Girl Meets World Fanfiction

AU: She's his tutor. He's the star player of the lacrosse team and the most popular guy in school. They live in polar opposite worlds, but not in ones you might be used to with this kind of story. Riley Matthews has perfect parents who love one another unconditionally. She has a 4.5 GPA, is expecting to get accepted into an elite writing program for high school students at NYU this summer, and has friends who support her in every way possible. Lucas Friar lives in a world of secrets and lies. His parents are in the middle of a brutal divorce, his dad's company is going bankrupt, he's failing 11th Grade English, and his girlfriend is cheating on him with someone he cares about. When their worlds intersect, their lives are changed in ways they didn't think were possible.

About this chapter: The first paragraph is in the present and the rest of the story is set in the past. It is telling Riley and Lucas' story and leading back up to that paragraph throughout. Summary: Riley is obsessed with the idea of Lucas Friar, but when she truly gets to know him, her feelings for him change in an unexpected way.

Note: I've incorporated aspects from different TV shows into this fic. The foundation of it (Tutor Girl and Mr. Popular) is based off of Nathan and Haley from One Tree Hill. Then there are elements from the show My So Called Life (the boy who leans against lockers, the introspective commentary from the lead character). So. Yeah. It might sound cliche at first, but just wait. It's gonna get crazy haha ;)

Other Note: This story is about growth (I know, Michael Jacobs would be so proud haha) so if the characters seem a little over the top at first, that's because they are and that's the point. So here is chapter 1. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Do You Know Me?

Riley

There were a thousand things I didn't know. A million even. More than a million. In fact, I practically knew nothing. But amongst those millions of things that I was in the dark about, there was one single, solitary fact that I was absolutely certain of that rose above the rest and made it's way into the light. I knew him. I knew him down to his very core. And I was so in love with him. And the inconceivable truth about it was that he had no idea who I was. Not in the way that counted. Or at least that was what I had thought before… Well, just. Before.

–

1 Year Ago

He was leaning against his locker again. He did that a lot. There was something so poetic about the way he did it that drove me crazy. He ran his fingers through his hair and laughed at something his friend- the funny one, not the arrogant lacrosse player with the boyband haircut- was saying. He did that a lot too, which drove me borderline insane. I wondered then, if he ever noticed that I was always staring at him in a way that let him in on the secret that I knew he leaned against lockers like it was his job to hold them up. I mean, I wasn't subtle about it. I figured, what was the point of hiding the way I looked at him. It wasn't like it mattered. He saw me the way we wanted to see me. Why couldn't I see him the way I wanted to see him?

"Riley, are you listening?"

I wasn't. I was never listening, not when Lucas Friar was leaning against his locker like that. God.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"The writing contest, the one that's coming up in a month? The one that gets you into the writing program at NYU? Have you figured out what you're going to submit?" Farkle asked, picking at the poem I had taped on the inside of my locker. It was a love poem, but not one of those cheesy ones they put on Valentine's Day cards. It was obscure, real, honest and it described the way I felt about Lucas perfectly.

"Um. No, I haven't really thought about it yet," I muttered distractedly. Lucas wasn't leaning anymore, but in some ways, what he was doing now was so much worse. He was walking towards us.

"Riley, you really should have some idea of what you're going to turn in by now. I'm already editing the second draft of my short story about what it's like to lose your identity to the pressures of conformity and capitalism."

"That's because you're a genius Farkle. And because you have no life," I joked, raising my eyebrows at him and smiling slightly.

Lucas was coming up behind me. I knew before I even turned around. Before he even spoke. Be cool, Riley.

"Hey, Riley. Are we still on for my tutoring session in the library this afternoon?" Lucas asked. Yes, yes, yes! Always. I will tutor you until the end of time if you asked.

"Yeah, just be sure to bring your last English exam. And your copy of The Great Gatsby." I tried really hard not to roll my eyes. I hated the Great Gatsby. I hated the characters, I hated the story, and I hated that I had to convince teenagers who could care less about reading to read a book that I wish I hadn't even read.

"Okay. I'll see you after school. Don't forget I have-"

"Lacrosse practice at 4:45. I got it. We'll be done by then. That is, if you did the reading like I asked you to," I teased him. Let's be honest, I was flirting. And I wasn't even trying to hide it.

Lucas smiled and his nose crinkled the slightest bit. Lord help me.

"I definitely read it. Thanks Riley." My heart raced at the sound of him saying my name.

"No problem."

He turned on his heel and walked down the hallway to his next class. Even the way he walked drove me crazy.

"He's so good at that," I breathed as I watched him walk away.

"At what?" Farkle asked.

"Walking. Talking. Being."

"You do realize he has a girlfriend right?" Farkle informed me, an annoyed tone to his voice.

I did realize that. But I also realized that she was not in love with him. It was the way she carried herself when she was around him. Her posture, her eyes, her way of looking like she'd rather be having a different conversation a million miles from where she currently was. You don't act like that around someone you're in love with. You don't act like that around Lucas Friar.

"Yeah, well we'll see." I grabbed my calculus book from my locker and slammed the door shut. Only 7 more hours until I got to be with Lucas in the library. Someone invent a fast forward button for my life, quick!

–

There was something about the library that made the rest of the world disappear. Maybe it was being with Lucas in the library. Maybe it was the fact that there were no windows. Regardless, I always lost track of time during my tutoring sessions with Lucas. With him, time didn't exist. And I craved that more than I should.

"Do you think Nick Carraway is important to the story? What do you think we would gain or lose if the story was told from a third person omniscient narrator instead?" I asked Lucas. I was staring intently at my copy of the book. It had pencil marks from when I underlined important parts and wrote notes in the margins about my thoughts or ideas about a certain theme or character. Lucas' copy was brand new and pencil mark free. But he wasn't staring at his book like I was. He was staring at me.

"You don't like this book very much do you?" Lucas accused, squinting his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows.

"What? What makes you say that?"

"I can tell when you're talking about a book you love. Your eyes light up and you use a lot of hand gestures. But when you're talking about a book you hate, you're all business," Lucas pointed out. He noticed something about me. Something personal. Something you had to be paying attention to figure out. Something like leaning against lockers.

"Well, the thing is… I can't relate to this book. The characters aren't believable to me. I can't get inside their heads and pretend that I'm living their lives instead of my own. That's how a book becomes a book I love," I admitted, my words coming out rushed.

"Well, which book does that for you then?"

Do I tell him? Telling a person your favorite book is a big deal. It tells you everything about a person, deep down to their very core.

"The Secret Garden." I answered quickly, glancing back down at my book.

"Isn't that a kids book?"

I rolled my eyes. God.

"No, it's not just a kids book. When I was little… Nevermind. It just means a lot to me okay? That book… It's who I am."

Lucas stared at me for a moment, searching my eyes for something I couldn't quite put my finger on. "I've never heard anyone talk about a book like that before," Lucas whispered. "Maybe I'll read it after I finish this one then. Maybe it'll finally help me figure out who you are." What was happening here? Was this real?

"I didn't think you wanted to know that."

"There's a lot you don't know about what I want." The way he said this, with his eyes serious and his brows furrowed, made me believe that this was the truest thing he could have ever said to me.

This was the moment I realized that he was more than someone who leaned against lockers and tussled his hair. He was someone I could talk to. Someone who wanted to talk to me. And I needed as many of those someones as I could find.

I glanced down at my watch and started to gather my books.

"It's almost 4:30. You should probably go if you want to get to practice on time."

"Riley, can I ask you something?" Lucas turned to face me so that we were staring right at each other. YES. YEs. Yes. I nodded and he continued. "In your opinion… When you see me in the hallways or after school, would you say that I look…happy?"

Did I think he was happy? How did I answer this? Did I tell him the truth?

"I trust you to tell me the truth because no one else in my life is ever going to be honest with me," he added, answering my question.

"Well… I think you try so hard to be happy sometimes that it's too exhausting to actually feel the emotion when you need it most." Maybe that was too honest. But, he asked for the truth.

Lucas looked at me then like he knew exactly who I was. Like he truly knew me because I truly knew him. But that was the thing. I was starting to realize I had no idea who Lucas Friar was. I knew the idea of him. I knew what I wanted to know. And I saw what I wanted to see. But did I know him?

"Thank you, Riley," he told me, smiling slightly and picking up his backpack.

"Yeah… Um. Read the next three chapters tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow," I sputtered out quickly. We both stood up and headed towards the library's entrance. "Have a good practice." I told him as I turned to walk in the opposite direction, but Lucas didn't budge. Instead, his eyes were locked on my backpack.

"And all day it seems we've been in between the past and future town," Lucas said in almost a whisper.

"Sorry?" I asked, genuinely confused.

Lucas pointed to the button on my backpack.

"Bright Eyes. We are Nowhere and It's Now. That's a great song."

Again, what was happening?

"I'll see you tomorrow Riley," Lucas called back as he ran down the hall to the locker room.

As I stared after him, I realized I was staring at a stranger. He was hiding things from the people he called his friends. He was probably hiding things from himself. But for some unfathomable reason, he was trying his best not to hide things from me. I had no idea why. We barely knew each other. But I had this unbelievably strong feeling that all of that was about to change and I was going to know Lucas Friar better than he knew himself.