"Where is my shoe, Riley?!" Cory winced at the raised voice coming from the girl's bedroom.
"That's not my job to keep track of!" Riley snapped back.
"Should we break that up?" Cory asked his wife.
Topanga shrugged, she had a sister, so she understood the arguing, "It's just raised voices right now."
They heard the door slam and a moment later Riley appeared at the table. "Good morning," Cory said, setting down a plate of eggs.
"It is not." Riley told him, sitting down to the table.
"Trouble in paradise?" Cory asked.
"Maya is a slob." Riley told them, picking aggressively at her eggs.
"When did you become a neat freak?" Cory asked.
"I'm not!" Riley said, waving her hand, and by default her fork.
"Easy Honey," Topanga said, taking the fork from her hand, and setting it back down on the table.
"That should tell you how bad it is." Riley said.
Auggie came to sit down, but Topanga stopped him. "Will you go knock on the girl's door pl…."
"On my door." Riley cut in.
"Don't interrupt your mother." Cory scolded while shooting Topanga a worried look.
"Go tell Maya to come to breakfast." Topanga sent Auggie off. When he walked away Topanga turned to her daughter, "You know that was disrespectful."
Riley made a face at the reprimand, but didn't say anything. "You two are spending a lot of time together, it makes sense that there are some growing pains." Cory told her.
"Actually, I feel like I never see Maya anymore. If she isn't with the soccer girls, she's with the volleyball girls, or that weird coach." Riley sulked.
Auggie came back to the table then alone. "She said she wasn't hungry." He shrugged as he sat down. Cory and Topanga both stood, and did a quick rock, paper scissors. After a swift loss, Topanga set a plate of eggs in front of Auggie and then went down the hall to go speak to Maya. She knocked on the girl's bedroom door before going in.
Riley wasn't wrong, the room was torn apart, "What happened in here?" Topanga gasped.
Maya looked up from where she had been rooting under the bed, and looked around the room. "I'm sorry Aunt Topanga, I promise I will clean it after curfew tonight, but I can't find my cleats, and I need them for practice today!"
Topanga was torn between scolding the girl for being irresponsible and helping her. "Didn't we get you two pairs?"
"Yes ma'am, but the other ones feel weird…" She whined.
"Breakfast isn't an option Maya, and you know that. Grab your second pair for today, and while you are cleaning your room tonight, we will come up with a plan to make sure everything has a home." Topanga told her.
"Nothing of mine has a home here!" Maya snapped.
Topanga softened at the girl's concern. "Tonight, as we are sorting things, we will carve out some room for you. I promise Maya. Maybe we can both come home a little early, and get a head start."
"I have plans after practice!" Maya snapped again.
Topanga had a short fuse when it came with the teenage angst. "Do you want a spanking to start your day, Maya?"
"No ma'am." Maya whispered.
"Then grab what you need for the day and get to the table." Topanga said, firmly. She was almost out of the door when she turned around, "You ask Cory and I if you can go out, you do not inform me that you have plans, am I understood?"
"Yes ma'am." Maya said, trudging off to the closet.
A minute later Maya appeared at the table and sat down in front of her plate of eggs. She picked up her fork to start to eat. "Aunt Topanga is it okay if I hang out with Sarah and Ellie after practice today? We want to go get smoothies."
"That sounds fun…" Cory broke in, "Riley doesn't that sound fun?"
"It's kind of a soccer team thing…" Maya said slowly.
Riley stood up, "everything you do lately is kind of a soccer thing!" Riley snapped, starting to storm off.
"Riley Olivia!" Topanga called. "Sit down and finish your breakfast. Angry or not, you and Maya go to school together, that has been the arrangement since first grade and it's not changing now."
"I am done with my breakfast." Riley told her.
"Then drop the attitude and put your plate in the sink." Cory told her.
Riley walked over and did as she was told, setting her plate down more forcefully than she intended. She was satisfied with the noise, but her parents faces seemed unimpressed. "You can wait for Maya at the table or by the door, but you will wait for Maya." Topanga told her.
Riley didn't respond, but she did grab her backpack and wait by the door. Topanga would take it for now. "Practice is over at four-thirty?"
"Yes Ma'am." Maya shoveled the last of the eggs into her mouth hoping that would win her some favor.
"Smoothies should be fine then Honey." Topanga told her. It was hard too see Maya's face light up and Riley's face fall, but inhibiting Maya wouldn't help their relationship at all.
"Thank you!" Maya squealed, setting her plate gently in the sink. She kissed the top of Auggie's head as she passed by and hugged Cory and Topanga before walking over to join Riley at the door.
"Riley, do you have plans after school today?" Cory asked before they could leave.
"No, I was just going to come home and watch TV." Riley told him.
"Okay, Honey, I will see you guys at school." Cory said.
--GMW--
"Riles!" Maya called she charged ahead.
"They said I had to walk with you, not talk to you!" Riley snapped.
"Fine, be like that!" Maya snapped back.
--GMW--
"Auggie, Daddy and I need to talk, go wait in your room until I come to get you please."
"Yes ma'am." Auggie said. He set his plate in the sink and walked off down the hall.
"This is an issue, what are we going to do?" Cory asked.
"Maya needs a defined space in that room." Topanga told him.
"I think that she needs to be spending a little more time with her old friends. She hasn't hung out with Farkle or Riley in weeks." Cory told her.
"We can't force her to hang out with Riley, and part of the reason we wanted Maya to join sports is to broaden her horizons."
"We didn't want Maya to join sports, you did." Cory said.
"You've seen that girl play; she has a gifting."
Cory sighed; he felt this snowballing into a real argument. "I don't want to fight Topanga, but they can't be fighting like this either."
"Maybe once a week I can have a girl's night with them, and you and Auggie can have a boys night." Topanga told him.
"That sounds good." Cory agreed.
"We can start tonight. I will help Maya clean up their room, then the girls and I can go out to dinner and make a plan for their room, and maybe do a little shopping."
"Sounds good, I can take Auggie to the park and then out to dinner." Cory said.
Topanga kissed her husband, "That sounds good."
--GMW--
Topanga came home around four-thirty to see Riley sulking on the couch. She set her things down and then walked over to sit with her girl. "How are you hanging in there Riley?"
"I miss my best friend." Riley sighed.
Topanga pulled her daughter close, "I know you do sweetie; Daddy and I are trying to think of how to make that better."
She sat holding her crying daughter for a moment. They broke apart as the door opened and she was about to ask Cory if he forgot something when Maya appeared.
"I thought you were getting smoothies with Sarah and Ellie…" Riley spat.
Topanga reached out and swatted her daughter, "That's enough."
"Yes Ma'am." Riley said.
"I was going to do that, but I wanted to be here with you instead." Maya said, setting her backpack and duffle bag down.
Topanga sat up a little bit and lifted her left arm. Maya didn't hesitate and ran over to lean into her like Riley was. "Daddy and I were talking and we were thinking every Tuesday we could have a girls night, and the boys can have a boys night. Everyone comes home early, and we carve out that time."
"That sounds fun!" Riley said.
"Yeah," Maya agreed.
"So, first Maya and I are going to clean up that bedroom, then we can go get some dinner anywhere you two want, and maybe plan out a way that you both have your own space in that room, and then we can go shopping for some stuff."
"Like what kind of stuff?" Maya asked.
Topanga ran her fingers through the girl's hair. "Like maybe another bed."
Riley pulled away at that. "I don't want that."
"But maybe…" Topanga started.
"No, I like sleeping in bed with Riley, it makes me feel…safe." Maya said.
"Well, this set up doesn't seem to be working. What do you think that you need Maya?"
Maya felt nervous about changing Riley's room in any way. "I don't need anything…"
"Riley?"
"I'm good mom."
"Well, if neither of you need anything than that display this morning was just two tantrums, in which case what you both need is a spanking. Riley go grab my hairbrush."
Riley sighed. "Fine, it would be nice if we could keep things a little neater…"
"Where?" Maya asked.
"What do you mean where? In our room!"
"I mean," Maya said, rolling her eyes, "Where am I supposed to put my stuff away at? One drawer was fine when I was just here occasionally, but now I have art stuff, and clothes and shoes, and sports things and one drawer isn't cutting it."
"Riley, do you think you could give up some closet space?" Topanga asked.
"Yes Ma'am." Riley said. "Maybe some drawers too…"
"We can get Maya her own dresser, and maybe her own desk too, so you can both have a work space, and she has a place to put her art supplies." Topanga said. "I was also thinking that we could get a second duffle bag, and you can keep all of your volleyball stuff in one bag and all of your soccer stuff in the other so that it doesn't go missing, like it did this morning."
"I would like that." Maya said, she looked over at Riley, "You okay with losing that much real estate?"
"I do have like a third of my room that's not really used." Riley said shrugging.
"And you two are sure you don't want a second bed?" Topanga asked.
"No thank you!" Riley said.
"No Ma'am." Maya said.
"Alright Maya lets go get that room cleaned up, the two of you can get your chores done and then we can go grab some dinner." Topanga said, standing.
"I'll help." Riley said, standing too.
"Are you sure Honey you don't have to."
"I know, I want to." Riley said.
--GMW--
The next day Maya was distracted during her volleyball game, she kept looking up into the stands. While she was happy to see Riley, Farkle and Lucas there, it was the first game that Cory and Topanga hadn't come to and neither of them were there.
After the third ball that landed at her feet due to her distraction, Coach Web pulled her out and made her sit on the bench the rest of the game. After the game when the other girls were dismissed to the locker room, coach Web had Maya run suicide sprints for twenty minutes until she was allowed to go shower. Luckily Lucas and Farkle had left after the game so it was just Riley left to watch her embarrassment. After her shower she meet Riley outside of the locker rooms, "Do you know where your parents are?"
"No, they aren't answering my texts. It's weird they didn't show up though, there has to be a reason, Maya." Riley tried assuring her friend.
Maya was sure it was because they were getting tired of her, but she didn't voice that thought. The subway ride home was quiet. When they walked through the front door Auggie ran up to them. "Did you win Maya?"
She frowned down at the little boy, "No Augs, we lost."
"Bummer!"
"That's what I said."
"Oh, I forgot!" Auggie said suddenly.
"Forgot what?" Riley asked.
"THE GIRLS ARE HOME!" Auggie shouted at the top of his lungs.
A minute later Topanga and Cory came down the hall. Cory looked excited, but Topanga was looking down at her phone frowning. Maya wanted to be upset with them, but honestly they didn't owe her anything, and they were already doing so much, she didn't feel like she had the right to be upset with them missing one game. She was disappointed though.
"I would ask how the game went, but your coach just emailed me…" Topanga told her.
"Why?" Cory asked surprised.
"She said Maya had a hard time focusing, that she had to bench her." Topanga said, still frowning at the girl.
Riley moved to protectively stand in front of her friend. She knew that Maya would die before telling her parents that she had been looking for them, but she also wasn't going to let Maya get in trouble for not doing well when it was their fault. Cory could guess what happened, so he opened his arms for the girl, but she made no move to come over.
"Am I in trouble?" Maya asked.
"Why were you distracted?" Topanga asked.
Maya shrugged. Cory wondered if this was going to become a battle of wills between the two, but was pleasantly surprised when Topanga sat her phone down on the kitchen table, "I want to show you what we were doing." Topanga turned and walked down the hall and Maya and Riley obediently followed. Cory picked up Auggie and they brought up the rear.
When they walked in both girls gasped. The first thing they were drawn to was where Riley's dresser had once stood alone there was now a vanity and a new desk that blocked off the corner from the rest of the room. The corner also held a bean bag with a bookshelf and had Riley's name spelled out in letter lights on the wall. In the opposite corner there was a similar space with a dresser, vanity and desk, but this one had a beanbag and Maya's guitar. There were shelves above the desk that held a ton of art supplies and Maya's name spelt out on that wall. In the third corner that had previously held Riley's old dollhouse there were two more beanbags, a record play, and the walls were covered in pictures of the girls and some records. They walked into the closet and saw that it had been divided in half with each half having a place for clothes, shoes and purses. There was also a place to put both sports duffle bags on Maya's side.
"Do you like it?" Cory asked after a moment.
"I love it!" Riley said, going back to her vanity that housed her first real makeup.
"Maya?" Topanga asked.
The girl stood in the doorway wordlessly.
Cory looked over to Riley, "Can you take Auggie out to the living room please?"
"No! It's great! Thank you!" Maya rushed, not wanting to be left alone with them.
Riley and Auggie left and Topanga shut the door behind them before sitting on the girl's bed and pulling Maya over, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I promise! I love this so much." Maya assured her.
"That's great, I believe that, but there is also something you aren't saying." Topanga said.
When Maya didn't speak Cory did, "Are you upset we weren't at your game?"
"No." Maya lied.
Topanga turned the girl slightly and delivered five punishing swats. "Try again."
Maya bit her lip. "I guess I was upset, but it feels silly to be upset when you guys did something like this."
"Is that why you were distracted?" Topanga asked.
"Yes ma'am." Maya told her truthfully.
"Good girl," Topanga praised, "Thank you for telling us the truth. It's not silly to be upset. Cory and I did talk about if we thought that you would be too upset by us missing the game, but we really wanted you to feel like this was your home Maya. Maybe we made the wrong choice."
"This isn't my home though." Maya said. "Eventually I have to go back to my home."
"You don't have to…" Topanga told her.
"I miss my mom." Maya said, honestly.
Topanga pulled Maya in for a hug, and looked over at her upset husband. "Maybe we can go down to the diner tonight and talk to her about your soccer match on Friday."
"Really?" Maya asked excitedly.
"Really."
Topanga felt Maya relax at that. "I do love this room. It's nice to see my name in here too."
Topanga squeezed the girl tighter, "Good then keep it clean."
Cory walked up and hugged the girl too. "We love you Maya."
She blushed. "Fine. I guess I love you too."
Topanga laughed, "Alright we will go let Riley know it's safe to come back here."
They left and a few minutes later Riley came back and collapsed into a bean bag. Maya looked through the albums before throwing on a Tom Petty one and joining Riley. She wanted to talk to the girl but wasn't sure where to start.
She was saved from that though when Auggie and both adults appeared in the doorway, "We thought that we could go down to the park and play some soccer, do you two want to join?"
Maya looked over to see what Riley would say. "Do you have other plans?" Curfew was still an hour out.
"No, I don't have any plans except my game the rest of the week." Maya told her, she had canceled with her friends that morning. She needed to get things back on track with Riley and from there she could start to balance in everyone else.
"Really?" Riley asked excitedly.
"I guess I sortof missed you, but if you tell anyone I will deny it." Maya told her.
Riley squealed. "Yeah! Let's go! Maybe f I practice, next year I can join the team!"
"Uh…Maybe Honey," Cory said, but they all knew the girl had no coordination.
"Uncle Cory?" Maya asked, as she carefully put the record back into its sleeve.
"Yeah?"
"Even if my mom doesn't come on Friday…"
She kept her back turned to the adults, but they could see the red creeping up her neck, as her hair was in pigtails from the game. "Aunt Topanga and I will both try and be at every game and match. If something comes up, one of us will be there, always."
"Always?" Maya asked.
"Always." Topanga said.
Maya turned around, smirking, "Even in my future prison soccer match?"
"Is Maya going to prison?" Auggie asked concerned.
"No, she thinks she is funny." Cory said.
"Good, I like Maya living here, and prison seems scary." Auggie said.
"Scarier than Mommy?" Riley asked, walking over to her brother.
Auggie looked up at their mom, "uh…no."
"It's decided then, no prison." Cory said, shutting off the lights.
--GMW--
That night after the kids were exhausted from soccer and well fed from the diner, he walked in to the girls room. Topanga laughed as she came up from behind him, Maya was hanging half off the bed, and Riley was passed out in the bay window.
Topanga pulled Maya into her bed and tucked her in before pulling the sheets down for Cory to put Riley into bed next to her. They kissed both girls foreheads, and Topanga turned on the neon sign above the girls bed. Cory flipped the lights off, and the Topanga snapped a pic of the girls in bed, lit up by the word 'sisters'.