Northern Constellations

Summary: Explore a year in the life of Joshua Matthews and Maya Hart as they discover the wonders and woes of young parenthood.

Chapter Six

"Maya—oh Maya!" Cory Matthews beamed, dropping a textbook on to his desk to get her attention. The entire class remained silent. "What did I tell you about sleeping in my class? I know that this is our last day, but I'm not quite done with you all yet."

"I'm just tired, Mr. Matthews," Maya replied, lifting her head from her desk. She was exhausted beyond belief. She had slept for hours on end the previous night, but her body was insatiable. "That's all there is to it."

"But aren't we all?" Mr. Matthews retorted, gesturing to the rest of the class. They were all sitting idly in their seats. It seemed like, for the first time in their academic career, the gang didn't have anything to say.

"Some more than others," Maya argued back. It was true. She felt certain that there wasn't a single soul in the room that understood her pain. It was almost as if her baby drained all of the energy from her body.

"You're only sixteen, Maya," Mr. Matthews chuckled, walking to the front of his desk. He looked at the young girl with sympathy. Adolescence was a funny thing. "These are your golden years. You can do whatever you want, so why would you waste it on sleepless nights and netflix? That brings me back to the lesson: where do you see yourself in ten years?"

"Is that a trick question?" Maya asked, hesitant to respond. She toyed with a mechanical pencil in her lap and shook her head.

"There's no right or wrong answer," Mr. Matthews explained with a shrug. He looked on expectantly. "It just want your opinion. The entire class shared their thoughts when you were napping. It's your turn now."

"Where do I see myself in ten years?" Maya asked herself, placing a hand on her chest to add emphasis. "Well, you see, in ten years I'll be twenty-six. That's still young enough to be considered a young adult yet old enough to be able to rent a car. Pretty crazy if you ask me."

"Hilarious," Mr. Matthews applauded. He was being sarcastic. Maya knew that much. It was then that she noticed the number ten written across the chalk board. "Those were very real responses, but I'm talking big plans. College? A career? A family? What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know," Maya sighed. She sank back into her seat and swore that everyone's eyes were on her. She wondered if they could notice her baby bump. If they did, no one said anything. "The truth is that I just don't know where I'll be in ten years. I don't even know where I'll be tomorrow."

"Peaches," Riley spoke up, her own maternal instincts kicking in. Riley's words were soothing, and Maya was grateful for her presence. "You know what? You're right. We have no idea what fate has in store for us, but it's good to have hope."

"Hope isn't for suckers," Maya tolled her eyes, quoting her much younger self. She did have hope, but sometimes it wasn't enough. "I know."

"You have a very interesting way of seeing things, Maya," Mr. Matthews complimented. He loved viewing the world from different perspectives. That's one of the things that led him to teaching. "Where were you ten years ago? Can you remember?"

"I mean..."

"Just answer the question already!" Farkle Minkus inserted into the conversation before Maya could finish her sentence. Typical, Maya thought to herself. He didn't waste any time getting to the point. Riley turned around to glare at her best male friend causing him to regain his composure. "Sorry. Continue."

"I was six," Maya laughed. "I was a stupid little girl. I drew two-headed stick figures and swore that when I turned sixteen, I would be the next Picasso. Take a good look at me now."

"You're still young," Riley insisted. "Yeah, you've always been a little bit stupid, but we all are. We're kids. We make mistakes. We grow from them."

"The moral of the story is that..." Mr Matthews began before getting cut off abruptly by his own daughter.

"People change," Riley said proudly as the crowd groaned in unison. 'People change people' had come their class mantra. After all, it was the secret of life and the most relevant lesson that Cory Matthews could ever teach to his students.

"There you go," Mr. Matthews agreed. "Ten years can be tricky. Ten years ago, many of you guys were either five or six. I was twenty-six, believe it or not, and my life has changed so much since then. It changes every day, and in ten years, it'll change some notes. People change. Plans change. All you can do is hope for the best and work hard to get what you want. August marks your eleventh year in school, but you'll be in the tenth grade. I don't know what sophomore year has in store for you all. You'll just have to wait and see. It's been an honor to watch all of you grow up. I hope you learned a little something this year. And Maya? I would like to have a word with you after class."

"You got it."

And after a few moments drug on, the bell finally rang.

"You wanted to see me?" Maya asked, walking up to the teacher's desk as soon as the rest of the class dispersed. She felt a bit uncomfortable being in a one-on-one environment with him. It wasn't that he made her uncomfortable. The circumstances were what made it strenuous. Mr. Matthews deserved to know—so did the rest of the family—so that's why Josh proposed a weekend trip to Philadelphia.

"That is correct," Mr. Matthews answered softly, taking a seat behind his desk. "I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now. I just didn't know what to say."

"What're you talking about?" Maya pressed, clutching her notebook closer to her abdomen. Even though she wore one of Josh's NYU sweatshirts to class, she was still extra cautious about her bump.

"You don't have to play dumb with me, Maya," Mr. Matthews insisted. What was he talking about? The baby? Her heart dropped just thinking about it. She wanted to strangle whoever leaked the news before she could. "I've known for weeks."

"Who told you?" Maya croaked. The disappointment on his face and in his voice was obvious. It broke her heart. "Was it Riley? Josh? Shawn?"

"Nope," Mr. Matthews sighed, putting an emphasis on the p. "It was Auggie. He overheard you and my little brother talking about the baby, so he asked me about it. You could only imagine how that escalated when Topanga found out. We've known you for more than half of your life, Maya. It feels like just yesterday you and Riley were ten-years-old, now look at you."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"It wasn't my place," Mr. Matthews explained, clasping his hands together. "Topanga and I think of you as our own flesh and blood. I only wish that you would have told us sooner, but as much as I'd like to think that I have a say in your life, I don't. I'm just your teacher."

"That's not it, Mr. Matthews," Maya said a little too quickly. "You and Mrs. Matthews mean the world to me. You guys are basically my second parents. I am so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. It's just been scary, you know? Josh and I are still working out the kinks in our relationship. His parents—your parents—don't even know yet."

"The only people that know are my parents and my friends," Maya continued, feeling out of breath. "I don't think I've ever felt so stressed in my life. This wasn't supposed to be a huge secret. I'm not ashamed of Josh or our baby. It's just...I don't know. I didn't want things to change. I don't want you to look at me differently."

"You're pregnant with my kid brother's kid," Mr. Matthews chuckled. The conversation had already been painfully awkward, but that comment made it ten times worse. "Of course I'm going to look at you differently, Maya. You can't expect anything to stay the same. This changes everything, and I mean everything. But change isn't necessarily a bad thing. This will be an adjustment for everyone, and yeah this is awkward for me and I'm a little bit disappointed that everyone kept it a secret for so long, but I can promise you that I'm on your side."

"Thank you, Mr. Matthews."

"If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask, and you will always have a place for us at home."

"We made it!" Riley Matthews beamed later on that day, flashing a toothy smile that brightened every inch of the bakery. After fourth period was dismissed, the gang decided on meeting up at Topanga's to celebrate the end of the school year. "Mission accomplished. Freshman year complete."

Maya laughed. Her best friend's cheerfulness was awfully contagious and she couldn't help but smile. Riley was truly one of the rocks that kept Maya in place. She was selfless, kind and goofy. Maya couldn't imagine life without her.

"Farkle?" Riley asked, running a hand through her hair. It was much shorter now. She made the decision to chop it off a few days prior. "Have you been in contact with Smackle lately? I tried texting her, but she never replied."

"Walked her home on Tuesday," Farkle shrugged, suddenly taking an interest in his shoes: plain chuck taylors tied to perfection. It was insane to think about how he hadn't been in touch with his girlfriend for three days. He tried texting, calling and even stopping by, but she wasn't there and didn't tell him a damn thing. "I haven't spoken to her since."

"Really?" Zay asked skeptically before gulping down a good portion of his strawberry smoothie. "Dude how can you get away with not talking to your girl for three whole days?"

"Riley texts me when we're in the same room," Lucas inserted, lifting his cellphone for emphasis. "See, this one says: 'you're so funny, lucas el-em-ay-oh'."

"I tried," Farkle said. He did. He really tried to get through to her. He tried to get her to open up, and he would continue to keep trying for the rest of their lives. "All I can do is try. She'll talk to me when she's ready."

"Your girl is somewhere out there, man," Zay said sympathetically, removing the plastic straw from his lips. "Sometimes it feels like she lives on a completely different planet than us, but that's why we love her."

"So," Riley chirped, noticing her male best friend's sudden change of demeanor. Farkle Minkus saved her life once, and she would do anything to save his. She knew for a fact that he didn't want to discuss his complicated relationship in front of everyone. Not yet anyways. "Are you guys ready for our trip? Well, trips plural, since Maya's driving to Philadelphia to visit my grandparents with my uncle."

"Hey," Maya said, raising her hands in defense. She hadn't really said much all afternoon. She was still a bit caught off guard from her conversation with Cory. "I asked if you wanted to catch a ride with us, but..."

"I know," Riley exasperated. She was genuinely happy for Josh and Maya, but with a baby on the way, things were different. "Josh wants it to be a private moment."

"I can only imagine how weird it'll be at family reunions," Zay added, cringing inwardly. "Your entire family knows that Maya's your best friend. But now? She's your uncle's baby mama. My grandmas would definitely have a field day with something like that."

Maya rolled her eyes but shrugged off his comment all the same. She knew how Zay felt about her pregnancy. She knew how he felt about her, but they never got around to discussing it. At the end of the day, they were still friends. They still cared for each other.

"Anyways," Lucas trailed off, hoping to cover up his best friend's tracks. Riley slid her hand into his and his smile widened. "I don't think I've ever been so excited."

They were still so awkward after all of this time, but Maya had to admit that they were cute in their own way. Their dynamic was interesting. Riley Matthews was a city girl through and through, and Lucas Friar was a small town country boy at heart.

"It really means the world to me that you'd plan something like this," Lucas continued, bringing up their camping trip. Maya still couldn't believe that he was still so pure. He truly was Lucas the Good. "Thanks, Riles."

There was never a dull moment with the Matthews clan. Fortunately for Lucas Friar and Isaiah Babineaux, they were able to learn that the easy way. The fact that they were able to earn Riley's trust in the very beginning meant that they had also won the jackpot with her father as well.

A week after testing, Riley approached her father with an idea idea. Nearly every summer since his big move, Lucas was given the opportunity to visit his hometown for at least two weeks during the summer. His Pappy Joe had been quick to purchase tickets in the past, but this year was a let down. With Texas out of the picture, Lucas felt confined to city life in the heart of good ole' New York. So Riley started to plan, eventually organizing a weeklong camping trip away from Manhattan. Everything seemed picture perfect up until her father took the game plan into his own hands. It was a family trip now but none of the kids really cared. A trip was a trip, and the boys loved spending times with the rest of the Matthews family.

"It's nothing," Riley shrugged. "It's going to be fun for all of us, and I need something to get my mind off of my best friend abandoning me."

"It's only four days," Maya groaned. "You really need to get over yourself, honey."

"I'm gonna miss you so much, peaches," Riley pouted. "What am I gonna do without you?"

"Camping apparently," Maya answered. She couldn't believe that Riley Matthews—of all people—would plan an actual camping trip. The Ski Lodge has been more than enough for the entire gang. Sleeping outdoors, let alone in a tent, was a foreign concept for her. "Good luck with that, by the way. I'm counting on Ranger Rick to keep an eye on you at all times."

"I will, trust me," Lucas stared firmly. Riley was a super klutz. He wouldn't let her out of his sight even if his life depended on it.

"If she comes back with any scratch marks, bites or bruises, I know who to blame," Maya threatened playfully. Those were out of his control, but it was still fun to joke around.

Maya returned home that night to find her mother waiting for in the kitchen. It felt incredibly weird to think about how their lives used to be before the baby, before the acting gig and more importantly, before Shawn. Some of her most vivid memories were of her mother crying herself to sleep at night, but the ones that stuck with her the most were the nights she didn't come home at all. Things were different now. Katy was happy—or was before she found out that she was going to be one of the youngest grandmother's in all of New York—and present in her daughter's life now more than ever.

"Maya?"

"Mom?"

"Do you have a minute?" Katy sighed, tapping her fingers rhythmically against the side of her glass mug. Their relationship was still a bit rocky. It was hard for Katy to wrap her head around the fact that her own baby was having a baby, but she couldn't hide from the truth forever. That wouldn't be fair to Maya or herself. "I can make you some hot cocoa if you want."

"Um sure," Maya said almost hesitantly. After the incident in Shawn's care, Katy avoided her daughter for nearly a week. Katy ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the privacy of her own room, picked fights with Shawn and her poor mother about everything and cried for hours on end. It wasn't until she had a genuine heart-to-heart with her husband that she began to open up to the idea of being a grandmother. "Hot chocolate sounds pretty good right about now. What's going on?"

"You got it, girl," Katy said softly, getting up from her seat at the island to retrieve another mug from the cabinet and a hot chocolate packet from the pantry. "I just want to talk to you about something. It'll be quick."

"Okay," Maya nodded. That didn't really answer her question, but she wouldn't pry. She sat on the other side of the island and tried to make herself comfortable on the barstool. Within minutes, Katy slid the warm beverage across the counter. Maya caught it, and it felt hot to the touch.

"How's our girl today?" Katy asked, motioning downward to Maya's stomach. Even though she failed to admit it sometimes, she was looking forward to meeting her precious granddaughter. "Are you feeling okay today?"

"I'm alright," Maya answered truthfully. She couldn't really describe how she felt, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. "And she's never been better."

"That's great," Katy said. This was unfamiliar territory for the both of them, but at least they were making a solid effort. "Anyways, I got a call today."

"From who?" Maya questioned, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. It was steaming hot and bitter sweet, just the way she liked it.

"A casting director for a really big project that's in production," Katy answered vaguely. "At least I think that it will be big."

"Oh my God," Maya breathed out, looking at her mother in awe. "What movie? And what did they say?"

"Well, I auditioned for the role of Marmee in Little Women when I was in Los Angeles just to humor myself. I didn't actually think they would consider me for the role because there are some pretty big names trying to snag these roles, but I did it. They chose me. There's even some talk about getting Meryl Streep on board."

"Wow," Maya said, grinning from ear to ear. Differences aside, she was so proud of her mother. She could not believe her luck. "This is a really big deal, and everyone knows Little Women. I used to watch the remake with Winona Ryder all the time whenever grandma would stay at our old place."

"It is a really big deal," Katy agreed. She looked sad, but Maya didn't know why. This was the role of a lifetime. It was ten times greater than anything D.W. Preminger could pull out of his ass. "But I don't think I can accept the offer."

"What?" Maya practically screeched. "You need to accept the offer. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and you love acting."

"I do love acting," Katy reasoned. "But I love you more. Filming felt like a dream, but it was missing something. You and Shawn. I missed you guys every single day."

"We missed you too, but that's not a reason to throw all of this away."

"It's not that. When you needed me the most, I wasn't there for you. You had to deal with all of this baby drama on your own, and I understand why you didn't want to tell me. You were being selfless. You wanted me to follow my dreams. I appreciate that, sweetheart, I really do, but if I accept this offer, filming will take months. Baby girl will be here soon. I just can't risk it."

"Yes you can," Maya argued. This was the life her mother had dreamed of ever since childhood. Maya would be damned before she let that slip away. "I do need you. I'll always need you. You're my mom, but I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself. Please consider being in the movie. If not for me, then for my daughter. Imagine how awesome it would be for her to brag about her superstar grandma in kindergarten."

Katy sighed. It really wasn't that simple. She couldn't think about herself anymore. Her family grew significantly in the past year. It wasn't just Katy and Maya—it was Katy, Shawn, Maya and Baby—and that made all of the difference.

If texting was a sport, Joshua Matthews swore that Maya would be a prospective Olympic Gold Medalist. Between Riley and Maya, texts were sent out at the speed of lightning. Sometimes it seemed as if their thumbs twiddled fasted than their minds could process. Josh was impressed, but he hoped that they wouldn't spend the rest of their car ride in silence with Maya's sole focus being the contents transported to and from her smart phone.

"Riley wants to know how long we have left," Maya yawned the following morning, looking up from her cellular device. "She said that your brother plans on picking up the boys sometime around noon after Auggie's troop meeting."

At the mere mention of a troop, the older boy's eyes widened as if she had dropped a huge bombshell. "Auggie's a Boy Scout? When did that happen?" Josh asked, loosening his grip on his steering wheel. "And we have about an hour left. Fifty-six minutes exactly. ETA is 12:24."

"Yeah, I thought you knew."

"I didn't. I'm just...wow." Josh tried to picture his favorite nephew dressed in one of those ridiculous Cub Scout uniforms he was forced to wear as a kid. He loved being a scout, but he definitely lost a lot of street credit for it growing up.

"Let me guess: you used to be one too?" Maya teased, rubbing her thumb pads against the cracks on her screen. She cracked her screen on accident when she left the apartment. She was due for an upgrade anyways, but she didn't want to pester her parents about it."That's adorable."

"It's not that cute," Josh defended, reminiscing on the all of the long nights he spent learning how to be a man. Stereotypically, of course. He learned the true meaning of manhood from his father, brothers and even Shawn. Survival skills were nothing compared to integrity, honesty and respect. "It's actually pretty cool when you get to all of the hands on stuff. Trust me, we did a lot more than sell popcorn outside of Walmart."

"Did you have to wear those cute little uniforms all of the time?" Maya grinned, hoping to add to the fire. She had seen pictures of a much younger Josh sprawled out across her best friend's home, but she never pictured him to be a scout. When Josh nodded in response, Maya cooed.

"Those outfits were ridiculous," Josh shook his head, slowly easing off of the gas petal at the sight of a police car ahead. He loved his jeep more than he could describe with words. He was supposed to be the responsible one, receiving yet another ticket for speeding wouldn't reflect well on his character. "I'll admit that, but it could be worse."

"I met my best friend when I was a Tiger Cub Scout," Josh added. Maya tried her best not to laugh. He was being serious, and she had to respect that. "I haven't talked to him in forever, but we're brothers for life."

"What happened to him?" Maya asked, her iPhone forgotten as she tried to carry on the conversation. Conversation is the most important part of any relationship. She loved talking to him, and she loved to listen.

"He's a reformed man," Josh chuckled. He liked to think that his adolescence was worthy of a memoir that he would never gather the courage to write. "At least, I hope. We grew up. I saw him a few months back. I was his best man."

"Best man?" Maya repeated, reaching over her lap to adjust the air conditioner's temperature. She felt incredibly hot, almost sweaty. She discarded her sweatshirt as soon as she buckled herself into his car. Summer was already taking a toll on her body. "Like at a wedding?"

"Something like that," he answered, downshifting in preparation to stop at an upcoming traffic light. If Maya's assumptions were correct, Josh's best friend would be about eighteen or nineteen years old. Similarly to having a baby at sixteen, she couldn't imagine getting married so young. But with that being said it was definitely feasible. "Technically, Kyle and Christina were already legally married before the ceremony. Her parents just didn't know."

"Scandalous," Maya complimented. In truth, she didn't know much about Josh's social life outside of New York. It had always been a mystery to both Maya and Riley. "How do you think your friend is going to react to the news?"

"I'm sure he'll sleep better at night knowing that his second wedding wasn't the scandal of the century," Josh shrugged, poking fun. "I doubt he'll have anything negative to say. He already knows of you."

"He knows of me?"

"Oh yeah," Josh said, checking his blind spots before easing into the left turning lane. There weren't any cars in sight, but he was a stickler for the rules. His car was precious cargo, and it was carrying precious cargo. "I told him all about this pretty little blonde from New York and how I earned my rightful place in her dungeon of sadness."

Maya cringed at the memory. That day on the metro hadn't been her finest moment. Even then, she couldn't stand the thought of seeing Josh with another girl. It broke her heart, but it wasn't as if they were together back then.

"Pretty blonde?" Maya smirked. "Did you also mention my unresolved daddy issues and black swan complex?"

Contrary to what she believed in the past, he actually paid attention to her. He took in every bit of information she put out and observed the world in ways she wouldn't have considered. She adored their conversations because he knew her; he knew every inch of her from her hidden beauty marks to the invisible scars she attained from years of emotional tyranny.

"Don't worry," Josh reassured, resting his eyes on her face for a moment before returning his attention to the road. "Your deepest secrets are safe with me, miss Angelina Ballerina."

"You've got to be kidding me," Maya coughed. She couldn't help but laugh. First Boy Scouts and now references to children's books? She was in so deep. "Angelina Ballerina?"

"What? You've never read those books?" Josh questioned in disbelief. She learned how to read quite early before setting foot in a kindergarten classroom, but dancing mice in tutus never seemed to pique her interest. Maya shook her head as if to indicate that she had not. "I used to be really close with Morgan. My brothers are a lot older than me. So they were never around that much when I was growing up."

"Morgan always wanted a little sister," Josh shuddered at the thought. He loved Morgan, but the first seven years were all Morgan's doing. "I guess I was the next best thing. That lasted until she went away for college. When she left, it felt like I was an only child."

"It must be nice to have siblings," Maya commented, reminiscing on her own childhood. She was raised as an only child. That's all that she's ever known. "Even if they're older than you, you still have them. They'll always be there for you."

"Don't you have..."

"Yes and no," Maya cut him off mid-sentence, suddenly feeling at ease with this topic. After putting in a great deal of research, she learned that she actually did have multiple half-siblings. "My father," she gulped, "Kermit remarried shortly after he left. He has an entirely new family: three daughters and a son. I don't know them, and I don't think I ever will."

"You ever get curious?"

"Sometimes," Maya answered truthfully. Sometimes she wondered what her life would be like if her biological father stepped up to be at least half the man Shawn proved himself to be. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to get to know her half-siblings. But for the most part, she refused to dwell on the possibilities of another life. She was perfectly content with hers, flaws and all. "It doesn't matter. Family isn't determined by blood. I mean, it's really nice to know that the people that are supposed to love you... do. But that isn't always the case."

"I don't think I say it enough," Maya continued, glancing out the window to see another rest stop accompanied by a decorated Welcome to Pennsylvania sign. "But I'm thankful for all of the people in my life. I'm happy with who I am and how my life turned out to be."

She had grown up so much. Sometimes Josh couldn't wrap his head around how much she had changed over the past few years. She was gorgeous and kind, snarly yet compassionate. She wasn't so little anymore, and he had never been so glad that he stopped looking at her like that.

"You know," Josh began, finally becoming familiar with his surroundings. He really missed being back in his home state. He missed home. "You're going to be an amazing mom, Maya."

"Thanks, Josh," Maya expressed, leaning the side of her head against the warm glass window. "But for all it's worth, we both know who she's going to love the most."

"You?"

"No, Mr. Angelina Ballerina," Maya shot back. "I'm pretty sure she's going to favor her daddy. Everyone loves you. It makes sense."

"Even you?"

"Especially me."

Josh smirked, and a comfortable silence settled between them. Maya shut her eyes, hoping to nap away the rest of the drive. As soon as Maya fell asleep, Josh turned up the car radio and hummed along to Elliot Smith's greatest hits until he entered into his county borders.

It was widely-known amongst the Matthews clan that Josh had been the apple of his mother's eye ever since the day he was born. Amy loved her son. She loved all of her children, but there was a special place in her heart for the youngest of the bunch. Josh was her baby. He would always be. Josh knew for a fact that the knowledge of Maya's pregnancy would be a tough pill for her to swallow, but he was confident that she would come around eventually.

"You scared?" Maya asked Josh, interlocking their hands as they stood on his front porch. For the first time in his entire life, he felt like a stranger in his own home. But with Maya by his side, he felt unstoppable.

Note: Shout out to those who left a review for the last chapter! I appreciate everything. Also shannoncrystal the baby girl names you mentioned are SO cute, I absolutely adore Hartley.