Val Meets the New World

I don't own Girl Meets World!

"How long are we avoiding this?" Maya's voice echoed throughout the Matthews house.

Val sighed, her room, being right next to Riley's, meant she could hear everything through the thin walls. She got up and walked next door to her sister's bedroom.

"What are you avoiding?" She asked standing in the open doorway.

"Not avoiding nothing." Riley lied "Just life moving on beyond that thing that happened between me and Lucas."

Maya started to make kissing noises.

"I know what it was, you do not have to fish-face at me."

Maya squished her cheeks and the kissing sounds got louder.

"You still haven't talked to him about it?" Val asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Other things are happening. Life got over it. Why can't you guys?" Riley sighed.

"Life isn't over it." Maya exclaimed "Haven't you noticed everything's stopped? Nothing is happening."

"Everything's happening!" Riley gestured wildly around her room.

"It's really not." Val shook her head.

"Riley, until we talk about," Maya make the kissing noise again "Nothing's ever happening again."

"Oh that's the talk of a kook." Riley scoffed.

Maya shrugged and sighed daintily.

"Ladies." Farkle slid into the window.

Riley gave him a quick hug "Yay!"

"Well that's settled then." Farkle said.

"Are you here for a reason, Farkle?" Maya asked.

"I've got two tickets to a concert but there's three of us. So who do I take?"

"Wow," Val gasped sarcastically "I've never seen this before. Whatever will we do?"

"You see, that right there is a very original situation." Riley ignored her sister "There will be many twists and turns that no one will see coming."

"I liked the way you hugged me, Riley." Farkle told her "I'm taking you."

And he left the window.

Riley shook her head, shocked "I did not see that coming."

"Really? 'Cause I did." Val muttered.

"So we're back." Maya smiled "Subway car, you lock eyes, you fall into his lap, you grab Lucas by the face. You start moving towards him and-"

"Riley!" Cory shouted, coming into the room past Val.

"Yay!" Riley screamed "Did I do something? Am I grounded? Do they have to leave? You have to leave."

"No, we're glad you're all here." Topanga told them "We need you to babysit Auggie."

"They need us to babysit Auggie." Riley said, thrilled.

"Been there, done that." Maya groaned.

"Things could happen twice." Riley argued.

"Unless it's an emergency, we don't want to hear from you." Topanga ordered "Call Val instead."

"Hey! Who says I don't have plans that night?"

"Do you?"

"No." Val sighed "But still."

"What could happen?" Riley asked "I'll tell ya. We'll put too much soap in the washing machine, and then we'll find a puppy and say, 'Can we keep him?' And then his owner will show up. It will be this hot guy that Maya will totally like."

"Yay!" Maya grinned.

"But then he will move away because Maya can never be happy."

"Boo!"

"You see, we have a lot going on today."

"Tomorrow." Cory clarified.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, we need you to babysit tomorrow." Topanga explained.

"Today we got nothin'." Cory shrugged.

Val smiled "I'll watch Auggie tomorrow, I don't mind."

"Thanks, Val." Cory kissed his oldest child's head and he and Topanga left the room.

"So, you got Lucas by the face and..." Maya was interrupted by Auggie walking into the room.

"Help me!" He wailed.

"Yay, Auggie!" Riley cheered, rushing over to the little boy "Do you have any problems that I can help you with?"

"Well, I made a new friend at school what if Mom doesn't like him?" Auggie asked "What if she picks him up and puts him in the hallway? Like Ava! What if no one is ever good enough for Mommy's little boy?"

"Ava's a bit of a special case, Aug." Val smiled.

Riley pulled Auggie's head onto her shoulder "This is a thing."

"Eh, not a whole thing. We check back on this twice tops." Maya shrugged.

"I would be involved in it."

"Completely your Mother and sister's thing." Maya pointed out.

Riley thought about it "Yeah. Scram."

"Riley!" Val admonished "Be nice!"

"You too." Riley said, getting up and pushing her siblings out of the room.

"Well!" Val spluttered as her twin shut the door in their faces "Come on, Auggie. Let's go get some snacks."

The bell rang and Cory started class.

"The new world." He spread his arms "People who lived their whole lives in a certain place travel to a new land of new feelings and new opportunities."

Riley and Lucas looked up in horror.

"Having no idea how to behave in this brand new society." Cory continued.

"Lucas, what did you tell him?" Riley hissed.

"Nothing, I am also very uncomfortable." Lucas whispered back, avoiding eye contact with Val.

"Wait, Mr. Matthews doesn't know Riley kissed Lucas?" Farkle asked.

"No." Maya shook her head, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"So everything he says is making them uncomfortable?"

"Yeah-huh."

"Shall we take advantage of this?"

"Unless somebody is gonna stop us." Maya looked pointedly at Val.

Val shrugged "They gotta deal with it sometime."

"Then how could we not?"

"I will begin." Farkle stood up "So, Mr. Matthews, tell me, after you've had the courage to close your eyes and take the face of the new world in your in your trembling hands..."

"Yeep!" Riley squeaked.

"What are you trying to say, Farkle?" Cory asked.

"Are you supposed to be a couple next?" Farkle threw his hands in the air "Or what?"

"Huh?" Cory was still very confused.

"What?" Riley asked, horrified.

"Huh?" Lucas was equally as terrified.

"Oh, you don't understand my question?" Farkle asked, looking around "Perhaps my dear friend Miss Maya Penelope Hart could help me out."

Maya turned to face Farkle, a very scary look on her face.

"Penelope." The girl next to Maya, Sarah, whispered giggling.

"Farkle." Maya ground out.

"It came out. It just came out. It came out. It just came out." Farkle defended putting his hands up and sitting back down.

"Penelope?" Lucas asked, leaning towards Maya.

Maya raised her eyebrows "Really, Huckleberry? You wanna play with me right now?"

Lucas quickly shook his head "No."

"'Cause you've done quite enough, haven't you?" Maya blew a silent kiss.

"Maya." Lucas warned.

"Maya." Riley elbowed her sister.

"Ow! Oh, right, Maya." Val frowned sternly at the blonde.

"Mr. Matthews," Maya said, ignoring her friends "I think what Farkle is trying to say is once you've kissed..."

"Yeep." Riley squeaked again.

"The shores of this new world I bet your friends from the old world would wanna hear about how the new world is, and if you don't tell them, well that's just selfish."

"What are you trying to say, Penelope?"

"Are you supposed to be a couple next, or what?" Maya groaned.

"Alright, what's going on here, guys?" Cory asked, getting suspicious.

"Nothing!" Riley quickly shouted "Could we just please, for once, read from the book?" She opened her health book and read aloud "'The boy and the girl had no idea if the changes they would soon be facing. Everything was different including their own bodies.' What the...?"

"Health book, Riley." Val sighed "You're reading your health book."

"Word of warning page 73." Farkle said "I don't understand. It makes no sense. It looks impossible."

"Riley, what is going on here?" Cory finally shouted over the noise.

"Farkle kissed my hand!" Maya called out, trying to get her friend out of the mess she'd gotten her into.

"You did?"

"It was glorious." Farkle confirmed.

"It was. I went home and questioned everything." Maya nodded.

"Okay." Cory turned back to Riley "And where were you while all of this hand kissing was going on?"

"Nowhere, with no one, doing nothing, with nobody." Riley tried to lie.

Cory seemed to get what had happened. He walked over to Lucas and looked him right in the eyes, up close and personal.

Lucas grinned sheepishly and bolted out the door, leaping over a desk to get out faster.

"He can do that?" Annie asked softly.

"Apparently." Val nodded.

"And you still don't want to be with him? What is wrong with you?"

"It's not that I don't want to be with him. It's that my being with him would break Riley's heart." Val whispered.

"You need to learn how to be selfish, you know that?" Annie sighed.

"I know."

"Auggie now?" Riley asked.

"I don't see where else we can go." Maya shrugged.

Riley shut her locker door and jumped when she saw Maya standing right behind it. Riley turned away but found her path blocked by all the other girls in the class with the exception of Val, who was sitting on the bench with Annie watching everything happen.

"Everybody stop looking at me." Riley begged.

"Tell us." Sarah ordered.

"I don't kiss and tell." Riley said, crossing her arms.

"Did you kiss?" Darby asked.

"Yes." Riley blurted out.

"Tell." Darby leaned in.

"And take your time." Sarah commanded.

"Nothing happened. Back me up, Maya."

Maya turned around, wrapping her arms around herself and making kissy noises.

"That's inaccurate. Val." Riley pleaded.

"I wasn't there, Riles." Val shrugged "And I don't think you want to hear my advice just yet."

Maya squished her face and made more kissing sounds.

"Yeah, that's pretty good." Riley shrugged.

"So are you guys boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Sarah asked "What are ya?"

"What are ya?" Darby echoed.

"I don't know, do we have to be something?" Riley's eyebrows scrunched together.

"And it's my turn." Val said, standing up.

"No, I wanna see where this goes." Annie hissed pulling her friend back down.

"Well, you did kiss him." Sarah pointed out.

"What are ya?" Darby repeated.

"Look, it just happened." Maya said "She's not really sure what it all means yet."

"You guys are meant to be together." Darby whined "Like me and Yogi!"

Yogi ran down the hall and jumped into Darby's arms. She carried him off like a princess.

"Will Lucas and I ever have what they have?" Riley asked.

"Boy, I hope not." Maya winced.

"Okay, I'm stepping in." Val said, trying to get up again.

"No, you're not." Annie pulled her back down "This is just getting interesting."

"I will not act under peer pressure." Riley declared.

"Go Riles! I've taught you well." Val smiled proudly.

"Unless you think I should." Riley whispered to Maya.

"Never mind." Val put her head in her hands.

The girls gathered around Riley and pushed her towards Lucas, who was standing at the top of the stairs being carried towards Riley by Farkle and Darby.

"What are you?" Darby asked, insistently.

"What are we?" Riley asked Lucas, shyly.

Lucas glanced at Val who was avoiding eye contact with him and talking to Annie.

He sighed when she wouldn't look at him "Are we boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Are we?" Riley asked, very nervous.

"I don't know, you wanna?" Lucas closed his eyes briefly and peaked too see Riley's very nervous face.

"I don't know, you think, maybe?" Riley smiled shyly.

Lucas stammered for a moment before choking out a lame "Wanna?"

"Are they weird or adorable?" Sarah asked Val and Annie.

The two shared a look before responding in unison "Weird."

"No," Darby joined them "Me and Yogi are weird. They're adorable."

"Agree to disagree." Val shrugged.

"What just happened?" Riley asked "Do I have my first boyfriend?"

"I don't know," Farkle turned to Maya "What just happened?"

"I don't know." Maya grinned "Can't wait to see what happens next."

Farkle got down on one knee facing Maya, opened a ring box, and revealed an enormous diamond.

"Jeez, Farkle, where'd you get that?" Val asked.

"It's my Mother's." The boy grinned.

"Sparkly!" Maya gasped in awe.

"Okay, here we are." Riley said "What do we do now?"

She was sitting next to Lucas on the bench in the hallway. Everyone was crowded around them except for Val, Annie, Farkle, and Maya.

"You go on a date after school." Sarah told the two.

"You sit there and look at each other all stupid." Darby explained "Like this." She demonstrated with Yogi.

"Please?" Val begged Annie "Let me help them."

"Nope, still too interesting for interference." Annie said, shaking her head.

"Stop, nobody's telling us what to do!" Lucas burst out "We're not you. You're you. We're us. We do what we do."

"Yeah, we do what we do." Riley joined in then leaned closer to Lucas "What do we do?" She whispered.

"That's it!" Val sighed "I'm getting involved. Riley, come here."

Riley hopped off the bench and came over to her sister who quickly pulled her inside Janitor Harley's closet.

"Yes, Val?" Riley asked.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're giving in to peer pressure." Val motioned for Riley to sit on a nearby bucket "I thought you were finally getting to a place where you were confident enough in yourself that you wouldn't do this anymore."

"I'm not giving in to peer pressure." Riley protested "I'm just doing what they think I should be doing."

"Why?" Val asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Because they know more than me." Riley shrugged "Darby has been going out with Yogi all summer, Sarah's had two boyfriends, and Maya's street smart."

"I'm not saying that they don't know more than you," Val began "But they don't know you. What are you comfortable with?"

"I-I don't really know." Riley stuttered.

"I know, but honestly, I don't think you're ready for a boyfriend. I don't think any of us are. I know I'm not. And, Riley, all this pressure will crush you. It will hurt and it won't be good. I don't want to see you hurt, you know that, right?"

"Of course I know that." Riley smiled "But I really do like Lucas."

"I know."

"And I don't want another Missy Bradford to swoop in and steal him." Riley continued "What do I do?"

"Talk to Lucas, play the long game, wait for the right time." Val said sternly "I honestly don't know the right answer, Riley. But I do know that trying to be together right now isn't the right decision."

"How do you know that?"

"Because it's not what you want."

Val walked into the apartment after school.

"Hey, Val, how was your day?" Her mother asked.

Topanga was holding a little boy on her lap that Val didn't recognize.

"Crazy, who's this?" Val smiled.

"Doy." The little boy grinned.

"Doy?" Val asked.

"Doy." Doy confirmed.

"Okay, then. How do you spell that?"

"D-E-W-E-Y." Doy spelled out "The W is silent."

Val looked at Auggie.

"Just let him be Doy." Her brother begged.

"Okay, hey, Doy." Val knelt down next to him "Do you know what my name is?"

"What?"

"Valencia."

Doy started to giggle madly at that.

"It's pretty funny, huh?" Val chuckled softly "But do you know what it means?" Doy shook his head "It's a Spanish name that means brave and strong. My parents gave me that name because they knew I could be brave and strong too. I go by Val though."

"Why?" Doy asked.

"Well, there are a couple of reasons." Val explained "First, it's shorter. Second, I prefer it. There doesn't need to be any more reason. If you want to be called something other than your given birth name, I will call you whatever you want me too. Do you understand?"

Val aimed this last part at her mother.

"Yes, Val." Topanga playfully rolled her eyes "Go on, get out of here, Doy."

She helped him off her lap and he and Auggie ran upstairs.

The front door opened and Riley and Lucas walked in, awkwardly holding hands and standing several feet apart.

"Thank you very much, Lucas. I had a wonderful time." Riley said flatly.

"You're welcome, Riley." Lucas responded uncomfortably as he saw Val, Cory, and Topanga watching them "I also had a wonderful time as well."

"Um, what are you kids doing?" Topanga asked "You guys look really awkward and stiff. Is this about that kiss I heard about?"

"What?" Cory shouted.

"You're about to see why my day was crazy." Val grinned.

Topanga stood up "Everybody pressuring you to be something you're not ready for?"

"Not ready!" Cory cried.

"Please stop holding hands. You look crazy!" Topanga ordered and Riley and Lucas dropped their hands "You two are a part of the best group of friends I have ever seen. And if you're gonna let some stupid, outside pressure hurt that, then you're not anywhere near as smart as I thought you were."

"But sometimes the right pressure can turn into a diamond." Riley protested.

"Yeah, and the wrong pressure turns you into dust. Do you wanna be dust?"

Riley looked around "I don't wanna be dust. Lucas?"

"I really like you, Riley." Lucas said, a pained expression on his face.

"We always have such a great time together." Riley smiled.

"We should break up." Lucas said plainly.

Riley paused, processing "We should break up, right now." She agreed "This has been my longest relationship."

Lucas smiled in relief "Hey, Riley, do you have to be home?"

"No, we could go somewhere and talk." Riley suggested.

"I'd like that."

"Yeah, like you used to when it was easy." Topanga said.

Riley and Lucas left, Topanga shutting the door behind them.

"Not ready!" Cory shouted again.

Val tugged his arm and pulled him back down into his seat "Easy there, Dad. They're just friends. And something tells me they will be for a long time."

Word count: 2953 words
Please don't forget to comment, vote, and add to your reading lists! And wash your hands! I want this virus stuff to end!
Love you all and hoping you stay healthy,
The Author