Hi guys! Quick insight on this before you start.
Girl Meets Texas never happened, in fact, Upstate didn't even happen.
Also, Riley and Farkle are just as much in this story as Lucas, Maya and Zay. I just couldn't fit them into the character section.
This story is lightly based on the song Raised On It by Sam Hunt just because I love Sam Hunt.
Enjoy.
"WE GRADUATED!" Riley screamed as the group huddled around for the last time in their high school hallway.
This was the day they had all been waiting for. All those long days sitting in these horrible desks, the ridiculous lessons their teachers had taught, and all the stupid high school drama is behind them.
They did it. They had survived high school, just barely.
The five of them made their way out of the building to meet their parents. Lucas was met with a very proud mother. She pulled him into a tight hug, "I'm so proud of you baby. After everything we've been through, you made it." she said into his chest.
"I have something for you!" she said excitedly. His mom, Elizabeth, pulled out an envelope from her purse and handed it to him.
"Mama you didn't have to get me anything." Lucas said.
"Oh honey, you'll enjoy this, please take it." she said.
He took the envelope from his mother and opened it. Inside were five round trip plane tickets to Texas. "No way!" Lucas got excited.
"You and your friends go have some Texas fun!" his mom said before he pulled her back in for a hug.
"Thanks mom!" he said before he took off to find his friends.
They were all with their parents, but when they saw Lucas bouncing over to them, they all gathered to see what was up.
"Who's up for a trip?" Lucas said all giddy.
The flight to Texas felt long. Farkle and Riley snuggled up in the window seats and fell asleep. There was Zay in the next row, listening to his music that was blasting through his earphones so loud that Maya could hear the music right next to him. Then there was Lucas, in the window seat with his nose in his books for the upcoming semester.
Maya was sitting in the middle seat sketching away. She had started with a blank page, but four hours later she had a full sketched horse and it's baby on her paper with incredible detail. She didn't even notice that they had landed and people were starting to exit plane. Lucas was about to tell her that it's time to get off the plane, but he got distracted by her drawing. No matter how many times the gang has seen Maya's work, they are always in shock of just how good she is.
Zay woke up Riley and Farkle before snapping Lucas and Maya back to reality. Everyone had grabbed their things out of the overhead compartments except Maya. She was the shortest of the group, and she hated every minute of it. Lucas had come up behind her and pulled her duffle out for her. She thanked him and walked out of the plane, following Riley, Farkle and Zay.
After they grabbed their luggage from baggage claim, they had to wait outside for their ride to come pick them up.
Maya sat next to Riley on the bench, sweating in her jeans. She fanned herself with her shirt, "Why is it so damn hot here?" she complained. It had to have been the high 90s over here and she was dying in heat. It was only 10am, just how hot can this place get?
"No one told you to wear long sleeve Maya. It's summer and we're in Texas, what did you think?" Lucas stood over here.
"Well no one told me it was going to be as hot as the sun over here!" Maya jumped up to face him. She was at least a foot shorter than him, but she always stood her ground.
"Well don't you worry little lady, we just installed an air conditioner at the place. You'll survive." a man said as he approached the group.
Everyone turned their heads to be faced with a tall man with a cowboy hat on his head. Lucas made his way to greet the man and it clicked in Maya's head.
"Pappy Joe! That's your Pappy Joe!" she said with excitement.
Pappy Joe tipped his hat toward Maya before shaking his grandson's hand. Zay got up and went to shake his hand as well.
Lucas introduced Maya, Riley and Farkle to his Pappy Joe. He had to repeat Farkle's name twice for Pappy Joe to get it. "Who would do that to you?" he asked, which caused Zay to burst with laughter. He had said the same thing the day he met the kid.
"Well kids, let's getcha back to the ranch so this here young lady can get some air conditioning." he winked before grabbing some luggage and throwing it in the back of the truck. The guys grabbed the rest of the bags and followed him. Everyone piled into the bed of the truck and Pappy Joe got into the driver seat before heading out of the airport and on their way to his ranch.
The drive was pretty long and bumpy, according to Maya who was currently complaining that her butt was starting to get numb. Lucas pulled out a jacket from his duffle and handed it to Maya and told her to sit on it. She did as he said and instantly felt a little better.
As they rode in the back of the truck, Lucas and Zay pointed out some landmarks on the way to the ranch. Maya, Riley and Farkle were in awe. They had never seen so much open land in their life. New York was filled with buildings and people but here it was open and it felt as if they were free.
They finally made it to a long stretch of dirt road before finding a gated entrance. Lucas jumped out and went to open the gate as Pappy Joe drove in. Lucas hopped back into the truck for Pappy Joe to drive them up to the house. As they were driving, the gang could see a huge building, Lucas told them that's where the horses are. They also saw a huge field where the horses are ridden. Next to that are rows and rows of trees which Lucas said are mostly apple trees.
Pappy Joe parked under a huge tree that sits next to a beautiful ranch styled house. The gang got out of the truck and were greeted by some friendly goats that approached them. Maya bent over and scratched a goat on the head and giggled. She had never seen a goat before; hell she hadn't seen many animals in her life, mainly dogs and the occasional cat, but definitely never a goat.
The guys pulled all the bags out of the truck and everyone headed inside. Grandma Friar was in the kitchen making what smelled like a delicious lunch, and the gang was starving.
Lucas hugged his grandma before introducing everyone to her.
"I hope you're hungry, I made you kids roast beef sandwiches for lunch." she smiled before setting a huge plate on the dining table. Everyone gathered around and scarfed down their food.
After lunch, grandma Friar walked the kids over to the newly renovated barn that they converted into a guest house. It was a beautiful two bedroom two bathroom guest house. One that the kids would have to figure out who is staying where.
Riley and Farkle called one room, of course. Riley and Farkle had been dating since the beginning of their senior year, and Riley was really hoping they could get past second base on this trip.
Which just left Maya, Lucas and Zay to choose who was sleeping where.
"You and Zay can have the room, I'll sleep on the couch." Lucas said as he gestured toward the couch.
"No, it's your home, I'm not kicking you out of the room. I'll take the couch." Maya stopped him.
The two went back and forth for a while before Zay shut them both up by dropping himself onto the couch.
"I'll be on the couch. You wackos take the bedroom." Zay said.
Maya shrugged and ran upstairs to the open bedroom. Lucas looked back and gave Zay an annoyed look. "What the hell man."
"Now you have no choice but to face your feelings dude. Suck it up and tell her already!" Zay said.
Lucas was silent. He knew Zay was right, he should tell Maya how he feels about her. But Lucas knew that Maya would never agree to going out with him after he had a thing with Riley when they were younger. He knew that Maya would think it would hurt Riley's feelings, even if she's moved on and is now happily in a relationship with Farkle.
But here's the thing, everyone knew Lucas liked Maya, except for Maya. But what was even better was that Lucas didn't know that Riley and Farkle knew he likes her, he only thinks Zay knows. So Riley and Farkle will subtly push the two together in order to face their feelings. Everyone was tired of having to watch the painful show that is Maya and Lucas avoiding their feelings.
One thing's for sure, Lucas would have to man up and tell Maya how he feels on this trip.
After everyone had settled in their rooms, the gang met up in the living room. Lucas had thought it was a good idea to teach Maya, Riley and Farkle how to ride a horse.
Riley and Maya had changed out of their jeans into shorts due to the heat getting worse and worse by the minute.
They all walked over to the stable and Lucas opened the doors. They were met with many giant horses all in their own little rooms.
"Woah" the three said in unison. None of them had ever seen so many horses before. They all saw that one horse in middle school, but this was a whole new experience.
Lucas had told them to choose any horse that they wanted to ride, all except for the two white horses at the end on the left. Those two weren't the easiest to ride and Lucas didn't want them to struggle out there. Also the ponies since those were too young to be ridden.
Riley chose the beautiful white colored horse named Juliet. The horse reminded her of that white horse in middle school.
Farkle chose a shiny chestnut colt named Guinness, named after one of Pappy Joe's favorite beers.
Zay chose his all time favorite horse, a gorgeous black horse named Zara. She was his favorite since he was there for her birth, and he even got to pick a name for her. He wanted the name to be similar to his since Pappy Joe said that she could be his horse.
Maya chose the handsome yellow dun stallion with a black mane named Spirit, rightfully named after one of Lucas' favorite movies Spirit. Maya knew the movie, heck she watched it a few times in her life, and she got the reference right away.
Spirit was Lucas' favorite horse. Spirit was, in fact, the horse that he helped birth quite a few years back. But seeing as Maya was amazed by the beaut, he let her have him. So Lucas opted for his next favorite horse, Atlas, a striking palomino.
Lucas showed the gang how to saddle up the horses, and tried to go around and help everyone out since they all looked like they were having issues. Zay got Zara saddled up quickly and went to help Farkle and Riley, leaving Lucas to help Maya.
Maya being short, even in her wedged boots, struggled to get her saddle up on Spirit. Heck, she had trouble even lifting the saddle.
Lucas came up behind her and grabbed the saddle from her grasp. Maya jumped at the feeling of his body behind her. "Here let me help you."
He lifted the saddle over his head and up onto Spirit and strapped him up.
He grabbed Atlas before telling everyone to grab the reins on their horses and walk them over to the ring so they could safely ride.
Once they got there, Lucas showed the gang how to get themselves onto the horse and showed them basic commands, "Sitting on top of your horse, lightly squeeze your legs together to signal that you want your horse to start walking. Keep them at a safe walking pace, don't let them start running. You can control where the horse goes by moving his or her reins in the direction you wish to go. To stop your horse, gently pull back on the reins until your horse comes to a complete stop. Do not jump off while your horse is still moving. If your horse gets spooked and starts running stay calm, hold on tight and don't pull on the reins. Just make sure to stay calm and hold tight. But you're in a safe environment so your horses should be fine."
Everyone got onto their horses with little to no problems. Riley got up, swung her leg over only to lose balance and fall off. She quickly got back up and managed to keep her balance when she swung her leg over for the second time.
Maya, on the other hand, was too short to get up. Spirit was a pretty tall stallion and she had a hard time getting up. Lucas noticed her struggle and got off Atlas to help her. He put his hands on her waist and Maya almost jumped out of her skin at his contact. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." he said in a hushed tone. "Let me help you."
Lucas had a good grip on Maya, he told her that when he lifts her up, she should swing her leg over to the other side of the horse. In one swift motion Lucas lifted Maya and she swung her leg over, landing perfectly on top of Spirit. "Thanks." she smiled at Lucas before he left her to get back onto his horse.
The gang rode around the ring laughing and having a blast. They never thought they'd be here in Texas riding horses.
They rode around for hours, and once night fall came around, they returned their horses to the stable and left to get something to eat. Pappy Joe suggested getting barbecue at Famous Texas BBQ House. So the group all went to the guest house to shower and get ready. Riley changed into jeans with a white tank top and a brown tassel jacket. She threw on flat ankle boots before finishing her look with a layered necklace. Maya came out in a yellow wrap dress and brown strapped heels.
The boys couldn't stop staring at the girls.
Farkle couldn't keep his hands off of Riley. She was really hoping the two would take that next step in their relationship, and tonight would be a good night.
The gang piled into Pappy Joe's truck, that he lent to Lucas, and Lucas drove them to the bbq house. It was around 9pm and the place was lit with live music and people dancing. Of course the live music was country music, something Maya always made fun of, but the more she listened, the more she got used to it. The gang took a seat at an open table and ordered two big plates of house ribs and beers for the table. Of course the waitress didn't believe that they were of age to drink, but Lucas and Zay, being so famous here, were able talk the girl into serving them the beer. It also helped that they knew her personally and she loved them.
The night went on and the house rib plates kept coming. The plate was huge and there was a big pile of ribs on it, but the five of them some how managed to scarf down the two plates in no time. After the two plates they were still hungry, especially Farkle. He'd never had such delicious food before in his life, and he was determined to eat as much as his tiny body would allow him to.
Maya had left the group to use the restroom. As she left the bathroom, she was greeted by a very attractive guy, looking around the same age as her. "Hi, I'm Wesley. Can I just say, you are breathtaking." he smiled at Maya and extended his hand out to her. She was intrigued, he was extremely good looking. Tall, just around Lucas' height, beautiful hazel eyes and dark brown hair tousled atop his head. She took his hand in hers, "Maya." she smiled. The two stood there chatting a bit. She learned that he's a 19 year old Texas local. He learned that Maya was, in fact, not a Texas local but an 18 year old New Yorker. She noticed slight flirting, which she was flattered by. She even managed to swap phone numbers with him.
The gang noticed that Maya had been in the bathroom for a while and started to worry. Zay spotted her first, "Oh shit." his words slipped out and Lucas spotted her quickly after. Lucas shot out of his seat faster than ever and started walking over to them. Riley and Farkle were confused as to why he reacted like that. They looked over to Zay who said, "I'm gonna go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." before jumping out of his seat and following Lucas.
"What are you doing?" Lucas said approaching Maya and Wesley. "Hey hop-a-long, I'm just making new friends. This is-" Maya said cheerfully.
"I know who he is." Lucas cut her off. Maya noticed his dark expression and took a step back.
"What are you doing here Wesley?" he asked.
"Like the lady said, just making new friends here hop-a-long." Wesley smirked.
"Come on Maya, we're leaving." Lucas said as he grabbed Maya's wrist. She didn't fight him. She didn't want to admit it but she was a little scared of Lucas right now. She's seen him mad before, mad enough to shove a guy twice his size into the lockers to help Zay, mad enough to punch one of her ex boyfriends in the face for cheating on her, but this was a different mad. He was calm and didn't act on instinct; and that's what scared Maya.
"Don't forget about that party this weekend Maya. You're all welcome to join. The cabin by the lake. You remember where it is right Lucas?" he taunted Lucas. Wesley knew that would make him mad, and he loved that he had the upper hand in this.
"It'll be just like old times." he placed his hand on Lucas' shoulder and squeezed before turning to walk away. "Zay." he acknowledged him before walking out of the restaurant.
Lucas was furious. He dropped Maya's wrist and walked out the back door.
"What was that all about?" Maya asked Zay. Riley and Farkle joined the two, interested in the answer as well.
"Wesley was part of the reason Lucas got kicked out of school."