The Five Levels Of A Drunk Riley
Riley looked out the window door of the plane sipping her Bellini. The name always made her laugh. When she first tried it in Venice the bartender looked at her weirdly and thought she was already drunk since she would laugh everytime she said Bellini.
She downs it when she sees the familiar lights of New York City skyline below. She wished she had ordered one before they got closer to the city but she hadn't checked her email until the last minute.
She shakes her head knowing her dad deliberately left out the fact he invited the whole gang to his ascent to principal from vice principal. His reasoning was they were the last senior class he taught before deciding to move up.
She was okay seeing everyone else the one face she didn't want to see belong to none other than Lucas Friar. The boy who drove her crazy with the way her heart always beat faster when he smiled at or was near her.
She fiddled with her Pluto necklace and could still remember the last time she saw him. She shook her head mumbling under her breath he wasn't going to ruin her weekend. "Nope!" She said aloud tapping her fingers on her arm rest. She was glad she was in first class and nobody was seated around her.
The plane lands and she grabs her bags putting on her sunglasses. Since being in Seattle for the last three months she forgot how bright the sun could be. She smiles and practically runs people around her down when she sees Maya holding a sign welcoming her.
"Peaches!" Riley yells dropping her bags as Maya tosses her sign and they hug each other giggling as they fall. "Riles I've missed you so much. New York is not the same without you in it." Maya tells her as they rock back and forth in a hug on the floor. Riley wipes her eyes doing the same for Maya laughing and sitting up.
"I know peaches but I'm here now." Maya nods and someone clears their throats standing above them. "Do you two know how dirty an airport floor is? Get up!" Riley smiles as Maya sticks her tongue out at him biting his leg. "Boing hush I haven't seen this girl in.." she looks at her phone that had a calendar of the day. "Two months fourteen hours and six seconds."
Josh shakes his head helping them both up as he hugs Riley. "Welcome home niece." Riley shakes her head smiling as Josh and Maya intertwine their hands. They walk out to the car and Riley looks at them. "What?" They say together making her laugh. "How long has this been..." she gestures at their hands. "Going on?"
They share a look and Josh looks at his phone and says. "Seven weeks twelve hours and two seconds." Riley hugs them both as they put her bags in the car heading to her parents place.
Riley lays down on her bed and makes bed angels giggling. "I take it your happy to be in a comfortable bed for once?" She lifts her head and sees her mom standing in her doorway. She gets up hugging her. "Hi mommy I've missed you." Topanga sniffs giving her a squeeze. "I've missed you too honey."
They stay like that until they feel someone else wrap their arms around them. They look and see Auggie smiling at them. "Hey world traveler." Riley laughs pinching his cheek and hugging them.
After hugging for what felt like an hour but didn't bother Riley they took a trip to the bakery. "So where's dad? I thought he be waiting for me as soon as my plane landed." Riley laughed as Auggie set her smoothie in front of her.
Her mom and Auggie laugh and agree he would do something like that. "He would have but he's preparing for his journey to the top of the high school pyramid." Auggie groan knowing his senior year was going to be a crazy one. Riley and her mom laughed at him as Auggie begged his mom to enroll him in a different school.
Riley catches them up on where she was and her mom tells her about what was happening at home. Riley just like her uncle Shawn took to the road and taking pictures. But she was a photo journalist going where the art was still undiscovered and bring it life with her photos.
"Where is she where is cotton candy face?!" Zay shouts throwing the door of the bakery open as he walks in with Smackle and Farkle behind him shaking their heads. Riley laughs as she gets up and Zay comes over picking her up and swinging her around. "Wow Zay Juilliard made you strong."
She touches his arm squeezing it. "Impressive." Zay playfully glares at her doing an arabesque. "I've always been strong sugar." He hugs her making her laugh. She looks over at the genius couple and smiles walking towards them. "Mr and Mrs. Minkus." They laugh and all hug each other as Zay comes over trying to lift them all up.
"So how have you guys been? Tell me everything." Riley tells them as Auggie and her mom head home to start dinner. "Well as you know I am going to school for my PhD." Smackle tells her as Farkle smiles at her. "Izzy that's wonderful. I didn't know you wanted to become a professor?"
Smackle smiles nodding her head as she sips her smoothie. "That's correct and I have your father to thank for it." "Really?" Riley asked filling the tears prick her eyes. She never thought Smackle would be the one that said her dad inspired her to become a teacher since she spent a majority of their high years debating with him.
"Have you told him? I know he would love to hear that." Riley tells her as she wipes her eyes. Smackle shakes her head telling her she plan to keep it a secret until his party the next night. "Well what about you farkley? Still planning to take over the world?" Farkle chuckles nodding his head as Zay and Riley laugh.
"Yes I do. It's been my dream forever and I'm not about to give it up especially since I've started working for my father. Total world domination is close." Farkle starts rubbing his hands together and doing an evil laugh that freaked out Zay and Riley when smackle join in on it. "Hey where is my honey nugget? I thought she be glued to your hip?" Zay asked jokingly even though they all knew it was true.
Riley leans back and smiles shaking her head. "Sorry apparently peaches has found another Matthews to be glued to in my absence." They all look at her with wide eyes and pull out their phones. "So who was closest?" Smackle asks as they look at their calendars of when they predicted Maya and Josh would end the long game.
"Me!" Farkle says smiling holding up his hand. They all laugh pulling out one dollar bills handing them to him. "Where's Lucas? He's the last point on this star." Smackle asked as Zay hits Riley's foot with his own grinning at her. She glares at him pinching his arm making him wince as smackle and farkle look at him.
"I don't know his plane should have landed already." Zay tells them rubbing his arm. "I'm sure he'll be here. He wouldn't miss seeing the gang again." Riley didn't have to look at Zay to know he was directing that comment at her. He unfortunately knew what happen prom night something Maya didn't even know.
She didn't want anyone to know but Zay was her date and could tell something happened since he walked in on their kiss. "Well I hope he isn't bringing that girlfriend of his. She was quite a nuisance." Smackle says with disgust in her voice. They all look at her weirdly and she said what. "Isadora I think that's the first time we've ever heard you talk bad about someone."
She smiles as her cheeks heat up and Zay assures then Lucas was totally single. Riley gets up after that heading home to have dinner with her family. As soon as she walks in she is picked up by her dad who proceeds to squeeze the life out of her. "Dad I can't...breath." she gasps as he let's her go.
"Sorry I just missed you so much sweetheart." She smiles pulling him back to her for another hug. "I missed you too Daddy." He chuckles and they sit down to dinner. "You know I have a way for you to make it up to me?" He tells her grinning at her. "You don't have to asks I'll take the photos for your party tomorrow."
Lucas walked the halls of his old high school smiling at all the memories he had made there. He looks down at the hole remembering the first day of freshman year when the seniors made them go in there. He shakes his head walking towards the glass case of the trophies they won.
He heads for the library next waving at the librarian who was the same one from when he went there. He sees the shelf with all the old yearbooks and plucks his year from there. He sits at a table flipping through the pages until he stops at the prom photos.
There he was with Riley as prom king and queen. It wasn't a surprise she won she had become quite popular and loved by everyone. He chuckles at the picture of her and Zay together and then shuts the book when he sees himself and his date.
Trina Delgado.
The girl he started dating two weeks after they decided to end the triangle freshman year. To say the group was stunned was an understatement. The genius couple practically shook their heads with disapproval at the mere mention of her while Maya and Zay made their little snide comments.
The only one accepting of her was Riley which surprised him the most. Although he knew it broke her heart seeing them together which was why she started joining more clubs and eventually made the cheerleading team.
He knew she moved on and was happy and they were finally in a good place but he screwed that up kissing her and telling her what he did when they danced at prom.
He sits there and Zay texts him asking if he was coming. He told him yeah and sent him another picture of Riley who was wearing a purple spaghetti strap dress. Zay told him she was looking good and he chuckles telling him she always did. He was just to dumb to realize it back then when he had the chance.
He makes his way back to the gym hoping to run into her. He sees her standing with her dad talking and smiling at something he was saying. He sits at a table watching as she talked putting the hair behind her ear.
He stares at her and sees her look his way making him smile and wave at her. She gives him a small smile looking back at her dad taking his picture. Her dad tells her to start taking pictures and she makes her way around taking pictures and avoiding Lucas hoping someone would show up to save her.
The group eventually does show with her family and talk to her but she could still feel Lucas eyes on her the whole time. She mentally cursed him since his intense gaze was sending shivers down her spine. When it was time for her dad's speech she made sure to sit away from him.
"Riles you okay?" Maya whispers to her when she notices her being all fidgety. Riley nods trying to take pictures and ignore Lucas who she could tell was smirking at her. After the ceremony she thought she was in the clear and wouldn't have to see him when her dad suggests everyone get smoothies and cake from the bakery.
Riley bit her lip and was about to walk in the bakery when Maya stops her. "Okay what's going on with you? Why are you so Riley right now?" Riley frowns at her for using her name like that and gestures to the steps.
"Okay I'm going to tell you something nobody knows except Lucas and I and Zay who only knows a part of it." Maya looks at her with wide eyes shocked she was about to keep something from her.
"Okay so remember how we decided to end the triangle freshman year because we thought it be better to just be friends?" Riley asked looking at Maya who nods along. "Well remember how Lucas started seeing Trina right after?"
Maya makes a face and says bleh at the mention of her making Riley smile. "Okay are you going to replay everything that happened every year because I think we are being missed?" Maya asked seeing Lucas looking around in the bakery for them.
"Okay well senior prom you know Lucas and I winning and we danced?" Maya nods once again still not understanding. Riley took a deep breath and blurts out. "Well when we danced Lucas told me he should have picked me ninth grade and he had made a mistake being there with Trina when he really wanted to be with me."
She catches her breath as Maya looks at her with wide eyes and a open mouth. "Wait there's more." Maya closes her mouth and sees Lucas looking there way but being distracted by Josh. "Go on." Maya nudges her when Riley gets quiet. "Well after that I was speechless I hid in the hole hoping you find me but Lucas did first."
Maya chews her lip wishing she had some popcorn. She gestures for her to go on. "Well he asked me did I feel the same way and I told him I didn't know. I mean a part of me did and before I could think he tells me he loves me and kisses me." Maya chokes as Riley pats her back.
"He kissed you? What happened then?" Riley shrugs standing up. "Nothing after that Zay caught us and we went back to prom and I caught him making out with Trina at Missy Bradford party remember? You tossed the confetti at them?" Maya smiles standing up with her. "Good times."
Right as they were going to head inside the group come out with Lucas standing in front of Riley. "Hey." He tells her smiling at her making her traitorous heart beat faster even after all these years. "Hi." She smiles trying not to look at him for to long. "Hi." He tells her again chuckling.
She looks at him and bites her lip trying to ignore the fact the years had been very good to him. "Let's go get a drink and catch up." Maya tells them linking arms with Riley who silently thanked her. "Yeah I need a lot." Riley tells her as they all walk up the bakery steps.
Maya smiles knowing the night was about to get very interesting.
So I was going to make this into a one shot but decided to turn into a little story like with a list to live by. I know this first chapter doesn't really tell anything about it yet but building up to that. You'll see more in the next chapter. There won't be that many chapters either. Let me know what you think.