8: Promises
Maya was up early the next morning – something that surprisingly wasn't a difficult feat for her to accomplish. Judging by her lazy and sluggish demeanour in class, one would expect her to carry the same characteristics into her sleeping habits. But while she was a late sleeper, she could certainly be counted upon to be up and running by the time dawn broke. Which was why her morning routine usually consisted of waking Riley up for school.
After Josh had walked her home the night before, she was in a constant state of euphoria for the next hour or so, unable to keep herself from smiling. The very fact that he finally viewed her as an individual separate from being just 'Riley's best friend' meant a lot to her.
And while it was undeniable that her feelings for Josh remained, it had been greatly subdued during the many months of his absence, replaced in turn by her growing attraction to Lucas. So now that he was back, it was as if her emotions were taking a turn in a washing machine, spun and whittled dry till it was impossible for her to figure things out. This was why she decided that she would stay impartial and single till she knew the answer. Anyway, it wasn't as if Maya Hart needed a man in her life to function.
However, just before she fell asleep, her mind began to drift to darker and more sombre thoughts like they usually did in the later hours of the night. She recalled how distant and detached Lucas had been when Josh and her arrived at their table, as if he didn't want to be associated with them. A deep, grinding fear that Lucas was changing suddenly replaced the warm feeling in her stomach.
Texas Lucas she could deal with and accept without judgement, but High School Footballer Lucas was still a Pandora's Box – one that she wasn't keen on opening.
And thus back in present time, Maya was pacing back and forth across her room, wondering if she should pay Riley an early visit and enlist her help in conducting a background check of Noah and Adam. But before she could make a decision, her phone buzzed from its place at the bedside table, catching her by surprise.
It was 8.30am and Maya knew that she wasn't by any means, an important person, and neither did she have many friends who would even call her in the first place, so she hadn't a clue who it might possibly be.
She strode over to the table and glanced at the caller ID, a jolt rippling through her skin when she saw who it was – Lucas Friar's perfect, bronze face was beaming up at her.
"What do you want?" Maya demanded upon answering the phone, the words rolling off her tongue before she could think twice about her tone. The only reason why her friends no longer took offence in her greetings was because she did it often enough.
Lucas' voice came through with a hint of surprise laced in it. "You're awake," he said, more of a statement than anything else.
"No surprise there, Sherlock," Maya scoffed over the phone. "Why are you calling so early in the morning? Better question – what are you doing up so early in the morning?"
Lucas bounced back into his habit of making things longer than they should be. "Well," he started, "it's a habit I got back in Texas. We could never sleep past 8am as kids because the roosters would just start crowing non-stop till everyone was wide awake –"
"–Long story short, my cowboy," she prompted, shaking her head and smiling. She'd always wondered if people could hear the smiles in others' voices without having to see them. Personally, she liked to believe that was true.
There was a slight pause at the other end of the line as she walked over to the window that overlooked the street below. The moment she peered out of it and laid her eyes on the athletic figure a few floors down, Lucas began to speak, the shifts in the shape of his mouth in-sync with the words that spilled out into her ear.
"I'm outside your apartment," he said. "Come down and meet me? It's just for a short while."
Maya rapped against the glass pane, instructing Lucas to look up. When he raised his head and saw her standing at the window, she gave him a wave.
Give me five minutes, she mouthed.
Ending the call, she walked over to her closet and stripped out of her pyjama top, replacing it with a plain white t-shirt. Then, pulling her messy bed hair into a high ponytail, she slipped out of the house and made her way down to meet Lucas.
By the time she got there, Lucas had seated himself comfortably on the steps of the porch leading up to the apartment entrance, his fingers drumming idly against the top of his knee. His grey track pants and loose-fitting top gave away the fact that he probably exercised before coming here.
Maya cleared her throat, causing the boy to look back and scoot over to give her some space.
"Thanks," she said, plopping herself down next to him. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Lucas said nothing, merely raising an amused eyebrow at the sight of her pyjama pants, which was decorated with colourful unicorns and rainbows.
Maya gave him a slight push. "Give me a break, Friar, I can't be looking good all the time." She joked.
"It's Riley's," he stated knowingly.
"Yeah, it's Riley's," she nodded hastily, a smile breaking out onto her face. "But back to the point."
"Right," Lucas rubbed his palms together like he was cold, or deliberating what to say. "I just…want to apologize for yesterday."
Maya frowned, not because he wanted to apologize but because she hadn't realized that her discomfort could be so blatantly felt and picked up by others. Though now that she thought about it, what would Lucas be visiting her for, if not to address the situation from yesterday? She nodded her head slowly, waiting for him to continue.
He was studying his large hands, looking everywhere but at her. It was almost laughable how the two of them could slip into awkwardness so easily. In fact, it was happening more and more often these days.
"I know I seemed a little bit hostile when you and Josh came over, but I just didn't know how to react." Lucas finally said.
"To Josh or to your new pals?" Maya questioned, wincing upon realizing how bitter she sounded when mentioning his friends.
Lucas considered this for a second. "Both."
"Let me guess, you wanted to impress Noah and Adam? Thought I might embarrass you by calling you heehaw? Or Ranger Rick?"
Maya was well-aware that her words were accusatory, and that her pent-up fear was translating very badly into anger. But the fact that Lucas didn't deny any of those things annoyed her even more.
"You know those aren't exactly the most flattering nicknames, right?" He said, before letting out a sigh that deflated the tension in his shoulders.
Although the nicknames had indeed started out as a running joke and source of delight for Maya, they had, over the past year, grown in significance and meaning. She found that they slipped out of her less intentionally and had turned into something more subconscious, like how she always called Riley 'sweetie' or 'pumpkin' without having to think it through.
"So what are you trying to say?" Maya asked, just wishing that he would stop averting his gaze and look her straight in the eyes.
As if he could read her thoughts, Lucas' eyes suddenly flickered up to meet hers as he said, "What I'm trying to say is that I am not embarrassed to be your friend and I'm sorry that I acted that way last night. In fact, I think Noah and Adam and the rest of the football team would think you're pretty awesome once they get to know you."
Maya felt a sense of reassurance wash upon her after hearing that. It comforted her to know that at least for now, Lucas was still the selfless, caring boy who would do anything to protect his friends.
"You get that this doesn't just apply to me, right?" She said, making sure that he understood that. "The same goes for Riley, Farkle, Zay and the rest of your friends who graduated with you from middle school."
Lucas nodded. "I know."
It was only then that Maya allowed herself to smile as she gently patted his knee. "Good. If that's all you came to meet me for then I guess you can go now, if you want."
A part of her was hoping that he would offer to stay and hang with her for a bit, perhaps even follow her to get some new art supplies from the store. But he got up and casted her a wry smile instead.
"I'd stay but I can't," he apologised, gesturing towards the duffle bag lying at his feet that had gone unnoticed during their exchange. "I've got football practice to get to."
"Even during the holidays?" Maya asked, baffled.
Lucas shrugged, hoisting the bag up and slinging it across his shoulder. "It's a tough sport."
Then, with a pained expression flashing across his face, he pleaded, "Please pray for me. My muscles are still aching from two days ago."
Maya couldn't resist a hearty laugh. "Promise me something first, Lucas."
Pausing midway in his descent down the stairs, the boy looked at her curiously, trying to figure out if what she had proposed was a joke or a serious request.
It turned out to be the latter.
"Promise me that you won't turn into someone that the Lucas now would be ashamed of," Maya said slowly, processing her own words as Lucas did so too.
He readjusted the duffle bag on his shoulder before smiling. "I promise, Maya," he said, holding up three fingers in the semblance of an oath. "Cowboy's honour."
Maya wasn't quite sure of how to describe the feeling that permeated through her. It was something akin to relief or comfort in knowing that she might have been wrong in fearing that Lucas was changing. And never had she been so glad to be wrong about something.
She proceeded to make a shooing motion with her hands, sending Lucas off on his way. "Giddy up, then," she teased, "they might kick you out of the team if you're late!"
"You're supposed to be praying for me!" Lucas shouted over his shoulder, a grin tearing across his face.
Maya did not respond and merely rested her chin on her hand as she watched him walk away, feeling like the conversation had left her much less fearful for the future ahead.
"Smackle?"
"Yes, Farkle?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
Smackle stopped fiddling with the kaleidoscope in her hands and looked over at Farkle expectantly. "Sure," she said. "What is it?"
Just seeing the enthused expression on her face was enough to send Farkle on a guilt trip for wanting to ask the question he had in mind. Having thoroughly considered the pros and cons of Riley's suggestion, he came to the conclusion that there wasn't much harm in carrying it out. After all, the gift would be just one part of an elaborate dinner and night out that he had already planned.
But of course, there were many ways in which the scenario painted in his head could go wrong.
He took Smackle's hand and flipped it such that hers was on top. "I was just…wondering…what you would like for your birthday?" he asked, as casually and smooth as possible.
The girl looked taken aback for a moment, causing alarm bells to go off ringing in Farkle's head. You're done for, they said. You killed it – and not in a good way.
That was when a small laugh bubbled from her throat. "You have no idea what to get me, do you?" She said, taking the words right out of his mouth.
Farkle looked away, suddenly feeling appalled and ashamed that he actually had the guts to even ask her that in the first place. "I wanted to get you something you'd love," he explained. "I didn't want to just get you something and hope that you'd like it."
Smackle glanced at their intertwined hands and smiled. They were sitting at the foot of his bed, facing the large plasma TV that was currently turned on to the History Channel.
"You know," she started, "I'm lucky to be almost as well-off as you are. Material possessions have never been lacking in my household, and whenever my parents ask me what I want for my birthday or Christmas, I find myself unable to give them an answer. So they would just buy me different variations of what I already own, but the more I got the less satisfied I became. It was only recently that I realized why."
"Why?" Farkle echoed, his voice soft.
Holding his gaze, Smackle continued, "All this while I thought that the amount of gifts I received was proportionate to how much people loved and cared about me. But what I need can't be summed up in material or tangible things - you and your group of friends taught me that. You don't need to get me anything for my birthday, Farkle. Because all I really want is just you."
"But Smackle," Farkle breathed, "I'm already yours."
The girl shook her head sadly.
It tore his heart, seeing Smackle upset. He'd learned recently that she came from a strict family that measured love with numbers and figures. A good grade would be traded for gifts and affirmation, while a mediocre one earned disappointed sighs and shakes of disapproval. That was as much as he managed to pry out of her regarding her familial situation, but it was enough for him to understand why she desired something less calculative and conditional.
With one hand still holding on to her, he slowly raised the other to her cheek, caressing it gently as he pressed his forehead against hers. He could hear her shallow breathing – feel it, even.
Smackle cautiously raised her eyes to look at him. Their faces were so close that just a little forward nudge of her head would seal their lips together.
"Farkle," she exhaled. Her hands were trembling, a light sheen of sweat glazing her palms. She had searched countless times over the internet on how it was like for people with Asperger's to kiss, for future preparation. But they never said anything about feeling like they were about to melt away.
"I promise," the boy said, "I promise I'll stay."
"Okay," Smackle replied giddily, gathering up every last ounce of her courage to close the distance between them.
That night, she stole Farkle's first kiss, and he stole hers.
A/N: Oh wow, okay. Hi guys! I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter :) This one was a headache for me to write. I'm not sure why, especially considering how I already had it all planned out. I guess I just felt dissatisfied with how I was expressing the scenes. In fact, I actually decided to omit a whole scene between Riley and Maya at the start, but don't worry, it'll just be shifted to a later chapter in the story. Also, just in case this last scene sets some of you going 'OMG IMMA KILL THIS SMACKLE', I'd just like to add that it was never my intention to make her the antagonist. I actually really like her character, and granted, she might make some wrong choices, but her circumstances and upbringing definitely played a big role in leading her up to that point. So do continue to show her some love c: And because I'm really excited for the next chapter, I'll give you guys three big hints about what it'll entail: Katy and Shawn leave New York, an undercover road trip, Josh and the hive five ;) Alright, I think that's enough rambling from me. Thank you so much for all the favs and follows thus far, though it'll be great if you could leave a review and let me know what you think about the story :) They would be very much appreciated! Till next time!