Val Meets Texas (Part 3)
AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END PLEASE READ!
I don't own Girl Meets World!
The next morning dawned with a sunrise that made the clouds glow and the world turn golden. Lucas was up bright and early, they were leaving that evening and he wanted to call Dylan and Asher, to try and see them before they left. He waited until the world was a little more awake, at about nine before he called. He'd talked to Zay about seeing their old friends and Zay had agreed that it had been way too long.
Lucas stood on the porch, Zay, Farkle, and Val on the bench behind him, as he placed the call.
The phone rang once, twice, three times before Dylan's familiar voice greeted him.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Dylan." Lucas felt a grin spread across his face when his friend let out a whoop.
"Lucas! Man, is that you?" Dylan asked "Like, for real? This isn't a prank?"
"Nah, dude, it's me." Lucas assured his friend "I'm sorry I haven't called more."
"Lucas, we get it. Life is busy. You're back in Austin right now, though, aren't you?" Dylan chuckled.
"Yeah, Zay and I are visiting. We wondered if you and Asher wanted to meet up before we leave."
"Dude! Of course we do!" Dylan cheered "We can all go out for lunch today, if you're free. Asher and I were planning on checking out a new pizza place. It'd be great for all of us to go together. And we'd love to meet the rest of your friends too."
Lucas flushed, he could practically hear Dylan's eyebrows wiggling suggestively "How did you-?"
"Lucas, we heard about the rodeo." Lucas could almost hear Dylan rolling his eyes "Somebody's got himself a lovely lady friend. It's Val, isn't it? One of the girls who called us and helped make that video for you last year?"
Lucas chuckled awkwardly "Uh, yeah. Yeah, it is."
Dylan whooped again "We can't wait to meet her in person. You're at your Pappy Joe's, right? We'll come by around 11:30ish and we can all go out together."
Lucas grinned "Sounds like a plan, see you then!"
"It'll be really good to see you both again." Dylan's voice was a little softer now "We've really missed you, you know?"
"We missed you guys too." Lucas swallowed the guilt that rose in his throat "We'll see you soon."
"See you." Dylan agreed.
Lucas ended the call and turned back to see Zay's slightly nervous grin, Farkle's bright, excited eyes, and Val's stunning smile.
"So?" Zay's voice was full of anticipation.
Lucas grinned "They're coming around 11:30 and we'll walk into town for pizza."
Zay cheered loudly and Val chuckled a little.
"They want you both to come too." Lucas told Val and Farkle, he worried Val would decline, because he knew she wanted to give him time with his old friends, but he wanted them to meet her in person, and vice versa.
Val hesitated until Lucas, Zay, and Farkle turned the combined force of their big, pleading eyes on her and she agreed laughing.
"All right, all right! I'll come." She nodded "Just put away the sad puppy eyes."
Pappy Joe opened the door and stuck his head outside "Y'all want some pancakes?" He nodded at Val "Your sister and her friend got up about five minutes ago, kicked me outta the kitchen saying they wanted to make everyone breakfast."
Val's eyes widened, almost comically "Oh, no."
"What?" Zay asked.
"There's a reason I do most of the cooking."
"How bad is this going to be?"
"They are going to be cleaning for hours." Val groaned "If I get in there now, maybe I can prevent too much damage."
She sprinted inside, leaving Lucas, Zay, Farkle, and Pappy Joe staring after her.
"Well..." Farkle spoke up for the first time "At least this will keep them out of our hair for lunch."
Val had prevented a pancake batter explosion, but only just, and the kitchen was still covered in flour and pancake batter from floor to ceiling. Pappy Joe had been rightfully irritated and was supervising Riley and Maya's attempts to clean while Lucas, Val, Zay, and Farkle got ready to go to lunch with Asher and Dylan.
There was a knock on the door, signaling the arrival of the two boys. Lucas was the first one to the living room and opened the door before he was knocked over by his two old friends jumping on him. Zay quickly joined the hug and laughter bubbled through the air.
Finally, Lucas disentangled himself from his friends, grinning like a madman, he quickly introduced Val and Farkle, leading to Asher giving them each a quick hug and a thank you for them looking out for Lucas.
"...I know he's crazy sometimes, but he's a great guy and we're really glad he found friends as awesome as you." Asher chuckled.
"We're lucky to have him." Farkle smiled.
"Beyond lucky." Val agreed "Now, I heard something about pizza? Shall we go?"
Lucas knew why Val was eager to get out of the house, he didn't really want Dylan and Asher to meet Riley and Maya, given how the two girls would react. So Lucas quickly ushered them all outside and they headed into town. The lively conversation made the time fly and before Lucas knew it, they were in front of the pizza place.
He felt his nerves fade away as they sat down in a booth and ordered, laughing and joking about old times. Lucas's eyes landed on Val as she listened intently to one of Asher's long-winded stories. Val and Farkle shared tales of growing up in New York, silly things Auggie had done, and the various adventures they'd had over the years. Zay and Lucas joined in with a combination of their Texas and New York stories. Before Lucas knew it, they had finished their pizza, paid, and were walking back to Pappy Joe's.
"When do you leave?" Dylan finally asked the dreaded question.
"Uh," Lucas cleared his throat "Early tomorrow morning."
Asher frowned a little before forcing a smile "Then, I guess we'll have to be better about keeping in touch, huh?"
"Of course!" Lucas nodded, agreeing easily.
"You mean more than just liking each others instagram posts?" Zay pretended to pout "That seems like a lot of work, guys."
Dylan gave Zay a playful shove "How about you up your workload to commenting on the occasional post?"
"Man, I don't know..." Zay laughed "If I do that then I have to figure out what to say, how to say it- and don't even get me started on deciding when emojis to use!"
They all laughed as they started on the path up to the door.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye for a while, dude." Asher sighed "Keep in touch."
Dylan leaned over to whisper to Val "If he gets in any trouble or has any problems, let us know?"
"I think he should be the one to tell you, but if I think he needs help and you can help, sure." Val smiled.
"Thanks, I'm glad he's got you on his side." Dylan then bowed dramatically "Farwell, my friend! We shall meet again!"
"Bye guys, it was really good to see you again." Lucas waved as Dylan and Asher headed back up the path.
The next morning they had to leave bright and early to make their train. Riley and Maya hadn't bothered to pack beforehand and so were scrambling.
"Val, can you help me find my pink shirt?" Riley called from the bedroom.
Val rolled her eyes and stayed silent, focusing on the eggs she was scrambling.
"Val, have you seen my boots?" Maya's asked, poking her head into the kitchen "Ooh, eggs!"
She made to grab some, but Val smacked her hand out of the way "These aren't for you, they're for Pappy Joe. As a thank you for letting us stay here."
"Oh, that's nice." Maya paused, looking at Val "I, um, I didn't want to tell Lucas."
"I know."
"So you're not mad at me?"
Val rolled her eyes "Oh, I'm mad at both you and Riley. I know you can't exactly control your feelings, and I know Riley didn't really give you a choice, but that doesn't stop me being mad."
Maya nodded "If it's worth anything, I'm sorry. I never planned on telling him."
"I'm not sure how much I believe that, but thank you for apologizing all the same."
Maya knew that was the best she would get, so she turned to go search for her boots.
"Maya."
Pausing in the doorway, Maya looked back "Yeah?"
"Your boots should be by the back door."
"Oh, thank you."
Val hummed as she kept her eyes on the eggs.
Maya watched her for a moment, then headed to check the back door for her boots. They were there, just like Val had said.
Maya did feel bad about telling Lucas, she knew she hadn't been given a choice, Riley had taken the decision out of her hands, but she'd been telling the truth when she told Val she hadn't ever planned on telling Lucas. The fact that Val didn't really believe that, hurt a little, even though she knew it was completely justified.
"Maya, have you seen my socks?" Riley shouted.
Maya felt something bubbling in her chest, but she wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was guilt? She definitely felt guilty about hurting Val. But that didn't seem right, this felt more like some kind of irritation or annoyance.
"Maya, do you know where my hairbrush is?"
Defiantly annoyance. Didn't Riley realize how early it was? Sure, Maya wasn't packed yet either, but she at least had the decency to be quiet.
Maya reeled back, dropping one of her boots. Where had that come from?
"Maya, can you help me find my belt?"
The bell rang at John Quincy Addams Middle School as Riley and Maya hurried down the steps.
"Riles, something happened." Maya tried to begin.
"I don't need to know what happened." Riley said, her cheerful demeanor so forced it was painful.
"No, I need to tell you." Maya insisted "You need to know."
"Maya, I know a lot of things are going to happen." Riley explained.
"Wait, not-"
"You know what else I know?" Riley plowed on "I liked the new boy and you stepped back for me...and then I saw how scared you were for him."
"This isn't-" Maya tried.
"You need to feel whatever you feel." Riley nodded wisely "How could I ever keep that from you? Whatever happens, happens."
Lucas and Val walked down the hall, deep in conversation, as they passed by Riley reached out and grabbed Lucas's arm.
"My brother!" She tried to mimic their father's interactions with their uncles.
Lucas pulled his arm out of her grip "Hey! Hi. Hey, Riley." He nodded awkwardly "Hey, Maya."
Maya nodded, having missed her chance to try and talk to Riley about the weird emotions she'd felt the morning they'd left.
Val joined Zay and Farkle on the bench, rolling her eyes at her sister's antics.
"How long do you think before she gives this up?" Farkle asked.
"You've met Riley, right?" Val sighed "Once she gets an idea and she thinks she's in the right, she'll never stop trying."
"Maybe, but she won't succeed." Zay laughed "I mean, look at how awkward he is right now."
"We should help him." Val stood up.
"Maybe I can."
"Well, if it isn't Charlie Gardner, what can we do for you, Charlie?" Val asked.
"I think I can help." Charlie smiled.
"Help?" Val feigned ignorance "Help with what?"
"I know everything, Zay told me." Charlie nodded.
Val shot him a look and he shrugged "Everybody's gonna find out anyway."
"And you still want a shot with Riley?" Farkle deduced.
"Have at it." Val pulled him over "Lucas, we should head to class. Bye, Charlie, good luck!"
Lucas and Val walked side by side into their history classroom.
"Thank you." Lucas sighed "That was so awkward."
"Anytime." Val pecked his cheek before taking her seat.
Riley, Maya, Cory, and Topanga sat in the bay window, Val leaned against the doorframe, watching.
"I don't want this." Cory decided.
"We're confused." Maya glared at the floor.
"I don't want this either." Topanga shook her head.
"We're going into high school." Riley pointed out.
"I never wanted any of this, but when did I get a say?" Val mumbled.
"Do you know what your priority is in high school?" Growled Topanga.
"High school." Cory answered.
"It's where you further your minds and you get an education." Topanga tag-teamed.
"You know why?" Cory asked.
Topanga answered "So that you're smart enough to not find yourself in a situation like this."
"Does that mean I can leave?" Val asked "This isn't my situation anymore."
"We're not in a situation." Riley tried to insist, though Maya's tense expression said otherwise "Everything's fine."
"Maya?" Topanga asked.
"We're in a situation." Maya agreed.
Riley turned big eyes on her mother "Why do we have to have feelings?"
"Welcome to reality, where life is screwy and feelings are real things that real people experience, and not just about their favorite characters falling into what's basically hell together because they can't stand to lose each other!" Val bit her lip as her parents eyed her nervously "Sorry, I was rereading and forgot how emotional that scene is."
"Why don't you go check on Auggie, sweetie?" Topanga suggested.
Val nodded and headed down the hall to knock on her little brother's door "Auggie, it's me, can I come in?"
"Come in!" Auggie was sitting on his bed with Mr. Googly in his arms.
"Hey, you're in your pajamas already?" Val asked.
"It's like 8:30, nobody's read me a story yet." Auggie complained.
Val couldn't help but laugh "All right, pick out a book and we can read a few chapters."
Auggie skipped over to the bookshelf and brought his chosen novel back to Val.
"Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Oh, today of all days." She mumbled, reading the title and remembering how she'd finished Mark of Athena for the dozenth time that day "Okay, ready?"
"Ready!" Auggie snuggled under the blankets as Val started to read.
"Look, I didn't want to be a half blood."
Mr. Matthew's 8th grade history class was disturbingly quiet the next day. Zay, having informed absolutely everyone about the drama that had gone down in Texas, had ensured that all eyes were on Val, Lucas, Riley, and Maya. Riley looked back at Charlie Gardner, who smiled at her, and a few whispers started before Cory tapped the board.
"The Hoover Dam-"
Val stifled a squeak that her father helpfully ignored.
"-on the Arizona/Nevada border holds back ten trillion gallons of confused 14-year-old feelings that look to smack down the concrete structure of your life and my life, and I can't take it and I don't want it, so everybody sit here and nobody move!"
Val's head hit the desk "Do not ruin The Titans Curse with a lesson about feelings. DO. NOT."
"NOBODY MOVE!" Cory took a deep breath "Because as strong as the structural integrity of the Hoover Dam might be, just one little, tiny drop of water that makes its way through this barrier-"
Charlie began to pass a note forward.
"-Will chip away at the structural integrity of our lives as we know them, and the immediate result is the end of my personal happiness!"
The note reached Val's desk and she saw Riley's name written on it in Charlie's neat handwriting. Sparing it only that one glance she passed it forward to the next person.
"So, your assignment is to hold back everything until I die and not let anything through!" Cory finished, practically in tears.
Perfect timing as Farkle passed the note forward and it laid, innocently enough, on Riley's desk. Charlie had neat handwriting, but it was large. Even from several seats behind her sister, Val could see it said
Since you're free. Will you go out with me?
Charlie
"Riley, what's that?" The trepidation in Cory's voice was thick.
"Nothing." Riley quickly crumpled the note up and shoved it in her pocket.
"Riley...Did something get through?"
"Riley, something happened in Texas." Maya spoke up, staring desperately at her friend.
For a moment, Riley seemed to be thinking, but Maya's hopes were dashed when Riley turned in her seat and, still thinking Maya was talking about Lucas, said "Yes, Charlie. I will go out with you."
"Hoover Dam." Cory pointed back at the board with a sigh.
"More like Hoover Damn!" Annie whispered "What did I miss in Texas? 'Cause it feels like there's more going on here."
"You're right, it does seem that way." Val narrowed her eyes "But, it's not my situation anymore. So I would like to go to the dam snack bar and get some dam fries and a dam coke and get away from this dam problem."
Lucas, Farkle, and Annie laughed, being well aware of the reference she was making.
Lucas came by the Matthews apartment to hang out with Val and work on an English project they both had that afternoon. He made it up the stairs and down the hall, but just as he was sneaking past Riley's door it opened and she dragged him in, shoving him into the bay window.
"Isn't it amazing how comfortable we are with each other?" Riley grinned.
"NO!" Lucas shouted "I don't feel comfortable at all!"
"This is the kind of thing we could never do, Lucas, when we were just...'Hi.' 'Howdy.' 'Hey.' 'Hi.' Now you know what we are? Poom!" She punched his shoulder, hard.
"Could you not hit me anymore?" Lucas asked, very annoyed.
"You're my brother. Be my brother." Riley insisted "Give me advice, feel good about it,"
"I want to-"
"And nothing will ever be uncomfortable at all."
"I'M uncomfortable!" Lucas groaned "But since this is the only way I might get to leave, what do you need advice on-"
"The Charlie Gardner of it all." Riley interrupted "What does a first date mean in the language of 'boy'? I want to break your code."
"And I'm slightly afraid." Lucas smiled a very fake smile "VA-mmh!?"
Riley clapped her hand over his mouth, silencing his call, "What does he want? Tell me! What?"
Lucas removed her hand "This he, wants to leave. Where's your dad? Where's Val? Why isn't your Dad kicking me out? I'm in your daughters room!"
"Yeah, I see ya!" Cory, Topanga, and Auggie had all found themselves in the doorway, watching the drama unfold.
Cory leaned over to whisper to Topanga "You sure this isn't just so he can sit there and break Val's heart?"
"I don't wanna break Val's heart!" Lucas cried "She won't let me leave!"
"Why do you need another brother?" Auggie piped up.
"I'm just trying to do everything best for everybody concerned." Riley snapped.
"I'm concerned." Maya raised her hand from where she was sitting next to Lucas.
"Why are you all standing in Riley's doorway?" Val's voice came in from the hallway and she poked her head over her father's shoulder "What's going- ah, I see now."
"Please help." Lucas begged.
Val sighed "Project?"
"Yes."
"Topanga's?"
"Please." His voice cracked.
"Go ahead, I'll meet you there."
"Thank you!" Lucas raced out the door, pausing to press a quick kiss to Val's cheek.
Val leveled Riley with a steely gaze "I'm only going to ask this once. What are you trying to accomplish here?"
"Maya should have a chance with Lucas." Riley declared.
"Not your decision. Try again." Val shook her head.
"He's my brother."
"Why don't you start by spending time with your real brother first," Val put her hand on Auggie's shoulder "Then you can think about more siblings. Next."
"I just want to show him how comfortable we are together!"
"What was comfortable about that? You kidnapping him into your room? His escape attempts? Him begging to be allowed to leave?" Val rolled her eyes and turned to her parents "Don't think you're not in trouble for not helping him, either. For the next week, I'm only cooking for Auggie and I."
"Yeah, we deserve that." Cory nodded "Sorry, honey."
"Do better." Val faced her sister again "You're running out of excuses and I have a project to work on. We can finish this later when you've had time to figure yourself out."
She turned and left the room, snagging her backpack from her bedroom before she headed down the stairs to meet Lucas. Riley was left in stunned silence, staring after her sister as she headed back to her perfect life.
The next day found Mr. Matthews class staring at the board with four names written on it.
Riley. Maya. Lucas. Val.
"Matthews," Maya called out "we know that everything you teach is about us, but this is just lazy!"
"I don't have the time!" Cory complained "I'm going right for it! You don't think I could mash this up with the end of World War II if I wanted to? America loves Russia! Then America doesn't love Russia! Japan loves France now! Japan asks France to go bowling! But France has just started a relationship with Great Britain, so France says 'No Japan, let's just be friends!' So they try to be civil with each other, but there's a certain chill while they're hanging out by the lockers with France's arm around Great Britain's shoulders! There's a chill!"
A/N It's been a while since I studied WW2, I know France and Great Britain weren't allies. This is a hard chapter to write since the characters meanings are different from in the show. so please cut me some slack?
"You don't think everyone in this room is going bowling with everybody else at some point?" Cory asked.
"Well, Yogi and Darby are forever, so..." Annie shrugged.
Cory glared "We're not talking about them, Yobi is fine, and Yobi will always be fine. Riley, Maya, Lucas, and Val is all about everybody in this room, in every room, in the whole world, and the universe! They just got there first! The jerks!"
"Jeez, Dad, tell us how you really feel." Val mumbled.
Cory pointed at his daughters "You're going to high school. You are growing up in spite of my wishes. It's real now. What's happened already is nothing compared to what's gonna happen to you now. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. Don't let anything bad happen to you!"
"Flashbacks to cheerleading tryouts, right?" Annie whispered to Farkle.
"Oh, thank goodness you see it too." Farkle breathed a sigh of relief "I thought I was going crazy."
Cory grabbed his briefcase and made for the door.
"Class isn't over yet, sir." Lucas called after him.
"Nah, I've had it." Cory waved him off and headed out.
"Farkle time?" Farkle looked at Annie.
"Annie and Farkle time." She nodded.
The two got up and moved to the front of the room.
"Who remembers what I said at cheerleading tryouts?" Annie called.
"Ooh! I know this one!" Zay raised his hand.
"Mr. Babineaux?"
"You're deeply invested in Lucas and Val's relationship." He smiled.
"Not that, but also yes."
"Failure and rejection are a part of life. The sooner you learn to cope with it, the better you are at it." Farkle explained "Trying to hide from it will only mess you up in the long run."
"Exactly!" Annie cheered "Give the genius a cookie! Life sucks, you can't get around that, you can't change that."
"Why not?" Riley asked "Why does life have to be hard? Why can't we change it?"
"Because it's inevitable." Annie shrugged.
"We must go on with the show, it's inevitable!" Val hummed.
"Life has this thing, where it'll kick you in the shins, get you on the ground, then beat the sunshine out of you. Then afterward, if you're lucky and keep being a good person, maybe things will turn around for you. If you keep being an awful person, well...'It's called karma, and it's pronounced HA!'-Mamma Mia 2: Here we go Again." Annie explained cheerily.
The bell rang and the class began to gather their things.
"Your homework is a paragraph on why life is rough and what you can do to turn yours around." Annie declared "To be handed in to me on Monday. Only Bright-Eyes Benedict and Brutus Blondie have to do it."
"Brutus Blondie?" Maya whispered.
"She's talking about Brutus who organized the murder of his friend, Julius Caesar, and Benedict Arnold who betrayed the Americans during the Revolutionary War." Farkle clarified "And yes, she means you two, Riley and Maya."
Lucas knocked on Val's door that evening and found her hanging upside down off her bed, book in hand and hair wild. Lucas laughed, making Val look up and chuck a nearby throw pillow at him.
"Shut up, this is an emotional chapter." She defended, sitting up and putting her bookmark in "What's up?"
"Auggie and I just had a conversation."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Lucas nodded.
"And...?" Val raised her eyebrows.
"And...He's not nearly as scary when it come to Riley as he is with you." Lucas grinned.
"Lucas Friar, are you scared of my little brother?" Val teased.
"He's protective!" Lucas defended, still smiling "It would be cute if he didn't take after his mother and oldest sister so much."
Val snorted "Are you saying I scare you?"
"Very much so, yes ma'am." Lucas joked.
"And my mother?"
"Your mother could kill me, go to court for my murder, and talk the judge into convicting me, the dead guy, for...I don't know, something! Yeah, she terrifies me." Lucas nodded.
Val dissolved into laughter and Lucas joined in, eventually they calmed down and started on their English project. A few hours later, they were finished and Val was walking Lucas out.
"You're not really scared of me, are you?" She asked, a little nervously.
"Hmm, just a little." Lucas replied, knowing better than to lie to his girlfriend "I really like you, you're smart and kind and beautiful, of course you're a little intimidating."
Val blushed and ducked her head "Aw, shut up."
The two shared a quick kiss goodbye and Lucas headed home.
The next day Riley walked up to Charlie Gardner in the hallway. She refused to notice how the people Charlie had been talking to quickly ended the conversation and shot her dirty looks. Eventually they would see she was right, she told herself, Maya deserved a shot with Lucas and Val should step back.
"So?" Riley smiled awkwardly.
"So?" Charlie repeated "What?"
"So, where are we going on the date?" Riley prompted.
Charlie hesitated "Do you wanna go bowling like Japan and France?"
"Sure." Riley agreed.
"Or" Charlie suggested "Maybe we just have dinner and talk?"
"No talking." Riley didn't let her smile slip.
"What?"
"I just mean that we don't have to talk." Riley corrected herself.
"Oh. Then do you wanna go to the movies?"
"Perfect. The movies are perfect." Riley nodded to herself "We can just sit there. You're not gonna try and hold my hand, are you?"
"Uh, hey, I just found out that we're going to the movies." Charlie shrugged "I had bowling planned, but that's out the window."
"Okay. Well, I'm looking forward to our date."
"Me too. No talking. No holding hands. Yay." Charlie's smile was stretched painfully across his face.
Riley nodded and headed down the hall towards her next class, only stopping when she saw Farkle glaring down at her from the stairs. Riley ducked her head and hurried to class.
Val and Lucas were sitting at the bar of Topanga's with lemonade as they did their math homework. Riley and Maya were sitting at their usual place on the couches, Maya trying to do her homework and Riley watching her sister and Lucas.
"Peaches?" Riley asked.
"Hmm?" Maya grunted.
"You want a date with Lucas? You want a date with Lucas right now?"
"Not-Riley!"
Bt Riley had gotten up, raced over to Lucas and dragged him back to the couches to shove him in the seat next to Maya.
"Date with Lucas right now!"
"Hey! Is this going to happen every time I'm in the same room as you? You kidnap me?" Lucas growled, annoyed.
"It's weird, man!" Zay shouted, restraining Annie who was fighting to get over there "And-OW! Painful!"
"Let me go! I'll apologize later!" Annie snarled.
Val grabbed her shoulder "I got this."
Annie's thrashing slowed "You sure? I'm happy to mess her up if you want."
"I know, but I got this." Val moved over to the couches, glaring at Riley "What are you doing?"
"Do you mind?" Riley asked, irritably "They're on a date."
"I do mind, actually." Val said sharply "Seeing as he didn't consent to a date, you physically dragged him over here, and he's my boyfriend. I do mind."
"Come on, Val." Riley groaned "Can't you just let Maya have a chance? Are you so selfish you have to have everything?"
Val raised her eyebrow "Me? Selfish? Have you tried asking Maya what she wants?"
"I did." Riley smiled primly "I asked her if she wanted a date with Lucas."
"Did you listen to her answer?"
"I didn't need to." Riley laughed "Maya and I can read..."
Maya was silent.
"Maya and I can read...?"
Still nothing.
"Can read...Each others-"
"I don't want to go out with Lucas!" Maya burst.
"What? Of course you do. You love him." Riley turned to her best friend, stunned.
Maya sighed "I don't love him. But even if I did, he's with Val. He's happy with Val. He chose Val! I didn't even want to tell him that I might like him, you took that choice out of my hands and told him after I asked you not to! And Lucas told me he was with Val, happy with Val! I can accept rejection, I knew the minute I thought I might have feelings for Lucas that he would chose Val over me, and I can't blame him for that! Not when you and I have been so awful and done so many horrible things to her. I don't deserve Lucas, Val does. I've been stupid, listening to you, signing him up to ride that stupid bull, stupidly telling you how I feel, stupidly trusting you not to say anything! Because every time something involves Val, you have to be on the side of Val not being happy and I don't know why I've been okay with that for so long but it's not okay! I don't recognize myself! I've turned into a horrible, mean, ugly person that I don't wanna be and it's because of you!"
Silence deafened the cafe after Maya's rant had gotten progressively louder, now the blonde stood in the middle of the restaurant, chest heaving as the words she'd spoken processed in her best friend's brain.
"Peaches, I..." Riley tried.
"I don't want to hear it." Maya shook her head "Not right now."
"Riley," Val's voice made everyone turn to her "I think you should give Maya some space. Go home."
"But-"
"Go. Home."
Riley huffed, but left all the same. Val guided Maya back to the bar and ordered her a lemonade.
"How do you feel?" She asked, after Maya had taken a few sips.
"Lighter. Better" Maya breathed "But heavier and worse all at the same time."
"Yeah? Keep breathing. You'll feel better."
"That wasn't too bad, Hart." Annie agreed "You're not off the hook for everything else you did, but it wasn't bad."
Word count: 5314 words
Me: Will anyone be able to tell I've been rereading "Percy Jackson" and I'm emotional about it?
Me: *Writes this chapter*
Me: Nah 😆
I'm sorry this has taken me so so long. And I'm afraid I'll be working 40-60 hours a week until August so I don't know how much I can write.
As a rundown on why it's taken me so long, I had finals, got diagnosed with scoliosis, had to switch my meds (again), worked all summer, started school again, got a prestigious internship (where I am now) that could help my future career, did a show, had finals again, got super sick (not COVID thank goodness), then moved to the other side of the country for my internship.
I know a lot of you probably don't read my super long authors notes, but I'm grateful for those of you who do and respect that I've asked for people not to nag me for updates. For everyone else:
ASKING FOR UPDATES WON'T MAKE ME UPDATE FASTER! IT JUST IRRITATES ME AND THEN IT TAKES EVEN LONGER TO UPDATE!
Now that I've said that I hope you liked the chapter! Please don't forget to comment, vote, and add to your reading lists! Also stay safe, stay healthy, wash your hands, and get vaccinated if you're able!
Love,
The Author