Looking back, their arguments about Lucas seemed ridiculous and naive. The three met him in seventh grade, and one immediately took a liking to him. He was kindhearted and smart, with just the right amount of country upbringing. He wasn't shamed by Maya's comments about his Texan roots, or Riley's subtle flirting. They had to admit, he flirted back just as much. So nobody understood why he never asked Riley out. He turned, instead, to Maya. They went on four dates - four treasured dates - before Riley found out.

"How could you do this to me, Maya?" She screamed, infuriated.

"Riley, I'm sorry, but he asked me out! I didn't ask him!"

"You should've said no!"

"I did. He kept coming back! It got out of hand - he brought me one rose, then two, then sixteen. I had to agree when he kept leaving notes for me. And I had fun on our first date, so I went out on another."

"I thought you were my best friend!"

Maya recoiled, shocked. Riley had never questioned their friendship before, and from the look on her face, she knew it. She looked scared, like she didn't want to lose Maya, but she was also angry.

"Fine. I'll break up with Lucas. But I'm not coming back."

True to her word, Maya broke up with Lucas the next day. She didn't show up to school for two weeks after, and avoided Riley and her parents whenever possible.

"Riley," Cory begged her daughter after the second week. "I know you're mad, but nobody's seen Maya or Katy in two weeks. Aren't you worried?"

Riley was worried. Worry was eating her from the inside out, gnawing at her stomach, and making it hard to eat.

"I know, dad. But what should I do? She knew how much I liked him, and she went out with him anyway."

"Riley, I think Maya liked him just as much as you. Remember, she broke up with him for you. He was pretty heartbroken. He missed class - actually, I don't think he showed up to school at all that day."

It was true. But he had come back the next week, completely normal. He didn't mention Maya, and nobody had the nerve to ask what had happened. Eventually, Maya forgave Riley, and Riley forgave Maya. They continued with their normal lives, never mentioning those four dates again. Maya knew what she did was wrong, and Riley knew what she did was selfish, but they would both live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. One year later, Lucas finally asked Riley out. He did it in the most normal way possible - a note in her locker. Of course, she was thrilled, and accepted immediately. They had gone on three dates before they both realized it wasn't working. Their relationship ended on good terms.

For ninth grade, Maya attended a one year art academy. She had been reluctant to leave her friends, but she got a full scholarship, and finally decided to go.

"I'll meet you right here when I get back." She had promised, sitting on the rail of the fire escape outside Riley's window.

"I'll miss you."

"You too."

Maya and Riley saw each other 367 days after that. They had counted the minutes until Maya would arrive at their door. Of course, the Matthews had planned a giant 'Welcome Back, Maya' party, setting up decorations in the living room. They all waited for her eagerly, sitting and watching the door. Even Auggie knew how important it was that Maya was coming back. He knew she was like a sister to Riley, and they all knew how much she loved her sister.

"Hey, goofballs." A familiar voice came from behind them. Everyone turned to see Maya perched on Riley's windowsill, wearing her classic smirk.

Farkle had eventually moved away with his dad, leaving Lucas, Riley, and Maya to finish high school together. Slowly, the years blended together, until they were graduating. Riley was valedictorian, and Maya and Lucas graduated with honors. Katy even showed up to see her daughter finish high school, taking the whole day off work to get ice cream with her and the Matthews afterwards. Maya smiled as she finished off her chocolate cone.

It's not perfect. She thought. But it's close enough for me.

And it was. Except for Lucas.

Lucas became a sore subject for her. Whenever Riley brought him up, she would quickly change the subject or find some excuse to leave. She began to avoid sitting with him, opting to skip lunch and draw instead whenever he sat with Riley. After three months avoiding him, Riley finally came to her.

"Maya, I know why you're not happy." The brunette best friend said to her one day.

"What do you mean?" Maya asked her friend. "I am happy. I have an okay life. I have you."

Riley sat in silence for a few minutes. "But you don't have-"

Maya stood up abruptly. "Y'know what? I'm gonna go get some fries."

"Maya, you can't afford fries." Riley reminded her friend sadly. The Hart family had been low on money ever since Maya graduated, and they wouldn't accept help from the Matthews. "You want me to buy them for you?"

Maya bit her lip. She hated the charity Riley's family had to give them, but she was starving. She hadn't had anything to eat the entire day.

"Come on." Riley told her, taking her arm and dragging her out of the library. "I know what you need."

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Lucas's house.

"What are we doing here?" Maya asked, incredulous. "I thought we were getting fries."

"Nope." Riley rang the doorbell. "There's something you need more."

"More than food?" Maya grumbled.

"Maya, do you know who lives here?"

"No." Maya said, but as she looked up at the cowboy hat hanging above the door, the nice, neat garden flowers lining the brick path to the large yellow house, she knew. "No, Riley, I'm fine, I swear. Let's just go get some food. I'm hungry."

Riley almost let herself be pulled away, but just before she turned around, a boy opened the door. His boots were scuffed, and his pants had a hole in the knee, but his plaid shirt still framed his shoulders and chest nicely, and his eyes hadn't changed at all.

"Riley." He greeted her, before looking past her to the blonde, who looked like she was trying to melt into the floor. "Maya."

"Howdy, Cowboy." She greeted halfheartedly, trying to make the situation lighter with her old jokes.

"Okay, you two." Riley pushes the frenemies closer. "You guys need to talk."

Nobody but them knows what was said that night, and nobody ever will. Maya and Lucas got back together, with Riley's full support. Their fifth date consisted of eating chocolate strawberries while lying on her roof, playfully teasing while looking at the stars, and him giving her his jacket when she got too cold.

"This is so cliche." She told him when he handed it to her.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Sometimes that's okay."

Their sixth date was two weeks later, once he got back from Texas. There was a lot of playful nickname insults directed at each other, and he even went so far as to buy her a cowboy hat, which he threw on her head once they met at the airport.

"Hey, shortie."