World meets Maya

{12} Wanna square dance?

It was the last day of school right before the summer that would change everything. Maya and Riley had walked in together for the first time in weeks. Riley had always been nervous to ride on Maya's motorcycle and when she had got off it at school she held onto the nearest wall and pretended to be faint.

"That was the scariest rush of my life, you ride so recklessly" Riley says, breathing and clutching her chest like she nearly died.

"Oh please Riley stop being dramatic" Maya says rolling her eyes and yanking the helmet back from Riley. She quickly puts it in the compartment of her bike before striding to the entrance.

Riley stands up straight and skips to catch up with her. "It's okay Maya being reckless is your thing"

In her head Maya would tell Riley she's kind of done being the "bad girl" but she feared that Riley would think she's tUrnIng iNto hEr aGain. God forbid she tells Riley that she's actually doing better in school too.

They walk into Mr Matthews class, their classmates that they've known forever are talking amongst themselves and their friend group is doing the same right in the middle of the class. Maya goes to her seat at the back, she used to sit with Riley but she's a bit tired of having dramatic life lessons about their journey through the world, even though it's mostly been about Riley.

So she sits at the back with Zay infront of her and Lucas next to her. As soon as she drops into her seat, Zay turns around to look at her, swinging his chair close to her table, with a question in his eyes. "Sasha and Roxie's end of year party tonight. You coming?"

Maya raises her eyebrows, whenever there's a party that her and Zay would actually like going to, they don't really talk about it in-front of the others because they hate parties. "Yeah sure. You bringing your girlfriend tonight?" Maya says smirking while throwing a quick glance to Smackle who is currently in an animated conversation with Yogi of all people.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Zay sarcastically laughs and swings his chair back down.

"End of year party? that sounds cool." Lucas butts in to their conversation. Maya is taken aback by his eagerness but she quickly schools her expression into a pity face.

"Sorry huckleberry, it's not really your scene. It's less square dancing and more getting drunk off your face" Maya puts her head in her hands innocently waiting for Lucas to reply to that.

Lucas knows that not reacting to her mockery is the easiest way to annoy her. " well that's alright i'm sure it'll be a fun time as long as you're there"

As predicted, Maya squints her eyes at him and takes her phone out of her pocket to text him the address and time. "Don't be early, sundance. It's a party not a hoedown or whatever"

Riley and Farkle overheard their conversation and asks Zay if they can come too. To which he shrugs and says the more the merrier, he's confused because none of their friend group ever willingly wanted to come to a party with him and Maya ever but then again, he stopped asking them after the first 6 times they said no to one.

"Why'd you guys wanna come anyway" Zay questions deciding to clear his own confusion, wondering if Maya was hearing this as well. When he turns back he smiles at the sight. Lucas is showing Maya videos of square-dancing back when he was in Texas, he's laughing as she pretends to cover her eyes and acts like she's in pain from hearing it.

He faces Riley again and she looks at them weirdly before snapping her eyes back to Zay when he clicks his fingers in her face.
"We want to see what it's like being wild like you and Maya. But are you sure it's gonna be safe?" She says swatting Zay's hands away.

Maya chips in from the back "Oh yes because high school parties are the peak of danger", she struggles to say this as she's trying to push Lucas's phone out of her face at the same time. "Sasha and Roxie are awesome and their parties are too, so just be chill okay?"

Riley feels like there's hidden snide in that last comment but she brushes it off.

Farkle notices the odd expression on Riley's face and decides to change the focus. "You guys want to pre-drink at mine? my parents won't be home"

"thats sounds like a great idea, We will all be there" Riley says smiling

May kicks her boots onto Lucas's desk and leans back. "Me and Zay will just meet you guys at the party we got other plans" she says with a disinterested tone.

Riley visibly deflates and turns back to the front. "whatever Maya" she mutters, no one else hears her but Lucas who seems to read her mind he puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Riles, she isn't trying to sound snide"

Now it's Maya's turn to deflate at the sight of his hand on her shoulder. She shakes her head as she reminds herself that he's her best friends boyfriend.

She takes her legs off of Lucas's table and zones out as Mr Matthews walks into the classroom, he talks for about a half hour before he lets them all out an hour early.

As they exit the classroom, Maya walks in a different direction towards Sasha and Roxie. Isadora and Zay walk to the canteen and Farkle joins them. There's no weirdness between the three of them as he thought there would be. Zay shouts to Maya that he will see her for lunch and throws finger guns at Sasha and Roxie who giggle at him.

Riley and Lucas leave to go to the football pitch but as they walk away, Lucas looks back at Mayas who's laughing with this new group. Riley does too but only to wonder when Maya had made other friends and when things stopped being the same with them.