Girl Meets Drabbles – Part 1
*Author's Note: I'm baaaaackkk! After a long hiatus I have finally returned to writing. Now I'm coming back slow so I won't be doing any long multi-chapter stories but what I'm hoping this will turn into is a series of drabbles that I'll put in one spot for ya! Alright that's all for now – enjoy!*
Prompt: My take on the GM Ski Lodge "plot- twist"
Maya was never a fan of snow. Like most New Yorkers she found the snow to be nothing more than a cold, wet nuisance. Besides from her spot in the window she had a perfect view of all the scenic beauty this ski lodge had to offer. The moonlight making the trees and everything around them glow, casting shadows on the snow that were soon disturbed by one of her classmates running through it. Normally Maya would've rushed to her room to grab her sketchbook but nowadays she was distracted by other things on her mind. At the top of the list was usually the flaxen haired cowboy who had moseyed on into her life and turned everything she thought she knew upside down.
Right before this big class ski trip Maya had overheard Lucas and Riley talking about the "situation" the three of them had been in since last year. As usual both goodie-two shoes didn't want anyone to get hurt, it was terribly optimistic of them. This had been the reason why Maya kept her feelings to herself in the first place, but because of Riley's ever growing influence on her Maya decided to try putting herself out there, opening up to the idea that she could get the guy and be happy. But after hearing Riley and Lucas' pained conversation, and going on a journey of self-discovery, Maya decided to bite the bullet and let her princess have her prince. She told Lucas the next day that it turned out she didn't "like like" him after all and that he should be with Riley instead. Words that left her heart a little worse for wear. He took her at her word, never once questioning it and since then Lucas and Riley had been the picture of a perfect couple, he held her books for her and she cheered him on at all of his basketball games. Maya however found herself drifting away from Lucas. She knew that it would hurt to see him happy with someone else, but if she didn't see it she figured it wouldn't hurt. Unfortunately that turned out to not be the case for here she stood looking out the window nursing her broken heart without Lucas or Riley in sight. That was until they came into view each with a snowball in their hand aimed at Farkle. Riley faked throwing the snowball at the resident genius and aimed it at Lucas instead hitting him in the shoulder. He then responded by chasing her through the snow banks and that's when Maya decided she'd had enough of looking out the window and proceeded to sit down in one of the big chairs by the fireplace in the middle of the room. Small as she was Maya managed to tuck her whole body into the chair getting into a comfortable position before staring into the dancing embers once again. Her peace was soon interrupted by a draft sweeping through the room from the opened door, signaling that someone was coming inside. Usually Maya paid no attention but for some reason she found her gaze directed to none other than Lucas himself.
His cheeks were flush from being outside and the tips of his ears looked like they'd been stained with strawberries. All in all he was a vision, but it was the way his smile seemed a little brighter when his eyes met Maya's that really clenched her heart.
"Hey, why aren't you outside? You're missing all the fun." He asked.
"No thanks, I'm not really the play in the snow type."
"Really? Could've fooled me last year when we had that snow day off from school and we built that ice fort in central park." Lucas said walking towards the hot chocolate station the ski lodge had set up by the front desk.
"That was a good day." Maya said smiling at the memory before quickly ushering it off her face.
"You want one?" he asked her as he poured the hot water into the cup with his cocoa powder.
"No thanks, I was actually just going up to my room."
"Right now? I thought we could sit for a while. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."
"Maybe next time…" Maya said.
"Please." Lucas pleaded almost begging. It was the softness of his voice that made Maya resume her position in her chair as Lucas draped his coat and scarf over the back of the chair next to hers before sitting down. They both sat in that comfortable silence that usually hung between them, except now it had a hint of awkward.
"Riley tried making a snow angel before." Lucas said breaking the silence.
"Oh yeah, how'd that work out for her?"
"Well it turned out to be more of a snow blob. She got some snow in her shirt so she waved her arms all over and messed up the shape."
"That's our girl"
"Yeah." Lucas said once again bringing the hint of awkwardness back.
"Well this has been fun Lucas but I think I'm gonna turn in." Maya said making a break for the stairs.
"Huckleberry." Lucas said making Maya freeze in place. "Maya why don't you call me Huckleberry anymore?"
Maya remained frozen, afraid to turn around and face what she feared was coming, a confrontation.
"Huckleberry? Ranger Rick? Hop-along? Why don't you call me those names anymore?" Lucas asked once again in that soft voice Maya felt tearing her apart. She knew she shouldn't say anything that she should just keep walking and not turn around. Turning around would only lead to trouble. But trouble was always what Maya did best.
"Because you started calling Riley your girlfriend." She replied trying her best to hide her pain.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"It's EVERYTHING!" Maya found herself shouting, finally letting out all the anger, sadness, and hostility she'd been holding in. "Nothing was ever going to change! We would've all been caught up in this mess the rest of our lives because no one was ever going to do anything. Because we all wanted to avoid pain. Well wake up, life is pain. Someone had to get hurt; someone was bound to get hurt. So I did what I had to do."
"What did you do?" Lucas said sounding almost like he was getting angry.
"It doesn't matter what I did. You and Riley are together and happy and that's all that matters."
"Maya WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"I LIED!" Maya said finally letting down all her walls. "I lied about liking you because… be-because that's what needed to be done." She said as the tears started pouring out of her eyes. Normally Maya wouldn't be so upfront about her feelings but she knew that Lucas was one of the few people she could trust. "The truth is I care about you a-a lot and I d-don't know what to do because… Riley… and I thought it was the right thing to d-do. But a-all it does is h-hurt." Maya said finally making eye contact with Lucas to see a pain in his eyes she knew all too well, but she also saw understanding. She didn't realize how close Lucas had gotten to her until he pulled her in for a hug. Maya quickly wrapped her arms around his midsection and sobbed into his shirt. Lucas placed his arms wrapped around her with his joint hands landing on the small of her back, resting his head atop of hers. As Maya's sobs became less and less she waited for the embarrassment to settle in but it never came. Instead she lifted her head and tried to make her way out of Lucas' arms but he didn't move them. But he just gazed into Maya's eyes, with the same look he had at the campfire, a moment that seemed a so far away now.
"Maya I…" he started to say before that familiar draft made its way up their spines. They turned to see Farkle standing in the doorway watching them with his mouth agape.
To Be Continued…
