Young Love {LUCAYA}

Chapter 2: Twelve Years Old

"The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war"

"Dear Riley, I think you're super cute," Maya begins and smirks at her friend while holding a small white card.

"Maya stop!" Riley begs, embarrassed to even have been given the card.

"Maybe we can go out sometimes, I think we're a good pair. Remember the science project we did?" Maya giggles, ignoring her friend.

Riley covers her pink face, "I can't say no can I?" She asks and Maya finishes, "LOOOOOVE, Billy."

"And no you can't, you're Riley Matthews. I would say no within a second, but I'm Maya Hart." She answers.

Riley takes the card from Maya and sets it down on her desk. She frowns while studying her friends face. "How's your brother?"

"We all could be better." Maya whispers. The blonde grabs her backpack and heaves it over her shoulder, her best friend could never understand her situation.

"You should tell an adult." Riley presses as they walk together. "You know what would happen if I told." Maya reminds.

"Yeah." Riley groans. "But you can't keep 'running into poles' or 'sneezing into the refrigerator door'" she quotes.

"Today, I'm going to say that I fell down the stairs." Maya says and puts on sunglasses to cover her eyes.

"Too bad makeup can't hide a swollen lip and eye." Riley says quietly. "Someone is going to find out what's going on." She persists.

Maya stops walking, "You're absolutely correct, and you're not going to help them, right?" Riley faces her friend and nods. "I just hate seeing you in pain."

"Don't worry, I've felt pain so much, I don't feel it anymore." Maya reassures and then they enter the halls of the school.

Maya glares at Lucas when he throws a paper airplane at her head. "Quieres morir!?" She shouts and chases him down the hall.

Riley giggles and goes to her locker, prepping for what's to come during class.

Maya goes to hit him but he grabs her fist, stopping her and then pins her against a wall. "You're getting better at defending yourself, cowboy." She compliments and he smiles, "Or you're getting worse at attacking me."

"What's with the sunglasses?" He asks and she shrugs, "Its bright outside." She informs. "It's cloudy." He replies and she grins, "I meant inside."

He removes the sunglasses and studies her face, that's when he notices her lip too. "Was it a pole or the fridge again?" He asks, running his finger over her lip.

"Actually, I fell down the stairs." She says and he shakes his head. "Yeah... face first. Your brother okay?"

"The stairs are the reason he's okay." She says softly and he nods. The bell rings and they walk to class together. Maya places her sunglasses back on, hoping the teachers remain as oblivious as usual.

"Lucas and Maya sitting in a tree!" Riley begins to sing.

"F-u-c-" Maya covers Sara's mouth. "Finish that sentence and you're dead." She threatens. Sara smirks "k-i-n-g." Maya rolls her eyes and sits down.

Lucas remains silent and makes paper airplanes as the teacher talks, throwing them at Maya to either annoy her or get her in trouble. There's notes in them, but she never replies.

~

After school, Maya wishes Riley good luck for cheer tryouts and Lucas good luck on Football tryouts and Farkle for the spelling bee. She tells them she wishes she could be there to support them all but she has to take care of Travis.

"How was school today?" She asks him as they walk home. He shrugs, "Do we have to go home?" He asks and she shakes her head, leading him to Topanga's.

They take a seat and she pulls out a wrinkled five dollar bill from her pocket. "Let's get some hot chocolate, okay?"

He nods and they sit next to each other on a booth. "My friend said that daddies aren't posed to hurt mommies or the kids." He brings up.

Maya straightens up and folds her hands together, "No they're not supposed to. But sometimes, they do, and it's not our fault."

"If they are not posed to, then why does daddy do it?" Travis asks, frustrated. He's on the brink of tears and Maya struggles with answering because she doesn't know why either.

"I don't know, Trav, all I do know is that he can never touch you." She says and kisses his forehead.  She pulls him into a tight hug and he starts to cry.

"But he hurts you May. How can you let him hurt you. What if he hurts me? I don't want to hurt."  He says softly.

"You will never hurt. I promise." Maya whispers and takes his hand, "Let's go."

"Go where?" He asks, "and what bout' the chocolate?" He whines.

"Don't worry about it." She answers. After five minutes, she's at the front door of the Matthew's home, telling Topanga to call the police.

(A/N: Writing the next chapter tomorrow morning :))