A/N: Okay, this chapter turned out longer than expected, but I had to provide a bit of background before we get into the heavier stuff. Thanks to those who sent in their reviews and those who are following the story. The response has been great! They were encouraging. So again thank you and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

"Riley?"

She turned at the sound of a familiar voice beside her. Her thoughts were miles away and it took her a moment longer than expected to realize that her best friend was still speaking to her. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, she stopped listening as her mind drifted to the awkward meeting she had with a student not too long ago; a rather interesting conversation that triggered memories she learned to suppress over the past couple of years.

Riley opened her mouth to reply, but no words would surface. How could she even begin to explain? She was uncertain about starting the conversation without it coming off wrong. The last thing she wanted was to bring up the past and the influx of emotions it would elicit. She finally replied lamely, "Yea?"

"Did you even hear a single word I just said?"

She blinked a few times at the blonde, trying to recall the conversation she nearly forgotten about. "Um, something about Ryder starting a paint war in class, hence the paint on your forehead that you failed miserably to wash off?" She teased, noting the visible streaks of green and red that stained her skin as an innocent smile crept over her face. The blonde glared at her before frowning. She was not used to seeing her usually bubbly friend look so down, and she was doing a terrible job of hiding it.

"Seriously, Riley. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Maya." She murmured, not at all convincing as she idly picked up her coffee mug. Riley did her best to act like everything was fine as her gaze drifted aimlessly to a few staff members entering the faculty room. But she could feel Maya's eyes on her as they quietly sat at their usual table by the window causing Riley to shift uncomfortably on her seat. She knew the question and answer session was going to start soon.

"You sure?" Her tone indicated that she knew Riley was hiding something and she wasn't about to let the subject rest.

Riley groaned despondently, wishing her best friend wasn't so observant. It was stupid of her to think otherwise, to think she can get away with it. They have known each other since they were practically babies. She should know by now that they read each other like a book.

Riley released a heavy breath, unsure of how to lay it out on her. She had to refrain herself from letting the thought of him get to her head. "Jasmine came to my office earlier today," Riley started off quietly and reluctantly. "She got accepted to Yale."

"That's amazing." Maya exclaimed, masking the same delighted expression on her best friend's features. But the look instantly disappeared as Riley's face fell slightly, with brows knitted together in deep thought.

She sighed. "But…"

"Ah, of course there's a but."

"She is conflicted, Maya. She's afraid that going to Yale would mean losing her boyfriend. And now she's asking me what she should do. What I would do in that situation."

"Oh." Maya digested her words carefully as realization dawned on her, causing her eyes to spring open in response. "Ohhhh…"

"How can I possibly help her, Maya? My job is to guide these kids, mentor them, help them set goals and prepare them for future educational opportunities and entry into the work force. Not give relationship advice!" She spluttered out in frustration. Maya reached across the table and placed a hand on top of Riley's for support. She knew she carried a heavy burden of making sure her students succeed, which was one of the many things she admired most about Riley. She would do anything for them. If they failed, she failed them too.

"So what did you tell her?"

Riley gave a dismissive shrug. "I said to be honest with him. Be open about your dreams, your goals…what you want in life, and then decide for yourself. Is this something you can look back at 5, 10 years from now and have absolutely no regrets."

Maya nodded. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

Riley pursed her lips in thoughtful contemplation as silence stretched between them. Maya studied her carefully. She could see the conflicting emotions play over Riley's expressive face and she knew in that moment something else was bothering her entirely, a subject matter she was afraid to delve into.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Maya began slowly, pulling Riley out of her thoughts.

"Nope, that's about it." Riley smiled and hoped that the blonde wouldn't press the subject any further. But she knew better. "So, what are you going to do about Ryder?"

Maya gave her a look that said she wasn't fooled by the abrupt topic change, but she smirked back and played along anyway. She figured they could have the conversation at a later time. Whatever was weighting on her best friend's mind was gone now; at least for the moment. "Detention." She replied. "Oh and scrubbing off the paint from the floors and tables right after school." Maya added furiously as Riley shook her head and chuckled.

"Who would have thought we end up back here working for our high school together?"

Maya smiled warmly at the thought. "And now we get to boss little kids around and assign tons of meaningless homework." She added teasingly to lighten the mood. "Oh how the tables have turned. I like it. I can see why your father enjoyed torturing us. Teaching definitely has its perks."

"Maya…" Riley gave her a pointed look before breaking into laughter.

The sound of the bell rang, announcing it was the end of lunch period.

"Ah, music to my hears." Maya spoke in a sarcastic tone as she clasped her hands together and rose to her feet. "Time to torture another group of 9th graders." She grinned mischievously as she downed the rest of her coffee. "I'll see you at home?"

"Yea. But don't wait up. I'm going to drop by at the bakery after school."

Maya gasped, flashing her best friend a bright smile. "You are?" She questioned enthusiastically with eyes so wide, it looked as if her eyeballs were about to pop out from its sockets.

Riley chuckled at how ridiculous the blond appeared before her. "Don't worry, I promise to bring home blueberry muffins."

"And a few slices of cheesecake?" Maya pleaded, batting her eyelashes in attempt to get her way. "Strawberry cheesecake?" Riley rolled her eyes before responding.

"Sure, whatever. You owe me, Maya."

"Yay! I love you. You're the best! K? Bye."

Riley shook her head, smiling as she makes her way back to her office.

Riley stepped out from the administration building of John Quincy Adams High School as soon as classes ended for the day. It was a pleasantly warm afternoon in New York City despite the gentle breeze that rustled gently through the city. The trees stood utterly still as the warm afternoon sunlight glimmered and danced merrily on her face, marking the beginning of spring. It was such a beautiful day, Riley decided then to opt out taking the subway and instead walk a couple of blocks down to Topanga's.

The noise of vehicles zooming past by was deafening as the rush hour traffic began to build up in the late afternoon. Crowds of pedestrians, shoppers, and bystanders can be seen walking along the pavements outside of shops and buildings or trying to cross she street.

Roughly 30 minutes into the walk, Riley finally reached Topanga's. She stepped inside the bakery and was greeted by the alluring smell of fresh coffee and baked goods that filled her nostrils. It was calm inside with only a few customers and more empty tables strewn with little packaged condiments. Her eyes wandered aimlessly until they fell upon a familiar blond situated in the back of the room. She immediately recognized the young teenager as she motioned towards his direction.

"Eric?"

He looked up from the history book laid out in front of him and smiled. It just dawned on her that midterms were next week. "Oh hey, Ms. Matthews." He greeted shyly.

She observed her surroundings as if expecting someone else. "You're here all by yourself?" Riley asked curiously. "Where's Jasmine?"

"She has dance practice. She will be meeting with me here afterwards."

Riley nodded and sensed something was weighing down on him as he sat there nervous and thoughtful before her. She had to refrain herself from bringing up Yale and what his thoughts and feelings were on the matter. Not that she was being nosy, but she genuinely cared about her students. "Alright, well I'll leave you to your studies. I'll be in the back if you need anything."

"Uh, Ms. Matthews?"

She turned back around to face him. "Yes?"

"You think...maybe…you can do me a favor?"

Riley gave him a curious look as she took a seat across from him. She watched as the young teen rubbed his temples, trying to ward off an impending headache. Whatever it was he wanted her to do must be something really important. Suddenly, Riley was feeling nervous. "What is it?"

He reached for something in his backpack and pulled out a white envelope. "This came in the mail today," he began as he handed her the letter. Riley's eyes widen upon noticing a very familiar, yet unexpected college logo on the left upper corner of the envelope. She shifted her gaze back at Eric with a surprised look on her face.

"I didn't know you applied to Yale."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I haven't told Jasmine. I don't even know if I got in or not." His reply was instant as he felt such a mixture of emotions all laced with lingering doubt. "Anyway, I want you to read it."

Riley arched her brow at the unexpected request as she regarded him carefully. "You sure you don't want to do this with your parents…or maybe with Jasmine?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm sure. It has to be you. I want it to be you, Ms. Matthews. Whatever it says on that letter, I can handle it."

Riley nodded and inhaled a deep breath. "Alright, here it goes." She ripped open the envelope and began reading its contents.

"Well?" Eric wiggled in his seat eagerly. "What's it say?"

Letting out an audible sigh, Riley looked back at Eric with a frown. As his shoulders sagged in disappointment, Riley slowly turned her frown into a wide grin. "Congratulations, Eric. You got in."

"What?" He exclaimed in disbelief, taking the letter from Riley for confirmation. "Seriously?"

Riley chuckled. "Yes, seriously!"

"Oh my God, this is unreal." He looked back at her with a wide grin he could not contain. "Thank you, Ms. Matthews. Thank you for everything."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Eric. I am proud of you and all that you've accomplished. But…what about Duke and the basketball scholarship?" She asked curiously. "You've been talking about going to Duke all year."

"I know." He said glancing away from her for a brief moment. "I haven't made a decision yet. But…whether or not she will go to Duke with me, or if I decide to go to Yale, or if we end up going our separate ways..." he paused in mid-sentence to collect his thoughts, "Whatever happens, I want Jasmine to be part of that decision." Riley listened intently as she could feel her stomach tightened into a knot. She was smiling at him in awe, but inside, sadness washed over her as she pressed firmly on her lips to keep her emotions at bay. "I love her, Ms. Matthews. She means more to me than any childhood dream."

"I didn't think you would come." He slowly approached her, finding the courage to speak first as his intense green eyes stared longingly into her soft brown ones.

She weakly smiled, drinking him all in—the dark jeans that hung perfectly on his hips; the tight flannel shirt that seemed to hug his body in all the right places; the way his body turned towards hers seemingly attuned to her needs. As his green eyes found hers, she felt the walls she had carefully constructed around herself begin to break. "I couldn't have you leave without saying goodbye."

There was a long silence between them that dragged for what felt like an eternity. She had considered not showing up to the airport for the obvious reason of the pain and heartbreak she still felt from their break up. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to be saying goodbye. She thought not being there would make it easier, but it made her feel worse. This is what she wanted after all; yet somehow, it felt wrong.

They stood just a few feet away from security check as the announcement of his flight to Austin, Texas sounded in the telecom. She was the last to say her goodbye as their friends scattered around them watching intently with curious eyes.

"I'm glad you're here." He uttered as he felt his stomach pulsating, finding it harder to leave, as his departure time grew closer. He gazed at her, letting his eyes fall right in line to her. There was a pause between them as the tension that has been slowly building throughout their exchange grew heavy and thick.

"I guess this is goodbye then." She spoke with hint of reluctance underlying her tone.

"It doesn't have to be." He whispered as his hand reached out for hers.

She silenced him with her free hand as two fingers fell upon his lips before he spoke another word. "Don't." Her fingers moved from his lips and found the softness of his cheekbones. She cupped his cheeks in the palm of her hands and pressed her forehead against his.

He squeezed his eyes shut and reveled in her touch for one last time. "I don't want to say goodbye, Riley." He replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Then we won't." He furrowed his eyebrows in bewilderment as he turned his head to face her. She smiled at him, hoping to lighten the heaviness of the situation with a reassuring look. "We'll just say…'I'll see you later.' Okay?"

He nodded solemnly as she tilted her head towards his and pressed a soft, quick kiss on his cheek. Riley could have sworn she heard him give a shuddering breath at the contact. "I'll see you later, Lucas." Her hands then fell to her sides and she slowly pulled away from him.

With his free hand, he reached out and grabbed hers one last time, squeezing it firmly in his. "I'll see you later, Riley." He reluctantly released her hand and turned as he reached down and grabbed his carry-on bag.

He walked through the security gate with the memory of her lips and embrace fresh in his mind. After only a few steps, he turned, hoping to catch one last glimpse as sad smiles graced both of their faces. The longing he saw in her eyes comforted him in a way that provided him the strength to walk away. Confident that the next time he saw her, there would be nothing to keep them apart.

She remained still and watched him go until he disappeared among the busy crowd. Illogical thoughts filled her brain. She wanted to stop him. To scream out his name and beg him to stay. To tell him she still loved him and there would be no other man on this earth who would truly make her happy. But she didn't move. Did not utter a single word. Instead, she felt her heart clenched, her chest heaved. And when she could no longer contain the emotions she fought so hard to hold back, she finally let go, sadly wiping at the tears that had begun to fall from her eyes.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Let me know what you guys think. I'll do my best to update asap.