frown at Lucas
"Huckleberry, no, Josh and I-"
"Yeah, we're not-"
"Yeah"
"Friends"
"Totally" he blushes
"Oh, sorry! Wait, does this mean that-?"
"I am Maya's boyfriend" About damn time. Finally. Why did he disappear like that?
Elliot walks towards me and gives me a quick kiss but it doesn't have any emotion in it.
"Hey, babe" he says coldly. Why is he like this? Is it because of Alice?
"Hi cowboy" Lucas just nods in response
"Alice, hey! How are you, girl? Lemme see you! How have you been?" they hug and I can't help but feel a little bit jealous
"I've been great! How about you? You look amazing! Did you change hair products or something like that?" she touches my man's hair
"Yeah, actually. It makes them a lot softer"
"Yeah, I've noticed" I clear my throat and Alice smirks
"Is someone jealous here?" I scoff
"Me? Jealous? Please? Of what?" she laughs and steps back
"Okay I'm gonna take my distance now"
"But only if Lucas and Josh take theirs too" Elliot adds and I grin
"Why? You jealous?"
"Maya, I'm not in the mood for teasing, got it?" I raise my eyebrows
"I'm sorry, would you like to rephrase that sentence?" he crosses his arms over his chest
"Absolutely not" everyone in the room shares a look before nodding and running out. Zay picks Riley up and takes her out of the room while Lucas pats Elliot's shoulder.
"Good luck, man. It happened to me once...let's just say it didn't end well" he walks out too.
"Elliot, what's your problem? Why are you acting like this?"
"Listen, I just came here to make sure you were fine, and to tell you I'm in debt with you for saving, Riley, okay?" he laughs sarcastically
"You know, I spent my life believing in law and order, following the rules.Then some maniac pulls a gun and all the rules change. Well, I'm sick of being a follower, sick of being a victim. I'm gonna start making some rules!" I stop him before he can walk away. I get it now.
"Elliot, wait"
"What?"
"Give me a kiss, and a decent one" he frowns in confusion at my calmness
"What?"
"I said give me a hug. I got shot and I'm a little emotional. Now, get over here and give me some love"
"All right. All right" he finally shows me some affection and hugs me before kissing me.
When we pull away I notice something inside his pants
"What is that?" I ask as I point at it
"It's a gun" A gun?! How can he be so chill about this?!
"Elliot, are you out of your mind? You're walking around carrying a gun? What are you gonna do with that?!"
"It's for protection"
"Elliot-Whoa, man. What, do you think it's that easy to just shoot somebody?"
"I'll close my eyes!" he answers in rage and throws my tray of food to the floor
"I was gonna eat that, man"
"Everything's a damn joke to you!"
"So, what, you don't think I'm mad, huh? I'm laying up in this hospital an inch away from being paralyzed. You don't think I wanna get up and catch-"
"It's not gonna happen again, not to you, or Riley!"
"Baby, I understand that you're scared, but the world can be a scary place. You just got to learn how to deal with it" he points at the gun
"Yeah, well, I found my way!"
"That's not you, Elliot, that's them"
"Look, I didn't come here for your approval, all right? I came here to see how you were. I'm out of here"
"Elliot..."
"No more kisses, Maya"
"I saved Riley's life. I saved your sister's life. I saved her! You owe me! Now, give me the gun, Elliot! Give me the gun! I saved her life. I want the gun!" he looks at my tears with concern before slowly walking to the bed and leaving the weapon at my feet and leaving.
I carefully grab it and open the chamber, revealing all the bullets that fall from it. I can't believe it, it was fully loaded.
Finding out that Elliot was carrying a gun was one thing, knowing that it was loaded it's totally different. I let it fall and start sobbing uncontrollably.
He was gonna become one of them, all because of me.