The smoke always started in the afternoons. After school had finished, there was usually a direct path to Topangas. Although lately Maya had noticed that Riley and Lucas have been taking a little longer to catch up with the rest of the flock. Over time, the gap of time continued to widen.

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

15 minutes.

So in order to keep her mind occupied, she numbed it with a simple rhythm. Sure, it was slightly irritating, but it was a lot more of a friendly thought than ones involving Riley and Lucas.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Why do you tap your fingernails so much?" Smackle asked Maya.

Maya leaned back into her seat, letting a small pause tease the air as she pursed her lips in thought.

"Does it bother you?" When she finally spoke, Maya's tone was cool and collected, completely contrasting against her rapid heartbeat.

After pursing her lips for a few seconds, Smackle opened her mouth to speak.

"Not that I care much," Maya added with a snort.

This is when Farkle placed his tongue in his cheek, the gears of his brain carefully turning, after taking in Maya's words, absorbing it into his sponge-like mind, he decided how to proceed.

"Tapping of one's fingernails is a sign of agitation, what's up?" Farkle asked her, his voice was gentle, as if it was carrying a frail bird with a broken wing.

Maya took in a deep breath, and also took in the sight of Farkle and Smackle. The two were adorable together, his arm always around her shoulder, however the couple never sat too closely. Their legs never touched, their feet didn't do the stupid feet thing. Riley and Lucas on the other hand, they did the stupid feet thing.

"Just wondering when Riley and Huckleberry are going to show up," Maya replied dryly.

"Are you still mad that you lost?" Smackle blurted out.

Maya's posture immediately jerked into a more upright position. Her usually calmed blue eyes were now set ablaze. Farkle immediately gulped at the sight, and gave Smackle a nervous glance.

"I didn't lose anything," Maya seethed, "did you not pay attention to all the weird mumbo jumbo."

"You mean hunk boy's theory?"

Farkle rolled his eyes at Smackle's comment.

"There was still a triangle, and you still didn't get him," Smackle pointed out, "besides, you're always really moody when this subject comes up."

"I don't like my friendship being degraded like this," Maya spat, "I meant what I said, if you know me at all, then you would know I wouldn't want anything that was Riley's."

"I call bullshit," Farkle coughed.

Maya put her tongue in her cheek and fixed her blazing eyes onto Farkle.

"Do you want to test me," she hissed.

Apparently Farkle had a death wish. He abruptly stood up and grabbed a protesting Maya by the arm, dragging her outside of the coffee shop they were in.

"Are you crazy just leaving your girlfriend in there-"

"I'm a genius," Farkle stated, his eyebrows were furrowed and his facial expression was dead set on serious.

Maya pursed her lips, a dangerous fire still danced around her eyes.

"Did you seriously drag me out here just to tell me-"

"You and Riley have always called me a genius," he interrupted, "which means I know a lot of things."

Maya's gaze, if at all possible, turned even more sour.

"Come on Maya," Farkle sighed, "we both know how you really feel about him."

Maya let out a low rumble that slightly resembled a rather dark, humourless chuckle. Farkle, at this point, was now scared that his best friend was going to morph into some sort of she-devil.

"How hypocritical," Maya whispered.

Farkle tipped his head back and groaned, but before he could protest, Maya carried on.

"Here you are, dragging me outside leaving your GIRLFRIEND-"

"Maya," Farkle warned.

"In order to lecture ME about DENIED feelings!"

Farkle's eyes widened in fear as his focus latched onto something behind Maya.

"Riley and Lucas are nearing us," Farkle muttered to her.

That immediately shut Maya up, and although every bone in her body protested, she spun around to get a view of the couple. Riley and Lucas were hand-in-hand, waltzing down the footpath, toothy beams lighting up both of their faces. Moments like this captured them perfectly, they were happy, goofy and in a state of deep puppy love.

"You feel that stab?" Maya chuckled weakly, her eyes refusing to tear away from the sight that's causing her pain. The embers that were teasing her stomach sparked a flickering light.

"Every time," Farkle whispered hoarsely, his knuckles slowly turning white from his tight grasp.

Maya tried to ignore rest of the afternoon. She continued tapping her fingernails against the coffee table, hoping that the sound of her nail against the cold wood would drown out the giggles Riley would let out every time Lucas said something to her. She continued to hope that when she looked at her best friend she could enjoy her smile, and ignore the ache in her chest when she sees her smile is filled with love directed at the man beside her. She continued to hope that she could subdue the burn. The one from a fire that sparked in her gut, that slowly grew to a small flame. A small blue flame that spread to her chest and her throat. It was a flame she tried to drown immediately, for if she let it burn it would later reach her eyes. Once this flame reached her eyes late at night the floodgates would open, tears would flow freely down a hot face in hopes that she could stop the burn, and turn the flame to smoke.

For now, while at the coffee shop, she sucked in a deep breath and let out a smile. For when she looked at Riley, it gave her a good enough reason to let it burn.