Chapter Four: Light Too Bright

Coffee had never smelled so amazing. She opened her eyes as soon as that life-saving aroma hit her nostrils, needing a couple seconds for her brain to fully recognize where she was. The couch was beige and very stiff, surrounded by eggshell white walls harboring a giant Albert Einstein poster to her left. The thick blanket on her lap appeared to be a design of the periodic table, however, she wasn't too familiar with the thing, always looking like a bunch of boring letters fit into an unsymmetrical alignment of blocks. Rising up slightly to prop her back on the pillow behind her, the girl was hit with the recollection of everything that had occurred the previous day. Her head was pounding and the lights were way too bright for this time of morning. What time even is it? She thought, picking up her phone. 12PM. Fuck. Already 12PM, four missed calls from Riley, even more text messages, and a couple random email notifications she'd never check—the young artist was completely negligent when it came to her email inbox.

Farkle stepped towards her carrying a more-than-ever needed cup of caffeine, passing it off to his fellow hung-over friend. "Remind me again how I let you talk me into buying more alcohol on the way home?" He questioned the blonde, gazing her down. "I don't think I've felt this bad since passing out and banging my head on the floor in health class…twice."

Laughing as she recalled the memory, she sipped the scalding hot coffee, immediately burning her tongue. "Yeesh. Guess I deserve that." As he lowered himself down beside her, she placed her hand on his lap and turned to face him. "Look, Fark, I'm sorry. I know we both feel like complete shit this morning, but really…last night meant a lot to me. So thank you."

"Well that's what friends are for, Miss Hart. Or at least that's what I've read." He took his phone out of the pocket of his flannel pajama pants, noticing his own missed calls from their concerned friend. "This girl is relentless, isn't she?" joking, Farkle showed the numerous alerts to Maya. "You really need to let her know that you're okay. I mean I told her that you were staying here last night and she's still freaking out about what's going on. Put her mind at ease, Maya. Tell her you're alive, and haven't been captured by any terrorists or anything." His tone was sarcastic, because he knew as far-fetched as it seemed, it was exactly the kind of thought Riley would have when her head was in overdrive.

Leaning forward, the girl placed her mug on the small table in front of her…on a coaster of course—she had made that mistake too many times before. "Farkle, how am I supposed to tell her anything when I don't even understand what's going on. What the hell am I supposed to even say? That she should ditch her perfect cowboy and stay with me in our tiny apartment so that we can risk our entire friendship on the very small chance of it working out? Odds are, she doesn't even feel the same way. I mean Riley has been with Lucas since we were just dumb kids. They make sense. They fit. She is sunshine and he is the one that deserves to ride his horse in it." Maya shook her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "How delusional could I be? We don't make sense at all. Going with Lucas would be the very best thing for her."

"Honestly, I have no solution on the right way to handle this is. Which is hard for me to admit, because I am Farkle—I know everything. But with this, I don't know how Riley feels. I don't know if she even likes girls or thinks of you in that way. Her and Lucas are the same, two kindred spirits that love everyone with their entire beings, and have faith in the world they live in. He is one of my best friends, and without a doubt he would do anything to protect her—to give her the life that she deserves, the one we all want for her." Farkle found his friend's hand and pulled it closer to him, while shrugging his shoulder. "However, I do know that opposites attract. I know that Riley is where you find your peace, and that you are the person she has always put first in her life. I've told you before, Maya, she is the day, and you are the night. You can't have one without the other. So, yeah, maybe the way you guys have each other won't be in the exact way that you hope for, but still the day doesn't exist without the night. Look, you have always been honest with Riley from the first moment you climbed into that bay window. No matter what you say, you won't lose her—the one choice you could make to lose her is exactly what you're doing right now—avoiding her. So go. Have your moment in the sun. And remember that even on the rainy days and the cloudy days, the sun is still going to be there in the atmosphere, keeping you alive, even if you can't see it from the angle you want."

The small girl rose from the couch as the blanket she had slept with fell to her feet. Gazing down at herself, she realized how much of a mess she was—wrinkled clothes from the night before, disheveled hair, the smell of booze seeping out of her pores—A walking disaster with very little to offer herself, let alone anyone else. It had been a very long time since Maya had viewed herself as unworthy, but the thought of trying to hold on to the biggest star in the universe shined very brightly on every single reason why it would be impossible. Cringing, she asked the boy for a shower, desperately wanting to wash that terrible feeling away. "And maybe I can bum a Smackle outfit?" Her big blue eyes blinked charmingly, as they always did when the request for a favor was in the works.

"Smackle outfit, you say?" Farkle chuckled nervously, "Why on Earth would my girlfriend's clothes be here, in my one man abode? We barely hold hands, Maya, great Scott, what do you think, we are animals?" Wiping his forehead, he averted his gaze and downed the rest of his mug.

"Look dude, I don't have your alien IQ, but I'm not an idiot. Where does she stash her spare digs, man?"

He hung his head with cherry red cheeks. Lying was never one of his skills. "Back of the closet to the left. If you reach the Theremin, you've gone too far." A slender finger pointed out towards the desired destination, but embarrassed, Farkle still avoided any type of eye contact.

"Thanks, ya perv. Out in a jiffy." Maya made her way to the shower to scrub off any scum from her dirtied morale. It felt good to get clean…to clear her thoughts and for just a few minutes, and allow the warm water to do all of the work. The questions that lie outside of that washroom were heavy and confusing and not something she was at all ready to deal with. But looking in the mirror, with wet hair, and a fresh face, she at least felt more like herself. Grabbing a towel, she patted herself down and took a gander into the surprisingly large Farkle closet until she reached the Theremin and realized she had gone too far. Turning around, many Smackle outfits hung, tucked away inconspicuously, and it made Maya happy to think of her friends growing up and more importantly, growing together.

Walking out clad in the least-nerdy ensemble she could muster, she grabbed her purse and her phone and embraced Farkle, knowing that it was time to face the real world. "Going home?" the boy asked.

"Yeah…but I've got a stop to make on the way."

He raised an eyebrow and held her out to his front. "Making time for a quick lesson on your walk, perhaps?"

"Perhaps," she winked.

Farkle wrapped Maya's jacket around her and looked at his friend, proud—proud of how much she had overcome, proud of the young woman she had grown into, and proud that she still wanted him to be one of the lucky few in audience of her journey. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day where you'd voluntarily want to attend a class…dare I say this new attire is getting to you, Miss Hart?"

"Something like that, Fark. Something like that." Opening the door, Maya stepped out and trekked down the hall onto the elevator. As she pushed the button to descend to the ground level, she hoped that she wasn't pushing that same button on her life. Everything the girl had felt secure in could be so easily destroyed with a fast drop to the bottom. But her feelings were her feelings, and they weren't going to go away. Swiping to unlock her phone, she opened the conversation she had been blowing off all night and sent a long awaited reply. "I'm okay, I'll be home tonight so we can talk. P.S. stop tearing those napkins. P.S.S. that doesn't mean bite fingernails either." With a smile, Maya tucked it back into her pocket. There was no clue in the girls mind what their conversation would be exactly, but she knew she didn't want Riley to worry. After all, she'd never want to intentionally hurt her best friend—and sometimes not hurting a person means sacrificing your own best interests.

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A/N: Hope everyone is enjoying this read, again I apologize for any rustiness. If you like this, please leave your reviews, as I always love to read them. So much left for this story, so stay tuned...