fools Chapter 3: swimming pools, a girl meets world fanfic

fools

rating: T

summary: Maya Hart is tired of New York and the pain people there caused her. her hopes were too high, and then he went and smashed them/ in which the aftermath of Lucas and Maya's breakup changes everything

chapter 3: swimming pools

I've been running, running, run
I've been running, running, run
I've been running, running, run
I've been running, running, run

Maya arrived in Chicago when the sun was starting to rise. She grabbed her backpack, and made it off the train. She had called her cousin when they were half an hour away, and now she was looking for her. Her golden hair was tied up into a ponytail. She stood off to the side, eyes sweeping over the unfamiliar faces that bustled around the station. She was waiting to spot the familiar strawberry blonde curls and green eyes of her cousin Kate.

"Maya!" a feminine voice called out, as a young woman in a black peacoat maneuvered her way through the crowd, hugging her purse to her body.

Maya whirled around, searching for the source of the voice, and broke into a smile when she spotted her cousin's cheery face. "Kate!" she called out, relieved. Her heart was aching from being away from her home and her friends, and if she hadn't found her cousin, she was afraid she'd be tempted to hop on the first train back to New York, and that was one of the things she could not do. She walked briskly towards the older girl as she hiked her backpack back onto her shoulder.

Maya dropped her bag and embraced her favorite cousin as she let out a few dry sobs. It was a comfort to have a familiar face present. She and Kate had always been very close, though they were separated by five years in age. Maya was so tired and emotionally drained to do much more than let her cousin led her to her car.

Her cousin understood not to ask questions as to why Maya had so suddenly had to move away from Chicago in the middle of March, the end of her senior year still ahead of her. They drove in silence to Kate's apartment.

Upon arrival, Maya dropped all her belongings in the room that would be hers until she found her own place to stay. She wanted to collapse onto the bed and sleep, but she pulled out her phone instead. She scrolled through her contacts, heart constricting painfully at the entry for "Huckleberry" to find her mom's number.

"Hi, mom? Yeah, I'm here at Kate's. I'm safe... Yeah, I'll be okay in time. Love you too."

So tell me how I'm gonna get past this wave to empty swimming pools
Cause I just wanna be at the start of after loving you
I plant my feet and I clench my teeth
I can't outrun what's coming after me
So tell me how I'm gonna get past this wave to empty swimming pools

Lucas sat with Riley, Farkle, Smackle and Zay at a table at Topanga's. Standing around them were the Matthews, Josh, Shawn and Farkle's parents, waiting for Katy who told them she had something very important to tell them. Two minutes later, the blonde woman hurried into the shop. Everyone straightened, wondering what they were about to hear.

Riley frowned, looking around. Nudging her long-time friend who was seated besides her, she whispered into his ear. "Farkle. I know Lucas and Maya broke up, but if Mrs. Hart has something important to tell all of us, shouldn't she be here?"

Farkle's nose crinkled in confusion as he scanned the crowd, hoping to see his blonde friend among them, but to no avail. "You don't think-?" he started to ask his friend.

"-that this is about her?" Riley finished his question. "I hope not, but it's possible. I hope Maya's okay..."

Lucas had been watching them out of the corner of his eye as they talked, his heart growing heavy as he realized that this meeting could be to tell them that something happened either with or to Maya. He glanced away, grimacing. He cared about her. She'd always be a part of who he was today, but he couldn't afford to let himself hang on to her. He wanted to get through the morning and moping stage, and finally be able to think of her without wanting to either punch something or cry. He so desperately wished there was a way to get there without submitting himself to the pain, but he knew the only way to overcome the pain was to face it.

Riley and Farkle were cut off by Katy clearing her throat. Everyone focused their eyes on her as she began to talk.

"Maya... she's not here anymore."

But I see a lighthouse in the distance calling my name
But I can't get there 'til I go through all of this pain
There's a glimmer of hope like an exhale of smoke in the sky
And sometimes you drain out on the shit that used to feel right
Empty swimming pools

Maya woke up to her phone vibrating uncontrollably. She blinked as she saw the emails that were scattered amongst all the incoming texts she was receiving. She unlocked her phone, ignoring the texts for the mean time to take care of the emails.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the most recent one. With shaking hands, she set her phone down, took a deep breath, then opened it.

Dear Ms. Hart,

We are pleased to congratulate you for being admitted to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago...

Maya squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. It was real. She had just been accepted to a college that was in the same city she was currently residing in. She hadn't told many people her plan to apply to a few colleges. Mr. Matthews didn't know, Lucas didn't know, Zay didn't know, Josh (who was now one of her good friends) didn't know... Her mom knew, Shawn knew, Riley knew, Farkle knew and Topanga knew. She couldn't keep it for her mom, and Maya told the others because they had been there in the beginning. Topanga was like another mother to her, and Riley and Farkle had been her friends since they were in first grade. She couldn't hide this from her friends she considered to be her siblings. And Shawn... he understood her the most, because they were the same.

Maya groaned as more texts flooded her phone. She reluctantly began to read through them, skimming the ones from Zay and Josh, deciding to respond later, if she responded. She sent off a quick reply in the group chat that consisted of herself, Riley and Farkle, telling them that she was okay, and that she was excited because of the email she had just gotten. And then came the hardest texts to read.

The three that Lucas had sent.

I've been running, running, run
I've been running, running, run
I've been running, running, run
I've been running, running, run

Lucas closed his eyes as Katy's news washed over him, like a wave that was determined to drown him. Maya was gone. She had left. The noise of everyone around him regarding Maya's exit faded into a buzz as he squeezed his eyes even tighter shut.

"Lucas!" he heard a voice call through the static that invaded his ears, a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly, seeing that Farkle was shaking him. Everyone was looking at him, a look of concern evident upon every face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lucas mumbled, standing up. "I gotta..." he trailed off, grabbing his coat as he walked out the door.

"I'll go," Farkle responded to the unasked question lingering. "I'll make sure he gets home safely." Farkle hurried out the door, walking briskly to catch up with his friend.

They walked besides each other in silence, the cool breeze ruffling their hair.

Lucas walked past the turn off to his home, continuing on to the nearby park that he and Maya would often frequent for their dates. He sat down on a bench, and Farkle silently sat down next to him as the native Texan pulled out his phone.

To: Shortstack

I'm sorry. It's my fault

To: Shortstack

I hope you're okay

To: Shortstack

This may ruin everything but-

The last text was cut off when Farkle wrestled the phone out of his friend's hand. "Lucas. You guys need time. You can't just send that to her," he shook his head. "I know you mean it, but you can't. Maya... she won't be able to handle that this soon. Please, trust me," he pleaded, seeing the look in Lucas' eyes. "I've known her over 10 years. I know her. Please."

Lucas just nodded.

So tell me how I'm gonna get past this wave to empty swimming pools
Tell me how I'm gonna feel less secure when I look at you
So I close my eyes and just visualize
The greener skies on the other side
So tell me how I'm gonna get past this wave to empty swimming pools

Maya locked her phone, tossing it to the other side of the bed as tears began to prick at her eyes. The message was cut off, but she had a pretty good guess at what he was going to say. I feel the same way, Huckleberry, she thought as she began to cry.

She awoke the next morning to the smell of food wafting in from the kitchen. She dragged herself out of bed, tying her hair up so it wouldn't continue to impair her vision as she walked through an unfamiliar apartment.

This would become routine for her as the days passed on, and she realized with a start that she had been there for a week. She was lucky it was spring break, so she wouldn't have to worry about sending her work into her teachers through Riley and Farkle.

She had been searching for an apartment, and she had her eye on one that was about to go on the market that was in the same building as her cousin. Not only was it in the same building as Kate's, but it was in a great location.

Maya held onto the email from SAIC, trying to decide if she would attend college while she was living in Chicago. She slowly adjusted to not seeing her friends everyday, but she acclimated easily into the bustling life of Chicago because it reminded herself of New York.

She couldn't find it in her heart to delete the pictures of her and Lucas, or the texts he sent her from her phone. No matter what she told her cousin and her cousin's friends (who quickly became her friends as well), she still loved him. It still hurt to think about him, but she knew, given time, it would ease to a dull ache, instead of a searing pain.

She continued to paint her feelings, pouring her heart out onto the canvas. Her paintings were filled with dark purples, blues, reds and black; her sketches full of contrasting realities: one of pain and heartache, and one of happiness and love.

She kept in touch with Riley and Farkle, because she couldn't bear to ignore her two closest and longest friendships just because she and Lucas broke up.

They meant too much to her to just throw away when she left. So they planned to meet the following weekend at her cousin's, because it was still spring break. No one told Lucas, using the excuse of visiting family instead.

Lucas glanced at his favorite picture of him and the blonde beauty before sighing, walking into school the day after spring back ended. It was time for the rumors of his and Maya's break up to circulate around the school. Somehow it slipped out that they weren't doing to well, and that they broke up. No one, except his closest confidants knew for certain what the truth was.

And he wasn't sure if wanted everyone else to know it too. Maybe he'd tell everyone else they were still together, because even though they weren't, he still wanted them to be, and no one would know better. Maya wasn't there to set everyone straight on what the truth was.

Maybe he could live in his fantasy world just a little bit longer...

an: thanks for reading! so sorry I haven't updated any of my stories in a longtime. I'm working on it, and they'll be updated ASAP. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. there's one more to come. but the question is: will Maya and Lucas have a happy ending, or will it be Maya in Chicago at SAIC and Lucas in New York for college? also, which troye sivan song will i use for the final chapter? (i know, but i wonder if anyone can guess. also, i hope the three previous Troye songs I've used for this story have fit well to the story line)

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~R5 is my life