Finding Pluto {riarkle} [completed]

Part Twenty Seven: The Meeting

Farkle

I meet up with Maya before lunch and we scan the lunch room looking for Lucas, Zay and Smackle.

We see them towards the back of the lunch room, the only three at the table. Seems like they haven't branched out much.

I start to walk towards them but Maya grabs my hand.

"Wait. We need a plan. What are we going to say?" She asks.

"I was thinking of starting off with 'hello.'" I say, giving her a pointed look.

She rolls her eyes. "I know that. What about after that?"

"I was honestly just going to let the conversation carry itself." I shrug my shoulders.

"Seriously?! We haven't talked to these guys for months and you just want to go in blind?!"

"Uh, yeah. They were our friends once. We were able to talk to them. In fact, Smackle and I still stayed in contact so that's a start."

"Ok. Lets go."

"Uh, Maya?"

"Yeah?"

"You can let go of my hand now."

She looks down and her eyes widen. "Oh, sorry. Guess I'm just nervous." She lets go of my hand.

"Since when are you nervous?" I ask.

"Since I lost all of my friends and began questioning every move I make."

"Ok, then." I turn and walk towards the table, Maya walking next to me.

Their conversation stops when they see us coming.

"Hey." I say.

They're all silent.

"Is it ok if we sit here?" I ask.

"It's a free country." Lucas says.

"Thanks." I say with a smile and sit down. Maya does the same.

Lucas and Zay just stare at us. Smackle is eating her food. She definitely doesn't feel the tension, or if she does she's ignoring it.

"Why are you guys here?" Lucas asks.

I take a deep breath and look him in the eyes. "I've realized how much things have changed since I've come back from Germany. And they haven't changed for the better."

Lucas doesn't say anything.

"I was hoping to get the gang back together. It was ridiculous that we broke up in the first place."

"Yeah, well, I tried to rekindle things a couple months ago and it didn't go well. What's so different now?"

"A couple of months ago I didn't see the damage I had already created."

Lucas looks at me confused.

"I'm the one who pushed you and Smackle together, causing the awkwardness between you and Maya, causing us to split up. I regret not seeing it before, but I see it now and I want to fix it."

"Isn't that normally Riley's job, fixing things?" Zay asks.

"Riley isn't really talking to us right now." Maya speaks up.

"Why not?" Zay asks. "I mean, I know why she's not talking to you." Motioning to me. "But why isn't she talking to you?"

"I've been seeing a guy for a few weeks now and I never told her about it. Then one night instead of being there for her, I was out with him. She wasn't very happy about it." Maya says.