TELL

Private Conversations

Maya showed up at Riley's house after she got a text from Riley telling her to come over quick. She thought it might be an emergency so she hurried over there. When she opened the door she saw Riley and Lucas sitting together on the couch. She frowned, then she looked over at Farkle standing with his girlfriend and Zay. She opted to go stand with them instead of sitting on the leftover spot beside Lucas and making things awkward between the three of them again. Farkle smiled at her and she weakly smiled back.

"So, now that Maya's here, let's get this party started!" Zay yelled happily.

Maya looked at him in confusion, she blinked, and opened her mouth, but no words came out. She closed her mouth and looked around the room again, noticing chips and dip for the first time and cans of pop lining the table. Riley even hung up some very sparkly streamers. Whatever Maya walked into she knew wouldn't be fun so she made a beeline for the door.

The knob turned before she could grab it and she gasped when she saw his smiling face. She slowly backed away, nearly tripping over the chair by the door. Her eyes went wide.

"Hey Riley!" Josh frowned. "And everyone else." He shrugged."What did you need help with, my niece?"

Riley grinned and hopped up from the couch. "Uncle Josh! Look Maya, my Uncle Josh is here!" She skipped over towards her friend. "Feel better now?"

Josh looked over at Maya. "What's wrong with her?" He raised a brow.

Riley pouted. "We don't know. She won't talk. She told Smackle that she doesn't want to talk anymore."

Maya was frozen until Riley nudged her arm. She felt her chest tighten and a lump start to form in her throat. She bolted to Riley's room before anyone could say another word to her.

"What was that about?" Riley pouted.

Josh shrugged. "No clue."

Farkle and Zay watched her run out of the room with sad eyes, but before either one of them could go after her Lucas was already halfway there.

He knocked on the door to Riley's room. "Maya? Are you in there? Are you okay?" He didn't hear a response so he pressed his ear to the door. He could hear the faint sound of gasping and a thumping sound he couldn't make out. He immediately turned the handle only to feel it stop because it was locked. Riley never locks her door, they're not allowed to lock doors in their house, and everyone knew it. Lucas jiggled the handle. "Maya? What's going on in there?! Unlock the door!" He panicked a bit when the gasping sound became louder like hyperventilating. "Maya?! I'm coming okay! I'll be there in a minute!" He rushed out to the window in the living room, avoiding the concerned eyes of his girlfriend and their friends, then he climbed out onto the fire escape and climbed over to Riley's window hoping it was unlocked. He could see Maya on the window seat. Her knees were up to her chin with her arms folded around them and she was rocking back and forth. Her face wasn't towards him so he gently tapped on the window.

"Maya?" He tried to get his hands under the small crack in the window then he pushed it upwards to climb in. "Maya? Are you okay? It's Lucas." He reached out to her, but then she flinched so he pulled his hand back. "Maya, everyone is getting really worried. Please talk. Please talk to me. Is this about me and Riley? Or you and Josh?" He frowned when she flinched again. "Maya, what happened between you and Josh? Did you get into a fight?" He frowned when she didn't answer him. "Did he flirt with some other girl?" He sighed. "Maya, you have to talk. Whatever happened, it will be okay. It's not the end of the world." He chuckled a little bit.

Maya snapped her head towards him. "You don't know anything. Shut up." She cried, trying to catch her breath.

Lucas wanted to smile because she finally talked to him after weeks of not speaking, but the way her voice cracked as if every word caused her physical pain made him frown. "I would know, if you told me, if you talked about it." He tried, but she turned her head away from him.

"I can't." Maya whispered. "Leave me alone. Go find Riley, your girlfriend."

Lucas frowned. "You can't be mad that I chose Riley. You told me to." He was about to reach out to her again, but he dropped his hand midway and stood up. "When you want to talk, I'm here. We're still friends, Maya. I care about you, very much." He sighed and walked over to unlock the door and leave. He slowly walked back out to the living room. "She won't talk."

Josh sighed. "Okay, well, I gotta go." He said getting up and walked out the door before anyone could stop him.

Riley frowned. "I guess this party was a bad idea. I just wanted to show her that we all care about her and want her to feel better again." She started crying and Lucas walked over to her.

"It was a nice gesture, but maybe we should just give her some time."

Farkle nodded. "Yeah, I mean, she's Maya." He shrugged. "How long can she really go without saying anything, especially to us, her best friends."

Zay shrugged. "Well it's already been a few weeks so my guess is longer than ya think." He rolled his eyes at him.

Smackle shrugged. "She talked to me."

Zay sighed. "Yeah, she told you she was gonna stop talking then went radio silent for several weeks."

Smackle shook her head. "Actually, I meant yesterday." She stated abruptly.

Farkle gaped at her. "She did? What did she say? Why didn't you tell us?"

"It was a private conversation."

Riley frowned. "About what?"

Smackle raised her left eyebrow. "Privacy is defined as the state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people. You are all other people in this sense." She explained. "Therefore I will not share what Maya told me."

Lucas frowned. "Maya just had a panic attack, and everyone knows that if the secret is harmful to themselves or others you're supposed to tell right away." He explained.

Smackle looked deep in thought, then she looked up at her boyfriend. "Is this statement truthful?" She asked.

Farkle nodded. "Yes, it is common knowledge, but it's not a rule. You don't have to share what Maya said, but if Maya is in any kind of danger, then it's best to tell us." He stated.

Smackle sighed. "I am feeling things."

"Good or bad?" Zay chimed in.

Smackle frowned. "Bad. Is it possible that there is a loophole in which I can only discuss the information I have with my significant other?" She asked.

Farkle nodded. "Yes, we are in a relationship and tell each other everything, but if you disclose the information to me and I feel our friends need to know then I have the right to tell without violating our trust as a couple. Agreed?" He asked.

Smackle nodded. "I agree to your terms. May we go somewhere private and discuss this? Away from prying ears?" She asked moving further away from Riley and giving the brunette a small glare. "Back off, Bubbles!"

Riley gasped and moved away.

Farkle nodded. "Yes, to the roof!" He said holding out his arm, gentleman style. She took it and he led them up to the roof of Riley's building. After she told him what Maya said to her the day before they made their back down the stairs to Riley's apartment.

"Well?" Everyone asked.

Farkle took a deep breath and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can not tell."

"What?!" They all yelled.