Life always had a funny way of creeping up on Riley Matthews. The say that life is what happens when you're busy making other plans and right now, on the floor of her bathroom with tear stained cheeks, was the first time she ever realized what that meant. Right now, right here, she held her future in her trembling hands. The scary part, however, was that it wasn't a high school or college diploma. It wasn't a letter of recognition or her first published news article. It was a pregnancy test with a small, pink '+' on it, just staring back at her. She had been so careful. They both had been. They had pulled out all of the stops to make sure something like this didn't happen. But it had. And it would continue happening to them until eighteen years and nine months from this very moment. The finality of this small symbol on this plastic stick crushed her lungs and took her breath away. The tears started to form again but she stopped herself before she started spiraling out of control again. Instead, she barged out of her bathroom to face the blonde sitting on the bay window, weary eyes and small smile on full display.
"How'd it go in there, honey?" Maya's voice was a whisper even though they were the only two at home.
Now Riley was letting herself cry, she was letting herself cry hard and loud, her breaths coming out deep and short. Maya stood up and circled her in as tight of a hug that she could muster up, hugs as close as these were reserved for times as tough as the one Riley had just fallen into.
As they stood there, the only sound being Riley's heavy hand, a vibration erupted in between them, causing them to jump apart from one another. Riley looked down at her phone and saw a message from the one person she had nothing but everything to say to.
farkley
are we still on for tonight? my parents are out of town ;)
She laughed at his absurdness. He always had a way of making her smile without even trying.
Before replying, she looked back up at Maya, "Peaches?"
"Riles?"
She sighed and looked back down at the stick, "What am I going to do?"
Maya shot her a smile that told her everything she needed to know, "You're going to tell Farkle. And he's going to be shocked but he'll be okay. You both will be. Then you will come home to me and we'll probably cry some more but I'll remind you that you have me. You will always have me," she paused and smiled, poking her best friend's stomach, "So will whoever that is going to be. They will always have me."
Riley tilted her head and wiped her eyes, smiling at her best friend, "Thunder."
Joining Riley's hand in the air, Maya finished their affirmation, "Lightening. Now go get 'em, tiger."
Riley climbed out of the bay window and turned around to look at Maya, "I already did that's how I got into this mess in the first place."
"Don't be gross. Now get out of here you're bothering me."
She smiled in response, "I love you, Peaches."
Maya sat down on the bay window, her legs crossed and her hands folded behind her head, "I know you do, honey."
riles
on my way lover boy
farkley
good, I have a surprise
Riley stopped dead in her tracks before replying.
riles
yeah. so do i