Katy Hunter was absolutely livid when a customer at Topanga's decided to catch an attitude with her. She almost ripped his head off. So you can only imagine how pissed she was when she got a call saying that her daughter wasn't at school for half the day. You should have seen how fast Katy was on the train and back home. "Maya!" Katy called out as she stormed into the apartment.
Katy dropped her bag and looked over at the hall table. She spotted Maya's bag underneath the table and dropped her keys on top. "Caught you," she whispered.
Katy marched up the stairs and looked around for her daughter. "Maya Penelope!" She screamed. "Where are you?"
Katy looked around and noticed that the bathroom door was closed. "Found you." Katy marched right up to the door and knocked on it. Maya didn't say a thing. "Maya!" Katy called. Again, silence. "I know you're in there!"
Katy crossed her arms over her chest and thought, "You wanna play that game huh?" Katy placed her hands on her hips and stared at the door. "You have ten seconds to get your butt out of that bathroom and tell me why skipped school today!"
All of a sudden Katy heard Maya's whimpers on the other side of the door. Katy instantly took down her mad front and her inner mama bear came out. "Are you okay baby girl?"
In a split second Maya's sobs were heard through the door. Katy's heart broke in two as she heard Maya's sobs. "That's it! I'm coming in there!" she declared.
In the bathroom, Maya's blue eyes widened and she immediately screamed out, "No!" She leaned against the door and reached for some paper towels. "I'm fine mom I promise." She dabbed her eyes and continued, "Look I'm sorry about school. I promise I'll go back and make sure I get all the work I missed. Just give me a minute please," she begged.
Katy sighed and took away the pressure she was applying to the door. "Fine, but we will talk about this later. I'll be downstairs if you need me."
As Katy walked away Maya released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Maya stayed propped against the door and just stared at the pregnancy test on the counter. She released one last shaky breath before wrapping it up in paper and sticking it in her pocket.
The next day at school, Maya was on edge. She felt like everyone was staring at her. Like she was on showcase at some museum. It was as if everyone knew what was going on. Luckily for her, she knew how to put on a front. A very good one at that. On the outside it was as if it was jut another day, but on the inside there was not only worry and guilt but a baby too.
Maya acted as if nothing was wrong. As if there wasn't another human being growing inside of her. As if she didn't ruin her life before it even really began. She can hardly remember to brush her hair in the morning. Let alone take care of another human life. The thoughts were just all top much for her, so she decided to push them away.
In her brain she was a normal sixteen year old who loves everything artistic. Painting, sketching, photography, singing, and dancing. She's a normal sixteen year old who has a mom and a dad and a boyfriend. Sure, her boyfriend is three years older than her and her best friend's uncle but that's okay. She's normal. She's normal. She has friends that she does homework with every day after school and a job. Well less of a job more of a chore but it still counts! She's normal. Absolutely normal.
"Maya!" a voice broke Maya out of her thoughts.
Maya snapped out of her thoughts and looked for the source of the voice. Lucas stood in front of Maya with a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay?" Maya just nodded and stared off into space. Lucas touched Maya's arm. "Are you okay?"
Maya's eyes snapped towards Lucas. "Yes. I am fine," she replied.
Lucas raised his hands in surrender and sat back down in his chair. "Okay, but we have this project to do for Mr. Livingston. We have to-" Lucas looked up from his notes and noticed that Maya was staring off into space again. "Maya!" he yelled.
Maya jumped and looked over at him irritably. "What?" she asked as she looked over at him.
"You're not even paying attention! You keep on zoning out. What is with you?" Lucas asked.
The two began to argue and Zay walked over to them briskly. "Hey!" he hissed. He looked between the two noticed that Maya had immediately gone back to staring off into space. "Are you okay?"
Maya looked over to Zay and exclaimed, "Will everyone please stop asking me if I am okay!"
Maya picked up her bag and narrowed her eyes at the pair before leaving the classroom.
After school Maya walked into Topanga's and sat down in her usual spot next to Riley. "Hey," she greeted as she took a text book out of her bag.
They all stared at her for a moment and out down their books. "Are you okay Maya?" Riley asked. Riley set her hand down on Maya's shoulder as she searched her eyes for an answer.
Maya looked up at Riley and everyone else. She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine Riles. I promise." She picked up Riley's hand and placed it back on her lap. "Its just that people won't stop asking me if I'm okay. When I am perfectly fine. So just stop worrying. Okay?" Maya looked back at her text book and tried to ignore their staring. Abruptly, she slammed her text book closed and stared at everyone. "I think I'll just do my homework at home."
Maya scoffed and grabbed her bag before looking at her friends and marching right out of Topanga's. Everybody else shared looks and flinched when they heard the door slam. "See! I told you she was acting a bit off today," Lucas affirmed. "This only proved it."
"Maybe we should just give her some time. Maybe she's just having a bad day," Farkle reasoned.
"Yeah. She kept on zoning out during class today," Zay added.
Riley shook her head and clicked her pen. "Nope. I know Maya and this is not how she acts when she's having a bad day. At least it doesn't feel like it."
Maya unlocked the door to her house angrily and stomped inside. She threw her bag down on the floor and ran her fingers through her hair. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked towards them. To her surprise, Josh came downstairs. Following Shawn of course. "Hey kiddo!" Shawn greeted.
Maya smiled falsely and slapped her hands down to her sides. "Hi," she whispered.
Shawn frowned and walked over to her. "You okay? You seem a little off."
Maya tensed as he asked her the dreaded question instead, Maya bit her tongue and just nodded her head. "I'm fine dad."
Shawn relaxed a bit, completely unconvinced. "Okay. Just tell me if you need anything okay?"
Maya nodded and watched him walk into the next room. She released a breath of air and completely forgot about Josh. She didn't remember until she felt arms wrapped around her. "Babe, are you actually okay?"
Maya shook her head head and unwrapped his arms. "Could you please not ask me that question?"
Josh nodded his head and allowed her to unwrap his arms from around her. He stuck his hands in his pocket and watched Maya. "So what's going on?"
Maya clenched her hands together. To the point where her knuckles turned white and looked over at Josh. "Nothing. Just nothing." They stared at each other in silence. "Josh I have something to tell you."
Josh adjusted the beanie on his head and nodded. "Go ahead."
Maya took a deep breath and began. "So-"
Maya was cut off abruptly by Shawn who walked back into the hall. "Hey I just got a call from Katy. She's on her way home and she needs to talk to me and Maya. So you're gonna have to head out Josh. I'll see you tomorrow."
Josh nodded and went to go hug Maya. Maya took a step back and just stared at him. "You should go," she whispered.
Josh stared at her and shook his head. "Alright. Bye Shawn. Bye Maya," he whispered.
Josh left the house with a dejected look on his face. One that Maya just couldn't get out of her head.
"What!" Maya screamed. "You are not serious!" she exclaimed as she stood up from her seat on the couch. "Mom you have to be kidding me! Dad!" Maya looked to Shawn for help.
Shawn raised his hands in surrender. "You can't look at me for help this time Maya. What's done is done. We just think that its in your best interest if you see Josh a little less."
Maya looked around the room silently praying for the answer to appear on the gray walls. Yet, nothing appeared. Maya sighed and looked at the both of them. "You don't understand! I can't just cut him off like that!"
Katy stood to appease her teenage daughter. "We are not asking you to do that. We are just asking you to spend a little less time with him. We just don't want you to focus on the wrong thing."
Maya stared at her parents and stomped her foot. "Well I can't focus! I can't focus on anything because-"
This is the part where Maya just wanted scream, "I'm pregnant!" Just to let her folks know exactly what's been up with her, but she didn't she just bit her tongue. Because that's what Maya does.
"Because what?" Shawn asked sternly as he stood next to his wife. "Please enlighten us Maya."
Maya thought of all the things could say, but couldn't find the right thing to say. So she just said, "Nothing. Because of nothing."
Maya walked off without another word and not another thought. She just couldn't possibly imagine telling them that she was pregnant with Josh's baby.
Riley sat at her bay window quietly as anxiously waited for Josh to come by. Soon enough, he did come and he sat down dejectedly next to Riley. Riley looked over at him with eagerness radiating from her. "Well?" she asked.
Josh shrugged. "I have no idea what's up with her. She barely talked to me let alone looked at me. Its crazy. She even unwrapped my arms from around her and when I went to hug her when Shawn asked me to leave, she stepped away from me Riley."
Riley sighed and shook her head. "I just don't understand."
"Is she cheating on me Riley? Is she seeing someone else behind my back? Because she's been acting weird for weeks now, but today she actually acted as if I were this stranger!" he said as if it were the most absurd thing in the world. "But she wouldn't cheat on me right? Right!"
Josh looked to Riley for an answer but received nothing. Riley looked over at her Uncle and shrugged with her hands in her lap. "That's something for you to decide. Because we know two different Maya's. "
Meanwhile, back at Maya's house. Maya sat on top of her bed just thinking. Thinking of everything. She specifically thought about the moment downstairs. How she didn't take his hug. She should've taken it. Understanding that she might never get his hugs again. Might never get his love again because of her stupidity. Maya was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice Katy take her laundry out of her room.
