4: Intervention

The truce between Lucas, Maya and Riley had been going on well for the past couple of months, each of them staying well within the friendzone. Through the eyes of others, it might have seemed that everything had returned to normal, but to those privy to the group's predicament, things were really far from being resolved. The only reason why Riley and Lucas managed to keep their agreement afloat was because they'd been spending as little time together as possible, and this day was no exception.

Lucas had just been released from math class along with Zay and Farkle, but they left him to visit the gents. Not knowing how long they would take – poor Zay was nursing a sick stomach – he decided to head along to the cafeteria first to save a spot for them in the ever-growing queue.

Entering the crowded room, he knew what awaited him – Riley and Maya, both of whom were already digging into their lunches at a corner table. He felt a tugging sensation leading him towards them, but after several weeks of avoiding Riley, he'd learnt to suppress it and hurriedly made his way towards the lunch queue before he could change his mind. He wished he could just walk over to them like he used to. But now, he could only talk to Maya when she wasn't around Riley, which frankly speaking, was never.

And…cue departure, Lucas thought to himself as he watched Riley frantically gobble up her tuna casserole from the corner of his eye. She'd just realized that he was in the same room with them and hence, decided to up and leave. She always did that, and she probably didn't think that Lucas would notice. But he did. He did every single time.

"Riley, when are you going to stop this?" Maya's annoyed voice drifted over to where Lucas stood as she got dragged out of the cafeteria.

He turned his back towards the entrance, not wanting to look.

There had actually been three more seats next to the girls – just enough for Zay, Farkle and him to join in. In fact, there was always enough space, but they never really sat or hung out as a group anymore. Well, at least apart from history lessons, where the five of them had no choice but to sit in close proximity at Mr. Matthews' bidding.

To be honest, Lucas was tired of avoiding the girl, but it took two to tango and Riley wasn't budging one bit. He felt like such a bastard thinking this, but he often wondered if this change in the girl's demeanour was due to hormones.

"I know what you're thinking – don't," a voice suddenly piped up from behind him.

Lucas swivelled around and was pleasantly surprised to see Farkle, who had probably just come from another class. "How do you know what I'm thinking about?" He challenged jokingly, trying to hide a smile.

Farkle shrugged. "I mentioned the hormones thing to Smackle – once – and she flipped. Apparently girls hate it when we attribute their mood swings to their monthly visits. And also," he added, "I bumped into Riley and Maya along the corridor."

"If only it was that simple with Riley," Lucas shook his head, visibly troubled. "I just wish she would talk to me."

"Have you even tried?" Farkle picked two trays from the shelf – one for himself and the other for Lucas – sliding them across the countertop as they paused at each food station.

"Well…"

"I take that as a no."

Lucas lifted his tray up as he heaved a sigh. "What do you expect me to do, Farkle? Force her? I'm not going to do that."

Farkle held both hands up, feigning offence. "Hey, I didn't say anything. But just so you know, Maya, Zay and I aren't going to take sides, so you'll have to sort it out for yourselves. You don't want to graduate giving Riles the cold shoulder, do you?"

"I didn't even want to start the year that way," Lucas muttered under his breath. Then, coated in sarcasm, "Gee, thanks Farkle. You're such a great help."

The boy smiled, his nose crinkling up. "It's my utmost pleasure, Mr. Friar."

"So, tell me again why you're coming over to my house to study?" Farkle asked Riley a few days after his conversation with Lucas, sliding onto the cafeteria seat with a food tray in hand.

It was one of the rare days where Maya, Lucas and Zay didn't share the same break as them, so it was usually just the two of them at lunch.

Earlier that morning, Riley asked Farkle if she could go over to his house to study for their finals coming up in just a few weeks. They had already taken to studying together since the term began, and Farkle often tutored the girl in the comfort of her own home. But it seemed like she had something different in mind this time around.

"Because," Riley said in a matter-a-fact manner, "Lucas is always at Topanga's and Maya's always at my house. It's difficult to study with them hanging around."

Farkle raised an eyebrow. "Since when was that the case?"

Riley picked at the peas in her rice, fishing them out with her fork and adding them to a pile that was already beginning to form at the side of her plate. Farkle had known the girl for so long that he was accustomed to the long pauses that sometimes popped up in their conversations. It meant that she was struggling to find words, a habit that she had fallen into quite often as of late.

"You know I always study better with you, Farkle," she finally huffed.

"You do?"

"Yes!"

Farkle chuckled at the sight of her exasperated face. "Could I ever say no?"

The brunette girl erupted into laughter as well. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

She shook her head, grinning. "I can't believe it – after all these years I finally get to visit the great Farkle Minkus' house."

The boy shrugged. "Yours always seemed more welcoming, anyway. Mine just feels…big and empty. Sometimes."

A thoughtful look washed over Riley's face. "I can't imagine a whole house full of Minkuses, though," she half-cringed and shuddered at the thought of it.

Farkle tried to imagine such a scenario and nodded in agreement. "It would take the whole of Mars to contain us."

"That, and more. I probably wouldn't be able to handle it." Riley crossed her arms and smiled, leaning across the table as she closed the gap between Farkle and herself. "I guess one's enough for me."

Farkle couldn't help but return the smile. Her tiny, introspective smiles always had the effect of making him feel warm and happy inside. Like he was doing something right.

Just then, his eyes brightened as he recalled something. "I almost forgot –" He muttered, unzipping his backpack and rummaging through its contents to fish out a black notebook decorated with little stickers in the shape of planets. He handed it to Riley with a smile. "I made you a cheat sheet for math. Hopefully it helps with your revision."

Riley held the book daintily in her hands, not quite sure how to react. She settled back against her chair and started to flip through the pages, her eyes glossing through its contents. The book was filled with formulas and important highlights in its entirety, all of which were organized neatly by chapter.

"Farkle!" A tiny exclamation escaped her.

She was rendered speechless. Goodness knew how bad she had been at math ever since kindergarten. And it wasn't even due to a lack of practice, but rather that she was just never able to wrap her head around it.

After a few moments, Riley mumbled a grateful "Thank you."

Looking pleased with himself, Farkle replied, "I figured that since I'm already tutoring you full-time, I might as well make you a textbook. There's some bits from Smackle, too. So it should be pretty useful."

As amazing as it probably seemed to Riley, Farkle didn't really have to take much time out of his schedule to make it in the first place, and he wasn't quite sure if he should be glad or ashamed about that fact. He'd basically just regurgitated most of what was already inside his head, and during the process, realized that it was a rather mindless task to begin with.

Smackle had also been with him when he conjured it with pen and paper, throwing in her own tips here and there as they bickered over which of their methods were better. Ever since they'd started dating, they often found themselves slipping back into petty arguments from time to time. It reminded Farkle of their rivalry before that, and he wondered if it was so deeply ingrained that they somehow carried it with them into their relationship.

"What's that for?" Smackle asked, peering over Farkle's shoulder as he furiously scribbled on his newly-purchased notebook. Then, upon seeing the planet stickers strewn across the table, she added, "Or rather, who's that for?"

"Riley," Farkle replied without looking up.

"Hmm, I figured." Still standing, she bent down to sling an arm around his shoulders and smiled. "Do you need help?"

Farkle looked up to see his girlfriend beaming down at him, seemingly determined to jump right in. This had been the first time she came over to his house for dinner with his parents, and they adored her to death. She was intelligent, pretty and talented – what wasn't to like? After the meal, he brought her up to his room to show her around. She had just been busy studying his collection of rocks before strolling up to see what he was up to.

After a slight pause, Farkle nodded. "Alright," he said, dragging another chair up to him so she could sit down. "What's another method to calculate area?"

"The shoelace method?" Smackle suggested, resting her head against his shoulder as her eyes settled on the notebook before her.

"Ha, I don't really like that one. All that criss-crossing makes me confused," Farkle said, although he jotted it down all the same.

With that, Smackle suddenly blurted out, "Do I make you confused?"

Farkle looked at her with a puzzled expression, his brows furrowed. But before he could say another word, the girl hastily snatched his pen away from him and scribbled the shoelace method onto the notebook.

"There," she said. "You write too slowly."

After school, Riley accompanied Farkle home, excitement tingling at her fingertips. Despite having been friends for nearly eight years, she still hadn't gotten the chance to visit his house. She wasn't sure if it was because they'd spent so much time over at her own place or because he'd been holding out till now. Either way, she had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

Since Farkle's house wasn't situated in the common high-rise buildings of New York City, there was a fair bit of walking to do when they exited the nearest subway station. Winter days had long given way to Spring – Riley's favourite time of the year – and she skipped along the pavement, admiring the flowers that had sprouted between the cracks of the sidewalk as Farkle trailed some ways behind her.

There wasn't much traffic in the area, and the packed, concentrated apartment complexes had given way to quaint little shops and rows of white, polished townhouses. Some windows stretched from top to bottom, making it easy for one to look in and see the furniture that adorned each household. To Riley, it felt like entering a different world, and she relished each moment of it. She never once thought that the city housed a district like this.

"Mine's the last one," Farkle said after a long walk in silence, pointing ahead upon catching up with Riley.

"You were hiding such a beautiful place to yourself all this time," the girl shook her head as she feigned disappointment. "I knew your house would be gorgeous, but I certainly wasn't expecting this."

The two teenagers stood at the foot of a solid black, two-metre-high gate. Riley craned her neck, attempting to see what lay ahead, but all it did was give her a neck ache. Farkle whipped out his card and tapped it against a rectangular scanner attached to the pillar beside the gate. There was a soft beep-beep before the gate was halved in the middle and swung inwards.

Farkle threw Riley a smile as he led the way in. "Welcome to my humble abode," he said.

The Minkuses had a large gravel driveway which housed a little stone fountain that sat on a circular patch of grass in the middle. The actual house stood a proudly a few metres away, completely made out of marble. It wasn't as large as Riley thought it would be, but it was probably because it was vertically tall rather than horizontally long. From the looks of it, there were around four stories, including a rooftop garden.

"Wow," Riley said, unable to peel her eyes off the building. "I don't think I'll be able to do much studying today."

"You betcha," Farkle replied, excitedly whisking her up the steps to the front door and into the house.

Lucas sat on a leather sofa at the corner of a small library, feeling as lost and confused as ever. He'd received an email from Mink Industries this morning offering an internship for the coming summer, and the only criteria was that he come down for an interview. So there he was, waiting for someone – anyone – to appear. The only person he had seen thus far was a middle-aged helper who led him to the room, but that was that.

All of a sudden, the blue door swung open and in strolled Riley Matthews and Farkle Minkus, catching Lucas by surprise. Riley was still too fascinated by the white bookshelves that lined the four walls of the room from floor to ceiling, to notice him. Some books were so far out of reach that matching silver ladders could even be found around the room to aid readers.

Still unable to fully comprehend the situation, Lucas sat glued to the chair, desperately willing for Farkle to look over at him, which he did. Their eyes met for a split second before Farkle winked and soundlessly slipped out of the door, closing it shut behind him.

This managed to snap Riley out of her reverie, as she spun around searching for Farkle.

Farkle. Farkle Minkus. Mink Industries! Lucas smacked his forehead in annoyance. He couldn't believe how dumb he was. That little rascal had probably lured the two of them there to settle things once and for all. He had to hand it to him, though – they both got duped.

Lucas sighed. Since they probably didn't have any other way out, they might as well get started on what they were here for.

"Farkle tricked the both of us," he said, his voice loud in the quiet room.

Riley turned towards the direction of the voice and stopped short upon seeing the well-built boy sitting awkwardly in his armchair. The premise of their situation appeared to click together for her as well, and she crossed her arms, leaning against the door she'd just entered from.

There was a slight pause before she turned her head to a side and cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting, "Farkle, you're going to get it from me when we're through with this!"

Instead of Farkle, a feminine but familiar voice rang out from the other side of the door. "Hi, sweetie!"

It was Maya.

Upon realizing who it was, Riley's anger appeared to deflate, and she slumped against the door, pushing her fringe away from her face.

"Hi," she said after a long bout of silence.

Lucas had been waiting for her to speak first. "Hey," he replied.

It was their first real exchange in months, and it suddenly hit Lucas how long it had been since they last talked. He missed her. Friend, girlfriend or sister, he missed her. Sure, he had growing feelings for Maya, but he missed Riley's genuine enthusiasm and interest in his stories. It was so easy to talk to her, and over the last couple of months, he had gotten rather lonely.

Since Riley didn't look like she had anything else to say, Lucas continued. "Did you really think ignoring me would help?"

The girl shifted uncomfortably. "I just didn't want to screw things up. I still had feelings for you in January and I thought that by distancing myself, I would be able to get rid of them. I told Maya that she didn't always have to hang out with me during lunch or after school but she refused to go." She smiled meekly. "I'm sorry."

Lucas couldn't believe it. Up till that very moment, Riley was still blaming herself for something that had been Maya's and his choices. He didn't know whether to be angry or sad. Perhaps he was feeling a mixture of both.

"Well, this has to stop," Lucas said, getting up on his feet. "Everything that has happened, all the decisions that have led up to this moment – they are our individual choices, Riley. None of this is your fault. Whatever these feelings are, we'll work through them together. As friends. First and foremost, isn't that what we are?"

He was breathless by the time he'd finished speaking, and his chest was heaving up and down. Tears were beginning to well up in Riley's eyes and he suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He had let his temper get the better of him once again, even though he harboured good intentions.

"Riley –" he started.

"No," the girl shook her head, a small smile still plastered on her face. "You're right. I shouldn't have taken it upon myself to solve things. I should've asked for help. But this past few months have been beneficial to me, too. I've realized a couple of things – one, you're the first boy that I've ever liked, and nothing will ever change that. Two, your friendship is worth more to me than anything else from you. And three, this has been dragging on for too long. We need to start over on a clean slate."

Riley ran a hand across her eyes, wiping them dry before sucking in a deep breath.

"I know that we were never officially together, but let's break up."

Lucas felt a wave of relief wash over him. What had he been expecting? Certainly not this, but somehow, he was glad that it hadn't been anything else. Riley did both of them a huge favour by letting Lucas the Knight in Shining Armour go. No longer tied down by the past, they were finally given the freedom and room to grow and become better versions of themselves. The boy that Riley had a crush on had been a façade, and Riley, that beautiful ray of sunshine, had changed over the past year, too.

Sometimes things didn't work out, and that was okay.

Riley was still standing at the door, waiting for Lucas to say something. She'd been preparing this speech for a long time, but constantly held back in fear of ruining their friendship. But just moments ago, she somehow mustered the courage to say what she believed, and hoped against all odds that Lucas did too.

Finally, Lucas spoke.

"Come here, you," he said, affection pouring out of his words as he extended his arms out to Riley.

The girl immediately flew into his arms and was enclosed in a big hug. Her heart was beating fast against his chest, but it no longer had anything to do with her liking him. She closed her eyes and broke into a wide smile. How much she'd missed him.

And how much he'd missed her.

When they eventually let each other go, Lucas smiled. In certain ways, he felt renewed. There was a weight in his heart that had been lifted when Riley decided to break things off. And somehow, he knew that Riley felt the same way.

"Praise the Lord!" Maya suddenly burst into the room with Farkle and Zay at her heels. She eyed Riley and Lucas up and down, a satisfied grin on her face. "That took you guys long enough. I was getting sick and tired of watching you two ignore the heck out of each other."

Riley shook her head in disbelief. "How long had you three been planning this for?"

"Just little over a week," Farkle replied. "I'd apologize for butting in again, but Maya didn't really give me much of a choice."

Maya patted her chest proudly upon hearing the boy mention her name. "That's right. If you're mad, be mad at me. But considering how things have turned out…"

Zay laughed, shaking his head at the blonde girl's utter lack of remorse. "You're just lucky that nothing went wrong."

"Oh, it wasn't coincidence, alright," Maya gave Riley and Lucas a knowing smile. "I had faith in these two, and they didn't let me down. Riles, do you have anything else you'd like to say?"

How typical of Maya to know that she had something to add. Riley clasped her hands together, unsure of how she should put it across. As much as the past couple of months had benefitted her, there was no denying the hurt she'd caused her friends. What she did had been stupidly selfish, and she owed everyone a sincere apology.

"I promise never to do anything like that ever again," she said. And she meant every last word of it.

"You better," Maya jokingly threatened. "I'm not going to drag the two of you out of this mess again."

Farkle stepped between the two girls, eyebrows raised patronisingly. "Ladies, ladies, let's stop fighting. Now who wants a tour of the house?"

A chorus of 'yes' filled the room as everyone filed out of the library behind Farkle. There was an air of zest surrounding the five friends that had been missing for the longest time. Fortunately, it was back, and it energized each one of them with newfound spirit and gusto. Perfect timing, in fact, considering how soon their finals were coming up.

As Riley followed her friends up the staircase, she felt a hand rest on the small of her back. It was Lucas, smiling up at her. She returned the smile and turned back to face the front. It was now four months overdue, but she felt ready to take on the rest of the year.

A/N: Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Lucas and Riley have finally worked things out, so I guess that's one less thing to be confused about, am I right? (laughs sarcastically) They still haven't really figured out what they are to each other yet (sister, friend...goodness knows what), but they've come to terms with the fact that their friendship is more important and comes first before anything else. This chapter is also about letting go of the past in order to make room for the present and future. Often times we find ourselves dwelling in what was and what might have been, forgetting that we as well as the people around us are constantly growing and learning. So I guess the point is that it's important to keep moving forward and not let the past hold us back. Also, I've just managed to outline the next few chapters ahead and I'm really excited to start writing the next one! Do let me know what you think about the story thus far - I appreciate each and every fav, follow and review! Till next time :)