Hello! I promised you we would start to pick up the pace and we will. I was story boarding between my classes and I have 21 chapters laid down and only one third of the story.

Thanks for waiting for the story and I love your reviews they seriously make me smile. Right now I'm studying for a calculus test but most of chapter 8 is written, so maybe next week?

RE Jessica: The Leprechaun is a real drink and it does have the ingredients I wrote, I don't know if you can find it in Texas, that was for plot, but it's a Costa Rican drink (El Duende). Thanks for your message!

KING LUCAS

CHAPTER 7

"Do you mind if I sit?" Lucas asked to the guy sitting on the table, he was reading from a chemistry book, his nose almost touching the pages while his index finger traced over the sentences.

He looked up to the big Texan boy, his broad shoulders made him feel like half his size even though if he stood up next to him he would probably be the same size if not an inch taller.

"I already gave my lunch money to another one of your teammates." The thin boy answered and returned to his book. Lucas made a mental note about that.

"I already ate, I just want to sit down with you." Lucas wouldn't sit until he allowed him to, this would give him the sense that he had the power in this situation and not Lucas.

"It's a free world." He simply said, looking at him again, but Lucas wouldn't sit and made a confused face instead. "You can sit."He finally said.

Oh, Lucas had him, Farkle was used to the teasing, to being the squeaky little mouse that every jock made fun of, he would give him the chance to be above them. He seemed like he already knew he was smarter than everyone else around him, but if Lucas made him think that he had a power over him and his decisions that would compensate the physical and social aspect he lacked and craved, he wanted power and that's exactly what Lucas would give him.

"I'm Lucas." He said, he had to be the dumb one here.

"I know, we share history class." Farkle responded like he was talking to a little kid, good. "I sit next to you."

"Farkle!" Suddenly a guy from the hockey team yelled, approaching their table. "Feeling generous enough to buy a poor guy some food?"

"No." He responded almost in a whisper, the color had left his face.

"I wasn't asking." The other guy said, digging his nails on Farkle's shoulder, which made him close his eyes in pain.

"Fuck off, Johnson." Lucas finally said.

"Oh, I see you got yourself your own bodyguard." Lucas looked at him until he let go off his grip, Farkle was looking at him with a big question in his face.

"You should get your own if you keep bothering him." Lucas stood up, towering over them.

"C'mon Friar, I'm just playing." Johnson pushed him playfully, but Lucas' eyes didn't change, his lips were pressed together and his jaw clenched. "Why don't you sit with us? Instead of sitting with this freak."

That made his look angrier, although Farkle thought that wasn't possible. "I'm fine right here, but you should leave... now." The other guy had an unbelieving expression on his face, but he still did as Lucas said and returned to his table. When Lucas sat back down his features had changed, he smiled at Farkle who still couldn't believe what he just witnessed.

"Thanks, you didn't have to." He said, awkwardly.

"I like to take care of my friends." Lucas said, padding his shoulder.

"We are friends?" Farkle asked confused.

"I hoped we could be." He said, Farkle was very smart but Lucas didn't think he had enough social experience to know what Lucas was after, still the thought of someone like the Texan hanging out with someone like him was illogical.

"Why?" He wondered aloud.

"Why?" Lucas chuckled. "You look like a nice guy." Farkle frowned. "Also, I know that you are really close to Riley and Maya and Riley has talked a lot about you."

"She did?" Lucas narrowed his eyes, slightly. "What did she say?" Oh, he saw it, Lucas didn't miss anything, it was there, as much as Farkle tried to hide it Lucas saw right through him and the glint on his eyes when he mentioned Riley was impossible to miss. Farkle had feelings for Riley, Lucas wasn't sure if this would make things easier or just complicate them more.

"That you've been best friends for a long time," now he had to be careful on what he said, "that you are one of her favorite persons on the planet and that I would be crazy if I didn't want to be your friend. So I'm here to prove my sanity."

Farkle couldn't fight the smile that formed across his face.

"I think my friendship would do you some good too." He added, remembering his first encounter with Zay.

"Why do you think that?" He asked, closing his book.

"Why didn't you stand up against that idiot from the hockey team?"

"Have you seen him?" Farkle said, pointing with his thumb to the table where the team was sitting, joking around. "Guys like you are logs in a world where I'm a little twig."

"For your sake, you shouldn't use that metaphor again, okay?" Lucas said, smiling.

"Why? It's true, you guys are bigger than me!" Lucas closed his eyes, like he had said something hurtful and lowered his head. "I don't get it... Oh!" He had finally understood. "I didn't... I mean, I've never looked at your... to know..."

"Stop! You're just making it worse." Lucas said, lifting his hand.

"The point is, he lifts weights for fun, all I lift are my books." His voice fell as he finished the sentence.

"Well, if every book you have is like that one", Lucas said putting a finger over the huge chemistry book, "I'd say you have a pretty good chance." Farkle managed a laugh and Lucas knew he had him.

"A big brain is what every girl wants." Lucas said, trying to cheer him up.

"I don't know how your school was in Texas, but my experience here has been quite the opposite." Lucas laughed. "Even Riley has a thing for jocks lately." His eyes fell to the table, Lucas knew he was talking about him and he even felt a little disdain in his tone.

"Really? I didn't know she was dating anyone." Lucas had to play dumb if he wanted to get where he needed to.

"She's not... yet." Farkle said.

"What about Maya?" Lucas asked, subtlety.

"For you?" Farkle frowned, growing worried for his best friend.

"No, for you!" Lucas said, nodding.

"Oh, I can't date either one of them, I promised to love them the same," he said, sadly, "besides, she has more of a taste for bad boys." Lucas lifted his eyebrows.

"Really? Does she have a boyfriend?" Finally, he fell in his trap.

"She thinks she does." Farkle said.

"What do you think?" Lucas needed to find more about Maya without raising any suspicion to Riley and Farkle had been the perfect answer, he just had to touch the subject.

"I rather call it a stationary booty call." He responded, Lucas snorted.

"What's the guy? I've never seen her with anyone." If Lucas knew him, he could get rid of him.

"His name is Josh, he is in college, they all are." This girl just seemed harder and harder to obtain.

"So you don't like him?" Lucas asked, casually.

"I don't like him for Maya, I don't think anyone likes him for Maya." He paused, checking around for his friends. "He's too old and she doesn't understand why we feel like that."

"I think I also don't understand."

"The thing is that she had a crush on him for many years and now that he has looked her way, she wants to hold on to the idea that is all serious and that he feels the same." Farkle tried to explain.

"And you don't think he does?" This was much more than what he had hoped to find out.

"We are hoping he does." Farkle finished.

"And by we, you mean Riley and you?" Lucas said narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Why don't you talk to Maya?" He asked, frowning.

"Have you tried to change Maya's mind?" Lucas nodded and gave him the reason. Farkle checked his watch and stood up. "I have to get to my homeroom."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Farkle didn't respond, but Lucas still followed him outside of the cafeteria.

"I just have one more question", Lucas said turning to him, "Why do they call you Farkle?"

"Because that's my name." Farkle responded like it was the obvious answer.

"Your name is Farkle?" Lucas raised his brow and his eyes widened. "Wow, maybe we could start calling you by your last name."

"Minkus?" He asked, lowering his face.

"You are Farkle Minkus?" Lucas laughed, "I'm sorry... Farkle it is, then." He padded his new friend on the back and walked him to his class.

"Good job, boys!" The coach said clapping his hands. "Porter! Toss the ball through Lucas! It's faster!"

They repeated the play, this time Lucas had the ball, it all happened in a blink of an eye, the next second, the hitter was on the floor out of the game.

"See! That's what I'm talking about!" Coach Cooper said, as Lucas helped Marcus up from the floor. Ashton looked over Lucas with disdain, as he removed his glove, they all headed to the showers. "I don't want any equipment missing! Everything goes in the bag! And no one leaves without showering!"

The coach yelled, but none of the boys turned his way, they threw the bats and balls and gloves in a big bag that was on the floor. A thin freshman that they called Sput (short for Sputnik, due to his oddly round head), picked everything from the floor.

"Lucas, wait up!" Gabbie Anderson called him, she was wearing her cheerleading outfit of white, blue and gold. The squad shared training days with the baseball team. A high pony tail moved from side to side as she jogged to meet him, her bag hanged in her right shoulder.

"Hey" Lucas said, walking next to her towards the changing rooms.

"I saw you playing out there, you're really good."

"Thanks, I was also checking your practice." He said, getting closer to Sput, Gabbie walking next to him.

"And what did you think?" She asked, biting her lower lip. She was flirting with him and Lucas wasn't one to miss opportunities.

"I'd say that you're holding the team on your shoulders... literally." He said smiling, she giggled. When they reached the freshman, Lucas handed him his equipment. "Thanks, Roy." The boy was surprised that Lucas Friar knew he name, he smiled and turned his gaze shyly away when he saw Gabbie next to him.

"Are you nervous for the game next week?" She asked, padding off some dust from his chest.

"No, I'll win." He said, smirking. "Hey, are you doing anything after this?" He asked sliding his hand from her elbow to her hand so he could grab it, they were alone in the field.

"No, why? Do you have anything in mind?" Lucas smiled and managed to tell her that they could meet in the main hall after he showered and changed. He left her and entered the men's changing room.

Meanwhile, Maya Hart was putting the final touches of white of the bowl of fruit she was painting, from time to time she would peek at the real bowl standing in a chair in front of her.

"Maya, I have to go and relieve the babysitter, can you close the class?" She nodded absentmindedly, she was biting her lip, too concentrated to pay attention to him. "Thanks, bye! I don't want to find dirty brushes tomorrow, okay?" She didn't respond, she didn't even listen when he closed the door.

After a few minutes, she was examining the painting to see if she was content with it, her phone vibrated, to show a text from Riley.

"How was art?"

Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the time, she hadn't realized how late it was, when she looked around she noticed that Mr. Vasquez had left already. She put her brushes in a can of water and moved the painting near a window so the oils would be dry by tomorrow.

She took the jean button up shirt that she used to paint off and hanged it in the closet, she spent so much time there that Mr. Vasquez told her that there was no point on taking it back home almost every day.

When she finished packing everything, she put the lock on the door and close it behind her.

"I just got home." She texted Riley back, as she was walking down the hall, she didn't feel like explaining why she was late. She noticed a big stain in the back of her forearm, Maya sighed and turned to enter the nearest bathroom.

She heard someone moan, but she still walked in, she stopped at the doorstep, she wasn't sure if she was mad at herself for knowing what was coming and still walking in or because she couldn't look away.

All she could she was the bare back of a man and a girl who had her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist, they were pulling down the pants of whomever was holding her, just enough so she could see his Calvin's.

His back had been chiseled by the gods themselves, she could see every muscle contract as he moved and his arms, Maya traveled every square inch of his arms until she saw his hand disappear under her top. Maya couldn't move, the couple was kissing fiercely, she couldn't help but feel a heat forming in her navel.

The girl was wearing a cheerleading outfit, and when the guy moved to work on her neck Maya saw the pleasure on Gabbie Anderson's face, she could also hear it. In a second Gabbie opened her eyes and screamed.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Maya's feet were glued to the floor, but she wanted to run away.

The guy that was holding her dropped her carefully on the floor and turned around to see who had interrupted them. Maya knew who it was, she could feel it the minute she walked in, but she wanted to deny it, her eyes traveled from his toned abs to his chest to I his face, even now that she saw his face and that stupid shit eating grin that drove her crazy she wanted to deny that she wasn't looking at Lucas Friar, it wasn't possible he could look like that.

This wasn't what Lucas thought today would bring, he looked at her frozen in her spot, cheeks almost crimson red. He noticed how she looked at him, the way most women did. He couldn't help the smile on his face, her hands were covered in paint, she must've had art today, which meant she had her art workshop the same days he had his training, he could see another opportunity rising in front of him, but today wasn't the day to take advantage of it.

"Would you mind?" He said, frowning. Gabbie was hiding behind him, just now did Maya notice a bra sitting on the lavatory, that was what she needed to process everything.

"You are not allowed to have sex in the school grounds." Maya said angrily.

"Are you gonna tell on us?" He said, defiantly, she didn't respond, she didn't know what to say, she was focusing all her energy on not looking at his body. "That's what I thought."

Maya left the bathroom mad for some reason, she wasn't jealous, definitely not, she told herself. She could her Gabbie giggling from the hallway and further down she even heard her scream his name. Maya rushed out of school and took a deep breath in, Lucas had won this round, she didn't know what were they playing in order to win, but it just felt like he had won something.