A/N: I know it has been the LONGEST time since I've updated and I apologize for never giving any of you a reason why. I have to admit that I felt so compelled to just give up on writing. Even when I was writing this story, a HUGE part of me just screamed Stop writing and focus on what you really want to do. The funny thing about it was that writing WAS what I wanted to do. I guess I just wanted to move on from this story because I gave it nearly a year. It was wrong of me to promise you guys a finale when I didn't even have the chapter written, but I hope this makes up for it.
Recap: Maya and Lucas used to date but he broke up with her in a harsh way. Ever since then Maya has wanted her revenge. Riley decided to help her out and they formed this scheme to have Lucas fall in love with Riley. To their surprise, the plan worked and Riley and Lucas became close. Time went by and Maya began to question Riley. Eventually, their friendship ended because Maya really wanted to hurt Lucas and Riley didn't because she started liking him. At the ball Lucas' mother throws, Maya and Riley sort of race each other so that Lucas finds out in the right way. Tyler - Lucas' friend - tells Maya that he knows who she really is (she was originally pretending to be a different girl named Chloe) and he finds out about the plan. Shortly after, Riley tells Lucas the truth and he is hearbroken by it and she goes back to New York.
You guys are mostly caught up. This chapter can be read as a stand alone and I will clear up any possible confusion you readers might overcome throughtout the chapter - after all it has been a while since I've updated.
amymayy2003: Amy, I love the energy in your review and I hope you still have the same energy for this chapter. I hope you read it thoroughly and completely because I want to hear ever single thought in your head. Let me know because reading your reviews makes my day.
naelacy: You made my day when you said you look forward to the email you get when I post a chapter. Its words like that that inspire me to continue to write. You always reviewed even in the chapters I felt like they didn't deserve to be reviewed on. You proved points and I always felt like you truly understood this fic and that you paid attention to every character. Thank you so much and I hope you stumble across this story and remember it and review it.
KillEmWithKindess02: Even though I stopped writing, it doesn't mean I stopped reading your stories. I love End Game and I hear that will be your last story, it makes me sad but I wish you the best.
Guest: Thank you so much and review!
I'mSoProud: This story will come full circle and have a wonderful ending. At the start of Dangerous Woman I sort of underestimated how this story was going to progress, I didn't expect it to blow up my phone the way it did but I loved ever single second of it. A great experience like that deserves an ending that will be remembered.
Jess: When I pictured this plotline I always knew I wanted it to be told as Riley being the protagonist. This was mainly because at the time this story started taking it's form, the GMW was bringing Riley's character down in every possible way. They even bullied the actress that plays her. So I wanted this to change that. And I love your review. It truly is heartwarming and I feel inspired by it. Writing takes time and for ten months I worked my brain off to form this story and it's development. I hope you review again.
notmynature: In October of 2017, I did have ideas for this chapter and I did plan on continuing, it wasn't until December when I gave up. So some of the plotlines that you read in this chapter are a year old. It does sort of shock me that some chapters of mine as well as stories were never published and they don't have a home. So let me know guys, if you want them.
teetee575: You are about to find out how it's about to end. I hope you like it.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Dangerous Woman
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
July, August, and September passed and Riley felt every single second of it.
She felt the weather change and she herself changed with it. It had been three months since she left New York and her relationships with Maya and Lucas have not existed since then. She only spoke to Farkle about it and that was because he was curious about her departure.
The real lies didn't come until her mother asked her about her visit. Riley had no choice but to exaggerate her lie, she said that she had the best time and Maya showed her around the city.
The following days made her feel the saddest she's been because she missed Lucas. She must've stared at a picture of him for hours and shed enough tears to fill an empty pool.
No one in her family noticed it because she cried in the early mornings.
By the start of school, Riley had stopped crying and got better at hiding how sad she really was. Eventually, she did start smiling more often and feeling better which changed her completely.
Morning came and it was time for Riley to get ready for school. She sat upright and got out of bed. She stared at herself in the mirror that was right in front of her and observed her facial features. She no longer looked the same as she did a few months ago. Her long straight, brown hair was gone. It was now wavy and rested on her shoulders, a lighter shade with messy bangs to compliment it.
Her hair wasn't the only thing that changed. Her face did too. It all happened the second she found a makeup video and tried it for the first time.
She used to avoid wearing clothes that revealed too much of her skin but she now wore clothes like that with confidence.
New York changed her and she didn't hate it. She loved every single second of it.
Looking into her closet, she brainstormed her outfit for about five minutes before deciding to go with a fair off the shoulder blue and white cotton top with blue jeans. She slipped on her white Vans and brushed her teeth before heading downstairs.
Her mother was off at work and she often worked late which meant Riley must take care of her younger brother as well. "Auggie!" she yelled his name realizing that he was still in his room.
"Coming!" he yelled back.
She walked into the living room and picked up his backpack and shoes knowing all too well that he would be needing it. When he was walking down the stairs, she handed it to him and he put them on. "Go before you miss the bus."
"Bye Riley," he said before walking out the door.
"Bye Aug. Be safe."
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
The only good thing about leaving New York was the fact that she completely reinvented herself after. She no longer felt lonely at school and this was because she had made more friends than she normally had. At the start of the year, she knew she did not want to be her old self and do nothing so she decided to become a cheerleader and join more clubs. This resulted in suddenly gaining new friends which she desperately needed.
As she entered her AP Bio class, she took a seat in the middle center of the class and brought out her notebooks and pencil. To her left was one of her friends named Sarah who was the high school's "It" girl. Riley did not know how they became close friends but they did and through her, Riley was invited to many parties which she enjoyed going to.
The teacher waited for the tardy bell to ring so that she could start the lesson. Occasionally she would avoid that but this time she didn't. Soon came the bell and Ms. Buchanan stood from her chair and pointed to the board, "All right class, don't forget to mark the date on your notebooks. Today we will be learning about Genetic Variability."
Riley reached for her pencil but in doing so she knocked it out of her table. She heard a knock on the classroom door but she didn't acknowledge it because she was close to grabbing her pencil.
"And you are?" she heard her teacher say. It wasn't clear but it seemed as though she had received a note, "A new student. Lucas, is his name?"
She froze. She could only feel her heart race and her eyes widen. Was it really Lucas?
"Lucas Anderson," the teacher finished. "Take a seat, Lucas."
Riley sighed in relief and grabbed her pencil. She returned her attention to the board and thought. She was not prepared to see him again because she did not know what she would do at the moment.
And if she was completely honest, she didn't think she would ever see him again.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
"He keeps staring at you," Sarah whispered to Riley as soon as she took notice of the guy's stare. They were in the library finishing their homework for their next class that would soon start and the boy Sarah was staring at was sitting three tables in front of them. He was very discreet but nothing got passed her.
Riley didn't need to look up to know whom she was talking about. She was referring to Daniel, her partner for Culinary who always calls her pretty and touches her at any given moment.
At first, Riley thought that Sarah's speculation was a reach. She did not think for one second a guy like Daniel would have a crush on her. But through time and a very certain stare his friends would give whenever they talked, later convinced Riley.
"He's cute, you're just having trouble seeing it. You know his friends say he's thinking about asking you to homecoming," Sarah revealed. She took a sip from her Starbucks drink and texted away.
Riley didn't believe it. She just continued to write on her notes and finish her homework assignment. Her longing for straight A's and a high GPA was still very much there.
"At least admit he's cute. Look at his muscles, his jawline, his hazel eyes, wavy hair, smooth skin...he's like heart eye emoji worthy," she tried so hard to convince Riley but she failed.
"He's not looking for something serious," she revealed. The last time Riley entered a relationship not wanting anything serious, it became serious really fast. She figured that if she did the opposite, her relationship would have a different outcome than before. "And I am not looking for a boyfriend."
"You guys don't need to automatically become a thing. Stay in the talking phase for a couple of days and see how that works."
Riley didn't know about that either.
"He's coming," Sarah said through a quick whisper. When Riley heard this, she didn't know how to react.
"What do you mean he's coming? Is he really?" she tried to fix her hair casually but he had reached their table by then.
"Hey, Riley?" he spoke. His voice was hoarse but smooth - a girls weakness. She looked up at him and saw that he was smiling. He was cute, he really was but that's all he was to her. Nothing more, nothing less. "Let me take you out sometime."
"Oooh," Sarah squealed. "She'll be there. Just tell me when. She doesn't really speak."
"How about Friday at 6?" he said and licked his lips.
"Sounds perfect."
"Does it, Riley?" Again, he stared at her and she stared back.
Something changed the second she heard him ask her out. She convinced herself she didn't like him but maybe she was wrong. What if there were some feelings there for him? It was strange to her. That it only took six words to change her feelings about him. "It does. Just text me the details."
He nodded and then walked away, leaving Riley with bright pink cheeks. She could already feel the stare her friend was giving, "Stop."
"Ugh, he's so fine. And you are totally letting me do your makeup Friday."
"We will see."
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
New York
Lucas sat on the roof and stared at the little bright specks in the night sky. He took a deep breath and thought about her.
He wasn't mad and he didn't hate her. He never did. He was just hurt by what she did and how he found out.
Staring at the stars helped him cope because it reminded him of her. She was all he could think about and all the memories they shared together came with it. The day he took her to the cave, their first kiss, and date, all of it.
After Riley left his room and him behind, Lucas had to explain to his mom why it happened. She had seen Riley leaving with tears in her eyes and she had questions.
He didn't tell her the real reason so he lied to her. He felt the sudden need to protect Riley's image and he didn't know why.
A tap on the window brought Lucas back to reality and when he turned around to see who it was, he saw that it was Zay. Zay had been with him through everything. They were childhood friends who never left each other's side so whenever Lucas felt like talking to someone, he was always there. "Are you good?"
"I'm good," he said as he returned his gaze back to the stars. He took another deep breath and thought. He felt like something was missing in his life and he knew it was Riley but wanting something else to fill in that hole was impossible. It was all he searched for now that Riley was gone.
Zay placed his hands on the dormer and climbed out of the window in order to join him. "You're not fine, you're thinking about her, aren't you?"
He didn't answer him. He just stared upwards and played with his fingers.
"It's okay if you are. She made you feel a lot of things." When Lucas was around Riley, he was a completely different person. He smiled more and looked genuinely happy but now that she was gone, he was none of those things.
"She made me feel the happiest I've ever been." Thinking about their time together made him feel many things in the time she was gone. Sadness, joy, and anger were a few of them. "Sometimes I feel like I should hate her. She was lying to me this entire time and she was manipulating me."
"I don't want to make you feel like a hypocrite or anything...but, does that sound familiar?" Zay questioned him.
Lucas sighed, he used to do all those things to girls before Riley came along. "You're right."
"I don't wanna make you feel like you deserved what Riley did to you, but don't you think that righting your wrongs will help you feel better?"
"You think I should ask all those girls I hurt for forgiveness?"
"It's something," he suggested. "It'll help you, I know that."
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
School ended which meant that Riley's shift at Topanga's would soon start. She convinced her friend to give her a ride and thanks to her she was able to get there on time. She entered the bakery and walked towards her mom's office to change. She keeps an extra set of clothes in there so that she doesn't have to work in the clothes she takes to school. When she finished getting dressed and putting her hair in a bun, she walked towards the front of the bakery and stood next to Patricia who was a college undergraduate studying to become a businesswoman.
"Hey," she said.
"It's a slow day, isn't it?" Riley looked around the bakery and saw that only a handful of people were there. She turned back to face the brunette with the glasses who had her nose buried in her textbook. She was now starting to see how much Riley saw her old self in Patricia.
"It's been like this for a few hours," she said and closed her book. "How was school?"
"Same as always, but your girl is still passing ECON," the reason she was so happy about passing that class was that it was her least favorite. She was struggling with it at the beginning of the year but she managed to bring her grade up and it had stayed like that ever since.
"What about your dating life -?"
"Really?" she asked but then started to laugh. "Okay, I actually have news on that. Do you remember the guy I told you about that I think has a crush on me?"
"Daniel?"
"Yes, him. Well, guess what..." Riley was now starting to realize that a really cute boy had a crush on her and in a way it made her feel good and happy. Like maybe she could move on from Lucas and find someone that she had good intentions with.
"No way. He has a crush on you," she finished and her mouth dropped. "Did he ask you out?" Riley nodded. "When is the date?"
"It's this Friday - " She was interrupted by the front door, someone had opened it. When she turned around to get a glimpse of the person she saw that it was none other than Daniel himself, along with three of his friends. "That's him."
"Which one?" she whispered.
"The one that's coming," Riley managed to whisper before he was standing in front of her. "What can I get for you?"
"Just a strawberry smoothie," he smiled. When he went to hand her the money, he made sure their fingers touched. Making them both smile.
"Coming right up." As soon as he walked back to his friends, Riley went to go make his smoothie while Patricia followed her.
"My God, he must be a model," she fangirled. "He's definitely into you."
Riley laughed. "I don't know. I just agreed to go out with him because he's been trying for a really long time. And I feel like I owe him because he helps me out a lot in class."
"Don't tell him that...ever. You will hurt his feelings."
"Not planning on it." Riley finished placing all the contents inside the blender and began to blend it. She began to realize just how much he liked strawberries. In class, he was always eating them and offering her some. She never thought about it until now." After she finished, she poured the smoothie inside the cup and then put the lid on it. "Your strawberry smoothie is ready." The smile he gave her made her knees wobble but she didn't show it. "Have a nice day, Daniel."
"Wait, Riley?"
She turned back to look at him. He looked nervous but it made her smile. "Yes?"
"Friday," he reminded her of their date. "We're going to the street fair downtown."
"That sounds great."
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Friday
Lucas waited for the door in the diner to open and a specific person to walk in. He had been waiting for half an hour and he was starting to suspect he might not get the chance to talk to her. He had seen her around in school but her eyes never made contact with his. He was dead to her for all he knew.
When he gathered the courage to text her, he explained to her why he wanted them to meet. He knew she wouldn't respond to him so he wrote the time and place and crossed his fingers she would show up.
His phone dinged and when he looked at the screen he saw that Farkle had texted him. He wanted to know why he wasn't in school.
The time was now 9:47 am and she still wasn't there. Third period would start soon and he couldn't afford to miss it. As he stood up and left the amount of money he owed for his water, he saw that the door had opened.
It was her. It was Maya.
She entered the diner carrying herself like she did when they first met. Her confidence was back and it made him feel better because he wasn't the reason she was sad anymore. "You were leaving," she said the second her eyes met his. Staring at him brought a new sense of emotions to her. She didn't know whether to be angry or sad again.
"I-I-I was, but," he sat back down. "Not anymore."
Maya joined him and sat down in the seat opposite him. She took a deep breath and returned her gaze to him. He looked different. Humble.
"Are you hungry? I can order for you - " he offered and looked around for a waitress.
"Lucas we are here to talk. That's it." Even though Maya was interested in what he had to say, that was all she wanted to get out of it. Nothing else.
He nodded and scratched the back of his head. Talking to her in person was harder than he pictured it to be. "I'm glad you came."
"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" she questioned. Maya wanted to get right to the point. If she was here for a reason, she wanted to know it.
Lucas took a deep breath and tried to formulate the right way he would tell her that he didn't mean any of what he said to her in the past. He knew that part of the reason Riley wanted to break his heart was because of Maya and he wanted to fix that. "I'm sorry for what I said to you that day. It was fucked up and I'm sorry." She froze for a few seconds. His sudden apology caught her off guard and she didn't know how to react to it now that it was out in the open. "I was going through something at the time and I'm not using that as an excuse so you can feel sorry for me...I just... I used to be a bad person and I wanted to hurt you, Maya. Everybody told me not to lie to you or...but I did. And because of it...I shattered your spirit. I'm really sorry."
Maya waited months and months for this. She always wanted to hear an apology from him so that she can yell at him and tell him how bad of a person he was but now that the moment came, she could only see how similar she was to his old self. He hurt her so she wanted to hurt him twice as hard.
"What's wrong?" he asked. He could see it in her face that she felt like crying.
"I'm no different from you." Maya knew from the start that there was a chance Lucas would end up getting hurt if her plan with Riley worked and that only motivated her more. "When Riley started having feelings for you I began to hate you even more. Because that meant you were showing her a side of you that you did not show me, or the handful of girls you hurt as well."
His eyes didn't meet hers. "She was different."
"Then what were we?" she asked. "Not enough?"
"Maya that's not true."
"Lucas you are a good looking guy," she began, "And you know you are. Which is why you used us. And I'm not here to hate you because I don't...not anymore at least. I'm here to tell you that I forgive you and that what Riley and I did was stupid."
Hearing her say that she forgave him made him feel lighter in a sense. He felt like a burden was lifted off his shoulders and it allowed him to breathe better. "Thank you, Maya."
She smiled for the first time in a long time. Maybe this was all she needed. Just an apology instead of an explanation. "Do you think about her?"
Lucas nodded. "I'm always thinking about her."
"She and I used to be so close, but we haven't spoken in months. Ever since she left we've just...stopped being friends."
"The last time I was here...in this diner...I was sitting back there," he pointed to the seat on the other side of the diner and Maya turned, "I was here to talk to my dad for the first time since he left us. I couldn't have done it without her."
Maya looked at Lucas and thought. They weren't so different after all. She looked at her hands and thought about her friendship with Riley as kids. They did everything together and it was a shame to see herself now without her. She missed her so much. "Lucas," she called his name. When his eyes met hers she was able to see sadness in them. It made her realize just how much she clouded herself with lies that she convinced herself Lucas was incapable of feeling. "I have an idea."
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
The homecoming dance was a few days after the street fair. And since Riley really had a good time with Daniel, she decided to say yes to him when he asked her out.
As they entered the high school gym, they took time to admire the way it was nicely decorated. The theme was once upon a time and everything was very well done and had many lights to compliment it.
Riley wore a light pink misguided blush choke maxi dress with her hair in a loose low ponytail which completed her entire look. Daniel wore a tux which made them both look extremely nice. "I see our friends," he pointed to a chair on the other side of them, "Should we join them?"
She nodded, "I think we should."
As they made their way towards them, Riley could feel that she was being stared at by many girls. She didn't know if they were criticizing her or were just in awe of her dress. A few months ago, this Riley would be unimaginable and no one would've expected her to wear something like this, she just hoped she wasn't being hated on and instead impressed by.
"You look like your worth millions," her friend Sarah complimented as she gave her a hug. "Daniel, you didn't do bad yourself."
"Thank you for the compliment," he said sarcastically and took a seat beside Riley.
"Hey, I chose his tux," she defended before placing her wallet on the table. She continued to look around the gym and the people in it. Some were dancing, others were sitting down and on their phones, couples were kissing and being cute with each other and Riley felt like she needed that. This was her first school dance where she had to dress nice and she liked that it made her feel excited and apart of something. "This is my first homecoming dance," she informed.
"You're kidding," they both said in disbelief. "Is this really?"
She nodded. "Is that bad?"
Daniel smiled, "No, not at all. I'm just glad I'm your first."
"There's nothing wrong with it, I'm just surprised. I knew you were shy at first but I thought you still liked to have fun," Sarah told her. If she were told that Riley Matthews would be her friend during their last years of high school when she was a freshman, she wouldn't have believed it. But Riley's complete transformation made her more confident, and she showed it too. "So, what are you guys doing after this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, weren't you invited to Dylan's kickback?" Sarah asked. Dylan was the school's jock. He was the quarterback, captain of the basketball team, one of the greatest baseball players in the school and everybody loved him. Only Riley knew how big of a jerk he could be. When they were freshman's, they got paired up to be partners for a English presentation and she was forced to do everything. At the end he took most of the credit and when Riley confronted him, he told her that he could make her life bad. She was scared so she backed off.
"I didn't hear anything - "
"He invited us," Daniel confirmed, "But I said no."
"Why would you do that? Everyone is going to be there." Sarah told them.
"You know what else is going to be there?" he questioned. "Weed, and I don't want that for Riley."
"How romantic," she rolled her eyes. When she saw her date approach her, she stood up because she knew they were going to dance. "See you guys out there," she said before she walked away with him.
"You look really beatiful," he said leaning into her ear because the music was too loud. When he saw her smile he knew he said the right thing.
They continued to speak and enjoy each others company. Riley hadn't laughed in the longest time and the fact that he was making her do just that made her feel good. She knew she needed to keep him close. The speaking died down when Riley remembered about what Farkle said. She began to feel guilty about what she was doing with Daniel. Something about them being on a date made her feel like she was doing something wrong and that she wasn't allowed to be seeing him.
It started to kill her spirit and she wasn't speaking as much as she did before.
It didn't take long before Daniel began to notice. She even moved her hand when he tried to hold it. He didn't want this to continue because it would ruin their entire night. "Do you want to dance?" he asked her. He thought she would say yes, he hoped she would say yes but she said no. She said that it was best if they waited but he didn't know for what. He tried many times to speak to her but she would answer in short responses and never really gave him anything to talk about.
"Did I do something wrong?" he finally asked her. She stared at his eyes for the first time that night and waited for her response.
"I'm not mad at you," she responded, "It's just that..." she didn't know if she should tell him. Was it worth it? Did he deserve to know? She stared at him again and decided that she should tell him. He's been patient with her all day and it was clear he cared about how she felt. "A few days ago I heard that my ex - if I can call him that - is trying get in touch with me."
"What'd he do?" Daniel questioned.
"He didn't do anything. I'm the one who made the mistake. It's my fault."
He furrowed his brows because he couldn't believe it. Riley was an angel, what could she have possibly done? "You did?"
"Yeah," the brunnete confirmed. "It was me."
He played with his fingers, "Do you mind telling me what you did?"
She took a deep breath and looked away from him, "I tried to make him fall in love with me so that I can break his heart."
He couldn't believe this was something she tried to do. He wanted to believe it was a lie but it wasn't. "Did you?"
"I did. I hated him at first because he hurt my best friend that's why I did it. When I realized that I was starting to catch feelings for him, that was when I ended it. I told him the truth about everything, he got upset and it was a messy breakup and I thought that he would never want to see me again but I guess that now he does."
"Do you want to talk to him?"
Riley didn't want to answer that. She knew that her answer would affect him and she didn't want to hurt him in any way.
"You can tell me," he encouraged.
"I do, but - " and that was when she froze. She was confident she caught a glimpse of him walking through a crowd of people. It couldn've have been a mistake. It just wasn't possible.
She continued to search more. She didn't know what she would do if she saw him again but she just had to know. It took a few seconds to finally see him again, but she did.
It was Lucas.
His eyes were looking back at her and it was clear that he was also surprised he had found her.
She let out a deep breath and tried to speak but no words came out.
"Go and talk to him," Daniel spoke.
She turned around to look at him, surprised and confused at the same time "Did you know?"
He turned to look at Sarah who was already staring back at them, "Your friend Maya contacted her a few days ago. She filled me in but I didn't know the entire story - at least not until you told me."
"And you're okay with this?"
He nodded, "Any guy deserves to give you a second chance. Especially if you regret what you did."
She stared at him for a few seconds before smiling. "You're a good guy, you know. You deserve everything good." She squeezed his hand and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she stood up and took another deep breath. She was about to walk towards Lucas and she didn't know what was going to happen. She just hoped that everything turned out okay.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
She remembered everything about him. The way he spoke, the way he smelled, walked, breathed, it was all still a strong memory in her head. It was something that was impossible to forget, like riding a motorcycle or riding a bike.
While they walked out of the gym, Riley felt like this was perhaps one of the most important moments in her life. If she was capable of fixing a mistake that meant so much to her then it could all change for the better. She had tried to picture this moment in her head many times and now that it was happening, she was starting to remember the tiniest of details she left out before. She never realized she'd be so nervous she'd forget how to speak or act in front of him.
When he started to trail behind, Riley got the idea that he wanted them to speak already. She turned around to look at him and they were a few feet apart from each other, it was still enough for her to see his green eyes. He looked like a combination of both nervous and serious at the same time.
"You look beautiful," he said, breaking the silence Riley thought they'd never escape. She looked down at her own dress and smiled before looking back at him. "It's my favorite color on you," he admired.
She loved the way he spoke, his voice was very hoarse and therapeutic which made her feel good. "Thank you." It was quiet again and surprisingly cold for an early October night. "Are you cold?" Riley didn't expect Lucas to give her his leather jacket, but he did. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked. The reason they were even in this place was because of her. It was her fault that their relationship ended and he was angry because of it.
Why did he stop?
He looked around them, the small gust of wind blowing her scent right toward him and he remembered just how comfortable he was with her. He felt like he could do anything when he was with her. "It's been months, Riley."
She bit her lips, "What I did was wrong - "
"I know. And I know you're sorry. But I'm being a hypocrite because they way I used to treat girls was bad too. I wasn't the same guy I am today and you helped me, Riley. Why would I be angry with you?"
She felt like something was off between this. He didn't need to pin the blame on himself either, he was innocent in her mistake. "I lied. So many times. I hated you in the beginning, I messed with you the same way you messed with other people. I - "
She froze.
He looked over at her when she realized it. He took her hand and took a deep breath, "You were me."
"I was you," she said it to herself. She had become him, only the exact opposite. The way he played with girls was the same way she played with him. "You still deserve to be angry with me..."
Lucas figured that this should be the time he brought up Maya. Riley and her were best friends and he was starting to hate the fact that they weren't talking anymore. "Maya and I spoke."
She turned her head in his direction, "She spoke to you. What did she say?"
"She was still pretty upset but as we continued to speak and she listened to my apology, she found it in her heart to forgive me. Just like the rest."
"The rest?" she questioned. It warmed her heart that he did this, he was a better person and now that he was trying to fix his past made her feel happy for him. "That's pretty brave of you."
He lightly smiled at her, "Maya's here right now."
"What?"
"This was all her idea. She's the one who reached out to your friend Sarah. I guess she pulled a few strings and we were let in."
"I was told she had something to do with this I just didn't know she was here." If she saw her, this would be the first time in a while that they've been in the same place. They used to be so close but the past months have not been treating their friendship well.
Lucas nodded. "She and Tyler have been extremely close lately. I guess it's put her in a good mood."
"She has a crush on him that's why."
"She told you?" Lucas thought he was the only one who knew.
"She doesn't have to. It was just obvious to me." They both laughed for a few seconds but then returned to another silence, "Lucas, I really am sorry that our relationship started off of some lie. But I promise you that it became really between the both of us. When I was with you I didn't even think of the stupid pact, I was just so happy that I found a good looking guy who cared for me." Their hands were still touching when she said this. "I mean we were so good together," she complimented them. "Remember the pageant? How we won."
"We won because of you. That was all you."
She inched herself closer to him, "We won because you're an amazing dancer."
"You're an amazing teacher," he said back to her. Her brown eyes carried so much light and comfort. "When I'm with you all I feel is good. I feel better when I am with you and I think it's because you make me want to be a better person."
She looked at him and this time she really did look at him. She thought long and hard about the two of them being together and all she could feel was joy. Her heart raced whenever she pictured themselves together, dancing, laughing and kissing just like they would always do. She brought herself closer to him when she saw him lean in, when they were inches apart, he placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her.
This was the best part.
The part where they find each other again. Where this time they do live happily ever after and they grow up together and have kids.
This was it.
The teenagers who were so in love with each other that no obstacle was too big for them. They would survive it and at the end of the day it was them two who won. Who was never cracked nor broken but remained heavily intact and admired.
She loved it all. She loved him. The same way he loved her.
"I love you, Lucas Friar," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. When their eyes made contact again all she could do was smile. All she could do was feel happy.
"And I love you, Riley Matthews."
The End
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Writers Note: I want to thank you guys for reading this story. I know that it came a year late but rather late than never, right? This journey was my first and I guess I can say that part of the reason this took so long to publish was because I was debating with myself about somethings. Writing means a lot to me and it lets me create a story where I have complete control over things that you guys seem to enjoy...so...I want to say that I DO have another story I am working on and it is one I am planning on publishing. It's a story that will have it's cute moments but will also change the characters emotionally. With that being said, I will not be going on another break. I will be publishing one more story and I hope you guys enjoy it.
New story coming soon!
Thank you guys so much for reading.
Follow, Favorite and Review