Sometimes we bend, sometimes we break, sometimes we need to shatter in order to heal
Standing in front of a full-length mirror, Riley's smiling eyes meet her mother's teary ones.
"Oh honey, you look gorgeous." Topanga says as she places the veil on 24-year-old Riley's head, careful not to disturb the cascading curls. One look at Topanga and you can tell she is desperately trying to hold it together. Her voice cracks as she steps back. Riley makes a few minor adjustments to the veil and stares at herself. She is dressed in what can only be described as a dress fit for a princess. Her something old is a picture of her, Maya and Farkle from the first grade, it is tucked inside her dress. Her something new is a new friendship ring from Maya because after all "Riley needs bling for her right hand." Her something borrowed is her grandmother's pearl earrings and her something blue is a baby blue garter belt under her dress. She takes a deep breath and slowly exhales in an attempt to calm her nerves. She can't believe this day has finally arrived. She can't help but marvel at how much her life has changed since she met him. She would love to say that she knew they would end up here all along but she doesn't want to lie in church. She remembers all too well, the heartache and turmoil she caused by trying to be all things to all people, instead of just being herself. How she used to put everyone else's needs before her own, how she tried with all of her might to be the best daughter, sister, friend and student but it was all at the expense of herself. In her quest to be everything for everyone, she often neglected herself in the process.
When she did have troubles, she kept them inside and they festered. They damaged her psyche, her spirit and her heart but she cracked before they got to her soul. In the end, it took an "un-Riley" like breakdown for things to come to a head. But she didn't just break…she shattered. It didn't happen right away and to the surprise of many, it didn't happen after the "brother" incident. It took some time but they all worked past their feelings or lack thereof. Thankfully, the sister bond between Riley and Maya was only strained and in no time at all, it was stronger than it had been originally. Lucas and Riley decided, together, to restart their "connection" and from there their epic love story grew. All seemed to be right in Riley's world. Then, during February of her senior year Riley's world fell to pieces.
It was a typical NY winter weekend, bitterly cold and gray. Riley, feeling under the weather, decided to spend the day in bed. She texted her friends and told them of her plans. Lucas, ignored her pleas for him to stay away, he showed up with flowers and spent the afternoon, sitting in her bay window while she tried to hide in bed. She didn't want him to see her like this, unshowered, hair a tangled mess, bright red nose and cheeks. He told her that taking care of her was part of his job as a boyfriend and that he didn't want her to think he was slacking on the job. He didn't tell her that it was in moments like this, that he fell in love with her a little more. It was during times like this, that he got to see another side of her and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, he loved learning everything he could about the one who held his heart. He loved taking care of the one who always took care of everyone else.
They had plans to attend a party at the home of one of his teammates. Lucas did not want to go without Riley but she insisted that he go and have fun…to have some "guy time" with his friends. Had he known what heartbreak that night would bring, wild horses wouldn't have been able to drag him from his seat in her bay window.
Lucas arrived at the party with Zay in tow. They agreed that they would make a token appearance and then head out to the local wing place to catch the game. Neither were really into the party scene, they preferred spending time with their small circle of friends. It was just easier, drama was at a minimum, they were able to just be themselves, and funnily enough, the group never ran out of topics to discuss. Standing in a hallway, away from all of the craziness, Lucas took a quick moment to text Riley.
"Goodnight sunshine. Hope you are feeling better. If you need me, please call me, I don't care what time it is or what you need, you call, I'll be there. I will see you in the morning. Sleep tight and dream of me. Love you"
Her reply comes almost immediately. "I always dream of you. I'll be fine…took some meds to help me sleep. Have fun with your friends and I will see you in the morning. Love you too."
He tucks his phone into the pocket of his jacket and turns to head back to the action. As he is walking past the bathroom door, it opens and Missy pulls him into the doorway and traps him between her and the door. His jacket hits the door frame, causing his cell phone to tumble to the carpet, landing without so much as a whisper.
"Hey Lucas, I've been looking for you." She says as she leans in close to him. "I love the cologne you are wearing" She reaches out and rubs his arm.
"Missy, I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I'm not interested." He politely removes her hand from her arm and stalks away. Missy re-enters the bathroom and closes the door, there behind the door is Charlie, cell phone in hand. He quickly throws open the door, steps into the hallway, bends over to pick something up and steps back into the bathroom.
"Did you get the picture Charlie?"
"Yes, I did and we hit the jackpot." Charlie opens his hand to show Lucas' cell phone.
"Perfect, that's even better. Let's up our game a little. Then you run to console Riley and I'll take care of Lucas. They shouldn't even be friends, let alone a couple. She is too goofy and immature for him."
"Back off Missy. I get you want your damn cowboy but I won't let you put down the girl I love." Charlie growls in return. His heart is racing at the thought that he might finally get his chance with Riley.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Now let's get to work."
Lucas and Zay are watching the game, eating wings when Lucas decides he wants to check in on Riley. He knows she said she would be sleeping but he wants to make sure. He checks his pants pockets and then his jacket pockets but the search for his phone comes up empty.
"Where the hell is it?" he mutters
"Where is what?" Zay asks absently, never once moving his eyes from the TV
"My phone. I can't find it." Lucas searches his jacket pockets yet again.
"Are you sure you brought it with you?" Zay asks as he reaches across Lucas to grab some napkins.
"I'm positive. I texted Riley earlier to tell her goodnight" Lucas is frustrated. He hadn't backed up his phone in a while… who knows how many pictures he's lost.
"You must have dropped it somewhere" Zay points out.
"Great, just what I need. Can I borrow your phone for a sec? I just want to text Riley and tell her that I'm going to be a little late in the morning. I'll have to pick up a new phone on my way to her house"
Zay hands his phone over and Lucas types out the message to Riley. As he clicks send, the home team scores and the place goes nuts. He returns the phone to Zay and they both jump up to celebrate. Neither of them realize that the text didn't go through…Lucas never entered the area code. (Zay's phone still has a Texas area code, so all communication requires an area code.)
Farkle and Maya are chatting on Facebook. Their chat is full of good-natured taunts and put downs. Suddenly, Farkle's Iphone is walking across his desk as his Twitter notifications are blowing up. He unlocks the screen and looks at the notifications. His heart stops and his temper rises.
"Maya…. get on Twitter now. We have a problem."
"What? What's the problem?" she asks as she opens the application
"Look at what is trending locally" Farkle barks
"#MADDOGONTHELOOSE #SUNSHINENOMORE #NOPRINCESSNEEDED #FOUNDMYQUEEN
Maya hears Farkle yelling… "Dude calm down, what are you going crazy over?"
"Maya, there are dozens of tweets and re-tweets, there are pictures of Lucas and Missy. There are tweets about how he never loved Riley, that he just felt sorry for her. That he is now rightfully with his queen." Farkle whispers… "oh no"
"What Farkle? Are they coming from Missy's account? You know she has a screw loose."
"Maya, they are from his account."
"Say what now?"
"All of the original posts are from his account." You can hear a pin drop as both of them are shocked into silence.
"Bay Window 20 minutes" Maya screams as she hangs up the phone. She throws her jacket on and races to Riley's. With each passing step, she swears that Lucas will pay for hurting Riley. In fact, she is so irate, that she calls Josh and tells him to meet her and Farkle in front of Riley's building.
Josh doesn't ask for details, he grabs a hoodie and heads out, knowing that if one of her friends, called him, Riley is in some sort of trouble.