Chapter Text
“Maya?” Riley had in all the commotion forgotten about the annoying boot that was clunky and made walking difficult. She hobbled past Evan who had overheard the whole thing but was pretending to read one of the pamphlets on display. The lodge was small, there wasn’t much to it and since she could see the stairwell fine from her spot at the window, she knew Maya had not gone upstairs. The only place to go would have been outside the backdoor. The door stood ajar, confirming her suspicions and on one of the side tables were the drinks and donuts. She made it to the door frame and called out for Maya, but the blonde was already out of sight.
Riley understood that she would need time to recover. She had had no clue that Lucas was going to choose her until he sat down and began rambling. Stupid, stupid. stupid, Riley berated herself, upset that she had not come forward sooner about her feelings. Maybe then, Lucas would have realized that Maya, while she might not be the one, deserved another chance because the first time with the smoothie didn’t count. It was confusing and awkward and Riley was on a first-name basis with the two and therefore could not fault Maya for her strange behavior that day. She knew Maya and she knew Lucas and there was too much between them for it to end like this.
But Maya needed her space. It was clear that Riley was very much over Lucas, but to have him confess his feelings to Riley without even talking to her, was too much. And what did he mean when he said it had always been Riley. Like Maya was just some distraction. Some accidental mistake. And what did it mean for him to choose Riley? What was so wrong with Maya Hart that even one of her closest friends didn’t choose her. Didn’t need her. Didn’t care about her enough to ask her to choose him.
All of this was pondered over as Maya wandered the trail they had hiked the previous day. The sun was slowly setting, the sky turning a similar color to the leaves scattered along the path. She loved Riley and didn’t blame her for what happened. Air always helped. In the city, she would open her window and stick her head out, basking in the lights of the city and the cool rush of air from the cars racing by. She continued to meander down the path, attempting in vain to clear her mind and focus on the changing season around her.
Before she could register it, the sun had sunk beneath the trees and the sky was growing darker by the minute. Unlike the city, out here, there was very little ambient light which meant Maya would need to hurry up and get back to the cabin. She turned on her heel and began starting down the path she had come, but was unsure of the route. Had she taken a straight line or stayed on the trail everything would be fine, but she had strayed, allowing herself to wander to patches of flowers peeking up beneath the leaves or to explore a fallen tree log at one point. And when her attention wasn’t being pulled by nature, it was being drawn back to the events of the day and therefore, she could admit, she was lost.
Maya figured she had two options. One: sit down and wait for someone to find her. Two: attempt to search for the trail and follow that back to the cabin. She pulled her flannel tighter around her body, the cool autumn night blowing through the thin fabric and sending a chill down Maya’s back. Just as she was about to start off to find the trail, she saw a beam of a flashlight shining through the trees.
“Hey!” She called out. The beam flashed towards her. Maya squinted into the darkness and only when the person was close enough did she break into a smile, it was Zay with his phone flashlight.
“Maya! We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” After recognizing her, he had sprinted the rest of the way to her and gave her a surprisingly warm hug.
“How’d you find me?”
“Riley said you had come out here. We didn’t think it was a big deal until it got dark and you still weren’t back.”
“We?”
“Oh, I’d better text Lucas and Farkle I found you.” Zay sent a quick message before turning his flashlight back the way he came. “Anyways, the trail’s just over here, we should get back before it gets any colder.” Maya let Zay lead the way, embarrassed to have caused such a commotion.
“I was fine. I really didn’t need a search party.” Maya said, trying to laugh off the incident.
“Uh, sure…”
“Well anyway, thanks.”
“Yeah, no problem Maya.” The two continued in silence for a few minutes before Zay cleared his throat. “Maya, I- I know what happened.” He reached his hand to rub the back of his neck, feeling awkward for bringing up the subject. “And I, uh, just want you to know I’m here for you. If you ever want to talk about it or anything.” Maya was silent, surprised yet again by Zay and his odd behavior.
“Um, thanks. I mean, there isn’t much to say. But maybe I’ll take you up on that offer.” The pair returned to their quiet trek back to the cabin. It felt like hours but it really only took a half-hour, the frigid air nipping at their ears and encouraging them to keep up their steady pace.
As the lodge came into view, Maya breathed a sigh of relief. Despite her tired feet, Maya and Zay walked slowly to the porch, the light was on and there were a few chairs, a bench, and a hammock outside.
Zay and Maya stood outside the door in silence, neither wanting to be the first to go in, not out of fear, but out of a strange longing to simply talk. Now that Maya felt safe, the emotions of what came before her adventure in the woods came flooding back, and as much as she wanted to forget what had happened, she knew she would be getting little sleep that night.
“Do you want to talk for a few minutes?” Maya asked, nodding towards the seats.
“Sure.”