Girl Meets Timeline - Chapter 3

By the time school began in the fall Maya and Lucas pretty much had the relationship thing down. They were entering that phase of a relationship where it's not new anymore and you begin to really develop as a couple. So as they walked down the halls of John Quincy Adams High hand in hand for the first time, that day, the stares from all of their old classmates went unnoticed. The only thing that caught Lucas off guard was when Maya turned her face when he went to give her a kiss before they went off to their respective classes.

"Is something wrong?" Lucas asked.

"No I just don't feel like everyone in school knowing our business."

"Maya they all saw us holding hands, I think the secret's out. Now will you stop being ridiculous and give me my kiss so I can go to class."

"Sorry Huckleberry maybe next time." Maya said with a wink before going off to class. At first Lucas though it curious, Maya had no problems with PDA all summer, but he decided to chalk it up to first day jitters. This wouldn't be the last time Maya did something that Lucas raised a brow at.

After the first day and all the rules were established, Maya and Lucas fell into a routine. They would meet up and walk hand in hand till they had to separate with no kiss, then they would have lunch together and health class that followed after. They also had the last class of the day, History, together which both of them felt was nothing without Mr. Matthews. After their last class Lucas would go off to practice for whatever team he was on depending on the season, and Maya would go to her art club which everyone was shocked to hear she had joined.

"What? So I joined a club?" Maya said as she announced it one day at Topanga's.

"I'm so proud of you peaches." Riley responded with a smile.

Then after both of their extra curricular activities they would meet up and Lucas would walk Maya home where then finally Maya would give up the no PDA rule, and that was pretty much their day to day. Everything was going great.

They hit little snags every now and then. Like when Maya got jealous when Michele, the beach bimbo, happened to go to their school and was one of the cheerleaders

"I don't like it."

"Well what do you want me to do Maya? I have no say on who the cheerleaders are."

"I know, but I still don't like it."

"Well maybe you should come to more games and make sure she doesn't try anything?"

"You just want me to come to more games."

"Yeah I do, I play better when I know you're there cheering me on."

Maya couldn't argue with that, so from then on she came to almost all the games. Which Lucas started to regret when all of his team mates started hitting on her.

"Hey Maya, why don't you dump Friar and date a real athlete?" one of them called out to her as she was walking past them to go to Lucas.

"Please, he can barely tie his shoes. Like I would ever be interested in a jerk like him." Maya said as she unclenched the fist he had and took Lucas' hand as they made their way out. Jealousy was a common thing for them but it ended up working in their favor.

This year held a lot of firsts for Maya and Lucas. They celebrated their first Christmas as a couple, their first Valentines Day which resulted in their first sleep over. Lucas had planned a whole night for them but of course the worst blizzard happens on Valentines Day. Lucas barely made it to Maya's before the Mayor announced that they were closing down the city due to the blizzard, thankfully they had the apartment to themselves since Shawn and Katy went away for Valentines Day. They watched movies, heated up leftovers and made out a bit on Maya's couch. It was a perfect night that ended in them falling asleep in each others arms. Of course the next morning was a bit awkward when Shawn and Katie came back home and found them.

"What the hell?" Shawn said when he opened Maya's bedroom door and saw her and Lucas in the bed. Lucas practically jumped out of the bed.

"I'm sorry sir, we got snowed in last night but I swear to you nothing happened."

"Well the roads are clear now so get out!"

"Yes sir." Lucas said as he grabbed his coat and headed out into the cold.

But the most important first happened on a Tuesday; Lucas would never forget that it was a Tuesday. On Tuesdays Maya stayed late in the art room because she was finishing her weekly project for the art club. Lucas would come from practice and sit with her till she was done. He got to the art room and was surprised to see Maya was painting to music. She was wearing one of his T-shirts she stole that was now covered in paint but he never though she looked more beautiful.

"You gonna come in or stand out there the whole time?" Maya asked him when she noticed he was staring.

"What's with the music?" he asked as he tried to find a surface with no art on it for his school bag.

"It's this week's assignment. To see how music guides your creativity." Maya said taking a step back from her latest masterpiece.

"I like it." Lucas said coming and standing behind her. As they looked at her art a slow song started playing that inspired Lucas to pull Maya close and start to dance. She squealed when he grabbed her hand and spun her around. Lucas didn't know what happened, maybe it was the paint fumes or maybe just the way Maya fit perfectly next to him but he felt the words just slip out of his mouth.

"I love you."

Once he said them he couldn't take them back, not that he wanted to. He meant them, he just wasn't sure if it was the right time. Lucas held his breath as he waited for Maya to respond. She never uttered a word, she just looked up at him before resuming the position they had been in before he said it.

It wasn't until a couple of weeks later that they spoke of it again. Lucas had noticed Maya pulling away from him. It started small like she didn't hold his hand in the hallway and then when she would go home before he finished with practice. Finally Lucas decided to confront her about it. He climbed through her bedroom window one afternoon.

"Lucas? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you but I've barely seen you all week."

"I want to talk to you too."

"Does it have anything to do with you ignoring me? Wait is this because you heard a rumor about me and Michele because I promise you Maya it's just a rumor."

"No, it has nothing to do with that. But it does have to do with me avoiding you. Lucas, I don't think we should date anymore."

"What?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking and its over."

"Maya, why? Things have been great between us, well except for the last few weeks ever since … is this because I said I love you?"

When Maya got quiet Lucas got his answer.

"Maya, its okay. I'm sorry if it freaked you out. You don't have to say it back I know how you feel about me."

"That's just it, you don't. I'm sorry Lucas I just don't feel that way about you anymore."

Now it was Lucas' turn to be silent. He didn't know what to say. So he did the only thing he could think of, he tried to call out Maya's bluff.

"Maya, we've been together almost a year. If you're really not in love with me then you're gonna have to look me straight in the eye and tell me because I just don't believe that." he watched as Maya took a step towards him, looked him straight in the eye and said.

"I don't love you Lucas, I never have."

Those were the words that sent Lucas' world into a tailspin. He looked in her eyes one last time to see if she was telling the truth before he crawled back out the window and walked home. In the few days left of their freshman year Lucas only saw Maya in a blur. His friends tried to console him but he insisted he was fine; it wasn't until Riley cornered him in Topanga's that his façade started to crack.

"Lucas."

"Oh hi Riley."

"Hi Riley? You and Maya break up and all you have to say is hi Riley?"
"What else is there to say? She told me she never loved me."

"What? That's ridiculous."

"No it's the truth now if you'll excuse me I have a plane to catch."

"A plane?"

"Yeah I'm going back to Texas for the summer. Maybe forever."

"Lucas stop okay, this is crazy. Maya loves you and you love her so just go to her and do whatever you have to do to fix this."

Lucas looked at Riley with glossy eyes, tears threatening to pool at any moment.

"Riley please, just let it go." he said as his voice broke and he pushed her aside and left, and when his plane touched down in Texas he hoped that being back home could mend his broken soul.