Disclaimer: This was written based on this post. I'm no good at making graphics or anything, so I wrote a drabble instead. All characters belong to the GMW writers, producers, Disney, etc.
"You're not going to be embarrassing, right, Maya?" Riley asks her, looking nervous. She reaches out to take her best friend's hand in the back seat of the Matthews' car, linking pinkies for reassurance.
"I'm never embarrassing, RIles," Maya reminds her with a wink. It's the summer before seventh grade, and they're on their way to Philadelphia to spend a few nights with Riley's grandparents as a much needed vacation.
Of course, staying with their grandparents also means staying with her uncle Josh.
"No jumping on Josh's back, no fainting when he walks into a room, nothing weird?" Riley asks again, looking nervous. Maya knows how important it is to Riley that people see her as a cool middle schooler now, and she nods along patiently, not wanting Riley to worry at all about Maya messing up her reputation.
Not that her family would ever judge her, but there's no point trying to convince the "new Riley" that, at least not right now.
They pull into the driveway of the Matthews house, and Maya grips the edge of the car seat to keep herself calm as she peers out the window for the first sign of Josh.
There he is, waiting in the driveway, and Maya's heart speeds up, booming against her ribcage as she slides open the door of the van and launches herself at him.
"Uncle Josh!" she cries loudly, and she thinks he actually hugs back for the first time, laughing and saying, "I'm not your Uncle, Maya," until Cory frees him from her grasp and bellows "My brotha!" instead.
Maya feels like she's floating, a smile on her face as Riley grabs her by the arm and leads her into the house to settle in.
At first, Maya loves it. Exploring Philadelphia is exciting; being a part of the Matthews extended family is exciting. Seeing Josh every day...definitely exciting. But as the week wears on, she starts to feel more and more out of place, no matter how welcoming the Matthews grandparents have been.
It's 11 pm and in the bed beside her, Riley is fast asleep. Maya's tossing and turning and sure she'll wake her best friend soon, so she slips out from under the covers and tiptoes out the back door.
It's not the quietest thing she could do when half the house is sleeping, but Maya picks up a basketball from beside the back door, and she bounces it once, twice, three times, just thinking while she does it.
She could never do this in New York - go outside late at night alone, pick up a basketball, toss it angrily through a hoop. She'd never be able to afford to live anywhere with a basketball hoop, and a yard, and a view of the stars in the first place.
Maya loves Riley, with her whole entire heart... but why does Riley have everything, and she has nothing?
Is there something wrong with her that makes her not deserve the same kind of love and safety and happiness that RIley has?
She's lost in her thoughts, wallowing in self pity, when the door creaks open, and she thinks it'll be Riley looking for her, or even Mr. or Mrs. Matthews (the younger, probably, but the older could work too) telling her to quiet down and dragging her back inside.
It's not.
It's Josh.
Maya's heart doesn't speed up this time; she's sure it stops completely. They've never been completely alone before, not like this, and she's too stunned to do any of the stupid things Riley had warned her not to do in the car.
She doesn't want to talk to him, though. She likes him, she likes him a lot, but she's not ready to open up to him about why she's outside pouting when she could be inside, being grateful for being welcomed into this family as if it were her own.
Josh seems to size her up, though; he looks at her closely, and Maya shivers with excitement when he doesn't turn away or break eye contact. Finally, he points to the ball in her hands and asks, "Are you any good?"
Maya breathes again. Somehow, like Riley, Josh just understands that she doesn't want to talk right now.
And unlike Riley... Josh doesn't push her to. He snatches the ball out of her hands, and puts it through the hoop easily, grinning at her as it swishes.
"We could play 1 on 1, HORSE, whatever you like," he tells her, and Maya thinks this might be the best distraction of her young life. She's out in the fresh summer air, playing basketball with Josh Matthews, and she doesn't pick just one game. They play all of them; they go head to head first, then, when they're out of breath, they play HORSE, and when they see a light turn on in the house, they duck to hide underneath the windows, and spend some time looking up at the stars instead.
"Your left layups are weak, Matthews," she whispers teasingly, once they're sure no one else is coming outside to interrupt.
"My left layups can make it over the short girl guarding me any day," Josh counters, an easy grin on his face.
Maya's never felt so normal around him - like they could actually be friends. But then she feels that familiar fluttering in her stomach again at the sight of his smile, directed at her, and she knows she wants to be so much more than that.
Someday, though. Not now. For now, she's happy when he takes her hand to drag her up from their spot on the ground, and leads her back inside. Her troubled thoughts from earlier are gone; instead, Maya crawls back into bed, smiling about the fact that it's 2:30 in the morning now, and this isn't just the latest she's ever stayed up - it's the most time she's spent with Josh, alone, ever.
She drifts off to bed, feeling warm and fuzzy and wondering if this is what Riley feels like all the time - happy. Safe. Like someone understands her, and cares.
And when Maya slips into dreamland, that's when the thoughts of a future with Josh come. But when they pack up and leave the next morning, and Josh willingly gives her a quick hug goodbye?
Maya remembers that she's still pretty okay with their here and now, too.