AN: Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews! I appreciate each and every one I've received and the support is unreal. I'd also like to thank t0biastrisf0ursix forhelping me with the editing for this chapter. So here's chapter 2! :)
Disclaimer: Of course I own everything! Okay... Not really. The only thing that I own is the story :)
A ray of blinding sunlight streamed through Riley's bedroom window as her eyes softly battered open to a new day. She woke up to the sound of the television along with smelling her favorite scent; the rich, hot coffee that Topanga made every morning. Although she wasn't allowed to drink coffee regularly yet, her parents let her have one sip every morning. She hated it at first but learned to love it eventually.
She looked beside her to see Maya sleeping, softly snoring and cuddled up with the comforter. Riley smiled. Maya was so calm and at peace when she slept in contrary to the fierce and rebellious girl she was when she was awake.
Ever since Maya's subtle breakdowns the previous day, Riley's mind had been soaring and trying to find the most realistic explanation for her behavior. She was obviously depressed; Riley could notice for a long time. But it's been becoming more and more noticeable and Riley was fixed on one question; why?
"Topi, what should I do about Maya?" Riley heard her parents speaking about the same subject from outside her bedroom door. "I know that something's wrong with her."
"Maybe I'll call Katy or have a talk with her," Topanga suggested. "I won't ask her straight out 'how's your relationship with Maya?', but I might ask her ask if Riley could go over to their apartment one day. I'll what she says. If she says yes, we'll ask Riley if she's been asking strangely or secretive."
Cory shook his head. "No way," he said. "I don't want my daughter in that type of environment. Don't even call just yet. Give it some time."
"But what is Maya gets hurt even further? We have to prevent that," Topanga pointed out. Just as she was about to continue, she heard a soft voice coming from outside Riley's room.
"What are you talking about?" asked a worried Riley as she gingerly approached her parents.
Cory and Topanga exchanged worried glances. How could they explain this to their daughter?
"Sweetie, is Maya awake?" asked Topanga.
Riley shook her head. "No, why?"
"Come here, Riley," directed Cory, trying to be calm while explaining this sensitive subject to his daughter. Maya was Riley's whole world; he didn't want to trigger anything for either of the girls. However, he still needed Riley's insight to be positive that Maya wasn't safe.
Riley joined her parents sitting on the couch, her bright brown eyes shining into theirs. "Daddy, is everything alright?" she asked, fear and worry evident in her voice.
"Well, honey, that's what we were gonna ask you," Topanga said softly. "Do you suspect that Maya may be hiding something from you? Maybe something about her mother or her home?"
Riley nodded immediately, bowing her head. "Well, she didn't let me into her apartment yesterday," she started, remniscing of all of Maya's unusual actions. "Her mom won't be home until Sunday night, plus she didn't really care about the homework rebellion and..." She remembered the key factor that suddenly made everything fall into place and the puzzle pieces come together. "Oh my god, Mom, she acted really defensive whenever someone said the word 'abuse'."
Cory and Topanga exchanged worried looks, finally coming to a conclusion.
"Riley, honey, I don't know how to say this to you," Topanga swallowed hard. "But I don't think that a cat gave her the black eye."
"And remember yesterday I had her stay for a few minutes after class?" Cory asked. "Well, I was asking her a few questions, and she seemed very apprehensive about how to answer them. They all had something to do with her mother and home life."
Rileys unshed tears began leaking from her eyes as everything she'd thought about her best friends family life came crumbling to pieces. "Poor Maya," she whispered, unable to find any other words to express her great sympathy.
"Come here, Riley," consoled Topanga, reaching out hold Riley in a loving embrace. But Riley forcefully rejected as she began uncontrollably bawling.
"No," she shrieked. "How could I possibly give my mother a hug when all my best friend's mother does to her is hurt her? It's not fair! Maya deserves to be loved!"
Topanga placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Honey, honey, look at me," she said. "We'll figure this out, okay? Trust me. Your dad and I will do our best to protect Maya, alright?"
Riley took a deep breath, knowing to trust her mother with this. It would be all be fine before she knew it- that's what her parents always said and they were always right. Everything would be just right... wouldn't it?
"Okay, but what should I do when she wakes up?"
"When who wakes up?"
Topanga, Cory and Riley all turned to see Maya standing at the doorway. Maya, of course, was horrified, living her worst nightmare. How could she ever face this family without revealing anything? Was it time to let her guard down? No, she had to keep going. Just be yourself, she thought. They won't suspect a thing.
"You goofballs were talking about me, weren't you?" she joked, skipping over to the couch to join the three.
"M-Maya," Riley whimpered, turning to her parents for support. She wasn't sure whether she should hug her friend and confess everything the knew or pretend as if it were just another Saturday morning.
"Is everything alright?" Maya asked worriedly, fearing deeply that Riley was discovering her secret. Riley was too innocent to know about anything that would happen once she walked through her apartment door ever day?
"Maya, come sit down," said Cory gingerly, gesturing Maya to the couch.
Maya sighed. "What, did I get into even more trouble?" she asked.
"No, no, no, honey, of course not," cooed Topanga, wrapping her arm around Maya. She knew that she had to be caring and consoling towards the young girl, especially since she had no one at home how would show her the right amount of love.
"So... What's up?" Maya asked apprehensively, biting her lip. Her hands were involuntarily shaking and clamimg up beyond her control. Maya, all you need to do is act like you don't know anything, she told herself.
Cory placed his hand on Maya's shoulder. "First of all, we want you to know that you can come to talk to us about anything," he said, obtaining a strong eye contact with Maya. "You know that, right?"
Maya tried, just couldn't break the force that kept her eyes locked with Cory's. He had more power in this situation; the truth. "Yes," she barely choked out. "I know."
"Well, I know this makes you uncomfortable, but there's no denying that-"
"I know what you're gonna say," Maya interrupted in a tired grown. "You're gonna ask me about my home life, which is perfectly fine! It's none of your business anyway, so why won't you leave this alone?"
"We just don't know how, Maya, because it's important to us," Riley said softly, holding her friend's hand. "You don't have to hide anymore. Talk to us. We care about you."
Maya's head jerked up to face Riley. There was not a trace of lies in her eyes, just truth and sincerity. They cared about her. Maya had always thought that no one could possibly love her; this was all new to her. There was nothing left to hide.
"Okay, I'll tell you something, but only if afterwards you stop badgering me," she agreed, feeling all eyes on her.
"Alright," agreed Topanga, grabbing the young girl's hand. "So tell us. What's wrong?"
Maya took a deep breath as she tried to find the right words. "All I'll say is that my mom and I..." she started with a dry throat and quivering lips. "We don't have the best relationship."
Cory bit his lip; that wasn't enough information to answer his question. "Maya, I didn't want for it to come to this, but I need the truth," he said gingerly. "Does your mom hurt you in a way that makes you feel... Unsafe at home?"
Maya froze; how was she supposed to answer this? It seemed that the more she tried to protect her secret, the more it was getting discovered. She certainly couldn't tell the truth, but how could she possibly fib again after all the Matthews had harassed her?
"I'm really tired of lying to you."
This time, it was Cory who was tearing up. He had known Maya for about ten years, but he had only just realized that her life was as awful as it was until that very moment. Maya had always looked up to him as a father figure, a hero, but he didn't even realize what terrible things he had to protect her from. He failed her. He watched with a heavy heart as Maya wordlessly returned to Riley's room alone.
"I'm going to talk to her," Riley stated, but Topanga immediately pulled her hand back and refrained her from leaving.
"Not now, sweetheart," Topanga said softly, reattempting to embrace her daughter, only this time with success.
Riley wept silently into her mother's shoulder and felt her father soothingly rubbing her back. "We'll take care of everything. I promise," Cory vowed as his young daughter's glossy eyes met his.
"But what about Maya?" sniffled Riley, drying her tear-filled eyes. "What if she's sent to live in a foster home and we'll never see her again?"
Topanga glanced over to Cory and shooting him a look as he read her thoughts and nodded back towards her. "Riley, don't worry," she reassured her daughter. "Maya's always welcome to stay with us."
Despite all of her excruciating sorrow, Riley's face lit up and her a smile blossomed on her lips. Maya's been the sister she'd never had for as long as she could remember- living together would be more amazing than she could've possibly imagined.
"I just don't know when would be the right time," Cory wondered aloud. "We surely can't send Maya home"
"I think that her mom will be home Sunday night or Monday morning," Riley informed her parents.
"What?!" gasped Cory. "Who in their right mind would leave their thirteen year old at home alone for so long? It's good she slept over last night."
Topanga shrugged. "I don't know," she breathed, softly shaking her head. "But I'm guessing that it's not the first time that she'd left Maya."
Cory sighed, pacing the room back and forth whiled trying to figure everything out. Everything rushed to him so quickly and the pressure was weighing on his shoulders. How was he so blind?
"Riley, go in to Maya," Cory directed his daughter. "Just be careful with how you word things, okay?"
"Okay," repeated Riley softly before slowly exiting the living room.
Opening the door, she saw a distressed Maya staring into the mirror and directing herself to stay calm. It was obvious that she had been crying; her eyes were all puffy and her face was red.
"What do you want?" Maya asked gruffly, folding her arms towards Riley. "Did your dad send you here to get more information from me?"
"C'mon," Riley smiled, reaching for Maya's hand. "Let's go watch Mean Girls before Auggie wakes up."
"No," Maya sighed, shamefully turning away from her friend. "There's no denying anything anymore; you know. Your family knows, and what you don't know how important it was for me to keep it a secret."
"Maya, you should be glad that we know," Riley consoled, resting a hand on Maya's shoulder. "It doesn't make us love you any less."
"Riley, you don't know how hard this is for me," Maya said, drawing her sad eyes back to met Riley's once more. "I wanted more than anything to tell you, but I couldn't. What if my mom got arrested? I would be put in a foster home and never see you again. You and I both know that can't happen to us, after all we've been through. And if no one believed me, I don't even want to know what would happen to me when I went home."
"I know," Riley immediately replied. "It's okay."
She sat down next to Maya and warmly embraced her, hearing her holding back heavy sobs that should have been cried out.
"You know that you don't always have to be so strong," Riley whispered as her own tears began slipping out. "We're all here for you."
Maya sighed. The last thing that she wanted was to be another burden for the Matthews family. The weren't her biological family; they really didn't have to do everything they've done for her.
"Riley, please don't worry about me," she insisted. "It's seriously not a big deal."
"Yes it is," interjected Cory as the girls found him standing at the threshold of Riley's door. "It's a very big deal, Maya, and it has to be taken care of."
Startled, Maya desperately approached Cory in hopes that he'd agree with her. "Mr. Matthews, you seriously can't tell anyone about this!" she begged. "Please, please, don't!"
Cory sighed. "Why, Maya?" he asked, crossing his arms in a state of authority. "Why would you want to stay with your mother if she treats you that poorly? It's my duty as both a father and a teacher to protect you."
"You're not my father!" cried Maya. "I don't have a father, and that's hard enough! Why are you so obsessed with my safety?"
"Maya..." Riley's voiced trailed off as she squeezed her friend's hand.
"God, you people said that you'd stop annoying me if I told you the truth!" Maya yelled. She hated having outbursts like this, but there was no stopping her now. "All that I said was that my mom and I aren't that close, okay?"
"Alright," whispered Cory, trying to sedate Maya. He wished that she could just be comfortable expressing her feelings, but he also knew that he should just give her some space instead of pressuring her with all sorts of interrogations about her home life.
"We'll stop," Riley sighed. "It's just because we care about you."
Maya was relieved by their responses, although she knew that this wasn't the end of all of their questions. All she needed to do was avoid the subject for as long as she could.
"Alright, here are my special homemade Belgium waffles topped with vanilla ice cream and a side of fruit salad," announced Topanga as she served everyone their breakfast.
Topanga bit her lip, trying to hide her disgust. She hated serving her kids unhealthy breakfasts. But with Maya acting very depressed and in need of some shelter, she had to do everything she could to give the poor girl some happiness.
"Maya, you're more than welcome to spend the weekend with us," Topanga offered. "Wanna stay over tonight?"
"Sure, I guess," Maya shrugged; she knew that Topanga was only offering based on what the family was figuring out.
Auggie groaned, burying his face into his hands. "Ugh, do we have to watch that High Music School thingy again?"
"It's High School Musical," corrected Riley with a chuckle. "And we won't watch it, Auggie, don't worry."
"She's right Auggie, we won't watch that one," Maya teased. "We'll watch the second one!"
"Alright!" exclaimed Riley. "That one's the best!"
The two girls giggled as they started singing 'Fabulous' to the top of their lungs as poor Auggie covered his ears and begged for them to stop until they were interrupted as they heard some one knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Cory yelled as he approached the door.
"Cory, it's Katy Hart. Can I come in?"
Everyone exchanged worried glances as their eyes were drawn to Maya. She looked truly horrified; wasn't her mother supposed to be gone all weekend?
"Um, come in, Mom," Maya answered shakily as her heart beat increased rapidly.
The door creaked open to reveal Katy Hart, all in a tizzy as usual. Cory cautiously placed a hand on Maya's shoulder as a sign of protectiveness as the girl's mother stumbled through the doorway.
"Hi, Mom!" Maya exclaimed, faking a smile and trying to pretend as if everything with her mother was normal.
"Hi, baby girl!" Katy smiled, pulling her daughter into a quick and awkward embrace. Cory caught onto this immediately; their relationship seemed so fake at the moment. And Maya looked terrified- he had to take action as soon as possible.
"Mom, you're home early," Maya pointed out, glancing over to Riley's concerned face.
Katy laughed. "Oh, I just missed my lovely daughter so much," she fussed, pinching Maya's cheek. "You ready to go home?"
"Yeah... Sure."
"Wait, Katy," Cory blurted out; he would do anything it took to prevent Maya from going with her mother "Does Maya want to stay for another night? The girls were having a lot of fun."
Katy froze, sensing that Cory was acting strange. "No, that's not necessary, but thank you for having her," she insisted. "Let's go, Maya."
"Th-thanks anyway," stuttered Maya as she dolefully followed her mother out of the Matthews' apartment. She took one last look at the family before leaving, unaware of the fact that it may have been the last time she would see them for a while.
Before the door closed, Cory, Topanga and Riley caught a glimpse of Maya's wide eyes looking into theirs, filled with both fear and trauma.
Moments passed after Maya and Katy left and no one said a word. The look in Maya's eyes concerned them all, especially since she would be alone with her mother.
"Cory," Topanga said firmly, clutching her husband's arm. "I have a feeling something terrible's gonna happen. You have to report this. Call right now."
"I know you told them!" shrieked Katy, striking Maya's face violently. Her angry eyes frightened Maya; she knew that she wouldn't leave this situation without an injury.
"No, I swear that I didn't!" cried Maya, collapsing to her knees. "I really didn't say a word!"
Katy huffed, crossing her arms. "Shut up, Maya!" she yelled. "And don't pull that 'please don't hurt me' crap. You deserve it, because you never appreciate a single thing I do for you!"
"I do appreciate you, I swear!" Maya shrieked before her mother pinned her against the wall, hurting her in any way possible.
Maya fell to the floor as her mother released her, feeling blood dripping from her nose. After recovering, she dashed to the door in a move to escape the hellish life her mother bound her to.
"Mom, I won't take this anymore!" she snarled, showing her mother a stronger side to herself. She had to defend herself; she wouldn't be another thing for Katy to roll her eyes at. "I will not be your pushover any longer! I know that you hate me, and my bedroom walls prove that! You've gone too far!"
"Maya, don't you dare leave this-"
Maya slammed the door and sprinted down the hallway towards the elevator before she could even let her mom finish her statement. She was totally out of her mind but if she knew anything, it was that she could never go back to her apartment ever again. She was even too angry to return to the Matthews. They would be too nice, too consoling. She needed to be alone. Everyone was better off without her, anyway.
"I should have thought this through," muttered Maya as she pushed the elevator button going to the lobby. She only had twenty dollars in her pocket, but if she spent it wisely, she could make it through a week on her own. And since no one was there to stop her, she could maybe shoplift or pickpocket to stay on her own two feet.
But where would she stay? She could never last on her own in the Big Apple, not even for a month. The crime-ridden city was certainly no place for a homeless teenage girl to hide from her troubles.
A tear involuntarily trickled down Maya's cheek. Her mother didn't even come after her. Katy's daughter was missing somewhere in Manhattan and she didn't care a bit. The Matthews, on the other hand, would probably frantically gather a search group and wouldn't sleep until Maya was safe.
I wonder how Riley would feel, wondered Maya. She shuddered at the thought. She didn't even want to know how her best friend would've reacted.
Maya shrugged off the feeling. The Matthews would probably be concerned, but it's not like they wouldn't ever see her ever again. She would only be back in one or two days the latest.
As soon as she realized that her nose had stopped bleeding, Maya hopped on the subway going to Central Park, her favorite part of the city. The whole car was empty, just the way Maya liked it. She was finally alone with her feelings and tears and could cry without anyone noticing or judging her. "It's okay, now," she consoled herself. "No one's here. Let it out."
I'll be alright, she reminded herself. I did the right thing. Besides, Mom has gone way too far.