Fanfic preview: /watch?v=aDpSFPHZnB8
The Return – What to Expect: /watch?v=OWnAT49eFH8

A/N: Hey all! I'm finally back with a new multichapter for you guys. I came up with this idea long before Girl Meets Texas, but I didn't come up with what I wanted after the first couple of chapters until a week before aired. So if you find any similarities between the two, along with The Longest Ride (which I have never read or watched), it is coincidental. Also, if you could please watch the two video links above that would be great. Both contain info on this fic and upcoming projects. I now present you the first chapter of And They Call it Rodeo!

Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World

Riley sighed as she rested her head on her hand and looked at the rain coming down the window, her breath fogging it up each time she released it. It was a rather dreary day for June, and usually Riley would spend this kind of day curled up on the sofa reading a book. But not today. Nope, she was on a road trip with Maya to only a place Riley's best friend knew. Whenever Riley tried to question Maya earlier on in the trip, Maya would say one of two things: 'away' or 'a place that is for your own good.' It didn't take long for Riley to realize that Maya wasn't going to tell, so she focused on the stack of books she had brought along with them. The unfortunate part of that was she had finished all of them a couple hours after they set back out on the road again this morning. So she was left with no books and an over curious imagination trying to guess where they were going. Sometimes she'd say random places that she'd see on passing highway signs, but Maya would simply shake her head and smile. After a while of this, Riley turned on some music, hoping to alleviate some boredom, but only that could help to a certain extent. Both that and the brief imaginary stories she would come up with for the passing scenery.

"You could at least give me my phone back," Riley said after another couple of hours of listening to the windshield wipers brush away the pelting rain.

Maya shook her head as she took a quick glimpse at the traffic behind her. "You know I can't do that, Riles," she responded.

"Why? I won't talk to him, I promise!"

Riley watched her best friend sigh as Maya turned her right blinker on to enter the text stop. Not for the first time during this trip, Riley raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Maya, what are you doing?" she asked, but her best friend didn't answer until they were parked.

"This," Maya replied as she pulled Riley's phone out of her back, punched in the passcode, and began to scroll. "'Riley, please talk to me', 'I'm really sorry about it', 'I never should have done it… again. I deeply regret it, okay?', 'Could you please respond? It's killing me…'," Maya finished as she looked up at her best friend. "And that's not including filling up your voicemail. I know you, Riley. You'll forgive him and take him back! This time you can't do that. He said he changed before, and either he had everybody fooled or he was fooling himself – quite frankly I think it's the former. And the whole thing you had with him just isn't healthy anymore. You need to keep a stiff upper hand, even if it's mine right now."

Riley looked down at her hands which were folded neatly in her lap and thought about what Maya had said about James. Both James and Riley became an item in the latter half of high school, but once college hit, something about him changed. He wasn't the same sweet, angelic person Riley knew. His blue eyes lost their sparkle and his brown hair fell flat. She had come to find out that he had cheated on her a few times, but Riley always took him back because he promised he would change. He always did – until it would happen again. The last time that it happened, to her knowledge, was a year ago, so when he proposed three weeks ago, Riley said yes in hopes that her James was back. And he appeared to be. However, two weeks after that moment, Riley and Maya walked into Wilfie & Nell on a tip from Farkle, another dear friend from high school who was in town on business, and saw him cozying up in a booth with a bleach blonde. Riley's reaction quite surprised Maya, for she went up to him, threw his water in his face (soaking the blonde as well), and stormed out.

"You're right Maya – it's not healthy. Although, I do think I'm over him –"

"You're still not getting your phone back," Maya cut off. "You say that it's right for now, but you're emotions are a mess right now. You'll get your phone back once you're a bit more stable."

Riley bit her lip, but she reluctantly nodded her head in agreement with her best friend.

"Good," Maya said as she turned off Riley's phone and threw it back in her purse. It landed with a soft thud, and Maya started the car and headed back onto the highway.

After another few miles of silence, Maya turned her head and spoke, "This trip is for the best… to help you get your mind off of him."

"I know that, but could you at least tell me where we're going?" Riley pleaded.

Maya let out a sigh of defeat. "Since we'll be there in a few more hours, I don't see why not. There are pamphlets on our first stop in the glove compartment."

Riley narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward and opened the small compartment. All this time and the answer was right in front of me. She grabbed the small stack of papers and glanced them over, and instead of finding satisfaction in finally knowing, confusion filled her instead. "Austin, Texas? Why, out of all the places in this country, would you pick Austin, Texas?"

Maya shrugged. "Because it's completely different from anything we're used to, and –"

"I know – I could use different. Quite frankly, I don't know how you got my dad to agree on this trip," Riley commented, referencing how much her father's overprotectiveness skyrocketed since she and James ended their engagement.

"It wasn't easy, believe me – but with the combination of me and your mom helped him cave."

An amused snort came from Riley's throat as the car shifted over towards its exit. After a couple more hours, they pulled into their hotel's parking lot. It was still raining when the two grabbed their luggage from the car and headed inside to check in. Once inside their room, Riley flopped down on one of the beds and covered her face with a pillow.

After setting her things down, Maya turned around and couldn't help but shake her head. This is why I still have her phone, she told herself. "So, do you want to go look around town?"

"No," Riley's muffled voice said.

"Okay, what about dinner?"

"Eating would only keep me alive."

Maya rolled her eyes as she threw herself down next to Riley and knocked the pillow off of her best friend's face. "Come on, Riles. I know it's hard right now, and all you want is for the world to end. But things will get better, and what better way is there than get out there and show the world that you're not going to let this drag you down."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

Maya tightened her lips into a thin line at the question. If it were anyone else asking, she would have flipped and avoided answering the question altogether, but this was her Riley asking. The Riley who had only been in one relationship before and that was with James. Maya only had a few more boyfriends than Riley, but the only one that made her feel like what Riley was currently going through, perhaps worse, was her breakup with Farkle. One of the few times she held out hope for anything and it backfired on her drastically. Maya decided to finally let Farkle take her out on a date towards the end of their senior year of high school, and she was quite surprised when she actually enjoyed it. He made her feel like no one had ever before. He knew how to make her feel special. Whenever they were together, Maya felt at ease – like it was meant to be between them. That was until about three months ago when Farkle ended their relationship. She probably wouldn't have taken it so hard if she knew the reason why it ended, but Farkle gave her no explanation, especially since there was no indicator that their relationship was heading south. Farkle had been a bit more distant than he usually was, but when she brought it up, he said it was nothing and that he was just busy. The day after their break up, Farkle left for the other side of the country for his job, at least that's what he told Riley. Somehow, she was able to hide how she was truly feeling to Riley. Just another normal situation for Maya Hart, hide everything behind a smile and life would go on.

He would come back every once in a while, claiming to be there on business, but he still didn't give her a reason. They were still friends – sort of. The two of them talked when they last saw each other, but it was really awkward for the both of them. While she wanted to try and sort things out, she was happy that she got pulled away from their conversation about ten minutes in.

It was amazing how people could be so close one moment, then to be complete strangers the next. Maya wasn't quite sure on their last brief encounter, but it was like he was yearning to tell her something, but for all she knew she was hoping for something that would never happen. What she wanted to see probably blinded her, and she had to move on. Eventually, she did. Sometimes she would still wake up in tears over it, but Maya had accepted the fact that it was over between them, and things just weren't meant to be.

She shifted her gaze downward and forced a breath out. "Sort of. But I'm speaking generally as well. It's not good to dwell in what was, especially with James. He's not good for you, and there's no point in wallowing over someone like that." Maya tried not to laugh at herself as she listened to her own words. Gee, I should listen to my own advice!

Riley sighed. "I know, I know. But I feel as if I can't help it."

"He was a huge part of your life for years, Riles. It's not easy to let go all at once."

"But how do I get over it?"

Maya sat up and laced her arm around Riley's arm. "By spending time with people like me and your family. Be around people who genuinely care for you."

Riley finally let a smile come over her lips. "I think I've got that covered."

"Good. Now, let's go get some food."

OoOoO

Like the previous two days, Maya was very tight lipped about where they were going. Except today, Maya didn't cave from Riley's constant pleas and didn't tell her where they were going. Riley only found out where they were going when they walked underneath one of the huge white tents that were set up.

"A rodeo? Really Maya?" she asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I didn't think it would be interesting for me; I only saw it to help get your mind off of you know who."

Riley opened her mouth to respond, but the unexpected sound of metal on metal screeching and clanging caused them to jump. They both turned to see a bull kicking and bucking out of the shoot, and it successfully knocked the rider off of his back within about two seconds. The bull rider quickly got up and headed over to the side, limping slightly from landing on his leg wrong.

"Well," Riley began, "if it doesn't do that, I can just imagine him underneath one of the bulls' feet."

Maya looked at her best friend and laughed. "Am I finally rubbing off on you?" she asked as the two approached the ring.

Riley crossed her arms and rested them on one of the metal bars of the gate surrounding the bull ring. "I think so."

A/N 2: How did you like the first chapter? Please, let me know what you thought of it and if there is anything that I should improve on/ add. I would really like some feedback instead of just seeing 'update'; seeing that doesn't help me improve. It would be greatly appreciated :) See you next week!