This chapter ended up going in a different direction than I had originally intended, but I really like how it turned out. Also thank you for all the reviews! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts about how stupid Lucas was to have run off like that. But I promise, things will work out!

Chapter Twenty-One

Lucas couldn't believe what just happened. He didn't know what else to do, so he ran off. He returned to his dorm and plopped down on his bed. He decided that running away would be a lot easier than having Riley reject him and tell him that the kiss was a mistake. The kiss wasn't a mistake to him, though. He had dreamt about that moment for the past couple of weeks, and he didn't know he'd actually get that chance.

He couldn't even sleep, because he still felt the sensation of her lips pressed against his. Instead he stayed up most of the night staring at his ceiling, wondering if there'd ever be a chance for Riley and Lucas.

Lucas only got a couple hours of sleep, but when he woke up at noon, he was ecstatic. He realized that today was the day students who didn't stay in the dorms for the holidays were allowed to move back in. It was also the day Zay returned from Texas. Lucas couldn't wait to see his best friend again, he needed someone to talk to about the ordeal that took place the previous night.

"You kissed your sister?!" Zay shrieked. He was greeted by the news of what happened on the rooftop of the Matthews' apartment building on New Year's Eve. He had barely gotten through the door when Lucas pounced on him and ranted about everything that happened while he was gone.

Lucas nodded.

"And then you left right after?"

Lucas nodded again.

"You're so stupid," Zay shook his head as he rested his luggage beside the door to his room.

"It was New Year's Eve!" Lucas defended himself. "It was in the moment! The kiss wasn't supposed to happen. I messed up." He plopped down on the couch and buried his face in his hands.

"It wasn't?" Zay raised a brow, following his roommate to sit beside him. "So you're saying you didn't want to kiss her?"

"N-no.. I-I did," Lucas said softly.

"So then how did you mess up?" Zay inquired.

"Because she doesn't like me that way!" Lucas threw his arms in the air. "I ruined our friendship with a kiss."

"You don't know that for sure," Zay replied. He patted Lucas's back. "Who initiated the kiss?"

"Uh, I did," Lucas scratched his head, "I think.. I mean I know I leaned in but now that I think about it, I think she did too."

"Who pulled away first?" Zay asked.

"We pulled away at the same time," Lucas's voice trailed off.

"Well, then you've got your answer!" Zay said. "She likes you too. You just ruined it for yourself for running away."

"No, there is no way she likes me," Lucas denied.

"Look, man, I love you and all," Zay began, "but you really gotta pull your head out of your ass. It's obvious she likes you. And it's painfully obvious you like her back. But you know what? You're never gonna know what that kiss meant until you talk to her, you know?"

Lucas sighed dramatically. He hated when Zay was right. Granted, those moments were very few, but he still didn't quite appreciate it.

"New Year's kiss or not, it meant something to you," Zay continued, "I know it did. Otherwise you wouldn't be making a big deal out of it."

"I hate it when you're right," Lucas scoffed and slid down into his seat.

Riley easily drifted off to sleep last night. She didn't think about it too much. She figured that if Lucas did feel the same way as she did, he wouldn't have taken off like that. Although she was able to sleep, she, however, didn't want to get up. She wanted to stay in bed forever.

"Riley, what are you doing still in bed?" Topanga asked as she barged in her room. She sat on the bed.

Riley replied with a groan.

"You have to move your stuff back into your dorm," Topanga reminded her. "Josh is already at Maya's to help her with her things. Will Lucas be able to help you?"

Riley groaned again, but this time, a lot louder and more annoyed. She pulled the covers over her head. Lucas. She didn't want to think about him, but it sure was hard when her mom brought him up.

"Fine," Topanga said with her palms in front of her to defend herself. She wasn't quite sure why Riley was so against Lucas helping her, but she just shrugged it off. Who knew teen angst would still be happening at eighteen? "Just let your dad know if you need help."

Topanga got up and proceeded to leave her daughter's room. Once gone, Riley pulled the covers off of her. She slowly sat up. She stayed seated for a couple of minutes as she looked around her room. She hadn't even begun to repack her things to bring back to her dorm. She was too occupied with planning her New Year's party.

Riley sighed and forced herself out of bed. She grabbed her suitcase from her closet and began to pack. She thought that packing would keep her mind off of Lucas. She told herself she didn't want to think about it, but that's all she found herself doing as she continued to pack. Her insecurities overpowered her. She found herself overthinking. She made a huge mistake by kissing Lucas. She ruined their friendship just because she couldn't keep her feelings intact. It was painfully obvious to Riley that Lucas didn't reciprocate those feelings—why else would he have run off like that? Besides, even if he did like her back, all she could think about was the stupid pact that she had so drunkenly agreed to.

Riley asked Cory to drop her off back at her dorm. She wasn't surprised when she entered the room to see Maya and her uncle kissing on the couch.

"Gross!" Riley announced her presence as she proceeded to cover her eyes with her hand. She tried to walk over to her room with her eyes covered but to no avail. She tripped and fell on her face.

Maya and Josh were quick to notice the brunette and helped her up.

"I get that you're dating now, but can you guys please leave the PDA at a minimum?" Riley requested as she got up and smoothed out her clothes. "I'd rather not know what my best friend is doing with my uncle."

Josh and Maya exchanged looks and laughed.

"Sorry, honey," Maya apologized. "I just can't help myself."

"Yeah, pretty soon you'll be calling her Aunt Maya," Josh chuckled.

"Not someday soon, I hope," Riley poked a finger at her uncle's chest. "She's still my best friend and she always will be my best friend first. Just let her get through college, alright? I already had a hard time trying to convince her to apply."

"Alright, niece," Josh raised his palms in front of him. "Do you need help settling in? We finished unpacking Maya's stuff."

"Yeah, sure," Riley accepted. Maya and Josh took Riley's luggage and rolled them into her room. Riley was following the couple until she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She reached for it and saw Lucas's name. Riley was sure he was going to tell her that the kiss was a mistake and that he had no feelings for her. She didn't have the time to get rejected. Instead, she took a deep breath before declining the call.

"She didn't pick up!" Lucas threw his arms into the air, distressed. Zay had talked him into calling Riley and after the initial call, Lucas had decided it was a bad idea. Lucas turned to Zay, who was making himself a snack in the kitchen. "She doesn't want to talk to me, Zay."

"You don't know that," Zay shrugged. "She could be busy. She's also moving back into her dorm."

"I guess you're right," Lucas sighed. He placed his phone on the coffee table in front of him.

"Try calling her again later?" Zay suggested.

So, Lucas tried calling her again later that day. Still no answer. For the next few days, he still tried to reach out to her. And still, no reply from the brunette. Lucas was starting to lose hope. He was going to put his heart on the line for her, but that didn't matter if she wasn't willing to listen. He hadn't seen her since the incident. School resumed and he hated that he didn't have any classes with her that semester.

Is this what it felt like when Lucas avoided Riley for those couple of weeks? Lucas felt awful about it. If he had known how bad it was going to feel, he never would've ignored her. But now, she was avoiding him. Lucas assumed it was because Riley thought that the kiss meant nothing and was giving him space in order for him to sort out his feelings. Boy, he couldn't have been more wrong.

But what else was he supposed to think? Why else was Riley avoiding him? She felt awkward about the kiss, and she was unsure how to let Lucas down gently. Lucas knew in his heart that that's what it was. That he never stood a chance with her in the first place. This only reiterated the thought in him that the kiss was a mistake. A stupid mistake that happened under the colorful fireworks that happened on New Year's Eve in New York City. A scenario that anyone would kill to find themselves in.

"Zay, I'm giving up," Lucas declared when he walked through the door. He had just finished his classes but wasn't able to focus in any of them. His mind was solely focused on Riley, just like it had been the past couple of weeks.

"What, why?" Zay asked, moving his gaze from the TV to his best friend.

"It's been weeks," Lucas pointed out. "Am I just supposed to wait for her forever? Maybe this was just a sign that it wasn't meant to be."

"You're not the type to give up, Friar," Zay reminded him. He got up and walked towards Lucas. He placed a hand on his shoulder before leading him to the couch to sit down. "Remember back in Texas? When Vanessa stupidly signed you up to ride Tombstone the bull?"

"Yes, I remember that," Lucas nodded. "As much as I love Vanessa—as a friend, of course—I hated her with every fibre of my being at that time. Do you understand how hard that was for me? I was terrified, Zay."

"You were terrified because you failed several times before," Zay pointed out. "You fell off Judy the sheep when you were five, you fell off other sheep whose names don't matter as much as Judy. Hell, you also fell off other bulls before Tombstone. You wanted to be a rodeo star, remember? You never gave up. You were hesitant to get on Tombstone but you did. And you were successful. You beat the previous record! And at fifteen years old, too. I have never been more proud of my best friend in that moment. Because I knew what you went through to get there. You never gave up on your dream even though you hesitated."

"It was a stupid dream to have," Lucas said.

"Okay… but is she?"

"What's the point of this, man?" Lucas furrowed his brows.

"I'm just saying, don't give up on her," Zay sighed. "You tried reaching out to her many, many times, and failed. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying. You care about Sunshine, don't you?"

"I do, very much," Lucas nodded.

"Then don't give up on her," Zay said. "You may not regret not going through with your stupid dream of becoming a rodeo star, but what's not stupid is you and her. You might regret letting her slip through your fingers one day."

"Thanks, Zay," Lucas patted his best friend on the back. "I really needed to hear that."

Riley felt bad ignoring Lucas. She knew it was no way to solve any problem, but she didn't want to confront him until she sorted out her feelings. She had already cautiously told Maya about the whole situation, to which Maya slapped her arm for. She told Maya that she and Lucas haven't been talking lately, and Maya assumed the worst.

"Is he avoiding you again? I swear when Josh and I get our hands on him—"

"Maya, he's not avoiding me," Riley interrupted, pulling the blonde down beside her on the couch. "I'm the one avoiding him."

"What the hell, Riley, why?!" Maya yelled.

"We kissed," Riley said in one breath.

"What?" Maya's eyes grew wide. Though she couldn't deny the feelings she knew Riley and Lucas had for each other, she was surprised to hear about the kiss. "When?!"

"On the rooftop. New Year's Eve."

"How come I didn't notice?!"

"While I was busy kissing Lucas, you were too busy kissing my uncle," Riley pointed out with a disgusted look on her face.

"Fair enough," Maya shrugged. "But why are you avoiding him?"

"He ran off after the kiss," Riley confessed with a sigh.

"So?" Maya pressed. "Shouldn't he be the one ignoring you, then?"

"I don't know, Maya! He's tried reaching out to me, but I won't talk to him. I don't know what I'm feeling," Riley buried her face in her hands. They sat in silence for a bit. When Riley finally got herself in check, she looked up to lock eyes with the blonde. "Maya, I know my meddling nature has rubbed off on you over the years, but please—don't try to fix things. Let me handle it, okay? I promise I won't be ignoring him forever."

I am very pleased with Lucas and Zay's talks. Who knew Zay would be the voice of reason?