"Sorry babe, I gotta go." Maya apologised hastily as she yanked on her jeans and top. Several un-ladylike curses rattled through her brain, she was in so much damn trouble.

"Already? Can't you stay a bit longer?" Ethan asked, leaving a kiss on her shoulder. She looked over at his frown and sighed. You have no idea how much I want to, she thought, but tried her best to be reasonable.

"Riley's freaking out enough as it is. I didn't mean to stay this long. I'm already gonna get chewed out by my Mom. She's been acting all responsible lately." Maya replied offhandedly as she laced up her boots.

"Mayaaaa."

"Sorry, gorgeous. Another time." She answered to his whine, before giving him a brisk kiss, grabbing her jacket, and rushing out of the room. Ethan flopped back on the bed and sighed. That girl was going to be the death of him, he was damn sure of it.

################################

"Did you get a hold of her Riley?" Topanga asked the minute her daughter walked through the door. Riley nodded but when her mother indicated for her to continue, she bit her lip, wondering just what she should tell her Mom.

"Riley?"

"Yeah, sorry. She, uh, she picked up. Said she was at a friend's place and just lost track of time." Lucas looked over at Riley in surprise, earning him a look before he could explain what really happened.

"Well, thank god she's alright. Although I expect she'll be grounded. Right Katie?" Topanga asked, turning on the flustered mother. Ever since Katie had started working at her shop, Topanga had been giving her... 'mothering' lessons. More as in, Katie, look how great Riley turned out, don't you want Maya that way too?

"Oh, most definitely." Topanga nodded, seemingly satisfied by that response. She turned back to her daughter, a piercing look in her eyes.

"Who was this friend?" Riley's eyes went wide, she hadn't thought about a cover story!

"Mary!"

"Grace!" Lucas and Riley blurted out at the same time. The two exchanged pained looks as the parents crossed their arms and narrowed their eyes at them.

"Mary-Grace." Riley corrected with an awkward half smile.

"You wouldn't happen to be lying to us, would you?"

"Nope. Not at all. Um, I told Maya to meet me at the bay window. Maybe I should talk to her first. Good night Lucas." Before anyone could stop her, Riley flew from of the room like a bat out of hell. The parents then turned their matching glares at Lucas, who in turn began to nervously sweat.

"Well uh, bye." With that, he followed Riley in suit and ran out the front door. The adults exchanged suspicious looks but decided to trust the kids. They usually worked things out themselves. They just hoped it would work this time.

#################################

"Hey Riles." Greeted Maya sleepily as she slipped in through the window. To her not total surprise, her best friend wouldn't even look at her.

"Riley? Hellllooo? Riles. Look at me." Riley still refused to look at her, and Maya worked very hard not to let Riley's passive aggressive tactics to annoy her too much.

"Ril-"

"We saw you." Maya balked as Riley turned to look at her with narrowed eyes.

"Who saw me?" She tried to laugh, ignoring the dread building in her throat

"Farkle and I. We saw you with the new kid. You kissed him Maya, then you left with him. And you didn't come back until far after 11. What am I supposed to think?" Riley replied, voice icy. Riley then turned to see her best friend avoiding her eyes, a guilty look on her face.

"Are you two together?" Maya sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her forefingers.

"I don't know. Sort of? It's complicated."

"Where did you meet him? Where is he from? How do you know him? How is it complicated? Are you in love with him?" She interrogated Maya, causing the girl's hackles to raise at the insistent questioning.

"Riley, calm down."

"NO! I'm not going to calm down! Who is this guy Maya? He screams trouble." Maya scratched the back of her neck and once again avoided her eyes.

"He's not 'trouble' Riles, Jesus. He's just a guy I met, ok?"

"Just answer me this. Have you had S-E-X with him?" She sucked in her breath when Maya nodded, staring at the wall. She could feel the irritation boiling over inside of her, and Riley still wouldn't damn well drop it.

"Do you love him?" That was the last straw, and she stood, gesticulating wildly.

"Jesus Riley. Not everyone falls in love with the first person who smiles at them, ok? God, not all of us are that easy." She ranted irritably, before wincing at the hurt look that appeared on Riley's face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." She sighed, returning to the bay window seat. Riley stood then, pushing away the girl's attempt at an apology.

"Yes you did. You meant that. You always mean it. You don't think about my feelings, or your Mom's, or anyone's! It's always Maya first, everyone else second! You don't care how your actions affect me! You know what, just, please get out. I'm sorry for ever caring." Maya opened her mouth to speak but Riley had already turned around. Maya scoffed in disbelief, standing with some exasperation.

"Yeah, God forbid anyone interrupt the Riley show with their own problems." She cut back wryly, and Riley whirled on her, pointing out the window in fury.

"GET OUT!"

"Trust me, I'm leaving." Maya shot back, disappearing out into the darkness. Riley didn't let the tears fall until she heard the window close.

###############################

"It'll be okay babe." Ethan comforted to his kind of girlfriend through the phone, after she'd called him, explaining the entire situation.

"I don't think it will be Ethan. Not this time." His heart tightened with how heartbroken she sounded, and all he wanted to do was hold her until the pain went away.

"From what you've told me, she's always forgiven you. What's different this time?"

"I said something really hurtful. Something I shouldn't have said." She replied, sniffling still. She'd gone through the tears already, and it was nearly one o'clock in the morning by the time she'd gotten through it all. He hummed soothingly, and deliberated over his next few words carefully.

"I don't know much about your friendship, but you've been best friends for years. She won't forget that just because you got in one fight."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right," Was he really though, that familiar voice nagged. She tried to push it away, but it only seemed to get louder, reverberating through her skull. It was giving her a headache, that voice that told her about everything she was doing wrong and how worthless she was.

"Well, I, uh, I better go. I expect my Mom is going to go mental. Talk later." He sighed lightly, recognising the separation from emotions quite easily, he'd done it enough himself.

"Yeah, talk later Mai." She hung up the phone and climbed through the window to her apartment. Her Mom was waiting for her when she arrived, and she could already feel that bubble of rage at her mother's tapping foot.

"Maya. I don't even know where to begin."

"Then don't. I'm tired." She replied shortly, trying to push past her. Her mother grabbed her instead, and she shoved away from the woman with a shiver.

"Don't touch me!"

"I am your mother, I can do whatever the hell I want! Maya Penelope Hart-" Suddenly Maya felt a white hot anger surge through her and she shot her mother and venomous glare.

"When did you start caring? Huh? Why do I matter to you all of a sudden?" Katie looked stunned at her daughter's sharp tone.

"Maya you've always mattered, I just-"

"Now you see, that's not fucking true. You were never around! Since when were you a parent? You ignored me for my entire life, but now all of a sudden I'm important? So what, Shawn comes around and suddenly you're a changed woman. I call bullshit. No more drinking, no more deadbeat boyfriends who give me weird looks, and no more 'acting jobs'? Yeah fucking right." Katie was shocked. Sure, she and her daughter had gotten in spats before, but never like this, and Maya had never been this harsh before. She was panting, voice already horse from the shouting. Katie could see tears forming in her girl's eyes and her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Maya-"

"You want to know the worst part? The part that boggles my brains? You did it for him! You changed for him, and you never bothered for me! I wasn't good enough. Why wasn't I good enough, huh Mom? Tell me that, you at least owe me that." Her mother just stared, mouth opening and closing like a cod fish. What was she supposed to say to that? That she didn't know Maya felt like that? That she and Maya never had enough conversations for her to even find out she felt like that? Maya chuckled drily, shaking her head as her mother's silence spoke louder than any words could.

"You know what, screw you. I'm done. I'm not doing this. Screw this whole damn world. I deserve better." And with that she shouldered past Katie, grabbing the duffel bag from under her bed, the one she had prepared for just this sort of situation, and took off out the window. It was like Katie had been paralysed until the window had been shoved open, and now she could move. She rushed towards the girl as she placed her first foot out of the window.

"MAYA!" Her mother screamed as she lunged after the girl, but her daughter was already gone.

A/N: HahahHAHAHhhaahha I'm evil. Ok buddies, the angst is just beginning! Get your butts ready.