Chapter 26

Riley ws utterly confused seeing Missy sit on his couch. Lucas had his arm in front of her, almost as if Missy would actually do something. "Missy, what are you doing here?"

"I stopped by to continue our conversation. And to my surprise, I find women's clothing laying in the laundry basket." Her icy cold stare shot right through Lucas to the brunette.

"And? You have no right to be here. You don't live here anymore. So i'm gonna ask you to leave." His voice was stern, he was in cop mode and he still had his muscular arm in front of Riley.

"I'm curious actually. How long have you two been together?"

Riley piped up, "Y'all were broken up when we started dating. That's all that matters."

"So, all those time you told me you weren't attracted to her. You were just old friends, you had no feelings for her?" The brunette looked up towards Lucas, all she could see was his jaw but it was clearly clenched.

"I lied." She scoffed and looked at Riley.

"Nice hat Riley, why are you wearing that?" The brunette lowered her head and stopped herself from crying. The one thing she was self conscious about. Before her surgery Riley would stand up for herself, but she was tired of always fighting plus she wasn't allowed to.

"DON'T TALK TO HER THAT WAY!"

"Why didn't you tell me about this when I was in your office the other day? We talked about us getting back together." Lucas closed his eyes and exhaled, he could feel Riley's eyes bearing into his soul.

"What? Y'all are getting back together?" Lucas was fixing to answer but Missy beat him to it.

"Yeah. Did you honestly think he'd leave me for you." Riley's eyes closed.

"No that isn't what-"

Riley put up her hands. "Look, i'm gonna go pack a bag. You two obviously have a lot you need to talk about."

"NO! She needs to be the one to leave. There is nothing to discuss." He turned his attention back to Missy. "There is nothing." The brunette walked into her bedroom and was surprised to see Coal. Riley was afraid that she let him out. The brown eyed girl texted Maya to come get her and hurriedly packed a bag as the exes spewed venom in the living room. "RILEY YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE!"

"Yes you are." Missy snapped. The principal walked out of her room, her biggest fear of being a charity case had come to light.

"Yeah, I am." Riley's voice was shakey, as she tried to keep her composure.

"You can't drive. You've been taking medicine. Please, Riley don't go." He had his hands wrapped around her face, pleading with her. Trying to ignore Missy talking behind him, they touched foreheads.

"I'm not driving. Maya's going to meet me wherever I end up walking to." She exhaled and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Lucas, i'm okay now. You don't have to feel guilty anymore. This wasn't your fault." She pulled his hands off of her face and a tear fell from its prison. She gave him one last hug before she left and whispered, "I really do love you." Lucas tried to control his breathing and the tears that had filled his eyes, as he watched her leave with Coal. He didn't know what to do, no police force training had prepared him for something like this.

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Riley took a deep breath of the cool night air, and started walking, she had decided to go to Josh's, when her fatigue overcame her. The brunette hardly napped at all today and she was physically and emotionally drained. She found a place on the grass and texted Maya where she was. "Don't worry boy. We'll figure it out." His rough pink tongue met her cheek and a smile made its way to her face right before she burst into tears. "This could be a misunderstanding right? But, then why wouldn't he tell me about him talking to her the other day?" Her body tingled all over, she dropped her head into her hands and cried. The horn honk and the sound of heels running towards her made her look up.

"Riley? Are you okay?" The brunette didn't say anything, she wrapped her arms around Maya and hugged her tight. The one person (besides her mom) who never failed her. "Come on sweetie. Let's go to my place. But, hey look at me you have to stop crying you'll give yourself a headache."

"Too late." Everyone climbed back into Josh's truck and after a silent 10 minute drive they all piled out of the vehicle and into Maya's apartment. "Josh, did you know Missy stopped by his office?" She was looking at him, hoping and praying that he'd tell her no. The blonde turned her head to her boyfriend in shock.

Josh looked towards the ground and took a deep breath, and now Riley knew the answer. "Yeah, I did."

"GET OUT!" Maya snapped.

"Maya, come on let me explain."

"Explain? Explain to me why my best friend is in tears and not staying at her house because Missy is there. Someone should've warned her Missy was coming back around and if it wasn't going to be her boyfriend then it should've been her uncle! Get. Out."

"Please, Maya." Josh's eyes filled with tears as he tried to hold her. "I didn't think anything was happening." The blonde's once blue eyes had faded to grey and her chin trembled with her next statement.

"Josh, leave." She started ushering him out the door. "I may or may not call you. My best friends heart is broken." The brown door slammed in his face and he had no idea what to do. A million thoughts were running through his mind, 'Do I stay here? Do I leave? How do I get her back?' He ended up just sitting on her porch, hoping she'd come out eventually.

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"How dare you? How dare you come into my home and make it seem like we were getting back together." The exes continually yelled at eachother for 20 minutes since Riley left.

"Aren't we?" She raised her eyebrow.

"NEVER! What don't you understand?"

"Riley's gone Lucas, she's awake now and alive. You don't have to keep feeling sorry for her." Missy seductively sauntered towards him. "You can come back to me, no guilt."

"I never dated her because I felt guilty! I dated her because I love her."

"YOU WERE REACTING OUT OF EMOTION! That's why you broke it off with me and that's why you started dating her."

His voice was shaky. "You have no idea, what my motives were." He kept breathing heavy. "Truth is, I fell in love with her while you and I were dating. I don't care if that makes me a cheater. I knew the night of her parent's anniversary party." Missy placed her hands on her hips.

"I don't care about any of that anymore Lukey. Don't you understand that?" He opened up his front door.

"Are you going to leave? Or am I going to have to force you out?"

"I like it rough. I'm sure you remember that about me. I'll leave, for now. But, this isn't over." She stepped onto the front porch.

"Yes it is. I'm changing the locks tomorrow." The blue door slammed into her face. And Lucas stood there, processing everything that had happened. Trying to figure out what to do next. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Riley. No answer. He tried again. No Answer. Every time he heard the automated message, his heart broke a little more. He tried to call Josh.

JOSH! Where's Riley?
Maya's.
Are you drinking? Where are you?
Well after I got kicked out of Maya's. I waited outside and knocked on the door a few times and after no answer I started drinking.
Wait? Why did you get kicked out of Maya's?
Because, I didn't tell Riley about Missy stopping by the office. Which, by the way dude i'd kick your ass if you were around.
It was nothing like that.
You know what man, Riley is convinced this whole thing was a clever ruse to make you feel less guilty. Like your way of making it up to her. Can't say I blame her.
Josh, you know how I feel about her.
I know, that Riley is heart broken and I may be single. I only have myself to blame. And you a little. Gotta go dude. Lucas dropped his phone and ran his fingers through his hair. "How did all this happen? We were going on a cruise this morning and now, what? We're broken up?" His heart sped up and with a shaky hand grabbed his keys.

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"Riles. You need to take your medicine. It's even better than alcohol." The blonde girl ushered some pills and a glass of water at Riley and with a bit more coercing she took it.

"I'm so tired."

"I know peaches. I know." She stroked Riley's hair in efforts to put her to sleep.

"I'm really sorry Maya. You didn't have to send Josh away, he didn't really do anything wrong." The blue eyed girl looked towards the ground.

"Whether that's true or not. He should've told you."

"I'm done being a charity case. I should've went with my gut instinct." She closed her eyes, but everytime she did a swarm of memories filled her senses and she got choked up again.

"What do you mean?" Riley exhaled when there was a knock on the door. "Oh God." Whispered Maya. "Yours or mine?"

"Mine." There was another knock at the door.

"Riley. Are you in there?" Maya stood up and with rage in her eyes as she flung the door open and closed it behind her.

"What? What do you want?" She stepped towards him after closing the door, making him walk backwards.

"I need to speak with Riley, please Maya. Please let me talk to her." He swallowed. "Or just see her."

"You can see her with pictures on your phone. And she's got a headache right now. Go home Lucas." She turned around to walk back inside.

"This is a total misunderstanding Maya. Please." Tears escaped his eyes. "Please."

"One question. How long were you going to stay with Riley before you felt like you had repaid her? I have to say you had us all fooled. Bravo." The front door cracked open and Riley was leaning against the frame.

"RILEY!" Lucas weaved around her bestfriend and sprinted towards the door to hug her.

"Peaches?"

"You can go inside Maya. I'll be inside in a bit." Maya grinned and walked inside.

"Riley, please let me explain. That wasn't what it sounded like. Missy tried manipulating things and twisted words around."

"So, she didn't come to your office?"

"No, she did. But-"

"Lucas, like I said earlier you don't have to feel guilty. You never did, you saved my life. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can continue living yours."

"I can't live it without you." A tear fell from his cheek, as they touched foreheads.

She placed her hand on his cheek, wiping the tear away and her voice cracked from the ones she was choking back. "I can't spend the next 10 years of my life in love with someone, who won't truly love me back." Tears began falling rapidly. "It's like i'd be reliving all those years after high school. I'm not going to accept your charity anymore, I won't be your problem." He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"You never, were a charity case."

"That's exactly what it feels like."

"Come back with me."

She closed her eyes and looked towards the ground, hoping to not be coerced by his eyes. "I'm leaving Lucas. I'm taking the job in Dallas." His heart broke and she slowly pulled her hand away. "Like I said, I can't keep feeling for you something you can't return." She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear. "But, I do love you Lucas. That was more than real for me." The brunette walked inside and shut the door. She turned around into Maya's open arms and wept.

Lucas dropped to his knees outside the door. "She's leaving?"

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