Maya could not think of anything worse than the current situation she was in. Just stay home for the party, Maya. It'll be fun, Maya. Nothing bad with happen, Maya. Maya rolled her eye. She should never have listened to Riley. Bad things happen when she listens to Riley.

You'd think after this many years of friendship she'd have learned. Clearly she had not.

Evidence of this was the plethora of Riley's high school friend currently in her dorm room.

Her and Riley had grown apart in high school. Riley was pretty, kind, optimistic, and on the cheerleading squad. She'd grown into her limbs during freshman year. Maya, on the other hand, spent her time in run down art room on the far side of the building, hiding from reality. Still the same height as she was at 14. So they had slowly lost contact, stopped speaking to each other, established themselves in completely different social groups. Different parts of the food chain. They hadn't spoken in years. Until that fateful morning that Maya entered her brand new dorm room to find a lounge already fully furnished and decorated with pink. So much pink. There had been a framed cheerleading uniform on the wall. And Riley had emerged from her new bedroom with the most delighted expression she'd ever seen. Maya had demanded that monstrosity come off the wall.

That is the simplest version of the events that led her to her current situation. Sitting on her favourite chair in her dorms living room, surrounded by jocks who had all come to participate in a full blown kegger. Stupid Riley.

Maya shifted away from the drunk frat boy on her right side, slamming right into Riley as she sat down abruptly on her left, "Are you having fun?"

Maya raised an eyebrow, "No."

Riley huffed and took another gulp from her red solo cup, "Not even a little bit?"

"No."

Riley looked at her, "Are you even trying?"

Maya blinked at her, "You really want me to try and make friends with the popular kids from my old high school?"

Riley sighed, "They're my friends."

Maya grunted, "Okay, fine," she pushed herself up from the couch, ignoring the frat boys grabby hands, "I'll get a drink. Make myself more approachable."

Riley grinned, "Good idea," she picked herself up and headed towards a group of people who had just walked through the door.

Maya made her way to the kitchen, avoiding athletic bodies on her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of soda water from the refrigerator, pouring it into a cup. Nearly.

She really didn't have time for this bullshit. I mean, she was doing extra classes during break to keep up with her scholarship requirements. Did she really have time to pretend to be civil with the people who despised? For Riley, maybe. But she wouldn't go quietly. Well, she would but she wasn't going to pretend to be happy about it. Maya spun around quickly, drink in hand, and hit straight into a wall of solid muscle. This one in particular was wearing a shirt that now had Maya's potential drink spilt down its front. Maya froze. And then, because it's just her luck, her mouth started blurting out whatever her brain could think to say, "I'm so sorry. I really am. That wasn't my intention. I really didn't mean to spill it on you. I mean, there's a lot of people here I would like to spill a drink on, but not you. I can just ge-"

Maya stopped, looking up at her victim, "Who the hell are you?"

The man in question smirked down at her.

He reached down to still Maya's hand, which was furiously patting at his stomach, "I think you've done a good enough job, sweetheart."

Maya brain clicked instantly. That drawl was forever ingrained in her memory, "Lucas," She seethed, snatching her hand away.

Lucas was still for moment, searching her face for something he recognised, "You know me?"

Maya huffed and threw her plastic cup in the sink behind her, "I'm sorry about the shirt. Would you like a new one?"

Lucas stared at her, the green in his eyes glinting in the light, "I don't think I would fit any of yours, honey."

Maya huffed out an exasperated sigh, stalking quickly towards her bedroom, hoping he was following. He made her aware of his presence by closing the bedroom door with a sharp thud, "You should probably buy me dinner first."

Maya ignored him and began rummaging around her closet for one of the male t shirts she knew was in there.

"Cute room," He commented, scanning her wall of art, "You do these?"

Maya stood up from the ground where she had been crouching, navy blue shirt in hand. She threw it at his face, "Yes. Now, get out."

Lucas caught the shirt, "That's a new one."

Maya scoffed, closing her closet door and turning to face him, "Oh? Girl don't usually throw star quarterbacks out of their bedrooms? How predictable."

Lucas' eyes had a wicked gleam in them, "Somebody's been keeping tabs on me. Do I know you?"

Maya rolled her eye, "No," she turned around to let him change his shirt, "But I know you."

Lucas raised an eyebrow as he finished pulling the shirt over his torso. Maya, enjoying the feeling of having the upper hand for once, ignored him and continued, "Lucas Friar. Star Quarterback, Class president, resident John Quincy Adams bad boy. You're not exactly a mystery."

Lucas chuckled, "Not to you, apparently."

Maya, tired of the game he was playing, started towards the door, "We went to high school together."

Maya was satisfied with his shocked expression, "Did we know each other?"

Maya sniggered, "Hmmm, let's see. Since you only talk to females when you're interested in sleeping with them and I'm not your type, I'm going to go with no."

Lucas was intrigued, "And what is my type?"

Maya cocked her head, "Tall, leggy cheerleaders with no morals."

he held the door open and motioned for her to walk through, "Well, looks like you've got me figured out."

Maya glared at him, "Are you always this irritating? Or did you have a particularly bad day and you're taking out on me?"

Lucas placed a hand over his heart, "I'm wounded, Short stack. Here I am, trying to win your favour, all you can do is snap at me."

Maya stared at him for a second and started to walk away. She stopped when she almost crashed into an excitable Riley, "Lucas? You made it."

Maya looked on appalled while Lucas wrapped him arms around Riley, picking her up off the ground, "Well I didn't come to town to see the sites."

Riley giggled, "Did I hear right from Missy? Did you really get recruited to NYU? How many scholarships are you gonna get offered?"

Maya looked on in interest as Lucas scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable, "Universities just can't resist my particular brand of charm."

Maya snorted, turning towards the kitchen. Lucas' voice followed her "Something to say Short stack?"

Maya grinned, "Not a word."

Lucas shifted past her, knocking her shoulder, "Liar."

Maya tried her hardest to ignore the play of the muscles in his back underneath the thin material of the T-shirt she had provided for him. She had brought this on herself. Screw soda water. She needed to get this party started.

Firecracker. If Lucas had to think of a word to describe her, that would be it. He had been watching her from across the room as she attempted to make conversation with his friend for the last half hour. He tried to ignore the way his whole body tensed when Will gave in to an appreciative glance over her body.
Lucas couldn't remember her in the slightest. She couldn't have been around much, because he's sure he would have noticed a body like that walking the halls. He was a guy after all, that's what he did. Some guy he was. He couldn't bring himself to pay attention to the girl talking away beside him. She leant on him, gripping his bicep and whispering the occasional vulgar comment in his ear. He couldn't care less; he was busy looking at the girl across the room. The only kind of girl he had ever slept with was all muscle and bone. She was different, softer. He wanted to know what a girl like her would feel like pressed against him.

Lucas pushed off the wall, "Excuse me, Honey. I've gotta go see a friend."

The girl gripped his arms, stumbling after him as he stalked towards Will, "Hey you two. How are things going?"

Maya looked up at him, eyes unfocused and hazy "Heya cowboy. We're doing just fine."

Lucas shifted his gaze to Will, eyebrows raised, "She been drinking?"

Will meet his glare with his own, "Maybe. She already had cup when she came over here."

Maya took a step towards them, stumbling her feet with nothing to balance on. Lucas caught her with one arm, pulling her to his side, not breaking eye contact, "Make the right choice here, Will. We've been teammates for a while now. Don't ruin it."

Will held his ground for a few more seconds and then broke, moving off to another conversation, leaving Lucas with an intoxicated Maya in his arms, "You alright, honey?"

Maya rolled her eyes, "I had that handled. I didn't need your help."

Lucas chuckled, "You can't even walk."

Maya looked up at him, guilt written all over her face, "I don't drink much."

Lucas was grateful for that, "How about we get you to bed? The party's dying down anyway."

The party was not dying down. Riley hadn't seen her high school friend in a year. This thing was going to go until the early hours of the morning. But Maya nodded, so he helped her towards the door of her bedroom. She stumbled towards the bed, collapsing on the cover and rolling onto her back, "I'm not going to sleep with you."

Lucas restrained a laugh, "I know. What's your name, darling?"

She had an adorably confused expression on her face, "It's Maya. If you know, then why are you helping me?"

Lucas shifted her so her could pull up the cover on her side of the bed, "Because I may not want to take advantage of your state but plenty of those guys out there would."

Maya giggled and snuggled under the covers, "They don't want me, silly."

Lucas shook his head. They did. He knew this, because he also wanted her, "You might have to agree to disagree with me on that one, Short stack."

Maya stilled and looked up at him, groaning in annoyance.

Lucas grinned, "What?"

Maya's hands flew up in exasperation, "You got more attractive."

Lucas blinked, "I'm sorry, say again?"

Maya shook her head, "Since high school. You were hot in high school, obviously. But honestly, how many hours do you spend in the gym."

Lucas worked the smile out of his jaw, "I have a football scholarship. I go to the gym as a class."

Maya frowned, "You should let the other guys have a chance."

Lucas couldn't believe she was this bossy, even when drunk, "I should what?"

Maya nestled further into the blankets, "They can't ever look like you. Doesn't matter how hard they try."

Lucas grinned, "You're a nice drunk."

Maya shook her head, "I never drink. I'm not good at it."

"Clearly," Lucas muttered under his breath.

Maya sat up to face him, "Be honest, though. How many girls have you had sex with?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just give me a rough estimate."

Luas pushed her back into bed, "I think it's time for you to go to bed."

Maya pouted, "I'm just curious."

Lucas shook his head, sitting on her bed as he tucked her in, "Curiosity killed the cat, Maya. You should be less curious."

Maya giggled, "You sound like my therapist."

Lucas had a sudden thought, "Hey, gorgeous. Mind telling me where you go this shirt from?"

He gestured to his torso. Maya frowned, "It's my ex boyfriends. You can have it. I definitely don't want it."

Ex-boyfriend. Good.

"You seeing anyone now?"

Maya snorted into her pillow, "Guys don't like me. I'm crazy."

No boyfriend was good news for him. He stood up and headed towards the door to rejoin reality, leaving Maya breathing softly in her sleep.

Lucas grinned. He liked crazy.

Maya rolled out of bed in an attempt to shut off her alarms. Nine AM, really? Why didn't she turn that off last night? Oh that's right, she had been incoherent. Maya landed on the floor beside her bed, head pounding. She couldn't remember anything past the introduction to the hot guy. What was his name? Will? Who cares. Maya needed coffee.

She was hypersensitive to every sound as she pushed open her bedroom door. She flinched at the sound of a trash bag rustling in the kitchen, "Riley, it's barely nine. You don't need to start clean alrea-"

Maya faltered, "What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?"

Lucas straightened, flashing her a heart stopping grin, "Good morning, sunshine."

Maya made a face, stepping around him towards the coffee. Lucas chuckled, "You're all out of coffee."

Maya's head snapped up, her heart actually stopping this time, "What!?"

Lucas was suppressing laughter, "Riley insisted on sobering people up before they left."

Maya hated drunk Riley. She was nicer than normal Riley.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

Lucas pointed to the door, "Go get coffee? Tell you what, I'll take you to a place nearby. My shout."

Maya had no money, so that was a tempting offer, "Why?"

Lucas took that as a yes, moving to get his coat, "I've moved to town permanently. Riley's my only good friend around these parts. And you're her best friend."

Maya blinked at him, "You want to be my friend?"

Lucas smirked, "That depends."

Maya stalked into her bedroom, throwing an oversized NYU hoodie on over last night's clothes, "Oh what?"

Lucas looked her up and down, "How loosely we're applying the term 'friend'"

Maya narrowed her eyes and stalked out of the door he was holding open, "Watch it."

Maya steadied herself on the counter of the coffee shop as they waited for their drinks. Her head was pounding, "Why are you moving back to New York?"

She'd spoken abruptly, jolting Lucas out of some kind of reverie, "I was offered a football scholarship here, too."

"You didn't take it at first?"

Lucas shook his head, "I also got offered one to Texas. That's where I'm from, so I took that one."

Maya, curious, motioned towards an empty table in the cafe, "If you chose that one, why are you here?"

He scratched the the back of his neck, "It...uhm...Wasn't working out."

Maya barked out a laugh.

Lucas frowned, "What?"

Maya grinned, "You got kicked out."

He cocked his head, "There may have been an incident."

Maya couldn't help giggling uncontrollably, "I love it when I'm right."

"Right?"

Maya bit her lip, "I just figured you were still the bad boy type."

Lucas rolled his eyes, "My reputation precedes me."

Maya snorted, "Well, you weren't exactly subtle in school."

"Am I being subtle now?"

"Subtle about what?"

"Well if I was being obvious, you would have noticed how I spent most of the walk over here staring at your ass."

Maya blinked, "Oh no, I noticed that. I just put it down to the fact that you're a pig."

Lucas grinned, "Well, yes. But also because you have a swe-"

The waitress shouted from behind the counter, "Espresso and flat white?"

Maya got up quickly, "That's us."

Lucas grinned, "That's you. I didn't even order anything."

"Oh shut up, Huckleberry."

"Huckleberry?"

Maya grinned, "Texas?"

Lucas held the door for her, "Touché"