By no means do I want any of you to side with Riley. What she did was wrong. But I'm also not trying to make her the bad guy. In reality, sometimes people in relationships make stupid mistakes like this. Sometimes, they get through it. And sometimes, they don't.

Chapter Seven

Lucas woke up the next morning with a blurry memory of what happened last night. He couldn't quite recall all the details, but he remembered the gist of it. Most importantly, he remembered that he told his friends about what happened with Riley. He didn't want them to know. He wanted the situation to be just between the two of them, because they were mature enough to resolve it on their own. But nope, Lucas just had to get drunk and he kind of resented Farkle and Zay for not cutting him off sooner. But, what's done was done. And today, he flew back to Texas.

Lucas couldn't help thinking about Riley and Evan ever since he woke up. He knew he shouldn't have been, but couldn't stop himself. Sienna warned him several times about it when she was making him food to cure his hangover. But he didn't listen to her. After breakfast, he decided he was going to have a conversation with Evan before he flew back to Texas that afternoon. Sienna had explained that after the whole mishap, Riley and Evan decided not to work the same shifts anymore. So it was perfect for Lucas to confront the culprit without Riley being there.

Sienna was well aware of Lucas's plan to threaten Evan even though he hadn't explicitly told her. She had a feeling she knew what was going on in his mind. She tried to stop him. She didn't want to make things worse than they already were. She still blamed herself for the whole situation because she knew she could've saved her cousin from a lot of heartache. But of course, Lucas didn't listen. His sense of direction was gone when his anger took over.

Lucas stood outside Topanga's with clenched fists. He mentally prepared himself for what was about to come. He didn't want to let his anger take over his body, he didn't think it was worth it to lose it over a guy like Evan. But when it came to Riley, he knew he had to fight for her, no matter how angry he was at her. It made no sense, but Riley and Lucas never did. They just worked.

He entered the bakery, silently hoping that neither Topanga or Maya were there. He was glad to see Evan alone at the counter. He slowly walked towards him.

"Evan," Lucas said sternly as he approached the counter.

"Lucas," Evan replied. He walked around the counter to stand in front of Lucas. He had expected to be in this situation. He knew that at some point Lucas was going to want to talk to him about the whole thing.

"We need to talk," Lucas demanded.

"About what?" Evan pretended to play innocent, tilting his head. He knew damn well why Lucas was there. But he couldn't let Lucas have the advantage. He figured he'd play with him a bit.

"You know what," Lucas spat. Evan shrugged. Lucas rolled his eyes. "You knew she had a boyfriend," he paused, "and you still kissed her! What the hell is the matter with you?!"

"I'm not sorry that I kissed her, okay?" Evan shrugged again.

"Well you should be," Lucas responded. "You shouldn't have kissed her."

"Who else was gonna do it?" Evan scoffed. "You weren't there to."

"That doesn't give you the right, man!" Lucas poked his chest. Evan quickly swatted his hand off him.

"How did you not see this coming?" Evan replied. "You left her. You weren't there for her. She was a literal mess. What kind of boyfriend isn't there for his girlfriend when she needs him the most?"

"You know nothing about my relationship," Lucas said firmly.

"I know it wasn't a very strong one," Evan laughed dryly. "Why else would she have kissed me?"

"Look, who knows what the hell was going on in her head when she kissed you," Lucas gritted his teeth. "You said she was a mess. She probably wasn't even in the right state of mind when it happened. I just wanna know why you think you think you're entitled to get in the middle of a perfectly healthy relationship?"

"I couldn't help myself," Evan said with a straight face. "Whether she had a boyfriend didn't matter to me. I wanted to kiss her. So I did. Whether she liked the kiss or not is entirely up to her."

"Well what if I couldn't help myself but to punch you in the face?" Lucas responded, raising his fist in front of him. Evan seemed unfazed, nonchalantly raising a hand to cover Lucas's fist, slowly bringing it down.

"Ha, cute," Evan chuckled. Lucas hated how level-headed Evan was. It irritated him to no end. He wanted to get some kind of rise out of him. "You know that now you two are over, she and I are going to eventually end up together. It's inevitable."

"I swear to god," Lucas muttered. He raised his fist again. "Your face and my fist are eventually going to end up together. It's inevitable."

Evan didn't try to stop him this time. He didn't even flinch when he noticed Lucas's fist slowly making its way towards his perfectly chiseled face. Lucas was in mid-swing when a voice stopped him.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Maya appeared. She heard about the debacle from an employee and immediately ran to the front of the bakery so stop all the commotion.

Lucas sighed and looked down in the defeat.

"You know exactly what's going on, Maya," Lucas turned to look at the blonde. He turned to Evan again and took a step closer. "You know what? This isn't even worth it. You can have her."

"Lucas!" Maya gasped. "You don't mean that."

Lucas stared at Maya with blank eyes before shaking his head and walking away. As soon as he was gone, Evan relaxed and released a sigh of relief. He didn't show it earlier, but he was honestly intimidated by the green-eyed boy. The look in his eyes said it all—he was no fan of Evan.

"Thank god you showed up," Evan put a hand on her shoulder. Maya quickly backed away from him in disgust. She promised herself she would be cordial with Evan, but it was kind of hard to be considering the situation she had caught him in. "It may not have looked like it, but I saw my life flash before my eyes. Didn't know this Lucas guy was such a threat."

"You have no idea," Maya groaned and rolled her eyes. She instantly regretted stopping the interaction between the boys. Evan totally deserved to have had his face punched in by Lucas. And she knew Lucas well enough to know that he could've broken Evan's face and a couple of ribs easily. But Riley hated violence and so Maya figured that stopping them was what she would've wanted.

Lucas rushed home to finish packing for his flight back to Texas. When he was done, he paid Sienna a quick visit. He wanted her to know that even though things weren't going so well between him and Riley, he didn't want Sienna to be involved.

"Sienna, I want you to get your job back at the bakery," Lucas said as soon as Sienna opened the door.

"What, why?" a wave of confusion took over Sienna. Did Lucas not know how much this whole thing had affected her? Why would she want to go back to a job she absolutely dreaded?

"Because you shouldn't be involved," Lucas said, walking into the apartment and sitting on the couch. Sienna followed. "And I know you haven't adjusted to the city yet. I felt like the job was helping you with that."

"I don't want to work with Riley or Evan," Sienna said.

"I know it's gonna take some time, but you gotta forgive them," Lucas sighed.

"How do you expect me to get over it if you can't?" Sienna countered.

Lucas laughed dryly, knowing his cousin was right. "Because I'm actually one of the parties involved. You were just a witness. I think it's easier for you to get over it. As for me? I may never get over it."

Sienna pondered it for a minute. She really did like working at the bakery, and she had made good friends with the staff. She also met some kids that go to the school she would be attending in the fall. In truth, the bakery job was helping her adjust. She had less time to think about Lucas's absence and both Riley and Maya were such good mentors to her.

"You can quit once school starts," Lucas offered. "When I get back for good. I just don't want you moping around all day."

"Fine," Sienna breathed. "Do you think Riley will give me my job back after all the things I said to her?"

Lucas looked around the room, trying to find the right words. He sighed, "She's a forgiving person. I'm sure she will."

"Will you ever forgive her?" Sienna asked.

"That, I'm not so sure," Lucas replied truthfully, looking down at his intertwined hands. "Just don't blow up on her, okay? Whatever happened is between me and her. Let us work it out. I don't want you involved."

"Okay," Sienna promised. For Lucas, she would do anything. Even if it meant having to be in the same room as the people she resented.

Lucas sent a quick text to Farkle and Zay to let them know he was at the airport waiting to board his flight. He opted not to tell Riley, because, well, they weren't on good terms. And he wasn't sure if they were ever going to be again. He still couldn't wrap it around his mind that his precious Riley had the audacity to kiss another boy especially when they talked about how loyalty was one of the most important things to them.

Having another hour before his boarding time, he decided to call his friend Dylan.

"Hey," Lucas greeted, fiddling with the zipper of his backpack that was on his lap.

"Hey, man," the voice on the other line greeted. "How was your trip?"

"My flight leaves in an hour," Lucas said, disregarding his question.

"That bad, huh?" Dylan assumed.

"Eh," Lucas said. "Could've been worse, honestly."

"Well, how was seeing the girlfriend?" Dylan asked. "I'm sure you missed her."

"Long story," Lucas breathed. "But I'm not so sure I have a girlfriend anymore."

"Dude! What happened?!" Dylan snapped.

"I'll explain when I see you," Lucas said, looking around the terminal. The place was crowded and he didn't feel comfortable explaining his situation over the phone.

"Well, whatever it is better not affect your work," Dylan said. "Doc really likes you. You could've taken another couple of days off and he wouldn't have minded. I really think you have a good shot at getting an actual job here."

Lucas sighed. He should be happy with what Dylan told him, as he was getting closer and closer to his dream, but his thoughts were still preoccupied with Riley. And he couldn't wait to be back in Texas to drown himself in his work. He figured that was the only way he'd be able to free himself of her.

"You don't seem very happy about that," Dylan said.

"No, I am, believe me," Lucas replied. "That's great, but I still have to go through school either way."

"He has connections with some people at A&M," Dylan said. "He could get you a scholarship. In fact, I overheard him talking about it to one of his receptionists. He said if you transferred, he'd be able to keep you as an intern until you graduate. Then, who knows what could happen?"

"A scholarship?" Lucas said, his eyes wide. His face dropped when he realized he'd have to transfer schools. "To A&M though. That's so far."

"But it's Texas," Dylan reminded him, "it's home."

"I am exhausted," Maya said as she plopped down on one of the chairs in the bakery. She and Riley had just finished closing and were about to head out. "I can't wait to get home and sleep!"

"Not yet," Riley replied as she dug into her large tote bag. She grabbed a plastic bag full of clothes and shoes and handed it to the blonde.

"What's this?" Maya inquired, holding up the plastic bag.

"Clothes for you to change into," Riley answered with a shrug. "And your favorite heels."

"What for?" Maya asked as she went through the contents of the bag.

"We're going clubbing," Riley informed her best friend with a smile.

"Riley…" Maya's voice trailed off as she stood up. "You never go clubbing without Lucas. It was your rule."

"Lucas isn't in the picture anymore, now is he?" Riley sassed with a raised brow. Honestly, she thought she was doing a bang up job of keeping herself occupied in order to avoid thinking about him. And she thought clubbing would help even more. "Besides, Farkle and Zay are coming."

"You invited them?" Maya knew nothing good would come from going clubbing. But, as her best friend, it was her duty to be supportive and make sure she didn't do anything stupid.

Riley nodded, "Smackle, too. They should be here soon."

Maya slowly got up and headed to washroom to change. Before leaving, she turned back to Riley and said, "I just hope you know this isn't going to end well."

Riley shrugged, "What more do I have to lose?"

Farkle, Zay, and Smackle picked up the girls from Topanga's in Farkle's car. Once they arrived to the venue, they waited in the expectedly long line outside.

"While we're here, we should decide on—" Farkle began, before he was cut off by Maya.

Maya raised her hand and said, "I'll do it!"

"You want to be designated driver?" Zay raised a brow. It was very out of character for Maya. Whenever they'd go out for drinks, she was the last person who would volunteer to be assigned the role. Usually, it was Smackle who drove everyone home.

Maya nodded.

"Are you sure, Maya?" Smackle pressed. "I don't mind being designated driver again."

"Oh, no," Maya waved her off. She put a hand on Smackle's shoulder, "You have as many drinks as you want with Farkle, okay?"

"Um, okay," Smackle replied.

"No, seriously, what's up?" Zay asked. He was never one to beat around the bush. He was always so blunt.

Maya gestured her head towards Riley, who wasn't paying attention. She was lost in her thoughts. Maya softened her voice in case Riley wasn't actually distracted, "I'm worried about Riley, okay? We never go clubbing without Huckleberry. I just want to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"She wouldn't," Zay assured the blonde.

"Well, that girl's been all kinds of surprising lately. She did cheat on her boyfriend," Smackle said to Zay.

Farkle's eyes widened at his girlfriend's words and immediately wrapped his arm around her neck and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Smackle!" he whisper-shouted. "I get that she's made poor choices recently, but she's still our best friend. You know how much she loves him."

"You can't justify cheating," Maya said. "I love Riley but we all know what she did was wrong. Lucas didn't deserve that from her."

Smackle nodded in agreement, Farkle still holding her back.

"But you want them back together," Zay assumed.

"Of course I do!" Maya shoved Zay into the brick wall of the club's building. "They're better together. They're a mess without each other. If Lucas was able to handle alcohol three times his body weight, who knows what Riley would do? She's in a bad place right now and we need to be there for her, no matter how disappointed we are with her."

Smackle moved Farkle's hand from her mouth to add, "Maya's right, you know. I'm sure they'll bounce back from this. Just give it time."

"And what if they don't?" Zay raised a brow.

"Then we're going to have to decide on a custody agreement," Smackle shrugged.

As soon as the group was inside the club, the found a booth, luckily. They were too sober to dance yet, so they were all just sitting around and drinking. Riley was drinking more than usual, and unlike Lucas, she was pretty lightweight. The ohers stared at her in awe. Farkle and Zay had feelings of déjà vu, as she reminded them of how Lucas was behaving just the other night.

When Riley decided she wanted food, she pulled Maya and dragged her to help her find something to eat. Once Riley was satisfied with the food she bought herself, she followed Maya back to their friends.

"Where's bubbles?" Smackle asked as she squinted her eyes at the blonde.

"Riley? She's right—" Maya turned around but was surprised when she didn't see Riley there. She frowned. "I swear she was just behind me!"

Maya began to panic. Riley had more than the amount of drinks as usual. There was no way an unsupervised Riley was going to behave herself. It was one of the reasons why everyone decided that Lucas should always be there at the club. Riley would be able to drink as much alcohol as she wanted without having to trouble her friends.

On the way back to her table, Riley had seen a familiar face in the crowd and decided to approach him instead of return to her friends with Maya. With alcohol coursing through her veins, she was invincible. She could do anything. Or so she thought.

"Hey!" Riley greeted and tapped on the boy's shoulder.

The boy quickly turned around, surprised to see Riley there. He greeted, "Oh, Riley! Hey!"

"What are you doing here, Evan?" Riley asked loudly, as the music was deafening to everyone.

"Just with some friends," Evan replied. He had decided not to drink that night, but he could smell Riley reeking of alcohol. "And you?"

"Same," Riley nodded. "I'm with Maya and a couple of others. Do you wanna dance with me?"

"Dance?" Evan raised both brows. She sure was surprising him tonight. She nodded. "Uh, sure."

Riley took his hand and dragged him to a less crowded area of the dance floor. As they settled, a slow song came on.

"Come on, really?!" Riley yelled. "We're at a club!"

No one seemed to share her distress for the sudden change in music. She looked around her and saw couples slow dancing. She threw her head back and groaned. She came to the club to enjoy herself, not be reminded of what she no longer had.

After a minute of arguing with herself, Riley decided to just go along with it. She threw her arms around Evan's neck while he reluctantly placed his hands loosely on her hips. It seemed as if though he was conscious about her personal space now that Lucas was out of the picture, which was ironic.

Riley got into the groove of the song, her emotions overtaking her. She felt so vulnerable, her emotions and the alcohol mixed in her system. Without thinking, she leaned forward and puckered her lips.

At first, Evan didn't know what she was doing, but once he saw her try to reach his face with hers, he knew he had to stop.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Evan asked. He let go of her waist and pried her hands off his neck.

"I was trying to kiss you," Riley said, confused by the curly haired boy's reaction. She thought he liked her. So why was he rejecting her kiss? He was the one who initiated it the first time, when Riley got herself into this mess.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Evan shook his head, holding both of Riley's hands.

"Why not? You didn't have a problem kissing me when I had a boyfriend!" Riley yelled, yanking her hands away from Evan.

"You're drunk, Riley," Evan said sternly. He gripped her shoulders. "You're vulnerable. I'm not going to take advantage of that and make you do something you'll regret later."

"Ugh!" Riley grabbed her head in frustration. She didn't understand his logic. "I was vulnerable that night. You took advantage of me then. And you know what? I regret kissing you!"

Evan rolled his eyes. He figured he would get this response from the brunette. After all, she was intoxicated. Before he could get another word in, Riley stormed off as the slow song drew to an end. Evan, unaffected by what just happened, looked around to search for his friends.

The group finally spotted Riley. Unsurprisingly, she was sitting back at the bar, taking shot after shot. They decided that it would be best to inform Lucas of current events. Even though they were going through a rough patch, it was obvious that Lucas wanted to know what was going on with the usually perky brunette. So Maya tried calling him, but after a couple of attempts, she could only conclude that he was also ignoring her as well as Riley.

"Well," Maya scoffed. "If he was scared of me before, he's going to be terrified of me when I finally get to talk to him!"

"Maya, think about it," Smackle said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "He's only ignoring you because he knows you're on Riley's side."

"Usually I am," Maya agreed, "but not this time. What Riley did was wrong, I know that. But I also know Riley. We all know her. It's not like her to be acting out."

"Alright, let me try calling him," Zay said, putting his phone up to his ear. "I probably have a better chance of—Oh, hey, buddy!"

Farkle, Smackle, and Maya stepped closer to Zay and tried to hear the conversation.

"Okay, hold on!" Zay said. He removed the phone from his ear and covered the phone with his other hand. "He said he can't hear me over the music. Let's go to the lobby."

"Right now? We are not leaving Riley at the bar," Maya refused. She looked over to the bar to make sure Riley was still sitting there. She was. She looked defeated, her arm sprawled across the counter and her face resting on her arm.

"Go," Smackle waved. "You guys need to talk to Lucas. I'll watch her."

"You sure you can handle that crazy chick?" Farkle asked, rubbing his girlfriend's upper arm.

Smackle nodded, "Of course, my beloved. With the amount she drank tonight, I can only conclude that she's going to crash fairly soon."

"To the lobby!" Maya pointed into the direction of the exit.

The friends were relieved when they got to the lobby, the music was getting a tad bit loud. They could still, however, feel the bass in their chests.

"Put it on speaker," Farkle nudged Zay. Zay did as he was told.

"Zay, you still there?" Lucas said on the other line. With the awfully long pause, he thought that Zay forgot he was on the phone.

"Still here," Zay confirmed. "And so are Farkle and Maya."

"Maya?" Lucas huffed. "I have nothing to say to her."

Maya, outraged, took the phone from Zay and held it up to her mouth. "Listen here, Ranger Rick! I am on your side for once, okay? Riley messed up, we all know that. I swear to god, Huckleberry, keep it up and—"

"Is this what this phone call is going to be about? I don't want to talk about that cheater," Lucas replied. Frustrated, Maya ran her free hand through her hair, wanting so desperately to rip it off her scalp. She couldn't believe Lucas was being so stubborn. But then again, he had every right to be and she couldn't argue with that.

Maya handed the phone back to Zay. She walked away to a nearby fountain to take a drink.

"You know you still care about her," Farkle stated.

"She's dead to me," Lucas deadpanned.

"Be careful what you wish for," Zay said. "With the amount of alcohol that girl drank tonight, it's very likely she could have alcohol poisoning."

"Riley's clubbing," Lucas said, "without me?"

"Hey, I thought you said you didn't care?" Farkle reminded him.

"I don't," Lucas scoffed. Though deep down he knew he was only lying to himself. "Look, I need to be up at five a.m. tomorrow, can I go to sleep now?"

"Are you sure you don't care?" Zay said. "Because we just wanted to let you know how she was doing, and it's not well."

Lucas sighed, "I don't understand why you guys are telling me this. I'm two thousand miles away. You guys are there. You deal with it."

Before Farkle and Zay could protest, Lucas ended the call.