It's been about three years since seventh grade. They're in tenth grade now. Three years since they started middle school. Three years since they met Lucas. About nine years since the two of them met and became best friends. About nine years since they met Farkle. Four years in a row of having Cory Matthews as their teacher will be this year. Not that any of them care. They love Mr Matthews. He's always been their favourite teacher, even if they do want to groan at every assignment he gives. They stole him.
Two relationships are still all Maya has had. The first was Lucas. That was middle school and freshman year. Though not completely, it had gotten a little complicated. A little. A little in the fact that Lucas was Riley's only actual boyfriend. They didn't count Charlie. They went out once or twice but the feelings hadn't really been there. Riley's feelings had been for Lucas. Riley had had a crush on Lucas. Maya hid her feelings. They'd dated. They'd had an unofficial thing. Lucas had dated Maya. Riley had lied about her feelings. It had been a triangle for a while, they had had a few fights about it through ninth grade. He'd dated them both. He was with Riley now, and Maya's seventh grade feeling had suddenly decided to subside. Then she'd been with Josh. That only lasted a couple of months. Maybe a few at most. Maybe she had had a crush on him. She had liked him. Josh had stopped seeing her like a little girl. Like his niece's best friend. She'd grown up. It had ended. Maya didn't hope. She didn't trust her feelings anymore. Lucas had had two serious relationships. Her and Riley. And Farkle had had Smackle, until the end of ninth grade. It had gotten too awkward. She'd broken it off.
Maya was still mostly confused. She didn't know what she was going to be when she grew up or what she was going to do. It wasn't unusual. She was sixteen, almost seventeen. Her mom was still working at Topanga's but she got to spend more time with her. Shawn and Katy had gotten married in the summer, so he was around a lot more often. Maya had tried to hide her excitement the moment they'd started dating. She couldn't. She had her art. She had her music too. But it was a long shot and they wouldn't help her get a job. Because in society you needed money to live. And Maya was an us. She knew that. Mr Matthews had taught her that. Farkle was smart. He could get on any courses he wanted. Though unsurprisingly he'd chosen Science as one but she also wouldn't be surprised if he'd taken them all. They'd all chosen History, a class they'd all had together. Lucas had chosen Animal Physiology and Anatomy, Biology, Zoology, Microbiology, Animal Science and Chemistry. He still wanted to be a veterinarian. Riley was doing Law like Topanga, she was on the debate team now, she took Health and Social. She was the same old Riley, she wanted to fix everything for everyone still. Except she was all grown up.
They were still all best friends. Things were a little less awkward between all of them. They still hung out. Cory still chased Lucas out of the bay window. Riley still had a basket of Lucas' shoes. She remembered the time she'd cried when Riley had torn the bay window down. She didn't like change. But they had changed. A lot of things had changed. Not all of them were bad. Sometimes she called Shawn dad. She still wasn't used to it. Neither was he. She'd cut her hair. Now it just reached past her shoulders. Riley had dyed her hair red. Dark red. Maya had helped. Cory had been mad. Maya had laughed. The last of the dye was still there, tinting Riley's hair. The leak in her roof and the hole in her wall had been fixed. Maya's grades had improved. She'd gone from a solid D student to mostly getting Bs. She'd even had a few As. Sometimes she let people see her art. She let Riley push her forward for art shows. She participated in class, proving she really was smart if she bothered to try. She got into trouble less yet still seemed to be one of the cool kids. She had to admit, she had good friends.
It was sophmore year. In three years she'd be starting college. Hopefully. She imagined her and Riley and Farkle and Lucas sitting around their table in Topanga's, opening their letters. She'd be fine, even if she got put on a waiting list. Lucas would probably go to some veterinary college. Stewart had wanted Farkle to go to Princeton, Farkle still insisted he wanted to be where his friends were. Friendship was more important than money. Maya agreed. She hadn't had much before, now they had a little more. They would likely go to NYU or maybe even get a dorm at Pennbrook. Shawn, Cory and Topanga had all gone there. So had Riley's uncle, Eric, as well as several of their friends including Jack and Angela. They saw them more regularly now too. Shawn and Angela were friends. Just friends. Jack was practically Maya's uncle. Angela was a mother now. She was still married.
Three years made a lot of difference. It could break you. It could fix you. It would change you. Every seven years your cells completely regenerate and it's like you're a whole new person. By the end of college, they would all be completely different people than they were in middle school. It's scary. It's life. The secret of life: people change people, what us does for them. They'd come a long way since first grade Halloween parties and subways and they still have a long way to go. But it's a little easier with your best friends and a good family, even if you have to share. What does us do for them?