A/N: I apologize for the long hiatus. Life happened, and somehow led me back to this story. Thanks again to those who have been reading and sending in their reviews. I hope you enjoy the latest chapter.

CHAPTER TEN

It seemed like everyone knew before Riley knew herself. The moment she arrived on campus the next day, she was vaguely aware of her peers, staring at her with a mixture of concern and curiosity etched in their eyes. Riley could hear their whispers, but made no attempt to try to work them out. She knew what they were talking about, and she wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing how affected she was by them as she effortlessly snaked her way through the scattered crowd and to the direction of her locker.

She fumbled with the combination code, missing the last number three times in a row and hissing in frustration. Her mind flooded, she lost sight of where she was. She could hear the sound of two girls giggling behind her as she finally swung the door open at the fourth attempt and began clearing out her locker.

"I'm so sorry about your Dad." Sighed one of the girls, and Riley immediately recognized the voice belonging to none other than Missy. "He was…nice." There was an awkward pause before she spoke again, this time with a groaning tone that implied the apology was nothing, but insincere. "Weird, but nice."

Riley turned to face Missy, mentally berating herself for being so trusting and trying to see the good in everyone no matter how awful they could be. She was blindsided by the scandal and the threatening nature of the Upper East Side, something that was entirely foreign to Riley growing up in Greenwich Village. She was hopeful, but hopefulness paid for with exposure and humiliation. They warned her, and she didn't listen. "What do you want?" Her voice was calm and steady, refusing to show any signs of the whirlwind of emotions she was currently feeling.

"Nothing really." She declared smugly with a flip of the hair. "Just wanted to say goodbye."

Riley grabbed the last book and stuffed it in her gym bag before slamming her locker shot and forcing a smile. "Bye."

Missy quietly chuckled as she turned away and disappeared with her friend around the corner.

Riley released a heavy sigh, her shoulders slacking as she loosened her tense muscles. She closed her eyes as she leaned her head against the cold steel, her mind filling with thoughts, not made of words, but with emotions once again. She tried to will them away and managed to stop them, but not until she spotted her Dad from the corner of her eye, carrying a box full of what's left from his office. Their eyes met for a brief moment, a knowing look shared between them. By the time he reached his daughter, they stood silently as he place the box down and gently pulled her in for a hug.

"Everything is going to be okay, sweetie."

Riley smiled sadly, relishing the love and warmth she felt in her father's protective embrace. "I love you, Dad."

Lucas stayed to himself most of the day. He returned home after school, relieved to see his parents weren't home and he had the apartment to himself. It was an uneventful day, waking up first thing in the morning, attending his classes and leaving the moment the last bell rang. He was on cloud nine, completely in a different world—smiling like an idiot—unaware of the buzz that was going around in school, nor his friends blowing up his phone all morning. He didn't bother to search them out as Riley occupied his thoughts, more than he was comfortable with, and it terrified him.

He lied down sprawled on the living room couch, legs propped on throw pillows and staring up at the ceiling as his mind drifted in deep contemplation. A content sigh escaped from his lips, his last conversation with Riley playing on repeat in his head when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate, pulling him from his deep reverie. He shifted as he checked to see he had a hundred missed calls and text messages from his friends. Lucas blinked in confusion as concern settled in. He scrolled up to earlier text messages and phoned the last person who called him.

"Dude! We've been trying to get a hold of you, man. Where have you been?"

"Hey, Zay. Sorry, my phone was on silent and I just went straight home after school." He sat up grinning, oblivious to the urgency in his friend's voice. "What's up? Is everything ok?"

"Have you been reading any of our messages?"

Lucas furrowed his brows as Zay spent the next few minutes explaining the situation. He felt his muscles tense. All traces of calm disappeared. The phone fell out of Lucas' hand before Zay had finished as he heard the door open.

"Ah, Lucas. So glad you're home." His father walked in, briefcase in hand as he absently threw his coat on the barstool. "We have dinner reservations in an hour. Go get dress. Your mother will be meeting us there."

Lucas said nothing for a few seconds as he took a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Why was Mr. Matthews let go from his job?" His expression was cold, voice steady as he looked up at his father.

He raised a brow and frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit!" Lucas stood up, shaking his head forcefully—trying to make sense of it all. "I find out I'm back on the baseball team, and the next day Mr. Matthews got fired?" Lucas scoffed, putting the pieces together. "And I'm supposed to believe you had nothing to do with it."

He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose to fight the frustration building up inside. "I don't know what to tell you, Lucas. Parents have been coming forward with concerns of Mr. Matthews' handling of the students and the organization."

"Mr. Matthews is a great guy!" He retorted. "You could learn a thing or two from him." Lucas shot back coldly, watching the subtle shift of hurt in his father's cold eyes. "So how much are you paying them huh? I mean you obviously planned the whole thing."

Mr. Friar scoffed at the remark. "Don't be ridiculous, Lucas. It was the School Board's decision to let Mr. Matthews go. Not mine."

"Because of you, Dad!" He exclaimed angrily, his voice picking up as he grew more certain of his motives. "It's because of you."

"Enough! This family has been through a lot, and I wasn't going to let him ruin your baseball career and your future. We worked too hard."

"Are you serious right now?" Lucas couldn't believe the words coming out from his father's mouth as he stood there in shock and disgust. It was no surprise to either of them that their relationship had always been, to some degree, strained especially for the last couple of years. It had taken a sharp turn for the worse when Lucas had to deal with the turmoil of his father's fraud and embezzlement case, the two of them becoming as good as strangers since then. "I…I don't even know who you are anymore."

"Son, please…." His father begged as Lucas could see for the first time his hard exterior slowly coming down and his cunning nature breaking through. "Please understand I'm only doing what's best for you and this family."

"No," he said firmly. His voice shook with effort to remain calm. "For the longest time, you're only doing what's best for you."

His gaze hardened and he swallowed hard. "Lucas…"

He shook his head in disbelief as he took a few steps back. He needed to get out of the apartment and away from the embarrassment of being near his father. "I gotta go. Tell mom I won't make it to dinner."

Lucas walked passed him, nearly inches away from bumping into his shoulder when the next thing he said made him stop in his tracks.

"I want you to stay away from Matthews' daughter." He warned.

He turned to his father as he drew in a breath that caught his throat. A period of silence hung over them before he interjected. "What does Riley have to do with this?"

"Her mother was the lead prosecutor in my case, did you know that?" Mr. Friar began, idly walking back and forth across the living room. A smug sideways smile swept over him at the surprise look on his son's face as Lucas parted his lips, growing quiet in anticipation as his father continued on. "She put me behind bars for over a year. And for over a year I was away from you, from your mother. She tore us apart, Lucas. She ruined our family's reputation, our name."

"Stop."

"The conflict between our two families is fragile and getting your friend involved will only make matters worse. Believe me, Lucas. If you truly care about her, you will stay away."

He stared at his father with wide eyes and no words escaped him. He was enraged and full of disbelief as suppressed rage flickered within Lucas' eyes. He was completely caught off guard, he could barely recognize the man his father has become.

"You ruined our family long before your lawsuit, Dad." Lucas said through gritted teeth, his voice raised despite his efforts to keep it down. The silence following his words was palpable, creating a tension in the room, which seemed to crackle with electricity. For a second he thought he detected a flash of regret and disappointment in his father's eyes as he looked away and let out an inaudible sigh. "I'm done here."

Mr. Friar's expression went blank, too surprised to respond, let alone, attempt to convince his son to stay, as he watched Lucas grab his jacket nearby and stormed off, slamming the door behind him on his way out.