Title: It was always right there in front of me.
Summary: After a huge fight with Riley, Lucas falls asleep dreaming of a life where Riley is his best friend. However, after meeting Maya maybe Lucas will finally realize what or who was right there in front of him.
Notes: SORRY THIS TOOK ME AGES! Uni/Life got in the way…and I felt really unmotivated until recently!
Riley was still feeling weird when she woke up the next day. She was still hoping that it would be gone but she still couldn't shake the feeling that things were changing and not for the better. She sits up and checks her phone to see if she had a message from Lucas, knowing he usually messages her first thing in the morning but frowns when she sees nothing. She groans as she flops back on the bed, bringing her pillow up over her eyes and giving a small scream. She is instantly brought back to what had transpired yesterday.
"So this is my stop!" Maya says as the train begins to slow, pulling to a gentle stop at the station. Lucas instantly grinning at her, standing up.
"Ours too!"
"Small world!" Maya laughs and Lucas smiles, the two of them walking off with Riley trailing after them. The three of them walk out of the station, Lucas and Maya continuing their conversation. They get to the top of the stairs Maya pointing to the left.
"So I am this way!"
"How about I walk you home?"
Maya bites her lips "No it's fine, I don't want to put you out of your way."
"Nonsense" Lucas shakes his head.
"Luke what about our shakes? First day back at school shakes? Mrs Svorski makes them every year"
"Oh right!" Lucas bites his lip glancing at Maya who also bites her lip "Do you think Maya could come? Then we can walk her home? I mean she is still getting to know the neighborhood?"
Riley tires to hide the shock on her face because Lucas has never invited anyone to join their first day of school shakes. She quickly swallows the dread forming and plasters a fake smile on her face.
"Sure."
However as Maya and Lucas start walking off with Riley watching them, she didn't feel sure at all.
Once they get to the bakery Riley lasts all of five minutes before the feeling in her stomach returns, she forces on a fake smiles she grabs her bags.
"I actually need to prepare for tomorrow, first yearbook meeting. I uhh…I will talk to you later Lucas."
Lucas looks up from where he was talking to Maya a frown appearing on his face.
"You sure?"
Riley just nods her head "Mmhmm."
"Ok I will just text you later ok?"
"Sounds good! Enjoy the rest of your afternoon." Riley speaks just as she dashes from the bakery, not looking back at the two people.
It occurs to her as she finally gets into bed later that night, that Lucas never ended up texting her.
She shakes her head forgetting all about the events and dresses quickly, smoothing down her purple dress with black boots. She sits in front of her vanity pulling her hair half up, and applying natural makeup. She looks in the mirror and takes a deep breath as she speaks into the mirror,
"You and Lucas are fine!"
"You will do great things!"
"Just believe in yourself!"
She is not sure why she feels so nervous, so she tries to calm herself down and to stop from overthinking things.
Her dad pops his head into the room "You ready to go Riley?"
She nods, grabbing her bag and her phone, still noticing no message from Lucas.
"Ok so this meeting is going to be kept short. I just wanted us to have a chance to meet each other and understand the importance of yearbook. Now we will start talking the agenda at tomorrow's meeting, but I would like to introduce you to this year's editor. She has been working hard on the yearbook for four years and shows a true passion for writing."
Ms Harper smiles widely before her eyes land on Riley.
"Congratulations Riley!" Riley's mouth drops "Really?"
"Yes! It was a unanimous decision! Well done Riley, I know you will make a fabulous editor."
Riley blushes as Ms Harper moves on to the final point of the meeting, however she was interrupted by the door opening and a blonde girl walking in.
"Sorry I am late! I am still getting used to this place, but I am Maya Hart and I was told this is where I could sign up for yearbook?"
Ms Harper beams "Yes of course! We love having new people! Welcome Maya, please give Riley a list of things you would like to work on and what area you are good at ok?"
Maya nods turning to give Riley a soft smile, Riley gives a small smile in return.
"Guess we have more time to get to know each other!" Maya says and Riley nods "Yeah, guess we do."
Riley was at her locker, trying to finish the final pieces of decorations hanging in her locker. She smiles as she places the picture of her and Lucas at homecoming last year on the corner of her mirror. While she fixes it up someone comes up behind her, and places a bunch of flowers in front of her. Riley gasps as she turns around and smiles.
"Lucas! They are beautiful, what are they for?"
"A little birdie told me you got yearbook editor, and I just wanted to say I am so proud of my best friend." Lucas grins, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek making Riley blush.
"Thanks Luke!" She takes the flowers and places them carefully in her locker, grabbing her books and shutting the door softly. Lucas casually wraps his arms around her shoulder, as they start walking towards study hall.
"Speaking about Editor and writing I have a favor?" Riley asks.
"Shoot."
"Would you be interested in coming to this banquet. It is for this up and coming writers of New York and I was invited, and it would mean a lot if you could come with me?"
Lucas stops walking "Really?"
Riley nods, looking up at him shyly through her lashes.
"Riley that's amazing! Of course I will come, I am so proud of you."
"Thanks Lucas!"
They quickly make their way into study hall, setting their stuff down at their usual table, and spreading their stuff out amongst them. Riley starts looking at all the yearbook stuff and notices that Lucas is looking at her. "What?"
Lucas scratches his neck" I hear Maya is in the yearbook?"
"She is, why?"
"Uh…well… I was wondering if you would take her under your wing? Look out for her perhaps?"
Riley frowns and stops reading the paper she was focusing on and gives her full attention to Lucas.
"Why?"
"Because I feel Maya needs a friend and who better than my best friend in the whole world."
Riley feels her heart swoon at his words, however she quickly tells herself to calm down, but she can't help feel a small sting at the word friends.
She smile's warmly at Lucas "Of course I will look out for her, a friend of yours is a friend of mine."
Lucas places his hand on Riley's, giving it a small squeeze "Thanks Riles!"
Lucas goes back to his work while Riley watches him, she can't help but think that somehow her feelings were starting to change.
The bell rings signalling the end of the day and Riley rushes to her locker to put her stuff away, a big smile on her face as she thinks about the movie her and Lucas were going to be watching for their weekly movie night. She quickly races to get Lucas, however she comes to a sudden stop when she sees Maya and Lucas talking. She quickly presses herself back against the wall, not wanting to interrupt but still wanting to hear.
"Are you settling in ok?"
"Yeah!"
Lucas moves a piece of hair from her face "That's good, so I was thinking maybe I can show you around New York more some time?"
"I would love that, are you doing anything tonight?"
"Riley and I have a movie night, but how about I give you my number and we can text and set up a date?"
"A date?" Maya questions with a smirk on her face, causing Lucas to blush and stammer "Uh, I mean-you know…"
Maya laughs "Relax huckleberry, a date sounds nice?"
"Huckleberry?"
Maya shrugs "I am trying something."
Lucas leans in closer "I like it."
Riley quickly turns around not wanting to see anymore, a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She slowly falls to the floor suddenly wishing for the first time in a while that the floor would swallow her up so she could forget about the scene she had just witnessed.
Lucas's phone dings for the tenth time that night, and Riley is starting to get annoyed at the thing that keeps making Lucas smile and not pay any attention to the movie. Every Tuesday night Riley and Lucas made the tradition of having a movie night. They would camp out in her room with her laptop set up and cuddle under the blankets watching a new movie every week.
Lucas even came up with the rule of no phones, except Lucas seems to have forgotten about that rule.
Lucas chuckles once again at his phone, typing out another reply before putting his phone down.
"So what just happened?" he asks watching as the scene plays out on screen and Riley rolls her eyes, opening her mouth to fill him in again but before she can Lucas's phone goes off.
Lucas grabs it already smiling and Riley just stares at him in disbelief. Lucas quickly replies and looks at Riley, frowning when he sees her look.
"What?"
"Unbelievable" Riley mutters as she pauses the movie and jumps out of bed and turns her bedroom light on. Lucas following after her, concerned.
'Riley what?"
"Lucas have you been paying attention at all?"
"Yes!" he answers indigently but Riley puts her hands on her hips giving him a hard look.
"Oh yeah? Then what is the movie about?"
Lucas stammers for a moment trying to remember.
"There is something about…uhh…there were some birds…"
Riley shakes her head "We were watching Big Hero 6…you know the one you had been wanting to see for ages."
"Riles I'm sorry."
Riley sighs "You made up the rule of no phones, yet you spent the whole night texting, way to make someone feel cheap and special."
Lucas hangs his head in shame, because he knows Riley is right.
"I am sorry Riley; it's just I was talking to Maya."
Riley frowns even more.
"And you couldn't wait to talk to her tomorrow?"
Lucas notices the slight hitch in her voice and he feels horrible, he knows he should have bene focusing on Riley and not texting, and he hates how she thinks that her company wasn't good enough. He quickly pulls her into a hug.
"You are right; I can talk to her tomorrow. You and I have these rules and we shouldn't break them. How about we start again?"
Riley looks into his eyes, seeing how sorry he truly was and she couldn't help but forgives him because this was Lucas and he was forever he best friend.
"Sure, but you need to make more popcorn!"
Lucas grins and kisses her softly on the temple before grabbing the popcorn and scooting to the kitchen. Riley watches him go sadly, before sitting softly on the bed. The feeling she thought she had finally escaped has come crawling back in, and she doesn't think it's going away.
