The Long Game ✅

1. Doubts

I'm woken up by my mother singing Marry You at the top of her lungss from all the way down in the kitchen of the two story home that we share with Shawn. While most mornings this abrupt wake-up call would dampen my morning, today it brings a smile to face because today was a big day...in fact, it was the big day.

Today my mother and Shawn were finally getting married.

Shawn had slept at the Matthews' house on account of the old superstition that the bride and groom can't see each other before the wedding while me, Riley, Topanga, and Ava had spent the night at our house.

At this point I know there's no point in trying to fall back asleep so instead I pull back the blankets on my side of the bed and climb out, careful not to wake up Riley who's fast asleep beside me. I slip into the pair of slippers on my floor before standing up and padding across the floor to retrieve my robe.

After taking one last look at Riley to make sure she's still asleep and once I know I'm in the clear I open the door and slip out into the hallway.

Slowly, I trudge down to the kitchen and find my mother alone but perky as she flits around the kitchen like a woman with too much coffee in her system.

"Morning mom" I greet her, walking over to the refrigerator to get myself some orange juice in an attempt to wake myself up.

"Good morning baby girl, how are you this morning" she asks rather cheerfully.

Her enthusiasm makes me smile as I pour a glass of juice taking a sip before responding, "Amazing." And I truly was amazing; it seemed like just yesterday I was making a wish for this day on my fourteenth birthday and now it was actually happening.

Before my mom and I are able to exchange any other words Topanga walks into the kitchen with Ava in tow.

"Where's the cereal?" Ava asks in her usual demanding tone. My mom ignores the snotty inflection in her voice and retrieves the cereal from the top of the fridge. She pours all of us a bowl and we all sit down ready to eat when Riley finally joins us.

"Why doesn't anyone ever wake me up? I could've missed breakfast!" We all laugh as Riley comes to join us at the table sitting down carefully so that she doesn't knock her bowl of cereal onto the floor. She takes a bite of her breakfast before looking around the table, "Seriously how excited is everyone for today?" We all exchange looks smiling at one another.

I know how excited we all are that my mom and Shawn are finally getting married, but of course there is one thought that keeps fighting its way into my brain. The one thing that keeps threatening to ruin what is supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life.

Josh Matthews is going be there.

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*Flashback to Yesterday When Riley Arrived at the Hunter Residence*

I'm sitting on the couch watching a rerun of last week's episode of Red Planet Diaries when Riley walks into my apartment. She was supposed to be coming over with her mom and Ava in a few hours but she had texted me twenty minutes ago to let me know that she was coming over early because she had to tell me something.

"Peaches we have a problem!" Riley exclaims slamming the door behind her as she comes to sit beside me on the couch.

"A probelm?" I ask confused as I turn off the TV. "What could possibly be wrong Riles? My mom is marrying Shawn tomorrow, your parents are as happy as they've ever been, you and Lucas are finally in a good place, and I have the world's best boyfriend! What could possibly ruin that?" And as if she took my remark as a challenge she replies with one name that I haven't heard in over a year.

"Josh"

Riley looks at me as if waiting for me to explode but I don't know what to do. So I do the only logical thing you can do in this situation, I ask her to elaborate.

"What about Josh, Riles?" I ask trying to act like hearing his name didn't just send my body into a frenzy.

"He's coming to the wedding. Shawn sent him an invitation and he called this morning asking if he could stay at our house while he's here. And he doesn't have any important stuff going on at school this week so he's staying till the end of the week."

It was as if every good thing I had going for me in that moment came collapsing in on me. Josh was back, and not just for today, a whole week. I can't stop my head from spinning and luckily Riley notices and immediately tries to talk me down.

"Maya are you gonna be okay?" she asks calmly. "I mean him being here doesn't change anything, you're with Zay, you're happy. And plus, there's still the three years thing. This changes nothing."

As she speaks I realize she's right. It's been a year since I saw or even heard from Josh. I've moved on, I'm happy with Zay and I was not going to let Josh change that.

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*Back to the Present*

We all finish our breakfast and we decide it's time to start getting ready. Riley, Ava, and me are in my room while my mom and Topanga are in my mom and Shawn's room.

Ava is already in her white flower girl dress and she's running around the apartment trying to find her basket filled with the blue flowers she's going to toss onto the aisle later that afternoon. I laugh to myself as I watch her run around because the basket is actually at the Matthews' house, Topanga had left it there on accident yesterday. But having Ava running around was keeping her out of me and Riley's hair while we got ready, so I was keeping this information to myself. I finish putting on my dress just as Riley finishes applying her makeup.

"Lucas is gonna go crazy when he sees you Riles" I say looking over at my best friend who's looking at herself nervously in the floor length mirror on the back of my bedroom door.

"You really think so?" she replies worriedly.

She and Lucas have been dating ever since that night at the ski lodge and honestly I was convinced that Riley could be wearing a paper bag and he would still think she looked beautiful, it was actually kind of nauseating in a cute way. But I realized that she was actually looking for a response so I reply with a laugh, "Of course. Now what about me?" I ask as I twirl around in the blue dress that is identical to the one Riley is wearing.

"You look gorgeous Peaches." Suddenly my stomach drops...gorgeous. It's what Josh called me a few Christmases ago. I try to play off my discomfort but of course Riley notices the sudden uncomfortable silence that now fills the room.

"Maya, are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine. I just hope Zay thinks I look as pretty as you do."

Just then as if my mom knew we needed an interruption she calls us down to the living room. "Girls it's time to go to the church."
Riley looks at me sensing my nerves. "You ready Peaches?"

"As ready as I'll ever be" I reply as we make our way towards the living room, towards the church, towards Josh.