(Last time in Iridesence)
"Maya, you know that girl who you used to hang out with? Riley Matthews?" Missy asked innocently. Maya just nodded but didn't really say anything in response. There were posters spread out all over the table. But Riley only really wondered what Maya was doing hanging out with Missy.
"Ugh. She's a total loser ditz. Maya, she follows you around like a lost puppy, totally stalker-like, doesn't she have any friends?" one of the other girls screeched.
Missy laughed in response, along with most of the other girls, and Riley waited for one of the other girls to speak up – for Maya – to defend her. When she didn't, tears threatened to sting her eyes.
"Maya?" Riley asked in a small voice, coming only slightly closer to the booth where they were sitting.
X
"Charlie, you're drunk." Riley pushed his hand away.
"It's just that when you walked in here dressed like that, I realized that I miss you," he ignored her, pushing forward. He roughly pressed his lips to hers before she could get in another word. When she realized what was happening, she did everything in her power to push him away. And she did.
"Charlie!" she shoved him, and stood up. "What are you doing?"
"Kissing you. We used to kiss all the time. Don't you miss me?" he stood up as well, placing an arm around her waist. She had to look down at his sweaty hand, feigning heat against her bare waist.
"It's not the same Charlie, please stop." Riley grabbed Charlie's hand from her waist and placed it at his side.
X
"Please tell me you're okay?" Lucas's voice was so soft, so concerned. It made everything okay.
"I'm okay," she promised in his ear.
He pulled away. "Can you say it to my face?"
"I-I'm fine," she accidentally stuttered.
Chapter 8: Lost
"Lucas seems like a nice boy," Topanga slide a cup of steaming hot cocoa across the table to her daughter.
Riley looked up from her notebooks in surprise, but saw the peace offering placed between them and had to smile in appreciation.
"He is," Riley admitted after a moment of silence, smiling at herself, replaying their kisses over and over in her mind. Riley couldn't help but feel guilty for having a boy over in the house without her parent's knowledge. Even if it was an almost completely innocent act. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you he was coming over."
Topanga softened. "I'm not mad, honey. I trust you. I raised you to be respectful of the rules and you've never given me a reason before to doubt that trust."
"Thanks, Mom," Riley replied, taking a sip of the hot chocolate and sliding her homework off to the side.
"Now, why haven't we heard from Maya in a few days?" Riley sighed. Topanga always got straight to the point; she was a lawyer after all. It's what she was best at.
"She's busy," Riley said quietly, not wanting her parents to be disappointed in Maya just as she was.
Topanga raised her brow, not quite believe it.
"With her new friends," Riley tried again. Looking back down at the steaming cup between her fingers.
The unconvinced brow staying high.
"Doing homework…"
How on earth was Topanga not in pain from raising her brow so high? Riley released a frustrated groan. This was why she was a lawyer; literally the only thing she had to do was look at people a certain way and they would sing like a canary.
"She threw me under the bus, okay? I have a knife in my back! It hurt's mom! Why did she do that?" Riley started to raise her voice.
Topanga's brows finally softened as concern flooded through her body. Riley was easy to read; but maybe that was just because Topanga was her mother. She'd changed her diapers, soothed the cries, and witnessed every heartwarming smile. Topanga was aware that Riley had a history of people letting her down, and it broke her heart.
"Oh, Riley," Topanga whispered, sliding around the table to the bench on the other side where Riley was currently sitting, wrapping her arms around her heart broken daughter.
"What's wrong with me?" she whispered into her mother's ear just as the tears began to slide down her face. She hated herself for crying so much lately, but the pain was sometimes just too much to handle and it was ten times harder when the people she cared about let her down so much.
Topanga grabbed her daughter's face between her hands and looked deep into her eyes.
"There is nothing wrong with you, sweetie. You are so much more than you let yourself see. Maya's just lost right now. I know it's hard, and you've already given her the benefit of the doubt. But Maya has been loyal her entire life; that much hasn't changed. She's just lost, she'll find her way back eventually."
X
Monday came quicker than Riley hoped, because while she was looking forward to seeing Lucas and kissing him again, there was still a knife in her back from Maya's betrayal and she was trying her best to figure out how to deal all of that drama.
Maya had tried to contact her in every way possible, but Riley turned off her phone, locked her bay window, shut her curtains, and her parents were under strict orders of not allowing her into the house, under any circumstances.
Was she over reacting? She thought not.
But the dread of not having closed doors to hide behind was beginning to wear on her. She didn't even know what she was going to say when she saw her.
She felt like a timid cat, tiptoeing through the hallways early that Monday morning. The hallways were mainly empty, being as she got a ride to school with her father, she had to be early, and she didn't mind. Maybe this way she could avoid all the people she didn't want to see.
However, against her better judgement, there was Maya, sitting on the floor in front of her locker, crossed-legged and sketching something in her notebook. About to turn on her heal to avoid the confrontation, Maya looked up and saw Riley.
"Riley!" Maya shouted, gathering her belongings. "Riley wait!"
She sighed. "Maya…"
"Please, I know I don't deserve it, but you deserve it. Please just hear me out," Maya begged.
Riley took a deep breath in trying to collect her patience.
"In life, no matter what happens, sometimes all you need is someone who will be there for you no matter what!" Riley quoted. "Now who was it that said that?" Maya never looked smaller, there was a vulnerability in her that Riley had never seen before. She almost seemed lost.
"It was me. And Riley, I get it, I understand it completely-"
"No, I don't think you do, because I've been really hurting lately, and not just from your betrayal, which by the way hurt like hell. How about that I let you get me drunk and I let my guard down again, just for Charlie to – I can't even. Maya, and you just sit there and act like we haven't known each other forever. I've always been there for you, when your dad left, through every heart break and I was always a shoulder to cry on, but the moment I am actually hurting, you're where? Exchanging insults with Missy? Maya, what happened to you?"
"Riley, I – I have no words that can express how sorry I am."
"I have been so lost," Riley bit her lip to keep from crying. "And you didn't even see it." The irises of her eyes sparkled from the forming tears. Maya suddenly realized just how much damage she's done. Small acts are all fine, but they add up and just like that, she didn't even realize she lost something until it was gone. One last time, Riley took in a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Can you just give me some space for a while? I need time to process everything that's happened."
Maya watched Riley closely, realising that her stubborn friend was not about to let her come back that easily.
"If that's what you want."
"It's what I want," Riley said quickly, shutting the door of her locker.
"But I am not giving up on you Riley," Maya whispered.
Riley paused staring straight ahead, listening to Maya's broken voice. But she couldn't hear it right now; not when so much has happened. Maybe tomorrow, or next week. But not today. She turned on her heel and evaded the area. It was such a hard thing to do, to reject her best friend like that. Riley realized that whenever something remotely similar to this ever happened before, she always had Maya to come running to, but now? No one. Who could she possible tell that would listen to her issues.
She didn't even know where to go.
She wasn't again pulled out of her thoughts until she accidentally came face to face with the one other person she dreaded to see more today than Maya.
"Charlie," she breathed out slowly, and the memories flooded back in. The assault, the force, and the way his hand reached slowly down her back with the rough feeling of his lips against hers. If it wasn't for his still bruised jaw, she would have slapped him.
His eyes widened. "Riley," he begged. Blood froze in her veins and she suddenly felt sick the moment the words left his mouth, and all she could do was shake her head slowly and bite her lip to keep herself from crying.
"I am so sorry about what happened, Riley. I know you must hate me right now, and I deserve it, I do. But I still love you Riley."
"Stop," she hissed. This time Charlie shut his mouth and froze. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to use your love for me as an excuse for your actions. You were drunk, again, and you used me; you took advantage of me. Charlie that is unforgiveable. You need to get help; you are way too young to throw your life away because of this drinking problem you have. And then, you need to leave me alone, because I never want to see you again." Teary eyed, she spun on her feet before he could get another comment in. She didn't miss his defeat, and even the watering of his own eyes; the overwhelmed look on his face told her that even he didn't know where to go and while she could tell that he was sincere, what he did was still inexcusable.
She tried to catch her breath from all the drama in her life catching up to her so quickly. The girl's rest room was just around the corner and she knew she could make it as long as she wasn't interrupted again.
"Riley!" Lucas chirped just as she rounded the corner, the biggest smile on his face, but it was wiped away just as quick as he came into sight. Why was everyone always in front of her? "What happened?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
She couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and she cried into Lucas's chest, sobbing quietly as he caressed her back in small circles with his hand, and twisting his fingers into her hair. She had never done well with confrontation. Still, she couldn't believe that she was able to put both of the people who wronged her in their place. It was more than what she thought she was capable of. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly the welcoming Lucas was hoping for early that Monday morning. In fact, he suddenly felt furious that someone had caused Riley pain and he tried to control the anger building up inside of him with the compassion Riley needed.
It took her a moment to calm down, her breathing became more regular, and slowly, she pulled away from his chest, wiping her eyes.
"Come on," Lucas said. "We're getting out of here."
Apparently, Riley didn't need much convincing, because she pulled her backpack up on her shoulder and let Lucas put an arm around her leading her down the hallway and out into the world.
X
Lucas had his own plans for the day, his mind wandering rampant as he watched Riley sleep in the passenger seat of his car and he drove along the freeway leaving the sky scrapers in the rear view mirror. Lucas tried to get her to talk when he sat her down in the seat, but she turned in the other direction and before he knew it her breathing began to slow and he knew she was sleeping.
Still; he couldn't help but wonder why on earth someone as beautiful and precious as Riley deserved all this pain bottled up in her. So many wrongs committed against her, slowing her stride. She was the sun and the light she omitted every time she was around people was outstanding; yet somehow the spark igniting her candle was slowly diminishing.
Lucas made the decision in those moments that he would never live to see the day when her spark went out completely and he was going to be the reason to bring her back. He was going to re-ignite the hope she had for the world.
A/N: Staaaap making me blush with all you amazing reviews. (And by that I mean never staaap) They were literally all so sweet, I'm so glad that people are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. So Lucas has his hands on his steering wheel driving them to – well you'll just have to wait and see. Where would you like them to go? Any suggestions?