Riley was lying down on her bed, under her blankets, reading quietly.

Maya then suddenly came in through the window, much to Riley's surprise and delight. Maya smiled and ran over to her, leaping onto the bed.

"Ow, Maya!" Riley yelled out, then quickly covered her mouth.

Maya had accidentally landed on Riley's ankle, but it shouldn't have hurt that bad. Maya moved off and looked at Riley with a serious expression. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Riley looked out the window and said nothing.

Maya tucked her hand under Riley's chin and made her look at her.

Riley sighed and locked eyes with Maya.

Maya knew that Riley wasn't exactly stubborn, but she was still someone who didn't want people to worry. She smiled comfortingly and whispered, "Hey, you can tell me." Maya still had a hold on Riley's chin, so even if she wanted to look away, she couldn't.

Riley sighed again. "I hurt my ankle. Well, to be more exact, someone else hurt my ankle..."

Maya expression darkened, anger trying to take hold of her. She shoved that feeling away as she softly asked, "Can I see it, Riles?"

Riley sat up and removed the blanket, revealing her ankle.

Maya took one look at it and the anger came back.

Riley noticed the look on Maya's face, so placed a hand on Maya's cheek, comforting her.

Maya's anger vanished because of Riley's touch, but she was left feeling really bad. She didn't protect her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you...," She whispered under her breath.

Riley smiled warmly. "It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm too nice."

Maya said nothing and hugged Riley closer, which, in turn, made Riley flinch. "Oh, sorry, I didnt mean to touch your ankle," Maya quickly apologized.

Riley looked up, and Maya knew that that time, it wasn't her ankle.

"Riley... no more hiding. What. Happened?"

Riley sighed. "It's not just my ankle... there are bruises on my arms too..."

Maya looked down and sure enough, Riley was wearing long sleeves in the middle of summer.

Maya nodded, but didn't push it and ask to see those as well. She then smiled, faking how she really felt about the situation. "Come on, let's go get some ice for that ankle."

Maya, who didn't want Riley to accidentally hurt herself more, carried her out to the living room and set her in the couch. She then went over to the freezer and got an ice pack for her. When she came back and handed it to Riley, she insisted, "You need this so don't refuse it."

Riley nodded and reluctantly took it from her.

Maya let Riley lay across her lap and patted her on the leg. "You aren't going to get away with not showing me your other bruises, you know. At some point you need to show me, alright?"

Riley breathed out. "Fine... I'll show you." She then sat up and rolled up her sleeves, revealing several bruises.

Maya let her jaw drop. Her little plant was hurting... and bad. She leaned over and softly kissed Riley on the cheek, making an attempt to comfort her friend. She then carefully held onto Riley's arms, trying to see how bad it still hurt.

Riley winced a little.

Maya let her go. "Please don't keep this from me next time, I want to help you."

Riley nodded once. "I just didn't want you to be angry..."

Maya sighed. "I'm you best friend, I'm always going to be protective of you."