Lucas rubbed his palms on his jeans before pressing the doorbell, trying to dry at least a little of the sweat off his hands. He was nervous, but he didn't want Riley to know.

When the door swung open, Lucas wasn't entirely unsurprised to see that it was Mr. Matthews who was staring at him. He narrowed his eyes. "You."

"Me…" Lucas imitated back, grinning.

"Auggie's not home!" Mr. Matthews declared.

"Yeah, I'm not here to see Auggie," Lucas admitted, glancing over Mr. Matthews's shoulder to see who must have been Mrs. Matthews, sitting on the couch behind him, smirking at the whole situation.

"Riley's not home either," Mr. Matthews added, shrugging in an attempt to be convincing - a failing attempt.

When Lucas looked past his shoulder to see Riley waving at him, Mr. Matthews sighed. "She's right behind me. Why is everyone always right behind me?"

'Hi, Lucas,' Riley signed, finger spelling his name slowly.

'Hi,' Lucas signed back, as Mr. Matthews turned to see his daughter.

He flipped back around and said, "That's right, I lied right in yo face!"

Lucas chuckled, as Riley's mom came up to lean over Riley's shoulder, beaming.

'You ready?' Lucas signed to Riley, the two words he had been practicing the whole way over. He had wanted to get off on a good start.

Riley smirked. 'You need to get past him first.' She pointed to her dad, and Lucas caught most of the words, enough to get the picture.

"Mr. Matthews," he began, and Mr. Matthews's eyes widened.

He turned to look at Riley, who was glowing with excitement, and then back at Lucas, still standing in the doorway. He silently signed a few things to Riley, quicker than Lucas could catch. Mrs. Matthews signed something back, and they went on for a few moments while Riley giggled, watching the argument.

"Mr. Matthews," Lucas repeated, "I want to do this the right way. So before we leave, I'd like to get your permission to take your daughter out on a date."

Mr. Matthews smiled. "Lucas, I want to do this the right way too." He slammed the door, yelling loudly, "NO!"

Lucas pushed open the door, as Riley moved back to let him in. Her eyes were laughing, and she glanced at her brother, who was plopped down on the couch behind them, watching the whole scene.

"Mr. Matthews," Lucas requested, "please, I would like your permission to ask your daughter out on a date."

"Get him, Topanga!" Mr. Matthews ordered, and she marched right over.

"My pleasure. Lucas, you are about the most charming man I have ever met."

Lucas smiled. At least he had half of the parental unit on his side.

Riley, leaning against the chair, glanced at Auggie. 'Interpret?' She requested, and Auggie sat up, nodding, beginning to relay all the audio going on.

"Topanga, we really need to talk," Mr. Matthews pleaded, and Auggie spoke up, signing as he spoke.

"Think of it this way, Dad. The faster she goes on a date the faster she gets married. Like me and Ava."

Mr. Matthews looked horrified. "That does not make me feel better, August!"

'Not helping!' Riley signed in alarm to her brother.

'I'm your brother,' he signed back, and Riley rolled her eyes.

"I'll tell you what," Lucas said, "Riley and I will go on this date," he cut Mr. Matthews off as he started to object, "purely as educational."

Mr. Matthews frowned, interest piqued. "How do you figure, Mr. Friar?"

"Riley is teaching me sign language," Lucas declared, and Riley beamed as her father glanced to her. "As a teacher, you can't deprive a student of wanting to learn, can you?"

Mr. Matthews struggled against himself. "Topanga, he's using my teacher-ness against me!"

"I have to agree with him," Mrs. Matthews admitted. "Learning a new language is never a bad thing."

"Is everyone against me?" Mr. Matthews threw up his hands. "Auggie?"

"She has to join the party some time," Auggie pointed out. "May as well be with a good guy."

Mr. Matthews groaned. "Fine, but I want you home in 90 minutes flat, you hear me?"

'Did he say 90 minutes?' Riley signed to Auggie, and he nodded.

90 minutes was not nearly long enough for what Lucas had planned. However, it was time with Riley Matthews, and it was approved by her father. He would take what he could get. Eventually Mr. Matthews would warm up to the idea.

"90 minutes," Lucas agreed.

"Flat!" Mr. Matthews reminded him frantically, as Lucas took Riley's hand and they went out the door.

Maya was laying backwards on her bed, her hair fanned out around her head on the quilt, staring at the ceiling and waiting for that text from Riley - the one that said she could come over and they would gossip about her date. Her eyes ran around the walls of her room, to her posters of art on the walls, to her guitar on it's stand, to the blank ceiling. She chewed her lip. Would her mother be angry if she painted a mural on the ceiling?

Her phone buzzed on her stomach, and she turned over and opened it to see,

Date over! Come get the tea! 3 Riles

"Mom!" Maya called, swinging around the doorframe from her bedroom into the living room, where her mother was watching tv on the couch.

No, wait. She was asleep.

Maya rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone.

Going to Riley's. Be back before 10.

With the text sent, she headed out the door, closing it as quietly as she could.

She pulled out her earphones as she headed down the stairs in her apartment building, plugging them into her phone and clicking some music on before shoving her hands in her pockets. She bobbed her head along to the tune as she walked, and made her way onto the subway.

Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out to see,

Need to talk to you. Meet at the fountain in fifteen?

She frowned and sent back,

I'm omw to Riley's, can it wait?

She watched the bubbles appear, and then the text,

No.

A/N: Ooh, another chapter up. A longer one!

I can't remember if I clarified that the group is in high school in this story. Auggie is like ten years old.

I figured I would leave it on a cliffhanger (Not because I don't know where this bit is going, or anything. Why would you accuse me of that? That's just preposterous. The more I explain the less credible it seems. I'm stopping now.)

Anyways, if anyone has any ideas about going forward, review or PM me! I can always use suggestions :)

I'll try to get more writing up soon; I'm avoiding class work (and friends, and boyfriend), by holing myself up in my room, like the good little antisocial I am. Not great for my friends and my boyfriend, but great for all those readers out there!

Anyways, it's 4:30am and I should have gone to sleep at the latest 2 hours ago, so I'm gonna post this chapter now.

Review, if you can!

Kisses,

C