A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for all the lovely reviews, the alerts and adds. Didn't expect quite a response, so again thank you! This will be a 3-shot fic afterall. So without further ado, enjoy!
Part 2
"Riley's Romeo"
A few days later…
A high-pitched annoyance rang throughout the school campus. It was the end of last period, and it was Friday. Students exited the classrooms and cluttered the hallways with the excitement of the weekend to look forward to.
"You know, I'm really proud of you, Luke." Zay said as they make their way towards the auditorium. With football practice in an hour, they decided to meet up with Maya, Farkle and Smackle to catch a glimpse of the play's dress rehearsal. As they walked past the library, Lucas arched his brow and gave him a quick sideway glance.
"For what?"
"Well, you could have turned into Texas Lucas the moment you found out, but you've been really supportive of Riley doing the play."
"I don't get it. You, Riley and everyone else have been acting really weird, and overly concern about the whole thing." Lucas grumbled, irritation rising at the very idea that he'd had to explain himself again. "I know what the play is about, and I'm fully aware that Riley is going to have to get close with some other guy, and guess what? I'm perfectly fine with it."
"Okay, but let's not forget what happened last year at the Ski Lodge."
"That was last year." Lucas said with a sigh. "Besides, Riley and I have been together for over a year now, and trust me, we are at a better place than when we were a year ago."
Zay smiled, relief passing through him despite feeling a little apprehensive. "That's what I like to hear, buddy."
They opened the doors to the auditorium and sat down in the middle of the room with Maya, Farkle and Smackle already seated. They were the only ones present not in the play as backstage crew and actors scrambled to their positions and the lights on stage lit up for the next scene. Lucas adjusted his eyes to the brightness, and when it became clear again, he couldn't believe what he saw.
"What the…" Lucas found himself gripping tightly onto his armrest with lips parted in disbelief. He looked intensely at the "Romeo" who was sitting on a bench in a garden background. Stunned, Lucas stared at Evan who was supposedly playing Romeo and felt his blood pressure rise.
"Why didn't anyone tell me HE is Romeo?" He hissed, turning to the others as the four exchanged surprised and worried looks. A brief silence engulfed the group as Zay stared at Lucas carefully and took it upon himself to make light of the situation despite the concern that showed in his eyes.
"Okay. Okay. Repeat after to me, Lucas. 'I'm a secure western hero.' He forced a smile upon his face as Lucas shot him an unamused look.
"Shut up, Zay."
"Look, we thought you already knew…" Maya replied nervously. Lucas groaned and rubbed his temples as he threw his head back against the back of the seat.
The dress rehearsal went on as they were at the ball scene now where Romeo and Juliet will meet for the first time. Lucas watched as he spotted Riley making her way down the staircase prop. She looked the part and was absolutely stunning in a white medieval dress with her gorgeous brunette hair up in a half braid. Propping her chin up with her hand, Lucas just couldn't take his eyes off her as he gazed and revel at her perfection.
Seconds and minutes have gone by as the conversation between Tybalt and Capulet has finally ended. After more dialogue that Lucas had tuned out, they transitioned to the next scene. Evan and Riley were looking at each other like they were love struck and Lucas found himself stomping his feet on the ground, making distressed sounds while biting on his fist.
It was so hard to watch.
"Would you stop what you are doing?!" Smackle whispered harshly as Lucas threw her an apologetic look.
"Did you see the way they were looking at each other?" Lucas whined as Maya rolled her eyes at him.
"It's called acting, Huckleberry."
"Well, they are doing a hell of a good job at it." Lucas muttered irritably, glaring at Romeo. He ignored their stares as he tried to regain control and watched with clenched teeth as Romeo approached Juliet, taking her hands in his. Lucas held his breath when he realized the first kiss scene was getting near.
"I can't—I cant watch."
"Lucas…"
He gently shrugged Farkle's hand off his shoulder as he stormed out of the auditorium and slammed the door shut behind him. The loud commotion resonated in the auditorium causing the actors and production crew to stop what they were doing and look up. Silence filled the room as Riley watched the rest of her friends quietly leave the auditorium.
"Lucas, come on man." Zay called out to him by the time they stepped outside. Lucas drew in a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions in check as he stopped and slowly turned around to face his friends.
"Since when did he go to our school?" He asked, completely caught off guard and beyond frustrated by the new revelation.
"He transferred here a month ago." Farkle answered in matter of fact. "He's in our English class." His jaw dropped once more, and his mouth remained agape as he shook his head in disbelief.
"Don't freak out, okay." Lucas heard Maya say calmly. "You said it yourself, it didn't matter who played Romeo and it shouldn't."
He closed his eyes for a moment and willed himself to calm down. He was suddenly hit with so many emotions, he could feel his insecurities starting to fill his head in a way he hadn't since Riley was asked out to the dance by Charlie Gardner. He drew in a deep breath and was calm again before he spoke. "Sorry, guys. I didn't mean to react the way I did."
Maya smirked at him lightly. "Yeah…well, I totally saw that coming." She admitted playfully.
An awkward silence fell upon them, that neither teen was eager to break. Instead they just stood there, turning their attention to the ground, unsure of what they were going to do next. Then suddenly the school hallways echoed with the sound of doors opening and closing behind them. Tension filled the air the moment Riley stood before them, still dressed in costume and looking radiant underneath the afternoon sun. It took Lucas a long minute before he could finally snap out of it.
"Can you guys give us a minute?" Her quiet command broke through the silence. She kept her soft gaze fixed on him, trying to guess at his thoughts and try to imagine what he was feeling. But his face was cold and unreadable.
"Sure. Come on guys." Maya led the others down the hallway and towards the school's outside amphitheater, leaving the couple behind.
Once they were alone, Lucas takes a deep breath, but rather speaking up right away, he lets a few moments of suspenseful silence linger between them. "Evan? Really?" His voice wavered slightly, but Lucas did not lose the determination that lit in his green eyes, almost challenging her. "Were you ever going to tell me?"
"I tried to tell you, Lucas but you keep telling me that it didn't matter who it was."
She noticed the incredulous look on his face as he laughed a harsh sound. "That's before I found out it was the friendly mountain guy." He added with an icy cracking voice of disdain causing Riley to flinch unwillingly.
"What are you so worried about, Lucas?" She asked, fighting the urge to argue with him. "Do you not trust me? Is that it?"
"Of course I trust you. It's him that I don't trust." He said, running his fingers through his light brown hair in frustration.
"It's only acting." She explained earnestly, leaning forward and looking into his piercing green eyes with her soft chocolate brown ones. "There's nothing else to it."
"He likes you, Riley. You two stayed up all night talking at the Ski Lodge. This is his chance to get even closer to you."
"You're seriously going to bring up what happened last year into this?" She thought in disbelief, her voice rising. "I love you, Lucas." She blinked her eyes when he didn't say anything. "So, what now? Do you want me to drop the play?"
"What?" He looked at her exasperatedly as his gaze softened. "No! I would never ask you to do that. Ever."
"Then what can I do to make this right?" She asked, desperate for something, anything to make this conversation go away and forget it ever happened.
"There's nothing you can do, Riley. I just…" he stammered in mid-sentence and sighed deeply, rubbing at his temples to relieve an impending headache. "I'll have to accept it. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
She studied him carefully, processing everything that was said as Riley gave a slow nod to her head. "Okay. Fine." She finally said, her eyes sliding past him to the empty hallway before her face crumpled. He looked at her, the sadness in her eyes sending daggers into his heart.
Lucas drew in a deep breath and then he took one small step. She met his gaze once again as he slowly moved towards her.
"I have to go." He said softly, reaching out to brush a few loose strands of hair away from her face. "Don't wait up. I'll call you." His hand slowly slid down her forearm and briefly caught her fingers. He then leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the forehead causing Riley to closed her eyes briefly at the contact. "You look beautiful by the way." He said as she gave him a quick smile of thanks before he turned on his heels and left.
The others found themselves worried and anxious about the couple, their eyes actively seeking them out as they waited in the amphitheater.
"You think they'll be okay?" Zay asked no one in particular as his gaze shifted from Farkle and Smackle before they landed on Maya.
She nodded, a small smile pulling at her lips. "Of course they'll be okay. It's Lucas and Riley. They love each other."
Just moments later, they spotted Lucas walking towards their direction, eyes fixed to the ground and hands stuffed in the front pockets of his dark blue jeans. There was no expression on his face as they slowly approached him, unsure of what they were going to say. Thankfully for them, he appeared more defeated and focused than angry.
"Lucas…" Zay was the first to speak. When Lucas glanced up to meet their gazes, he noticed they were looking at each other hesitantly before smiling at him. "You alright, man?"
He nodded quietly, a look of deep thought on his face.
"And Riley?" Maya asked.
"She went back to the dress rehearsal."
There was a brief pause. "And will you two be okay?"
Lucas gave a small smile in return, his expression changing altogether as the others detected a shift in mood with him. "I have an idea." He said, the seriousness in his voice surprising them a little. "And you guys are going to help me."
The others exchanged wary looks.
"So what exactly are we doing in this plan of yours?" Farkle asked curiously as they all stared at Lucas and noticed the mischief in his eyes.
"We are going to crash the play."
To be continued…
A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you guys think. You will have to wait for the third and final part to see how it all plays out. Part 3 coming soon!
