"So how's the assignment going," Matthews asks, his eyes skimming over the room.
The class groans in response.
"That good huh? Well let's change things up a bit; new assignment. Sometimes life gives us a second chance and other times we have to go out and make one for ourselves. Either way I want you all to go out and change your history in some way. Go out and do something differently."
The class groans even louder but none louder than Maya.
"Come on Matthews," she says. "What if I don't wanna change my history?"
"Well tough." He crosses his arms over his chest.
"Tough? That's all you got for me? I'm gonna need a whole lot better than tough if you expect me to go out and "change" my history."
Matthews runs his hand down his face.
"Why must you fight me on every assignment, Maya?"
"I've been raised to question authority?"
Matthews gives her a look.
"Fine," she says holding her hands up in surrender. "I'll do the assignment but I'm warning you; this won't end well."
"Come on Maya," Lucas says. "Changing our history might not be so bad."
"Yeah Maya I trust my dad," Riley says, turning back to her and giving her a reassuring smile. "And I know exactly what my assignment will be."
Maya, Lucas, Farkle and Zay all share a look.
"Let me guess," Smackle says. "You're going to try out for the cheerleading team?"
Riley turns back to Smackle looking surprised.
"How'd you know that?"
"Oh I know things Bubbles," Smackle says, shooting a look to Farkle. Riley's eyes follow hers and they land on him too. Farkle laughs nervously.
"She's my girlfriend. I tell her things," he says, shrugging a little. Riley sucks in her lips, a sad look briefly flashing across her face before she quickly replaces it with a smile. Maya knows the truth behind that look even if her best friend hasn't realized it yet.
"So is that it," Maya asks, breaking the awkward silence that has settled in the room. "Change our history, got it. Can we go now?"
Matthews shakes his head.
"No you can't go. Class isn't over yet."
Maya holds up a finger and waits. When the bell rings a satisfied smile spreads across her face.
"Later Matthews," she says, grabbing her things. She throws an arm around Riley and leads her out the door.
"Come on Riles. We have a date with a smoothie."
After not so patiently waiting for Riley to finish up with her student council meeting, Maya leads the way to Topanga's. She doesn't want to think about changing her history, or Josh, or her father. All she wants to do is grab a smoothie with her best friend. When the girls reach Topanga's, Lucas and Zay are already there deep in conversation about something. They are so into whatever they're talking about that they don't seem to notice the girls walk in.
"Hey guys," Riley says, coming up behind them and resting a hand on either boy's shoulder. "Whatcha talkin' about?"
Both of them jump, looking up at Riley and then to Maya. Zay regains his composure but Lucas seems to be at a loss for words.
"Uhhh…"
"Baseball," Zay cuts in effortlessly. "We were talking about baseball."
Maya's eyes narrow. "That seemed like a pretty serious conversation about baseball."
"Yeah well we have a pretty serious game against Einstein Academy coming up. It's never too early to go over plays, right Lucas," Zay says elbowing him in the ribs.
"Uh…right."
Maya eyes both boys suspiciously before shrugging and plopping down in the empty chair, closest to Zay. It's obvious that they're hiding something but hey so is she. Riley follows her lead and takes a seat in the chair across from her, closest to Lucas.
"So we already know what I'm doing for the history assignment," Riley says. "What about you guys?"
Riley asks the question to the group but it seems like she's directing it at Lucas because her eyes settle on him. He returns Riley's gaze with a look Maya can't quite read.
"Um…not yet," he says, throwing a quick look Maya's way. Riley also looks at her before she and Lucas share a look. Maya senses that something is going on but the moment passes so quickly, she thinks that maybe she imagined it.
"Well what about you Maya," Riley asks, directing her attention to her. She shrugs.
"I'm fine with the way things are. Why change anything?"
"Really," Lucas asks. "There's nothing you'd want to go back and do differently?"
He's looking at her the way he used to; in the way that makes everything seem to fade away except for them. It makes it hard for her to remember that things are different now.
"Nope," she says, bringing herself back to reality. Lucas looks a little disappointed and she isn't sure what he expected her to say. Of course there are things that she'd go back and change if she could, but if she's learned anything it's that some things can't be changed.
"Who wants a smoothie," she says, getting to her feet, trying to escape the weird energy that's taking over the room. "I'm buying."
She gives Zay a light pat on the back.
"Hey Babs, wanna come help me carry them back?"
"I'll go with you," Lucas says, hopping up before Zay can answer. She looks to Zay hoping that he'll offer to go with her instead and give her a way out but he just nods for her to go ahead.
"Sure okay," she says turning to Lucas.
They reach the smoothie counter and she puts in their order; two strawberry smoothies for her and Riley, a raspberry smoothie for Lucas and a blueberry smoothie for Zay. When she takes out her money to pay he stops her.
"I've got it," he says, pulling out his wallet.
"No you put that money away right now Huckleberry."
"It's okay Maya. I want to."
Before she can stop him, he is handing money over to the waitress behind the counter and Maya reluctantly tucks her money back into her pocket.
"Thanks," she says, smiling up at him and he smiles back.
"You two are such a cute couple," the waitress says, handing Lucas his change.
Maya's eyes widened. She risks a peek at Lucas, but he seems amused by the whole thing.
"Oh no…We're not—"
She struggles to get out an explanation but the waitress has already walked away. She turns back to Lucas, hoping that they can laugh the whole thing off but he no longer seems amused. Instead he looks as uncomfortable as she feels and for some reason seeing that look on his face hurts a little. He has a way of doing that; making her feel things she doesn't want to feel.
"So I wonder what Zay's going to do for his assignment," he says, moving on from the awkwardness. She looks over at him, appreciating the change of subject.
"Probably a do over of the ballet class disaster," she says, laughing a little to herself.
"Ballet class disaster?"
She sucks in her lips. Zay made her promise not to tell anyone about it but she figured he would have at least told Lucas. She's surprised that he didn't.
"I think I've said too much already," she says, glancing back at Zay. "But I was there and let's just say it wasn't pretty."
He nods, not pressing her for more information. Instead he turns his attention back to her.
"So what about you," he says. "There's nothing you want to change so what are you going to do for your assignment?"
She shrugs, turning back to the counter.
"I don't know. I don't get how Matthews expects us to change something that's already happened."
"I don't think it's about us actually changing the past," he says, leaning forward on the counter, leaning closer to her. "Maybe it's about realizing that what happened before doesn't have to decide what happens now."
Sure that makes sense to her but what happened in the past does matter. Her past is filled with more than her fair share of bad things and she doesn't want to be forced think about any of it.
"Maybe, but don't you think that sometimes the best thing we could do is to just let go and move on."
"I used to," he says. "But like Mr. Matthews said, some things are worth fighting for. I believe that sometimes you have to fight for the things you never thought you could have."
She smiles at that.
"Sounds like you already know what you're doing for your assignment."
"I might," he says, returning her smile with his own.
The waitress comes back with their order, setting the four smoothies in front of them. Lucas grabs a strawberry smoothie along with his raspberry one, while she grabs the rest. When they get back to their friends, Zay's sitting in Maya's seat while Riley remains on the other side of the coffee table. The only seats left are the two on the couch.
"What are you doing," she asks, handing Zay his smoothie.
"I don't know what you mean," he says, looking up at her as innocently as he can but she isn't falling for it. He knows exactly what he's doing. She looks over at Lucas, who has already taken his original seat and has placed the strawberry smoothie in front of the empty spot next to him.
"Here you go Honey," she says, walking over and handing Riley her smoothie. She turns back and takes a seat next to Lucas.
Thank you Maya," Riley says, grinning.
"Yeah, thanks Blondie," Zay says.
"Oh don't thank me. This was all Ranger Rick," she says, motioning next to her.
"Thank you Ranger Rick," Riley and Zay say in unison and they all laugh. After the last couple of days she's had, this is all she needs. She sits back content, but then she feels her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulls it out and a message from her mom pops up.
Mom: Baby girl I need you to come home. It's important.
Maya stares down at her phone for a long time. Her mind races with possibilities of what her mom's message could be about and none of them are good.
"Maya you okay?"
She looks up to see Zay, Lucas and Riley all staring at her.
"Yeah but I gotta go," she says, getting up from her seat. "My mom needs me to come home."
She moves toward the door without another word.
"Do you want us to walk with you," Lucas calls after her.
"No that's okay. I'll see you guys later," she says, going out the door before any of them could follow her. She knows they're probably worried but she'll have to explain later.
A/N: Hey guys so I updated this chapter and changed it a little. Mostly the same but I edited some things. Hope you guys enjoy! :)