Author's Note: Thank you to those who have already reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! Please don't forget to REVIEW, and any comments or criticisms are welcome! Really, any feedback you have, even if it's a small little note/comment! It really encourages me, and helps me have that energy to keep writing! :) (Edited by Chereche!)

UPDATED: 12-31-16

Disclaimer: I don't own Girl Meets World, just the story!

Chapter Fourteen: Making Small Talk

All she had to do was clear her throat, and Riley practically bounded from her seat to the front door in one stride.

"Peaches!" she cried, throwing her arms around her. "I haven't seen you in years!"

"I just saw you yesterday," Maya reminded.

"Years," Riley insisted.

"Okay, honey," she conceded, laughing. "Consider this a Thanksgiving reunion then."

She beamed in response, and led Maya to the couch, bouncing a little on the cushions.

"So..." Riley raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"So, what?"

"How are you?! What's going on? Is there anything new and exciting happening—"

Maya silenced her with a hand over her mouth, shooting her a look. "Again, we just saw each other yesterday."

"But, lots could have changed," the bubbly brunette pointed out, removing Maya's hand. "And you still haven't told me why you wouldn't come over on Sunday...or Saturday...or Friday."

"I was—busy."

"Oh. Doing what?"

"Um, swimming. And laying on couches, eating soup...giving the Kleenex company lots of business." She couldn't help but smirk a little.

"Huh?" Riley was completely lost.

"I was sick," Maya admitted.

"You were sick?!" Her mouth dropped open. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have come over, you know."

"I know, Riles. I didn't want you to get sick, and besides there was still school going on."

She sighed. "Yah, learning is important."

"Whatever you say, honey."

"So, how did you get sick? Nobody else at school is sick...did you pick it up from the diner or something?" Riley questioned.

"Actually I'm not completely sure...the virus could have come from anywhere," Maya shrugged. "But, I probably wouldn't have gotten sick if I hadn't jumped into that pond."

"What pond?" she asked suspiciously, suddenly concerned.

"Uh, the one down by the park," Maya answered reluctantly.

"What? Why would you do that?"

"Well, mostly because I dared Ranger Rick to do it, which he didn't," she added with a smirk. "And so now I get to boss him around for a day. Or two, if I'm sneaky."

"When did this happen?" her friend asked, puzzled.

"Well, you know how we were all going to hang out on Friday? None of you could make it except Lucas, so we just hung out by ourselves and wandered around the park. It was getting dark, and it was freezing, so I got the idea to jump into the water. It was an interesting experience."

Riley narrowed her eyes, and grabbed the smaller girl's hand. "How cold?"

"Um, like 46 degrees?" She guessed, furrowing her brow.

The brunette's mouth dropped open. "And you swam in freezing water?! You're lucky you didn't get pneumonia!"

"Riley, please don't lecture—"

"Ha, I'm not done yet! That was a completely irresponsible and stupid thing to do, Maya! What were you thinking? Why didn't Lucas stop you? He should have, you know...wait, that makes this his fault!" she started to ramble.

"Great. Now it's settled; it's all Huckleberry's fault...actually I like that conclusion," Maya smirked.

"But, it was your idea, so you know what? It was you!" Riley continued. "Not to mention the fact that you can't swim—"

"I can swim," she interjected crossly.

"—and it was in the afternoon, getting colder—"

"It was already nighttime," Maya mumbled.

Riley whipped her head towards her. "What?!" she demanded.

Just then, the door opened, and a familiar figure walked in. Even though she didn't really want to see him, she welcomed the boy because it got her away from Riley.

"Josh!" Maya cried in relief, prying herself away from her friend.

"Hey." He smiled awkwardly, closing the door and taking off his coat.

"Uncle Josh!" Riley shrieked in annoyance.

"Yah, nice to see you too," he replied sarcastically.

Just then Auggie sprinted into the room at full speed, and launched himself into his arms. "Uncle Josh!" he exclaimed in an entirely different tone.

"See, that's what it looks like when you're happy to see someone," Josh smirked at Riley.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to have a serious conversation with Maya, here." She looked pointedly at the girl beside her, who merely shrugged.

"Serious, huh?" He grinned at Auggie, and set him down on the ground. "That's no fun, is it buddy?"

"Nope." He smiled widely, before bringing his uncle's head down to his. "We should get out of here before they infect us with it."

"Sounds like a plan," Josh whispered back, before taking the boy's hand and running out of the room.

Riley snorted, but Maya was watching the interaction with interest. Coco had been right; he was a bit of an actor. What she saw of him here and at the museums were two very different personalities. How could one person be so confusing and manipulative?

"And now we get to talk about how you jumped into a pond, in November, at night," Riley crossed her arms and cleared her throat.

She groaned and sunk deeper into the couch. "Lay off, Riles."

Almost immediately after she said that, there was a knock on the door, and the two girls' reactions were very different. Riley actually screamed a little, while Maya let out a huge sigh of relief and went to answer it. It was a certain Cowboy, and she had never been happier to see his ridiculous hat tip.

"Evening, ma'am," he said.

"You have no idea how much you're going to regret coming here right now," Maya warned, leaning against the door frame.

"What? Why—" Lucas started, clearly puzzled.

Riley stepped beside her friend, and scowled. The boy's eyes widened and he shifted nervously.

"Hey, Riley."

"M-hmm...yah, you got a great sense of timing, you know that?"

"Uh, thanks?"

Riley threw up her hands, and stalked back to the couch, allowing Lucas to walk inside and Maya to close the door. He sat on a chair far away from Riley, and waited for Maya to join them before starting a conversation.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" he said, ignoring the odd gestures the small girl was giving him to stop.

"How a certain Maya wandered into a freezing cold pond at a park."

"Oh," he swallowed. "Well, I definitely remember that. Good thing I was there, right Shortstack?"

She muttered something under her breath, while the brunette turned to Lucas with sudden interest.

"Why? What else happened?"

"She didn't tell you?" he asked in surprise.

"Oh, this will be good." Riley straightened. "Let's hear it, then."

"Uh, maybe Maya should tell—"

"No! You know she won't say anything, so talk right now!"

"Fine...she almost drowned," Lucas blurted out.

"Wow, Huckleberry. Way to sugarcoat it." Maya lifted her head from her hands.

"You almost drowned?! How could that be something you didn't tell me?" Riley was beyond upset and over dramatic. "Oh, I had a nice weekend...I got sick, ate some soup, and almost drowned!"

"Riley—" Maya rubbed her forehead in frustration.

Mrs. Matthews chose that moment to walk in. "Hey, are you guys ready for dinner? Shawn should be here soon, and then we can eat."

"Unbelievable." Riley threw her hands up.

The blue haired girl on the other hand shot up, and ran to hug Mrs. Matthews. "I love you so much right now."

"Thanks, sweetheart." She looked at her suspiciously. "What did you do?"

"She almost died, is what she did," her daughter called from the couch, sulkily.

"Well, that's certainly a story I'd like to hear." She raised an eyebrow at the girl clutching her tightly.

Maya looked up at her with big, baby blue eyes. "Please don't make me."

"Oh, honey." She stroked her hair. "You think you have a choice."

She immediately let her hands drop to her sides, and lifting her head, marched back to the couch.

"Wrong way, Maya. It's dinner time."

"I thought we were waiting for Shawn," she said. "Wait a minute. Where's my mom? She said she was coming early to help you with dinner."

"She's with Shawn and Cory. They're picking up dessert, because I didn't have time to make it this year. And we aren't eating just yet, I want you guys to wash your hands and help me set the table."

"What about the boys?" Riley protested.

"They already helped me with something. Besides how many people do you need to put plates and some food on a table?" her mother pointed out.

She sighed, and joined the other two who were already moving towards the table. And so Thanksgiving dinner began with putting out silverware.

"Hey, we're back!" Shawn called from the front door, as he lifted the grocery bags he was carrying.

Ms. Hart and Mr. Matthews trailed behind him, each taking off hats, scarves, and coats. The children lounging on the chairs and sofas lifted their heads lazily, and glared at the adults.

"And...time." Maya stopped the timer on her phone, and then glanced pointedly at them. "That was an extra 32.4 minutes of us waiting, thank you."

"Hey, did you want pumpkin pie, or not?" Shawn said defensively.

It wasn't until Maya got up with Riley to help him take the bags that he noticed how different she looked. The first thing that caught his eye was the blue hair that seemed to be its own nuclear light system. The second thing was the dark, heavy makeup on her face, which he had never liked on anyone. It was too much for Maya; it made her look way too old, and he had the feeling that boys were probably looking at her in a way they shouldn't. That thought alone made him feel over protective and angry. What added to that theory was the short skirt she was wearing, accented by the high heels on her pale feet. Why was nobody else saying anything about this?

Mrs. Matthews and her husband noticed Shawn's expression as he watched Maya, and they glanced at each other. They had reacted very similarly when she had first started dressing like this, and they had expected Shawn to feel the same way. After all, he was very much like a second father to her, even if his job took up a good amount of his time.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Mr. Matthews instantly calmed Shawn's mixture of concern and anger. He looked back at his life long friend, and knew they were going to have one of those heart to heart chats later.

But, for now, he had dinner to eat.

"We need to talk."

Josh looked up from his phone in surprise, and met the dangerous eyes of the short girl staring down at him.

"About what?" He asked nonchalantly, though he had a good idea what she wanted to discuss.

"You know what," she scoffed.

"Lets pretend I don't."

"Then, I can explain it to your thick skull in the bay window."

Josh raised his eyebrows, but got up and followed her to where Lucas was sitting; which he wasn't expecting. The boy in question looked just as confused as to why the two were standing in front of him.

"Hey..." Lucas started slowly.

"Okay, enough, Huckleberry." Maya grabbed the front of his shirt, and hauled him up. "You. Me. Bay window, now."

"Ooh! Can I come?" Riley piped up from her chair.

"Not this time, honey," she smiled apologetically.

"Why not?" the brunette pouted.

"Because I need to talk to these two." She narrowed her eyes at the anxious boys.

"I would tell you to have fun, but Maya looks angry," Riley remarked.

The blue haired girl snatched both of their wrists, and dragged them to the bay window quickly. Shutting the door, she turned to face them, hands on her hips.

"Okay, Shortstack. What's going on?" Lucas asked, settling into the familiar seats.

"Before I begin, I will advise you not to speak until I am done." She drummed her fingers against her side. "And then, we can discuss. I promise it's very short."

Both boys stared at her in silence, not just because she had threatened them, but because they didn't even have a clue what to say.

"Great," she smirked. "So, I guess I should start with saying that Lucas knows all about "The Project" thing."

Josh broke the vow of silence. "What? You told him?"

"I thought I said no talking?" she snapped.

"Fine." He was angry though.

Maya went back to her speech. "Anyway, that's what I brought you both here for. We need to talk about it, and the fact that Lucas needs to get the full information on it, because he's joining us next week...I was hoping Josh could help with that."

The aforementioned boy turned to Lucas in surprise, but forced himself to direct his attention back to the small girl first.

"Permission to speak?" he asked sarcastically.

"Granted," she said, pleased.

"Great, thanks." Josh looked at Lucas. "Look, I know I've only met you once or twice, but aren't you like "Lucas the Good"?"

"Ugh. Does everyone know about that?" he sighed in annoyance. "And I'm only going because I need to make sure Maya's safe."

"Trust me, she's perfectly fine on her own. She's made that crystal clear."

"Wait a minute," Lucas looked from Josh to Maya. "How does he know about the art museums?"

"He's involved," she answered simply. "Actually works at the big one we're going to hit last...so, he has some purpose."

"You're involved?" The younger boy turned to him. "That's something I never would have seen coming."

"Yah, I was pretty shocked myself," Maya added.

"Well, I was just as surprised when my niece's friend showed up in the middle of the night, and agreed to vandalize a building," he retorted.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I have just as much right as you to—"

"As much as I'd love to see you two fight, I don't have the time or patience," Lucas interrupted sarcastically.

"No one wanted your opinion, Bucky McBoing Boing," she said crossly.

Josh raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what's up with all the nicknames?"

"Shut up!" The other two said in unison.

"Gosh," He shook his head, and directed his attention at Lucas. "How did you even get her to be okay with you being her bodyguard? I would have bet my money on her biting your head off by now."

"Yah, so would I," he admitted. "Actually, why haven't you bitten my head off? I mean literally, too."

Maya bit her lip, and debated how to answer. When she had agreed to let Huckleberry join her, she had been vulnerable, upset, and guilty. That didn't make for a good conversation, where she could be more defensive...honestly, if he hadn't been there that specific day, she probably never would have told him. Maybe her day had been ruined because she had started getting longer and more frequent texts from that mystery person. That was enough to ruin anyone's day...or maybe it was because she was getting too close to him, and she had felt safe around him. Maya wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or if it was going to hurt and destroy her in the end. Because she'd had plenty of experience in that department.

"I don't know," she tried weakly.

"Really? That's all you're going to give us?" Lucas asked in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ranger Rick. Did you want me to plan your funeral instead?" she snapped.

Josh started laughing, and Lucas gave him a wary glance as he shook his head at Maya's outburst.

"You're really something, you know that?" the older boy said through his chuckles.

"Hey," Lucas suddenly grew grim, and felt unexplainably hot and angry. "She's just speaking her mind you know?"

"Calm down, Cowboy," Josh smirked, as the younger boy glared at him. "I didn't mean that in a bad way."

Maya shot him a confused look, and Lucas tried to control his breathing. What the heck was wrong with him? Jeez, he was acting like a jealous boyfriend—oh, crap. No, changing the subject was a better idea.

"Moving on. What do I need to know?" Lucas asked, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Are you serious about doing this?" Josh questioned.

He glanced at Maya, then back at the boy next to him. "Yah, I am."

"Then all you need to know right now, is that we meet at the grocery store on 5th, head down to the art museum, and don't get caught," he replied cockily. "Pretty simple."

"What time?" Lucas said indifferently.

Josh narrowed his eyes in challenge. "11:45. If you're late, too bad because we won't be waiting for you."

"Don't worry about that. I'm always right on time," he smiled falsely.

Maya shook her head at the boys' odd exchange. She knew she couldn't possibly begin to understand them, so she let it go.

"You forgot something though, right Josh?" She reminded him.

"Care to elaborate?"

She smirked. "Don't forget to bring spray paint."

"I can manage that," Lucas said, trying not to let the guilt show in his voice.

He knew that what he was going to do was so dangerous and reckless that it could cost them life long consequences, but it was to help Maya. Even if him just being there got her to regain her senses, he would do it over and over again. Because she was his friend, and his friend hadn't been acting like herself lately...and he was going to fix it. No matter what it took.

A knock came from the bedroom door, and Maya wiped any nervousness off her face, as she went to open it.

"Hey, kid," Shawn said, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Can I have a turn in the window?"

"Sure," Maya said suspiciously, eyeing the new arrival. "I'll just have to kick out these two."

She turned to the boys, who had already gotten up, and gestured for them to walk out. Josh gave her a half-smile as he exited, and Lucas did his imaginary hat tip thing. Maya tried to replace her grin with a smirk, but Shawn and Lucas saw her slip-up before she did. The boy winked, and Shawn narrowed his eyes, glancing from him to Maya. That was something to be dealt with later; right now it was time to have a chat with Maya, and later on, Cory.

"Okay, Hunter." She crossed to the bay window, Shawn right behind her. "Let's hear it."

He sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. He had never been good at this, especially since it was something so new in his life, and he really didn't want to mess it up. So, he decided the best option was to just go for it.

"The last thing I want to do is hurt or push you away Maya," Shawn started. "I've dealt with that before, and I definitely don't want the same thing for you."

"Where's this going?" the small girl narrowed her eyes.

"What's going on with you?" he blurted out. "I saw you like last month, and you look completely different."

Maya rolled her eyes, and let out a frustrated breath. "Why is everyone so against change, huh? I don't like it as much as the next person, but for heaven's sake, all I'm doing is dressing differently!"

"I don't think that's it."

"Look, I don't need this from you," she ran a hand through her hair. "So, if that's all you have to say, lets just end it now, and call it good."

"I'm not going to leave, Maya." Shawn watched her expression. She was way too good at putting up her protective mask; just like him.

"That's a first," she snorted.

"I'm sorry my job—" He began, actually sounding apologetic.

"I'm not talking about you, Hunter."

Right. He should have known that. "I want you to feel like you can talk to me. I want to be your safe place, Maya because everyone needs one."

"I already have Riley." She stared out the window blankly.

He kept his eyes on her face. "I have found that there are different kinds of safe places out there."

There was an awkward pause, and Maya turned her gaze to the window. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't want you to say anything, Maya," Shawn sighed in frustration. "There's no obligation here. I hope you realize that."

"There's always expectation, Hunter. Can't argue with that; there's always going to be some kind of standard for whatever you do, everywhere you go, from everyone."

"I don't agree with that."

"Well, guess we're not so alike," Maya shrugged, and stared fixedly at what she believed was the North Star.

Shawn chuckled a little. "Oh, you and I are alike...but just because people are similar doesn't mean they have to think the same way. Sometimes when you share traits or behaviors with a certain person, they could possibly act like another part of you that you don't realize you have. And sometimes it's good to spend time with that person, because they could bring that out in you."

She drummed her fingers on the windowsill, and still refused to look at the man beside her.

"And your point is?"

"Don't be afraid to trust in people, Maya. We want to be here for you to talk to, to confide in. I don't want you to have to keep things bottled up inside, because it never ends well; not for you or anyone else."

"That's nice that you care. Thanks for the consideration, I'll see you next year," Maya answered sarcastically, not sure how else to answer.

"Maya, stop," Shawn said sternly.

"Stop what, Hunter?" She crossed her arms, and finally looked back at him.

"Ignoring me! Avoiding the subject!" he exclaimed. "Look I understand, I really do. But, that's the good thing about being similar - I've already been through this. And I know that it's not good to keep hiding; it will eventually catch up to you later, and by then it's too late."

Maya rolled her eyes, and sat up straighter, smoothing out her skirt as she shifted.

"Fine, I don't care. But, I'm not going to spill my guts to you or to anyone else."

"What about Lucas?" he retorted back, without thinking.

She widened her eyes in surprise, but quickly tried to hide it. "What are you talking about?"

"It's kind of obvious that something happened between you two...I'm not pretending like I know what it is, but there's some kind of connection."

She shook her head. "No connection."

"Liar," Shawn accused.

"You can't just say that. You don't know anything!" Maya scowled. "And why would you? You're never around, just like my dad. Except worse, because now I've already dealt with him leaving, and once you do it; I'm not forgiving you."

"I'm not leaving!" he said defensively.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Hunter," she said tauntingly.

"I'm not. I mean it, Maya. I care about you and your mother...and yes, I hate that my job takes me away from you guys, but what am I supposed to do about it?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But, if it's important to you, you'll figure it out."

Shawn shook his head. "Problems aren't that easy to solve."

"Yah, I know," Maya said bitterly.

"Look, I'll leave in a minute, but first I need to finish this. What I want to make sure you get out of this; if not anything else, is that you have people who are more then willing to listen. And as long as you're willing to talk, you have someone to rely on - more than one if you would let them."

"I don't need anyone else but Riley," she insisted.

"Lucas?" It sounded like a question, but it was more of a statement.

"He has nothing to do with this, and it's none of your business."

He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say...I hope you'll think about what I said."

Maya crossed her legs, and ran a hand through her hair, an indifferent look on her face.

"Maybe."

Shawn sighed, and nodded because he had kind of expected her reaction. Didn't make it any less frustrating, though. He got up and crossed over to the door, opening it, and about to leave; when Maya spoke.

"Hey, Hunter?"

He turned around. "If you don't plan on sticking around for very long, my mom's off limits," she said slowly.

"I don't think that's your decision, Maya."

"And I think it is," she said coldly. "She's part of my family. Yah, she's busy all the time, and sometimes I'm home alone, but she stays...and I won't let her get hurt again, so you better be careful."

Shawn didn't really know what to say, but he gave it another shot.

"I'm not leaving," he reassured her. "And I'd never hurt your mother."

There was a long silence, and so eventually he turned on his heel and left. The conversation was obviously over, and Maya hadn't made any progress with her defensiveness. How was he going to get past her mask? He loved that kid, and he wanted to help her, but he understood that it would take time. A lot of it. But, where did he start?

Maya sat in the bay window, thoughts and feelings running rampant through her brain. Shawn didn't know what he was talking about, and she didn't believe it for a second.

"I'm not leaving".

Yah, right. They all said that.