Home(less)

Lie

Josh entered the apartment and saw Riley and Maya sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey, Riley," he greeted. "Maya," he said much quieter and less enthusiastically, nearly ignoring her presence.

As he opened the door wider, he saw Cory and Topanga sitting beside them.

"I got your text, what's going on here, Cor?" he slowly entered the room.

Topanga kept the calm smile from before on her face.

"Why don't you tell us what's going on?"

"Pardon?" Josh was clearly confused by the situation.

"We overheard that you and Maya 'hooked up'," Topanga broke the silence.

All of the blood drained from Josh's face.

"Everything was consensual," he quickly defended himself.

"Joshua Gabriel Matthews," Topanga started to scold him.

"It didn't go as far as you think, Mrs. Matthews," Maya jumped in.

"Frankly, I don't care how far it did or didn't go. It shouldn't have started in the first place."

"Aren't you gonna help me out, Cory?" he implored his brother's help.

"I'm with Topanga on this. Maya's only 15, Josh."

"What?" he looked to Maya for an explanation; she only gave him a sad glance. "What were you doing at a college party?" his voice broke.

"I was trying to have fun," Maya was shocked at his reaction. "Out of all people, I didn't think you'd care. Age is just a number."

"Maya, I'm 17, almost 18. I can't go around hooking up with a 15 year old."

"Why? Because other people tell you it's wrong?"

"It is wrong," he told her.

"I thought you cared about me," Maya flipped the situation. "Riley told me what you said before you left."

"Oh yeah, and what was that?" he mocked her.

"That you couldn't believe you wasted your time on someone who wouldn't love you back," she spat at him.

The entire room became still. The silence was deafening.

"You didn't even know each others' full names, how could you love each other?" Topanga questioned.

"I knew from the moment I saw her that she was beautiful," Josh countered. "And from talking to her I learned that she's funny and empathetic."

"But did you mean what you said?" Maya asked.

He looked around. All eyes were on him, expecting an answer.

"I- I'm sorry I led you on," was his eventual response.

"Good, now it's settled. Nothing is, or can ever, happen between you two from now on," Topanga declared definitively.

Maya glared daggers at Josh, but he didn't reciprocate. He merely stared down at his feet.

"Can I go now?" Josh asked quietly. "I have some work I need to get done back on campus."

"Yes, you may go now," Topanga gave him permission.

"I'll see you around, Cor," he headed for the door without turning back to look at any of them.

Once the door had closed, Maya let out a growl before storming off to RIley's room.

Riley darted up to go after her but was stopped by her parents.

"Let her go, she needs time to cool off," Cory told his daughter.

They thought she had merely flown into a rage over a forbidden love that was never meant to be. What the Matthews hadn't thought of was the fact that Riley's bedroom window overlooked the entrance to the apartment building.

Maya had simply pushed the window up and climbed down the fire escape to become face to face with Josh, who was clearly still distraught.

"How could you tell them about what we did?" He asked. 

"I didn't. I told Riley and she accidentally blurted it out," Maya tried to explain.

"Although, I guess it doesn't matter much to you considering you never meant to lead me on," she quoted his words. "Why couldn't you just lie, for me? Tell me that you did love me?"

"God damn it, Maya, I did lie! Of course I meant what I said!"

"Then why can't we be together?" She questioned.

"I don't know," they stood there in silence for a moment. "But we just can't be. Goodbye, Maya."

Words: 630