Maya knew three things for certain about life.
One: Mistakes came with consequences. She was living proof of that fact and was reminded of it daily.
Her mom wanted nothing more than to be an actress, but she fell in love. Next came, as it did with most romantic relationships, sex. And then, as if by a well-tuned machine, the news of an impending baby arrived.
Maya's father did "The Right Thing" and married her mom before anyone could figure out there was an unplanned addition on the way.
The fact Katy Hart was a divorced, struggling actress who paid the bills by waitressing was enough to assure Maya that you could never make a mistake in this life for free. There'd always be a price no matter how good the risk might look.
Two: Broken hearts will keep on beating.
Her mom had a few boyfriends after the divorce and they were all duds. Then there was Peter Rosen. Maya called him P. Rosen and thought he was the coolest guy in the world. He took Maya to concerts, record stores, open mic nights, poetry readings, and anything expressing the arts that he could find. Peter saw that Maya had talent and wanted to foster it. She even got him a card for Father's Day because she cared that much.
Maya overheard Peter propose to her mother one night after a dinner date. She silently prayed that Katy would say "Yes." … She was crushed when the answer was a cold, quick, and hard "No."
That was the last time Katy brought home a boyfriend and it was the last time Maya ever tried to understand her mother's choices.
Three: Love comes along in the weirdest ways.
Maya always liked brown eyes. Didn't matter if they were on a boy or girl. She just liked brown eyes. She used to say brown eyes seemed more honest than any other color. So when she met Riley Matthews and saw her brown eyes, she knew this person could be trusted.
Riley was everything Maya wasn't. She always tried to bring out the best in people. She was kind, loving, compassionate, and sweet. Maya felt like a better person for having known Riley. So when their relationship began to change, Maya had an odd mix of emotions. Not wanting to end up heartbroken and Riley-less, she kept her feelings inside and stayed that way longer than most would.
On the night of their high school graduation, Riley handed Maya a card. It was homemade out of construction paper, crayons, and stickers. The front read, "The Top 3 Reasons to Love Maya Hart". This didn't strike Maya as anything out of the norm, because the two were always expressing love towards one another.
Maya giggled as she opened the card as Riley smiled wide. "Reason One," Maya began reading. "She is the most honest person you will ever love."
Maya nodded in agreement as she read on, "She is the loyalest person you'll ever love."
Riley giggled, "You can't deny that one either." Maya smiled at her Sweetie before reading the last one.
"She's too perfect to not fall in love with… I would know. I'm head over heels crazy about her…" Maya trailed off realizing what she'd just read. The girls connected stares then.
"I'm in love with you, Maya." Riley spoke in her typical honest tone.
Maya began to cry then, "You're the first person I've had that came into my life and didn't leave. To say I didn't have stronger than platonic feelings would be a lie… I think I might be in love with you too, Riles."
"Shall we explore this together?" Riley smiled holding up her hand that held their ring.
Maya enthusiastically nodded, "Yes, we can." Their hands - and lips- joined together then.
Maya could now add another thing to her list… The Joys of Being Riley Matthews' Girlfriend.