the other side
Rating: T
Summary: Lucas Friar is returning home to Texas after spending years in LA. His time away has changed him completely. He's rude, and doesn't know when to stop. A bet leads him to try to make his old best-friend-and-something-more, Maya Hart fall for him. But what happens when he tries? (in which Maya Hart hates his guts)/ AU Lucaya
prompt: fame has gotten to your head so you were sent off to live with country relatives AU from tumblr
Lucas scowled as the view of his family's farm came into view. The weather-beaten fence posts fenced in a herd of horses that were roaming around.
He didn't want to be there. He was supposed to be flying to LA to film a movie he had just been casted in, but somehow his parents had gotten into their heads that fame had inflated his ego. They wanted him to take time off to revisit his roots, where he was just a normal kid.
His aunt Heidi had picked him up from the airport in the family's beat up red pickup truck that was in desperate need of a tuning. She had beamed at him, not knowing who he had turned into. He ignored all the questions thrown his way in favor of staring out the window, glaring at everything that passed. He hadn't even been allowed to sign merch for fans that arrived at the airport.
Tired of his bitterness, his aunt dropped him off a mile from the farmhouse and continued on her way with the luggage. Lucas plopped himself down on the dusty grass that ran along the perimeter of the fence. He pulled out his phone to call his father.
"Dad, this place is awful. It's just farms. There's nothing interesting at all. I got it, I learned my lesson. Now please, get me the hell out of here."
"No can do, Lucas. You've only been there an hour. We agreed with the director that you needed to spend a month back home. You have to serve your time. See you in a month, Lucas. Oh, and make sure to visit your old friends. I'm sure they miss you." And with that, he hung up.
Lucas threw his phone beside him, and groaned. Why was his life so hard? A whistle disrupted his train of thought, and he turned around, ready to yell at whoever disrupted him, but was surprised to see a mane of golden locks and feminine face, rather than the familiar features of his uncle.
He paused, watching the girl who looked his age round up the horses effortlessly. She brought her chestnut brown horse down to a walk, taking the opportunity to tie her hair up, cheeks pink from the heat.
"Hey," he called out, smirking as she startled at the sound of his voice.
"What do you want?" she asked, annoyance tinging her voice.
"The name's Lucas Friar," he paused, waiting for the familiar excited shriek that was sure to follow. Every girl he met was in love with him. It was one of the best parts about being a teenage heartthrob.
"Well, good for you, Huckleberry," she responded sarcastically as she eased her horse into a trot, which easily transitioned into a gallop. She disappeared in a cloud of dust that left Lucas coughing.
Once the cloud of dust cleared, Lucas frowned. This was the first girl who hadn't been excited to meet him.
Something must've pissed her off earlier. Who wouldn't be excited to meet me? Right?
Lucas trudged up the stairs of the Friar family farm house. He slammed the screen door shut behind him and stormed into the kitchen. Spotting an unfamiliar brunette girl, he blurted out: "Who the hell are you?"
She turned around, soft features contorted into a look of confusion. "I'm Riley. Riley Matthews?"
The name sounded familiar to the heartthrob, but he couldn't place it. He wasn't sure how he knew the pretty girl in front of him. "Okay, and how do you know my family?"
"I live next door. See that white house?" Riley pointed out the window. "I've lived there my whole life. We were friends growing up? You're a year older, but you always hung out with me, Maya, Zay and Maya's sister, Sarah. We were best friends," she trailed off softly, deep in thought. "But I guess not anymore," she continued, a bit colder, a tone that didn't seem to match her appearance. "You replaced us, I see. With Missy, Farkle- what's up with that name, anyways?- Billy and Darby. Guess you forgot about us, huh? But we never forgot about you," she finished, wiping a tear from her eye. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to bring this out to Pappy Joe." She picked up a basket and left out the back door.
Lucas stood there, stunned. Riley didn't strike him as one to criticize anyone.
Shaking it off, he wandered out to the back of the house he'd be calling home for the next month. He spotted Riley leaving the barn basket-free, and heading to where three other teenagers were waiting.
He saw the blonde from earlier and a girl who seemed to be her sister standing besides her. Their near identical faces sported smiles as Riley approached. A darker skinned boy had his arm around the brunette sister and his free hand was stuffed in his pocket.
Once Riley reached them, the four friends headed towards the horse corral, not five feet away from Lucas. He waited to see if they'd notice him, but they passed by him without a second glance, their laughter ringing through the air.
They each mounted a horse, and took off, leaving Lucas in the dust.
"Luke!" His uncle approached, adjusting the cowboy hat perched on his head. "Good to see you. Have you seen Maya and Zay since you got here? They'll be mighty glad to see you. They've always been your closest friends. I think they're out on their daily ride. Maya's sister and Riley are probably with 'em. Ah, bless 'em. They've all been so helpful 'round here while you were out in California."
Lucas nodded, not really listening to what his uncle was saying. California was his home now. There wasn't much he missed anymore about Texas. Sure, when he first moved, he missed his friends, family, horses etc.. But now? He has new friends and a huge fanbase. To be honest, he didn't remember much about his life before fame. He knew there had been a girl, but he couldn't even recall her name or face. Really, the only thing he missed was his horse, Butterscotch. He was gifted the horse when he was five, and cared about it more than anything when he was younger.
"Yeah, yeah," he cut off his uncle. "I'm going to go check on Butterscotch. He's the one thing here I want to see right now."
"I'm afraid you can't do that, Luke. He's out right now. Ever since you left, Maya's been taking care of him. He didn't have you anymore, so she took it upon herself to take care of him. He's taken a likin' to that girl. She always rides him this time of day. What a sweetheart. Y'know, I always hoped you two might end up togeth-"
"Okay, no," Lucas interrupted. "First of all, I don't really remember this Maya. Second, I don't want to date just some girl, and a country one at that. And third? I have a girlfriend. Missy's waiting for me back in California."
"That's no way to talk about a young lady, Lucas Daniel Friar. I will not have you talking about Maya that way as long as you're here. She's as good as mine and your parents daughter, y'know, since she doesn't really got none of her own. I thought you were raised better than this," Lucas's uncle Gavin replied. "She is not just some girl. She's your best friend, and has been since the two of you were in diapers. You two used to have something before you left. Then you went and broke her heart, leaving her just like she believes everyone'll do. But she forgave you after a while. But going this long without reaching out to her? I'll be surprised if she ever talks to you again." And with his final statement, uncle Gavin strode towards the house.
Lucas scoffed as he scuffed his shoe against the dirt path. So what if I had something with this girl? That was four years ago, and if I don't remember it, how good could it have been?
The sound of laughter disrupted his train of thought. The four friends were returning. The three girls' cheeks were flushed and all four of them sported smiles.
Lucas watched them dismount their horses and lead them back into the barn. He waited for them to exit, then made his presence known.
"Lucas," Riley said curtly when she noticed him.
"Riley," he nodded, not fully recognizing her cold greeting. "Gonna introduce me to your friends?"
"You mean your friends? Sure," she responded sarcastically. "This is Zay," she pointed at the boy whose hands were stuffed in his pockets. "And the twins are Maya and Sarah."
Sizing them up, Lucas decided which one must be this mysterious Maya. Obviously if she had liked him and had been his best friend, she wouldn't have been the rude one from earlier. "You must be Maya," he smirked at the brunette twin. "Guess you moved on from me, huh?" He nodded at the boy he now knew as Zay.
"Over here, Huckleberry," the blonde twin retorted. "And yeah, I got over your sorry ass," were the only words she said before she stalked out of the barn, head held high, ponytail swinging behind her.
Riley glared at Lucas, then pulled Sarah behind her as they went to follow Maya.
"Damn," Lucas muttered under his breath as he watched the blonde leave. "That Maya chick isn't that bad lookin'. Too bad she's got a stick up her ass. What's her deal anyway?"
Zay's eyes blazed with anger. "Her 'deal' is you, dickwad. You two were best friends for years, even before I came around. We may have been best friends too, but you two had something special. There was tension between you two ever since Adam started hitting on her back in the seventh grade. You two would have gotten somewhere if you didn't drop everything and leave. You broke her heart, and she was able to forgive you. Until she realized you'd never reach out to us. Do you even remember how broken she is?"
Lucas scoffed. "I doubt she's lived anything but a perfect life."
"If you consider being abandoned by her father, rarely seeing her mother, depression after her best fucking friend left, believing everyone will leave her and having her last shred of hope and happiness destroyed 'perfect,' then yeah, she's had a perfect life. And to think I thought you were the best friend we could have. Don't you dare talk like that about Maya again, or you'll see why I win state at wrestling and boxing every year, Friar" he hissed, the last word coming out the way you'd say dog shit.
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you don't scare me. I doubt you could cause any real damage."
"Try me," Zay gritted his teeth. "I dare you to say one more sexiest comment about Maya. Or any of the girls, for that matter."
Lucas stepped closer to the boy who used to be one of his best friends. Through his signature smirk, he insulted the blonde beauty once more. "Those short shorts she's wearing do wonders for her ass. I mean, of course she's just a pretty face and a hot body. No way could she actually have anything in that head of-"
Lucas stumbled back as Zay's fist collided with his nose. "Shit," Lucas swore as his nose began gushing blood. He raised his fist to punch his ex-friend back, but someone grabbed his fist before it could hit its intended target. Lucas glanced back to see who was interrupting the fight.
Maya. Of course.
He flashed her the smile that melted millions of girls' hearts in hope of her letting go. No such luck. She judo flipped him, and he smacked against the ground with a loud groan.
"I heard what you said, Hopalong. I say you got what you deserve." She glanced over at Zay. "Let's get outta here."
Zay threw his arm around his best friend's shoulder and the two walked away, leaving the superstar groaning on the dusty path, the blood from his nose speckling the earth.
Lucas sat up, head throbbing, nose still bleeding, back aching. Damn, she's stronger than she looks. Lucas managed to push himself up to a standing position as he used the fence for support. He wiped his bloody hand on his now grass-and-earth stained jeans. Fuck this. I hate my parents for sending me back here. Lucas grumbled to himself as he limped back towards his family house.
"Billy," Lucas barked to his friend over the phone. "Any luck convincing the director? I can't stand this fucking place anymore. These people that I apparently used to call my friends hate me, and the feeling is mutual. Literally, one smashed his fist into my nose. I think it might be broken. And then another judo flipped me. I need to get out of this fucking place."
"Dude, calm the fuck down," Billy sighed. "No, he won't budge."
"Ugh," Lucas groaned as he flopped down on the bed, wincing as his bruised back shot out waves of pain as it hit the firm mattress.
"Don't worry, Farkle's working on 'im too. He usually has better luck with directors."
"Thank god," Lucas breathed. "What're Darbs and Missy up to? They miss me much?" He smirked through his pain.
"Darby is busy with all that stylist stuff she always does. Missy, though. She's taking your 'off' pretty seriously and having a ton of one night flings."
"Whatever," Lucas rolled his eyes. "She does this every time we take a break. She just wants to make me jealous. It's not like I usually don't take a few girls home."
"Find any hot ones in Texas, Luke?"
The Native Texan let his mind wander to the blonde beauty that hated him with a burning passion that he'd never seen in anyone before. All that anger wrapped up in a pint-sized package that he would have to deal with for the next month of his life. "There is one, but she hates my guts."
"I doubt that. After all," Billy's voice drifted over the phone. He quickly shushed someone on the other side of the line, before returning to the conversation. "What teenage girl hates THE Luke Friar?"
"Maya fucking Hart, that's who. Apparently I used to have a thing with her? Whatever, she's fucking hot. But damn, that girl is strong. Must be from all the farm work she does for my family. She's tiny, though. Doesn't even quite reach my shoulders."
Billy snorted. "If she's that tiny, she can't be that strong."
"Trust me, dude. When I was getting in a fight with one of her friends, she caught me off guard and literally judo flipped me. What kind of girl knows how to do that?'
Billy guffawed loudly, picturing his tall, muscular friend being flipped by an elfin girl in cowboy boots.
"Dude, cut it out," Lucas rolled his eyes.
Billy stifled his laughter. "This girl seems like quite a challenge. Tell you what-" he paused, saying something inaudible to whoever was in the room with him. He continued after a door had shut on his side. "Get this Maya chick to fall for you. You got a month."
"What're the stakes on this?" Lucas replied, sitting up as quickly as he could without major pain. Billy knew that Lucas was never one to back out of a bet.
"She falls for you, you come back home, and never have to go back to the country. Farkle can ensure that if I ask. The director for The Bewitching of the Twelfth Hour is his uncle after all. He's the favorite nephew. His uncle won't say no. And if she doesn't fall for you, you gotta stay an extra month, or however long it takes for her to fall for you."
"Deal," Lucas grinned. Maya may hate me now, but by the end of the month, she'll be fawning all over me. He quickly said goodbye to his friend, then began to plan out his scheme. I have 30 days. I can do this.
an: so, this is my first story on this account. with the huge inspiration for lucaya stories that i've come up with, i decided i'd dedicate an account to them. there may be an occasional GMW that's non lucaya one this account. only time will tell. you can find me on instagram and tumblr with the same account name: livingthelucayalife
i also have another account here on fanfiction. i have GMW stories on there I will complete there asap. i just finished submitting college apps, so hopefully i'll have more time now to work on those stories. my other account is: R5 is my life. my incomplete GMW stories there are: twenty times he saw her cry and and then she was gone and fools. the only complete GMW one is: kerosene beauty queen & her matchstick king. you will for sure be able to find non lucaya GMW stories over there sometime in the future (ex: twenty times he saw her cry) I don't really write Lucas or Maya with anyone else, but the other couples are different. i do have friendship stories i will post sometime on my other account (ex. twenty times...)
i hope you enjoy this story. let me know what you think of it so far, and if i should continue
Review, follow and favorite!
~livingthelucayalife