Riley's POV
I stared at the empty desk next to me. It's almost time for class and Maya isn't here yet. Even more suspicious, is the empty desk behind it. Lucas isn't here yet either.
Mr. Perfect is skipping class? What is this? I called Maya. It went straight to voicemail.
"Riley, where's Maya?" My dad asked.
"I guess she's not feeling well." I lied.
"And Lucas?"
Farkle chimed in. "He's probably taking care of Maya."
I spun around and glared at Farkle. "What?! Why would you say that?"
Farkle was clearly confused by my reaction. "Riley, they're together now. It's the logical conclusion to draw."
"No Farkle, that is not what's going on. They are not together," I said making air quotes around the word "together". I continued "and they are not skipping class together either. I take care of Maya, not Lucas."
"Well, there's only one way to find out. Let's go to each of their houses after school." Farkle suggested.
My dad approved of Farkle's idea. "Great you can bring them the assignment they're missing out on."
"What assignment?" I asked.
"The one I'm about to write on the board!" he exclaimed.
The whole class groaned. Only Farkle responded with his signature "Yay!"
Maya's POV
I texted him. I didn't know who else to turn to. But I just needed someone. Riley has always been my someone. This time I needed someone else.
"Can you meet me at the train station?" I asked.
"Sure, Maya. I'll be there." He replied.
Riley's POV
Farkle and I stood at Lucas' door. We already tried Maya's house, but no one was home. We peeked into the window at Topanga's and didn't see her there either. We didn't go inside because we didn't want to alarm Maya's mother. Just because Maya is MIA doesn't mean she's in trouble, does it? I hope not. I need to find her.
Farkle rang the doorbell. And a healthy, normal looking Lucas opened it.
"You don't look very sick" I said.
Lucas forced a cough. "I uh, I'm feeling better now than I was earlier."
"Are you contagious?" Farkle asked
"Nope, come on in." Lucas stepped aside and held open the door.
I walked through the living room, the dining room, the kitchen and the bathroom, scanning the place for traces of Maya.
"Riley, are you looking for something?" Lucas asked.
"We know she's here." Farkle accused.
"Who?" Lucas asked, innocently.
"Lucas, tell me the truth." I started. "Have you seen Maya today?"
Lucas looked astonished. "No I haven't seen Maya today. Farkle, why would you think she's here?"
"Because you're a couple. And she wasn't at school. And you weren't at school. And she's not at her house.-"
"Slow down, Farkle." Lucas interrupted. He looked at me. "You know don't you?" I nodded. Farkle looked at me and then back at Lucas.
"So what am I missing then?" Farkle asked Lucas.
"Yesterday," Lucas paused. "Maya told me that we can't be a couple." He sat down on the couch. Farkle sat down next to him. I sat on the armrest of the recliner.
"I'm sorry, Lucas." Farkle said.
"The truth is, I wasn't really sick today. I just didn't want to go to school, because I didn't know if I could face her," he looked at me, "or you."
"Lucas, this doesn't have to be awkward. You don't have to avoid me." I assured him.
Farkle looked puzzled. "I don't understand. Riley put her own feelings aside so you and Maya could be together. So why did Maya say you can't be together?"
Lucas looked at me. Oh god. Does he know? Did Maya confess her feelings for me to him? I guess I was wrong. This is definitely awkward.
"Maya said that when she's with me all she can think about is Riley." Lucas said, his eyes still locked on me. His words were covered in a sincere tone of heartbreak.
"Lucas, I'm so sorry." I said.
"So if she wasn't with you today, where could she be?" Farkle questioned Lucas.
"She didn't show up at school at all?" Lucas asked, concerned.
"No, and she won't answer my calls. I haven't seen or heard from her once today." I said. I couldn't keep my worry from seeping into in my voice.
Farkle took out his phone and called Maya. He put it on speaker. It rang 4 times and then voicemail. He then checked all of his social media accounts.
"It looks like she hasn't had any social media activity since yesterday." Farkle concluded.
"This is all my fault" Lucas and I happened to say the same thing at the same time. Then we both looked at each other in confusion. "Your fault?" We both asked each other at the same time.
"One at a time, there's plenty of blame to go around." Farkle remarked.
"How could it be your fault, Riley?" Lucas asked. "I'm the one she can't bare to be with. She's probably avoiding me just like I was avoiding her today." Lucas suggested.
"And yet she isn't answering Riley's calls." Farkle looked at me in speculation.
"Well, she didn't answer for you either, Farkle." I rebutted.
"She never answers when I call." Farkle responds in disappointment.
"Yeah because you're always hitting on her." I say in her defense.
"I can't help it. I love you both. But that wasn't my point. She never answers when I call, but she's usually attached to you at the hip." Farkle continued his speculation.
"Yeah, Riley. Did you two have a fight?" Lucas asked.
I looked down and sighed. I can't tell them what really happened. I can't tell anyone until I talk to Maya first.
Maya's POV
"Thanks for coming" I said, giving him a big hug.
"Anytime, kid."
We sat with a pizza between us and ate quietly for the most part, until his curiosity got the best of him.
"So, to what do I owe this visit?" He questioned.
"I gotta have a reason to see you now?"
"No, no. Is this about your mom?" he asked.
"No. Why? Do you want it to be about my mom?" I teased.
He laughed. "How is your mom doing?"
"You know you could just ask her that yourself."
"Touché" he nodded. "But she knows that you're here right?"
I shook my head.
He gave me that look. That parental, "you know better" look.
"Maya, you have to call her." He said in a stern tone.
"No! Not yet. Nobody knows where I am yet. For right now, it's just you and me. And I really need that to last a little bit longer." I pleaded.
"But just call her to let her know you're okay." He reasoned.
"No! If I call her, she'll make you bring me back. And I'm not ready to go back."
Riley's POV
"I wouldn't call it a fight, exactly." Farkle and Lucas both looked at me, unsatisfied with my answer.
"Let's just say, I think it's me she's avoiding, not you, Lucas." I added.
"It's still my fault Riley, because I came between you two, and that wasn't right. You're Riley and Maya. You're the greatest friendship I've ever seen. Until I came along and made things complicated." Lucas replied.
"Life is complicated." I offered in consolation.
Lucas pulled out his phone and tried calling Maya, but came to same result: voicemail. But then his phone made a ding. A text messagey sounding ding.
"Is that a text from Maya?" I asked, hopefully.
"Yeah, it is." Lucas read it aloud. It says: 'Lucas, I just want you to know this isn't your fault.'"
"See? I told ya. It's me." I acknowledged sadly. I didn't want to be right about that.
Lucas texted Maya back asking if she was okay. Maya just responded with an "I'm fine." When a girl says she's fine, she's never actually fine. She's usually quite the opposite of fine.
"Well at least we know she's alive." Farkle said.
"Alive and with her phone." I said. "I have to find her and make things right, and I've got an idea how. I'll see ya guys later."
I left Lucas' house and hurried home.
Maya's POV
"Was that your mom you were texting?" he asked.
"No, Lucas," I answered.
"Oh, I see. This is about boy trouble. Do I need to beat him up?" he offered. I couldn't tell if he was just kidding or actually serious.
"No, it's not boy trouble at all." I assured him.
"What's going on Maya?" He asked, taking a sip of his soda.
"I kissed Riley." I can't believe I said that out loud. He spit out his soda and coughed.
"Sorry, that was poorly timed word vomit." I apologized.
"No, I'm good." He said wiping his face with a napkin. "So, you kissed Riley?"
"I kissed Riley." I can't believe I said it, again.
"Riley?"
"Yep"
"So you and Riley?"
"Yes, please wrap your head around it, or we'll never finish this conversation."
"Sorry, I just have a bunch of questions and I don't know which one to ask first."
I took a guess. "You want to know why I kissed her?"
"Yeah that's one of them," he responded.
"I thought I might have feelings for Riley, as more than just a friend, and when I kissed her, it felt right. I can't deny these feelings anymore."
"And how did Riley react?"
"She looked frozen. She just said "Oh" and then she passed out."
He giggled.
"I'm so glad you find my pain amusing," I responded sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, I'm just picturing that all unfolding in my head." He said through his giggles.
I nodded. "It was very Riley of her."
"Okay, so after she woke up, what did she say?" he returned to a serious tone.
"I don't know, because I'm here with you."
"You haven't spoken to her since the kiss?" he seemed surprised.
"No. I got scared. What if she rejects me?"
"That's a possibility. But what if she was just caught off guard? What if the kiss made her realize that she had feelings for you too?" he suggested.
"Well, then clearly those feelings terrify her into unconsciousness," I reasoned.
"Hey, feelings are scary." He said, sincerely.
"I know. That's why I'm here," I said.
"Maya, you really came to me for relationship advice? Have ya noticed that I'm still single?"
"Well who's fault is that?" I teased.
"Touché"