"Maya, come out," Riley coaxed from in front of the curtain. She had even tugged it once or twice to encourage her friend to step out.

Katy and Topanga had agreed to take their daughter's shopping for the school dance much to their husbands' displeasure. It had been a trying week for the Matthews and Hunter families. Cory and Shawn barely even spoke to their daughters that week ever since they called off Cyclone day.

"No," Maya insisted. She hated that Riley had roped her into dress shopping with their mothers.

"Come on, baby girl. I'm sure you'll look beautiful," Katy reassured. She was excited to see what dress Maya had picked out. Katy had been trying to take Maya out shopping for years, but Maya preferred to thrift everything.

Maya groaned and revealed herself from behind the curtain. She may as well as get it over with.

Katy was speechless much like Topanga had been moments before with Riley. Riley came out in a short, light pink dress while Maya chose a simple short, black dress that matched her combat boots perfectly. "Baby girl, you look beautiful," Katy commented.

Maya had never been self-conscious of her appearance, but wearing a dress striped all that away. She hid herself by anxiously crossing her arms and tapping her feet.

"Is something wrong?" Katy asked. She noticed that Maya stood uncomfortably. Dresses weren't Maya's thing, but Katy could tell something else was on her daughter's mind. In fact, Katy could trace the moment back to when Shawn shut down for the week.

"Nothing," Maya lied. "I'm going to get changed and then we could go."

The truth was that Maya felt guilty. Cyclone day was her favorite day of the year and she blew off the tradition with her dad for Riley. She was torn. Maya was going to her first dance with her best friend, but she had disappointed her dad in the process.

Maya went back into the changing room while Riley waited with Topanga and Katy. "Now that I have the perfect dress," Riley began, "Can I please wear makeup?"

Topanga smiled at Riley, "Of course you can't."

"Maya, did you bring the makeup?" Riley asked as Maya came in through the bay window. Maya was coming over early that day to get ready for the school dance with Riley.

Riley had come up with the rebellious idea for Maya to sneak her makeup. It was nothing big, just some lip gloss and mascara. Her parents wouldn't even notice as they were out of the house for the time being. Josh had an asthma attack at school earlier that day, so Cory and Topanga ran him to the doctors to make sure everything was alright. From her dad's most recent text, Riley could figure that Josh was fine. Her parents, especially her mom, were just paranoid.

"Yes, Riles," Maya said, holding up the baggy she stored the makeup in. After dress shopping the other day, Topanga and Riley went home while Katy took Maya to get some makeup under the guise that it was for Maya.

"Perfect!" Riley cheered. "Set it on the dresser while we get ready."

Maya did as she instructed and changed out of her jeans and graphic tee while Riley traded her skirt for a dress. Though this wasn't the semi-formal, Riley still wanted to dress nice and she had convinced Maya to have a similar attire. If it was up to Maya, she wouldn't have even bothered to change.

Once changed, Maya looked at herself in the mirror. Her mom was right. She looked beautiful, but she still felt crummy over the situation.

Maya's quietness did not go unnoticed by Riley. She had picked up on it a few days ago, but hadn't bothered to say anything until that moment. "Are you okay, Peaches?" Riley asked.

"I feel like I'm making a mistake," Maya admitted. This was the first time she had voiced her concern out loud.

"By going to the dance?" Riley did not understand how the dance could make Maya feel bad. They had been looking forward to this all week.

"I want to go to the dance with you, Riles. I do. But Cyclone day has always been my favorite day of the year. It's something that not only do I get to share with you but also my dad. He's really torn up about this. I can't help but feel that I did something wrong."

Maya sat down on Riley's bed and tried to hold in the tears. There was no need to cry over a silly roller coaster. Riley sat down with her friend and wrapped her arms around her. She never once wanted to put Maya in this position.

"I'm sorry," Riley apologized.

"It's okay, you did nothing wrong," Maya assured. "I just wish there was a way I could go to both."

A knock on the door drew the girls out of their sentimental moment. "Come in, Uncle Shawn," Riley said.

Shawn opened the door. "How'd you know it was me?" Shawn questioned.

"My family doesn't knock. They're pigs," Riley explained. She could sense the tension between Maya and Shawn. They needed to talk and it wouldn't help if she stayed a moment longer. "I'm going to go see if Josh is back."

Riley left her room, giving space to Shawn and Maya.

Shawn knew he'd been overreacting the past few days over the whole Cyclone-school dance fiasco. The moment when his wife compared him to Cory, really snapped him out of it. He was distant all week and barely even talked to Maya out of purely selfish reasons.

"Can we talk?" Shawn asked.

"About?" Maya countered.

"I'm sorry, how I've treated you this week," Shawn apologized. "It wasn't fair to you. You should be excited about going to your first school dance, not miserable."

"How'd you know I was-" Maya was cut off.

"Your mom told me." Katy could tell this was weighing on Maya since the day they went to the dress shop. She was so quiet and not at all her opinionated self. "She's smarter than she looks, you know."

"I am excited about the dance."

"Excited as a brick maybe, but I know when something's on your mind. And I haven't made it easy for you." Shawn paused. "You're growing up, Maya, and I guess I'm not as ready for it as I thought. Being your dad is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I didn't have the greatest childhood growing up, you know that. My mom was constantly running off and my dad spent most of my teen years trying to chase her. I wanted to give you so much more than what I had; I hope I've done a good enough job providing you with that."

"You have." Maya was aware of her dad's troubled past. That's why he was so close with the Matthews. Amy and Alan were practically her grandparents as they were responsible for partially raising Shawn. She figured that's why her dad turned out the way he did rather than become a street urchin.

"That still doesn't give me the right for acting the way I did. I should have known that our Cyclone days would be coming to an end, I just didn't realize how soon."

"That's the problem. I want to go on the Cyclone with you," Maya explained. "But I made a promise to Riley that I would go to the dance with her, and somebody has to make sure that she doesn't make a fool out of herself in front of Huckleberry."

"I see," Shawn said, realizing her dilemma. She was already dealing with her own personal struggle and he hadn't made this past week any easier on her with his actions.

Shawn checked his watch. Maya had two hours before the dance even started. He sent a quick message to his wife and started to head out the bay window.

"Where are you going?" Maya questioned.

"Why don't you come with me and find out," Shawn suggested holding out his hand for Maya to take.

Maya didn't hesitate. She smiled and grabbed her dad's hand for another adventure.

"You're a really good dancer, Lucas," Riley complimented.

She had spent most of the night attached to Lucas' hip much to her pleasure, but the truth was that Maya hadn't shown up yet. Though they had plans to go together, Riley received a rather cryptic text from Maya saying that she would be running a little late to the dance.

Riley wasn't even sure she wanted to go when she received Maya's text. Like Maya, Riley had begun to feel guilty for abandoning her dad on Cyclone day. She even told Cory that she wasn't going to the dance, but Cory told her she was going. After all, he was on chaperone duty.

"Thanks, so are you," Lucas said smiling at Riley.

"Look, everyone's copying us," Riley pointed out. Everyone had coupled up and were doing the same slow dance as them. As she scanned the crowd, out of the corner of her eye Riley spotted familiar blonde hair in the sea of dancers.

"The hat's just for me, isn't it? You actually put thought into our little game, don't you?" Maya commented, walking into the dance later than anticipated.

When she climbed out the bay window with Shawn, he had drug her up to Coney Island for the Cyclone with the promise she would make it back in time for the dance. The problem was that they hadn't planned on the traffic being as bad as it was. It didn't matter, all the stress Maya had felt that week was washed away. She got her moment with her dad and kept her promise to Riley.

"I actually do," Lucas said. He pulled a fake rose off one of the nearby decorations and put it in his mouth causing Maya to shudder.

Farkle walked by and took the rose from Lucas to place it in his mouth instead. He held his hand out for Maya and said, "You owe me a dance."

Farkle had already received his one dance from Riley and was ready to cash in on his dance with Maya. Maya rolled her eyes and thought, what the heck, she did make a promise after all. She accepted Farkle's hand before he could yank her onto the dance floor.

"Someone got stuck on chaperone duty," Shawn commented to Cory. When he dropped Maya off, it was late. The dance was almost over. He figured what was the point of driving all the way home to pick her up again. At least Shawn had someone he could talk to for the time being.

"It's no Cyclone, but it has its rewarding moments," Cory revealed. It had taken him a while to accept that Riley was growing up and no longer wanted to go on the Cyclone with him. However, watching his daughter enjoy her first school dance with a smile plastered on her face made him forget why he was upset in the first place. "Speaking of which, how was the Cyclone?"

"Like it was every year," Shawn said. The Cyclone hadn't changed one bit. It was the same ride he had taken Maya on since she was five. "I'm just glad Maya enjoyed it. I don't know how many more years I'll have left of this."

The music died down and everyone clapped. "Duty calls," Cory said as he departed from Shawn. He walked onto the stage and grabbed the microphone. "Well, guys, it looks like the night is winding down. We hope you all enjoyed the dance. But before we go, I notice some fathers have arrived to pick up their daughters. I wonder if we might have one last dance." This received a monstrous applause from the attendees. "A father-daughter dance."

Soft music started to play as Cory and Shawn approached their daughters. Lucas and Farkle had released their dance partners so the girls' fathers could have a moment with them.

"May I please have this dance?" Cory asked Riley. Riley gladly accepted.

"What do you say, kiddo? Wanna dance with your old man?" Shawn asked, sticking out his hand once more for Maya. And like she had done only a few hours prior, Maya accepted.

"Just to let you know, I have two left feet, so if I step on your feet more than once, you've been warned," Maya joked in all seriousness. Farkle had learned that the hard way.

"You get that from your mother," Shawn laughed as he twirled Maya on the dance floor.

"Looks like maybe we have a new tradition," Riley commented to Cory. Though the days of the Cyclone were over, it didn't mean she still couldn't have special moments with her dad.

"That's okay. Traditions are supposed to evolve. Just like daughters. Sometimes daughters just need...What was that again, Mr. Friar?" Cory asked, turning to Lucas for help.

"A guiding hand that has your best interest at heart," Lucas finished for Cory.

"There's still a whole lot I need you to teach me, dad," Riley said. She was wrong when she had told him he had taught her everything she needed to know. Riley knew that now.

"Thank you, Riley," Cory replied. "You know, I never want our daddy-daughter story to end."

"Neither do I, dad."