a/n: okay, so i understand it's been a couple of months and a few of you are quite anxious for me to update !!! aaahhh i'm so sorry ─ i've just been caught up with other things and i was beginning to really lose inspiration in writing this book.
but need not worry, the inspiration is back and hopefully it stays !! however, my updates may be quite slow. i'm not too sure yet. thanks for sticking with me, enjoy this crappy chapter.
. . .
lucas friar
The bright, flashing lights blinded me as I made my way around the crowded dance floor. The hall that was provided for the semi formal clearly was not big enough to fit the school, I thought in annoyance, but none of that mattered once I saw Maya, adorned in a rose-colored dress with her hair tied back into a neat, slick ponytail. The redness against her pale skin made her look almost translucent, emphasising the sky blue of her eyes.
She glanced up, suddenly taking small cautious strides towards me in order to avoid tripping in her red high heeled shoes. I nervously fidgeted with my fingers as she approached me, her warm hands grasping mine and suddenly I had forgotten how to breathe.
I looked at her, her entire face lit up from our immediate embrace. And then she leaned closer to me, inching upwards on her toes as I could practically taste the sweet redness of her lips, until there was almost no distance between us and─
"Lucas!"
I was never quite the optimistic dreamer, but if this was reality, I wanted no part in it.
Every single fragment of my dream suddenly dissipated, now reducing to nothing but a distant memory. One that was rather bitter sweet.
"You were thinking about Maya, weren't you," I heard Farkle chime in, a playful tone hinted in his voice.
It took me a full moment to regain complete consciousness as I looked around the room, adjusting my eyes to the bright lighting and loud voices surrounding me. The environment was completely different to the dark ballroom I was just in. No loud music, no dancing people, no flashing disco lights, and certainly no Maya Hart. I slowly turned my head to the right, greeted by a smirking Farkle.
"Yes, I was. But you ruined it," I muttered as I slapped him on the back of his head. He punched me on the shoulder in retaliation, and to be completely honest, it hurt. A lot. I could already feel the imprinted bruise burning on my arm. If I continued what I had with Riley, I could only imagine what else he could do to me.
"Friar! Minkus! Behave," our math teacher yelled at us from behind.
"Sorry," we both apologised, lowering our heads. I risked a simple glance at Farkle to find him already staring back at me, wearing a smug look on his face as he greasily smirked. God, he was so cocky sometimes.
"Shut up," I defensively whispered to him, prompting a small laugh to escape from both our lips.
Farkle shakes his head amusingly and looks back at the paper in front of him, squinting his eyes concernedly as he scribbled down a bunch of mathematical equations. I rested my head on the wooden table, closing my eyes hoping to return to my previous dream where Maya and I had almost kissed.
"A few of us are going to go to Topanga's after school, you coming?"
My eyes immediately shot open as I annoyingly glanced up at Farkle. I couldn't catch a break here. I sighed, sitting upright before exhaling loudly, "I've already made plans with Riley."
Farkle's eyes immediately light up at my response. I laugh at his sudden weakness to the sound of her name. Even a fool could easily tell that Farkle was hopelessly in love with her. Now it appeared that I was the one smugly grinning at him.
"Wh-what are you two going to be doing?"
"Don't worry, Farkle. She's just helping me with homework. And that way, I can also ask her about Maya."
His bright face immediately drops as he rolls his eyes at me, obviously not too amused by my plan. I must admit, it was definitely a long shot in trying to get to know Maya, but I had to do something. There was only a small window of opportunity for me to get with Maya that was apparently closing very fast, considering that every single guy in the school also wanted to be with her. Therefore, Riley was most definitely the safest option. Farkle had even suggested I get to know Riley himself. Having an inside friend would not only guarantee my place with Maya, but also potentially help me gain a new friendship with Riley. There wasn't anything wrong with what I was doing. Who could blame a boy in love?
"Maybe you should invite her to Topanga's? It could be a group study session," Farkle suggested, eagerly widening his eyes at me.
I shrugged my shoulders, scrunching up my face in discontentment as I thought about Farkle's proposition. It was tempting, but I wouldn't be able to ask Riley questions about Maya if other people were there. Obviously catching on to my train of thought, he quickly added, "You can invite Maya."
Well that completely sold me. The corners of my mouth slightly twitched upwards. "Okay."
. . .
I saw her out of the corner of my eye. Her thick, long blonde hair perfectly bounced on the spot as she took small steps towards us. She had a tight fitted dress on, complimenting her thin waist and perfect fair skin and light blue eyes. Everything about her was so perfect. God, I couldn't stop staring. I was irrevocably hooked and she hadn't even done anything.
And then Riley appears from behind her. The same old Riley Matthews. Too damn klutzy for her own good. Nothing overly special about her nor interesting for me to continue staring any longer than I had to. Her eyes were of a usual brown colour, and the same shade in her long brown hair only made her more basic than ever. She was just too simple and plain. Which got me questioning how Farkle could ever be in love with someone as basic as Riley Matthews.
I turned to Farkle, raising an eyebrow as he continued to stare at Riley and Maya at the door. I subtly nudged his elbow, breaking him out of the apparent trance that he was currently in. "What do you see in her?" I breathed out slowly.
He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes tight as his brows instinctively furrowed together. "What do I see in who? Riley?"
I quietly laughed, lightly nodding at him.
He paused for a brief moment, thoughtfully chewing on his bottom lip as he blankly stared at me. If it took him that long to think of a reason why he liked Riley, well, he mustn't like her very much after all. He cleared his throat, lightly leaning his arm on the back of the couch. "Well ... What do you see in her?"
I knitted my brows tightly together, a nervous laughter escaping from my lips. "I'm not too sure what you mean," I replied, glancing back at Riley for a brief moment. "I mean ... she looks pretty average to me. Brown hair, brown eyes, light tanned skin, goofy smile. That's about almost every girl in New York."
He sighs, slightly shaking his head at me in disapproval. "And here's what separates you from me. You see brown eyes, I see milky dark orbs of chocolate molten that I could almost immediately get drowned in. You see brown hair, I see lustrous strands of chocolate caramel waves cascading down her back. And you might just see light skin, but I see a peachy creamed, sun-kissed complexion that could only be achieved by the natural rays of the sun. But then again, it's not even about the looks, Lucas. It's about her personality and her soul. And that will always be much more beautiful than any shallow appearance could prove to be."
I paused for a moment, lightly picking at the frayed sleeve of my jumper as I harshly knitted my brows together. It was all rather confusing, really. I mean what was Farkle talking about? How could he know about Riley's apparent beautiful personality if they barely even knew each other?
He sighs again, rubbing his temples with his finger. "Look Lucas - and I'm only saying this because you're my best friend ... you're just as shallow as the rest of them! All you care about is how Maya looks, and what she wears and how she did her hair on a particular day. I bet that there's not one thing you actually like about her," he dryly mutters.
How could he be saying all these things? I try to think up of some excuse, instead only able to stutter, "Well, I-I ..." until I slowly trail off. Perhaps it was true. Perhaps I was all too caught up in my first grade infatuation with her that I had completely forgotten to actually get to know her. Change wasn't something I was willing to let happen that easily, and perhaps I continued to love her because it was the easier option. Perhaps I never really loved her at all ...
No. This couldn't possibly be true. I did not spend the past couple dozen years of my life loving some girl to now put it all to waste. I was determined to get to know Maya, and if using Riley was the only way to do it, then so be it. I wasn't going to let some genius try to question my love for Maya. Of course I loved her, that's why I'm doing this in the first place. Isn't it?
. . .
"Riley tells me that the cheerleading team this year is going pretty well, thanks to you," I hummed, gleefully grinning at Maya.
She looked up from her phone, humorlessly smiling at me, almost in sarcasm. "Yeah, thanks. I thought we were here to do homework? And I thought more people were coming? Why is it just the four of us?" she asked, and I could've sworn I detected a hint of disgust in her tone. Clearly she didn't want to be here. My heart sunk a little deeper.
Farkle looked up from his textbook. "Well I'm doing homework, but it's the three of you who aren't!" he complained. "And everyone sort of ... dropped out last minute. I guess it had something to do with a certain someone coming along," he bitterly muttered to no one in particular.
She rolled her eyes, picking at her fingernails as she annoyedly exasperated, "If I'm not going to be doing any homework, I really don't want to waste my time talking to Huckleberry and his friends. I'm leaving. Riley?" She glanced up at Riley, arching her eyebrows, urging for a response.
"I think I might stay," she quietly mused, waving Maya one last goodbye before she shrugged and walked out the door. Great, the girl who I don't want any association with stays whilst the one I've been swooning over for years goes. Why did life have to be this way?
"Is Maya typically like this?" I questioned, turning to Riley in confusion.
"No! Not at all. Though come to think of it, she has been acting up since the whole Charlie incident. She's normally social and gets along with anyone that she knows ... But I guess she just doesn't really know you at all," Riley uttered.
"Could it also have to do with the fact that you two only ever hang out with people who are ... similar to you? Like other jocks and cheerleaders?" I rhetorically asked, though she seemed as if she had no idea what the hell I was talking about. She was the epitome of clueless. I sighed, deciding to let it go. "What should I do to get to know her, then?"
Riley folded her arms, tilting her head as her eyebrows naturally furrowed together. "Why are you so eager to get to know Maya?"
"Well any friend of yours should be a friend of mine," I said as I grinned, knowing exactly that I was lying straight through my teeth.
But I had come to accept that it was the only way. Little white lies could harm nobody, right? Besides, a girl this easy to fool could never realise that I had been leading her on. After all, the idiocy ran in the family. Her father was an absolute nut job, and don't even get me started on her abnormally psychotic uncle, Eric. The apple certainly doesn't fall far from the tree.
She was clueless, unknowingly giving me information like no other. It wouldn't take a matter of time before Maya would be right in my clutches, and I could finally drop Riley Matthews out of my life.