Spring Break and Apple Pie
Summary: Because he's Mr. Perfect, and she's Mrs. Not. Maya x Lucas.
Mondays are, without a doubt, her least favorite day of the week. Riley's a little more annoying than usual about her crush on Lucas, Farkle's a little more weird, and Mr. Matthews is just a little bit too happy to teach them something uninteresting about a guy named Axis Powers. So when the final bell rings she's the first out the door and to her locker, leaving Riley to speak with her dad while she heads to their apartment for a nap. She loves the girl like a sister, but the last thing she wants at that moment is to talk about sunshine and rainbows and everything good in the world. So that's why she's understandably annoyed when Sunshine himself leans himself against the locker next to hers, bag hanging from one shoulder in that too cool for school way she's come to associate with middle school boys.
"Any plans for the break next week?" he asks, staring at her in a way that she knows he knows she hates because yes, objectively, he's cute and all, but Riley's already gone gaga over him and he's a country bumpkin from Nowheresville, Texas that wouldn't last five minutes on the street where she grew up.
She doesn't look at him, refusing to be kept at school any longer than she has to by Bucky McBoing Boing of all people. "Sleep, eat, a bunch of other things that are none of your business. You know, the usual." He grins at her and she rolls her eyes. Sometimes she wished he'd take her snide comments to heart a little more and leave her alone.
"Well, my family's having a reunion down in Texas next week. You wanna go?"
A snort of laughter forces its way out of her nose before she can stop it. It amazes her that she was even on his list of people to ask considering how often she made fun of his people and homeland. "Why, Riley and Farkle turn you down?"
He shrugs and shakes his head. "No, I didn't ask them. My parents said I can only bring one friend, and I want that to be you."
Maya blinks. She's a bit taken aback because he's Mr. Perfect and she's Mrs. Not and he sees the good in people and she doesn't see what's so good about them at all. They were so fundamentally different that the thought of him preferring her company to Riley's and even Farkle's brings a chuckle to her throat, so she decides to chalk it up to his usual being-too-nice-for-his-own-goodness and spare him having to follow through with his offer.
"Sure thing, Cotton-Eye Joe. You want me to whip up some homemade apple pie too?"
His face falls slightly at her answer, and she considers the idea that maybe she's wrong about the reason he'd asked her first. But then she considers who she's talking to and stomps it down. She doesn't need to be pitied just because she doesn't have a perfect family like the rest of her friends, and she resents that he feels the need to be such a fucking boy scout all of the time even when there's no one around to witness it.
"If you didn't want to go, I would've understood."
She pauses then, a little put off that he wasn't engaging in their usual banter. She'd expected some sort of snappy comeback since as much as she doesn't want to admit it, he's gotten a lot better with his returns. "Good. I'm sure Riley would love to go to the hoe-down with you."
"Can you stop that?"
"Already told you, Big Tex, I can't control what name I'm gonna call you next."
"Not that." He sighs and raises his eyes skyward, looking for answers in the ceiling tiles of the school hallway. "I mean stop acting like you don't deserve anything good in your life. It annoys the hell out of me."
Her eyes widen then, because Dudley Do-Right never swears and even though she'd barely call the word 'hell' a bad word, it's still a lot worse than the usual goody gibberish that spills out of his mouth on a daily basis. He senses her surprise and takes advantage of the moment to make another push. "You're my friend too, and I want you to go with me."
And she realizes that she wants to go. She wants to see where he grew up and ride a horse and eat real southern cooking and make fun of the way his family talks and wear a ten gallon hat on her two gallon head and do si do until she breaks down into giggles at how ridiculous it all is. She wants to roll around in the hay and lie in the back of a truck and for once in her life see real stars. She wants to experience the life he led and maybe even understand why he feels the need to be such a goody two shoes know it all every second of every day. "Why?"
He's exasperated because he can see in the way her blue eyes sparkle that she wants to say yes but he can't understand why she won't. "I don't know, Maya. Because you're fun. Because I can have a conversation with you where I don't have to be Mr. Perfect and you don't care if I'm not." A wry smirk appears on his face, and the thought that this kid is way too charming for his own good pops into her mind. "And my mom thinks you're an absolute delight."
She remembers the way his mother had called her things like 'darling' and 'sugar' in a drawl she'd found too endearing to make fun of and a smile creeps across her face, but just as quickly a vision of sad brown eyes and a broken friendship crosses her mind. "Riley-"
"I'm not asking Riley, I'm asking you. What do you want to do?"
She sighs and bites her lip, struggling with what to do. Really, it was unfair that he was putting her in this position. He was asking her to choose between herself and Riley, the only person who had always been there for her for as long as she could remember. To even consider endangering that relationship was idiotic at best, and- "I wanna go." The words slip out before she can stop them, and when that smug, easy smile appears on his face, she instantly wishes she can take it back. Or at least drag out her decision a little longer to make him sweat.
He adjusts his bag and stands up straight. "Great. We're leaving Saturday morning and won't be back until the next Saturday. And pack shorts. Lots of shorts." He doesn't give her time to answer or change her mind before he's halfway to the boys locker room to get ready for baseball practice, and she's grateful.
Riley had been surprisingly cool about her going a thousand miles across the country with her crush. Best friend or not, it was hard to believe that she trusted her that much; maybe too much, if she was being honest. She removes the thought from her mind immediately, refusing to even entertain the remote possibility of anything like that happening. It was a free trip to Texas, nothing more, nothing less.
A cab pulls up to the curb, and Lucas hops out to throw her bag into the trunk while she waves to his father in the front seat and his mother in the back. He steps back around to open the door for her when his eyes land on the box in her hands. "What's that?"
The corners of her lips quirking upwards because she knew he'd forget and she never forgets a thing, she leans in close and whispers. "Apple pie."
AN: Not 100% happy with the ending, but eh. This is probably the most G-rated story I've ever written. Mucas (I know, but it makes me laugh) is slowly filling the hole left behind by Seddie and I had to write at least a oneshot for them. Brunette and blonde, bad girl and good guy, and mostly one sided ribbing? Sounds like reincarnation. GMW is getting better every week after a somewhat rocky start. My hopes are high!