Girl Meets Texas Part 3
(Back in New York at John Quincy Adams Middle School)
"Riley, I need to tell you something." Maya begged while following her best friend down the hallway.
"I don't want to know." Riley said walking away from Maya and to her locker. She knew Maya wanted to tell her about something that happened with Lucas in Texas. Riley didn't want to hear about the love of her life in the arms of someone else.
"Riles something happened..."
"I don't need to know what happened."
"No, I need to tell you. You need to know..." Maya pleaded.
"Maya, I know a lot of things are going to happen. You know what else I know? I liked the new boy and you stepped back for me...and then I saw how scared you were for him..."
"Not for him, for you! dang it!" Maya thought, biting the inside of her cheek.
"You need to feel whatever you feel. How could I keep that from you? ...Whatever happens, happens." Riley said and they began to walk to class. Then Lucas came by.
"My brother!" Riley said swinging a punch at Lucas' shoulder.
"Hey, hi." Lucas said awkwardly while grabbing her fist before it hit him. "Riley, you know, I wanna thank you again for believing in me, and giving me the confidence that I would be okay."
"I will always believe in you... and, I will always be here." Riley said looking at Maya behind her and then back at Lucas.-
"Thank you, Riley. ...hi.." Lucas redirected his attention to Maya.
"Hey." She said simply and casually. Lucas wasn't really happy with Maya's 'Hey' it didn't sound caring at all. Not like Riley's always did.
"Hey." Lucas said turning back to Riley.
"Hi." Riley said smiling at Lucas with friendly care in her eyes. Lucas smiled back, but felt a sharp pain in his chest. The one he really loved, and the one who actually seemed to care for him, was the one he was losing.
"Wow." Lucas said upon this realization and went into the classroom.
Then Charlie Gardner walked right up to Riley and Maya.
"Hey, Riley." Charlie said.
"Oh my goodness, you used to be cute what on earth has become of your hair..." Riley thought.
"Hi, Charlie." Riley responded.
"Charlie Gardner!" Maya said in her 'He asked me! He asked me! He really asked me!' voice.
"Stop." Riley asked of Maya.
"Cheese Souffle!" Maya continued.
"I heard you and Lucas are just gonna be friends." Charlie said smiling.
"Yeah, what we're doing is-"
"I heard you're free." Charlie said, cutting off Riley, his smile instantly disappearing. "Are you free?"
"Not free or free? Jeez this guy is looking at my girl like she's just some...item. Some piece of land to be claimed. Well, doesn't anybody care how SHE feels?" Maya thought as she started to get angry.
Riley tried to smile politely, but she didn't really want to go out with Charlie...after all she hardly even knew him.
Luckily the bell rang and they all went into class. Riley looked back at Charlie. Maya noticed her look at him and felt sick.
"She can't actually be thinking about going out with him...could she? The kid should get a decent haircut at least..." Maya scoffed in her mind.
Charlie wrote a note asking Riley out. He passed it through the class to her. Zay read it. Farkle read it. They were a little upset that more drama was being piled into their group of friends. However, neither Zay nor Farkle expected Riley to say yes.
When the note reached Riley, Maya's heart began to race. Too much was happening too quickly. She wished she could just be alone with Riley in the bay window; and just hold her there; and somehow freeze time.
"Riley, something happened between me and Lucas." Maya blurted out. Riley turned toward Lucas.
"Oh, boy." Lucas sighed.
"I can't believe Lucas wouldn't want her to know. She deserves better than that." Maya thought.
"Well, whatever it was that happened in Texas, it must have been pretty bad if Lucas doesn't want me to know about it. So that means that Lucas and Maya are gonna start going out and...I really have no chance with her. Well, at least I have charlie...right?" Riley thought. Then she stood up and turned toward Charlie.
"Yes, Charlie. I will go out with you." Riley said kindly and sweetly. Charlie grinned widely. Everyone else in the room dropped their jaws, except Maya, who let a single tear roll down her cheek but she wiped it away before anyone noticed.
(In Riley's Bay window)
"Isn't it amazing how comfortable we are with each other?" Riley asked Lucas.
"Naaooo." Lucas answered. "I don't feel comfortable at all!"
"This is something we could never do when we were just 'hi' 'howdy' 'hi'." Riley giggled. "Now you know what we are. PUUUM!" Riley said as she punched Lucas in the arm.
"Could you maybe not hit me anymore?!" Lucas asked.
"You're my brother. Give me advice, feel good about it, and nothing will ever be uncomfortable at all."
"Okay...let's try. What do you need advice on?" "Please say me! You still like me, please!"
"The Charlie Gardner of it all." Riley said looking nervous. "What does a first date mean in the language of boy? I want to break your code. What does he want? Tell me! What!"
"Yeah, Charlie Gardner. I'm not uncomfortable at all..." Lucas said sarcastically. "Oh I can tell you a few things he wants...although, what he should want is to get that horrible mop off his head...yeesh." Lucas thought to himself.
"Where's your dad? Why isn't he kicking me out?" Lucas wondered. "I'M IN YOUR DAUGHTER'S ROOM!"
Maya climbed up the fire escape to come talk to Riley alone. She didn't expect everyone to be in there. She climbed in the window.
"I'm just trying to do the best thing for everyone concerned." Riley stated.
"I'm concerned." Maya pointed out, startling everyone who hadn't noticed her enter.
(Back at John Quincy Adams)
Riley walked up to tell Charlie she wanted to go on a movie date because she didn't want to talk. She also told him she didn't want to hold hands.
Maya was watching the whole thing from a distance. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she hated that stupid smirk of his.
"I'm Charlie Gardner and I'm to full of it to get my hair cut." Maya mocked in her mind. "How dare he ask out my girl."
"Maya..." Farkle said, startling Maya.
Maya jumped, then turned around and grabbed Farkle by the shirt.
"Do NOT sneak up on me Farkle!" Maya demanded.
"It's okay, Maya. I'm on your side." Farkle smiled.
Maya released him.
"I know what's going on, Maya. I know how you feel about Riley. I think you should tell her. She said nothing could ever stop her from being your best friend."
Farkle was right. About everything. And Maya couldn't keep it inside any longer. She needed a shoulder to cry on. She burst into tears.
"Woah, woah, Maya!" Farkle said hugging and pulling her away. "Let's find somewhere no one will see you like this."
Maya was really glad Farkle had come to help her.
"Farkle, you can't tell Riley you know how I feel." Maya said through her tears.
"But Maya, it's-"
"Promise me, Farkle. I need to be the one to tell her, when I'm ready." Maya explained. Farkle nodded in agreement. He insisted Maya go to the school library, because no one ever went in there or even knew about it besides him. (The school didn't have enough money to hire a librarian so the library was just a dusty old abandoned room with a few dozen outdated textbooks.) He told Maya to go ahead and that he would catch up in a minute.
Farkle looked back at Riley and Charlie. They had just finished talking and Riley was walking away. She glanced up at Farkle but then looked away. Then Charlie looked at Farkle. Farkle looked awful mad at him.
"Huh." Charlie said to Farkle.
"Huh." Farkle said back.
(At Topanga's Bakery)
Lucas and Maya sat side by side, neither had a word to say to the other. They were both wishing they were on a date with Riley instead of each other.
"So this is our 'new relationship'?" Maya joked sarcastically.
"Yeah...how's it going so far?" Lucas returned.
"Weird, man!" Zay said said loudly from the back counter.
"You don't have to watch." Maya said, somewhat embarrassed by the fact she was on a date with this hillbilly anyway.
"I can't look away!" Zay said as Farkle walked into the building. Farkle first looked at Maya, thinking back to earlier, then back at Zay.
"What do you think about Riley and Lucas?" Farkle asked Zay.
"Well I only knew Lucas before I got here, but then I met Riley and she's just like him." Zay said.
"How?" Farkle inquired.
"Well the thing we all knew about Lucas is Lucas would do anything for his friends, and I never thought there could be anyone else like that, but Riley is." Zay explained.
"So you think they are like brother and sister?" Farkle questioned.
"No." Zay replied, "I just think they have a lot in common, I mean, Riley would do anything for her friends too."
"Yeah, and I think she did." Farkle said. "Either way, she's doing this to make Maya happy. Whether or not she has feelings for Maya. She thinks Maya likes Lucas, so she's doing everything she can to push them together. Maya doesn't actually like him, so the only thing to do now is figure out how Riley honestly feels about Lucas." Farkle planned out.
"So... what are ya thinkin'?" Lucas asked Maya awkwardly.
"Oh, now?" Maya started, "Oh, so funny you should mention that because, right now in this exact moment I was thinking, what was running through my head was actually... If you don't start talking to me I'm gonna pour this smoothie right over your head so why don't you give me the best you got." Maya said clearly annoyed with him.
Lucas smiled and turned to Maya. "Did I ever tell you I once delivered a baby horse?"
Maya smiled. Then she dumped the smoothie on his head. Then she picked up his smoothie, and dumped that on his head also.
"Actually, it looks kind of like this!" Lucas admired. "The miracle of life."
Maya laughed and smiled at her work.
(In the bay window later that evening)
"Honey...sweetie, I love you and I love your teen angst, but I have to go to work so I can afford you." Topanga said to daughter sleeping in her lap.
Maya climbed in through the window.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Topanga said at the sight of Maya. "She's all yours." Topanga pushed Riley over onto Maya's lap then left the room.
"Go to school. Brush your teeth. Comb your hair." Maya instructed Riley.
"You're not my mother." Riley said opening her eyes and smiling.
"No, it's me." Maya giggled.
Riley sat up and they both laughed awkwardly.
"How did your time with Lucas go?" Riley asked.
"We sat there with absolutely nothing to say." Maya answered.
"Been there, done that." Riley laughed.
"Yeah, well you don't have to worry about that now that you guys are brother and sister, you have loads to t-t-talk about." Maya stuttered out awkwardly.
"I love talking to him." Riley stated.
"I love making fun of him." Maya added.
"Why?"
"Why do I love to make fun of him?"
"Yeah."
"Because he's great...and, he needs somebody like me to take him down. and...he needs some one like you..." Maya began.
"For why?" Riley interjected."For why does he need me?"
"To build him up...to tell his Ranger Rick stories to...and make him feel like a hero..you like his stories and he likes yours..."
"Yeah."
"hah..."
Awkward silence.
(Back at Topanga's Bakery)
Charlie was waiting for Riley.
"What if she stood me up? What if she got back together with Lucas... what if she doesn't like my hair this length?" Charlie thought as he waited.
Riley walked in. Charlie had barely said hi to her when Lucas came in as well.
"Riley I can't be your brother anymore." Lucas said loud and clear as day.
"Hey, Friar, can you pick another time for this big announcement, Riley and I are gonna go on a date..."
"You are?" Lucas asked.
"No holding hands or talking..best date ever...I know it's not but it's what I got..." Charlie said, all with his creepy smile.
Farkle dragged Riley outside to question her about her feelings toward Lucas.
"I think I know my own feelings." Riley told Farkle.
"You're a liar. You're lying to yourself." Farkle accused.
"Lucas and I don't make a good couple. And anyway...what about Maya?"
"I'm not really sure how Maya feels..." Farkle lied.
"You're not sure? How can you not be sure?" Riley asked.
"This isn't about her. This is about how you feel." Farkle insisted.
Farkle looked at Riley in a way that somehow clearly said, 'I know you're in love with Maya.'
Riley stood up and walked away but Farkle followed, now certain that he was right.
"What you're thinking is how you really feel." Farkle explained.
"I don't care. Farkle, Maya is my best friend. She cares about him, and he cares about her too."
"He might, but we know he likes you."
"You can't tell anybody." Riley told him.
Riley's eyes began to water at the thought of Maya finding out that she was in love with her and the thought of losing her forever.
"I will unless you do." Farkle said. He had already promised Maya he wouldn't tell Riley.
"Why?"
"Because we are growing up, and I don't know how to handle these feelings we're feeling. But I do know that lying to each other will get us no where." Farkle explained.
"You're right. This is really hard and maybe I just need some time." Riley sniffled.
"I'm always here for you."
Riley hugged the boy.
"I love you, Farkle."
"And I love you." Farkle responded. "Now go on your date."
"Although, seriously? A movie date? Someone needs to take Charlie on a date to the barber's shop." Farkle thought.
Riley wiped away her tears as Charlie walked outside.
"Ready?" he asked awkwardly.
Farkle knew now that Riley and Maya both loved each other the same way. But he was sworn to secrecy by both of them. He watched Charlie walk away with Riley and tried to figure out what to do next.
(Back in the bay window much later that night.)
Maya climbed in and saw Riley was already sitting there. Riley had been hoping Maya would come in tonight. She needed to be with her best friend.
"How was your date?" Maya asked sitting beside Riley.
"I don't know. How was your date?" She returned.
"I don't know." Maya answered. They were both thinking, "I wish it had been a date with you."
"Do we know anything?" Riley asked.
"Ring power." Maya said and raised her hand.
"Ring power." Riley smiled and raised her and up to Maya's and held it.
"Thunder."
"Lightning."
They each realized that they really were perfect for each other. They really did complete each other. And if they were in a relationship setting, they wouldn't be awkward together. Because they were Riley and Maya. There is nothing in this world as good or as right as Riley and Maya. Not even Corey and Shawn.
"I'm a little scared." Maya admitted.
"Me too." Riley confessed.
"This is it; I'm gonna tell her I love her... here it goes."