He was shirtless he knew that, normally he slept in his boxers because he couldn’t stand the restriction of pajamas when he was asleep but he knew that he was still wearing his slacks under the sheets.
He sighed and looked up at the face of the beautiful woman in front of him, “Yes you are,” he said out loud but wished she wasn’t because it would mean that he would be able to explain why she was in his room. “Now can you explain to me why you were screaming, in my room, at seven in the morning.”
-Riley and Lucas, Chapter 1 - How did we get here?
Overview: In the middle of her freshman year of high school Riley Matthew’s mother gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to run her firms London Office. Much to everyone's surprise her mother accepts the job, forcing Riley and her younger brother Auggie to leave behind everything they’ve ever known. Almost three years later the Matthew’s family moves back to New York and Riley comes to realize a lot has changed in the time she’s been gone.
Chapter One: “The British Are Coming.”
Word Count: 2,307
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“We will be making our decent into John F. Kennedy International Airport in approximately five minutes. Please fasten your seat belts and make sure your trays are clear. Please do not leave your seats until we are safely in the boarding zone. Thank you for flying Virgin Atlantic.”
Riley scanned the crowd of passengers around her, her eyes landing on the stewardess that was still standing towards the front of the plane. She studied the woman’s face for a moment. She seemed exhausted. Though who could blame her? Riley had only been on this plane for roughly 8 and a half hours give or take and she was about ready to finish landing the plane herself.
Her eyes roamed around the cabin, trying to place where her father and brother were seated. Somehow they booked the tickets wrong and the three of them got separated on the plane. Her mother was still back in London handling some last minute details, apparently she was to fly out tomorrow morning to make it back to New York in time for the first day of school.
A young girl who was probably around the same age of her brother Auggie, sat next to her with wide eyes as she studied the dark sky. Next to her was who she presumed to be the little girl’s mother. Riley watched as the woman’s hands trembled as she checked their seat belts. She was a nervous wreck the entire flight which really put a damper on the whole experience.
The plane tilted slightly to the left and began a slow and steady turn. Down below, the ground looked like square plots on a huge map of some kind. Gradually, everything began to come into view.
As they neared the ground, small cars heading down long highways of black ribbon came into view, as well bright lights and various buildings of different sizes and shapes. The New York City skyline was one of her favorite sights. When you’re down there it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, the crowded streets and loud noises but up there in the sky, it almost looked peaceful.
A sudden bump told her the landing gear was released. The woman jumped slightly at the sound.
In attempt to avoid having her ears pop, she sticks a piece of gum into her mouth, having read it helps release the pressure, all though she wasn’t sure she entirely believed that.
Rooftops whizzed by as the aircraft made its final turn onto the waiting runway and ended with a mild rumbling as the tires kissed the tarmac. A loud rush of air giving pressure to the brakes slowly brought the plane to a steady speed. They were finally at the arrival gate.
“Home sweet home.” She murmurs under her breath as she unbuckles her seat belt and peaks out the window, unaware of what’s to come.
--
The sound of his alarm clock screeching wakes Lucas from his sleep. Groggily he gets out of bed and yanks open the blinds of his bedroom window, letting the early morning rays shine into the dark room.
“Get up.” He says half asleep, smacking the sleeping boy on the top bunk upside the head as he makes his way towards their shared bathroom.
“I’m serious, Zay.” Lucas calls out again, mouth full of toothpaste. “It’s our first day of senior year I don’t want to be late because you need your beauty sleep.”
Zay reluctantly pulls his covers off him, leaping onto the carpet before trotting into the bathroom and joining Lucas at the sink. “It’s not beauty sleep if you’re already beautiful.” He says as a matter of fact.
The two boys had been living together since sophomore year of high school. Back then, Zay’s parents decided the big city wasn’t for them so they moved back to Texas. The plan was for him to tag along but he made up some lie about how leaving halfway through the school year was unfair to him although Lucas thinks he just secretly loves New York, not that he’d admit it.
In the end, the Friars decided to take Zay in and let him crash at theirs up until they graduated and would head off to college. Since they grew up together in Austin, they already felt like brothers so the move wasn’t as awkward as you’d think.
“Hey can I borrow your black v neck?” Zay asks, scanning through his lack of options.
“Go for it.” The dark haired blonde says, pulling on his socks.
Zay rummages through the drawers struggling to find what he was looking for but he does come across something he thought Lucas got rid of a long time ago. “Seriously, bro?” He shakes his head, holding the now faded color leaf into view.
“Put it back.” Lucas warns him, trying not to overreact.
“I don’t know why you still have that thing.” Zay continues, “It’s been three years Luke, Riley’s still in London and you have a girlfriend, my friend – a hot one at that.”
Lucas rolls his eyes before carefully snatching the withered leaf away from his judgmental friend. He places it back into his top drawer and slowly closes it before returning his attention to the boy.
A part of him agreed with Zay. He wasn’t sure why he was still holding on to something that reminded him of his past, of her. She had given him that leaf during one of their school trips in ninth grade. It was the same trip they started their short lived relationship.
As they wander down the stairs and out the door towards the subway he can’t help but think of how much has changed. The truth is, in the beginning there was six of them. Lucas, Zay, Farkle, Isadora, Maya and Riley. Each of them were polar opposites, having close to nothing in common but somehow the friendship worked. He never said it out loud but he always suspected the success behind it was all because of Riley.
She brought them together, made sure they were making the right choices, being considerate of each other’s feelings and quite literally forcing them to spend time together even when that was the last thing any of them wanted to do. She was the glue that held them together, for Lucas she was more than that. She was the sun. Always warm and inviting, always trying to find the good in people, people who didn’t deserve it.
Needless to say her family’s move abruptly ended their relationship.
Since Riley left, he sort of immersed himself into the “jock world” there at Abigail Adams High School. He bulked up, practiced endlessly and went out for two teams, football and baseball. Lucky for him Zay was already on the baseball team so he had a friendly face to turn to during that time. Unbeknownst to him, this new world he was living in consisted of one thing other than sports and that was partying.
The jocks at their school were known for throwing ragers and since he was one of them now he was expected to attend and have a good time. Zay fit in perfectly, he’s always been the life of the party and has always known how to work a room so it was no surprise to him that his best friend loved every second of it.
Lucas, however, has a past and it seems to him that the longer his sun stayed away, the closer he was to becoming that person again.
Although Zay had his reservations about how friendly and bubbly Riley was he couldn’t help but fall under her charm as well. The girl had a way of making you feel special. She was always encouraging and didn’t confine herself to a box. She would figuratively (and literally) color outside of the lines and that was Zay’s favorite thing about her. She celebrated the fact that she was unique and reminded her friends that it was okay to be different.
Without her there, Zay lost sight of who he was. He stopped dancing and making music and allowed himself to get swept away in the partying lifestyle. He just stopped caring.
Unfortunately, out of the six of them he and Zay weren’t the only ones to experience a drastic change. Riley’s best friend, or former best friend, Maya was always the rowdy one. She was a rebel at heart, never one to follow the rules or excel in any school work.
Riley was her lighthouse. Always there to keep her from danger or getting herself into trouble. She believed in Maya and knew she had so much potential to become someone great, she just needed her to believe it too.
And for a while she did. She allowed herself to believe in hope but then, as luck would have it, the very person who inspired hope in her life was sent to live in a different time zone. To say the long distance put a strain on their relationship would be an understatement.
They tried their best and for the first couple of months everything was going fine. And then slowly but surely the time difference took its toll, they had less and less to talk about and eventually they just stopped talking. There was no big fight or dramatic falling out, they just became two different people. They were living in two different worlds.
In Maya’s world she didn’t suddenly transform into a model citizen who got good grades and stayed out of trouble. Instead, she became this amplified version of the person she already was. She was careless with reckless tendencies, she started hanging out with a completely new crowd at school and spent most of her time in detention or the art wing.
This time around there was no Riley there to stop her or bail her out. She was on her own and she hated it.
Their other two friends Farkle and Isadora have stayed relatively the same, personality wise. They’re both still intimidatingly smart, both still excelling in their studies. The only difference now is the company they keep.
Not feeling comfortable around Lucas and Zay’s jock friends, or Maya’s artsy juvenile friends, they find comfort in the students who actually share the same interests, and are just as academically inclined as the two of them.
Riley wasn’t there to push them out of their comfort zone so they stuck to what they knew.
The six of them were now just a distant memory of a life that felt a million years away.
--
To Lucas’ surprise, he and Zay have first period together: American history. They maneuver their way around the crowded halls to their lockers to drop off the gear they brought along with them for practice later.
Charlie Gardner, Lucas’ longtime rival is leaning up against the lockers chatting to Zay when the bell rings and the three boys all head in the same direction. Turns out, Charlie had history first period as well.
Lucas tries his best not to scoff as the shaggy haired boy heads to the back of the class, and he and Zay take the two seats in the middle. As he’s getting situated he looks to his left and see’s Farkle and Isadora sitting towards the front.
They slightly acknowledge him with a head nod and turn their attention back to the conversation they were having. The late bell rings and the teacher, Mr. Martin, waltzes in closing the door behind him.
He scribbles something on the board and spins around to greet the class. Halfway through his clearly rehearsed introduction he’s interrupted by the door opening.
Maya walks in and groans heavily at the sight of her former friends, taking one of the only available seats at the head of the class.
After forcing the students to introduce themselves, Mr. Martin begins his lecture. He gives a brief summary of what’s to be expected of the class and passes out the syllabus for the semester.
“So –.” He claps his hands together while addressing the class. “Who can tell me about the American Revolution?”
Without raising her hand, Isadora blurts out the answer. “The American Revolution was a political upheaval that took place between 1765 and 1783 during which colonists in the Thirteen American Colonies rejected the British monarchy and aristocracy, overthrew the authority of Great Britain, and founded the United States of America.”
“Very good.” He turns his back on the students and writes something else on the board. “Who can tell me who this guy was?” He motions to the board where the name Paul Revere was scribbled across it.
“The British are coming! The British are coming!” Zay mocks, causing most of the class to erupt into laughter.
“Care to be a bit more specific Mr. Babineaux?”
Not giving Zay enough time to answer, Farkle chimes in, a condescending tone to his voice. “He was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, and a Patriot in the American Revolution and is best known for alerting the colonial militia to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Minkus I didn’t realize you changed your name to Mr. Babineaux.”
Another knock on the door interrupts him and he sighs in frustration as he heads to the door. From the other side he’s handed a slip and a small smirk forms on his face.
“Looks like you were right Mr. Babineaux – a British invasion indeed.” He walks to the front and reads out the card. “Class we have a transfer student joining us all the way from London…Riley Matthews.”
The mention of her name causes the six of them to stare in shock as the door opens and the oh so familiar brunette walks in.
Part [1] Part [2] Part [3] Part [4] Part [5] Part [6] Part [7] Part [8] Part [9] Part [10]
Prompt: Riley Matthews is a struggling writer who works as a bartender to pay off her student loans. Lucas Friar is a rich kid from Texas who’s lost his way. One night fate brings them together causing their two different worlds to collide.
A/N: Last chapter of Collide! Picks up right after the last chapter and then features the epilogue which takes place two years into the future.
But seriously thank you guys for reading this, it’s one of my faves and your kind words have meant the world to me. xoxoxo
Word Count: 3,082
Final Chapter - “You and me?”
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Spending the weekend tangled up in the sheets with the person you love sounds ideal doesn’t it? There’s something about reuniting in such an intimate way that can render you speechless even if just for a moment. Something Lucas Friar was good at.
I shifted in my spot, rolling over to come face to face with him. I watched the rise and fall of his chest as he peacefully slept beside me. He was on his back, left arm draped over his face while the other one was tucked underneath my arm. My white sheets covered his bottom half and I mindlessly traced circles around his bare chest where the morning sun was shining on.
Truth be told I could’ve stayed there for hours. But like most good things in my life, it came to a blinding halt.
Lost in a daze, my eyes glance up and see Lucas already staring down at me, a slight smirk on his face. He brushes the hair out of my face and playfully pulls me in for a tight hug, wrapping his arms around me in the process.
Just as our lips are about to meet for the umpteenth time we hear a loud knock on my door. The two of us jump out of bed, Lucas pulls on his boxers, I slide on his t-shirt and we head for the entrance. I wasn’t expecting anyone, I had the weekend off to deal with the publisher so it wasn’t anyone from the bar knocking with such urgency. I was silently praying it wasn’t any of my family. This was not how I wanted to introduce them to Lucas.
He holds his arm out to gesture to me to stay back as he looks through the peephole. I hear him mutter “unbelievable” under his breath before he reluctantly opens the door. It was his sister, Liz.
“What are you doing here?” He huffs as she lets herself in. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Don’t be silly Luke, I know you better than you think.” She rolls her eyes at her little brother before turning to me, a cheeky grin on her face. “Riley!” She reaches out and hugs me, squeezing tight as I try to pull away.
A bit baffled by her enthusiasm, considering I was under the impression his entire family hated me, I try not to think too much about it.
“Seriously Liz, how did you even know where Riley lives?” He persists, not willing to forget about the intrusion.
“You forget you’re still sharing your location with me on your phone?” She shakes her head, making herself comfortable on the grey fabric loveseat by the window.
“Well? What do you want?” He asks in frustration, making a mental note to end their sharing stream later on after she left.
“Long story short, Mom’s pissed.” The older blonde sighs, now moving her way around the tiny apartment. “She’s insisting you come to lunch today. Riley’s welcome to come as well.”
I feel a spark of panic flush over me at the idea. The only time I was in a room with his family I was completely heartbroken and left in a hurry. The last thing I wanted to do was face those people again. But the look on Lucas’ face pulled on my heart strings, I could see the internal battle he was having with himself. We both knew he’d never ask me to join him, but he was right about something. If we were going to work I had to be open to the idea of being a part of his world, not for them but for him.
“I’d love to.” I lie, politely smiling at his intrusive older sister. Lucas snaps his head back at me, eyes widen in shock that I would offer to tag along.
“Perfect!” She beams, grabbing her purse off the coffee table. “Then it’s settled. Lunch is at 2, upstate at Friar Manor, don’t be late.”
I wait for her to leave before I let myself fall back onto the sofa, sighing heavily. Lucas sits across from me on the table, waiting for me to sit up. “You didn’t have to do that.” He says first, a worried look etched on his perfectly chiseled face.
I reach out and grab his hand in mine, “And you don’t have to do this alone.”
“Yeah but I would never ask you to --.”
“Lucas.” I interrupt him. “You don’t have to ask, I want to be there for you.”
He smiles sweetly, joining me on the couch and pulling me into a warm embrace. “How’d I get so lucky?”
--
Feeling a sense of déjà vu as I stare over my appearance in the mirror. I couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter what I wore, or where I lived I would never be good enough for them. I shake the negative thoughts out of my head as I adjust my skirt.
Springtime in New York was always a tricky thing to dress for. Usually it was warm enough for just a light sweater but lately all they had been getting was rain so she wasn’t entirely sure what attire was appropriate. She opted for a high waisted mauve colored skirt that hit just above her knee and a cream off the shoulder sweater than she tucked in.
Afraid the humidity would ruin her hair if she let it loose, she pulled it up into a ponytail, leaving strands of curls out to frame her face and make the hairstyle look softer and not so sleek.
“You ready?” Lucas asks, resting his head on my shoulder as I’m still staring into the body length mirror. I nod my head nervously and he lets out a small chuckle before wrapping his arms around me and kissing me on the cheek. “You look beautiful. Thank you again for coming with me.”
“You owe me Friar.” I say flirtatiously as I bite down on my lip and turn myself around to face him.
He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and kisses me and before I know it we’re off.
--
The drive upstate is shorter than I had hoped. Since this was my first time hearing about let alone seeing Friar Manor I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Lucas drives slowly up the long windy driveway until we reach the house.
As we stepped from the black car, I had to stop myself from gaping at the large mansion, towering over us as if attempting to intimidate me. The cream coating of the paint shined as the sun beat down on it, causing me to have to squint. Uniquely twisted fencing kept the house enclosed, although it sat on a rather large chunk of land I couldn’t help but notice the neatly trimmed hedges surrounding the house.
The roof was peaked, slanting down at an angle and the windows had pearl colored curtains hanging on the other side of them, drawn so that the sunlight could stream through.
As we stepped onto the walkway to make our way to the front entrance, I noticed a marble fountain sitting towards the right side of the lawn. An angel holding a flower was perched on top, looking up towards the sky. Water spurted from its other hand, which lay gently out in front of it, as if waiting for someone to take it in return. The water fell gently towards the crystal blue pool beneath it, causing ripples to form and wave out until they were no more.
I feel Lucas squeeze my hand, not realizing that he had been holding it the entire time. My mind was too busy trying to take everything in. As we’re standing there before the doorbell he turns to me, hesitant, “It’s not too late to turn back.”
I considered it for a moment much to his amusement but before either of us had a chance to act, the door slowly slides open.
Liz smiles mischievously at the two of us, pulling us inside so we’re standing in the foyer. The beige and white marbled floor of the entrance glowed, obviously having been cleaned before we came. Stairs lay across the room, climbing toward the ceiling. An archway was on either side, one admitting you into the kitchen, the other into the living room. The walls were a dark blue with silver brush swipes crossing over it, creating a shimmer effect.
“Mother and Father are outside on the terrace.” She gives us another encouraging nudge as she walks ahead, leaving Lucas and I in her dust.
I watched as the fierce blonde, strolls out onto the deck, pouring herself a drink before she lounges across a sun bed that was off to the side. My eyes scan the backyard and right in the middle I see his parents.
“Oh look, it’s Conrad and Victoria.” I say sarcastically under my breath.
“Is that another reference I won’t understand?” Lucas asks, an endearing smile on his face.
I nod my head playfully and he grabs hold of my hand again as we head for the back.
Mr. and Mrs. Friar don’t seem too surprised to see me, although they didn’t look very enthusiastic either. Thankfully there’s not enough time for small talk as lunch is served almost immediately.
For the first 20 minutes or so everyone is silent. The only sound that can be heard is the shuffling of forks and knives against the ceramic plates and the muffling tune of chewing.
“So Rory, what do you do?” Mr. Friar asks, finally breaking the silence.
“It’s Rory.” Liz corrects him, giving me a wink to let me know she had my back.
“She’s a soon to be published writer.” Lucas answers for me, glaring at his father while his mother scoffs, completely unimpressed.
“And until you’re published?” Mrs. Friar persists, raising her overly drawn on eyebrows at me.
“I’m a bartender, actually.”
I watch as his parents exchange a look, a look I knew all too well. It was the same look my mother had when she found out I was bartending after graduating from school. Disappointment.
“So that’s how you two met?” Mrs. Friar continues, “At a bar?”
“Sure is.” Lucas replies through gritted teeth.
The conversation momentarily shifts to Liz and her circle of friends and for a second I feel a bit more at ease, hoping the storm had passed. But of course, the worst was yet to come.
“Oh that reminds me Luke, I wanted to introduce to Caroline Reeves daughter, Priscilla.” Mrs. Friar cuts off Liz mid-sentence, focusing all her attention on Lucas. “She just graduated from Brown and was looking for an escort to show her around the city. So I volunteered your time.”
“Don’t you think you should’ve asked him first, mother?” Liz snaps, a look of complete bewilderment on her face.
“You don’t mind do you darling?” His mother asks, smiling expectantly at her son.
“Of course he minds, he has a girlfriend and you’re trying to pimp him off.” Liz continues, motioning in my direction.
“I’m sure Roxy will understand. Won’t you?”
“For the last time her name is Riley.” Lucas steps in, raising his voice slightly. “And yes, I do mind.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I’m with Riley, mother.” He answers as if it was obvious.
The bottle blonde huffs in disgust to show her displeasure, “Don’t be ridiculous Lucas. What you have with this girl isn’t forever, it’s merely a phase.”
“Excuse me?” His voice is much louder now. His father sighs softly, completely unbothered by what was happening, as if he was used to his wife’s shenanigans by now.
“This is not the type of woman you settle down with Lucas, she’s a bartender for crying out loud!” She shakes her head in disapproval. “She doesn’t belong here.”
Everything goes quiet. Lucas stands up from his chair, aggressively throwing his cloth napkin at the table. “You know what, mother? The only reason I’m here right now is because Riley wanted me to make up with you guys. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“I’ve been nothing but hospitable to that girl. This is the second time I’ve opened up one of my homes to her. She should be grateful she’s here at all.”
“That girl?” He glares at her, “That girl is the most amazing, compassionate, hard working person I have ever met. That girl is more than just a bartender, she graduated from Columbia University Suma Cum Laude, she comes from a good family with good morals and work ethic, she is what I aspire to be. That girl has shown me an infinite amount of kindness, which is more than I can say for you. That girl means everything to me…and I love her.”
“You do?” I hear the sound of my own voice crack as I finally open my mouth to speak for the first time in 30 minutes. I blink away the tears that formed in my eyes and concentrate on the man standing before me. He reaches out his hand for me to take and swiftly pulls me to my feet.
“I love you Riley.” He continues, not breaking his gaze. “And I hope that you feel the same too.”
I cup my hand to his cheek, as my heart pounds in my chest. “I’ve never loved anyone or anything as much as I love you, Lucas Friar.”
He flashes me a goofy smile before pulling me in to plant a sweet kiss on my lips. As we pull away, I can see a smile on Mr. Friar’s face. If I hadn’t known any better I’d swear he looked proud.
Without saying any last parting words, he grabs my hand and leads me out the door.
“You and me?” He asks as we jump into the car.
“You and Me.”
-------- Two Years Later -------
Today was the big day. I sat anxiously in the backroom, popping mint after mint to try and calm the nauseous feeling in my stomach. I watched as the hands on the clock ticked away each minute and each minute that went by I felt more and more panicked.
I did my best to stop the negative thoughts from creeping up in my head but somehow they always ended up back there. I start to chew on my nail as I think about all the things that could go wrong but all of that vanishes when Eli pokes his head in.
He smiles and opens the door wide enough for the two of us. “We’re ready for you.”
I take a deep breath and make my way down the aisle, I could hear the faint murmur of guests waiting for me to arrive as I round the corner of the nonfiction section of the bookstore.
When I come into view I immediately see some friendly familiar faces. I’m offered a round of applause before taking my seat at the table of my book signing.
The first two people in line are my parents and younger brother, they excitedly hand me their copy of my book ‘Collide’ and embarrassingly cheer me on as I scribble down my signature.
After my parents it’s my Aunt Morgan, holding a rather large pile of my books in her hands. She smiles fondly and reminds me several times that she’s proud of me, and that she knew I could do it all along.
Next in line is Maya and Josh who have reconciled over the last year. As it turns out, she and Zay were just friends and he was giving her a space to live while she cleared her head.
Speaking of Zay, he was right behind the happy couple, along with Farkle and Izzy. Zay let it be known that his favorite character in my novel was the guy named “Tay” though personally, I don’t see why.
Farkle said even though he doesn’t appreciate fiction he’d read mine anyway and Izzy just asked that I pen her a personal message which of course I did.
Even the gang from Bar Louie swung by to give their congratulations and wish me success.
After the sea of familiar faces, I get to meet actual people that read and loved my book and not just family members who were obligated to. Everyone is so unbelievably nice and as the signing comes to an end, I feel this bittersweet feeling wash over me.
For the past almost three years I worked endlessly on this book, trying to make it something that I loved and would be proud to share with the world. It’s filled with characters I love and have grown attached to, in a way it’s like an extension of who I am. Knowing that it’s out there for anyone to read is a scary thought but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There’s about 10 people left waiting in line when I hear a familiar voice from the other side of the table, looking down upon me.
“So, Miss New York Times bestselling author, do you think maybe I can get those digits?” Lucas asks with a smirk, sliding over a brand new copy of my book.
“Ooo I would but unfortunately I’m engaged.” I pout playfully, flashing him the ring he put on my finger.
“Lucky man.” He smiles, leaning over the table.
He steals a kiss or two before I manage to push him away. He insisted on being a good fiancé and buying multiple copies of my novel whenever he saw it in store. But I’d much rather he left it there for someone else to buy. Nonetheless, he was much more determined to win this battle than I was.
“You get these for free, Lucas.” I laugh, prying the book away from him. “Now get outta my line.” I say, shooing him towards the door.
He shoots me a wink and gives my hand a squeeze as he turns on his feet. “I’ll see you at home.” He calls out, waving as he exits the bookstore, a bag thrown over his shoulder.
It isn’t until he’s out the door that I realized he discreetly placed something in the palm of my hand.
I unravel the paper and see that it’s a receipt for a purchase of 10 copies of my book. On the bottom he scribbled something in black sharpie. It read:
You should’ve believed me when I told you I was relentless.
[ Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven ]
Prompt: After damaging $1000 worth of private property on a dare Lucas needs a quick way to make the money to pay the guy back. When Charlie Gardner suggests a bet Lucas takes him up on his offer. And what is the bet? Get into the pants of Riley Matthews, the schools very own goody two-shoes princess.
AN: Okay so this one covers a lot ( I think ) in terms of like things that happen. There’s an homage to a certain scene in AWTR. Not a fluffy chapter. But I hope yall enjoy it anyway. xo
Word Count: 3,074
Chapter: 8
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Things were starting to fall back into place for Riley. Initially her return to school brought along some difficulties, it definitely wasn’t easy seeing Lucas around now that his ankle was healed and he was back roaming the halls and a part of her was certain that when she walked into a room and it grew silent the people inside were just talking about her. But after a while it seemed as if everyone had moved on from the situation. Or at least that’s what she thought.
She started attending drama club again after school and Mr. Vargas graciously welcomed her back with open arms, excited that she was able to continue as Éponine in his school production of Les Misérables which was taking a lot longer than it should have.
She even started to hang out with Isadora and Farkle more. There were times where she felt like a bit of a third wheel but they were really good at including her and for that she was grateful.
She and Isadora were at her locker before last period discussing the game plan for tonight. “So what time should me and Farkle be here for the play?” Izzy asks. “We want to be supportive.”
Riley smiled at the genius, surprised that either of them were interested in coming in the first place. Theatre wasn’t really their thing. They respected the arts but would much rather watch an insightful documentary than a musical.
“It starts at 7 but you can come a little early if you want good seats.” She suggests, grabbing her textbooks and shoving them into her bag.
She stares pasts Isadora and down the hall she could see a small group of football players exiting from the stairwell, rowdy and laughing about something incoherent. Of course Lucas and Zay are among the group but what really catches her eye is the way Annette Sommers was draping herself over Lucas.
She quickly looks away, ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach as she returns her attention to her friend. Izzy follows her broken gaze and realizes the reason behind the girls sudden mood change. As they pass the two of them, Isadora can’t help but breathe out an insult or two directed at the rowdy boys.
“Imbeciles.” She mutters with a roll of her eyes, catching the attention of one of the douchier guys, Billy Ross.
“Something to share, Einstein?” He stops in his tracks, eyebrows raised at the two brunettes.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Isadora snaps back. “I’m sorry, what is your IQ again?”
Riley exchanges glances with Lucas, neither of them saying anything but it was as if they were both silently pleading for the other one to call off their friend.
“High IQ or not you’re still a nobody.” Billy scoffs.
Before Isadora has a chance to retaliate Mr. Matthews rounds the corner, feeling the hostile vibe coming off the group, he shoos the athletes off and gives Riley and her friend a stern look, telling them it was time to go to class.
--
It’s a few hours before the play and Riley is doing her best to keep her nerves under control. She takes a seat in the middle of the empty auditorium, staring up at the stage that she would soon be performing on.
As she’s sitting there she remembers a few months back.
She was auditioning for Éponine, standing front and center while the rest of the students were sat crisscrossed on the floor and Mr. Vargas took to the piano. She remembered looking up halfway through the song and seeing a familiar student sitting all the way in the back. One she had never seen take foot in the auditorium unless it was for a mandatory assembly. Lucas Friar.
She felt her heart race as he leaned in to watch her audition, his eyes glued to her, mouth slightly agape as she poured her heart into the song. She couldn’t explain what it was at the time but seeing him so entranced by her voice was stirring something in her that she hadn’t felt before.
“Riley?” The call of her name pulls her out of her thoughts and she looks up to see one of her fellow drama club members hovering over her. Evan was playing the part of Marius in the play, Riley’s unrequited love interest.
“Oh, hey Evan.” She smiles politely, brushing the hair out of her face. “Sorry I was just trying to clear my head.”
“Nervous?” He asks, taking the seat next to her. She nods her head, dropping the tension from her shoulders. “Well, if it’s any consolation you make a great Éponine.” He smiles.
“I’m not sure if that’s entirely a good thing.” She laughs nervously, “But thanks.”
“Anytime.” He nudges her playfully before standing to his feet. “I’ll see you up there.”
--
Coach Lewis blows his whistle, ending practice for the day. Lucas and the rest of the team pile into the boys locker room to get washed and changed. Because he just recently recovered from his sprain, he was instructed not to go as hard as he normally would, so he didn’t feel the need to shower. He sat there waiting for Zay to finish getting ready.
“So, are we going or what?” Zay asks avoiding the glare of his best friend. They both knew the play Riley was in was starting in about an hours’ time and even though he avoided the topic up until now he was still unsure about whether or not they’d be attending.
The posters were everywhere, and every time they passed one in the hall Lucas would either sigh heavily or violently yank it off the wall. He didn’t like being reminded of her, better yet, he didn’t like being reminded of what he lost.
When Riley told him she hated him he was left with this self-loathing feeling inside. A feeling he wasn’t used to. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t used to getting what he wants. Being the sheriffs son and captain of the football team had its perks, but neither one of those things could help him get out of this one.
“Why do you want to go?” Lucas asks, tone slightly aggressive. Zay shoots him a look as he finishes up tying his boots. “Why don’t you?”
As they’re heading out of the locker room, they pass the auditorium and the rather impressive crowd of people heading inside to take their seats. He pauses for a second, trying to decide if he could handle seeing her in that capacity. Zay waits patiently for him to decide, not wanting to influence his decision.
Lucas lets out a deep breath and starts heading toward the play. Whatever happens, he knew someday he’d regret not going in to see her so he swallows his pride and with Zay following closely behind, they make their way through the atrium.
“Oh goodie.” Charlie smiles, rounding the corner with Annette just as the two boys were entering. “We can watch this tragedy together.”
Annette had been hanging around a lot recently since her and her college boyfriend broke up. Like always, she went crying back to Lucas who, for whatever reason, always gave in to her. This time around he couldn’t be less interested, not that she was taking the hint.
The four of them find available seats all the way in the back. Lucas can’t help but wonder if his was the exact same one he sat in that first time he heard Riley sing. The view was familiar but he wouldn’t know for sure until she came out.
The play starts and he finds himself eagerly waiting for Riley to come on stage. His breath hitches at the sight of her, he fiddles with his thumbs hoping it would hide the fact that his hands were shaking. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. It wasn’t like he was the one up there on stage, but still he felt this connection to her that he couldn’t explain.
Her rendition of On My Own was just as beautiful as he remembered and as she’s belting out the last line their eyes meet and he feels a chill run down his spine. But it’s her final moments of the play that really captivate him. Her character Éponine is dying in front of the man she loves and he feels a pang of jealousy as he watches that Evan boy wrap his arms around her.
“Don't you fret, M'sieur Marius…I don't feel any pain…A little fall of rain, can hardly hurt me now. You're here. That's all I need to know…and you will keep me safe…and you will keep me close…and rain will make the flowers grow.”
He watches Evan stroke the hair out of her eyes, kneeling before her. “Just hold me now, and let it be. Shelter me, comfort me.” She sings softly, tears falling down her flushed cheeks.
Lucas swallows the lump in his throat, not realizing that he was leaning forward in his chair, hanging on to her every word until Zay intentionally coughs to grab his attention.
He looks on either side of him realizing, they were all staring at him the entire time. Annette has this death glare in her eyes and Charlie looks amused, a wicked smirk dancing on his lips.
He excuses himself and rushes out of the auditorium, running outside to get some fresh air. He hangs back, waiting for the play to finish and once the crowd starts to disperse, he looks around for Riley. He catches a glimpse of her heading outside towards the parking lot and runs after her to catch her in time.
She was with her parents and even though the last thing he wanted was to speak to her in front of Mr. Matthews he couldn’t fight the urge to call out her name.
The sound of her name being called causes her to spin on her heels, long dark curls fan out as she turns to face him. He can see the surprised reaction settle in, she raises her eyebrows at him expectantly.
Mrs. Matthews gently grabs her husband by the arm to guide him over to their car. “C’mon Cory.” She gives him a look, wanting to give the two teens some privacy. “We’ll be waiting for you in the car honey.” She says directed at her daughter before giving Lucas a sympathetic smile.
He clears his throat as he approaches her, trying to figure out what to say.
“Yes?” She purses her lips together, a confused expression etched on her face.
He smiles slightly, remembering the first time he approached her outside of the school after hearing her sing On My Own. He takes a chance and decides to play on the nostalgia of the situation.
“I didn’t mean to startle you, I just – I heard you singing in there and I just wanted to say, Wow. You’re amazing.”
Realizing what he was doing, she smirks, biting down on her lip to hide her amusement. She was still furious at him, still couldn’t bear to look at him and yet there was just something about him that pulled her in.
“You know, you can’t just rewrite history.” She comments, her softened features furrowing together now. “Nice sentiment though.”
He watches her walk away and get into her parents car, not once looking back in his direction.
--
Riley wakes in the morning with a much more lighthearted feeling in her stomach. She didn’t know if it was because her pneumonia was finally out of her system, if it was the fact that Lucas was actually trying to set things right between them, or maybe it was the fact that she killed it yesterday on stage – whatever it was, she liked it.
She sings her heart out in the shower, hums her way through getting dressed and bobs her head through breakfast. Which doesn’t go unnoticed by her family. She was in a great mood.
She heads straight to her locker once she arrives, completely unaware of the whispers and giggles being thrown her way. Not thinking much of it she heads to her class.
Riley takes her usual seat in the middle and the bell rings warning students to hurry up before they’re late.
A boy who happens to be on the football team, named Dylan walks in and instead of taking his normal seat he makes a b-line straight for Riley, a flirty grin covering his face.
He leans over and taps on her desk. “Hey Matthews, how much?”
“How much what?” She asks in confusion, causing snickering to erupt from his friends on the other side of the room.
The teacher walks in ending their conversation but Riley has a hard time shaking the feeling that something terrible has happened.
Her suspicions are made true when she walks into the lunch room. She got a note in her locker from Isadora saying to meet her in the cafeteria which she thought was weird because they always met up in the library during their lunch period and usually Izzy would text her if there was a change of plans. Still, she decided to go.
As the double doors swing open she sees a cluster of papers plastered all over the first column as soon as you walk in. The table closest to it sat Charlie, Annette, Billy and a few other students she hardly ever interacted with. They were all laughing hysterically, watching her as she approached it.
With trembling hands she walks over and tears one off to read. It was a picture of her face photo-shopped onto the Virgin Mary. The caption read: Real life Virgin Mary for sale! Contact Riley Matthews for more information.
The room starts spinning as she drowns out the sound of their laughter. Her chest felt like it was caving in and the harder she tried to breathe the more she started to hyperventilate. She could feel tears forming in her eyes but blinked them away to the best of her ability, the last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of these people. The good mood she was in earlier had completely vanished leaving nothing but a numbing feeling behind.
There’s a familiar voice breaking through the sound barrier of her heart thumping in her chest. She blinks rapidly, trying to make out where it was coming from and a few feet away from her she spots Lucas.
He was hurrying towards her, a look of worry etched on his face. She can barely hear what he’s saying, but she feels his hands grab her shoulders. He snatches the paper out of her hand and turns around to see the pillar covered in identical copies.
She watches as he angrily yanks them all off the wall, ripping them to pieces before he turns his attention on the group of classmates he suspected was to blame.
“Which one of you pieces of shit did this?” He asks, shoving one of the more intact flyers in their face.
The cafeteria had gone silent as the angry volume of his voice echoed through. Charlie starts to laugh, standing up from his seat. “Calm down Friar, it’s just a little joke.”
“A little joke?!” He drops the flyer, his hands instead meet Charlie’s face, aggressively shoving him against the column. “This shit isn’t funny!”
Isadora and Farkle are on their way to the library when they see the commotion coming from the cafeteria. Izzy spots Riley and rushes in to her side, Farkle joining seconds later. Before they know it, the two teammates are brawling it out on the floor of the lunchroom.
A few faculty members, including Riley’s father, run in to break up the fight. Unfortunately, Mr. Matthews notices the flyers and his heart breaks as he realizes the reason behind the altercation. With the help of Zay he’s able to pull Lucas away from Charlie, leaving the shaggy haired boy bruised and bloody.
Riley, still not having moved or spoken since she saw the flyers, watches as her father escorts Lucas out of lunch and disappear down the hall. Her brain is still trying to process everything that happened. It isn’t until she feels Izzy’s hand link with hers that she starts to come to.
The petite raven haired girl walks her to the library, away from the chaos and commotion.
--
Mr. Matthews leads Lucas into his empty classroom and instructs him to take a seat. He pulls a first aid kit out of his desk and tends to the boy’s bloody fist and knuckles.
Lucas flinches slightly as the disinfectant wipe stings his open cut. He watches the older man, brows knitted together as he bandaged up his battered hand.
“I’m sorry.” Lucas apologizes. He’s not sure what exactly he’s apologizing for but he feels it needs to be said.
Mr. Matthews shakes his head, brushing off the boys apologies. He sighs heavily, leaning up against his desk to get a good look at him.
“I should’ve listened to you when you told me to stay away from your daughter, sir.” Lucas admits, averting his eyes from the history teacher. “This is all my fault.”
“It’s too late for that now, Mr. Friar.”
Lucas stares down at his hands, prepared for the lecture that was bound to happen.
“People change people.” Mr. Matthews says simply, his tone is gentle. “Even though I hated every second of it I saw how much you changed Riley for the better…and don’t think I haven’t noticed the positive impact she’s had on you either.” He pauses for a moment to collect his thoughts, “I guess I’m trying to say thank you.”
“For?”
“I may not agree with your methods but I appreciate you standing up for her.” He says offhandedly, walking over to open the door. “Hopefully Principle Tanner won’t be too hard on you.”
Lucas nods his head and starts to walk in the direction of the main office.
“Uh Lucas?” Mr. Matthews calls out just as the blonde is about to descend the stairs.
“Sir?”
“The library’s that way.” He answers, pointing his thumb in the opposite direction. Lucas raises his eyebrows not yet catching on to what he was insinuating.
“You’ll find what you’re looking for at the library.” He says more clearly, seeing the realization cross the teenagers face.
Lucas nods his head in understanding before darting across the hall and up the stairs towards the library…
Authors Notes: I was requested to write Lucas “walking in on Riley” after writing him walking in on her. [x] This one is set during her freshman year of college. Used the song ‘Starving’ by Hailee Steinfeld for inspiration [x] It’s a lot longer than the Lucas one and doesn't really have the same feel to it but I hope you guys like it anyway!
Pairing: Riley x Lucas (Rucas)
Rating: M (not smut, but does mention/revolve around sex)
Word Count: 2,275
♡♡♡
The summer before you start your first semester of college is a lot of different things for a lot of different people. For some it’s the beginning of your new found freedom, it’s getting to spend a little more time with your friends until you all go your separate ways, it’s essentially how you spend that time that really sets the tone for the next four plus years of college.
For Riley, it was the summer she finally grew into her skin. While her friends were off traveling with family, interning or taking up summer jobs, she spent the majority of her time just relaxing. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to. She was always wound up, always forcing herself to be upbeat and apparently that was really exhausting. She didn’t want to waste her summer working a part time job where she would have to put on that same always smiley face she walked around with. She just wanted to enjoy her last bit of free time before college started and she’d be bombarded with assignments and sleepless nights studying.
While her best friend Maya is “shadowing” some Banksy wannabe in an art studio in SoHo and her other friends are traveling and working she gets to spend most of her time with her boyfriend, Lucas - which surprisingly enough was a new thing for them. With how close knit their group of friends were and how demanding her best friend was of her time, she rarely got to spend a whole weekend with him let alone a whole summer. The six of them usually all hung out together.
For most couples the end of senior year meant the end of their relationship, mainly because they were more than likely going to two separate schools. Unfortunately for Riley and Lucas, that was the case for them. He was going to be attending A&M University in Texas and she got into Columbia. They knew the long distance would be hard but considering how long it took them to actually make things official they had no plans to breakup, especially now just as their relationship started to flourish.
Having an abundance of free time and an empty bank account meant they spent the majority of their time together soaking up the sun at the beach, hanging out in the park or, Riley’s personal favorite, lounging around in the AC at Lucas’ parents apartment. More specifically, his room.
Lucas’ family was visiting Texas for the remainder of summer and since he would be spending all his time there once the fall came, he decided he’d spend his summer in NYC with Riley.
The last week of summer put a somber feeling in the atmosphere. Neither of them wanted to talk about what was happening next week so they had an unspoken agreement where they wouldn’t mention it until the very last minute. Instead, Riley found herself being a little more frisky than usual.
Being the youngest of her friends and the most “innocent” as Maya would say, she had very little experience in the intimate parts of her relationship with Lucas. They only ever discussed it once and Lucas made it perfectly clear that he wouldn’t rush her and told her when she was ready she can let him know, until then he wouldn’t pressure her.
There was a few times where their make out sessions would start getting hot and heavy but much to their dismay they were always interrupted. This time, there was no one around to bring things to a halt.
Riley laid on her side, head resting on Lucas’ arm while he traced the exposed skin on her back with his finger. They were watching American Pie, which Riley had never seen before. She knew the movie was crass and explicit which explained why her parents wouldn’t allow her to watch it.
The scene where the character in the movie Jim decides to use a freshly baked apple pie to reach his climax comes on and Riley can’t help but scrunch her nose up at it much to the amusement of Lucas.
“Do you do that?” She wonders out loud, catching him off guard.
“Do I jerk off with food?” He chuckles, mindlessly rubbing her lower back. “No, I can safely say I do not.”
“No –.” She shakes her head, “Do you…y’know?”
“Oh.” He smirks a little, feeling slightly embarrassed, “Yeah Riles, everybody does it.”
“I don’t.” She admits, shrugging her shoulders.
“I stand corrected.” He smiles, before kissing her on the forehead and returning his attention to the movie.
Riley follows his gaze back to the screen but gets lost in her thoughts, completely blacking out the rest of the film. She finally comes back to reality when she feels Lucas sit up straight to grab the remote and turn the t.v. off.
“Why do you do it?” She asks, her mind still stuck on their conversation from earlier.
“Do what?” A confused expression spread across his face as he tries to figure out what she’s referring to.
“Jerk off.” She replies, using air quotes.
He can’t help but laugh at the gesture, even though her curiosity has him intrigued. “Haven’t you ever thought about something that drove you wild in the best way?” He perks up an eyebrow at her, anticipating her answer.
“I usually don’t have time to have those thoughts.” She laughs, realizing how weird that sounds. “Don’t get me wrong, they come up but then something happens that steals my focus away…if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah I get it.” He smiles, taking her hand in his. “We’ve been dating for almost 4 years now and this summer is the most time we’ve spent together.”
Riley stays silent but nods her head, not really wanting to indulge in that conversation. “So what do you think about if you don’t mind me asking?” She smirks, “What are these thoughts that ‘drive you mad in the best way’?”
“Honestly?” He asks and she nods her head, almost scared to hear his answer.
“You.” He says softly, staring down at their intertwined hands. The surprised look on her face is genuinely concerning for him. “You really don’t know just how sexy you are, do you?”
“Me?” Her eyes grow wide, feeling a slight blush cover her cheeks.
“YES you.” He laughs, playfully nudging her. “You do this thing when we’re kissing where you let out these soft little moans, and the way you arch your back when we’re making out –“ He spaces for a second, shaking the rest of his thoughts from his mind. “Sorry.” He smiles, biting down on his lip. “Just believe me when I say, you Riley Matthews are incredibly sexy.”
Without thinking she leans over and kisses him. The kind of kiss that usually leads to more. Lucas hesitates as Riley yanks on the bottom of his shirt. Breathless from the kiss he pulls away to look her in the eye, “Are you sure?”
She answers him with another passionate kiss, feeling her skin get hot. She never felt more ready than in that moment.
This time felt different, maybe it was because she knew in a weeks’ time he wouldn’t be around anymore, maybe it was the fact that there was no one around to interrupt them, whatever it was it felt exceptional and it consumed them both.
Needless to stay, they spent the rest of the week leading up to their departure, in Lucas’ room making up for lost time.
--
The start of the school year had it challenges and much to Riley’s surprise missing Lucas was proving to be one of the hardest. She missed his voice, his scent, the way his arms felt wrapped around her. She found herself replaying their intimate time together over and over in her head. More than anything, she just missed being around him. Especially at times like these.
Christmas Vacation couldn’t come fast enough. The plan was to stay in her room at her parents’ house for the duration of winter break. Most of her friends were also coming back home for the holidays and much to her excitement, that included Lucas.
Unfortunately she finished finals two days earlier than everyone else so that was two days she had to herself. Her father was still wrapping up his classes at her Alma mater while her little brother was in school and her mother was busy at her firm seeing as how this was the busiest time of year.
Riley gets settled into her old bedroom, stripping off her extra layers to get more comfortable. She’s left in some yoga pants and one of Lucas’ white v necks she stole before he went off to A&M.
She lays down, rolling around the neatly made bed, feeling the need to break it in again. Eventually she tires and feels herself relaxing. She tries to remember the last time she felt that at ease and her mind wanders back to her summer spent with Lucas.
--
Lucas excitedly rushes out of the airport and once he grabs his luggage he hails a cab. Once inside, he calls up Zay to let him know he landed safely.
“So you still haven’t told Riley you’re coming down two days early to spend more time with her?” His best friend asks loudly over the sound of music blaring in the background.
“I told you man, I wanted it to be a surprise.” Lucas reminds him, staring out the window at the snow covered streets. “I haven’t seen her face to face in so long, I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“I’m sure she feels the same way.” Zay says, “Unless she found someone else.”
“Why would you even say that?” Lucas rolls his eyes, hearing the boy cackle on the other end.
“Oh come on Luke you know I’m joking.” He laughs again, “Besides, Riley’s probably the most innocent person we know.”
Lucas doesn’t respond, biting down on his lip to keep himself from blabbing. He still hadn’t told Zay that he and Riley finally consummated their relationship. “Whatever you say.” He says with a smirk.
“Wait a minute!” Zay protests “That sounded like there’s something you’re not telling me.” He could hear him getting riled up. “Is that why you were so desperate to come home early? Because you knew no one would be around to interrupt?”
Saved by the bell, the taxi driver pulls up in front of the Matthew’s apartment building promptly ending his conversation with Zay. “Sorry man, I’m here now. Gotta go!”
He hangs up swiftly but not before hearing Zay yell something about ‘getting all the details.’
Assuming she’s home alone since its 11 a.m. on a Friday, Lucas decides to take the fire escape up to her bedroom window. Thankfully he only brought along one bag so the trek up the stairs isn’t too difficult.
The curtains for the window are shut which he finds odd but when he fiddles with the window he feels it slide up with ease. To his surprise the first thing he hears when he opens it is the sound of Riley softly moaning.
Anger starts boiling inside him as he recalls what Zay had said on the phone earlier about Riley finding someone new. He throws his bag down and climbs through, aggressively yanking back the curtain, “What the h—Oh my god Riley!” His eyes grow wide at the sight of his girlfriend laying on her bed, her hand tucked inside her black leggings.
“Lucas!” She pulls her sheets up over her head, feeling her face go hot with embarrassment. “What the hell are you doing here?!”
“I wanted to surprise you!” He yells back, unaware of why he’s yelling in the first place.
“Well good job.” She taunts. “I’m officially surprised!”
The sound of him chuckling is enough for her to peak over the sheets to glare at him. “This is funny to you?”
“I thought you said you didn’t do it?” He raises an eyebrow, smiling at the blushing brunette. “You little liar.” He teases.
“I wasn’t lying at the time.” She sighs, pulling herself up to face him. “I just got caught up in thinking about the last time we saw each other.” It was his turn to blush as she admitted he was the reason behind her doing it.
“Well…do you need a hand?” He laughs, realizing the irony behind the offer.
“Ha-ha.” She rolls her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. “You’re hilarious.” She throws one of her pillows at him.
“I was joking!” He smiles, throwing the pillow back at her. “Kinda…”
“Well, since you’re already here…” She pulls back the sheets next to her, calling him over with her pointer finger. With a big grin he runs over and jumps into the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her as he nuzzles his face into her neck.
He kisses her neck and whispers in her ear, “your family won’t be home until 4 right?” She nods her head with a smile, kissing him softly on the lips. “That gives us 5 hours to ourselves.” He says seductively.
“But what will we do for the other 4 hours and 57 minutes?” She says throwing her head back with laughter at the un-amused look on Lucas’ face.
“Ha-Ha you’re hilarious!” He mocks, smiling from the insult. “Now shut up and kiss me.”
She can’t help the giggles that escape her lips as they roll around on her bed, and that sensation he mentioned last summer was radiating through her.
A/N: I’m sorry I made this so long. I feel like 4,224 words is a lot for a one shot that was only supposed to cover one quote but hey-ho, it is what it is. Hopefully this is okay anon xo
♡♡♡
Riley Matthews and Lucas Friar have had an unofficial thing going on since 7th grade. Ask anyone around and they’d tell you the two of them belong together. Despite how obvious it is to others, they just can’t seem to get it right. The constant on and off again romance, the will-they won’t-they of it all has become a sort of pattern between them. Something, or in some cases, someone, always seems to come between them.
But finally after the incessant back and forth they decided to try. Actually, Lucas finally got up enough nerve to ask her out.
It was the summer after sophomore year and somehow the group of friends convinced their parents to let them spend the duration in Texas. Since both Lucas and Zay are originally from there they know how to get around, it also helps that Zay's grandfather owns a ranch that has plenty of rooms to accommodate the teens.
Their first night in Austin, Lucas couldn't help but notice the attention Riley was getting from the overly friendly boys next door. Zay made a point to note they were also flirting with Maya and Smackle but he didn't care about that if he was being honest.
He knew Riley wasn't technically his but still, that didn't stop it from bothering him.
That night the six of them are invited to a bonfire. After Farkle and Zay make some jokes at Lucas' expense about how he acts around campfires, they decided to go. Much to Lucas' dismay.
It was unfortunate for him that the mere mention of his hometown was enough to inspire cruel jokes about a time he hated being reminded of.
Last year he had the displeasure of being caught in a "love triangle" with Riley and her best friend Maya. Not that there was ever a choice that needed to be made. He always wanted Riley, there was never any doubt about that.
But after Riley broke his heart saying she only saw him as a brother, he let himself get caught up in the moment with the wrong girl. Luckily he was smart enough to pull away before anything actually happened but he's still hassled about it by the gang every chance they get. Except for Riley of course, just like Lucas she likes to pretend that trip never happened.
As the six of them are getting ready for the evening, Lucas relents his worries to the guys.
"I don't like how cozy Mickey was being with Riley." He admits while adjusting his boots.
"Southern hospitality." Zay comments, not really paying attention to his best friend's concerns.
"I think it was a little more than hospitality."
"What's the problem?" Zay snaps, jumping up from his spot on the bed. "Just because you're too chicken to start something with Riley doesn't mean everyone else will be."
"He's right you know." Farkle adds, buttoning up his flannel. "If you don't like it, do something about it."
"I will."
--
The six friends meet up with their neighbors outside at the elected time.
The bonfire was on the beach which was only a few miles away so they all pile into Mickeys jeep. Mickey's brother Jamie sat passenger, leaving only the three seats in the back.
Farkle climbs in first, his girlfriend Isadora follows suit taking his lap. Zay gets in next, helping Maya up and she reluctantly sits on his, making a comment about him "not getting any funny ideas." Lucas is the last of the guys to get in, taking up the last empty seat.
Riley hesitantly climbs in, sitting snugly on the broad shouldered blondes lap. Feeling the heat rush to her cheeks as his arms brush against her waist.
When they arrive at the bonfire, they all split off and do their own thing. Farkle and Isadora go for a walk hand in hand, Zay and Maya chat up the people that were already there when they arrived and Lucas has noticed that Riley seemingly disappeared.
He walks over to the others, confused as to where she could have possibly gone off to on her own.
"Have you guys seen Riley?" He asks out loud to no one in particular.
The sun was starting to set and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried.
"Riley?" One of the attendees there perks his head up. "Is that the brunette with the cute dimples and tight body?"
Lucas clenches his jaw and nods slightly, "that's the one."
The ginger haired boy smiles knowingly, "Mickey invited her to go on a walk...if you know what I mean."
That was all Lucas needed to hear. He tried to repress his instincts to get angry, focusing his energy on finding Riley. He trails up the beach, calling out her name but gets no response.
He continues on until the bonfire behind him is barely recognizable and to his surprise the first person he sees, isn’t Riley but is Mickey.
The taller, much older boy, hastily walks pass Lucas, clutching at his nose, mumbling under his breath. Lucas looks ahead and sees her, sitting on the rocks near the water staring out at the ocean.
Picking up the pace he jogs over to her, silently assessing the situation before he took the spot next to her. She didn’t flinch or move in any way to acknowledge his presence. She just kept staring straight.
She breaks the silence first. “Mickey kissed me.” She confesses, now looking down at her hand. Lucas can feel his jaw and fist clench up at the thought of someone else being with her like that. He couldn’t get the picture out of his head.
“…So I punched him in the nose.” She continues, a slight smirk playing on her pretty face as she turns to look Lucas in the eye.
There’s an instant feeling of pride he has when he hears her say that. Mostly he was shocked, Riley was never one to resort to violence, but knowing she was more than capable of defending herself especially against someone three times her size, made him proud. He couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m sure he deserved it.” He nudges her playfully.
They sit in silence for a moment. He couldn’t speak for Riley, but there was something about being around her that was calming. She made him feel at ease, which said a lot to him seeing as how just 5 minutes ago he was ready to throw a few punches at Mickey himself.
He watches the way her eyes shine as she looks out at the water, how her usually chocolate colored curls and eyes turn a beautiful caramel color as the sunset hits them. He couldn’t look away. Which, unfortunately for him, she noticed.
“What?” She asks, perking an eyebrow up at the boy who still hadn’t looked away.
“You’re really beautiful.” He says softly, taking in her features.
She looks away, turning her attention back to her hands. “You’ve never told me that before.”
“I haven’t?” He asks, genuinely surprised. She shakes her head gently but smiles sheepishly at him.
“That’s weird…because I think about it all the time.” He adds, shrugging his shoulders.
“You do?” Her voice shakes.
The look between them is one they’ve shared many times. Usually in the privacy of each other’s company, but it’s a look Lucas could never forget. The way her eyebrows lift slightly and her eyes gloss over, that starry-eyed look is permanently cemented in his brain. And he knows for a fact, his expression mirrors hers.
“Well yeah, because I think about you all the time Riley…” He scoots in closer to her so their thighs are pressed against each other. “I think about us.” He continues, not wanting to let the moment get away from him again.
“Us?”
He nods his head, unsure of what to say next. Finally, he builds up enough courage to speak. “I want us to be together Riley. Not unofficially, not friends with benefits, I want the real deal and I want it with you…is that something you’d be up for?”
“Absolutely.” She answers almost immediately, a big grin on her face. “I want to be with you too, Lucas. I always have.”
Riley rests her head on his shoulder and for a second it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted. They stay like that for a while, just feeling the rise and fall of each other’s chest, listening to the sound of each other’s heartbeats, staring out across the beach. It was a perfect moment.
“So, why aren’t you at the campfire?” Lucas asks.
Riley smiles to herself, “I’m more of a ‘watch the sunset over the water’ type person.”
“Yeah.” Lucas chuckles, intertwining their fingers, “So am I.”
------
A year later and they’re still together. No bad breakups or trouble miscommunicating feelings. They’ve never had a deeper connection and Riley is still waiting for the punch line. In her mind there was a reason it took her and Lucas so long to finally come together. To her, their relationship is too good to be true.
She tries not to let her insecurities get the best of her and for the most part it works, but every now and then when it’s quiet, she can hear that nagging little voice in the back of her head spewing doubts into her mind.
It’s the summer before senior year now and their one year anniversary was approaching. Riley decided it would be special for numerous reasons.
She wanted it to be perfect. And since they couldn’t fly back to Texas for their anniversary she wanted to recreate their moment on the beach.
A little apprehensive about what could go wrong, she asks their friends to help, swearing the actual reason behind it to secrecy. Lucas knew the six of them were going to Montauk for a weekend but he was under the impression that it was just a fun little adventure before they started senior year.
And for a little while that nagging voice in her head had subsided. That is until about 2 weeks before their trip, when Gia Monte came to visit.
Riley knew very little about the girl who grew up in Texas with Lucas and Zay. She knew she was pretty, she had seen the pictures Lucas’ mom kept of the three of them as children playing outside in the mud. She knew she was athletic and really competitive, at least that’s how Lucas described her. Zay, however, remembered her as someone who was annoyingly in love with Lucas.
She didn’t know what to expect when she got word of their childhood friend spending the summer in the city. She was worried they all wouldn’t get along, but more so she was paranoid this girl’s arrival would throw a wrench in her anniversary plans with Lucas.
Still, she tried to be a good sport about it and did her best to pretend she was happy to meet the other brunette Lucas used to spend all his time with.
There was this weirdly heavy tension in the air as Lucas introduced the two of them. Riley couldn’t help but notice how beautiful this girl was, they had certain things in common like the color of their hair and eyes, but this girl was taller, leaner and with a cool edge to her that Riley only wished she could reach someday.
What made it all worse was how nice she was. She couldn’t hate her even if she wanted to. It wasn’t her fault she grew up with the boy Riley harbored strong feelings for.
Everyone was civil and polite to the new comer, trying to make her comfortable as possible. Except Smackle of course. She let everyone know exactly what she was thinking. “Am I the only one that notices an uncanny resemblance between Riley and Gia?” She asks rather loudly.
“Guess Lucas does have a type.” Zay jokes, until Maya elbows him in the side, getting him to see the look on Riley’s face.
“So what are your plans for the summer?” Gia asks, running her perfectly manicured fingers through her short choppy brown hair.
“We’re going to Montauk.” Smackle answers and everyone glares at her. She sinks back into her chair, realizing her mistake.
“What’s that?” Gia persists, looking amongst the group of friends.
“It’s in Long Island.” Lucas replies, “You’ve never been?”
She shakes her head no and Riley can see the urge Lucas has to invite her along. She chews on the inside of her cheek, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
“You should tag along.” He offers, his eyes darting over to Riley for a quick second. “I’m sure there’s room.”
“I don’t know Huckleberry. This trip was Riley’s idea, maybe we should ask her first before inviting strangers along.” Maya gives him a death stare. “No offense.” She looks to Gia who shrugs it off.
“Riles?” Lucas directs his attention to his girlfriend, waiting for a response.
She hesitates for a moment, feeling all eyes on her as she ponders her decision. “Sure.” She smiles politely. “The more the merrier right?”
--
Once they arrive at their stay, a waterfront cabin on Fort Pond that Riley found for a reasonable price on Airbnb, the six of them start to unpack the two cars they traveled in.
The cabin easily accommodates 6, even though there were only two bedrooms, there was also two couches and a hammock outside if anyone was feeling brave enough.
“The sky looks kind of dark.” Maya comments, helping Riley remove the rest of their belongings. “Did you check the weather for this weekend, Riles?”
“Sunny skies all week.” Riley answers, avoiding her best friend’s eyes. She knew if Maya took one good look at her shed be able to tell something was wrong. And truth be told, she was embarrassed as it is that this was bothering her so much. The last thing she wanted to do was complain about it.
“Hey –.” Maya snaps for her attention. “What’s the matter? Talk to me.”
“It’s nothing.” She sighs, lugging the bags upstairs to the rooms.
Maya follows her up, knowing their conversation was far from over. She watches as Riley aggressively throws Lucas’ bag on top of the bed. She couldn’t help but find the whole thing amusing.
“What is so funny?” Riley asks, when she finally looks up at her best friend who’s sporting an obnoxious smirk.
“You!” Maya chuckles, shaking her head. “Why do you do this to yourself? You could’ve just said ‘no I don’t want your hot friend joining us on a trip that I planned’…Ranger Rick would’ve understood.”
“Would he though?” Riley asks, feeling completely exasperated.
Before Maya could answer the question, Lucas comes barging in. “Hey Riles did you – oh, didn’t know you were up here Maya.”
“And where were you?” Maya asks using her accusatory tone.
“Uh…out back helping Zay start the grill?” He answers, confusion coloring his face. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” Riley chimes in before Maya could. “What’s for lunch? I’m starving.”
--
The skies clear up for the most part and the now group of 7 spend their afternoon outside, playing around in the sand.
Riley watches on as Lucas, Zay and Gia throw a football around. She’s so wrapped up in her own mind she doesn’t see or hear Smackle take the spot next to her.
“So tonight’s the big night.” Smackle says, interjecting her thoughts. Riley gives her an uncertain look so she continues, “Your anniversary dinner with Lucas…remember?”
“Oh yeah…I don’t see that happening.” Riley sighs, putting her attention on the ground. She draws circles and flowers in the sand as Isadora continues to speak.
“But you put in so much effort.” The raven haired beauty scrunches up her face. It was clear she didn’t understand the logic behind Riley’s decision. “You worked extra hours at Topanga’s to be able to afford this, you asked each of our parents’ permission, you set the whole thing up, I don’t understand…what changed?”
Riley doesn’t answer, instead she directs her gaze on the threesome throwing around the ball.
“Oh…” Smackle shifts in her spot, realizing what this was really about. “I suppose this is all my fault. I should not have brought up Montauk in front of her.”
Riley whips her head back to the bespectacled girl sitting on her right. “This isn’t your fault Izzy.” She smiles sweetly at her friend. “I’m just being Riley…”
“One of the best things to be.” Smackle says offhandedly.
Riley smiles to herself, pulling Smackle in for a hug.
--
As everyone is outside, cleaning up their mess, Riley heads to the kitchen to cook up some food for the anniversary dinner Smackle convinced her to still try and have.
One by one her friends trail in, all telling her about the party they’ve been invited to up the road. Apparently some guy really took a liking to Maya and told her he was throwing a big summer bash and that she could bring all her friends along.
Although the party sounded fun, Riley was finally feeling excited for her dinner with Lucas. As the 6 of them start to get ready, she pulls Lucas to the side.
“So I was thinking…hoping actually, that you’d stay with me here tonight.” She whispers as she takes him by the hand and leads him to the back.
He furrows his brows together, “You don’t wanna go to the party?”
“Don’t get me wrong it sounds like a lot of fun but I thought an anniversary dinner would be better.” She smiles, showing him the setup she laid out for them on the beach.
“I 100% agree.” He smiles, picking her up and spinning her around in his arms. He places a soft kiss on her lips and all her paranoia from earlier seemed to vanish.
Everything was going smoothly. While the others were off partying, Riley and Lucas sat on the sand, enjoying the food she made and reminiscing about their first year as a couple together.
Unfortunately as the night went on, the sky grew darker and darker. Halfway through their meal, Riley feels a raindrop trickle down her cheek.
“Oh no.” She mutters under her breath as she looks up at the now grey sky.
Slowly the rain starts to fall as the couple hurriedly pack up the picnic basket and the beach blankets. By the time they’re done, the rain starts to pour down harder, soaking them from head to toe.
“Stupid rain!” Riley yells as they run back over the sand dune to get to the cabin.
“I thought you loved the rain.” Lucas laughs as he shakes the water from his hair once they’re back inside.
Rough sounds of thunder and lightning echoes through the house as Riley tries to answer his question. “Not when it ruins my hard work.” She pouts, ringing the excess water from her long locks.
“Aw c’mere.” He smiles, placing his hands on her cheeks to pull her in for a kiss. Right before their lips touch everything goes black.
“What the hell was that?” Lucas asks, feeling Riley holding onto his body.
“I think the power went out.” She raises her voice to be heard over the rain. “It’s the storm.”
“I should call the others, check in and see if Gia’s doing okay. We don’t normally get storms like this in Austin.” He says, not giving much thought to it. Riley rolls her eyes in response, thankful that the pitch black room would hide her snark.
“Help me find some flashlights.”
The two blindly search their way through the unfamiliar cabin, feeling around inside of drawers and cabinets to see if they get lucky.
Riley wanders off, feeling around the kitchen but gets distracted by a buzzing noise. In the corner she sees a screen light up, as she gets closer she realizes it was Lucas’ cell. Curiosity getting the best of her she picks up the phone. The incoming messages were displayed on his lock screen, all of which were from Gia.
Gia: Wish you were here
Gia: This party is lame!
Gia: Is your dumb picnic over yet? Haha
Gia: Miss you xx
“Riles, I found one.” Lucas says cheerily from behind her, flashing the bright light at the back of her head. “Riles?”
Riley spins on her feet, storming past him but not before shoving his phone into his chest. “You should get that.”
Completely lost, Lucas looks down at his screen and sighs in frustration as he chases her up the stairs, dropping the flashlight in the process. “Riley! Wait!”
When he gets to the room he can just barely make out her silhouette but from the sounds he was hearing he could tell she was packing up her bags.
“Where are you going?” He asks, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness.
“Home.” She answers flatly, stripping the wet shirt off her body.
Lucas catches a glimpse of her bare skin in the moonlight and tries not to get distracted. Before he could ogle over his girlfriend he wanted to make sure he still had one.
“This whole trip is a disaster.” She can hear herself breaking down but she does her best to keep it together long enough for her to finish packing. “First her, and then the rain and the stupid fuse box…I just wanted it to be perfect.”
“I’m sorry Riles, I didn’t know this was an anniversary trip!” He defends himself, feeling completely guilty. “I swear to you if I did, I never would’ve invited her.”
Riley slows down, taking in his genuine tone and catching glimpses of the sincerity in his beautiful green eyes. “I’m sorry too, I just--.”
The sound of his ringtone goes off, interrupting her mid-sentence. They both glance down at the screen, seeing who the caller was. Gia.
“Of course.” She scoffs under her breath, flinging her bag over her shoulder as she heads for the stairs.
Lucas stumbles down the stairs after her, completely in awe at how she so stealthy (and quickly) moves around in the dark. She was a super klutz when the lights were on but apparently in complete total darkness she was a graceful gazelle.
He watches her grab the keys off the counter and head outside towards the car. At this point the rain is still coming down but it’s not as brutal as before. He catches her right as she’s opening the door and takes it upon his self to slam it shut.
“You’re being insane!” He yells, he was passed apologizing for something he had no control over.
“Yeah well you knew how I was when you asked me to be your girlfriend so.” She fires back.
“Riley in case it isn’t obvious to you, I don’t like Gia.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “I’ve wanted you since middle school, do you really think I’d give that up to be with someone I barely know anymore? Do you really think that little of me?”
“This isn’t about you!” She yells back, unaware of how loud they were actually being.
“Like hell it isn’t!”
Both of them failed to realize the others had returned from the party and were all getting out of someone’s car. Their friends all huddle underneath the porch, giving them enough space to hash things out but still able to hear them clearly.
“Why?” Riley asks, hearing her own voice quiver.
“Why what?!” He pushes, showing his frustration.
“Why me!” She pauses, letting it sink in. “Why do you want to be with me?”
“Because…” He answers softly.
“Because what?!” She persists.
“Because I’m in love with you!”
Somehow he was able to hear the sharp breath escape from her lips as he said those six words. The stunned look on her face told him to go on.
“Fuck I’m so in love with you, you can’t even imagine.”
He steps closer, closing the gap between them. “You’re stubborn and you always think you know what’s best, but you’re also the sweetest person I’ve ever met, and you’re kind and selfless and smart and funny and your crazy beautiful…I love you Riley Matthews and if you need to hear why I love you or why I want to be with you, I’ll spend the rest of my life doing just that.”
“Now who’s insane?” She whispers softly, smiling up at him. She wraps her arms around him and pulls him down into her embrace, kissing him ardently. “I’m in love with you too.” She smiles.
“That’s real sweet you two but maybe you should get your asses out of the rain before you catch a pneumonia!” Zay screams from over on the porch.
Hand in hand they run back over, joining the rest of the group. They all were smiling, but none of them seem surprised. They knew Riley and Lucas were in love long before they did.
As they start to pile back in to the cabin, Riley reaches out and grabs Lucas arm to stop him. “Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“Happy Anniversary.” She smiles at him.
He kisses her again, pressing his forehead against hers once they pull away. “Happy Anniversary, love.”
Although different than she expected, it was still the perfect night.
[ Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six ]
Prompt: After damaging $1000 worth of private property on a dare Lucas needs a quick way to make the money to pay the guy back. When Charlie Gardner suggests a bet Lucas takes him up on his offer. And what is the bet? Get into the pants of Riley Matthews, the schools very own goody two-shoes princess.
AN: So I wanted to establish a relationship between Riley & ‘Smarkle’ because I didn’t want her to be completely alone without Lucas. This is a filler chapter and is kind of intended to move things along. Hope you guys liked it. xo
Word Count: 3,471
Chapter: 7
♡ ♡ ♡
Riley’s lashes flutter as her eyes adjust to the bright florescent lights above her hospital bed. She wasn’t sure what time it was, or how long she had been asleep. Her mind was a bit groggy and for the life of her she couldn’t remember what day it was.
The sound of her mother’s voice catches her attention. She could just barely see who she was standing with. It wasn’t her father or anyone from her family. This person towered over her but sported the same dirty blonde shade of hair on their head. She listened intently as her mother spoke.
“The doctor explained to us that sometimes severe cases of pneumonia can cause confusion as well as other more expected symptoms. According to him, people like her who have weakened immune systems are more at risk for having bacterial pneumonia. Apparently, the infection quickly spreads through the bloodstream and invades the entire body.” Topanga sighs, reaching for the handle of the door.
In a haste Riley pulls the blankets up to her face, and shuts her eyes. For whatever reason she wasn’t ready to talk to her parents and she especially didn’t want to speak to whoever this mystery guest was that accompanied her mother.
“She’s still sleeping but you can go ahead and take the seat next to her.” She can hear the politeness in her mom’s voice.
“Thank you, Mrs. Matthews.” The stranger says. Except it’s no stranger at all. Despite the raspy, almost hoarse tone it had, she knew for a fact it was Lucas. “I’ll call you if she wakes up.”
Her mom reaches down and kisses her on the temple before exiting the room, leaving the two teens by themselves.
Riley could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she laid there praying he would leave. The last time she saw, let alone spoke to him was a week and a half ago. After their fight she didn’t want anything to do with him and there he was sitting across from her, trying to steady his breathing.
“I’m glad you’re getting better.” He says in a whisper. She could tell he was trying not to wake her. “Doc says they’re letting you go tomorrow morning so that’s a plus…”
She can hear him fiddling with something in his hand and it takes everything in her not to give in to her curiosity and open her eyes to see what it is.
“I don’t know if they told you but I’ve been visiting you every day during my lunch period while your dad is still at school. Your mom is surprisingly cool about it.” He chuckles to himself, reaching out to touch her hand.
“Riley…you need to know I never wanted any of this to happen.” He whispers again, this time leaning in closer to her face. “I never wanted to hurt you and I never wanted you to get sick – I know you probably hate me but --.”
“Lucas.” Her mom’s voice cuts him off, “it’s almost 1, you should start heading back.”
He nods his head and stands from his chair, giving her hand a quick squeeze before letting himself out.
Riley can’t help but think about the last time she saw him.
She and Lucas had successfully avoided his ex-girlfriend and her snooty friends at Charlie’s party. They spent most of the night dancing, although not sure you could call what they were doing dancing. His hands rested on her hips and her arms were draped over his shoulders, behind his neck. They swayed to the music but really they were just lost in their conversation.
At some point Lucas dips away to grab a drink and as Riley’s scanning the crowd she notices one of her friends, for lack of a better word, Izzy.
She spots the girl sitting alone in the corner and decides to walk over and see if she was doing okay. She and Isadora aren’t the closest of friends but they have almost every class together, and they occasionally talk and almost always sit together.
“Hey Izzy.” She smiles coyly, offering her an awkward wave because she wasn’t sure how to act in this particular situation. To her surprise, Isadora is more than pleased to see her. She hops up from her chair and embraces the slightly taller brunette girl, yanking her down onto the seat next to her.
“Oh my goodness, Riley!” Isadora shrieks, arms still wrapped around her classmate. “Finally, someone I know and actually like!”
Her sudden friendliness came to no surprise when Riley spots the red solo cup in her hand, filled with God knows what. She slowly takes the cup away from her bespectacled friend and places it on the table in front of them.
“I think maybe you had enough.” Riley laughs, helping the girl sit outright. “I’m shocked to see you here, Izzy. I thought you said high school parties were a social construct you had no interest partaking in?”
Isadora lifts her eyebrows and an almost bewildered expression crosses her face. “You listen to what I say?”
“Of course I do.” Riley smiles, matching her confused look. “You’re the smarted girl in our school why wouldn’t I listen to you?”
Isadora doesn’t answer, she bashfully lowers her gaze and smiles to herself. Before she could say anything else, a tall, lanky boy walks over, concern etched in his eyes.
“There you are, Smackle.” He sighs, reaching out for the raven-haired girl. He notices Riley and narrows his eyes at her. “Who are you?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Riley replies, yanking his hand away from her clearly intoxicated friend.
“I’m her boyfriend.” He answers with an almost condescending tone. “She’s drunk and I’m not feeling too well so I need to get us both home.”
Riley stares up at the shaggy haired boy, trying to decide if she trusted him or not. She recognized him from school. He was the other genius that walked the halls but she didn’t have any classes or anything with him so her judge of character was based solely on their encounter that night. He didn’t seem threatening.
He was very much sober and the pale clamminess of his skin confirmed his story about him being sick. Still, she was unsure of letting him take Isadora.
“If anything happens to her --.” She warns, helping Izzy to her feet. He rolls his eyes in an almost “ha-ha” way.
He pauses for a second, letting out a rather loud sneeze before taking his girlfriend by the waist.
“No offense but I don’t trust you.” Riley says offhandedly, steadying the drunk girl between them. “Me and Lucas were just about to leave anyway, why don’t we join you guys?”
He scoffs at her offer, but eventually relents allowing her some time to find Lucas so the four of them could leave.
That’s when she overheard the conversation between Charlie and Lucas. She inserts herself into the mix, confused about what they were talking about and when Charlie casually mentions her dating Lucas is a bet, she’s beside herself and angrily walks outside.
Hurtful words are exchanged and the truth is revealed. Charlie was right, it was a bet. Lucas had been lying to her, using her the whole time and she never felt more stupid in her entire life. She had to get away from him.
She leaves him standing there in the snow as she makes a run for the front of the house. The boy she had been arguing with over Izzy was standing there with her over by his car, watching the whole thing go down.
“You okay?” He calls out, shooting her a sympathetic look.
“I’m fine.” She nods her head, wrapping her arms around her body suddenly very aware of the cold. In all the commotion she forgot to grab her coat.
“Need a ride?” He asks, just as she’s passing him. She stops and turns around, watching him carefully place his girlfriend into the back seat.
Riley looks back and sees Lucas making his way to her. In an attempt to avoid any more confrontation and to make sure Izzy got home unscathed she agrees to the ride, climbing into the passenger seat.
They sit in silence for the majority of the car ride. As they pull up in front of Isadora’s house, the boy excuses himself and gets out of the car. Riley watches him guide the tipsy teen up the stairs and disappear behind the front door. He returns 5 minutes later and gets back into the car.
“I put her in bed.” He informs her. “Thankfully her dad is still at work.”
After giving him directions to her address, the car falls silent again. Apart from the sniffles and coughs coming from his end.
“I’m Farkle by the way.” He says, breaking the awkward silence.
“Riley.”
They pull up to her street and Riley tells him he can park a few houses down. After thanking him for the ride, she gets out and just as she’s about to close the door he stops her.
“Thank you.” He interjects, meeting her eyes. “Most people wouldn’t have cared enough to make sure she got home okay… I know Smackle isn’t the easiest person to get along with --.”
“I was just doing the right thing.” She chimes in.
“You’re a good friend.” He states, “So, thank you.”
She nods her head and smiles softly before closing his car door and making her way to her house. She waits for him to pull off before she lets herself in.
The lights are still off so she quietly heads upstairs to her room. She pulls on warm pajamas and gets under the covers.
The second her head hits the pillow she’s hit with an overwhelming feeling of sorrow, her mind reeling over the events of the night. She buries her face into her pillow and allows herself to cry, hoping the cushion would muffle the sounds of her sobbing.
She was heartbroken.
Riley waits to hear the sound of the door close before she opens her eyes. Even though he was no longer sitting in the seat across from her she could still feel his presence, his smell still lingered there making her feel that much closer to him.
--
It took a lot of convincing from Riley and Topanga for Cory to get on board with her going back to school. She was only in the hospital for 3 days but they still kept her home after she was cleared out of fear that something would happen.
Riley was starting to feel a little stir crazy. She could only stare at her walls for so long. She was ready to face her demons head on, no more feeling sorry for herself. She wanted them to know they didn’t break her.
It was her first morning back and she took a little extra time getting ready. Who knew having a severe case of pneumonia took the life out of you. She applied a little more makeup than she usually would, just to make herself look more awake, straightened her hair so it laid perfectly down her back and opted for a tan colored ribbed turtleneck sweater dress and paired it with black tights and black ankle boots.
As she’s deciding which jacket to take her skype goes off notifying her she had an incoming call from Maya. She glances over at the clock noting that it was 5 a.m. her time. Intrigued by why she could be calling at that hour, she picks up.
“Peaches.” She smiles at the screen at the sight of her best friend. “To what do I owe this surprising call?”
“I can’t sleep.” Maya groans, banging her forehead against her desk. “I knew you’d be awake and… wait, why are you dressed up?” She raises her eyebrows. “Where you going?”
“Back to school.” Riley answers like it was obvious. She steps back allowing Maya to get a good look at her outfit. “What do you think? Too much?”
“You look great Riles, but your outfit isn’t what I’m concerned about.” She pauses, “Are you sure you’re ready to see…everyone?”
“I’m sure.” Riley says so confidently she even has herself believing it. Truth be told, she knew it would take some time before she was completely comfortable being there again but she also knew she would regret not going back.
“Well good luck.” Maya smiles, “I’m proud of you.”
--
At school Riley feels completely out of her element. Although she’s caught up on her schoolwork thanks to the fact that her dad is a teacher she still feels out of step. She tries her best to ignore the snickering and whispers she hears as she walks by certain individuals, most of them warranting a well-deserved glare.
She decides to skip lunch, remembering she and Lucas would usually sit together. Instead, she makes her way to the library to eat her snacks and to her surprise Isadora and Farkle are in there as well.
The two of them visited Riley in the hospital last week. Farkle was hell-bent on apologizing for getting Riley sick and his girlfriend was returning the favor of being caring and thoughtful.
Isadora’s face lights up when she spots Riley trying to look for an available seat.
“Riley, over here!” The petite girl waves her down. “Sit with us.” She insists, moving some of their books out of the way.
She smiles a thank you and joins the two geniuses at their table, keeping her bag on the floor, not wanting to invade their study space.
The three of them sit quietly all immersed in whatever they were doing. Farkle was going over his AP physics book, Isadora was highlighting equations in her Trigonometry book and Riley was eating her fruit snacks, reading one of her favorite novels by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice.
Every now and then she’d glance up and just as she was looking up Izzy would be glancing up as well. They’d share a smile and then return to their books. She liked that they didn’t pry, or make her feel uncomfortable. And she had to admit, it was nice having company even if none of them were speaking.
The bell rings dismissing them to their next period and as Riley gets up, someone trips on her bag, grabbing her arm to steady themselves.
“I’m sorry.” She pants, swiftly pulling her things off the library floor. Her eyes are met with a familiar pair of dark brown ones. Lucas’ best friend Zay stood before her, unsure of what to do next.
“No biggie.” He chuckles softly, sliding on his backpack. “Didn’t know you were back at school.”
“First day back actually.” She politely smiles, fiddling with the hem of her dress. She looks behind the boy to make sure he was alone. The last thing she wanted was to have another confrontation surrounded by her classmates.
“He’s not here.” Zay informs her, noticing her wanderings eyes. “He sprained his ankle on the court yesterday.”
“Is he okay?” She asks, trying to hide the unsettled look that she knows is already etched on her face.
“It’s just a sprain, Riley.” Zay laughs, shaking his head at her concern. “He’ll be fine.”
Hearing that did nothing for her. Mainly because she knew for a fact the only time Lucas played basketball was when he was feeling miserable. Playing ball always helped him figure out whatever he needed to be figured out so him spraining his ankle while playing was weighing heavy on her heart.
After everything that happened, she still found herself worrying about him.
--
Riley was under strict instructions from her parents to come straight home after school. She was, under no circumstances, allowed to go out, visit anyone or really do anything until she was completely cleared of her pneumonia and until they thought they could trust her again.
Explaining to her parents how and why she got sick meant being honest and being honest meant admitting to sneaking out at night while they were asleep to go to parties. Needless to say her parents weren’t too thrilled.
She reluctantly walked to her last period and as she got closer she saw that the lights were off and the door was locked. One of her classmates were walking by her when they notice her standing there.
“He’s not here today. It’s free period for anyone who has him.” She tells Riley before walking away.
For a split second she considers going to the library or just driving home but she gets up enough nerve to walk out of school, get into her car and drive in the opposite directions towards Lucas’ house.
As she sits in her car outside his home, she has this internal battle about whether or not she should actually get out. The Sheriff’s car was parked in the driveway and she could see the light on inside the living room.
Before she knew it her legs were moving and she was heading straight for their front door. She knocks softly a few times, still hesitant about being there.
Mr. Friar answers the door, wearing his uniform. The confused expression on his face said he was surprised to see her there too. “Oh – Riley, what can I do for you?” He smiles despite his brows being furrowed together.
“May I speak to Lucas please?”
Mr. Friar hesitates, pondering her request. A part of her feared he knew everything that happened. She was scared he’d ask her questions, or worse; offer up an apology which was the last thing she wanted to hear.
He nods his head and steps aside. “Sure thing. He’s down stairs in his room just tell him I was called in to the station.”
Riley locks the door behind him and makes her way down the familiar hall and to the basement door.
When his older brother went off to college in Sacramento, Lucas got his pick of rooms. He could stay upstairs with his parents or move into the basement which was remodeled into a studio, except a little smaller. He had his own bathroom and mini fridge, a bar from when his brother lived down there and all of his old instruments and work out gear.
The walls were a dark navy blue color and plastered all over was posters of bands she never heard of and movies she only watched because he asked her to. There was baseball décor in one corner and in the other was his punching bag and other boxing equipment.
It was just like she remembered it.
Music was playing softly in the background as she made her way down the stairs. She recognized it from one of the playlists he made her a few months back. It was a slow song that had really melancholy undertones to it but it was calming to listen to.
As she gets further down the stairs she sees him sprawled out on his bed shirtless, pillow covering his face, and his ankle propped up on a bunch of cushions. She takes in the view for a moment before tapping on the wall.
“Not in the mood, dad.” He mumbles.
“Actually, he just left.” She says knowing it’ll snap him out of it.
Sure enough he springs upward, sitting at full attention now, flabbergasted that she was standing there in his room again.
“Riley I – I didn’t – I wasn’t – expecting you…” He stammers, running his fingers through his messy outgrown hair.
“I know.” She breathes, “I wasn’t expecting me either.”
“Do you wanna sit?” He attempts to scoot but the position his leg is in makes it difficult.
“I won’t be staying long…” She looks around for a bit and then annoyed with her own stalling she sighs. “Look, I’m still angry at you. I haven’t forgiven you yet either…but I wanted you to know me being in the hospital wasn’t your fault.”
He tries to interrupt but she raises her hand to signal she wasn’t done speaking. “Contrary to popular belief you don’t get sick from being outside…The guy who gave me a ride home had a cold and at the time I didn’t think much of it because I was so caught up in our dispute that I wasn’t worried about catching whatever he had. I woke up the next morning with what I thought was a regular common cold but as the week went on it got progressively worse until I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
She sighs again, this time heading towards the stairs. “I might still hate you but I don’t want you to blame yourself for something that wasn’t your fault. Besides, you have plenty to feel bad about…me being hospitalized isn’t one of them.”
“Riley –“
“Take care of yourself, Lucas.” She cuts him off. “Hope you feel better.”
He watches her leave and lets out a deep breath as he hears the front door close.
Synopsis: Riley Matthews is an A student, she loves to write stories and take pictures, but doesn't have friends, and those who call her their friend only use her to copy her notes and homework. She's shy and doesn't voice her opinions very easily her only getaway comes from her hobbies. One day while she was on the bus from her dorm to school she happens to meet Lucas Friar. In that one moment her whole life changed. Now she's experiencing life unlike she ever has before.
*This is the Second Rucas FanFic that I’m working on, new chapters will be posted every Friday. I’m going to post the first today, the second will go up This Friday.
I hope you enjoy the story!!
The bus from the dorm was packed with people on their way to school or work. The dorms were several bus stops away from the school normally she would take the shuttle bus but that morning she had missed the bus. She had run towards the bus but the driver hadn’t seen her and kept going, she felt invincible each time it had happened but instead of moping around she walked towards the city bus stop and waited there. She had decided on going to an all-girls high school because she wanted to focus on her studies but she also felt awkward around other people. She felt that going to a school with just girls would take some of the pressure off but she still felt weird around other people.
As the bus moved down the road Riley grabbed onto a handle and pulled out her favorite book, it was a mixture of a travel narrative and beautiful photographs. The book was by one of her favorite authors, he made traveling the world seem like an adventure written in beautiful words, it also encompassed her favorite hobbies writing and photography. Both were things that she didn’t need friends to accomplish because the stories she wrote were made of friends she created and not those treated her as though she were expendable. When she took pictures she was able to capture the small things in life that made her own life beautiful.
The bus jerked and Riley’s glasses began to slip down her face, “Hey check out four eyes,” someone said from behind.
Riley hated taking the city bus because some of the students from the nearby all-boys school took it as well and they would often make fun of Riley because of how she looked. Or they would make loud comments that would just make her uncomfortable. As the bus moved along their comments about her started to annoy her.
“Dude, she goes to that all-girls school right, why is her skirt so long?” the same voice said.
“Zay stop making comments about someone you don’t know,” someone said.
“I’m not the one eyeing the girl, geez your taste in girls has gone down man. She’s definitely not your type.”
Riley tried her best not to get angry by the comments or turn around and throw her book at them. Instead she turned up the volume on her headphones and continued reading her book. She was listening to her before school playlist which was filled with a mixture of music mostly rock because she was preparing herself for the long eight hours at school listening to everyone’s trivial lives. As the bus reached her stop it jerked her away from the handle and she landed in the strong arms of a boy. When she looked up she saw his forest green eyes looking down at her, his arms were wrapped around her body holding her in place.
“I got you,” he said to her but she jumped out of his arms dropping her book. Instead of talking she pushed her way towards the back doors. “Hey you dropped your book,” he said as he lifted it off the ground catching her skirt in the process and pulling it up revealing her cuddle bunnies’ underwear.
She felt her cheeks redden as she screamed and ran out of the bus. ‘Why does this always happen to me?’ she thought to herself as she ran down the block towards the school. Some of the local students were making their way towards the building smiling happily but Riley just wanted to drown herself in the school fountain. When she got to her classroom the embarrassment began to die down. She would never see these boys again why should it bother her.
“Oh hey Riley,” Missy said as Riley sat down at her desk. “I need to copy your homework, and your notes because I didn’t finish it yesterday.”
‘You’re such a liar Missy you never do any of your homework you just copy everything from me and the fact that the teach hasn’t noticed drives me nuts,’ Riley thought to herself but instead of telling her that Riley just smiled and nodded at Missy.
“Hey Riley, I heard you missed the bus this morning and ended up on the bus with a bunch of guys from that nearby all-boys school,” Darby said from her desk. “I heard that they were giving you a hard time.”
Riley wanted to scream because she had hoped that no one would have seen what had happened.
“I heard about a girl screaming on the bus because someone pulled up her skirt,” Sarah said bring up the most embarrassing part of her day and it wasn’t nine yet.”
“I heard that the boys from that school are hot, maybe we can set up a get together so we can get to know them better,” Missy said looking at Riley. “Do you think you can set that up?”
“No thank you, I have a lot of studying to do,” Riley tried to say but Missy was already moving around the room asking which girls would be interested. She stopped in from of Maya Hart’s desk and smiled.
“Hey Maya you want to come with us?” Missy said looking down at Maya who was busy drawing something on a sketch book. “Hello Maya you heard me?” Missy tugged on Maya’s hair but the girl didn’t seem phased by it.
“I don’t want to I already have a life and a boyfriend,” Maya said as she got up and walked away from her desk. When Maya was gone Missy huffed and walked towards her own desk.
“Why is she like that, god she is so stuck up.”
“I heard that she’s trying to get into some big name art program,” Sarah said.
Riley tuned them out as they talked about Maya and the boys from the nearby school. She heard Missy reminding her that she wanted the notes as she walked out of the room.
“Stupid Missy, why can’t she just leave me alone,” Riley said as she walked around the corner. “Why is she like this anyway we were never freaking friends. This is why I don’t like talking to people.”
“If you feel that way why don’t you tell her,” Maya said startling Riley.
“I didn’t see you there,” Riley said.
“Don’t worry I won’t tell, but Riley you have to learn to stand up for yourself. Don’t let her push you around.”
Riley stayed quiet as Maya walked back to their classroom, Riley walked back a minute later hoping that the excitement died down. As her classes went by everyone changed to new subjects and slowly stopped talking about the embarrassment that she had faced earlier that day. By the end of the day she was just happy that school was over and that she would get the chance to finish her favorite book. When she looked in her bag to pull it out for the walk home she realized that the book was missing. That was when she realized that she had dropped it on the bus after that guy had grabbed onto her. All of her favorite parts were highlighted and tabbed so that she could go back and read them whenever she could. It felt as though a part of her was missing.
As she reached the school gates a bunch of girls were squealing and talking about some hot guys they had seen at the front. Some of the girls thought that a couple of girls were being picked up by their boyfriends. Riley didn’t care about that, she wanted her book and it was missing. She didn’t even notice the guys everyone was talking about until one of them spoke.
“I went through all the trouble of coming here and you’re ignoring me?” he said. Riley recognized the voice. “You dropped your book earlier,” he said.
She looked up at him shocked, “Um…” was all she could say before Missy jumped in.
“Don’t mind her, she’s usually really quiet, Hi I’m Missy, I’m Riley’s hot friend and what is your name?”
“Lucas… Lucas Friar,” he said his voice made Riley feel like something warm was rising through her body.
“Well Lucas would you like to hang out with us today?” Missy said pulling him away from Riley.
“Sure, as long as I get the chance to talk to Riley,” he said. Missy looked at her pissed because one of the hottest guys in the group had wanted to talk to Riley.
“Sure she’ll be there,” Missy said before breaking away and grabbing Riley, “You’re going he’s cute and I want him so you’re going.”
Riley didn’t know what to do, she wanted her book back but if she didn’t go she knew that Missy would make her life a living hell. “Sure,” she said in a quiet voice.
“Great let’s go,” Missy said grabbing Lucas by the arm and pulling him away. His friends trailed behind and Riley was the last one to move forward. The group ended up at a nearby karaoke place that had isolated rooms for groups. Missy’s uncle ran the place so she had them bring by alcohol to the teenagers even though they were all dressed in their school clothes.
“So do you guys want to introduce yourselves?” Missy said to the guys.
One of the guys got up and danced their way towards Missy “Hi, my name is Zay, I’m single and you’re hot,” he said. Riley recognized the voice automatically as the one that had made the comments about her while she was on the bus.
“Anyway, next,” Missy said.
One of the guys looked up from his computer and said, “I’m Farkle, and I was dragged here today even though I need to finish my project.”
“Right,” Missy said once they were all introduced to each other. “Give me a sec,” she said before leaving the room.
“Listen man,” Zay said to Lucas. “I want to be with Missy so can you step back and let me have her. I know every girl will throw themselves at you but let me have this one please, she’s hot and totally my type.”
“That’s okay with me, I don’t really care,” Lucas said looking at Riley.
Missy walked back into the room with a bottle of something brown and didn’t look like soda, Riley was worried about what Missy was up to.
“Let’s make this interesting,” she said dropping some hard alcohol into the beer they were given when they arrived. Missy sat down next to Riley and whispered in her ear, “Listen I want Lucas so make me look good, and leave him alone.”
Riley nodded because all she wanted to do was go home and read her book. Instead she picked up her drink and started chugging it not realizing that she hadn’t picked up her orange juice because she had just wanted to do something that wasn’t listening to Missy.
“Hey look at the dork, she’s really drinking that fast,” Zay said when Riley looked up she realized that it wasn’t her normal drink.
“Oh my god, her face is all flushed,” Missy said. The two of them started making fun of Riley together, laughing about how she looked. Instead of sitting there and listening Riley got up and walked out of the room. She ran to the nearby bathroom and splashed water on her face. The alcohol was already making everything fuzzy.
“Are you okay?” Lucas said as he walked into the girls’ bathroom.
“Yeah I’m fine,” Riley said as the room began to spin.
“Come on I’m taking you home,” he said. Riley hadn’t realized that he had their bags in his hand because the room all of a sudden dropped out from her.
💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕
Riley woke up the next day confused over where she was, it didn’t look like her bedroom the walls were white instead of purple, there weren’t any pictures on the walls. The room felt empty.
“You’re finally awake,” she heard Lucas say. Riley’s first reaction was to try and scream but instead his lips were on hers stopping anything from coming out. Riley felt that warm feeling spread throughout her body again and butterflies began to form in her stomach.
“You’re really beautiful without your glasses,” he said when he pulled away.
Riley felt her face redden and pulled herself as far away from him as she possibly could, she saw her backpack on the floor and immediately went to grab it and runaway instead she stopped when she realized that she wasn’t wearing her own clothes instead she was in shorts and a t-shirt.
“I had to wash your clothes last night, I didn’t see anything so don’t worry about that, it was better than leaving you in them since you… um threw up on them.”
“Oh god,” she said wanting to crawl under the sheets. Her lips could still feel his but she wanted to forget everything, it was her first kiss and it shouldn’t have happened that way. Nothing was going right for her.
“Come on, you can shower and change so I can take you to school.”
“Crap,” she said scrambling away from the bed and into the bathroom. When she closed the door she thought about Lucas and her stolen first kiss.
