Hi! Thank you for reading this! I would just like to clarify that in this story, Riley and Maya don't know each other yet. That's pretty much all I have to say! Please leave your thoughts or suggestions in a review! I hope you enjoy!
Riley sat on the subway, a small smile on her face. There wasn't anything she was particularly happy about; she was just happy with life.
Suddenly, the train halted to a stop, and a calm, electronic voice told everyone that they had reached their stop. Riley took her time getting off the subway, not wanting to be trampled by the crowds of people trying to get off first. As she got up, she noticed a small, leather bound sketchbook sitting in the seat across from her. Curiosity getting the best of her, she picked it up and flipped it open. On the inside cover, it read: "If lost, please return to Maya Hart." Her phone number was written underneath it.
Riley ran out of the subway with Maya's sketchbook in hand. "Maya!" She shouted, looking around. "Maya Hart! You left your sketchbook on the subway! Maya Hart! Maya!"
After about five minutes, Riley accepted that she wasn't there. She flipped open the cover again and read the phone number, determined to get this back to Maya Hart.
Riley sat on her bay-window, staring at the sketchbook that was sitting across from her.
"I shouldn't." She told herself. "It'd be a complete invasion of privacy. I'll just call the number, and leave the book alone."
She gave the sketchbook another glance.
"On the other hand..." She mused. "It's not like it's a diary or something. They're just drawings. Besides, it's not like it said, 'if lost, please return to Maya Hart and do not look at the drawings inside.' It never said that."
Riley glanced at the book once more.
"I shouldn't..." She said. "...but I will."
Excitedly, she grabbed the sketchbook and flipped through the pages rapidly, only slowing down when she realized how beautiful the drawings were. They were careful, they were colored and shaded to perfection, and each and every one was unique. "Wow..." Riley breathed.
But, she was shocked when she came upon Maya's latest drawing. It was of a girl sitting on a subway, with dark wavy hair framing her face, and bright eyes that smiled with her lips. It was her.
"Woah..." Riley gasped, completely flattered that someone had taken the time to draw a portrait of her.
Hesitantly, she flipped back to the front, and dialed Maya's number.
"Hello?" A woman's voice answered the phone.
"Hi, is this Maya Hart?" Riley asked the woman who possibly drew her portrait.
"No, this is her mother," The woman on the other line said.
Riley was shocked. The drawings were so good, she thought that they'd been done by an adult.
"Maya isn't with me right now," Her mother continued. "May I take a message for her?"
"Sure," Riley responded. "I found your daughter's sketchbook on the subway-"
"Oh, she's been looking for it everywhere!" Maya's mom laughed, sounding relieved. "Thank you!"
"No problem," Riley grinned. "Um, where could we meet so that I could give it back to her?"
"How about the Nighthawk Diner tomorrow morning?" Ms. Hart suggested.
"That sounds good!" Riley said. "I'll see you then! Or, see your daughter then."
"Thank you again!" Ms. Hart replied. "Goodbye!"
She hung up the phone, which left Riley to sit on her bay-window and stare at her portrait once more.
The next morning, Cory took Riley to the Nighthawk Diner. They looked around, not sure where Maya could be.
"Excuse me, are you the girl that found my sketchbook?" A girl about Riley's age approached them and asked. "I'm Maya Hart."
"Um, yeah!" Riley grinned. "That would be me!"
Maya grinned upon seeing Riley's grin. "Thank you." She said, taking it from her.
"My pleasure," Riley said. "But, I just had one question." She sighed and said, "I-I didn't mean to snoop, but I found this drawing in there that looks a lot like me. Is it?"
Maya face turned pink. "Um, yes, that would be you," She muttered. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm some sort of creep now. I can rip it out and throw it away if it makes you uncomfortable."
"No! No, please don't!" Riley gasped. "I was just wondering why you drew me, and I wanted to say thank you for it."
"Oh," Maya sighed, looking relieved. "I just thought you looked interesting. Not many people smile on the subway, especially when they're alone, but you did. I liked that."
Riley giggled. "Thank you," She smiled. She looked around for a moment, and that said, "I want to give you something in return. I can't give you a beautiful portrait, but I can give you my friendship. Is that enough?"
"I'd like that very much," Maya smiled. "What's your name?"
"Riley Matthews," She answered. Then, Riley wrote her phone number on a napkin and handed it to Maya.
"Thank you!" Maya called as Riley and her father left.
Cory put his arm around Riley. "I think this is this start of something beautiful."
Riley looked up at her dad and said, "I think so too."