I'm so so sorry for not updating in like two weeks. I've had major writers block and didn't know what to write next. But it think that I know how everything is going to happen.

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A month has passed since the high five were planning their bowling night. Its mid-October, which means that Homecoming was a week away. Farkle is obviously going to ask Smackle, Brandon was going with Missy, Darby and Yogi were still going strong, and Zay was planning on asking Sarah since her and Wyatt broke up. But Riley was still counting down the days till the dance and wondered every day at school when Lucas was going to ask her. He probably assumed that they were going together like he did for the semi-formal. Nathan already asked Maya. He asked her after school, a week after their second date when he took her to a car showing. Nathan and Maya had been on three dates, while Riley and Lucas had not gone out once.

Riley noticed that Lucas had been acting strange. He always made up an excuse to get out of hanging out with his friends if Nathan was going to be there. Riley confronted him several times about what was going on with him. But Lucas always shrugged it off and said that everything was fine and that she was just reading into it too much. Farkle and Zay noticed too, but only Zay knew the real reason Lucas was avoiding them.

In art class, Mrs. Rogers assigned her students to draw a portrait of their partner. Lucas and Maya usually sat next to each other in silence, except for one class where they got in a paint war. They both got detention but it was the first time that things actually felt like old times between them, where it wasn't awkward. But Lucas and Maya weren't too keen on this assignment since it meant that they would have to meet outside of school either this weekend or next weekend to finish on time.

"Do you want to meet at my place or yours?" Lucas asked Maya tentatively.

"Umm…let's meet at yours."

"What time do you want to meet this weekend?"

"I can't this weekend. I'm going dress shopping with Riley. Next Sunday?"

"Oh" Lucas said disappointed. "Yea, next weekend is fine." A few minutes of silence passed before either of them spoke again. "Soo…How are things going with Nathan?" Lucas said sarcastically.

Maya ignored Lucas's sarcasm and shot him a playful evil stare. "Great! Things are great. He's amazing and sweet and just perfect. There's no one better. Nathan's just great." Maya exaggerated to make Lucas flinch.

"Th-that's great" Lucas stuttered. "I'm happy for you Maya" he lied.

"How are things between you and Riley?" she asked softly, trying to seem uninterested.

"Good. Things are good."

"Why haven't you asked her to Homecoming? She's been waiting for weeks."

"I don't know. I guess I've just been distracted."

"By what?" Maya asked confused.

An image of Nathan and Maya together popped into Lucas's mind. But he would never tell her how seeing them together bothered him. "Just by school."

"School? Seriously? Lucas, Riley loves you. And for someone who claims to love her back, you're not putting in enough effort." Maya said seriously. "She deserves better than what you're giving her. And so do you. Figure out whatever's been bothering you and fix it between the two of you because we all know it's not homework."

"You're right."

"Of course I am. Ask her tomorrow when we all go to Central Park after Riley and I finish dress shopping."

"I don't think I'm going."

"Why not?"

Because you're going to be there with Nathan. "I have to help my dad with stuff."

"What is with you? You never go out with us anymore" Maya whispered loudly because she didn't want the rest of the class to hear more of their conversation than they already had.

"Okay, fine. I'll go. Geezz."

"Good" Maya smiled. Lucas smiled back at her, the way he's done a thousand times before. "Careful, Lucas. I might just start calling you Huckleberry or Ranger Rick again if you keep looking at me like that" Maya teased.

"I never said I didn't like the nicknames" Lucas pretended to be joking too, but he wasn't. Maya went back to her classwork but Lucas continued to watch her and his smile didn't go away.

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I really wanted to do a Lucaya scene where it was just the two of them even though they're in class. I wrote another chapter where it's literally just them like over a month ago at 1 a.m. cause that's when the idea popped in my mind and I literally can't wait to publish because it's my favorite chapter. But there's a few more chapters before I can posted that one.

Over 5,600 reads! I love you guys. Thank you so much!