Complicated Mating Rituals

Zay has been watching the pining and angst-filled drama between Maya and Lucas play out for three years. And though he's generally a sucker for slow-burn romances, he has to admit it's infinitely more frustrating in real life than it is in books or TV shows or movies. 

In which Zay is sick of watching Lucas and Maya dance around each other, and wants to do something about it. But Smackle counsels patience and non-interference. 

Meanwhile, there's one love life he didn't foresee popping into existence: his own.

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It's the summer before junior year, and Maya, Lucas, Zay, Smackle, and Farkle are spending the last couple of weeks of their holidays at Farkle's parents' beach house in the Hamptons. Riley and the entire Matthews clan are vacationing in Maui, and Mr. and Mrs. Minkus are in Europe. So it's just the five of them in the huge oceanfront mansion that has more than ten bedrooms, breathtaking views from every window, balcony, and porch, and a private beach.

In the week that they've been here, they have taken full advantage of the house and its amenities. They've devoted most of their days to the beach, lazing on deck chairs under big blue and white striped umbrellas or swimming in the sea, returning to the house for big, wholesome lunches made by the housekeeper-cook, Mrs. Grady (whose husband is the butler. The Gradys are the live-in caretakers at the beach house, and their chaperones for the duration of this vacation.).

The five of them have played video games, pool (where Maya kicked everyone's collective butts), binge-watched TV shows and marathoned movies, tried their hand at tennis, relaxed by the swimming pool, and gone for midnight walks on the beach. Smackle has spent nearly all her non-group time in the library, Maya is on a mission to draw, sketch, paint, and photograph every view from the house, and Lucas, Zay and Farkle are halfway through a prolonged game of CoD involving a zombie invasion.

It's exactly what they need: a nice, relaxing, uneventful holiday before the madness of school, classes, and extracurricular activities takes over their lives again for the rest of the year.

At least, it should have been a nice, relaxing, uneventful holiday. So far, for Zay, it's been anything but. And it's all thanks to his two best friends, Maya and Lucas.

Zay is usually pretty patient when it comes to his friends. He's content to sit back and watch the shenanigans ensue, the drama unfold — and there's no dearth of either with his group, especially when Riley is around. It actually makes for quality entertainment.

But he has been watching this pining and angst-filled drama between Maya and Lucas play out for three years. And though he's generally a sucker for slow-burn romances, he has to admit it's infinitely more frustrating in real life than it is in books or TV shows or movies.

So Zay is fed up. He can't take it anymore. He's reached the end of his tether. It makes him want to tear his hair out.

"You have mentioned that," Isadora says, not looking up from the brick-thick book in her lap. "Fourteen times in the last nine minutes and forty seven seconds."

They are in Mr. Minkus's study/library, where Isadora ensconced herself a little while ago, and Zay came looking for her to vent his frustration after witnessing yet another bout of stare-at-them-longingly-but-look-away-before-they-catch-you-looking between Lucas and Maya.

Zay has spent quite a lot of time with Smackle in the recent weeks, especially after they arrived in the Hamptons. It's mainly because Maya and Lucas are being Maya and Lucas, and Farkle is spending a lot of time by himself watching space documentaries. (Zay thinks this is because Farkle misses Riley, with whom he had some sort of a fight before she left for Maui, and now he's feeling sorry about the fight and sorrier for himself because he and Riley aren't exactly talking, while she and Maya call and text each other all the time.) In short, Isadora is the only sane one around, not to mention she's quirky and funny and has a great sense of humour. Zay has always got along well with her, and lately they seem to be getting along like a house on fire, so he's not complaining.