Nature vs Nurture
By Crimson and Chrome 42
Disclaimer: Author will not gain any monetary compensation from this work. This is a work of fiction. The author does not own nor is affiliated with Disney, Girl Meets World, nor its creators or producers. Disclaimer applies to full work.
Author's Note: This is an AU, not drastic, but definitely not canon compliant.
Chapter One
"No. No, I don't think it is." Lucas said seriously. That was the moment for Maya. That was the moment she knew for certain that not only was Lucas definitely just going along with the "Triangle" thing to make Riley happy but also that Maya and he had never actually been friends. She'd had her doubts, suspicions before, but this confirmed it for her. Her face crumpled, for just a moment, before she slammed her mask back in its place.
She listened to her best friend babble about how Nature (Maya swore she could hear the capitalization in Riley's voice) was going to settle the Triangle (again with the capitalization). Honestly, Maya wasn't paying too close attention, because it sounded an awful lot like the lecture that Matthews had given them all before coming up to the Mt. Sun Ski Lodge; albeit a lot less hostile. She was still thinking about Lucas' pronouncement that he didn't like bantering with her. She'd always assumed that he understood that her teasing had been a sign of her friendship and that she liked him (originally only as a friend, but gradually she came to a place where she thought she could fall for him, given the chance). But that was apparently not the case.
Somebody said something about imagining what life would be like with each girl (with Riley proclaiming that she thought Maya and Lucas would tear each other apart if they were together, and Lucas agreeing that it was more than possible) and Josh announced movie night. Maya shouted that she wanted a spy thriller. In actuality, she wanted a horror film, but the chances of the chaperones allowing that were nil. Her announcement somehow turned into them spinning yarns of what Lucas would experience if he had a relationship with each of the girls. Maya purposefully made hers ridiculous, she was okay with a fantasy, but she knew her life wasn't going to be non-stop danger...Adventure, maybe, but she wasn't planning on that much danger.
Maya hadn't counted on Riley's scenario being not only as ridiculous as her own, but also pretty horrifying on top of that. Okay, so Maya might have pointed out the horrifying aspects of that fantasy (for which Riley reamed her later), at this point, Maya wasn't sure why Lucas hadn't run for the hills at the thought of either of those lives. Lucas voiced a similar opinion, though she noticed that he looked a bit less green at the thought of any life with Riley than with her.
~~~
It was a relief when Topanga called for lights out. She had noticed the cute guy behind the desk; dark, curly hair, porcelain skin, and cheekbones that could cut glass; he was staring at Riley. He had been, off and on, since he'd replaced the old woman at the desk. Maya couldn't blame him, Riley was beautiful, inside and out, and she had such a unique and somewhat naive view of the world, it was hard not to love her. Maya had no trouble admitting that the guy was very attractive, but she wondered what he was actually like. She was never one to want to be with or around someone if they couldn't have a good friendship, because it took time to build her trust. Of course, if his current line of interest was Riley, Maya wanted nothing to do with him, as all that had done so far was cause problems.
Since Riley was staying downstairs a little longer and Maya was sharing a room with her, she had some time to herself to process things. She hadn't had a lot of time to really think about and process all the things that were happening in her life right now. Her mom was getting married. To Shawn Hunter. That was great, she loved Shawn, he understood her, and loved both of the Hart women. But, there were so many things that were going to have to change with her life with just the impending marriage. They were moving, where to, she didn't know yet. There was going to be a new person living with them and she wasn't sure if Gammy Hart was going to be living with them still, or what. Plus, she was really just getting used to having her mother around and more involved in her life and now she was going to have a whole other parent, she's never had that much parental supervision before...She wasn't sure how to take it. She loves Shawn, but there's still a part of her, a part that fluctuates in size, that is scared that he's going to change his mind and leave. Leave and never come back.
Maya glanced at the clock, it had been awhile and Riley still hadn't come upstairs. It had been at least an hour and Maya had spent all that time contemplating her mother's upcoming marriage and the changes that were coming with it. She hadn't even gotten to the rest of the big things going on in her life lately. Like the fact that Riley was convinced, and had managed to convince basically everyone else that Maya had become another Riley. It was, true that Maya had lost herself a little bit for awhile there, but she didn't think that she'd become a clone of Riley. Honestly, Maya wasn't sure who she was anymore, she was good a pretending to act like she used to, but it took more effort than it should if that was the person she really was now. She must still be lost somewhere.
Maya had a sense that it would be quite awhile until Riley came up to the room if she made it up at all. On her way up to bed, she'd noticed Cheekbones trying to gather his courage to talk to her pretty brunette best friend/sister. That meant, that Maya had the room herself and she could do as she wished. There was no one to have to explain things to and no one for which to keep up her facade.
What she wished was that she wasn't stuck in this room. She was feeling very...Clausterphobic wasn't the right word, maybe confined, either way, she wanted some more space. So, she made her way to the balcony to stare up at the stars. She grabbed a jacket and her art bag on the way out. The sky was breathtaking. So many stars. It rivaled what she'd seen in Texas. With that thought, she was feeling very much confined and her breath was taken for an entirely different reason.
She needed to do something. There were a table and chairs to her right, in the corner of the balcony. She looked up again, but not quite as high as the night sky. The roof wasn't that far up if she could just get a bit of a boost...Within a few moments, she'd climbed her way onto the top of the roof. It took a moment to find a flat, comfortable spot, but once she had, she sprawled out and took a deep breath. The feeling of tightness in her chest from being confined on the ground and by her thoughts had lessened. She estimated that in a few more moments it would be gone completely.
The sounds of nature surrounded her. Crickets, cicadas, and owls all chatted with their kin. It was soothing for Maya, it allowed her to feel her problems were very far away. She wished she could stay here forever. Eventually, she began to drowse.
"You know, if you fall from up here, our insurance is going to go through the roof." Maya jumped at the voice and turned her head in its direction. There was and older version of Cheekbones balancing a couple feet away. He appeared to be only a few years older.
She pushed herself up on her elbows. "Nah, your insurance wouldn't cover it if I fell because I came up here on my own. You guys wouldn't be liable."
He smiled and pointed his chin to a spot next to her. "You got enough room for some company?"
She scooted over a bit. "Sure. I'm Maya."
"Thanks. I'm Jordan. My family owns this lodge."
Maya nodded, choosing to not mention that she'd already figured that out.
"What brings you up here?"
Maya considered a slightly sarcastic answer, such as my legs, but opted for a less literal one. "I was feeling a little cooped up in my room and wanted some fresh air."
"You know, we have perfectly good stairs, right? In fact, they are awesome stairs. Hand carved by...someone. I don't know who, I stopped listening at that point."
Maya laughed. She got a good feeling about Jordan. "Lights out has already been called by the chaperones, so actually using the stairs to get outside was kind of out of the question."
"Oh, you're here with the Abigail Adams group."
"Yep." She popped the 'p' when she answered this time.
"Would it be too personal of me to ask why you felt the need to escape our lovely rooms?"
Maya sighed, she knew that sometimes it was easier to tell a stranger about personal problems because they didn't have a stake in them or something like that. But right now, she just didn't want to think about it. "Um. Maybe I'll tell you about it later?"
She felt Jordan nod next to her. "Okay. What would you like to talk about then?"
Maya let out a mental sigh of relief, not sure why she was relieved in the first place. "I don't know." She admitted. "How about you tell me a little bit about yourself and I'll tell you a little bit about myself?"
"Sounds like a plan, Miss Maya. Okay, let's see, you already know my first name and that my family owns this lodge… Well, actually, my mom's side of the family own the lodge, but we run it. She taught me to love the outdoors and the mountains. But my dad is an artist, he mostly paints, but he'll do a sculpture every now and then. He runs a little gallery in town."
Maya perked up at the mention of art. "Really? That's amazing! I love art too. Sometimes, I think it's the only thing I'm good at!"
"I doubt that's the only thing you're good at, Maya, but I understand where you're coming from. There are times that I feel like my music is the only thing I've got going for me."
Maya asked about his music and he asked about her art. They talked for hours about anything that popped into their heads. They compared favorite artists and movies and bands and T.V. shows and books and authors and subjects in school. They talked about how they didn't understand how someone could actually pick a favorite color when each color had it's own unique attributes and uses and beauty.
Maya learned that Jordan was 17-years-old and he had a little brother, Evan (Cheekbones from downstairs) and two little sisters, twins, Abby and Annie. Both of his parents had been born in New York and while his dad, Rick, had grown up there, his mom, Lauren, had moved up here when she was thirteen. His parents had met during their respective Senior Trips while in high school. They had bonded over the last scoop of cherry chocolate chip at an ice cream shop and the rest was history.
She also learned that both he and Evan worked at the lodge, not only to help out their family but for extra spending money. His band also worked the weddings and other venues that came through...Well, they had first auditions, anyway.
Maya talked long about her art and her music and how they were her passions. She told Jordan about her fears about her mom and Shawn getting married. And about how she was feeling lost and unsure of who she was anymore. She talked a little bit about her friends and how they were part of the reason she wasn't sure anymore.
Jordan didn't try to offer any advice, he just listened. For that Maya was grateful. She knew she needed to figure this out on her own and he seemed to understand that as well. Maya yawned and stretched. She took a moment to appreciate Jordan in the lightening darkness. Not only was he a terrific listener and put her at ease without any effort, it seemed. He was also very good looking, physically. The color of his eyes reminded her of storm clouds, grey-blue, with hints of silver. His hair was a dark brown, almost black, and he kept it in messy curls. He had the same sharp cheekbones as his brother, or rather, his brother had the same cheekbones as Jordan. His mouth was sensitive and expressive. His skin was light, but with light freckles sprinkling the bridge of his nose. His nose was slightly crooked where he'd broken it after failing to turn properly and on time while skiing and run into a tree (he'd told her the story a few hours before).
He was looking at her too, in the same appraising way she imagined she was looking at him. Strangely, she didn't feel self-conscious about it. She felt peaceful and safe up here with him. It had been a long time since she'd felt like that. Then, she noticed the sun peeking out from the horizon and realised that they'd been up there all night. She was okay with that too.
~~~
They watched the sunrise together for a few minutes before he broke their silence. "I really enjoyed talking to you, Maya. I'd like to do it again."
She smiled at him. "I'd like that too. Here, I'll give you my number and we can keep this up after I've gone back to the City." He gave her his number too and they scrambled their ways back to where they needed to be.