Episode 14 - Girl Meets Childhood Memories

It was the night before they left for their vacation and everyone was sleeping over at the Matthews house. The guys were all going to sleep in the living room, while the girls slept in Riley's room. They were going to spend New Year's at a ski resort, although not the same one from freshman year, because her mother told them no to that.

"So what should we do until we all fall asleep, because it's still early right now," Maya said as she sat down on the bay window. Josh sitting next to her while Riley sat on the other side with Lucas at her feet, his head on her lap while she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Oh I know," Zay said standing up. "What about we each say what was our most embarrassing childhood memory, or better yet have someone else pick it for us."

"Zay how would that work if the only person you've known from childhood is me," Lucas said before he smiled. "Wait I take it back I want to tell you about Zay's most embarrassing childhood moment."

"Why did I have to open my big mouth," Zay said before face planting onto Riley's bed making her laugh.

"Okay so when Zay was six, his grandmother baked a batch of cookies for the annual fair that happens in town. She was going to sell them," Lucas started.

"Oh is this why he only gets one cookie," Riley said smiling down at Lucas.

"It's a part of the reason," Zay said interrupting them.

"No, it's one hundred percent the reason, you see Zay over here loves his grandmother's cookies so much that he gorged himself on them, and when I say gorged he dipped them in milk and ate fifty out of one of the boxes, and then promptly began to throw up on all of the other batches of cookies. His grandmother was livid and they had to take him to the hospital because he accidentally poured an entire bottle of vanilla extract into his milk but he had thought that the cookies were the reason for all of the flavor and kept eating them. They had to pump his stomach because he had eaten so much."

"I thought I would hate the cookies after that but grandma made me another batch a few weeks later and started the one cookie tradition soon after that," Zay said smiling. "I love my grandmother very very much."

"We know, and we're glad you have her in your life," Riley said smiling. "Oh can I be next?"

"Go ahead, but who are you going to talk about?" Josh said but the smile on Riley's face made him want to get up and leave.

"I actually have a story about the first time Maya and Josh met," she said bouncing up and down.

"No," Maya said looking at her.

"Yes," Riley said before looking at everyone else. "The reason they both hate this story is because they had wanted to forget, but I remember it like it was yesterday, because Josh had been visiting while my grandparents went on a second honeymoon. Maya had been curious about what it meant, only to force Josh to marry her right then and there and reenact the honeymoon. Josh was ten at the time and Maya had just turned eight."

"I remember this," Farkle said from across the room. "I was in the park when the two of them were walking around hand in hand."

"Yeah, except when we got home she had made him carry her over the threshold and Josh tripped making Maya fly into the cake my mom had just finished making."

"Okay that's enough," Maya said trying to stop her from going on.

"And when Maya got up she asked Josh if he wanted to share some of the cake, and he said yes thinking she was going to hand him the plate, and she rubbed her face on him instead."

"End of story," Maya said looking at her with a death glare.

"Fine you party pooper," Riley said pouting.

"You want to play it like that," Maya said looking at Riley. "Fine, let me tell you guys about the first time Riley got her period."

"Maya," Riley yelled. "That's private."

"Doesn't matter, it's about the most embarrassing memory," she said looking at Riley and daring her to say anything else about the day Maya and Josh had played a married couple.

"I want to know," Smackle said interested in what was happening.

"Of course Smackle wants to know," Riley said throwing her hands in the air.

"I'll tell you," Maya said a smile on her face telling Riley that the story was going to happen regardless of what she said.

"Fine Maya but remember, I'll get you," Riley said as attempted to threaten as best she could.

"I'll be waiting," Maya said before turning to the rest of the group. "So it was a month before the end of sixth grade, and Riley is at home hiding in the closet, she didn't know what was happening and so she kept changing her clothes in an attempt to hide it because she hoped it would go away… she thought it was a cut."

"Please Maya stop," Riley said but Maya continued.

"Her mother comes into the room as I climb in through the bay window, asking why Riley has so much laundry in the basket when her clothes had just been washed and when her mother notices what's going on she has to pull Riley out of the closet to explain it all… but the most embarrassing part isn't hers but her father's, you see once Matthews found out he tripped going down the stairs just to get her those tween pads they sell at the store and had to get like four stitches on his forehead because he freaked out that she was becoming a woman, but he also wanted to make sure that she was taken care of."

"He had a concussion from that fall," Riley said remembering it like it had just happened. "I got chocolate and ice cream after I freaked out from him falling, but he had to stay in the hospital that night and I had been so scared that I had killed him that I stayed with him."

"That man is not cut out to have children," Farkle said hiding a laugh. "At least not girls because he's not this bad with Auggie."

"That's because once they have a second child families tend to be more centered," Smackle says.

"Anyone else want to share something embarrassing?" Riley said looking at her friends.

"I have one, but it's not embarrassing as it is about me saying thank you," Zay said looking at his friends. "Thank you all for being my friends."

"Aww," Maya and Riley say at the same time.

"Wait I want to hear about Lucas as a kid," Farkle said looking at them. "He's too perfect I want something that will change that."

"Farkle I'm not perfect and you know it," Lucas said while Riley ran her fingers through his scalp.

"Yeah, don't lie to us," Smackle said looking him in the eye.

"Fine, okay the first time I rode a horse, it jumped and I landed in a pile of horse poop," Lucas said trying to deflect.

"Oh I remember that, it was the day your Pappy Joe wanted to take us out for ice cream, except you landed in the poop, and broke your leg," Zay said looking at him. "It was funny to me, but Pappy Joe was talking about something that day."

"Yeah he was telling me about how important it was that I learn to control my temper," Lucas said with a sad look on his face. "It didn't stick very well now did it."

"No," Zay said looking sad. "We kind of let him down after that."

"Maybe we can go for a visit," Riley said smiling.

"I don't know Riley the last time we went down to Texas," Farkle started but Riley put her hand up to stop him.

"Texas can't be a bad memory anymore, we have to make it a good memory too," she said looking at her friends.

They all nodded, even Smackle, Cassie and Josh who didn't really know everything that Texas stood for when it came to Riley and Lucas. She wanted to change those memories for them all, and make some new ones as well.

Later that night when everyone was asleep Riley snuck into the kitchen so get some water only to wake Lucas. He walked over to her smiling and gave her a hug.

"You don't have to go to Texas if it makes you uncomfortable," he said to her.

"It's not… well it's not uncomfortable anymore, and I want to see Pappy Joe again, maybe get to know him a little better," she said to him giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Maybe some happy memories with our friends is all we need."

"Well let's make some happy memories this weekend as well," he said smiling.

"Walking in the snow together drinking hot cider," she said smiling. "Making a snow man, and sledding down a hill."

"All I need is you there," he said smiling.

"That's perfect."