Girl Meets World 1. Introducing Joshua Matthews

Disclaimer: I don't own Boy Meets World or Girl Meets World. I would never claim too. In fact, this idea isn't actually mine either. I'm just applying the concept into a story format.

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A/N: Prompt taken from a Tumblr post, after a clip was circulated of Maya hugging and flirting with Joshua Matthews:

"OHMYGOD MAYA AND JOSHUA AND THE STUTTER AND THE GORGEOUS COMPLIMENT AND THE HUGGING THE SUPER LONG HUGGING AND BLESS THE PERSON WHO FOUND THIS VIDEO AND OHMYGOSH I CANT BREATHE AND I NEED A JEALOUS LUCAS AND HOLY DAMN SOMEONE WRITE FREAKING FANFICTION I NEED LUCAYA AND HE CALLED HER GORGEOUS AND STUTTERED AND THEY HUGGED AND I AM DEAD I NEED THIS EPISODE NOWWWWWW AND I NEED LUCAS TO BE THERE TOO SO HE CAN WITNESS THIS MOMENT HAPPEN AND I NEED HIM TO BE ALL JEALOUS AND DID YOU SEE HER SMIRK/SMILE IN THE END OHMYGODDDDDDD"

So I'm writing that fanfiction. I promised myself I wouldn't get myself into a multichapter fic at all for the remainder of the year, but after seeing this clip – I just couldn't resist, mate! Let me know with your reviewing powers what you think!

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"Thanks for having, Mrs. Matthews." Maya says as she sits at the table. Riley is getting dressed and prepared for the company. As for Maya, she'd been up for several hours because her mother left for work early. She wasn't allowed to sleep if she was home alone in her neighborhood.

This is also why Maya is at the Matthews' home during their Christmas Eve family get-together. Cory and Topanga called before the sun woke up asking if she had any plans for the day. Maya was grateful that they invited her even though she wasn't technically part of the family.

"Don't worry about it, Maya, you may as well be one of our kids. And believe me, we'll bring you in if things ever get too bad at home." Maya feels bad that the Matthews think that things are that bad at home. They really aren't; it is just that her mom is gone all of the time and Maya is sometimes parented by her deaf grandma who has got to be dying of cancer. It was very misleading but she couldn't deny that going home knowing that it was where she belonged wasn't the hardest part of her day.

Maya starts tapping her fingers on the table, feeling uncomfortable all the while. Suddenly there's a buzzing at the door. "Mr. &amp; Mrs. Matthews!" Maya catches Topanga's eyes lighting up. Maya is so scared of love but when she is with Riley's family she is reminded that falling in love can be a wonderful thing and for a second she wishes that this is what she gets for Christmas. Someone to love her that ways he sees Cory loving Topanga every single day. 

Another buzz while Topanga is walking across the room, "And Lucas Friar? Is this Riley's date? He's precious!" Maya groans.

It's not that she _hates_ Lucas, she just hates having him around. Maya thinks he is great and honestly, he's great for Riley too. They can be little Mr. and Mrs. Perfect for the rest of their lives. Maya's only concern is that she knows Lucas never went to therapy over his parents divorce. She's been to his house and seen the way he looks at his mom angrily. It's not that Lucas hates her but he harbors some deeply rooted frustration that can only be related to his parents' divorce.

And she can only recognize it because she struggles in exactly the same way.

"DID I HEAR LUCAS' NAME?" Riley is racing out into the living room and nearly knocks Maya over. The girls grab one another and get themselves stably on their feet. Riley glances over Maya knowing that she's just wearing the cleanest, plainest outfit that she find. She hates standing out at the Matthews' dinners. Riley takes her hands and rests her cheek on her own shoulder.

"Do you want to change into something of mine?" She offers Maya what she always offers, but Maya starts to decline the offer. However, soon after the door opens. Lucas gets in first and walks over directly to Riley and kisses her very awkwardly on the cheek. They've been on one date and shared one kiss, but ever since you'd swear that they've never been around each other before.

Maya notes that they are actually refusing to look at one another. Lucas hears Riley's grandparents coming in and excuses himself to the bathroom. Cory comes out of the hallway as Lucas is leaving, but Maya catches him lean himself against the wall. Maya takes a few steps back as Riley kisses both grandparents. She does not expect them to hug her or even acknowledge that she's there, but it does warm her heart when they hug her too.

"Does it get better than grandma and grandpa kisses? Does it, Maya?" She gets so happy when her whole family is together. Riley likes living in a life where everyone is happy and everyone is close to everyone in his or her families. Riley especially likes it because she knows Maya doesn't have it and that she gets to share it.

"What would be even better than that?" Maya proclaims with a smirk on her face. It's all a bit surreal even though she's been friends with Riley for several years now. This is not her first Christmas Eve with the Matthews but it still surprises her every time.

Then seconds later another familiar face sounds off as one more person comes through the door.

"Uncle Josh!" Riley squeals. Riley and her 'Uncle' Josh are only three years apart, so they were pretty close growing up. Maya has only been around him once or twice but she had never noticed how handsome he was…

Before she can stop herself she grabs him and hugs him very tightly, probably against his will…

"I'm not _your_ Uncle, Maya." Riley's uncle declares. But he pats her gently on the back. Riley can be heard mumbling in embarrassment behind her but she doesn't care.

"Even better!" Maya sighs into his leather jacket. Leather Jacket! Just like she is wearing!

When Riley pulls her away, Maya plants a genuine grin on her face and keeps her eyes glued to the gorgeous young man in front of her.

"It's uh…" Joshua stutters. As he tries to get his words out, Riley has crossed her arms and glares at Maya. She believes that Maya has made her uncle uncomfortable with her _very_ forward type of flirting. But Maya is surprised when he runs his hand through his hair and eyeballs her up and down – _twice_! "It's been awhile."

Maya composes her thoughts and barely reaches her regular speaking volume, "Sure has." Her hands are stuffing themselves into her pockets, but only because subconsciously she knows she will reach out to him and hug him again if she doesn't.

"Well…" All of the pauses in this conversation make Maya's stomach do flips. At the last second, Josh rushes his words as he begins to walk away, "You sure grew up gorgeous!"

Maya makes it a point to scan his handsome body a few times as he passes. In fact, she nearly turns completely around to keep looking at him. Unfortunately for her hungry eyes, Riley pulls her shoulder roughly and clears her throat.

"Maya, I have the perfect dress for you to wear. I haven't grown into it completely yet." Riley is using this as a diversion from the obvious romantic tension developing between Maya and her Uncle Josh. Regardless of how Maya felt, she follows Riley to her room. Lucas following with heavy footsteps without being invited; and its him who nearly slams the door shut.

He nearly growls at Maya when he's sure nobody will be able to hear them, "I don't like the way he was looking at you. Or you him!"

Maya and Riley both fold their arms against their chest and stare at him. Riley is more frustrated with Lucas' outburst. Mostly because he shouldn't care about who Maya is checking out, nor whom she is checking out either. Riley is the first to voice this, "It's my Uncle. It's better than her checking out a stranger."

Riley and Lucas are sharing a silent moment of disagreement. Maya starts to excuse herself but Lucas grabs her by the wrist without looking and pulls her back to his side. "It is disrespectful to hook up with your best friend's family members. Don't you agree, Riley? This is not the appropriate place."

Maya leans into Lucas and dares to breath onto his cheek, "I don't think she cares, cowboy."

She starts to walk outside of the room but Lucas follows her. Thankfully quick on her feet, Maya is able to swing around and get back into Riley's bedroom. The door locks behind her and Lucas is left in the hallway with his thoughts of "proper etiquette." In the meantime, Riley is helping Maya switch into a plain black dress with lace sleeves and spike-studded shoulders.

As they are getting ready to walk back out to join the crowd, Riley grins, "Wouldn't it be awesome if you started dating Josh?" Maya doesn't bring to Riley's attention that Josh lives quite far away. Visiting him would be very limited, if not impossible entirely. Also, she just couldn't see herself being that lucky.

"Dating is a very ambiguous term; but if you mean it would be awesome if I started recreationally kissing him… then yes, that would be very awesome!" Maya giggles as she opens the door. Lucas and Auggie are sitting on the floor waiting for the girls. Before Riley catches sight of her date, Maya catches a look of sadness on Lucas' face.

Riley effectively brings cheer to the group when she steps out with her flawless smile, "Gift Exchange!"

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A/N Mmm, reviews yes?


	2. Double Date?

So the Matthews' adults draw a name for the kids in the family. Every year the drawing has been Riley, Auggie, Maya, and Joshua. This year they added Lucas to the list as well as Ava. This meant that each of the adults had someone to buy for, even Shawn. Maya figured that whoever got a gift from Shawn actually got a gift form Cory because he always failed to show for one reason or another. Riley and Maya often speculated that he doesn't even exist.

"Alright kids! The gifts are lined up on the coffee table! Pick up the one with your name and then flip the tag over to be matched with your adult gifter!" Topanga is wearing a Santa hat to match her floor length red dress. Cory is sticking close to her with his ear glued to a phone. Maya squeezes in line just ahead of Lucas where Riley is chatting with Joshua and Auggie.

Maya bumps Lucas as she flattens the dress she's wearing. "Excuse you, Maya," he groans. She flips her hair around purposefully to hit him in the face.

"Excuse yourself, Friar. I've been coming around a lot longer." Maya hisses, although she definitely sounds angrier than she actually is. Which causes her to soften her expression almost immediately, "Sorry."

Lucas is not accustomed to Maya apologizing. He apparently sees how important it is to her to flirt with Joshua and establish some sort of relationship. She wouldn't have apologized, otherwise, because she never apologizes. He can't help but feel his heart sink a little bit as he submits and lets go of the bends bending down to pick up the large bag designated for her, he does his usual hat tip. Lucas can't help but be a little disappointed when she doesn't shudder.

"Shawn?" Maya mumbles with question in her voice. She starts to wonder if she was a second thought in the gifting process. But just then the door opens and Cory hangs up the phone. He looks very rugged and nowhere nearly as mature as Cory or Topanga. Maya turns and joins Shawn as he hovers at the door, kicking his shoes off and laying his worn brown jacket on a coat hook.

"You must be the – what did you say, Cory?" Shawn shouts across the room.

"Best artist of this generation!" Cory announces. Everybody drops their things and goes to welcome Cory as he makes his way slowly into the house. Topanga is the only one that doesn't rush, and instead pours him a glass of Sparkling Cider. Maya goes to the window and sits next to Joshua who got his gift from Eric. The boys are both now looking at their phones. As soon as Joshua lifts his eyes to Maya, Eric coyly excuses himself.

Joshua scoots closer to Maya, "You must have never met Shawn before."

Maya looks at him with a soft smile and shakes her head, "Nope. Mr. Matthews talks about him all the time. But I've never really believed that he could be friends with someone who breaks the rules as much as he did."

Joshua has this suave darkness in his laugh that makes Maya forget that other people are in the room. She just can help but stare at his perfect teeth and his stretched lips. But he pulls his phone into her view. It's a picture of Shawn and Joshua, "I ride dirt bikes on the weekend. When Shawn is in the area he joins me. We saw him last week and made him promise to come. He's my brother's best friend, always has been. Great guy, too. Makes us guys who are rough on the edges feel like there's hope."

"You are hardly rough around the edges, big shot." Maya remarks offhandedly. When she looks up across the room she sees Riley received her gift from her mother, Auggie received on from Grandma Matthews, Lucas got his gift from Cory, and Grandpa Matthews is standing by the couch with a gift he's holding just outside of Ava's grasp.

Joshua twists around and puts his phone in his pocket. "Got mixed up with a bad crowd last year and made some bad decisions. It doesn't matter how straight the line is that I walk now the reputation still hangs out. I feel like that's something you could understand."

Maya watches Joshua look up at Riley and grin. It's his niece and I'm sure he feels uncomfortable at times telling people that his niece is in his age group, technically. That must be so weird, Maya thinks to herself, but she isn't thinking long because Joshua starts talking again; "You can be as good as Riley every day of your life but because of where you live and some mistakes you've made, nobody is ever going to put you in that same category."

Even though this is supposed to be a cheerful holiday Maya kind of wilts. Eric soon joins them again and calls Shawn to sit next to Maya. He asks if Maya has any work at the Matthews' house that he could check out. They chat for a few moments while Topanga directs who is to open their gift first.

Lucas, surprisingly, goes first with Cory. Inside of his gift is a plain, silver watch. With it is a small card that reads, "Remember that my baby girl's curfew is 8:00 P.M." Everyone gets a chuckle out of it; yes, even Lucas. He bows to Cory.

"Sir, I promise she'll never be late on my watch. You have my word." Riley is almost drooling as she watches Cory and Lucas get along so pleasantly. Topanga then asks Auggie and Grandma Matthews to do their gift. Auggie is dramatic while opening his present, ripping it tiny piece by tiny piece, shouting a song about wondering what his gift was going to be.

Lucas waves at Riley while they wait. Riley turns bright red and turns to Topanga and whispers something. Maya pulls her phone out and texts Riley, asking what is going on since she's not exactly in the loop.

Auggie gets a brand new pair of Mr. Googly pajames which comes with strap on extra arms and matching slippers. Auggie takes off without even asking to put his pajamas on immediately. Topanga has to break the designated order so that Ava won't chase after Auggie and ignore her gift – which ironically enough is exactly the same thing. Topanga offers to help her get changed into her pajamas while Riley opens her gift.

Maya is pleased when Riley squeals in happiness. She'd been swooning over a pair a glittery petticoat she saw at the mall. Maya thought that it would look great on her and had considered thrift shopping for something similar with what little money she's able to gather on the streets. Lucas separates from Cory to talk to Riley and compliment how beautiful she looks.

"Open yours first, Maya." Joshua directs her softly. The remaining adults are watching them both. Shawn nudges her with a grin on his face. She can tell that the poor guy doesn't buy gifts for kids often and is clearly excited. Maya, on the other hand, doesn't prefer to be the center of attention.

"I will counter your proposal with something better. We open them at the same time. It's my only offer." Maya pretends to debate the issue but makes her point clear. If she's opening her gift then he should be opening his too. Everyone seems to get a laugh out the exchanged. But Joshua obliges and starts to count them down.

"Three…" He starts, "Two…" He watches her to ensure that she's going to keep her word. Maya joins him for the last count, "One!"

Maya opens her bag and pulls out an art kit. It comes with three flat canvases, acrylic paints, watercolor paints, watercolor pencils, and charcoal pencils. There's also a separate sketchbook with sketching pens. Maya's jaw drops before she throws her arms around Shawn's neck.

"Mr. Shawn Hunter, these are delightful." Maya is nearly sobbing she is so excited. The colored pencils that Mr. Matthews gave her when he got her a phone were all but depleted. She was desperately in need of new supplies – and she never would have asked the Matthews for more than they already gave her.

When Maya turned around Joshua's gift was some dirt biking gear. Eric was bragging about how Joshua was supposed to be getting hired on as a part-time employee during the week in their pro gear shop; and then that bragging blended into actually bragging about his skills. Maya listened and watched Joshua modestly deny everything Eric proclaimed. When the conversation steered away from Joshua, though, he was quick to relocate himself.

Maya took her things and set them in Riley's closet. It's where she stored all of her most prized possessions – which meant all of her best artwork. She pulled out a painting of her hands holding a bleeding heart. It was very small and it was done on a broken piece of mirror, but it was representative of how she felt when her mother was forced to work a double shift on her birthday a few weeks ago.

"Knock, knock." Maya jumps at the voice, not out of fright or anything. Lucas never startled her. It was just an instinct since they always tried to find a good reason to pick on another and get under each other's skin. It was more or less a defensive nature, Maya concludes.

She sighs and holds the painted mirror behind her back; "It's just you."

He tips his pretend hat before stepping closer to her, "Riley wanted me to apologize before we took off for my mother's dinner party. I don't know what came over me."

Maya furrows her brows suspiciously at him but shrugs her shoulders, "That's just who you are. You try to protect your friends and you probably thought that my attraction to Joshua would make things bitter between me and Riley," Maya starts. Lucas doesn't start nodding so she isn't sure if he completely understands. So she continues, "I mean, it would be weird for me to be her best friend _and_ her aunt."

"Oh, yeah. Absolutely." Lucas agrees, but sticks his hand out to Maya. This is one of his polite habits from having lived in Texas so long. Everyone shook hands and bowed and called people "Sir" and "Madam" and made sure their manners were spot on. Maya had trouble just make sure that she walked down the right roads after school, let alone remembering to say 'Please' and 'Thank you' to every kind gesture.

"Anyway, since Riley's mom is letting her join me at the dinner party it only seemed appropriate that I invite you along." Lucas offers and he actually manages to sound interested in having Maya come along. However, she's sure that Riley made him extend the gesture. Otherwise it would have been Maya, Auggie, Ava, and Joshua as the remaining people. The only oddball out would have been Maya.

She grins at him helplessly, not knowing how she should go about turning down the offer; "I don't belong at a dinner party like that."

Lucas still has his hand extended which he shakes and then drops at his side. It's not there for long before he folds his arms behind his back; "You belong with your friends. And that's the only place that you belong, Maya."

Maya watches him as he turns and leaves Riley's room. Maya pulls her piece out and sets it on Riley's bed. In fact, she proceeds to pull everything form the closet and lay it all around the room. After a few minutes go by Maya goes out to grab Shawn and show her the artwork that she'd done. Since he's a photographer and a writer she assumed that he would see her art in a similar light as she did. On the way out she passes Joshua. She waves a tiny bit at him but remains focused on her actual mission.

Joshua detours into Riley's bedroom where he saw Maya coming from. Even from the hallway he can see drawings and paintings everywhere. Even though he wasn't invited to look at the work he does so anyway. Riley goes back into the bedroom shouting back to Lucas that she'll be back in just a minute.

"Oh, Josh, I didn't know you were in here. I thought you were in the bathroom." Riley remarks as she pulls her new petticoat off of a chair; "She's so talented isn't she?"

Joshua looks up at Riley who has always been very protective of Maya. He wondered if she'd be as protective of him if she knew the real reason they stopped visiting once a month last year, and why they don't stay overnight for holidays very often. "Maya is clearly more than she lets on. That's good, though. It means she's humble."

Seconds later, Maya comes in with Shawn and Lucas in flank. Maya stands back as Shawn starts picking things and complimenting different aspects. Riley and Lucas crowd around Maya and wait in silence as Shawn continues to make his way through the several pieces.

"Will you be taking off with Riley and Lucas?" Josh surprises Maya and causes her to jump a tiny bit. Whens he turns to look at him she relaxes almost immediately. She leans nearer to him just because she can probably get away with it.

"I don't know that I have a choice. Besides that, I have nowhere else that I can go." Maya looks back at Riley who develops this unnecessary tick. She nearly knocks her head against Lucas' while she's trying to gesture to Maya. At first Maya did not understand what Riley was getting at, although when she did catch on there was nothing that Maya had to do.

Joshua got to the punch line first, "Feel like making it a double date?"

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A/N: As you have probably guessed - this will be a slow building, multi chapter fanfiction. So I want to warn you - as you're reading this because you ship Lucaya most likely...

This is going to be a Josh x Maya fanfiction for a decent portion of the story. There will be hints of Lucaya, but first the first half of this fanfiction I'm going to be displaying how Maya's relationship with Cory starts demolishing the relationship with Lucas and Riley - WHICH WILL BE GOING WELL FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. So when I say slow building - I honestly mean sloooooow building.

I've dedicated myself to this and I hope as readers you'll be willing to dedicate yourself to this too :) Please always leave your honest opinions in the reviews. Your reviews are my lifeblood :)


	3. Flirting on the Rooftop

Riley is walking around with a plate in her hand with little snack bites while Lucas is walking around with drinks. When Lucas gets closer Maya swipes two glasses and tries to track down Joshua who disappeared nearly ten minutes ago. Maya starts by knocking on the two bathroom doors. When he is not there she tries to think, _Where would I be if I were here by myself?_

Maya rushes back through the halls and back into the kitchen where Riley has one hand placed on Lucas' chest while she's laughing. Judging by his expression the poor cowboy doesn't know what he said that was so funny. It probably wasn't funny at all. Maya interrupts with a sense of urgency in her voice and disinterest in the events taking place before she entered, "Where did you say the entrance was for your roof?"

Riley turns around and stares at Maya silently discouraging anti-social behavior. Lucas just looks tired, "I didn't."

"Why do you need to know that, Maya?" Riley questions. Maya doesn't really blame her friend for her concern. When things were uncomfortable for her she'd just run away from them, usually scatting and singing made-up songs that made no sense.

Maya was thankful that this time she had a good reason to abandon ship, "My date is missing. I think he's missing up there." Maya gestures playfully to the ceiling as she speaks. There's a rec space up there but this time of year it's pretty much abandoned. Most of the space is uncovered seating.

Lucas grins and drops his head. Maya can't remember the last time he did that so associating it with a specific emotion was beyond her interest. "Go the end of the hallway like you're going to go back down to the lobby. The last door before that is the stairwell for the roof."

Riley starts complimenting Lucas on being such a helpful friend, while also asking him if Joshua had asked about it earlier. Maya shrugged and slugged Lucas on her wait out, "Mucho gracias, Huckleberry."

"No problem, little lady." He tries to get her back since she won't see his hat-tipping nonsense. Maya just scurries out with the two glasses, which she is sure was stressing Lucas out when she left. It doesn't matter to her, though, and if he really cared that much he could have stopped her. That's just her opinion.

When Maya reaches the roof, realizing a little too late that she hasn't brought her coat along with her, she finds exactly what she was looking for. Joshua is leaning against a wall and staring out straight ahead of him. And much to her surprise she sees smoke suddenly appear being whipped away from his face.

Maya sets the glasses down near the door and wraps her arms over her chest before approaching. As soon as she's standing next to him Joshua just looks back at her. His eyes are dripping with guilt and embarrassment. Maya reaches out and takes his free arm in both of hers; "A cigarette is more important than your date, is it?"

Joshua laughs and puts the nasty thing out on the cement. The young man tenses because part of him wants to pull Maya Hart in for a hug. However, he knows that they didn't know what baggage they each carry. For all he knew, his bad decisions might be more than she could handle on her shoulders.

"It's a bad habit. I am better than I used to be – I'm only smoking when I'm nervous now." Joshua chuckles at the statement he makes. It must sound so stupid to her. What little he knows about Maya… She has every reason to be on the wrong path but she manages to not do so. Joshua is actually jealous in that moment for all the people in the world who didn't do what he's done.

Maya lifts her chin up a few inches to look at the sky, "I had a cigarette once. It was a really bad night before I ever met Riley's parents and started to fuse into the family as the bonus kid. Mom came home and dropped my birthday cake on me while I was sleeping…"

Joshua watches intensely as Maya wiggles her nose to prevent herself form getting too emotional, _from crying_. "Now - I know that she'd been drinking because she had to miss my birthday to work a double shift. She really wants to be a good parent but she just doesn't understand how it works, you know."

Maya catches herself shedding a tear, which she selfishly turns and wipes harshly on Joshua's shoulder. He twists her away before offering his jacket to her. At first Maya declines but he puts on her anyway, and Maya doesn't resist he second effort. "Anyway, I skipped school the next day as a gift to myself. I wandered through the alleyways and some other kids were smoking the butts left in the streets. I took one hit and I have never felt dirtier – not even when I woke up to melted icing in my hair and my mom's booze breath on my cheeks." That's when Joshua bites his lower lip, drawing Maya's attention away from the sad story.

Without speaking any further they start walking to the door. In the back of his mind, Joshua was caching Maya's personal experience with smoking. A girl a young and wise as her would be the catalyst, he hopes, for his full recovery. When they are at the door, Maya is the one who holds it open. Not until after she instructs Joshua to get the drinks.

Just before they go through the last door to put them back on Lucas' floor Maya decides to turn around and actually address something, "So you're my date. And dating is meant for two people who like each other to get closer. I already played my card. When are you going to play yours? Just so I'm prepared, you know…"

Joshua panics for a few seconds before he realizes that it's only fair that he responds. Even though he's a couple of years older than Maya there's no doubt in his mind that she will understand more than Riley could at the same age. He puts on a shaky grin that he notices makes Maya blink rapidly a few times. She's analyzing him but it's not quite the same way as his parents, his counselors, his doctors... This isn't intimidating or discomforting for him.

"All you need to know tonight is that smoking is the worst thing that I've done to my body," He reveals, "But I'm hoping you'll be the best thing I do for my heart."

Maya twists the knob, looking over her shoulder as she exists ahead of him, "Well, you've got the right Hart for the job."

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A/N: Joshua Matthews is not an original character I created. Although, his backstory until further notice is entirely my concept for the character. But he's actually being introduced in the episode airing this week, titled "Girl Meets Home for the Holidays." I found a released/leaked/other scene on tumblr that shows Maya and Joshua interacting. Based on the Wikia page for GMW they are only 2/3 years apart, which puts Joshua at approximately 16. Since we don't know when Maya's birthday is the Wikia has her estimated at 12/13 at the beginning of the series. I put her at 12, and then had her birthday be shortly before this takes place making her 13 for the purposes of this fic. So I'm making them 2 years apart so that it feels less awkward between the characters.

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A/N2: I like to put fun facts at the end of my stories sometimes. Here's one for this fic...

I almost titled this chapter "Flirting on the Rooftop of My Best Friend's Place" because it reminded me of the song "Scrubs."

Be sure to review/favorite/share all you like :) Remember to keep this a positive environment for a variety of shippers and fans. I hope you liked this chapter in spite of it's darker feel. That will happen because I'm going to have Joshua had a grimmer-than-it-seems-now past. Will you be ready for it when I shed more light on the matter? I hope so!

Thanks - much love to you wonderful readers.


	4. End of the Night

Mrs. Matthews has her arms crossed. Riley has her hands clasped together and she is shaking them vigorously, "PLEASE!"

Cory is laughing with Auggie from the table. Grandma and Grandpa Matthews were already set up in the guest bedroom. Maya was hovering at the door with her hands pushed deep into her pockets. What Riley was asking was not going to happen.

"No." Mrs. Matthews says coolly. Cory already told her that he didn't care, but he knew that his opinions wasn't going to matter on this particular topic. Riley stamped her foot and then threw her left arm out towards Maya. She walks over and fakes happiness at Mrs. Matthews.

She raises her hand and shakes it, "I understand. This is a family holiday and I should be with mine when they wake up." Maya then turns to Riley and jiggles her elbow, "I'll be here in time for lunch, kiddo. Open mine first, though."

Riley knows the reason that her friend makes this request. Maya cannot spare much, and what she is able to spend she usually has to spend it on essentials like school lunch, extra groceries, or school supplies. This time of year, though, Riley knows that she uses every free penny towards a present for her, and of course for her mother. Riley turns and hugs her friend, "Promise."

As Maya strolls out of the Matthews' apartment, back in her original outfit, she tucks her hair back into a side ponytail so she can pull her hat on and easily navigate her scarf. Just before she gets to the door she feels a hand grab her arm. Maya jerks away instinctively and crouches with her hands balled into fists. When she sees who it is, she places her hand delicately around his wrist.

"Never scare a girl who lives in the dark part of the city. You'll get yourself punched in someplace that's not your face." Maya's eyes widen and then glance downward, hinting exactly where she would've attacked him were they someplace less safe. Joshua chuckles at her.

"My past is darker than any alley you've been stuck in, but I think I get your point." The pair of them are suddenly be laughing about shared miseries. As their cheer dies down slowly, Joshua pulls out a piece of paper that's folded in half. Maya takes it cautiously before peaking inside in a dramatically coyly-uncoy fashion.

She smirks before taking out her phone and tapping the number into a "new message" box; "Is this how they do it in Philly? Everyone stuck in the Stone Age where flirting with a pretty girl means writing your phone number on notebook paper?"

"If we're going to play the lame game – your 'heart' joke…" Joshua starts but Maya quickly stomps on his foot. Its both a ploy to shut him up before he starts making fun of her with his handsome face, and also so she can get close enough to him…

Joshua sees in Maya's features what she's going to do, and even though he's seen a girl look this way at him before – it has never been quite as captivating as it is on her. Instead of waiting for her to make the move he pressed a kiss bravely at the edge her jawline, just below her ear.

As they are pulling away surprise takes over Maya's expression. She nods her head curtly before abandoning him in the hallway. Joshua was glad to have given his number to her, which he just knows she won't throw away, because he didn't even get to say 'thanks' to her for letting him tag along as her date.

Riley is sitting with Auggie on the couch, reading to him from a book that plays on the "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" theme. Only this book is about Santa's Claus' grandson actually finding 'Grandma Claus' after being knocked over by Rudolph. Joshua is able to slip and sneak to the kitchen without anyone asking him why he's left.

It doesn't last for long, though, because soon his phone goes off. He glances over his shoulder back at his father whose phone is also buzzing. Joshua lifts his phone up so as to announce that he's taking care of it. When his screen lights up he answers a phone call and excuses himself to the guest room where his parents are staying.

"Joshua Matthews." He answers his phone dully, just another routine call.

The expected voice on the other end coughs before forming an actual thought, "Routine call, Mr. Matthews. Your father just replied via text that you were back before curfew."

His free hand covers his eyes, feeling as though the nightmare was replaying itself. Every time he heard his officer speaking to him… It was just another reminder of all the wrong turns he's taken; "Correct. Activities included family gift exchange, boring dinner party with my cousin and her friends, back home for bed. No plans for tomorrow at this time."

"You're on probation, Joshua, not in hell. You can have fun! You just can't have the same kind of fun you was having before, buddy." Nobody wants Joshua's success more than Office Blake. OB, as Josh calls him, always tells him that probation tells him when he can go somewhere, and when he can go, and punishes him more quickly if he breaks the law; suggests all the time that he just think of probation as a 'play pen' so that good kids making bad decisions can be protected from their own curiosity.

Like babies.

A text nearly makes Josh pee his pants, seeing as he wasn't expecting it, but when he pulls it away and sees an unfamiliar number his heart races; "It's not that I didn't have fun. I did. I actually went on a date with a girl who is definitely on the right path. The drive was just long and I'm pretty tired… Hear back from you in approximately ten hours?"

OB sniffles, "Make it twenty-four. Think I've got the flu. Besides, my babies gotta open they presents before daddy gets back to work." His hearty laugh warns Joshua that his officer is feeling all right about him being out-of-state. There was hesitation, according to his parents, because New York obviously has all kinds of nightlife that could get Josh back into trouble. "You enjoy your evening."

Before Joshua is able to wish the same to his officer, "And keep this good girl by your side. Maybe she'll show you a thing or two worth picking up."

As soon as he hears the click he whips his phone away from his head and grins.

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A/N: Some of you may noticed I increased the rating from K+ to T just because the themes might be more mature than what I think is suitable for 9 years old. Particularly with the background I'm developing for Joshua Matthews - definitely geared towards teen audiences and older. Just so you know why I made that change.

12/5/14; I recently deleted the chapter titled "texting on the holidays" because I was personally not as pleased with the product. As you can see below a couple of reviews suggested the same. I will be rewriting that chapter to make it fit in more appropriately with the story, also so that the texting betweene characters makes more sense.


	5. Late Night Texts

A/N: For those of you who already read the original posting of this chapter – please reread it. I've redone it completely. For those of you who haven't already read the original positing – this chapter is centered around texting between characters. I did this successfully in my last story and did it well in a much older iCarly fic. I think it is important to reflect actual interactions between the age group I'm writing about.

I hope you like it! If not – say so. I take the reviews seriously

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Maya walks inside and sees that her grandmother is still sitting on the raggedy couch in their living room-dining room combination. She waves at her grandma who barely sees that she's come inside, "Nan!" She grumbles under her breath about the late hour, but she always does that so Maya just ignores it. At the refrigerator she sees the last can of off-brand cola. Her mother will probably want it when she gets home so Maya instead grabs the remaining jug of orange juice and carries it under her arm as she walks to her room.

The lights are flicked on and immediately a bulb blows. Unconsciously she growls to the ceiling. Her mother doesn't get paid until next week so it will be at least, _at least_, until then before she can get a replacement. Maya slams the door in frustration before plopping down on the bed. She's got, pulling her phone out and checking the time, nine more hours before Riley will send her the text message that she can come over again. Maya lives for those texts because going home is the worst.

That's when she remembers that she has a new phone number in her phone. She opens her messages and sees Joshua's number still sitting in a new message template. She immediately starts tapping a message to him; **It was incredibly cute – the paper I mean.**

Back at the Matthews house Josh is sleeping on his nieces floor. His phone is in his jeans across the room when it goes off. He leaps almost completely up in surprise but notices that Riley is also on her phone, "Lucas can't sleep," she replies cheerfully, "And I bet that Maya can't either."

Joshua gets really excited when he hears this. Obviously he feels a bit over zealous about Maya as a whole right now, but she is dazzling. Of course, he reminds himself, her looks aren't the only thing that's intrigued him this evening. Her obvious artistic skill and her booming personality both make Josh want to know more about her. When he pulls his phone out he decides to ask Riley about Maya, "Does she always act this way with guys?"

Riley pulls her phone away from her face and blinks to adjust her eyes quickly, "Maya talks a big game but I don't know that she's ever had an actual boyfriend. She hasn't since I've known her." This makes him smile even though he knows he shouldn't. When he reads the message that Maya's sent to him he laughs under his breath.

Maya had made fun of him at first but she is actually impressed by it. He knew that it was a little old school. Most kids these days are just getting phone numbers from their friends. Josh knows he could have easily asked for Maya's number from Riley but he thought it would be more personable if he made the effort; **Im not cute? U must b hogging it all.**

"Maya probably isn't the type who likes cheesy lines, is she?" Riley hears the question and she thinks briefly on how Maya deals with Farkle and Lucas. They both do things and say things to her that are predictable. But as she glances behind her own phone at her uncle – Maya adores him. She doesn't adore anyone that quickly ever and just knows that anything that he says or does…

"You'll have a hard time getting ride of her." Joshua is glad to hear Riley basically say that he'll be fine. He nods and does a bit of a victory dance as he crawls back onto his makeshift bedding and awaits the next message very nervously.

Maya is pulling her shirt off in flurry. When she was gulping back her orange juice she had gotten a text from Lucas that startled her. It did so just enough that she found herself dumping the last gulp all over her chest. Her phone was resting on her mattress now buzzing at a new message.

This one is from Joshua, she hopes. Lucas had just asked if her mom has made it home yet. It's not that Lucas _never_ texts her. She just wasn't expecting him too do so, especially after his strange outburst earlier in the day. As soon as Maya has switched out of her shirt and changed into a sports bra for sleeping, she wanders back to her bed and grabs her phone.

"Smooth, homeboy. But not to me," which she coveys in her text message; **IDK if that works back home but not on me brother.**

After she hits send she adds a follow-up message, hoping to continue the conversation; **Gonna need a LOT more than THAT.** Maya is satisfied with her response to Joshua and then pulls up the message from Lucas. "Are you sleeping yet?" She just shakes her head.

Maya doesn't want to ignore him because it's rude and he is technically her friend. So she actually just calls him to save herself the time. She isn't planning on him answering but when she hears a croaked, "Maya," come from her phone she forgets what she's done.

"I'm awake, cowboy." Maya grumbles, "Whatsitooya?"

She hears a creaking mattress, which makes her believe that Lucas had gotten up out of his bed. This is confirmed when she hears a door close. Probably so his mom doesn't know he's on the phone, "I meant for that message to go to Riley. I should have said something."

Maya doesn't know what to call it when she has a flare of disappointment. Instead of letting it dictate how she responds, she just laughs into the phone, "Well it was my pleasure to waste your time, Ranger."

Lucas is walking over to the window his bedroom. He's in a great neighborhood and he loves look outside and seeing the Christmas lights and the snow. It's very different from Texas but it's not in a bad way. Kind of like Maya…

She's _so_ different from anyone that he's ever been friends with. She's snippy, she's bold, and more than anything – she doesn't follow all of the rules. It works for her, though, and Lucas finds himself always watching her closely. In that tiny blonde there is more courage than he could ever muster. It's admirable.

Then he realizes that she's sighing into the speaker. It's the irritated kind of sigh that signals she's about to hang up, "Thanks for responding, though. Very holiday spirit." Maya laughs and hangs up on him anyway. Lucas just laughs because he knows its nothing personal. That's just how Maya deals with things.

When he glances down at his phone, though, he realizes that may it wasn't just Maya being Maya when she hung up. Riley messaged him back; **Joshua is giggling b/c Maya is texting him – its kinda cute.** Lucas isn't sure that he feels the same way.

When Maya's mother walks through the front door she knows she'll have to break away from the frivolous texting with Joshua. He's thanked her for letting him tag-a-long as her date at Friar's dinner party. She told him that his beautiful face convinced her. The last text she is reading as she goes out to meet her mom is; **Thnx for sayin what u did about smoking too.**

"Maya, honey, are you home?" Maya shoves her phone into her back pocket and gives her attention to her mother.

"Here! I'm here!" She replies half-heartedly. When she sees her mom walk through the door she has a stack of three take-out boxes and three take-home boxes. Her mother always picks up Chinese food on Christmas Eve because there's a shop around the corner that is always open, even on holidays. The other boxes are from the diner and will probably be their lunch tomorrow. Maya instinctually rushes over and takes the take-out stack from her hands. Then her mother presses an awkward kiss against Maya's cheek that makes her heart sink.

"Did you have fun with Riley today?" She asks as Maya begins setting the table, still mulling over the text that Joshua has sent her. Also, she is kind of reminiscing about their brief time alone.

Maya explains how the afternoon went and that Mr. Matthew's friend Shawn got her an amazing art kit. Her mother reminds her to express her gratitude and tells her to say something to the Matthews about letting her go over for the holidays. This is when Maya realizes that she's feeling awful about being a part-time parent.

"I'm going over after breakfast tomorrow to hang out with Riley and her Uncle Josh. I'll make sure to pass along the message." Maya's voice is cold as she waddles over to her grandma. Her mother is still quiet even after 'Nan' gets squared away and mushing her food.

The rule is that Maya isn't allowed to text at the table because the three of them rarely see each other at the same time, but Maya pulls her phone out anyway. She types a quick message, **Ur too good to die young.**

"Maya Rhiannon Hart, put that phone away." Maya is expecting this and stuffs it into her pants quickly. She starts asking immediately how her mother's day at the diner was, which sends her off into tizzy. People not tipping, people making a mess, crying babies, etc…

Meanwhile, Josh is starting at his screen and can hear Riley snoring. Her phone goes off a couple of times. He's betting it is just her boyfriend, Lucas, putting together that she's fallen asleep. From what little he knows about the guy Joshua figures that he's the kind of boy all parents wish their daughters would bring home.

In that same line of thought, Joshua is gripping his phone. Maya hasn't replied to his message, which he's rereading now; **I know but nothing has stuck like what u said earlier.**

After Maya runs the trash outside she finally gets back inside and finds her grandmother passed out on the couch again, and can hear that her mother is in the shower. Maya checks the fridge and sees that her mother did take the last soda. Pleased by this, she takes a tiny glass of water with her back inside of her room. She strips her pants and finds a pair of flannels that she slides into patiently.

"Oh shoot!" Maya has almost forgotten she was having a conversation with Joshua. She sees that nearly forty-five minutes have passed. He's not going to be awake – she's sure of it. She replies with something simple so that if he is asleep and she does wake him up then he won't feel obligated to reply, **Oh?**

But seconds later he responds just after she gets under her covers and closes her eyes. Her heart is racing. Nothing has been quite so exciting and in a way she kind of understands why Riley always gets pumped when Lucas sends her messages throughout the day now; **Glad ur still awake :) &amp; yes – I needed some1 to give me a good reason to really stop.**

Before she can even start to process a response a second message appears, **Ur kind of my hero.**

Joshua tosses and turns as he's waiting for Maya's texts. Eventually he gets up and goes to the bay window and cracks it just enough so that he can breathe the fresh air. He always sleeps with his window open back home. He's nodding off against the window when a tiny buzz against his fingertips brings him back; **Well ur a great person w/ a super nice face.**

**Took u long enough – I was starting to fall asleep! BTW u also have a nice face;** Joshua has always felt he's a great flirt. Unfortunately, now that he's actually trying to develop something meaningful in a short period of time while he's in New York he's finding that maybe he's not as good as he thought. This is almost confirmed when Maya texts him back stating that she's sorry for keeping him up so late.

**Nope – don't do that.**

**Don't do the thing where its serious then u stop texting me.**

**We're not going 2 do that – we're just going 2 get back 2 flirting. **Josh has seen this conversation pattern happen one too many times with the guys he used to be friends with. Hell, he has had it happen to him before. If she really wants to stop talking, then Josh gets it, but he's not going to let her run away because things stopped being lighthearted. If it frightens her then he'll give her a reason not to be.

Maya's reply brings him some level of Christmas Joy, thankfully; **Right to the point – nice!**

He's biting the tip of his tongue out of excitement, there's nothing more exciting that seeing someone like Maya. There's no real classification for someone so comfortable in her own skin in the exact way that _she is_; **I just happen to like you is all.**

Riley laughs in her sleep, which makes Joshua jump and smack his head against the window. This in turn wakes Riley up immediately. As she realizes that it's just Josh making noise. She waves at him, mumbling about her phone while she's awake. He looks back to his phone. No message yet. So he starts tapping his hands.

And then before he realizes it he's air drumming to no beat in particular. As several minutes start ticking by and there's no response he feels like maybe he's gone too far. Josh feels like he's probably just overstepped the boundary so he checks his phone last time as he's walking back to his bed for the third time tonight; **Merry Xmas to me then – exactly wut I asked 4 ;).**

**Too weird if I say me 2? **Maya gnaws on this inside of her cheek. This is the kind of thing that she watches on television happening to girls next door and good guys. Riley and Maya usually spend hours squealing about love stories and strong females having a soft spot for that one almost-can't-be-fixed guy. And when she sees that Joshua confirming the mutual feelings…

Maya feels like she's _finally_ just like everyone else; **Good.**

Maya checks her phone and she can hardly believe that it is so late. It's nearly two in the morning and she's not even sure how it managed to get that late. What had she been doing the whole time? She isn't sure but she just sets her phone on her chest and, "Shedooby doowa doowap pop a dop. Hart's hearts a bangin' doowap doowap bop bop ba da."

As she's shimmying her phone slips down and crashes against the floor. Maya leans laboriously over the side of her bed and reaches for it as a message flickers onto her screen. Smile creeping over her lips before she's even read the entire message; **U sure ur not a Matthews?**

Buzzing again, a new window replacing the old; **B/c ur just too good to be true rn.**

Maya rolls her eyes. What he doesn't know is that what's wrong with her isn't a criminal background, a bad attitude, or some other obtuse attribute that makes her undesirable from an outside perspective. Maya knows what her downside is, and much to her dismay its not even something that she'll ever be able to fix.

**Much as I'd like to be – no go.** Maya realizes that if she has said something that could potentially lead him into a scripted-style comeback. She sends another message before it can even cross his mind; **But u have been tryin 2 convince me not all Matthews are as perfect as Riles &amp; Friar.**

Maya is satisfied with her messages and allows her mind to wander a little. Joshua has made her believe that he's this big ole bad guy who has done something terrible. In fact, as she thinks about it – he makes it sound like he's dangerous. A part of her gets excited – dangerous boys always love the most passionately in all the movies. That would be quite the thrill.

On the flip side of that story, though, those boys also are in and out, hit and miss, if not worse. Maya is already sick and tired of half a mom being the dictation of her life. She hardly wants a boyfriend just the same.

"You're thinking too far ahead, Maya. You've just met this guy – like _officially_ met him. And he's only in town for three days. There's clearly _nothing_ big happening here." She assures herself before she opens his next text; **IDK about Friar being perfect – heard he was acting kinda jealous earlier.**

"Ignoring that text, Josh, because that's is _not_ what was happening at all. He just thinks I'm a heathen." Maya tells herself. As she scrolls back through the conversation a new message forces her back to the most recent messages; **I am trouble tho &amp; nobody in the fam knows except maybe Topanga – but she hasnt let on that she knows yet.**

**I can keep secrets – even from Riles if u asked me 2 – but that is gonna b sumthin u tell in person;** Maya has a heavy moment of realization that maybe he really has gotten into trouble. Possibly legal trouble, even, which is actually kind of scary; and confusing because not two minutes ago she thought it was kind of hot that he might be a badass. She shudders and smacks her head.

"This is not how you are! You keep your cool. You're a _flirt_!" The blonde condemns herself for being full of angst and emotional instability. These are things that she used to pick fun about in Riley's behavior about Lucas. Maya vowed to herself she would never be the same way. It wasn't because it looked kind of needy, which it did, but because Maya has a persona she wants to keep in tact: feel nothing but angry. Be angry about everything. Be angry about nothing. It doesn't matter as long as she is _angry._

A quick glance at her screen shows that another hour has passed. Since there are no gifts to be distributed at the Hart household Maya knows that she can sleep in. Unfortunately for Joshua, Auggie is an up-a-5:00-AM-sharp kind of kid. He'll be up in two short hours opening presents with his wonderful family; **U need 2G2 bed josh.**

It wasn't a request Maya assures himself. She will send him one message ending the conversation on her end and then the rest will have to be history. There's no reason for her to keep him up as late as she already has. In fact, she's kind of hoping that he agrees with her.

Joshua sees her message and the time stamp and knows that even though he doesn't feel tired that she is right. He does need to go to bed. Cory mentioned earlier that Auggie is hardwired to wake up before the sun rises on Christmas day. He's got a couple of hours at best. So he figures he has to go with the flow and wrap up the conversation; **Ur gonna be here for lunch tomorrow but u got plans for dinner?**

This isn't like earlier when he basically invited himself as a plus one. He was actually going to be asking her on a formal date. The kind where he takes her out to her favorite restaurant and he pays for the food and walks with her until they each absolutely have to go home; **I have a pizza date ;)**

**Lucky guy,** Joshua replies and before he blinks he decides to send more; **Merry Xmas My a-Heart.** After that he throws his phone out of his reach and closes his eyes. He _has_ to go to sleep!

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A/N: I didn't even realize that this chapter ended up being so LONG!? They shouldn't all be this long. I was aiming for 2500 words or less for each chapter. Anyway - let me know what you think!


	6. On Our Way to the Matthews

A/N: Just a reminder that Lucaya is my end game. This chapter focuses a little more on Lucas and how he's feeling right now. Hope you like seeing more of him!

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Lucas is sitting on the subway. The stop for Riley's apartment is next. He wants to text her and see if Maya is already there but after his outburst yesterday it would look… well, he's not sure he wants to say what it is because he doesn't really know. But since he knows eventually he will ask if Maya has made it to the Matthews home yet he just left the conversation off with "I will be there soon."

The walls are flying by and the few people that are actually on the subway today are just glued to their phones. Nobody has to stand today which Lucas thinks is really nice. Some people, like Maya, stand most of the time they are on the subway. From the corner of his eye, though, he realizes that he has misjudged. There is someone at the end of the car who is standing.

And she has a blonde ball of hair tied neatly on top of her head, but it's _her_ jacket. Lucas finds himself up and walking towards the young lady before he can stop and think about the chances that it's, "Maya?"

When he says her name is feels foreign coming out of his mouth. When she turns around he notices that she's just been on her phone because she didn't even scowl. In fact, she was grinning from ear-to-ear. She looks so wistful and… "Wow."

When he says this aloud, her expression melts back to its usual distant, straight face. Maya has seen now who is speaking and she puts her phone into her jacket pocket; "Fancy seeing the Ranger on patrol. Did your cowboy senses warn you that I was going to Riley's house or is it just your usual patrol?"

Her words are sharp and bitter but this is how she always sounds to Lucas. What he doesn't expect is when she sighs and shakes her head, "Sorry. I meant to just ask if the Ranger was on patrol but my mouth just did whatever it wanted to do."

Lucas pretends to tip his hat as usual, although with far less enthusiasm. He's still looking at how elegant Maya is right now with her hair pulled back. And to top it off, he glances down and notices she's actually wearing one of her own dresses. Her bare skin is exposed just above the knee before her socks and boots start. It almost glows which is strangely beau-

His eyes are redirected to his cell phone which he pretends to check the time on, remarking as he's distracted so it means less than if he were looking directly at Maya, "You're hair is nice today, by the way."

"I was hoping. Josh is taking me out to dinner later," She says and Lucas finds his gaze settling on her once again. His usually relaxed features tense up and he knows it, but Maya doesn't notice. In fact she bends her knees and shrugs her shoulders, allowing her radiant smile go over her lips once again, "On a date!'

Lucas goes to open his mouth to respond but the intercom announces that in two minutes they'll arrive at the next platform. Maya is straightening and clearly anticipating the stop. He's never seen her so excited before – correction, he's never seen her so excited about a _person_ before. Maya does get really excited about art and fashion and other things that 'express' ones self.

"You going to do anything with Riley today or are you just stopping by with your present?" Maya is actually making small talk with Friar. They worked together on that muffin project so its not like she can't talk to him. In fact, when they start an advanced art class next semester it's going to be just the pair of them. She has oftentimes found herself casually chatting with him about the agenda and generally hyping about what they'll get to be doing in that class.

But they don't usually talk about Riley. She isn't sure why that never happens but it just doesn't. Maybe because it is awkward to talk to your best friend's boyfriend? Maybe because it's awkward to talk to your girlfriend's best friend? She isn't certain but she just does it now because it feels like the right thing to be asking.

Maya looks over at Lucas who seems disgruntled by something but he just shakes his head, "I'm staying for lunch and then we're going to watch a play with Auggie. The drama club is doing 'The Nutcracker' with robots at the high school."

"Sounds dreadful, but to each their own. It's kind of like that fanfiction stuff you always hear actors making jokes about. Do whatever you need to do to express yourself." Maya speaks so nonchalantly to him. There's no need to guard with Lucas because he gets the brunt of her cruelty. There's nothing that she can see that will make him think poorly of her or judge her in a way that he likely hasn't already.

When the subway begins slowly Maya takes her hand off of the bar and starts walking towards the door, wrapping her arms tightly around her sleeves. She just isn't not a one-layer of clothing kind of gal! Usually she's wearing at minimum two shirts and a jacket. Not to mention her skin is exposed.

"Let me trade coats with you, Maya. Mine will come down over your legs." Lucas offers her just before the car has stopped. The small jerk catches her off guard but surprisingly Friar grabs her arm and steadies her. Fear somehow creeps over her face but she just looks up to him and nods.

Maya is shrugging off her jacket and revealing the full dress. It's not at all unlike her usual clothing. There are strange patterns all over the long sleeved ensemble, but when she turns just slightly to undo the zipper that caught on the edge of her dress – it's an opaque material covering midway down her back. When she hands him the jacket, "Is Joshua taking you someplace nice?"

Maya is quick to cover herself and button up Lucas' jacket quickly. His comment made her self conscious about the outfit that she'd chosen. It was a dress her mother picked up last year when she was supposed to go see her father for the holidays. It didn't fit right then and she ended up not going. Or rather, she'd been uninvited. Maya was hoping to make a more positive association by wearing it out to eat with Joshua tonight.

"I was thinking pizza? He's just a kid like us – he probably can't afford something nicer than pizza, right?" Maya should have just wore her usual jeans and some shirt from the seventies. Lucas and Maya are the only two getting off at that platform so off they go together. As they are rushing up the stairs to the main road, Maya sputters out, "Thanks for trading."

The remainder of the walk is very quiet, but also very brief since there are no people outside yet. There'll be more foot traffic later, Maya is perfectly aware. She's kind of counting on it so that she might have an excuse to hold Joshua's hand. Just as they get to Riley's building Lucas steps ahead of her and opens the door. They stop at the speaker and as Maya lifts and presses the button to announce herself, "You're missing daughter is here to see you," Lucas shrugs out of Maya's too-small-for-him jacket to return it. Maya follows suit and hands his back at the same time. With jackets hanging over their forearms, Lucas puts his hand on her back as they go to Riley's front door.

"You're dressed for something nicer than pizza, ma'am." When the door opens Maya steps in first. As soon as she does Joshua can be heard jogging up to her, complimenting how fantastic she looks openly. His head hangs low until Riley shows up at his side with a soft smile on her face. At least she's something he can understand.

And for once the kiss he places on her cheek is so natural that he's reminded how comfortable things can be with her.

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A/N: For those of you wanting more Moshua / Joshaya (a ship name I personally want to abolish) - you can expect that next chapter! We're going to learn what makes Joshua Matthews so "bad boy" and why he's on probation. It's going to definitely be a little darker than Girl Meets World but I think it will definitely add to him for this story's ultimate plot :):)


	7. Bad Decisions Don't Make Bad People

A/N: Just in case you didn't read my authors note in the last chapter - THIS CHAPTER GETS DARK. It talks about Joshua's past. I hate to do spoilers but there will be mentions of drug use. If you do not feel comfortable reading about the entire chapter - a cleaner friendly summary will be included at the very end. Thank you for reading :)

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Josh is tapping his fingers nervously on his leg. Maya is standing in front of him, because she feels more comfortable on her feet. She looks positively stunning. It's hard to believe she just thirteen. Then again, he started to come into himself at that same age. Nowhere near as gracefully as she is, though. It reminds him again that he had to get an address to OB before they ever left the house.

"You sure you're ok with just a pizza joint? A dress like that screams 'feed me seafood' or 'I eat salads for every meal.' We can change our plans if you want." He feels obligated to offer her something nicer than pizza even though it was her idea. Maya raises her hand and shakes it at him, though, just further assuring him that he won't be convincing her of anything.

Which she then voices, "I dressed nice for you – not the food."

"You didn't need to do that, so I'm pretty convinced you are doing it for the food. Oooh!" Joshua stands up, he uses this as an excuse to get closer to her and truly enjoy her company, "You're using your good looks to get free food! That's awfully wicked."

Maya scrunches her nose; "I thought I'd impress you with my wannabe curves and maybe get a kiss goodnight. Wasn't aiming for free food – although I bet you're wallet sure would love that."

Joshua cannot help but bend into her and laugh out loud. Maya is just smiling and watching him. When his obnoxiousness dies out he just shakes his head at her, "I'm glad we've reached that level of comfort where we can insult ourselves and act like its no big deal. This relationship is progressing very quickly. No complaints, though. YOLO, right?"

Even though Maya is pleased by his response, she isn't sure she is okay with YOLO. Especially if he reveals what his 'trouble making' past is and its one of those YOLO moments. It will make whatever they share fake and concern her that he'll just continue with YOLO behavior. Maya isn't nearly as stupid as her grades might make her seem.

"YOLO is just a copout for people who want to justify something dumb that they did. Am I something you're going to regret later?" Maya doesn't mean for her words to snap the way that they do, but she can see in Joshua's expression that she's done more than make a point. She's actually hurt his feelings. Without hesitating she takes a step closer to him and puts a hand on his chest. She goes to speak but he shakes his head.

"No, you're right. That's the mentality that I had before. I struggle to keep myself in check and sometimes those bad things just bleed right through the surface. But Maya Hart – rest assured – you'll never be someone that I regret." He's smiling by the end of his sentence, which makes Maya smile, and actually blush. She almost sees him turning a bit pink too. Much to her dismay, its their stop and she has to start ushering him out so that they can get to the pizzeria. It shouldn't be very busy since they never posted the operating hours. You just showed up. But Maya had called in advance to make sure that they'd be open.

Joshua takes Maya's jacket and takes her in his arm as they are escorted to a more 'private' location, which he's requested. Once seated the waitress, and older woman who looks bright and cheerful, offers to get a basket of breadsticks on the house. Maya thanks the woman, calling her Mindy as she does so, and then slaps his menu onto the table.

"Everything here is amazing but their pasta dishes are to die for, for real. I'm addicted to their overstuffed traditional rotini dish. When I get the cash to come here I usually buy two servings and take one to school for lunch the next day." Listening to Maya talk about the food is nice. Not only does she feel comfortable around him enough to say what she's feeling but also she interacts with him as though they've been friends for years. Josh just assumes that this is her general demeanor but in the red tinted light of the restaurant it feels special.

It feels really, really special.

When Mindy comes back, Maya doesn't hesitate to order the usual with the peach lemonade. As soon as she waitress walks away Maya leans over the table with her hands folded neatly in the middle of the table, "So its time for you to start talking, ain't it, handsome?"

If he wasn't expecting this he might have been taken aback, but Josh was ready for this part of the day. He's been both frightened and thrilled to address what he did wrong. So he starts from the beginning.

"Not everyone you makes friends with is good for you. It takes serious wisdom to know who those friends are, and even more not to succumb to the peer pressure those friends assert. My parents never knew that Erin was going to be bad for me…" As soon as Maya hears Erin's name she sort of leans back and nods to herself, taking in everything that that statement says without being clarified. Josh waits for her to form whatever thoughts and questions would inevitably have risen. She doesn't speak, though, as much as he can see that she wants too.

"Erin was in high school and I wasn't. She invited me to campfires and parties pretty regularly. It started with just a few drinks here and a few drinks there. But then we started smoking weed. It wasn't interfering with anything outside of the parties. I was pretty happy with Erin and she seemed very happy with me. But sometimes she'd call me in a fit midway through the school week. She'd be crying and screaming about being in so much pain. And she always made me swear I'd never tell anything about her phone calls. So I promised." Josh is trying not to look up at Maya, but he keeps stealing glances against his better judgment. Her eyes are wide and furious. There's no way of telling if this is at his story, although he is confident that it is. She's probably angry at him for not bringing this up before they started their date. Hell, he's sure she wouldn't have come if she knew ahead of the time.

So since she's not using the break in his story he just continues, "Then at the end of the year she said that we were going to a small house party to celebrate the fact that I'd be joining them at the high school. When I got there Erin and the rest of the gang were burning something on foil in attic. I had no idea what I was getting into when I said 'Sure, I'll try that.' But I'm sure being a city girl you can guess exactly what was going on…" Josh feels the blood drain from his body before he states the obvious, "Heroine."

Maya is nodding her head, jiggling her jaw back and forth, "Uh huh."

Joshua looks up at her full of embarrassment, especially since the story isn't even done yet. Doing the drugs isn't even the worst part. He drugs his chin into his chest for a moment while Waitress Mindy drops their drinks off and offers them another round of breadsticks. Maya declines politely but says that they'll definitely want some cookies to go when they're done. Mindy pats Maya's head before scampering away.

"Continue." Maya instructs with a bitter tone in her voice.

It's taking everything in him not to start crying just thinking about what he's about to reveal to her, something he knows will more than likely scare the life from her. If she loses any more color she'll shame a ghost, "This became a regular activity for us throughout the summer. My parents just thought that we were getting serious about our relationship. Since I hadn't been doing the drugs for very long very little actually changed in my appearance. The only thing was that I was irritable but my parents just thought it was puberty, you know. Anyway, about a week before school was starting, Erin and I were going to grab our share from a friend and spend some time alone at her place – doing the drugs and she had hinted that maybe more could happen."

Maya scoffs and raises her finger to object, but she seems to catch herself. She stops immediately and lays her hands flat against the table, "Josh…"

"There's more… I'm sorry, but there's more than just the drugs." Josh admits. Maya seems to just melt. The only thing that she can even manage to do is keep nodding. Since he's kind of amidst a monologue he picks up where he left off, "Erin and I were using the shed because her folks were going to be gone for the weekend and it was sure that the smell would be gone. But the drugs were stronger than usual. Erin couldn't get enough of it. She just kept going, even after I asked her to stop because we already couldn't keep our shit together. I'd knocked a hammer off of the wall and it nearly busted her head open."

My voice is catching when I mention the hammer. Even as high as I had been I remember the agony that I felt at nearly hurting her, "Eventually she said she wasn't feeling well and asked me to go grab some crackers. I agreed and stumbled inside to her house. The back door was locked so I went back to get the keys. When I got back she was on the floor. I shook her to get her attention."

Maya gets out of her seat and joins Joshua on his side of the table. She laces her fingers in his beneath the table and rests her head on his shoulder. This cannot be easy for him to admit to her. And she still is mindful of how short a period of time they have to share. This is such a dark mark in his life and she's glad that he feels like he can trust her enough to admit what he's done.

Maya doesn't make him say it aloud, fearful that he will begin crying if he does, "She was dead by the time you got back. You're on probation in lieu of jail time."

Josh doesn't even confirm what she's saying, though, which is fine by Maya. It explains why the Matthews had not been visiting New York quite as often. Riley wouldn't know what to do with this information. She's actually curious how Grandma and Grandpa Matthews were dealing with the harsh reality of their son getting mixed up on the wrong side of the tracks.

A few minutes have come and gone when Maya separates from Josh and angles herself so that she can look him square in the face, "Bad decisions don't make bad people, Joshua."

When he mimics her, bobbing his upper body with a light grin over hips lips. He's still not looking up at Maya though. She won't have this any longer so she pulls his chin up and shakes her head at him, "If there's anything I've learned from Riley it's that people can't be fixed if nobody helps them."

He leans in first, even though Maya was already planning to do so, and they hug each other very tightly. In lieu of using the phrase, YOLO, Joshua whispers into her ear something much more meaningful, "There are people who we're meant to know, and you are mine, Maya Hart."

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**CHAPTER SUMMARY**

Maya and Josh got to her favorite pizzeria that serves an amazing pasta that she just loves. She orders this for them with some peach lemonade. Joshua reveals the reason that he is on probation is due to drug use. He also reveals that his previous girlfriend died due to a drug overdose. Before their entrees are served Maya assures Josh that "Bad decisions don't make bad people." He then tells her that she's someone he was destined to know.

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A/N: For those of you who may, or may not, be leery of this back story - please be assured that this won't be an issue that comes up again. The only role it will serve in the story is that Joshua is on probation. Any lasting struggles are obviously the emotional trauma and probation. This story's primary focus is on building strong &amp; healthy romantic relationships at young ages - and knowing when relationships are no longer working.

Let me know what you think in reviews :)


	8. Idle Chit Chat

Maya stops on the stairs of the Matthews apartment building, hands both grasping Joshua's. They've been discussing what he's been doing since he got put on probation. He found other ways to satiate the inevitable withdrawal symptoms. It's why he got into dirk biking. The thrill of danger helped him get through some of his worst nights. Maya congratulating him on finding something that he can turn to instead and explains that even though art isn't dangerous in the same way – she feels that what she paints could impact her life if the wrong people found it.

She grins and twists on her heal. Even though its cold out she isn't worried about exposing her tiny, itsy bitsy, terrible secret. She pulls her dress all the way up to her hipbone, and right at the very top of her leg was a small black design. Joshua knelt down to look at it closer and as he is doing so Maya remarks, "It's just your usual hipster Cantonese symbol for 'hope.' I just got it. I was able to pull some strings. The only way I get extra cash is by helping people in the neighborhood out, you know, and instead of payment I asked for this. Riley would have a _cow_, a _literal cow_, if she knew."

When Josh stands up he points at her while giggling, "You are definitely not a Matthews."

It's nearly impossible for her not to grin at him, but she knows he must be reminded, "Stop saying that. If you mean well – then you're a Matthews. You do mean well, don't you?" She cocks an eyebrow at him that causes him to step back a few inches. Josh then pokes his hand straight out and agrees.

"Strictly honorable, my lady." Maya and Josh begin laughing together before leaning naturally into a hug. Josh then places a delicate kiss on her cheek. Maya has already told him that she won't be going inside because she needs to get home before her mom goes in for yet another shift at the diner.

Just before he goes inside Maya shouts up to him, "You have video chat on your phone, right?"

All he has to do is smirk in her direction to confirm exactly what she's thinking. He can call her later and video chat to pass time. On the way back to the subway Maya passes Riley, Lucas, and Auggie. Maya looks at them suspiciously, "I thought you were going to a play… kind of early to be coming back home!"

Riley then explains that they had the wrong time on original flier. So when they got there it was the last act. They took Auggie bowling instead and were just heading back to play some board games. Maya wishes them well but before she walks off Riley stops her, "Lucas can't stay for dinner. Do you want him to ride with you on the subway? You're headed the same direction for a little bit anyway."

Maya looks over Riley. Even though she doesn't voice it, Riley worries about her traveling on her own. Especially on holidays when most kids are accompanied by their parents and other family members; but Maya just shakes her head in return.

"I don't need him to go, Riles. Besides, is hardly a babysitting date if he doesn't escort you all the way home, now is it?" Riley turns pink and grins awkwardly. Neither one of them like to actively acknowledge that they are in a relationship out loud. Maya has difficulty, sometimes, believing that they are actually a couple. But she waves them off and heads to subway by herself, kicking up snow piles as she goes just to see the flakes blow in the wind.

Josh is chatting with Eric who is getting ready to head out, as well as Shawn who is making plans for a vacation in a couple of weeks. Shawn mentioned that he plans on inviting the whole family if possible and that he really wants to include Maya. He mentions that he feels connected to her and her story and wants to make a difference in her life. Josh admires this and voices such instantaneously, "She deserves it."

"Sounds like little bro has a major crusharooni." He high fives Shawn before shaking Josh a little more than is comfortable. Regardless, he nods his head to confirm what his brother is saying.

The door opens soon after that and in comes Riley, Auggie, and Lucas. Riley and Auggie are the only ones that shed their coats. Riley asks Lucas to take a seat while she grabs something for him. Josh assumes it's a present or something, but he uses this opportunity to go sit with Lucas on the couch. Cautiously he nudges the boy's shoulder.

"You're going to treat her right, aren't ya, cowboy?" Josh states enthusiastically, "She's my niece, and I'm a lot scarier than Cory will be if you mess it up."

Lucas looks a little confused but he quickly regains his look of gentle cheer, "Sir, I reckon Topanga is the scariest person in the world. But regardless I promise I'm not planning on hurting her in anyway, sir."

Joshua grabs a bowl of caramel chews from the coffee table and starts unwrapping one, "While you're waiting, mind if I pick your brain?"

Lucus becomes distracted, but answers Josh anyway, "Sure thing, sir."

"What do you think about Maya?" Josh asks simply enough. Lucas twists and turns around for a few seconds before he just glances at Riley's uncle. He mumbles that Maya's strong-willed and independent. Then he mentions that she's surprisingly warm-hearted. Josh agrees, following up with another question.

"She's great, though, don't you think?" Lucas isn't sure how he is going to answer this question. He's never been one to read social cues perfectly and admittedly he gets a little spacey, but the young man is sure that Joshua Matthews is trying to gauge Maya's worth. Perhaps he's wrong, he hopes he's wrong, but just in case – since he knows Maya likes him, and because he's leaving tomorrow anyway – Lucas decides to say wonderful things about her.

With a deliberately sharp breath in, "There's nobody else quite like Maya. Billions of people in the world and you won't find someone as complex as her, sir. I believe Maya Hart is going to be a name the world knows someday, and I think she'll be associated with power. I hope she doesn't become a dictator, though, because Farkle is aiming for the same position and things could get ugly."

Joshua laughs at his last joke. He was going to say something but Riley comes racing out into the living again with a small book. It's got a bow on it with a bookmark inside, "Here's that book I thought you'd like. I added a bow for the holidays!"

Lucas grins at her optimism and enthusiasm. She's incredibly joyful and its certainly worth being a part of her life to see such an innocent grin. Seconds later he whispers a soft 'thank you' into her ear before departing. Once outside he uses his phone to check the schedule. If he runs to the subway he might be able to get there before the next pick-up…

…and he might still be able to catch up with Maya.

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A/N: Filler chapter. I actually had no goal for this chapter other than to just further show how the characters interact with each other. After a serious chapter I thought something light would be a nice end-of-the-weekend addition. I'll be planning something more serious. In the next two or three chapters we're going to see Josh ask Maya for some level of commitment. We're going to see Lucas start making a stronger bond with Maya in their art classes. And we're going to see more of how Riley &amp; Lucas are as a couple when Maya &amp; Joshua aren't around.

Yipee!


	9. Serious Questions

A/N: Sorry about the long break guys! I was taking some time to myself and kind of reviewing the story to make sure I'm not losing track of myself while writing. The reviews that I do have have been overwhelmingly positive, but after a negative review I thought it would be beneficial to just make sure I'm steering myself in the right direction. Hopefully this chapter gives you more substance and reminds you more of the characters we all fell in love with on the show!

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Maya is standing next to Lucas with furrowed brows. She isn't sure how or why he decided to race to the station but he was out of breath when he stepped on just before the door closed. The way he waved casually at her like she was expecting him… Maya was mildly irritated.

For several minutes the pair of them are quiet, Maya occasionally glancing at Lucas who is smiling stupidly at her. She wasn't even going to talk to him but she knows that he's not going away anytime soon so she scoffs to herself. Might as well talk to him, right?

"Got plans for the rest of the evening?" She asks off-handedly. It's supposed to be polite but she can't help but let her mild disrespect towards Lucas show in her tone. Lucas, though, doesn't always pick up on social cues. Especially when they're from her; she cannot allow herself to be surprised when he responds cheerfully.

"I think my Mom and I are going to have some tea and watch Christmas movies." Maya thinks that this sounds almost as boring as what she's going to be doing when she gets home….

"Me too…" Maya reveals, although she won't have her mom. She'll have her Nan sleeping on a beat up recliner. Essentially, she'll be alone. Lucas seems to pick up on that…

As his expression shifts from gleeful to hurt, he voices what she already knows, "No you won't."

"No need to rub it in, Friar. I get it – you live with a single parent too! You do things together and have fun and love each other and all those wonderful things. I get it. But if you could – please – just say something else that doesn't remind me that I go home and spend the evening by myself because I have half a mom!" Maya didn't mean to burst and begin shouting at him, but as she storms away from him to an emptier car she realizes that it was bound to happen.

It's one of the many reasons Lucas irritates her so often. His parents are divorced just like hers. But his situation is as perfect as it can be. Both parents love him. He's got friends in two places. He gets twice the holiday gifts and love. Maya has none of that and to make it worse she lives in a rough neighborhood where most kids drop out of school before they make it to high school. When she gets to the next car there's only two other people, an old married couple sitting on the opposite end, and she decides there's no better time to let it out than now.

So she starts bawling. Her entire body is shaking as she pulls her knees up and begins sobbing into them. Christmas is literally the worst holiday of the year for her. Thanksgiving isn't so bad because the diner is actually closed that day. Maya gets to spend time with her mom even if only for a few hours in the afternoon. But Christmas just hurts. Her mom still works in the afternoon and throughout the evening. She usually gets one or two presents that are typically pre-owned clothes or second-rate art supplies that inevitably ruin good projects. Maya is grateful that her mother and Nan care so much that they try, but it just makes her wish that she had what Riley had.

Lucas is getting evil looks from everyone. They think he's just broken her heart and made her feel bad. Even if he knows that this is not the case he still feels bad. It's not like he was trying to be a jerk by pointing out that she was lying to herself, but he sees now that he may not have chosen the best words to convey that thought.

He starts weaving his way through the people and trying to follow Maya. Just after he opens the door to the next car, though, he can hear his friend crying. He feels like a jerk so he decides to just sneak past Maya and move into a different car where at least he won't be getting angry looks from strangers.

When he finally gets into the next car there's a few other people texting on their phones. It inspires Lucas to start texting as well. He pulls out his phone and texts Riley; **I made Maya cry.**

He doesn't hit send though because he's sure that Riley will call and start asking questions. It's still Christmas Day, of course, so there's also the chance that he'd ruin her holiday as well. Lucas hits the back arrow until the words have disappeared from the screen. He then deletes Riley's name and replaces it with Farkle's. Nobody can bring someone back to the Holiday Spirit the way Farkle Minkus can; **Having a good holiday?**

Within a few seconds his best friend replied with a long list of awesome things that he received this year. He then talks a little bit about his Father's dinner party preparations. Lucas sends what he hopes are enthusiastic responses, but he supplements them with all of his questions about why this, or who's that, and so on. When the subway sputters to a stop Lucas looks up knowing that Maya will be scooting out with a scowl on her face.

When Maya walks through the front door she sees her Nan already sleeping. She groans to herself and slams the door, wondering as she does so if it will wake her grandmother up. Unfortunately, it does not so she just skips the movies and goes directly to her room, "Maybe I can sleep the rest of this horrible holiday away."

After a few quiet minutes in her bed, staring at the ceiling, she realizes that she can't relax. The solution to that is a quick shower. The best part is that her mother isn't home to tell scream, "MAYA HART THAT WATER IS TOO HOT! I CAN'T AFFORD THAT!"

Steaming in the shower is one of the only ways Maya can clear her head when she's home. The heat of the water on her back relaxes her muscles, the steam helps her breathe easier, and the sound of the leaking water from the showerhead hitting the faucet below is soothing. By the time she's wrapping a towel around her body she's comfortable enough to go lie down, she's sure of it.

As soon as she walks through her door she hears her phone buzzing on floor. Even though she's on a slight delay, she manages to grab the phone and answer it right away. When Josh's face appears on the screen she almost screams.

"Is… this… a… bad time?" Joshua is looking off screen into the dimming light of the city. He's leaving tomorrow afternoon and his time hanging out with Maya was already limited. He was hoping to spend time with her virtually before leaving.

"No… yes? I'm going to prop you at my window for a few minutes. No questions!" She points at the screen as she squeezes her elbows tight to her sides, holding the towel perfectly in place. After she puts her phone facing outward she shouts back to Josh, "You could have text me first! You know, to make sure I wasn't in the shower or something like that!"

Josh laughs nervously. He is sure that Maya doesn't mean the information to be flirtatious, but he feels himself blushing just the same. Maya doesn't know what boundaries are the way that Riley does, and he also makes a mental note that she's younger. What he may find – dare he say arousing? – is not the emotion Maya is aiming to draw from him, "I was trying to surprise you. I guess I managed that bit, huh?"

Maya smirks to herself weakly as she gathers her wrinkled pajamas. She smells them and they're not fresh, to say the least. But she knows that Josh won't be able to smell her over the phone. So Maya just slides everything on and wraps her hair up in a towel. As she grabs the phone and reveals her smiling face to Josh, "But I bet I'm giving you a bigger surprise. Never knew a girl could look like a geometrical shape, did ya?"

The pair of them are laughing with squinted eyes. When Maya props herself up on her bed she rests her chin on her knee and holds the phone down at an angle. Joshua can see her eyes and the bridge of her nose, but he can read her as plainly as he can read himself, "I hope I didn't cross a line by sharing my story with you. I know that there's nothing…."

Maya stops him, though, "Don't do that, Matthews."

"Don't do what?" He asks her with a weakening expression.

"Acting like I don't like you and that you don't like me. That's enough to start building a friendship… you know, a relationship maybe…" She starts. Maya knows that it may have been a little too bold to suggest, but that is what made her special. She always liked that she was strong willed and independent. Josh is waiting for her to either keep talking or make it clear that she's done speaking. She does kind of have more that she wants to say, though, so she continues delicately, "And something like probation and history of drug use. That kind of stuff can't be a secret."

Josh allows a full-fledged grin creep onto his face. Maya mimics him, trying to poke fun at him he would guess, but it warms him. In order to keep the conversation moving, he asks a question, "So it's not a deal breaker? I'm still dateable?" Ok, so he asks _two_ questions.

Maya looks away from the phone and bites her lip cautiously. She doesn't want to let herself believe that he's asking the question as a way of asking her to be his girlfriend. That would be not only be so fast, but it would basically be too perfect. Nothing goes that smoothly for Maya Hart. Ever! She does know that he's glaringly flirting with her. When she glances back at the screen, though, seeing a fake pout on his face – no, no way is she going to show any restraint.

"The bad boy turned a new leaf? That's the only kind of boy to date. You know – according to television." They spend a few seconds staring at each other silently. Josh can't read Maya on his tiny screen he's holding, at least not in this situation. So he can't be sure that she's understood exactly what he was asking her. So he knows now that he has to be more blunt.

"You think you could date a boy who you can only see on a screen?" Josh drops his chin into his chest and lets out a loud laugh. Nothing could have sounded cheesier. Not even a repeated line from a movie! As he's laughing he hears Maya doing the same on her end. But when things die down, Josh finds himself with a serious face in front of him nodding hesitantly.

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A/N: So I know you all are reading this for the Lucaya. But I'm seeing many Lucaya shippers in favor of Moshua (Or as the unfortunately popular ship name goes - Joshaya). Please be supportive of this relationship as it plays out. I've been pretty open about the intentions of having Josh x Maya being the first ship for the fic. But rest assured I'll get to Lucaya! This is a long term fic so with your patience will come a fantastic story ;)


	10. Planning a Date

A/N: This is going to be a Lucas x Riley centric chapter, as will the next. Just so you're not asking yourself at the end where Maya &amp; Josh were in this one. We'll see/hear about them a little, but I want to showcase Rucas' status briefly. Hope you like it.

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Riley decides to wear her brand new snow boots with bright yellow tights and a white dress. As soon as she puts it on she feels kind of like Maya. The boots and the tights are reminiscent of her bold style but the dress is sweet and subtle. That's the 'Riley Factor.' Yes, she identifies things that she relates too. Mom and Dad think it's a sign of confidence and success. Riley sure hopes so!

Suddenly she hears a buzzing sound in the living room. This means that Maya must be there to pick her up. Maya was surprised because she knew for a fact that Joshua and Maya were video chatting each other nonstop. Riley was mostly excited that her Uncle and Maya were hitting it off – even daring to call themselves a couple! – but she did sort of worry about the fact that they lived in different cities. The fact that Lucas wasn't going to be visiting Texas nearly as often brings Riley happiness. It meant that he would around for more movie dates!

"MATTHEWS!" Maya shouts when she goes through the front door. Riley goes racing out of her room with her brunette waves flowing as she rounds the corner.

"Are you ready to be going back to school?" Riley squeals as both girls take a seat simultaneously to her dad's left. Auggie is flanking her mother trying to talk her into chocolate milk for breakfast. Maya is already staring at her phone when Riley turns her attention back to her best friend; "Is Uncle Josh texting you already?"

Riley self consciously takes her phone out but Topanga spins around, narrowly missing Auggie with a pan of scrambled eggs, "NO PHONES!"

Maya and Riley raise their hands and slowly replace their phones on the table. Maya, however, leaves her screen up so she can at least finish reading her _boyfriend's_ text message. Lucas hasn't text Riley yet which makes her a little jealous, but she does realize that she gets to see Lucas practically every single day.

"So, Mrs. Matthews, should I come around for dinner tonight?" Maya asks, scooping a generous amount of eggs on her plate and swiping two pieces of toast. Her smile is contagious, and soon everyone is discussing what should be for dinner. Riley doesn't really give any input, though, because she's just eating deliberately.

When it's finally time to get going Riley leaves the house she makes it the subway before she notices her phone is back home on the kitchen table. Riley groans as they walk up the stairs to the school, "What am I going to do without my phone today?"

Maya looks at her and shrugs her shoulders, "I don't know. Talk to people? Doodle in your notebooks?" Riley senses a hint of a sarcasm that comes naturally to her friend. She's immune to it, though, and doesn't even flinch. As they walk silently to their lockers the first bell buzzes.

"10 minute warning, we're a little earlier than normal today. How did that happen?" Maya hums as she opens her locker and has a few papers fly to the ground. Riley bends down and starts gathering the papers when suddenly a voice welcomes them.

"Hello, ladies!" Farkle shouts from the top of the stairs. Maya waves haphazardly as her phone chimes. Riley drops the papers and walks straight over the Farkle, hugging him to hide the fact that she isn't upset that her phone is at home. How is she supposed to know if Lucas is texting her? He wasn't at the stop today, which makes her worry that maybe he's out sick. He hadn't been feeling great the night before…

Maya can see Riley and Farkle chatting in the corner of her eye. Josh has been texting her for a couple of hours already, essentially since she woke up, but his classes are starting soon so Maya asked him to only text when he wouldn't get in trouble. So after she texts her short-term farewell she shoves the phone back into her pocket and bends down to pick up where Riley left off.

Seconds later Riley says that she's going to walk with Farkle to his locker. It's just around the corner so Maya hows, "See you in second period!"

Maya walks over to the trashcan and starts stuffing her stray pages inside. As she's doing this she feels someone put a hand on her back. Instead of losing it, she just mumbles, "What do you want?"

"That's no way to greet a friend, little lady." Lucas chuckles. Maya can't help but join him as she shakes her head. Maya is the first to step away back to her locker. She pulls out a chocolate bar and her math book out. Seconds later her math notebook falls out. Maya looks back at the trashcan wondering if the papers she just disposed of were from her math book. Lucas steps in front of her with a grin and crossed arms.

"Sorry, Huckleberry, I thought you were just another stranger coming to admire my style." She poses with a winning grin, or at least what she hopes is a winning grin anyway. Lucas seems to look down at the floor before he shakes his head at her. When he looks over her shoulder he spots something, or Maya figures rather that he spots that some_one_ is missing.

Which he voices, "Where's Riley?"

Maya gestures behind herself weakly, "She's hanging out with Farkle. Riley forgot her phone this morning and I think she was getting a little upset that I was on mine the whole ride here."

Lucas takes a sharp breath in unintentionally. Firstly, that explains why Riley hadn't responded when he apologized for missing the pick up. He was running behind because he overslept which he had tried to explain. Secondly, Lucas is also upset about the whole Maya and Joshua relationship. It's not that he doesn't want Maya happy, because he actually wants that more than he's ever going to be willing admit aloud. Unfortunately, he cannot see the point in having such a long distance relationship that is primarily consisting of phone video chats and text messages.

Try as he might, Lucas reveals his true feelings to Maya who is less than pleased that his lips curl downward, "Are you mad that I'm already talking to my boyfriend too?"

"I'm not mad about anything, Maya." Lucas is lying very badly. He knows that he is, but Riley and Farkle round the corner before he has a chance to lie even more. Maya slams her locker and storms away from her friends. Riley and Farkle watch her as she goes, but Lucas just grinds his teeth and reminds himself to stay in place.

Riley elbows Farkle who was about to ask what happened, immediately directing the conversation towards a different topic, "Are you feeling better?"

Lucas nods his head slowly. He leans in and kisses Riley on the cheek very robotically before whispering to her that he needs to grab his stuff and head to class. The second bell starts ringing as the five-minute bell goes off. He can hear Riley sighing and asking Farkle to talk to him later. It won't matter because he can't really tell anyone that he doesn't want to see Maya dating Josh; or anyone, for that matter. He can't explain why to himself so he knows he might as well not involve anyone else.

Riley and Maya are sitting on the couch listening to Auggie read to their mom. It's one of those "If you give a" books. This one is about a mouse and movies. Riley catches herself listening more than she should but she actually reads these books to Auggie sometimes before bed if Mom and Dad are working. Lucas is texting her about the movie schedule; **What about the Hobbit movie?**

Riley doesn't prefer those movies. They're far too violent, in her opinion, and certainly not well suited for a thirteen-year-old girl. She was thinking something else, **Night the Museum looks better.**

Lucas reads the message on his phone and then looks back at his computer screen. He didn't want to tell her that he already saw that movie when his dad flew in a few days ago. Lucas isn't sure if they should even be going on another date this weekend. They can't agree to any of the movies.

He watches the trailer for _Into the Woods_ again. It seems like just the thing that Riley would love to go see. He's not against it. Disney has done some pretty good things before, and Anna Kendrick is a very beautiful and talented actress. So he counters her for what he swears to himself will be the last time; **Into the Woods. **

Riley groans and drops her phone into her lap. "Maya!"

Maya throws a hand up over her ear to show Riley that she's being too loud. Everyone in the room is look at Riley awkwardly. She grins but grabs her friend's arm and drags her to the bedroom. Maya is reading her own texts the entire way. As soon as they are in the window Riley throws her arms up, "BOYFRIENDS!"

"BOYS!" Maya mocks her playfully. Riley cracks a smile at her, but it doesn't prevent her from being frustrated.

"So difficult." Riley laments, "I'm just trying to pick a movie with Lucas but we can't agree on a film. I want to see Annie, he wants to see Big Hero 6 again. I want to see Penguins of Madagascar, he wants to see Hobbit! I want to see Night at the Museum and he wants to see Into the Woods! We can't agree. Why is this so hard?"

Maya laughs at Riley and puts a hand on her knee, "Riley, you're not always going to agree on stuff. Besides, there are plenty of other things to do besides watching movies at the theatre. You could watch movies here, or at his place. You could watch a play. You could go bowling. Movies aren't the only kind of date that you can have."

Riley realizes that she's panicking over nothing. Well, almost nothing. Now that she has so many options to choose from she gets worried that she won't pick the right one. As Maya gets up from her spot, Riley shouts again, "MAYA!"

Maya turns around and points at her, "Lucas would probably love that mini golf in my area. It's pretty cheap because we're all poor but it's pretty awesome. And they serve these magnificent burritos. Why don't you go there – Pete's Play Zone!" She's shrugging as she walks out the door. Maya has a point, which Riley immediately taps the suggestion into the phone.

Lucas reads the message. Mini golf? It sounds like a good idea. He says he'll get the address and meet her there Friday after school. Riley says that its near Maya's and that they can just ride all the way home with her, **Hopefully her nose isn't in that phone!**

Lucas doesn't say that he agrees. But he _totally_ agrees.

* * *

A/N: So what do you think Lucas is going to do when/if he finds out Maya is the one told Riley what to do for their date? And with her best friends on a date what do you think Maya is going to do?


	11. There are Two Kinds of Dates

A/N: Another long chapter! Hope you're ready for... The inspiration for this chapter was "There are 2 Kinds of People." Because have two kinds of relationships and two kinds of dates :) Enjoy!

* * *

Riley is standing at the register waiting for Lucas' burrito and her nachos. Lucas waiting at a picnic table just next to hole six, which isn't even the halfway point. It was a full 18-hole course! But Maya was completely right about Pete's Play Zone, though. The mini golf course was adorable to boot, and there was a lounge area in the back some air hockey tables and foosball. They're be fun to play with Lucas. When the order comes up she barely manages to carry it all back.

At first Riley moves to sit directly next to Lucas but the smell of the burrito is a little strong so she places herself across from him instead. He starts making small talk first, which is a relief to Riley.

"This place is pretty great. It's not, like, the fanciest place in New York for sure but this is definitely a great spot to come hang out. Perfect for Friday nights when you don't have much time to get ready and everything." Lucas remarks plainly. She's surprised that he thought about the date that much. Perhaps that's why they've been going to the movies. When they make plans to go out it's usually Friday nights. And when they do "date" on Saturdays they usually are "babysit" dating because they have Auggie tag along with them.

Riley wonders if they'd be able to do something more romantic if they planned to do something on a Saturday, "It is nice. I wasn't sure what to expect at first but Maya told me it was great." She leans down and takes a bite of her loaded nachos. The chili and the cheese taste much better than they look. Riley is enjoying herself until she sees Lucas looking at her blankly. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" Lucas shakes his head and smirks. He deliberately runs his tongue across his teeth and then looks up at Riley while he takes another bit of his burrito. Then, true to form, he answers while he's chewing, "Haf tortiffa stuffed in my teef." His free hand gestures to his face very generally. Riley wrinkles her nose a bit as she fakes a smile. Even though she doesn't admit it, this is her number on pet peeve. Lucas is pretty sure that it developed because Auggie does it a lot at dinner.

After they throw their trash away Riley gets a text message from Maya saying that she's having a digital date at one of their favorite cafes with Uncle Josh. Riley is very happy and tries to talk to Lucas about it. But when he doesn't get a hole in one Riley sees that her aimless chatter is distracting him. Instead she asks if he and Farkle have plans for the weekend at all.

"No. Farkle is doing something with chess club I think. I'm actually playing basketball with some of the team tomorrow. What about you?" He asks as they switch off. Riley is looking at the hole and where she's located. As she swings back and hits it she looks up at Lucas whose eyes are following the ball.

It misses the hole but just narrowly. It's the best she's done so far, since any kind of sports-like thing is not exactly her forte, so she squeals slightly before answering, "I have no plans at this point. Maya is coming over at some point for some binge T.V. watching but I know that she has something _else_ going on in the middle of the day." Lucas twinges a little at the subtle but completely indirect mention of Maya's date with Josh. They carry on the game making idle conversation about their homework assignments and their changing schedules.

"I'm going to see you in like two of my classes and at lunch." Riley was complaining.

Lucas replies with something chipper, "But you're going to see more of Farkle. Nobody can be sad when they have a Farkle."

And then she was saying, "Maya and I only share one class!"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders, "But I'll be seeing her more so at least you know someone will be watching out for her."

Basically it was a very flat and uninteresting date for the remainder of the golf game. Just as they turn in their clubs and balls, or whatever they were called, Riley tugs on Lucas' sleeve, "You wanna play a couple rounds of Air Hockey?"

Lucas' eyes smile for him even though his expression is pretty much blank. Sometimes he has those moments of vacancy. His mind will be focused on something else and it's like his face will forget to emote because he's thinking so hard. Riley found it very cute. She starts walking without him, assuming he will just follow her without much hesitation.

Riley is stomping him. She's won three games in a row. One thing she does notice is that Lucas is getting rougher and angrier as the game goes on. When he wins the fourth game he asks to play foosball instead, in a very low tone. Riley begins to feel like there's something deeper bothering Lucas. She hasn't seen him this upset since Farkle was being bullied by Billy.

No different than the Air Hockey games before, Riley is just beating him with every shot. These are games for people who are really good at standing in one place and being intense. Riley excels at that! Unfortunately for her boyfriend, Lucas, the same cannot be said for him. When he loses the first game he throws his hands in the air.

Riley doesn't think she should ignore it, so she broaches the topic, "What's bothering you?"

She rounds the table and press her shoulder against his, eyes beaming as she looks at him. Lucas doesn't share the same kind of enthusiasm. In fact, he takes a step away from her and groans before palming his forehead gently a dozen times.

"Did Maya tell you to bring me here?" Lucas asks bluntly. Riley doesn't see why this is a problem or why it upsets him so much. But she nods her head in compliance with the question.

"Yes. I told her we couldn't agree on a movie. She said maybe we should try to do other things on our dates. Then she told me that you'd probably love this place. Is that what's really bothering you?" Riley can't hide her hurt. She has this puppy dog syndrome where she unintentionally pouts when she's concerned and sad. Maya likes to make fun of her for it all the time, but not in a bully way. More like a "you're so cute when you're sad" way. Maya once drew a cartoon of "Pouty Riley." It was insanely adorable.

Lucas reaches into his pocket and checks his phone, Riley assumes for the time, and then looks back at her, "You realize that Maya solved the problem, right? It wasn't even a real problem! Well, it _wasn't_."

Riley groans, "Why is that a problem?"

"Picking date nights shouldn't be something we need other people to do for us, right?" Lucas basically whines to her. She really doesn't think he should be this upset over Maya's suggestion. To show that she disagrees she puts her hands on her hips and huffs at him in a way that she hopes doesn't seem _too_ rude.

"Well I've never done this before. Did you have any better ideas?" Riley never would have spoken like this to Lucas before. It's not like anything changed between them other than the handholding and the kissing and the spending time alone. Why is there this new tension? Riley wonders if this is what relationships can do to people.

Lucas shakes his head and then pulls her into a hug, "You're right. I didn't have any better ideas. I guess I just got bent out of shape. I got into a one-sided argument with her the other day. I didn't expect her to do anything _nice_ where I was involved."

Riley wants to ask what fight because Maya hasn't mentioned any fight with Lucas whatsoever. It would, however, explain why she was so ticked the other morning. And why she wasn't even calling Lucas any of the usual string of nicknames. _And_ why she wasn't joining them for lunch. Instead she sat at a table by herself working on different sketches she wanted to paint or sculpt. As soon as she opens her mouth Lucas hugs her so tight that she forgets to push the words past her teeth.

The next morning Maya gets up immediately and rips the curtains back. Josh and Maya hadn't been texting at all on Friday other than to confirm the time they were doing their video chat. There was a café that Maya and Riley frequented, usually on Sundays, that was generally a chill place with a dozen people at any single given time. It was perfect for the video chat. Maya checked the time on her phone. She had three hours. They wanted to do it earlier in the day so that he could go ride and so that she could still go shopping with Riley.

"This ain't so bad." Maya reveals to herself. Admittedly the whole dating thing was scary. Dating in person by itself is pretty daunting but Maya was even more concerned because she was dating someone who lived not just in a different town but a different state entirely! She'd watched enough T.V. and read enough celebrity gossip to know that those sorts of relationships can get pretty ugly if both parties aren't 100% devoted.

But she is confident that after nearly three weeks of long distance dating that everything between her and Josh is going to be pretty darn successful. Maya quickly puts her phone onto her dressed and sits down on the floor with her sketchbook. She starts putting 'JM' next to her own initials for the pictures that she wants to share with Joshua later.

Josh rolls out of bed approximately twenty minutes before the scheduled date with Maya. It's not that he's forgotten but he got news from O.B. earlier in the week about his probation. It is news he plans on sharing with Maya during the call, but he was particularly excited about it. So much so that he and his parents went out to have a very late dinner. He hadn't expected to be so tired, but trying to tango with your slightly inebriated mother is both embarrassing _and_ exhausting. But he grins to himself as he remembers how hilarious it was stumbling all over with her.

When he stumbles downstairs his father is sipping what Josh expects is his second coffee, "Mom still in bed?"

"She doesn't get out very often, let alone drink like that, kiddo. It's been a very long time. She'll be in bed all day." He chuckles. She's a hard working woman. Josh is very proud to have such positive role models as parents and he wished all the time he'd been able to follow their lead more spectacularly. Not for a second, though, did he ever feel like he wasn't loved. His parents never ostracized him.

"Mom deserves it. You both deserve it. After everything that's happened…" Josh trails off, not wanting to really focus on the negative. His father doesn't want to either.

He pushes a small plate of cold bagels to Joshua as he turns a page on the magazine on the table, "In thirty days we can put it all behind us and start fresh."

Josh grins. As he's scarfing back his breakfast he tells his dad that he's supposed to have a video chat with Maya soon. His father looks over at him and smiles at him. Even though neither of his parents have expressed themselves about Joshua and Maya dating, Josh has kind of noticed that they see a positive impact.

"Cory really likes her. He sees a lot of Shawn in her." Hearing someone say something positive lifts his spirits and energizes him. Even though Maya isn't a possession or an accessory to himself, he feels like someone has complimented something of his. He looks at his phone and realizes his time is ticking by very fast!

Josh grabs a bagel and the last half of the coffee his dad was drinking, shuffling out of the kitchen, "Maya _Hart_. Fitting name, don't you think?"

Once he gets back upstairs he has a total of five minutes to spare. Since he can't shower he has to decide what to do: brush his teeth or change his clothes? If he moves quickly enough he might be able to do both. He grabs a different tee and then races to the bathroom to brush. In fact, as he's brushing he makes the sad attempt to change his shirt _and_ brush. Unfortunately, midway through the process his father walks by with the landline in his hand waving, "Eric can't make it today. You want to talk to him."

With wide eyes he throws his arms in a bit of a frantic fashion and mumbling complaints through the toothpaste foaming in his mouth. His father informs Eric that Josh will have to call back, and asked that Eric call the track letting them know Josh couldn't make it. After soft agreements are made his dad leaves once again, laughing at Josh's state. It was kind of comical, if he is honest with himself.

When he returns to his room he sees that he missed a call from Maya, "Fantastic. Late to our date. That looks great, Matthews." Immediately he starts calling her back. Five seconds, ten seconds, thirty seconds later… no answer…

As he's preparing to text Maya with a long apology his screen lights up with an incoming call. He lets out a sigh of gratitude when he answers, "Payback?"

Maya's delayed nod brings him an indescribable happiness, "I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. And then Eric cancelled on me for the day. I'm sorry I didn't answer right away."

Her hand waves and sound comes through on his phone a little ahead of the picture on his screen. Since he's only just answered he expects that the connection is running slow, "Don't worry about it. Why don't we start by getting the mushy stuff out of the way first?"

Josh watches as she sips from her cardboard cup very quickly. Her hair is pulled out of her face. He loves her hair like that. Of the pictures that she sends to him it's the ones when her hair is out of her face that he just sinks inside of himself. Maya is so refined naturally, but her features really stand out when her hair isn't boxing her into herself. Of course, none of it really matters because Josh thinks she's beautiful all the time.

"After you." He does a pretend bow at her. Maya kind of scrunches her brows together to show that she wasn't very fond of that little move. Josh takes the hint and pulls his cold bagel out for chewing and nom-noming.

Maya looks off to the side of her. There's a loud rustling sound and some soft coughing. Josh makes a mental note to ask if she's well after they do the "mushy" talk, "I was so sad when weren't texting yesterday. I felt empty without you. I woke up this morning thinking about our date. I worried about how the date would go all week. Now that I'm here I feel complete. You're the best, boo."

Her exaggerated wink makes the pair of them laugh. Josh is holding his phone so there's a bit of shaking, but Maya seems to have knocked her table so thankfully they both couldn't keep their stuff together perfectly. Her tiny picture gestures for him to do his overdone, sarcastic "mushy" talk.

"Oh my gaw, girl. I, like, totally can't think about anything but choo! You da best girlfrien' eva! My heart belongs to the Hart. My Maya. Yeah, baby, I miss you." His sad attempt a feminine, gangster, city folk style delivery leaves his girlfriend completely speechless. Josh begins to worry that he's done "mushy" talk wrong. Her expression is dead, almost literally dead.

But he starts to see a hint of pink in her cheeks. When she finally cracks a smile she looks down, probably at her hands, "The barista was bringing me fresh coffee cake. She heard all of – whatever that was." Josh isn't sure what expression he should be making but somehow he manages. Moments later Maya is transitioning smoothly into some stuff that she had been working on throughout the week in preparation for the class schedule change in one week. After that Josh asks if she's ready for the finals review questions that Maya sent to him via e-mail.

"While you're pulling up your computer tell me about your week. Anything new, cool, or interesting?" Maya asks him innocently. Little does she know that he's got fantastic news for her, but he's got to deliver this perfectly! He wants to enjoy her reaction properly.

"Actually… I talked to O.B. this week." Josh chooses neutral words and keeps a simple expression. His fingers are typing his password instinctually, which allows him to glance at Maya. She's wearing a very stern look. It hardens her features and makes her look very grown up; "Actually it was late last night that he called about my probation."

Maya stops him for a second, "Finish pulling that e-mail up. Someone from school is here. Can I call you back in like two minutes? I'm sorry. This person is coming straight at me. Promise to pick up?"

Josh agrees with a gentle nod, although disappointment apparently on his face, as Maya ends the call rapidly. She then slams her screen face down onto the table. Not even a full minute later Lucas sits himself on the other side of the booth. Maya normally would have faked a smile for the stinking cowboy comrade but today she is just snarling.

"_Why_ are you here?" Her voice is all but a growl.

Lucas, on the other hand, doesn't pick up on her cues. At least he doesn't seem to be, anything. Maya can never tell for sure what the boy is thinking because he usually strikes her as dazed and confused. _Isn't that a movie from when mom was a kid, _she thinks to herself…

"Riley text me that you were going to be a couple of hours. My buddies aren't starting the game until later this afternoon. I asked Riley if she wanted to meet at the park for a walk and coffee. She mentioned she liked this place earlier this week." Maya can't tell if Lucas is playing the fool or is legitimately making a kind gesture towards Riley. Her best friend texted her about their date yesterday – it had been pretty rocky according to Riley's end. Lucas told her that the pair of them had been fighting which wasn't exactly true.

Maya wasn't setting Riley straight though because she wasn't going to end a relationship between two kids made for each other. Lucas leans forward and looks at her coffee cake. As he breathes it in she sees him change somehow. Or maybe she just sees him differently. Maya almost doesn't hear him when he starts talking.

"Is that a mocha and walnut?" He asks, "It reminds me home."

Maya remembers the class president race and how much Lucas had been missing home them. She does see him as a friend more than a disposable enemy of sorts. When he wears pain on his sleeve she weakens quite a bit, but only because she can relate. Owning the broken parts makes it easier. And she sees that Lucas is owning his now in front of her.

"You want it? I was going to eat it while I was on the phone but I don't need it." She starts to push it across to Lucas. At first he starts forcing it back but eventually he takes it. As he begins eating it he grabs his wallet.

Maya shakes her head, "Don't do this, Friar. You know how uncomfortable it makes me." There are fewer things that make her angrier than having someone paying her back. It's not often she can actually give something to other people that requires money. She willingly gave it to him knowing that her four bucks was going to be invested into his afternoon snack. He didn't need to make it even stranger for her by giving her money.

"It's just proper manners. If you won't take the cash I'll buy you another when I grab Riley's chai… latte?" Maya can see that he couldn't remember if she drank a latte or a tea. Riley's parents could smell the difference between the tea and the latte. She was allowed one latte per week, so she took those on Monday. Today she would be forced to drink a tea. Maya looks down at her phone and then back at Lucas, worrying that she might be taking too long to call her boyfriend back.

"Today is a tea day. She takes a peppermint chai tea from this particular café. She always adds a packet of sugar when she thinks I'm not looking, so you best do it before you leave." As she gestures for him to carry on, Maya pulls the phone up and dials out to Josh. Lucas is eating the slide of cake while Maya begins carrying on with her date.

Josh's voice radiates from the phone, "Should I dive right into the questions or should I share the good news first?"

Maya looks up at Lucas and then back at her phone, replying coolly, "Let's burn through that review first." She grabs her phone and taps out a message, **Lucas is here and I don't want him to find out about the probation! Sorry!**

Joshua begins asking her questions, most of which she actually answers correctly. For the ones that she gets wrong Josh explains effortlessly. Maya hardly notices that Lucas is still at her table reading an article from a magazine that was from left astray in the shop. Her brows arch against her will and she forgets to listen to her date, whom may have been asking her a question. Instead she just taps the table.

"Go get your girlfriend's tea, homeboy. By the time you get out of here I'm going to be right on your tail." Lucas jumps straight of his seat without another word, but not until he does his hat tip thing. Maya rolls her eyes and refocuses on the video of Josh fake whistling on his end, "Sorry. He hadn't left yet and I was getting a little miffed."

Another fifteen minutes go by of questions. Maya asks about Josh's finals coming up, all of which he feels pretty prepared for according to him. There's a brief chat about 'the future' in regard to academics. Josh tells Maya that he's never considered what he'll do after high school because he has just been focusing on making it day-by-day.

"But I have that good news. If you're in the clear, of course." Josh doesn't tell Maya that Friar makes him a little uneasy. He had mentioned to her, although she completely ignored the comment, that Friar seemed kind of jealous that Maya was flirting with him. Riley had mentioned that Lucas and Maya pick on each other as a sport, so he didn't really feel like Maya was interested in Friar as more than friendship. However, he was worried that Lucas Friar might be someone worth keeping an eye on.

According to everyone that knows the kid, he is Mr. Perfect. But Josh knows that everyone has a vice, something that can be seen in two lights. Perfection can't be so good forever. Eventually that reputation will bring bad tidings. Josh doesn't wish to trouble himself with these thoughts.

"He just walked out the front door, actually. You're clear now." Maya grins at him. Josh can see how intently she is watching the screen of her phone now. Everything on his mind escapes momentarily as he recounts the call from O.B. yesterday to her.

Smile getting wider with each word, too, "O.B. was able to get my case reviewed by a judge this week. Since I had a good report after being out of state and my grades have been steady, and the employees at the tracks had great things to say… well… I'm being taken off of probation six months early! I'll still have to attend a final hearing in the summer, but O.B. said that the only condition would be continued substance abuse therapy and personal counseling. In February I'll be a regular teenager again!" Watching Maya light up on the other end is satisfying emotionally for Josh. He may have rushed into telling her about his darkest hour, and he may have dove into a relationship spontaneously, but having somebody to share in his victories? Could anything be more priceless?

"That's awesome! I bet Grandma and Grandpa Matthews are so proud of you. Success comes in many different shapes, that is what Mr. Matthews tells me when I'm feelin' down, but you're actual proof. You were down and out but you fought back. And now look at ya! Lived all your life at fifteen!" Josh shakes his head at her. There's plenty more life for him to experience. He's hoping to experience some of those 'life' things with Maya. Which actually provides him the perfect Segway, mentally anyway, to chat her up about another matter.

Leaning closer to his screen, "So I'll be cleared just in time for my birthday. No travel restrictions." Wheels are turning in the girl's head and it shows in the way her eyes begin to glisten, even over the questionable quality of the transmission. He kind of feels his own peepers glazing over, if he's honest with himself.

"What better way to celebrate Valentines Day than with your virtual boyfriend?" Maya jokes at him gently. But she begins tugging on her ear and messing with her collar. It's apparent that she's just as anxious about the possibility as Josh is himself. To be fair, he hasn't actually asked permission to go to New York for a day, but he's sure they won't mind if he can get Cory and Topanga to let him stay overnight.

"I don't have a virtual boyfriend, but I suppose if he was handsome and flirtatious…" Maya waves her hands at him indicating he should stop while he's ahead. They both know that it's about time they wrap up the date. Her phone is likely running out of battery power. As they bid farewell he tells Maya to text him when she's settled for the evening. When she agrees eagerly his heart races with excitement.

And after the call ends a somehow-loud-yawn cause him to jump out of his seat. It's his mother. She's rubbing her eyes and trying to focus on her son, "I figure you need to make a call to your brother, then, don't you?"

Joshua drops his head down into his chest, "Damn it, mom. Were you listening to that whole conversation?"

"Don't swear at me, young man. Swear at your father. He won't say anything, I can't imagine…" Josh kind of tilts his head because as each year passes his father gets a little more lenient about the language that he considers acceptable. But honestly, if they're worried about his language when they allow him to smoke… Josh would be worried their priorities for his behaviors and health were out of order.

His mother captures his attention by sitting on the edge of his bed, "Your father and I won't care if you're going to New York to take Maya out. But you need to make sure Cory and Topanga are okay with the extra company." Josh looks her approvingly. He wasn't expecting it to be that easy.

"All parents are full of surprises, just like you kids." Josh hugs her and helps her onto her feet before escorting her downstairs to discuss the arrangements formally with his father.

* * *

A/N: If you have read my profile you know I'm a young wife &amp; mother. I have an agreement to not work on Fanfiction on Sundays with my family - so I probably won't be posting again for a few days. I'd personally like to have at least one chapter posted every 3-4 days. But if not - I can usually throw together 2-3 decent chapters in one sitting. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I'm aiming for at least 2 or 3 more Riley x Lucas chapters and maybe 1 chapter with Lucas and Maya spending their lunch in the art room working together - all before Joshua returns to NY for VDay ;) Pumped?


	12. Running in Circles

Lucas is sitting next to Farkle doing stretches in gym. Today is the 'finals' day when everyone is going to run the mile. The teacher is sending everyone off in pairs so that the class finishes at approximately the same time. Maya and Lucas, surprisingly enough, are running together based on their times from last year.

"I saw you're running with Riley. She'll be excited about that." Lucas says cheerfully. He knew before the list was posted this morning that there was no way he would be running with her. Riley is full of spirit but she's not good at really anything athletic at all. That's all fine since she's pretty much good at everything else.

Farkle is doing crossover stretches, over exaggerating his movements to hide the fact that he's nervous. Lucas grins and kind of just kicks himself back and watches as other people start filtering into the gym. Farkle responds after a longer than necessary pause, "I know I'm excited. Even though she's off the market - any alone time with her gives Farkle a lead over other candidates."

When Lucas hears this it is not his first instinct to remind Farkle that he's dating Riley. It's not even his second thought, actually. Lucas's first thought is that Farkle sees life as a political race and it's inspiring. Then his second thought is, _Is Maya arguing with the teacher?_

"I wish I could flirt like you. I think when I start to flirt it doesn't go according to plan." Lucas manages to continue to carry on the conversation almost smoothly. It doesn't go over Farkle's head, though, that he's watching Maya closely. Running with her is most likely going to be rough. Lucas is pretty sure she's going to insult him the entire time just to motivate him to go faster and be done sooner.

"You don't need to try. You can just talk at someone and it could be seen as flirting. Having manners as proper as yours in this area is highly unusual." When his friend points this out, even Lucas knows it is true. The only time he sees other boys holding doors open is for girls they like, or for their guy friends. Lucas, on the other hand, was raised to open the door for everyone. _You never know who you'll work for someday_, his father always said; _You do unto others as you would have them do unto you_, his mother encouraged more aggressively.

Lucas shakes his head, although not necessarily at Farkle's commen – which he did disagree with, but he was shaking his head at Maya. She is stomping over to the boys as he replies, "That's awfully kind of you."

"Listen, Friar, I tried to get out of this. It's just not fair to expect a country boy like you to keep up with a city kid like me. I'm always moving while you have your twenty-seven horses doing all the work. But you gotta do it, so there's one thing you gotta do to keep up with me…" Maya doesn't even stop to see if anyone is gawking at her, which is a cocky form of confidence in Lucas' opinion. But he doesn't think of it as a negative trait.

And this mindset is what throws a smile across his lips, effortlessly and without thought, "And you've got your subways."

"I didn't ask for sass, cowboy. I actually didn't ask any questions." Maya groans at him with total irritation. Farkle senses that something is about to happen so he scurries off to find Riley. He has managed to notice that she's not come out of the girls' locker room yet.

Lucas pretends to take off a faux cowboy hat and even bows down a little to bring more frustration to Maya, who is clearly stressed. As he is bent he mutters to her, "Carry on, ma'am." She shudders before waving her hands wildly.

"I sing while I'm running. It keeps me focused. So I will sing and you'll have to sing along. If you can't do that – well – just keep in mind that 'F' is just another letter in the alphabet to me." Maya points at him before turning away and stalking towards Farkle who is hovering near the locker rooms. Lucas looks around wondering how he's managed to end up alone.

But Lucas knows that Maya won't go down that easy, because as much as she wants people to think that she doesn't care about her grades… he knows that she wants to succeed more than she'll ever let on. So he grins to himself as he plots a way to make the run just a little more interesting.

Before Maya knows it the teacher is sending people off very quickly. Last year she'd been able to finish the run in just under six minutes. Lucas had apparently finished only five seconds quicker than her. As she stands next to him she looks at him and points, "You know the band Yellowcard?"

Lucas doesn't register her voice at first because his eyes are following the pairs that are taking off. But when he does respond it's just a curt nod, "You're not going to believe me if I say that I do, are you?"

Maya actually doesn't believe anything Lucas ever says to her, at least not terms of actual _culture_. She's convinced that all he knows is the Country Life. But she shrugs her shoulders, "I'm all about the alternative scene. You can look at me and see that. But when I look at you all I see is Trace Adkins and Carrie Underwood."

"Actually, you see a boy in his gym clothes. I'm basically a blank slate." Lucas has his hands on his hip in a proud 'Look-at-me-I've-trumped-Maya-again' look on his face. She hates that he has a comeback for literally _everything_ that she has to say. Does it get worse? It can't get worse.

So she just shutters and leads her running partner closer to the starting line. There's only a couple of more sets running ahead of them so Maya starts hopping in place and shaking her jitters out of her arms. She's already got the song picked out to keep her motivated, 'Ocean Avenue.' It was popular in the early 2000s and, no, she hadn't been born yet. But when she found the album for two bucks at a thrift shop she picked up because why not? Maya doesn't regret the decision. The music on it was surprisingly uplifting.

"Hart and Friar. Start in three – two – one!" When the whistle blows Lucas bolts. His long legs are carrying him further than Maya's so she huffs out and forces herself to keep up. She's not letting Lucas keep too far ahead of her. As she gets to his side she can hear a rhythmic breathing coming from her friend.

He doesn't spare her a glance whatsoever so she decides that she may as well start her usual practice and pretend that he's not even there.

"There's a place – off Ocean Avenue – Where I used to – sit and talk with you." Her lyrics are labored and monotonous as she adjusts her breathing pattern for the run. But after she gets the first lines out she falls quickly in sync with the music she can hear as a faint memory in the back of her mind, "We were both sixteen – and it felt so right – Sleeping all day – staying up all – niiight. Staying up all – niiight."

As they are coming up on the end of their first lap in the gym, Maya hears Lucas very faintly pick up at exactly the right time, "There's a place – on the corner – of Cherry Street. We would walk – on the beach – in our bare feet."

Maya grins to herself and looks down as her feet quickly altnernate, pushing her somewhat ahead of Lucas to hide the fact that she was impressed that he wasn't lying, and together they continue, "We were both eighteen – and it felt so right."

Suddenly they're both laughing out loud, "Sleeping all day! Staying up all! Niiight!"

When they hit the halfway mark of their run, Lucas and Maya are alternating lines. Maya was bringing the end of the son in with a softer tone, "If I could find you – now – things would get – better."

Lucas pauses and glances at Maya before he manages to utter his words, "We could leave – this town – and run – forever."

He slows just a little so that Maya wouldn't notice the hurt he felt creeping up in his chest, "I know somewhere – somehow – we'll be together," She is actually singing the words. She is completely comfortable with herself and it's a version of Maya that Lucas has never seen before, and he can almost taste his feelings dripping from his tongue. But he catches sight of Riley. Confliction rises up in his chest unlike anything he's ever felt before but he just looks down and shakes his head, catching up with Maya as he wraps up the song, "Let your waves – crash down on me – and take me – away."

For a few seconds things are very quiet between them, but Maya breaks the silence before Lucas can make up a good reason to start talking. "Not bad, cowboy. I guess I need to take some lessons. I can never surprise you the way you manage to surprise me."

Lucas shakes his head at her. Absolutely wrong, he knows that she is, but he doesn't feel like running in gym class is the appropriate time to express feelings he doesn't understand himself. He speeds up knowing that Maya will work harder to keep up. Now is his opportunity to further surprise her, "She sees them – walking in a – straight line…"

Although Maya is clearly hesitant to respond, her lips betray her. Lucas knows that she did not think before she groaned out, "That's not – really her – style." The fierce bounce in her hair confirms for Lucas that she isn't about to continue pleasantly.

"And they all – got the same – heartbeat – but hers is – falling - behind." Lucas says louder as he catches up. But she runs harder, she runs faster, and most of all – she runs away. In fact, as he catches up she just keeps going. Lucas watches as she presses on and even nearly laps him, finishing the mile before he reaches the halfway point in his last lap. The teacher tries to high-five Maya, screaming that she finished forty-five seconds faster than last year, but she runs right past her into the locker room.

Riley stands up and wants to go after Maya but by the time she's ready to go Lucas is crossing the finish line himself. He waves at the teacher before stopping at Riley's side. An arm instinctively wraps around her shoulders, sighing before he clears any questions, "I don't think she liked my singing."

"Maya doesn't like anyone's singing. I think music is another one of her things, like art, but she doesn't want people to know about that one." Riley mumbles. Farkle pops in and asks if Maya is mad, at which point Riley tells him that it's not any more than usual. The tree friends walk back to the group as the teacher starts talking about how well everyone did, but Lucas can't help but secretly glance at the locker rooms to see if Maya will come back out.

When Maya finally makes it back home she checks the time. Joshua won't be available for at least four more hours. She told the nurse that she'd made herself sick running the mile, which the teacher confirmed shortly after class ended. Maya was actually able to convince them that she needed to go home. Her mother was at the diner and her Nan never locks the door.

She sneaks in quietly and checks the refrigerator out of habit, always hoping that something new would appear in the doors and on the shelves. Today it looks like her Nan brought a case of ginger ale. Maya looks back guiltily before swiping one and carrying it with her to her bedroom.

As she plops herself down on her bed she gets a text message from Lucas, **Did I make you mad?**

It wasn't that Lucas made her mad so much as she _hated_ and _loved_ that song. One thing Maya doesn't ever talk about is how she doesn't feel like she belongs with her friends. That's part of what she likes about Joshua so much – he's every bit as broken as she is _and it's nice_. It's very hard to find something that beats having someone understand you and the discouragement you feel just by seeing the faces of people that you love.

Maya twirls her phone in her palm and gnaws angrily on her lips. She wasn't mad at Lucas so much as she was mad at that catchy song with the heartbreaking lyrics. It's not that Maya didn't feel good about herself, because she was actually incredibly proud of herself, but there's always something about the normal kids… _the cool kids_… _from good families…_

A wave of horrified insecurity drowns her.

So she texts Lucas back, **Yep.** It's mostly a lie but Lucas won't know any different. She's okay with Lucas not liking her. Maybe she'll be able to say something to piss him off the way she always aims to do; and as she smiles she knows that it probably won't happen. It's kind of what makes the game so fun. Even if it's not fun when it's happening and it makes her ferociously angry…

**Miss u**, a message flashes across her screen. She hadn't been expecting a message from Joshua so she tensed up and growled. If she hadn't stared so hard at her screen she would have thought that it was actually from Lucas. Thankfully it is _not_ from him. When you can talk to, or even be with, someone who understands your side of the fence… surrounded by perfect people but not being perfect yourself, there's nothing that Maya could think of that is as comforting.

Lucas' apology pops up but she doesn't see it until she's hit send on her message, **Can't wait to chat later handsome.** Maya immediately corrects it, apologizing herself for the mix up. She then forwards it on to Joshua.

Lucas looks at the words on his phone. The words weren't meant for him, which hurt worse than knowing that he kind of liked seeing those words under Maya's name in his phone. He deletes all of the texts on his phone, which alleviates some of the stress, but as he carries himself to his next class Riley catches up to him.

"Do you want to go bowling? It's one hundred percent my idea!" Riley proposes another date, "But perhaps Saturday afternoon? That way we're not rushed or anything…"

Lucas feels his phone in his pocket, intentionally, but agrees with a perfect grin on his face, "Perfect. We can celebrate our success this semester." Her laugh is soft but it's somehow deafening. And he all but stops listening when she says that Maya told her Joshua was visiting for Valentine's Day and that she suggested a double-date.

* * *

A/N: Before anyone complains about it - I understand Maya is a wee bit out of character. But I don't think we get to see enough of Maya's insecurities and this is my way of exploring the mind of a teenager girl who just wants to fit into a puzzle.

A/N2: This chapter was conceived with high hopes and I'm not 100% I achieved that. I don't know what to think. This was supposed to be this awesome realization chapter for Lucas where he's like - wow - I think I feel things that are probably not okay to feel but I feel them and I just - but did I convey that? I'm not sure. I don't know.

Can I insert an emoji expressing my own insecurity about this chapter?


	13. Hold Your Tongue

A/N: A chapter in which Lucas has to maintain his gentlemanly manners... and. hold. his. tongue.

* * *

Riley is standing next to Lucas at his locker, "I'm going to miss you."

"We're going to see each other in the halls all day. And at lunch, too…" Lucas starts. She sees something quiver in his face that she isn't sure how to identify. Riley thinks that something may be bothering him, but he speaks so calmly. But she still pouts a little bit.

"I know, but I still twelve and I can still be sad that I won't see my friends as much. I'm just a kid, man!" Riley learned earlier in the year that the gang shouldn't be so ready to grow up. There are some incredibly awesome things about being young… Kind of like how she still _really _wanted to be a princess. It would be wrong to lie and to not say that being Lucas' princess wasn't nearly as satisfying as being a Disney princess.

She's almost completely lost in her own selfish thoughts when she hears Lucas say something into her locker that she definitely didn't expect, "I think it'll be good for us, honestly. Being away from each other more during the day will make us cherish our time together on the weekends."

Riley is taken aback by her boyfriend's her statement. She knows that it is definitely a true statement, but having only been dating for three months… Riley didn't know much about dating but she was sure that you weren't supposed to want space after three months. Well, not so much want, as clearly be enthusiastic about it.

But she also kind of felt that if Lucas thought that it was a good thing for them then she'd put a big, old fashioned, optimist Riley Matthews grin. She catches sight of Maya coming down stairs which makes it easier to be pleasant about it, "Well, distance _does_ make the heart grow fonder."

Maya chimes in as she runs her thumbs along the insides of her backpack straps, eyebrows shooting straight up with a sarcastic comment ready to break free from behind her teeth…

…just as soon…

..as she's close enough…

"_That's_ why your dad likes Shawn so much!" Riley reaches across Lucas' chest to fist bump Maya. He smells the lotion on Riley's hands and it makes him feel comfortable and _safe_. But Riley pulls away faster than Maya's and just as she yanks away he catches a faint scent. It's sharply floral and almost cold. Lucas looks at Riley even though his mind wants to look at Maya.

"You smell nice today, Riley." Lucas states kindly. It's not a false statement She smiles and leans in to kiss him somewhat less awkwardly than in the weeks before. The feeling it evokes is not unpleasant by any means, but it disappears as soon as she hears the bell and hurries off to her first class. This leaves Lucas with Maya alone in the hallway. As soon as he turns back he sees her texting on her phone with a grin on her face.

He grits his teeth. Obsessively.

Lucas nudges Maya sweetly. She looks up for a very brief moment, "Hold on, cowboy." After a few quick flourishes she finishes a text message and hits send. Then she takes a…

"Selfie? Really?" His exasperated tone touches a nerve with Maya. Lucas regrets it immediately, and apologizes as such, "I didn't mean it like that."

Maya sneers at Lucas but she still grabs him by the wrist, dragging him behind her, "You should listen to your girlfriend. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. My boyfriend is a picture on a cell phone. Be appreciative of what you've got and don't judge me for liking what I have!"

* * *

Riley tightens her ponytail as Lucas manages to get his fourth strike. He was more than cheerful. Lucas is hugging her between each turn; kissing her cheek and her hand regularly. She wasn't complaining about that, but she was about to complain when she got up to the ball return.

"Lucas, why are you using my ball? It's only two pounds different from your ball." She sighed for the second time in a row, and the fifth time over the two games they've played so far. Lucas shrugs at her, not realizing that she's actually a tiny bit frustrated.

She looks over her shoulder and sees that Lucas doesn't even hear her. Instead he's checking his phone and sipping his lemonade. Eyebrows scrunch and betray her, but it doesn't really matter since Lucas isn't paying attention to her anyway. As the ball is rolling down the lane she realizes that she really is not good at bowling. Just before the ball is set to hit the pins it skews to the left and lands in the gutter.

Instead of being uptight about a game she was losing before she ever picked up the ball, Riley thinks about something more exciting than losing; "Maya is supposed to go to Philadelphia tomorrow morning."

This grabs Lucas' attention. He'd heard Riley complaining about the ball switcheroo. He wasn't paying attention to which ball he grabbed so he makes a mental note to wait and make sure he's using the correct bowling ball. It isn't until she mentions Maya going to visit Joshua that he actively participates in the conversation.

"She didn't say anything about that to me in class this week." Lucas remarks, "I wonder why?"

Riley laughs innocently. She knows Maya better than anyone else so he's hoping that she'll give him a reason as to why this is the first time he's hearing about her trip. Unfortunately, he gets anything but instant gratification.

"Why would Maya bring that up with you? You don't exactly seem very supportive of her and Joshua dating." Riley calls him out on it, but Lucas doesn't let it get to him. Firstly, it would only confirm further than he's upset by Maya's decision. It would also make him have to admit that his thoughts constantly stray back to her accidental text message in which she accidentally called him handsome… and the last lines of 'Ocean Avenue' with her voice saying them…

"I already apologized to her. It was a holiday gathering for your family. Was it completely wrong to be concerned?" He tries to argue a little bit and justify his feelings. Riley shrugs her shoulders before place her hand on his lower back.

Riley smiles at him, though, with true sincerity, "I think Uncle Josh and Maya are kind of cute. Uncle Josh has this bad boy vibe that fits perfectly with Maya's independent personality. I really don't mind it at all."

Lucas minds very much, but he can't admit that to himself on a regular basis; let alone admit it out loud. So he wiggles a smirk onto his face sheepishly, eyes tracing down the bridge of his nose until his eyes met Riley's gaze.

"I'll stop using your ball, Riley." If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all. Lucas has heard it his entire life but he'd never had a reason to apply the principle until today.


	14. Matthews

A/N: I don't know how this chapter happened. I didn't plan on this being the chapter. But then it got longer and I was just like - chapter. Make it a chapter and move on because I didn't want to have to shorten it and adding substance would have made it feel overdone.

So - since I had no better name for what happens in this chapter - enjoy the Matthews.

* * *

Maya was standing at the station with Mr. &amp; Mrs. Matthews, who came early to make sure she purchased the right train ticket. They also gave her pepper spray and a taser, "You can never be too safe, Maya."

Mrs. Matthews is the one who hugs Maya first. She wanted her mother to see her off, especially since it was five in the morning, but she knows that the diner needs someone to open. Mrs. Matthews was far more pleasant anyway so Maya wasn't about to start complaining.

"Now Maya, you need to call us as soon as you cross in the Pennsylvania, okay? And I don't mean call Riley – I mean call _one of us_." Mr. Matthews is gesturing back and forth between himself and his wife. Maya is nodding her head vigorously. She's surprised that her mother okay'd the trip at all; let alone Mr. &amp; Mrs. Matthews!

"Understood." Maya bellows strongly. It's mostly to hide the fact that she's pretty much frightened of only being thirteen years old and riding on a train for two hours by herself.

Mrs. Matthews shakes her head at her husband, "I'm sorry, Cory, but I think one of us should just ride with her at least to the state line. Maybe Eric can meet us there?"

Maya loses a little bit of the discomfort building in her chest, but it doesn't stop her from asking Mrs. Matthews, "Why wasn't that the plan to begin with?"

"It was. Your mother insisted that we don't spend any more money than we already have on the trip. She assured us that you could take care of yourself. Your mother trusts you…" Mrs. Matthews begins with a sincere smile on her face, but Maya sees the same thing in her eyes as she sees on her own. It's not even really disbelief so much as discontent. An anger that even though everyone knows something is wrong it continues to happen anyway.

As an attorney, Maya is surprised that Mrs. Matthews hasn't learned to keep it hidden better. Mr. Matthews then starts talking for his wife, "We don't really agree with your mother on this one. It's not that we don't trust you, but you're still really young to be on a train by yourself."

"I'll go with her, Cory. You go home with the kids. I'll spend the day with your mom. Maybe we'll do some baking!" Mrs. Matthews begins walking away to get a ticket for the trip. This leaves Maya and Mr. Matthews alone together. He bends down and holds her shoulders in place.

"You know that you can call us Cory and Topanga, right?" Maya wasn't expecting this. She shakes her head at him, though, knowing that she would never do that. He's her teacher and even though he is also like family – he'll always be a teacher to her first, "Seriously. I can't be called Mr. Matthews in my own home. Especially if you marry Josh someday! You'll be my sister-in-law… which would be really weird, Maya. Not just the idea but also being called Mr. Matthews still. All of it… weird!"

She giggles. The fact that she does gives Mr. Matthews some comfort and he straightens back up, checking for his wife unconsciously as he does so. Maya hopes to love someone like that someday. Maybe if she's lucky Joshua will be that person. Mr. &amp; Mrs. Matthews were high school sweethearts. They'd been friends since they were her age, so it's possible that she could end up being with Joshua for the rest of her life. She can't resist smiling wide at the thought.

When. Mrs. Matthews returns she also has two bottles of water and two bags of chips, "Are you ready, sweetie?"

Mr. Matthews gives his wife a quick kiss before both ladies usher themselves into fairly empty car. They don't talk much because Mrs. Matthews is working on her phone, occasionally making quick calls to follow up on specific tasks that need completed. Maya just stares out of the window while listening to music.

When the do finally arrive at the Philadelphia train station just under two hours later, Maya rubs her eyes not even having realized she fell back asleep. As she begins remembering what she was doing for the day she literally jumps up onto her feet, "Holy cow!"

"Oh it's been too long since I've been back." Mrs. Matthews remarks as she, too, gets onto her feet. The ladies walk sluggishly to the door and step onto the platform shakily. As soon as they get out the feel a gust of cool air, which Maya actually finds refreshing. Heading towards the main building is the longest walk of her life.

"I can't believe you paid for this day trip, Mrs. Matthews. We're just kids. Nobody in their right mind would have paid for two teenagers to have a silly date. I can't thank you enough for thinking that I somehow deserve this." Expressing appreciation is difficult for Maya, and it's even harder when it is to the Matthews family. They already do way too much for her. None of this was necessary but still they did it.

Mrs. Matthews slips her arm around Maya's shoulders as they are walking, "You should know that Josh's parents pitched in half of the cost. We all think you two are good for each other. And even though nobody has told me about Josh's legal issues – there is such a thing as public record."

Maya giggles. She has never thought of Mrs. Matthews as the defiant type, but she clearly has a hint of it somewhere inside. As her head bobs a little bit and her hair sticks to her cheek from the fierce wind, "He's going to be off of probation soon. He's supposed to come to New York for Valentine's Day."

Mrs. Matthews doesn't respond at that point, but Maya just feels like there's no way she's not smiling. Maya can't help but wonder what Mrs. Matthews actually likes. She's so well put together and successful that Maya feels like the woman probably can't have too many interests outside of her family. But she obviously loves making kids happy – otherwise Maya wouldn't be the Matthews' project.

Once they are inside a loud whooping sound startles Maya. On the other hand, Mrs. Matthews just continues on towards the crowd that caused the noise. When Maya finally gets herself back together she finds Joshua standing in front of her – and then_ lifting her up off of the ground by her waist – __and spinning around_!

"This isn't a movie, homeboy." Maya remarks with her usual hint of sarcasm. But the smile on her face proves that she was actually really tickled by Josh's gesture. As soon as she's replaced on the ground their arms fly around each other playfully.

Joshua speaks first, whispering into her hair, "I almost forgot you were a real person."

Closing her eyes, Maya just takes in his scent. Today he smells very faintly of mint and… Bananas? Maybe he had a banana for breakfast? She doesn't think long about it, replying to his statement with one of her own, "I beginning to think I was dreaming the whole thing. I _am_ rather unappealing as a romantic partner."

Joshua slips his hand into hers and begins leading her back towards the adults. Mrs. Matthews is making so gestures to her phone while talking to the side at Grandma Matthews. Maya feels so comfortable with all of them and she can hardly believe that she's been so lucky. Everyone welcomes Maya with a hug, except Eric Matthews, who actually gives her a noogie.

"You're going to be my new little sister in like five years, right?" Eric Matthews jokes. Joshua just runs a heel into him with a stern look on his face. Everyone else actively ignores the comment and heads back outside to head to the Matthews' home. However, once they are outside Josh stops Maya and approaches his parents. They whisper intently for a few minutes before Mrs. Topanga Matthews finally has to step in and end the conversation.

Maya expected everyone to be mad about something as serious as the chat looked form afar, but Josh returns to her with a huge grin on his face, "I know that you just got off of the train. But I was hoping you'd be up for hot chocolate and ice skating." She doesn't even look back to make sure everyone else okay with it.

"As long as you make it worth my time. I can't promise my legs will know how to work when we get there, though." If she isn't being a tiny bit harsh when she speaks, then she has forgotten exactly who she is as a person. Josh seems pleased with her, going as far as kissing the top of her head, and yanking her back to the train with tickets already in his hand; "You got a whole day planned? That's adorable."


	15. A Date in Philly

A/N: This chapter does not encompass the entire day's activities. However, the three chapters that cover Maya's visit to Philadelphia are not named the same. This is Part 1 of 3 ;)

* * *

Maya picks up ice-skating very quickly, but much to her surprise Joshua keeps falling over. She's laughing as she bends over to help him back onto his feet, him grabbing onto the edge of her coat nervously as she wobbles into a standing position. As soon as he is up he throws his arms around her neck, letting out a breath as rich as the four hot chocolates they've had to stop an enjoy.

"You're amazing at all of this. " Together they begin laughing. She feels his hands kind of waving against her shoulders but she doesn't think too much of it. At least, not at first, which was kind of a bad decision. Unfortunately, the movements are a little too enthusiastic that it causes them to start sliding. Maya struggles to keep them both up for the few seconds that they did manage to be on their feet. When they both crash onto the ice she's thankful that the only other people there were a couple of older people just watching from the benches outside of the rink.

Joshua is able to quickly regain his composure and is the first to realize that he has essentially landed directly on top of Maya. The air feels sharp and angry as he takes in a breath. His brain scatters again, but his eyes are magnetized to Maya. Every time he tries to look away nervously they just flick back to her. Her eyes are so big and bright. It reminds him the moon in the winter sky on a clear night.

"Have you ever been kissed?" Joshua mutters, although it wasn't meant to be aloud. Maya opens her mouth and looks like she's trying to form words. But then she presses her lips together in a thin line, moving her head very slightly back and forth to answer his question. The shy gesture only draws him in more, "Would you like to be?"

Maya brings a hand up to his cheek and tilts her head to the side. He isn't sure what's happening, of course. When she pokes his nose and says, 'boop,' it becomes apparent to him that she's deflecting. _Alright, Joshua,_ he thinks to himself, _too fast._ He wants to apologize for it but like most awkward things in his life – it's best not to acknowledge that it happened.

"Do we have any kind of lunch plans?" Maya asks as she slides out from underneath him. Josh is glad that she asks this because it clears the tension immediately. Maya helps Josh all the way to the wall. Once they're sitting down Joshua feels safe enough to let her know what they're doing, "I figured we'd try to snag lunch on the way back home. It will be a little early in the day but there's no bad time for a Philly cheese steak sandwich."

Maya agrees, "I don't like the concept that there's a bad time for eating. As someone who can only rely on food at school – _all_ times of the day are good times for eating!"

Josh takes his skates off first, slipping his feet back into his beat up snow boots. Maya is only a few seconds behind him so he grabs both sets of skates and carries them back to the rental station. His fingers brush against the girls' at the counter, to which she remarks, "Lucky girl you got out there."

Usually he would have flirted back, or made some smart comment about her being lucky to talk to him. Some cocky thing to deflect his discomfort, but he just looks over at Maya and smiles, "No. I think I'm the lucky one, actually."

Josh and Maya grab their sandwiches before they get back onto the train. They decide to get one and share. It's cheaper that way, and the only extra thing they're paying for from the vendor is Maya's bottled water. After they take their seats Maya strikes up a conversation, "Mrs. Matthews tells me that your parents like me."

As she's taking a bite of her half of the sandwich her phone buzzes in her back pocket. Maya is tempted to answer it but she remains focused on Joshua. They live on different states so this time is precious. As she chews her delicious Phillip cheesesteak sandwich slowly, Joshua confirms it, "Truth! My dad told me a few weeks ago that they liked you. But mom told me when I asked if I could invite you down for the day that she thought it would be brilliant. They think you're a good kid and that you can help remind me that I'm a good kid, too."

Maya smirks at him. It's not at all that she doesn't like being considered a good influence, because that's incredibly rare. However, she feels like this is the only reason that Joshua's family is being so supportive of him dating her. They _should_ be supportive because it makes him happy, which surely has crossed some of the minds of the Matthews bunch. Maya still feels like it's a little synthetic in its conception, the supportiveness of everyone. She won't argue. This is _her_ happiness. There's no reason for her to spoil it by overthinking.

"A win for Maya Hart!" Somehow she speaks with more excitement that she feels. Joshua continues eating his sandwich without saying anything more. Maya thinks back to the park when Joshua tried to kiss her. For no real reason she had blocked the attempt. It wasn't that she doesn't want to kiss him. As she looks at him she knows that she actually really does want to kiss him. So much so that she considers doing it right here on the train. But something in the back of her mind pleaded for her not to do it. So Maya didn't.

And even as she stares fondly at him she knows that it's not the right time. It's not the right place.

"Oh, there's an art competition in town. I saw a flyer for it when I was in town this week. Thought of you when I saw it." Josh remarks with a mouth full of food. Before he's even done chewing he pulls his straw to his mouth with his tongue. He's not looking at Maya when she says this because he's keeping an eye on his sandwich like it's going to run away. She doesn't understand boys in the slightest, but she also isn't use to boys being so messy. Lucas is always proper and neat. Farkle is at the very least organized. Auggie is a tiny bit messy, but not in like a 'boy' way so much as a 'little kid' way.

It's astounding to her.

"There are art competitions in New York all the time. I always mean to enter them but there's sometimes a fee and I don't have the cash. And if I do I use it to buy clothes that I need, or to get the groceries mom can't afford. The only competition I can enter is the annual art show at the school, and I have to wait another year for that." Maya hates to talk about her life in poverty with other people, usually, but Josh gets it. He doesn't give her puppy dog eyes the way that Riley and Farkle do when she mentions that she can't go do something that they are – like field trips or movies every weekend. Even when Riley covers her ticket or something, she always have to skip out on extras – like food and souvenirs. Josh just looks at her like a normal person and it makes her feel, well, _normal_.

Joshua wraps his sandwich up and sets on the seat next to him and scoots closer to Maya, "Well I looked into the rules. Doesn't appear to be any restriction on who can enter. I was thinking about entering you in it if you'd be willing to send me a piece of your artwork."

She snort laughs at him, "That's incredibly sweet, but I think I'll have to pass. My art is very personal and I don't think I'm ready to actually let legit judges look at it and tell me I'm awful."

Josh grabs her scraf and pulls her forehead onto his, rubbing his nose against hers very gently. Her hair falls around their faces and kind of shields them from the rest of the car – which is occupied by maybe four other people tops. She hasn't been paying attention to those coming, going, and switching cars; "You have magic, Maya, and the world needs to know about it. If it were up to me, your stuff would be in a museum for child geniuses already."

_This_ is also not the right moment to kiss Josh. Even though it _feels_ like it on the surface – the top notch compliment he's just paid her, the way his breath feels warm on her lips, his nervous fiddling with her scarf, _her_ nervous fiddling her the folds on her leggings – on the inside she knows that it needs to be for something _special_. A compliment like that is awesome but not the special kind that denotes giving away her first kiss.

"Well aren't you just extra feisty today. Trying to make me feel like a princess?" She questions him, pushing herself away and investing her focus back into the remainder of her lunch. Thankfully, Joshua doesn't seem offended and actually mimics her, "Don't try too hard, buddy, because I don't want to be a princess. That's more Riley's area of expertise than my own."

But Joshua laughs, "Riley can be a princess. I was aiming for something more magnificent. Queen. President. Goddess? I think Goddess is a good one. The Goddess of Strength?"

Maya drops her sandwich when she hurls forward on herself and begins laughing. Her entire body moves with amusement by his statement; her nose is scrunching, her eyebrows are furling, and her feet are arching to hold her onto the seat securely. As she continues giggling, Joshua picks up her now inedible food and walks it to a trashcan.

As soon as he returns she wraps her arm in his and rests her head on his shoulder, "You're too good to be true."

Joshua sure doesn't feel that way, though. He never feels that way about himself. This is why he is always quick to shoot a comment back at others, ones that are especially witty and arrogant. Flirting had kind of become a bit of a default as a result. Even if he wasn't trying people oftentimes label his responses as a pick up line or worse. They're only got about ten minutes before the next stop to get to his house. He figures that's a good naptime so he doesn't reply. Maya was up early so he assumes that she needs it as much as he wants it. Josh keeps his mouth shut and closes his eyes.

When they get back to his parents house, Topanga and his mom are drinking some homemade hot chocolate on the couch watching some Lifetime movie. Maya lingers at the door until Joshua reminds her that she is welcome to actually roam the house. She looks around curiously but ends up just setting herself down on armchairs and pretends to be interested in the movie.

"Are you guys still planning on going to the track today, sweetheart?" His mother calls from the couch. Joshua meant for it to be a surprise but when Maya jerks her head around to stare at him he realizes that he can't act like that wasn't the plan. So he jumps off of the stairs and walks a few feet closer to the living space to confirm his mother's question.

A forced grin on his face, "I was going to grab my gear before I asked if Eric would run us out. Maybe hang out upstairs for a little bit."

Topanga twists herself to look at Joshua with a very leery expression. He amends his statement, "Or maybe we could hang out in the kitchen… play some Texas Hold'm?" He arches it eyebrows waiting for Topanga to accept his terms. She is slow to clear the suspicion on her face but eventually she does soften and nod her head curtly in approval. When he looks back to Maya to gesture for her to join him he can see that she was trying to hold back a chuckle.

Nobody is in he kitchen, which means Eric and Dad must be in the backyard or out to grab something for Mom. He walks over the drawer closest to the backdoor and opens it. There's a Vegas style deck that his parents got a few years back that he pulls out and carries back to the table. "I'm going to go use the restroom. I'll be right back."

When Joshua goes up the stairs in the kitchen Maya casually pulls her phone out. When she hits a button to light up the screen she sees that she has a message. It's the one she must have received on the train earlier. After unlocking her phone and actually reading the message she sees that the message was from Lucas, **Have fun in Philadelphia today!**

Riley must have told him that she was going. Lucas is far form receptive about her dating Riley's uncle. She gets the reasoning behind it but she also doesn't feel like it is really his place to be so stubborn on the matter. He completely ignores everyone when Maya and Joshua are brought up as a couple. It only seems appropriate to take a page from his book and delete the message. No matter how nice he was trying to be, this was not the way to show that he was supportive of her decisions that did not even directly affect him whatsoever. With a rage developing beneath the surface she decides to just shut her phone off entirely.

* * *

A/N: BTW feel free to review. Positives, negatives, nonsensical sounds typed onto the screen. Anything to just let me know how you feel as a reader.


	16. Dirt Bike Disaster

Part 2 of 3.

* * *

Maya is standing outside of the track entrance waiting for Joshua to wheel a bike up for her to ride on that is for "beginners." She already has on all of the protective gear except her helmet. She's glad now that she hasn't put it on because Joshua was taking twice as long as he said he would. Unconsciously Maya pulls out her phone to check the time and realizes that her phone is off.

She almost forgot why she shut the phone off, too, until she hears Eric Matthews, "Having a good day on our turf?"

_Oh yeah_, she thinks,_ that's why I turned it off._

"Absolutely. Although, I'm worried that your brother is going to take a million years to get back here at this rate… By the time we get on the track we're going to have to pack right back up and turn around." Poking fun at your boyfriend is a pretty normal thing. Well, at least Maya thinks that it is, anyway. She sees it in television shows all the time. Plus, Riley sometimes complains that Lucas is so polite and proper that she can't gauge how to react to his statements sometimes.

But it's a person's imperfections that make them worth your affection. That's the definition of Maya's childhood and she figures if she wants to be true to herself that this one trait – loving someone's flaws – is the perfect way to do so. Eric seems to agree, though, "That's how you know he cares about you, though. Whenever Joshua really gets into something he makes sure he does it right. Especially – you know –_ now_."

Maya thought that nobody knew about Joshua's history, but she guesses that Eric must have been told out of necessity. He does transport Joshua everywhere and even takes up the same extracurricular activities. Soon her boyfriend comes into view pushing a bike for her.

"He is different since Christmas. Everyone almost forgets that the last year actually happened." Eric remarks before walking away from Maya. As Joshua gets closer and closer she feels her heart racing. Christmas Eve comes back to her – on the rooftop of Lucas' apartment building. She caught him smoking.

And Christmas Day when they went out for pizza and he told her about the drugs and his dead girlfriend…

When Joshua does stop next to her she pulls him into a hug, "I like you."

"Well I hope so, because you're kind of my girlfriend." He pulls away and jumps onto his bike. Gesturing for Maya to hop onto hers. They are putting their helmets on when Maya has to point out that he hasn't explained how to work the darn thing. But he shouts to her the steps.

Turn the key. Rev the gas. Walk forward and test the breaks. Maya does all of this and her machine checks out. Then Joshua looks back at her, "Just follow me. We're going to just go a few laps on the flat track along the walls here."

Maya wiggles her pursed lips but watches her boyfriend take off without any complaint. This is going to be interesting especially since she had not exactly expressed to Josh how she was feeling about the activity. Maya is always up to try new things but dirt biking? In a different state? With no health insurance?

Maya supposes that he couldn't possibly know that Maya has absolutely no insurance whatsoever. She obviously wasn't going to just offer than information up either.

She takes off after him by several minutes. He's so far ahead of her that he actually makes a full lap around the track before slowing down at her side. The engines are roaring so she can't actually talk to him so it's just Maya and Maya's thoughts as she follows Joshua around the track. For five, ten, fifteen, and _twenty _minutes. Maya manages to speed up and take her turns more confidently. It all comes together and she thinks that perhaps she's a natural. Or at least she's convinced herself that she is!

Finally, Joshua pulls off to the side and motions for Maya to stop with him. As the pair of them are pulling off their helmets Maya hears Joshua's phone ringing. Before he starts talking to her he checks the I.D. Glancing over at her and back at his phone shows her that he's got to take the call, "Go ahead. I'll go around a few times by myself."

"No. I can call O.B. back later. All he's going to do is call my dad and ask where I'm at right now. As long as one of them knows what I'm up there's no need for me to talk to him." Lucas shoves the phone back into his pocket. He said that he always kept it on him because if there was an accident he needed to be able to call someone, especially now that he works for the facility. But Maya has to admit that she is a tiny bit tickled that he is more interested in keeping the momentum of their date.

"So I was thinking that we could move away from just a flat course and start exploring a few of the jumps down in the center. It's all for beginners, which is code for safer than everything else here." Maya waves her hand at him, though, to stop him from talking any further. She takes her helmet and places it back atop her head, shouting out to him before taking off without much warning.

"Show me a good time, handsome." He follows behind her, not a shred of hesitation, and speeds ahead in no time. They are driving in a path that has her go up her first hill. She goes very slowly so that she doesn't get much 'air' when she goes over. Joshua is speeding around and pushing the limits, aiming to get as much as 'air' as he probably feels he can in the space of the track.

As Maya builds her own confidence she tries to do the same. Why not, she assumes. Of course, it ends up being a terrible decision. As soon as she tries to fly up a hill at twice the speed that she had before, her bike lands with her leaning just a little too far left. The bike slams flat on her side and slides several feet away from her when she lets go of it. As she's rolling she hears her helmet crack on one side, but she doesn't feel anything but a few rocks that kicked up inside.

Surprisingly, Maya isn't in too much pain. She is able to get onto her feet and look around, although she is admittedly a little dizzy. Wobbling over to her bike is a bit of blur until Joshua jumps off of his own machine and rips her helmet off. Joshua is shouting at her, probably asking questions which she can't hear yet. That's when she realizes there's a ringing in her ears.

He sets her down on his bike and drives her slowly back to the main building. Once they get inside she finally hears muffled instructions; he sends Eric out to get her bike. Maya catches sight of a guy behind the counter pulling out a first aid kit. As he pulls away to grab it Maya finally hears clearly.

"What happened?" The counter guy asks.

"I didn't see. It looks like she landed wrong base on skid from the bike." Josh replies hurriedly. When he comes back Maya watches as his hands start pulling out alcohol wipes, Neosporin, and a couple of different sized bandages. But before he applies anything he takes off the pads and the jacket she is wearing.

"How far did the bike go?" Counter guy inquires further. Maya is staring with wide eyes so they probably think that she can't hear anything.

"Ten to fifteen feet. It doesn't look back but her helmet cracked." He shares his findings with Maya. Soon the counter guy is gawking at her as Josh starts swiping an alcohol pad across her left cheek, applying more pressure around her eyebrow and jawline.

"That's the problem renting equipment. It never fits right. But it doesn't look like she's got any broken bones. I'll grab a flashlight, though, to make sure she's not concuss." The counter kid scurries away after that in a significantly calmer fashion that Joshua is in – his hands are literally shaking as he cleans her up. Maya feels stinging on her face after he's done wiping her down. While he is opening bandages for her wounds, she reaches to take her kneepads off and slide her hands out of her gloves.

Joshua notices her movements, obviously, and asks her obvious questions, "What is your name?"

"Maya Hart." She states.

"Good, you can hear me. Where do you live?" Relief becomes apparent in his voice, but he still felt the need to continue the check.

"New York." Maya declares, "And before you ask the next question, I'm thirteen years old. I'm in Philadelphia. You're Joshua Matthews. I fell off of my bike."

Joshua can't even manage half a smirk. He's applying a large bandage over jaw right below her ear, and he tapes some gauze down right above her eyebrow. After that he rolls her sleeves up and applies pressure in a couple of different places. Once or twice she flinches. Next his hands end up at her knee.

Maya takes a sharp breath in, forgetting that he's checking her for injuries. But with wide eyes she stares curiously at him. Joshua taps with two fingers down her shin. When she doesn't show any signs of pain except around her ankle, he then puts one hand on the inside of her thigh by her knee again. Maya waits as she starts applying pressure in exactly the same ways as before to the outside of her thigh. This is where she experiences the most pain.

"Well, Maya, thank God you're alright. No broken bones. I'll have the manager give you a copy of the accident record so you have sit out in gym this week." As he starts putting his supplies back into the case Counter Guy comes back with the flashlight. Joshua's fingers delicately lift her head. As he moves the light back and forth a couple of times he lets out a tense chuckle before giving the tool back to the worker; "And you don't need to worry about seeing a doctor."

Maya starts to stand but realizes immediately that she isn't ready to do this yet. She pats the bench beside her. Joshua takes his place and keeps his distance from her, but it doesn't stop him from going on and on, "First time I fell I took Tylenol like clockwork in the morning, at lunch, and before bed. You're probably not going to feel it much today, but it will definitely come back with a fury tomorrow."

Maya listens as he goes on and on about what she needs to do, how to care for herself. After about ten minutes Eric joins them and says that Joshua needs to fill out his version of the report, and that Maya would have to go back too. As she waits with Eric, he calls back to the Matthews house and lets them know that they are coming back earlier than expected.

Maya can hear Topanga shouting on the phone. She says some unflattering things about Joshua's judgment, and Eric's judgment, and then about her own judgment for not coming with them. By the end of the phone conversation she's making a list of things that she's going to need Eric to pick up before they leave for the day.

As soon as he hangs up, "I hope she wrote that down because I wasn't really listening."

Maya reaches her right arm out to give him a high five, "I stopped paying much attention to Joshua when he tried telling me what to wear for maximum comfort."

Soon Joshua is helping Maya get to the back office where the manager on duty is sitting at a computer typing something up. When Maya sits down at the desk Joshua steps aside and puts his hands into his pocket, head hanging low. The Manager introduces himself, though, which causes her to draw her attention away from her boyfriend, "My name is Pat. Joshua here is a great kid and I'm sure he's already taken it upon himself to go through all follow up details with you, but I have to send you home with two things today. The first is a copy of the release form stating that you and the adult representative understood the risks of participating in dirt bike activities at our facility. The second is documentation of our coverage for accidents on the premises. In the event that you leave here today and seek professional assistance with your injuries, this details what we will and will not be required to cover in costs. I've given all of this information to Eric who has already signed the contracts on your behalf."

Maya is just nodding at him. She's a minor so she knows that she can't really sign any contractual, but she obviously has to be informed because she doesn't live with any of the people that she's with today. And her mother wouldn't ever answer her phone while she's working. Thus, Maya must understand the information so that when she goes home she knows how to take care of herself.

The way she's always had to.

Pat then pushes a paper over to her, "Josh already wrote down his recollection of the accident under the witness section on the back. I need you to write your recollection on the top of this side, and then any known injuries and pains on the bottom. You'll sign and date the bottom and then I'll make sure you have copies to take with to your legal guardian."

Josh watches Maya start writing all of her information down. He feels so bad for having brought her to ride. This isn't something that someone can just do; they should have an instructor guiding them. But of course, that's exactly what Joshua was supposed to be doing with her. Ashamed of himself and his poor decision-making, he asks Pat if he'll talk to him outside.

"Accidents happen, kid." Pat says to him with crossed arms. Joshua is tapping his fingers rhythmically on his chest but he doesn't want to ignore the fact that this accident could have been avoided.

Joshua looks around the corner to make sure that Maya is still focusing on her recollection of the fall, "I apologize that it did on my watch. I should have been more careful. If you want me to quit I understand completely."

Pat just laughs at him, "You're not getting fired over an accident. This is one of the smallest falls we've seen here. Everything is being handled by the book, and if anything – you've just proven to me that you belong here. Riding is your thing, Matthews, and I can't see you doing anything but this. Don't let your girlfriend's nasty spill put you off. Nobody starts this stuff being a pro."

Joshua murmurs in agreement. When Maya puts her pen down Pat steps back inside the office to finish up with her. While everything is being wrapped up inside of the office, he starts pacing in the hallway. Several minutes pass by but eventually Maya does come out with folded papers and a peppermint candy. Pat loves them and keeps them on hand all year round. Now that she's done he feels much more comfortable, but he does still need to actually walk her back to the car.

"When we get there – don't open your mouth, okay? You stink of guilt when there's nothing that you did wrong. Mrs. Matthews is going to jump you like an angry puma. Let me do the talking, got it? She can't be mad at me the way she can be mad at you." Maya directs Joshua in a stern voice. Even if he disagrees with her choice he does reveal to her that he understands and that she's right. If he tried to explain the incident all the would happen is he'd make it sound like he pushed her over or left her on her own to die. Even if he feels responsible, he knows that's not the case.

Facing the Matthews family adults back at home is not pleasant, but Josh watches as Maya recalls the accident coolly. Everyone seems tense but not angry. Even Topanga is at ease. His mother says that Maya should lay down and that he should take her up to his room to relax until they had to go back to New York.

"And please, Joshua, no funny business. I think letting her wreck a dirt bike is quite enough for one day." Topanga remarks, making the 'I'm watching you' hand motion at him. What she's alluding to doesn't need to be explicitly addressed. Much like earlier, her eyes are saying everything that needs to be known. _Hands off,_ Joshua thinks to himself. The shame weighs down on him because if this were Lucas and Riley he knows that she would not feel it necessary to make such a statement.

Helping Maya up the stairs is not as easy as he was thinking. She's a bit stiff now so he ends up more or less pushing her. When they get to his bedroom she kind of lingers at the door, mumbling that she hopes it doesn't smell like dirty clothes and old pizza. It draws a laugh from him, but mostly because he kind of thinks that his room probably does smell like those things.

Josh opens the bedroom door and reveals a dimly lit room. Band posters decorate the wall, as do pictures of his family. There's a messy desk that has a couple of empty pop bottles, several stacked paper plates; and there's an overflowing trashcan to match. Fortunately, his laundry basket is actually behind his door hiding how much has actually added up. His unmade bed is across from the window with bunched up blankets and a self-help book laying on his pillow.

Maya's expression is kind of vacant, but its always her eyes that betray her. Stoic as she wants to be – Josh can tell that she's impressed. Clearly its better than she was expecting, "Welcome to Chateau de Joshua."

* * *

A/N: First of all - I know nothing about dirt bikes. However, I think it looks incredawesome. It is accidentally becoming my personal staple in Lucaya/GMW stories. In my last fic I made dirt biking something Lucas liked doing.

Second of all - I probably won't post the last part of Maya's trip to Philadelphia for a couple of days! Please don't hate me! It's going on 2AM where I'm at right now and I need to get to bed. Got plans with my husband &amp; child tomorrow. Plus I have serious holiday baking to get done tomorrow too.

But I'll have it up before Christmas ;) (or Thursday for those of you who don't celebrate the Christmas holiday)


	17. Drowning in Your Favorite Everything

**For those of you who celebrate a holiday this time of the year:**

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS!**

**For those of you who don't celebrate a holiday this time of year:**

**HAPPY WEDNESDAY!**

**or HAPPY (camel)HUMP DAY!**

* * *

Joshua helps Maya get onto his bed, which he hopes doesn't smell too much. Being realistic, there are odors that just permeate everything, and if any of those were noted aloud…

"Your room kind of smells like your cologne. You planned on getting me in here, didn't you?" It's a lie straight from her lips. It smells like a class of boys who have been running the mile everyday for a week and haven't cleaned their gym clothes. She keeps scanning the room looking for a laundry basket. Although, she is very impressed that it's organized. He'd probably be able to find everything if she asked him.

If she wasn't right then he might have been able to laugh, but he did kind of want to get her alone. Not in _that_ way, of course, because he is definitely aware of the age difference. But he was hoping to just have one of their quirky, flirty, and aimless conversations that inevitably feel deep; "You've caught me."

Maya knows better than to believe him, "So how's it feel?"

Joshua looks at her with a throbbing in his chest. Bruises on the side of her face are visible now. The minor abrasions are swelling. He can't take his eyes away from her fragile state. A state that his idea of a good time put her in…

"Like drowning in your favorite everything." He accidentally whispers. And he really does this accidentally because the question he heard in his head – well, its not the one she was asking. Maya confirms it immediately by scoffing at him, although it's more of a lighthearted laugh-y kind of scoff. Very sarcastic, but with good intentions. You know, just Maya's usual way of affection.

"Well, freedom is everyone's favorite thing in America. It's all you see in the news when racism, sexism, or any form of prejudice is ever brought up." The way she so casually glances past it is surprising. Maya is almost sure that Joshua misunderstood the question. Since she carries on as though this was the intended answer for the intended question, Maya ensures that she looks past him at the window. The light is still bright and causes her to squint just slightly.

Joshua clears his throat gently, pulling blankets back so that Maya can fully extend herself, "As important as being able to do as I please without a watchful eye there are things I'm more excited about."

"Now I'm not going to lose you to some other pretty little blonde, am I? Someone who is readily available and at the same stage of strange puberty where nothing make sense – you know, someone your age." Maya makes the joke honestly as just that. She isn't feeling insecure or anything. Although, the thought had crossed her mind – and Farkle's mind, actually. His filter is awful and he once mentioned that boys as handsome as Joshua are always getting advances from equally attractive women.

Then he looked at Riley and sighed, stating that hopefully someday he'd get advances from women that he likes.

Josh cuts through her thoughts on a bit of a delay, but thankfully it's not the kind of pause that denotes an obvious lie. It is more or less a moment of stupid silence. "Are you blind?"

Josh watches as Maya's face twitches in confusion. With her lips wiggling, inconclusive as to form a smile or a frown, she struggles to wrap her mind around the question that he's posing to her. Of course, he feels its just as pointless as her own inquiry. To think that he would find romantic interest elsewhere simply because of convenience… he wonders if she's forgotten whom with she is speaking. And that he asked _her_ for a long distance commitment.

"Seriously, Maya, are you blind? When I'm talking to you – there's only you. When I see – when I will get to see you – there is only you. When you told me how passionate you were about women's rights – I made it a point to look up information on feminism and strong female figures in history. Because of your passion for art I sometimes spend hours of my free time making lists of annual competitions and exhibits. If I'm not talking _to_ you or texting _you_ I'm doing everything I can to make sure I understand what it is that defines you." Joshua somehow goes into this dialogue that lasts forever. Well, it feels like it lasts forever to him. But he finds that Maya is paying attention to him with an expression of acceptance. Soon a hand is cupping his cheek, he hadn't even seen her leaning forward! The real shocker is when she puts her lips on his nose.

She raises her free hand and then holds up one finger, and then a second finger, "Doo doo, dee doo boo, doo doo, wah. Two, two, two!"

A hushed sigh questions her, but Maya doesn't care how strange she must appear to Josh right now. One of her specialties is making a very serious conversation comical and light, "I got two, two, two doo wee ooo. I got two, Matthew-ews!"

Josh throws his arms around her. He's glad that his chin is resting lightly on her shoulders hiding his face as he breathes her in, the question he answered in his head apparent again. _Drowning in your favorite everything._

After Maya leans back onto the pillow she dares to ask Joshua about his favorite music. He makes a long list of artists, pointing the posters as he goes: "Gaslight Anthem, The Black Keys, Sweater Weather, Weezer, a throwback to Nirvana, can't beat The White Stripes. Lately I've listened to more light music by Wild Cub, Mowglis, and Walk the Moon."

Maya kind of goes bonkers inside of herself, "I love Walk the Moon!"

From there an hour-long conversation about their favorite lyrics emerges. Maya dominates the chat at first, explaining sad lyrics that are sung with positivity and visa verse; eventually Josh does start piping in about songs that had really affected him in his low points.

One line nearly bringing him to tears as he says, "_Aimless, headed nowhere, at the speed of light._"

Maya scoots over and pats the spot next to her. Lacing her fingers purposefully through his after he is comfortable it becomes apparent to her that there's nothing more comfortable than lying down next to him just talking. It's magical and enticing and addicting. She guesses that when its time to leave that she won't just be leaving a boyfriend: she'll be leaving someone that makes anywhere feel like home.

"You'll be somebody someday. Everyone, everything, it all starts with nothing. We're all player and we all begin at level zero." The words don't just sound foreign from Maya's tongue but when Josh looks over at her he can see her difficult in getting the words out. This causes him to smile.

"I'm not a video game guy. And you're not a video game girl. I think we can just stick to music references to impress one another." They both melt into each while giggling. Maya tries to justify her sad attempt at relating life to video games but he won't let her get away with him. This leads to _another_ hour of cheesy pick up lines about vide games.

Unfortunately, just as Maya and Joshua are beginning to doze off, Topanga emerges through the bedroom door and flicks a light on, "Hey! Hello! Too dark in here for teenagers!"

Maya is the first to move, startling Joshua as she does this, and look at Mrs. Matthews. Her wide eyes remind Maya that the pair of them sleeping on his bed probably looks really inappropriate. In no particular rush, though, she slides off the side of the bed without Joshua's help and walk-waddles over to Mrs. Matthews and raises her hand to her forehead in a salute, "Right-o."

Topanga looks back at Joshua who shrugs. He thinks that they were both expecting more from her than that, but it also serves as confirmation. If Maya had done something wrong she would have likely been defensive and tried to justify it – kind of like with her bad video game reference. They both kind of shrug at each other quickly but she announces before she leaves the room that they are heading back to the station in thirty minutes.

Maya is standing at the front door with Mrs. Matthews, whom is texting someone on her cell phone. Joshua is asking his parents if he can go with the girls to the station but she can hear them arguing about his curfew and that O.B. suggested to just work within the parameters for the last month. It isn't much of a let down since the trip itself was barely planned in advance. She already has more than she would have asked for to begin with anyway.

Joshua comes storming out of the kitchen with red cheeks and a raw bottom lip. She can tell that he really wants to see her to the station but there hardly seems that big of a deal to Maya. Of course, he's always had a loving family. Maya doesn't know what it's like to have very many people worried about how far outside of the lines she steps.

When he whips her up into a hug, a whispered apology tickles the ridge of her ear. Her arms are tight around his torso and this is when she realizes that she doesn't want to let go ever. Time is passing and she's perfectly aware of it but she doesn't budge in the slightest. Josh is holding just as strong too. Every few seconds, or minutes, she can't tell the difference, his hands ball up on the sides of her coat.

"Four weeks. That's not too long in the grand scheme of things." Maya finally assures him. Mrs. Matthews is likely getting a tiny bit impatient so she knows that it's time to rip it off like a bandage. Josh pulls away reluctantly but not completely. One of his hands firmly grips the back of her head and his warm lips place a deliberate kiss right above her left eyebrow. Much to her surprise he doesn't hurt her even though she's pretty sore still.

Then he drops his arms and puts his hands in his pocket, "Of course not. But it's going to be longest four weeks of my damn life."

Maya tries relentlessly to not peak back and see if Mrs. Matthews is stunned at his language. But, when she thinks about it, he's done drugs. How bad is swearing _really_? Posing herself on her tippy toes she almost dares to kiss him.

_Almost_.

She takes a sudden step back and curtsies to him instead, "Not any longer than the last three, right?"

Maya shouts her appreciation to Grandma and Grandpa Matthews for allowing her to visit them. In turn they promise to buy Lucas' ticket to New York by the end of the week. Everyone waves quietly afterwards and go their separate ways. Mrs. Matthews keeps a hand on Maya the entire trip back to New York, occasionally whispering her discomfort about Maya's injuries from the day.

Before Maya knows it she's being carried to a cab. When she sits up she finds that Mr. Matthews is with her now instead of his wife. He says something about making sure she gets home without any troubles. When Maya checks her phone for the time she sees that Joshua has sent a picture of himself making a heart with his hands. It's blurry. Clearly he's had some trouble with it but it's adorable anyway. Before she forgets to reply she sends a message back, **Suddenly four weeks very daunting…**

* * *

**A/N: So there's your chapter before Christmas. I may be able to get a couple more chapters in this weekend.**

**So I understand that a lot of my readers are younger (13-16 I would imagine). I'm 23 and married. I've done the teenager relationship thing. I remember when I was 13 years old - dating someone for real for more than one week was monumental because dating didn't really ever get serious until high school. I don't know many people that had serious boyfriends in junior high.**

**Anyway, I hope that you're liking the development. I want to get a little more Riley/Lucas mixed in somehow. I think Riley &amp; Lucas a more realistic vision of how relationships that young usually go :)**


	18. Painting with Feeling

Maya is resting her chin on Lucas' shoulder and he feels his body tensing. Part of him wants to turn around and shake her, yelling that she can't be that close because it's misleading; and part of him wants to turn around and grab her cheeks and…

"I think you need a little more shading over here, but don't use gray. I think using a medium pink or peachy color would give it that extra dimension that you need." She is reaching around him and her chest is pressed against his left arm now. He'd asked her to help him figure out what looked off about his picture. He's painting a picture of Riley drinking from her favorite hot chocolate mug. It's going to be a Valentine's Day surprise for her. Anything to make her smile, he supposes. He's already done the princess thing for her and he couldn't think of a way to upstage that…

And he sort of suspects it is because every time he begins thinking about Valentine's Day and Riley somehow Maya's face pops into his mind. Sometimes she's laughing. Sometimes she's shuddering. But usually she's just looking away with her natural frown but mismatched eyes, always shining bright with pure emotion. As she reaches down and takes his brush from his hand, Lucas nearly jumps out of his seat.

"Sorry," he mumbles, "I was thinking to myself. What did you say?"

But Maya laughs rather than responds. She takes the brush and the tray Lucas is mixing on, already creating the shade that she believes will give Riley's chin the right shade and shape to make her look like a real person rather than the painting it actually is; and as she's rinsing the brush off Lucas dares to look at her looking away. You know, to add another picture of her to the memory bank.

Today she looks happy. He knows it is because Joshua has been reminding her how many days until he comes up for the weekend. They're all planning on doing a double date on Friday when he arrives. Valentine's Day is then on Saturday. Lucas and Riley are going to the dance at the school and then following up with bowling with her parents. Maya and Joshua are going to an art museum Saturday morning, and then playing it by ear for the rest of the day. Lucas realizes as he's thinking about it he's grinding his teeth and Maya is staring.

After reaching her arm out to the painting and fixing the shading on her own, she chuckles her concern to him, "What's up, cowboy? Does it hurt that I'm better at art than you are?"

"Something hurts but it certainly isn't _that_." As soon as he says it she stops what she's doing and pulls away from the painting. Lucas glances at the clock on the wall. There's still about ten minutes left in the lunch hour and he promised Riley that he was going to grab a bite to eat and say 'Hello' before the hour was over. He's hoping that he can use this as an excuse to get away from Maya if she asks questions.

And she always asks questions, because she's Maya and everything is valuable information in the right situation. But she surprises him when her tone of voice comes out soft and protective, "Do you need to talk about it? Is it your parents again?"

Lucas made the mistake last week of revealing to Maya during one of their lunch work sessions that his parents sometimes fight about who's going to pay for the plane ticket to Texas. Since his father said it was getting to expensive to fly back every other weekend the family agreement was for him to fly down the first or last Saturday of each month. After spending two hours on the phone talking finances it was decided that Lucas just wasn't going to be going down for February, which obviously had made him upset. And he shared that with Maya as opposed to Riley – he didn't even have a good reason for doing it, it just happened.

"No," Lucas runs his hands through his hair and lets out the breath he'd been holding, "No."

Even though he's shaking his head he knows he's not convincing her, nor is he convincing himself. Maya keeps eating away at his conscience. Or, rather, her relationship with Joshua is nibbling bits of sanity away from him. His ability to mask the distaste it gives him borders on unbearable most days. Especially when he sees how happy she is when she talks about him at lunch or when they're studying for their tests at the Matthews' house. He growls to himself and knocks back his stool before stalking to his backpack by the classroom entrance, "It's nothing. You have your own problems. I can figure this one out, I think."

Maya won't accept his attempt to block her out. She drops the brush on the floor and runs over to him before he gets too far out the door. Soon she's grabbed his wrist and whirled him around. So that he doesn't try to run her hands grip him around the biceps, "If you ever feel like you can't talk to Riley, me, or Farkle about something – please promise to draw it or paint it. Art helps me all the time. And even though you get on my nerves you are _technically_ my friend. I don't want you to hurt anymore than Riley or Farkle. Promise me you'll work on it or talk to someone about it."

Lucas hesitates. His mouth twitches. Clearly he is conflicted about how to proceed. Maya understands that their friendship is strange and certainly more of a frenemy bond than anything else. However, since they've started the new classes she's finding it easier to be around him and talk to him casually. Riley was gushing about how happy she is to see the tension that usually exists between her and Lucas melting away. Always the optimist! This is why Maya loves her so dearly.

Just when she thinks he's going to run away without agreeing, he confirms for her that he will work on it. "I don't understand it – what's bothering me – but I when I'm ready to talk about it. I'll let you know how I decide to handle it. Promise."

And as soon as his lips seal shut again he jogs off into the hallway. She returns to his painting and sits down in front of it, hands on her knees and eyes locked on the art piece of her best friend. Even though the shading in it has been fixed she can't _feel_ it. When she looks at it she feels empty. As she looks over her shoulder at the now empty hallway she wonders if Lucas chose this painting or if Riley suggested it to him. Whatever the reasoning behind this decision – Maya knows that it wasn't a decision made with _love_ the way it should have been; the way it _always_ should be with art.

Later when Maya is sitting on the subway she gives Riley a kind hug good-bye. She's going shopping with her mother so Maya is going to the diner to do homework and wait on her mother. Very rarely will she go, but her mother said she was supposedly getting off of work early because of a new waitress working or something. Maya doesn't really listen to why but her mother said if she didn't have plans to swing on by for the last hour of her shift.

As soon as the subway takes off again Maya glances around before returning to her spot where somehow Lucas has appeared. His hands are stuffed into his pockets and it looks like he's been crying, although she wouldn't admit this detail aloud to anyone. She grabs the handle and pops the other hand on her hip, "You told Riley you were busy after school."

Calling out him on his lie is the best way to deflect from the fact that she really wants to make sure that he's alright, and it also gets information that may be necessary if Riley finds out that Lucas hadn't told her the truth. The reasoning can't be too terrible. His face is so sullen it ages him a few years. He almost looks as lost and aimless as Maya when she looks in the mirror each morning.

"I may have chosen my words carefully to make her think that I was busy. Busy can be interpreted differently. She probably thinks I am trying to finish her painting. But I wanted time to think about what you said earlier…" Lucas is kind of nodding his head as he speaks, almost as if he's recited these words in his head already. She wonders if he's been on the car since they left the school waiting and planning this conversation out mentally. Even though she never sits on the subway she points over his shoulder at an empty spot in the corner that is away from the crowd.

Maya sits with her knees bumping against Lucas as she cranes her neck to see him more clearly. Of course, he's just staring out the window. A part of her feels sorry for him because she always dresses him up in her mind as this perfect boy with a perfect life when he has struggles not too different than her own. Although, she might even say they hurt him worse. His parents are divorced but they still fight like an angry married couple. And he gets stuck between the pair of them a lot – something no kid should ever have to deal with in his or her life. No, not even Lucas Friar.

When Lucas looks back at her with a grim look still on his face, "How do you deal with emotions that you don't understand?"

Something about this question sounds alarms in her head. This feels like a warning. This question is a clear indicator of Lucas' inner thoughts even though the question itself is vague enough. Deep down she thinks that this could be a really good thing, or more fittingly a really bad thing. After looking at Lucas' painting of Riley earlier…

Maya knows that the best way to handle this is not to get too personally involved. Unless Lucas indicates to her very clearly that this is going to affect Riley then she isn't going to get in the way. There are some problems that are best left to solve themselves, especially when in romance; "Well, the obvious answer is – with my art. Anything that is too complicated for me to identify as a specific emotion goes into my art exactly the way I feel it. If I can't even identify what I'm feeling I turn to my second love – music. I just listen to hours and hours of random music. I'll go to the library with my phone and get on the internet and just listen to song after song, cover after cover, and so on until a certain set of lyrics really match what I'm experiencing. I latch onto it and then turn it into an art piece." She doesn't realize how much she's saying about herself by telling Lucas this information. It actually feels like she's giving a part of herself to him. He's either going to cherish the information and take no head to the recommendation; or he's going to adapt it to his own situation and share something personal with her.

And somehow both of those options make her very, very anxious. The air is colder when she breathes in and waits for him to say something. Her hands get shaky while Lucas seems comforted now. In fact, his frown is now curling into a tiny smirk. Whatever he was upset about before seems somewhat remedied because he's opening an app now where he can take notes. When his eyes meet hers Maya now something changes inside of her. Before Lucas speaks she knows that whatever their dynamic before is going to be different. It's not going to be the bickering and sarcasm that it was before, and if it is – it's going to _feel_ different.

"What do you usually listen to when you're trying to find inspiring lyrics?" The spacey look that he gets when he's interested in something _is_ cute. Even Maya didn't deny it. She never has when Riley would talk about how adorable Lucas is and how handsome and princely he looked – Maya always agreed with best friend. Flattery takes over Maya, though, and she just accepts the way he's looking at her for guidance.

"I'll do you one better, Friar. We can have a study session, if you will, and I'll take you through the same process I go through all the time. All you'll need is a lap top and your own inspiration journal." She makes a hand gun and pretends to shoot at him, clicking her tongue as she does it. Admittedly, she is super excited that Lucas is getting as passionate about conveying himself through art in the same way. Even though she can't shake the feeling that there's something truly terrible motivating him… that feeling of comfort that she gets from having someone think in the same way is irresistible.

Lucas pulls up a calendar and looks at the dates, talking aloud at Maya as goes, "We are all busy this weekend. Monday night I have debate meetings with Farkle. I have practice after school Tuesday and Wednesday for basketball before our final game that Friday night. My mom has this book club she goes to Thursday evening but I think she'd let you come over then…" When he opens the date and time on his phone the first thing he marks on the reminder is 'private meeting.' Maya doesn't need to be told that he doesn't want Riley to know that he's working with her outside of school.

Maya isn't going to keep it from Joshua. That would be very wrong and she can't let Lucas' decision become her own. She'll help him because she wants to foster his love of art. Maya is also not averse to strengthening their friendship seeing as she has few others that she can really be close to in the world. So her acceptance is effortless. He simply puts Hart into his phone and saves the event to his calendar.

Soon the subway is stopping and it's Lucas' stop. Maya has one more before she gets off for her mother's diner. Lucas leaves without saying so much as 'Thank you' to her. It's not big deal in her mind because there are worse things than not saying 'Thank you' for helping him. For example, not telling your girlfriend that you're meeting with her best friend privately to work on 'feelings' in artwork. Feelings which Maya noticed were glaringly absent from his Valentine's Day gift to said girlfriend…

Jus t then her phone starts ringing and she sees that it is Joshua. Her heart begins racing with happiness. This is the most exciting part of her day, and she answers with a cheery tone, "I'm going to need your boyish opinion on something later."

* * *

A/N: So you probably noticed that I didn't write anything about how Riley and Lucas reacted to Maya's battered nature after visiting in Philadelphia. I actively chose not to write a chapter covering that. You'll notice that there was obviously a fairly large time lapse as well, approximately three weeks. The next several chapters should be taking place within the same week or two. There was a review about how Joshua and Maya are somewhat on different levels as far as how serious the relationship is - and I am glad that someone noticed! I was trying to convey that because even though the age gap is relatively small - at this age it makes a difference!

Feel free to review because it's nice and healthy for your feels ;)


	19. Valentine's Day (1 of 3)

Riley is standing in front of her mirror with her mother and father standing behind her, and Auggie sitting in her window playing with his laces that he pretends he can't tie so he doesn't have to deal with them. Her dress is as risqué as her parents would allow. Basically meaning that it's got short sleeves and stops just below her knee. But it is this beautiful pink and orange dress that looks just like a perfect sunset in the summer evenings. Her mom is bouncing some of her curls to ensure they will hold with the amount of hairspray that she's put into it.

"Hands above the waist! I'm not chaperoning this one and I need you to understand – HANDS ABOVE THE WASIT, RILEY!" Her dad is freaking out and going a tiny bit crazy. Not only does he kind of worry about a boy being romantically interested in him, but for some reason Lucas in particular worries him a lot. Luckily her mother just whacks him lightly on the arm and steps in to give her a proper rundown.

A smile perched on her lips warmly and maternally as usual, "Riley, we are trusting you to know what is and what is not appropriate. We know that you and Lucas kiss. But there's a point when kissing is more than kissing. We just want you to remember that the best romance is one that moves at a pace that is comfortable for everyone. Your dad and I moved very slowly and it worked for us. We see similarities between you and Lucas and ourselves. Moving slow is best. I know it's Valentine's Day and that everything is new but don't forget who you are, alright?"

Riley doesn't have to pause when her mother stops, "I like Lucas a lot. But kissing is still really scary sometimes so I think just dancing without embarrassing myself will be a difficult task. I think my awkward social behaviors are a pretty good deterrent for now. No worries daddy!"

When she spins around to give her parents a hug Auggie gets up and stops his feet, asking who plans on tying his shoes. Riley offers to do it so that her parents can make sure that they have everything ready for their 'date.' It's not much of a date because Auggie is kind of tagging along with them. As soon as they are gone Riley bends down and weaves the ties in and out forming a perfect bow for her little bother.

Auggie thanks her and then says he wants to give her a hug but also doesn't want to mess up her dress or hair. They decide to high five each other instead. By the time Riley makes it out to the living room it turns out that Lucas has already arrived to pick her up for the dance. Everything after that is sort of a blur because Riley is just hoping that she doesn't say something stupid at the dance to make Lucas uncomfortable.

It isn't until she's walking up the stairs of the school building that Riley finally realizes that it's Valentine's Day and that she's going to the couples only dance at the school with Lucas Friar – the guy that she has had a crush on since the first day of school. Her arms flail into the air and she somehow wraps them around a startled Lucas.

"I'm so lucky!" She exclaims into his neck. What twelve-year-old girl has it as good as her? Riley knows that she has everything that she could possibly want and she doesn't appreciate it nearly as much as she feels that she should. When Lucas doesn't immediately return her hug she gets self-conscious and pulls away sadly, "I'm sorry. I just never thought that I'd be the girl that you brought to one of these dances even though I was hoping all the time."

A gruff sound comes out from behind his teeth, "How sweet of you to think that I was going to attend this dance. I had no such plans." He takes her hand and it makes her shiver a little bit. Lucas does notice but he is kind enough to say nothing about it to her. They continue walking up the stairs until they see Maya and Joshua sitting on the floor just inside of the door. They're holding hands and laughing joyfully. Riley lets go of Lucas' hand and races up to her best friend and cousin.

Lucas hangs back and drags his feet very intentionally. Joshua left early in the morning and went around town with Maya. According to Riley they had a blast at the art museum making up stories for the pictures origination. Ever since the dirt bike accident Lucas' feelings towards Joshua were souring quickly. Keeping his cool was easier when Maya came back from Philadelphia but only because he learned his lesson from Christmas Eve. Expressing his feelings about Maya's relationship with Joshua was both unwarranted and unwanted. So he keeps his mouth shut always.

And as he finally gest to the door he reminds himself to smile and be polite exactly as he was raised. Once is in the hallway he reaches out and shakes Joshua's hand. They share a moment of uncomfortable eye contact. When he turns to Maya he sees her check silently with Joshua before accepting a friendly hug. Lucas understands that she probably has spoken to him about their plans to hang out on Thursday. Nobody has to state plainly that Riley doesn't know and shouldn't know.

"You guys ready to dance a decent portion of your evening away?" Joshua jokes in his perfect voice that makes Lucas kind of angry. Well, it's not kind of angry. The way he just _says_ things and they are funny. He's not trying very hard to be funny but he just is! Maya bends over in her simple black shirt and her red skirt looking like a supermodel from like the seventies or eighties or something. Lucas turns to Riley and offers his arm so that he doesn't reach out and tell Joshua that his heart belongs in Philadelphia, not in New York.

"Why, thank you, Prince Charming." Riley curtsies before breezing past her cousin and best friend with not a care in the world. Unfortunately, Lucas barely maintains his fake grin as they float around until they are in the gym listening to cleaned up popular music about falling in love and being happy.

Riley and Lucas slow dance to every song that comes on, and he does a great job of looking her in the eyes and telling her that he's blown away by how pretty she looks. Then he tells her, "one more dance," before he takes her to the art room to look at the painting he's made for her. She agrees but then a song she likes comes on or Maya and Joshua show up with refills on the mango punch they're serving at concessions. They keep getting distracted.

But when a fully ninety minutes passes our of the three hour dance it's time to just get it done. Lucas excuses himself to find Maya and have her go set the picture up in the center of the room. When she finds Maya and Lucas hidden in the nook of the only set of bleaches that are pulled out grinding his teeth is all he can do to keep his mind from wandering to Maya's bruised face or the way he felt when Joshua called her 'gorgeous' on Christmas Eve; "Maya! Are you free to go stage my gift for Riley?"

Maya salutes him without another word being spoke. Although, she does plant a playful peck upon Joshua's cheek. Lucas catches him blushing when Maya is walking away. Lucas is turning away when Joshua harshly taps him on the shoulder. No sooner is stepping in front of Lucas is he checking his phone casually, "I need your opinion on something as a fellow artist. Maya tells me that you guys are going to do some art stuff together and I want a second opinion. Mind sharing your input?" Lucas looks into the crowd nervously, his lower lip slowly popping out in a pout. When he spots Riley dancing frantically with Farkle he feels himself relax a little knowing that at least she's occupied.

"Sure." Lucas agrees. He shoves his hands into his pockets and looks at Joshua reluctantly. He can admit that Joshua is clearly a handsome guy. It is understandable that Maya is attracted to him. A part of him just wants to know if Maya could like a guy that's the exact opposite of Joshua, though. A small voice whispers in the back of his mind: _you know, a guy like me._

Joshua unlocks his phone and shoes a digital flyer for an art exhibit intended to display the work of the brightest young minds on the art scene. He is verbally stating that it's a low key event compared to New York but the participants have to be chosen based on quality of work and that he's already confirmed that someone from New York could participate if his or her work was accepted. Eventually Joshua reveals that he was going to talk Riley into sneaking out a piece of Maya's work and sending it to him in Philadelphia so he could submit the work on Maya's behalf. Lucas knows that Maya would not approve of this because she is so protective over her work. But since Joshua knows about the meetings he's going to have with her being anything but supportive is probably not going to look good on him.

"I think that sounds very considerate." Lucas replies. The words are concise even though he chooses them precisely for their ambiguity. This way he can tell himself that he did not encourage submitting her work without her permission, but he can also tell himself that he did the right thing by offering some level of guidance. It's a sneaky thing to do, but in a week Lucas will be doing something that could be considered worse than being verbally misleading.

Joshua then puts his phone away and looks at Lucas with these gentle eyes that Lucas knows will make Maya fall in love with him. Emptiness consumes his stomach and nausea takes a solid place in the background, unease decorate the surface of his skin. His voice is low now, "I care about her so much and I want her to know that in my eyes she's the best. Not just the best girlfriend I could have asked for but also the best artist this world has yet to see."

Riley is looking for Lucas now that the song is coming to an end. He throws his arm up when she scans his general direction. She scurries over with Farkle in tow and a grin brighter than the lights spinning around on the ceiling. Joshua welcomes Farkle and hugs his cousin kindly; also reminding her that she looks stunning. Always the flirt, his buddy makes a comment about Joshua being Riley's cousin and therefore not his competition for her heart.

"Are you ready for your gift, Princess Matthews?" Lucas bats his eyes an extra time when he turns stiffly to his date. When her features soften and she whispers her acceptance he's reminded why he had a crush on Riley in the first place. Joshua and Farkle say that they'll be chatting at the concession table waiting for everyone to come back. Their walk through the hallway is daunting but it's pleasant enough. Riley tells Lucas that he's a great dancer, and not just slow dancing, and he returns the compliments about her enthusiasm and energy. Riley tells him how perfect the evening is going but admits that she's looking forward to bowling with her family.

When they are in front of the art room with the door open but the lights off, Lucas stops her and places himself behind her. All week he's been putting together this monologue for her to really make it romantic and meaningful the way Valentine's Day gifts are supposed to be, and he gasps for air before he begins speaking.

"I have seen happiness and I have seen sadness. I can't say for sure if I've seen love and I can't say if I'd recognize it when I did see it. And maybe I'm too young to know what a feeling that strong actually means. But since I don't have a clue what I'm doing when it comes to being a boyfriend I figured the only thing I can give you is a glimpse of what you make me feel like when I look at you. So I took a page of our a good friend's book…" This is the cue he's already discussed with Maya. Lucas starts gently pushing Riley into the art classroom as Maya flips the three different switches to light the entire space. In the center of the room is an easel with his gift covered in a white sheet. When he positions himself next to the display he motions for Maya to join him and cover Riley's eyes.

A beautiful grin is on his girlfriend's face but in great contrast is the grimace on Maya's. Lucas' brows furrow with curiosity and concern but it doesn't stop him from pulling the sheet back. Before Lucas can look at his finished product Maya has lifted her hands from Riley's face without instructions to do so form Lucas. Riley looks at the dazzling watercolor masterpiece poised in front of her with tears welling up in her eyes.

But Lucas is looking at it with disappointment. Maya replaced his picture with the one that she'd been working on as a for-fun project during their lunch hour. It was a picture of a faceless couple hanging upside down from monkey bars. They're obviously holding hands, which is how the viewer knows that they are a couple. But the dead giveaway is a heart in the lower left corner. When Riley turns around to say something he smiles wide as if this was his own work.

"This is breathtaking, Lucas. Maya wasn't lying when she said that you had something amazing in the works." She whips him into a hug before he can thank her for something he didn't deserve. Maya steps into view long enough to flash him a thumbs up before returning to her date. After ten minutes or so of gushing and idle chit chat about how their relationship is so friendly and innocent the pair of them finally rejoin the dance in the gym. Farkle is waiting by himself at concessions. Lucas looks around for Maya discreetly but finds himself quickly informed that Joshua and Maya left early since he needed to go to bed early in order to drive back to Philadelphia safely.

Riley invites her boyfriend back onto the floor for another slow dance. When he puts his hands right at her waist she sees something sad in his eyes. Riley doesn't want to tell him that she can tell that something is eating him up inside. So she pulls him in a little closer and rests her head on his shoulder. Most of the time their relationship is natural and easy. But sometimes when they disagree on something, or when he bottles his feelings up, she has to ask herself if there's something missing between them.

Riley won't let herself think so negatively on Valentine's Day. It is a selfish decision. Somehow she thinks that she's not the only one being selfish, though, and just makes herself keep her mouth shut… by chewing on her lower lip viciously.

* * *

A/N: So this chapter kind of shows how the dance went for Riley and Lucas. I know it doesn't feel substantial but I think I've laid some good groundwork for events to transpire in the future. Anyway, you can expect two more chapters for Valentine's Day so this will actually be a three parter mini plot. There will be a little bit of repeated dialogue in Maya &amp; Josh's chapter. The third chapter will be more about Riley and how she feels at the end of her first Valentine's day with a boyfriend.

* * *

A/N 2: So when I write these chapters I usually write them from a Lucas-centric aspect since he's the main character I'm trying to develop. But I decided that I wanted to show that Riley isn't completely oblivious to the occasional change in Lucas for apparently no reason. For anyone who will have read this and want to say that Riley is out of character in this respect – I ask that you recall when Missy was flirting with Lucas how she wouldn't just tell Lucas that she didn't like the idea of Missy talking to him because she had a crush on him. I think all these kids are capable of their secrets. It's just that some of them are more series than others.


	20. Valentine's Day (2 of 3)

A/N: I'm sure you've gathered that I don't edit these chapters before I post them. Usually I have a lot more time to write them than I've have/been given to write the last few chapters. The last one in particular was littered with errors and I apologize for that. Hopefully moving forward from the holidays I'm able to eradicate the volume of mistakes by having more time available to get chapters posted.

* * *

Maya and Joshua are sitting on the same bench sipping from Styrofoam cups and staring at a half naked statuette of a woman. It's the display for a high school student that they offered a scholarship too last year. Maya comes and looks at it a lot and makes up stories about their success after winning the college money. And this is what she's sharing with Joshua now.

"Mikayla. My. Kay. Laaaa. She was seventeen when she was awarded the scholarship. This was her submission. Her scholarship obviously has taken her to a liberal arts college where she is studying to be a teacher, you know, _for art_. But she's also minoring in Women's Studies. The tasteful nudity of her character here is in perfect contrast to the business bun and studious glasses. This is the work of a woman who is intelligent and capable and strong who also feels sexy in her own skin. She's going to be that hot teacher every boy in junior high gets his first crush on, I bet." Her story has Joshua's attention. When she leans forward a little and places her elbows on her knees. Joshua doesn't follow in her footsteps but he does hunch over a tiny bit. After taking a particularly large gulp, Joshua replies coolly.

Or flirtatiously, you know, tomAtos – tomatOs.

"I think you would be a great teacher. Definitely 'first crush' material for tween boys in the future." When Maya laughs his insecurity about his decision to verbalize his thoughts disappears instantly. As she's glancing over her shoulders she shakes her head at him. He can see that it's more of a disagreement than disgust that she does this.

"Flattering as that is, Joshua, I don't fancy myself much of a teacher. I want to be inspiration. I want to be just good enough for people to know who I am and then they build up from my foundation to be better. That way when they teach art history in all those fancy learnin' schools I'm the first chapter of every modern art module." Maya purses her lips playfully, which Joshua supposes is to mock popular selfie poses. They find themselves laughing again but only momentarily. Maya then leans back, "What do you think you're going to do when you're all grown up in a few years? Going to college?"

This isn't something that Maya has ever really addressed with Joshua. Typically they just talk on the phone and answer random silly questions or share embarrassing stories. Every so often they'll sing songs at each other off tune for the heck of it. Of course, they also talk about stuff that happens at school and after school. Surprisingly, the most serious their conversations get are when Joshua is talking about something he addressed in his counseling or news from O.B. about his probation. Now that he's off, Maya sort of assumes that it's time to start talking about important life things.

He obviously has been living day-to-day, and Maya has always done that, so they could both benefit from a 'future' talk. Planning it all out, if you will. Joshua ends up standing and moving closer to a trashcan with his cup, maintaining minimal eye contact. As far as Maya can tell he's just contemplating his answer.

"I have no idea. Whenever I talk about the future I am generally joking with Eric about being a famous biker or something. Having been on probation for drug use I suppose I never thought I had much a future to speak of, honestly." There's an unwelcome sadness in his voice. Maya sees that she's struck a cord that ought not be stricken. She promptly stands as well and slips a hand into his as a silent apology.

As they glide to the next floor of the museum, Joshua notes aloud that they'll be looking at oil paintings now. In a way he hopes that it moves them away from the conversation. Offhandedly Maya says that oil painting exhibits concern her because she feels like they would be hard to maintain. As soon as they are on the floor, though, Maya revisits the topic, "You've got a future, you know. So many great people have hiccups like yours in their teen years. They turn out to be wonderful men and women. It's silly of you to think you have no future."

A couple of hours later Maya is standing inside of a packed studio apartment-slash-office with Joshua. There was a couple's pottery class that Maya wanted to do and she figured there was no better time to do it, with which Joshua had agreed on the phone earlier in the week. Although, truth be told now that she's rolling up his sleeves and helping into his apron, he's actually very scared.

"I'm not an artist. This is going to look like a melted cup rather than an actual usable mug!" When the instructor stops at their station Maya reaches for her jacket but Joshua already got the price and brought the cash to fund it. He swift pulls the twenty from his pocket and hands it straight over before his girlfriend can even turn around. When she does, Maya is instantly able to piece together what's happened and shoves the twenty into his pocket.

Grin planted on her face and eyes focused on tying his apron just above his waist, "Today isn't just Valentine's Day. I know it's your birthday, too, and one thing you should never have to do on your birthday is spend your money on someone else."

His heart sinks when he hears her say this because it is just a reminder of how she's been raised. They struggle financially so much that Maya finds ways to bring in extra cash just so she knows where her next meal is coming from, which no thirteen-year-old girl in New York City, of all places, should have to do ever. The concept that she's fostering is not hard to understand for Josh, but he wants her to know that it's not his idea of birthday memories.

"Consider yourself an extension of myself. My other half, if you will. I'll spend my money however I please, and today I have the pleasure of spending it on a pottery class that will ultimately produce the next big thing and a sad melt-y coffee cup that is best when looked at rather than used." Maya grabs him by the straps of his apron and yanks him down very close to her face, and even though he feels her lean in to kiss him…

She shifts sideways just as quickly. A kiss instead lands squarely on his cheekbone. Only a few moments later the instructor begins talking about the supplies at each station and how to operate the machinery. As Maya is paying close attention, though, Josh takes a moment to scope out all the other couples. Most of them look like they are Cory and Topanga's age, maybe just a tiny bit younger. That's not the important detail he's seeing, though. What he sees is one person from the couple is paying attention to how enthusiastic their partner is while the other is, like Maya, focusing on the instructions.

Josh feels a tiny bit guilty that instead of watching how interested Maya is that he's watching the happiness of other people flourish. For a second he questions himself about their relationship and the seriousness of it. They're just teenagers but Josh wants something real. A relationship that has the potential to be much more – something _long term_; you know, maybe something like what Cory and Topanga had developing when they were this age.

Maya is the first person done in the group, but when instructor returns she states that the kiln isn't ready and that the items probably won't be available for pick up until the next morning. Maya gives her a phone number and name on a piece of paper. Joshua barely overhears her say that it needs to be ready no later than seven in the morning for pick up. This tips him off that she's made the mug for him.

When Josh finally finishes his own 'masterpiece' they are cleaning up before anyone else is even done. The instructor is talking about return the following day for painting to everyone else. He hadn't realized that the pottery class was in two parts. Once they step into hallway he starts asking Maya about it. She, naturally, is not receptive to his complaints. As she grows increasingly bothered by his badgering he stops asking as much.

The subway ride is fairly quiet, mostly because Maya is texting Riley about the dance. Riley has invited Josh and Maya to come as a 'double date' both to the dance and bowling. Maya is insisting that it's not necessary and that she doesn't get much time with Joshua like Riley gets with Lucas. Joshua laughs at her, "Well, not for much longer. Soon you'll have more time with her boyfriend that she has with him."

Maya doesn't laugh. In fact, she scoots away from him a little bit, "Not cool," she states. When she had told him earlier this week that Lucas wants to have 'private sessions' to find inspiration for art… He knew immediately, to say the least. Lucas isn't interested in Riley. Or rather, he's not interested in Riley _anymore_. People grow out of their feelings. It's very normal for people in their teen years. The only problem seems to be that Lucas went from being attracted to Riley to being attracted to Riley's Best Friend. A girl who also happens to be his Riley's Cousin's Girlfriend.

"Sorry. I told you once that he liked you. It might not be obvious to him right now but its-a-comin' and when he does realizes his feelings…" Josh smacks his lips together trying not to chuckle or growl. The idea of Lucas liking his girlfriend and himself being in a different state? It was discomforting, "…things will probably get pretty weird in your group of friends."

Maya wiggles in her seat. She must not like the idea of Lucas being interested in her any more than Joshua does, but the unfortunate reality is that it is probably true. When she finally poses the question to Joshua about joining everyone at the dance and for bowling he feels like the only response he can give is, "Let's do it."

He agrees for a few reasons. Firstly, it means that he can be with Maya for a little bit longer than if they stayed by themselves. His unofficial curfew would be extended because he'd be under the supervision of adults. Secondly, he loves doing things with Maya. Fun is exhilarating and feeling exhilarated next to Maya is an experience that can't be beat. And, most selfishly, the last reason: to remind Lucas that Maya is already in a relationship with somebody that's not him.

While at the school Maya is tapping her feet together to the beat of a relatively song called 'Peaches' that she heard at the record shop the other day. She may have illegally downloaded it at Riley's house the other day and loaded it onto her phone. It plays softly from Joshua's phone as he is listening to it for the first time.

"This song, this song _right here_, is exactly what I like so much about rock and alternative music. They someone make a very sad, sadistic, or otherwise nightmarish situation sound _happy_! These two are drunk as hell and they're definitely making a mess of themselves but… _somehow_…" Joshua sort of throws his hands into the air. She quickly takes the opening, though, and slips her fingers between his with a grin decorating her lips. Then she pushes her head against the wall as a laugh creeps into her throat against her wishes.

"Somehow it sounds like the happiest lullaby!" She barely gets her thought out to him before she erupts with laughter. Joshua is also giggling at the summary of the song. Maya loves that they can share their music interests so easily. It's something that she really wishes she could do more of with Maya, Lucas, and Farkle. None of them listen to classic rock, new rock, or alternative. Farkle listens to electropop, Riley listens to Pop, and Lucas listens to Blues and Country. Well, that's what she _thought _until he actually knew who Yellowcard was…

Joshua starts chatting about some up-and-coming band in Philly that he thinks will make it big over the next year or two. He mentions that they're supposed to have a gig coming up in New York soon but Riley bursts through the front doors while he's talking which pulls Maya immediately from the conversation.

Riley and Maya are hugging as Josh pulls himself to his feet. He can see Lucas hanging back a little longer. His eyes are on Maya instead of Riley and even though Joshua understands _why_ he doesn't really welcome it. When the cowboy finally joins the group he extends a hand politely to Joshua. Accepting the handshake comes with the immediately result of a welcoming gesture for Maya.

Her eyes meet his cautiously. They both know how Lucas feels right now and there's a tiny hesitation but eventually they do exchange a stiff hug that looked cold and uncomfortable. Although, Josh doesn't miss Lucas' eyes drifting up and down Maya; her throwback style is very alluring, after all. For a second everyone is looking around with half-way smiles or less, so Joshua recognizes quickly that the tension is going to rise quickly if someone doesn't break the silence.

"You guys ready to dance a decent portion of your evening away?" The icebreaker works to a degree. Riley seems to perk up a bit with excitement and Maya is hunched over giggling at him. Something glistens in Lucas' eyes that reflects his thoughts which ultimately prompts him to turn away from his friends and focus only on his girlfriend. A victory in Joshua's opinion…

Riley unintentionally curtsies a tiny bit when she takes his arm, "Why, thank you, Prince Charming!" Joshua almost wants to lean out and smack the guy for misleading his cousin. Riley is many things, most of them really wonderful things, but some of them also not so great. Like oblivious to social cues. She's missing _all_ of the cues from Lucas that he's no longer vested.

Regardless of his cousin's problems, though, Joshua likes to invest his time in the fortunes around him. He mimics Lucas and offers an arm to Maya. Her acceptance is more in the form of a light, flirtatious shove than a delicate curtsy. They follow behind Riley and Lucas with less poise and more happiness. Much. More. Happiness.

There's a Taylor Swift song blaring in the gymnasium where they're holding the dance. Riley and Lucas are already on the floor shimmying and shaking to the tune. Maya skips the dance, though, and beelines straight for the punch table. She grabs two cups and whisks herself off into a corner under the bleachers. Her perfect pivot to Joshua is impressive, which he applauds before taking his drink.

"Delightful footwork you have there. It's a shame you won't be sharing any of your talents with me this evening." He makes a fake sad face before following suit and sipping his punch. When Maya lowers her cup she glances out to all of the couples and seems to spot her friends. Her eyes quickly avert to his, and Joshua feels something missing in the way she's looking at him now. When they were together in December her eyes brightened when they met his, and even when she visited in January there was a certain boost in her mood when they were looking at one another. Now, though, it feels like all she's doing is looking at him. With little feeling…

_Ouch_, he thinks to himself, _this is not exactly the birthday present I was hoping for_…

Maya starts talking about their friend Farkle. Josh hasn't met Farkle yet so he only has these eccentric stories to rely upon. She's explaining that a girl named Isodora Smackle has a crazy big crush on Farkle, who has a crazy big crush on Maya and Riley, and that Riley and Maya are both interested in other boys: Lucas and Joshua. At first he is unnerved that she says Lucas' name first, but he does remind himself that she said Riley's name first too.

As each song gets progressively worse, Maya and Joshua begin taking turns running for punch. As other couples are dancing or kissing in the corners of the room, Maya and Joshua are singing parodies of the songs bursting through the speakers. They also are making fun of some couples, namely Riley and Lucas, as they struggle to get off of the dance floor. Maya knows that Lucas is itching to show her his painting. When she sees him approaching she whispers to Joshua, "He needs my help with his gift for Riley. Try not to feel threatened when he gets over here, yeah?"

Maya knows that Josh was feeling a little uneasy about Lucas. He's just a friend to her so she knows that there is nothing for him to worry about from the cowboy. Josh seems to tense up but she ignores it and puts her cup in the bottom of his cup, since it is empty anyway. Also because she knows that they are going to have to escape quickly.

Because she is changing out Lucas' painting when she goes to the art room.

"Maya!" Lucas waves gently with a crooked smirk on his face. An upward tilt of her head shows that she's heard him, but doesn't give him enough attention that he thinks he's stolen her away from Joshua. She knows that if he thinks she can't be swayed he will continue to keep his doubts in the shadows of his mind, "Are you free to go stage my gift for Riley?"

Maya shares some flirty eye contact with her _boyfriend_ before shrugging at Lucas, "Sure."

As soon as she is out of eyesight – Maya starts running to the classroom. If she wants to switch the paintings before Lucas starts heading that way and walks in on her doing the swap… yeah, she just needs to sprint to her destination. She only has five minutes to work with!

The door slams shut a little louder than she intended but the likelihood of a chaperone being down on this end of the school is unlikely. Not to mention, Lucas had already approved the trip down to the classroom with a couple of teachers prior to the dance. Everyone trusts him because he's Mr. Perfect. His intentions to visit the art room were strictly gentlemanly.

She rips the white sheet from the easel and walks it over to the storage cabinet. There's a compartment labeled for Maya and one labeled for Lucas. She slides his picture into his slot and then removes her own. This was going to be a surprise for Joshua. She told Lucas it was a for-fun project she was doing but it was intended to go home with Joshua along with his 'Happy Birthday' mug. Unfortunately, her best friend's blissful ignorance is much more important that showing her boyfriend with thoughtful handmade gifts.

But it still doesn't stop her from gnawing nervously on her bottom lip. Lucas is going to know that it's not his painting but Riley won't. And Joshua won't know about her intentions for the painting either. As she carries herself back across the room to easel the gravity of this situation becomes gravely clear to her. This is going to be a secret between Maya and Lucas. Because if she tells Joshua what she's done he might feel justified in his hesitation about Lucas… and the last thing Maya wants is for everyone to look at her like she's ruined the lives of everyone that she cares about most…

Maya looks at the clock and just knows that they'll be getting there soon. She throws the sheet back over the painting and returns to the light switch. No sooner are the lights off does she hear Lucas and Riley's footsteps just now rounding the corner in the hallway. A breath of relief wants to escape her lungs but she knows that the most stressful part for her has yet to come. She sneakily opens the door back up for Lucas as she's positioning Riley in front of the door.

Maya listens halfheartedly as his gives this flawless monologue. When they enter the classroom she turns the lights on for a second time. Riley is being centered squarely in front of the covered painting. Lucas motions at her now to join them and cover Riley's eyes. Although she is able to keep her expression blank, yet still somehow enthusiastic, she fears that her shaking hands might give away her actions before her painting does it for her.

Just after Lucas' hand makes a fist in the sheet Maya twitches just slightly. Her lips are curling quickly into a frown as she grimaces prematurely. She catches sight of Lucas looking a little concerned but there is absolutely no hesitation when he yanks the cover backward. Even though Maya was supposed to wait for him to gesture for her to pull her hands away she removes them immediately. This puts into effect a domino style play.

Riley is obviously amazed at the beautiful art piece in front of her. As she is fleeing the room she catches sight of Lucas playing his role well. For once in her life, she's glad to not be taking credit for the work she's done. For a split second as Maya steps from their view, she sees the couple that Riley and Lucas were when they first starting dating.

No sooner has Maya found her way to the punch table does she grab Joshua's wrist, "Let's get out of here."

Joshua doesn't ask her any questions, surprisingly enough. However, Farkle does ask questions, "There's still an hour left at the dance! There's still so many dances to be had – like my dance with you!"

Maya is nervous that Riley and Lucas are going to return before she is able to get away from the school. She doesn't want Lucas trying to corner her and ask about the painting switcheroo that she pulled. So when she does look back at Farkle she just reaches out and taps his shoulder a few times, "It's alright, buddy. I owe you a dance – anywhere, anytime. One slow dance. It's all you get and it's all I owe."

Farkle looks a little dazed but he agrees to the terms. Maya and Joshua take a few steps towards the exit before Maya realizes that Riley is going to ask where they've gone. She doesn't want to let anyone on about the rush to leave, so she goes back to Farkle and instructs him on what to say, "If Lucas, or Riley, asks where we went – just say we left because Joshua has to get up early tomorrow."

When they get outside, though, Joshua asks why she's in such a hurry. Even though she doesn't tell him the whole truth, she says that she made some changes that were desperately needed in his gift. It may or may not mean the _whole_ gift, if anyone wants to be technical. Then she explains that the project was missing that 'umpf' that makes people _feel _something. She finishes the story with, "I didn't really tell Lucas that I was making those changes so it was a bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."

"Do you want to nix bowling then? It'll be awfully hard for Lucas to confront you about your conniving with a crowd of people and significantly better music playing." Joshua suggests to Maya are they jump haphazardly down the stone steps of the school building. As her hair flies around and her feet smash against the ground she silently disagrees with Josh. If there's a window of opportunity she's sure that Lucas would seize it.

But she finds herself agreeing to go anyway, but under one condition, "I have to go home and change first. Let Mrs. Matthews know we'll meet them there."

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A/N: I also wanted to let everyone know that I'm sorry for taking nearly so long to post a new chapter. I had major writing block for this story last week. Part of it came from realizing that there's less and less interest in this fic, another part of it came from being inspired to work further upon a one-shot Lucaya fic that I posted on my A03 account.

But I did take time to outline how I want major events to take place. I've planned BOTH break ups and have a general concept for the blooming of Lucaya's portion of the story. We'll see some speed FINALLY taking place after I wrap up the Valentine's Day chapters!


	21. Valentine's Day (3 of 3)

Riley is sitting down with Auggie on the subway. Maya and Joshua are in a different car, and Lucas' mom made him leave after the second frame. So it's just Riley and Auggie sitting on the train together. Her mom and dad are a few seats away talking and kissing. She sighs and looks at her little brother.

"Does Lucas look at me like Dad looks at mom?" She asks sheepishly. Auggie pulls his attention away from Riley's phone. She is letting him play a few games to pass the time. He is so young and the subway ride is longer than he is used to, besides that – Lucas isn't going to be texting her anyway.

Auggie seems to think about it for a moment, and then answers very honestly, "Sometimes."

For a second Riley is relieved but it is short-lived as she finds that she should have known better than to ask her little brother for romance information. He has next to not filter to speak of, and that's a heft statement because Farkle also has no filter when he speaks. Auggie continues to share his observations, "Sometimes he looks at you like a sad puppy, too. Maybe he doesn't know what his heart is telling him."

The blow is hard. Even though Auggie has put the truth into very simple words that are actually fairly kind, the reality of it is kind of depressing. Her relationship with Lucas was still very new. They'd only been 'dating' for a few weeks when Maya and Joshua had started dating; so not even a full three months yet. But already things clearly weren't lining up between them.

"What about Uncle and Josh and Maya? Does Josh look at Maya that way?" Riley bobs her head towards their parents. Auggie doesn't pause for a second, which kind of brings a little comfort back into Riley's heart. He announces that Josh does but Maya does not. The fact that Maya and Josh aren't working as perfectly as they lead on then she's confident whatever problems she's facing with Lucas can be resolved.

All new relationships have some rocky times. Riley has seen it in so many movies, read it in so many books, and heard stories from her parents about their own troubles. She thanks her little brother for his honesty before finally shutting her mouth for the remainder of the ride.

After Joshua drops Maya off at her stop he joins the rest of the family in the same car. He sits on the other side of Riley and tells her what a great time he's been having with Maya all day. Then he pulls out his own cell phone and reveals a flyer for an art exhibit in Philly. As he's filling her in on all of the details he realizes that he's about to ask a favor. Just as she is about to interrupt him, though, he pushes the question out in recognition of her understanding.

"When we get home can you let me look at her work again? I want to take one of the pieces home and submit it for her. The deadline is this Friday and I want to make sure she can be in it. I can't do homemade gifts like she can but this,_ this_, is something special that I can do for her." His voice and his body language reaffirm what Auggie has told her. Uncle Joshua is very interested in Maya. There is no way his feelings could be mistaken as anything but fond and passionate. Initially she was going to reject the request but there's something in the way his face looks so _needy_ – Riley feels the words falling out of her mouth.

"Absolutely!" Josh is satisfied with the answer. His arms wrap around her. Hugging her must be all he can do to stop from gushing about how pleased he is for the assistance. Getting something from Maya for a competition would be impossible otherwise, seeing as Maya doesn't really feel ready to be in exhibits and competitions yet.

Once they arrive at home, Riley escorts her uncle to her room and pulls out all of Maya's work. That includes the new stuff that she'd been working on since the Christmas holiday. It ends up being a new picture that captures his attention. It's a sketch of hands writing sheet music. Riley hadn't asked about it since it seemed to have less invested into it than some of her other work, but Uncle Josh corrects her silent thoughts quickly, "This is sheet music for a song we listen to every time we're hanging out together…"

He doesn't even bother analyzing anything else the way that he did with that picture. Riley kind of understands why, especially since Lucas had painted a lovely picture displaying their mutual affections. Artistic presents, or handmade gifts, are always incredibly special. Even though Maya hadn't given the picture to him it was clearly meant to be about him. Riley watches him as he takes that picture and goes to the guest room, thanking her more or less as a afterthought to his 'success.'

A few miles away from the Matthews house, though, Lucas is sitting in his bed looking at the private event scheduled on his calendar. Thursday is five days away but it feels like years. When they were bowling he slipped in a 'thanks' to Maya discreetly but it was nowhere close to the extent at which he wants to acknowledge what she'd done.

At the same time, though, Lucas can almost guess why without her verbal confirmation. Asking for help with art? Asking for that help to be alone? Suggesting that Riley not know about it? Even though he can't even vocalize what is happening to himself he's pretty much spelling the truth out in his actions. Lucas can't tell which is the bigger problem, though. Is it the fact that there's clearly something about Maya that's capturing more than just his attention? Or is the fact that Riley is caught right in the middle of it because he's dating her?

A text message comes from Maya, **Thank you is all that needs to be said**. Lucas replies instantly, **Not gonna happen**. He waits for ten minutes to go to sleep thinking that Maya was going to reply to him. When she doesn't he shoots her a second message as a form of closing for their almost-conversation, **Happy Valentine's Day Maya Hart.**

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A/N: Short chapter, I know, but Riley really isn't the start of this fic. The next chapter is going to be Lucas and Maya only. I plan on making it very confrontational.


	22. First of Many Truths

Cautionary Disclaimer: I don't own any of the GMW characters or general plots resembling that of which we see in the show.

I also do not write music or own any of the music that is references throughout this story.

I am not claiming any financial benefit or otherwise as the result of the fanfiction or the referencing of music (or internet services).

Enjoy this chapter - I didn't plan on writing/posting it tonight at all! But i finished it and thought - why not?!

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Lucas is pacing between the couch and the front door. His mother told him before she left that she'd be out a later than usual because some girls were taking her out for a drink. She promised not to drink too much, which he trusted because she hadn't fought with his dad yet this week. But that made him even more nervous. It meant that there would be nothing to interrupt his time with Maya.

And interruptions were basically the only thing keeping Lucas from shouting at her. It wouldn't be angry shouting at her, of course. But it would jealous shouting, and frustrated shouting. Of course, none of that compares to the frightened shout he lets loose when there's a knock at his door. At the same time his phone is buzzing in his pocket. When he opens the door he pulls it out and puts it back on silent, "Welcome to Friar Casa. You've been before but it's always a welcome surprise to see a familiar face here again."

Maya carefully kicks dirt of her shoes and slips them off of her feet before stepping inside. She was timid when she came before to work on the business project for Mr. Matthews. The house is clean and organized, which is something she vocalized as being foreign. Even the Matthews' home was cozy and had suburban feel to it. Lucas' house is "sleek and modern." She didn't need to vocalize how cold it felt because he knew all to well. Cold and empty pretty much summed up how he felt about it ninety-nine percent of the time.

"May I have a glass of water?" Maya's demeanor changes completely. Lucas told her that his mother wasn't going to be there and that she was free to be herself. Last time she came her manners were spot on and she'd actually impressed his mother quite a bit, surprisingly enough. He wasn't expecting the same attitude to be present for their meeting today, especially since they were alone.

Lucas directs her to the couch, though, "I already pour glasses for us. I put our a tray of snacks too." He didn't want to spend half of his time trying to put something together as a formal dinner. So instead he gathered as many things in the house that he knew Maya enjoyed and put them onto a serving platter. They'd just snack their way through dinner, he was hoping, so that they would spend the maximum amount of time working on inspiration for art.

But first, he joins Maya on the same couch with his laptop on the corner of the table. When he turns to Maya she tries to turn away, probably because she knows what he's about to ask her. It doesn't stop him or deter him in the slightest.

"Why did you swap the paintings?" He feels the low, soft tone of voice that he's using. Instantly he can identify it with a feeling of disappointment. Not the kind that he has in other people but the shame that he feels for himself. Something must have been really wrong for Maya to deem his painting 'unworthy' as a Valentine's Day gift to Riley.

Lucas was expecting a lot of things from Maya, but he wasn't expecting her pull her legs onto the couch and to sit facing him directly. Taken aback by her actions already, she nearly causes Lucas to fall out of his seat when she speaks, "I know that you don't like Riley anymore."

The only blow that hurts worse than the truth coming from someone else is a kick in the privates. Well, there are probably other things that do hurt worse than that, but for Lucas – hearing someone tell him that they can physically see his emotional struggle – yes, that is the worst thing he can imagine right now.

Instead of asking her what was the giveaway, Lucas just surrenders; "I am a terrible person." Choosing to mimic her, he pulls his legs up onto the couch cushions as well. They are now sitting across from one another with worried expressions. Maya's probably more concerned than Lucas. She knows less about the situation than he does. Although, he isn't sure it would be for much longer.

"You're not terrible. But you could be if you don't tell Riley." Maya tells him. She grabs her phone and starts playing some music very softly. When she puts it on the couch between them a text message comes through that is from Joshua. He has simply said that he has good news for Maya and that she should video call her later. Lucas groans before moving the phone onto the coffee table instead.

Maya is breathing very slowly with her eyes glued to Lucas, "You can't _not_ tell her, Lucas, you know that. You're a better guy than that." There is an honest look of pain on her face. Lucas recognizes a tingling in the back of his mind. To act upon his thought would be very, _very_ wrong.

"How do you propose I approach her and just break up with her?" Lucas grumbles. Maya can see the distress is building. This session may be exactly what he needs to square away with all of these emotions he's never experiences before now. She's sure that it is overwhelming, especially having been old enough to actually see his parents' marriage end.

She feels herself leaning over to him but she doesn't really know why. Her whole body ends up moving a few inches nearer as she cups her hands around his forearm. This is supposed to be something that is very comforting for the recipient, "You just tell her the truth."

Even though she was trying to make him feel at ease, Maya has somehow stressed him even further. Lucas jumps straight from the couch and starts running his fingers through his hair nervously. Mr. Perfect has never known how to deal with something that he doesn't understand. He displayed this when Farkle was being bullied. So when he panics she has this dull ache of awareness, "And just tell her that I realized I like someone else?"

Maya moves away from him and opens the computer. Lucas comes over and bends down to type in the password. As soon as he does so he sits back down on the couch and sighs heavily into the air. Maya rests her chin on her shoulder with eyes closed, "If that's what happened, then I'm afraid so, Huckleberry," she whispers insistently. The thing about Riley is that she is far more capable of handling emotional strife that those around her are willing to admit. She is far from blind and stupid. Riley isn't her mother, and she isn't Farkle, but she's got her father's open heart. If Lucas is honest with her then she'll understand – no matter the circumstances.

And if Joshua is right about his observations, Riley very well might _have_ to understand. It certainly would put a strain on all of their friendships.

"Let's listen to this song first. SomeKindaWonderful, Reverse. It is kind of R-rated as far as content. It does convey emotional strife, though. What you're feeling is conflicted between to romantic interests. You care about Riley but recently you're finding that maybe your heart yearns for something else…" Maya trails off as she enters the information into the computer. She pulls up a lyric video but turns the screen away from Lucas who is close enough now to try and read over her shoulder. This could end very terribly if she doesn't warn him first, "Don't take the lyrics of this song literally."

Maya gets out her notebook and pulls up the page that she had done for the song. It only has one line written across the page, "I tell my story in reverse because it hurts," she says, "I liked that lyric. My father left when I was really young and a part of me craves a full family even though he's a horrible man for abandoning us and offering no financial assistance. When I really miss him or really long for a full family I think of things happening backwards. That my mom had me as a single parent and that she struggled, and a friend hat she fought with constantly ends up falling in love with her and steps in as a father figure to build a perfect family." As she tells this story to Lucas she isn't as emotionally moved as she thought she would be, which is strange. Usually talking about her parents makes her want to cry but when she brings it up with Lucas somehow it feels normal. Maya justifies this by stating that he understands what its like to have separated parents. Not to mention, she's sure he probably wishes to some degree that his parents did just stop talking to one another completely.

Lucas reaches out and moves the computer around so that he can press play on the song. As soon as the 'f-bomb' is dropped Maya reaches up and closes his eyes, whispering to him, "You can't feel the lyrics unless you close your eyes."

Four minutes later the song is over and Maya moves herself away so that Lucas has a moment of privacy to jot down whatever thoughts he took from the song. But he tells her when she is walking away, "So that song was intense and the only thing in it that captured my attention is 'Could I get a do-over.' How do you decide what to listen to next?" Maya is shoving some loose leaves of lettuce into her mouth that were dipped lightly in some ranch.

When she shimmies back around the table she has to pass in front of Lucas because she hadn't thought about going back around the same way to get to the computer. As she is trying to get back him she trips. Lucas is quick to grab her and pull her back so she doesn't land on her face. But when Maya comes back to she finds that she's sitting on Lucas' lap.

For a few seconds they just look at one another silently. They both have wide eyes, each pair about to burst from their skulls. Lucas waivers just a tiny bit forward with a quiver in his lip, but when his eyes drift down just a tiny bit Maya whips away onto the couch next to him and pulls the computer into her lap, "I'll just start playing music. I don't need the inspiration because I've got a project in mind already. Next week I'll give you a little more reign. For now let's just go through the process together so you know what it_ actually _is first."

"So you'll come back next week?" Lucas questions, "Even if we're not telling Riley?" Maya hears a tiny glimmer of hope in his voice. She doesn't want to hear it particular but it doesn't stop her from confirming. Well, confirming under one condition. There's always a condition for Maya's acceptance of anything. It's her terms or no terms.

"I'll come back every week for as long as you'll have me, Friar, but you have to promise me that you'll break-up with Riley before Spring Break. Dating her when you don't like her is unfair. She can't get over you if you don't let her loose." Maya reminds him of the core issue. Lucas doesn't hearing it this time, though, because his friend has basically reminded him that sometimes the right action is the hardest one. That's probably why his parents got divorced, when he thinks about it. They argued nonstop and hated being in the same room together. Now they are in separate states and _still_ manage to fight, but they're so much happier being apart. Just because the divorce hurts them all at times he can see now that it was the best option for everyone.

"One more alternative song – it's called Hypnotic, and it's sung by someone that looks a lot like what I imagine my hippie grandmother looked like in the seventies – Zella Day." Maya remarks. She chose this song for no particular reason other than she liked it and liked that a woman sang it. The lyrics didn't hold much bearing over her decision, although she's sure that it might help shed a positive light on the way her friend is feeling.

As Lucas is closing his eyes and she's leaning back to watch him listen, she sees a smile creeping up on his face, "Clutterbucket's Song. Got it."

Something warm grips Maya's heart. Without even meaning to close her eyes, she does, and she just enjoys how great it feels to sit with someone and listen to music; and how nice it is to not have to talk and still feel like you're spending time together. Maya never would have thought she could have such a substantial friendship with Lucas Friar but as each day passes she finds that she is continually proven wrong. And at no point in time does she find herself regretting it at all.

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A/N: Writing is my first love. Music/singing is my second. I live and breathe alternative music and I'm pretty much popular music deficient (which I'm perfectly fine with...)!

For those of you who don't listen to alternative music, I'll be doing a couple more chapters like this between Lucas and Maya as their relationship develops. I want to incorporate more popular music but I'll have to really handpick the songs because of the way I'm developing Maya - I just don't see her being into all of the pop and the dance music on the radio.

Anyway, I also want to apologize if any of the music I do reference offends anyone.


	23. Being a Friend

**Being a Friend (Versus Not Being One...)**

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A/N: There seems to have been a popular misunderstanding about my last posted chapter. I understand that it looks bad, reads bad, and feels bad. But I assure you – Maya's awareness of the situation with Lucas is not selfish. It is **not** what everyone is thinking that it is – I promise!

* * *

Lucas and Riley are sitting at a lunch table by themselves. She's been trying to get him to talk to her about his 'feelings' that he's 'shutting out.' Ever since last Thursday with Maya it's been difficult for him to look at Riley. He agreed that he would cut things off with Riley. Not only because he wants to keep hanging out with Maya but also because she was right. It's not fair to let Riley think that they are in a happy relationship when they're not.

Although, judging by the frown on her face, she is perfectly aware that their relationship isn't happy at all.

"If you can't talk to me then who can you talk to, Lucas? You're not talk to Farkle because he'd tell me if you were talking to him. You don't really talk to Billy about personal things, I know this, because he still has bouts of jealousy. All of your other friends are in Texas. I know you can't talk to them much because of your busy schedule." Riley's voice cuts out and fades away as she continues to drone on and on, much like her father. He's shrugging and playing with his food until a door slamming catches his attention. Lucas isn't sure why but he instinctively looks up and finds a very disgruntled Maya stomping through a small crowd of people.

Riley snaps her fingers in front of Lucas' face. When he twitches back to and looks at his girlfriend there's only a brief sound of grunting before Maya has her finger pointed at Riley's face; "You had no right! Absolutely none!"

Whatever is happening he's positive that it's going to be a 'first' experience for both of his friends. Maya has never been this angry with someone that wasn't her father. Her cheeks are bright red and her hair is in a messy bun. This sparks Lucas' interest because it meant she is working in the art room. Maya hadn't told him that she was working on anything…

"What are you talking about?" Riley's voice is nowhere near as shocked as Lucas was expecting when she does finally speak. The way she is trying so hard to look taken aback by Maya's fury is hinting that she knew something like this was coming at some point. Even though part of him believes he should look away or leave the lunchroom, he doesn't.

"I'm coming to pick up every last piece of art I have at your place. I trusted you to keep those items safe. The only time they were to be touched was by me when I wanted to show them to other people. You were in no position to give my work away to anyone! Not even Josh!" Lucas feels himself stop breathing. This has to be in relation to Josh's statement at the dance about submitting Maya's art to be on display at an exhibit in Philadelphia. At the time he knew that it was a terrible idea but he couldn't vocalize this to Josh for what he felt were fairly obvious reasons.

Maya is waiting for Riley to say something to justify her actions, but it appears that his girlfriend is aware that she's done something nearly unforgiveable. When Riley doesn't say anything she groans in irritation and smacks her lunch tray off of the table. Lucas looks around to see what teacher is on duty and thankfully it's Mr. Matthews. He shouts at her that she's got after school detention for a week, to which she simply screams, "THAT IS FINE! I START TOMORROW!"

Mr. Mathews walks over to his daughter who is just staring into her hands. Her father looks down at Riley with his hands stuffed into his pockets, "Did you really let your uncle take some of Maya's artwork?"

Lucas is watching Riley very carefully. Part of him wants to stand up and say that she would never do such a thing. Until a few moments ago, Lucas really hadn't thought Riley capable of something like that. But just like Maya had told him the other day, Riley can handle a lot more than any of her friends give her credit for by a long shot. In many ways, Lucas feels like she's probably more mature than the rest of them.

"I did…" She mumbles, promptly turning her head to Lucas after she says it. There's a lot of pain in her eyes. It's the look of a girl who feels like she's losing everyone around her. Mr. Matthews doesn't hesitate to tell Riley that she's grounded for a week and that she has to cancel her date with 'Mr. Friar' this coming Saturday. After agreeing to the punishment Mr. Matthews goes to fetch Janitor Harley.

As people are starting to whisper in the lunchroom about Riley and Maya, Lucas feels that it's time for them to leave. He grabs Riley by her wrist and escorts her from the lunchroom back to their lockers. When Lucas opens his locker his inspiration notebook falls out onto the ground. He doesn't think anything of it until Riley grabs it and hands it to him.

Before he is able to put it into his locker, Riley makes a deflated remark at him. But she does it passively that she hasn't made the connection, "Maya has a notebook that looks like that. I think she brainstorms her art inside of it. I caught her doing an rough draft of a painting did for class inside of it last semester." She sighs and sinks to the ground. With her arms wrapped around her knees she whimpers in an attempt to not cry. Even though he suspects that they'll be late to class if he sits down, as a friend he knows it would be wrong not do join her. And so he sits next to her and effortlessly puts his left around her shoulders and pulls her against his body.

Lucas can't help but feel guilty that even though she fits snuggled against him so perfectly he cannot make himself want to have her there…

"She'll come around." Lucas assures Riley, "Give her a few days and she'll come right back pretending nothing ever happened…"

But it doesn't do anything but upset her more. She turns to Lucas and starts sobbing so hard that he feels that he has to hold her in place to keep her from accidentally banging her head against the lockers. The bell for classes to resume is about to ring. But Lucas knows that neither of them are about to budge and for now he doesn't really plan to move. He may not think of Riley as a girlfriend but she is still his best friend above all others. Nothing is more important right now than making sure she is okay.

* * *

A/N: Did you like seeing an intimate Riley/Lucas moment - obviously there won't be many more since this a fanfic and I know how it ends ;)


	24. Another Serious Question

**Another Serious Question**

**(A/K/A: Big Steps [after big requests])**

* * *

Joshua is standing with his hands in the small of his back and his back pressed so hard against his back that he can feel his legs going numb. His mother his tapping her finger nervously on the table. They are waiting for his father to come back from visiting an old college buddy for dinner.

"She is only thirteen. I don't really think it's appropriate. You've only been dating for a few months…" His mother mutters aloud. When he asked at first she said 'no.' But to be fair, he had just asked her plainly if Maya could come down for a weekend at the end of April. But after being rejected outright he was able to explain why and pull a bit of pity out of her. So she said that she'd let his father decide.

Joshua feels his phone going off nonstop. Maya has probably received her copy of the letter today stating that she was accepted for the exhibit. It's more than just a display, though, which he had not told anyone. She would win five hundred dollar cash prize as well as a ten thousand dollar college fund. It's kind of a big deal for someone like Maya coming from a single parent household. He pulls a hand free and shakily pulls the phone out.

First, **I am still filled with rage about this.**

Then, **I was accepted which is awesome** and **But I am still pretty mad at you**.

Six more messages were received but they couldn't be displayed on his lock screen and he wasn't going to try to read them until he had more information from his father.

Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Finally after twenty gruelingly silent minutes his father wanders through the front door of the house. His mother is the first to stir, and its only to fetch two glasses of water. She sets one down and then starts sipping from hers.

"Alan, our son has a pretty big question to ask…" She mumbles. Even though they'd already been through this with two songs already, it was still incredibly difficult for them to have these requests come again. Joshua considers Eric, Cory, and Morgan to be successful people so he hopes that he gets a lot of the same leniency as they were given. However, he also recognizes he's made much bigger mistakes than they ever did.

"You're too old for Disney World, Josh. Come on…." Alan answers before anyone is able say more on the subject. Josh watches as his mom cracks a smile even though you know she doesn't want to, which is probably something his father did on purpose. He sits down at the table and looks around, "Oh wait, is that not the question?"

Josh joins his father at the table and pulls out the letter from his back pocket. As he father takes the paper cautiously, he whines that he always hates reading the papers his kids bring home. As he really starts working his way down line-by-line. His brows begin arching as he begins to understand the question Joshua is going to ask before he even vocalizes it. Once he folds the letter back up there's just this hard and heavy silence between the three of them.

"Joshua…" his father begins harshly.

"Please do not do this." Joshua whispers. He recognizes the tone of voice immediately. It is the one he uses when he doesn't completely trust Josh. On the other side of the table his mother is folding her hands in front of her.

Just then his father reaches over to put his hand on Joshua's arm but pulls away, "Don't you dare. Don't you _dare_ treat me like this."

They are both looking at him with caution in their breaths. For the first few months he was unmanageable. They felt like they couldn't trust anything he did or said. If he asked to go somewhere he was questioned. Joshua had lied but that didn't make him this life-long pathological liar. He had an addition to drugs, or at least a developing one anyway. Drugs make people do awful things – lying included.

The problem was never the lying.

"Joshua, surely your mother pointed out that Maya is only thirteen. We see that you guys are happy together but you're asking us to let her stay the night with you for two days. I know what sixteen-year-old-boys think about their girlfriends sometimes. I was sixteen once. Your brothers were also sixteen just like you at some point…" At this point Josh wants to hear absolutely nothing from his parents. He just wants them to think of him as the son they raised, as the good person that they know he is capable of being, that – is – all.

After he's done throwing his tantrum, Joshua stares down both of his parents, "You guys let Topanga stay the night with Cory over the holidays when he was seventeen. I don't think one year is going to make that big of a difference. Besides, having your girlfriend over for the holidays is hardly a good reason when you compare it to this situation. I'm trying to give Maya a chance at a future that she believes she doesn't even have!" Without realizing it he is shouting by the time he finishes his last sentence. Even though he rarely fights with his parents, there is a certain level of distrust between them. They give him space and they try to give him freedom, but they've been extremely wary since he was off of probation.

Just then his mother tilts her chin up very slightly. Joshua wouldn't have even seen if it if he wasn't looking at her in the first place; "Maybe he is right. Even though he's made some bad decisions…"

She takes the paper and reads through it carefully, "…this is one definitely not."

"Joshua, I think we need to talk about this. We're also going to get Cory and Topanga's opinion on this. They know Maya. And the last thing we want after you get off of probation is a teen pregnancy." As he works through the words and carries himself up the stairs in the kitchen, Josh decides to count it as a victory. By the time he gets up to his room all the tension is melting from his shoulders. And by the time he's lying in his bed he's reading through the final text messages from Maya, each of which got progressively more appreciative.

With a smile curling his lips tightly, Joshua dials Maya's number. When she answers the video call request and her face appears on the screen his mind stops. The way she's trying to hide her matching grin and the red cheeks… "Admit it! You love me!"

Together they're laughing even though they're just faces on a screen. When they are calmer Maya tells him that she is really glad that he thought of the opportunity even though she still feels really betrayed and that they should probably consider setting some boundaries in the future.

"Speaking of – are you talking to Riley yet?" Joshua questions her. It's been two weeks since Maya has spoken to her best friend. Riley had called him a few days ago asking how Maya has been doing – that's how far the 'fight' was going between them.

A sneer dresses Maya's expression. He doesn't have to be told to know that she still doesn't want to talk to Riley. But, she quickly reveals that there are a couple of different reasons for that, "I told Lucas to stop stringing her along and I think that he's going to break-up with her this weekend. I was kind of thinking I could just come in and save the day afterwards? You know trash talk him but also remind her that he's a good friend. Then empower her to be a strong independent woman so that hopefully she'll win Class President next year."

Maya watches as her boyfriend rolls his eyes on the end. It's adorable the way he can play disinterested in everything. It is a craft that Maya has mastered in terms of her academics. Thankfully, although also painfully, Joshua saw something bright in her future; he wanted to help build a future for her. Honestly, this is a pretty impressive move by him. A big step in their relationship; Maya feels like they fall in the category of 'serious couple' now.

Nearly an hour later Joshua says that he needs to go because his parents want to talk to him about something. Maya doesn't think about it too much because he'll tell her later. She trusts him. He trusts her. Maya smiles to herself and thanks 'Santa' for giving her what she wished for at Christmas.

* * *

A/N: And here we are reminded that Maya is, in fact, completely aware that she has a boyfriend that she is faithful to! After these two fairly pleasant chapters - I'm afraid I'm going to have to reintroduce some drama though.

What do you think it'll be? Anything you're hoping to see?


	25. We're Still Friends

Lucas is sitting on the steps of his building. Riley is visiting him impromptu. Spring break is right around the corner and she's trying to squeeze all of the time she can in with him. One, because her entire family is going to Hawaii. Two, because he's going back to Texas to stay with his dad. But three, Maya is gone this weekend to stay with Joshua in Philadelphia for the art contest he entered her into… Lucas shivered in disgust. Joshua was doing everything that Maya wanted him to do as a boyfriend.

Unfortunately, Maya reminded him that he was being a good boyfriend at all. Week after week of hanging out on Thursday nights she'd bring up how he it becoming obvious even to outsiders that he isn't _"that into"_ Riley anymore. Apparently Farkle had asked Maya if something was happening between he and Riley. As he sighs he rubs his hands violently over his face.

_What is wrong with me,_ he asks himself, _Riley is perfect for me! _He is perfectly aware that Riley is all of the things that Maya is – she stands up for what she believes is the right thing to do; she's always there for her friends; she's passionate about the things she cares about; and above all else she's got a very calm and polite temperament. For all intents and purposes, she _is_ a female version of himself!

Then there's Maya, though. _She is trouble in the most nonthreatening way possible,_ Lucas confirms to himself,_ and sometimes it's not even gracefully_. She doesn't just break the rules, most of the time she _makes_ the rules. Where Riley is patient and mindful, Maya is reckless and impromptu. If Maya thinks something is a bad idea, Riley is encouraging and positive. As he things about how different the girls are he remembers how selfish he is being on top of putting his friends in a terrible situation.

Maya has dropped hints that she knows that Lucas likes her now instead of Riley, but whenever he flirts with her she ignores it or says something to deflect. He can't help but notice that the more he tries to drop hints about his feelings that Maya's relationship with Joshua gets stronger. His hangs from fists in his hair. Riley will be there any second. Today is the day he's going to break up with Riley and he knows it. Not even because of his growing feelings for Maya but because it's the right thing to do; and Lucas at least needs to do that correctly.

"Hey buddy!" She squeals as she rounds the corner and sees him sitting on the steps. She has a muffin in one hand and a drink carrier in the other. Inside of it will likely be his favorite cappuccino, along with her favorite chai tea. The wind blows and whips her long hair around her face and wafts the smell of French vanilla and chocolate in his directions. Being hyperaware of his surroundings, another thing that Lucas can't help but notice is the hesitation in Riley's body as she places herself delicately next to him, "Whatcha doin' outside?"

Even as she is sitting next to him she knows that something is wrong. Lucas loves being outside but they were supposed to be staying inside of the day. It is supposed to rain later in the afternoon so they bad both decided yesterday to have a date at home for a change. Lucas' mother is usually in and out on Saturdays doing all of the shopping and errands she can manage, hence they chose his house.

Riley was hoping to use the alone time to get back on Lucas' good side. Last week they'd kind of started shouting at one another about how to handle Maya. She was talking to Josh and Riley approached her friend about it. After accusing Maya of being moderately ungrateful for the kindness of her boyfriend and best friend, well, Maya had been less than receptive. Lucas had to step in when he heard Maya screaming. He pushed her down the hall to her next class as she shouted about Riley trying to make everyone's life decisions for them.

Lucas had told Riley that Maya would come around in her own way and that sometimes she didn't need to try to fix everything. It was obvious to Riley then that Lucas wasn't taking her side in the argument. Riley apologized to Maya and Maya returned the favor. They've been fine since then – even making jokes about the whole ordeal! But Riley caught Lucas watching Maya earlier in the week while they sat in the lunchroom with a look that couldn't be mistaken.

"Riley, I am a bad boyfriend." Lucas announces. Riley was expecting this somehow, even if she'd never admit to herself that she was fully aware. Regardless of her knowledge she's going to try to fight it just a little. Just to, you know, say that she tried.

She puts the food on the step behind them and turns into Lucas so that their knees are touching, "Why do you think that? You're not bad at anything…" Well, he's kind of bad at hiding that he doesn't want to date anymore. And she suspects that in coming weeks he is going to get pretty bad at hiding his new feelings towards Maya.

Yeah, Riley may be a bit spacey at times, she knows perfectly well. But she's still a smart person. She has eyes and she can read people. When Lucas was looking at Maya it is the same way that Farkle looks at Riley. The same way the Smackle looks at Farkle. It was the way that Riley used to look at Lucas, and the way he looked at her the day they had first kissed…

"I don't want to date you anymore. But instead of just telling you I ignore it." But it's not how Riley and Lucas look at each other anymore. When he speaks there's a hitch in his voice. Much like he had done for her when Maya had yelled at her in front of the entire seventh grade class, Riley puts her arms around him and rests her head on his shoulder.

With a long sigh the only thing she can do is remain silent. If she doesn't say a word them he'll probably start talking more. When her parents have a disagreement she sees her dad fall into this trap with her mother all. the. time.

And sure enough, it works; "I have known for a long time but I thought if I kept pretending that I wasn't changing. This is not who I am. This is what my parents did. They acted like things weren't different."

She can feel his body shake as he starts to tear up. Riley can see now that breaking up is inevitable. After making a long rasping noise with her tongue she finally relaxes, "But things were different. And they _are_ different for us right now."

Lucas sits up and embarrassingly wipes his eyes with the sleeves of her favorite brown jacket. Riley looks over him once more as his girlfriend and just enjoys him one last time as her own. They're young and the first relationship they you have in life is not always the right one. Riley isn't foolish enough to think that everyone works out like her mom and dad.

"I am sorry. I don't know what happened, Riley, because I really did want to be your boyfriend. I did want to kiss you. I was sure that I was ready to date you." Lucas is being the good ole country boy he is so accustomed to being, and with such ease. Riley knows that their relationship was real, even if it was brief. They are kids, after all. Lessons need to be learned and if this how Riley learns what makes her happy – then she's perfectly fine with that because it could have been worse.

And if Lucas likes Maya instead of her, then she is surprisingly okay with that; "Maya happened. Or rather, I think Joshua happened." Lucas' eyes go wide. Just like in every book, movie, and TV show she's ever seen he thinks that Riley never would have noticed. And a week ago she might not have but those aren't the circumstances. When Lucas begins asking how she knows she just shushes him and offers him his drink, asserting that there's no reason to linger on it now that it's out in the open.

Although, Riley can't help but ask, "So how are you going to win her over?"

Lucas shakes his head, laughing as he lifts his cup to his mouth. Even though Riley is being really cool about the break up the last thing he's going to do is plot to steal Maya Hart's heart. As he takes a generous swig of the delicious French Vanilla cappuccino, Riley nudges him again while raising her eyebrows at him.

"Would you think less of me if I said I've been trying?" For some reason he expected Riley to be hurt but the way her shoulders shrug shows Lucas that she probably suspected as much. He won't tell her that he's been hanging out with Maya alone because that may be just a little _too_ hurtful.

As she takes the muffin to herself she just throws her head back and smiles, "Not hard enough, cowboy."

Lucas almost regrets the break up with Riley glances over at him. She is literally the perfect friend, and could have been the perfect girlfriend. But when she called him cowboy he knew that there was no way his feelings were going to change. Maya had somehow captured his heart; "Riley – there is nobody in the world more amazing than you are, just in case you're second guessing that."

Riley ignores him for a few minutes as she eats through her muffin. He wishes he could read her mind or that she'd just say something to him about what's going on in her head. The muffin she is eating is almost gone before she replies, "I wasn't but thanks for letting me know. Now, can you just promise that we can still be best friends?" Lucas doesn't even hesitate to pull her into a tight hug. She returns the gesture with just as much joy as he does. If ever there was a 'good' break up – yeah – this would be it, Lucas is sure of it.

* * *

A/N: One thing I love about Riley is how supportive of her friends she is, no matter what it is and whether or not she understands. I thought having an amicable break up between Lucas and Riley would be the only way that things could end.

I also like the idea of Riley kind of shipping Lucas and Maya as time goes one because she can see how happy they are when they're around each other. But that's spoilers, isn't it?!


	26. At the Art Show

Joshua is holding Maya's hand as they walk to the conference hall where the art show is being held. There's a banquet being offered to the artists before the show where the night's schedule will be discusses. As Maya is swinging her arms she can feel the nerves building up. Underneath all of her confidence and showmanship is just another girl living in the real world with real life insecurities. Just before they round the corner Maya stops and grabs Joshua's jacket fiercely, turning him into her so she can look him in the eyes.

"I am still very mad at you for doing this without asking," Maya begins. It's warmer in Philly than it was in New York. The sun is shining on her face and she can feel it warming her skin. But that's not the only thing that is heating up. As she is looking Joshua the overwhelming pounding in her chest is shooting heated tingles throughout her body, "But I am also grateful that you did this because I never would have thought I could have been chosen for something like this."

When she arrived yesterday in the afternoon it was just Maya and Grandma &amp; Grandpa Matthews. Grandma Matthews had a 'chat' with Maya about 'puberty' and how sometimes you 'feel' things that are 'natural' but also 'for older people.' It was basically "The Talk" that all parents are supposed to give their kids. Mrs. Matthews also had this conversation with Maya before putting her in the car with Mr. Matthews. He then also had a similar conversation with her. It was all pretty much drilled into her mind more effectively that the story of Christopher Columbus or President Lincoln.

Regardless of all of the conversation about resisting sudden urges and being careful about intimacy, Maya was still sure that this was _the_ moment. Everyone has a moment when her first kiss can be magical, special, and memorable. There had been other opportunities. On the rooftop on Christmas Eve, before she left Philadelphia in January, Valentine's Day at any point in time, last night when they were stargazing in the backyard… But Maya controls when it's going to be the best time.

So she decides that now is the best time. Her blood is pumping and her thoughts are so scrambled that she feels herself shaking as she puts herself on the tips of her nose. Even though she is tugging Joshua down a tiny bit mostly he moves on his own accord. His top lip brushes her bottom but they both hesitate for just a moment. This is a monumental point her life _and_ in their relationship. Subconsciously they are both aware of this detail. In the end, Maya can feel that he's waiting for her to 100% sure that she's ready.

"Thank you," she whispers. Her lips move against his and they sort of just fall into a kiss. And then another, this one a little more intimate than the first peck; when they back away a few inches away Maya feels like a million bucks when she sees Joshua gawking at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

Josh doesn't say anything and neither does Maya. Instead they both just carry on walking straight to the conference hall. In about an hour Joshua's parents should be arriving to support Maya in lieu of her mother and Riley's parents. But Maya is fine with that because if Joshua continues to win her over, maybe in a decade they'll be her parents too!

Once inside Joshua excuses himself to use the restroom while Maya signs the pair of them in; "Did you say your name was Maya Hart? You're the New York entry aren't you?" One of the ladies at the welcome desk questions her and nearly freaks out when Maya confirms that, yes, she is in fact that Maya Hart from New York. One and only!

"Your sketch was so brilliant. We can't wait to see the piece you're presenting tonight!" Joshua came to pick up her piece last week. It was a surprise visit because she had actually just planned on express shipping it to Philadelphia. She smiled to herself thinking about how happy she'd been to see him when he'd been waiting for her on the steps to the school after the school carnival Riley dragged her to that night.

Maya looks up at them and feels her phone going off, "Thanks. I hope you like what I threw together." Then she lifts her phone at them. She swipes the nametags for herself and Joshua before spinning away to answer her call. When her ear is pressed to her phone it is then that Maya realizes she forgot to check the I.D. to see whom she was speaking to…

It isn't long before she finds out, though, "I hope I caught you before the show starts."

Without meaning to, Maya grins to herself, "Well, Sundance, I'm supposed to enjoying a magnificent feast right now but I think I can take your call." She can hear Riley in the background asking if she can talk to Maya too. A part of her goes numb. Lucas had said he would break up with Riley. Her friend deserved much better than this.

"We just wanted to wish you luck before the showing started." Lucas says. Riley is shouting in the background that she knows Maya will 'take the cake,' and that she'll 'bring home the win.' As delightful as it is to be best buds with Riley again there is a part of Maya that thought it was easier not talking to her. Especially since she knows what she does about Lucas.

Maya accepts the well wishing but Lucas tells her before he hangs up that he's not on speaker. She promptly grumbles to him, "You said you'd stop dragging this out. Riley should be with a guy who actually wants to date her!"

Lucas corrects her, "I already broke up with her, Maya. We're both fine. Riley is fine. I promise."

Silence between them eventually turns into Maya hanging up on him. She thought that she was going to be happier about Lucas and Riley calling it quits. Unfortunately, she's just uneasy. Before she can think on it for too long, though, Joshua returns and sweep her off towards the dining room before she can linger on the potential issues she could face upon returning to New York.

Joshua does all of the listening for Maya while she pigs out on a dozen different things. Chicken wings, veggie skewers, biscuits, cheese curds, jalapeno poppers, and more. By the time the banquet is over, Joshua basically has to drag her away from the tables, "You're going to be too full to answer any questions about that fantastic charcoal picture you put together!"

Maya is in the thick of the show room. She's towards the back by the judging tables but still close enough to the middle that she is in a 'high traffic' area. Dozens of people are in the hall right off the bat, many of which are relatives showing up to see the work of their loved ones. Joshua stays by Maya's side as she straightens her dress and tugs lightly on the tights underneath.

Some people stop and tell her how beautiful the piece is, or how talented she is, some even saying that she'll go far with work like this. Maya thanks each person softly but keeps looking over what she's drawn. It's just a black and white drawing. And it's not even something that is particularly deep. It is just the picture of a boy with no face holding music notes in his fists.

Thirty minutes pass by faster than Maya can process. Joshua welcomes people and pulls the mover to her exhibit. She answers their questions, they leave, and then he brings more. The cycle repeats itself for an additional hour. When the two hours is finally closing up with only fifteen minutes of the show remaining, someone with a microphone announces third place.

"Congratulations to our third place winner, Delilah Stiles, with her Watercolor landscape of the Cherry Blossoms in Washington D.C." Everyone claps politely. Maya scan see the girl taking a bow nearby. Joshua and Maya both lean around the crowd to see that her picture is breathtaking. As she glances back at her own work she is sure that she hasn't even placed. There's no way that she could have…

They remind everyone of the prizes afterwards. Maya listens intently. The prizes would be monumental for her. She checks the clock and sees that they've somehow been droning on for nearly five whole minutes. Joshua takes her hand as they say they're ready to announce the second place winner. Second place only gets a $500 cash prize without the college fund.

It's a blur as they describe her picture. Maya hears her name but can't form any kind of expression of appreciation. Instead she's just standing dumbfounded as all heads turn to her. Joshua waves for her and kind of kicks her in an attempt to illicit some sort of reaction. When Maya does finally manage a smile, everyone is clapping and turning their attention back for the announcement of first place. It ends up being a young man named Terrance Howard. His was a pop art rendition of American icons. Joshua and Maya congratulated each of the other winners and the honorable mention candidates as they went to collect their prizes. Well, Maya had to provide the address where she wanted her check to be mailed, for which she gave Riley's address.

"Miss Hart?" An older gentleman calls as Maya is approaching her exhibit. He was standing by it waiting for her, obviously, "Mind if I have a word?"

Maya looks to Joshua who shrugs. Grandma and Grandpa Matthews already went out to get the car so that they didn't have to walk back home in the night air. Since there's nobody else to look to she just agrees to listen, "Sure, go ahead."

The gentleman turns his attention back to the painting, "I organize these events. I was just wondering where you got your inspiration for this lovely young man. Over the years I have found the story is more important than the art itself."

Maya asks if Joshua would go grab her coat and get a bottle water. Even though he isn't sure about leaving her alone, he does eventually agree to leave. She then joins the older fellow in front of her painting and starts to recall exactly what had inspired her, "I cling to music as inspiration to understand myself and those around me. Recently a friend of mine has been trying to follow in my footsteps. He is desperately trying to figure out what is within himself. So here I have a faceless boy who has no idea who he is or what he wants clinging to the only thing he can find with enough personality to guide him in the right direction." When she is done speaking she finds that the man has reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen and paper. He writes a number on it, $1,000.00.

"What?" Maya asks as she takes the notepad from his hands.

A gentle chuckle escapes from behind the man's teeth, "I was one just like this young man you speak of, and so this picture touches my very soul. Perhaps you would be willing to sell it to me?" Maya looks back at the number with a fresh perspective. She would be going home with $1,500.00 total. Maya could buy new clothes, art supplies, keep back up for groceries, and maybe even be able to do some art programs over the summer.

"If you don't mind my asking, young lady, what is the title?" He asks as she continues to mull over the possibility of bringing home more money. Joshua is coming up the hallway with a grin. He waves at someone he recognizes, probably from school, before his head turns back in Maya's direction. A smirk etches itself onto her face.

"The Lost Friar, sir." Maya replies, "And your offer is humbly accepted."

She reaches her hand out and agrees to let the man have the picture. When Joshua arrives the three of them chat about the judges and what they consider when choosing a winner. Maya's main downfall was that her picture was incredibly personal whereas the winner, Terrance, had appealed to much larger audience by doing something everyone can associate themselves with: Patriotism. Eventually things wrap themselves up and the gentleman tells Maya that he hopes to see her back the next year.

Joshua is the one who answers, though, "Absolutely, sir."

As Maya starts making calls from the car, she finds that everyone is impressed and proud. Even her mother stopped working to take her call, which was incredible for Maya. The last person that she wants to call is Lucas, but even then with Josh next to her there's just a level of discomfort. Joshua knew the picture was of Lucas and he had been completely cool about it. In fact, he said that he was glad that she was taking something positive from the strange situation between Riley, Lucas, and herself.

Maya has the phone in her hand with Lucas' contact page open. She goes to tap on his phone number so that she can call him but just before she does – no, she changes her mind. Instead the phone gets locked and shoved in her pocket. Lucas asks if he can take Maya out for dessert to celebrate. His parents agree and pass him the car keys after they stop along the road back at the Matthews' house.

"I know a great place that serves a bomb ass banana split." After they are settled in the front seat Maya makes sure to press a kiss onto Joshua's cheek. Because of his sneaky trickery she was able to win her first prize in an actual art competition as well as sell her first piece. She was so elated. _It doesn't get better than this,_ she thinks to herself, _this is just the best_.

**I heard that you placed second but you're always first place to me,**a text comes across her screen. Maya opens her phone and sees whom it is from, even though she could have seen from the lock screen. Riley must have called and let him know. As they drive Joshua tells her that she should start looking for more contests and exhibits in New York so that she can start getting her work out there.

The pair gets settled inside the shop with the most 'bomb ass' banana split in existence. Joshua serves Maya her first bite. As soon as she tastes it and agrees that she's never had a more delicious dessert Joshua arches over the table and kisses her gently, "But there's no better dessert than being here with you."

* * *

A/N: Awwww - how cute was all of that?

Now how about in the next chapter I squash it all in the next chapter? JUST KIDDING!

But, seriously, one break up down. One more to go. We're getting closer and closer to Lucaya!


End file.
