Ummm, just to reiterate. This is based on AWR, as in certain plot points only...

A/N: Also, Brandon is The Rebel from Girl Meets Friendship. LOL, he reminds me of Nick Dean from Jimmy Neutron.

Thank you for the reviews! I appreciate them! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own GMW or A Walk To Remember.


"Friar." A cop called out, opening the holding cell door, "You're free to go."

Lucas stood up from his corner, rotating his shoulder to loosen it up from the uncomfortable way he had fallen asleep the night before. Sitting on the concrete floor, one eye open. He was surprised he'd been able to get out in less than 48 hours. He wondered if anyone had pitched in to get him out of holding.

He walked out of the cell and followed the cop to another room, rubbing his eye somewhat sleepily. When they reached the lobby of the county jail, Lucas cursed under his breath and considered turning right back around and going into holding again.

His mom was standing there, arms crossed and a fierce frown etched on her face as she glared at him.

"This your son, ma'am?"

She nodded, her eyes boring holes into Lucas. He really was screwed.

"Alright. You have a good Monday now."

She turned around without another word, and Lucas followed her, knowing anything he said would just incite early anger. The last thing he wanted was to get yelled at the whole car ride home. They got in her car, and drove on their way home. The entire ride, she was dead silent, and Lucas didn't even think about turning on the radio as he usually did. She was definitely pissed at him.

"Go get ready for school." She said, as soon as they parked in front of their complex.

He could hear the anger in her voice just bubbling under the surface, and he knew what would be awaiting him once he finished getting ready.

Once in his room, Lucas quickly got ready for school. When he got out of the shower, he realized it wasn't eight yet, so he still had time to grab breakfast and make it on time. He gathered his books and materials and walked slowly to the living room, hoping that maybe if he was quiet enough, he could get past his mother and avoid facing her wrath.

No such luck.

She was scrubbing at the aged coffee stain on the kitchen counter with an old dish rag and some bleach. Lucas winced. That was her coping mechanism whenever something went wrong or whenever she was furious at something. Or someone. In this case: himself.

He bowed his head and started to walk past her, hoping she would just ignore him. But she set the rag down with a heavy sigh, placing her hand on her hip.

"Honestly Lucas. I don't know what the hell is the matter with you."

He closed his eyes momentarily, starting up his usual speech when he got into trouble, "It was just a mistake, Mom. It won't happen ag–"

"Save it!" she snapped, slapping the counter in irritation, "Do you know how high your bail was set? I had to call your father to pay it off because I couldn't afford it this time!"

Lucas' gaze snapped to hers furiously.

"Why the hell did you call him?!" he shouted, "I'd rather rot in a cell than be let go because of him!"

"Shut up!" She rubbed her temple in annoyance, "Underage drinking. Public intoxication. Vandalism! Lucas, you are out of control! This is your third infraction this year and who knows what other stuff you've done that I don't know about. I can't take much more of this. If you don't get your act together, I'm sending you back to Texas to live with him."

Lucas' jaw clenched, and he narrowed his eyes at his mother, feeling his rage boil under his skin.

"What?" he growled.

She shook her head, letting out a distressed sigh, "I don't know what to do anymore. Why are you doing this? Is this some sort of twisted need to get back at your father or something?"

"I have to go to school."

Lucas spun on his heel and snatched up the keys to his truck, walking to the door without looking back.

"Lucas!"

He walked straight out the door and double timed down the complex stairs, heading to his truck. He slammed his car door shut and blasted his music as loudly as he could as he drove to John Adams High trying to quell his anger. His hands were still shaking even when he arrived and parked in his spot and he took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair and trying to calm down. But all he could think about was his mom having to dial that number and call the man who had made her so miserable for so many years. Why the hell had she called him of all people?

He took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing himself to think about something else. If he kept those thoughts in his head, he knew he wouldn't make it through the school day without punching someone.

Lucas got out of his car and leaned against the door as Billy pulled up in his spot nearby. Missy hopped out of the passenger seat, giving Billy a quick kiss and Lucas a wave before scampering off to join her cheerleader girlfriends sitting at the picnic benches in front of the building.

"Heard you got busted." Billy said, walking around to where Lucas was resting.

"Yeah." He said, his teeth grit, "My dad bailed me out."

Billy winced and looked around cautiously before procuring a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"Need a smoke?"

"Badly."

Lucas pulled one out and borrowed Billy's lighter, lighting it and taking a long drag. He could just feel the relief running through his system and almost sighed in relief. He hated smoking with a passion, but even he couldn't deny the therapeutic effect it had on him when he was on the verge of breaking something. He took a couple more long drags before snubbing the end out on the hood of his car and waving away the smoke. He gave it back to Billy who slipped it into the pack.

"I have a feeling I'm gonna need that later."

The early bell rang, signifying the start of homeroom, and the two began their way to the school. Billy was chattering about some girl or another that Zay had met who definitely had an STD, but Lucas wasn't paying attention to anything he was saying. His eyes were on the steps of the building, where a cop was standing next to Principal Hearst on the lookout for a specific student. A specific student he knew was him.

"Fuck me…" he muttered under his breath when the principal caught sight of him and crooked his finger at him.

"Mr. Friar. If you would please join us in my office."

Billy glanced at Lucas and then gave him a good luck clap on the shoulder before hurrying inside the doors. Lucas groaned and followed the two men inside the school, ignoring the whispering and staring students in the hallway, who were all intrigued by what was occurring.

In the office, he was directed to sit across Hearst's desk, and he slumped down into his chair, a bored look on his face. Now was the part where he would get in trouble with the school for whatever crap he did, and they'd give him detention. If he'd heard it once, he'd heard it a million times. The late bell for homeroom rang shortly after and the officer cleared his throat.

"Lucas Friar." The officer began, reading off of a sheet of paper. "Arrested three times in the past several months alone. You've really outdone yourself with these acts of juvenile delinquency."

"Yeah? So what? You gonna give me a slap on the wrist or something? Do you want me to bend over and pull my pants down?"

Mr. Hearst snorted in amusement, giving Lucas a wry smirk. "I like you kid. I really do. But you fucked up."

"Yes, you see, you were seventeen when you messed up before." The officer said cryptically, "You couldn't be tried as an adult. You didn't even have to go the correctional facility because your dad could afford to keep you out of it."

Lucas' fists clenched tightly at the mention of the man he absolutely couldn't stand.

"And?" he growled.

"Thirteen counts of destruction of public property. Eight counts of destruction of private property. Several counts of underage drinking, possession of alcohol as a minor, and of false identification. Five counts of breaking and entering of private property. Thousands of dollars in fines. The list goes on and on." The officer continued reading, undeterred by Lucas' attitude. "Let me put it this way, Friar. If we try you in court, you could be facing up to ten years or more in prison. You can kiss college and a possible future career goodbye."

Lucas swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling cold chills run down his back.

"Not to mention expulsion." Hearst added, chuckling softly. "But we're giving you a chance to make this up. Officer?"

The officer nodded, "As of now, you are on legal probation until you graduate. You will be subjected to 1400 hours of community service while on probation. You're lucky Mr. Hearst decided not to press charges. I think it goes without saying that one more act of delinquency, and you will be thrown in jail without bail, tried in court and then imprisoned. I'm sure you don't want that."

Lucas didn't say a word, trying to keep his breathing even. His mouth had gone incredibly dry.

"Let me know if this one cuts up anymore, William."

"Thanks Mick. I will." Mr. Hearst responded as the officer left the small office.

Hearst turned to Lucas, leaning back in his plush chair with a raised brow, "Spray paint? Really?"

"Just something to pass the time, sir." Lucas said sarcastically, eyes narrowed.

"Hmm, no doubt." He picked up the mini-football on his desk, tossing it up and down, "It's just surprising… I didn't know you were a fan of painting marijuana on walls."

Lucas said nothing, watching the principal impassively.

"In fact, last year, if I recall correctly, one of your friends got in trouble for painting marijuana in the boy's bathroom. Seems like his MO, don't you think?"

"I don't know what you're getting at, sir, but first period is about to start soon." Lucas said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "If you could get this show on the road, that would be great. What are my punishments?"

"Alright, Lucas." Mr. Hearst sat up straight, watching him seriously, "You burned every single set already made for the winter play. It took almost an entire summer and everyone worked hard on them. Now you've set back woodshop and our only set painter almost an entire semester. You're lucky that we have all the students for woodshop available now, but we have only one person who paints the sets. So you're going to spend every afternoon helping her paint the sets for the play.

"You will also be spending time with janitor Harley cleaning up trash on the school grounds, scraping gum off of bleachers and classroom desks, cleaning the bathrooms, and scrubbing every inch of that paint off the wall you graffitied until this semester is over."

"What? You don't want an arm and leg too?" Lucas spat, rolling his eyes.

"And finally," Hearst continued, unaffected by his animosity, "You will be participating in our after school tutoring program every Wednesday at the children's hospital. These kids just want to learn and go to school like everyone else, but have been subjected to spending their lives in a hospital bed. So you'll be providing that chance. Of course, all of these, will count towards your community service hour requirements. That good enough for you?"

"More lenient than I expected."

"Lucas. Your grades are top notch. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders." Hearst shook his head in disappointment, "Are those really the kind of people you want to be hanging out with? For goodness sakes, they left you behind when you were arrested."

"My friends weren't involved." Lucas said almost automatically, teeth grit.

"Cut the crap. You and I both know that's not true. But for whatever reason, you've decided to take the fall for them."

Lucas said nothing, glaring at the principal heatedly.

"Can I go now?"

The bell signifying the start of first period went off, and Mr. Hearst sighed.

"Mr. Harley will see you at the gym wall as soon as classes let out for the day." He gestured to the door, "I hope you reevaluate your life, Lucas. You have so much potential, and it's a shame to watch you waste it on these petty acts of rebellion."

"Have a nice day."

Lucas shot out of the chair and snatched up his bag, irritably storming out of the office.

~.~.~

By lunch time, it had become apparent to Lucas that pretty much the whole school knew about him getting arrested on Saturday night. As he walked through the cafeteria, he could easily see people were whispering and staring, probably trying to speculate what he'd done in order to even get arrested in the first place. Their school had plenty of students who had run-ins with the law, but he was the only one who'd gotten arrested multiple times and was still allowed to walk the halls of the school.

And Lucas knew it was because of his damn father.

Even away from him and out of Texas, he still had his influence all over Lucas' life, and Lucas couldn't stand it. Teeth clenched tightly and seething, Lucas pulled off his headphones and walked to the table near the wall where his group of friends were chilling and laughing.

As he approached and they saw him, they clapped, giving him a standing ovation and causing a disturbance in the cafeteria.

"There he is! Lucas Friar, everybody!" Zay called out, clapping him on the back as he took his seat in the mess of popular students, all watching him like he was some sort of king.

"So what was it like in jail for the third time?" Missy asked, finally breaking away from Billy's face long enough to ask him the question.

"The same as always…" Lucas muttered in annoyance, not in a particular mood to speak to anyone.

Billy seemed to pick up on it and addressed everyone at the table.

"Hey, give him some space guys."

"You didn't tell anyone we were involved, did you?" Brandon asked with a raised brow, picking at his fingernails with his fork.

Lucas looked up and glowered at them, "I'm not a snitch. But thanks for being fucking cowards and running."

Brandon sneered at him, "Not our fault you're a dumbass."

Zay put his hands up placatingly, "Guys, just chill."

"So what was your punishment?" Another girl asked, leaning over the table pushing her chest up with her arms. She was some sophomore that Lucas was pretty sure had gotten in with the group because she had banged several of the guys. He couldn't even remember her name—Jessica or something—but he seemed to be her next target. "My brother went to jail last year. Said he had a bunch of community service to do."

"Yeah. I do too."

She smiled flirtatiously and leaned over further, hushing her tone so it was directed only at Lucas.

"My dad works as a lawyer…" she near purred, tracing her finger along his hand, "We can fix it so it looks like you did the work."

Lucas frowned, ready to retort when some guys at their table started hooting and making a lot of noise in general. He slid his hand out from under hers and turned to face the commotion. They were watching two students who had walked into the cafeteria, holding hands and smiling shyly at each other.

One of them was in his physics class, some sarcastic little pipsqueak nerd with some weird ass name. Farkle maybe. The other was the annoying, naive girl whose father taught history. Riley or something. He'd never had conversations with either of them before, since they were bottom of the food chain, but he had never seen them together as a couple before.

I guess they're dating now

It didn't matter to him, since he didn't give a crap about the affairs of other people at their school, but clearly, the people at his table cared too much about it.

"Bet you twenty bucks he's not a virgin anymore." Brandon cackled.

"She probably blew him last night. Look how happy he looks." Jackson responded, laughing uproariously.

Several people at their table laughed, thinking it was incredibly funny. Lucas frowned and rolled his eyes, not feeling like sitting through the tormenting this time around. He should have just skipped lunch like he'd originally planned.

Riley and Farkle walked by on the way to their table of friends, heads slightly down and probably hoping to avoid the wrath of the popular table.

No such luck.

As soon as Riley walked by Brandon, his hand trailed backwards, and he flipped up her skirt. She gasped, affronted, and spun around, holding the back of her skirt down with wide, terrified eyes.

"Damn Matthews… I don't think I've ever seen those panties on anyone other than my grandma…" he drawled, raising a brow.

The table erupted into more laughter, and Riley's face burned bright red. Appalled, Farkle stepped in front of Riley with an angry glare.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

"Or what?" Zay responded with a snort, "You gonna fight us?"

Farkle licked his lips nervously, now that the laughter had died down and the students were staring at him with irritated looks on their faces, some of them with disgusted sneers.

"Farkle, it's okay…" Riley said softly in his ear, grasping his shoulders, "It isn't worth it."

"Yes it is Riley!" he said earnestly, "I'm sick and tired of all these rich assholes thinking it's okay to pick on us."

"Aww…" Billy cooed, "Does it bother you?"

Farkle's eyes narrowed, "You all think you're so special, but you know what? My dad's also on the Board of Trustees. If your moms and dads didn't pay their way for you to get out of trouble, you all wouldn't even be at this school. You're nothing without your parent's money."

And Lucas' blood ran red hot in rage. He shot up out of his chair before anyone could react and rounded on Farkle, eyes glinting sharply in anger.

"What the fuck did you just say, you little shit?" Lucas growled, dangerously low.

He grabbed the boy's collar and shoved him up against the wall before pulling him up. Farkle yelped and swallowed thickly, watching Lucas with wide, scared eyes.

"Farkle!" Riley cried out, and then struggled against Mitch when he stood up and kept her from moving to help him. "Stop it! Leave him alone."

"N-nothing …" Farkle said, lip slightly quivering in fright.

"You don't know a damn thing about us." Lucas snarled, narrowing his eyes, "You should keep your mouth shut before someone kicks your scrawny little ass."

The cafeteria had gone dead quiet by now and everyone was staring at the spectacle that was brewing, but no one got up and some were pointedly ignoring it, too scared to get involved and too scared to possibly become a target.

And then before Lucas could do anything, Brandon and Jackson stood up and yanked Farkle's pants down to his ankles, laughing all the while. They grabbed him from Lucas and flipped him over into the nearby dumpster. Mitch let go of a teary eyed Riley, and she ran over to the trash can where Farkle's skinny, naked legs were flailing about trying to get out. Then most of the cafeteria erupted into laughter as they watched what had happened to him. Lucas snapped out of his angry haze and stared a little horrified at the poor boy, feeling a little bad because no one deserved that kind of humiliation. He had only meant to scare him a little, but this whole thing had blown way out of proportion.

And then a blonde head of hair ran right by the table and shoved Lucas out of the way to get to Farkle. She helped Riley get a hold of his ankles and pulled him somewhat out so he could climb out the rest of the way. She helped the red-faced, distressed Farkle pull up his pants and wiped a tear from Riley's eyes as the brunette hugged her boyfriend.

Lucas recognized her. It was Maya Hart, a girl so incredibly poor that she wore pretty much the same clothes at least twice a week. He would always see her skipping class and sitting on the large oak in front of the school, sketching in her notebooks. She tended to miss a lot of school on occasion for no explainable reasons.

He had been in school with Maya since they were young, but never had he really paid attention to her at all or really had a real conversation with her. All he remembered was that one time in third grade, she had given him a lollipop the day he had been crying in class when his parents got divorced.

Maya and Riley flanked Farkle and helped him stand amidst all the laughter and then she walked with them back towards the cafeteria doors. As the couple left, she let go of Farkle and spun around, glaring at Lucas' group of friends.

"You all are a bunch of dicks." She spat, her stormy blue-gray eyes shining with disgust.

"Yeah? Hey Hart, what's it like being the daughter of the city whore?" Mitch shouted back at her, to even more laughter from the cafeteria.

"Hey Hart. The entire male population of New York City called." Jackson said, "They want compensation for the chlamydia they caught from your mom."

"I've got 5 cents on me. I can afford your mom, right?" Brandon said with a sneer.

Her blazing glare turned to him, a few parts disgust and a couple other parts something Lucas couldn't recognize. "You seem pretty desperate Brandon. Does it bother you that my mom's gotten more in a week than you've gotten in two years? I think we know who wins here."

"Shut up, Hart." He snarled, flipping off a couple people when they ooohed at her burn, "Your mom is trash. And you? You're gonna end up in porno or on the streets just like her. You've already gotten a head start, haven't you? Gangbanger."

"Yeah, gangbanger!"

"Gangbanger!"

Laughter erupted once again, and Brandon sparked up a vicious chant. Even students at other tables were joining in on the "fun". It was horrifying.

Lucas watched appalled as Maya's lip quivered, her nostrils flaring slightly and an unmistakable shine in her eyes that Lucas recognized as impending tears. She glared at them angrily, sniffling once, before closing her eyes momentarily and then opening them, lifting her head in pride and steeling her expression.

Her eyes briefly met Lucas' and part of him wanted to apologize and tell her she didn't deserve it, but he stayed quiet, standing there in slight shock. Her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head in disgust before spinning on her heel and leaving the mass of laughing students.

Lucas sank back down into his seat, feeling sick to his stomach.