breaking the silence

ten

Riley drummed her fingers against the surface of her textbook, drowning out Farkle's mumbling next to her as he did his homework and Zay's occasional yelping as he played some game on his phone. The group was at Topanga's—where they met a few times a week to study.

Lucas and Maya had left the table a while ago to get pastries and smoothies for everyone, but they were stalled at the counter, laughing and conversing. Lucas was fiddling with a straw wrapper. Maya had her back turned from their table, but knowing the girl for so long, Riley could tell that she was smiling.

It was an unfamiliar image. Since when did they become such good friends?

"Hey, Farkle." Riley nudged the boy next to her. "What do you think is going on there?"

Farkle glanced up to where Riley was looking. He shrugged, not making much of an observation. "Lucas and Maya are talking?"

"They've been up there for almost thirty minutes now." Riley furrowed her brows, her tongue poking into her cheek.

Farkle's countenance softened and his gaze darted back to the two before looking at Riley again. "Nothing's going on. They've just grown closer as friends, I guess."

"Yeah," Riley nodded with one more glance at them. She directed her attention to Farkle. "Also, where's Smackle been? I haven't seen much of her lately."

Farkle kept staring into his textbook, though he was no longer reading the words in front of him. He hesitantly looked up, "Uh, sh - she's been busy."

"Tell her to try to make it to our next movie night."

Maya and Lucas returned to their table with the long awaited smoothies and pastries.

"Finally," Zay muttered, eyeing the two of them before taking a sip from his drink.

"We actually have to get going," said Lucas. Maya nodded.

"Both of you?" Riley asked, her eyes shifting between them.

"Uh, yeah. We're going to see a MOMA exhibit. Lucas thought it would help with inspiration for that visual arts competition I'm entering."

"So is this a date–" Zay flinched suddenly and whimpered in pain, holding his foot. Farkle shot a glare at him.

"Have fun." Riley smiled tightly at the two of them before promptly returning to her textbook.

"I'll call you later?" Maya anxiously wrung her hands together, gauging Riley's indiscernable expression. The brunette nodded quietly in response.

.

.

.

"What do you see?"

They were stopped in front of an abstract painting. Once in a while, something would catch Maya's attention, and Lucas would follow.

His gaze was on her.

"Huckleberry?" Maya quirked an eyebrow at him when he didn't answer her question.

Lucas snapped out of his mini trance, "Oh! Uh..." He stared at where she was originally looking, trying to make something out of the spontaneous bursts of colours and shapes. "I see... lines?"

Maya rolled her eyes to the ceiling with a shake of her head. "Not that. Like, what do you interpret from this painting?"

Lucas pursed his lips and glanced at the spectactle again. He took a slight step back. "It sort of looks like a kangaroo... playing a banjo."

"Hopeless," Maya tsked, laughing as she walked away from the painting.

"Sorry," Lucas laughed, catching up to her. "I'm not the most perceptive person when it comes to art."