Its just my head cannon that Lucas doesn't actually like country music. It doesn't really seem to fit him all that well I guess.
Out of the five of them, Lucas was the first one to get his license. He was a year older after all. So when he passed the driving test at the end of their freshman year, no one was surprised.
Since traffic in New York was a nightmare to face, he would still take the subway to school and walk to Topanga's. But every once in a while he would take the beat up, blue pick up truck his mama had brought with them from Texas and drive himself around Greenwich Village.
Zay and his family lived nearby to the Friars so he would often hitch rides with his friend to school when the two were running a bit late. When they walked down the hallway, Zay could constantly be heard complaining about Lucas' music. Maya recalled that he had never really been a fan of country music and sympathized with him. She was only enjoyed it if she could use it to mock the taller boy. She would often mock him by telling him that every country song was about girls, heartbreak, love, alcohol and tractors, but Lucas would just shake his head and smile at her without responding in any way.
Farkle usually got rides from his father, but every once in a while Lucas would take him to the Friar house with him after school to work on a project or hang out. The genius tended to have a very eclectic taste in music, so when confronted on the former Texan's tastes he merely shrugged with the blonde girl asked him.
"I don't know, it was alright. Not my favorite, but you know."
"It suits him pretty well, hmm? Country music for a country boy?" Maya joked, elbowing Lucas playfully beside her. The boy shook his head and smiled while she got another shrug from the brunette.
"Well it actually does suit him I guess," he murmured before walking into class, leaving Maya to stare up at Lucas questioningly. The boy smirked and shrugged as well before walking away and leaving the blonde just the slightest bit confused.
Riley was given rides home from Topanga's regularly. Lucas lived reasonably close to the Matthew's apartment and when the group's study sessions ended before Topanga's shift, he didn't mind the extra minute or two it took to bring her home. Though Cory was still suspicious, he appreciated that his daughter wouldn't have to walk or ride the subway after dark even if Maya wouldn't hesitate to join the brunette.
One day, Maya walked up to Riley after the girl had received a ride to school from their friend and the brunette was humming as she tugged books out of her locker. The blonde's eyebrows furrowed as she leaned on the lockers next to her best friend.
"Is that Taylor Swift?"
"Yup! Did you know that Lucas listens to her music? He has the same taste in music as I do!" Riley's face was split in a wide grin while Maya threw back her head and laughed loudly.
"Really? Ranger Rick listens to Country Pop? That's blackmail gold!"
"What's blackmail gold? What poor soul are you planning on taking down now?" Maya turned with a dangerous smirk on her face as the familiar southern-laced voice approached them from behind.
"So, the Lone Ranger listens to Taylor Swift does he?" He blinked at her with a confused look on his face for a moment until he noticed Riley standing behind the blonde and realization appeared. His face changed, but it wasn't fearful or annoyed like she was expecting.
"Well, I guess, yeah." The short blonde pouted up at him with irritation.
"So you're not upset that I know, like, at all? Nothing? I don't even get a groan or an eye roll or something?" He shrugged and gave her a patronizing smile.
"Well if it makes you feel better I can groan and roll my eyes just for you but I think I'd rather save those for when you actually do something to me." The slight quirk of his lips was enough to make the blonde snarl, but she held it down. She stepped in closer to him to try and salvage some of her intimidation factor, though she knew she had lost this round.
"Well you better watch out for when I do, 'cause, darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream," she whispered dangerously, quoting the song in an attempt to get a reaction of some sort. But she was left confused once again when his face remained blank and he raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, that was actually pretty good. I didn't know you were into poetry." Maya blinked at the boy, the annoyance and confusion apparent on her face. The bell rang at that moment and Lucas took the opportunity to take a step back from the blonde and moved towards the classroom door behind him. He gave a small wave and a smile.
"Okay, well, see you in class. Bye, Riley," he said before ducking into the doorway. Maya turned quickly and looked at Riley questioningly while the brunette also looked confused.
"That's weird, that was one of the songs playing on the radio when we were driving here. And if you know Taylor Swift at all, you'd probably know that one word for word." Their curiosities heightened, the two girls walked to their next classes.
It was a Friday night at the beginning of January and the gang was lounging in the chairs at Topanga's as Topanga Matthews herself was closing up for the night. Riley was getting a ride home with her mother, Farkle's father had just pulled up in his car to pick him up, and Zay was staying at the Minkus household for the weekend because his parents were out of town. Maya shoved her arms into the sleeves of her coat and was about to walk out the door when Lucas called to her from his seat.
"Wait, Maya were you planning on taking the subway?" She nodded slowly as if the answer were obvious.
"Well, Huckleberry, its that or walk and I'd really rather not because its about freezing out there so…" The former Texan shoved the rest of his books into his backpack and stood up.
"Just wait a second, I can give you a ride." Maya shook her head as he snagged his coat off of the hanger by the door.
"You live on the other side of town from me, I couldn't possibly ask you to—"
"You didn't ask me, I offered. Now we're going to get into an argument about this and eventually you'll yell 'fine!' ten minutes later, so why don't we just skip that and you let me give you a ride now." He shot her a pointed look as she gaped at him, trying to find the words but failing. It was annoying that he knew her so well. The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, murmuring something that could barely pass as assent. The taller boy smiled warmly as he pulled his backpack onto his shoulder and pushed the door open for her. Maya rolled her eyes as she walked through the door into the cold.
Lucas was parked a few blocks away at a parking meter (which she laughed at him for because it was a cheaper lot to park on a measly two blocks farther). She hopped up into the passenger seat after shooting him a glare for opening the car door for her (he just smiled and tipped an imaginary hat).
As she buckled her seatbelt, she mentally prepared herself for the heavy twang of country music she was sure would be bombarded with when the key was turned in the ignition. But part of her was curious to have this mystery of Lucas' music uncovered.
When the tall boy started the car, he glanced over at her and placed a hand on the radio dial.
"Mind if I turn on the music?" A slow smile spread across the blonde's face as she looked back at him.
"Oh not at all, lets just see which song comes on first, the one about tractors maybe?" He smiled wide and turned on the volume to what was undoubtedly a country song. But before she was able to make a gagging noise and mock him for it, a similar noise escaped his own lips. She quirked an eyebrow at him as he pressed the number two radio station button and suddenly her eardrums were met with the sound of heavy metal. He glanced at her nervously for a moment.
"This is Black Sabbath."
"Is that okay? If you want we can go back to country—"
"NO! No, I love Black Sabbath. I just…" She shook her head as she struggled to find the right words.
"You didn't expect me to like this kind of music? I get that a lot." She didn't say anything in response, so he turned into the street to begin the drive to the Hart apartment.
In the middle of an Avenged Sevenfold song, she finally turned towards him, her eyes betraying the many questions she had. But as she opened her mouth, he interrupted her.
"Zay hates metal just about as much as he hates country. That's why he's always complaining about my music." Her eyebrows furrowed at him.
"How did you know I was going to ask that?" He spared her a fleeting glance from the corner of his eye.
"I know you better than you think I do." They sat in silence again for a moment before he spoke up again.
"Farkle doesn't mind it. He wasn't really surprised either, he actually thinks this makes more sense than country. He seems to think I have some crazy dark side." She raised an eyebrow and her lips quirked into a smirk.
"Don't you?" He glanced over at her again and chuckled lightly.
"Anyway, my mama had the car before I went to pick up Riley for school that day and she loves Taylor Swift and every other kind of country. Riley wanted music and when I turned on the radio she started singing along to some song right away so I didn't have the heart to change it. I don't think she would appreciate this too much anyway," he said, gesturing to the speaker as a section of the song switched over what sounded like meaningless screaming, though the words behind the screech played clearly in both of their heads. Maya nodded.
"Probably a good idea, Riley spazzed out when I tried to play some song I found for her. She's been trying to 'convert me' ever since." Lucas chuckled next to her and she smiled.
They pulled up to the curb outside Maya's apartment and she tugged her coat around her tightly to prepare for the cold outside.
"Thanks for the ride, Sundance." The tall boy's fingers twitched nervously on the steering wheel.
"You know, I can give you rides more often. I mean, its nice to have someone else who likes the same music as me in the car and you wouldn't have to walk in this weather." The blonde let out a short laugh.
"Hop-along, now that I know you don't play country music, I'm gonna ask for rides so often that you beg me to hitch a ride on some other wagon. You think that this is the end? You're wrong." Lucas laughed at the reference.
"'Memories of a Broken Heart' huh?" As she opened the door of the car, she tossed a look over her shoulder at him in a flurry of windblown curls.
"You know it, Bucky Mcboing Boing." And then she was gone. Lucas watched as the blonde jogged up to the door of the apartment complex. He stayed idling in his spot at the curb until he saw the telltale pool of light appear and disappear that showed that she had entered the building. And as he pulled out into the street he mouthed the words to Enter the Sandman along with the radio, a smile on his face.
After that, it wasn't uncommon to see Maya and Lucas sitting in the blue pick up truck in the school parking lot, Maya with her feet up on the dash and Lucas tapping the steering wheel, both of them singing along to the song that was turned up loud enough to split ear drums.
Yeah, I don't even know what this is. I just word barfed on the page last night and decided to finish this up this morning and here it is, in ugly unedited form. Oh well, maybe you liked it anyway.
