Maya Hart didn't have many things in life; her father left to live another life with another family. She sometimes got Christmas cards from him and his perfect blond wife and their perfect blond little green eyed boy. She would burn every single one the moment she found them in her mailbox. Her mother was never around for anything Maya did; right now she was wiping down tables, getting ready to finish her shift at the Nighthawk before she went to her boyfriend's house. The boyfriend that would sometimes smack her across the face for not cooking his steak just the way he wanted; the boyfriend that would make Maya shiver in disgust every morning with just one look. No, Maya didn't have many things in life but she did have a few. She had her art, which took her to another level; away from all the disappointments from life that Maya tried to push away but that still found a way into her head. She had the Matthews family who had become like her real family when the one she had didn't really want her. But most importantly, she had… her. The one thing that kept Maya going in the darkest of days. She had her. And she was laying right beside her on her bed, in the home that felt more like a home than anything ever had.

Maya was having a hard time falling asleep; the weight of all her thoughts kept her tossing and turning. But the moment she looked over to see Riley's sleeping form and really listened to her light snores and the rhythm of her breathing, Maya started to feel more at ease. Which is why she couldn't help herself from turning on her side, from watching Riley's chest fall up and down and from noticing the little twitches on Riley's face which meant that she was having some sort of dream. Maya wondered what Riley was dreaming of; more accurately though Maya hoped that Riley was dreaming of her, just like Maya did most nights. It still amazed her how lucky she was to have Riley by her side; she felt unworthy sometimes because Riley was amazing. She was loyal and still believed in the good in people, even though high school has been a little rough for her. She was picked on a bit after they left the safety of middle school but Maya had been there; Maya would always be there to protect her girl. But she still felt guilty because Maya was Riley's best friend and vice versa but god, how Maya wished her and Riley to be so much more. And that's what made Maya feel guilty; she's felt this crazy, manic, wonderful, chaotic, heart wrenching, soul lifting love for Riley for so long that when Maya finally understood what it meant, well she couldn't let herself think for one second that Riley could ever feel the same way. She never let herself have hope; that's how she tried to shield herself from the disappointments in life. But that's harder to do when Riley's big brown eyes and gorgeous smile tells her to take a leap of faith.

"How long have you been awake for?" Maya hears a sleepy whisper cut through the silence of Riley's room. Maya smirks and props her head up on her hand, looking at Riley as she tries to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"I never went to sleep. You're the one that passed out on me."

"You know we have school tomorrow."

"Yes, Riley. I know. Just like every other day. It's all the same." Riley huffed and glared at Maya, which just made Maya's smirk grow even more seeing her get all riled up.

"Well it's our senior year and I just don't want you to mess things up. It's our most important year Maya and at the end, when we graduate, I want you up there on that stage. With me. Right by my side." Maya's smirk disappeared slowly, the seriousness of her friend's face making reality sink in again. She knew it was their senior year and this was the year where everything could change. This is the year where everybody would be deciding where their lives were going to take them next and the scariest part of it all was that she didn't know where she was going to go. But most importantly, she didn't know if she would end up where Riley went and that made Maya panic like crazy. She felt a warm hand on her face and she focused her eyes on her best friend, on the girl who grounded her, who made her want to be a better version of herself. She felt the hand on her face move to place a strand of her hair behind her ear and Maya found herself smiling despite of what she was feeling inside.

"We're going to be okay, Maya. I know it. Whatever happens, we'll stay together."

"You don't know that, Rils. You can't always control everything." It was a phrase Maya said often to Riley but it never seemed to make a difference. Just like it didn't seem to make a difference right now.

"You still underestimate me after all these years. We'll both graduate this year and go off to the same college and live together and just be best friends forever. It's a full proof plan" Riley exclaimed with her mega-watt smile which never failed to melt Maya's heart. Maya softly shook her head and leant down to gently kiss Riley on her head.

"You're right; it's a fool proof plan. But why don't you get some sleep though? Like you said, we have school tomorrow. Just go to sleep, okay?" Riley huffed slightly but nodded her head in acquiescence. She slung her arm across Maya's waist and hugged her tightly and Maya felt like she was on top of the world. But as the minutes went by and Riley's even breathing and light snores came back, Maya's thoughts bombarded her again. She felt a lone tear fall from her eye down her cheek and she looked down at Riley's peaceful face.

"You can't always save me, Rils. But I thank the heavens that you always try." With that, Maya closed her eyes and tried to soothe herself by listening to the sounds coming from her best friend until she too was able to fall fast asleep.