Chapter Text
Maya was never such a fan of staying at her house.
From the fights her parents had, the abnormal amount of alcohol just laying around, the barking of the neighbor’s dogs, and the abuse of her father – even an idiot can pick up on her discomfort. The amount of emotional battles she has to face every morning was not something a father should say to a child, no matter the situation. But of course, the incompetence of the man was wearily viewed by the daughter day after day and night after night. That, accompanied with her mother’s little to no appearance – her life was an epitome of neglectfulness and escape.
It was quite obvious from the very beginning that every one of the Harts had their own way of coping with their problems. Kermit hid away in alcohol, drinking his life away as if it was nothing. He would say things that he hadn’t meant to say and he would sleep as if he would never wake again. Katy became a workaholic, using her job as an excuse to not meet with the same man of whom she married for, ‘love’. She would come home late and ready herself for another argument, even when she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. It always does.
And Maya? School and walks were the only things that could keep her life a bit more stable than it really was. Because of her reputation in school, no one bullied her nor did someone ever want to cross paths with her existence. Right after, she would walk around a bit more without her parent’s permission. Katy wouldn’t be able to know where she was going anyway and Kermit would be too busy with his drinks to even notice how late it was. She would pass by buildings, parks, and a bunch of other establishments before she would come back for food. Not that there was anything good on the table.
This continued on until she was five, in which she met Riley.
Luckily for her, her walks weren’t in vain. One morning, when it was a normal weekend, she heard singing. It was her first time visiting that neighborhood so she decided to find out where it came from. It wasn’t really melodic or soothing, not like how stories described it to be. It was innocent, child-like in a way. And it drew Maya in.
The blonde wearily walked through paths and climbed through ladders – it was an adventure and she loved it. It was like her life had a purpose, the fruits of her quest was growing near, and her father’s words were far from the truth. She knew that this moment would probably never happen again – so she took her time. She listened carefully, looked in every possible direction, and never once thought of other things.
She felt free – in those short fleeting moments. Anyone that’s understood her enough would notice how different she was compared to her dark persona. It felt great, and she actually acted like her age for those minutes she ran all over.
But soon enough, she found her. She found the little girl that sang her way into Maya’s heart – quite cliché but true in a way. Maya didn’t know her name at the time but she just felt like she needed to talk to her. She needed to understand what this girl was doing here. So she went with her instincts and entered through her window, slipping into her chair as fast as she could. A smile graced her face immediately as soon as she saw the face of the lovely brunette. It was small, much like hers. Her eyes were chocolate brown while her grin was just as sweet.
“Sup!” she greeted, leaning a bit closer to the girl.
Riley tilted her head, “Are you a stranger?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you a stranger coming through my window?”
“Yep.”
“Ok – AAAAaaaAAaaaaAaaAaAA!!!” she screamed.
Maya’s eyes widened before she quickly muffled the girl’s yells with her hand. “Shh, don’t scream. Please?” she pleaded. Riley eyes were a bit hesitant at first but with a small nod of agreement, the brunette grew quiet. Maya let out a breath of relief as the brunette kept her mouth closed. Because of the show of trust, Maya felt a bit compelled to explain herself.
“I’m running away from home.” She admitted. Seeing Riley was paying attention, she continued. “I saw your curtains and your pillows – I heard you singing. I like singing better than yelling.”
She looked at Riley’s eyes, “Please don’t yell.”
“Who’s yelling?” Riley asked.
Maya looked down, “My mommy and daddy.” She admitted.
“Why?”
“They always are.”
Maya looked around, taking in the decorative walls of Riley’s room. She took in the big bed just for her, the closet, and all the pictures that hung around. It was a nice room and Maya felt a pang of jealousy at that thought. Shaking it away, she looked back at the girl. “What do you do here?”
Riley smiled, “I sit here and I hope.”
Maya furrowed her brows, “For what?”
Riley giggled, “For someone to come in and sit with me.” she stated. “Are you her?”
Maya looked into her eyes to look for lies and deceit. None. Weird. Almost everyone she knew had hoods over their actual intentions. She never knew it would be different for her. “What’s your name?” she asked, curious.
“I’m Riley!”
Maya smiled in content. “Hi Riley. I’m Maya Penelope Hart.”
“Hi Maya – are we friends forever?” Riley asked, her eyes gleaming with hope. Hope that Maya Penelope Hart didn’t have.
Maybe that did it. The eyes? Yeah, that was probably it. “Whatever you want.”
And that was possibly the most important moment in her life. The time when she met the nicest girl in the universe.
Weirdly enough, only a week later, Maya was transferred to another school. Her principal decided to just sell the school and left every child that they welcomed to whatever second hand plan they have. Maya transferred to John Quincy Adams, the school of Riley Matthews. You could only imagine the joy of Maya when the brunette laid her hopeful eyes on her, a sudden shriek of happiness leaving Riley’s mouth making Maya laugh. Maya relished that, thinking that the girl was probably going to be the only girl who will ever do that for her.
The teacher always partnered them up, pushing them together on projects, and letting them sit by each other. At first, Maya was confused. She didn’t understand why they were always together. Not that she was complaining – she was just curious and all. So she went to their teacher, tugging the woman’s uniform. The woman and Maya talked in an inordinate amount of time, letting the little girl know about the situation.
Apparently her best friend was a bit of loner in their class. No one would like to partner up with her even when she was one of the brightest kids in their grade. Maya was and has been her only friend for a while now and she wanted Riley to hang out with her more so maybe someday she’ll be able to get along with the other children too. The blonde was somewhat speechless hearing her teacher say that, making her question the sanity of her classmates.
“But Riley’s the nicest girl I’ve ever met.” She defended, looking at her teacher as if the woman grew a second head.
Her teacher chuckled, patting Maya’s head softly. “Yes – she definitely is. That’s why we both like her right?” the woman said before going back to her work, ushering Maya back to her seat.
At the time, Maya couldn’t comprehend the fact that anyone would not like Riley. She didn’t have to do any math or science to know that Riley was the best thing that’s ever happened to her. She made her laugh, amused her, and became someone who she wanted to protect at all cost. She wanted to make sure that she would grow up to be the princess she always wanted to be – and she wanted to be the first person to see that. Even a fool can understand love – Maya never felt more bathed in it than the moments they were together.
And so she never stopped hanging out with the girl, always being by her side through their days together.
Weirdly enough, she first met Cory and Topanga a year later.
After the bay window situation, Maya very rarely came to her house. One, because she technically entered owned property without permission and second, she felt pretty guilty about it. She would turn down invitations that she could get out of and would leave for home a bit earlier than she should. She still didn’t want to hear her parents fight but she thought it would be better as an alternative to feeling guilty every step of the way to Riley’s apartment.
One day however, a particular fight of her parents went a tad bit too far. Katy started to yell harder than she has in years with Kermit doing the exact same thing. She slapped him, he slapped her. They continued to yell and scream and…hurt Maya’s heart. Her eyes dripped with tears as she tried to get away as fast as she can, taking a quick shower without washing her hair, swiftly wearing casual clothes and with little care, tried to pass by them as discreetly as possible. Her bag wasn’t forgotten, but even then, she hadn’t noticed that along her run - the contents had spilled. Her pencils, papers, and notebooks fell to the floor – littering their living room. Not that it wasn’t already covered in junk.
The sounds fell deaf on her parents ears – something that she would wonder to be a blessing or a curse. Either way, it seemed like none of the two had the ability to notice that she was gone – and that was what hurt the most.
To her dismay, a storm came just in time to catch her at her weakest. The rain poured heavily from the sky, hiding her dripping tears the whole way. She felt like an idiot really, not noticing the dark clouds looming across the horizon. Her family only had one umbrella and that was always used by her mother Katy. She could have stole it for that day but the girl was too terrified or sad to even notice that there was a possibility of bad weather. But she guessed that the phenomena was ok – she didn’t want anyone to notice how weak she feels anyways.
She was Maya Hart. The girl who could save a princess and break the rules. Even as a seven year old she already knew how she was viewed by other people. Besides, a no-gooder like her would just be picked on if she didn’t have the courage to stand up for herself, it was the way the world worked.
Sighing, she sniffed and tried to stop crying. She wasn’t feeling any better nor would anybody notice - but she still didn’t like it. It wasn’t her. And she knew that.
Besides, being vulnerable was weak…
Right?
“Watch out!” someone yelled, making her come to her senses as instinct made her make a huge step back. A car flew pass her, not letting on its speed even when it had nearly hit a little girl. Maya’s eyes watered just a little bit more than they should as she froze on the sidewalk.
“Are you alright kid?” a man with short black hair asked, going in front of her. He was wearing a blue polo with a tie and black pants, kneeling in front of Maya worriedly. He held out his umbrella to shield her from the storm and touched her shoulder softly in an attempt to tell her that he was there to help.
“Ye– Yeah sir. I’m fine..” she shakily replied, still pretty shocked about what happened earlier.
“You just nearly got hit by a car! And your dripping wet too. You need to dry up – where are your parents?” he asked, his tone both stern and concerned.
Maya shook her head, nearly slipping as she stepped back once again. “I’m fine sir. I’ll be going now-“ she tried to escape, turning around,
He looked as if he wanted to say more but was interrupted by the squeaky voice of Riley, “Maya!”
Her best friend came rushing towards her, holding a rainbow-colored umbrella that made the dripping rain look a lot more fun. The little girl hopped through small puddles before coming in front of the girl and hugging her – not minding the fact that her clothes were also getting wet. “Hi Riley…” Maya said, patting the girl from the hug. If she embraced the girl, she would just get wetter. And she didn’t to be the cause of her best friend getting a cold. Especially not when she did nothing but good for Maya.
“Riley, she the friend you were always talking about?” he asked.
“Yeah! Oh right – Maya, this is my dad! Dad, this is Maya! My best friend in the whole wide world!” Riley introduced, her eyes brighter than whatever Maya’s seen. In her defense – she never actually looked at the sun when it was at its brightest.
Maya nodded, embarrassed at the fact she made a fool of herself in front of Riley’s father. “I- I’m sorry Mr. Ma- Matthews.” she stuttered out, feeling bit colder than she should. Her arms embraced herself as she trembled, feeling a bit faint.
Cory immediately went to her side, his hands falling on to the top of her forehead. “Your burning up – how long have you been under the rain?”
Cory’s voice of concern was the last thing she heard before she blacked out – letting some sleep get to her.
Next thing she knew she was waking up on a bed, her eyes drifting over the familiar walls of her school’s clinic. The white walls were boring and bland, something that you would usually not expect on a clinic for elementary schoolers. She groaned, trying to take in whatever had just happened.
“Peaches!” Riley suddenly appeared – what a goofball.
“Hi Riles. What happened?”
“You fell over! Don’t you remember?”
Maya nodded, “Yeah. But what happened after that?”
“You awake dear?” their school’s nurse nurse came in, wearing her usual uniform while holding her usual clip board. She quickly went over the fact that she had a cold and that she shouldn’t stay in school. “We called your parents to ask if they could pick you up but no one answered. Is there another number or way to contact to your mother and father?” the woman asked, getting ready to write on her board.
Maya shook her head – much to the nurse’s dismay. “Well then how will you go home? We can’t let you back into class because you might pass it on to other students. We can’t let you leave by yourself too – even though you come here by yourself every day.” The nurse explained. “Do you have another guardian that can help you? I have to go somewhere later on so you can’t really stay in the clinic either.”
“Daddy can take her home!” Riley exclaimed, pointing at the unsuspecting man from outside of the clinic. “We were just going to ask for my works today so I can do them at home – mommy wasn’t feeling that great today so dad said we had to take the day off all together. She can come with us home!”
The nurse looked at Riley with an incredulous face, “That’s not how it works darling-“
“I’ll go with her.” Maya said, her voice filled with conviction he didn’t know she had. The nurse raised her brow at her.
My sighed, “Dad isn’t home today and mom is working. They’re both not home.” She said, slightly lying with the thing about her father.
The nurse talked to the teachers and to Cory, looking for certain clarifications so she could be allowed to go home with them. All of the teachers agreed that it was probably the best choice considering how close the girls are and how good of parents the Matthews are. Suffice to say, Maya was quite surprised she was actually allowed to go home with them. She felt guilty about them having to take care of her for a day (with them calling Katy until she answered and allowed Maya to stay) because of her cold but that was better than having no one there for her at all.
Cory and Topanga were the nicest people she’s ever met as she quickly noticed the huge bump on Topanga’s belly. She waited to ask until the following day, talking to the husband and wife alone for a little as Riley rested. “Why is your tummy big?” she asked.
Topanga chuckled, sitting in front of Maya and giving her her full attention. “Well, we’re expecting a baby.” She answered.
“Riley’s having a brother or a sister?” she asked, looking at the bump in awe.
“Yep. She’s going to be a big sister soon.”
“We’re naming the little guy Wyatt!” Cory yelled, earning a glare from Topanga.
He huffed, “Come on – why don’t we name him Wyatt? You got your pick at Riley!” he complained.
Topanga scoffed, “We’re not naming him Wyatt Cory. End of story.”
“Why do you always have to get the end of the story. Let me do that for once?”
Topanga smiled, “Nope.” She said, popping the P.
Maya hid her smile but let her eyes twinkle at the sight. The couple was cute, bantering towards one another in a war that could only end in love and understanding. Somehow, she understood that from just that interaction.
After that, she got to experience a breakfast that was enjoyable. That reminded her of the fact she actually forgot to eat breakfast the morning before. Maya noticed how easily Riley blended in with her parents, the resemblance of the daughter to the parents wholly uncanny. It was weird for her – sitting there like the outsider she was. While the family flawlessly interacted with each other, she was just there.
Joy overtook her as she finally realized that this was what a true family should be like. She noticed that when the parents are there for their child – a family couldn’t be more than complete.
And she felt jealous.
Jealousy flooded her spirit as she tried her best to just enjoy eating. It wasn’t everyday she could get a perfectly good meal that was just for her, warm and on the table. It was nice and she savored it. But of course, she couldn’t help but look at the happy family along the way.
Only a week later, Cory and Topanga rushed out of the apartment while Maya was visiting. Since her parents fights became more frequent and worse – she continuously visited Riley’s home more. And with that, she also became closer to the Matthews family.
But that week was also the week Topanga was going to give birth to little August Matthews. They finally decided on a name at some point during the week and Maya couldn’t be happier. The couple had petty arguments about the boy’s name that Maya couldn’t hold in laughter at most parts in the conversation. Riley would just huff and make comments about how it was just a name and that they shouldn’t embarrass themselves in front of her best friend. Maya just full on laughed until her stomach hurt – the fact that Riley was blushing added to her amusement.
Cory ran around the apartment, “Where’s Topanga!? Oh my go- I’m the only one who can lose a pregnant Topanga!” he exclaimed, distress in his voice.
A beep from the car came below, making Cory hit himself. “Of course – pregnant Topanga is already in the car. Take care girls! Maya – take care of Riley. Call me if something happens ok!?” he yelled. Before running down to drive his wife to the hospital.
Riley tilted her head towards Maya with a confusing look. “What?” Maya asked. “Are you ok?”
The little girl sighed, “Its just – I don’t know – I don’t want a little brother.” she admitted, sitting down on their couch. Maya sat beside her, raising her brow. “I mean – I just want it to be Riley, daddy, mommy, and Maya.” She confessed.
“Your lucky Riley.” Maya said, finally saying the words she’s been trying to say since they first met. “You have your parents that love each other.” she added. “Parents who love you.”
“What do you mean peaches?”
“Peaches?”
“I want to call you peaches! If that’s ok with you?”
Maya smiled, “Whatever you want.”
“So…”
Maya knew that she somehow had to explain what was happening to Riley. “Well, my parents are fighting. Still fighting. And I don’t want them to.” she admitted, leaning onto Riley for support. Riley didn’t say anything but she knew needed to support her best friend. Her small arms wrapped around the blonde and let the girl seek comfort from her tiny body. “Thank you...” Maya said, relaxing.
“You’re going to be a great sister Riles.” Maya commented, assuring.
“Thank you peaches.” Riley responded, grateful.
She wanted to stay in those arms forever – but she couldn’t.
That Christmas her father left.
And she didn’t know what to think of that year.
When she was eight, she passed by a few girls from the park. They were cool – wearing leather jackets and destroying city property. When her dad left, she fell into a hole of some sorts that she couldn’t really get out of. Riley helped her through it all and she was really the only person that could make Maya feel…complete. So whenever she wasn’t with the brunette, she couldn’t feel anything particularly real.
So she went with those girls. Maya went on to a destruction spree at some point, nearly getting caught by a police officer. She still hung out with Riley, visited her house, and talk to the Matthews. She even babysits Auggie if she had to – that was how much Cory and Topanga trusted her now. Not that Riley couldn’t babysit – they just didn’t think she could do it alone.
Maya never told about her guilty pleasure, knowing full well that if Riley knew – she would everything in her power to stop Maya. Her best friend was the little hero who could fix anything so she didn’t want to be someone that Riley thought was broken. Whether the blonde was ok or not wasn’t their business – the belief which prompted her to fall deeper.
The three girls would throw rocks at windows and vandalize property but none of them would get caught. They were cool and strong that way – being able to do crime without nobody noticing. It wasn’t as if they could actually go to jail, they were children! Soft spot or not, the law protects them. At least that was what Maya thought. She went to the Matthews’ Halloween Party, dressing up as a bag for a costume. She was originally going with the two other girls to do some more destruction but thought naught of it when she was invited to the party. Riley will forever be more important than fun – she was the only reason she felt happy and good at the same time.
That was also the year when they first met Farkle Minkus – the little genius who couldn’t be weirder. He dressed as a vampire, the Dracula specifically. Their first meeting came from Riley trying to bite an apple underwater…from a bowl. She considered Farkle her savior because he apparently, ‘saved her’ when she nearly drowned. In which all Maya could say was, “Are you kidding me!”
In her head of course.
“What’s your name?” Riley asked, looking at the four-eyes little boy that at the time was smaller than the two girls.
He had a weird reaction, hiding away under his cape in some sort of denial. “No.” said, turning his backs from them – trying to do something weird. Whether it was smart or not wasn’t something she knew – but it wasn’t the, ‘usual’ thing to do from a question involving one’s name.
“Why not?” Maya asked.
“You’ll laugh at me.” he said, voice full of conviction. Even with his squeaky voice – he was still able to bring his point across.
“Come on, we won’t laugh.” Maya tried, her voice convincing. Of course, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t if it was absolutely hilarious.
“We promise!” Riley said, smiling prettily as she always did. Maya didn’t comment – she wasn’t going to promise him. That was something she couldn’t break.
“Fine…” the boy said. Looking back at the girls, he finally said it. “My name’s Farkle.”
Maya laughed. So much that her belly hurt a little bit.
“I’m trying not to laugh because I promised!” Riley exclaimed, straining her smile as she tried to settle her amusement.
“What’s your last name?” she asked, curious.
Farkle lowered his head again and Maya realized that they must have hurt his feelings. She calmed down earlier than Riley and she looked down, “Sorry.” She apologized. She wasn’t going to comfort him – that wasn’t really her style. But she was going to apologize – she can’t hurt someone else’s feelings just because someone else in her life did that to her.
Farkle brightened immediately, striding over to Maya and smiling at her. “We’re good! As long as you apologized!” he said, opening his arms for a hug.
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
They exchanged that short conversation before they continued on to talk more about everything else. Farkle happy invited the both of them to his birthday party – even when they really only knew them for a day. He openly shared his interest and feelings towards the both of them, leaving Maya feel so real. His bluntness and openness towards both her and Riley was refreshing. Weird – but refreshing. It was amusing, and Maya considered him a friend.
Walking home alone as always, that was when she heard sirens. Though she came from the certified, ‘bad’ part of the neighborhood – she rarely actually heard police cars and ambulances. Most of the time, it was just apprehension or a few police officers – not a whole army with medical personnel.
Arriving at the place, she noticed that they were at the same park she would visit the two girls. The police circled a very particular part – a small restaurant they always through rocks through when they were free. It was a small restaurant anyways. The previous owner had probably sold it or something – the building was bare, abandoned, and hollow.
Furrowing her brows, she listened in to some gossiping women to hear about whatever happened at the park.
“What happened?” one of the women asked, pointing at the situation in question.
The other woman sighed, “A group of people were apparently going in there to check the place, see if it was still manageable enough for business you know?” the woman began her voice in whispers. She fumbled with her bag nervously – a sensitive topic.
Maya rolled her eyes, ‘Who would actually want to listen – oh…’
Anyways, she hid at a nearer place and continued to listen. “And then, out of nowhere, rocks started coming out of nowhere. Hit one in the head and well…” Maya froze. Her breath hitching slightly at the revelation.
“Who did it?”
Maya shut her eyes, hoping it wasn’t who she thought it was. She desperately hoped it wasn’t the two girls that she grew to be friends – as unhealthy as their relationships must be. Her thoughts wandered back to how good they were at escaping and how quick they were at their shenanigans – surely the two wouldn’t fall from this would they? Maya didn’t budge, doing her best to listen in and hope. Her eyes shut tightly as she sit by and hoped for their safety.
“Well…”
“There they are!”
Maya opened her eyes, greeted by the sight of her two best friends entering a police car. Their faces were swollen – whether it was from struggling or crying she didn’t know – but they were. The two girls enter a police car, leaving the park with their past life.
Honestly – they took the last of Maya’s hope with them.