Josh trudged through the door that afternoon with a solemn look on his face. Maya looked up from her Spanish assignment and scrunched her eyebrows together. "What's wrong?" She asked as she stood and walked over to him.
Josh shook his head. "Nothing I need to worry you about." He kissed Maya's forehead and walked around her towards their bedroom. Maya followed him and sat down on the edge of the bed. "How you feeling?" He asked. "Everything okay?"
Maya nodded. "I'm fine," she answered quickly. "But you're not. Something obviously happened today. Why can't you just tell me?"
Josh sighed and turned towards his girlfriend. "I can. I just need to think through it first. Get everything in my head together before I can even utter a word about it."
Maya nodded, not wanting to press on the subject. "I have good news," she began. "We don't have to worry about any legal trouble. Your brother told me about it after class today. So we don't have to worry about that anymore."
"Really?" Josh asked in a grateful tone. "That's great."
Josh went back to taking out his textbooks when there was a knock at the door. "I got it," Maya mumbled as she got up and walked to the door.
Maya walked over to the door and opened it slightly. "Open the door all the way child! I am your mother!" Katy chastised.
"Mom!" Maya exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
Maya opened the door all the way and in walked Katy. Katy looked at her daughter and shook her head. "You couldn't have put on more clothes Maya? You must be cold."
Maya looked down at her attire and shrugged. She was wearing a tank top and an old pair of shorts. "I feel fine. Besides I'm at home mom."
Katy shook her head and looked at the empty apartment. "This place could definitely use some furniture. The only place that has furniture is you and Josh's room right?"
Maya nodded. "Yeah mom but you still never told me why you're here."
Katy clapped her hands together. "Right!" She went back into the hallway and came back with a box in her hand. "For you," she announced.
Maya looked between her mom and the box. "What is it?" She asked.
"A car seat!" Katy exclaimed. "For the baby. I knew you guys would need one at some point, since you guys bought a car and all and it was on sale!"
"Josh!" Maya called out.
Josh walked out from the bedroom and looked at Maya and Katy. "Hey Katy," he greeted. "What's in the box?"
"A car seat," Maya answered with gritted teeth. "I don't see why we would need one seeing as we don't have a car. Right babe?"
"Why are you talking like that?" Josh asked. "I didn't buy a car if that's what you're thinking. I have no money to buy a car."
Maya looked towards her mom and crossed her arms over her growing belly. "What car mom?"
"The car! Downstairs parked outside the building? Cory told me you bought it yesterday," Katy explained.
Josh shook his head. "No. I was at my dorm all day yesterday picking up my things."
Maya sighed and ran her fingers through her messy hair. "Cory bought us the car," she concluded. Maya shook her head and started for the door. "Where are you going?" Katy asked.
"Out to the car," Maya explained.
"Like that?" Josh asked. "Come on Maya you're pregnant. At least cover up. For the sake of keeping me sane."
Maya rolled her eyes and walked back into the bedroom. She came out a few minutes later wearing one of Josh's shirts and a pair of leggings. "Better?"
Josh walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you," he whispered.
It was a nice car. It was silver and looked expensive. It had a tan interior with all these daft features. "Cory did not buy this," Josh said in disbelief. "He's a teacher!"
"And his wife's a lawyer," Topanga added as she walked towards them. "I see you two found your car."
"Ms. Matthews this is really generous but we don't need a car," Maya admitted.
Topanga laughed and walked towards the pair. "How are you going to get the baby home from the hospital? You can't take him on the subway or on the bus with all those germs that could harm him. So trust me when I say you guys need a car."
Josh shook his head. "No. We can't let you guys keep spending money on us. It's not right."
"Don't think of it like that," Katy said as jumped in. She stood next to Topanga and nodded.
"Think of it as all of us investing into him," Topanga finished as she placed her hand on Maya's lower abdomen.
"Because he has a huge family that loves him and that wants the best for both him and his parents," Katy added.
Josh and Maya stood side by side looking at these two women. Maya smiled softly and looked at the car. "Thank you," she whispered.
Riley sat quietly in the bay window just thinking to herself when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up to see Maya standing there. "No window?" Riley asked.
Maya shook her head. "Nope. Josh would just about explode if I climbed through windows like I used to." She walked over to Riley and sat down next to her. "I just came to talk."
"About what?" Riley asked. "Everything's fine. Right?"
Maya shook her head. "No."
"What's wrong Maya? Is everything okay? Should I go get Josh?" Riley asked in alarm.
"No!" Maya exclaimed. "I'm fine, the baby's fine. I'm just worried about you. I know that you and Ranger Rick broke up."
Riley sighed. "How did you find out?"
"It doesn't take a genius Riley. I noticed." Maya looked down at the floor as a silence passed between the two friends. "Was it because of me?" Maya asked.
"No Maya of course not!" Riley objected. "It would never be because of you. We were already having problems. It just so happened that they came to light when he found out you were pregnant."
Maya breathed out in relief. "Thank god. I don't think I could deal with it if I played a part in the break up."
Maya leaned over and hugged Riley. "Thanks Riles." They pulled apart. "I really needed that."
Riley smiled at her softly. "Look I have to go Riley. I'm meeting Josh at his dorm said he had some news, but I'll talk to you later."
Maya left Riley sitting in the bay window, drenched in guilt for the awful things she assumed when she and Lucas broke up.
Maya walked into the dorms and knocked on the door softly waiting for either Josh or Mark to answer. Mark opened the door and smiled. "Hey Maya. Come on in. Congrats by the way Josh sent me the video and told me it was a boy."
Maya smiled genuinely and thanked Mark before sitting down on Josh's old bed. "Where's Josh?" She asked.
"He went out and said he'll be back soon," Mark answered. "I already talked to him about this and I want to talk to you about it to."
Mark sat across from Maya and looked at her expectantly. Maya, realizing he wanted her to reply did so quickly. "Oh! Um. Explain, I guess."
Mark nodded and folded his hands together. "Okay so Josh told me about how you two are living together now and how the only furniture you have is in your room, and my dad owns a furniture store down in Manhattan and before you say anything I owe Josh some stuff already. This is just paying it off and helping you two out. I wanna give you guys some furniture."
Maya shook her head. "No. I can't let you do that. That's too much!"
"No it's not!" Mark argued. "I want to do this."
Maya shook her head. "No."
Mark opened his mouth to argue again, but was cut off as Josh walked through the door. "Hey babe," he greeted.
"Don't tell me you agreed to this," Maya said.
"Why not?" Josh asked. "It's nothing!"
"If you think this is nothing then your sadly mistaken," Maya said before walking out of the room.
"Maya come on!" Josh called out as he followed her.
Back in the room Mark just waited as he heard them arguing outside the door. Soon enough Josh peeked his head back in. "We'll be there Tuesday," he confirmed.
Mark laughed. "How did you convince her?"
Josh smirked. "I have my ways."
"You dog!" Mark exclaimed as he bust out into laughter.
The furniture store was huge. Much bigger than what Josh could have ever imagined. There were so many options and he had no idea how he and Maya were going to choose anything. "How are we going to choose?" He asked as they walked in to the store.
"Easy," Maya said. "We have to choose things that aren't dangerous to the baby, can't get dirty because of the baby, and just in general don't look ugly."
Josh scoffed. "You make that sound simple."
"Because it is," Maya argued.
Josh rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just look at furniture."
They looked at dozens and dozens of couches, tables, and other pieces of furniture. They looked and looked but couldn't agree on one thing. "I really don't see what was wrong with that last set Maya. You're being too picky. "
"I am not being too picky!" Maya argued. "Excuse me if I don't want a bunch of recliners," Maya snapped. "Maybe you could stop looking at those and instead look at actual furniture."
"It is actual furniture! Maybe you should stop looking at those couches and maybe at something we would both like."
Maya turned towards Josh and narrowed her eyes. "What is with you? I've looked at everything you wanted to look at and then some. You're being a jerk right now over furniture!"
Josh looked to the floor and then back up at Maya. "Look. I am not being a jerk. I'm just voicing my opinion. Okay? God."
Maya looked Josh up and down and scoffed. "Alright. When you're done 'voicing your opinion' talk to me because I know that this has nothing to do with a damn couch."
Maya turned around and walked off towards the exit but realized that they drove there, and she couldn't leave since Josh had the keys. So she turned around and walked right past him, leaving him slightly annoyed.
The car ride home was silent. Not even the sounds of the radio could fill the void between Josh and Maya. They were both angry, sometimes forgetting what for and then they remembered why and got mad all over again. Josh parked the car and unbuckled his seatbelt before unlocking the door. "I hope you realized we picked out nothing," Maya said as she unbuckled her own.
"I know," Josh said.
He got out of the car and walked around to Maya's side to help her out. Her bump getting bigger by the day, right now only making her look like she had a really big lunch. He grabbed her hand and helped her out. "Thanks," she whispered as her feet hit the pavement.
Josh smiled softly and closed the door behind Maya.
They made their way inside their building and stepped inside the elevator quietly as they waited for it to take them to their floor. "I just don't understand," Maya began as the elevator doors closed. "You convinced me to get the furniture and then while we're at the store you fight with me over a couch and we end up with nothing." She shrugged. "It just doesn't make sense to me."
"It doesn't have to," Josh mumbled.
"Yes it does!" Maya argued. "We are having a baby together Josh! You can't just get frustrated with me and pick a fight over stupid things!"
"I am not!" Josh argued as he raised his voice.
"Yes you are!" Maya yelled twice as loud. "If it's not over the damn couch than what is it over?"
"I'm not ready for this!" Josh yelled.
The elevator doors opened with a ding and Maya scoffed. "And you think I am? Do you think I'm not reminded of it everyday when people look at me and say 'I'm so sorry,' or look at me with pity? I am reminded of it every single damn day when I look down and see my bump. I am reminded every single day when the counsellors at school try to hand me planned parenthood brochures, and when kids stop me at my locker with advice on what to do." Maya looked at Josh with tears in her eyes. "But you know what reminds me that I might have the slightest chance of doing this? You. You would give me faith because we weren't one of those petty couples who fought over stupid stuff and didn't act passive or kept secrets. You would be able to give me faith that we could do this without even talking. And for you to act like this?" Maya clapped her hands together as they both stepped out the elevator. "So thank you Joshua Matthews for acting like a selfish ass."
Josh knocked on the bedroom door, waiting for Maya's reply. "I'm naked!" She called out.
Josh opened the door and smirked. "There isn't anything I've never seen before." Maya sat on the bed fully dressed, with her phone in hand and you could tell she wasn't amused. "Got it. Not funny."
Maya nodded and went back to her phone. Josh sighed, not knowing what to say. Smiling, he took his phone out and started recording. "Look at mommy," Josh began. "She's being lazy and scrolling through Instagram." Josh smiled behind the camera.
Maya looked up and smirked. "It's Twitter for your information. Now, can you please leave me alone so I can continue being mad at you?"
Josh sighed and turned the camera around to face him. "Today I was a complete jerk to your mom. I was a complete ass to her and I don't deserve her. Because she knows how to make a relationship work and I'm just a dumb boy who knows how to hurt her feelings unintentionally. Even though I love her so freaking much. So would you tell her I'm sorry? Because I think it might mean more from you instead of me. Because you'll be a selfless, kind, and genuine person. Unlike your daddy who is a selfish ass. You'll be the person you are because your mom is raising you and she has too good of a heart to let you become anything like me."
Yet, Maya still sat quietly looking down at her phone. Not even giving Josh the time of day. Josh sighed and turned off his camera just sitting quietly on the edge of the bed."Look Maya, I'm really sorry."
Josh felt the bed shift, thinking Maya had gotten up, but suddenly a pair of skinny arms wrapped around his shoulders. "I love you too," Maya whispered. "Give me your phone," Maya ordered. Josh handed her his phone and watched her pull it out in front of both of them and started crying "You will be amazing. Not just because of me but because of your dad. Sure sometimes he'll act like a selfish ass, but he's so amazing that sometimes giving him credit might boost his ego." Maya thought of stopping but kept going. "I have a secret to tell you." Maya looked at Josh and continued. "We're both scared. I know we said before that we're ready, but who's ever ready to be a parent? We just want you to have the best life possible. Remember that. Love you."
Maya stopped recording and handed the phone back to Josh. "I hope that cleared the air. If not, I don't know what to say."
Maya leaned back to her position on the bed and went back to scrolling through her phone. Leaving Josh on the edge of the bed knowing that what he said didn't change the shift in the relationship, what he said in the elevator did but not in a good way.