OK, Cory and Shawn have concocted an assignment to try to force Maya's and Riley's hands to reconnect. This could backfire on the adults with the two of them resenting both Cory and Shawn and NOT reconnecting. One cannot command others to be friends again if they're not interested. Period.

Anyway, it turns out that they DO one thing still in common: what's happened to Crazy Hat AKA Evelyn Rand. They work together to grab the confiscated cells from Shawn (who somehow seems to be working at the New York Public Library- how's that). Well, even though they blew the actual assignment of reconnecting without cells, they seem to have at least done the intent of assignment. OK, it turns out Ms. Rand had been pals with Geralyn John Quincy Adams Lunch Lady on her way down from her success . Although Chai seems to be a bit insecure re the possible re-emerging bond with Riley threatening her romantic ties with Maya, she's not entirely wrong in that, if Maya attempts to resume the friendship with Riley without attempting to hold Riley accountable for the stuff Riley did and said, Riley's always going to know that she does NOT have to apologize or acknowledge bad behavior but can keep on saying and doing mean things to Maya (and possibly Chai) but expecting Maya to come back for more. OK, since the fate of Ms. Rand COULD be a literal life-and-death issue, for now Maya and Riley should work together despite not having entirely resolved their differences but AFTER they find out Ms. Rand's fate, THEN Maya should carefully consider what Chai has said before attempting to pick up where she left off with Riley (regardless of what Cory and Shawn want). Oh, Geralyn Thompson DIED a few weeks earlier? Could her now missing onetime friend Ms. Rand somehow be connected to this? Something tells me that a good person to get answers would be the JQA Janitor Harley Keiner who seemed to have been a pal of Mrs. Thompson (and HAD been friends with Maya and Riley). In any case, this is rather intriguing and I'm looking forward to finding out what happened to Mrs. Thompson (who, by that prefix seemed to have had a husband at one point could HE shed any light) and possibly Ms. Rand - as well as whether Maya and Riley ultimately decide to resume things after the mystery's solution AND whether Maya's willing to spell out what needs to change (and will the bond with Chai last even if she may be more insecure than she needs to be).

Oh, a Shawn centered chap! Sounds intriguing!

Interesting that it's framed via letters to Jack. That's the first indication that the brothers are having any kind of civil bond which is more than GMW depicted. And what tales he has to share with his more conventional sib.

Yeah, it's good for Shawn to recollect Angela but it seems more as a bond he learned how NOT to repeat than one to emulate. Funny how Shawn seems eager to be Minkus's domestic helpmate. Interesting that it wound up Topanga got Shawn and Minkus to double date with her and Cory (and it's refreshing here that she not only clicked with Minkus re egghead but that she seemed to have a warmer bond with her own husband than GMW depicted). OK, Cory and Shawn have broken the ice and it seems Cory misses having Maya around and desires Riley and Maya to reconcile. Not a bad concept in itself. However, it's interesting how Cory immediately said Riley was NOT 'homophobic' without prompting in much the same way Shawn had said the Centre was 'not a cult' way back when but the latter sure proved wrong. So if Riley is not homophobic than why did she call Maya 'nasty' for bonding with Chai? One can simply say that one isn't interested in participating in a same-gendered bond without calling those who participate 'nasty'.

Nice interlude with Shawn putting all the cards on the table with Minkus re whether to move in permanently and it seems by the changing positions of their physiques and limbs that this convo happened either shortly before or shortly after a romantic encounter (well Minkus's kiss that seemed to seal the deal definitely was romantic to Shawn). One almost has to wonder how they were attired or IF they were attired during that convo (but that may have been something that Shawn wasn't quite up to spelling out to Jack in the letter). It's interesting not just that Shawn is opening himself up to Minkus but that Minkus seems ready to share his life with Shawn. OK, so Shawn's ready to officially move into Minkus's place and even believing himself to love Minkus and Cory actually isn't freaking out or getting jealous . So Shawn has an idea what may reunite Riley and Maya. Good intention but I truly hope both of them consider that their own friendship should NOT depend on the younger generation making up. More importantly, they should NOT try to force the girls to fake being friends if they're no longer interested because that will inevitably cause the girls to resent them. Sometimes, it's better to lose someone who proved to be no friend than to keep pretending they'll be the friend one had thought they'd be but wound up failing when it mattered.
Anyway, I look forward to more chaps with Maya and am interested to see how you plan to keep Shawn in her life since he seems destined to be with Minkus instead of Katy.

Whew! John's motives for seeking out Maya were reasonable and legit and he said that he was cool with her being with Chai. So far so good.

But poor Katy! She seems to have gotten herself into an awful state over her failed Thanksgiving meal attempt. Even the attempts by John and Maya to console her just make things worse. And then, it happens, Katy has a meltdown over Maya having a hidden life from her and believing that Katy doesn't notice (or care) but Katy DOES both the above. This somewhat forces Maya's hand to admit that not only is she involved with Chai but, to utter the words she's never said aloud that she's a lesbian. To Katy's credit, she fully accepts this and embraces that aspect of Maya. Huge irony here is when Maya admits that Riley turned on her for having the relationship with Chai after all those years of Maya believing Riley would be HER bestie forever no matter what. . but when push came to shove, Riley was NOT while Katy (the one she'd thought was neglectful if not indifferent to her for so long when poor Katy merely had no choice but to work zillions of hours to support the two of them) was the one who proved she DOES love Maya for who and what she is! I wonder whether Katy will consider too awkward to keep working for Riley's mother now that the dynamics have changed. Still, it's good that mother and daughter truly cleared the air and gave each other credit where do. Nice that Maya shared that with Chai yet now both are alarmed by Crazy Hat's absence. Could something bad have happened to the older woman? Plot thickens. Great seeing this back and looking forward to more chapters.

A bit awkward with Maya not ready to go as far as Chai wants AND Chai's folks practically considering their daughter and Maya's trysts resulting in full sex as a virtually done deal. Yeah, they're 'supportive' and that's better than being oppressive but that's still awkward. At least Maya got a good convo about Picasso AND learned to enjoy vegetarian lasagna from it. Poor Cory wanting to keep trying to have Maya and Riley reconcile but, as Maya puts it, he doesn't quite seem to get that Riley is the one who needs to apologize for that to happen (AND that Riley herself needs to approach Maya not depend on Cory to convey her alleged wishes for a reconciliation- could this be more Cory's than Riley's idea). Since Shawn's suitcase is still seen, I guess Maya visited the two of them in Minkus's apartment. Well, those two sure seem to be getting along quite well domestically (cooking, pour wine,etc.) but it's funny how Minkus seems far more accepting that Shawn had dated at least two girls Minkus wound up with (Dana and Jennifer) than Shawn has. Yet, Minkus also gave a good argument about why it wasn't a good idea to throw caution to the wind when being in a bond- as his and Dana's bond ended in ashes and they're now total strangers to each other. Good for Maya for spelling out to Chai WHAT her boundaries are and what she's ready for (and good that Chai agreed rather than tried to pressure/guilt her to do what Maya wasn't ready for). Hmm, what's Katy's boyfriend John doing trailing Maya? Unless Katy herself asked him to fetch Maya to finish the Thanksgiving dinner, this could spell trouble (and Maya needs to tell/text Katy that John showed up ASAP). Well, I can't say this chapter's twists have been predictable. Good job!

I like the way you divert from the original episodes in your chapters, like instead of falling into Mr. Matthews arms after the confrontation with her father, she walks away. And ultimately has her mother comfort her instead. It's a very interesting and satisfying take. As always, I look forward to the next chapter.

OK, Maya doesn't seem to miss Riley that much and appears happier with Chai. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't issues. I like how you have Cory doing the Forgiveness Project for a more obvious reason (to hope Maya and Riley would reconcile) than having it done randomly on the show for no known reason. Although Farkle might seem innocent of anything for Cory to forgive him for, I can think of something: Farkle Time taking chunks away from his teacher Cory's actual curriculum. Interesting twist that Farkle used this time to truly forgive and let go Minkus having split from Jennifer and told Minkus that they were still a family but it's also interesting that he discussed this with Maya afterwards but NOT Shawn who is Minkus's current flame (and present for the whole convo). Also it's odd that Shawn seems to be spending more and more time at the Minkus flat yet he stores his stuff in a suitcase. I wonder if Minkus and Shawn need to have a convo about Shawn giving up his own place and moving in? Of course, with Minkus being a zillionaire and Shawn just being comfortably self-sufficient, the issue of Shawn not wanting to become a 'kept man' may come up! Good twist having Maya NOT choose Riley but she herself choosing to address Kermit on her own accord (instead of only doing so after being pestered and nagged to do so by Riley on the show). Yes, Kermit seems contrite but Maya rightly told him that even THAT can't undo the damage he'd done by leaving her and Katy (AND finally gave Katy much needed credit for doing her best to do what she could to keep things together). There's still the issue of telling Katy her attraction to Chai but I think Katy might be more understanding (and supportive) than Maya may believe- although Katy may need to consider whether to keep working for her daughter's former friend's mother (and how long can Riley truly be counted on NOT to say anything to her mother's employee about her dislike of Maya's sexuality?). What an intense thing for Maya to do to beat up on an 'imaginary' brick Riley! Too bad she got bloody fingers for it but it's good Maya learned that Riley's not her 'ride or die' (could that notion have possibly originated with. ..Riley?).
Thanks for this chapter (and great that you brought back Shawn and Minkus here). Oddly, it doesn't say whether Riley actually forgave her brother over the bear from way back just that she was considering doing so. Not to worry about the timing. One needs to keep in mind that Father's Day (along with Mother's Day) celebrates the IDEAL parent and just because there are many who aren't anywhere close to said ideal doesn't mean that other parents/ potential parents shouldn't do all they can to aspire to the ideal!

Great chapter. I'm interested to see where Maya and Riley's friendship goes now that they've had such an explosive confrontation - it will be interesting to see how Riley's feelings develop, will she learn to embrace the sexuality of her best friend and will that be something that she is not able to ever accept. I always love the way you incorporate Mr. Matthews in your chapters, even if it's just a little piece. As Maya points out, he is Riley's dad, not hers, so it will be interesting to see how that develops as well. As always, great job!

i love this so much, it's crazy

Well, I can't say I'm entirely surprised the fight happened. I mean, if Riley and Maya got SO heated over Lucas calling Maya a 'short stack of pancakes' that they called in Eric to mediate, it wasn't that hard to imagine a major difference of opinion over something trulyserious in blowing up like that. Yes, Maya DID have to constantly go to battle to spare Riley's feelings and also was willing to sacrifice her own likings just to keep Riley happy. Maya was supposed to be the 'bad' girl and Riley the 'good' but, despite Maya's rough edges, IMO she was a much better friend to Riley than vice versa and she grew as a person but not Riley. Well, sad things came to blows though it was good to see both Cory and Topanga let Maya know they each were in Maya's corner despite Maya's friendship with Riley seeming to be over. Lucky that Chai happened to be at Topanga's to console Maya (and keep Maya's confidence with Katy so Maya could tell her mother herself). Yeah, Maya is correct that Cory is Riley's dad instead of hers so she truly can't count on him to favor herself over Riley despite his offer. Also, I can't help but wonder if Maya will now feel a bit awkward about Katy's job at Topanga's. I think Maya better tell Katy everything about Chai and the fight with Riley ASAP so Katy will have as much data possible re wanting to keep working at Riley's mother's business.
This may be a good time for Maya to seek out Shawn's (and possibly Minkus's) advice!
Thanks for the shout out and I look forward to the next chapter!

Wow, great way to tie those two identities into one person, I was not expecting that. High School is a time when kids start to find themselves and figure out who they really are and who they want to be, so it's always interesting to read another chapter of Maya's journey in doing that.
I loved the way you likened Maya's feelings in kissing to the camera spinning in movie, very illustrative.
Can't wait to read the next chapter and find out Riley's thoughts on everything as well.

Some interesting twists here! Maya is ready to get close to Chai while bonding about artistic passions when. . Missy walks in. Surprisingly. Missy leaves almost as soon as she sees them but I wouldn't count on Missy not spreading some exaggeration about what Maya and Chai had actually been doing. Maya is ready to confide these feelings about Chai to Riley when Riley. ..is winding up getting hot and heavy with Lucas in the Bay Window! Yep, not only would that be the worst time to try to parlay to Riles about these new feelings for another girl but if she had tipped off Cory to what she saw, the couple would be mad at her and Cory would likely bar the Bay Window so Maya herself could never again use it! Nice touch that Maya felt comfortable talking to this Mrs. Thompson (could she have once been married to a man but now the longtime companion of this other woman?) And though Shawn shows up to add his two cents, it seems Mrs. Thompson had pretty much covered things. BTW, nice touch to have Shawn dress up as John Adams for the costume party considering that he, Minkus, Cory and Topanga were grads of John Adams high (and it would have been so full circle had Shawn sent a pic of himself as President Adams to Mr. Feeny's phone). I wonder who Minkus went as. ..Ben Franklin perhaps. More importantly Maya finds out that Chai had transformed herself from Brenda (so the two were one and the same) AND was enthralled enough with Maya to not hold it against her about the purse. Nice touch to have Maya say Chai is HER 'Minkus' but it sure proves correct in that like Shawn had done before with the original, she'd overlooked her classmate's full potential for too long but then wound up truly liking the classmate when the classmate bloomed (just like Shawn now is enthralled with the onetime dork geek turned hottie nerd Minkus who's ditched his glasses while Shawn himself now needs them) AND there seems to be the issue of this hurting her longtime bestie (just like Cory's gotten hurt re Minkus). I guess Brenda never paid attention to Farkle's last name. Could Riley be disgusted solely because Maya passionately kissed another girl or could there be some envy on Riley's part mixed with this? NOW Maya is going to have to deal with whether she may need to choose between Chai as her new hottie or keep using all her energies on staying BFF's catering to Riley even at the expense of her own feelings(which she's been doing for so long)! Plot thickens!

Interesting chapter! It looks like Maya has a lot to think about regarding Chai, Brenda, and possibly Lucas. Also wondering how long it might take for her to tell Katie about her new feelings, it seems like she would be accepting but it's always hard to come out to a parent. Great chapter

An interesting retelling of 'Girl Meets Yearbook' (and actually a far more compelling deal of why Riley and Farkle got bummed due to being considered too uncool to invite to the party). Nice touch of having Maya actually spur Riley to admit her non-brotherly love for Lucas. Still, I have to wonder how Maya would have reacted had Chai replied to her 'Riley is the best person somebody can be' with 'She's NOT Jesus Christ or even an Apostle's mother-in-law and she has flaws but it's nice you are loyal to her just don't let loyalty to a fault stifle you from becoming the best person YOU really are') In any case, Chai seems to be willing to try to test the waters with Maya but I have to wonder if Brenda's still on Maya's radar or did already lose interest in her (and did she EVER return the poor girl's purse?). Still, an interesting chapter (and I hope we can see more input if not depictions of the Shawn/Stuart bond).

Hmm, what happened to the crush on Chai? Did Maya already attempt to at least ask Chai if she was as interested in her as vice versa or did Maya simply lose interest before she attempted anything (with Chai never the wiser nor any conflict erupting between Chai and Riley)? Oh,well. OK, Maya gets rather obsessed via finding this new purse and decides to let her imagination about the purse's owner run wild. A bit creepy (and hope Maya considers whether she'd like it if anyone attempted to do that with her own purse or wallet) but oddly Cory and Topanga seem understanding about this. I wonder if they remember how Shawn first fell for Angela after having found HER belongings. I guess Maya will make her own decision without asking Shawn's input. OK, it looks like Maya has decided to at least consider whether Brenda the purse-owner could be worth knowing despite having already played out in her mind the best and worst case scenario . ..yet still hasn't returned Brenda's purse by the end of this chapter. I hope Maya realizes that the longer she keeps Brenda's purse, the more frantic Brenda will become over it being missing AND if Brenda ever finds out Maya kept it instead of just returning it immediately, Brenda will think of her as a thief and a creep.

I like that you added a new character in Maya's life who has friction with Riley, that will be an interesting development to read how Maya deals with that. I love the correlation between the painting they're learning about and the painting across the street as well. Great chapter