"Are we being pranked?"

"What?"

"This has to be a sick joke?"

"What is it?!?!"

"A bucket- full of water," she pauses as she lifts the apparently heavy bucket out of the chest.

"That doesn't make any sense", I furrow my eyebrows trying to think of what this could be for.

"You sure we are looking in the right direction?"

"I think so?"

"Why was he just sitting here? What if this bucket was like his toilet and like it only looks like water because it was like filtered and distilled?"

"Gimme the bucket."

Maya hands me the bucket and when it's in my grasp a toss the contents directly onto her. Because of our close proximity, some of it splashes in my eyes as well. After using my shirt to wipe the water off my face, it quickly becomes evident we aren't in the subway anymore.

We are outside the school gymnasium, a bright blue car, in park while a younger Maya leans against it, yellow cloth in hand.

"Done", she declares.

Maya and I watch breathlessly.

"Amazing," Farkle smiles.

"How long", she approaches the boy, nearly brushing shoulders with me.

"19 minutes and 42 seconds you are the worst car washer in this class-"

"You mean no one will ever ask me to wash a car for them?"

The past tense Maya moves over to Riley who is watching the interaction.

"Say it", she smirks.

"You're a genius", the brunette smiles.

"Oh, stop," the young blonde flips her hair with a face-eating grin.

I giggle to myself watching the characters I love live their lives.

"I don't get it," the older blonde next (present Maya) to me says.

"Shhhh", keep watching, I smile brightly.

"I'm shushing because I want to, not because you said so," she narrows her eyes at me.

"Ma'am, you're interrupting the show," I glare playfully.

"Do you know how freaky this is for me?!"

"I have an answer but I don't know what weird crap is going to come out of my mouth because its not rated G," I shrug.

Maya gives me a puzzled look as my attention refocuses on the Lucas who is currently spraying Riley brutally with water.

"Hey! Look this is the episode you all meet Zay", I say excitedly, basically giving Maya a hundred love taps in her shoulder.

"Okay! okay! Jesus, you trying to beat me up now?"

Only then do I meet her eyes, and when I do they instantly soften at the sight of her gentle laugh.

"Me? Hurt that pretty face? I could never", I smile softly and I swear I could see a shade of red color her cheeks, but I can't truly tell as she walks over to her past self who is talking to Zay.

I follow her soon after, standing just behind her.

"You know what happens in the episode?"

I smile creepily and Maya just raises her eyebrows.

"Of course, you do..."

"You learn the secret of life-"

"People change people," she mumbles under her breath.

"Ding ding ding," I chirp.

"What does that mean though, of course, people change people! I wouldn't be who I am without my friends-"

"Of course but what about everyone else?"

"Like who?"

"Maybe we need to think bigger?"

"What?"

"The show focuses on clique six, MOST of the time, not all of the time. What about supporting characters?"

"Like Matthews?"

"No still too main", I purse my lips.

"Auggie? Shawn? My mom? Ava?"

"There is too many options, we have to be missing something," I frown.

"Wait a minute, the day we learn the secret of life was also that day Lucas saved Zay from good ole dude!"

"Good ole dude?"

"Where's a lot of black and leather, pointy boots," that kinda thing.

"I know who you are talking about, but you call him good ole dude??"

"Sure?"

I stare at her for a moment before shaking my head.

"So what you, you guys changed Lucas? Was that it?"

"I guess?"

We take a moment trying to think of anything else that could help us.

"Wait!"

Maya almost jumps out of her skin and looks at me like I'm an alien.

"What if we are parallels? Zay was just introduced to the show and I just was too, technically anyway-"

"Okay, so what? have I changed you?, she asks with her eyebrows raised.

You made me gay...

"Have I changed you", I ask her back.

Her eyes fall from mine slightly as a thought crosses her mind before she connects her eyes with mine again.

"Yeah..."

"In what way," I step closer to her.

"I-I dunno like you help me believe the impossible?"

As soon as the words leave her mouth, the world around us seems to fade, buildings people, everything falls into nothingness until we are left in darkness.

"Look what you did! You broke my world!"

"I didn't do anything", I chuckle in disbelief as I look at everything, well nothing around us, when I feel a soft hand slip into mine.

I look over my shoulder as I feel her body press into my side timidly.

"I'm scared of the dark," she mumbles in such a tiny voice I nearly miss it.

I smile softly and give her hand a gentle squeeze.

Little by little I can hear sounds of crickets and wildlife around us. From up above, tiny stars scatter the sky like drops of paint on a canvas. A lantern is lit from behind us, and white porch can be seen from where we stand. As we turn to look at it, we both know exactly where we are.

"Texas"

"Hahurr", Maya grins from ear to ear while looking up at me.

I give her an amused look.

"Really," I giggle.

"When in Texas, this is what I must do", she shrugs before walking towards the shadow of a fire.

I too shrug before following her. When we arrive I feel my heart nearly fall out of my chest.

"Perfect timing", I chuckle awkwardly as Lucas holds Maya's face in his hands.

"Oh huckleberry, he never had a chance," she nods.

"Right because you like Josh", I try not to let my own feelings of sadness seep through my voice, but I don't think I was very successful.

"Right, I like... Josh," she says almost as if she is trying to convince herself more than me...

"Ya know, Maddie and Tay, the song you guys danced to really is a bop", I say breaking the tension.

"A bop?"

"Yeah, it's lit!"

"Lit?"

"I mean it's a really good song Maya", I laugh.

"OH! Oh okay, wow, I'm so slow I don't know why didn't get that," She says, her voice trailing off with each word, showing her embarrassment as if the rosy color on her cheeks wasn't enough...

I just smile and sit on a log by the fire.

"So what now?"

We r getting closer to solving the mystery guys!!! Also, I know y'all peeped those moments I peppered in ;)