Authors note- To those who want more, you can find me on Tumblr as rilayaotp. Have small updates and lots of Rilaya posts. Thanks, and enjoy.

Maya stared into the bakery, remembering walking out on the family, as she from that point forward was leaving the Matthews family, and finally finding a real home in her own. She sat for a moment outside at one of the tables, biting her lip, imagining what Riley had gone through. This image of sprinting and Riley in danger shot fear through her. Farkle was calling, and her phone in her hand starting to vibrate brought her back to earth. She answered it, not quite sure what to say.

Silence stayed for a moment, before Farkle spoke,

"Maya? Are you okay? Mr. Matthews called asking if we had heard from Riley or knew where she was. I'm getting ready to meet Lucas and Zay to scout out a couple places…" He continued on, but stopped after he realized Maya hadn't said a single word to him.

"Maya?"

Hearing Farkle mention Lucas brought up something in her, like it stirred up something that had settled into bedrock.

"Has she reached out to you?"

Farkle sighed, "No."

"Farkle, I had to tell them what happened, and there is a part of me that knows we can't keep her here…." her voice wanders for a moment,

"...and a part that selfishly wants her to stay."

"What? What do you mean what happened?"

Every interaction in some ways felt like Maya had to keep coming out to every person, and this had yet to actually cross Maya's mind; at some point, everyone who either knew because she told them, or because someone else had told them. It's not like she felt she needed to hide, but it felt so intimate, so personal, too personal.

"Are you alone?"

He paused, confused for a second,

"Yes?"

Maya once again found those 3 little words, that seemed to be light and feathery, and on the other side of the hand, sank something deep into her stomach.

"We talked, she kissed me, we held each other, I kissed her back, I just want her to be safe. None of the other stuff matters to me right now if she is not safe. I need her to be okay." Maya ended, and choked on those last few words.

Farkle did not respond right away, Maya figured he was digesting what she had said.

"She loves you. If she feels that going is wrong, we can't stop her. Only her parents can. All we can do is be there and support her."

He was not even fazed by what she said. Or, Maya figured, he thought this was not the time to have any reaction and focus on the serious issue at hand.

"Please don't say anything."

Farkle immediately responded,

"It's not mine to share. Where are you?"

Maya felt her phone in her hand vibrate, and looked down to see another text message. It was Charlotte, from the night they snuck out. She and Riley had gone back a few times to see them, to learn more about the whole "college experience".

The text flashed on screen as Maya urgently opened the message,

"Hey Maya, Riley came by the dorm. Did something happen?"

That changed things. That message somehow changed everything. This time of knowing Riley was here, somewhere, came and felt like she left in the same gust of wind.

Maya must've gone quiet again, Farkle called out a few times, and once again brought Maya back to reality.

"Hey! Are you there?"

"Charlotte texted, she's at the dorms. I need to get off the phone Farkle, don't say anything yet, I don't want her to get scared. Okay?"

No hesitation, he assured her,

"Okay."

Maya dials Charlotte, it rings a few times, before she answers. While it rings, she puts it on speaker and texts Josh, typing out,

"Where are you right now?"

Charlotte answers and Maya blurts out-

"Is she with you right now?"

"For now, she is in the bathroom right now."

"Is she okay?" Maya again almost cuts her off with how desperate she is to know.

"She seems like something serious happened. Were they supposed to leave sometime soon?"

"Yeah that's the serious part. Look Charlotte, can you give her the phone please? I need to talk to her, she isn't talking to any of us."

"Okay, I'll try."

Maya then hears Charlotte pull the phone away from her, and take what Maya assumes are footsteps towards the bathroom, some girls chattering in the background, and hears CHarlotte presumably talking to Riley. A long pause happens, and Maya thinks she can hear Riley breathing, like she can feel her. Without thinking, Maya moved her hand to her chest, and gripped it, trying to soothe her nerves right now. She understood that Riley wouldn't ignore her.

She hoped Riley would trust her.

She prayed Riley wouldn't ignore her.

Charlotte's faint voice can be heard murmuring to who Maya believes is Riley, and another long pause. A crackling sound, followed by some unfamiliar sounds come through the phone, and more silence.

Then like a rush, she knows.

"Riley? Please Riley say something. Say anything,"

Maya pleads,

"Please tell me you're okay."

Maya heard only a faint sob coming through the phone.

"Maya,"

Snap. Maya did not know just how easy she could be broken into tears, and that distraught voice was all it took.

"Riley everyone is so worried, we want you to come back,"

Maya firmed,

"I need you to come home."

Snap. From what it sounded like, that broke Riley.

With that, Riley spoke up,

"That's the problem Maya, I want to come home. I can't go, I can't do this Maya. I'm scared, I don't want to go."

Maya knew she needed to appeal to RIley, her focus was to get Riley back safe and unharmed.

"Riley,"

Maya spoke, hoping to refocus Riley,

"Can you meet me somewhere?"

"I can't stop seeing myself on the plane, and leaving myself behind. Everything that has mattered to me. Like the plane is splitting all my memories like the clouds it rips through. I can't do it,"

Riley firmed,

"I won't do it."

"Riley, can you meet me somewhere please? So we can talk?"

Silence, and Maya pleaded as more of her real emotions were seeping through,

"I love you, please, let me see you. I can't promise you anything about staying or going. All I can do is say that I am here. Please."

Maya heard what she thought was some girls in the dorm talking or passing Riley, what sounded like Riley crying, and then Charlotte came through the phone.

"Hey, she is really upset. Grethchen is walking her to our dorm room quick. What is going on?"

Maya clenched her fists, losing Riley, and tried to find a short way to explain what was going on. She settled on,

"She was supposed to leave today, but ran away. You heard the rest. She needs to meet back up with parents, can you maybe ask to go on a walk with you? I will meet you. Does she seem hurt?"

"No, just exhausted. I think I can coax her into going out. She will not let any of us touch her bag, and is gripping an envelope. We can hardly get close to her. I will see what I can do Maya."

Crack. She knew. Maya knew instantaneously what Riley had, and it was the first time a somewhat of a smile broke through. Cracks were splintering her readiness and composure.

"Can you see if you can get her to Washington Square? I will head that way. If you think it will help, tell her that. That I'll be there, waiting for her."

With that, Charlotte agreed and hung up. Finally, Maya felt herself start breathing again, and held her hand to mouth, a bit gobsmacked by the whole thing. She had talked to her, and Maya knew she could not step one foot into her feelings, because there were more important things to do. She had to tell them what she knew. Maya wished it didn't have to be that way, and swallowed down her sweltering rogue waves of emotions, and focused herself.

She checked to see if Josh texted her back, which he did, and he was at Bobst Library. She called him so it would be faster, he answered, whispering,

"Hey, did you need something?"

"Riley bolted and is refusing to go, and she is at Gretchen and Charlotte's dorm. I am trying to get her to meet me at Washington Square. Can you see if you can meet Charlotte there? Please Josh, she has to meet me. It's serious. Can you do that?"

He paused, and replied,

"Um, I guess. Are you okay?"

She could not answer that right now.

"Call or text Gretchen or Charlotte and let them know you are waiting by the door. They should hopefully be over there soon. Josh you have to do this. I think she will trust you."

"Why Washington Square?"

"I am hoping if it's somewhere public, her parents will be more reasonable, and we hangout there a lot, so she might be more comfortable. Text me when she is with you, got it?" Maya demands.

"OKay, okay. Didn't know she had this in her."

Maya sighed,

"She is scared, and it's been a crazy 2 days."

"Why, what happened yesterday?"

Nope, not today.

"Nothing! Josh seriously text me when you are with her."

"Yeah alright."

Maya hangs up. She had been placing around, clenching and unclenching her fists, and took a moment to stop and stand still. Wow, she had come up with a pretty decent plan. She was surprised how well she managed even under all this pressure. But it was for Riley, she would move mountains for her.

She loved her.

Maybe it could be true.

One word, and 2 tiny letters.

In.

In love.

Maya did not have the bandwidth for any of that, but for a moment, caught a glimpse, where somewhere, they could just be together and not have the world sinking its teeth into them.

Maybe a place where they could be alone, and live letting their new found electricity fill their little world, and shut everything else out.

Maya felt a sting of that deep thought, you know, hope being for suckers, but also thought of her spray paint art in that park, "hope". She could only walk this tightrope now, hoping Riley would meet her in the middle, and them both having no idea if the wind would take them both out.