A/N: Takes Place During Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels
"You stood up for Lucas and not me!" Maya says angrily.
"I'm not standing up for him," Riley argues.
The short blonde growls, "You didn't disagree with him."
Riley crosses her arms, "Well, when you really think about it, he wasn't wrong."
"Who cares?" Maya yells at the brunette.
"Oh, right and wrong don't matter now?" Riley snarls out.
Maya bites her lip and points between the two of them angrily, "The only thing that matters is you and me. When have I ever not stood up for you?"
"When I'm wrong!" Riley remarks.
"You're always wrong!" Maya yells at the girl, but she backtracks once she sees Riley's hurt expression. "-Or you're always right. Who cares? I don't listen, I just stick up for you automatically."
Zay runs down the hall, seeing the two girls yelling at each other. He grins cockily and turns around to face the students.
"Ooh, chick fight! Chick fight right here, ladies and gentlemen," Zay announces to the crowd.
He leaps up to sit on a ledge next to Lucas and Farkle. Zay leans back, grinning.
"One dollar to see the shocker by the lockers. Brought to you by Zay Babineaux enterprises," the boy continues.
"I'm not gonna be the cause of this," Lucas says, looking at the two angry girls.
He leaps off the ledge, leaving Farkle and Zay alone. He walks over to Maya and Riley calmly. He wrings his hands awkwardly, earning an icy glare from Maya.
Maya growls at Lucas, "Too late, huckleberry."
Zay giggles, "Huckleberry."
Lucas sighs, "You know why it happened, Maya? All you do is call me names. I finally struck back once."
Maya whips around to face him. Lucas takes a step back from surprise. Farkle stands next to him, looking at the blonde. She points a finger at Lucas, the glare enough to make any person run away in fear.
"This has nothing to do with you, who I will deal with later," Maya says threateningly.
Farkle and Lucas take another step back, "Yee."
She glares back at Riley and states accusingly, "This happened because she stuck up for you."
"I didn't stick up for him," Riley protests.
"You didn't disagree with him," Maya counters, anger lacing her tone.
"How could she disagree with him, he's right?" Farkle pipes up.
"You're next!" Maya yells at the boy.
Farkle winks, "I want to be first."
Riley and Maya take a step back, "Yee."
"He is right, you know," Zay says calmly.
Maya looks around in disbelief. Everyone was against her. She feels her anger grow even more. She groans in frustration, running her hands through her hair.
"Why does that mean so much to everybody?" Maya hisses out.
Riley opens her mouth to say something, but Maya cuts her off with a hurt look and speaks softly, "When being right is more important than being friends Then that's the end of being friends."
Maya glances at all her friends, shaking her head before shoving past them. Riley stares at Maya as the blonde exits the school. She looks at Farkle and Lucas for help, but they just stare at the ground. Riley looks at the exit worriedly. She bites her lip, torn. Riley wanted to just leave the blonde alone, but also, Riley knew it wasn't safe to be alone in New York City.
She sighs and looks at Farkle and Lucas apologetically before walking towards the exit of the school. The brunette walks outside, the sun hitting her face pleasantly. Riley needed to look for Maya.
Riley groans, her legs aching from walking around the places Maya usually visits. She was losing hope, and the brunette was becoming worried. The last place Riley decides to check is the beach. She highly doubted Maya was there, but the brunette wasn't going to take any chances in missing her friend. She walks down the beach, seeing a figure sitting alone on the shore.
"What are you doing?" Riley asks as she sees her friend sitting on the beach shore.
Maya doesn't let her gaze leave the ocean, "Nothing."
The brunette silently sits next to the blonde. She sighs and looks out at the waves. Riley glances at Maya's face, noticing the emotionless look. She frowns, hoping for some type of emotion from her best friend. Maya just sits there, hugging her knees with her chin resting on them.
"Why did you come here?" the brunette asks softly.
Maya shrugs, "Sometimes, I like looking out at the ocean. The ocean is so large, Riles. There is still so many secrets in the ocean. Just like our world, the ocean is filled with large and small animals. It reminds me that I'm not alone."
Riley bites her lip, "Why does it matter so much that Lucas called you a short stack of pancakes?"
The blonde shakes her head, finally turning to look at Riley, "You really don't get it do you?"
Riley shakes her head. Maya sighs and stares back out at the ocean. Riley glances at the blonde, wondering if she was going to explain. The brunette hugs her knees, falling into a similar position as Maya.
"Riley, there are so many people in the world. Important people, rich people, helpful people... There isn't much room for people that are like me: abandoned and hopeless, a lost cause. I feel so small in this world... Except when I am with you. In the moments I am with you, I feel like I am the most important person in the world; that I'm not just a tiny part that no one notices.
"But... when you say that I am small... I feel worthless, like no one out there actually needs me. It feels like you think that I don't matter. When you agree with Lucas, it makes me feel like the world will always judge me for how small I am. How little I can offer the world. Right now, I feel tiny and scared, Riles, and it's because I don't have my best friend to help me," Maya says, still not looking at the brunette.
Riley frowns, "Peaches..."
Maya shrugs and gets up, "You know what? It doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does," Riley says softly, grabbing Maya's hand.
The blonde sits down and looks at the waves again, "Do you think I am small?"
Riley shakes her head, "No... Peaches, you are one of the bravest people I know. Someday, you are going to do something great."
Maya shrugs and looks at Riley. The brunette feels a tug at her heart as she sees the vulnerable look in Maya's eyes. Without any hesitation, Riley gathers up the blonde in her arms, resting her chin on Maya's head. Maya quickly holds tightly to Riley.
"You're amazing, Riles," Maya whispers, her voice hoarse.
The brunette smiles softly, "No, you're amazing. I know you protect me from the cruel people in the world, Maya. That means a lot to me."
"I need to protect my little plant. You need to be able to sit out in the sunshine and not be trampled by weeds. As long as I am here, no one will ever hurt you. I promise," Maya says solemnly.
Riley squeezes Maya tighter, "See? You aren't just a small animal in the ocean. You're my favorite person in the world, Maya."
"That's all that I want, Riles," Maya says softly.
The brunette grabs the blonde's hands, "Then you have it."
Maya snuggles into Riley, "Thank you."
"I love you, Maya," Riley says.
Maya squeezes her friend's hand tighter, "I love you, too."
The two friends look out at the ocean, a calm peace hanging around them. The only sounds that are heard are the ocean waves and the birds. They sigh, watching the sun set on the ocean.
A/N: Leave suggestions in reviews, and make sure to follow/favorite for quicker updates :P Thanks for reading! Stay awesome, bye!
~rsbaird