A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, adds and alerts. It pleases me to see some people still interested in the story, so again thank you for your continued support. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE

It was a typical Monday morning in the Matthews household as Riley stepped out of her room and entered the kitchen for breakfast. Mrs. Matthews was on the phone and making coffee while Mr. Matthews was reading the newspaper. Riley took her usual seat in front of her brother Auggie who was about to fall asleep in his bowl of cereal.

"Did you get enough sleep last night, Aug?" Mr. Matthews inquired of his son.

Auggie shook his head and yawned. "I couldn't sleep last night."

"That's because you took a long nap yesterday, sweetie." Mrs. Matthews explained as she sat down beside him. "Now eat your breakfast. You're going to need the energy."

They ate in silence, Auggie forgoing his manners and scarfing down his food as Riley suppressed her laughter. "Hey, Mom?" He asked, looking up from his cereal bowl. "Can I bring a friend over for dinner tonight?"

"Of course, sweetheart." She answered, reaching over to wipe off the milk mustache from his face. "Ava is always welcome."

"Oh I wasn't talking about her."

Mrs. Matthews arched a brow in surprise. "Dewey?"

"Nope. It's someone from the baseball team. Is that okay?"

She nodded her head and smiled. "Sure. I look forward to meeting this new friend of yours, Auggie."

Just moments later, Riley was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the intercom buzz.

"Hey. It's Evan."

Riley scurried to the front door and pressed the intercom to respond. "I'll be down in a minute."

She rushed back to the kitchen and downed the rest of her orange juice before grabbing her backpack and grey cardigan from the couch. "Love you, Mom. Bye Auggie! I hope I don't run into you, Dad!" She joked before shutting the door behind.

Riley stepped outside of her apartment building where she found her male companion waiting at the bottom of the concrete stair steps. "Morning, Evan." She smiled and breathed in the cool air, lightly kicking a stone as they walked along the sidewalk in comfortable silence. She looked up at the morning sky to find a beautiful mix of yellow and orange with white clouds lingering overhead.

"So I've been thinking." Evan said softly, breaking the silence between them. "With the money your parents are making now, I'm surprised they haven't gotten you a personal chauffeur and limo to take you around." He teased as they descended the stairs to the subway station. Riley simply rolled her eyes, a smirk appearing on her expressive face.

"They are making just enough to send me to a private school, thank you very much. And besides, even if I had the extra money, I would rather take the subway with you."

He smiled sheepishly at her, looking away briefly to hide the blush on his cheeks. "So…what's it like hanging around with Manhattan's elite?" He asked suddenly, joining a small crowd waiting to catch a ride. "Have they scorned you? Questioned your superior intelligence and your fashion sense?" He nudged her playfully as Riley giggled.

"No." She murmured. "Not yet anyway."

They stood on the platform, waiting for the next subway train to arrive. Riley looked up at the screen above, which showed how much time was left for the subway to come. Luckily, it was only two minutes away until the next one.

"You know, they are not what they appear to be…or what we think they are." She began, shifting her weight from one leg to the other as an incoming train approached them shortly after. "Sure, ninety percent of the girls carry books in their designer handbags and most of them have limo service and ride in expensive cars. But…believe it or not, they have been surprisingly nice. At least the very few I spoke to anyway."

"Like Lucas." Evan blurted out as Riley shot him a look.

"Yea…like Lucas." She gave him an inquiring gaze, catching the annoyed tone in his voice. "Do you not like him or something?" She asked, perking an eyebrow at him. He shrugged his shoulders as the subway eventually comes to a halt. They hastily entered the packed car, squeezing through at the last second as they stood by the door. "Evan?"

"Okay I'm sorry, Riles but the guy walked in wearing a suit at a bakery." He scoffed, shaking his head. "What was I supposed to think?"

"That he was being professional on his first day, trying to make a good impression?" Riley commented, holding onto the bar as the train began to move. "And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that."

Evan frowned, nodding his head apologetically. "You're right. I wasn't even sure how I felt about him. I barely know the guy and I shouldn't make judgments. I'm sorry."

She simply smiled at him in reply, "It's okay."

They stood in silence for a few more stops until the subway stopped at a station and people around them got up, leaving the back of the car clear. "Well, this is me." Riley felt Evan shifting beside her as the doors opened.

"I'll see you after school?" She asked hopefully. "My mom is making dinner."

"I can't. Smackle and I have a science project to work on. But I'll um…I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." She smiled and watched as Evan turned and left.

By the time Lucas arrived at the school gates that same morning, he was greeted by a few of his friends, most of them from the baseball team. After exchanging a few words, he quietly walked through a loud hallway full of students moving about to their first period classes while overhearing some students gossiping about the latest scandal and their love life. He continued down the direction of his locker, ignoring the flock of girls around him, begging for his attention as he kept moving. He turned at a corner and found Zay, Maya and Farkle standing by his locker waiting for him.

"Luke, my man!" Zay greeted cheerfully. "We missed you this past weekend."

Lucas smiled as he dialed in the combination to his locker and grabbed his books. "What did I miss?"

"We crashed a party at NYU." Farkle grinned, a little mischief showing in his bright eyes.

"You crashed a party?" He questioned, amusement playing across his features as Farkle nodded his head proudly.

"Yup!" He exclaimed, leaning against the lockers with his arms folded across his chest. "I was living pretty dangerously."

Zay and Maya exchanged looks and laughed. "Wish I could have been there to see it." Lucas said, turning to his friends as he slammed his locker door shut.

"You should have seen Maya." Zay smirked, playfully nudging her shoulder. "She was flirting with some college guy."

"Shut up. I was not!" She snapped as she could feel the heat growing in her cheeks, betraying how she may indeed feel for the college sophomore.

"Oh yes you were."

"He was flirting with me." She exclaimed, biting her bottom lip to suppress a smile. Lucas quickly glanced over at Farkle and watched his expression change to one of jealousy. Luckily for him, the others didn't seem to notice.

"So when do you have time to hang out, man?" Zay asked, pulling his broad shouldered best friend in for a one-arm hug. "You've been MIA."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just…I have a lot going on right now with little league, the bakery…and my Mom getting the penthouse ready before my Dad arrives." He paused briefly, a sigh escaping his lips. "Trust me, I wish I could hang out with you guys more."

"It's okay, Huckleberry. We are here for you no matter what." Maya offered a reassuring smile as Zay and Farkle nodded their heads in agreement.

"Thanks, guys."

The sound of the first bell chimed around the school, signaling that classes will start in ten minutes. The four exchanged high fives before parting ways, agreeing to meet up during lunch period.

As Lucas headed towards his first class, maneuvering his way through the crowd, he was caught off guard when he was suddenly pushed against the lockers to his right. The loud bang resonated the hallways, pulling the attention of a few lingering students nearby. Lucas gazed up, a shocked look on his face when he spotted Thor casually walking away.

"Hey!" He yelled, ignoring Zay's plea to stop as he took a few long strides to reach Thor and gave him a little shove backwards. "What the hell is your problem, man?!"

"Come on, Lucas. Let it go." Zay intervened, creating some separation between the two.

Thor raised his hands up defensively, a mischievous grin plastered on his features. "You were in my way, Friar."

Lucas glared. "When are you gonna get it through your head that Maya doesn't want you. She doesn't like you and will never go out with you."

"Oh because everyone just wants to go out with you, right?"

"Maya is my friend." He corrected, anger fueling in his green eyes. "What will it take for you to stop?"

"Stop?" Thor scoffed, wracking his mind for a better expression, and then suppressed a mirthless laugh. "Oh I'll leave Maya alone all right. She's a great a girl and all. I like her. I don't want to hurt her. No." He said, shaking his head. "That was never my intention." Lucas' eyebrows furrowed, detecting the hurt and anger that has suddenly risen in Thor's voice. His eyes reflected such pain and grief that Lucas knew at once that this was more than a silly feud between them, but something far more personal. He couldn't help, but feel slightly scared. "I was going after you, Friar." Thor declared, his eyes filled with determination as they locked intensely with his. "And I will not stop until you suffer and feel the pain that your family has brought upon mine."

Lucas paused for a moment and swallowed hard, gathering what's left of his composure. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Like hell you don't know!" Thor fired back as his eyes moistened unknowingly, his nostrils flaring up in a huff. "It's been going on for years."

Lucas said nothing at first, wrestling with things he couldn't understand. "That's just it, Thor." He ventured slowly, the pain in his chest growing stronger as secrets and memories of the past flashed before his eyes. "It happened years ago."

"And you honestly believe it stopped?" He blinked, his eyes fuming with rage as Lucas was taken aback by how vulnerable and serious Thor looked. "Do you ever wonder who keeps your mother's bed warm at night when your Dad is away?"

A thick silence filled the hallway as the air around them began to feel tense. The only sound in the space was the muffled voices coming from the other students who stayed and watched the confrontation with wide eyes. Lucas stood rigidly, his chest heaving and hands balled up into fists when suddenly the sound of footsteps cut through the silence, causing him to regain control and relax his muscles.

"That's enough you two." Came a firm voice from behind. They all looked up to see the Dean Mr. Matthews standing before them. "Show is over." He said, looking between Thor and Lucas with a concerned expression. "Everyone go to class. Now."

And just seconds later, the final bell rang as students hurried to their classrooms. Lucas waited for a moment until the hallways cleared out. And when it finally did, he looked up and spotted Riley standing at the other end of the nearly empty hallway. Their eyes connected briefly, Lucas not missing the grave concern that was etched in her features. Swallowing tightly, he watched as she averted her gaze and walked away.

Lucas stared fixedly at the wall watching the clocks hands tick one by one, counting down the minutes and seconds until the final school bell rang. He wasn't having the best day and it seemed like everything was slowly getting worse as the events of what happened earlier continue to occupy his thoughts. What made it even worse was that everyone at school seemed to know as he could feel their eyes trained on him and hear students whispering among themselves as though he wasn't there.

The second the bell rings, Lucas was already on his feet, pushing his way through the crowd and exiting through the school gates where he spotted his driver waiting for him up front. He was then dropped off at a park near Greenwich Village for little league baseball practice as it was another day to serve out his punishment.

With so many emotions running through his head coming into practice, coaching alongside Josh gave him the distraction he needed as his day gradually improved. Seeing the joy on the kids' faces made it worth getting in trouble for as he found comfort and relief from his crazy life. But as time went by and practice drew to a close, Lucas was dreading the thought of going home and facing his mother.

So when one of the boys eagerly invited him and Josh to have dinner at his place, Lucas couldn't find it in his heart to refuse the young lad. It was also the perfect opportunity for him to avoid his mother for a few more hours.

By the time practice ended, the three of them got into Josh's car as he drove a few blocks down the road until they stopped in front of a row of modern, mid-rise apartment buildings.

"Thanks for the ride, Uncle Josh." The boy said as he stepped out of the back seat and shut the car door behind.

"No problem, kiddo."

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows as he followed them up the stairs to the apartment building. "Uncle?" He questioned, a confused expression spreading across his face. "Wait a minute…"

The front door suddenly opened as Lucas looked up and found Mr. Matthews standing before them. "My brotha!"

"My brotha!" Josh greeted back as the two share a hug.

Lucas watched on with an awkward smile, amused by the Dean's goofy and lighthearted nature he never saw coming. His eyes then softened to cautious uncertainty as he began to worry about how Mr. Matthews will receive him. But by the time his friendly gaze turned to his, all his doubts melted away. "Ah, Lucas. You must be the friend Auggie was talking about. Welcome to my home." Mr. Matthews said warmly. "Please come inside."

Lucas nodded his thanks as he allowed Auggie to pull him inside to their livingroom apartment where a woman approached him.

"Hello, I'm Auggie's mother." She greeted, extending her hand and smiling reassuringly at him for a handshake. Lucas looked at her hand for a moment and took it gently.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Matthews." He replied, returning the smile. "My name is Lucas."

"Mom, Dad!" A familiar voice sounded as the light breathlessness of her voice made his heart flip. "Who is—"

She reached the bottom of the small steps that led to the kitchen as she looked up and paused in mid-sentence, a surprised and goofy grin appearing on her face. Her gaze shifted from Auggie to Josh until they landed on Lucas and smiled. "Oh hey…" She spoke softly as Lucas sends her a small smile, his green eyes gleaming with adoration.

"Hi."

Mr. Matthews drew his brows together as he watched the exchange take place between the two of them. His confused face then turned into one of genuine concern, realizing what was happening as a nervous breath escaped him.

"Oh boy…"

A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.