You Will Forever Be My Always: Josh Matthews

Two Girls

Later on I went up to the girls dormitories and I found Maya sitting alone on her bed. "Maya? What's happening?" I asked, sitting down next to her. 

"Nothing. I just talked to Lucas." She said. I looked at her as if telling her to continue her story "We talked about when he first came to New York...how Riley and him tried to date and then how me and him tried to date."

"Then what happened." I sighed.

"Oh, I poured a smoothie on his head." She smiled. I looked confused "You mean in our conversation, not at the date."

I nodded "But I'd love to hear about that date at some point."

"He asked me why I poured the smoothie on his head. And I didn't know." Maya looked at me "Why didn't I know?"

I sat up to face Maya easier. "We don't know everything. Nobody does. But I trust that you will figure it out. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for."

"Thank you Scarlett." Maya said, giving me a rare genuine smile.

Little did I know that that interaction would not be my only 'advice' for the day. Well...I don't know if you could call it advice, but it was something.

An hour or so later, I was sitting next to Josh on a chair by the window. My legs were over his and he was reading as he ran his hand over my shoulder.

"When do you start to understand your own feelings?" Riley asked as she sat on the end of the small couch, slightly pushing me closer to Josh, not that I minded it.

Josh closed the newspaper and looked over at his niece "We need to do some road miles before we understand who we are." He said. It was a...strange way to word the phrase but I think Riley understood what he was getting at.

"How is it possible that Maya and i like the same boy?" Riley questioned.

I moved my legs off of Josh's so I was facing Riley a little more "Y'know what? I'd be more surprised if you didn't."

The younger brunette looked at me confused. But Josh knew what I was getting at, helping me by saying "It's not hard to notice Maya's been going through some stuff lately."

"Yeah, she hasn't been herself for a while." Riley acknowledged.

"And why do you think that is?" I asked the younger girl.

Riley sat up straighter "Because she became like me. I always wanted to be her and then she became like me."

"And why would she do that, huh?" Josh's tone was gentle and there was something there I don't think I had heard before. "Why would someone give up who they are to become more like someone else?"

"Could you just tell me?" Riley sighed. She was impatient but I understood why.

"I mean, I've got a pretty good guess." Josh started "You guys are the best friends I've ever seen. Okay, you love each other so much, you want to share each others experiences." 

Riley nodded "I do."

"Everything you do is to protect each other, when she gave up who she was, you went looking for her, you went looking for her. You got her back, you protected her." Josh eplained.

"Yeah, but, why did she get lost in the first place? Why did she want to become like me? Why do we like the same boy?" Riley rambled.

 "You don't Riley, you don't. She's been trying to protect you." I finished.

Riley's eyes widened as if she was realising something for the first time, which she probably was, as she stood from her place on the small couch and walked away.

I turned so I was facing Josh "That was a pretty great Uncle thing to do. You really understand her, and I think you helped her understand herself."

A/N: I don't know what to think about this chapter. I know that in the episode, Maya and Lucas are talking at the same time Josh and Riley are, but this just fits better because I want Scarlett to be involved properly in this and I want her to be a problem-solving older sister figure to both Riley and Maya.

Love you all!