a/n: this has been in process for like 3238798+ years and now it's finally finished and is still second class writing! honestly...

anways, i'm really new to gmw and stuff but it's quite nice and lucaya and joshaya and rucas are cute but honestly? i don't think a middle school series should be centered around these ships. that's just my opinion though.

i have a briley fanfic on queue... what is wrong with me and these crack ships

disclaimer: i don't own gmw. buuuuut i do own this crappy fanfic! enjoy :)

When Lucas arrives at his new middle school, he notices a lot of girls. A lot of them. Mostly because they're all clustered in groupies, giggling whenever he passes by, which Lucas finds rather strange.

The only group that catches his eye is a rather small group of two. A brunette is whispering excitedly into a blonde's ear, whom is wearing both an amused and slightly bored expression.

When they look his way, Lucas smiles at them. The brunette waves eagerly, but the blonde's expression doesn't change very much. In fact, she raises her eyebrow and shoves her hands into her pockets. Somehow, it unsettles him.

He is unable to shake off the feeling until lunch.

It's about a week later. Lucas has grown a liking to the two girls, whose names are Riley Matthews and Maya Hart. They have a bond like he's never seen before, practically joined at the hip. He watches as they banter in class. Riley is very naive and outgoing, Maya seemingly good-natured and sophisticated. It's convenient that Mr. Matthews, the World History teacher, is actually Riley's father, so Lucas is constantly hearing about personal issues and inside jokes. He doesn't mind though. World History here is definitely more interesting than it was back in Texas.

One morning, Riley asks, "When am I old enough to date?"

Mr. Matthews walks from behind his desk, his eyebrows knit together. "Pardon?"

"I want to know if I can go out with someone," Riley says calmly.

Mr Matthews stares at his daughter, then says, "No."

Riley opens her mouth to speak, looking ready to argue.

"Come on, Mr Matthews," Maya interrupts, a smile tugging at her lips. "The context is clear enough."

Lucas marvels at how well Maya can twist words around to her advantage, and there is sort of a secretive smile on her face as she turns around and addresses Lucas, "Right, cowboy?"

"How did I get dragged into this?" he asks, bewildered.

Mr. Matthew rounds up on Lucas. "Yes, Mr. Friar, how did you get dragged into this?"

"I actually have no idea, sir," Lucas says, trying to send accusatory eye signals to the blonde in front of him.

"Maya?" the teacher turns to the blonde.

"Riley?" the blonde turns to her friend.

Riley has a sheepish (albeit huge) grin on her face, and she melts into her chair. "Hi."

"Mr. Matthews," Maya says. Lucas can see Maya straighten her back and lace her fingers together. "I don't think you understand... yet. Girls have hormones and they will like boys."

"I know..."

"And when, per say, that boy arrives... Well, what can ya do."

The teacher looks undeniably confused. "What are you implying?"

Maya turns back to Lucas, opening her mouth to say something witty, but then the bell rings. She then smirks, leaning over to clap his shoulder. "You've been let off the hook, Buckeroo. See ya later."

She then links her arm through Riley's and flounces off, leaving him there to stare in awe at her retreating figure. His shoulder still feels a little warm from the area where she touched him.

It's been some weeks. He finds himself becoming very good friends with the two, as well as the smartest kid in his grade, Farkle Minkus. They are established "The Fantastic Four", because a) Maya had introduced The Fantastic Four to Riley and Farkle, and b) Riley and Farkle refuse to call the group anything else.

Whenever Farkle suddenly starts narrating everything in a low voice, saying things like, "The Fantastic Four have done it again!" or "Here comes the Fantastic Four," Maya rolls her eyes at Lucas, who smiles. Riley laughs until she's in tears and swears to god "that voice will be the bane of my existence," and Maya starts giggling as well, and suddenly the whole group is staggering to class, their laughter ringing in the hallways.

And when Maya holds Lucas's shoulder to support herself, he can't stop the grin from spreading across his face. He doesn't really know why he likes Maya's touch so much, but it gives him a warm feeling.

Suddenly, he knows everything about her.

He knows that she likes every drink with an extra shot of coffee. He knows that she can't read without listening to Imagine Dragons. He knows her favorite song, People Like Us by Kelly Clarkson.

He also knows that she's afraid of silence. Her greatest fear is being let down. She hates it when people loses trust in her, and will be upset for days when someone hides the truth from her, even about the littlest things. Even though she prefers honesty from someone else, her first instinct is to hide the truth, because she thinks that her past and her choices are her weakness.

And Maya never tells him any of this. He knows by the way she reacts to things, big and small.

So when she writes BROKEN on her forehead, he knows exactly where she coming from. Her eyes are brave and sad at the same time. She is owning up to herself like always. Being completely honest with herself and everyone, just as she expects from everyone else.

When she sees his forehead, marked MR. PERFECT, he can see in her eyes that she knows he's being truthful. And the look of understanding that passes between them makes his heart pound.

She offers a small smile and points to her head when Mr. Matthews looks at her, and Lucas feels like he's in too deep. He tries to change his mind.

He still wishes he were the one to wipe off Maya's forehead when Mr. Matthews asks them to wash off a friend's forehead. He wishes he could wipe away her troubles, just like that.

But Riley is there to gently wipe off the marker, and Maya's eyes are closed, quiet and trusting and acknowledging that Riley will always wipe away her flaws. And that's when Lucas also finds that Maya will chose Riley over anyone. Always.

It isn't hard to figure out that Riley has a crush on him. Everything all adds up. It's just that he isn't interested at the moment.

Riley Matthews is pretty and sweet and naïve. She will sacrifice anything for her friends, and is always eager to learn something new. Her cute facadę is charming. Everything about her is charming.

But Lucas knows that charming is not what he's looking for.

He secretly wants someone scarred. He was someone real, someone with raw emotion. Someone who has endured regret and disappointment at every step of their life. He wants to be able to feel with that person.

He wants someone broken.

Maya Hart, inevitably, is that person, and each day, he falls for her just a bit harder.

The thought repeatedly bothers him. He finds himself not able to sleep that night.

The trimester finals start, and the four of them are studying together in the library. Lucas is surprised at how little the kids at his school think of the library, since it's actually a pretty interesting place. He and Riley sit together on the window chair comparing notes, Maya leans against the wall cross-legged, and Farkle is sprawled across the floor, flipping rapidly through a book about Steve Jobs.

Riley closes the textbook after they're finished. "So that was... fun," she says shyly, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

Lucas smiles back at her awkwardly. It's not that he doesn't like Riley. He does. It's just that her borderline-obvious crush on him makes him guilty that he doesn't like her back. But at the same time, the completely focused look on Maya's face as she draws an outline of a sketch makes Lucas's heart do flips.

Riley's phone suddenly rings, and she picks it up hurriedly. "Hey! I mean, hey... Hi dad. Yeah... oh... okay."

Riley stands up to leave, and Maya looks up from her spot on the floor. "Riles? Where are you going?"

"Gotta go home," Riley says with a sigh. Lucas catches the subtle glance she gives him. "Dad called, it's family dinner night."

"Let me walk you home!" Farkle says eagerly. He shoots to his feet. "I know a shortcut."

"My dad won't let me come home by myself anyways," Riley shrugs, "so lead the way."

Maya scoots over to his feet as Farkle and Riley amble their way out of the library. She grins up at him. "So it's just you and me, huh, Ranger Rick?"

Lucas manages a wry smile. He's pretty much accepted that she will forever call him by the most corny, stereotypical western name she can think of. "I guess it is, Maya."

"Sit down here with me," Maya says wryly.

Lucas's heart pounds a little when he drops to her level.

With a smirk, Maya goes back to drawing on her math sheet, doodling a couple staring dreamily at each other in the rain. She draws in rain clouds and water droplets pouring down on the man's face. The odd part is that she doesn't add water streaming down the woman's face.

"Why didn't you add the rain on the woman's face?" Lucas asks.

"It's a present for Shawn," Maya says, holding the drawing between them and angling her body towards his. "It's a metaphor, him and Angela. She left him. They're in the rain, right? It's like their breakup. But because she was the one who hurt him, he's the only one getting wet."

Lucas stares at the sketch. Maya's skills have been steadily becoming more refined and meaningful, and he can see the undeniable resemblance of the couple and Shawn and Angela. His expression must've been a little too baffled, because Maya guffaws, "Whoa there, little too deep for an ordinary cow-herder like you?"

"Ha-ha," Lucas says, averting his eyes to shield himself from Maya's amused gaze. "I'm just emotional from your touching and heart wrenching mind and metaphors."

"Was that sarcasm?" she asks, smile widening. "I did just hear Huckleberry be sarcastic for once?"

"Oh my God, Maya -"

"Provoking the Lord!" Maya shouts gleefully, somehow keeping a straight face. Lucas cringes, but he knows there's a grin on his face. "May God damn you, you lowly, religious rancher!"

He's laughing so hard his sides hurt, and Maya is falling all over him, laughter so loud people in Belgium could probably hear her. The librarian eventually comes over to them to tell them to be quiet, but still spurts of laughter rolls off of them in waves. When Lucas has finally realized how their shoulders are touching and the way Maya's blonde hair splayed over his arm, he officially concludes that there is no turning back from loving Maya Hart.

The rest of the year goes by, and Lucas never gathers the courage to tell Maya his feelings. They grow distant over the summer for some reason, and he finds himself wondering what she is up to each day. He then pushes away the thought every time because it constantly reminds him of her smile, which is not what he needs.

The rest of the summer passes by uneventfully. Lucas cannot help but count down the days until school starts again.

When they see each other again, suddenly it's awkward. Everything is awkward.

"Hey," he stutters.

"Hi," she says.

And then there is an uncomfortable silence.

Eventually, things do get more easy. But it's like Maya has changed. She's almost trying to space herself between him and avoid standing close to him.

It's weird. Maya was never like this. But now she is, he supposed.

One day, neither Maya nor Riley show up at school. Judging from the way Mr. Matthews is behaving, something big probably happened. Lucas decides to go to Maya's place after school and check up on her.

When the final bell rings, Lucas races out of the building, papers flying. Prior to arriving at the small apartment complex, he picks up Double-Stuff Oreos and those really greasy fries that Maya likes. His hand is shaking the slightest when he knocks on the door.

"Maya?"

There is a grunt. Lucas takes that as a signal to come in.

He slowly opens the door to the sight of her sprawled all over her ratty couch. Her eyes are glued to an old television set, and the movie Hairspray is playing.

"Maya," Lucas takes a breath. "You weren't at school today. What's wrong?"

Maya doesn't answer. Instead she sinks farther into the couch, the cushions and blankets engulfing her tiny frame.

Lucas strolls over and perches at edge of her couch. Maya turns away from him.

"Go away," she mumbles.

"Sorry, Miss. I'm afraid I can't do that."

There is a tense silence. Maya sits upright, her face tight with exasperation and anger. She has to think about her next words before she spits them out. "That is exactly why I would like you to leave," she says in a low voice, scratchy and slightly nasally. "You won't fucking comfort me. You'll just come here and smartmouth me and I swear to god if you don't leave I'll stab myself."

Lucas is slightly taken aback by her language, because normally she doesn't swear. "Provoking the lord," he says back, albeit gentler. "Not a very smart move, Cowgirl."

"Fucking Christ," she exclaims, her hand doing that thing when she wants to break his soul. "Can you not right now?"

"Maya, I just want to help you," Lucas tries.

Maya makes this frustrated noise. "Huckleberry," she starts slowly, "I do not want you to help me. At all. That is specifically why I told Farkle and Riley and everyone else not to tell you I was gone and for what reason."

"Why?!"

"It's because you understand it!" Maya finally shouts, nearly jumping out of her little haven of blankets. "It's because you understand how everything and every little detail about me, and how you'll know exactly how to make it better. Only you won't make it better. I don't want fucking real advice, I want bullshit on how it's going to be okay, even when it's not!" Her voice drops. "I can't have another person understanding what it's like, living the life of Maya Hart, who has to deal with this shit everyday."

"Maya..." Lucas croaks. Suddenly his voice isn't working so well.

"Leave," she says quietly - firmly.

Reluctantly, Lucas takes his backpack and walks out the door, not looking back once.

She doesn't come back the next day, either. Or the one after that. Or the one after that.

She has been gone for a week.

Riley has come back, but she hardly ever talks now. Neither does Farkle. When they walk together, it's in complete silence usually. Occasionally Farkle will make a wisecrack out of American politics, but other than that, it's quiet all of the time.

Suddenly, it's like his life is gray. Maya's presence is now just a distant memory. He can't remember what her smile looks like, but he remembers the warm feeling whenever he was fortunate enough to receive one.

His heart isn't torn apart. It's just... there. Not thumping irrationally like it always did when Maya laughed.

It feels like eternity without her.

Of course, when Maya comes back to school, Lucas bugs her about it.

"Maya, please tell me," he near pleads, throwing himself at her. "Just tell me what happened!"

Maya don't even glance at him. She's been tight and snappy with everyone, but this matters to Lucas. He's decided that he's not going to walk away, no matter what.

"Maya!"

Maya whips around, glaring at him. "Fine, do you want to know?" she hisses.

"Yes, goddammit," he breathes (in relief because finally).

"My dad decided that he wanted to come back, alright?" she shrieks, startling everyone in the hallway. "He was drunk. And being a complete jerk. And my mom refused. So he hit her over the head with a beer bottle and took off." She wipes at her tears angrily. "I called the police. She was in a critical condition. I felt completely helpless. If that's what you wanted to know, there it is."

She storms away. Lucas feels absolutely speechless for once, and in turn, he swivels the other way and walks back to his locker.

They make up eventually. And it's back to joking, late night hangouts and bad nicknames.

One day a fellow eighth grader asks them if they're dating. Maya bluntly tells her no with a curt nod, and Lucas watches in astonishment and amusement as Maya keeps answering rudely to the student's polite questions and apologies.

"Whoa Maya," Lucas says once she's left, "I didn't know you hated me that much."

There's a weird look on Maya's face as she replies, "But of course, Hopalong. What made you think I'd grow attached to you?"

"Maybe the way you use all my endearing nicknames," he teases, chuckling. "You just won't admit that you're secretly in love with me."

Maya snorts and walks away from him, laughing, but not before flipping him off behind her back.

Because she's Maya, she is always, always placing bets.

And because she's Maya, she always, always wins.

So when she wins the tenth bet (he can't even remember what it was), she declares, "You take me out to a movie and pay for the tickets and drinks."

He's about to agree, except something about the deal seems off. "Wait. Hold up."

"You got a problem, Heehaw?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" he says, semi-teasingly but mostly flustered.

"...Uh. No. Of course not..."

He grins. She pulls him towards her by the shirt threateningly (which he still hasn't gotten used to, and every time she does it his heart races. Every time.)

"It is not a date, so don't get any ideas. You better not go around telling anyone," she hisses, her eyes piercing his.

"Yes ma'am," he says with a smirk.

She pushes him back roughly and walks away. "I'll text you the details. Bring at least twenty dollars for food because I'll probably be starving," she calls over her shoulder.

He sighs to himself in reply.

They end up watching Unfriended, which is actually a little weird and hard to comprehend to Lucas, but Maya is grinning about talking about how great the movie is when it ends. Maya is holding the leftover box of popcorn of two that she made him buy, along with two drinks and some candy, and all of Lucas's twenty-five dollars are gone. They walk back to Maya's house from the movie theater.

"You know, I was going to call a cab with the extra five dollars," Lucas complains after a while. "It's cold out here."

"Puh-lease," Maya singsongs, munching more of the popcorn, "you were definitely going to use that money on me. Plus, then you can walk me back to my house, so I won't be lonely."

Like on a real date, Lucas thinks, but he doesn't say anything.

When they reach her apartment door, she turns back to look at him. Maya looks like she wants to say something, but she doesn't say anything. And… she almost looks like she wants to be kissed.

And he almost does.

Because when they're leaning in, when his lips are inches away from hers, she jerks back, and in her eyes there's something like fear. He can feel her holding her breath, and he jams his hands in his pockets, completely embarrassed.

Maya turns back to the doorway, unlocks the door and scrambles inside. Lucas can feel his insides churning in disappointment. He was so close.

She laughs a short, nervous laugh. "Well… Goodnight."

"Night," he says, hoping his voice doesn't crack from frustration.

She closes the door.

Lucas leaves, and outside it's still cold and it's overcast and looks about ready to rain, except it doesn't. He walks home, watching the visible fog of his breath and thinking about the look in Maya's eyes.

It's so strange, because for a second, he thought she really wanted him too.

Another time, he watches her draw.

She doodles a girl with long, wavy hair, sitting by herself in a corner. A boy is reaching out to her, his hand outstretched, and he's radiating rays of sunlight. The girl's hand is stretched toward him, but they're not close enough. Their fingers don't touch. The picture is frustrating to look at, because Lucas somehow feels a connection.

He doesn't know in what aspect.

When she's nearly done, Maya glances up at him, sitting next to her.

Lucas smiles slightly. "Nice drawing."

Maya hesitates. "Thanks."

He leans his head closer to the drawing to see all the details, and Maya is studying him, and the silence is comforting. He angles his head back at Maya. She's smiling shyly at him.

He focuses his gaze toward her lips, and her breath hitches the slightest, and soon they're leaning in. His lips are at the exact same place they were back at her apartment, but before she can move backward, he moves closer and brushes his lips against hers.

And then, just like before, Maya pushes him backward and she's breathing hard and has scooched away from him, her eyes closed and her chest heaving. She doesn't speak again, only continues drawing. When they stand up to leave, she gathers all the drawings except for the one with the outstretched arms.

The twinge of hurt in Lucas's chest stays for a long time.

Maya avoids him like the plague. And this time, he doesn't put in much effort to see her again.

Riley constantly asks what's going on between them, and Lucas puts in a halfhearted answer. Maya does not provide any input at all, refusing to talk about whatever happened. It's mortifying.

Eventually, just like every time they fight, Lucas tries to talk to her.

Finally, one day, he catches her in a good mood, swinging by her locker to put away some paintbrushes, humming softly to herself. There's a small smile on her face as she loads her canvas in.

"Maya," Lucas calls, meandering through the crowd of students to get to her.

There's a flash of something like uncertainty in Maya's eyes - Lucas has seen it enough over the past couple days. When he gets to her locker, she still hesitates before turning toward him. "Yeah, Cowboy?"

"I need to talk to you… about what happened."

Instantly he can see the recognition on Maya's face, but naturally she tries to play dumb. He can she her fumble with her paintbrushes as she tries unsuccessfully to cram them into her locker. "What are you talking about?"

"Maya, I can't just ignore it anymore." Frustration raises the volume of his voice. "I like you. I know you like me too. This isn't fair."

"There's nothing to talk about," Maya cuts in with a steely voice. Her eyes are glinting dangerously. Normally Lucas would back off, but this time he's tired of all the shit Maya has built up between them.

"Why do you always pull back?" he demands, "Why are you treating me this way? I deserve to know, Maya. I can't always just -"

"There is nothing between us!" Maya explodes, her voice nearing the edge of desperation. Lucas is shocked into silence as she continues with a terrible, mirthless laugh. "There is nothing between us, Lucas. What is between us…" her face contorts, as if the next words pain her - "is platonic. You try to make us into something that we're not. But I can't do that. I can't…" she swallows hard.

"You can't what?" Lucas asks. A hard edge infuses his voice.

"I can't be with you," Maya says, her words so small Lucas almost can't hear her.

"That's your choice, Maya," Lucas shouts. "But I can't just stand here any longer. I can't wait for you endlessly. If that's your choice, then fine. I'm through with this crap."

He marches off, anger so pent up it hurts to breathe. Maya doesn't say anything from behind him, which is good, or else he might not be able to control himself at all. Red dots his vision, and he storms away into his next class. The crowd parts for him wordlessly.

They don't talk anymore the following year. Riley and Farkle desperately try to bring them together again, but Lucas refuses to look at Maya. Every time he steals a glance at her, his chest hurts.

He'll get over it, he supposes.

But then again, he thinks as his eyes flit quickly to hers, and then away, maybe not.