Title: Run, Run, Run
Category: Television Shows » Girl Meets World
Author: And The Moment's Gone
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Words: 3,026
Warnings/Spoilers: The kids are in High School, Josh is at NYU, Cory still lives in denial.

Official Disclaimer: All Girl Meets World characters and plots belong to Disney Channel, Marc Jacobs, and April Kelly, I do not hold stock either the company or the people. Maya Hart, Lucas Friar and any other character featured are NOT mine. The title comes from the Kelly Clarkson song Run, Run, Run and I don't own that either.

Two weeks.

Maya had promised Lucas 'a few days' where talking would be hard.

It lasted two weeks.

And he wasn't entirely sure that they weren't speaking now for the sheer fact that Farkle and Riley were driving the conversation, and they were really just along for the ride.

Both figuratively and literally.

Even though she had vowed to go to college wherever Maya did – in flurry of brash solidarity that both Maya and Cory had decided was just plain stupid – when one of the partners of Topanga's firm offered up his ticket to a law symposium at Yale, it was immediately decided that this would be the perfect opportunity for Riley to at least look at another option. And in a second outburst, Riley announced that she would only be going with her mother if Maya could come with.

A dinner conversation between Topanga and Stewart Minkus led to Farkle going with them – his mother was in Paris at a conference, and his father refused to force his siblings to make the trip. Maya's still not sure how Lucas got invited, or why Zay got to opt out of this trip – although she suspected it had something to do with the fact that Zay was an A&M legacy, and his college decision had already been more or less made for him – but here they were stuck on a three hour train ride to New Haven, facing each other.

Maya just thanked every available higher power that Mr. Minkus had upgraded them all to first class, so they weren't on top of each other.

Not that that helped too much.

"Father said there's a rare book and manuscript library on the law campus." Farkle was thumbing through some sort of binder that contained all of the notes that his father had wanted to share even though he wouldn't be able to go with them. "And the dorms are immaculate, even though I would most likely require off-campus housing." There was a pause, and Farkle seemed to take in all the breath he would need for the next fifteen minutes of conversation. "I have my specific study regimen, and father and I agree that a roommate may not be conducive to that."

"I'm not going to mind having a roommate." Lucas decided as he took a sip of his soda. They'd put Maya in the seat across from him in order to maximize legroom, and the blonde shot him a questioning look. "I think it's cool that as students we'll be exposed to other cultures and ways of life." He watched Maya's skeptical smirk rise and nudged her foot.

It came as no surprise that Riley would agree wholeheartedly. Maya had seen her thumbing around the Yale Sorority web pages while they had eaten dinner. Knowing her best friend the way she did, the girl would rush a soro, and be living in the house by the end of the year.

"Well you guys have fun," the blonde decided, pulling her legs further up into her chair with her and pivoting so Riley's head was higher up on her shoulder. "With any luck, my SATs will get me into NYU, and I can keep my bedroom." She laughed when Farkle just looked appalled. "It's cozy, I've had seventeen years to decorate it, and my roommate is currently considering applying for positions in touring companies."

"But you'll be lonely!"

Topanga finally looked up from her paperwork then, watching Maya roll her eyes at her daughter and send an apologetic glance at the business man three rows ahead of them. When she realized that no interference would be needed, it was her turn to smile.

"No loneliness necessary," Maya interjected. "If you decide on Yale, you'll only be two hours away." She bopped Riley on the nose and then pointed across the seat. "Lucas's gonna be in Ithaca –"

"That hasn't been decided yet," Lucas interjected, watching Maya roll her eyes again. Grand Pappy had a quote for that too.

"You got triple 76's on your PSATs, asshole." While she had to admit that she was a little louder than originally intended, the smirk that spread across Lucas's lips was worth it. "The only person in the school who did better than you was Farkle. You're gonna get your top choice school." Riley was nodding emphatically beside her, and she shrugged. "Just shut up and accept it." Another breath and she returned her gaze to Riley, returning back to their original topic. "And unlike you three losers, I'll have direct access to all the free food I want."

Topanga couldn't keep her laugh in now, announcing to all four teens that she was paying attention to them instead of the brief that she was supposed to be previewing to get a head start on returning to work.

"There's nothing saying that you won't get into another school, Maya." Farkle was trying to be supportive, but they all knew that her grades didn't give her the same kind of stand to be decisive.

She shrugged, winking at her skinny friend to let him know that she appreciated his faith, even if she didn't share it, and then glanced down at her best friend, who somehow had managed to practically climb into her lap. "Free food, my own bed, and Uncle Josh," the last part was said for Riley's benefit, and the younger girl popped upright just to swat at the blonde. "What more can I ask for in a college?"

They didn't reach their hotel until it late, Topanga checking them in and handing out keys, demanding that they, at least, pretend to be responsible young adults while they were there. Since the firm had reserved a room when the conference had first been announced, she and the teens were on two separate floors, and other than Maya's jokes about ordering early morning wake up calls for random guests, she wasn't too worried about it. The breakfast reception that had been planned was scheduled for 9, so with a kiss to each of the girl's foreheads, a reminder to behave and meet her on campus at eleven forty for her first break, and an exasperated 'you have separate rooms for a reason,' she took got off the elevator at her own floor.

Half an hour later, Maya realized that it was a good thing that Topanga wasn't likely to come knocking on the door to their rooms before she left for the day.

Riley and Farkle had passed out on the couch and armchair, respectively. Maya laughed at the fact that the younger boy had a School of Medicine pamphlet stuck to his forehead.

It's Riley's, Farkle is definitely going into politics, but neither of them was sure how to remove it without waking the genius.

"You'd think that they didn't stay up all last night cramming, powerhouse through three tests in addition to their usual schoolwork, and down espresso shots before the train ride to stay awake." Lucas dropped to his knees and slowly pulled Farkle's shoe off. When the younger man didn't move, he grabbed the other.

Maya wasn't nearly as delicate with Riley. "Amateurs." She pulled the clips from the girl's hair, turned her to lay flat on the couch, and covered her with a comforter from one of the beds.

She was vaguely aware of the fact that they hadn't decided whose room they had set up shop in yet.

She was well aware that she could have asked Lucas to carry Riley across the hall to the other room. The brunette could and would sleep through a marching band passing through the room, so it wasn't like she had to be worried that she'd wake. But she kind of liked the thought that she would get a room to herself after being confined to cramped quarters with her three best friends for a few hours.

Which was the most time she'd spent in Lucas's company at one time since that fateful Friday.

"You should get a medal."

They both froze when Maya's eyes found his across the room.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Lucas just nodded.

And Maya Hart may know no shame, but she sure as hell felt guilt. Looking at one of her best friends, and realizing that they're estrangement hadn't just affected her, brought on a whole lot of guilt.

"It's not what you think." She offered up gently, running a hand through her hair.

Lucas dropped himself onto the bed farthest from her. "At this point, I don't even want to pretend I know what to think." They both smiled at the same time, and Maya tried to hide a nervous laugh behind a cough. "My triple 76's didn't prepare me for this."

"High school doesn't teach you everything." Maya's voice dropped and she crawled onto the opposite bed, Farkle and Riley to her back. "Mr. Matthews would be so disappointed." When Lucas didn't smile, she shook her head.

"I-" Her laugh was back, and Maya bit it off just as Lucas said her name.

"Best effort aside," he was moving again, and Maya had to resist the urge to scoot backward. "At some point, we're actually gonna have to talk about the fact that we –"

Maya was on her feet in seconds, vaulting over the bed to clamp her hand down over Lucas's lips.

Lucas would have been proud of the fact that she hadn't flinched if it weren't for the fact that this was the closest she had allowed herself to be to him since he had left her at Topanga's. And she had put herself in this position.

It also took everything he had not to lick her hand.

And no, he didn't want to think too much about that.

"They're both asleep," he said instead, his voice muffled by her hand.

"Riley's asleep." Maya corrected harshly. "Riely's damn near dead to the world, and I could hop up and down on the couch and she wouldn't move." As long as she didn't touch her, but that was a caveat that didn't need to be addressed. With a careful glance, she eyed the brunette in the armchair, t-shirt announcing to all that he wasn't slacking off, his code was compiling. "Would you put it past Farkle to notice something was up and fake sleep to get answers?"

As if just realizing that they may actually have an audience, they looked at each other, and then back to Farkle.

"So it's not the conversation you're having problems with," Lucas finally pulled her hand away from his lips. "It's the location?"

"I kind of screwed myself just now," Maya pushed her lips out with her tongue. "Didn't I?"

His nose wrinkled and she was equal parts annoyed and anxious.

Taking a moment to note the pile of room keys on the long dresser, and deciding that Maya was not going to be given time to back out, Lucas scooped her up over his shoulder, grabbed one key from each pile, and headed out the door.

"Lucas Tristan Friar," she grabbed a hold of his belt to keep herself from bouncing around, understanding far too well that she could smack him all she wanted, but all it would do is make her hands hurt. "What the hell are you doing?"

The door to the room across the hall opened, and Maya watched it shut behind them before Lucas deposited her on the nearest bed.

"If I'd given you the option of following me over here," he started, shoving both keys in his pocket. "Would you have?" She paused a second too long, and he nodded. "That's what I thought."

"I didn't want to have the conversation to begin with!" Maya's hands came up to steady herself before she fell off the bed. "I said everything I wanted to say that Monday –"

It was Lucas's turn to bring his hand up to her mouth.

And he had to resist the urge to curse when she actually bit him.

"Well I didn't," he announced. She wasn't entirely sure what part of that statement made her freeze. It probably had something to do with the fact that Lucas was so very still. Any comment that she wanted to make died carefully in the back of her throat.

He waited until she blinked, and nodded slightly before continuing. "You're my best friend, Maya." One of them at least, at least that was what her mind corrected. Despite the conversation she had had with her mother that very night, she wasn't about to pretend that she was the most important person to anyone – save maybe Riley. She and Lucas were close, closer than a lot of people, but that didn't put her anywhere near the top of his list. "And yeah, we had a few drinks, and we took things too far,"

Her mouth opened, as if she was going to completely agree with him, which Lucas knew would mean that she would try to shut him down, so he leaned forward, dropping a finger to her lips. "But I don't care about the sex."

Maya's eyes widened.

"I don't care about the fact that I have officially seen more of you than any of my other friends, or that I now know more about you than anyone else." He took his finger away from her lips and turned to start to pace the room. "I don't care about the fact that the last thing I feel when I think about that night was that we did something wrong. And that yeah, there could be feelings there," he watched her tense out of the corner of his eye, allowing her a moment to compose herself before he finally turned around, crouching in front of the bed to be at eye level with her. "What I care about is that when it's all said and done, my best friend will barely look me in the eye." His point was made when Maya realized that she was, in fact, focused just below the bridge of his nose. With a flush, she managed to lock her blue to his green. "That somehow, I've managed to hurt her, and I don't know what to do to make that better.

"That's what we need to talk about." He used his free hand to take a hold of hers. "That's what I want to fix."

Maya's eyes closed then. She could still feel him watching her face, and for the longest moment, she had nothing to say.

Her original plan was feeling better and better by the second.

"You didn't hurt me."

Lucas had released her, standing up and moving closer to the open picture window overlooking Temple Street. He was vaguely aware of the park on the other side of the building next to them. It actually took him a moment to realize that she had spoken. "What?"

"You didn't hurt me," Maya spoke again, pulling her knees up to her chest. He wasn't Riley, and there was no bay window in sight, but if there was ever a time for her to actually tell him the truth, this was probably it. "Okay," she breathed, watching him actually turn to face her. "So I'm not nearly as experienced as I like to pretend that I am, and I probably should have stretched before taking you home" she didn't need to be looking at him to see his smile. "But you didn't hurt me."

His eyes rolled. "I'm not just talking about the physical, Maya."

"I know." Did she say that a little too fast? It certainly felt like it. "You didn't hurt me." There was a joke in there somewhere about the sheer number of times she's repeated that in the last two minutes.

"Then why the," he gestured between them, "this?"

"I don't even know how it happened." Her words were a rush, and she had to force herself to stay seated. Moving would mean getting closer to him, and she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet. "The kissing; me taking you home," the clarification probably wasn't needed, but she did it anyway, gesturing between the two of them. It was something she'd considered many times during her period of self-flagellation. "I don't know how we went from saying good night to Riley and Farkle to me being under you." That wasn't the complete truth. She remembered the night with almost perfect clarity. She understood the progression, just not the thought process. "And then I was waking up alone, trying to piece it all together."

Lucas had the sense to look sheepish now. It had been unavoidable, him leaving her in the morning.

"And it scares me." Had she meant to say that out loud? But once it had been said, it couldn't be taken back. "For once I wasn't thinking about the next step, or what I could lose."

Lucas shook his head, moving back toward the bed. Was that why she had been so adamant against them having this discussion? Did she really think that he would throw their friendship away because they crossed a few lines? "Maya, no one's going anywhere."

She wanted to believe him.

Her life just never seemed to work that way.

He was fairly certain that he hadn't meant to kiss her. And once he had, Lucas had told his hands to let her go, not pull her off of the bed into his lap. He'd only wanted to make her feel better, to convince her that whatever she was telling herself was wrong.

Nowhere had there been the thought to pull her under him on the hard hotel floor.

That didn't exactly stop him, one hand anchored to her hip, the other in her hair.

And Maya would curse herself later, but she didn't protest, using her arms as leverage to readjust them, so he was no longer laying on her leg, and her knee could come up to brush his side. Her tank top was lost between breaths, and his belt sometime after that.

After a time, Lucas just gave up trying to think.