Myocardial infarction, or a heart attack, is the number one killer of men and women across the world. Symptoms include tightness/pain in the chest, lightheadedness, abnormal heart beat, and anxiety. Most heart attacks are caused by...

Symptom #1: Her eyes

Maya isn't quite old enough to know, but somehow, deep down, she knows; it's her eyes. More than half of the world's population have brown eyes, so there shouldn't be anything unique about her eyes but there is. And three year old Maya spends a good five minutes staring into her eyes as three year old Riley Matthews smiles back at her. Neither of them speak, mostly due to the fact of not knowing many words. Maya takes this time to try and figure out what's so special about her eyes. Daddy has brown eyes, Nan has brown eyes, the ice cream man has brown eyes. So what's so special about this girl's eyes?

"I'm Ri-ri... Rile-Riley." The smile never leaves her face, even though all she gets in response is a blank stare. That's when Maya figures it out. It's the sparkle, the life in her eyes. Daddy's eyes almost never sparkle. There's only an artificial sparkle when he's drinking from a bottle that Mommy never lets her touch. Nan's eyes don't have the same sparkle as her eyes in the pictures she likes to show Maya when she visits. Sometimes, the ice cream man's eyes sparkle when he's looking at Mommy but Maya doesn't like his sparkle. Maya never likes seeing that sparkle directed at Mommy. But this Riley girl's sparkle is like nothing she's ever seen before. These eyes sparkle without the help of a bottle, without the help of youth, and without the help of Mommy. Maya's instantly drawn to the girl, and doesn't protest when she takes her hand and leads her to meet her parents.

Three year old Maya does question the tightness in her chest when she's looking into Riley's eyes, and is tempted to tell her mother about it when she gets home but decides against it when she sees Mommy crying on the couch and Daddy's nowhere to be found.

...

Maya's in the second grade when she starts to feel the pain. It's not the same tug on her heart when she's looking into Riley's eyes. This time it hurts to stare into her eyes staring into his. Dylan Stratner has stolen Riley's heart, and her sparkle.

Second graders really have no business dating but Riley's had fairytales and happy endings drilled into her head since day one, so it's no surprise to Maya when Riley brings it up at the lunch table. "I need a boyfriend."

Maya bites back the urge to ask her just why she can't have a girlfriend instead. She doesn't even know why the thought of asking her that comes across her mind, but she doesn't question it. "Riley, we're only seven. Boyfriends don't come until middle school. Besides, just think of what your dad would do if he found out."

As soon as the pout comes, Maya wants to do everything in her power to wipe it off Riley's face. Frowns shouldn't ever be on Riley's face. "But Missy and Kyle are girlfriend and boyfriend, and I think that me and Dylan would make the perfectest couple."

It was at that lunch table, while chewing on a burger that didn't even taste like it came from an animal, let alone a cow, that Maya felt her first pain. It wasn't anything major but it still hurt like someone stuck a needle straight through her heart. It hurt enough for Maya to grab her chest in surprise and to evoke the concern of Riley. "You okay, Maya?"

Maya swallowed and waited for the pain to pass before answering. "Yeah. I'm okay, Riles."

Later, after Dylan moved to California and his spell on Riley was broken, Maya braved asking Riley what she saw in him.

"It was his eyes. His sparkling blue eyes."

Symptom #2: Her touch

Touching each other wasn't new. Oh no, it was the exact opposite. In fact, during their first meeting, one of the first things they did was touch. But, that was back when they were three. Now, they're ten and things are different. Holding hands was the norm, and it didn't make Maya feel anything like that one day in the second grade. Which Maya chalked up to couples and missing her mom and dad as a couple. Yeah, Maya chalks up anything negative in her life to being something related to her dad. It usually is.

But, it's the first day of the fifth grade and Riley's holding her hand, still. She holds her hand as soon as Maya steps through the bay window, holds her hand through another one of Topanga's famous oatmeal breakfasts, holds her hand through another one of Mr. Matthews' spiels about 'not doing something that he wouldn't do', holds her hand through Mr. Matthews driving them to school, and even holds her hand as they walk through the front doors of school. It's not that Maya's not a touchy-feely person(Riley turned her into one). It's the simple fact that they've never held hands for this long. Maya's never gotten to to feel the constant and radiant warmth from Riley for this long. She's never had the chance to ponder on how right it feels to hold her hand. She figures that this is something normal for best friends to feel, this feeling of knowing that you're supposed to be together. As friends, of course.

So walking through the halls, to their new teacher(because fate always puts them in the same class), to the new school year, Riley's hand is the only thing keeping Maya tethered to the world. Until it's not.

Maya comes crashing down from the heavens to see her girl talking to Zachary McKellan. He was Dylan's best friend before he moved. Maya can read his lips saying something along the lines of "I miss him too" before moving in to give her a hug. He gives her Riley a hug. After that, she promptly passes out.

She wakes up in the nurse's office to Riley holding her hand. The smile that she's greeted with is enough to sooth the ache at the back of her head. "Hey."

Maya slowly sits up, wincing as she does so. "Hi. What happened?"

"You passed out. The nurse says it may have been a lack of fluids or maybe first day jitters."

Maya's eyebrows furrow. "Then why are you here? I'm sure that they aren't supposed to let you skip your classes to hang out in the nurse's office."

Maya smiles at the blush that forms on her girl's cheeks, but it quickly vanishes as soon as Riley shows her her hand. Her knuckles are bruised and bloodied. Maya's used to seeing her knuckles look like that, not Riley's. "What happened?!"

Riley smiles nervously. "Well, after you were taken to the nurse, I had to stay in class. And I guess with you gone, Zach saw an opportunity to make a move on me and he tried to kiss me. But I didn't want him to kiss me, so I kinda..."

"Nailed him in the face," Maya nods her approval. "Wait, why would he think me being there would make any difference?"

Riley tucks her hair behind her ear. "Well, you're sort of my protector. If he wants anything to do with me, he has to go through you first."

Maya brushes her thumb across Riley's unbruised knuckles. "Why didn't you want him to kiss you?"

Maya doesn't know why she wants her answer to be something like, "Because he wasn't you" or some romcom crap like that, but she does. "I want my first kiss to be with someone special to me."

"How about me?" Maya backtracks before she can stick her foot further into her mouth. "You know, just to get it over with so you won't have to punch anymore boys in the face."

Riley thinks it over for a second before shrugging and leaning in. "Couldn't hurt, " Riley says as she stares into her eyes.

Yeah, Maya thinks as her eyes flutter shut. Could't hurt a bit.

Symptom #3: Her kiss

It's the first day of seventh grade and they still haven't talked about their kiss yet. Maya doesn't mind it though; the hand holding has increased and the way Riley looks at her has changed. Maya still thinks that they're demonstrating perfectly normal best friend behavior; her mom and dad had never held hands or stared longingly at each other so these are obviously things that friends do.

However, there are still some peculiarities. Like, the tightness in her chest occurs more frequently. That could be because Riley's developing crushes on boys left and right, but that couldn't be it. After all, Nan died of some heart condition so it's only logical that Maya has a heart problem herself. And then there's the lightheadedness she feels whenever she catches Riley staring at her lips. But Maya thinks that's just because she's started wearing lip gloss and Riley's attracted to shiny and sparkly things.

Anyways, overall, 12 and a half year old Maya's life is pretty good. Up until Ranger Rick. Who saunters onto the subway car like he just got back from filming a Clint Eastwood movie. Mr. Matthews would've driven them to school, but Maya just had to open her big mouth and sprout some garbage about making the world their own and growing up and Maya has never regretted a decision more than this one. Because Riley gets this look in her eyes, the sparkle that has always been there has intensified to a brightness that could rival the sun. And Maya knows, she knows that this guy isn't a Dylan or a Zach or a Jeffrey or a Nathan. This isn't another one of Riley's fleeting crushes. And judging by the way that he looks back at her, this is the real deal for him too.

So Maya pushes down the pain in her heart and shoves her girl into his arms. After all, that's what friends are supposed to do.

...

"Bay window. Now."

It's been four months of the school year and Maya already wants to throw herself off a building. Between Mr. Matthews' ridiculous homework assignments and the development of Rucas, Maya's life has went from a blissful heaven to a horrible hell.

Before Maya can ask Riley why they need to go to the bay window, she's already being dragged against her will. And she can't even argue because Riley's holding her hand and it's been months since they last held hands. Maya suspects that has something to do with Ranger Rick thinking they were girlfriends the first time they met him. He had the audacity to say that he's never met best friends who hold hands as much as they do. Riley hasn't held her hand since. Stupid influential Texan accent.

Maya takes her seat as Riley begins to pace her room. Maya makes herself comfortable, because once Riley starts pacing, you're in for a lot of rambling. "What's up, hun?"

Riley briefly pauses her pacing to look at Maya before letting out a groan and continuing. "Lucas. Lucas is what's up. Now that he's up, I'm down and I'm gonna stay down and never get back up again because if I get back up, he'll see me and I'll never want him to see me again once I mess this up-"

"Woah woah woah," Maya holds up a hand to silence her friend. "What?"

"Lucas asked me out."

"Oh."

Riley runs a hand through her hair. "And I'm pretty sure that first date equals first kiss and I'm worried that I won't be a good enough kisser."

"Oh."

"I mean, Texas boys move fast right? He probably had his first kiss when he was two. He's probably kissed at least a thousand girls and I'm afraid I won't measure up."

"Oh."

Riley stomps over to Maya and places her hands on her shoulders. She violently shakes her. "Maya. Please say something other than 'oh'. I really need your help with this."

Maya finally pulls her eyes away from staring at the floor and looks at her friend. She puts her hand on Riley's cheek and pulls her closer. She had originally planned on staring into Riley's eyes and telling her to chill out, but her lips have a mind of their own as they find Riley's. The kiss is brief, it lasts maybe a second but it has Maya's heart racing at the speed of light.

Riley pulls back and looks at Maya curiously. "Wha-"

"Shhhh, " Maya says as she pulls Riley back into her. "Practice makes perfect, right?"

Riley shrugs and whispers on Maya's lips, "Couldn't hurt."

No, Maya thinks as she grabs a fistful of Riley's shirt. I think, this time, it's gonna hurt.

...

Riley comes home from her date. She tells Maya that her date was perfect, and that her kiss with Lucas was perfect. Maya pretends that her heart isn't shattered like a piece of fragile glass.

Symptom #4: her.

Maya's fifteen when she finally figures it out. It takes twelve years of friendship for her to realize it. She supposes she can blame her mom and dad's relationship for blinding her. How do you know you're in love when you've never had an example to learn from? Well, she had Corey and Topanga's example, but she learned from an early age to never use their relationship as a model. A love like that doesn't happen twice.

It's at spring formal. Rucas is dead and never coming back, but there's a new guy now. Charlie. Or, as Riley likes to say, "Charlieee."*insert heart eyes and girlish squeal here* And Charlie isn't the only new guy, apparently. Shawn, who strolled into Maya's life when she was thirteen, has finally learned to trust Katy, and Katy's putting all of her trust in Shawn. It's weird seeing her mom with another man, but at least it's not the creepy ice cream man from when Maya was three or a guy who loves his beer more than he loves his wife and child.

After the students are all pumped up from 'Geronimo', the DJ kicks out some slow tunes for the couples. Riley and Charlie automatically join together, Farkle grabs a random girl and has her swooning in his arms in seconds. This new look is really working out in his favor with the ladies.

The only people who are left are her and Ranger Rick. He nods in the direction of the dance floor and Maya follows, seeing no reason not to. She places her arms around his neck, and his hands go to her waist. They slowly sway to the beat. "Soooo..."

Maya rolls her eyes at his attempt at small talk. "Soooo..."

He smiles down at her. "How ya doing?"

His accent has improved significantly and you can barely even tell that he's from Texas anymore. "Eh. The fact that I'm dancing with you should tell you all that you need to know."

Ranger Rick feigns being hurt. "I take offense to that. I'll have you know that I won first prize at the county fair for square dancing." He chooses that moment to spin her away from him before bringing her back towards him.

Maya chuckles. "That spin was so offbeat. Come on, Rick. I thought you were better than that."

Lucas gives her a wry smile before twirling her again. "Seriously though, Maya. How are you doing?"

Maya risks a glance at Charlie and Riley. She watches as her girl laughs at something Charlie said. "I could be better."

Lucas turns to where Maya is staring at and nods. "Yeah. I know it's tough. Watching the girl you're in love with fall in love with someone else."

Maya's gaze snaps back to Lucas. "Woah woah. Slow down, cowboy. What do you think you're talking about?"

An eyebrow raised, Lucas stares confusedly at Maya before realization dawns on him. "Oh. You haven't fig-?" He let's go of Maya's waist and begins to back away from her. "I-uh.. think I said too much."

Maya tightens her grip around Lucas's neck to prevent him from escaping. "No. You're not moving until you explain yourself, Ranger Rick."

Sweat is literally trickling down Lucas's neck. It may be because of the anger in Maya's eyes. Or maybe it's the desperation for clarity in them. "Oh, alright. It really isn't my place to tell you this. It's something that you should figure out yourself but, seeing as my life is on the line, I'll tell you.

See, my first suspicion started with you two holding hands a lot. But then you told me you two weren't a couple and I let it go for a while. However, I kept seeing signs of one of you being in love with the other. I saw the way you reacted to her presence and to her touch. I saw how heartbroken you looked when you saw her with Charlie. And, with her being your first kiss, I knew you wanted her as more than a friend."

Maya, still reeling from his confession and psychoanalysis of her life, can only gawk at him before she finally catches on to one point. "Wait, how did you know that-"

"Riley was your first kiss? A little birdie told me before we shared a kiss. Yeah, that's actually why we only went on one date. I figured that there was no way I could compete against her best friend and first kiss."

"What makes you think there's competition? Hell, how do you know for sure that I'm in love with Riley? I don't even know."

Lucas smiles and nods at her. "Oh I know. The way that you look at her is the same way I used to look at her."

Maya looks over Lucas's shoulder again to see Charlie leaning in to kiss Riley and she knows. She knows what she didn't know as a three year old. She knows what she denied as a seven year old. She knows what she ignored as a ten year old. She knows what she should've known as a twelve year old.

Maya Hart is in love with Riley Matthews.

She should've seen it sooner.

As soon as Charlie's lips touch Riley's, Maya's heart cracks and cracks until it bursts into unidentifiable shrapnel. She feels her heart rate elevate until she sees stars and her grip on Lucas has grown deadly in force. Her breathing speeds up as her knees weaken and the last thing she sees is Riley. Sweet, sweet Riley. Whose eyes are as vibrant as ever. Whose touch still sets fire to Maya's skin. Whose kiss makes Maya feel as though she's kissing the embodiment of all things right and good.

However, now her eyes are filled with tears, and her touch is being used to desperately get Maya to wake up.

Most heart attacks can be prevented by identifying the symptoms early on. Treatment after having a heart attack can include...