It didn't take Maya long to realize that something was off.

"We need to talk." Katy said, coming in and sitting in Maya's orange chair. Maya then took out her other earbud and sat down on her bed.

"Mom, what's wrong?" She paused for a moment, and immediately asked,

"Is Gammy okay?"

"Yeah she's alright. Shawn took you over to see Riley last night, you stayed over, right?"

"Yes." Maya had no idea where this was leading.

"Did Riley mention anything about not going to London?"

Maya sat, a bit puzzled, she knew they were already on the road with the rental car to the Airbnb, where they would stay until they caught their plane the next day in the early morning.

"No, Mom, why?"

Katy leaned forward in her chair, putting her hands together on her lap, and taking a breath, then relaying,

"Maya, they were on their way, and Riley bolted out into traffic and took off."

Maya was hit with surging emotions and confusion all together.

"She, what? Where is she?" Maya now more concerned

"Hun we don't know, but if you know something, we need to know. It could help us figure out where she is going."

Shawn then appeared in the doorway, closing the door behind him. Both Katy and Maya turned to him. Katy asked,

"Was Mom alright?"

"Yeah she was confused." Katy nodded to Shawn's response about Gammy.

Maya was stunned and so concerned about Riley, she interrupted,

"Is she okay?"

"Maya, Topanga asked Riley something about an envelope, and Riley ran into traffic, she almost got hit. This is serious." Shawn said, to which Maya teared up and held her hand to her mouth.

Katy continued,

"Maya, please help us understand why Riley would do this. What was in there?"

"I drew her, going to London, with all of us wishing her luck. I gave her an mp3 with one of Gammy's old songs I sang and some music for the trip."

Shawn took that information, looking at Katy, who silently urged him to continue.

"Please be honest with us, it will only help. Did something happen last night?"

Maya knew she would still be loved, even if she was into girls, or bi, or anything in between, it was nevertheless uncomfortable to tell them this way. She took a pause, got up, and reluctantly turned her easel in the corner into view. It was a painted piece, close to being finished, but not completely done. It was a painting of Riley and Maya from the night before, in Riley's bed, tangled together, resting foreheads and lips grazing each other. The top said,

Your love,

The bottom said,

Changed my world.

Tears began to fall like rain in all three of them.

No words were spoken, only eye contact that spoke volumes.

"Maya?" Katy asked breaking the silence,

Looking away from both of them for a moment, and at the easel, she told the truth.

"She kissed me."

Those 3 small words, saying them out loud somehow made them feel real. The words sank like smoke into the air,

She kissed me.

Shawn came over, and kneeled in front of Maya, taking her hands.

"Baby girl." Katy softly spoke, understanding the weight of what Maya was dealing with.

"We love you. Thank you for trusting us."

Maya slowly began to break, as she had spent all morning beginning her journey of letting Riley go, and now there was a hope like water seeping through the cracks.

Shawn's phone starting buzzing with texts, and he ignored them for a moment.

"Do you have any idea where she could be?"

"No, when I left her this morning, she seemed disheartened, and we didn't talk about her staying."

Technically, this was true, in the sense that they hadn't talked together about it. This was also a lie in that Maya had confessed to Riley, after they had kissed on her bed, Maya had said 'don't go'. Maya panicked for a moment, wondering if what happened was the reason she bolted.

"I was hurting, and when we started talking, I wouldn't let her near me. She was insistent, and she kissed me. We danced, and fell asleep." Maya saying, almost shy talking about it.

Had her words convinced her? Those little words, "Riley I love you, don't go." She dare not mention that, at least to not yet, she wanted to help find Riley. She could not do that if she was grounded in the house.

Maya, somewhere inside herself, was shattered losing the Matthews, and yet at peace with learning how to be without them. She had a stable family now, and all their other friends, who would easily make high school more bearable. Riley taking off would make Riley leaving harder, as she would have to again say goodbye. Maya had gone off in her mind to possible places, Shawn's voice brought her back.

"I have to get over the Morgan's in case Riley goes to the bay window." He took his phone out of his pocket, and read the first text from Corey.

"She turned off her phone."

Maya stopped hearing them fully, trying to understand why Riley would run off.

"Shawn, I will stay here with Gammy, why don't they bring Auggie over here?"

"Okay they're on their way to the house now. Maya, keep a close eye on your phone please, in case she calls or texts you."

Maya nods, of course willing to help.

"Maya, stay in touch with us, okay? I am going, do you want to come along?"

"I can meet you there, let me go check the bakery, I need to wrap my head around this. I'm overwhelmed."

"Okay." He said, going over to Katy and giving her a kiss, before going over to Maya, opening his arms to see if she wants a hug. Maya, though she is standing holding her arm, stressed, melts into Shawn, shaking a bit into him as her body adrenaline dumps with the rollercoaster of events.

Katy comes over, and places her hand on Maya,

"I love baby girl, this changes nothing about the way I love you."

Maya could feel her face scrunching up as a soft sob pushed its way out of her chest. Maya thought it was out, and in a way, so was she.

"Shawn I'm going to call Topanga." Katy said, leaving the room.

"Meet me there in like 30 minutes. If you plan to go somewhere, you must tell us. The last thing any of us need is the both of you missing. Got it?"

"Okay." She agrees, and Shawn leaves Maya. Once she is alone, all Maya can do is stare at her artwork, biting her lip. Getting out her phone, she calls riley, and it goes right to voicemail.

"Riley, please,"

Her voice cracks as she again gets upset,

"Please let us know that you're safe. If no one else, tell me. You can tell me,"

She pauses, thinking of the words to say, all she can muster is,

"I love you."