𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 — 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒐𝒏𝒆

❝ 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫 ❞

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

"You've been to the bathroom, haven't you?"

"What's this about bathrooms," Amanda chuckled as her and Lucas walked to their friends in the school hallway.

"I'm never going back in there. I don't care what happens," Farkle exclaimed.

"Okay, I'm gonna ask again," Mandy raised a brow, "what's this about bathrooms?"

"What if someone gets hurt?"

"Oh someone's getting hurt. But Mandy and I've been saying all along, if you guys aren't gonna be honest with each other, everybody gets hurt," Farkle said.

Everyone's gaze went to Mandy for a follow up, in which she replied with, "oh, this is about the stupid triangle, isn't it," when her question earned nods, she continued, "look, I've already ranted and raved about this whole thing. There's only so much I can do to help you guys. Farkle's right. We're in high school, it's time to take responsibly for all of our actions, even if it causes someone to get hurt."

After her statement, the bell rang, causing Farkle, Andrew, and Zay to go one way, and Riley and Maya to go another, leaving the couple alone. As the couple continued on their way to class, Amanda muttered, "I still don't know why they were talking about bathrooms..."

"I know, baby, I know. Just keep on walking."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

"How am I supposed to choose between two people I care about," Andrew asked his friends. The guys—with the exception of Amanda—were at Topanga's after school.

"You have to," Farkle stressed.

"Well, how do I live with myself if I hurt Riley or Maya?"

"I know who I'd choose."

Everyone turned to Zay, giving him a questioning look, "you've thought about this," Andrew scoffed.

"Yeah."

"I don't want you thinking about it."

"Then I won't," Zay's frown turned into a smile.

Andrew chuckled, "okay, stop. Who would you choose."

"Riley."

"You would?"

Zay nodded, "I like Riley. I'd choose Riley and I'd be happy with Riley."

"You would?"

"Yes. Decision over, it's Riley," Zay paused, "or... I'd choose Maya."

Amanda furrowed her brows, "what the..."

"Yeah, yeah, I like Maya. I'd choose Maya and I'd be happy with Maya."

"Okay, what's going on?"

"Farkle, you get a reading?"

Farkle got up close and personal with Andrew, scoping him out, "no significant difference in facial expression or tone of voice. He has actually not made a decision yet. There may be no scientific way to do this."

Zay then stood, "I have a way."

When the three boys were gone, Amanda looked up at her boyfriend, her head off of its comfortable position on his chest, "they're idiots."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, they could've just went straight to the source and asked," she dramatically points to herself, "I'm with Riley and Maya all the time, I can give them some input."

"You would do that?"

Mandy sighed at her boyfriend's question as she sat up and faced him, "Bubba, I would do anything to get this stupid and unnecessary love triangle over with."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

"Hey, I'm home," Amanda Matthews walked into her home to see three adults and two teenage girls—it was easy to believe she walked in on a tense conversation, "uh, just pretend I'm not here."

"Don't even think about it, cous," Riley said as she pulled her causing into the circle of conversation, ignoring Amanda's groans of protest, "fix her, Mandy."

"What?"

"Fix Maya."

"What is there to fix?"

"She's turning into me!"

Amanda sighed, "oh, honey, Maya isn't turning into you..."

"Yes she is!"

"Yeah, I shouldn't be here, this is about my daughter," Katy Hart commented to lighten the mood of the room.

"I need you to look at them," Topanga told Katy.

Riley and Maya we're side by side. Even though one was blonde and the other was brunette, their hair styles were similar, and they were wearing similar outfits. Plus, both girls had their arms crossed and a tilted head.

Katy nodded, uninterested, "yeah, okay, look. Whatever this is, it is awfully kind of you to pretend you need me, but she has you," she turned to her daughter, "you have the best! Okay, see you in a month. Don't forget to eat."

"Uh, sit down," the brunette mother told the blonde mother, "we've got a problem."

"I see twins," Matthews commented.

"Why is that a problem?"

"We only raise Rileys—"

"—And Mandys," Matthews cut in, giving his niece a warm smile, in which she returned.

"—Katy, I need you to be a strong parent here—"

Topanga was interrupted by Katy's laughter, "ha! Sorry."

Topanga laughed along with her, "okay. Can you play a strong parent? I'm gonna cast you in the role of 'strong parent'."

Katy got up from her seat in excitement, "Maya... That's all I've got," she turned toward the other mother, "is there more than one line? I never get more than one line. Do you have a script?"

"It's an improv," Amanda jumped in. She didn't miss her Aunt and Uncle's grateful looks, "go!"

"Someone yell out a place."

"North Pole!"

"What are you doing," Topanga asked her husband.

"I wanna see what she does with it!"

And with that, Katy started her improv, "oh, gee. I'm sorry I haven't been able to get you very many toys, Maya. And I realize that Santy Claus and his family live right down the street here and they have all the toys in the world, don'tcha know. And they'd be only too happy to give them all to you, you betcha. But you're not supposed to be there all the time."

"Why not?"

"Cory!"

"Well, why shouldn't she be aloud to visit? Has she been a good little girl?"

"Cory!"

"Because she has a house and a life of her own," everyone turned their attention to Amanda, who was seated on the bench facing her best friends, she spoke to Maya directly, "why are you here all the time? No offense, I love you and I missed you a lot when I wasn't here but you have your own life with your mother, and maybe Shawn someday," she shrugged, "why didn't you tell your own mother you got an A on your Spanish test? Instead you made my own Aunt tear down my accomplishments on the fridge so you could have your moment with this family and not yours—why is that?"

All Maya could do was stare at Amanda, not knowing what to do or say—no one did.

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

Amanda walked down the hallway to visit Riley when she heard the end of a conversation, "my voice is still my voice, Riley. You're gonna need to show me a lot more than clothes and hair and a boy before I believe that it isn't," Maya seemed to pause, "you want me to go home? I'll go home."

When Mandy heard Maya leave from the bay window, that's when she took the opportunity to enter, "what are we gonna do?"

Riley looked up at her cousin in thought, "we're gonna get her back."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

Later that night, Amanda was doing her homework when she heard a knock on her bay window. Turning her head, she saw a familiar face smiling into her room, "Andrew?"

"Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

Andrew sighed, "your boyfriend told me to go to the source, and that's what I'm doing," when she didn't respond, he continued, "you've always helped anyone in any situation—help me, please."

"Well, first I'm gonna give you a hug because I think you need it," she wrapped her arms around his neck in a sibling-like hug, once they were apart, she brought him to sit with her in her bay window, "I've always loved you and Riley together. You guys compliment each other really well and you enjoy each other's company and presence—like me and Lucas. I like to think of Lucas as not only my boyfriend but my safe place, and there's this certain look in your eyes when you look at Riley—a different look you don't see with Maya. I'm not being bias because she's my cousin—my family. I'm saying this because your my brother and I love you," she smiled, "go with your heart. Don't think about any other opinion but your own. Who do you see yourself with when your captain of the baseball team and you look in the stands and there's your girl—cheering you on? Who do you see yourself looking at colleges with? Who do you see yourself with for the long run? I see myself having a future with Lucas every time I lay eyes on him. Who is that for you, Drew?"

Andrew didn't answer her question, only to ask her a question of his own, "you love him, don't you?"

Amanda looked down at her hands with a small smile, "maybe I do..."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

edited: 2 march 2021