Flashback: Eighth Grade Year

It had been almost two weeks before Riley felt comfortable enough to even so much as look at Maya and Lucas again. Since the incident on New Year's Eve, she'd kept her distance and hung around Charlie. She was still angry with Farkle, but she knew he had a point; she had to tell them the truth, but she wanted to do it on her own terms. Now that the truth was out there and it had changed nothing, she understood how saying it shouldn't have been a big deal. Still, the fact that the truth had no affect whatsoever on Lucas made her stomach churn.

Riley trusted Lucas, liked him enough to show him the real her, the her that only Farkle and Maya had the privilege of knowing. She knew Lucas would make Maya happy and Maya deserved to smile everyday. Maya was as close to a sister as she'd ever have, she'd give everything to make sure Maya was always happy and vibrant, because that's what Maya deserved.

Thunder cracked and Riley jumped so hard she nearly knocked Charlie over.

"Whoa, Riley." Charlie grabbed her arm gently and pulled her underneath his umbrella. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She lied with a shaky breath. "Thanks."

"Where's your jacket?" He shook his head, unzipping his own jacket to throw over her shoulders. "You'll get sick."

Riley felt herself blush as he wrapped the warm material around her. She and Charlie had fallen into a natural pattern as friends; she made decisions that he backed 100%, no matter how ridiculous. She tutored him for finals and would sometimes scold him for not taking notes on the lesson plans. It was comfortable, it was fun, it was...safe. Charlie had made his feelings for her well known and she in turn, suggested they stay friends for the time being. Her feelings for Lucas needed to be gone before she could ever date Charlie; it wouldn't be fair to be with him and always be thinking of Lucas.

Opening the doors to their school, Charlie ushered her inside quickly and made sure she didn't slip on the wet floor. He was almost soaking wet but he figured it was worth it as long as Riley was warm and put his hand on hers when she reached for the zipper of his jacket. "Stay warm, please? Wouldn't want your perfect attendance record tarnished because you didn't listen, would you?"

Riley rolled her eyes playfully and pushed at his chest gently, smiling at him. "Thank you for walking me to school, and your umbrella, and your jacket."

He laughed when she listed off the things he had provided while she had gone unprepared, something that she doesn't usually do. He figured with everything going on with her friends, he shouldn't expect her to be as polished as usual. She needed an escape and he was happy to be there for her. Anything to make sure Riley would always be Riley.

"Riles." Maya, Farkle, Lucas, and Zay had approached them.

"Hi, guys." Riley grinned at her friends, momentarily forgetting everything that happened.

"Hey, you haven't called." Maya smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, looking back as Lucas stepped up beside her.

"That'd be my fault." Charlie butt in, quickly noticing the frown on Riley's face. "She's been helping me study."

"Oh, yeah." Riley nodded as she turned to him, a silent 'thank you' written all over her face.

"Cold, Riley?" Lucas finally spoke, his voice and body tense as he registered the jacket hanging from her shoulders. "I've got some extra gym clothes in my locker if you-."

"I've got Charlie's." She stopped him, not because she wanted to make him jealous, but because Charlie had actually offered on their way to school. She didn't notice the way Lucas grimaced and his fists tightened. "But thank you for the offer."

Charlie wanted to fist pump; for once, Lucas didn't get what he wanted. For once, Lucas Friar didn't get the girl and he didn't know how to handle it. But Charlie wouldn't celebrate because he knew...he knew how Lucas felt about the whole situation because Charlie too had watched from afar and wished Riley would like him back.

"I'm gonna go grab those." Charlie referred to the dry clothes sitting in his locker as he tried to diffuse the tension between Riley, Lucas, and Maya. "I'll be right back."

Riley waved him off and ran her fingers through her hair, walking to her locker with her friends in tow. Farkle had yet to say anything, she noticed, probably because she had hurt him when she told him to leave and turned her back.

"So, you and Charlie..." Maya tried to make conversation, but she knew that was a long shot as soon as Lucas had offered up his own gym clothes without a second thought. "Are you guys-?"

"We're just friends." Riley clarified, opening her locker and grabbing a book for her first class. "He likes me, but I don't know. I'm not very good at the whole...dating thing."

"Well, you don't know until you try." Maya nudged her shoulder with a playful grin. "Charlie's a nice guy."

"Yeah," Riley couldn't help but soften her gaze at Charlie when he came up to them with his clothes neatly folded and handed them to her. Taking them, she reached over and kissed his cheek before leaving for the girl's room.

Lucas looked at his feet and could already feel the glare coming from Zay, who had voiced his opinion on the Maya and Riley situation so many times that Lucas remembered every word of his speech.

'Pick one,' Zay would tell him, 'but remember that those girls are the best of friends and one of them is going to get hurt. You just have to be ready to lose one. You have to be ready to face the consequences of not having one in your life. Don't forget their our friends too, so you have to take into account that it's not just you this is affecting, it's all of us.'

Lucas had chosen alright, and Zay had respected his decision, but he would also remind him that, 'you don't get to chose Maya and then turn around and want Riley when she finds someone else. She'll need time, Lucas, so don't push it.'

Zay cleared his throat loudly in attempt to break the silence. "So, Riley's tutoring you, huh?"

Charlie looked at him and shoved his hands into his pockets, "Uh, yeah, we spend a lot of time together."

"Must be fun." Zay let the conversation die there because he hadn't really known Charlie other than the few times he'd seen him with Riley.

In the bathroom, Riley had managed to get her hair into a ponytail while Maya bunched up Charlie's much larger shirt and tied the back of it into a knot.

"Whoa, Gardner's got some muscle." Maya pulled at the fabric; even tied it was still a little too big for Riley's small frame. "So, you really can't see yourself with him? Not even on a second date?"

"Maybe." Riley examined herself in the mirror. "We're only in middle school, why is this stuff so important?"

"It's not." Maya agreed and shrugged her shoulders, "But we're going into high school, Riles, things are changing. Why fight it?"

Riley turned and pulled her best friend into a tight hug. "We'll always be sisters. That will never change."

Present Day

Riley stared in her reflection in the door length mirror and frowned; it was the night of the homecoming dance, she was going with the most amazing guy, she had a gorgeous dress…but she felt empty. Maybe it was because it had been three weeks since she last kissed Lucas and still hadn't told Maya.

"You look beautiful." Her mother said from behind her, pushing a few curls over Riley's shoulder.

"Thank you." Riley smiled back at her. "Where's dad?"

"The usual place." Topanga sighed, "On the couch, staring down Charlie in hopes that he'll scare him enough to never come around again."

"Naturally." She smiled and shook her head, reaching for the door knob and pulling her door open.

As she and her mother made their way into the living room, her little brother greeted her. Auggie held out a beautiful corsage that matched her blue dress perfectly.

He beckoned her lower and whispered, "I'm s'possed to say anything, but Charlie got it for you and said I could give it to you."

Riley giggled and kissed his forehead; the fact that Charlie and Auggie got a long so well was something she loved. She finally stepped in front of Charlie and he grinned.

"Riley, you look gorgeous." Charlie held out his hand and tangled their fingers together.

"Couldn't have said better myself." Cory Matthews put his hand on Charlie's shoulder and pulled him away from Riley to hug her. "Please don't go."

"Dad." Riley whined and struggled to break free.

"Honey, honey." Topanga finally managed to pry Cory off and nudge her daughter towards Charlie. "Enjoy the dance, you two."

Riley waved goodbye, taking Charlie's hand once again and walking out the door, immediately bursting into laughter with her boyfriend.

"I really do love spending time with your dad." Charlie joked as they made their way downstairs.

Farkle had been staring at Maya and Lucas all night. Ever since Maya had broken down in his arms, he made sure to look after her. It had been a few weeks and he knew that Lucas could tell something was off.

"What are you staring at?" Zay questioned, taking a sip of his punch.

"Something happened between Lucas and Maya." Farkle explained. "I'm just making sure no one gets hurt."

"What happened?"

Farkle bit his bottom lip; Zay was a good friend and trustworthy, but no one other than himself and Riley had ever seen Maya like that, and even then it was rare that she'd come to them when she was feeling that way. Also, after the whole New Year's Eve thing in middle school, he knew better than to open his mouth about something that needed to be figured out privately.

"I'm not really sure." Farkle lied and Zay simply nodded. "But you can just feel it, can't you?"

"Definitely." Zay glared at Lucas' back; he had warned him time and time again what this would do to all of them and yet, Lucas didn't listen. "Think it has to do with Riley?"

Farkle stiffened and followed his gaze to Riley smiling up at Charlie while his hands rested on her waist and hers on his shoulders. "I don't uh...I don't think so."

"Huh." Zay watched Lucas glance in Riley's direction, something he knew Maya caught as well.

"Charlie?" Riley swayed to the beat of the slow song.

"Hm?" He looked down at her, moving ever so slowly to savor the moment before she brought up what he was afraid to hear.

"Why aren't you angry that I kissed Lucas?" Riley knew better than to push it. Charlie had already explained why he wasn't upset and it wasn't fair of her to keep asking.

"Because you're here with me." He smiled at her, pushing her away and twirling her right back into his arms. Resting his forehead against hers, he said, "Because, even though I know you'd never hurt Maya, you could be with Lucas if you wanted to. And because if you wanted to hurt me, you would have never told me about you and Lucas."

"What if I wanted to hurt you by telling you?"

"Then you wouldn't have been so nervous about it." He responded quickly. "You're not that kind of person, Riley, to intentionally hurt someone doesn't run in your veins. You don't even like leaving rat traps around your house." He joked, moving back to kiss her forehead.

"They're not hurting anyone." She frowned. "They need to live too."

"Auggie got bit by one, remember?"

"Only because he wouldn't leave it alone," She countered, "remember that?"

Charlie conceded and laughed. "You got me there. Why ask about the kiss anyways? Is it...still on your mind?"

"I haven't told Maya," Riley looked away, ashamed that she'd kept such a secret from her. "Am I a bad person?"

"Never." He held her close. "Everything will be okay, Riley. We'll make everything okay."

"Promise?" She whispered against his coat where she'd buried her head.

"Promise." Charlie closed his eyes, knowing their time would soon be coming to an end; Riley loved Lucas, she could deny it all she wanted, but it was true. In the past couple of years, he noticed that Lucas loved her too. While they were still just in high school, they weren't incapable of love, not entirely. They had many years ahead of them, but they were living for the now, and right now Riley and Lucas' hearts had belonged to each other. Yes, people would be hurt, i.e. Maya and himself, but he had actually hoped Riley and Lucas would be happy.

Maya tried her best to put on a fake smile; it's not as if she didn't notice how Lucas' eyes immediately zeroed in on Riley and Charlie. It's not like she didn't notice the hurt that flashed across his face. But, like everyday for the past two school years, she brushed it off. She knew that Lucas and Riley had kissed, and she didn't hold it against them, she only wished they would just tell her already instead of thinking she was clueless about the whole thing.

It didn't take a genius to know what happened in Riley's room when they'd gone to visit. She actually even asked him about it, to which he only shook his head and spouted out some lie about how Riley had just been under too much stress and she needed to be alone.

As her and Lucas swayed to the song playing over the speakers, she asked him, "Are you feeling okay?"

Lucas crinkled his nose, confused, "Of course. Why?"

"You don't seem too happy to be here, is all." Maya shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"I am." He insisted; truth was, he was feeling awful about lying to her about Riley and their kisses. While he enjoyed every second of it, he knew it would all come crumbling down the second all three of them addressed it. He loved Maya, he really did, just not the way he loved Riley. But Riley was with Charlie and he had fun being with Maya, so he tried to make it work.

"I'm sorry." Lucas sighed and shook his head. "My mind is off somewhere else. I don't mean to ruin the night, Maya, really. I'm happy we're here. I'm happy to be here with you. I'm just thinking too much, so I'm sorry."

Maya smiled softly at him; somehow, knowing that he was genuinely having a good time with her actually made her feel better. They hadn't been themselves lately and she just wanted to get back to that, to being Lucas and Maya, even if it were just as friends at this point. Everyone that went to middle school with them knew that Riley and Lucas would end up together, and deep down she knew it too. But first, she just wanted to enjoy being wanted by someone that wasn't her mom. Someone that saw all her flaws and loved her for it, despite how stubborn and hardheaded she could get. Lucas did that for her; he looked past the bad and found the good. He made it come out and she became a different person around him. She just wanted to enjoy it before it all went away.