Okay, I was going to save this for Monday…but since it's national siblings day, I figured I would post it today.
ANON Requested Riley and Lucas' love story from someone else's perspective. (Requests can be made via my tumblr ask box)
Auggie Matthews loved his older sister, she was awesome. He wasn't too keen on her best friend Maya, why was the blonde always around? Why could he never have his sister all to himself?
As the younger brother, he loved to snoop and spy on Riley, it was the only way he knew what was going on, and in all honesty he worried about her. Sometimes she tried too hard to be more like Maya, instead of like herself, and that was never a good thing, he hated that she didn't always know how amazing Riley was.
He heard all about this boy Lucas, he could hear the admiration in his sisters voice, this disgust in Maya's, and that alone gave Auggie reason enough to believe this Lucas guy was probably a good guy.
When Auggie first met Lucas in the park, he knew his instincts had been right. Lucas Friar was a nice guy, who only had eyes for his sister. Unfortunately Riley didn't see that, but before the baseball game in the park that day Lucas spent ten minutes talking to Riley, and to Auggie—always a plus to be nice to the little brother, after the game he walked with them, he even carried Auggie on his shoulders a little bit after they'd stopped for ice cream. They never stopped for ice cream when hanging out with Maya; Lucas was already winning points with Auggie.
Super Spy Auggie overheard Maya and Riley one day discussing the fact that Riley had kissed Lucas. Auggie was torn, but eventually he told his mother what he'd heard because he couldn't keep it in forever, and well he liked Lucas and he knew his father would flip out and fake a heart attack if given the chance.
Lucas was always kind to Auggie when he was caught in the bay window, and Auggie never busted him, he figured it wasn't fair to make the older boy walk home with only one shoe. Also he never saw Lucas do anything to hurt Riley, so he gave him a pass…for now.
Auggie started noticing a change in Riley around the time of the big dance, he didn't understand why Lucas hadn't asked her, but Auggie wasn't happy with the older boy, especially when he finally heard about some guy named Charlie "Cheese soufflé" Gardner that had asked Riley out instead. Why would some other boy ask out his sister when she was obviously dating Lucas?
He also noticed the change in Maya, her words about Lucas had softened, maybe a bit too much. She was acting more like Riley and if Auggie knew one thing, this was only going to lead to trouble. And it did.
He wasn't sure what went on in Texas, a place that seemed like it was a million miles away, and entirely different world to the young boy. But when his sister got back, she was a cloud of sadness and no one but him seemed to really see it. When he was supposed to be sleeping he overheard his parents with the girls once night…Maya liked Lucas, and some nonsense about Riley seeing Lucas as a brother.
Auggie was her only brother until his parents decided to give them another sibling. She didn't need another brother, so he'd summoned Lucas via a call on Riley's cell phone when she was in the shower one night, sat him down and told him "Whatever you do, do not hurt my sister."
The young boy was sure that would be the end of it, but instead his sister went on a date with another boy. Why didn't Lucas stop it? Auggie was ready to pull his unruly curls out of his hair!
Whenever he had the chance he watched Riley with her friends. That was when he noticed The Farkle watching just as closely. Farkle saw at least some of what Auggie saw, he was sure of it. Auggie felt better knowing that it wasn't just him that saw what was going on, but he had a feeling The Farkle would probably not see the real root of the problem.
She was always around, he was sure she was around more now than before. She was supposed to be Riley's best friend, her so called sister (why did Riley need a sister?), and she couldn't see that each and every day his wonderful, cheerful, beautiful, older sister was chipping away into a sad, heartbroken young girl, barely holding her head above water.
On New Year's Eve, Auggie finally met the Cheese soufflé guy, he wasn't that bad. He carried Auggie inside right after Farkle announced to the world that his sister still loved Lucas. Not the way Auggie would've handled it, but it was out in the open now.
Only it wasn't.
Riley and her so-called-best-friend Maya would sit in the window for hours and not talk. There was an elephant in the room, and they were refusing to address it. Maya never heard Riley crying at night, Auggie did. Sometimes he would sneak into her room and crawl into bed with her. He wasn't sure if it helped, but she never kicked him out.
Auggie would glare at Maya every time she came over; he was also confused by the way his mother was doting on her, instead of talking to Riley. Was his mother really this oblivious to what had started all of this?
When Lucas came over one night with notecards, announcing that he was stopping that they were all just going to be friends, Auggie knew it was a lie. He saw the way Lucas still looked at his sister and the way he didn't look at Maya. But the blonde girl was holding on to some fantasy.
While doing his podcast one evening, he discussed with his audience the situation with his sister and her so-called-best-friend and the boy they both liked. He knew that Lucas liked Riley that Riley liked Lucas, but what was Maya? She was the girl Riley put above herself, and Lucas understood that, Auggie saw that now.
The next time Maya was over, Auggie dragged her into his room and sat her down in the same chair that he'd sat Lucas in.
"Squirt what's up?"
"You're hurting Riley."
She stared at him confused, "No, I'm not."
Auggie glared at her, trying to use the same look his Mom used when mad at his Dad, the same one he'd seen cross Riley's face when the Knick's were losing.
Maya's blue eyes widened, "Seriously, I'm not hurting Riley."
"Yes you are." Auggie slid off the bed and got in the blondes face, "Riley likes Lucas; Lucas likes Riley. Why did you insert yourself between them?"
Maya was shocked as she leaned back, almost falling off the chair, "I didn't insert myself, if anything Riley inserted me when she told Lucas I liked him."
Auggie shook his head and rolled his eyes, "You don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?"
"Riley puts your wants and needs above her own." He stood as tall as he could, "So you had to have done something to make her feel like she didn't deserve Lucas, that he didn't like her. So you Maya Penelope Hart need to end this mess now, or you are going to have to deal with me."
Maya stood up, "Whatever Auggie, I'm not scared of you."
Auggie smiled, "Okay, just remember who's in Uncle Josh's ear whenever he comes to visit. I mean he should know what an awful friend you are to Riley."
Maya shook her head, deciding to take her chances. "Whatever Squirt."
"I would tell you not to hurt my sister, but you've already done that a million times." Auggie crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh and go cry to your own Mother for once. Let Riley and I have our own."
Maya opened the door, she didn't understand what the kid was saying, but she suddenly felt very unwelcome in the apartment and left.
Auggie waited a few days, he didn't think anyone else noticed but without the black cloud that was Maya Hart hovering around his sister he started to see her smile again, real smiles, not those fake smiles that she'd been plastering on her face for months.
"Auggie, will you come here?" Riley called him from the bay window, and he knew this was important.
She was sitting there alone; Auggie looked around no sign of Maya, Farkle, Lucas, or even Zay. "What's up?"
"Did you threaten Maya?"
Auggie was silent for a moment, "I told her to stop hurting you because I'm tired of seeing you hurt and sad."
"Auggie, she's my best friend-."
"Don't." He held up his hand to stop her, "If she was really our best friend she wouldn't make you doubt Lucas or yourself. She wouldn't steal attention you should have from Mom for herself. If she was really your best friend she would've seen how miserable you've been for months, the way that Farkle has."
Riley was shocked to hear such wisdom from her younger brother, "You knew how miserable I was?"
"Yeah, it's been obvious Riley. Why do you think I come into bed with you when you're crying?"
"I didn't know why, I thought maybe you'd had a bad dream."
"Riley, you are my sister. My only sister and I love you, but please put yourself first. Chase what you want, let Maya worry about herself." He kissed her cheek and dashed out before she could say anything else to him, not noticing that he'd grabbed her phone from the table by the bay window.
It took Auggie a moment to find the right text before he started to type as best he could.
If you still like my sister, give her a chance. Get to the bay window now. AUGGIE
He left the phone on the bathroom counter, because it was one of the only places he could think she might leave it.
He sat outside Riley's bedroom, when his parents came into the hall he motioned for them to be quiet with a stern look and a finger to his lip.
"Lucas, what are you doing here?" Riley's voice was shaky.
Auggie grabbed his father's leg and sent him a warning look not to go in there just yet. He watched as his parents sat on the floor with him.
"Well," Lucas started, "I just had to see you."
"You did?"
"Of course I did Riley."
Auggie smiled, he liked the way Lucas said his sister's name, but he was sure his Father hated it.
"Is there something you need to tell me?" Her voice was filled with nerves; it was uneven, as if she was expecting the worst.
"So you know this whole decision thing?" It was obvious the boy was pacing around, nervous himself.
"Yeah?"
"The thing is it's never really been a decision."
Auggie was impressed, well he would be as long as this conversation went the way he thought it was.
Cory and Topanga looked to each other confused, and then down to their son who seemed to have an idea of what was going on.
"So you rushed here to tell me you pick Maya, great, um I don't know where she is, but that's cool." Riley couldn't believe what she'd just said.
"Riley, Maya was never my choice."
Auggie did a silent cheer in the hallway, getting a glare from his father and a confused look from his mother.
"Oh, wait, I'm confused."
"It's always been you Riley, from the moment you fell in my lap, it was always you. It was never her, not even when I thought you wanted me with her, it was still you. I know you put her before yourself sometimes, and I didn't want to come between the two of you."
"But you're declaring your choice, doesn't that change things?"
"God I hope so." He breathed. "Aren't you tired of this Riley? Aren't you sick of dancing around your feelings? Aren't you exhausted from thinking of what everyone else wants instead of yourself? I know I am."
Riley was silent and Auggie was about to go in and shake his sister if she didn't speak soon.
"You know Auggie said something to me earlier, he said I should put myself first and chase what I want."
"What do you want?"
Cory as shaking with fatherly rage as Topanga held him down, motioning for him to be quiet.
"I want to be able to put myself first, I want to be able to express these feelings I have for you and not feel guilty because I'm getting something that Maya wants as well."
"You know, the only way to get that is to try."
Auggie watched as his father's eyes grew wide with terror.
"What are you suggesting Lucas?" Riley's voice was more playful than it had been in a while.
"Maybe we could start that unofficial thing again?"
"Nope"
"Nope?"
"If we're going to start something it has to be official." She asserted.
Auggie made a hallelujah motion as his father started to fake a heart attack.
"So we would be boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Yeah, I like the sound of that."
"Riley Matthews" his voice was filled with a joy Auggie hadn't heard from him in months, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"I would like that very much, yes."
"Yes!" Auggie cried from the hall, unable to be quiet any longer as he rushed into his sisters room and hugged the two of them just before they kissed.
"Auggie" Riley looked down at her younger brother, "were you listening outside?"
"Of course"
"Lucas" Cory looked at the boy.
"I'm in your daughter's room?"
Cory nodded, but Topanga held him back, he wouldn't be able to run anyway with Auggie hugging both of them tightly around the legs.
"We'll talk about the new rules for this later." Topanga sent them both a warning look as she dragged Cory out to the living room.
"Hey Auggie, thanks for that text earlier" Lucas patted Auggie on the back.
"You're welcome; you got here faster than I anticipated." Auggie gave them a tight squeeze before finally letting them go, "Hurt her and deal with me, got it?"
"Got it" Lucas nodded as he looked up at Riley.
"So my brother texted you?"
"Yeah, from your phone."
"What did he say?"
"If you still like my sister, give her a chance. Get to the bay window now. So I figured I better get over here as fast I could."
Riley smiled, "I'm glad he texted you."
"So am I."
Auggie closed the door to give them some privacy, he figured they only had another minute or two before his father burst in. For now Auggie was going to update his podcast and think about a new project to work on.