"Riley, it's four in the morning. This better be good," Josh complained rubbing his eyes as he waltzed into the living room behind his parents and Auggie.

Waiting for them was Shawn, Katy, Lucas, and Farkle. None of them seemed happy by Riley's summoning. They were sent an SOS text which had caused them to rush over in their pajamas.

Once her family had taken their seats, Riley stood before them dressed for the day and with a clipboard in her hands. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Riley began. "As you know, today is Maya's birthday."

"Is that what this is all about?" Shawn asked. He was quite aware that Maya's thirteenth birthday was today. He and Katy had cleared their schedules to spend the entire day with her.

"Yes, we are going to through her a huge surprise party!" Riley cheered slightly too loud for four in the morning.

"Riley, that's very nice of you, but Shawn and I had already made plans," Katy explained. They were going to take Maya to the diner for breakfast, then maybe out to that new art exhibit sometime after lunch.

"Well, there's been a change of plans," Riley informed him. She had been planning Maya's surprise thirteenth birthday party since they were six. There was no way her plans would be thwarted.

"Riley, you can't just tell adults what they can and can't do," Cory interjected. He knew Riley wanted to throw Maya this huge party, but Shawn and Katy had already planned something for their daughter. If this was Maya throwing a party for Riley, he would not be happy if she changed his plans.

"You," Riley said pointing at her father.

"Who me?" Cory asked looking around the room.

"You and Mom will be on cake duty. I already ordered it, all you need to do is pick it up," Riley informed them, handing her parents the receipt for the cake. "Uncle Shawn and Aunt Katy will be in charge of decorations. I asked Mrs. Svorski if we could have the party there and she agreed." She turned to her two friends and Auggie. "Farkle, Lucas, and Auggie will be in charge of the guest list, making sure that everyone invited is accounted for." Riley handed Lucas a sheet of paper with a dozen additional names.

"And what about you?" Auggie questioned, raising his hand.

"I will be overseeing everything, making sure that Maya's birthday runs perfectly," Riley explained.

"Kid, this is an elaborate plan you got, but you are forgetting one thing," Shawn said. "How are you going to hide this from Maya?"

"Already figured that out," Riley smiled. "That's what Josh is for."

"What?" Josh asked. He was trying to fall asleep during his sister's speech, but her energy was making it hard for him to go back to bed. Josh wanted nothing to do with the party planning.

"Josh, you are going to distract Maya while the rest of us get the party together," Riley explained.

"No. No way," Josh refused whilst standing up to leave.

"Please Josh," Riley begged. "Take her to a movie, she'd love that. Then, I'll text you when to bring her to Svorski's."

"I said no," Josh repeated. "I am not taking Maya out on a date."

"It's not a date," Riley clarified. "Think of it as a distraction."

"Have you met Maya? She's going to think of it as a date," Josh said. He didn't want to be the distraction for that reason alone. Maya would think of it as date and that he was making a move on her, when it was quite the opposite. She'd be crushed. "Plus don't you think, she'd be suspicious as to why I am volunteering to take her out."

"I've already accounted for that. Farkle and I crunched the numbers. We believe she will be too busy in her Josh-induced daze to question it," Riley explained.

Josh looked around the room. Riley pulled out her doe eyes begging Josh to help. His mom, on the other hand, seemed as if she would murder him if he didn't agree. Topanga was tired and wanted to head back to sleep. The sooner Josh agreed the quicker she could get back to bed.

"Ugh," Josh grumbled. "Fine."

Riley sat by her bay window waiting for phase one of her master plan to begin. In her hands, she held Maya's gift. Since she was Maya's best friend, Riley knew that Maya would find it suspicious if they didn't celebrate together.

Once she saw Maya climb through the window, Riley hit send on her phone letting everyone know to begin with the plan.

"Happy thirteen, Maya! How's thirteen? Tell me what it's like to be thirteen, but don't leave anything out," Riley insisted.

"So far it is a lot of work," Maya complained. Climbing up the fire escape in a dress and heeled boots was not an easy task.

"Because you know I'll be there soon, and I want to know what I have to look forward to," Riley said as she handed Maya her birthday present.

Maya smiled and opened it immediately. She loved presents. "Riles, a friendship ring," Maya said.

"Yeah."

"Two of them."

"Yeah!"

"In case I lose one."

Riley cocked her head to question her friend. Why would she have given Maya two friendship rings. The other one was obviously for her to wear. "No."

"Well, anybody else would have just gotten me one," Maya pointed out, playing dumb. Of course she knew the other was for Riley. But seeing as it was her birthday, she figured she could mess with Riley a bit.

"No."

"Oh, I get it."

"Yeah," Riley said with a new found confidence in her friend.

"One for each hand."

"No."

"I'll never take this off until I die," Maya said. Over the years, Riley had given Maya some of the best gifts, but this one had to be her favorite.

"You'll probably die before me since you're older. Should I tell the people not to take it off your dead corpse body?" Riley asked

Maya chuckled. "Yeah, would you do that for me?"

"And, Maya, the other ring..." Riley led.

"Is for you," Maya said as she slipped on the other ring on Riley's finger.

"Yeah." Riley had paused to admire the ring, but realized a scary truth as to what could happen in the future. "Oh, no. If you're not there, who's going to tell the people not to take it off my dead corpse body?" Maya rolled her eyes. Riley pushed away the sad thought. She leaned over to her best friend and gave her a hug "Happy Birthday, Maya."

"Thanks, Riles," Maya said. "So what do you have planned for us today?"

Riley wickedly grinned on the inside. "I thought you would want to spend the day with your parents?" Riley mused whilst playing dumb.

"They're taking me out for dinner, so I figured until then why not hang out with my best friend," Maya explained. She was slightly disappointed when her parents had not planned more for her birthday but she couldn't argue. Her dad was recently given a new assignment: Weekends in New York for under 100. He found it almost virtually impossible, causing it to occupy most of his time.

"Maya, I'm sorry. I figured that you would spend the day with your parents, so I told Farkle that I would go to the planetarium with him," Riley lied.

"Are you serious?" Maya asked dumbfounded. Of all the days for her to be hanging out with Farkle, she picked her birthday. "Well then what do you expect me to do? Sit around and wait?"

As if on cue, which it was as Riley had planned it, Josh walked into Riley's room still angry at his sister for roping him into this. "Riley could you--Maya, hey," Josh greeted. Riley had instructed him to act natural and pretend that he hadn't known of Maya's imminent arrival. "How's the birthday treating you?"

"It could be better," Maya grumbled. Typically, she would have been thrilled to see Josh. Seeing Josh always made her day better, but Maya was hurt that her best friend and parents didn't want more to do with her on her birthday. It seemed so out of character.

Josh gulped. "Well, I was just going to ask if Riley wanted to see that new action movie with me, but seeing as you're here I'll leave you guys to it," Josh said trying to leave his sister's room.

Riley jumped out of her seat and grabbed Josh's arm to prevent him from leaving. Josh was not getting away so easily. The point was for him to ask Maya to the movies, not her. "Actually, I have plans. Farkle and I are going to the planetarium. Why don't you ask Maya to go with you?" Riley suggested.

"Riles, I appreciate the gesture, but there is no way that Josh would want to-" Maya began.

"Maya, would you like to see the new action movie with me?" Josh asked against his will. He much rather would have liked to see the movie with Andrew.

"Come again?" Maya asked. Never in a million years did she think Joshua Matthews would ask her to see a movie with her. Sure she had proposed the option to him many times, but he had always rejected her and her advances. This was like a dream come true. Something was definitely up.

"Maya, would you like to go to the movies with me?" Josh repeated.

Her parents being busy and Riley making plans with Farkle made her suspicious and now Josh was asking her out. Something was wrong. Oh well, she figured she could confront Josh about it on their little date. May as well as have some fun with it.

"It's a date," Maya smiled.

"It's not a date," Josh clarified. Just because he was going along with his little sister's plan did not mean that it was a date. "It's just two friends hanging out. Remember that."

"Whatever you say, Boing," Maya said as she stood from the bay window and walked towards Riley's doorway to leave. "But it's a date."

Maya left the room and Josh's eyes widened. He yelled down the hallway before chasing after her, "It's not a date!" He was going to kill Riley once this was over.

Riley watched as Josh chased after Maya and waited until they were out of sight. She grabbed her phone and texted the group:

Maya's out of the house, we have three hours. Maya's thirteenth birthday is a go!