Note: There will be 4 more parts after this one! So 25 parts in total! Thank you for sticking with this story for so long! 3

Chapter 21: Learning to Fly

Riley

Growing up, I was never one to romanticize what it was like to fly like the rest of the children my age. Whenever my parents took me to the park, I would see girls and boys pretending to be super heroes, wearing their makeshift capes made of towels or blankets, jumping off benches or tall rocks, imagining that they were suspended in the air for longer than just a millisecond. But that kind of thing never interested me. I always liked having my feet planted firmly on the ground. I liked being able to look up at the clouds and dream about what it would be like to touch them, instead of actually doing it. The appeal was in the dream for me, not the reality.

And because I never grasped the idea of flying, the thought of falling was even more of a foreign concept. Falling never even crossed my mind. What it would be like to feel your stomach drop as you made that fatal descent to the ground. To feel the wind in your hair and your clothes like it was shooting right through you. Those were feelings that I didn't think were possible.

So regardless of how I felt about flying, I could tell you, without a doubt, that I would choose it over falling in a heartbeat.

The water was cold, so cold that I couldn't feel my hands or feet as I struggled to stay above the surface. The water on this lake was usually so still, but it was angrily rocking back and forth as the wind started to pick up from the storm rolling in. I felt water enter my mouth almost immediately and the little seed of panic that was planted when I first hit the water was starting to grow it's way into the pit of my stomach. I vaguely remembered hearing voices calling my name, their tones desperate and more panicked than even I was at the moment. It was so dark. And so cold. And as my arms started to get get heavy as the tiredness set in, I wished with everything I had that I had the ability to fly out of the water and land safely on the ground.

I heard a splash coming from somewhere in front of me and it didn't occur to me in that moment, that it was someone coming to save me. I never really thought of myself as someone who needed saving before. I was so used to being stable Riley Matthews; the girl with no problems of her own who never needed to be saved, but as my lungs began to fill with water and it became harder and harder for me to stay above the surface, I realized that I was that person now.

"Riley!"

It was Lucas. I couldn't see him over the rapidly moving water, but I could hear that it was his voice. I wanted to call out to him, but the pool of water that lingered in my mouth after my head went under the surface stifled any sound that made any attempt to come out.

"Riley, hold on I'm coming! Keep kicking your feet! Try to stay above the surface!"

I did as he instructed, but it felt as if something was pulling me under. The more I tried to kick my way to the surface, the harder it was for me to stay there. I took a deep breath and stuck my head underwater to see what was tugging me further down. I opened my eyes to see that the hem of my dress was caught under a sharp rock close to where I landed in the water. I tugged as hard as I could, but it wouldn't budge. I lifted my head up just in time to see Lucas swimming furiously towards me.

"Riley, it's okay I'm going to get you out of here. Just, hold onto my shoulders."

He swam around me and gestured for me to grab onto his back, but I couldn't move.

"I'm... stuck... my dress," I struggled to explain as the water continued to fill my mouth with every word.

"You're dress is stuck," he deciphered my jumbled explanation and scrambled to peek around me to see what was pulling me down. "Okay, I'll get it, just keep your head above the surface,"

I nodded as best I could and strained my neck upwards as he swam to the corner of the rock where my dress was caught. I felt Lucas tugging and pulling, but I was struggling to stay above the water. I was just so tired. I fought with everything I could until I felt a slight tug near bottom of my leg. Lucas freed my dress from underneath the rock, but I couldn't hold on any longer. Everything was going black. I tried to open my eyes, but it was as if they were glued shut, and any effort I gave to free them was pointless. I wanted to open my eyes. I wanted to fly. But all I felt was that feeling of falling into nothingness again. And all I could see in front of me was darkness.

"Riley, open your eyes!"

He sounded so far away. Like we were in separate rooms on the opposite sides of the world. I wanted to reach out to him, but it was like there was a transparent wall blocking my way to him. It fell heavily on my head like a hazy black veil, and I tried with everything I could to rip it away.

"Come on, don't do this," Lucas' voice was panicked, desperate, and I felt pressure on my chest as his voice started to come closer and closer. "Open your eyes!"

I felt him hovering over me. I felt his longing for me to meet his gaze and I struggled to do just that as the pressure on my chest started to grow. It felt like my lungs were on fire and I used every ounce of strength I had left to push past the darkness that was surrounding every part of me.

"Please," he begged, and I started to see blurry images of trees and the night sky surrounding me as my eyes fluttered open just the slightest bit. "Riley!"

It happened so abruptly, like a jolt of energy piercing through my chest. My lungs were burning and I coughed furiously in my attempt to breathe in the oxygen around me. I finally met his eyes, and they were just as refreshing as that first breath of air I took as I clawed my way through the darkness.

"Are you okay?" he breathed, his voice thick with emotion.

"I t-think so," I shivered, finally starting to let my body feel how cold it truly was. "C-cold."

His hand brushed my cheek gently, like I was a delicate China doll that would break if he pressed down too hard.

"Riley!" My eyes flitted past Lucas to see my parents running towards us on the shoreline. My father knelt down next to Lucas, and quickly called back up to the top of the hill where the police had gathered by the house. "Can we get some blankets over here? She's freezing!"

Frustrated that they were not listening to his demands, my father stomped his way back to the house, leaving Lucas and I alone once again.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered, stroking my hair delicately and tucking the wet strands that were sticking to my forehead behind my ear. "God, I don't know what I would have done."

"You saved me," I muttered, my voice raspy and raw from my coughing fit to find enough air.

"You saved me first," he reminded me, his eyes starting to fill with tears. "I don't know where I would be if I had never gotten to know you."

I sat up suddenly, craning my neck to see police lights flashing at the top of the driveway.

"Where's Jensen?" I asked, my voice sounding much stronger as the intensity settled into my tone.

"They're taking him away," Lucas explained, placing a reassuring hand on my back. "You don't have to worry about him anymore."

"No, they can't!" I scrambled to my feet, wobbling slightly as the dizziness washed over me in one sharp wave.

"Riley, you shouldn't move!" Lucas reached out to steady me, but I pushed past him and started heading up the hill towards the police cars. "Riley!"

I ran as fast as my feet and lungs would allow me, but it felt like I was moving through molasses the way the hazy veil of dizziness was threatening to overtake my body once again.

"Wait!" I shouted at the man gripping a handcuffed Jensen, as he lead him towards a flashing police car. "Wait, don't take him yet!"

"We're going to make sure he gets the punishment he deserves, Ms. Matthews," a woman, tall and thin with an air of importance to her demeanor that clued me in on the fact that she couldn't be anyone other than Mrs. Haynes. "He's not well. But that doesn't excuse his behavior. He's always been difficult, but I never thought it would get this severe. He's such a terrible little delinquent."

Ignoring her, I made my way over to the police car, my heart beating fast and my lungs burning more than ever.

"Jensen," I called out to him, and he slowly turned his head to meet my gaze. He looked confused, like he had no idea where he was or what he was doing here. "I meant it when I said I believed in you. I meant it when I said I was on your side. And I'm not giving up on you."

The corners of Jensen's lips slowly curled into a faint smile, before the police officer tugged on his arm and ducked his head into the car. As the door shut behind him, I turned on my heal to look at his mother. She was everything I thought she would be. Beautiful and entitled, with a sense of coldness to her that made my heart ache for her children.

"Your son is a lot of things, Mrs. Haynes, but he's not a bad person," I said, making sure that my words were coming out as clear and pointed as they possibly could. "This was his cry for help. This was his attempt at getting you to see him. All he's ever wanted is your approval and all you've done is make him into some kind of villain. You don't know you're son if you think he's as terrible as you say he is. Yes, what he did was awful, but I've seen the good in him. I've seen who he truly is. And it's good. The very best parts of him are good. And all he needed was for someone to see that."

I took a step closer, doing my best to decipher the stone cold expression on her face, but determined to finish my speech before my lungs gave out completely.

"He needed me to see that," I admitted, glancing back at Jensen through the car window before returning my gaze to meet a teary eyed Mrs. Haynes. "But more than anything, he needed you to see it. So look at him. Look at him right now, and see it. Talk to him. Really talk to him, and get his side of the story. You owe him that. Otherwise, you're just as bad as you make him out to be."

I didn't wait for her to respond. Instead, I turned on my heel to head over to where my friends and parents were standing. As I met their concerned, albeit shocked, expressions with a small smile I heard sirens in the distance and felt a wave of relief wash over me as my lungs screamed at me in fury.

"Riley, he has a mental disorder," my mom announced, stepping out from behind my dad to place a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"I know," I admitted, turning to smile at her sadly. "He told me a few weeks ago. But that doesn't make him a bad person. His disorder doesn't define who he is. I believe that he's going to get the help that he needs. And I believe he'll become a better person because of all of this. But that doesn't mean he's a bad person now. Maybe that makes me stupid. Maybe that makes me naive. But that's what I believe."

There was a moment of silence in which no one really knew what to say, until Lucas met my eyes and took a step forward.

"And I believe in Riley," he declared, smiling at me confidently. "So if she believes it, I believe it."

"You have one extraordinary daughter Mr. and Mrs. Matthews," Mr. Haynes, who had been relatively quiet throughout this whole incident, told my parents as he made his way into the driver's seat of their much-too-expensive car.

"Yes," my father agreed. "We definitely do."

"And you have an extraordinary son, Mrs. Friar," I told the woman standing next to Lucas, as she looked up at her son with admiration in her eyes. "Lucas saved me tonight. He's been going through so much with Jensen these past few months, but he's done everything he could to keep me safe, even before tonight. He's always been a hero to me. But this just kind of makes it even more official."

I reached out to give Lucas' hand a quick squeeze before making my way over to my friends standing in the background near the top of the driveway.

"Thank you, Mr. Friar," I heard my father tell Lucas as they trailed close behind me. "You saved my daughter tonight. And I will be forever grateful."

"No need to thank me, Mr. Matthews," Lucas told him. "She saved me a long time ago."

I spent the next few minutes talking to the police and convincing Maya that I did not gain superpowers from my miraculous jump from the cliff above the water. The sound of sirens got even closer until they shut off completely, and we all turned to look at the men stepping out of the vehicle.

"Riley, the ambulance is here," my mother announced. "We should get you checked out."

"Just one more thing," I told them, turning to look back at the shoreline. "You guys go up there without me. I need a second alone."

"You sure?" Lucas asked, knitting his eyebrows together in concern..

"Yeah, it'll just be a second," I promised, and he nodded as if he understood and joined everyone else at the end of the driveway.

I quickly ran down the hill to stand near the shoreline that looked out over the water. The storm had passed so the water was relatively calm again. I picked up a flat rock and felt its smooth edges as I tossed it back and forth between either hand.

"Hi, Jessica."

I watched the water ripple softly as a gust of wind blew through, distorting the reflection of the moon on the water ever so slightly

"This might sound strange, but I think that I felt you in the water tonight... I know, weird right? But I just wanted to say how much everyone misses you. How much everyone cares about you. Especially Jensen. I know you don't blame him for what happened. You believed in him too. I know you did. I felt it. And I think that's what gave me the strength to say what I did tonight. So thank you. Sometimes we just need someone to believe in us. And I'm glad that Jensen has always had that. Now he always will."

"Riles."

I heard a faint voice call out to me, but the lingering effects of sleep continued to pull me back down and prevented me from opening my eyes.

"Psssttt. Riley Matthews."

I felt a slight tickle on the left side of my cheek and my eyes flew open to meet Maya's curious gaze.

"Maya," I muttered, glaring at her with mock-annoyance. "Why are you poking me with a bendy straw?"

"Because you've been sleeping for about five hundred years and I'm bored," she complained, bending the tip of the straw back down and sticking it in the cup of water sitting on the tray beside my hospital bed.

"Sorry that my recent turmoil is causing you severe boredom," I joked, and she rolled her eyes at me and smiled.

"Oh stop, you know I'm only joking," Maya sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes, you're such a comedian," I teased, scooting up on the pillows so that I was sitting upright in the bed.

There was a moment of silence in which Maya played with the fraying piece of fabric on the bed sheet, looking hesitant to ask me something. Maya was never hesitant to say anything that came to her mind, so I raised my eyebrows at her curiously.

"What is it?" I pressed, urging her to talk to me.

"Riley, what was it like?" she asked after a moment, and I immediately knew what she was referring to.

"It just felt like I was falling," I explained, my eyes drifting to my hands folded neatly together on the blanket in front of me. "There was nothing beautiful or romantic about it. I was just falling into darkness until I wasn't. And then I was surrounded by water."

I took a deep breath before continuing and Maya placed her hand atop mine, smiling at me reassuringly.

"I was scared. But when I was underneath, I couldn't help but think that this was how Jensen had felt for so long. And I knew I couldn't give up on him. I knew that Jessica didn't want me to give up on him. I know that sounds crazy..."

"No it doesn't," Maya assured me, and I couldn't help but smile at her in relief for understanding. "It doesn't sound crazy at all. Anyway, I'm really glad you're okay. Seriously, when I got that call I thought I was going to have some sort of emotional breakdown. You're my best friend, and I'd be lost without you."

I took her hand in mine, before quickly pulling her into a hug. We both laughed as we pulled back and saw tears welling up in both of our eyes.

"I'm glad you picked up," I admitted, wiping at a stray tear that had escaped and fallen onto my cheek. "Although your timing could have been better."

"Sorry," she laughed, and I shook my head at her.

"I'm kidding," I smiled, pleased with myself for being able to make light of this situation so soon after it had happened.

"I got to meet Zay though," Maya pointed out, an uncharacteristic blush forming on her cheeks at the mention of his name. "He's pretty cool if you're into the funny, nice, totally handsome, lacrosse player type. Oh wait."

"Ha ha," I mocked, sticking my tongue out her and reaching for the Kleenex on the tray next to me.

There was a light knock on the door and Maya stood from her chair to see who it was. She smiled at me knowingly as she crossed the room to open the door.

"Speaking of," she smirked as she swung the door open to reveal Lucas standing in the doorway with his hands firmly placed in his jacket pockets. "Um, okay I'm going to be in the lobby begging Farkle to bring me a bag full of tacos. Hospital food is seriously the worst."

With that, Maya slipped through the door behind Lucas and he took a few steps closer to me. His face had a few scrapes from the jump, but he looked relatively unscathed from what I could tell. At least, on the outside.

"How are you feeling?" he asked tentatively, nervously twisting his hands together in front on him.

"Kind of like I swallowed an entire campfire and washed it down with a truck load of fireworks," I explained, gesturing to my throat dramatically. "Throat's been really dry ever since it happened.

"Ouch," he winced, taking a seat in the chair that Maya had pulled over to the bed. "Well, you look beautiful."

"Stop it," I blushed, turning my face away and smiling shyly at him.

"I brought you something," he announced, holding up the canvas bag he was clutching in his hand and setting it on the tray. "Well, two things actually."

"Ooh presents," I said excitedly, reaching for the bag and pulling out the contents to lay one of the items carefully on my lap. I brushed my hand across the cover of the book in front of me and smiled to myself at the familiar images.

"The Secret Garden," I read the title and quickly glanced up at Lucas in amazement. "My favorite book. I didn't think you remembered that."

"I remember every conversation we've had," Lucas informed me, gently grazing one finger across the hand that was lingering on top of the book.

"What's the other thing you brought me?"

Lucas reached into the bag to pull out another book, this one much more beat up, its pages sticking out at funny angles and the front cover hanging on by a thread.

"I tried to glue to missing pages back on, but it's still not as put together as it used to be," Lucas explained as he placed the ragged book in my hands.

"To Kill A Mockingbird," I smiled as I met Lucas' gaze, and poked him playfully in the arm with the book. "I knew I was right about this being your favorite."

"I guess you know me pretty well," Lucas stated, his eyes glued to mine and never wavering.

"I guess I do."

We were caught up in the moment. The events of the past few days lingered in the background, but they refused to emerge to the surface. We were just a boy and a girl in a normal room without heart monitors or the stale smell of antiseptic cleaner. We had a chance to move forward and forget everything that had happened.

But then, as quickly as it started, the moment was over. And reality hit me square in the chest.

"Listen, I wanted to tell you that Holden and I are going to be taking a trip with our mother for the next few months," he announced, his eyes finally leaving mine to stare at the wall in front of him. "We need to get away from the echoes of our past and start fresh. At least for a little while, you know?"

"Oh," I mumbled, unable to make my voice come out above a whisper. "What about school?"

"I'm finishing this semester and then transferring to a private school in Washington for the last term," Lucas explained. "That's where we're going."

"Washington," I repeated, my eyes going wide as I tried my best to keep my voice level. "Wow. That's far."

"I know," he nodded solemnly as he gathered the words to finish what he was trying to say. "But I think I need to figure out who I am without the past weighing me down completely. I need a chance to breathe. And so does my mom. So do you."

"I'm fine, Lucas," I tried to convince him, smiling at him reassuringly to show him how fine I really was.

"You deserve to finish the semester with a normal life," Lucas removed the books from my lap and took my hands in his. "The life you lived before me with your amazing friends and family, tutoring worthless jocks like me, and writing on the school newspaper. And..."

Lucas smirked as he removed a slip of paper from his back pocket and handed it to me.

"You'll also be busy getting ready for the New York University summer writing program for high school students."

"What?" I snatched the paper from his hands and unfolded it, reading the contents of the letter quickly.

"Your mom told me I could give this to you now," Lucas explained. "It came in the mail this morning."

"I got in?" I looked from the letter, to Lucas, and back again in astonishment.

"I knew you would," Lucas said simply, shrugging as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're an amazing writer."

"You didn't even read the piece I entered," I pointed out, dropping the letter onto my lap and raising my eyebrows at him.

"I didn't have to," he smiled confidently, pointing one of his fingers at me and shaking it in my direction. "Besides, you'll let me read it when you're ready."

"That means you have to come back," I reminded him, keeping my voice hopeful without sounding too expectant. "You are coming back right?"

"Riley Matthews," Lucas breathed, picking up both of my hands and leaning in close to me. "I have a lot of promises that I made to you that I intend to keep. So I'll be back to fulfill every one of them. You can count on that."

"Then I'll be here when you get back," I assured him, leaning forward to press my forehead against his. "I promise."

I didn't want Lucas to go, but he was right. His family had been through so much these past few months. I knew that this was what was best for them. And if I was being completely honest with myself, I knew that this was what was best for me as well. Lucas taught me that I always had the ability to fly on my own. But if I didn't always soar like I was supposed to, I knew that I would always have someone to pick me up if I ever fell.