Friendship, Growth, & Feelings
Disclaimer: I don't own anything pertaining to the GMW franchise; it just gives me a lot of feelings.
Summary: The one where Zay knows stuff, and Riley learns some truths. Farkle is a bit confused, but still supports his friends. Lucas eventually makes his own choice, and fights for what he wants. Maya digs her heels in as much as possible. Or, where they have to clean up the mess that happened at the Ski Lodge and the domino effect that happened after. /Lucaya ending/
Chapter 4
Lucas followed Riley back to her apartment where they found Maya in the kitchen with Josh. Riley stared at them for several long moments before taking a breath and stealing herself.
"Uncle Josh", she announced. "I love you, but you gots to go", she pointed.
Lucas reached over and adjusted her hand so it was pointing at the door and not the side window.
"Riley-"
"Maya, shush", Riley flapped a hand at her.
Maya's eyes widened. "You just shushed me?! I beg your pardon!"
Riley met Josh as he exited the kitchen and she smiled innocently. She looped her arm through his and led him to the door. "If you'll excuse us, we have some unfinished business to take care of… but feel free to continue your conversation with Maya once we're all a bit closer to thirty." She opened the door and deposited him in the hallway. "My mommy is a lawyer, and I know stuff. Love you. Bye-bye." He was squinting at her curiously before she slammed the door in his face… and then she locked it.
"What did you do that for?" Maya whined as the door closed.
By the time Riley turned around, Maya turned her glare to Lucas.
"What. Did. You. Do?!" Maya demanded through clenched teeth.
"Why are you blaming me?" he protested.
"Uchh, because it's always you!"
Riley made an 'eep' noise even though the fury wasn't directed at her yet. She could do this. She pointed at Maya. "You get back in this triangle right now!" Riley demanded.
"Oh", Maya shook her head. "Yeah, no The triangle is dead and buried, Riles. And last I checked, digging up graves is illegal."
"Mayaaaa-"
"Not doing it!" Maya insisted as she ran around the island to escape Riley.
"Oh, you're doing it!" Riley insisted running around the corner to block Maya.
"Riley! Quit pushing!"
"No! I'm not very good at being wrong, Maya- I don't have enough practice at it", she squinted comically. "But I told you that you deserved to have everything you ever wanted. I meant it then, and I still do! Why did you let me stomp all over your happiness like Godzilla?!"
Maya scoffed. "Riles, you're hardly Godzilla."
"Here's what's going to happen", Riley said, crossing her arms in an attempt to be stern. "The three of us are all going to talk. And we're going to agree to tell the truth… even if it's hard."
"I don't know what the truth is anymore", Maya said flatly.
"I'll tell you something true", Lucas said finally. He was still leaning against the back of the couch, temporarily content to let them chase each other, but prepared to stop Maya from making a run for it.
The both looked over like they'd forgotten he was there. At least some things were still normal. Maya glanced up reflexively and immediately avoided his gaze. She closed her eyes and tried to contain her temper. i"You again"i/, she practically growled.
"Riley is your best friend, and you're never going to lose her."
"Thank you, Dr. Phil", Maya snorted.
"Maya", he sighed exasperatedly. "You aren't going to lose me either. I didn't realize what I was missing until I met you guys. And I can't imagine what life would be like without you in it."
Maya mimes gagging in disgust, but he waits her out until she rolls her eyes and shrugs. "Sure you can, Buckaroo. It would be full-time Riley Town… and you seem like you like it there just fine", she shrugged dismissively. "I don't exactly blame you, since I take the odd vacation there-"
"I'm not asking you to be something you're not", Lucas glared at her. "I liked you when we met, and I still like you now. Who you are hasn't changed that much. Not really. But the way you let people see you… that has. I like Riley Town because that's part of who she is."
"Stop acting like you know me, Lucas."
Riley stares in disbelief. "Maya, please- I never should have said what I did. You deserve a nice boy if you want one. Lucas doesn't belong in your Dungeon of Sadness with the ballerinas!"
Lucas blinked. Yikes.
"Riley?" Maya glared angrily, teeth clenched. "I'm only going to say this once: stop throwing me under the bus!You can't control everything! Including me. My feelings are mine. And you can't just pull them out and dump them on the floor to poke with a stick whenever you want to!"
"Maya, please just-"
"Lucas is free to go to whatever land he likes, Riley. I hear Australia is nice. Maybe he can be Ranger Rick the 'Roo Wrangler." She waggled her eyebrows teasingly at Lucas. "Say that three times."
"Can you be serious for five minutes?" Lucas asked exasperatedly.
Maya's eye twitched and she held up a finger. "I don't think you understand", she said slowly. "I would rather be butt-naked in an eel tankright now than do whatever emotionally vulnerable malarkey that this conversation is trying to be!"
Riley shrieked. "Maya!"
"You're not the boss of me!" Maya yelled back. "My life is not going to turn into an episode of 'The Bachelor'! Do we even know ten other girls?!"
"Would you stop!" Lucas yelled over them both before Maya could do what she did best… distract Riley. But he hadn't thought that through, and they both winced.
Maya turned her laser eyes in his direction, finger pointing accusingly. "Not cool, Lucas! Not cool!"
He held both hands up innocently. "Sorry."
"Oh, you're not sorry yet", she muttered with a glare.
"We'll come back to that later", Riley raised an eyebrow. "Maya, we have to talk about this!"
"I can't hear you-"
Riley gestured for Lucas. "Get her."
"That wasn't the plan!" Lucas complained, even as he stepped into the space at the other end of the table… but it would be exactly like Maya to attempt jumping over the table if she really wanted to leave.
"This was Plan F: Force Maya to Listen to Us!" Riley insisted.
Maya rolled her eyes. "You two are a lot of drama", she grumbled. She regretted speaking immediately when Lucas focused back on her fully.
"Maya, what happened between you and me-"
"There is no 'you and me'!" she shouted, making Riley jump. "Lucas- stop pretending you and I are even an option", Maya sighed aggressively.
He glared down at her. "Is everything a double standard with you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about-"
"Maya!"
"Leave it alone, Ranger Rick."
Lucas probably really did need to dial it down a few notches, but she was infuriating. He wasn't wrong about her either. She'd given him to Riley without a thought for herself, the same way she'd never let him close again because it might hurt her best friend. If he chose Riley, or even if he didn't, he would lose Maya either way. Maya would never trust anyone who made Riley sad.
Maya was worse than he was when it came to self-sabotage… and neither of them were certain of anything now.
"Maya, we have to talk about what happened in Texas."
"We swore never to bring that up again!"
"How's that working out for you?" he threw his hands up.
"Great! Fine! Thanks!" Maya yelled sarcastically.
Meanwhile, Riley was watching the way they paced back and forth on either side of her kitchen island. Her eyes just kept opening wider, and finally she shrieked, "You guys never talked about it?!"
Maya whipped around and stared at her best friend. She opened and closed her mouth several times before saying innocently, "Talked about what?"
Riley tried not to explode like a volcano.
Maya shook her head. "Nothing happened."
"But the two of you went on a date!" Riley insisted. "How could you not talk about it?"
Maya raised an eyebrow. "You really think that was a 'date'?" she asked incredulously. "Something that only happened because you wanted everything to be even… Sitting there being stared at by our friends? Did you really think that was going to go well?"
Riley opened and closed her mouth a few times.
The apartment door was unlocked and opened.
"Why was the door locked like Fort Knox?" Topanga asked Cory behind her.
"Hold the door! I'm leaving!" Maya called jovially as she practically ran to the door. "Later, Matthews!" she offered, patting his shoulder and disappearing into the hallway.
"Maya, wait!" Riley called, voice full of concern as she ran after her.
A few seconds later she came back alone. She looked at Lucas. "She's gone."
"I was only gone an hour!" Topanga said exasperatedly. "Riley, what happened?"
"This is all my fault", Riley muttered sadly as she threw herself onto the couch. "I dropped Peaches on her head. Now she's all banged up!"
Topanga frowned, squinting at Lucas. "And in English?" she tried.
"Riley may have-"
"May have?!" Riley interrupted with her face smothered in a throw pillow.
"She pushed Maya too far", he muttered under his breath.
"I broke Maya!"
"You hurt her", Lucas clarified. "You didn't break her. Maya is not broken."
"How could I do that to her?"
Lucas sighed. "You know… you guys need to understand that you're two whole people on your own. Yes, you balance each other out… but-" he shook his head. "You guys aren't half a person when you're apart. And things aren't always going to be the same."
"He's right", Topanga said gently.
"What do we do?" Riley asked desperately. "How can we fix it when she just keeps running away from us ?"
"You're going to have to be patient. Be there for Maya when she's ready", Cory said.
"Patient!" Riley complained crossing her arms. "I'm not good at that!" And then she groaned. "We probably should have told her we broke up", she sighed.
"Did we?" Lucas frowned. "Break up?"
"I wanted us all to talk", Riley said. "But… I think we did?"
"Are you okay, Riley?" Topanga asked carefully.
Riley shrugged. "I think so. I mean, it's not awesome, but I think we're doing the right thing. Lucas?"
He sighed and nodded. "I think we're doing the right thing too."
"For the right reasons?" Cory asked.
Riley smiled and looked at Lucas. "We tried. I don't regret that. It didn't work the way either us expected. But we're still friends, right?"
"I always want us to be friends", he smiled back.
"Then we will be", Riley nodded. Then she pointed at Lucas accusingly. "But he can't be friends with Maya!"
Cory sighed. It never could be easy. "Why?" he groaned.
"Because he wants to kiss her face!" Riley insisted.
Cory began glaring.
Topanga sighed. "Oh, boy. Lucas?" she suggested. "You should probably run."
Lucas agreed instantly. "I'm out! Later, Riley!" He made it through the front door while Cory tried to jump over the couch.
Topanga looked down at her daughter. "Are you really okay?"
Riley scrunched her nose as she considered her feelings. "I'm not sad. I thought I would be, but I'm not. I actually… I feel pretty good. Is that weird?"
Topanga shook her head. "Sometimes the scary thing is the right thing to do… but sometimes? Sometimes we can just feel peace with our decisions and know it was right. Is that how you feel?"
"That's exactly how I feel", she said honestly. "I also feel like Dad can't kill Lucas because he still has to tell Maya he has feelings at her!" Riley stood up and went through the door her father had left open.
"At her?" Topanga repeated in confusion.
"Yeah", Riley nodded insistently. "They haven't hit her yet."
"Ah, got it", Topanga muttered.
"Dad!" Riley yelled down the stairwell. "Stop trying to murder Lucas!"
00
A/N: This fic is pretty conversation heavy. But this whole Triangle Debacle needed a lot more honesty that we didn't get. Also, there is at least one plot-hole in that I'm taking liberties with, but I mean… Riley barely started riding the subway, and I'd bet Maya went with her mom to acting auditions when she was young. So, I mean, where would Riley know where to get a horse from? Maya knows everybody, and if she doesn't know someone, she'll go talk to them. It is canon. Maya definitely knew where to get a horse for Riley's princess campaign.
Leave a review! Thanks. The fandom is pretty dead and it's sad.