"Are you sure this is a good idea Topanga?" Cory worried, pacing across the living room as his wife sat on the couch, nonchalantly reading a magazine while they waited for Josh.
"Sure," Topanga shrugged, not looking up. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"She could die?" Cory suggested, and Topanga laughed.
"What's the worst that could actually happen?" She rephrased.
"She could die!" Cory repeated. "She crosses a street without hearing a car come. She gets run over by a guy on a bike-"
"She's not blind, Cory," Topanga pointed out. "How often do you rely on your ears to not get run over by a guy on a bike?"
Cory paused, but didn't have time to think the question over before the doorbell rang, and the lights flickered.
"Maybe we should talk her out of it," Cory considered, going over to open the door and let his brother in.
"Aw come on, my brother," Josh consoled. "She's gonna have a great time. If there's any place that Deaf kids should go for vacation, it's Rochester."
"I'm assuming you've never been to Disneyland," Topanga mused, flipping a page in her magazine.
"So where's my niece?" Josh asked, dropping his duffle bag on the floor as he wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
"Probably still packing," Topanga informed him. "Hey Cory, do you still like pasta casseroles? Because there's a recipe in this magazine here-"
"Sup, losers?" Maya asked, entering the living room with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. "Riley can't find her phone charger."
"Oh, she can use mine," Josh offered. "We have the same kind of phone, right?"
"I'll go tell her." Maya disappeared back into the hallway, and came back a few minutes later, her best friend in tow with her suitcase.
"Ready?" Josh asked, and Maya nodded.
"All set," she said and signed.
'What time does our train leave?' Riley signed.
Josh, understanding 'what time' and 'train', said and signed, "Thirty minutes."
Riley's eyes widened. 'Then we need to go.'
'You text Lucas?' Maya signed silently, hoping Mr. Matthews wasn't paying attention.
'I told him we were leaving for the weekend, but I'd see him when we got back and we could hang out over the break,' Riley signed back.
'So what are you and Ranger Rick going to do all break?' Maya teased silently.
Riley blushed, and didn't have time to answer before Maya looked away to Josh, who was apparently speaking.
"We're gonna be late," Josh said, signing the words before grabbing an apple from the kitchen and biting into it to hold it in his mouth. 'Let's go,' he signed, his mouth full.
"Are you sure you don't want a ride to the train sta-" Cory began.
"We'll be fine, Matthews," Maya assured him. "And if we die, you've still got Auggie!"
"Maya, I'm going to get our tickets," Josh said, leaving her and Riley with the luggage.
'He's going to get the tickets,' Maya explained.
Riley nodded, looking around. 'I've always loved Grand Central; I wish I brought my camera.'
'You could use Josh's,' Maya pointed out. 'That's the whole point of this trip - it's a photo essay.'
A train whistled as it pulled into the station, and Maya and Riley turned to see it coming.
'Is it loud?' Riley asked. When Maya didn't see her, she tapped on her friend's shoulder and repeated the question.
'Yeah,' Maya confirmed. She frowned at the sign above the platform. 'I think that's our train, Riles.'
'It's early?' Riley signed frantically. 'Where's Josh, will we miss it?'
"That's our train, Maya," Josh said, running up from behind her and grabbing his duffle bag. "Come on, quick!"
The two girls quickened their pace to keep up with the older guy as they darted between people on their mad rush to the train.
Josh handed Riley and Maya a ticket each, and they boarded the train on the tails of the last few passengers. As they made their way to a seating car, Josh glanced in the windows of each room to find an empty one, while Riley and Maya waited at the end of the hall.
"None are empty, but there's only one person in this one," he called.
'We have to share a cabin with one person,' Maya relaid to Riley, and Riley nodded, rolling her suitcase behind her as she followed Maya to the door.
"Do you mind if we join you?" Josh questioned the old woman. "Every other cabin is filled."
"Of course," she smiled warmly. "I'm just here reading my book."
As Josh led the two girls into the cabin, he reached up to stow their luggage while Riley and Maya sat down on the seat across from the woman.
'What's she reading?' Riley asked Maya, and Maya looked up.
"What are you reading?" She asked.
The woman smiled. "Just an old favorite of mine. Have you ever read The Great Gatsby?"
Maya shook her head. "Pretty sure that's an eleventh grade book," she joked. 'Have you read The Great Gatsby?' She signed to Riley.
Riley nodded. 'It's such a great book, you haven't?'
Maya shook her head. 'Why would I read anything I don't have to for school?'
"Is she deaf?" The woman asked, as Josh sat down next to her.
"Yeah," Josh confirmed. "I'm Josh, this is my niece Riley and her friend Maya."
"You look a little young to be an uncle," the woman teased.
"Hey, that's not my fault," Josh put his hands up. "You can either blame my parents or hers', we had nothing to do with it."
Maya, beginning to interpret, was overthinking the fact that Josh had said she was 'Riley's friend'. What did that mean, Riley's friend? Was she not Josh's friend? Or were they past the friend zone?
'Blame his parents,' Riley corrected, and Maya voiced the words. 'Mine were in their twenties but his just couldn't stop popping out babies.'
'Ew, I can't say that!' Maya signed back silently, crinkling her nose at the thought of Riley's grandparents going at it.
'Fine, just blame his parents, they started this whole family anyways,' Riley changed her statement, and Maya spoke the words. 'Maya, I'm going to take a nap, I didn't sleep well. Wake me up if something happens?'
'It's a six hour train ride, Riley,' Maya signed. 'Nothing's going to happen.'
Riley grabbed her coat and bunched it up into a ball, laying it against the arm rest as she laid down, her legs resting in Maya's lap.
"She's going to take a nap, she didn't sleep well," Maya explained.
"Well, we shouldn't wake her…" the woman trailed off. "She's deaf, we can't wake her by talking, can we?"
Maya grinned and shook her head. "Nice thought, though. So why are you going to Rochester?"
"Oh, I'm just passing through," the woman explained. "I live in Buffalo, it's just a few stops after Rochester. I'm Clara, by the way."
"Nice to meet you," Josh said, and Maya nodded.
"So what business do you three have?" Clara questioned.
"Well I have a photo essay," Josh explained. "I'm a student at NYU, I get to take pictures and write a story about Rochester."
"Sounds fun," Clara smiled. "Not like when I was in school."
"Well his college may be fun, but my high school sure isn't," Maya grumbled. "I'm just glad we're on break."
"Speaking of," Josh said, "I'm supposed to go home next week, Maya. I just thought I should tell you…" Both Maya and Josh glanced at Clara.
"Oh, don't mind me," Clara smiled, pulling some headphones from her bag. "I'll be listening to music and reading my book. Won't hear a thing."
"Are we going to see each other before you leave?" Maya asked, a little quieter.
"I'm having dinner at my brother's before I go, and you're always there-"
"You know that's not what I meant," Maya interrupted, watching as Josh's expression shifted into uncomfort.
He glanced at Clara and then Riley. "Should we be-"
"Literally neither of them can hear us, Josh," Maya pointed out. "One's deaf and one has headphones."
"Yeah, I just get nervous talking about this in front of Riley. You haven't told her yet, right?" Josh asked.
"Told her what?" Maya questioned seriously. "I don't know what I would tell her about us - I don't know what we are."
"We aren't anything, really," Josh said. "You're sixteen and I'm nineteen, it's not legal."
"It's not like I'm dating a thirty year old man," Maya scoffed. "The age difference isn't enough to matter if we both consent-"
"That's just it, though, Maya," Josh interrupted. "You're not old enough to legally consent to a relationship with me. The age of consent in New York is seventeen."
"I'm pretty sure that's only for intimate relationships," Maya pointed out. "And by the time we do anything like that I probably will be seventeen."
"I like this long game we've got going here, Maya," Josh admitted. "I don't want to screw it up."
"You won't," Maya assured him softly. She kept his gaze, as she reached across the space between their seats to rest her hand on his knee, careful not to jostle Riley's legs. "You won't screw it up. I like you, Josh."
"I like you too," Josh agreed. "So let's play our long game, and when our time comes," he placed his hand on top of hers, "it will come."
A/N: Why am I not reading my MicroEcon chapters? I have like 6 hours worth of reading to do.
Better yet, why did I want a business degree to begin with?
Here's a longer chapter, yay! Complete with a little explanation on the Joshaya part of this fic :))
I got writers block after the last chapter, so I had to go and do some homework and work on the timeline for Nodus Tollens (which I still haven't put a chapter out for, I'm sorry, but YES it will be Joshaya games and Rucas true love).
Then I got inspired like 40 mins ago and decided to get some Anecdoche out while I was watching old compilations of The Daily Show's explanations on the ridiculous political situation here in the US (Trump supporters will be deleted and blocked ❤️ there is no room for racism/sexism/homophobia/xenophobia/hate here and anyone who thinks I shouldn't be getting political on a fanfiction can take your nonsense and hate somewhere else).
I think I'll be able to continue with this storyline soon (I'm not blocked right now), but it may take a few days before I figure out what the heck they're gonna do in Rochester - plus I have to decide what Riley and Lucas will do over break. Any ideas would be appreciated!
I'm hoping to try to get like a schedule down for writing, maybe 1 update a week if I'm dedicated enough. But more likely I will have to do homework and I will forget. Please feel free to review/PM me with messages to continue.
I hope everyone is staying safe!
Kisses,
C