I'm really really sorry for disappearing for so long. Originally, I had written out this whole story and all I had to do was publish a chapter each week, but then I decided I didn't like then ending and I had to rewrite a bunch of things and I was super busy so I didn't. But I've finally got this whole thing together, and I hope you all like it. Thanks so much to everyone who's supported me in this, and sorry again for disappearing for so long.
Lucas woke up exhausted. Not only was he physically exhausted from the things that had kept him up all night, he was emotionally drained from the thoughts that had kept him up.
He felt awful. How could he have done that to Riley? That look on her face . . . he couldn't get it out of his head. Everyone else's faces haunted him too. They'd looked . . . horrified.
If he was honest, Lucas was horrified too. He hated himself for what he'd said. He'd always wanted to protect Riley, and he'd somehow let himself become the thing she needed to be protected from.
And why? Because Riley was bisexual? That shouldn't have mattered. Lucas should have been able to just accept her for who she was, he knew he should have, but he just couldn't. Somehow he couldn't fit bisexuality into his vision of Riley. He knew she was still the same Riley she'd always been. He knew that liking girls didn't stop Riley from being her sweet, goofy, innocent self. He knew all of this, but somehow he couldn't accept it.
And then there was Maya. Maya couldn't really be a lesbian . . . could she? Yes, Lucas had chosen Riley, but that didn't mean he hadn't felt something for Maya. Why - how could she have let the triangle drag out so long if she didn't even like him? Had she just been confused? But no - she said she'd known since middle school.
Lucas had been confused and upset, so he'd lashed out. He felt awful about it and wanted to believe that he'd never let himself do that again, but the truth was, he was still just as confused and upset, and he had no idea what would happen if he tried to talk to his friends.
When Lucas got to his history class, he was tempted to turn around and walk right back out the door.
The word written on the board was Relationships.
. . .
"Relationships have a way of shaping our history," Mr. Matthews said. "They are arguably the most important things in our lives. In fact, that's what history is all about: the study of relationships, of how people and groups of people interact with each other.
"Your assignment is to think about the most important relationships in your life and prepare a presentation on one of them."
Lucas decided that now was a good time to act on his previous impulse. He stood up and walked toward the classroom door.
"Lucas?" Mr. Matthews called.
"I'm sorry, sir," Lucas mumbled, walking out of the classroom without looking back.
. . .
At home, Lucas sat at his desk, staring into space. He needed to complete this assignment. That much was obvious. Not because he cared about his grades (which he did, of course) but because he cared about his friends. Maybe, just maybe, if he told them how much they meant to him, they would forgive him.
. . .
Smackle didn't waste time staring into space. She knew right away what she would present on. She and Farkle shared something special, but there was something even more special than that. She knew he'd understand.
. . .
Zay didn't usually take assignments seriously, especially presentations. He wasn't the best student, but he had a lot of charisma, so he could usually get by on minimal effort when it came to presentations. But he knew this was different. This was important.
. . .
Farkle didn't know what to do. He had a lot of important relationships in his life. Trying to choose just one to talk about was impossible, especially considering the events of the past few days. His friends mattered so much to him. All of them.
. . .
Maya didn't make a habit of leaving her history homework uncompleted - not anymore, anyway. But this assignment was impossible. Anything she did would just mess things up even more. She'd come out to her friends and everything had fallen apart. She knew it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't risk ruining things with Riley. Maya knew what the most important relationship in her life was, and she knew there was no way she could make a presentation on it. She loved Riley too much to risk losing her as a friend.
. . .
Riley sat in the bay window, literally shaking over how nervous this assignment made her. She knew what she was going to do - figuring that out wasn't the hard part. But actually executing it was terrifying. It was worth it though. She loved Maya too much to ignore the potential of everything they could be together.
