Rupture and Repair (gmw/Lucaya)

Chapter sixteen

Maya closed her locker and turned around to see Lucas standing there.
"Hey, I-uh wanted to talk to you." He said.
"So did I."
"You go first."
"Was it an accident?"
"Do you think it was?"
"Yes." She said, quietly. "No, I don't know."
"It didn't feel like one." She looked up at him.
"You mean, you were okay with it."
"What do you mean?"
"I just sorta thought that you hated it and all."
"No, not at all." Maya smiled, lightly.
"Ahh, Maya has a soft spot." He said. She punched him on the arm.
"Ow."
"So do you, apparently."
"Ya, a physical one."
"So what did you want to say?"
"I was gonna ask you how you felt about it." He said.
"Oh. It was kinda nice, I guess."
"You guess?" She rolled her eyes.
"so, you wanna go roller blading, tonight?"
"Um, I can't tonight. I'm supposed to sleep over Riley's and she made me promise that I would. Maybe tomorrow night?"
"Ya, that works. Pick you up at seven."
"Kay."
"Can I carry your books?" Maya looked at the door and then back at him.
"You know we are here, right?" He scratched the back of his neck.
"Oops." He said. She just laughed, shook her head and walked into the room, seeing Riley right next to the door.
"I heard it all."
"Are you upset? I know you still-"
"I swear that I have moved on."
"You better not be lying." She said, pointing her finger at her. "Wait, moved onto who?"
"Let's talk about this later."
"Okay then." She looked at her curiously and then sat down.
That day, after school, Riley and Maya went to Riley's house.
"Who?"
"That was quick." She said as she sat down in the window.
"Just tell me." She looked out the window to make sure he wasn't on the fire escape and then looked back at Maya.
"Farkle."
"Knew it."
"What?"
"It's so obvious."
"Like you and Lucas?"
"What?"
"Over the past two months, it's been so obvious."
"Okay, I didn't think that, but anyways, are you going to tell him?"
"I don't know. Do you really think he likes me?"
"Yes! Just tell him."
"Not yet."
"Then when?"
"Just give me a little time."
"A little."
"So are you hungry?"
"Not really." She said. Riley sighed. They played 'sorry' until it was time for dinner.
Maya sat at the table, perfecting her plate again. She cut the two chicken fingers into four on the bottom right, lined up the apple slices on the left and made sure that every piece of corn was touching another piece of corn in the upper right hand corner of the plate. Riley kept turning to her, whenever she wasn't looking. Cory simply felt sick, and Topanga couldn't comprehend how this had happened to her.
"Hey, Maya?"
"Ya, Auggie?"
"Why aren't you eating?" Maya looked up at the family.
"Maya's just feeling a little sick." Said Topanga.
"Do you have a stomach bug? Riley had one not too long ago."
"Ya, something like that."
"Mommy, I'm done. May I be excused?"
"Yes, Auggie, put you dish in the sink please." He got up, did as told, and the. Left the room.
"So." Said Riley.
"So." Said Cory.
"I'm sorry. I wasted your dinner, Mrs.Matthews."
"You can still try to eat it."
"Start with just one bite." Said Cory. She put her fork into one of the pieces of chicken. When she lifted it up, she saw the uneven number of pieces of chicken and a missing piece of one. It wasn't right. She looked at the piece on the fork.
Apple- 50 calories
1/2 a cucumber- 20 calories
3 crackers- 30 calories
50+20+30
100 calories
It was the second least amount of food she had gone a day without. Why was it so hard to have one piece of chicken. She felt Riley's hand on her back and looked up. Everyone was looking at her. She put it in her mouth and began to chew, feeling disgusting. She picked up her glass of water and took a sip, helping her to swallow it.
"See, not so hard." Said Riley. "Try again."
She just shook her head, looking back down. After a while, they got up and left.
"Maybe she won't be so reluctant to go to a doctor."
"I think she knows that she's sick. She just said 'it's your money.' It seems like she just doesn't want to make us pay."
"That sounds like her. We'll get her to go If we have to pick her up and carry her there."
"That shouldn't be too hard." They began to talk about other things as Riley and Maya watched 'friends' on Riley's phone until they fell asleep.