three. parties and honesty
maya hart and lucas friar

Maya Hunter never really had healthy ways of dealing with her feelings, especially not in middle school. Sure, she had Riley and the Matthews and Farkle, but she was the equivalent of a human mess. Then Lucas was added to the mix and changed things up. She was less alone, that is until she realized that Riley and Lucas were destined to be together. She still remembers the day she looked at the box containing her biggest secret and realized that she couldn't keep doing that, then took the box and threw it into a dumpster on her way to the Matthews'. She remembers the way Riley stepped back the way that she did, so that she could have a chance with their cowboy, but it didn't last very long. She remembers the first day she put on heels and found herself taller, more intimidating. She remembers knowing in that moment that she'd never wear anything other than heels because how can she protect Riley if she's nowhere near intimidating.

She remembers the triangle and all the angst that it caused, then ultimately stepping back for Riley and Lucas to have their fairytale ending. She remembers the way that they all assumed that she was turning into Riley when she started doing better in school, started dressing classier, and liked Lucas. She remembers the way that that broke her heart and the way that Josh looked at her like she was a new person at the ski lodge, but then agreed to Zay taking her on "dates" with Riley and Lucas. She remembers the way that Lucas easily accepted her choice to step back, the way that hurt, and the way he easily stepped into the relationship with the brunette. She remembers her mother's wedding to Shawn and the way Lucas came just to help calm her down.

She remembers the moment she knew she had to let go of the fantasy of becoming "Mrs. Josh Matthews" or "Mrs. Lucas Friar", the moment she had to accept that neither of them were the guy for her. She remembers the way they used to look at each other, before everything went down. She remembers when things started going south for the "strongest" couple in the group and how not much changed when Farkle and Smackle broke up. She remembers the fact that none of them were surprised when, a few months later, Zay announced that he had asked Smackle to their school dance and she had said yes. She remembers thinking about the dynamics of their friend group and the fact that even the couple that was most compatible couldn't last, so how could she even begin to imagine that she could find someone out there?

She remembers the day of the big break up, the day that Lucas and Riley broke up. They showed up at school, both looking a little upset. But that had passed within a few days and suddenly they were back to normal, since Riley and Lucas never even really acted like a couple to begin with. She remembers the whispers around the school that were trying to figure out why the golden couple had called it quits, that blamed her for the split, that guessed that Lucas [or even Riley] had been in love with their blonde best friend and that's why the relationship ended. She remembers the way that Farkle and Riley had fallen together into a routine so easily, so perfectly, and she wondered why they hadn't seen that long before it happened.

She remembers the way their sophomore and junior years flew by in the blink of an eye, despite the switching up of partners. She remembers every gentle touch of her and Lucas' hands, the brushing up against each other in the hallway or on the Matthews' couch during game night, the looks that they shared sometimes. But she also remembers kissing boys and girls during lunch, during school dances and sports games, in movie theaters. She remembers the way she avoided any acknowledgment of their feelings by making sure that she was never alone.

Remembering all of these things makes her want to forget, so she goes to a party the summer between her junior and senior years. It's the first time she's ever drank and she relishes the burn of the alcohol sliding down her throat. And for one night, she forgets about all of the things troubling her life, about Josh and Riley and her dad and the bruises left on her skin from the last boy she tried to let into her life and the scars that mar her left arm and the overwhelming urge to kiss Lucas Friar. She dances on a table, lets her hair down, and kisses a girl who she had always found herself drawn to. She takes off her heels and lets herself be small, even though there's no part of Maya Hunter that is small. Not her voice, her heart, or even her being.

So when she gets invited to another party, she accepts. And she steps into her new role as the secret party girl, something that not even Riley knows about. Sure, now more people pay attention to her and talk to her in the hallways, she gets tagged in more stuff on Instagram, but Riley doesn't really notice. She's more wrapped up in Farkle and applying to colleges and the tales of "Augva". Zay and Smackle are talking about their college applications and where they want to go and what they want to be after graduation. Farkle is, of course, applying to colleges and wrapped up in Riley's small dramas that Maya can't be bothered to handle sometimes [like, honestly, not everyone is going to like you, Riles]. And Lucas? Lucas notices, but Maya doesn't know that he does. He sees all of the posts, he notices the slight hangovers she has when they gather at Topanga's for coffee and to look over homework and college essays together, he hears stories about what the infamous Maya Hart has done at the last party.

So when things get out of hand at Missy Bradford's party, it comes as a surprise when she calls him out of all people. She's crying when he picks up and, without a moment of hesitation, he pulls on a hoodie and slides on his slippers before leaving his house. He talks to her the entire drive to the party to rescue her, helping to calm her down. And when he pulls into the driveway where the party is, he sees her standing on the porch with another girl, heels in her hands and makeup smudged and dress rumpled. She doesn't realize that he's arrived until he steps out of the car and slams the door behind him causing her to look up with wide eyes. As soon as she processes the sight of him in front of her, she lets out a gentle gasp and rushes to him, barely managing to end the call before throwing herself into his arms. Over her shoulder, the other girl nods to Lucas before slipping back into the party, leaving the two embracing teens on their own in the New York night.

"Maya?" he whispers softly into her hair.

"Lucas," she sighs, her voice muffled by his hoodie and chest.

"Let's get out of here," he says as she pulls away from him, running a hand through her hair. "Are you cold?"

"A little," she says, nodding to him as she uses that same hand to wipe away some of the makeup under her eyes.

And so, again without hesitation, he tugs the hoodie off his own body and slips it onto her. She smiles lovingly up at him before grabbing his hand and letting him lead her to the car. It surprises her when he opens her car door for her and holds it open for her. Once she's in and buckled, he closes the door behind her and makes his way back to the driver's side. By the time he's in his seat, she has already changed the radio station and turned up the heat, as well as her seat warmer. He chuckles, since her antics don't really surprise him that much, and then backs out of the driveway. She's loudly, and drunkenly, singing along to the song that's playing on the radio, so he chooses not to talk to her yet, just glancing at her every so often. But when the songs turns off and commercials come on, he reaches out and turns down the volume.

"Are you ready to talk about what happened?" he asks, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye to gauge her reaction.

She sighs and looks over to him, reaching out and resting a hand on his thigh as if to comfort him before she utters the words he was afraid of hearing, "Seth was there and he got a little upset with how I was acting, so he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into a room. And then he tried to... he tried to resume what we had been doing before I had broken up with him and I wasn't strong enough to stop him completely, but that girl came in and saved me. I'm okay, just a lot shaken and don't want to be there anymore."

"Maya..."

"Please...don't. I know that I made a mistake and it's my fault for leading him on. I don't want to hear that from you, though."

A scowl settles on his face as he looks over at her at the red light, "Maya, that definitely was not your fault. No matter what. Don't let anyone tell you differently. And he's lucky I'm not turning this car around right now to kick his ass. You don't deserve what he did, no one does."

A soft smile covers her face as she squeezes his thigh, "Thank you, Huckleberry."

The old nickname slips easily from her mouth and shocks them into silence for a moment, him looking back to the road and remembering their middle school years when that was all she would call him. The light turns green and he resumes driving as she withdraws her hand from his leg, the rush of the feelings she has for him flooding her senses. Her eyes focus on the buildings and the lights passing as he drives, silence encompassing the car. Then, when she notices that they pass the turn to her house, she blinks twice and turns to look at him with wide eyes.

"Is there a reason you're not taking me home?" she asks, her voice full of curiosity.

"There's no way you're going to be able to sneak back in like that and I'm not getting myself caught by Shawn while trying to sneak you back into your place. So you can spend the night at mine and then tell them you stayed with Riley or something?" he offers.

She nods, "Okay. That's fine with me. But what about your mom?"

"She had a work trip, she won't be home until Sunday afternoon. I've got the place to myself until then," he informs her. "You'd know that if you had been at lunch today."

She grins, "I was in the art room, trying to finish my project. It's a large self portrait, but you have to include what matters most to you in the reflection of your eyes. I have so much in there, so many people as opposed to the objects that most people have included. Of course, Riley's is a giant purple cat. And, for some reason, she still won't fail the assignment."

"Who do you have in the picture?"

"My mom, Shawn, Mr. Matthews, Topanga, Riley, Farkle, Zay, Smackle, Auggie, and you."

"Me?" he asks, quirking an eyebrow in her direction.

"Yes, you, cowboy," she laughs, throwing her head back. The sound of her laughter is like music to his ears and he can't resist the smile that covers his face at the sound. "You've always been important to me. How could you even begin to doubt that, Sundance?"

Before either can even really process the fact that she's just called him another one of the nicknames from the years of the triangle and simpler times, a new song comes on that she has to sing along to, so she cranks up the radio and does so. Accompanying her melodious voice, she includes cute little dance moves that leave him chuckling when he glances at her every so often. And before they know it, he's parking in the parking garage at his apartment building. She sighs when she realizes that the car ride is over and she no longer gets to sing along to the radio, that she'll have to walk to his apartment with him. But as soon as she gets out of the car, heels and phone still clutched tightly in her hands, he stands in front of her with his back to her. A smile covers her face as she loops her arms around his neck and hops a little, wrapping her legs around his waist. He easily grasps her thighs in his warm hands and holds her up, her chin resting on his shoulder as he begins to make his way into his apartment building.

They pass some people on their way to the elevator, and while some of them send the two teens odd looks, some of them have faint smiles on their faces as they're reminded of the days when the two would traipse through the hallways like that, when they were younger and their friendship wasn't completely tainted by the triangle and feelings that no one could have ever understood. And once they reach his apartment, he sets her down and unlocks the door, opening it wide for her to enter. She tosses her heels into the pile of shoes by the door, then makes herself at home in the apartment she hadn't spent any quality time in since their freshman year. All group gatherings had been at Topanga's or the Matthews' apartment and a handful of times, the Minkus' had hosted it. The two hadn't spent any alone time together until junior year and it was always in public places, never either of their places or anything like that. Neither was quite ready to accept that things had changed since the triangle had happened, that things between them could change too. Being alone would have been a good reason for them to bring it up and since neither was ready, they had avoided this kind of situation like the plague: always meeting each other places, always having people around [even if they're alone at the table, in the theater, ect]. So when the reality of the situation sinks in for the drunk girl, she turns to him with wide eyes, and he's looking at her with a similar expression on his face.

"What am I gonna sleep in?" she asks, breaking their silence, in which they were both thinking about the past. "I can't sleep in this dress."

"Hold on, let me grab you some clothes," he says, nodding to the couch. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be back in a minute."

So she watches him walk away from her for a moment, remembering all the times he had done that before and somehow they always end up back together again, even if just platonically like it has always been. Other than during the triangle, when she liked him and he was confused on who he liked. For just a second, she ponders the possibility that this is too much for him, her getting drunk and harrassed and calling him for help and that he's walking away, but she shakes her head. The couch seems to accept her into it's cushions when she takes a seat on it, curling her legs up beneath her and letting her eyes travel around the room as hse shrugs off his hoodie. Not much has changed since the last time she had been in the apartment, except some of the pictures had been updated. Ones of Lucas in Texas are now Lucas in New York, Lucas with his friends and at sports games and with the group and at dances. There's even one of just the two of them from their freshman, from her mom and Shawn's wedding. He had shown up later that night, when she had been crying and Riley didn't know how to help her, so she had called Lucas. Somehow he had been able to calm her down. Shawn had taken a picture of the two of them and it was included in the wedding album. She hasn't seen or thought about this picture in such a long time that it surprises her a little that this is where she is reminded of it. So, she gets up from the couch and walks over, picking it up and looking down at it.

In the picture, his arm is wrapped around her shoulders. She's looking at Shawn with that look on her face, the one that shows a mixture of annoyance with her step-father and love for him. The things that gets her, though, the thing that causes her to tear up is the way that Lucas is looking at her. The wedding was after their trip to the ski lodge, after she stepped back for Riley and Lucas, and yet he's still looking at her the way he did before she did that. He's looking at her the way she always imagined a boyfriend looking at her, so full of love and adoration and the utmost amount of care. She uses one of her hands to wipe at the tears on her cheek and somehow, in the midst of looking at the picture, doesn't hear him walk back into the room with clothes for her until he clears his throat from next to her. She reacts to that with a jump, guiltily looking away from the framed photo and at him.

"You have a copy of this picture," she says softly, her eyes wide. "I haven't seen this since I hid the copy from our album so Mom and Shawn wouldn't keep it forever."

"Why would you do that?" he asks, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Because," she sighs, looking back to the picture and feeling a lump in my throat, "this was the way I wanted you to look at Riley, not me. And it's been so long since someone has looked at me this way."

If she had looked up at this moment, she would have seen that same look on his face as he looks at her, all these years later. But instead, she places the photo back on the shelf and turns back to him, just as he looks down at the clothes to refocus on the topic of clothes to sleep in. She grins when she finds he has brought her a pair of plaid pajama pants and one of his black t-shirts, as well as a pair of her gray socks she had left behind from years ago. Her greedy little hands fly out and make grabby gestures that cause him to chuckle, handing her the clothes. She grins up at him widely, then nods her head towards the bathroom and leaves him alone in the living room this time. He watches her go in a similar manner to her watching him leave her, though he knows that she'll always come back, so there's not even a moment of worry that she won't.

In the bathroom, she is quick, slipping off the dress and her bra, then tugging his clothes on over her almost completely bare skin. Then she pulls on the socks, tucking her dainty feet into socks that fit her back in middle school. A quick glance in the mirror reveals to her that her makeup is smudged and her hair is a mess, so she uses the elastic around her wrist to pull her hair into an extremely sloppy, and not even in a cute way, bun before using the hand towel to wipe off the makeup from her cheeks and eyes. All of this is completed within two minutes, causing her to rejoin Lucas in his living room much quicker than either anticipated. He's on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, as he scrolls through something on his phone. The shift of her joining him on the couch is what causes him to look up, just as she rests her feet in his lap and rests her head behind her, on the arm rest.

"Thank you for saving me," she says after a few moments of silence. "Why haven't you asked me what I was doing at that party or yelled at me for drinking?"

"Because, Shortstack," he says gently, reaching down and squeezing one of her feet, which elicits a squeal from her, "I already knew. The rest of the group is pretty oblivious, but it wasn't hard to pick up on the fact that you've started going to parties. I just figured if you wanted to talk about it or talk about what made you want to go to the parties, you would have talked to us about it. I was letting you have your fun, but tonight proves that maybe I shouldn't have. I've never been good at keeping you safe, but I seriously slacked on this and I'm sorry."

"Huckleberry, it's not your job to protect me," she says, opening her eyes and looking at him. "I know that's all you want to do, but you don't have to. And I went to all these parties, started drinking, because I wanted to forget. It's senior year and we're all about to go our own ways, don't even try to tell me we won't grow apart, and I never got everything I wanted. I wanted to forget the way I feel and so, for the nights I was dancing on tables and creating drunken memories with people that don't love me as unconditionally as you guys, I got to forget and I was able to imagine a life for myself where I wasn't second choice for everyone and I wasn't alone and I hadn't lost my shot at love and happiness."

"Maya..."

"I stepped back for you," she says, narrowing her eyes at him. "I stepped back for you and Riley and you guys still managed to screw it up. So neither of us got you and everything in my life changed. Nothing between us was the same after that. And sometimes I like to forget about you guys and that whole thing. Now can you make me a grilled cheese?"

The sudden change of topic almost takes him off guard, but then he remembers that she's a little bit drunk and her brain has never completely made sense to him, so he nods to her and gets up, deciding not to push the subject. To his surprise, she follows him to the kitchen and makes herself at home on one of the counters, her short little legs dangling in the air as she watches him gather all of the ingredients to make her a grilled cheese sandwich. While he's buttering the bread, she pulls her phone out of the pocket of the plaid pajama pants she's wearing and turns on music, softly singing along to the words of the All Time Low song. He glances over his shoulder and smiles at her, as she nods her head and taps her fingers against the counter.

"Normally the parties are fun," she tells him, all of a sudden serious, just as he drops the sandwich onto the pan. "There's never been a party where I didn't have fun, where I wasn't the life of the party. But tonight was different and Seth scared me, he hurt me, and I couldn't be there with all of them anymore because they weren't you."

"You mean the group?" he asks, leaning against the counter across from her, watching her curiously.

She shakes her head at him, "No. Just you. I love the group, I do. But Smackle is something else and she's a little blunt sometimes, though I adore her quite a bit. Farkle and Zay would be lecturing me right now for the party. And Riley? I love her, I do, but she'd want to fix me. And I'm not broken. I'm not, Huckleberry. I'm just fine."

"So that's why you called me?" he asks, turning to check on her sandwich. "Because you didn't want to handle how everyone else would react to you drinking?"

She shakes her head, a little frustrated that her words aren't coming out the way she wants, "No. I called you because you get me in a way that none of them have. And I knew you'd take care of me, you'd get me somewhere safe and you'd protect me. Even though you don't have to. And I love you for all of that, but that's why I called you."

Smartly, he decides to ignore that she has just told him she loves him, instead nodding and flipping her sandwich, "Okay. So after you eat this sandwich, will you please go to sleep? You definitely need to sleep this off. Plus, it's currently 2 a.m."

"And you're making me a grilled cheese?" she asks, grinning adoringly at him. "You're my prince charming. But sure, I'll sleep. But only if I can sleep in your bed, too."

"Too?" he asks, looking over his shoulder at her bemusedly.

She nods, "I'm not kicking you out of your bed. We can share. I'll even build a pillow wall between us, if you want."

"That's alright, Hunter. Just eat your sandwich," he laughs, sliding her a plate with the sandwich on it. "What would you like to drink?"

"Cold water, please," is her answer as she picks up half of the sandwich to inspect it. "You remember."

"What?" he asks, grabbing a cup out of the cupboard.

"How I like my grilled cheese cut and made," she answers, mouth full of toasted bread and melted cheese. "You still remember."

"Of course I do," he says seriously, handing her the water. "I remember everything, Shortstack. I always will. And I would like to say that I really, really hope that this means we can go back to normal. And that we won't grow apart after graduation. And maybe, just maybe, that you won't want to keep going to parties."

"We'll talk about it in the morning," she says, finishing the sandwich quicker than either of them expected. "I'm tired."

He laughs, watching her put her plate in the sink and then chug the water, placing the cup in the sink as well, "Alright, come on, dork. You need sleep."

She nods, following him to his room. He holds the door open for her and she easily enters, her eyes scanning the room. It's been years since she's been in here, years since their friendship had changed so drastically. But not much had changed: he still has piles of clothes in the corner, pictures of everyone tacked to his wall, one of her drawings framed, and his desk is cluttered with homework. Since the last time, he's changed blankets and sheets, but that doesn't surprise her much. She plops down on the left side of the bed, knowing he prefers the right, and smiles at him. He smiles right back as he makes his way to his side of his own bed. Without any conversation, he slides into the bed as well and claps twice, turning off the light. Both of them get themselves comfortable underneath his blankets. She rests her head on top of two pillows and looks at him, letting out a soft sigh.

"Goodnight, Sundance," she whispers, even though they're alone. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Hunter. Sweet dreams."

°•°

The next morning, her head hurts when she wakes up. Not as bad as it's hurt before, but still pretty bad. Her pillow is a lot warmer than she remembers it being, as well as a lot larger. A muffled voice catches her attention and she freezes, trying to listen in to the conversation as discreetly as possible.

"Yes, Riley, I know about what happened at that party last night," Lucas says, making her wince. "No, I wasn't there. Are you dumb?"

There's a moment of silence while Maya processes his words and the fact that that means she's in a bed with him, that she's broken her promise to herself that she wouldn't ever be like middle school Maya again with him, that she'd let them go their separate ways without entwining their lives even more. But instead of freaking out and throwing herself away from him, she decides to revel in the feeling of being here in the moment with him. All of those thoughts take the same amount of time to settle in her mind as it apparently takes Riley to reply to Lucas, because just as she's snuggled closer to him, he answers her best friend.

"She called me to pick her up. I picked her up and brought her home. She's still asleep," he tells her. "Listen, I'll talk to her as soon as she's awake. If you want to talk to her, I'll ask her if she will do lunch with everyone to explain herself. Then I'll text everyone and let them know, okay?"

Apparently, Riley's response is positive, as he then says, "Just remember to take it easy on her. I'll talk to you later, Riles. Bye."

Then he hands up, tossing the phone somewhere else, judging by the smacking sound it makes as it lands somewhere. She has to hide a smile when, after hanging up, he begins to play with her hair gently as he stays silent, thinking. The warmth of his body, which she is wrapped around, grows to be too much, so she lets out a muffled sigh and stretches, releasing him. As soon as she does this, he drops her hair and watches her. She looks up at him with wide, vulnerable eyes as she rolls to her own side of his bed. He smiles softly at her as she wipes at her eyes, the sun shining brightly through his window and also somewhat hurting her head.

"Good morning, sunshine," he says, running a hand through his own hair. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good," she answers, her voice a bit scratchy. "Should have let me build that pillow wall, huh?"

He chuckles, "It's okay."

They fall to silence and, once again, her eyes scan the room around her and she takes in her surroundings. The room reminds her of their past, of the tricky path that they've thrown themselves on by her calling him and him not even hesitating before rescuing her. Curiosity about when he'll bring up the phone call with Riley plagues her mind as she fiddles with her fingers and tries to ease the pain in her temples by not talking. But the soft expression on his face makes her softly sigh, sitting up and resting one of her hands on his shoulder to hold herself up, while simultaneously rubbing her temple with her other hand.

"I'm hungry, my head hurts, and I need a shower," she says, somewhat quietly.

"How about I take you home, you take a shower, and then we meet the group for lunch?" he offers, answering her question of when the phone call would be brought up. "They heard some rumors about last night and want to check on you. That was the best compromise I could come to."

She nods, "Okay. Let's go. I want to get this day over with."

To that, he nods and gets out of bed, "Give me a minute to get changed. There's a spare toothbrush in the bathroom if you wanna brush your teeth before we go."

"That your nice way of telling me that my breath sticks, Sundance?" she asks, grinning as she crawls out of bed. "Take your time. Mom is at work and Shawn is with the Matthews today for some Shawn and Cory thing. So I'm gonna take my time, too."

He laughs, nodding, as she shuts the door to his room behind her. It's a short journey to the bathroom and she easily finds the blue toothbrush, grabbing it and using Lucas' toothpaste to brush her teeth. Once done with that and her mouth tastes pretty minty, she looks into the mirror and sighs. There's not really a point in trying to pull herself together to impress Lucas, or anyone they might run into, at this point because of the fact that she's just going home to shower, so she leaves her hair in the messy disarray on top of her head. When she leaves the bathroom, she's not shocked to find that he's already ready and waiting for her by the door, phone in hand as he types a text and his keys swing from his fingers. An involuntary smile spreads across her face at the sight of him, one that she doesn't manage to hide before he looks up to her, finding her grinning widely and dressed completely in his clothes.

"Piggy back to the car?" she asks, wiggling her toes in the socks. "I don't wanna wear my heels with the pajamas."

"Sure," he says, chuckling as he turns around and shoves his phone into his pocket. "Hop on, short stuff."

She does, his hands gripping her thighs as she wraps them around him. He lets out a shocked sound when she smacks the back of his head with the back of her hand, mumbling something about the short jokes. But then they're out the door, on their first mission of the day: get her home to her shower and painkillers. Less people are out and about in the hallways today, but the few that are do give them similar looks to the ones they received the night before, but neither paid much attention as she mindlessly chatters about the winter formal in two weeks and not having a date. At the car, he once again opens the passenger door for her to let her in, then closes the door once she's buckled. This time, though, he tosses in her heels before she climbs in, as he carried them through the apartment complex for her. She smiles up softly at him through the window and he smiles back widely, as if they're not spending time together because she got drunk and needed him to rescue her from her ex-fling the night before. That thought hits her as he climbs into the driver's seat, causing her to fall silent and not want to continue the conversation, knowing what will come next within the group: accusations thrown around, from her prompting his behavior with her own to what she and Lucas had done while she slept at his house to her having an "alcohol problem" once the fact that that wasn't the first party she's been to during the duration of their senior year is revealed to the rest of them.

"Don't stress," he tells her, reaching over and giving her thigh a squeeze as he pulls onto the New York street. "I'm going to be there and while I don't condone the partying, I definitely don't think that they have a right to judge you for how you handle everything you've been through. Especially because they've never had to handle even half of what you have. So trust me, I'm on your side in this and I will make sure they know that."

"You mean you'll protect me from our best friends?" she asks, looking down at his hand still on her pajama clad thigh and smiles faintly.

"I'll protect you from whoever I have to, Shortstack. Even yourself. You should know that by now," he says, his voice gruff and full of meaning.

Those words give her pause, making her stop to think about him and about their past. About all the ways he had protected her from getting hurt from the moment they met, like when Farkle had asked some question at her first art fair and Lucas had quickly covered his mouth so it wouldn't hurt her or when he fought for her to keep her art class or when he had let the triangle last for so long. Even though that last one had somewhat hurt her, it hurt her less than if he had outright said no to her and had completely wrecked their friendship, to the point where they wouldn't have even been sitting is his car together, let alone at the same lunch table on the days she would grace them with her presence instead of hiding out in the art room. And she definitely thinks about the fact that he doesn't protect anyone else in their group with the vivacity and tenacity that he protects her with, the anger in his eyes the moment anything could possibly hurt her, the "blonde beauty". With a glance to him, she wonders why he still cares after all these years, but doesn't voice the question in fear of what the answer would be. Because it would either hurt her, if he said that it's because of the way that Riley always tried to look out for her and he just adapted the same mindset, or hurt Riley, in the off chance he said that it was because he had feelings for her.

"Earth to Maya," he sing songs, his Southern accent creeping out. "We're here. You going to get out of the car anytime soon?"

When she looks out the window, she's shocked to find that she'd been looking at him for a lot longer than she had meant to, a lot longer than just a glance, and he had totally caught her. What surprises her even more than that, though, is the fact that they've reached her house and her stepfather is on his way out the door. When he spots her, sitting in Lucas' car in the somewhat large driveway, his eyes narrow and he begins walking towards them. With wide eyes, she turns to Lucas, who looks just about as shocked as her.

"Shit," she whispers, gently nibbling on her lower lip. "I'm sorry!"

Then Shawn is at her window and she's rolling it down, ready to take whatever punishment that he deems fit for her not coming home until 11 in the afternoon with Lucas when she wasn't even supposed to have been gone. But his eyes scan her and seem to zone in on her forearm, his eyes widening as he looks back up at his almost adult step daughter. She looks down to see what he saw and, to her and Lucas' surprise, there's bruises in the shape of a hand there. She didn't think that Seth had gripped her that hard, but she was wrong, and somehow neither teens had noticed the black and blue splotches on her arm. When she looks back up to Shawn, her eyes wide, he's looking at Lucas.

"Did you do this to her, punk?" he asks, his voice a little gruff.

"Of course not, sir," is the answer that automatically falls from Lucas' mouth. "I would never hurt her, trust me."

"Maya papaya," Shawn says gently, looking back to her. "Are you okay?"

She nods, "I'm okay. Lucas... protected me and kept me safe. We can talk about this later, but right now, I need a shower and Cory needs you."

"I think you might need me too," he notes aloud, making her wince and Lucas sigh behind her. "And your mom, despite her weird cravings and hormonal imbalance."

"What I need is a shower and to head to lunch with the group, but tonight, I will tell you and Mom everything. Okay?" Maya says, not acknowledging his words about her mother.

"Fine," he relents, then looks back to Lucas. "I don't know what happened, kid, but don't leave her side for the rest of the day. I trust you to keep her safe."

"Really?" she asks, raising an eyebrow in his direction. "Because your first reaction to seeing the bruises was to blame him."

"You, shush," Shawn says, leaning into the car to press a kiss to her forehead. "It was an automatic response. And I'm sorry for that. Love you, kid."

"Love you, too, Dad," she says, using the name that she had started using for him about a year after the wedding, one that had caused him to cry the first time he heard it. "See you later."

He nods to the both of them before walking towards his own car, climbing in and driving away. Neither teen dared move until he was out of the driveway and out of sight, not wanting him to change his mind and turn back around. So as soon as he's gone, she turns to Lucas with her eyes still wide and shock flooding her body. Relief is written on his face and it's easy for her to read that emotion. She's sure that a similar expression is on her face as well.

"Well, now that that has happened, let's go inside so I can take a shower and get ready."

"Okay, then," he says, nodding.

And so the two teens get out of the car. Once again, he carries her shoes for her, but this time she links their elbows together as they walk up to her front door. Of course, she didn't have her key on her, so as soon as they reach the door, she groans and unwinds her arm from his. He watches her with a quirked eyebrow as she marches to one of the windows, the one to her room, and slides it open. He chuckles as she slides through the window, landing deftly on the floor inside, crouched down. She smiles sweetly at him through the open window and he follows suit, not quite as gracefully or stealthily, but he doesn't break anything [his bones or her belongings] as he does so, so they count it as a success. She smiles widely at him and gestures to her bed, which is the current resting place of her fat cat, Peaches, so he flops down on the bed and pulls out his phone.

He glances up after a second to comment, "You can take the girl away from her fire escape, but you can't take the fire escape out of the girl."

She looks at him for a few moments, watching as Peaches moves closer to him and curls up against his side, watching as he rests on hand on the white and tabby cat, watching as he then navigates his phone with just one hand so he can continue to pet her cat. After watching grows too much for her to handle, she turns around and begins looking for an outfit. It's easy to throw one together, picking her favorite off the shoulder flowy shirt and her favorite ripped skinny jeans, pairing them with a pair of back lace-up platform heels. He doesn't pay her any attention as she pulls open her drawer that holds all her bras and panties, grabbing a strapless bra and underwear as well. Before leaving the bedroom, she grabs her phone charger and takes it with her to charge her phone.

Shedding out of his clothes feels like some sort of sacrilegious act, but she watches as his clothes pile up on her bathroom floor and she stands there, bare. For a moment, she takes the time to asses the now exposed skin, taking in the bruises on her arm and even on her lower back from where she was pushed into a doorway, the bruise he left on her collarbone with his lips. She feels damaged in a way and she can't stop the sob that rips her apart, the sob that cues her sobbing in the shower in the hot water. She never meant for it to get this far, never meant for her drinking to lead to her crying in her shower with bruises covering her body and Lucas waiting for her in her bedroom, for her to have to tell the group and her family about the boy whose heart she had broken who had taken that had taken it to himself to try to break her spirit. She doesn't think about the fact that the only thing separating the shower from her room is just one wall, one that isn't that soundproof, so Lucas can hear her cries.

By the time that the running water turns off, he can no longer hear her cries, so he assumes that she's stopped crying. It takes her a bit longer to finally exit the bathroom and her appearance almost shocks him, as her hair is completely dried and styled just like she normally wears it, as well as a small amount of makeup on her face. Her lips, though, are painted red and she holds her head high as she joins him on the bed so that she can buckle her shoes onto her feet. He watches tentatively as she does, not sure if he should ask her if she's okay or hug her or just ignore the fact that he could hear her breaking down in the other room. That is, until, she looks at him and he sees how scared she is just from the look in her eyes, so he scoots closer to her and wraps an arm around her shoulder and tugs her close. She rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes, reveling in his hold.

"Whatever happens, just remember we all love you and they'll get over whatever problem they have," he says softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her hair. "And I'm on your side always."

"Always?" she laughs, her eyes opening and turning her fiery gaze to him as she pulls away from him. "You weren't on my side when Riley made me feel horrible about wanting to become a better person, when she basically said that all of the good things about me were me trying to be her. You weren't on my side when she accused me of every nasty thing she could when she thought I was going to erupt. You weren't exactly on my side when I stepped back, like always, for Riley to get what she wanted and I ended the triangle. You haven't been on my side in a long ass time, Friar. You have always been Team Riley when it matters. I've dealt with so much on my own, stuff that you could have been on my side for. But we lost any semblance of friendship when I made you choose Riley. So don't give me that always on my side bullshit."

He chuckles, his gaze sharpening and his eyes darkening, "You really never heard?"

"Heard what?" she spits back.

"That when Brent was spreading lies about what the two of you did under the bleachers, I punched him square in the face. When people call you names in the locker room, I make them stop, whether it be with my fists or with some pretty strongly worded threats. When Riley got upset with you for the lack of Friday night movie nights and was going to confront you about it, I was the one who talked her down because I knew that it was hurting you to spend time with her and that you preferred to spend your Friday nights drinking from plastic cups and dancing on tables. And when Josh decided, during our junior year, before Riley and I broke up, that he was going to pursue you, despite the fact that he had an on and off girlfriend and the fact that you were still just 16, I'm the one who talked some sense into his stupid, thick head," he says roughly and as his monologue progresses, her eyes soften and her heart grows warm. "I've always been on your side, Maya. It doesn't matter who I'm dating or what's going on around me, it's always been about protecting you. Hell, remember Sophia? That girl I went on a couple of dates with over the summer? I ended that because she made some off hand comment about you. Even if our friendship was different, that never changed how I felt about you or what I would have done to protect you. How the hell could you not know that?"

"Maybe because you let me step back!" she finally snaps at him, standing up and throwing her hair behind her shoulders. "You told me you didn't like the way I teased you and called you names, that you didn't like who I was. So I decided to step back, but I also wanted you to fight for me. I wanted you to tell me that you were only confused because you didn't know how to choose between us because we were so different, that there was something about me that you liked because it wasn't something you all saw as me becoming Riley. But you didn't. You easily let me choose to step back and you dated Riley, you didn't once think to assure me that you liked me for me. That's what messed up our friendship, not the end of the triangle. It was how the triangle ended and what you didn't do. So I tried not to pay much attention to anything you did because it genuinely hurt me."

"You ended the triangle because of me saying that teasing me isn't why I like you?" he asks, his eyes wide in shock. "You're such an idiot, Hart."

"Hunter," she corrects, narrowing her eyes at him. "And, you asshole, you don't get to call me an idiot."

"I said that because that's not the only reason I like you!" he exclaims, throwing his hands up and making her flinch backwards, but he's too wrapped up in what he's saying to notice her reaction. "Yes, I love the way we tease each other and the way you try to get under my skin. But that's not it and I never wanted you to think that. I love the way your eyes light up when you talk about the things you love, like art and Riley and Shawn and going away for college to try something new. I love the way your laugh sounds like music. I love the smile on your face when you succeed in getting under my skin, which happens a lot more frequently than you even realize. I love the way the sun captures your hair and makes me think, for just a moment, that you're an angel, not just a human like the rest of us. But you never got to hear any of that, instead you turned to 'Uncle Boing' and stepped back because I told you I didn't like the teasing, not even letting me expand on what I meant? So yeah, I will call you an idiot, Shortstack."

"Oh," she mumbles, looking down and fiddling with her fingers.

"That's all you have to say to all of that?" he asks, letting out a humorless chuckle. "'Oh'?"

"Can we do this later?" she asks, looking up to him with wet eyes. "We're going to be late to me getting attacked by the friend group."

"You can't keep pushing everything until later to deal with," he informs her, grabbing his phone off the bed and heading out of her room. "One of these days, you're going to have to confront all of this. You're going to have to open up and tell the truth and deal with everything, Maya."

"You want me to do this now?" she exclaims, moving quickly and blocking him from opening her front door, her phone in her hand. "Fine! I love you, Lucas Friar. I have since we were in seventh grade. I don't know the exact moment it happened, but I stepped back for Riley to get her perfect ending. Girls like me don't deserve boys like you. So instead of getting you and everything I wanted, I let you go and I turned to other people. I let Josh take my virginity when I turned 17, despite all the boys who claim to have slept with me before that, because I trusted Josh to be gentle. I kissed other boys, and girls, to try to fill the emptiness that was left in my life when I stepped back for good. You want me to open up and tell everyone the truth? Fine. Let's go sit down with our friends and I'll spill everything. But you don't get to pretend as if you haven't pushed this back, tried not to deal with the whole situation. We're seniors and the triangle still isn't over, apparently. So don't even attempt to judge me for that."

His response surprises both of them, as he steps forward and grasps her face in a similar fashion to the way he did by that campfire in Texas. But this time, he connects their lips without a second of hesitation. It doesn't take her but two seconds to wrap her arms around him and kiss back, putting everything into the kiss that she's waited so long for. It doesn't take them long to break apart, both of them gasping for air, their cheeks flushed and their lips a bit swollen. Her eyes are wide as she looks at him, wrapping her arms around herself to hold herself together. He looks just as shocked, but doesn't feel the grips of guilt that are starting to wrap around her mind, as she just kissed her best friend's ex and holy shit does she want to do it again.

"That was..." she says, shaking her head. "That is something we will deal with later. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes," he confirms, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Do I have an lipstick on my face?"

"No," she laughs, smiling widely at him. "I'm wearing no smudge lip gloss. You're all good. Let's go."

"If there's a repeat performance of that, I'd like there to be smudged lipstick," he tells her as she opens the door, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and grinning down at her.

"In your dreams, Huckleberry," she laughs, not letting the kiss make anything uncomfortable or awkward between them.

"You're not wrong, Shortstack," he laughs, opening the passenger door for her. "Let's go."

The drive to the diner that they rest of the group had decided on being their meeting place was silent. She's almost glad for the silence, but she finds herself intertwining her fingers with his hand resting on her thigh. Music plays quietly and she slides on her sunglasses to block the bright sunlight, having grabbed her purse on the way out. Thankfully, the drive doesn't take too long, and she slides out of the car as soon as it's in park. From the spot where he had parallel parked in front of the diner, she can see the group already gathered at a table inside. Smackle and Zay are sitting together on one side of the table, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and her head resting on his shoulder. Farkle and Riley are on the other side, their hands clasped together on top of the table. Smackle is the first to notice her. Despite the fact that the girl is blunt and a little opinionated, they had grown close over the years. Maya had been one of the first of the group to accept her how she is and not try to change her, so Maya and Zay were the two she had grown closest to, despite the fact that she had dated Farkle for awhile.

After Smackle spots her, it doesn't take the rest of the table long to look over at her. Lucas squeezes her shoulder from beside her, in a show of support, before they open the door and make their way into the restaurant. Riley raises her eyebrow at the two, as his hand has gravitated from her shoulder to the small of her back, but doesn't comment on it. Smackle seems to be observing and processing every move they make, which makes Maya feel a bit uncomfortable, as the smart brunette didn't take long to put together that Maya still had feelings for him in their freshman year, after the ski lodge and stepping back for Riley. Zay has a smirk on his face, as if he knows exactly what they did before leaving her house, and Farkle is watching them with wonder in her eyes. Everyone at the table looks a little curious when he pulls her chair out for her, at one end of the table, and she looks up at him with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Why thank you, cowboy," she says, a lightness to her voice that he wasn't expecting.

"My pleasure," he teases back, tipping his imaginary hat in her direction before heading to the seat at the other end of the table. "Hey, guys."

"Are you okay?" is the first thing out of Riley's mouth, directed at her blonde best friend.

Even though her top is off the shoulder, the long sleeves hide most of the bruising on her arms. The only thing not hidden from their eyes is the mostly covered up [with makeup] hickey on her collarbone. She gently brushes her fingers across the mark that Seth had made on her and sighs, shaking her head and looking down. Before she gets a chance to answer, the waitress comes to the table to take her and Lucas' drink orders. He orders a sweet tea, which makes her smirk at his Southern roots peeking out as she orders herself an apple juice. The waitress nods and tells them she'll be back in a few for their orders, then walks away from their table. Maya takes a deep breath, looking away from Lucas and to the rest of the table.

"Go ahead and ask me questions," she says softly. "I know you probably have a lot."

"A party, Maya?" Riley asks, crossing her arms against her chest. "Without any of us knowing? They're dangerous, you have to know that from all the stories! How could you go to your first high school party without me? Or any of us, really?"

"It's not the first party I've been to," she admits. "I started over the summer and I was having fun, so I kept going. Nothing bad happened until last night, and even last night wasn't that bad."

Lucas scoffs, "Uh huh. Which is why you were a sobbing mess and called me to rescue you."

She narrows her eyes at him, "I thought you were on my side, buddy."

"I am," he says, sending her a small grin. "I just don't want you downplaying what happened."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Farkle asks, drawing her attention back to the group. "We should have known."

"All of you have your own lives to deal with. And I didn't want you guys to judge me, to make me feel bad for something that made me feel good," she tells them, fiddling with her fingers on the table. "Especially because it's not something any of you would have understood. I've never seen any of you at parties and you've never handled your pain in any type of unhealthy way. That's all me."

"We'll come back to the unhealthy ways of dealing with your pain," Lucas says, tilting his head to the side and narrowing his eyes at her. "We're covering last night first."

The waitress comes back to the table and they all order food, each getting something vastly different from each other. Lucas chuckles when she orders a grilled cheese and extra fries. She sends him a look while ordering herself toast and peanut butter as well. Smackle looks back and forth between them during that exchange, as if documenting everything for girl talk later, so Maya nods to her to confirm whatever thought Smackle has, knowing the girl has gotten a lot better with being able to keep secrets and with understanding what Maya is thinking or doing. Once the waitress walks away, Zay is the one to ask the question.

"So, what happened last night?"

She sighs, "It all started last week, when I broke up with Seth. We were in the middle of fooling around when I decided I didn't want to sleep with him, so I ended it. I've known that he hasn't been happy with that choice since then, if you've listened to any of the whispers around school. But I haven't gotten with anyone else, haven't even tried to 'move on'. Not that I loved him or anything. Anyways, I was pretty buzzed and dancing on a table in a skimpy dress. He wasn't thrilled when he saw that. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me down, then out of the room."

As she says that last sentence, she pulls up the sleeve on her right arm to show the table the bruises on her arm. Zay is the one to let out a soft gasp and reach out, gently brushing his fingers against the mottled skin. She doesn't react to the chill of his fingers, instead making eye contact with Lucas and reminding herself to remain calm. It doesn't take the rest of the group long to join in on getting a closer look at the bruises while she continues the story.

"So he dragged me off to a room and was angry with me, slammed me against the doorway before slamming me against the wall and attacking me with his lips and hands. I had drank too much to be able to fight him off much, but I was trying. And then Ashley, the angel that she is, walked in and saved me. She ushered me out of the house. That's when I called Lucas to come get me because he's who I trusted the most to come get me."

"Lucas over me?" Riley asks, sadness in her eyes when her blonde best friend looks at her. "When did that happen?"

"It wasn't necessarily because she trusts me more," he interjects, deciding to help her out. "We talked about it last night and she called me because she knew I wouldn't yell at her or really judge her. I would get her out of there and somewhere safe, then keep an eye on her. Which is what I did."

"But maybe she should be yelled at," the brunette says, narrowing her eyes as she glances back and forth between her best friend and her ex.

Smackle shakes her head, "No, pretty boy is right."

"Thank you, Smackle."

"Not in front of Zay," she teases, glancing up at her boyfriend of almost 3 years. The next part is muttered only loud enough for the two blondes and Zay to hear, "Or Maya."

"Yeah, Friar," his best friend teases, a smile on his face. "Get your own genius girlfriend."

For just a moment, Lucas and Maya make eye contact from across the table. Before they can continue the conversation, though, their waitress returns with their food. As she passes out the food, Smackle takes a moment to lean over and lace her fingers through Maya's, squeezing her hand. Riley watches the exchange, trying to figure out when she and her best friend had grown so far apart that Smackle was doing better at consoling her and dealing with her post-trauma than she was. The waitress makes sure they've got everything before leaving their table, heading off for another group of people getting lunch. Riley lets Maya take a couple bites of her sandwich before going back to their discussion.

"So, you've been partying?" she asks, taking a sip of her ice water.

"Yes," Maya confirms, dunking a fry in ketchup before popping it into her mouth. "I'm always safe and end up getting breakfast with some group before heading home. I'm careful about what drinks I'll drink and I've never gotten blackout drink. After last night, though, I'm probably done for a bit. I don't care about the reputation I gained, I cared about being able to forget and being able to create new memories."

"Forget?" Farkle asks, his eyes wide. "What did you want to forget?"

"A lot of things, honey. From changes within the group to us all growing up and going to different colleges to my mom being pregnant. For just nights at a time, I could forget about my life as Maya Hunter and I could be the Maya that I used to be, the one that was reckless and the life of the party."

"Katy is pregnant?" Zay exclaims, his eyes wide. "Since when?"

"She's about five months along," she tells them, wincing at the realization that she just ruined the announcement that Katy and Shawn were planning for the Matthews. "Don't tell anyone, she wants to announce it soon. Before telling you guys, I had only told one person."

"Who?" Riley asks, leaning back and crossing her arms against her chest.

"Me," Lucas says, glancing at the blonde. "Last night, when she was drunk."

Deciding that lying about that wouldn't be the best choice, since she's trying to be open and honest with her friends, she shakes her head and says, "Actually, I told him this morning while we were on our way. After we ran into Shawn, who accidentally hinted at it. We hadn't really discussed it yet."

"I can't believe that you've been partying," Riley says quietly, causing Maya to look to her. "And you didn't trust me enough to tell me. We've always been best friends. I would have helped you resist the urge to drink and helped you forget. Why couldn't you have trusted me to do that?"

"Because I'm not something broken for you to fix, peaches," the blonde says, squishing down her anger. "I didn't need you to conquer all my demons. Hell, you've never even conquered your own. I always do it for you. So I was handling it myself."

"But-"

"Riley, stop."

The fact that those two words are said by not just Lucas, but also Smackle, makes Maya blink and stare at the two in shock. Riley's eyes widen as she swivels to look at Lucas, the boy who she had shared so many firsts with, who was sharing another one with her now: the first time he had stood up for Maya and told her to shut it down. Farkle rests a hand on her shoulder, looking at Smackle in surprise, as he hadn't realized how fond she had become of the blonde. She shrugs, not even looking up at her boyfriend, whose gaze keeps shifting from Maya to Lucas.

"Lucas, what's she's doing is dangerous! She should be scolded for it. And she should have trusted us enough to let us help her," the brunette says, gesturing with her hands.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe you're what she was trying to forget?" he asks, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"What the heck are you talking about?" she spits out at him, as if no one else is at the table.

"You have been her best friend since you guys were little. She's always put you and your happiness first, above herself and what she's wanted. She stepped back for you for almost two years, so you could have the fairytale first love. You are the one that spilled her secret, then stepped back for a few weeks before you couldn't hide the fact that you still had feelings for me. And so you put her through having me choose between the two of you, where either choice would have hurt her."

"How would you choosing her have hurt her?" she asks, letting out a humorless laugh.

"Because it would have hurt you, Riles. And you're her number one priority. But when the triangle got to be too much for you, you blamed her maturing and starting to figure out who she is on her trying to become you. Even your uncle played in on it, trying to convince her that she just wanted to make sure that I was good enough for you. But you didn't even notice how much pain she was in after stepping back, once again. Every time you have an issue, you run to her to fix it for you. No matter how big or small. But when have you ever helped her actually deal with anything? Even at her mom's wedding, you made me come deal with it. And then to top it all off, you broke up with me because you realized that you liked Farkle. So not only did she step back for the sake of you getting your happy ending with Prince Charming, you wrecked that. Not that I still want to be with you or anything. You're always going to be my best friend and I love you, but I'm not in love with you and I never was. There was someone else for me, as well, and I'm tired of pretending like it isn't Maya. Like it hasn't always been Maya."

The blonde sighs, "Jesus, Huckleberry. I thought we were waiting until later to address that part, in private. Not here with the whole group. You're asking for a lot of truth from me today."

He shrugs, "I'm not all that sorry."

"And Riley," Smackle adds, drawing the brunette's attention to her, "Maya isn't broken. She never has been. There's nothing about her that you need to fix because there's nothing wrong with her. She is human and humans are flawed, even you. I want you to take a second and think about the worst time of your life."

Riley nods, "The triangle and when him choosing Maya over me was a possibility."

"The worst time of Maya's life was..." Smackle says, gesturing to Maya.

"My dad left me when I was just a little kid and my mom was never home," the blonde says softly. "I didn't have someone at home the way you have Cory and Topanga. I was...I was dark and twisty and I didn't handle anything well. Sometimes I feel as if you don't have compassion for me and you make my home life the brunt of all your jokes."

"So you have to take into consideration that, in comparison to her, you've lived a princess life," Smackle says. "And have you even asked her where she's applying to college? Or thought about any of that? No, you've been wrapped up in Farkle. I will admit that I've been busy too, and I'm sorry for that, Maya, but you don't get to yell at her for how she's dealing with the stress of everything. Maybe drinking isn't safe, but it's better than hurting herself or jumping off a building."

"I used to do that," Maya says softly, dragging everyone's attention to her. "I figured that was a good spot to delve into another tough topic."

"What are you talking about?" Zay asks, confusion written in his eyes.

"Hurt myself," she clarifies. "From about sixth grade until the towards the end of seventh grade. I don't want to go into deep specifics, but I was in a dark place and much more mature than I should have been for a sixth grader, and I started finding escape in a little metal blade. That's not something that anyone knows. I quit after meeting Mr. Moral Compass over there, after he became an integral part of our group. But I did used to and I have the scars to prove it."

This time, when she holds out her arm, she pulls off her bracelets to show them the scars across her left wrist. Even Lucas looks shocked at this revelation, staring at her with wide eyes as everyone else looks at the pale lines across her skin. Tears have welled up in her eyes, knowing that this could be the thing that ruins any chance she had with Lucas, diminishing any feelings that he still has for her. She watches forlornly as he rises from his chair, but instead of leaving the restaurant, and her, like she expected, he walks to her seat and crouches down next to her. She easily lets him draw her arm to him so he can inspect her scars.

All of their friends watch as he lightly traces the patterns, the ones she had etched into her skin so many years ago, and she lets out a soft sigh when he raises it to his mouth and presses a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist. Then he drops the arm, instead opting to pull her into an awkward embrace, with a chair arm between them. She holds him back, her eyes closed and her emotions high at the prospect of losing him being gone. When they pull apart, he presses a kiss to her forehead, then heads back to his chair. Everyone else at the table is silent, wondering how they could have possibly missed that the two still had strong feelings for each other, even after all these years.

"How could you not tell me?" Riley whispers.

"Because the world doesn't revolve around you!" Maya exclaims, her gaze turning sharp while looking at her best friend. "Stop trying to take me telling you guys the truth and opening up to you into some kind of betrayal to you. I hadn't told anyone about that, hadn't wanted you guys to know about my partying. I called Lucas because there's always going to be a part of me that loves him. That's not to hurt you or betray you, but at least I'm accepting my feelings and owning up to them. Yes, I'm a bit of a mess, but I've always been your mess and I've never wanted you to try to put me back together, despite how hard you tried. I let you think that I only liked Lucas because I was pretending to be you, I let him go for you. Hell, I even lost my virginity to your uncle instead of Lucas, like I always imagined. So you don't get to sit there and tell me that everything I've done is to hurt you. All it's done is hurt me."

"I'm sorry," she whispers, running her fingers through her hair. "I had no idea. How could none of you told me how bad of a best friend I was?"

"Because we all wanted to protect you," Zay admits, feeling bad that they'd all hurt Maya in the process of protecting Riley. "And because Maya seemed to be handling everything. She has a point though, Riles. Today is about her, not you."

She nods and falls silent, looking down at the food she no longer has an appetite for. Everyone is silent for a few minutes, letting everything sink in. Maya can only think of one more thing to cover, but the fact that she and Lucas haven't even talked about how they want to handle any of it makes her wary of bringing it up. Smackle watches silently as they make eye contact from across the table, having a silent conversation about what to do next. The blonde then looks down to her fries, eating a few more and taking a drink of her apple juice. After that, she sighs and twists her fingers together in front of her.

"There's just one more subject to cover," she says, trying not to let her insecurities leak into her voice. "Lucas."

"What about him?" Farkle asks, looking back and forth between the two.

"Apparently, the triangle was never really ended," he answers for her. "Because she stepped back and I never stopped caring for her."

"And I still like him," she admits, smiling softly at him. "I just didn't think that I deserved him, but now that I've gotten a taste, I don't think I want to step back again."

"What do you mean?" Riley asks, her eyes wide as she looks back and forth between them. "Did you guys..."

"No," he says, shaking his head. "I would never take advantage of someone that's drunk, Riley. You should know that by now. I'm not like that. Why is everyone accusing me of the worst things possible today?"

"Shush, you know Shawn didn't really think that," she says, shaking her head in amusement at him. "But what I did get a taste of was waking up in his arms, hearing him tell me how much he cares about me, and just one single kiss. While I'm not sure that that's something I really needed to share today, I am because honesty."

"Bitch, finally," Zay mutters, shaking his head and smirking. "I've been waiting for this for years!"

"Are you sure about this?" Riley asks, looking at Maya. It only takes a moment to recognize the spark in her eyes, the glow of her skin, the happiness that exudes her now that she's accepting this part of herself. Riley then shakes her head, as if trying to get rid of how old Riley wants to react to this, replacing that with how this Riley will. "If you guys want to be together, then do it. Don't let me or anything else stop you. Maya, I've only ever wanted you to be happy. I never realized that I was making you compromise pieces of yourself to be what I was trying to shape you into. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I love you."

Maya grins at her best friend, tears burning her eyes again, "Thunder."

"Lightning," she responds, a bit choked up.

"So, finally, we've come to the correct conclusion to the triangle?" Smackle asks, making everyone at the table chuckle. "What?"

"I think that maybe Lucas and Maya should discuss that on their own," her boyfriend mumbles to her, despite his excitement for his two best friends to finally be together. "There's only so much that we can ask her to tell us."

"If they do decide to be together, then we all support it wholeheartedly," Farkle says, smiling at them. "But it's all up to them to make that decision."

"So, can we talk about baby Hunter?" Riley asks, her eyes lighting up as she realizes that Maya will finally be a big sister to someone. "I can't believe you're going to have a baby brother or sister!"

"What do you want it to be?" Smackle asks, grinning from ear to ear.

"I want a little brother," she admits, smiling over at Riley. "I already have the best sister. Correction, sisters."

Smackle blinks back her emotions, "Wow, I'm feeling something. And it's different."

Zay laughs, "I haven't heard you say that in awhile."

The group then moves away from the heavy topics, onto lighter things like the baby and the colleges that they've all applied to. That's when Riley finally asks Maya where she's applying, to which she tells her about the colleges there in New York that she had applied to, as well as a fantastic art school in Texas. When she mentions that, Lucas narrows his eyes at her while a smile spreads across his face. She grins innocently back at him, mouthing the word later to him, knowing that they have some stuff to discuss after lunch. Laughter soon fills the diner and Maya can't help but think about how much she missed this, missed them, over the last few years while they all sort of grew apart. Lucas smiles at her from across the table, as if understanding her thoughts and agreeing, so she smiles right back and hopes that everything will turn out okay.

°•°

"My feet hurt," she complains, collapsing onto her couch and holding her feet in the air. "Take them off."

Lucas laughs, his fingers unbuckling the shoes before she can even finish her sentence, "Your feet wouldn't hurt if you didn't wear these ridiculous heels, Shortstack."

"That's exactly why I wear them," she says, smiling up at him. "I don't like being so short. How am I supposed to be intimidating if-"

"You look like a leprechaun?" he cuts her off to say, grinning as he tosses the heels towards her room. She watches timidly as he joins her on the couch, taking her feet into his hands and beginning the rub them. "I have no idea."

"That was rude. True, but still rude," she teases, wiggling her toes. "It wouldn't have been so bad if Riley hadn't convinced us all to go to the damn zoo. It's Saturday, I'm hungover, and life is exhausting. How did she do that?"

"I have no idea," he laughs, smiling at her. "It's so easy for her to manipulate us into stuff."

"We should probably talk," she says softly, moaning at the end due to the pressure of his fingers on her foot. "About us, you know."

"Yeah," he says, nodding and grinning at her. "So, you decided to use us as something to come clean about?"

"Well, I was doing a lot of it, wasn't I?" she replies, smiling at him. "And anyways, your comment about wanting a repeat of the kiss got me thinking. And I want one too. But I think we need to talk first."

"You're probably right," he agrees, gently squeezing her foot. "I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to do this. I wish I had done it back in our freshman year, when we were in the triangle."

"If I had given you the chance, would you have chosen me?" she asks quietly.

He looks at her, shocked by her question, not knowing if he should answer or not, because like then, either answer could hurt her. But the vulnerable look on her face is what prompts him to answer the question with honesty, knowing it's exactly what she needs to hear.

"I think I would have. I know that there was a part of me, a large part, that wanted to. It would have been the right choice, too," he tells her, smiling softly at her. "Like I told Riley at the diner, it's you. It's always been you. You were behind everything leading up to the triangle. You pushed her onto my lap, you linked us together in friendship, you convinced us to go on our first date. I was jealous then, you know? When you went to sit with Josh. Maybe that's when I should have realized. All I could think of was the smile on your face when you asked me on a date, just as a joke, and there was a small part of me that had wanted that to be real."

"Same here," she admits, somewhat surprised that the magnetic pull had started all the way back in seventh grade. "I can't believe that it's always been me. It almost feels too good to be true. Like, I always dreamt of you saying all of this, but I always thought it made me feel like a horrible best friend to Riley because you were her first love."

"And hopefully you'll be my last," he says, seriousness in his tone. "And that doesn't make you a horrible friend. That makes you human, and humans are flawed, like Smackle said. That doesn't make me like you any less. Nothing that was said today makes me like you any less. None of it, okay?"

"I'm okay with being your last," she admits, sitting up and shifting so that she's straddling his lap. His hands instantly grip her waist as he looks up at her, her brushing her hair behind her shoulders and then resting her hands on his shoulders. "Alright, cowboy. I think we can have a repeat performance now. There won't be any smudged lipstick, though."

"Speaking of things we said earlier," he says, though he desperately wants to kiss her again. "You told Riley that you lost your virginity to Josh, instead of me, like you always imagined you would."

Her cheeks begin to flush and she looks down, not wanting to make eye contact with him. He watches in amusement as she does this, but soon gently cups her jaw and lifts her head back in order for her to see his face. There's no hint of malice or disgust on his face, instead, he looks quite enamored with her. She softly grins before nodding.

"Whenever I pictured it, I always pictured it being you. Sure, before I met you, I would have loved for it to have been Josh and that satiated the hint of young Maya left in me, but post middle school Maya wanted it to be you. Yearned for it to be your hands, your lips, you that lead me to me first orgasm," she says, a sparkle in her eyes as she watches his darken. "But you were with Riley and then you weren't, but I couldn't be with you because you were my best friend's ex and that wasn't a line I was okay with crossing. So I went on a date with Josh, that ended in his bed, and I regret it to this day. I'll always wish it had been you."

"Sometimes, I wonder if there's anyway I could love you more or be more attracted to you. And the answer is always yes, because then you say or do something that yanks on my heartstrings. And that?" he says, licking his lips as he looks up at the girl he's loved since middle school. "That is one of them and is something that I will remember forever."

Her answer is to move her hands to gently cup his face, then lean down and meet his lips with hers. This kiss is deeper, more meaningful than the one before. His fingers end up tangled in her hair while her hands stayed where they were, as if making sure he wasn't going anywhere. And when his lips travel away from hers, across her jawline and down her throat, she tips her head backwards and lets out a breathless moan. For a moment, he looks at the fading hickey left by Seth, then narrows his eyes and nips the bruised skin. She groans, shifting closer to her, then he latches onto her opposite collarbone. As he leaves his mark, she revels in the feeling of his lips on her skin, finally dropping one of her hands in order to slide them up his shirt, resting it on his abdomen as he is left to his ministrations. Eventually, he pulls away and examines the skin, lightly blowing on it. She grins, pulling his face back to hers to kiss.

A few moments later, they're interrupted by the front door slamming shut. Within a second, she had pulled herself off of him and thrown herself to the other end of the couch. He looks at her with wide eyes and she gestures to the pillow next to him, so he grabs it and places it on his lap. Her feet come to rest on top of it just as her mother and step-father walk into the room, immersed in their own small conversation. When Katy notices them on the couch, she pauses and then her eyes widen at the sight of the hickeys left on her daughter's collarbones, one starting to form and the other about to start fading. Shawn narrows his eyes at the two teens.

"Did you do that to her, punk?" he asks, mirroring his earlier question.

"Um, only one of them, sir," Lucas says, his voice unsure.

Shawn then shrugs, surprising all three of them, "I've been waiting for you guys to pull your shit together for years. But, Friar, if you ever hurt my daughter, I will break your kneecaps."

"Okay, sir," he says, still a little uneasy.

"You don't have to call me sir," he laughs, taking a seat on the other couch. "So, are we doing truth all at once or in two portions?"

"What do you mean?" she asks, looking at Shawn and then at her mother, who sits down on her husband's lap.

"The Matthews are coming over," he announces. "And they heard that something happened this morning, when Riley was freaking out on the phone to cowboy over there, so they're expecting to talk to you."

"Okay, so your boyfriend and your girlfriend are coming over," she says, gesturing to Shawn and then to her mother. "And Lucas is still here, meaning I'm going to have to tell them about this, on top of the other thing?"

Katy nods, "Yup."

"Fine," she sighs, shaking her head. "Only one big truth spill. But only if you guys do your own and tell them about baby Hunter."

Shawn grins, glancing at his wife, "I guess that's easier than the elaborate plan we had for tomorrow."

"Plus, someone here let the beans spill today at lunch, to Riley and Farkle, so it wouldn't be long until they heard anyways," Lucas laughs.

"Damn it, Maya papaya," he chuckles, shaking a finger at her. "You're lucky we love you."

"Love you, too," she says softly, moving her feet so she can scoot closer to Lucas, who wraps an arm around her shoulders as she tucks her legs under herself. "All three of you."

Her mother's squeal covers the sound of the front door, but it doesn't cover the sound of Cory yelling for Maya, as well as Topanga laughing at him. They soon find the group in the living room, Cory rushing to her and grasping her face in his hands so that he can inspect her face. When he finds no evidence of a problem, he lets go and starts looking over her body to take inventory of her. The hickeys on her collar bones don't go unnoticed, as he narrows his eyes, but her sleeve has somehow ended up pushed up, so the bruises are on display and that takes precedence over the marks on her neck. Topanga joins him in looking at the bruises, her mom's eyes wide when she spots what the other couple is looking at.

"Who did this to you?" her teacher asks, a flame lit in his eyes. "I'll kill 'em, Maya. I'll kill 'em."

"Seth Johnson," she tells him, deciding not to hold back. "But you don't have to kill him. I heard on good authority that some other guy took it upon himself to punch him in the face."

All their eyes shift to Lucas, who holds up his hands in innocence, "It wasn't me. I promise."

"What happened, honey?" Topanga asks, worry in her eyes as she sits down between Cory and the edge of the couch.

"I was at a party. Don't yell at me, I'm sure you've all been to a party before. He got a little upset with me and he grabbed me, pulling me away from the party and into a room. I have bruises on my lower back, too, from where he shoved me into the door frame and then against the wall. He was the cause of the first hickey on my neck, but he didn't get very far. Ashley stepped in and got me out of there, then I called Lucas. That's it."

"Other than the fact that this isn't her first party that she's attended," Lucas adds, making Cory look to him with narrowed eyes.

"You!" he exclaims.

"Me?" Lucas asks, confused by his actions.

"You've tainted my daughter!" he says, gesturing to the newer hickey. "Another one!"

"To be fair, Riley and I never did any of that," Lucas defends himself, then whispers to her. "Geez, how many dads do you have, Shortstack?"

She chuckles, gently elbowing him, before saying, "Lucas didn't taint me, Mr. Matthews. And I think that, as my boyfriend, he's allowed to respond to the mark another boy left on me."

"Boyfriend, huh?" he asks, looking down at the blonde under his arm. "Does this mean dates and PDA and formal dances?"

"Is that your way of asking me to the winter formal, Friar?" she teases, looking back up at him lovingly. "Because if so, I say no. You gotta do better than that."

"So needy," he chuckles. "I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"No backing out now, Huckleberry," she says softly, placing a hand on his thigh. "I'm not letting you get away again."

"That's actually happening, right?" Topanga asks, her question directed at Katy.

The blonde nods, "Yeah. But hey, maybe the next one will have a normal love story."

It takes a second for the words to sink in for Cory and Topanga, but as soon as they do, there's squeals and questions and the attention is directed away from the two teens. She couldn't be more thankful for her mother quickly shifting the subject away from their new relationship and onto her little siblings. They know that the subject won't stay off of them for any long period of time, that eventually Cory will feel the need to butt in and ask them a billion questions, ones that they probably don't even know the answers to themselves yet. But during all the questions the Matthews have for her parents, he leans over and kisses her temple. Her eyes flutter closed, and while she crinkles her nose and lets out a discontent sound, it's clear to him that she's happy with his actions. A grin covers his face as he admires the girl tucked underneath his arm, finally in his arms after all these years.

"Wait, can we go back to this?" Topanga asks, gesturing to the young couple on the couch.

"Oh, yes, I need to give him the talk," Cory says, a grin covering his face as he turns to face them. "Friar, if you hurt my daughter, I will kill you. Shawn and I will hide your body. We know how to do it."

"Who the hell did you kill?" the blonde asks, amusement in her voice and eyes as she glances back and forth between the two men who had become her fathers over the years.

"That's a secret we'll never tell," Shawn says, blowing a kiss to his daughter.

"Stop quoting Gossip Girl, Dad. Jesus," she laughs. "I regret watching that with you in the room."

"Serena and Nate forever," Lucas mumbles, making her grin.

"You see the ironic parallel between that couple and us, right?" she asks, looking up to him with a grin. "He's her best friend's boyfriend, always been in love with her, they eventually get together."

"But they break up and she, for some reason, ends up with Q tip boy," he says, shaking his head in disgust.

Shawn jumps in to say, "My theory is that she and Dan eventually divorce, so she joins Nate in his travels, then eventually they get together and live happily ever after."

"You put too much thought into that show," his wife laughs, leaning back against him. "Let it go and let's talk about our daughter and her new boyfriend."

"Oh yeah," Cory sighs, shaking his head and looking away from his best friend and back to his daughter's best friend. "You! You're dating the cowboy now, huh?"

She smiles, "Yes. I mean, I guess, since I called him my boyfriend. We hadn't even talked about that yet."

"Yes, we are," Lucas says, smiling down at her. "You're stuck with me now."

"No, you're stuck with me," she laughs, then a thought hits her and her eyes widen, turning to the Matthews who are avidly watching the couple's exchange. "You're not mad at me for this, right?"

"Why would we be mad at you?" Topanga asks, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Because," the blonde sighs, running a hand through her hair, "Lucas was Riley's. And now I'm dating him. Because, according to him, it's always been me. I took this happy ending away from her."

"We knew that this was the only way that the triangle would end," Cory admits, reaching over and squeezing her leg. "Yes, we wanted Riley to find the love of her life. But we're an anomaly. Corpanga isn't something that happens to normal people. It took your mom and Shawn this long to find each other. Lucas, you were a good first boyfriend and first love for her, but we all knew that your happy ending would be with Maya. We just stayed quiet and let you guys figure that out yourself."

"And we'd never be mad at you for doing something to make yourself happy, Maya," Topanga says softly, sending a smile to her second daughter. "Yes, we love our daughter and her happiness is important, but no more so than yours. We love you. If being with Lucas makes you happy, then be with him."

"What does Riley think?" Katy asks, drawing her daughter's attention away from the Matthews.

"She, as well as the rest of the group, have given us their blessing. I think Zay is the most pleased by this, while Smackle is the one that was most aware of the way that it was going to play out," Maya announces. "Farkle seems happy for us. Riley was unsure, but she gave us her blessing anyways. Not that I would have needed it."

"Oh really?" Lucas asks, quirking an eyebrow at her. "So we didn't date for the last two years because..."

"Because my daughter is a stubborn little thing," Shawn grins.

Maya shakes her head, "More because I didn't know how to take something I want, but in telling all the truth today, I realized how selfish Riley has been throughout our entire friendship. Not to say she's not a good friend, because she is. She's my best friend. But she sometimes doesn't realize how much she's affecting me with her actions. I love her, but I also love Lucas, and that's something that's important. So if it makes me happy, I'm going for it."

"How many times are you going to say that today, when I haven't gotten a chance to say it back?" he asks, amusement in his voice.

"Maybe three more," she laughs, then looks at her parents. "Are we free to go now? Or is there going to be more of an interrogation?"

"You can go," Shawn laughs, smiling at his daughter. "And when or if you ever want to talk, we are here for you. Always. We love you, kiddo."

"I love you, too, Dad," she says softly, untucking her legs and stretching them out. "I love all of you a whole lot. But time for me to curl up under blankets and not face any more truths today."

"Okay," Katy nods. "Go."

Without even exchanging a word, Lucas turns for her to climb up on his back, and she easily does so, resting her chin on his shoulder. The adults watch as he carries her out of the room, thankful and glad that the two teens had finally come to their senses. They've made it almost to her room when a thought hits Cory, making his eyes widen as he shouts to the two.

"Make sure you leave the door wide open, Maya Penelope Hunter!"

She chuckles as they enter her room, smirking at Lucas as she shuts the door behind them. It's loud enough to alert the parents that she has shut the door, and they can hear shouted protests, but no one comes to rectify the situation and she doesn't open it back up. He gently sets her down on the ground, then turns around to face her and wrap his arms around her. She does the same, smiling up at him as she does so, not sure if the opportunity to have him in her arms will disappear, but she's willing to make every last second count with him. Especially after years of wishing she was the one he was with, not Riley.

"I love you, you know," he finally says, cupping her face with one hand and brushing her hair away from her face with another.

"Damn, you ruined my plan of saying it three more times, Bucky McBoing Boing."

"You know, a normal girlfriend would say it back," he teases.

Her eyes light up, "You better not be expecting a normal girlfriend from me. If you do, you gotta another thing coming sweetie."

"The oldest meme to exist," he sighs, shaking his head lovingly at her. "Why do I put up with you?"

"My face, my body, and the fact that I love you, probably," she answers, to which his response is to pull her in for a kiss.

This kiss is much sweeter than the previous two they've already shared today, much more innocent and not bred from their anger rising to the point where they needed to do that or possibly explode. His thumb brushes against her cheekbone and it takes everything in her not to crumble in his arms at that. He grins against her lips and she can't help but hope that this, they, will last forever. It only takes a gentle shove in the direction of the bed for him to start backing up, but when he falls back onto the bed, it's with a crash and Peaches meows loudly at them, causing them to break apart and laugh together. She winds herself around his body and holds him close, not wanting him to leave her alone in her bed.

"So, we should watch something on Netflix," he announces, glancing at her TV and then down to the girl glued to him. "But first, you should change into something comfortable. I don't understand how hungover Maya was able to pull herself together so well. Or why, honestly."

"Because Maya Hunter is not a mess," she tells him, reluctantly letting go to get out of the bed in search of comfortable clothes to wear. "And after the rumors they heard, it would have freaked them out if I had shown up with my hair in a bun, wearing jeans and my Converse and a hoodie. So I pulled myself together, emotionally and physically."

"Want my shirt?" he asks, tugging at the shirt he had pulled on. "I don't think anyone is going to be mad if I'm shirtless."

She turns to look at him, a wide grin on her face as she rubs her hands together, "That sounds perfect to me, Huckleberry."

He shakes his head, chuckling, as he shifts on the bed and tugs the shirt off, tossing it to her, "You're something else, Hunter."

"Don't you know it," she replies, turning around and tugging the shirt she had been wearing off.

To her, there's not much of a difference between bikinis and her intimates, other than the fact that she wouldn't wear her bra into the water. The fact that she's down to just the strapless bra doesn't bug her, especially because she has no sort of confidence issues with her own body, just people's ability to stay. He watches as she pulls his shirt on, then quickly takes off the strapless bra and tosses it to the laundry basket in the corner of her room. Then, she grabs a pair of leggings from one of the drawers, tugging off her jeans and pulling her replacements. His shirt hits mid-thigh on her, so he's not able to see much, and for that he is thankful because they've been together for only hours and her parents [both sets] are in the house with them.

She curls back up with him in the bed, resting in between his legs, with her back against his chest. Without discussing it, she turns on the TV and opens up Netflix, choosing The Office for them to binge, despite how much they both despise Michael Scott and are lowkey creeped out by Dwight. The show had become a topic for them to discuss at the lunch table, everyone voicing their opinions, since they had watched it their junior year. This is her third time watching it and her love for Jim Halpert just grows with every time around. He absent mindedly plays with her hair, twisting it into a braid and undoing it as the episodes go on and on, something he hadn't done since they were freshmen. She grins, turning her head at one point to give him a quick kiss, before relaxing and letting herself fall asleep in his arms.

°•°

The next two weeks pass by quickly, bringing them to the day of their winter formal. Lucas had, of course, found a creative way to ask his girlfriend to the dance, one that wasn't as simple as just asking her to go and that also wasn't fireworks and sky writers. Everyone at school was surprised when they had come into school the Monday following the party as a couple, holding hands and sharing gooey eyed looks. But they weren't shocked that they had gotten together, just that they had after the party where something had gone down between Maya and Seth. The new couple sank into their new roles quite easily, now being pretty inseparable and somewhat okay with PDA. Another surprise to them was that the small blonde was wearing her heels less frequently, a staple of her clothing that they had gotten used to. Instead, she opted for her Converse or TOMS.

The dance, though, calls for a fancy dress and the highest heels she can find. She wants to make a lasting impression during her senior year, with just one more dance to go after this one. So here she is, standing in her living room in a black dress with sheer spots and floral decals. Her heels are black and strappy, making her feel taller and a bit sexier than normal. The look on Lucas' face when he walks through the door makes her feel even better. He grins and pulls her close, pressing a kiss to her lips while her parents and his mom watch on, grinning at the sight of their children so happy.

"Stop kissing her!" Shawn teases, snapping his fingers at the couple. "We have things to do and pictures to take, Friar!"

Lucas' mom, Jenna, laughs as she adds, "We have places to be, kiddos."

He pulls away from her and she lets out a soft moan, already missing the contact between their lips. He leaves a hand on her waist as they turn to face the three parents with cameras poised. It doesn't seem to bother either of them that they had captured the kiss between the two on camera. They pose for the first of many photos, then move as they're directed by the three adults, his hand never leaving her waist. Her hair tickles his fingers and their smiles are undeniable, spread across their faces as they lean into each others' touch. Not one of the three parents can think of a time that their child has been happier than they are in this moment, with the other while getting their picture taken and thinking about the dance that they will be on their way to, once the three parents are done with their cameras. And surprisingly, it's Shawn who puts his camera down first, setting the camera on the table and looking to the women still snapping pictures.

"Okay, guys, they have a dance to get to," he sighs, checking the time on his phone. "And we all know the Matthews will take a ton more pictures at the dance."

"I still can't believe they're chaperoning," Maya laughs, shaking her hair and leaning against her boyfriend as their moms lower their cameras. "We're seniors, do they really need to keep an eye on us?"

"They didn't at homecoming and what happened, Maya?" her mom asks, quirking an eyebrow at her teenage daughter.

She lets out a sigh, "Someone spiked the punch and some freshman ended up taped to a locker."

Lucas laughs, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "Come on, let's go. Smackle won't stop texting me because she wants to see you."

"Let me guess, the texts are littered with her telling you to stop flirting?" the blonde asks, a grin on her face.

"Would she even be Smackle if she wasn't telling me not to flirt with her, even though I have you?" he chuckles, then smiles at their parents. "Thank you. I'll have her back tomorrow at some point."

Katy quirks an eyebrow at Lucas, "Oh yeah?"

"I gave them the cabin for the night," Shawn admits, smiling down at his wife. "They've had a stressful few weeks and they deserve a night of no stress."

Jenna grins at Shawn, "Thank y'all for accepting him into the family so easily."

Lucas groans, "Mom."

"What?" she asks, shrugging and looking at him. "It's true! Cory was always kinda weird and still is, though Topanga was super kind. But I think we all knew you were going to end up with your blonde beauty. That didn't mean they had to accept you so easily, they could have been really against it because you chose Riley."

Maya shakes her head, "He didn't choose Riley, Ms. Friar. I picked for him. And at this point, I think all of us know he's one of the only guys who won't intentionally hurt me. Shawn and Cory are the only other two, while Zay and Farkle somewhat count. This... this was always going to happen. We were kids and we were bound to make mistakes, but they shaped who we are and got us here."

"What she said," Katy nods, smiling softly at Jenna. "While we wish that they had realized that they belong together back in their freshman year, they've grown and changed and they are who they need to be at the moment to make this work. Being with Riley helped shape him while being who she was helped shape Maya."

"And there's no way we could fault him for the choice everyone knew that Maya made back at the ski lodge," Shawn admits, wrapping an arm around his wife. "Now let's let them go so they can go to the dance."

"Get out of here," she laughs, waving her hands at the two teens. "And put on a coat, Maya Hunter! You're going to freeze out there in that dress."

The blonde chuckles a bit, grabbing her red coat off the hooks and sliding it on before lacing her fingers with Lucas'. The parents all bid them goodbye, sharing hugs and kisses on cheeks, before Lucas and Maya finally exit the house. His car is parked in the driveway, already on due to his remote starter that he activated while they were still inside, and he ends up sweeping her off her feet so she wouldn't have to trek through the snow in her ridiculous heels. Being ever the gentleman, he opens the car door for her and shuts it for her once she's settled and buckled. Once he slides into the driver's seat, she grasps his face and pulls him in for a deep kiss, knowing that they wouldn't get a chance for another kiss until later in the night, after the dance is done and they're alone at the cabin for a night away from everything.

"I love you," she whispers against his lips, starting to break the kiss.

He deepens it for just a moment before breaking it, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear as he says, "And I love you, Maya. Now let's get out of here."

Their ride to the school doesn't take them all that long, filled with laughter and their conversation. She forces him to listen to the soundtrack from the movie The Greatest Showman again, not even slightly bothered that the movie is a few years old and the music isn't exactly something that is her taste. He glances over at her at a stop light, marveling in her absolute beauty, wondering how in the world he ever got so damn lucky to land Maya Hunter. And she grins, placing a hand on his thigh, nodding her head and singing along to Rewrite the Stars like her life depends on it.

When they pull into the school parking lot, he finds a parking spot that isn't too close to the door but not too far away, a perfect spot to park during a dance. He gets out of the car first, walking to her side and holding the door open for her. Her snippy comment about not needing a boy to open her doors for her gets cut off when she looks up at him, the most adoring look on his face, the same one he had on his face all those years ago at her mother's wedding. So instead of making the comment, she wraps her arms around his neck and presses another kiss against his lips. He lets out a surprised murmur when she does, but grasps her face and kisses back. The kiss is broken after a few seconds, not one that could get them in trouble with the chaperones if they had been caught, and she grins up at him.

"Let's go find our best friends," she says, lacing their fingers together as he shuts the car door. "Then maybe she'll stop blowing up your phone."

He doesn't comment on the fact that she inferred that Smackle is her best friend, not Riley, instead choosing to squeeze her hand and let her lead him to the school. Smackle is waiting for them not that far into the school, her dress a beautiful ice blue that brings out the color of her eyes. It doesn't surprise Maya when, as the brunette is rushing towards them, she sees a flash of black Converse underneath the fancy dress. The way that Smackle throws herself into Maya's arms, wrapping herself around her, is far from the physical interaction that they had had back in their freshman year, but embraces like this had become the normal for them over the course of the years, their friendship cementing and becoming something more than either of them had ever anticipated, especially over the last few weeks that Riley had taken a few steps back to reevaluate their friendship and the way she had treated her best friend over the years. Maya catches her, stumbling a bit, but Lucas grabs her waist to keep her from falling over from the force of the brunette colliding with her. The laughter that falls from the blonde's mouth warms his heart and sounds like the best song he could ever hear, a grin covering his face as he makes eye contact with his best friend making his way over to them, chuckling a bit.

"They're something else, huh?" Zay says, his Southern accent making Maya smirk at him over his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Says Bucky McBoing Boing Junior," she teases, then squeezes Smackle tight just once more before they untangle themselves. "You look gorgeous, Isadora Jane Smackle. I am blown away."

"Not as astounding as you look, Maya Penelope Hunter!" she retorts, pushing a strand of her curly hair behind her ear. "Pretty boy here is lucky he gets to take you home tonight."

She lets out a short laugh, glancing up at him with a grin, "I think I'm the lucky one. But Zay is pretty damn lucky tonight."

She wiggles her eyebrows at him and he laughs, reaching over and flicking her nose, which she crinkles up in response. Unbeknownst to the group, Riley and Farkle watched them from a distance, wondering when their lives had changed so much that they were no longer included in group things like that, Riley's heart feeling a little broken at the discovery that Maya really had become her own person over the years, one that no longer had to rely on her brunette counterpart. Farkle, on the other hand, wonders when exactly he had stopped being an integral part of the guys' friendship. His hand found hers in the space between them, each holding on tightly to the other in an attempt to feel less like they had all grown apart. But then Maya spots them standing in the doorway, watching over their four friends, and a smile spreads across her face.

"Matthews! Farkle!" she calls out, causing everyone else to glance in their direction. "What are you doing?"

Riley shrugs, "Waiting on you guys! Mom and Dad are waiting for you guys so we can take group pictures. Come on!"

So the group of four all make their way farther into the school, meeting up with Riley and Farkle in the doorway, then letting them lead the way to where the Matthews were waiting for them. It almost surprises Riley when Maya's hand slips into hers, the two couples walking hand in hand down the hallway, Zay and Smackle slightly behind them, whispering to each other and his arm around her shoulders. The brunette looks down at her blonde best friend, her surprise written in her eyes as she does so.

"Looks like it's us four against the world, huh?" she says, squeezing Riley's hand. "Just like it was always supposed to be."

"I'm sorry," Riley blurts, then winces. "I mean, I was going to save that for another day, but I am sorry. For everything over the years, for how I treated you. You're my best friend, but I've treated you like a wounded bird I needed to save. And you're not, you're flawed, but you're perfect the way that you are. And yes, you changed, but you changed because of all of us. People change people. No matter who you are, what you are, I love you and I always will. I'm sorry for not realizing that sooner."

"Oh, Riles," the blonde sighs, squeezing her hand. "I love you so much. And it was never your job to save me, to put me back together. It was my own. But thank you for that and I forgave you for all of that a long time ago. You're not my best friend, though, Matthews."

The brunette sighs, looking down at their feet, "I know. We've grown up and grown apart, you have new people and new friends now. I understand."

"You're my sister, idiot," Maya laughs, shaking her head. "Yes, I have new friends, like Smackle who has become like a second sister to me, and people from art club and from drama club, but you're my constant. You're another piece of me, a piece I would be lost without. Even if we go to different colleges and don't live in the same state, you will always be my Riley and I'm your Maya. Always."

Riley doesn't get a chance to answer before they reach the Matthews, her grip on her best friend's hand loosening when she finds that they're not alone, joined by her uncle Josh. A loud screech is let out as she flings herself at him and he laughs, catching his niece and glancing at Maya, who is staring at his knuckles in shock. The older man's knuckles are bruised, something that she had never once before seen on him. He meets her eyes and he can see the realization hit her, her hand tightening around her boyfriend's as he glances back and forth between Maya and Josh. When Riley pulls away from him, Maya glance up at Lucas for a split second before dropping his hand and stepping forward. Everyone watches silently as he wraps his arms around her, the now eighteen year old girl that had always had a crush on, and at some point he had developed feelings for as well. She holds onto him tightly, burying her face in his chest and taking in a deep breath before letting go of him.

"You're the one who hit him," she notes aloud, grabbing his right hand to inspect the bruises. "That was the one thing left out of all the whispers and the rumors about that night, who had taken the liberty to punch him in my honor. But it was you."

He nods, looking down at her dainty fingers holding onto his hand, "It was me. Riley had texted me about some emergency at a party concerning you and Ashley's sister is one of my close friends, so Ashley was telling Krinn about it. And Krinn told me, knowing that I care about you. My immediate reaction was to drive out there and give him a piece of my mind."

"Thank you," she mutters, looking up at him with gentle eyes. "That means a lot."

"My question is why cowboy here didn't," he says, gesturing to Lucas with his left hand. "Defending your honor should be his number one priority."

She rolls her eyes, "He picked me up and took me home, which was my main priority at that point. He was the white knight I needed then, though I'm glad that Seth got punched in the face. Thank you for that."

"So you and Lucas are together now?" he asks, glancing at the boy in question, who is watching them interact.

"Yes," she tells him, dropping his hand and taking a step backwards towards her boyfriend. "Yes, we are. And you're still with Olivia?"

"Yeah. I actually bought a ring to propose to her on Christmas, but you guys can't repeat that," he says, glancing at the people around them who are attentively watching, as if just remembering that the three of them weren't the only ones standing there. "She wasn't too thrilled with me for going and punching a high school boy in the face because of you, but she understands."

Maya nods, "Good. Tell her I say hi and we should all do lunch soon. I haven't seen her in forever."

"Will do," he agrees, nodding to her before turning to greet the other teens around him.

Lucas and Maya take advantage of the moments that they have where the attention isn't on them, her wrapping an arm around his waist and him pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She mumbles three words to him, too low for anyone else to hear, but he hears them perfectly and he whispers them right back into her hair. Smackle slips her hand into Maya's free one, giving the blonde's hand a quick squeeze, knowing how much that affected younger Maya that's buried deep inside the new Maya who has let go of him. Maya sends her best friend a grin, squeezing back quickly, before the Matthews announce it's time for group pictures.

So the six friends spend the next ten minutes taking series of pictures with each other, from just Riley and Maya to the girls to the whole group to the guys to couples to Maya with the Matthews and even one of Josh with all of them, an arm around each of the two teen girls who mean the most to him. There's lots of laughter and blooper worthy shots of the couples, but they don't seem to mind, smiles spread across their faces and joy in their hearts. Then Cory waves the kids on, so they take off for the dance, only one of the girls wearing heels and not completely able to move as quickly as the others. Lucas lets her climb up onto his back, her dress hiked up a bit to allow her to wrap her legs around his waist, and he carries her the rest of the way to the decked out gym where their winter formal is being held.

"Wow," she says, her eyes widening as she takes in all the decorations around the room. "It's really pretty in here."

"It really is," her boyfriend agrees, gently placing her back down on the ground. "Let's go get some cookies before they're gone."

"Good idea, Huckleberry," she says, smiling up at him.

They lace their fingers together and make their way through the room, not paying any attention to the looks that they get from their fellow classmates. At the refreshments table, she grabs four cookies and begins eating the first one, the cookies being part of the reason she even comes to the dances: they are quite possibly the best cookies she has ever tasted and the school will not tell her where they get them from, so she eats way too many of them at every dance. He watches bemusedly, nibbling on his own cookie. From across the room, Seth and his date for the night, a freshman girl named Gretchen, spot the couple who seem to be in their own bubble. It's not hard to find Lucas and Maya in the crowded room, as she is without a doubt the most beautiful girl in the room, and together they are the shining couple of the dance. Out of the corner of her eye, the blonde spots her ex and the small red head on his arm making their way over and she lets out a sigh.

"Can't this dance be over yet? I'm ready for a stress free night with the boy I'm in love with at the cabin," she mutters, running a hand through her hair. "I am so sorry for what drama he's about to bring over to us."

"No matter what happens, we're still getting tonight," Lucas replies, reaching out and gently caressing her cheek for a moment. "You can handle him."

She smiles and leans into his touch for a fraction of a minute before the arrival of the other couple ruins their moment.

"So, party girl is here with yet another boy," he drawls, quirking an eyebrow at the couple in front of him. "That's not so surprising, honestly. She gets around quite a bit, doesn't she, Gretch?"

The redhead giggles, "Yeah, Sethy. She really does."

"Says the boy who went to that party with Emily and tried to end the night with me," Maya says flippantly, tossing some of her hair behind her shoulder and tilting her head. "While I've been with Lucas here for almost two weeks, you'll be done with freshie here by midnight. Am I wrong?"

Lucas spares a glance at the freshman girl, her eyes wide, then nods, "I hate to say it, Gretchen, but it's true. He's just with you to get in your pants. All the flirting and the whispered sweet things will be gone the minute you let him get what he wants."

"And he's really not boyfriend material," Maya adds, holding out her arm so that the younger girl can see the fading bruises on her pale skin. "Run, honey. As fast as you can."

"No, he really likes me," she says, missing the look that the senior boy sends her while she defends herself. "You're just not girlfriend material, Hart."

"It's Hunter," Maya hisses, stepping forward. "And I don't know why I wouldn't be good girlfriend material. I ended it because of the bruises left of my skin and the sinking feeling in my stomach every time he smiled at me. What I have now, with Friar, is so much better than what I had with Seth. Hell, even the night I lost my virginity to an college boy in his dorm room was a better relationship than what I had with Seth. He's not a good guy and he never will be."

"The older college guy who crashed a high school party to punch me in the face," Seth asks, gesturing to the black eye adorning his face.

"Indeed," she confirms, crossing her arms against her chest and smirking. "And you're going to make some comment about me stringing him along and putting out for him, but nothing has happened between us in over a year. In fact, he has a serious girlfriend and we adore each other. But I don't have to defend my relationship with Josh to you or anyone else for exactly that reason. It is mine and his, not yours. So back off and go enjoy your dance."

"Whore," he coughs as he passes her and, without even pausing to think for a second, her fist flies out and strikes him in the face.

Gasps can be heard around them as he jerks backwards, surprised by the force of her punch. She shakes her hand, looking to her boyfriend in shock, who is watching the scene in front of them with wide eyes. Blood drips from the other boy's nose and the redhead dotes on him, trying to take care of him, until he pushes her away forcefully and she falls down to the ground, him pushing his way through the crowds in the direction of the locker room, some of his friends following closely behind. Maya and Lucas share a look for a moment before she nods, stepping forward and offering a hand to the teary eyed freshman.

"I'm sorry," she says softly as Gretchen places her hand in Maya's. "He shouldn't have done that to you and I shouldn't have directed my anger at you."

"Thank you," she says softly, brushing off her dress with one hand and using the other to wipe away an errant tear that has escaped her eyes. "And I'm sorry too. I'm just gonna..."

"Don't let that asshole ruin your night," Lucas pipes up, placing his hand on the small of Maya's back. "Enjoy the dance."

She nods, then also takes off through the crowd, probably in search of a bathroom. Maya lets out a sigh, looking down at her knuckles that are a little red and swollen. Lucas chuckles, grasping her hand and raising it to press a kiss to the skin that just punched her ex boyfriend in the face. She grins at the cool touch of his lips against the warm skin and he then pulls her into a hug. She settles her head against his chest and wraps her arms tightly around him, holding him as closely as possible. This time, their private moment is cut short by their friends, a much more welcome interruption than Seth.

"Oh my God!" Smackle exclaims, causing the couple to draw apart. "You're so amazing, Maya!"

"Are you okay?" Farkle asks, glancing at her hand. "That looked like it was quite the punch."

"I think I broke his nose," she admits, laughing. "I feel a little bad because there's no getting rid of that black eye anytime soon, but he kinda deserved it."

"Kinda?" Zay asks, laughing a bit. "Honey, he deserved so much more than just two measly punches. I wish I could have had the chance to hit him too."

"Isaiah!" Riley exclaims, smacking his chest. "You take that back."

"Why?" Smackle asks curiously, looking to the other brunette. "It's true."

"It is," Lucas nods, agreeing with Smackle.

"Oh pretty boy," she sighs, placing a hand over her heart. "Not in front of Zay and Maya."

He surprises them all when he steps forward and grasps her face, similar to what he did to his girlfriend back at the campfire in eighth grade. Her eyes widen and her heartbeat quickens, not having expected him to come that close to her. Maya watches curiously, and a little amused, as her boyfriend places a kiss on Smackle's nose and lets her go. The brunette's cheeks have turned a soft pink, but the smile on her face is wide and she looks amused as well.

"Never change, okay, Smackle?" he says, grasping Maya's left hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she says softly as Zay wraps his arm around her shoulders. "Now let's all go vote for king and queen."

Maya rolls her eyes, but nods, so the whole group heads towards the ballot station. Each of them grabs a slip of paper, writing down their picks for king and queen from the senior class, and then stick them into the voting box. Everyone, except for Maya, puts down the same two people while she decides to vote for the two people who mean the most to her. Once that's done, they all split up again and head their separate ways. Riley and Farkle go sit down at a table, while Maya and Lucas go in search of some ice, and Zay and Smackle start to dance.

Josh gets the ice for her and tells her how proud of her he is, then sends them on their way. Throughout the crowd, many people greet Maya, from all different sorts of groups: art club, drama club, the glee club, choir, even the popular group, ect. He stands back and watches, people telling her that Seth deserved what he got or that they've missed her at parties. The smile on her face never fades as she socializes with everyone, but when they reach their table, she sits down with a huff and places her feet in her boyfriend's lap. He chuckles, watching her with amusement in his eyes.

"You became the popular one," he states, making her nod. "I always thought it would be Riley, honestly. But it was you. You're the one who spread her wings and grew."

"Yeah yeah," she says, watching as the girl he mentioned and her boyfriend dance on the dance floor alongside their other two friends. "I had to. It was time. Plus, I know my plan was always to follow Riles after graduation, but things change and people change. I have new plans now."

"Speaking of colleges," he says, tapping his fingers against her shin. "That's the one thing we didn't talk about back that day, two weeks ago. And somehow we haven't discussed it until now."

"When I was letting you look at my essays and help me with my applications, did you ever glance at the names of the colleges I was applying to?" she asks curiously, slightly pouting her lips as she watches him.

He shakes his head, "No, actually. What about you?"

Laughter flows from her mouth, "No. I applied to colleges in Texas, Lucas. And obviously some here in New York, but I found a good art program in Texas and I always figured you'd want to go back home. A part of me wasn't ready to let go of you and us, so I applied."

"I applied to ones in New York in addition to ones in Texas," he says, chuckling. "I thought that if there was a chance, even a small one at all, that we could be together, it would be here. In New York, because this is your home and I never expected you to leave."

"How are we so dumb?" she laughs, shaking her head. "I say, once we get our acceptance letters, we pick what we want to do and where we want to go. I honestly wouldn't be opposed to Texas, I'm ready to avoid the snow for awhile."

"God, I love you so much," he says, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her lips.

"I love you too," she mumbles against his, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"PDA!" a familiar voice screeches and they pull apart, turning to face the man who had been with them since as long as they could remember.

"Hi, Matthews," Maya says, smiling up at their teacher and friend.

"Just because you guys are dating doesn't mean we all have to see that icky kissing," he teases, his eyes shifting to the icepack on her hand. "You really did punch him, huh?"

She shrugs, "Yeah. He deserved it, trust me."

"He really did," Lucas agrees, glancing at his girlfriend with a soft smile.

"Then we won't talk about this until Monday. Deal?"

She grins, "Deal."

He grins right back at her, "I'm going to go find my nephew and eat some cookies. Talk to you guys later."

After he walks away, the couple stays where they are for a few more minutes. But eventually she sets the ice pack down on the table and grabs her boyfriend's hand, pulling him to his feet and leading him out onto the dance floor. Surrounded by her friends and classmates, completely sober, she lets herself loose and dances. A smile covers her face and she feels safe, knowing that Lucas is here and won't let anything happen to her, as well as Josh and the Matthews and her entire friend group. Some of her new friends gravitate to her, dancing with her and making her smile and laugh, feeling at peace despite the slight throbbing of her knuckles.

Somehow, the dancing and the drama of Seth has taken up about forty-five minutes of the dance, meaning that the time for crowning the king and queen of the dance is fast approaching. She decides she needs to sit down, so she laces her fingers through Lucas' and Smackle's, dragging them back to the table with her. This time, when she takes a seat, she rests her head on her best friend's shoulder and her hand on Lucas' thigh. He grins, lightly caressing the backs of her fingers with the back of his own.

"The crowning is happening in like five minutes," Smackle notes, pushing her curls away from her face. "I wonder who is going to win."

"Who knows," Zay says, wiggling his eyebrows at the other couple before pressing a kiss to his girlfriend's temple and sitting down next to Lucas. "What are you guys' plans for after the dance? We were thinking of doing a group bowling trip in our formal wear."

Maya glances at her boyfriend and they share a moment of silent conversation before she turns back to Zay, "We're in if everyone is in. But it can't be super late, we have other plans for tonight, as well."

"Ooh?" Riley hums as she joins them at the table, Farkle not far behind her. "What are your big plans for the night?"

"Potentially bowling with everyone," Lucas says, smiling at their friends. "And then we have Shawn's cabin to ourselves for the night, so just curling up and relaxing. What about you guys?"

"Bowling sounds like fun," Farkle says, smiling back at Lucas.

"Cool," Maya says, tapping her fingers against Smackle's thigh. "Are we dipping out of here early?"

"As early as you want," Lucas says, smiling softly at her. "But we have to at least stay for the crowning of king and queen."

"Okay," she laughs, then looks to her friends. "We have just one more formal dance before we're done, guys. How surreal is that? I feel like just yesterday was our seventh grade dance where Matthews made me dance with him and Riley, where Lucas brought the flower just to mess with me. How did we grow up so fast, how did things change so much?"

"People change people," Zay notes, nodding with finality.

"Belgium 1831!" Farkle exclaims, making the group laugh.

For the next few minutes, they talk amongst each other and laugh. It's like they know that after this dance and the next, that they won't all be together like this again: Lucas and Maya would be going to Texas, Riley and Farkle to California, and Zay and Smackle would be staying in New York. That the next time they would be gathered in formal dresses and dancing would be at the wedding of the first couple to wed, in their backyard surrounded by the outdoors and in black dresses for the girls. So they take their few minutes of time, before the royalty of the dance is crowned, to enjoy each other and reminisce in the years that they have spent as friends, growing and changing together.

"Alright, guys!" Riley's dad calls from the stage, catching everyone's attention. The table stops talking and their attention turns to him, listening attentively. "It's time to crown the Ice Queen and Ice King of the Snow Ball. Now remember, the two students who win this will be out of the running for prom king and queen, just as the homecoming king and queen have been taken out of the running."

Zay laughs, shaking his head, "What a disappointment. I won't be prom king."

"But what if I get prom queen," Smackle teases, poking her tongue out at her boyfriend. "Then your defining moment will be getting homecoming king with Darby while I could win prom queen with, say, Lucas."

"You'll always be my prom queen," Lucas teases, blowing a kiss to the brunette, who shakes her head amusedly at him.

"Shhhh," Riley hisses, wanting to hear who has won.

"So, in a landslide, our Ice King tonight is," he says, drawing out the silence to build suspense, "Lucas Friar! Come on up, cowboy!"

Maya laughs at the look on her boyfriend's face, then nudges him with her foot. He shakes his head at her, then stands up and makes his way through the gym to receive his crown. Once the student council president places the crown on his head, he smiles out at everyone and stands on Mr. Matthews' left side. The two share a few words before the teacher smiles back out at the crowd, glancing down to the card once again.

"And I'm honored to announce that our Ice Queen is none other than my daughter and one of my favorite students, Maya Hunter!"

The fact that he's said her name doesn't register for Maya for a few moments, her eyes shifting to Riley when he said daughter. But when everyone else at the table looks to her, the words seem to sink in and her eyes narrow, turning to look at the stage. He seems to be delighted with her confusion, but she pushes herself up and makes her way through the crowd. As she passes other students, they congratulate her and high five her, making a path for her to get to the stage. The vice president has her tiara in her hand, and when she stands in front of her, Hailey gently places the sparkling adornment on top of her head. From the stage, she can see her friends taking pictures on their phones and giggling while Lucas watches her with a loving look in his eyes. She shoots him a look while taking her place on Cory's right side.

"Now, we'll take a moment for our king and queen to share a dance," he says, gesturing to the dance floor. "Take it away."

"I give new meaning to the name Ice Queen," she laughs, giving him a quick hug before linking her elbow with Lucas'. "Don't I, Matthews?"

He genuinely laughs, then watches as the blonde who grew up in front of him descends the stairs with her very own king. The two wrap each other up in their arms, the embrace tight and the smiles on their faces undeniable. Even with her heels, she barely reaches his shoulder, but the height difference doesn't seem to bother either of them. She rests her head on his chest and he places his hands on her hips, holding her close to him as they sway to the outdated Ed Sheeran song. After a few moments of that, she tilts her head and looks up at him, while he looks down to meet her eyes.

"I am so incredibly lucky that I will be ending the night with you," she says softly, brushing her thumb softly against the material of his dress shirt. "I wouldn't want it to be with anyone else."

"Me neither," he whispers back, a genuine smile lighting up his face. "I love you."

"I love you too," she laughs, squeezing him closer. "I cannot wait for an uninterrupted night with you, just the two of us with no one else around."

He chuckles at what she's alluding to, "I can't wait either."

"But you're not getting into my pants tonight, unless you get me a blue slushie," she teases.

"I guess I can handle that," he teases right back. "But only if I win at bowling tonight."

"Oh please, I'm getting my slushie as soon as we leave," she says, shaking her head. "And I'm not letting you win, not even for sexy times."

"You're lucky I love you," he laughs, leaning down and kissing her lips briefly. "And that I don't actually care about winning because I already have the best prize."

"Ew, you're being too sappy," she laughs as the song ends and a new one begins playing, her friends joining them on the dance floor.

"One more song?" Smackle asks and Maya nods in answer.

Just the one more song turns into two, then three, and before they know it, the dance is over and everyone is leaving. Together, they all link hands and walk through the halls together as one, similar to the way they always pictured that they would face the world together. In the parking lot, they split up ways with laughter and hugs, saying that they'd meet at the bowling alley in fifteen minutes, giving Lucas enough time to stop and get his girlfriend a blue raspberry slushie from the gas station. In the parking lot of the gas station is when it hits him, how much he loves the blonde in the heels with the attitude problems and the already light blue tongue and the deep seeded love for her friends. She smiles over her shoulder at him and for a moment, he's struck with how beautiful she is and when he pulls her into a kiss, she's not surprised. Instead, she lets out a content sigh and thanks her lucky stars that they've found their way to each other.

written in 2017
also posted on ao3