It had been an hour since they were left alone, and neither of them had spoken much for the past 40 minutes. The room was eerily silent and it was just now 6 o'clock. Lucas continued to caress her cheek and stare into her large brown eyes. He had no idea what had become of their relationship of their 'Rucas' and he was afraid to ask. However, Lucas could do this. Just lie here with her and hold her in his arms. "Riles." Josh peeked in through the door and grinned seeing she wasn't crying, "Luke I'm sorry man but we're going to have a family meeting."

"What?" The brunette rose off the bed and her eyes and tone held fear for whatever reason. Everyone was confused as to why that was, including Riley.

Lucas rose off the bed and held her hand, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Her chin began to tremble, she'd already left him once today and she didn't want to leave him again. Despite the fact she broke up with him, she needed his comfort, his embrace. Lucas always had a way of controlling her emotions. "Please don't go. Josh please don't make him go." Her brother dropped his gaze when the quarterback embraced her.

"I'm sorry sis it isn't my decision. Mom is in lawyer mode and dad has been on the phone the past hour. It seems really important."

The brown eyed girl glanced up at her—whatever he was. "P-please don't go. I finally q-quit crying." His green eyes lifted off of her and towards his teammate.

Josh looked remorseful but it seemed important. "Princess look at me." Her grip on his shirt tightened as she rose off his chest. "I have to go." Riley's body started shaking while she tried to control her tears. "Hey, it's okay. I'm just a few houses away and you can call me okay? I'll be over whenever you need me, whenever you need me I'll be here okay?"

His words did little to comfort her, however she knew he didn't have much of a choice not to mention Lucas really would come whenever she needed him. Riley couldn't explain why she felt like she had to have him there to be comforted. It was almost like her body called out to him, and the overwhelming discomfort that she had broken up with him had begun to settle in. "Bubba just a few more minutes." She whimpered and Josh left with a head nod. The brunette nuzzled her face into his neck and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Princess please don't cry." He whispered through his own tears. He loved that she was so attached to him, it made him feel wanted and appreciated, but seeing the person he loved most in this world was in pain that was almost too much for him to handle.

"Please give me time." She mumbled.

He furrowed his brows. "I'm not trying to pressure you beautiful. I'm sorry if that's what you think I'm doing."

She disagreed and shook her head vehemently. "Please just give me time, just a little bit I don't want you to go anywhere."

He released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Those words relieved so much tension in his chest, the fact that she didn't want him to go anywhere was something he desperately needed to hear. Yet again, she had given him more hope. The green eyed man just needed to be patient, a virtue he'd perfected in the weeks it took him to convince Riley to date him the first time around. "Princess I don't plan on going anywhere."

Her door opened again when Mrs. Matthews came in wearing her pant suit, "Lucas I'm sorry—"

"I understand." He interrupted and gave the brunette a final squeeze. The brown eyed girl pulled away slightly and stared into his eyes. She could persuade him to do anything with those magical things. "I love you princess."

Her arms snaked around his neck. "I don't think I'll be at school tomorrow."

"I wasn't expecting you to be, but I will come see you."

"Please don't fight. You can't get in trouble."

He exhaled heavily. "For you and only for you."

"Thank you."

Lucas said goodbye to her family and wasted no time to jump into his truck and dial Chris. "Hey man, meet me at Dwell right now."

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Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose as he drank a cup of coffee and waited for Chris. He had no idea what exactly was going to happen when meeting with him but Chris had always been level headed. Maybe some of that would rub off on him. The green eyed man looked up when the dark haired man came trudging through the coffee shop. "So much for level headed." It was clear he was still furious, if Riley hadn't broken up with him then he'd be the same way no doubt about it.

His hands landed on the table with force. "Where is she?"

"Hello to you too. Sit."

The quarterback took a drink of coffee and passed him a cup. "Thanks. Where is she? How is she?"

"She's at home and she's not good, at all." Chris dropped his gaze and rubbed his face dry, yes he'd been crying and though he wasn't proud of it he wasn't ashamed of it either. "She's with her family, she's thinking about switching schools and Maya's mad at her for considering it."

"That's the last thing she needs."

"I agree." Lucas stated and took another drink, "So you and I need to be there for her in Maya's absence even if she did break up with me." His words stung, every bit of him hurt when he said that. Why it had come out so casually he had no idea.

Chris' hair moved with the force of his head movement. "She—She broke up with you?"

Lucas closed his eyes and scratched the back of his neck. "If she hadn't been with me then this wouldn't have happened. That was her reasoning, which isn't completely faulty."

"It isn't your fault, but if people find out she's single I have no doubt some guys in her school will want something from her." His tone went from concerned to angry within a matter of words. Both of the men sat there with their fists clenched. "Son of a bitch. This needs to be stronger." He mumbled gesturing towards the cup.

"No kidding." Lucas growled. "What are we going to do? She can't be with me right now, she doesn't want me to go anywhere but she can't be single." Chris lifted his gaze off the cup seeming like he had an idea but after a head shake it was something he obviously wanted to disregard. "What?" Lucas questioned with an edge in his voice.

"Luke it's nothing really. It's a stupid idea and would create more rumors."

"Humor me, I could use a laugh." That was the understatement of the century. The quarterback gestured for him to continue while leaning back in his chair.

"She still needs protection from the evils of our school obviously."

"And that's why I switched classes."

Chris nodded in agreement, "But like I said if people find out she's single things could go downhill for her. That picture didn't make her look bad Luke."

"Do NOT talk about Riley that way." His eyes glared as his nostrils flared.

"I didn't mean it like that, I was helping pick up the papers it wasn't like I have one stashed away. You and I are on the same side here, don't let your emotions take over." The green eyed man scoffed and said 'continue'. "Anyways she's going to get attention because of that picture and without the wrath of a boyfriend or more like a 'Lucas Friar' then they'll be free to try and do something."

"I won't let that happen." He gripped his cup and even though it was a glass mug Chris was sure it was about to break.

"She needs a boyfriend, that was my idea but it was stupid that's why I didn't want to tell you."

"I'm her boyfriend." Lucas stated as a matter of fact. "I will protect her. You, me, Josh, Zay and Farkle. That'll be enough unless someone wants to die, and that's if she wants to come back to school."

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Lucas spoke up again. "Who were you suggesting be her 'fake boyfriend'." Chris tilted his head to the side and tossed up his hands. The first emotion that rose to the surface was anger but he knew he was only doing this for her protection. Or at least that's what he wanted to believe. "She'll be fine. But bigger question, what happened with Missy and the pictures?"

"Missy went home for the day along with Principal Anders, after the stunt today Ms. Davenport gave him an earful. She didn't really care that we were standing right there. He threatened to fire her but she kept it coming, saying this was just as much his fault as it was Missy's. She called the superintendent, again with us right there which I found odd but she did and Principal Anders was put on leave. Ms. Davenport is acting principal."

"Good."

"There's going to be a school assembly tomorrow in regards to the issue. Basically enforcing a new 'anti-bully' policy which I am more than okay with." The quarterback stared off into space and thought of Riley, and how tight her hold was on him when he had to leave. "You were the one who taught her how to punch right?"

"Yeah." He replied with a coy smile, he didn't get to see the punch but it made him happy, she got what she deserved. Though it wasn't enough.

"Good job, her face was swollen like a freaking baseball."

After conversing for an hour more and giving Chris, Riley's new number he left for his house. Once pulling into his driveway he saw the light on in her room and was terrified to go inside. His mother loved Riley and it didn't take a genius to see he'd been crying. Lucas inhaled deeply and trudged up the driveway and opened the door. "Baby boy!" She skipped to the front door from the kitchen. "Awe, no Riley."

His gaze was on the floor, "Thanks mom, nice to see you too."

She slapped his arm and pulled him into a hug. "I was simply saying that because you said you were bringing her over for dinner. I was just about to call you." Lynda released him from a hug and finally got a good look at her son. "What, what happened? Why have you been crying? Wait, is that why Riley isn't here?"

"Mom something happened today."

"What did you do Lucas Friar?"

The tears streamed down his face. "It's nothing I did. Please just let me finish—"

"What did Riley do?" Her face was nothing but astonished, "She wouldn't do anything to hurt you Lucas."

"Mom please sit and I'll explain." The quarterback demanded with a sudden aggression in his tone. The green eyed man took time telling her every detail of the day. The punch heard round the world, the picture, the change of authority at school, how Riley broke it off with him, what happened when he went over there. About the messages, about all of it and by the end they were both silently crying. "She's at home right now." He whispered and rubbed his eyes, they were beginning to sting after all the tears shed from today.

"Lucas, I'm so sorry. Not just for you but for her, why didn't her parents ever do anything?" She mumbled and the tone of her voice didn't go unnoticed.

"Riley asked them not to. She was bullied her freshman year and hid it from everyone, when she'd finally had enough and told an authority figure at the school there was a petition that was signed for her to commit suicide." Lynda gasped and her hand cupped her mouth as she sobbed. "The bullying got worse last time, so it doesn't surprise me she thought the same thing might happen again. It was stupid of her to not let her parents do something, but they should've done it without her permission."

"She didn't did she?" Lynda questioned, her hands held her face as her gaze was on the ground. Leave it to Lynda to know no boundaries when asking questions. When Lucas still hadn't said anything she lifted her head and stared into his eyes. At that point he didn't have to say anything. "Oh my God."

"Riley will be gone from school for a few days I'm trying to convince her to not switch schools."

"Will her family stay with her?"

He furrowed his brows, "I don't know. Why?"

"If not, you'll be staying with her. Trust me Lucas, she doesn't need to be alone especially since she's," His mother gulped and inhaled before continuing, "especially since she's tried before. I don't want anything to happen to her, and I'm sure someone will be staying with her but if not you'll leave school in the middle of a lesson if you have to and go be with Riley."

Her son rose off the coffee table and embraced her in a hug. "T-Thank you."

"Are you okay baby boy?"

Honestly. "No." She only hugged him tighter.

After 10 minutes of hugging in silence Lynda rose off the couch and in silence got her cookie jar. After making it clear this was a one-time thing she passed it to him and said, 'cookies make everything better'. Lord if that were the truth.

His mom went to bed once it hit 11 o'clock but he was in his room, with her cookie jar, staring at her picture on the nightstand while listening to the thunderstorm outside. His phone was lying underneath their picture practically begging for him to call her. But knowing she'd probably be asleep since it was so late and with the day she had, he left it alone.

His eyes became heavy after deciding the cookies weren't making anything better, especially not his muscular build. The quarterback rose off of the bed and flipped the light off before snuggling into his comforter.

Ding Ding

MyPrincess.
I need you.

He was out of his bedroom in seconds.

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