A/N: Hey there, everybody! I am so sorry for the delay. Between my internship and studying for my last exam, there just were no more hours left in the day to bring all the ideas floating around in my head to paper. But I am happy to announce that I finished my last exam and am now a free woman once again (YAY!). So, updates will hopefully be more regular from now on (Fingers crossed!). Anyway, I will spare you any further rambling from me. So, without further ado, here comes the new chapter. As always, feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Girl Meets World characters.

Mine

Girl Meets Old Friends

"I was a flight risk, with a fear of fallin'

Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts"

"So, are those friends you said you were meeting by any chance my favorite niece and her boyfriend?" Josh asked with a warm smile.

"Why yes they are." Maya grinned, a teasing glint in her eyes. "However did you manage to figure that out?"

"Oh, you know," Josh waved off. "Intuition, prediction, omniscience … or perhaps the fact that they are coming down the stairs right this moment."

Maya shook her head. "Well, Shawn Spencer. I must say, I am amazed by your psychic abilities," she teased.

"Psych." Josh nodded appreciatively. "You have good taste."

Maya imitated his action. "And you obviously know who I'm talking about. I'm impressed."

Josh was just about to say something more when the door burst open and two people rushed in. "Maya!" Riley exclaimed. "You found it! Boy, I was just starting to think that my directions might have been a bit confusing."

"Not at all," Maya assured. "I've actually been sitting here for quite some time. And I have to say, I rather like it here."

A bright smile appeared on Riley's face. "Mom will be very pleased to hear that." The brunette really took in her surroundings for the first time and was surprised to fine none other than her uncle standing next to the blonde. "Uncle Josh!" she exclaimed and went over to hug the guy.

"Riley!" Josh called back and enveloped his niece in a hug before turning to her boyfriend. "Hey Farkle."

"Josh." Farkle nodded and the guys proceeded to do that guy-hug-thing, which included them patting each other on the back.

"You got moved in alright?" Josh inquired.

"All done," Farkle said with a grin. "Faster than the girls."

"Hey!" Riley and Maya complained, causing the guys to chuckle.

After calming down, Josh turned back to Riley. "How did the rest of the moving in go? I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer this morning, but Topanga was one waiter short."

"No problem, Uncle Josh," Riley assured. "You were there for the hardest part – you know, carrying the boxes upstairs. The rest was actually a piece of cake. Maya and I are almost done with unpacking. Thanks again for helping out."

"Anything for my favorite niece." Josh grinned.

Riley rolled her eyes. "I'm your only niece, Uncle Josh."

"That I know of," Josh joked and Riley's eyes went wide. "Oh, calm down, Riles. I'm kidding."

Riley shook her head and shoved her uncle lightly. "Idiot," she scolded, but in an affectionate tone.

Josh feigned looking appalled. "Am I not your favorite uncle?"

Riley pretended to think about it. "Well, I do have two to choose from."

"Well," Josh started. "Actually, you even have three …"

"One of whom we haven't seen in years," Riley interrupted.

Josh couldn't really argue with that. "Well, …"

"Drop it, Uncle Josh," Riley told him firmly.

"It's just sad," Josh said dejectedly. "Seeing as how close your Dad and him were. And then how he stopped coming by all of the sudden."

"I know," Riley admitted. "But I guess sometimes people, even best friends, just drift apart. And it's not like Dad made any effort to look him up."

"You gotten anywhere with finding out what happened between them?" Josh inquired. "Or with getting my brother to call him up."

Riley shook her head sadly. "No. I almost got somewhere the last time he was here." A thoughtful look appeared in the brunette's eyes. "God, that was years ago. You remember that? It must have been Christmas and we were all at our place."

"I do." Josh nodded. "God, I think I was 16, which would have made you 13. Seems like forever ago."

"It does," Riley agreed. "It sometimes feels like Dad doesn't even realize it's been almost five years since he's come by. That it's been over 17 years that he's left New York."

Maya and Farkle listened to the conversation quietly. Upon seeing the blonde's confused expression, Farkle decided to give her some background knowledge. "Riley's Dad and his old best friend haven't talked in years. Which is very strange, seeing as how they used to be inseparable in their youth."

"Estranged best friend," Maya mused. "Yeah, I get that." From the stories her father sometimes shared about himself and his best friend and how sad he was that they had drifted apart, but didn't know how to change it, Maya could very well relate to how Riley and Josh was feeling. After all, finally reconnecting with his old best friend was one of Shawn's reasons to move to New York.

"Riley and Josh are trying to figure something out on how to get them back together," Farkle explained. "But apparently it's not as easy as they had originally thought it would be."

Maya nodded. "I hope they get somewhere. It's a shame to lose your best friend." After all, Maya had some experience in that department as well.

After plotting and planning with his favorite niece a little while longer, Josh sadly had to go back to work – but not before quickly taking their orders. Riley and Farkle sat down next to Maya and the three of them continued getting to know each other. Josh stopped by whenever he could spare a minute and was quickly included in their conversation. The three freshmen also talked about when and where they would have their first classes the next day and made plans to meet up together for lunch.

All in all, Maya's first day out of the house really couldn't have gone any better. She had been blessed with a nice and friendly roommate – which was more than Farkle could say for himself. Maya was glad that her and Farkle seemed to be getting on well so far, since he would most likely be a regular guest at their place. Meeting Josh was also a nice surprise. Seeing how close he and Riley seemed to be and how he appeared to be good friends with Farkle, Maya was sure that she would be seeing more of him in the future as well.

When it was time for dinner, the three teenagers got themselves some sandwiches-to-go, said their goodbyes to Josh and headed back towards their dorms. They made their first stop at the girls' room and, after bidding Farkle a nice evening and a good night, Maya – food in hand – quickly ducked into the room to give her roommate and her boyfriend some privacy and a chance to say goodbye.

Once inside the room, Maya kicked off her shoes and fell down on her new bed. The blonde took a look around the room and slowly let everything sink in. This was it. She was now officially moved out of the house, living on her own and going to college. Another big step into adulthood; something that both exhilarated and thrilled Maya at the same time. She couldn't wait to see what the future would hold for her.

A little while later, Riley quietly opened the door and walked inside, looking a little bit flushed. Maya grinned, but decided to give her roommate a break and not tease her. Instead, she watched Riley mirroring her actions from before: kicking off her shoes and falling down on her bed.

For a little while, neither girl said anything. They lay on their respective beds in comfortable silence until Riley broke it. "Well, I guess this is it," the brunette said slowly. "We're really at college."

"I guess we are," Maya pondered.

Both girls went silent once more. But only for a second before Riley exclaimed "Yay!" and proceeded to throw her pillow at Maya.

"Oh, it's on!" Maya called and the two girls started the mother of all pillow fights. Alright, while they did take one more step into adulthood today, it was nice to see that their inner children were still around. Life would be so boring otherwise.

The fight only ended when both girls fell back down on their beds, exhausted but deliriously happy. "Alright," Riley eventually said. "I think I'm gonna go hit the showers. Is it alright with you if I go first?"

"Knock yourself out," Maya assured. "I promised my Dad I'd call tonight and let him know about my day."

"I don't think my Dad would have done well with not being here today," Riley admitted as she dashed around the room, trying to gather everything she needed to take her shower.

"Oh, rest assured. It's not like my Dad is doing too well with it." Maya chuckled. "He hates not being here today, but his assignment couldn't be postponed any further after our big move."

"Yeah, I get that," Riley said. "I thought what your mother did was very sweet. Sending him the pictures and keeping him up to date. Now he at least has faces to the new people in your life."

"Well, he has a face for Farkle," Maya said. "Turns out that in the picture Mom took of you and me, you can mostly see the boxes."

Riley burst out laughing. "Well, in that case he'll just have to wait and meet me in person."

Maya grinned. "I think he'll be able to live with that."

Riley finally stopped pacing and eyed all the items in her arms appraisingly. "Okay, I think I have everything. If it turns out I forgot something …"

"Just holler." Maya laughed. "I'll be right in here on the phone."

"Alrighty then." Riley smiled. "See you in a few."

"Later!"

Maya got out her phone and quickly texted her mother, saying that she had had a great day and not to worry. Katy texted back almost immediately, telling her daughter that worrying came with being a mother, but that she was glad that Maya seemed to be in good hands with her new friends. The two Hunter girls texted back and forth a little while longer, before saying goodbye. After making herself comfortable on her bed, Maya finally called her father.

"Kiddo!" Shawn's excited voice appeared on the line after only two rings.

Hearing her father's voice, knowing that he was still so far away suddenly made Maya a bit choked up. She always missed her Dad when he was away on assignment. However, she recovered quickly. "Hi Dad! How are you doing?"

"Oh, just fine, kiddo. I just got myself some dinner and am now sitting in my crap… ahem … rustically charming hotel room."

Maya giggled. "That bad?"

"Remember that one hunting cabin you accompanied me to a few months back?"

"Oh boy. That bad?"

"Worse," Shawn deadpanned, causing both of them to chuckle. "But enough about me. How was your day, kiddo? Your Mom already told me a bit about your new roommate and her boyfriend."

Maya smiled. Of course, her parents had already talked today. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter were still as in love as they had always been and, though neither of them would admit it, Maya knew that Shawn's vagabonding job was, at times, hard on them both. "They're great," Maya assured. "Both of them. I got really lucky. With the three of us working together, I was moved in in no time at all and, while Mom drove back home to get the box we forgot, my roommate and I almost finished unpacking. She and her boyfriend then took me along to this cute little café, owned by my roommate's mother, and we had a really nice day."

"Glad to hear that, kiddo." Maya could hear the smile on her father's smile.

"I also got to meet my roommate's uncle," Maya continued recounting her day. "He works at the café, is only a little older than us and also goes to NYU."

Shawn was quiet for a moment. "Uncle, huh? Not much older? Probably handsome?"

"Daddy!" Maya exclaimed. "It's not like that. You know I'm not interested in dating anybody or falling in love right now."

Shawn once again fell silent, but for a whole other reason this time. "Maya, … you know that it's alright to fall in love, don't you?"

"I do, Daddy," Maya assured. "I just don't want to get hurt. Not every guy is like you."

"I get that, kiddo, I do. But …" Shawn laughed dryly. "I wasn't always like this. You know some of the stories."

Maya chuckled. "Dad, I know you weren't always the most stable boyfriend. But you don't just up and leave everyone and everything behind."

"I just don't want you to miss out on anything, Maya," Shawn explained. "As happy as I am that my baseball bat has yet to be used, I don't want you to be afraid to fall in love."

Maya didn't know how to answer that. Was she afraid to fall in love? She didn't know. Was she wary to open her heart to someone else? Definitely. Was she avoiding dating anybody to not be put in a position that would require her to do just that? Maybe. Would it take a very special and patient young man to finally coax her out of her shell? Um … no comment. But was she afraid to fall in love?

"I don't want to be," Maya admitted quietly. "But it's hard not to be wary."

"I get that," Shawn assured sympathetically. "Believe me, I do. And the overprotective part of me is currently glaring at me, wanting nothing more than to stop me from encouraging you to date." Maya giggled. "But the rational part of me just wants you to be happy."

"I am happy," Maya told her father firmly. "Apart from missing you, I am really happy at the moment. Who knows what the future will hold? But, as of right now, I don't think I want things to change even more."

"Fair enough," Shawn said. "Good God, Maya. When did you get so wise?"

Maya chuckled. "I had a great teacher," she said.

"That you did," he said affectionately. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Jon's coming over to our place for dinner this weekend. Would you care to join us?"

Maya's eyes lit up. Being the Superintendent came with a lot of work and Maya hadn't seen much of her favorite teacher over the last two weeks. "Try and stop me!"

"I thought so," Shawn said with a teasing voice. "If you want, you can also bring along your roommate and her boyfriend."

Maya paused for a moment. "I'll think about it," she promised.

"Completely your decision, kiddo," Shawn said. "You know, your Mom always makes enough food for a whole cavalry."

"She would be thrilled," Maya agreed.

"Very much so," Shawn agreed. Suddenly, Maya could hear another phone ringing from her father's end of the line. "Sorry, kiddo. That's Oliver calling. And even though I would much rather talk to you, I'm afraid I'll have to get that."

Maya chuckled. "It's fine, Dad. Better go see what the boss wants." Maya paused for a moment. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Maya?"

"I miss you," Maya said quietly.

"I miss you too, kiddo," Shawn said, his voice sounding hoarse. "I miss both of my girls. I can't wait to come home."

"Just a few more days," Maya reminded him. "Alright, I'll let you get back to work then. We'll talk tomorrow?"

"We'll talk tomorrow," Shawn promised. "I love you, kiddo. Enjoy your evening and have a great first day tomorrow!"

"I'm sure I will. Thank you." Maya grinned. "And I love you too, Daddy."

"Well, I'm beat!" Riley exclaimed. The brunette was heading towards the dorms with her new roommate and boyfriend in tow after their first official day at college.

"No kidding!" Maya agreed. "I mean, this was only the first day and already I feel like my head's gonna explode because of everything I've learned today."

"Oh, come on, you two." Farkle shook his head in amusement. "It wasn't that bad."

Riley and Maya shot him disbelieving looks. "Says the genius," Riley deadpanned.

Maya chuckled and was about to chime in when her phone rang. She quickly got it out of her bag and grinned when she saw who it was. "Hey Mom."

"Hey there, baby girl," Katy greeted. "How was your first day?"

Maya rolled her eyes in amusement, but she didn't really mind. She knew that Katy was only worried about her. "It was fine, Mom," she said. "A lot of input, but I guess that comes with the territory."

"You'll do great, baby girl. I'm sure of it," Katy told her, making Maya smile. "Listen, I don't even want to bother you for too long. Are you guys back at the dorms already?"

"On our way there right now."

"Great." Maya could hear the smile in her mother's voice and was very curious as to what exactly brought that about. "I'm at the storage unit right now. You remember that thing I was talking about getting for you and Riley?"

"The thing you weren't willing to elaborate on further?" Maya teased. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, I just found it and I think it would go great in the room," Katy said. "Is the space in front of the window still free?"

"Free and waiting for its new occupant," Maya joked. She had told Riley about her Mom's offer – at least about as much as she herself knew – and the brunette had immediately been on board and was dying to find out what Katy had in store for them. Even now, Maya could see Riley trying to catch bits and pieces of the conversation, trying to figure out what exactly Katy's surprise was.

"Perfect!" Katy exclaimed. "I can be there in 20 minutes. I already found a nice young man to help me carry it to my car. Is Farkle with you?"

"He is."

"You think he'd be willing to help carry it upstairs?" Katy asked.

"One second." Maya turned towards her roommate's boyfriend. "Hey Farkle. Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Farkle looked at the blonde questioningly, wondering what exactly she was up to. "No, not really. Why?"

"Would you be willing to do some manual labor?" Maya asked cryptically. "My Mom's bringing over her surprise. And apparently it's so heavy that she needs a strong young man to help carry it upstairs."

Riley's eyes lit up. "She's bringing it over today?" the brunette inquired excitedly before turning to her boyfriend and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Oh please, Farkle. Would you?" She looked up at the poor guy with pleading eyes.

A light blush appeared on the boy's face and Maya couldn't help but grin at the sight. Oh, how she'd tease him about that later. "Yeah, okay. Sure, I'll help your Mom, Maya." Riley squealed happily and gave her boyfriend a kiss.

"Alright Mom," Maya addressed her mother. "We're ready for the surprise!"

As promised, 20 minutes later Katy Hunter pulled into the parking lot where Maya, Riley and Farkle were already waiting for her. "Hey kids!" she called as she got out of the car and greeted all three teenagers with a hug. Afterwards, the older blonde made her way to the trunk and quickly opened it. "So, girls. I'll let you take a look at it first before we carry it upstairs. See if you like it"

Maya and Riley gingerly stepped closer and peered into the back of the car. Inside lay a cute grey two-seater along with a bunch of pillows in various shapes and colors as well as a few multicolored quilts.

"Mom!" Maya exclaimed. "What did you do?"

"Told you, I was sorting through the storage unit," Katy said sheepishly. "Originally, I only wanted to drop off the couch, but then I started rummaging through some old boxes I hadn't looked in forever, since way before the move actually. And I found the pillows and the quilts, and I thought to myself. Well, if you give them a couch, they will need something to put on it as well." Katy shrugged. "Just take what you think goes best in your room and leave the rest."

"Katy!" Riley exclaimed as she went over to tackle the older blonde in a hug. "It's amazing! Thank you so much."

"It really is," Maya agreed and went over to hug her mother next. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're very welcome, girls." Katy grinned. "So, are you saying you wanna keep it?"

"Yes!" Riley and Maya chorused, causing Katy and Farkle to burst out laughing.

"Well, what do you say, Farkle?" Katy asked. "Shall we start getting the couch up to the apartment while the girls sort through the pillows and blankets?"

Farkle clapped his hands together. "Let's do this!"

And that was how merely 15 minutes later, all four of them were gathered in the girls' dorm room. The couch already sat right in front of the window and Riley and Maya were just putting the finishing touches on it. They had decided on grey, purple and blue as their color scheme and had gathered all fitting pillows and a matching quilt in their arms and brought them up. After putting the last tiny dark-blue pillow in its place, Riley took a step back, ending up right next to the three others. Together, they eyed their work appraisingly.

"Well," Riley finally said. "I have to say, it doesn't look half bad." She turned to the older blonde with a grateful smile. "Thanks again, Katy. This was just what the room needed."

"I agree." Maya nodded. "It suddenly feels … homier somehow. Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, kids," Katy said. "I'm glad to have finally found some use for all of it. It would have been a shame to just have it sitting in storage, gathering dust."

"You know what it reminds me of?" Farkle suddenly turned to his girlfriend. "Your bay window."

Riley's eyes went wide. "Oh yeah," she pondered. "Well, what do you know. It's like a piece of home is now here with me." A content smile appeared on the brunette's face.

"You had a bay window?" Maya asked, stating the obvious.

"I did." Riley nodded as she slowly walked over to the couch and sat down. "I used to spend ours there. It was a good place to just sit and think."

"To make decisions, solve problems," Farkle added.

"Well," Maya said slowly as she approached her roommate and took a seat on the brunette's right. After making herself comfortable and looking around for a little while, the blonde said: "I think, this seems like a good place to sit and think as well. What do you say, Riley? Does it hold up?"

Riley didn't say anything for a moment, just taking everything in. Then she looked at Maya and a big smile appeared on her face. Her bay window had been her safe haven and refuge; it had been a big part of her growing up and she, Farkle and lately Josh as well had spent a lot of time their – sometimes accompanied by their other friends. But this new window had something her old bay window didn't have: it had Maya. Riley had never had a best girl friend. Her and Farkle had been inseparable since they were children; she got along great with her Uncle Josh; and she had a few more close friends from school, both boys and girls. But Riley had never had a best girl friend. She was very well aware of the fact that her and Maya hadn't known each other for very long, but somehow Riley had a feeling that they would be in each other's lives for a long time to come and would, hopefully, grow closer as time went by.

"You know what, Maya?" Riley asked. "I think it really does."

The first week of college had gone by in a blur for our friends. Riley, Maya and Farkle had quickly fallen into a rhythm: Farkle would come by the girls' room in the morning to pick them up and the there of them would head to their respective classes together. They would get lunch together before attending their afternoon classes (if they had any) and would make sure to stop by Topanga's at least once a day, whenever it fit in their schedules. There, they had run into Riley's Uncle Josh more often than not and Maya had even had the chance to meet Riley's mother, the infamous Topanga herself. After getting dinner, they would head back to the girls' room – exhausted from all the new knowledge that had been given to them – where Farkle would hang out a while longer before going back to his room for the night.

All in all, the three of them were happy with their classes, but exhausted at the same time and were now looking forward to the weekend. Maya especially, since the weekend would also bring a very important person back into the city.

Now it was Friday and Riley, Maya and Farkle had just finished their last class of their first week in college. To celebrate, they were heading to Topanga's for some hot chocolate and pie. Riley's burst through the door first with Maya and Farkle hot on her heels. They headed straight for their usual table and looked around.

"Huh," Riley said. "Looks like Mom's not here today after all."

Maya was a bit sad about that. After meeting Topanga two days before, Maya had quickly found her new roommate's mother to be a kind and caring woman. Topanga, in turn, had also taken a liking to the petite blonde as well, seeing how quickly Maya and Riley had become friends.

"But look who else is here." Farkle gestured to where a waiter was now approaching them. He jumped up to greet the guy. "Hey Josh!"

"Hey Farkle." Josh grinned as the two guys greeted each other. "Riley!"

"Uncle Josh!" The brunette got up to hug her uncle next.

And then, Josh turned towards the third member of their little party. "Maya." A warm smile appeared on his face as he looked at the blonde.

"Hey there, Josh." Maya stood up and went over to the older guy. They stood in front of each other uncertainly for a moment, until Josh took a step closer to the blonde and enveloped her in a hug as well. Maya was hesitant at first, but gradually relaxed into the embrace. The two of them had hung out, in the company of Riley and Farkle, almost every day that week and they seemed to get along very well. Both Maya and Josh had a quick wit and liked to bicker and banter with each other. Neither one would openly admit it, but their little interactions had quickly become a highlight of their day. However, each day it would take them a while to warm up to each other again – just like right now. Well, more like it took Maya a little while to warm up to Josh again.

"You here to rescue me from being outnumbered again?" Farkle suddenly interrupted and Maya and Josh quickly let go of each other.

Josh chuckled while Riley and Maya just rolled their eyes. The blonde reached over and gently shoved her new friend. "We heard that!"

"You two giving Farkle a hard time again?" Josh teased.

"Who us?" Riley asked, pointing to herself with wide eyes. "How could you even assume such a thing?"

"We are positive angels," Maya chimed in. She looked Josh right in the eye, trying to appear as innocent and angelic as possible.

"Oh please." Farkle chuckled. "Like anyone's buying that? Right, Josh?"

But Josh still had his gaze locked with a now slightly smirking Maya and wasn't really able to form a coherent sentence at the moment. "Um …"

Farkle looked over towards his friend with a confused expression on his face. He shoved the older guy lightly. "Hey, earth to Josh. You there?"

"Um …" Josh repeated while shaking his head, trying to regain his composure. "Right, angels. Of course, you are." The three freshmen looked at him appraisingly, trying to guess what had suddenly rattled the usually cool and collected Josh. The young man, however, decided that the best way to save himself from further embarrassment was to change the subject. "So, what can I get you guys? The usual?"

The three friends looked at each other before deciding on a unanimous "Yes!". The usual included hot chocolate for all three of them, a piece of chocolate pie for Maya, cheesecake for Riley and apple pie for Farkle.

"Alright then." Josh gave them a nervous smile. "Coming right up." And with that, he was gone.

"Huh," Maya said. "That was weird."

"Yeah," Riley agreed. "It really was."

The two girls sat back down and started talking, so they didn't even notice Farkle not saying anything. They also didn't notice Farkle looking after Josh with a curious expression on his face. Huh, he thought. Over the week, Farkle had taken note of Josh behaving weird. Not always, not often, but – coincidentally – mostly in company of one particular blonde. Farkle shook his head as he finally sat down next to the girls. This could all be nothing but a coincidence. But Farkle wouldn't be Farkle if he didn't decide to at least keep an eye on things.

It wasn't long until Josh brought over their order. Sadly, he couldn't stick around right now, since there were more customers waiting to be served. Maya, Riley and Farkle promised to stay for a while, so they could all catch up more later.

The three freshmen had just finished about half of their respective pies when the door opened, announcing a new customer. Riley looked up and her eyes went wide upon seeing the newest arrival. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed as she shot up out of her seat and went over to tackle the tall young man in a hug.

Farkle, confused by his girlfriend's behavior, looked over and, after recognizing the guy as well, he quickly mirrored Riley's action. "No way! What are you doing here?"

Maya slowly stood up and took a closer look at the young man, who was currently enveloped in a group hug by her two new friends. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't quite place it. Finally, the guy looked over towards the blonde; she could see his face for the first time and their gazes locked. At exactly the same time, their eyes went wide and their jaws dropped. The young man freed himself from his friends' embrace and took a step closer to the blonde.

"Well, I'll be damned!" he said while shaking his head in disbelief. "If it isn't Maya Penelope!"

"Isaiah Elijah!" Maya called out, equally excited as she took off and barreled towards her oldest friend.

"Nope." Zay shook his head grinning as he enveloped the blonde in a big hug and spun her around.

"Damn it." Maya pouted after Zay had set her back on the ground. "I will guess your second name one of these days, Babineaux."

"Yeah, yeah. You keep telling yourself that, Hunter."

Maya shook her head. "What are you doing here, Zay? I thought you were going back to Texas for university?" Originally, Zay had planned on attending NYU as well. However, he hadn't been accepted and had then decided on accompanying his friend Lucas to the University of Texas. Lucas' decision for college had been made very early on, when he had found out that his Pappy Joe had gotten sick. He and his parents had decided to relocate back to their old hometown.

"I was," Zay said. "I was already moved into Lucas and my dorm room and had gone to my first classes when I got a call from the NYU admissions office. Apparently, there had been some mix-ups with the applications. I had gotten accepted and was still welcome to join." Zay chuckled. "I didn't really know what to do, what with having already promised Lucas that we'd spend the next four years together, being moved in and having started classes. But Lucas was actually the one to convince me to go back. He knew that I never really felt at home in Texas, even as a kid. Not like I did in New York. So, he helped me repack, his parents brought me to the airport and here I am."

Maya's mouth was hanging open upon hearing these words. But only for a moment before she shoved her old best friend none-too-gently. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Boy, Maya! When did you learn to throw punches like that!" Zay laughed – it was not like Maya had actually hurt him.

"More where that came from," Maya muttered to everyone's amusement. "Now start explaining, Sunshine!"

"I would like to hear that, too," Riley suddenly chimed in.

"Same here," Farkle agreed. "And I have a few follow-up questions." He received glares from both girls. "But … those can wait," the genius conceded.

Zay shook his head. "Guys, I only found out yesterday!" he exclaimed. "Between being convinced, re-packing, organizing everything with the nice people from the NYU admissions office, driving to the airport and flying here, there was not much time left. Besides, I knew that you, Maya, were going to NYU, just like Riley and Farkle. I figured it'd be a fun surprise."

"Quite the surprise." Maya shook her head, before something else registered. She turned towards Riley and Farkle with a confused look. "Wait a minute. How do you guys know Zay?"

"We've been friends with Zay ever since he moved to New York in Middle School," Riley explained and Maya's eyes went wide as she suddenly connected the dots.

"Wait," Farkle interjected. "Maya, how do you know him?"

Maya smiled fondly at the memory as Zay put an arm around her shoulders. "Zay and I grew up together in Possum Trot."

"Before my father ran out on my Mom and I," Zay added, a slightly pained expression appearing on his face for a moment before he was able to shake it off. "After that, Mom moved us to Texas where I met Lucas."

"And then you moved to New York a few years later," Riley concluded and Zay nodded. You could see both her and Farkle mentally connecting the dots as well.

"Well," Farkle finally said. "Small world."

"Sure is," Zay agreed.

"Wait a second," Maya repeated her earlier statement as she turned and looked up at her old best friend. "So, this means we'll actually attend college together. We'll be in the same place and in the same school for the first time in … forever?"

A big grin spread across Zay's face as he looked down at his oldest friend. "Must be your lucky day, short stack."

Maya mock-glared at the guy. That nickname had stuck with her ever since elementary school and Zay was the only one who was allowed to use it. But Maya was much to happy right now. So, instead of reprimanding him, she tackled Zay in another hug and he spun her around once more.

Suddenly, Josh approached their group once more, probably to ask Zay for his order. Zay turned when he saw the older guy approach and a big smile appeared on his face. "Hey Josh! Long time no see."

"Zay." Josh nodded. You could see him trying to muster up a genuine smile, but somehow it didn't really work. It looked forced. Maya gave the older guy a confused look. What had suddenly gotten into him. "So, you're back?"

Zay, apparently not realizing the sudden shift in mood, just grinned. "Sure am. Especially now that I know I'm finally gonna have my old best friend back." He gave Maya a side-hug, making the blonde giggle.

"Ahem," Riley suddenly interjected, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I just want to let you know that you're talking about my roommate and new very good friend here. So, as for the title of best friend, you're gonna have to fight for that."

Zay, clearly enjoying the banter, held out his hand to the brunette. "You're on, Matthews."

And Maya? Maya just grinned. She didn't know how she had gotten so lucky. She had great new friends; she had gotten her old best friend back; her father was coming home tomorrow. If you asked her, things were perfect just as they were right now. And she really hoped that nothing would happen to change them any time soon.

Zay wasn't able to stay long. He had made plans with his parents to go looking at apartments, since his move was very last-minute, and he didn't have a place to stay yet. After bidding their friend goodbye, Riley, Farkle and Maya stayed at Topanga's a little while longer before deciding to head on out as well. They had planned on catching a movie tonight.

The three of them said goodbye to Josh and were already out the door and on their way towards the stairs when they heard the door opening behind them and the sound of footsteps rushing towards them. "Hey, Maya!" The blonde could hear Josh calling after her. She shot Riley and Farkle a confused look before she turned around. "Could you hold on for a moment."

"Um …" Maya nodded slowly and gestured for her two friends to head on up the stairs without her. She would catch up with them. "Sure, Josh. What can I do for you?"

"Well, you see …" the older boy started but quickly trailed off. He shook his head, tried to gather his thoughts and started again. "I was thinking … Would you maybe … like to go out with me?"

Maya's eyes went wide. "Like, … on a date?"

Josh gave the blonde a shy smile. "Well, … yeah."

Maya hesitated. She had really started to like Josh in the short while that she had known him. He was nice and sweet and funny. And yeah, he was good-looking as well and Maya would be lying if she said she wasn't a teeny-tiny bit attracted to him. But be that as it may, she didn't really know the guy. Well enough to have him as a friend? Yeah, maybe. But well enough to go out on a date with him? No, she didn't think so. So that's what she told him. "I'm sorry, Josh," Maya started and she could already see the guy's face fall. "But no."

"Oh, alright," Josh said, sounding both sad and confused. He looked down on the ground.

"It's nothing against you, I swear. It's all me …," Maya assured before trailing off and shaking her head. "Boy, it's not you, it's me? That's just the worst excuse ever. I can't believe I just pulled that."

And Josh couldn't help himself but grin at that. "It really is." He chuckled as he finally looked up to meet the blonde's gaze again.

Maya blushed and giggled a little to ease the tension. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't trying to come up with some stupid excuse," she explained. "It's just that I'm not really looking for a date or anything like that right now." Or ever, for that matter.

Josh nodded slowly. "Okay, I can understand that. Any special reason why that is?"

Yeah. "No, not really," Maya evaded. "A few things probably, but I wouldn't want to bore you with the details."

"I'm a good listener," Josh said. "But I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"I appreciate that," Maya told him with a genuine smile. "You're a good guy, Josh."

A mischievous grin slowly spread across the older boy's face. "Do me a favor?"

Maya looked at him appraisingly. "Go on."

"Remember that," Josh said simply. "That I'm a good guy. And who knows, maybe you'll tell me about those reasons eventually."

"Okay, I will. Remember, I mean" Maya smiled warmly. "And maybe I'll tell you about the reasons. You know, someday."

"Someday," Josh tried out that particular word. "Alright, I can live with that."

Maya grinned. "Glad to hear it," she said. "And you know, while I really am not looking for a date right know, I could really use another friend."

"Oh boy, why do I feel like I'm being friendzoned?" Josh chuckled dryly.

"I'm really not doing too well here, am I?" Maya laughed nervously and Josh shook his head, clearly amused. "I'm not friendzoning you. I mean, it's not like I'm not attracted to you …"

"Oh yeah?" Josh quickly interrupted, his eyes lighting up.

Maya clamped her mouth shut, once again cursing her tendency to babble. "No … I mean yes … I mean no … I mean … that's not what I meant!"

"But it is what you said," Josh teased, the mischievous expression back on his face.

"Anyway," Maya started while blushing furiously. "Friends. What do you say?" She held out her hand to the older boy.

Josh, knowing that he wouldn't be getting anywhere with pestering Maya, decided to appease the blonde – at least for now. He took Maya's hand. "Friends," he agreed.

The two of them shook on it and Maya was about to pull her hand back when she realized that Josh still held onto it. "Josh." She gave him a teasing smile. "Let go."

"Friends," he repeated with a sheepish grin and finally let the girl's hand go.

He had learned a lot about Maya today and in the little time they had known each other. He liked her and now he even was given some hope that she might reciprocate his feelings. However, there was something holding her back. Josh didn't know what that was. Earlier, he had thought that there might be something going on between her and Zay … but then Zay had revealed that they were old best friends. Was Maya maybe harboring feelings for the other guy? Josh didn't know. But, Got, he hoped not.

Other than that, there could be a million reasons for her not wanting to go out with him. And Josh was sad to say that he didn't have the faintest idea. But he did know one thing. He really wanted to find out. It probably would take some time to get her to open up to him, but Josh was alright with that. Because, as far as he was concerned, Maya would be worth it.