Oh my goodness! Don't hate me. Life has been... rough, and I really can't believe I have left this story for so long. Thank you to everyone who sent me a kind review or message.

January 19th

Riley woke up with a painful crick in her neck. She looked down at her arm. It wasn't a dream. Lucas William Friar. Her soulmate. She grabbed her phone. No messages. It was time to get ready for school, and Lucas never showed, never called.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Come to think of it, no one had interrupted her night at all. Her parents, Maya, not even Auggie. She became aware of the noise in the front room. Maya was mad!

She thought whatever Josh had done must have worked when Maya never returned, but by the sound of things, she must have been wrong. Throwing a hoodie on to hide her scar because she was so not ready to deal with any of that, she rushed in the front room, only to be shocked by what she saw.

Josh stood in the middle of the room, his arms crossed with an amused smirk on his face. Her dad was hiding behind her mom in the kitchen, his head peeking out from behind her shoulder. Auggie and Ava were at the table, but turned around so they were facing the living room, both shoveling spoonfuls of cereal in their mouth as they watched the blonde with wide excited eyes.

And Maya. Oh, good Lord, Maya was standing on top of the coffee table, her rage focused in on Cory, not Josh.

"What did I miss?" Riley asked, addressing the whole room. "Peaches, what did the coffee table ever do to you?"

"It's not the table," Maya replied, jumping down. "It's your father who's the Benedict Adam."

"It's Arnold, Maya, Benedict Arnold," Cory corrected his voice dripped with exasperation, coming out from behind Topanga. "Do you even pay attention in my class?"

Maya turned to him with fire in her eyes. "You really want to lecture me right now, brother?" she said, threateningly.

"Josh, what is she talking about?" Riley asked.

Before Josh could open his mouth, Maya stepped in. "It turns out your father has been keeping Josh and me apart all along!"

"I did not! I just told my brother in confidence-" Cory shot accusing eyes to his younger brother. "That I thought he should wait until he had all the facts before he made his move!"

Maya rolled her eyes. "The fact is you didn't think I was good enough for your precious baby brother and-"

"I didn't think he was good enough for you!" Cory shouted.

"Hey!" Josh cried indignantly.

"Maya, you are... special," Cory began carefully. "You deserved to have the opportunity to explore who you are without being tied down by someone else. You're only sixteen. You have your whole life to be in love, but you only have a short amount of time to just be a kid."

Topanga put a comforting arm around the blonde. "Take it from me. Even though I knew Cory was my soulmate, we still took some time apart in junior high to figure out who we were as individuals. We're sorry if you feel like we got in the way, but we really did only have your best interest at heart. Both of you."

Riley slowly backed out of the room. No one seemed to even acknowledge it was her birthday. Under normal circumstances, she would be extremely upset, but today was not a normal day. She needed to talk to Lucas before she talked to anyone else. Looking at the Josh and Maya circus, she was certain she didn't want her family involved until she and Lucas could reach an understanding.

"Not so fast, Riles!" Maya shrieked, jumping on her back. "What happened last night?"

All eyes were on her as if just now realizing she was in the room.

"Happy Birthday, Sweetie!" Topanga cried, wrapping her into a hug. "Did it happen?"

Riley sputtered. "That's... Uh, Maya!"

"Ring power!" Maya shouted, tackling her into her room.

The blonde kicked the door shut, flipping the lock before anyone else had time to enter.

"It's a kid thing! We only have a short time to be kids. You understand, don't you, Cor?" She called before turning some music on her phone, making sure no one could hear them.

Riley pulled up her sleeve, revealing her mark. Maya squealed, wrapping her in a hug.

"Wait? Why am I squealing alone?"

"He never came, Peaches. Not before or after. I called him. I called Farkle. I waited by the window, and he never showed up. I don't know what to do."

"He probably fell asleep. He might not even know yet, Honey."

"You think?"

"He is probably waking up right now, glancing at his arm, and peeing his pants in excitement. I'm sure when we get to school, he'll be waiting at your locker, ready to kiss the heck out of you."

Riley rested her head on Maya's shoulder. "You sure?"

Maya stroked her hair. "Of course, I'm sure. Who wouldn't want to be Riley Matthew's soulmate? You're the best person in the world."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes as Riley allowed herself to be soothed by her best friend's presence. It was comforting to know that no matter what happened in her life, she would always have the girl sitting next to her.

They were interrupted by Cory pounded on the door and shouting, "Happy Birthday, Riley Chloe Matthews! Did you get your scar? Can we come in?"

"Let's get out of here. You need to talk to Lucas before you talk to anyone else," Maya whispered, tossing an outfit at Riley.

They dressed quickly and quietly, ignoring each of their family members as they took a turn at the door. Finally, Maya sent Josh a text that said, "You love me? Provide a distraction."

Within seconds came the reply, "Anything. What kind of a distraction?"

A distracting one.

He sent back a thumbs up and a heart emoji. Seconds later, Cory was shouting indignantly, but his shouts were clearly coming from down the hall, no longer right outside Riley's door.

"Yes!" Maya pumped her arm in success. "I knew Boing had it in him! Okay, quickly out the window before someone notices!"

Riley grabbed her backpack, adjusted her scarf, clicked the door unlocked, and dove out the window behind Maya, slamming it closed behind her.

Riley shoved her winter coat and backpack in her locker before grabbing her books for her first few classes. She slammed her locker closed, frustrated that the blonde hadn't been waiting there for her.

She had been dodging questions from the moment she got on campus, and she was worried he would hear about her squirrelly behavior and get the wrong impression, but overpowering that worry was her anger at being ignored. If Lucas had just listened to her, they might have already been together. They could have walked into school with smiles on their faces and told everyone that the universe saw what they saw, that they were perfect for each other.

She made a beeline for the next hallway over, her eyebrows raising to her hairline when she saw Lucas already at his locker.

"Hey," she said uncertainly. "Don't you think we should talk?"

Lucas didn't even spare her a glance as he hung up his bag. "I don't think we have anything left to say."

If possible, her eyebrows rose even higher. "You don't?"

"No," Lucas said, taking off his hoodie. "I think we both know where we stand."

Riley zeroed in on his arm, his black band in stark contrast to his tanned skin. Swallowing back tears, she murmured, "I guess we do."

Lucas closed his locker, turned towards her, and did his best to sound unaffected, "So, I guess that means we're done here."

Riley felt her heart shattering into a million pieces, but instead of wallowing in the sadness, she found her anger and held on to that, narrowing her eyes at him. "Yeah, I guess we are."

"Okay, then, so why don't you scamper off and go have your fabulously boring life and leave me in peace."

Riley shook her head at him, glaring at his band as she said vehemently, "I hate you, Lucas William Friar."

With that, she did a quick about-face, spinning away from him and stomping off to her first class. If only she had looked back, she might have seen how devastated he looked as he punched his locker and headed off in the opposite direction.

By the time Riley got to her seat in her father's history class later that afternoon, most of her classmates had stopped trying to talk to her about her birthday. Between her curt responses and Maya's death stares, everyone just assumed she hadn't gotten her scar.

Riley didn't know how long she could keep up the ruse. Eventually, everyone would know that she not only had her scar, but her soulmate had rejected her. She shot another glare in the direction of Lucas' empty seat at the thought.

In typical Cory fashion, his lesson involved famous people in history who had to wait for their scars. Riley knew he meant well, knew he was trying to help, but she really just wanted to pull her hair out. When Lucas showed up ten minutes late, her hand shot in the air.

"Yes, Riley?" her father asked, eyes lit with excitement as he hoped his lesson had achieved his goal of cheering up his only daughter.

"Can I go to the nurse? I'm not feeling well."

Maya scowled at Lucas. "Yeah, all of a sudden, I'm sick to my stomach."

Cory sighed, jotting down a note for both girls. "Tell her to text me if she's going to let you go home."

"Actually, Mr. Matthews," Lucas started as he raised his hand.

"No," Cory replied, cutting him off as he turned back to the board.

Maya and Riley gathered all of their things and rushed out of the room, Maya shooting one last death glare in Lucas' direction before flouncing off with a flip of her hair.

Lucas rolled his eyes and laid his head down on the desk. He was the injured party here, not Riley, but he knew their group of friends wouldn't see it that way. Their loyalty had and always would lie with her. At this point, he wasn't even sure that Zay would stick by him.

The nurse let Riley leave school early with very little protest. It wasn't the first time a teen fled school because of their scar. Any given day she found a sophomore near tears about their soulmate, and Riley was such a good student. She was beloved by most of the staff, and even the principal hummed in sympathy when the nurse relayed the sad news that her scar mustn't have come.

Maya, on the other hand, was another story. She insisted on leaving with her friend, to which the nurse flat out refused. After a scene that caused her to get detention, Maya eventually made her way back to history class, stomping her feet the entire trip.

Class was just ending when she entered the room, but Cory asked her, Lucas, and Farkle to stay behind.

"I'm worried about Riley," he said after all his other students had left the room.

Lucas sighed, trying to sound as annoyed as possible. "So what? Princess didn't get her scar right away? The world is ending?"

Maya's eyes widened to half the size of her face. "What on earth are you talking about, Huckleberry? You know damn well-"

Mid-rant the blonde saw his band, her anger turning into urgency, "What is that? When did you put that on?"

"Does it matter?" Lucas asked. "We all know I'm not getting a scar. I just needed to prove a point to Riley."

"Lucas William Friar, you're an idiot," Maya stated with finality as she rushed out the door, calling out behind her, "Riley will be fine, Matthews. I'll make sure of it."

"Well, that was... confusing, and I'm a genius," Farkle deadpanned, staring at the spot the blonde had just vacated. Both men nodded in agreement.

Zay was leaning next to Sarah's locker, when Maya grabbed his arm, dragging him down into the hole.

"Hey, blondie! Be careful, I use that arm!" Zay shouted, pulling himself out of her grip. "Look, I get it. Lucas has hurt our sweet little Riley. I've tried to talk to him, but he just won't listen. I'm sure she will get her scar any day now and her soulmate will-"

"She got her scar last night," Maya interrupted.

"She did? Who is her soulmate? Does she know him?"

Maya threw her arms up in the air. "Yeah, she knows him. She's in love with him, too. It would be perfect if he wasn't such a moron."

"She's in love with him?" Zay shook his head in confusion. "Wait, she was two-timing my best friend with some moron?"

"Your best friend is the moron, moron!"

Zay seemed to grow even more confused, having trouble connecting the dots. "Lucas is the moron? Wait a second, Lucas-"

"Is Riley's soulmate!" Maya shouted. She glanced around to make sure no one overheard her, but most of the halls had cleared out by then. "But the moron has a band on!"

"He put that on yesterday. When was Sugar's birth time?"

"Early this morning," Farkle answered from where he was listening at the top of the stairs. He walked down to meet his friends as he continued, "He probably didn't even feel it."

"So you think he doesn't even know?" Maya asked with wide eyes. "But Riley saw him this morning."

"Based on how he has been acting, there's no way he knows," Zay sighed. "What am I going to do with that boy?"

"So you think she saw the band?" Farkle asked.

"And jumped to the worst possible conclusion," Maya replied hopelessly, plopping down onto the step, her chin coming to rest on her hand.

The two boys followed suit, and that is where Smackle and Sarah eventually found them.

After Farkle gave the girls a quick explanation, Smackle insisted they come up with a plan to help their friends. After all, Riley had helped each of them.

"All we have to do is tell Lucas what happened, he'll apologize to Riley, and they can live happily ever after," Sarah suggested.

"Not going to work, darling. Lucas wanted her to pick him before they got all scarred up. He will never believe she really wants him for him now," Zay said gently, throwing an arm around his girlfriend.

"Oh!" Maya suddenly exclaimed as she jumped up. "She did! I can prove it! Boing or bust! Purple sparkles!"

"What are you talking about?" Farkle asked, trying to follow the blonde's logic.

"I don't have a plan," Maya said distractedly as she dialed a familiar number, "But I do best when I'm flying without a net."

"Boing," she said into the phone as she climbed the stairs, her friends trailing behind her. "Can you get something out of Riley's room for me?"

Although somewhat surprised to see his niece lying on the bed, Josh attempted not to show it as he glanced around the room, looking for the brown bag his mate assured him was in there.

"Hey, niece, happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Josh," Riley mumbled from behind her arm. She had changed into a pair of comfortable leggings and a hoodie when she got home.

Spotting the bag on the floor by the bay window, Josh took a seat before continuing, "I remember when I turned sixteen. The small part of me that wasn't already in love with Maya was really, really, really hoping I would get my scar. I was pretty disappointed, too, when I didn't get it. But it turns out the universe knew what it was doing with me, and it knows what it's doing with you, too. You'll get your scar someday."

"Oh, Josh," Riley wailed as fresh tears trailed down her cheeks. "The problem isn't that I didn't get my scar, but that I DID!"

She rolled up her sleeve to show him.

"Lucas? That's great!"

She shook her head, yanking her sleeve back down into place. "It's too late! He rejected me."

Body-wracking sobs erupted from her throat as she turned away from the window curling up into a ball. Taking advantage of her distraction, Josh grabbed the bag, shoving it into his back pocket before moving to the bed to sit behind her.

"It's never too late, not when it comes to this kind of stuff. Lucas loves you. He'll come around," Josh said as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. "The whole soulmate thing, it's really overwhelming. Sometimes it takes some getting used to. Look at me and Maya. We are just now finally getting on track."

"That's because you were an idiot and almost ruined everything!" Riley shouted through her tears.

"Well, Lucas is pretty dumb, too. Give him time, Riley. He'll come around."

Riley took some breaths, forcing herself to calm down before she whispered, "But what if he doesn't?"

Josh didn't have an answer, so he just continued to rub her back until his niece was all cried out, falling into a fitful sleep.

When he finally escaped her room, he dialed Maya's number. "I got the bag. You could have warned me Riley came home from school."

"Can you bring it to me? It's important."

"Sure, what is it anyway?" Josh asked as he began to open the bag. "Oh. Geez, Maya, do you two think exactly alike or something?"

"Boing or bust, my dear!" Maya squealed through the phone. "I wasn't going to settle for anyone else but you, and Riley decided the same about Huckleberry. Clearly, we both are just very intuned with the universe."

"So what's your grand plan? Show this to Lucas and hope he comes to his senses?"

Maya shrugged even though Josh couldn't see her. "I'm not exactly sure. I figure once I see him it will come to me."

Shaking his head, he grabbed his jacket as he headed out the door. "How about you let me handle this one, babe."

With that he hung up on the blonde, ignoring her protests. He had a cowboy to find.