A/N: (Hi IHTBY Guest! I'm responding to you here. That is correct, love! OTH is One Tree Hill :3)

Thanks for voting if you did! Okay, final vote count for Riley's fiancé: Farks had 8, Brandon had 8, Charlie had 1. Since it's a tie between Farks and Brand I can either create a total OC and have him be who Riley is with or I can keep her fiancé a nameless, faceless entity, so you can replace in your mind who you individually want as the fiancé when he's mentioned in convo or brought up. Up to you. In the case of the first, Farkle and Brandon can make appearances in the story. In the case of the second, neither Farkle nor Brandon can make appearances in this story.

In addition, I renamed this story from 'Roomies' because I feel like this title fits better? IDK. I just wanted to have 'misadventures' in a title. Anyway, this is Lucas' prologue chapter and then I'll delve into humour *cracks knuckles* let's do this thing!

Thank you for the kind, lovely reviews! You all are very sweet and I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me. You guys are the best! I hope this story entertains you in some way! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own GMW, buuuuuuuuut I do love tiramisu! That has to count for something, right?


Lucas' momma had always warned him about those Texan girls with the voices as sweet as sugar, the pretty faces, and the sparkling smiles. She warned him that he would get taken advantage of or his heart broken because he was too vain to pay attention to bad eggs. She told him perfection was overrated and if he spent all his time looking for "perfection", he might just miss that someone's interior did not always match what they projected in their exterior.

Of course, at twenty-two, a cocky, fresh college graduate on his way to vet school in the fall with his future completely planned out unlike many of his classmates, he hadn't taken heed of her warnings at all. He had been on top of the world and believed he was invincible, especially since his life had always been pretty successful. A scholar athlete with looks and brains to boot. He wasn't just called Mr. Perfect for no reason. He really did have it all. A complete package of perfection.

What more could anyone want in a guy?

And then he met Clarissa.

His perfect equal in all things life. Gorgeous, a dazzling smile, a soon to be law student who ran marathons and regularly volunteered at nursing homes. Perfection at its finest. The queen to his king. Honestly, if he thought about it, it had been like meeting the female version of himself. They'd hit it off from the start and gotten along very well. Lucas had fallen for her hard within a few weeks of casual dating and before he knew it, they were planning a life together once they had graduated from their schools and settled into jobs. He'd moved into her place after he'd passed his exam and gotten his vet license.

For five years, his life with Clarissa was everything he had dreamed and hoped. Absolute perfection. He had a great girlfriend who he had no doubt would eventually become his wife. He had an awesome job. He was in good shape. Financially stable. Everything he'd ever wanted.

Then he'd caught Clarissa in their bed with their next door neighbour, unbelievably tangled and twisted like a pretzel in such a way he couldn't tell her limbs from Jackson's.

And suddenly, his perfect world crumbled into pieces right before his eyes.

She'd told him she had only been with him because he could pay the rent, but now that she had a steady job, she didn't need him. She had claimed he was too invested in himself and had his head so far shoved up his own ass that he didn't even realize she hadn't been happy with him. She'd told him he needed to reevaluate his life because none of his good fortune would mean shit since he was going to end up alone since no one could meet his unrealistic standards. She tore down piece after piece of him that he'd always found his most admirable qualities, playing the victim card that he'd driven her to cheat because he was way too perfect. She'd brutally shattered him and by the end of it all, Lucas honestly believed he was the reason behind the breakup despite the fact that she was the one who had been cheating.

Clarissa had torn his heart into pieces and tossed him out on his ass. Getting dumped in such a way really had messed him up for a good number of months. He'd been with her for five years of his life. Maybe his young, immature mind hadn't paid apt attention to what his mother said, but he'd always believed she was the one.

Slowly, things he used to love about the city became nuisances. Favourite spots he used to go to with Clarissa were tainted by the sourness of their dreadful separation. And after pining the loss of his relationship for a couple weeks, Austin totally lost its appeal.

The city he'd always envisioned raising his future children in was now a place of wasted years, crushed dreams, and pain. And he knew he could no longer stay.

When he'd gotten a job offer at a fairly new veterinarian clinic in Greenwich Village, the pieces came together and he couldn't resist. He desperately needed a clean break from his past and this new opportunity was just the push he needed to get off his ass and actually leave his past behind him.

He'd sold half his old stuff, packed up whatever belongings he had left in his car, and decided to drive the twenty-six hours to New York City. There were other factors as well. He knew the city a bit, enough to build a life there. Plus, his mother had moved there after she had divorced Lucas' father right after he had graduated from high school. She was now remarried and happily enjoying her life and it had inspired Lucas to try his fresh start in New York. After all, if she was able to shed her previous life and create a new one for herself in an unfamiliar place, why couldn't Lucas do the same?

The long road trip up to New York with all the rests and stops at different cities had been kind of eye opening. Being on the road by himself with only his thoughts and the radio to occupy his attention had made him question who he truly was as a person. It made him question how much he really knew about himself after Clarissa had mercilessly broken down everything about him that he had prided himself on.

Lucas had always thought himself as Mr. Perfect, but after his relationship crumbled, he was confused as to who Mr. Perfect really had been. His self-esteem and self-assuredness was at an all-time low, and Lucas honestly wondered if that life he thought he wanted had really been what he'd always hoped his life would be.

He came to realize that in seeking perfection for so much of his life, he'd missed out on making mistakes and growing. He hadn't been able to realize that perfection was overrated and that there was so much out there that he'd missed out on because of his ridiculous standards on how he should live his life. By not taking risks and not letting himself fall, his life had been one straight line of bore. Where had been his attempts to really get his hands dirty in life? He'd decided on one path for himself and stuck with it with everything he had and honestly, he didn't feel he had gained anything from it. Hell, he was twenty-seven now, and he finally felt like his life had begun.

The more he realized he'd been blinded by his desire for perfection, the more he began to remember things he'd completely ignored while he'd been so caught up in Clarissa's outer self. Like her late nights on the weekdays, the marks on her neck she would call blemishes and cover up with makeup, her inability to accept anything as right except her own opinion, her general indifference with their relationship at times. He'd missed it all. And he lamented not listening to his mother and truly accepting her advice not to let his initial perceptions and desires get in the way of honestly getting to know a person first.

By the time he had gotten to New York, he had pretty much been reborn a new him. And he vowed to try again and do life right this time. Humble himself and live differently than how he used to. Try to really get to know people and focus his attention on them. Stop being so self-centered and seeking perfection in his approach at life. Attempt to enjoy life more and venture out of the confines he'd set for his own life in order to fully embody this idealized version of perfection because he believed that was what he was supposed to do. He would change little by little, even if it took him a while to really let go of the persona he'd imposed upon himself. He knew it would be hard shedding Mr. Perfect, but it wasn't a natural thing to begin with so he hoped at the end of whatever journey he was on now, he could let go of and find his true self.

When he had arrived, he visited his mother. His original plan had been to spend a bit of time at his mother's place until he found an apartment to rent, but he'd taken one look at her happiness with her new beau and knew he couldn't disturb their time together by being some clingy son.

Thankfully, he'd managed to hit up Zay, an old friend who had moved to New York several years ago. His new plan had been to crash on Zay's couch for a bit while he settled into his new job before starting his apartment search, but Zay's bachelor lifestyle had made him change his mind.

Girls flocking in and out of the apartment at all hours of the day. Questionable activities in Zay's bedroom that Lucas decidedly decided never to ask about. Not to mention, as a ballet dancer currently in a production on Broadway, he lived in a rather noisy and bustling part of the city.

Lucas wasn't getting the sleep he needed for work, and it had been slowly taking its toll on him. But finding an apartment in a bustling busy city for a good cost and in a decent enough neighbourhood was especially hard since he didn't particularly know the city. He'd visited his mom on and off after she'd moved to NYC, but he still wasn't all that familiar with the city. Not to mention, he had to meet landlords and develop some sort of rapport with them in order for them to determine if he was a decent enough tenant they could allow to rent their establishments. Zay and his mother had promised to try to help him since they were better acquainted with the city, but they had their own lives to lead and were too busy people to spend their time babysitting Lucas.

By the end of his second week in New York, Lucas had been starting to doubt his plans for a fresh start when he couldn't even get his own place. He was so close to asking his mother if he could live with her. When he'd mentioned it to a work colleague after a meeting, she'd recommended instead checking Craig's List to possibly room with someone temporarily while he sought out his own place. He could contribute to rent while living with someone and save money for when he made his big move to a new apartment of his own.

Lucas had originally been hesitant. He'd heard horror stories about Craig's List ads made by creepers and perverts. Just because he found an apartment didn't mean the person who posted had a good head on their shoulders. His biggest fear was possibly ending up as someone's roommate and them turning out to be absolutely insane. But he'd tried anyway just to see what there was to offer.

He hadn't expected to see anything at all and a lot of the ads looked like something written by a child. Not to mention some of the sketchier descriptions that made him pause. Some girl had been seeking out a roommate who would be willing to turn their apartment into a meth factory and become drug kingpins like in Breaking Bad. And then there was the ad by the guy who wanted a roommate solely because he wanted a guaranteed partner for sex. And those had been two of the least crazy ads.

By the time he'd seen the ad posted up by Maya Hart, he'd almost skipped right by it, already growing fed up with all of the idiocy he kept seeing. But the name struck a chord in his mind. He was certain his mother had mentioned something about some painting she had found by a Maya Hart once. He wondered if it really was the artist Maya Penelope Hart he'd heard a little bit about. What he read of her ad had been straightforward: no bullshit, no long descriptions, no craziness. It seemed pretty legit, but her deadline was that afternoon and he knew if he didn't hurry to check it out at least, he could potentially miss a perfect opportunity. He also knew he could possibly be setting himself up for disappointment, but for some reason, something told him he really had to check this place out. And it had definitely proven to be a good decision because he'd managed to get Maya to let him live in her spare room.

But now he was wondering if Maya honestly was one of the crazy ones. Or at the very least, someone he would want to live with longterm.

In another world—any other world—Lucas might have hit on her or tried to charm her when he'd met her to try to coax her into letting him stay. She was intriguing. A beautiful woman who carried herself as if she didn't seem to realize how attractive she truly was and refused to loosen up her tight grip on her anger. He didn't know the source of her ire, but it ran deep in her eyes, and Lucas wondered how someone so young could look so hardened and jaded. She was about a year younger than him, yet it seemed like she'd lived a thousand lifetimes.

But he didn't try to charm her, because the first impression she'd given him was very unsavoury.

Maya Hart in a nutshell: she was a straight up bitch. A very attractive bitch with the sexiest legs he had ever seen, an ice cold disposition, and a simmering rage under her skin that was hotter than any campfire Lucas had ever been near.

There was no other way to put it.

He tried to be patient when possible and wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt for her behaviour because he didn't know her past, but he just didn't know what was her deal to make her behave as if everyone in the world was out to get her or something.

He'd watched her harass a poor pizza guy once for being one minute late past the suggested time of delivery and then yell at him for a solid five minutes when he dared ask for a tip. Lucas thought the poor kid had almost pissed his pants in shock and before he'd left, Lucas had snuck him a ten for his troubles. And okay, the pizza guy had nearly been drooling and eyeing her pervertedly when Maya opened the door in her underwear and a tank top, but she'd gone too far when she started to dissect his life story in this derogatory manner. She'd made him cry which Lucas took to understand she'd probably hit way too close to home for the guy. He just thought she was too brutal and aggressive more than 95% of the time.

She was absolutely an amazing artist, though. He'd looked up some of her work to try to see if he could try to understand her mentality and the reason why she was the way she was. He could say nothing but great things about her fantastic artwork. She was definitely skilled. But she was terrible sometimes and honestly needed a lot of work on her personality. Part of him wondered if it was just an extreme defense mechanism because she was afraid of getting hurt, but every time he tried to talk to Maya, she gave nothing away that could prove she had possibly dealt with some pretty hard things in life. She was very closed off. And she had meant what she said about keeping to herself.

Quite frankly, she scared him in some ways which surprised even himself. She was so short and small and had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye, yet for some reason, he was kind of terrified of her. Her blank stares with those stormy blue-gray eyes of hers were so sharp, he sometimes felt like she could slit his throat with a single glare.

It hadn't been altogether that long since he'd been living with her—about three days now—and he was already a bit worn out.

~.~.~

"So where is this nefarious, she-devil roommate of yours, Maya Hart?" Zay asked, looking around the living room as he helped Lucas carry the box with the parts of his desk to his room so they could set it up. "I've seen her art. I don't believe someone with that kind of mastery of the fragility of human emotion and human nature could possibly be so rough around the edges. Unless she's dealt with some difficult things in the past, but even then, I don't believe you."

Lucas had finally finished buying all the rest of the furniture he needed and now was going to set it up and finish up his room. He'd asked Zay to help him that afternoon, but Maya had told him not to make too much noise since she would be painting and the last time Lucas had made a little too much noise, she had been in a very bad mood for the rest of the day.

"Quiet." Lucas shushed him, carefully guiding them through the hallway to his room. "She's trying to paint."

"So?" Zay gave him a weird look as he set the box down on the ground and loudly slapped dust from the cardboard encasing off of his hands. "What does her painting have to do with anything?"

"When she paints, she's like a bear in hibernation." Lucas put his own side down and cracked his knuckles to loosen them up from the stiff position they had been in for so long. "If you wake her up from hibernation early, she gets angry and threatens to kick your ass."

"It's true."

They spun around in surprise at Maya's voice. She was standing in the doorway in a giant baggy t-shirt looking pissed off, her hair mussed and tangled and tumbling wildly around her. Lucas stared at her, swallowing hard. She looked like she'd just gotten done rolling in the hay. He desperately hoped he would eventually get used to the way she looked.

Zay blinked in shock, his jaw dropping as he stared at her. Then he turned to Lucas and pointed in her direction.

"Lucas. That's… Maya Hart…"

"I told you she was my roommate." Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Holy shit. I thought you were lying!" Zay smiled. "I am a huge fan of your work, Maya. I've used one of your pieces to inspire students in a workshop on dancing with emotion once. Your work is incredible! Where do you find muses for those pieces?"

"Who the hell is he?" Maya asked Lucas, a blank, uninterested look on her face. "And what the hell is he doing in my apartment?"

"Zay, my best friend. He's helping me set up some of my furniture."

Maya's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Zay."

"How can I help you, sugar?"

"Either shut the fuck up or get the fuck out of my apartment. I'm trying to work, but if you're going to disturb it, you can leave. I could hear your loud ass voice even when you were in the living room. That being said, if I hear another peep out of this room, I'm coming back in here with a shovel, and you both are going to end up in body bags in the Hudson River."

Maya spun around in a wave of peach scented lotion and flowing blond locks and stormed back across the hall to her room, slamming the door shut. The two men stood in place for a moment, holding their breath and staring at the place where Maya had just been standing.

" Okay…" Zay said at length. "She's kind of scary."

Truer words never spoken.

"You're telling me."

"Hot as hell. But scary."

They shook off the confrontation and set to work unloading the box to assemble his desk. Conscious of the fact that Maya might possibly hear them, they tiptoed around his room quietly, being careful not to make a lot of noise for extended periods of time. They worked quickly, fixing it the way the instructions stated.

It all was going well until Zay dropped a bag of midsized screws, and they scattered across the floor. Lucas accidentally stepped on them and kicked one out of his room when he had been readjusting his position.

And it slid under Maya's door.

There were a few seconds were they stared at each other, oh shit looks on their faces.

"What are you going to do?"

"…I have no choice but to get it." Lucas sighed as he headed out of his room. "I'll ask her."

He crossed the hallway feeling like he was approaching some kind of enemy territory and briefly wondered if she had set up booby traps outside of her door so no one could come in. Lucas knocked on the door, waiting for her to respond.

"Maya. I dropped a screw. Do you think I could get it really quickly? Or you can give it to me if you want."

There was no response.

Lucas knocked again, a little louder this time.

"Maya, did you hear me?"

There was still no response.

With a sigh, Lucas tried the knob and pushed open the door when it gave, deciding it would just be a lot easier to possibly face Maya's wrath and grab the screw really quickly than wait for her to respond when it seemed she wasn't going to.

He walked in her room and subsequently froze, his eyes slowly widening as he took in the sight.

Maya was standing in the middle of her room in front of a blank easel, her back to Lucas, but that wasn't what made him pause.

Her room was an uncontrolled, indescribable, unapologetic, outrageous fucking mess.

There was clutter everywhere. An assortment of clothes on every solid surface and piled especially on her bed. He couldn't even see the comforter. Some was even hanging from her ceiling fan. Her bookshelf was crammed with more books than Lucas could count, CDs and tapes and a few vinyl records stacked on top and nearly touching the ceiling. He counted not one, not two, but three broken lamps in her room, unusable, yet wedged in a corner. There were four chairs stacked haphazardly on top of each other in another one, dusty and clearly unused. Old, worn stuffed animals were littered here and there, some of them covered in paint and others torn and ripped up. Paint cans and bottles of paints and brushes were scattered in one corner and around various parts of the floor, paint stains splashed on the wall right next to a stack of blank canvases. Cardboard boxes with various items were in random places of her room. Crumbs and snack and candy wrappers and empty takeout boxes and other molding food were casually resting on top of many of the things in her room.

It was horrifying.

Like a work of art all on its own.

"What do you think you're doing in here? Who gave you permission to come in my room?" Maya suddenly growled, yanking her headphones out of her ears and spinning around angrily. "Get the fuck out before I turn around and shove this paintbrush up your ass."

"I was just trying to get a screw." Lucas said with a frown as he picked it up from its location near the door.

Did she always have to be so aggressive with her responses? He'd never met anyone like her in his life. So angry and spiteful and ready to snap at people as if they all contributed to something shitty in her life. One of these days, Lucas was sure he was going to snap and call Maya out on her bitchy behaviour. He was only so patient and could only take so much shit from people but even he had his limits.

"Great. Now get out."

"Lucas, did you find the…" Zay whistled low from the doorway, leaning slightly in and looking around in shock. "Damn. You have one hell of a roommate."

Yeah he had one hell of a roommate. One hell of a disgusting roommate, that is.

"Is this seriously how you live?" Lucas asked incredulously, not being able to remain silent about the mess any longer. How the hell could she possibly live like this? "You're a hoarder."

"What of it?" Maya cocked a hip with a challenging look on her face. "It works for me."

"When was the last time you saw what your floor looked like? There are flies on that huge pile of trash!" he gestured to it with his hand. "And then there's the fact that there's even a pile of trash in your room in the first place! Do you not see a problem with that?"

"What's wrong with having trash in my room?" Maya said indignantly, looking a little affronted. "I call it The Sphinx. It kind of looks like it. It's cute."

"You think a pile of garbage is cute? It's not okay! And why the hell is there dirty laundry all over your room? Your room is disgusting!"

Maya's eyes narrowed in irritation.

"Look, you live your life your way, and I'll live mine my way. If you don't like the way my room looks, here's a thought, don't come in my room. Now get the hell out. I told you not to bother me when I'm painting."

Maya walked over to him, planting her hands on his abdomen, and forced him out of her bedroom before slamming the door shut in his and Zay's faces.

"She'll grow on you eventually." Zay said, patting Lucas' shoulder. "Maybe… Probably not though. Good luck because you're fucked."

He chuckled as he turned around and headed back to Lucas' room.

Lucas was appalled. Maya was a slob. There was no other way to put it. How the hell was someone so beautiful so utterly disgusting?

All he knew so far about his roommate was that she was constantly annoyed and angry, consistently vicious, rude, unwelcoming, clearly not a people person, unconcerned with propriety, way too lax about life, and messy as fuck. Everything he couldn't stand in a person.

He was really starting to regret living with her.