IMPORTANT A/N PLEASE READ: This is a story about Riarkle, Lucaya, and Zayadora, it is a college AU. I am always open to suggestions about what you want to see in the story. This first chapter is just setting everything up. Next chapter more things will start happening. Seeing as this story is about more than one couple I'm thinking of switching off couples every other chapter. So, even chapters would be Lucaya centric and odd chapters would be Riarkle centric or something like that. That way if you aren't a huge fan of one of the couples you don't have to read every chapter and won't miss any big plot points. Zayadora will be mostly background/catalyst characters and will have a lot of fluff. That said, there WILL be some Lucaya in Riarkle chapters and some Riarkle in Lucaya chapters, it just won't be the main focus. If I decide to write the story that way I'll be updating twice a week, maybe three if I get bored. Let me know if you like that idea in the comment section.
"I need you to teach me how to flirt." Riley plopped down onto Maya's tiny bed in her all too small dorm room which Riley hadn't usually minded. The single rooms were one of the main reasons Riley and Maya picked Alumni Hall for housing. NYU had a lot of students so it was nice to have a space that was all their own, even if it was small.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna do that." Maya didn't even glance up from her laptop before responding, she just kept typing away at whatever boring art history paper she had due this week.
"Why not?" Riley folded her arms across her chest and made a pouty face, Maya always cracked when Riley started acting goofy. "Maya?" When Maya still didn't answer her, Riley slammed Maya's laptop shut in an attempt to get her attention. "Why won't you teach me how to flirt?"
Maya rolled her eyes at Riley "Because I know where this is going, Riley. You want me to teach you how to flirt so you can hook up with some random guy to try and get over Charlie but it's not gonna work and then you'll say it was my fault because I'm the one who taught you how to flirt in the first place." When Riley's jaw practically hit the floor Maya knew her analysis of the situation was right. "Besides, you're not a casual hookup kind of girl. You'll get attached and want a relationship."
"Am I really that predictable?" Maya slowly nodded her head and watched Riley as her face went from curiosity to sadness. "See? This is why I need to do this. We're juniors in college and I have no stories to tell!"
"I just don't want you to get hurt again, Riles." Riley had been the only consistent person in Maya's life. Things got better when Maya's mom married Shawn, but he still traveled a lot and Maya's mom worked long shifts to help support the three of them. Looking at Riley now she could see how things really hadn't changed that much, it was Riley and Maya forever, from the day Maya crawled through Riley's bedroom window to now, and for the rest of their lives.
Riley took Maya's hand and looked her in the eyes "My whole life you've been protecting me, Maya. But I'm not 7 years old anymore, if I'm going to grow I need to be able to make mistakes, and you need to let me."
Maya let out a sigh and laughed as she said "Okay." Maya didn't think she'd ever seen Riley smile so wide before, and that was saying a lot. "But on one condition, I get to pick the guy." Riley nodded and pulled Maya into a big bear hug and that was when Smackle, their other roommate walked in.
"Hugging is most typically used as a method of celebration. To what are we celebrating?" Yeah, she's a bit weird. Like, IQ higher then Einstein's weird.
"Riley's decided she wants to hook up with some random guy in order to get over he who shall not be named."
"Ah, I see. My research suggests that randomized sexual intercourse is a quintessential part of any college experience. May I join you in this endeavor?"
Maya shook her head in disbelief while Riley just smiled. "Sure you can Smackle, we're leaving at 8." When Riley and Smackle both left Maya's room to get ready for their big night of adventure Maya plopped down on her bed and started laughing to herself- how had this become her life?
4 hours later and Maya, Smackle, and Riley were making their way to Reservoir Bar, sure McSorley's was closer but they recently got a new bouncer who did not buy that Maya 27 year old woman named Annika Stinson. Besides, Reservoir had $4 tacos and in Maya's world tacos trumped just about everything else.
Reservoir wasn't particularly big so they were lucky when they were able to get Maya's favorite table. The bar is essentially one long room so Maya preferred the table at the back, farthest from the door, that way she could watch everything that was going on.
"Okay, we're here. What do we do now?" Maya could practically feel Riley's anxiety, she never was very good at talking to boys.
"Now we wait, and when you see a guy you think is cute you go over and you talk to him." Maya's eyes were panning the room but stopped cold when she noticed two boys who looked to be about their age arguing about something near the front of the bar.
"How did Smackle figure this out before I did?" Riley whined, pulling Maya's gaze away from the boys. Maya looked to the edge of the bar where Smackle seemed to be in deep conversation
Riley gasped and slapped Maya on the arm. "Ow."
"Him! I want him! I want to talk to him!" Riley was bouncing up and down with excitement and when Maya followed her gaze she noticed it was directed at the the two boys from earlier- more specifically the tan one with dreamy eyes, he was gorgeous and totally wrong for the job.
"No." Riley was about to protest but Maya cut her off before she could. "He is clearly more experienced with the whole no strings attached one time hookup sort of deal."
"Oh, come on, how could you possibly know that just from looking at him? Isn't that a little harsh, Maya? Remember all of my father's lessons about how appearances are deceiving?" Riley was clearly trying to change Maya's mind about this- too bad it wasn't working.
"No." Maya pointed her finger towards the other boy- the skinnier of the two, not necessarily less attractive, just less of a break-your-heart-and enjoy-it-type. "Him, however…" Maya raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner causing Riley to chuckle.
"I took the liberty of doing some research on those boys that you were ogling." Maya jumped at the sound of her roommates voice, Smackle had a bad habit of sneaking up on people.
"We weren't ogling." Riley attempted to brush off the accusation, she turned and whispered to Maya. "What is ogling?"
Maya shook her head and turned her attention back to Smackle "Alright Smacklestein, what did you learn?"
"Farkle Minkus and Lucas Friar are the roommates of Isaiah Babineaux, all three boys are juniors at NYU with varying majors. Farkle Minkus was born and raised in New York City while Lucas Friar and Isaiah Babineaux were raised in Texas and relocated here to attend college."
Maya hadn't realized she was smiling until Smackle looked at her in confusion. "What?"
"Smackle, do you realize what you just did?" Maya asked without any intention of letting Smackle respond "You just played wing woman for Riles and I. I'm so proud."
"Yeah, yeah, are we going to engage in social conversation or not?" Maya and Riley laughed at Smackle, truly proud of how far she'd come. When they first met her she had no idea how to behave in a social situation and when Riley and Maya suggested she do some research she came home the next day from the mall looking like Vogue had thrown up.
"Yes, yes we are." Maya slammed her hand against the table for dramatic effect, and turned to face Riley. "Alright, kid. Are you ready to change your life?"
Riley nodded assuredly "I can do this." And with that Riley stomped off, determined to flirt with Farkle Minkus.