Everything You Are

"I did say I'd come over for breakfast."

"I thought you were joking," Riley brings the spoon to her mouth, pauses, "How did you find me, anyways?"

"Smackle is a genius. Like, certified and everything." Maya says, taking a bite of her own cereal. If Riley had known she was being serious about coming over for breakfast, she would've taken the time to prepare something slightly more... lavish. "She probably could've found you with just your first name and your picture."

"But unfortunately, you have no pictures of me."

"Yeah I do," Maya says, taking out her phone. She taps a few buttons and does some scrolling, then shows the screen to Riley. Maya had taken multiple pictures throughout the day yesterday, including ones of Riley covered in finger paint. Riley blushes and goes back to eating her breakfast.

"So what are we doing today?" Riley finally asks when they finish, putting both of their bowls in the sink.

"I actually wanted to talk to you," Maya says, glancing at Riley's family, who is sitting on the couch, paying no mind to them. But they were still there. she pointedly adds, "Alone."

"Oh, okay," Riley leads Maya up to her room. and they sit by the window. Riley observes the scenery outside with a dreamy expression. This had been one of her biggest dreams growing up; to have someone sit with her by the bay window and talk, at all hours of the day and night.

Sure, Farkle was always there for her, but she couldn't exactly talk to him about... girl things. And her mother was probably the best mother ever, but a best friend was different. A best friend was someone like Maya.

"What are you planning to do after college?" Maya finally asks, and Riley's lips stretch into an amused smile.

"Is that all you wanna talk about? Although I guess being a national superstar would prevent you from be able to do some pretty mundane things..." Riley trails off. There's a look in Maya's eye that says there's more to this. "I'm not quite sure yet, I took a year off and now I'm in my first year, just taking some basic courses."

"Can you sing?" Maya asks, narrowing her eyes.

"I'd like to think so."

Maya's face scrunched up, and she thinks hard for a moment. Riley is trying to figure out what Maya's thought process could possibly be, but she's at a loss, so she waits. Finally, "You should come on tour with us."

"Me? With Hart To Hart? Why?" Riley questions, standing up quickly.

"Because, we could really use someone like you." Maya says, following Riley's actions. Riley starts pacing. Maya didn't think it would be as big of a deal as Riley was making it. Then again, Maya had been so used to doing spontaneous and sometimes even dangerous things; that's just who she was.

"What do you mean someone like me?" Riley finally stops pacing and sits on the edge of her bed, and Maya takes a seat beside her, taking her hand. "As far as I know, the only thing I am-" Riley's eyes lock with Maya's, a fixed expression on both of their faces. "Is weird."

"I don't think you're weird," Maya says, biting her lips. She opens Riley's hand, holding her own against it as if to compare sizes. "I think you're... Unique."

"Thats just a nice way of saying weird," Riley says, her voice soft, almost breakable.

"Okay, maybe you are weird." Maya shrugs. "What's so wrong with that?"

Riley thinks for a minute, taking her hand away from Maya. She laces her fingers together, looking straight ahead. "No one likes people who are weird."

"I like you."

Riley head turns to look at Maya, her whole body turning with her. And that's why she couldn't possibly go with Maya, she thinks, but she doesn't say that allowed. She wonders if Maya knows, if that's why she's asking her to come along with them. The band was great already, they didn't really need anything else to make it special or amazing.

"But it doesn't matter if you like me, cause the rest of the world won't."

"Does it really matter what the rest of the world thinks?" This time Maya is the one to stand up. Maya sighs, glancing around Riley's room. Her eyes land on a picture that's hanging on the wall, and she goes over to it, her fingers tracing the slender frame.

"Does he like you?"

"That's Farkle," Riley says, her face instantly happier. "And he loves me."

"And that's your family." Maya says, going to another picture hanging beside it. "Do they like you?"

"They love me too," Riley says, seeing where Maya is going with it.

"And this is you," Maya says, taking the picture off the wall. "Do you like you?"

"Not always." Riley hesitates.

"Well you should." Maya takes a moment to look at the picture, then hangs it back up. She looks at the array of pictures against the wall, then at the picture on Riley's desk, and finally at the paints in the other side of the room. "Because you're one of the nicest people that I've ever met. You actually care."

Riley watches as Maya moves around her room; normally she'd be annoyed with someone she just met prying into her life like this, and she kind of was, but not for common reasons. She was annoyed because Maya was right, and Riley hated to be proven wrong.

"Even if it doesn't matter what other people think," Riley starts, "I still paid to go to school. And my family is here, anyways."

"You only paid for the first semester, right?" Maya reasons and Riley nods. "And your family will be here when you get back."

Riley gives her a hard look, then sighs. "Let me think about it. I have to go back tonight, but I'll give you my number."

"I'll text you later." Riley promises, as Maya leaves.

---

It's almost 11:00 when she gets back to the dorm rooms. She sets her stuff down, careful not to wake her sleeping room mate. She sits on her bed, noting the unfamiliarity of it all. She had been here for a few months, but she had barely talked to her room mate, and her side of the room still looked almost identical to the way it was when she moved in.

Her phone buzzes, breaking her away from her train of thoughts. 'It's 11:11' the first text reads, then 'Can you guess what I wished for?' Riley s,lies, because she can, then frowns, because she still doesn't know, and Maya will be leaving soon.

'Yes' Riley texts back.

'Is that your answer to both of my questions?'

'No...' Riley texts after contemplation, sighing, throwing both herself and her phone back onto the bed.

'We'll be coming by around there in an hour and a half. Have your bags packed. We're heading for Philly!'

Riley stares at the screen, a small smile forming. She bites her lip, putting her phone safely into her pocket. She looks at her bag, already packed from spending the weekend with her family. She looks at the rest of her room, only half hers, and not even really her at all.

She doesn't unpack her bag.