"Good morning!" I shout as I enter the living a kiss mom and dad's head
"Hi babygirl. Ready for your junior year?" I nod
"No. Definitely not. But at least I have Riley and the others" I look at Chet and Bridget in awe before kneeling down and give them a kiss on the forehead.
These two are devils, I swear, especially at night. Still love them though. Chet giggles and starts pulling my hair.
"Okay Chet. No playing with my hair. You know that" I try to open up his hands but he has a very strong grip and I definitely don't wanna hurt him with my nail or something.
"Mom, Shawn, a little help here?" I ask when Bridget grabs my phone from the back pocket of my jeans.
"Maya, just open Chet's hand and take your phone back. Pretty simple" Mom replies with a yawn
"What if I hurt them?" Shawn sighs
"Okay, kiddo" he stands up and solves the whole situation
"There you go" he says to me while handing me the phone.
"Thanks" I grab my backpack and head out of the window
"Maya?"
"Yes, mom?"
"Don't you wanna hold them?" I shake my head.
"I'm late. I better go now. See you later, 'Kay?" I don't even let her reply before disappearing.
I love my siblings, I really do. And that's why I'm never gonna hold them or play with them. At least not for now. What if I hurt them somehow and they get hurt because of me? I better just keep my distance for now.
"Hey-o! I'm here" I say when I climb through my best friend's bay window
"Junior year! They say is the hardest one. What do you think about that?" I shrug
"It could be harder but I know that as long as long as we stick together then nothing will happen to us"
"Aww, Peaches!" I roll my eyes playfully
"Yeah, let's just go now. You got the keys to the car?" she nods. Since Elliot started college he has to take a totally different rout so that's why he can't drive us to school anymore. Luckily I have Riley who got her driver's licence recently to drive instead of him.
"You know, I still can't believe that you got your driver's licence" Elliot says while crossing his arms as he comes in the room with Josh following him
"Yeah, you're never focused on anything. You get distracted way too easily"
"Hey! That's not true!" I sigh
"They are right, Riles. You never focus on anything"
"Do you want the ride to school or you want to take the subway instead? Where you'll find criminals and lowlives?" I raise my eyebrows
"Lowlives? Riley, do I have to remind you where I'm from? Fordham?"
"Yeah but now you're here" I frown
"Would you have stayed my friend if I didn't move away?"
"Of course, Peaches"
"If I told you since the first moment that we met where I lived would you have become my friend?"
"I was too young to know all that stuff"
"Then what if we met when you were fully conscious about this?" she furrows her eyebrows as she thinks
"I guess so. I mean, you are an angel even though you come from there" she finally realizes
"You were trying to teach me something, didn't you?"
"Could be. What have you learned?"
"I learned not to judge people from where they come from because we're all capable of doing both good or bad"
"Congrats. You just passed the test" we shake hands
"Woah, Maya. I didn't know you could teach stuff" Josh says with a smirk
"Are you trying to become like my father?" I shake my head
"Nope. I ain't doing that. I'll leave that to Riley or Auggie"
"Hey! Why me?!"
"Cause Elliot is already studying to become a lawyer and following his mom's footsteps"
"Well, what if I wanna become an astronaut?"
"Honey, you don't wanna be an astronaut"
"Yeah, you're right. I still have no idea of what I'm gonna become"
"Well, you gotta start thinking about it this year and next year you'll have to send your college applications. So think wisely girls. Ready to go, Josh?" he nods
"Just a minute. Maya?"
"Yeah?"
"Still like me?"
"Yes"
"How about me?" I smile at Elliot
"Another yes"
"Okay, let's go nephew" they both walk out and I sigh.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"No. I don't wanna think about it" I smirk
"How are things going between you and Missy?" she starts blushing
"Oh, she's the best. Last night we went out. Dinner and movie and then we danced on the rooftop" she replies with dreamy eyes. I'm so happy she finally found someone.
"Sounds like love to me" I add with a grin but her smile falls
"What?"
"Come on, Riles. You've been together for more than six months now. You've survived summer and countless breakup Mondays. You can't tell me that your relationship is not that serious"
"Yeah, maybe you're right. But I'm scared" I frown
"Of what?"
"Of telling my parents, they still don't know. I have to tell them. That's the only thing that is missing to make my relationship 'official, official'!"
"How are you planning on doing it?"
"I don't know. But I was hoping you'd be there" I nod
"I'll definitely be there" she rests her head on my shoulder
"What if they don't accept me for who I am?"
"Then they'll hear a few words from me. I'll support you no matter what"
"I know. Thank you, Peaches. I'll always be there for you too"

*At the end of the school day*

"Finally! School is over!" Riley shouts while stretching a little bit while Zay and I sigh
"Yeah, talk for yourself, we have detention" he says in annoyance
"How is it possible that you two got detention on the first day?" Smakle asks
"Hey! It's not our fault!"
"Yeah, he's right! It's not our fault! It's his fault!" he glares at me
"See, the mashed potatoes were more solid, you know, like...normal potatoes"
"Or bricks"
"So that's why I started mashing them"
"Yeah, but some of it got into my eyes!"
"It's not my fault! It was an accident! You're the one who mashed the potato in my face!" I scoff
"To teach you a lesson!"
"You guys are unbelievable. I mean it. I've never met someone as immature as you two" Farkle says while laughing
"Really? Sweetie, look! A butterfly!" Riley turns her head to where Missy is pointing at
"Where?!"
"See?"
"Good point"
"Missy?"
"Yeah?"
"How's Alice doing?" she smiles sympathetically at me.
"She's doing great, Maya. She told me to tell you sorry for not coming this summer but she was very busy. She'll be back for thanksgiving though and she's definitely gonna drop by Topanga's and say hi and teach you some more moves she's learned" I faint a smile
"Sounds awesome"
"Talking about moves and cheer stuff: are you gonna have a co-captain this year?"
"I've already asked coach if I could have one this year. You know what her answer was, Farkle?"
"I wasn't there so I don't know"
"She said 'Oh my gosh Hunter. You're the youngest captain this school has ever had. No one ever became captain in sophomore year. You're a prodigy. If you managed to do it for a whole semester last year then I feel like you can totally do it for this year"
"Nine months?! You'll have to manage that responsibility for all this time?!" I nod
"Yeah. I already feel like this is gonna be the hardest year so far" the bell rings and all the students start leaving
"Well, I guess it's time for us to go. Bye"
"Bye guys!" Zay and I wave at them before walking inside Mr. Matthews' class. However, we find Harper -our English teacher- instead.
"Harper?" she looks up from her book
"That's me. Take a seat, guys. If you something to do then do it but stay silent. No talking during detention"
"Yes ma'am!" Zay shouts while taking his seat.
"Where is Mr. Matthews?" she looks at me
"He was busy"
"Doing what? It's the first day of school"
"Busy doing stuff" why is she so evasive?
"What kind of stuff though?"
"Why do you keep asking questions?"
"Why do you keep avoiding them?"
"Why don't you ask him when you'll be out of detention? I mean, if you ever get out. Cause if you keep talking I'm gonna add another hour for you" I just groan in frustration and start reading my History book.
I don't know why but I don't have a good feeling about all this. Why is Mr. Matthews not here? And why is Harper covering up for him? What is he up to?

*In the meanwhile, at Topanga's. Elliot's POV*

"Mom, dad, why are you here?" I ask them when they come in.
"Yeah, dad. Shouldn't you be watching over Maya and Zay?"
"Not today"
"Cor, I'm happy you're here" Shawn pats my dad's back when he and Katy come in with the twins
"You're welcome. How are they doing?"
"They're doing pretty great. Lots of energy. Maybe too much. Can you please hold them?" Katy hands her Bridget to mom while dad does the same with Chet
"I-okay. Fine"
"When should he arrive?"
"Who?" all the teens ask in unison, including me and Josh
"Hi" I can't believe what my eyes are seeing. What is Kermit doing here?
"Dad-"
"Calm down, Elliot. He's here because I invited him" my sister's eye widen
"Why?! Why would you do that?!"
"Yeah, dad!"
"Guys, it was our idea"
"What?! Shawn, Katy! How could you do this?!"
"And why?"
"You know? I just remembered that Smakle and I have a cheer practice"
"Y-Yeah, and I have this big science fair" I frown
"Why did you switch roles?"
"We're nervous!" Riley pushes them down to the couch
"Well, you're staying here. We're Maya's friends and have to support her when she'll come back"
"You guys still haven't answered our question" I glare at all the adults but my glaze is particularly stuck on Kermit.
"Well, Cory told me about what happened while Katy was giving birth to the twins"
"It's not her fault I left. That's why I'm here. I want her to understand that"
"Well, you're eleven years late, buddy"
"Elliot" I roll my eyes at mom's warning
"Fine. But you all know I'm right"
"No, it's not fine. Do you know how much damage you caused to Maya?" Josh asks in an angry tone while pointing at him
"Listen, kid. Like I said, I wanna make things better. But you have to let me"
"Believe me, I-"
"Dad?" Everyone turns around to look at Maya who just walked in with Zay. Riley told me they were in detention for playing with their food.
"Maya, hi"
"What are you doing here?"
"I just dropped by to say hi and talk to you. I see you're a big sister now, like you always wanted"
"Oh, so you remember something about me?"
"I could never forget how much you kept asking for a baby sibling"
"Yeah, at the end I didn't get one and lost a parent" she snaps back. Kermit looks around to look at Katy and Shawn
"Congratulations, Katy"
"Thanks, Kermit"
"May I hold
"No" his daughter answers quickly.
"You are not touching them"
"You don't think I could hurt them, right?"
"Don't you think I remember all the times you yelled at my mom? You sounded like monster. I was scared of my own father"
"Those were only words Maya. I'm not capable of such things"
"Yeah, I didn't think you were capable of leaving and yet, you did it. I'll never trust you around them. I don't even trust myself to hold them so you better get that thought out of your mind" Wow, I never noticed how becoming the older sister changed her. She's super protective of them. However, I can see how nervous and scared she is right now by looking at her eyes. She has the same look she had when she was eight grade and had to face him for the first time after nine years. I wish I could just kick Kermit out of here but I know I can't. Dad has something in mind and I wanna see what it is.
"You said you wanted to talk to me"
"Yeah"
"Okay then, let's go outside"
"Sure" they walk out.
"So, what's your plan, brother?" Dad smiles
"You'll see"

Maya's POV

"How are you?"
"We can skip the superficial talk and get to the point, you know? I gotta go to work"
"Sure, of course. Your teacher, Cory-"
"Mr. Matthews for you"
"Mr. Matthews, well, he talked to Shawn about how you broke in tears at the hospital when Katy was giving birth"
"Yeah, well, I was emotional"
"He also told him the reason why you were crying. So Shawn reached out to me to help him solve the situation"
"I don't know what you're talking about. There's no situation"
"Oh, so you're telling me that you don't think it's your fault I left?" I sigh
"When I was growing up I hated myself. I thought that I was broken. That no one could or ever would love me. It's the only way a child can grow up and their father abandons them" he shakes his head in denial
"Maya..."
"All I ever wanted to know was why? What was so wrong in me, that you would leave?"
"You know you're not the reason why I left" I feel my eyes getting watery
"No, see. I understand. I was a charge. I was this mistake that you had to get rid off, wasn't I?"
"No, Maya. You weren't a mistake"
"Really? 'Cause it's pretty clear that you weren't ready for me. It's clear that I wasn't planned. I bet that if I wasn't born then you and mom would've stayed together longer"
"You don't know that. You can't know that. Maybe I still would've left. Maybe we would've broken up. Maybe we would've stayed on good terms or maybe not. We don't know that" there's a minute of silence between us.
"It's not your fault I left"
"I know!"
"No, you don't. You still haven't forgiven yourself"
"You're wrong! It's you I haven't forgiven yet!" I say defensively
"But you know what? It ain't like I'm still five years old, you know? It's not like I'll be sitting up every night asking mom: 'When's daddy coming home?' you know? I don't need you. You weren't there to teach me how to hold a pencil and draw but I got pretty good at it. I got through my first date without you. I learned how to ride a bike, I learned how to take the subway, I learned how to stand up for myself  without you. I had eleven great birthdays without and you didn't even send me a damn card! The fuck is wrong with you?!"
"Maya-"
"I didn't need you then and I don't need you know"
"Please, I-I..."
"No, you know what? I'm gonna finish High School without you. I'm gonna get through college without you. I'm gonna get a great job without you. I'm gonna marry a loving husband and have a whole bunch of kids. I'm gonna be a better parent than you ever were to me! And I sure as hell won't need you for that! You know why?! Because there ain't a damn thing you could ever teach me about how to love my kids!" at this point I'm full on crying.
"Why don't you love me?" I ask in a whisper. He stands up and hugs me.
"I do love you, Maya. I do. I regret leaving you, trust me. I'm glad you grew up and turned into this strong and independent woman. I don't want you to forgive me, I understand your rage, I really do. But I want you to understand that this isn't your fault. I want you to forgive yourself? Okay?"
"I-I don't know how to that" I say in between sobs
"We'll help you" I hear Shawn say and I pull away from the hug to turn around
"How?"
"Your mom have been thinking about professional help if that's okay. All I know is that I would've appreciated this kind of help" I nod
"Yeah, I think you're right"
"You're okay with that babygirl?"
"Yes, mom. I wanna feel better about myself"
"And I would like to stick around a little bit more. I wanna be there for you if that's okay"
"It's fine with me. But don't even think that things will get back to normal as if nothing happened"
"Of course I won't. I promise. Maya?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you wanna catch up a little?" I wipe away my tears as I shrug
"I guess I can talk for a while"
"See you at home, kiddo?"
"Yeah, absolutely"
"Okay then" he kisses my head
"See you later Bridget" I kiss my baby sister's nose
"And don't even think I forgot about you, Chet" I kiss him too before mom and dad leave.
"I'm gonna grab a snack, you want anything?"
"No, thank you. I'm good" I nod and walk inside
"How'd it go?"
"Are you okay?"
"Did he say anything that made you feel bad? If he did then I-"
"Relax Josh, it's fine. We're still talking. I just came here to grab a snack. Thank you for worrying though" I kiss his cheek and grab a donut
"Are you okay?" Elliot asks and I nod
"Yeah, it's going better than I thought"
"Talk to you later on the bay window, Peaches?" I nod
"Yeah, I'd love that"
"Just talk to us if you ever need to" Farkle says
"Yeah, we'll be there" his other half adds
"Supporting you"
"And cheering for you" Missy completes Zay's sentence
"Thank you, guys. I really appreciate that" I head out and sit again on the table
"So, how's the other family?"
"Well, Emma just started first grade and John third grade. What about you?"
"Just stared junior year. I captain of the cheer team for the second year and member of the Art Club. Like I mentioned before, I work here"
"Wow, you really have your life put together" I laugh sarcastically. If he only knew all the things that I'm feeling right now.
"What about your boyfriend"
"Oh, well, we broke up"
"Why?"
"He left" his smile falls
"Oh, that's sad to hear"
"Yeah, but I'm fine though"
"Well, any other boys?" I nod
"Two, actually. It's complicated"
"Mhm" he stands up and knocks on the window and I see a smiling Elliot
"Is he one of them?"
"Yeah, Elliot"
"Okay..." he knocks again. Revealing Josh instead
"That's the other one?"
"Josh"
"They look very similar"
"That's because they're related. Josh is Elliot's uncle"
"Seems like you're really attracted to that family" I nod
"That's because they're all amazing. From Mr. Matthews to Riley. Every single member of that family is full of love to give"

*Hours later, at the bay window*

"So, you forgave him?" I shake my head
"No, Riles. Still not ready"
"You're giving him a second chance?"
"Not really. I don't see it as giving him a second chance. He's free to stick around just as he's free to leave again. The choice is up to him"
"You've really come a long way" I smile
"Thanks. Means a lot coming from you" I notice she starts playing with her finger, sign that she's nervous
"You know. While you were talking to Kermit I came back home and came out to mom and dad"
"You did?" she nods
"Yeah"
"Well, how'd it go?"
"Pretty well actually. They were like 'Okay, cool'" I smile warmly at her
"I wish I was there"
"Yeah. But I wanted to do this by myself"
"I'm really proud of you Riley"
"Thanks. Means a lot coming from you" I raise my hand
"Thunder"
"Lightning"
"Forever" we say together before hugging.