So, to anyone who's following me and waiting for updates on The Words: don't worry, I do plan on continuing that soon. This story is something I was working on a little bit while I was on hiatus. I've actually already finished this story, and I plan on uploading a chapter approximately every week. So even if I fall hopelessly behind on everything else, there should at least be this.

Anyway, enjoy the story!

Maya paced back and forth in her living room, her glance shifting between the clock (7:56) and the notecards in her hand. She could feel the anxiety rising in her stomach. Normally she would call Riley at a time like this, but she couldn't. Not for this. Not yet.

Maya sank down onto the couch, trying to calm herself down. Her mom's work shift ended at 8 that night, so it wouldn't be too long before she and Shawn got home. Maya glanced up at the clock again. 7:58. She sighed and pushed herself off the couch again, resuming her pacing.

No matter what she tried, no matter how many pep talks she gave herself, she just couldn't calm down. She sighed again, sat back down on the couch. She picked up her unfinished history homework and tried to focus on it in an effort to distract herself.

It didn't work.

8:01. Maya clicked on the TV, flipped through a few channels, clicked it back off.

8:02. Maya pulled out her sketchbook and started working on a drawing, She'd started it yesterday and was aching to finish it. It was a sketch of Riley, done in all different shades of yellow and orange like the ray of sunshine that she was. Amazingly, the drawing succeeded in distracting Maya, and her nerves temporarily melted away.

That is, until a few minutes later (8:08), when Katy walked in the door, Shawn close behind her. "How was your day, kiddo?" Shawn asked.

Maya shut her sketchbook and jumped up from the couch. "I- it was good. Uh, I um," she stammered.

"Everything okay, baby girl?" Katy asked.

"Yeah." Maya said. "Yeah. I just . . . there's something I need to tell you."

Katy glanced at her husband. The two of them sat down on the couch next to each other and looked at Maya expectantly.

Maya glanced down at the notes she'd written. They no longer felt right for the moment. She crumpled the notecards in her hand, looked up at Katy and Shawn, and said, "I . . . think I might be a lesbian."

"Okay," Shawn said.

"Okay," Maya repeated, her voice shaking slightly.

Katy reached out and grabbed her daughter's hand. "Baby girl, did you think there was anything you could say that would make us love you any less?"

Maya sat down next to her mother and leaned her head on her shoulder, tears shining in her eyes.

"We love you no matter what, Maya," Shawn said. "We support you."

The tears spilled down onto Maya's cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered.

. . .

Two down, seven to go.

. . .

Standing in Topanga's Bakery right after coming out to her friends, Maya registered their movements before she heard the words any of them said, like she was watching a bad-quality video where the lips and words didn't quite match up.

Zay shrugged.

Smackle leaned forward slightly, looking intrigued by the news.

Farkle smiled slightly.

Lucas shifted uncomfortably.

Riley immediately threw her arms around her best friend.

The words came next.

"Okay," Zay said, seeming a bit indifferent.

Lucas mumbled something along the lines of, "Great, that's . . . great, Maya," without making eye contact.

Farkle and Smackle were both quiet. Maya turned to Farkle, a grin of her own starting to form on her face. "You knew, didn't you?"

Farkle smiled wider. "I had a hunch."

Maya pulled Farkle into a hug.

"Didn't you also have a hunch th-" Smackle started. Farkle quickly covered her mouth with his hand and gave her a pointed look. "Right, sorry," she said.

Maya turned back to Riley, who grabbed both of her hands and said, "I'm proud of you, Peaches."

Maya couldn't help feeling like there was something a little . . . off in the way Riley said it, but she shrugged it off for the time being. For now, she just wanted to be with her friends, safe and accepted.

. . .

Maya stood in front of Cory and Topanga, having explained her sexuality for the third time in less than 24 hours. Topanga immediately pulled Maya into a hug. "It takes a lot of strength to open up about something like this, Maya. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Maya said, pulling back from the hug. "You still trust me with your daughter, right?" she joked.

"Maya, you've always been you," Cory said. "We've always trusted you with Riley before. I see no reason for that to change."

Maya held onto those words. She was still her. Riley was still Riley. Nothing could change that.

Please review, it'll make my day. (Seriously, I've jumped up and down over getting reviews before.)