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So, the new updates are up! Well, some of them...So far Chapters 1-2 have been revised and put up on the website! Go check them out! ;) (Edited by Chereche!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Girl Meets World, just the story!
Chapter Twenty-Four: Who Likes Who? {Part Two}
They glanced between the two girls, and then back at each other. Could they help them? Or would they just make things worse by getting involved? Neither of the girls would even look at one another, and even though everyone else laughed and chatted; they all felt the tension between them. And the mothers of said daughters were getting a little frustrated and confused...they didn't even know why they were fighting for heaven's sake!
"So, Riley," Ms. Hart smiled at the dejected brunette. "How is school?"
"Good." She perked up a little; grateful that someone was finally talking to her. "I just finished my art project, and can't wait to see what grade I get!"
"What art project?" the woman asked, looking pointedly at Maya after doing so.
"You didn't do it, did you?" Lucas noticed the exchange, and rested his head in his hands.
Maya shrugged. "I forgot."
"How could you just forget?" He lifted his head incredulously. "You had like 2 months to do it!"
"I was busy." She played with her piece of pie. "Besides, I thought it was due before winter break."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Her mother spoke up, leaning on her elbows. "I thought you said you had forgotten about it?"
The blonde girl glared at her before directing her attention back to the boy beside her, who was now speaking.
"We were allowed an extension if we really needed it," Lucas explained. "Hopefully you can get your project done in a week."
"Piece of cake," she shrugged, and licked some whipped cream off of her fingers.
"Maya, you need to stop doing this."
"Why does it matter? As long as I get it done, who cares?" the small girl asked; visibly irritated.
"Because—"
"You know what? Never mind; it was more of a rhetorical question, Sundance...I'm done talking about this."
"I agree," Auggie spoke up, looking bored. "No more school talk until break is over!"
"Listen to the kid." Maya pointed at him. "He knows what he's saying."
"Yes, I do. And as the kid, I say we open presents now!"
"I thought we already did that," Riley said quietly from the other end of the table.
Mrs. Matthews began to gather everyone's plates and forks; stacking them neatly and orderly in her arms.
"We did, but that was as a family. Usually, everyone has some gifts to exchange."
"Do we have to?" Riley asked.
Her mother turned to look at her with raised eyebrows.
"Since when don't you want to open gifts?"
"Never mind." She shook her head, and sighed.
The rest of them ignored her odd behavior and made their way to various couches and chairs. Once Mrs. Matthews had finished, she joined her husband on the sofa, and gestured for them to start.
It was a small, cheerful gathering, and everyone was enjoying themselves despite the awkward tension between the two girls. They didn't talk, but it was still pleasant...until it came time for them to exchange gifts.
"Okay, thanks for that Cory." Mrs. Matthews said sarcastically, gesturing to the gag gift she had unwrapped. "You're lucky you already got me something...now, Riley it's your turn to give Maya something."
The brunette's bright smile faded as she turned from Josh, to look at her mother, then nervously at Maya.
"What's wrong, honey?" Her mother asked, growing concerned.
"Ididbgaternyting." She mumbled.
"Hmm?"
"Mrs. Matthews," Maya spoke up, equally solemn. "I think what Riley is trying to say is that she didn't get me anything. Which is perfectly fine, because I didn't get her anything either."
Everyone exchanged worried and frantic glances. How serious was this fight?
"Maya, did you seriously not get Riley anything?" Lucas asked, his arm resting comfortably on his knee.
"Nope. And I don't see how it's any of your business, Ranger Rick," the blonde said lightheartedly, though it seemed awfully forced to him.
"It's not a big deal, Lucas." Riley chimed in, still not glancing at her best friend. "Don't worry about it...Maya and I certainly don't care."
"Right, and I think—"
"Let's just leave it alone, okay?" Josh interrupted, warning the younger boy. "It's their fight."
Lucas narrowed his eyes at him, but conceded reluctantly. Josh was certainly getting on his nerves lately...
"Fine, let's move on." He grabbed a package by his foot, and handed it to Maya. "Here you go, Shortstack."
"Oh, gosh. You didn't have to spend money on me, Huckleberry." She was hesitant to touch the present.
"Well, I did; just like I do every year."
She took the package, and gingerly opened the wrapping; taking care not to rip a single piece. Josh watched with some amusement, leaning forward on his legs.
"You know it's just paper, right?"
"Never seen her open a present?" Lucas smirked from the floor.
"Just never really payed attention."
"Yah, well she does this every time." He pointed to her.
Maya had finally finished unwrapping the paper, but now her attention was focused on the gift.
"Wow."
"I thought it could be a good replacement." Lucas whispered, low enough that only she could hear, but it didn't look weird to anyone else. "Do you like it?"
She nodded, and carefully lifted a paintbrush; running the soft bristles over her hand. Maya was touched, and also a little scared that he knew exactly what she needed and liked. Yes, it was an obvious choice, but a carefully calculated one.
"Thanks, Sundance."
That's all she was going to say about it.
"Come with me."
"Why?" Maya asked baffled, holding a carrot halfway from her mouth and the plate.
"Because I need to talk to you." Farkle said impatiently.
"Ugh, fine." She turned to Lucas. "I'll be back soon, Huckleberry."
He merely waved a celery stick in the air; his mouth full of food. The other boy grabbed her wrist, and dragged her to the side; away from any prying ears.
"What's going on, Robot?" Maya asked, a little irritated.
"I'm done with the secrecy, and I just need to know." Farkle answered bluntly.
"Know what?"
"Do you like Lucas?"
Maya choked on her carrot, and he handed her a glass of water.
"Why would you think that?" she asked once she had recovered.
"Because I've been watching you, and observing. That's what scientists do, you know." He leaned against the counter.
"That's creepy is what it is," Maya scoffed. "And the answer is no."
"Liar."
"If you thought you already knew the answer, why'd you drag me over here?" the blonde girl asked irritably.
"Because I wanted to hear you admit it," Farkle revealed with a slight grin.
"Well, I don't like him...sorry to burst your bubble."
"Get over yourself, please," he said, a little harshly. "There's nothing wrong with liking a boy."
"Yes, actually there is."
"Please, enlighten me."
"First off, you can get way too attached, and then when they dump your sorry butt you're going to be broken. And then you have to deal with a stupid, high school crush heartbreak that will lead to more trust issues than you already have...not to mention that he will never like you like that, and it could ruin great friendships."
"Don't forget letting him into your life...and opening yourself up," Farkle smirked.
"Shut up. I'm not talking about me." Maya scowled.
"M hmm, okay sure...because none of that pertained to your life in any way."
She growled, and slammed her palm against the side of the counter.
"I'm so stupid, it's unbelievable."
"Maya," Farkle moved her away from the marble. "It's okay to let people in."
"No, it's not." Her broken blue eyes met his, and her next words were completely honest. "I'm going to get so hurt from this...and I'm going to hurt Riley in the process."
"She doesn't like him like that, remember? She told you."
"How much of that do you actually believe, Farkle?" Maya asked and crossed her arms. "She's hiding it really well. After all, she learned from the best."
"Why do you naturally assume she's hiding her feelings? Can't people just be sincere?"
"No...I've already learned that very often they're not."
Farkle deftly switched topics. "Which is why you're so hesitant to admit your feelings for Lucas."
Maya gave him the death glare, but he didn't back down; instead just staring into her eyes with an annoying pleased expression on his face.
Was this the part where she was supposed to admit everything, and everyone was hunky dory? Isn't that how every book and movie played out? Forget that...she was Maya Hart, and she certainly didn't live in a fairy-tale world.
"No...I just don't want him or anyone else knowing everything about me." She decided to answer.
"Fine, whether or not you admit it; I know the truth," Farkle smiled. "You can't hide everything Maya Penelope."
Well, she'd certainly done a pretty good job of it so far...or so she thought. Apparently, she needed to work on her mask, because with her breaking point, it had cracked further. Maya knew she was going to get better, because she had seen the hope; even if it had only been for a minute. But that didn't necessarily mean she was going to change completely though; she wasn't ready to give up on her mask just yet.
"Can you believe it's been a year?" she whispered.
"No. Time flies by so quickly." Lucas shook his head, and leaned on the railing.
"We were standing right here, weren't we?" Maya ran her finger over the rough concrete. "And then the whole thing with Riley happened."
He nodded, and gazed up at the bright stars; his breath creating miniature puffs in the chilly air.
"You know, we've never actually discussed it."
"I'm aware."
"Do you think we should?" Lucas asked, and looked down at his smaller companion.
"Why should we?" Maya shrugged, and nervously played with her fingers. "After all, it's been a whole year."
"Because it's important. And I honestly can't believe we just let the whole thing fall to the wayside, and decided to ignore it."
The blonde girl sighed. "Yes, but everything went back to normal, didn't it?"
"I don't think so."
"Why not, Huckleberry?"
"You and Riley are fighting."
Maya laughed bitterly. "I'm sorry, but that has nothing to do with you, Mr. Conceited."
"I'm aware." Lucas answered, his face solemn. "But, you both have some unspoken tension between you two, and it's all because of the stupid triangle that never got solved."
She felt butterflies in her stomach as she looked into his green eyes. Why did that have to happen? Maya knew she needed to stop it but she felt like she was already in too deep. After all, Farkle had figured it out. She knew she had opened up to Lucas, and every time she saw him she just wanted to listen to him. It was scary, disturbing, and frankly a little annoying.
First of all, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Riley, and even though her friend had denied her feelings for Lucas and encouraged them to go the dance together, she wasn't entirely blind. Unfortunately, one of her traits had rubbed off on Riley - the ability to hide things, more specifically big, emotional things. And Maya knew the bubbly brunette was hiding something from her, from Lucas, and from the rest of them...and that wasn't a good thing.
"Go talk to her."
She looked up at him in surprise.
"What?"
"You heard me; go talk to Riley." Lucas had been watching her stare at her best friend for a while. "I don't know what that fight was about, but it can't be that bad."
Maya shook her head. "No thanks, Huckleberry. I'll pass."
"Not an option," he declared and pushed her in Riley's direction.
"But it's 5 minutes to midnight!" she complained.
"Then go spend it with your best friend."
The small blonde girl rolled her eyes, but reluctantly trudged to Riley, who looked up in surprise as she approached.
"Okay," Maya sighed, and sat down next to her.
"Okay, what?" Riley wrapped her coat tighter around her slim body.
The former rubbed her forehead, and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
The brunette's face filled with astonishment.
"Really?"
"Yes, Riles." Maya didn't like having to apologize, but for Riley she would.
"Why are you changing your mind all of a sudden?"
"I never did...I just was so angry and hurt, honey," she admitted, fiddling with her friendship ring. "Part of that wasn't your fault."
"Okay, I'm sorry too." Riley grasped her friend's pale fingers, and laced them with her own. "I don't even care anymore, because I miss you so much. I know we tried before, but I'm really, really sorry."
"Me, too."
"Good...now, where is it?"
"Where's what?" Maya asked, completely confused.
"My present, silly." Riley's face was brighter than she had seen for the last week or so. "I know you got me one already."
"I didn't," she said seriously.
Her friend's jaw dropped.
"Really?"
"Wow, Riles. You're easy to play with," Maya smirked, and brought a package from out of her coat pocket.
Her friend's face lit up, and she tore through the paper, unlike a certain Clutterbucket. Maya watched with amusement as her friend threw away the wrapping to reveal...
"Oh, Peaches," Riley beamed, and picked up the small purple cat.
"Yah, I made that before our fight, actually...but it doesn't really matter."
"No, it doesn't," she agreed.
She turned and looked seriously at her blonde friend.
"You were right, though. I was nagging and butting into your business even though I just wanted to help."
"I know. But, I'm glad you're learning not to."
"I'm trying."
"Good."
"So, are we back to normal now?" Riley nudged her shoulder playfully.
"I think so." Maya smiled.
"Yay...because I was getting so tired of sitting in the bay window by myself."
She crossed her right leg over her left one, and nestled deeper into the corner of the bench.
"Well, make sure to give it a great pep talk before I come to make sure it's ready to handle Maya Hart."
"I will!" Riley cried, still clutching her cat tightly.
Maya shook her head, and grinned because she knew that Riley would take her advice literally and go talk to some decorative pillows. At least it meant she was acting like bubbly Riley again...
"So, where's mine?" Maya spoke up.
"What makes you think I—" Riley got halfway through her sentence, and then, slumping in defeat, brought out a small box. "Here."
Maya chuckled, and began to gently untie the pink ribbon, then opening the lid. There, resting in a mess of fluffy cotton, was a beautiful necklace with a couple of meaningful charms on the chain: a paintbrush, a cat, a robot, a cow, and a ballet slipper. Maya picked it up, and curiously examined each one.
"How did you even find some of this?" she asked, fingering the cow.
"Talent!" Riley wiggled her fingers, than excitedly explained her gift. "Now, each one is us...a mess of random things, but looks great together. But, now wherever you go; no matter how hard you try to hide we'll always be right there with you."
"I will definitely think of Lucas, the Cow Lover Boy," she smirked, still poking at the cow.
"You know I meant not just physically, right?"
"Yes, honey."
"I'm so sorry...in fact I don't ever think I've ever been this sorry. It was the stupidest fight ever, wasn't it?"
"Yah, it kind of was," Maya agreed, sighing deeply.
"This has taught us something though. At least one thing, I mean," Riley said and looked up at the stars. "It made it clear how fragile our relationship is. We need to fix that."
Maya nodded. "Yah, we do."
"All's forgotten?"
"Not all, Riles. You know that's impossible...I think the only reason we were able to apologize so easy tonight was because we missed each other so much that we didn't care anymore. But, it's okay; it's just something we need to work on."
They sat in silence for a while, but then fireworks boomed into the air, and Riley and Maya smiled at each other.
"Happy New Year, Peaches," she whispered; laying her head on the blonde's shoulder.
"Happy New Year, Honey."
Maya could see Lucas and Farkle smiling from their ends of the roof, and in that moment, everyone seemed content. She was, and she knew for sure Riley seemed to be...
That left her with one real question. If everyone seemed so content, why did 2017 seem to be a dark cloud looming over all of the hope on the horizon?