Maya's feet were stepping forward down the sidewalk, but she didn't have a clue where they were leading her. She didn't care, so long as it was farther away from the bad news. The streets seemed busier than normal tonight, and the blaring horns of the impatient cab drivers offered a good distraction from any thoughts. Block by block, construction site after construction site, her boots began to dig into her small feet a little more than was comfortable. She stopped for a rest at the closest open spot—a small Irish pub called McGee's. She had actually been there a couple times before and knew that they served a delicious Shepherd's Pie, so needing to give her kicks a break here wouldn't be the worst way to spend her time. Sitting at the bar, she ordered a glass of wine and her meal—Maya didn't drink often, but she had discovered that on really bad days it was a good tool for numbing feelings.

Finishing off a second glass, her lips were now slightly stained with the red of the Cabernet. "Is this seat taken?" Recognizing the voice immediately, she smiled.

"Well if it isn't my favorite little super-genius." She motioned her hand to the seat beside her and leaned over to give him a hug. "What are you doing here, Fark? Finally ditching those boring books to begin your rebellious phase? I mean it's after midnight, you're usually into your forth hour of sleep by now."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny as always," Farkle deadpanned. "You know, when you use your brain as much as I do, it's very important to give it proper rest. On second thought…you wouldn't know that." He smirked at her, but was met with a small shove, nearly knocking him off of his stool. "Okay, I deserved that. But I came here to find you, Maya. Riley called me. She's worried about you, ya know?"

The girl scoffed and raised her finger up to signal the bartender. "Christ Almighty, can't a gal take a night out on the town without giving cause for a search party? I mean how did you even know I was here, what are you, tracking me or something?" Her friend fell silent and shifted his eyes.

"Farkle!"

"What? I don't track you! I just happen to have an app that can tell me where any of my friends are at any given time…"

"That's tracking, ya freak!"

Farkle laughed and nodded his head. "Lighten up, I installed it in middle school, and it's for emergency purposes only. One day you'll all appreciate me and the perks that come with knowing someone containing my endless capabilities."

Impossible to be anything but completely amused by the kid, Maya agreed and gave his hand a gentle pat. "I already appreciate you, buddy, and I'm glad you came. Otherwise, I'd just be a pathetic loser drinking alone. So what are you having?"

"Maya, you know I don't drink. It kills brain cells. I need as many of those as possible if I ever plan on taking over the world."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard this all before. But I've had a really bad night, so do you think just this once you could let your bad-influence friend do what she does best and corrupt you into killing just a couple of those brain cells? Pleeaaase? You could even say it's for research purposes!" Maya stuck out her lower lip and gave her best fake-pout. "I mean you're already up past your bedtime, at least let me buy you a drink for your troubles," she coaxed, knowing that Farkle would do anything to be there for any of his friends. If there was one thing about Farkle that never changed, it was that he was the most loyal and generous person when it came to his friends and he loved them all. Equally.

He let out a sigh of defeat, accepting that he never stood a chance against Maya's determination. The girl was very stubborn when she set her mind to something. "Fine, for one night only I will allow you to corrupt me, Miss Hart," he relented. "But if Smackle finds out, just be advised I'm telling her you tricked me."

"Yay!" Maya squealed, ordering another round for herself and a Screwdriver for her friend. She was aware how much Farkle loved his orange juice, so it was easy to figure that would be the best hope of him actually enjoying an alcoholic beverage. For the tiniest moment, her mind was off of Riley, and she was feeling nothing but gratitude for the boy's unexpected company.

People began to trickle out of the dimly lit pub as the two sat, side-by-side, heart-by-heart. It was growing quieter but the girl didn't notice because she had taken on a pretty heavy buzz and no longer needed the outside world to distract her. "Now, are you going to tell me about this bad night?" Farkle took his first sip, and though he'd never admit it, Maya could tell he approved. "Why did you leave, Maya? Why are you here with me right now, instead of at home with Riley?"

"She's going to leave, Fark. She's going to go off with Huckleberry and get married have lots of horse babies and eventually real babies, and life is going to do that annoying thing it does where at first we talk a lot, but then she gets busy and I get busy, and we talk less and less, then the day comes where we are just completely out of each other's lives. I'm losing her," her voice broke.

"You are not losing her, Maya. She doesn't even know if she's goi-"

"She's going," the young blonde interrupted. "Come on, man, I've seen this movie a thousand times. Aren't you supposed to be good at guessing spoilers? The boy sweeps the girl up off of her feet, they move to a far away land, and they live happily ever after. End scene. Roll credits. " The buzz was growing even more now, and Maya had zero intention of slowing down. She figured it was her best chance of keeping the tears from forming that she so desperately wanted to shed.

"You know Riley more than anyone else in the world. It doesn't matter if she's here, or in Texas, or off in a fairytale, raising unicorns. She would never do anything to let your friendship fail. She would make every effort she could to keep you in her life. And she will, Maya, she will." Farkle pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie, and clasped his hands together on the bar top. "This isn't some movie where everything gets wrapped up in two hours and each supporting character bends to the will of the lead actors. This is your life too. You get to write it. If you want Riley to stay in your life, then do everything you can to make sure that the distance doesn't take that away."

"But everything will be different," Maya breathed, feeling frustrated that Farkle wasn't seeing this the same way she was. "She won't be the first person I get to see in the morning, with her messy hair and her weird zombie face because it takes her at least an hour to fully wake up. She won't be the first one I can run to whenever I am feeling low and need just someone to make me believe in myself again. She won't be there, calming my nerves before each art show. I won't have her hugs, or her cute little laughs when she's showing me funny animal videos on YouTube, or her late night stories on the bay window about whatever went on in Rileytown that day. I won't be the one cleaning up all of her spills, or taking care of her when she thinks she's fallen deathly ill, but really its just the sniffles. It will be Lucas getting those things. My things." The girl propped her head up with her arm and lowered her eyes down to the barely touched plate in front of her. It was meal she would savor on any regular day, yet tasted so bland in a world without Riley. "You know I like Lucas…and appreciate with every bone in my body that he can take care of her, and loves her for exactly the person that she is. I want them to be happy, Farkle, I do. I just wish that I didn't have to lose my whole entire life in the process."

Farkle fell speechless. He had never experienced many of these moments before—ones where he realized that he had been completely clueless. He was brilliant, after all, an expert in the subject of his friends and the subject of pretty much everything else. But this one was something he never predicted, however now understanding, it all made so much sense. He picked up his glass and finished it, tasting the burn of the vodka at the bottom. "Maya…" the boy cleared his throat, "you love Riley."

"Well of course I love her, you idiot, she's my best friend, my family." She squinted her blue eyes at him, questioning how she ever thought this chump could be so smart. "You love Riley too, everybody loves Riley. She's probably the most lovable human being in the entire tri-state area…Where is this going? Do you plan to tell me next that my hair is blonde, or that I enjoy painting, perhaps?"

His body shifted and he gave her a dismissive look. "No…you don't get what I'm saying…You're in love with Riley."

Maya let out a laugh a little louder than it should have been. This dude is nuts, she thought to herself, note to future-Maya, never let Farkle drink. "Buddy, I think it's time you lay off the booze. We may have gone a little far with your brain cells," she winked at him, and then signaled for the check.

Farkle glared down the bartender, daring her to do anything except bring them their next drink. "Be a dear, we're going to need more liquid support for this next part." Instantly he kicked himself for probably coming off as rude, so he made a mental memo to leave the young woman a considerable tip—social interactions were never his strong suit, and it was often that he felt the need to overcompensate for the areas in which he lacked. "Look at me" his attention was now turned to his right, where his best friend remained looking puzzled. "Really look at me. I'm you're friend, I've known you for nearly as long as you've known Riley, right?"

"Right," she nodded.

"Farkle time?"

"If you insist, but I really don't see how you're going to spin this one." It was comical. Another good joke to add to her already overfull diary of them. Maybe drinking alone wouldn't have been such a consolation prize.

Apprehensive, he pulled his sleeves back down, and adjusted his black hood more evenly on his shoulders. His mind was working overtime to figure out the best way to approach this conversation, and he wished he'd had more time to prepare. But here was this girl he had loved so much, dealing with a loss she didn't even understand herself, and his own heart was breaking for the pain he could only recently comprehend she was going through. Therefore he'd give this one his absolute best. "What you feel for me is different than what you feel for her, correct?"

It took no time for Maya to concur. "I'm sorry, amigo, I care about you more than I care about a cute pair of shoes...But Riley ranks on a whole other level. She's my best friend."

"That's where you're wrong. Maya, I'm your best friend…picture your perfect day. With Riley you want to be the one there when she first wakes up…with me, you just want to tell me about it later—how happy you were when you were the first one there when she woke up. If it was me moving instead, away with Smackle, would you feel like this? Would you be at this bar, having to anesthetize yourself with wine to hide from whatever it is you're dealing with?"

The girl thought for a second. She loved Farkle to death, and would never want him to leave. But she wouldn't feel lost. She wouldn't feel as if her life was ending…she would just be ecstatic for him—ecstatic that his life was beginning. "No…" despite the alcohol, tears were fully forming against her will. "I'd just be happy for you." Grabbing a napkin, she wiped the bottom of her eyes, trying to contain her mascara the best that she possibly could. Was he right? Was she in love with Riley? She had dated many boys through college, but none of them ever held a candle to what was always waiting at home. No place with any boy was ever as special as the spot she'd always end up at—the bay window. Nothing would ever feel like that. No one would ever take her spot. There was not a person in the world as rare and unique as a Riley, and she was so fortunate that a Riley would ever even look her way. "Oh…" Maya shook her head, her lungs hit with a sack of bricks. She had been blind. Always, it had been Riley. How stupid could she be to fall down that rabbit hole—into something that could only end in disappointment—in upset. "How did this happen?" Mascara be damned, she let it all go. Her stubbornness was no longer able to fight this battle. All guards were destroyed. "How did I fuck this up?"

Farkle took the girl into his arms and placed a soft kiss to the top of her forehead. Her drifting tears were seeping into the fabric of his shoulder, but he didn't care. That's what shoulders are there for,to hold up a friend when they are unable to do it on their own, he thought. "It's going to be okay," his voice was a whisper. "I've got you."

His body was comforting, and felt safe. For as scrawny of a boy that he was, his hug would fool anyone. As time passed, Maya was even less ready to go home—less ready to see the girl that was shattering everything she knew, and to see the life she wanted until the end of time fade away. "Hey," she looked up, with red eyes and black-streaked cheeks. "Can I crash on your couch tonight? I can't go back there. Not tonight. Not yet."

The boy rubbed her back up and down once with his hand and then gave it a kind pat. "Of course you can. Mi casa es su casa. I'm here for you, Maya."

Stepping outside, the cold air hit the small girl with a jolt, and she clung to the boy for warmth. She didn't know how a day that could start off so normal and comforting could end with so much insecurity and perplexity, but at least she had a friend. At least she had a person that was willing to stay—willing to forgo an early bedtime and kill a few brain cells just to make sure she was taken care of. As the cab slowed into the corner of the street to pick them up, Maya was solely gracious to have an extraordinary friend she could sit by on the devastating ride.