Maya's POV

"So, how was the date with my brother?" Riley asks me casually while we're in art class, taking me off guard
"Uh-it was fun"
"So, are you like a...real thing instead of a fake one?"
"Wha-no, he's your brother! Ew!" she rolls her eyes
"Whatever" right then Farkle enters the room wearing a robe, what is happening?
"Oh, my God. This is amazing, Maya, and so are you and now I will show you what my thanks for this is......oh, and I hate Riley" he takes it off and Riley and I cover immediately our eyes in terror
"No!" We scream in unison
"Well! Looky here. The male... physique"Ms. Kossal, our art teacher says in amusement
"Why thank you, art lady"
"Why aren't we drawing Lucas?" I couldn't agree with her more, I mean, he's sculptured like a Greek God
"Because nobody looks like that" she walks up to Farkle and grabs him by his shoulders
"Get used to this. Get used to this right now. When drawing a 'Farkle', start with the eyes"
"I think the eyes should go straight to the gun show" I think he's trying to flex his nonexistent muscles. Better get this over with. I start drawing him, ignoring completely the instructions our teacher gave us earlier
"Maya, you're supposed to concentrate on the eyes"
"See, you know what my problem is? I don't listen. By the way, you're drawing Lucas"
"Oh. Well, that's the first time I've ever done that" Liar. I take her notebook and flip the pages, showing her other Lucas' drawings
"Do I need help?" I nod in responseMs. Kossal:"All right, I know these are works in progress, but let's see where we are... Maya!" what? What did I do this time?! I swear I wasn't doing anything! Why do I always-
"My goodness!" she shows my work to the class...was it really that bad?
"This is brilliant!" Woah, unexpected.
"Farkle is in a bird's nest"
"It's a work of surrealism, Riley. It's how this artist's mind views the subject"
"I'm a bird to you?" Farkle asks me in confusion
"No, you just... need to be protected"
"You love me" here we go again...Maya:"Leave me alone"
"Maya, there's a school exhibit coming up. I want one of your pieces in it" Nope, not happening."No thanks, Ms. Kossal, I don't draw for other people to look at, but thank you"
"I'd appreciate you thinking about it, okay?" I nod even though I know it won't ever happen. At the end of the day I head back home and as I'm about to open the front door two hands pinch mi hips, making me scream
"Wow, chill, it's me!" I turn around to see Elliot laughing, is he out of his mind?!
"Chill?! You're telling me to chill?! This is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the whole city and you're telling me to chil?!"
"Geez, sorry" I take a deep breath to calm myself down
"Just don't do it anymore" he seems to notice my fear
"I won't, I promise"
"Thank you. Why are you here anyways?"
"Why wouldn't I?" I open the door and gesture him to come in
"Riley told me about the school's exhibition"
"Want some water?" I ask in an attempt to change the topic
"Why don't you wanna participate?"
"Why should I?" I say, mimicking him
"You're amazing Maya, it would be such a waste-"
"I draw to please myself, not others" he sighs
"At least promise me that you'll consider it" I wanna nod so I can put an end to this conversation but I can't lie to him.
"I won't Elliot, I'm not ready yet" he sighs
"I just want you to feel confident enough to show your works"
"Thank you but..." I sit next to him on the couch and grab his hands
"This is a personal journey. I have to do it alone" he kisses my forehead, making me blush
"Just know that I'll be supporting you" I rest my head on his shoulder
"You know that tomorrow is career day?" I nod and he starts gently brushing my hair
"Is your mom gonna come?"
"I hope not"
"Don't be ashamed of her"
"It's hard when your mom tells people that she's an actress when in reality she's a waiter"
"Hey, my mom thinks she's Shakira" I frown
"What?" he chuckles
"Long story" I chuckle as well. It's incredible how he manages to make me smile almost every time we're together.
"I have enough time to hear it" I say as I yawn
"You're sleepy?"
"Yeah, last night a car accident happened and I couldn't sleep because of the loud noises they were making"
"You got scared?"
"I never get scared" I pout before falling asleep on his chest and only wake up when my mom comes back. The only difference is that I'm now in my bed and Elliot is not around anymore
"Mom?" I say while rubbing my eyes
"Hey sweetie, go back to sleep" she says while covering me
"Tomorrow is career day"
"I know honey but-" my eyelids are so heavy, I can't pay attention to her. I fall back asleep just to wake up the morning after all alone. Nobody at home, as usual. I get ready for school and take the subway and head right to my first class, History.
"All right, future history makers. Welcome to career day. Now there are a lot of ways to make your mark on the world" Mr. Matthews says to us and later on his wife comes in
"Hi, Riley"
"Oh great, Shakira is here" Wait, why does Riley refers to he mom as Shak-
"Where's your mom?" she asks me
"She won't be coming"
"But she told you she was coming"
"Yes, she did"
"Okay, guys, our first guest today is a lawyer, and I likes her. Hey, lawyer lady, how's about we go out sometime? I get off work every day at 3:15... Except Tuesdays. I got playground"
"So I am an attorney. I got here through a lot of hard work in school. By the time I was your age, I had 350 'As" right then someone knocks the door and Mr. Matthews opens it
"Minkus"
"Topanga"
"Stuart"
"Topanga" he walks over to Farkle. Wait a minute!
"Father"
"Farkle"Lucas:"Wait a minute" Yes, Lucas, stop the timeFarkle:"Yes?"Lucas:"He's your father?"
"Look at us"
"Your name is Farkle Minus?"
"Don't wear it out"
"I don't know how you could"
"Sorry I'm late, everybody. I had helicopter problems, 'cause I have a helicopter. Do you have a helicopter, Cory?"
"Nope. Do you have a Topanga, Minkus?" Burned!
"Nope, because she chose you. I run Minkus International, I have a helicopter, and she chose you"
"Stuart, please. Aren't we a little too evolved to still be competing with each other?"
"Of course" they say in laughter, oh no...
"Go!"
"Between the two of us, Riley and I have 1260 'As. Ha!"
"That's remarkable, Topanga. Between the two of us, Farkle and I have 1261"
"Ha!" she turns to her husband intimidatingly and he does one of his usual screams
"I-- I had to, Topanga. He's a lot smarter than I am."
"But what's more important to me than anything... is that I have this guy. Come up here, son" Farkle walks up to his dad
"Come up here, daughter. Look how tall she is. She's been taller than me since the day she was born" Ms. Matthews says to Riley. Well, then there's me. I'm not smart nor tall, I'm just Maya
"Well, very nice. Good for you guys. So this is what Career Day is really all about"
"Yeah, I love it every year" I reply with sarcasm
"I'm sorry, Maya. Maybe your mom just got a little busy."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm always okay" Riley grabs my hand and guides me to the front of the class
"Yeah, thanks" I whisper to her
"So these are the two ladies you tell me keep chasing you, huh?" I'm sorry, what?
"Please" Farkle begs us
"Yes sir, it is us"
"I'm not doing it" Riley elbows me. Ugh, fine
"Yes, sir, it is us. We hope that one day one of us will be lucky enough to become the future Mrs. Farkle Minkus and have a lot of baby minkii" Did I really said that?
Well, the rest of the day goes on pretty much the usual way: Riley awkwardly trying to flirt with Lucas and Farkle doing Farkle things, nothing special. After school I walk Riley home and sit by our bay window
"Why won't you show your art?" When is she going to learn to let it go?
"Because I'm-- I'm fine believing that nothing much is going to happen for me. Otherwise I'm full of hope. You hope for things, you get disappointed"
"What reason could your mom have for not showing up, Maya? You're right; I did expect her"
"And I didn't. See? Only one of us is disappointed"
"And only one of us will never let this go. You know that"
"I don't expect out of life what you expect, Riley"
"What do I expect?"
"You expect... good things. You expect people to keep promises and people to show up"
"You don't?"
"Riley, I'm not one of those dreamers like you"
"If your mom saw your art, doesn't it make sense that she'd be proud of you?"
"Yeah, it makes sense to you. Riley, you need to be okay with this. Do you understand that finally something is beyond your control? Look, I know you can't control your twisted need to fix people's lives" she fixes my jacket, oh no
"I'm begging you" I say with a sigh but she ignores me to tuck my hair behind my ear and put my hands on top of one another. I'm screwed.

*the next day at school*

I hate wednesdays, I hate school and I definitely hate first period.
"The Korean War"
"Genghis Khan" I frown, Farkle is always so weird
"What?"
"I just wanted to see what would happen" Right then Elliot appears with a lunch bag
"Hey dad, you forgot this" he hands him the bag while smiling at me, making me smile as well
"Thank you" Mr. Matthews says suspiciously but before he can say anything someone else comes in
"Hello, Cory Matthews. I am so sorry for interrupting" Mom? What is she doing here?
"Oh no"
"Nothing to forgive, Katy. Class, this is Maya's mother, Katy Hart" Yeah, thank you for shouting it to everyone
"Mom, what are you doing? It was yesterday"
"Yesterday I was unable to attend your little job fair"
"Career day" I correct her
"Yesterday I was trapped... in my vehicle... in the rushing flood waters of the mighty Colorado river! To make matters worse, I just found out I was about to have a baby any second. So I crawled myself through the sunroof and I said, 'Let's do this thing.' Then I commenced to deliver my own baby until finally I heard that wonderful, magical sound" She make a popping sound and mimics a baby crying. Is she serious?!
"Mama? Are you my mama?"
"Maya?" Riley asks me in confusion
"Soap opera. She was auditioning for a soap opera"
"Can you believe I didn't get it?"
"Yes!" the whole class shouts at her, everyone except for Elliot, he keeps looking at me with a worried look
"Yes. I am an actress. Are there any questions I can answer for anyone?" Farkle raises his hand
"Ah, yes, the Farkle"
"Why are you wearing a waitress outfit?" Yeah, tell them mom. Tell the truth instead of lyon
"Anyone else?" I turn around to see Lucas raising his hand as well
"Yes, the pretty, young man right there" She's right, pretty young man. Taste.
"Yeah, thanks. Um, why are you wearing a waitress outfit?"
"My dad says actors are a bunch of people who never grew up" Sarah adds
"What does your dad do?"
"He's a director"
"Is he? Well, I'm sure your father never gave me a job either, which is the real reason I wear this outfit every day. Well, I'll just be going now" she goes out and is quickly followed by Riley and Elliot. Nothing good is gonna come out of this so I walk out too since I can't stand the looks everyone is giving me.
""Hi, mom"
"Hey, Maya"
"Could I ask you a favor?"
"Of course, anything" I walk past my two friends to get close to her
"I think it works best for us when you go on your imaginary auditions and chase our imaginary father. I appreciate your coming, I do. And I'm not humiliated. I'm not. I'm- I'm okay. You okay?" she nods, it breaks my heart saying this to her but I had to. For our best.
"Good" I say before going to the bathroom and stay there until the next period: Art. Perfect. Time to relax a little. As soon as I walk in Riley tries to talk to me but is picked up by Ms. Kossal as a model
"Drawing a woman's face is different than drawing a man's. Look for subtle differences. The lips are different" I grab my drawing tools and start sketching her
"No matter what, don't get mad at me, okay?" she whispers to me
"I could never"
"To paint a young woman's lips, she needs to stop flapping them"
"Because if I have any talent at all, it's this, so don't get mad at me"
"I could never"
"Because when the mouth is moving, it will affect all the sketches. And they all come out like this" the teacher holds up two sketches of Riley with her mouth open
"Except for this one. You don't listen to a word I say, do you?" she says sweetly as she looks at my drawing
"Uh, it's not because I'm disrespectful"
"It's because you're an artist. I'm glad you decided to display your work. I got your note in my teacher's box" I frown, what note?
"That's the thing you're not supposed to get mad at"
"The exhibit starts at 6:00. It's thrilling seeing your art displayed, you won't regret it" she walks out of the classroom to get some more supplies
"You don't listen to a word I say, do you?" I'm gonna kill Riley after this
"I-It's not because I'm disrespectful. It's because you're an artist"
"Yeah? Then let me paint you something" I grab a brush and throw green paint at her face, making the whole class leave. They know they don't have to mess with this.
"Okay. Maya, I am your best friend and I will always do my best by you, no matter what you..." she grabs the paint brush and dabs my face with red paint
"say"
"And how made you the king of friendship?" I keep painting her face but she chuckles
"I did, I made myself the king of friendship. And this would be my first act as a king" she grabs red paint with her hands and covers me completely.This is it. We keep going until we're fully colored
"I've heard that-!" Elliot shouts as soon as he walks in
"Woah, you told her?" Riley nods
"Why won't you leave this alone?!" I ask both of them but Ms. Kossal enters the classroom "Whoa! Riley... This is the most authentic piece you've done all semester. Now clean it up. See you tonight, Maya" she goes away again
"Have you told her the other thing?"
"What other thing?!"
"We invited your mom" what is wrong with them? I hand them two bowls of paint because I'm too tired to do it myself. They both sigh heavily before letting the paint cover their heads.

*later that day, at 6pm*

I don't know why but I came anyway, I guess I was too scared to leave everyone down. Why do I have to be such a softie? I see Lucas, Farkle, Riley, Elliot and their parents walking up to me
"How's it going?" my best friend asks me
"It's going fine"
"What does your mom think?" I smile sadly
"She never showed up" I nod
"It's just you guys"
"Are you telling me your mom never showed up?!" I can tell that Elliot looks pretty mad
"No. But of course you did" I point at their parents
"Hey, Maya. Wow, you really have some talent. Look at that place"
"I bet it's got great mashed potatoes"
"Look at that lady, why can you only see half of her?" Farkle asks and Lucas wraps his mouth with his forearm from behind. Seems like the cowboy understood pretty fast what's in the canvas.
"Sorry" he mouths at me and I simply nod in response. Wait, where's Elliot?

"You guys really don't have to stay" I say to everyone, the exhibit is almost over now
"Are you kidding? We love supporting the middle school art scene"
"Yeah, we even bought a drawing" Ms. Matthews holds up sketch of Riley with her mouth wide open
"You have to wonder who this silly, little weirdo is" I smile when I see Riley opening her mouth
"Aw... It's our silly, little weirdo"
"Thank you for staying with Maya" she thanks her parents
"Always" they say before walking away
"I couldn't get her to come and I'm very disappointed"
"I know, you expect too much"
"This is hard on me"
"You need a hug, darling?" she nods and we hug
"Maya, I was wrong"
"No, Riley, you were right"
"I'm very confused" I chuckles
"I showed my work. People liked it. It made me feel like I could be something someday"
"You will be. You are now"
"Thank you, Riley" I notice that Elliot reappears
"Hey" I say to him
"Hi. Do you want half a tuna melt? You mom gave it to me"
"You know why she gave this to you?"
"Why?"
"She knows it's my favorite thing there. She knew that you'd share with me"
"I'd be happy to give you the whole thing"
"I know you would" I look at my painting
"I'll be just fine with half"
"What about me? Do I get none?" Riley asks but I can't hear her. I'm lost in another world right now.