A/N: Next chapter up! Also please read the authors note at the end of the chapter… it's important regarding my writing and future updates.
I don't own GMW, just the plot of this story.
Chapter 4: "The Proposition"
Even a couple days after Maya's little meeting with Josh, and unfortunate aftermath with Lucas, the blonde Texan himself hadn't mentioned it. Of course he had stopped her in the hallway a few times, smirk firmly attached to his annoyingly handsome face. But she was just happy the Josh conversation was being avoided.
She had yet to mention the little piece of information of Josh getting his own apartment soon to Riley. Something about telling Riley made it too real. She didn't want to get her hopes up about being invited over. And she definitely didn't want Riley pressuring her uncle to invite the blonde over. Although Josh had technically already given her an 'official invite,' she just couldn't help but feel like it wasn't completely official until he actually had the place, since right now it was more thought than reality, at least as far as Maya knew.
Daydreaming, she walked through the halls of school. Without warning, she turned her head to see Josh's face through the window of a class room. She stopped walking. Her confusion lessened a little when Mr. Matthews came into view in the window next to Josh. Their faces were neutral, as if their conversation wasn't much. But Maya found herself still very curious as to what brought Josh to her school, her turf. She turned to keep walking, not wanting to torture herself by harping on Josh or draw attention to her staring by getting caught by Josh or Mr. Matthews. Leaning against the lockers, Lucas stood talking to a girl. Well, he was talking, she was giggling insensibly. Maya could only guess that the girl was trying to 'flirt' with Lucas, but to Maya she was just being annoying and obnoxious. Lucas didn't seem to care though. The girl was pretty and that was probably all he cared about. Maya suddenly recognized the girl in front of Lucas as Kenzie. She was on the cheer squad, she helped Riley get the moves down when she was called in to fill in for a girl. Kenzie was nice, but she was loose. In other words, just Lucas's type.
Maya didn't care too much to watch Lucas smile at the pretty brunette as she batted her eyelashes and ran her finger up and down his chest. She tried to walk by but heard her name in Lucas's voice.
"Maya!"
At first, she thought she was imagining it. Her blonde head whipped back a little to glance at Lucas and Kenzie. Lucas was already taking little steps to catch up to Maya who stood only about 10 feet from him. Kenzie sighed and walked away, giving Maya a dirty look over her shoulder before turning a corner. A completely unwarranted look, Maya thought. But she did find it slightly amusing making Kenzie upset like that.
"Can I help you Lucas?" Maya asked sarcastically. "Weren't you busy with Kenzie?"
"Who?" Lucas asked confused with his eyebrows arched.
Maya pointed off in the direction that Kenzie departed in. "The girl you were literally just talking to." Lucas glanced back and still looked confused.
"I thought her name was Courtney?"
"Wow you are such a jerk," Maya said. She honestly wanted to hit him upside the head for being such a conceited asshole. He can't even spend 2 seconds to just learn the name of the girl he's trying to sleep with. That's even lower than Maya thought he could sink. "Look what do you want?"
"Couldn't help but notice that college boy is here," he told her. Maya's eyebrows arched up, both at the fact that Lucas thinks this is any of his business and at the fact that he not only remembered Josh's face, but also noticed him here at school.
"Let me ask you something? Why do you think my life is any of your business?" Maya voiced her concerns.
Lucas let out a small laugh. "You intrigue me," he answered. Maya laughed, because if she's being honest, that line was a load of bullshit. She had begun chalking it up in her head to him being insecure about her being the only girl in the whole school that didn't want to sleep with him. She leaned in close to his ear.
"I think we both know what you find intriguing about me," she whispered in response.
"Are you offering?" the Texan smirked.
"In your dreams Huckleberry," Maya smirked back.
"Huckleberry?" Lucas questioned. Maya had only called him that to Farkle. Farkle found it funny, but warned her not to use the nickname around Riley. The brunette would berate Maya endlessly trying to get her to give Lucas a chance and be friendly.
"I think it fits you. You have a very Huckleberry quality."
Lucas didn't look upset or offended. He actually looked pretty amused at the Texas style nickname. Silently cursing herself, Maya wished she didn't find him so charming when he laughed. "A quality you're into?" He always seemed to ruin his cute face with his words.
"I'm not playing this game," Maya laughed. "Once again, in your dreams," she repeated. She began walking away, already feeling a little headache come on from her interaction.
"A very specific wet dream!" he called after her.
Maya didn't even realize that she was so distracted by Lucas and his disgusting insinuations. It wasn't until a door opened in front of her and she stood face to face with Josh that she realized she had walked the wrong way down the hall. Her eyes met with Josh's and a smile crept onto her face.
"Hey Maya," Josh said, shutting the door behind him.
"Hey Boing. Wh-what are you doing here?" Maya asked, trying to keep her cool. She could practically feel Lucas burning a hole in the back of her head with his eyes. He was probably staying amused by watching Maya fidget nervously.
"I was just dropping something off for Cory," Josh answered. "You look good today. I like your hair like that."
His words spun around and around in Maya's head. They felt warm and suddenly she didn't know how to respond. If only he wasn't such a Matthews, giving her compliments. He had no idea what that did to her. She made a quick mental note to wear her hair like this, in its high ponytail, more often.
"Thanks," Maya smiled. She wasn't positive, but she thought she could hear a snicker come out of Lucas's mouth in the background. She thought about turning around and giving him a glare that would frighten even the toughest person. But she decided against it, not wanting to shine attention onto him. Josh hadn't made any glances up at him and Maya guessed he hadn't noticed him. She wanted to keep it that way. "Do you have class today?" she asked. It was a dumb and average question. It was a question that radiated in small talk.
"Yeah actually. I have class in an hour. Then I'm apartment hunting later," he told her. Maya's face beamed. She liked being kept in the know about Josh and him getting his own place. It made her feel special, especially special to him.
"That sounds exciting!" Maya smiled as she tried to think of words to say next. "Maybe send me pictures of ones you like? I watch a lot of House Hunters. I know a good apartment when I see one."
Josh laughed at her little joke, which Maya thought was a good sign.
"Maybe I'll take you up on that," he said. Josh slid past Mya, his dimpled smile lighting up her world briefly. His eyes moved away from hers but she kept her eyes on him until he disappeared down the hall.
The little blonde sunk into her own world. A world where her and Josh got to be together. Maybe she was crazy for thinking it but she couldn't help but think that there was a chance for the two of them. Not just in the future but soon.
"So let me get this straight. You'll sleep with him?" Maya had almost forgotten that Lucas was lurking behind her during her moment.
"I'm not sleeping with him," she grumbled, walking away.
"Not when you flirt like that," he chuckled. Maya couldn't deal. She turned to walk away, grunting under breathe. No surprise to her, Lucas quickly followed behind. "I have a proposition for you Shortstack."
Blonde hair whipped around as the nickname caught her attention. "Did you just call me Shortstack?" Her height wasn't exactly something she was confident in. Lucas leaned in close to her, infamous smirk in place.
"If I get to be Huckleberry, then you get to be Shortstack," he smirked. Maya felt both a little amused and angry. Anger was taking front and center. But amusement followed close behind. Lucas knew how to fight back when she picked at him. Not many people she knew did that.
"A proposition?" her follow up question asked. In her head, she was actually counting down the seconds until the word 'sex' appeared in this proposition Lucas had.
"I'm going to help you get college boy," he said simply, as if it was the most casual sentence he had ever spoken. Maya burst in laughs but Lucas's face remained unchanged, unaffected by her entertained laughter.
"That's funny Lucas! At least now I know what girls see in you, you're hilarious," she laughed, turning on her heels to walk away again.
"I'm serious!" he insisted. Maya didn't trust a word that came out of his mouth. In her defense, he had never really given her a reason to trust him. She tried to analyze his facial expression, stare at every feature he had to find some resemblance of truth. That sneaky grin was a mark in the 'do not trust' column. His raised eyebrows and the little crinkles in his forehead, both 'do not trust' check marks.
"Why would I let you do that?"
"Because I know exactly what older men want. I could coach you. He'll be yours in no time," Lucas explained. Confusion filled Maya's head. This was not just about Lucas being a nice guy. He didn't know how to be a nice guy as far as she could tell. He had one thing on his mind and she knew somehow he saw this plan leading to him getting to have it.
"No. This," she said, gesturing between the two of them, "can only lead to bad things. I don't need your help."
Another attempt to walk away from this was ruined by Lucas giving her an offer she really wanted to refuse, but couldn't. "I'll stay away from Riley!" he offered. With her back to him, Maya thought over the concept.
"So you're offering to help me get Josh, the boy I've been wanting since I was like 9. And you don't hurt my best friend?" Maya summed up. It seemed too good to be true. Lucas nodded, but Maya wasn't buying it. "Alright what's in it for you?"
"I'm bored. Every girl in this school is too easy," he said, sounding like a total pig. "Plus… when this is over, you'll owe me a little favor."
There it was. Maya was positive a sexual favor would be involved in all of this and there it was.
"I'm not having sex with you Lucas!"
"Oh come on just once. You'll like it I promise," he winked.
"No!" Maya rolled her eyes at the boy, but all he did was let out a chuckle.
"Fine. The favor won't be sex. But you'll owe me!"
Maya didn't know what to say. Of course, she didn't want Riley to get hurt and she was already way into the boy to resist him if he actually offered. And who knows, maybe she might actually get Josh from this deal. Her eyebrow raised up, looking the devious boy in front of her up and down. For Riley, she might have to trust him. For Josh, she might have to trust him.
"Alright Huckleberry here's the deal. I let you help me. You actually give me good advice about Josh and stay away from Riley! No dreamy 'hi''s in the hallway. No making eyes at her from across the room. Actually you don't even talk to her. She doesn't exist to you! You do that, and I will owe you one favor," she demanded. "One non-sexual favor!" she added after seeing his smile light up a little more.
"You got yourself a deal Shortstack," he confirmed. "Come over tonight. Our coaching will start. According to every interaction I've ever seen you have with Josh, I have a lot of work to do." Maya smacked his arm for the insult.
She turned to walk down the hall and to the cafeteria. She could feel her phone vibrating in her jeans pocket. It was no doubt Riley and Farkle asking where she was and why she wasn't at lunch yet. She had no intention of telling either of them about the deal she just made with the Texan she claimed to despise. Riley's head would blow off and Farkle would scold Maya for hours about trusting Lucas. Maya didn't trust him at all. Ulterior motives were definitely swirling around his egotistical head. Maya was cautious. But as long as Riley was safe from Lucas's gravitational pull, Maya would be fine.
But the farther away she got from Lucas, the more she thought about what she had just done. She knew she would grow to regret making this kind of deal with a jerk, Huckleberry like Lucas Friar.
A/N: The plot is picking up a little bit! Some of you worried in the reviews last chapter that there would be Rucas in the story. Don't worry! It was just that little bit, mostly to really push Maya into taking the deal with Lucas for the Riley reasoning in this chapter lol
Ok so I'm sure we've all heard that GMW is officially over and isn't being renewed. Unfortunately knowing that I will never get to see Lucaya and all they could've been play out on screen, after all the faith and hope I put into them, I have lost almost all my inspiration for my lucaya stories:( I'm sure it will come back but I won't be updating my one-shot story for a while until I am able to write again. THIS STORY WILL STILL BE UPDATED. This story is already fully written so there is nothing stopping me from posting it! It will delay the posting of the next multi-chapter story I'm trying to write… but asshole!Friar won't be effected. Thanks for staying loyal and still having a love for lucaya.
I will always believe they could've been amazing and iconic…. Love you guys! Please please review!
