26. Girl Meets I Love You
Lucas left Riley's house an hour after she had stopped crying, he went home and decided to write something for his other half, a letter saying sorry for what he was about to do to his life. He knew that in order to fix Riley, and himself in this world they would both have to transfer to a different school. One that was far from where they both went, even if it meant commuting on a daily basis so that she could heal away from the bullies, and the people who had hurt her.
He walked downstairs texting Riley saying that they had to meet, his sister was in the living room watching television. He realized that he didn't even know the girl's name and that bothered him and he didn't want to know, mainly because he was afraid that if he changed too much of this world his other self would be troubled by all of the changes.
Leaving his house he walked off towards the nearby park looking for Riley, as he walked around. She was going to meet him soon but when he looked at his watch he realized that she was late, which was something that normally didn't happen with his Riley. He walked towards Riley's house and up the ladder to the bay window only to see her fighting with her parents as they tore up her room.
"What are you doing?" she screamed at them.
"We heard that you we on drugs," her father said. "So we're going to go through everything until we find them."
"I'm not on drugs, I'm not on anything, why are you doing this to me?" she yelled back at him.
Lucas noticed how her older brother was standing in the corner of the room, for some reason the guy irked him. He kept his eyes on the storm brewing inside the bedroom, as Riley tried to push her parents out the door.
"Here they are dad," Elliot said walking up with a bag Lucas had seen him pull out from his back pocket.
Her mother looked at her disappointed. "Riley why were you lying?"
"I wasn't," Riley screamed as she looked at her brother in disbelief. "Those aren't mine."
"Then why were they in your room?" her father asked her.
"They weren't."
"What if Auggie had found them, do you have any idea what would have happened?" her mother said.
Lucas had had enough of what was happening and pulled the bay window open climbing into the room and pulling Riley behind him.
"What the hell are you doing her Friar?" Elliot spat out looking Lucas in the face. He hadn't noticed before because he had only seen the older boy from afar but he knew that there was something wrong with him.
"I'm here because you're accusing Riley of something she doesn't do, or had any knowledge of because her asshole brother wants to cover his own ass," Lucas said his Texas side on the surface almost willing Elliot to push him. Lucas didn't need drugs to have an edge, he already lived with anger simmering on the inside.
Elliot got in front of Lucas standing within an inch of his face, "You don't know shit," he spat out.
"I know enough," he said in regards to how Riley is treated. "If you believe a rumor and drugs that came from nowhere, then you don't deserve to have her as a sister," he turned to her parents. "Or a daughter."
Taking Riley's hand he pulled her away from her family and through her bedroom towards the front door. Auggie was standing in the hallway smiling at Riley as they walked passed him, from that alone Lucas knew that Auggie knew what was happening, but was too young to figure out the implications of what Riley was doing to herself, and what his brother was doing to himself.
"Lucas where are we going?" Riley asked as they walked out the door. Instead of taking her downstairs he took her to the roof where not too long ago, he and his Riley had shared a moment after the dance. When he stopped, he tried to reign in his anger against her family, they weren't these kinds of people, they were better than that but something happened along the way that changed them and he hated it. Then he realized what it was, the brother Elliot wasn't in his world and he was the one person in Riley's life who had shaped her everything.
"Sorry," he said once he calmed down. "You know, about how sucky your family is, I think the only one in there that really sees you is Auggie."
"What do you mean?" she asked him curious about what he was implying.
"When we were walking out he was the only one on your side, I think he knows that something is happening, but he's too young to understand. He really loves you though."
"Why are we up here?" she asked after processing his words, he knew she was holding back but she was still the strong girl he knew.
"It's not kidnapping if you're still home," he said knowing that the Matthews would try and get him in trouble in this world. Especially since he broke into their house and pulled their daughter away after getting into a heated argument with Riley's brother.
"I don't think they know what hit them," she said smiling at Lucas, a real smile for the first time since they met. The same smile that lights her up and makes her his Riley.
They sat at the edge of the roof watching the sky change color, Lucas holding her hand hoping that she wasn't too mad at what had happened. "I was wondering if you ever thought about changing schools?" he said to break the silence.
"I originally applied for a different school, it was in one of the outer boroughs but my parents were against it, they kept saying I was too young to go to a school so far away, even if it was a subway ride away."
"Maybe it's time for you to transfer," he said smiling at her. "You and me both, a new beginning, even if it's in the same city we could find ourselves away from the drama, from everyone's criticism, we could reinvent ourselves."
"You don't like playing football?"
"Not particularly, I'm more of a baseball man," he said smiling at her. "And basketball, like the Knicks," he watched her face light up, he knew she loved the team no matter what, even if he wasn't entirely sure but if it made her happy he would learn to like them too. "My grades are good, but I know transferring would be a problem because I wouldn't know where to start."
They talked about it for a while when he got a call from Farkle, "Hey so the Matthews called me asking if I've seen Riley," Farkle said from the other side. "I haven't really talked to her since middle school but I was worried."
"Don't worry she's with me," Lucas answered, when a thought came to him. "Hey Farkle do you know if Einstein takes in students who have good grades and excel at sports?"
Riley looked up at him when he mentioned Farkle, she wondered what had happened to him, like Maya he had also disappeared from her life, leaving her alone to deal with all of the changes. She watched Lucas in awe as the two of them talked, she couldn't figure out how it was that they knew each other.
"Farkle's coming over," Lucas said after he hung up the phone surprising her. "You're parents are looking for you… but they don't know any of your friends."
"I don't really have friends unless you count that cat that lives in the neighborhood. I feed him sometimes. Mostly everyone at school thinks I'm a bitch, and a slut, but I'm just quiet unless someone harasses me and then I lash out. They bullying hasn't been as bad as before because I started fighting back."
Lucas pulled her close and held her, he didn't want her to go through anything like that anymore and he knew that transferring is the best thing he could do for her. Farkle and Smackle would take care of her and make her their friend.
It took Farkle twenty minutes to get to them, but he snuck up using the fire escape so that the Matthews wouldn't see him. When Lucas saw the way Farkle looked at Riley he knew that guilt played a large role in what had happened between them.
"Hi Riles," Farkle said sitting in front of them.
It took Riley a minute before she spoke up, "Hi," was all she said and Lucas knew that she was trying to keep her heart from getting hurt again.
"I talked to the dean at the school and he said under special circumstances would he think of inviting the both of you into the school," Farkle said looking at the two of them. "Lucas, you would have a sports scholarship but he wants you to work with the athletics department, so we could win something."
"That's reasonable," Lucas said looking over at Riley. "What about…"
"Ah well Riley's grades are good, and he likes her experiments from the last city wide science fair, he actually wanted to offer her a place a long time ago, but she never responded."
"What?" Riley said looking up at Farkle for the first time. "What are you talking about I never go an invitation to go to Einstein."
Farkle looked over at Lucas, they both knew that something had happened to that invitation, but Lucas knew better, he knew that someone had happened. Elliot.
"I'll tell him you're interested then," Farkle said. "He thinks that you have a great mind and your talents are wasted at Abigail Adams, so he'll fund a scholarship for you if it means you would go to Einstein."
"What do you think Riley?" Lucas said knowing that getting her permission was key to this.
"I can't live at home if I go to Einstein," she said in a low voice, and Lucas knew the implications of what she was saying. Her brother would do anything to drag her down which would jeopardize her chances at a good future.
"We can talk to the dean, we have dorms now, my dad funded them so maybe there's a place for you there. Smackle lives there so maybe you can be roommates," Farkle hesitated for a moment before handing them both envelopes, "You need your parents' permission, but everything you need for to enroll is in there."
"Thanks Farkle," she said and Lucas knew that he had started to slowly mend their relationship.
"I'll go down there with you if you need me to," he said looking at the pair.
"I think that would be a good idea especially after what happened," Lucas said before he explained the situation including Riley's cutting. Farkle looked shocked to learn how much his good friend's life had changed over the years, but he promised to be there for her from that moment on.
"We can be friends again," Riley said. "But it's going to take a little time, I mean… so much changed in middle school but we can take baby steps to move forward."
"I'd like that Riley," Farkle said as they stood up and hugged. Lucas felt something tugging at his heart, almost as if he had repaired something without knowing he had done it. He wondered if it was this world's version of him telling him thank you, but he felt something else, almost like time was running out.
"I guess we should talk to our parents," Lucas said looking at Riley. He missed his life, his version of it at least, but most of all he missed the sunshine that was Riley Matthews, and if it took forever he wanted this Riley to have some of that sunshine come back into her life.
Riley took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze before walking through the door, Lucas didn't let go of her hand once knowing she needed his strength. Farkle followed them downstairs, hesitant to go through the door into her apartment but they had to do this together because Riley needed them to have their strength to do so herself.
When she opened the door Lucas saw her parents pacing, but Riley didn't say a word as the door hit the wall next to the fireplace. Lucas hadn't noticed when he rushed them out earlier, but the apartment was more modern chic than the colorful home he knew the Matthews lived in where he was from. They were more money driven in this world.
"Riley where have you been?" her mother asked as she walked over to them. Before the woman would could rip her hand away from Lucas, he pulled her behind him and stood in front of the woman who had believed her liar son over her daughter.
"You young man are going to prison for kidnapping, I'll make sure of it," the woman said to him which only made him smirk, Riley gasped behind him but he squeezed her hand.
"You can't send me to prison for kidnapping, we never left the building," he said looking her straight in the eye. "You just didn't look hard enough."
"You have a lot of explaining to do young lady," Riley's father said standing next to his wife.
Lucas felt Riley grip his hand but noticed when she stood tall and walked in front of her parents. She wanted them to see her and he knew it, she wanted them to know the truth of it all.
"Okay," she said standing firm next to Lucas. "I'll explain everything… ELLIOT," she yelled out for her brother. Auggie rushed into the living room and sat at the bay window as Elliot walked into the room.
"Oh good the delinquent brought you back," Elliot said with false bravado as he walked towards her, but once again Lucas put himself in between the two of them. "Get out of my face Friar."
"Oh shut up Elliot," Auggie said from the bay window. "I know what happens here better than anyone and I know you're as bad as they come."
Lucas couldn't help but smile at the smallest Matthews, the kid was smart alright. His family looked at him as if he had grown a third head which only made Lucas smile even more.
"He's right you know," Riley said. "Auggie is always watching, we're his older siblings, we're supposed to protect him because that's what siblings do. But you don't do that do you Elliot?" Riley moved away from Lucas, letting go of his hand to stand face to face with her older brother. "In fact, you were the reason I was getting bullied when I started at Abigail Adams, because you wanted to break up with your girlfriend so you made me do it for you. Or when you wanted to date the head cheerleader, you started the rumor that I was having sex with her boyfriend, or when Missy Bradford got pregnant because you couldn't put on a condom."
Her parents stood there stock still while Riley continued to spit out her tirade. "It was you who started the rumor that I slept with every guy I could, because you didn't want anyone to look at you like the bad guy. It was you who told everyone in school that I slept with the football team before a game so that they would have the luck to make it to the championship. You dragged me to parties because that way if you got caught you could blame it on me, and I'm guessing it was you who ripped up the letter from Einstein Academy so that you wouldn't lose your buffer. But I'm done with this, I'm transferring, go deal with your own shit."
"Riley what are you talking about?" her father said looking between the two teens.
"I don't know dad, why don't you ask Elliot why he has a perfect GPA when he doesn't even study, or why I'm in advance placement classes in his level but he barely shows up to class," she said standing as close as she could to her brother's ear. "No more of your bullshit."
"We didn't know you got accepted to Einstein Academy," her mother said looking at her children in shock.
"Of course I'm not your golden child, maybe for once you should actually look at your children instead of ignoring them," Riley said pulling up her sleeves showing the marks that marred her skin. "Maybe for once, you would see something that had been there for so long."
When she was done, she walked away towards her bedroom, Lucas and Farkle followed her, neither one of them looking at them Matthews as they walked away. When they reached her room Riley pulled out a duffel bag and started shoving clothes in there, an extra pair of shoes, and her journals.
"Farkle is it okay if I stay at your house for a while," she said once she finished. "My parents know yours so it wouldn't be so much of an issues."
"No problem," Farkle said looking at the girl he had saved from drowning when they were kids. "No problem at all, there's always room for you there."
They walked out of her room, Lucas taking her bags, he knew that they would be lucky if the Matthews even let her out the door but he was going to try. When they reached the living room, her parents stood frozen where they had been earlier, almost as if they didn't know what to do with what they had seen or heard. Auggie came over from the bay window and hugged Riley.
"Take care of my sister," he said to both Lucas and Farkle. "I'll see you again."
Riley smiled at her brother and squeezed him, "I'll make sure of that."
"Riley's going to stay at my place Mr. and Mrs. Matthews," Farkle said looking at Riley's parents with disgust. "While she's there maybe you should get your son some help before he does any more damage than he already has."
They didn't say anything, they just stayed there, and Lucas knew that they had all of a sudden lost everything without doing anything at all. They had ignored their children, and this was the cause of it all but Riley's protection was going to be his number one priority.
The three of them got to Farkle's place and all plopped themselves down on the couch, Lucas was tired, more tired than he had been during this entire journey. He wanted to go to sleep, his eyes felt heavy as he closed them. He heard Riley giggle at him falling asleep but then she wrapped a blanket over him and he knew that she was going to be fine.
"Hello?" a voice said. Lucas walked towards it only to be faced with himself, but he was more built than lean.
"What does this mean?" Lucas said at his other self.
"I'm going back, I don't know why this happened but I do know that being in your sleeping form, dreaming what you dreamed, that you had done something for me. Thank you, for saving her."
"For Riley, I would move mountains," Lucas said. "Do you know what happened while I was there?"
"Yeah, and I'll remember it all, I'll do good by her and maybe one day she'll sound as sweet as the girl who's voice I heard calling out for you. Thank you for doing what I didn't have the courage to do."
"I knew I had to do something, I mean you pretty much have a million pictures of her, but do me a favor, and treat her kindly, she's fragile but tough."
"So is yours, go to her, and tell her what you don't have the courage to, because if you've learned anything from me it's that you could lose everything if you don't speak up."
With that Lucas walked through the door, his other self, walking through the door on the other side, he was going home.
Riley watched Lucas asleep on the bed, the doctor had told them that he hadn't suffered any major injury, but he needs to rest for a few days. They said that he should wake up soon and that he had a concussion from the injury so they should keep a close eye on him for the next couple of days in case his injury got worse. He had been sleeping all night, and she hadn't left him. Even when his parents went home for the night to grab some clothes for him. Or when her parents tried to get her to move. She didn't want to leave.
She wondered if he was sleeping like in one of the fairy tales and that she should kiss him to wake him up. It always worked in the movies.
"True love's kiss," she said out loud remembering how it was the answer to so many fairy tales. She leaned down to his face noting the bruising on his eye, she kissed him there first, then on his cheek before moving towards his lips. It was slow, she felt the softness of them against hers and knew that if he could feel it he would like it too. When she pulled away she grabbed her arm making her yelp.
"It worked?" she said looking at him as his green eyes opened and looked into her brown. "Oh my god, it worked."
"It's a nice way to wake up you know," he said smiling at her before wincing from the pain of his injury. "I feel like I went toe to toe with tombstone and he trampled on my face."
"No," she said remembering the bull. "It's not as bad as that, I hope not, that would be horrible."
"Riles you're babbling," he said smiling. "I missed that."
"Lucas you've only been here since yesterday," she said smiling.
"It feels like an eternity," he said looking at her like she was the sun, it made her blush but she didn't look away. "Riley."
"Yeah?"
"I love you," he said making her gasp as everyone they knew filed into the room before she could reply.
"Look whose up," Zay said as he stood next to Riley's chair. "Have a good rest Captain America."
"Yeah Huckleberry, have a good cat nap?" Maya said but Riley started to ignore all the jabs her friends were saying.
They were having a moment and of course it had gotten ruined, but she didn't want it to end so instead of waiting for another moment with the both of them alone she moved towards Lucas and gave him a kiss on the lips. Everyone around them started groaning, but as she pulled away she smiled at him.
"I love you too Lucas."
A/N: Thank you for Reading!