Photograph [Maya Hart]

19 ~ story time

Harley and Cassie headed down tot he lobby where they're class where. 

"Movie night!" Josh called.

"Movie night!" Gabe repeated.

"Coward!" Maya and Riley said in unison.

"I made a decision!" Gabe exclaimed as Harley and Cassie sat next to Farkle and Smackle.

"We know!" Maya and Riley said.

"All right," Josh said, "we got a bunch to pick from, so let's see what we got here."

"I want a spy thriller!" Maya said. "Two spies in love with lots of danger."

"Hm," Harley said, intrigued by the plot.

Cassie gave Harley a look.

"Why doe sit always gotta be danger with you?" Lucas asked as Gabe, Riley and Maya sat down.

"Romance!" Riley gasps. "I want to cry my eyes out! Boy meets girl, boy stays with girl, nothing bad happens. The end," Riley chokes up.

Josh gave his niece a look.

"Okay, so dangerous life with you and crying my eyes out with you," Gabe said. "That's what we got here? No other choices?"

"Oh, believe me, what you three had or have or whatever going on is more interesting than whatever we have here," Josh shrugged, looking through the movie choices.

"You've got to be kidding me," Gabe said in disbelief. "I already told you guys, my choice is neither one of you."

Lucas suggested that Maya and Riley both tell their stories of what it would be like to be with both of them.

"This is my story," Maya said with a smirk on her face.

Maya told her story of two spies, one who breaks them and one who follows them and the Purple Cat, who must be destroyed or she'll destroy them. 

Each member of the group, Auggie, Riley's little brother, and Josh appeared in the story. 

Like real life, Farkle and Smackle are together and Maya is attracted to Josh but he's three years older than Maya.

Riley interrupted Maya's story by saying, "This isn't how it would be!"

"You're just jealous that my story is more interesting than yours," Maya said.

"Maya, if Gabe had chosen you, you'd tear each other to pieces," Riley pointed out.

Maya looked to the rest of the class to see them staring. Farkle was eating popcorn as they listened.

"What are you looking at?" Maya asked.

"You," Farkle said.

"We've been watching this thing for the past two years," Smackle added. 

"Don't you guys think this dragged on longer than needed?" Harley asked. "Gabe said he made his choice and you two are dragging it on. There shouldn't be a triangle."

Cassie nodded in agreement.

"He's right," Gabe said. "This should've ended a while ago, but you two keep dragging it on."

"Maya is finding herself," Riley reasoned.

"Then leave me out of it," Gabe said.

"You think we'll tear each other to pieces?" Maya asked Riley.

"Yeah, we would," Gabe nodded.

"Stop helping her!" Maya snapped at him.

"This doesn't need any help," Riley said. "I know you two. I know how this ends."

Riley finished off Maya's story by revealing that everything explodes.

"See," Gabe said, "we'd argue instead of save the world."

"Wah - wah."

"There's a new world now," Riley said, "and it's fabulous."

Riley told her story, a love story. 

The story was about how their love made the world in peace and how everybody is in love.

Riley than realizes that Maya hasn't stopped the story yet and how Maya wouldn't just let Riley kiss Gabe, even in a story.

Right at that moment, Maya's side of the story begins.

"What can you have possibly come up with?" Riley asked.

"Nothing," Maya said. "Except everybody's gonna be dead."

"Now, that's a story I would listen to," Harley said.

"What?" Riley said.

"What?" Harley said, defensively. "Don't get me wrong, when I watch movies and all that, I hope nothing bad happens, but... if you're gonna tell a love story, might as well add something like everybody dying to making it a bit more interesting."

"Huh," Riley said.

"See?" Maya said. "Harley get's it."

"Why does everybody have to be dead?" Riley asked.

"I will show you."

Maya finished the story. Everyone has gooey sap disease, causing everyone to feel too much. Riley is Patient Zero and she has hurt everyone like her because no one is like her. Everyone in the story begins to die. 

The next part was Riley's death scene. As Maya told the story, she realizes through Josh that if everybody is dead, then Josh being three years older wouldn't matter.

Everyone clapped when the story ended.

"Wait, no, stop," Riley said. "None of that is what's going to happen."

"We care about each other too much to let anything like that happen, right?" Maya said.

"I hope so," Gabe said.

"We do," Riley said. "So, I hope you guy's aren't looking for some big fight..."

"'Cause there isn't gonna be one," Maya finished.

Everyone, except Harley and Cassie, whimper.

"But we wanted one!" Zay exclaimed, standing up.

"They already said there isn't going to be one!" Harley said, standing up.

"But I wanted one!"

"You wanna have one?" Harley demanded.

"Whoa," Maya said, surprised by Harley's actions.

"Yeah!"

"No," Harley said, sitting back down.

"Boy, that was a quick one," Zay said, smiling.

Everyone got up and left.

Harley followed Cassie away.

Mrs. Matthews instructed everyone to go back to bed.

Harley went to his room and Cassie went to hers.