Silent treatment

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Joshua Matthews sat on his brother's couch with his heat tilted back, his arms crossed and his body slouched as he stared at the ceiling. He was not having a good day. And yes he knew it was quite childish of him to be sitting here and having a pity party for himself. But he was a premed college student with thousands of debt loans and sleep deprivation. He felt a pity party every now and then was deserved.

"Josh, do you need anything?" Cory asked. But Josh continued to stare up at the ceiling, not moving an inch. "If it weren't for him blinking every few seconds, I would think he's dead." Cory told Topanga as they both sat down at the kitchen table. Topanga sighed.

"Let him be." She waved her hand around. "I imagine he'll perk up around dinner time." The front door opened and Josh still didn't look over. Riley and Maya walked into the apartment and set their stuff down beside the door.

"Hey uncle Josh." Riley said as she passed him on her way to the kitchen. But when he didn't respond she stopped and turned to look at him. Maya raised an eyebrow at her as she put her hand in front of Josh's face and waved it. Not even a flinch. "What's wrong with Josh?" Riley asked as she turned to her parents.

"Oh don't mind him," Topanga said. "He's having a rough day."

"So he's giving everyone the silent treatment?" Maya asked as picked up a pillow and threw it at him. It bounced off his body and into the floor, and he still didn't move. "Is he comatose?"

"He's sulking." Cory stated.

"And you're letting him?" Riley asked surprised. Her parents were never the type to let you wallow in self pity.

"Hey, if you think you can break him out of his shell then by all means." Topanga motioned her hand at him. "He has laryngitis. So he can't talk anyway. But he had an oral presentation today and his professor isn't going to let him try again."

"Why?" Riley asked. "That seems unfair since he's sick."

"It's because they think he's faking." Maya spoke as she sat down on the couch beside Josh and then propped her legs up to cross over his lap. She waited for a reaction. Nothing.

"Wow Maya, use that one a couple of times?" Topanga asked with a grin.

"Six." Maya and Cory both answered at the same time.

"But how can they think Josh is faking? Shouldn't they know him better than that by now?" Riley asked as she went into the kitchen and walked toward the fridge.

"Professors don't get to know their students like high school teachers do, Riles." Maya poked his cheek with her finger and grinned when his jaw clenched.

"And you know this how?" Cory asked as he raised an eyebrow while Maya picked up a sharpe and started shaking it to get ink.

"I do my research." She said simply as she opened the cap and grabbed the palm of his hand. Riley pursed her lips together, she didn't even want to know what she was writing.

"Well, there has to be someway to get Josh to convince him." Riley turned back toward her parents.

"There is." Topanga said as she tilted her head and watched Maya get up off the couch and walk up behind Josh. "Should we stop this?" She asked.

"No. Maya's good at making people crack under pressure." Cory stated. Topanga rolled her eyes. "Josh needs a doctors note."

"Well then all he has to do is go to the doctor." Riley said brightly. "Why hasn't he been to the doctor?"

"Because I don't like doctors." Maya lowered her tone to sound like a guys voice as she raised Josh's arms and waved them around. Is was a very poor imitation of Josh's voice. But the twitch of the corner of his lips was enough for her to keep going.

"Maya's right. Josh refuses to go to a doctor." Topanga said. "Which makes no sense because he'll be one himself someday."

"He doesn't trust doctors, Mrs. Matthews." Maya said as she dropped his arms and leaned beside him on the back of the couch. "That's why he's becoming one himself."

"You seem to know a lot about the situation." Riley said as she raised an eyebrow.

"It's because I can tell what he's thinking." Maya smiled. "See, I'll show you. Right now he's thinking that it sucks he can't talk because he was going to finally ask me out on our first date this weekend." Cory and Topanga grinned at each other as they saw Josh's chest rise and fall more sharply. "And, he really wants me to lean over the back of this couch and kiss him."
She looked down so her face was right above his, and finally, Josh jumped up from the couch and walked to the other side of the living room. "But he doesn't want to get me sick." Maya finished, but she had a smirk on her face as she straightened up and folded her arms across his chest.

Josh glared at her, but she could see the hint of the smile that was on his face. He wanted to brood some more, but she had cheered him up.

"Welcome back to the living, Josh." Cory said as he rose up on his feet to put his cup in the sink. Josh pursed his lips together as he made hand motions.

"What?" Cory, Topanga and Riley all say together, and he rolls his eyes.

"He said that a doctors note would be useless. They'd make him go for a full checkup and he doesn't want that." Maya said.

"The two of you know sign language?" Cory asked.

"No." Maya said simply as she walked back around the couch and plopped down. Cory looked confused.

"Josh, without a doctors note, you'll never be able to prove that you're not faking and then you'll never be able to retake the presentation." Topanga said. He made more hand motions. 

"He doesn't care. One bad grade won't hurt him." Maya said. Josh glared at her and she rolled her eyes. "Okay fine, he's going to write an email explaining. He hopes that will work."

"How are they- if it's not sign language-" Cory mumbled in the corner.

"That's not good enough." Topanga said. "Listen to me, you're a Matthew's, and Matthew's do not settle for a bad grade." Her eyes looked wild. "You're going to the doctor, even if I have to drag you there myself. And you'll get that check up, and you'll get that note, and you'll prove your professor wrong and I'll laugh in his face as you get an A on that presentation!"

Josh had shrank back, and Maya's eyes were wide as Topanga had walked towards him while she was talking. He looks over at her frantically, and Maya shook her head.

"I'm not getting in her way." He gave her a look that clearly said 'traitor'. Topanga relaxed and smiled.

"Good. Glad we're on the same page. Let me go get my things and we'll go." She walked out of the living
Room and down the hallway. Once she had disappeared, Josh let out a sigh before plopping down on the couch beside Maya.

"Sorry," she gave him a half smile. "But hey, at least they'll give you something for your throat." He tilted his head at her and stared. "Oh come on, Josh. Not every doctor is horrible. And until you become one you have to deal with the others." He made another hand motion. "Oh I was just messing with you. But you should know better than to give me the silent treatment." He held up the palm of his hand. She grinned. "Oh come on, what I wrote wasn't even that bad!" She exclaimed. "I think the doctor will find it quite funny." He gave her a small glare. "I could have drawn on your face. But there were many more things that I wanted to do it besides that." She teased. His face flushed red for a moment before he made another hand motion. "Oh come on Josh, you know I wasn't actually going to kiss you. Though I'm surprised you fell for it, rookie move." He grinned. He the grabbed her palm and the sharpe, Maya watched as he wrote something down and then looked up at her. She raised her hand, read it and then smiled while looking back down at him. "Someday." She said. He held out his pinkie finger and she laughed as she wrapped hers around his.

"Can you do that?" Cory asked as he leaned forward towards his daughter. Riley was watching the one sided conversation with interest. But it wasn't one sided, not really.

"No." She smiled warmly. "I can't."
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