The bell rang throughout Abigail Adams High School, signaling the end of third period. The halls were flooded with students, all heading to their next class. Maya made her way to her locker, pushing through the crowd.
"Come on! Hurry up!" Maya yelled to the group of freshman in front of her. They parted to let the girl through. Maya sighed, finally reaching her locker. Maya was exhausted; she needed the day to go by faster. The bell rang, marking the end of the passing period. Great, she realized. Another tardy.
Maya started heading to fourth period when she got the feeling once again. She darted to the closest bathroom, rushing into a stall. She locks it behind her, barely managing to make it to the toilet before she throws up her breakfast.
Why does this keep happening? Maya thinks, sinking to the floor. She'd been throwing up on and off for the past few days. Maybe I have a stomach bug? The girl wonders as she attempts to pull herself from the cool tile .
Suddenly, another wave of nausea hits her, causing the blonde to lean back into the toilet. Maya continues to vomit until her stomach is finally emptied. She pulls her knees to her chest, resting her head against them and breathing heavily. She slips her phone out of her pocket to check the time: 10:36 AM, April 29.
Maya reads the date, once, twice, three times.
"Oh, no," Maya whispers to herself, "Oh my god, no!" She's shaking her head as it dawns on her. No, no, no, no. This can't be happening!
She's late. Super late.
She knows it can't be good. Maya's period was rarely late, let alone two weeks late.
Maya shakily stands up and leaves the bathroom stall. She smoothes down the front of her dress before washing her hands. Afterwards, she slips out the restroom into the hall; Maya decides she needs to go. Now.
It's not even halfway through the school day, but she does not care. Maya needs to talk to someone and get some answers. She knows exactly who she has to talk to.
The hallway is empty, giving her the opportunity to leave the school unnoticed. She finds the closest exit, managing to sneak past any roaming students and teachers.
The city is loud and bustling as she makes her way to the subway. She falls into sync with the crowd, blending in. Maya quickly enters the subway stop, barely making it onto the appropriate train.
Before she goes to her destination, she makes a stop at the drugstore. She roams up and down the aisles looking for the items she needs. It's a maze to her. Finally, Maya finds what she wishes she wasn't looking for: pregnancy tests.
It's overwhelming. They're expensive and scary and she can't figure out which one to buy. There are so many brands and types. She doesn't know which to pick.
Ninety-nine percent accurate? She thinks. I need one hundred percent accuracy, please and thank you.
Maya finally settles on two of the somewhat cheaper ones once she realizes she isn't the only one in the aisle. She grabs them and turns a corner to the register.
Maya makes her way through the line. She tries not to make eye contact. She quickly pays for the two tests, trying to avoid any conversation. The man hands her the change, bidding her a "Have a good day!" as she walks away.
"Good day, my ass," she mutters to herself as she continues her route. Maya makes her way to the building, using the front door for once. She's trembling by this point, scared to death.
She slowly approaches the Matthews' front door. She runs her hands through her hair before shakily knocking. Please be here. Please, Maya thinks. A few moments pass before the door opens.
"Maya? What are you doing here, sweetheart? Shouldn't you be at school?" questions Topanga, wearing a face of concern. She lets Maya in. The terrified blonde takes a seat.
"I left, I need help," Maya says, "I don't know what to do."
Topanga looks at the young woman, wondering what could have her in such a state, "What do you mean, Maya? I can try to help you, honey, but you have to tell me what's wrong."
She takes a deep breath, counting to three before exhaling. She could do this. It's Topanga; she'd trust her with anything. And Maya has to tell someone. "I think I might be pregnant, Topanga. I'm so scared," Maya confesses. By now she's crying, tears running down her face.
Topanga takes a sobbing Maya into her arms, holding her tight. "Oh, Maya," Topanga whispers to the girl. "It'll be okay." She turns to look Maya in the eyes, "Have you taken a test? Or gone to see a doctor?"
Maya sighs. "I got tests on my way here, but…" she starts. She doesn't know what to say. Maya never imagined she would be in this situation. She's only seventeen! She shouldn't be worrying about whether or not she's pregnant. Yet here she is.
"You're too scared," states Topanga. Maya nods. "Maya, you can't get yourself worked up unless you know for sure. Come on. Get up." She pulls Maya towards the bathroom.
Maya reaches into her bag, rummaging for the items she bought at the drugstore. She finds the plastic bag holding the two pregnancy tests. She leaves Topanga in the hall, needing her privacy. Maya shakes as she opens the two boxes. She reads the directions several times over. Pee on the stick. Wait three minutes. Two lines means pregnant, one means not pregnant. Simple. Maya thinks to herself. I can do this.
She follows the directions, leaving the tests on the edge of the tub. Maya catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
"You look like hell, Maya Penelope." She tells her reflection. She attempts to clear the mascara from beneath her eyes, but gives up and leaves the bathroom.
Maya meets Topanga in the hall. "Now we wait," says Maya. She sets a timer on her phone for 3 minutes. "Topanga, what am I going to do? What if I'm really pregnant? I can't be a mom! I'm only seventeen," she cries. A full minute hasn't passed before Maya's sobs start again.
"I promise you, sweetie, it'll be okay. Whether you are pregnant or not, I am here for you," assures Topanga as she pulls Maya close to her. She exhales, "Maya, you know what I need to ask, right?"
Maya sighs in defeat, "I don't want to tell you who the father is. Not yet." She checks the timer. Thirty seconds remain. Topanga gives her hand a squeeze, not letting go until the timer sounds. Here goes nothing, Maya thinks to herself.
It all starts on a Friday in March. The annual Spring Break Bash, hosted by none other than Missy Bradford, is in full swing.
Riley had forced Maya out of her house, dragging her along. Maya had absolutely zero desire to attend, but Riley wasn't giving her the option: She was going.
"It'll be fun!" Riley giggles, leading Maya to Missy's apartment.
"Doubt it, but at least there is free booze." Maya says, pushing through a throng of people.
"That's the Peaches I know and love!"
Free booze, she chants to herself. At least there is free booze.
But as soon as they enter the party, Riley finds Farkle, running off to be with her boyfriend. Maya is stuck at a party she doesn't even want to be at.
So Maya is left alone, nursing a second drink. (Or maybe it's her third?) At least until Lucas Cowboy Friar shows up, who seems to already have a few drinks in his system.
"Maya!" He says, dragging out her name. "You came!" Lucas yells over the music, slurring his words.
"Huckleberry!" Maya says, smiling.
"I didn't think you'd be here," Lucas states, standing close.
Maya sighs. "Riley dragged my ass here just to leave me for Farkle!" She yells dramatically.
"Then you're coming with me!" He slings his arm over her shoulder, guiding her through the crowd of teenagers. They don't stop, except once for more drinks. Soon they find themselves in a somewhat secluded area of the Bradfords' apartment.
Lucas and Maya sit down, giggling when Lucas managed to spill his drink all over himself.
They're both laughing and drunkenly rambling to each other. They've had too many drinks to realize what they're even talking about. There is an instance where Lucas is talking about the baseball season and Maya is talking about Bernie Sanders and neither realizes they're on different subjects.
Lucas and Maya seem to talk for hours, drinking and laughing. Some random senior offers them shots; they take them together, laughing their asses off when Maya can't handle the burn in her throat.
Maya isn't sure if it's the alcohol urging her closer and closer, or if it's just something that had always been there, only just now being brought out by the confidence that the dulling of her senses gave her. Their casual chatter turns to deep, slurred conversation. Someone makes an offhanded comment about wanting to kiss the other, and then their lips are inseparable.
They've fallen down the rabbit hole. Lucas is tugging on her waist, and she's leaning forward, her hand creeping down his chest. It's hot and sexy and full of burning sensations and their heavy breathing is nearly louder than the music pounding around them. Maya relaxes into him and the beautiful feeling of their bodies melding together is almost too much.
Maya is the first to pull away, "What are we doing, Lucas?" She's confused and concerned but most of all drunk.
"We were kissing. At least I think we were," Lucas laughs, slightly questioning himself. Maya shrugs, pulling the boy closer. What happens during spring break doesn't really matter, right? They're all just trying to have fun.
Lucas leans in closer, pushing her hair out of her eyes before kissing her once again. It starts gentle, getting more heated as time passes. There are hands everywhere, on Lucas' chest and on Maya hips. They break apart for air.
"Let's take this someplace private," Lucas whispers. His lips brush her ear, giving her chills. He grabs her hand, lacing their fingers together. Lucas leads them to a hallway and into a bedroom. It's dark, an open window illuminating the room just enough to see each other. Maya pulls the door shut, locking it.
She pushes Lucas onto the bed, straddling him. She's kissing his jaw when he interrupts her, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
She looks him in the eyes and laughs. She kisses him again, "Of course I do, Huckleberry."
Soon Maya's unbuttoning his shirt and his hands are at her hips. Lucas breaks the kiss, pulling his shirt off. She stands up, taking this opportunity to kick her boots off and rid herself of her top and skirt.
Lucas stares, taking in the view. "Like what you see, Ranger Rick?" Maya teases, looking Lucas in the eyes. He nods and stands up. Lucas pulls her close, leaning down to kiss her temple. Maya's lack of shoes cause him to tower over her.
Maya is reaching for his belt buckle, taking the belt off of him. He pauses to pull his shoes off, before letting Maya unbutton his jeans and pushes them down. Lucas takes them off. They're both left in their underwear, standing close together. Lucas and Maya end up on the bed, skin to skin. He grabs Maya and flips them over, leaving himself on the top. He takes the lead; Maya doesn't complain.
It's fast and hot and loud. They're a tangled mess of limbs. Maya is thankful for the music that drowns out her moans.
Then it's over. The two get cleaned up and redressed. "Not so bad, Huckleberry," Maya admits. Lucas smiles, winking at the girl before he leaves the room. Maya slips into the hallway, heading back into the party.
"Maya, honey," Topanga says, pulling Maya from her daze, "You have to look."
Maya takes a deep breath, holding it until she saw the two tests. She exhaled and looked closely.
Two lines for the first test.
Two lines for the second.
Maya Hart is pregnant.
She's sobbing again and Topanga is holding her, whispering, "It'll be okay, Maya. It'll be okay," over and over, trying to console her. "Look at me, Maya," Topanga tells the girl.
Maya meets Topanga's eyes, hiccupping from crying. "I don't know what to do, Topanga! I know nothing about being a mom," Maya lets out.
"Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe." Topanga takes the girl's hand, "I'm here for you, Maya. I always am."
Maya takes in a shallow breath, letting it out quickly. "Thank you, Topanga."
Topanga gives her hand a squeeze, "Do you have a doctor you can go to?"
Maya shakes her head. "Mom and I rarely get sick. I can't tell you the last time I saw a doctor," she admits.
"I'm going to call my doctor for you," Topanga tells her, "The most important thing is making sure that you're both healthy."
Maya's breath catches at the word both. Both. She's actually carrying another human being. A baby. Maya is so distracted that she hardly realizes that Topanga already returned from her phone call.
"Alright, I got you an appointment for Thursday at 4, does that work?" Topanga asks.
Maya nods, "That works. Thank you, Topanga. I don't think I could have told anyone else, at least not yet."
Topanga pulls Maya into a hug, "You're welcome, honey. But I'm not going to be able to go to the appointment with you. I want you to find someone to go with you; the first appointment is scary and you don't need to do it alone." Maya sighs. "Don't give me that, Maya. Please take someone with you," Topanga pleads.
"I will. I promise." Maya said. She's right. Someone else needs to know. Maya agrees. "Seriously, Topanga. Thank you," she repeats. Topanga smiles at the girl. Maya gathers her things, making sure to take all the evidence of the pregnancy tests. She tells Topanga goodbye, heading out of the Matthews' apartment.
She leans against the door, taking a deep breath and exhaling.
Fuck. I'm pregnant.