A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, adds and alerts. Just FYI, this story will be completely AU, so some relationships between the characters will differ from the show. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

CHAPTER TWO

Lucas stifled a sigh of frustration when he joined his mother for breakfast the following morning. She was in one of those moods again. He could tell by the way she was absently playing with her scrambled eggs and taping the bottom of the plate with her silver fork.

He sat down across from her and signaled the maid to bring him his cappuccino, anticipating the dark, cinnamon smell of the brew and the dense foam that gets stuck in his upper lip. He reached across the table to pick up a butter croissant among an assortment of fresh baked goods when suddenly his mother decides to break the silence.

"I have some good news." She finally said as Lucas raised an eyebrow. "As you may already know, your father still has another two months of his sentence to serve. But because of good behavior, the courts have granted him an early release."

There was a moment of dead silence as Lucas stared at his mother in surprise. "When is he out?"

"By the end of this month."

"That's two weeks from now."

His mother nodded, smiling. "Isn't that wonderful?" She continued eating her breakfast unconcernedly. When she was through chewing she said, "We can finally be a family again."

Lucas fell silent and returned to eating his food, though he no longer had an appetite. Taking a few more sips of his coffee, he then pushed his plate to the side and calmly left the table. "And where do you think you're going?" She asked softly as he grabbed his messenger bag from the table counter before he reached the doors to their apartment.

"Um school." He replied in a sarcastic tone laced with utter annoyance. "Where else would I go?"

"Don't be ridiculous." She retorted. "You still have an hour till your first class. Sit down and finish your breakfast."

"No, thank you."

"Lucas."

"I'm not hungry, Mom."

She waited and looked at him. When she didn't get the answer she wanted, she knew she wouldn't win this argument, and so she didn't even try to fight against him.

"Very well." She said with a sigh. "Andre is waiting for you downstairs."

"Who the hell is Andre?"

"He is your new driver, so be nice."

Lucas rolled his eyes before grabbing the rest of his things and walking out of the apartment without another word.

"So your father is being released early?" Zay asked, his voice soft and low in the midst of a crowded hallway. Lucas slammed his locker shut and turned to face him.

"Yea."

"That's great." Zay exclaimed, but then frowned when he noticed the look of confusion, disappointment and annoyance on his face. "I mean…that's great news right?" He asked hesitantly.

Before Lucas can say anything, he turned his gaze over to the right and spotted Maya motioning towards them. He waved at her in greeting when suddenly his eyes shifted over to a male student stalking and trailing behind her. His lips thinned and his face flushed a bit as he felt the anger surge through him. It didn't take him a second to know it was the senior football player from the party.

"Lucas…" Zay said in warning, knowing what's about to go down. "Before you do anything stupid, just think about the consequences for a minute. You are already in deep shit, you don't want to make things even worse."

Lucas ignored him as Maya met his gaze with a small smile, and then furrowed her eyebrows at the furious expression on his face. Sensing something is wrong, she turned around abruptly and looked up to face the last person she wanted to see.

"Thor?" She sighed in disgust, about to give him a piece of her mind when she saw he was looking past her with eyes filled with mischief. Maya didn't have to turn around to know that Lucas had caught his attention. Suddenly, Thor began inching away from her, retreating in the opposite direction. And then he ran, only to find Lucas zooming past her.

"Lucas!"

He raced down the hallways, dodging students left and right. He ran as fast as he could for as long as his legs would. But he was no match against an athlete, let alone a running back who was trailing further ahead.

Turning blindly with his eyes and mind completely immersed in catching up to him, he doesn't notice that another person was directly on his path. Unfortunately, it was too late and his late reaction made it impossible for him to stop on time as he collided into someone, his upper jaw taking a direct hit from what felt like a hard head. Limbs were flailing and books were flying in the air as he lost his footing and fell back causing the petite figure to fall right on top of him. Strangled cries from both of them resonated in the hallway, making a few people turn their heads towards them as others put their hands up to their mouths immediately to stifle their laughter.

"I am so sorry." Said a small and timid voice. Lucas opened his eyes to see a young woman looking down at him, her eyes large and brown, reflecting her emotions on how truly sorry she was. Her brunette hair was down in gorgeous waves, framing her face perfectly. He blinked a couple of times, as he was completely awed by the beauty on top of him. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She apologized again, her eyes flickering over to the questioning position they were in as she scrambled to her feet and began picking up the books from the ground.

"Oh, no. Please don't apologize." He jumped back on his feet and handed her one of the books. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have been running in the halls."

"Well it must have been really important." She replied, smiling. "And thanks to my clumsiness and my inability to not be a total klutz for the day, I have officially delayed whatever it is you were rushing to do."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, completely forgetting about Thor. Listening to her long speech and rambling on, he doesn't know whether she was completely mad or she was being completely adorable. Nonetheless, he can't take his eyes off her animated face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, clearing his throat. "Are you hurt?"

"Me? Oh no, I'm fine. I've had worst falls, and this was nothing." She declared a little loudly as he watched her eyes glistened and twinkled.

"So…is this a habit of yours? Falling and running into people?" He smirked playfully.

"A few times a week…tops." She giggled and flashed him a smile that made his heart beat a notch faster. "But anyway…are you okay? I hope my head didn't hit you too hard."

"I'm fine." Lucas gave her a reassuring smile. With the window streaming in a soft morning light, it reflected in her hair and revealed more of her striking features. He held her gaze and can see the familiarity in her as if he had seen her before. "Have we met?"

"I doubt it. I'm actually new here."

"Oh, that explains it then." He answered, smiling. "Welcome to Thomas Jefferson Prep."

"Thank you." She beamed at him, and he cannot help the way his heart thuds when he looks at her. "Besides getting an embarrassing introductory in all my classes on the first day, you're actually the first person to give me a warm welcome, so thank you. I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

She looked down at her books, her fingers gently gliding over each one. "I guess I should get going. My next class is on the other side of campus and I really don't want to be late." She said suddenly, looking up at him as she bowed slightly.

As she began to walk away, Lucas realized that he doesn't want her to go just yet. There was something about her he found intriguing, and it was something welcoming that he cannot quite place. Quickly scanning his thoughts, he tried to think of ways that will make her stay, that will make her say something to him even if it was only for a brief second.

"Um…I'm Lucas by the way." He blurted out a little too quickly. She turned to him and grinned.

"My name is Riley."

He gave her a slight smile and felt his own cheeks heating up. "I guess I'll see you around, Riley."

She gave him a warm and radiant smile. "I sure hope so."