Falling Apart (sequel to Taking On The World)

:1: The Pink Phase

:1: The Pink Phase

Riley's POV

I lay on the couch, eating ice cream. Farkle had told me he was moving a couple of weeks ago, and I wasn't taking it so well. Hence the fact that I'm drowning my sorrows in ice cream.

What confused me though is why Maya and Lucas never went to the airport with me to say goodbye to Farkle. I had texted them, but they hasn't replied.

"Riley," Dad said urgently, rushing inside the apartment.

"Mmm?" I replied, looking up at him.

"Maya's mother found this earlier. She called your mother and I in hysterics this morning, before you woke up. As far as I know, she's still crying."

He handed me a piece of paper that was neatly folded in half, and I took it from him with trembling hands. I unfolded the paper, and started to read.

Dear Riley, because you're the only one who would care enough to look,

I am dating Lucas again, and I know how much this would upset you, so we're running away. Please don't try to look for us, because we're leaving New York.

It's hard for me to leave my best friend and the people who feel like my family behind, but I'd rather leave than make you sad.

Forever your best friend,
Maya.

My eyes widened in horror and tears formed in my eyes. Dad gently took the paper off me as I started crying.

"No, wait," I pulled it out of his hands and looked at the date at the top of the page. "A month!" I exclaimed.

"Huh?" Dad asked, looking really confused.

"Maya wrote this a month ago," I explained. "Does her mother seriously not care about her enough that she only realised her daughter was gone today, when she left a month ago?"

"Riley, we didn't know eith-"

"But, Dad, we don't live with her," I spluttered. "Surely her mother loves her more than that."

But my eyes widened when I remembered that she had explained this to me once.

~Flashback~

A 7-year-old Maya and a 6-year-old me sat on my bed in my ridiculously pink bedroom (this was a phase I went through once where everything of mine had to be pink. Thank God I grew out of it).

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked her, swinging my legs back and forth.

"A good parent," she replied. I noticed how she said "parent" rather than "mother" (as if they were the same role and as if her future child wouldn't end up with both parents) but I thought nothing of it. Why should've I?

"Oh." Usually, I would ask why when someone told me what they wanted to be, so that's exactly what I did. "...Why?"

"Because. Mommy's never home, and I don't wanna be like that. I don't think my Mommy loves me. But she stays, because now I have no Daddy. Sometimes, you've gotta stay even when you don't want to."

~Flashback over~

"Maya always knew that her mother didn't care as much as everyone else," I whispered.

Dad gave me a strange look. He didn't hear me, apparently.

"I need to go find her," I told him.

"Okay. Get in the car, we'll go look for her now."

"No," Mom said, walking into the room holding Sunny. "You are not leaving me here to take care of Annie and Auggie on my own."

"Who'll take her to look then?" Dad asked.

"I will," a voice said from the doorway.

------

Ooh, cliffhanger. ;)

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Falling Apart! It took me ages to come up with the title for this chapter, and it's still subject to change.

Question time!

1. Who do you think's at the door?
and
2. Do you have a better name for this chapter?

Xoxo, stay fabulous!
-Holli