Charlie twirled Riley around and she giggled when she spun back into his embrace. They were happy together, they made sense, and they never pressured each other for anything. So this tension that started in Riley's neck and moved up to the back of her head shouldn't be there. A migraine should not occur when she was with someone she truly cared about. Yet, it was.

She had a splitting headache that only got worse as she faked a smile through another song. Clinging to Charlie's shoulders, she sighed heavily and leaned into his chest. "This has been…fun."

"Fun?" Charlie smiled down at her; he didn't think she could have fun with him anymore since Lucas.

"Very fun." Riley corrected. "I'm sorry, Charlie."

"Stop apologizing. It's okay, Riley, it really is."

"You deserve better." She mumbled into his dress shirt. "You should know, you deserve so much more."

"Riley, you're all I want." He kissed the top of her head. "I think you're amazing and I can't see myself with someone else. I won't stand in the way of your happiness, whether it's with me or with Friar. I just want you to be happy."

"I'm happy with you, Charlie. I really am. I'm just so confused." She twisted his shirt in her hands and drew in a shaky breath.

"Come on." Charlie pulled back and took her hand, leading out of the gym and into the hallway where they sat against some lockers.

Riley sat so close to him that she was practically in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't mean to make this night such a bummer."

"A bad night? With you?" He chuckled. "Nothing's ever a bad anything with you, Riley."

"I don't know. I mean, I've made some pretty bad decisions."

"With the best intentions."

She peeked up at him, taking in the content on his face even though she had a sour attitude. Charlie was a handsome boy, no doubt, and most of the Sophomore girls wanted to be with him. Pride swelled in her chest as she realized he never once strayed, never even almost strayed from her. Charlie was invested in her one hundred percent. He cared for her. He protected her. He…loved her.

Charlie grew nervous at the way Riley had gone silent and he started squirming; did he say something wrong? Had he assumed something he shouldn't have? He looked down at her just as her hand moved up to tangle in his hair and pull him into a kiss; their second kiss, to be exact.

Lucas had been getting him and Maya some punch when he noticed Charlie pull Riley into the hallway. He was curious, but he was also smart enough to remember that Maya was his girlfriend and Riley was…with Charlie. He gripped the cup in his hand so tight that he almost shattered it.

"Whoa, kung fu death-grip." Maya joked as she took a cup from him and set on the table they were gathered around. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Lucas shook his head and tried to keep his eyes locked on hers, but he was failing. Miserably.

She wanted to believe him, she really did. But she glanced around the room and noticed the one person he was looking for, was gone. Frowning, she took the other cup from his hand and patted his shoulder. "You should go find her."

"What?" Lucas swallowed the lump in his throat. What was she suggesting? "Maya, I don't think-."

"Lucas, go." She interrupted and pushed him gently. "We knew this was coming. Or at least, I knew. Ever since New Year's Eve in eighth grade…I knew. I should have said something, but Riley insisted that she moved on. Even after Farkle blurted out that she still loved you, she kept her distance. Lucas, between you and Charlie, it's you. With Riley, it will always be you."

He reached up and used his thumb to wipe away her tears before pulling her close. "I'm so sorry, Maya. I never meant to hurt you."

"You didn't." She promised and faked a smile at him. "I think I hurt myself by thinking everything was going to be okay. As much as I wanted it to be, nothing was ever going to go back to normal. So, go, Lucas, before it's too late and she chooses Charlie again."

Lucas kissed her forehead before turning and sprinting out of the gym, leaving Maya to plop down in a chair and hold a hand against her chest.

She buried her head in her hands and tried to keep the tears from flowing; she'd known all along what Riley felt for Lucas and what Lucas felt for Riley, but neither of them wanted to do anything about it. Riley had stepped back for her in eighth grade, as she'd stepped back for Riley when they first met Lucas.

Maya had known Riley for ages; Riley was not a selfish girl. She'd give her life for Maya and Maya would do the same.

"Maya?" Farkle pulled up a seat next to her and pushed her hair out of her face, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Farkle," Maya breathed and threw herself into his arms, squeezing him tight and burying her face into his jacket.

Farkle, startled, wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back to soothe her. He looked to Zay, who slammed his glass of punch on the table and stormed out to find Lucas.

Riley pulled back from Charlie, out of breath and blushing; she'd never done that before, not really. She smiled at his flushed face, her headache long gone, and leaned in to kiss him once more.

Charlie let Riley take control; she was fragile and tiny in comparison to him. He kept his hands locked together on his own knees and breathed in deeply; what had gotten into her?

And the thought hit him like a freight train; had the punch been spiked? Was Riley drunk and imagining he was Lucas?

"Charlie?" She questioned as he jumped up and took two big steps away from her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just…" He ran a hand through his hair and scratched his head. "It's getting late. Do you want to go home?"

"Oh, um," Riley looked down at her hands, clearly embarrassed by her actions, "Okay." She took his hand and he helped her off the floor, tangling their fingers together.

Charlie wanted to kick himself for rejecting her; she was his girlfriend, she wanted to kiss him, but she was confused about her feelings and he would not take advantage of her.

"I'm sorry." She blurted out as he turned to face her. "I didn't mean to…I know I'm not exactly the best kisser, but-."

"No." He stopped her, realizing what she had been thinking. "Oh, God, no, Riley. This isn't about any of that. I didn't stop us because I thought you were bad at it. I stopped because of Lucas, because of what you feel for him. You said it yourself, Riley, you're confused. I don't want you making the wrong decision."

Riley huffed and took a step toward him. "Lucas made his decision, Charlie. That doesn't mean I chose you by default. I want to be with you because you know me. You understand me and all of my goofy, weird quirks. I want to be with you because you know me better than I know myself."

" 'Want'." Charlie repeated as if he'd never heard the word. "As in present tense, as in now, as in-."

"Today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow." She tugged at his jacket and snaked her arms around his neck. "Want as in yes, now."

"You can always change your mind, Riley." He dropped his forehead to hers and wrapped his arms around her waist. "If you choose me today and want Friar tomorrow…I don't know if I can handle that. If you're not sure, then don't kiss me, Riley. Please, don't kiss me."

Lucas didn't stay to watch what happened. He turned on his heel and ducked into an empty classroom. His heart hammered in his chest, he couldn't breathe, and tears prickled his eyes.

He'd gone to find her, to tell her how he felt, and hoped she felt the same. His stomach dropped and he punched the desk he was leaning on. He had been too late; she chose Charlie. He punched the desk again, feeling the wood crack underneath his knuckles.

"Dude." Zay whispered, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around, ready to rip him a new one for hurting Maya. He stopped once he saw how much Lucas was affected by what they had both just seen.

"What?" Lucas snapped, his breathing ragged and his face red from anger. "What, Zay? Did you come to tell me I'm an idiot? That I should know better? That I'm a monster for hurting not just one, but both girls? Save it, because there's nothing you can tell me right now that I don't already know."

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry, man." Zay squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lucas." He looked down at his best friend's bloody hand and sighed. "Come on, man, let's get your hand bandaged up."

Lucas let Zay lead him to the bathroom where he held his fist underneath cold water, the stinging not as painful as what he felt in his chest. The image of Riley and Charlie flashed in his mind again and again, giving him the urge to reach out and punch the mirror with his other hand.

"Jesus, Lucas!" Zay scolded him and forced his hand underneath the water. "Dude, you have got to get control of yourself. How are you supposed to talk to Riley when you're this worked up?"

"I'm not." Lucas dropped his head to stare at the blood running down the drain. "It's over, Zay. I screwed up and now I'm paying the price. I dug my own grave, Zay. I never deserved either of them."

Zay opened his mouth to respond, instead chewing his lower lip; he wanted to tell him. But Lucas needed to come to that realization on his own. He needed to suffer the consequences of letting this mess turn into a disaster. Lucas had to feel what Riley felt in middle school and what Maya was feeling now, heartbreak. Total and utter devastation of seeing someone you love, fall in love with someone else.

He wanted to tell him, though, because out of all the years knowing Lucas, he'd never seen him like that. He'd never seen Lucas so numb that he didn't realize he probably broke both hands by how hard he punched the desk and the bathroom mirror. He wanted to tell him…Riley didn't kiss Charlie.

Short, rushed, awful. Please enjoy anyways.

Much love,

ReesesPieces2112 (: