At Lucas' name, Maya froze. She hadn't heard from Lucas since the days she left New York two years ago. He had completely cut her out of his life by dodging her calls and emails, even when she wrote to him begging him to respond he'd simply sent back the unopened envelope.
"Maya," Riley's voice brought Maya back to the present. "Josh won't be gone long," her friend fussed and Maya felt guilty that it was in fact Lucas, not her fiancée, who had made her sad. She accepted Riley's hug gladly, allowing the familiar feeling of her friends arms calm her nerves. When they pulled apart Maya managed a smile because even now, when everything from her childhood was ruined and different, Riley was still the same naïve ray of sunshine. The girls walked arm in arm up the same steps Maya had climbed every day before school to pick up her friend. She had left so soon after graduation that it had never occurred to her how much she might miss such little things until they were already gone.

Riley threw open her front door and Maya's eyes were greeted by banners and balloons reading 'WELCOME HOME MAYA'. Her heart caught in her throat as everyone surrounded her, waiting to hug her, and as if by forces beyond her control the girl burst into tears. For a short moment it was as though the world stopped spinning. Everyone stood, frozen by shock as Maya cried fat and ugly tears. Not the kind you would cry at a wedding, not happy tears which glisten with hope these were the kind that make your entire body shake because they are filled with grief, loss or regret. For Maya, they were a release from the loneliness she had suffered every day and though she had forgotten, until now, what it felt like to sob she found that with each staggered breath she felt lighter. As suddenly as it had stopped, the room burst into action. Riley led Maya to the couch and sat her between herself and Shawn. Maya fell into Shawn's arms immediately and began to calm. Topanga made drinks, Cory paced helplessly, Farkle moved Maya's bags. Only Lucas stood completely still.

Shawn was silent for a while, he just sat and stroked Maya's hair until her body stopped shaking. Then he pulled her up to sit and look at him, "what's happened?" he asked. Maya just shook her head; the truth was she didn't really know. Only that she had seen the word home and the decorations and it had hit something in her and she realised there was no home but New York. No matter how hard Josh tried, and she tried, they hadn't built a home.
"I want to come home," she whispered, "I don't want to go back to California. I hate it there and its making me hate Josh."
Shawn nodded understandingly, "Okay." He smiled. "If you want to come back to New York, that's your choice and I know Josh will understand." Maya seemed relieved for a moment but Shawn wasn't done. "But Maya," he said seriously, "Josh isn't the only person I know, and you have to decide whether you truly want to be with him because I can see the doubt in your eyes and that means soon enough, so will he

After Maya's outburst no one felt much like celebrating and so the night dwindled quickly and once Shawn said his farewells, dinner had been eaten and everyone had politely caught up everyone soon decided to retire to bed. Farkle left just before, he and Riley said goodbye quickly but it was obvious to everyone that they were really in love. For the first time since middle school Maya felt a pang of jealousy for her best friend. Lucas claimed it was too late for him to catch the subway home and so Topanga set him up a bed on the sofa. Maya slept in Riley's room like she always had and the girls spoke excitedly about the wedding right until Riley fell asleep.
Maya's episode was completely forgotten and by morning even she felt that it was nothing more than the jittery confusion everyone feels on the brink of change.