Chapter Two
Lucas was walking out to the senior parking lot to his truck when he saw Maya leaning against Riley's car.
"Where do you think your going?" Lucas said walking up to her.
"Waiting on you, I don't know what your truck looks like." Maya said kicking off her car.
"Alright, well let's go." Lucas said walking towards his truck. It was a black 2007 Toyota Tunder with big wheels and shiny rims and two pipes on the back.
"Nice truck." Maya said hoping in.
"Thanks, by the way I need to go get gas first, I hope that's okay." He said.
"Yeah that's fine." Maya answered. She looked outside his tinted windows and noticed everyone staring at this strange girl getting in Lucas Friar's truck.
"Don't worry about them." Lucas said noticing Maya was watching those watching her.
"Kind of hard not to." She said. Lucas started his truck and it rumbled loud, but in a good way. He then drove to the gas station and started pumping the gas and then Missy Bradford and her posse pulled up. Of course they would barley be able to see Maya because of the tint on Lucas's truck windows, but Maya still slid down in her seat where they wouldn't see her. Lucas then jumped back in the truck.
"What're you doing?" Lucas asked while chuckling at the sight of Maya hiding from Missy.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm hiding from Missy." Maya said looking up to see if she was still there and of course she was.
"Why?" Lucas asked starting up his truck.
"Because she's always tried to make my life a living hell and thinks she owns me." Maya said.
"Why does she do that? I thought y'all used to be friends." Lucas replied while leaving the gas station.
"We did, until she got put into the wrong crowd at the beginning of high school and decided to tell every little secret Riley and I ever told her and now she uses it against us because she thinks it makes her cool." Maya said finally sitting up.
"Why did she do it though?" Lucas asked looking at the road and then to her.
"I don't know, I guess she got tired of the normal lives Riley and I had and just wanted something more." Maya said running her fingers through her hair. Lucas loved it when she did that, he realized she only did it when she was mad, sad, or if it's just in her face. He figured this one was the mad one.
"Well I'm sorry that she put you through that." Lucas said stopping at a stop-light and looking over at her.
"You mean to tell me she didn't tell you mine and Riley's secrets?" Maya asked.
"No, I don't really talk to Missy like that." Lucas answered.
"But y'all are in the same group of friends." Maya said confusingly.
"Yeah I know, but she's on the girls side and I'm on the guys. I don't really associate with the girls because most of them are just snoby rich girls." Lucas replied. Wow, Maya never knew that Lucas thought of them the same way she did and his apology even seemed sincere.
"So this is it." Lucas said pulling into his drive way. It was a two story light brick house with a pool in the backyard a long drive way and a steel fence.
"Wow this is nice." Maya said looking out the window at the amazing landscape that they had in the front yard and the back.
"Yeah, I like it." Lucas said coming to a stop. "My parents won't be home for a while because they always have to work late so we should be able to work in peace until my little brother and sister get her." He added getting out of his truck. He unlocked the back door and walked in as Maya followed.
"I didn't know you had siblings." Maya replied.
"Yeah, my brother's 13 and my sister's 9. They're pretty awesome." He said with a laugh which made Maya laugh. "My rooms up stairs the second room on the right, you can go ahead up." Lucas said getting a water out of the refrigerator.
Maya walked up the stairs and walked into Lucas's bed room and wow. He had a queen size bed that was neatly made, a huge flat screen tv hanging on the wall, a guitar in the corner next to his dresser a bathroom on the left once you round the corner, a light grey couch on the other side of the room with blue pillows, a book shelf on the wall across from the couch and a coffee table in front with motor cross magazines on it, and a little cream lab puppy asleep on his window seat.
"Hey." He said walking in behind her and handing her a water.
"Hey, thanks." She said putting her stuff down and opening the bottle.
"Hey Bailey." He said walking over to the puppy.
"That's such a cute puppy." Maya said still standing in that one spot.
"You wanna pet him?" Lucas asked picking up Bailey and walking him over to her.
"Hey cutie." Maya said rubbing his head and making faces at him. Lucas couldn't help but smile.
"So how about we get to work?" He said sitting down on the couch and putting Bailey back where he was when they entered the room.
"Sounds good." Maya said walking over to him.
"Who do you want to start with?" Lucas asked getting comfortable. Each of them were on either side of the couch with their knees facing each other.
"Can you?" Maya asked. "I'm just not comfortable yet."
"Sure, what do you want me to start with?" He asked taking a sip of his water.
"Wherever you want to." Maya answered pressing record on her phone so she could type the essay up later.
"Um, okay. So I was born and raised in a small town in the South. So when my parents told me we were moving to New York I was of course mad. I didn't want to come to some snoby city when I had everything I wanted in my small town. But my parents told me it was best because my dad got a great job deal. We went from a small nice house on a farm to a two story house and nothing like a farm around it. I hated it at first. That was until I got used to this enviroment and started to love it. Of course I would love to be back in the South but you know this isn't so bad. The transition was pretty hard for me I went through bullying once I got her because I was country and dressed southern like and had southern ways. I took it hard I started taking my anger out in baseball. You know just playing to get anger out so when I didn't have any anger in me I would hate the sport but I still had to play. See my dad has always loved the sport and pushes me to get every little thing right. I would come home after the games some nights and get yelled at for a simple, not stepping towards the ball when I hit, type of thing. But I've never wanted to become a pro baseball player like my dad wants me to be. I want to be a Web Developer, I don't know why, I've just have always been good with computers and knew I wanted to do something with computers for my future. So when baseball season ends I don't have anything to take my anger out on. So my mom noticed how much things in life at the time was affecting me so she had a gym built in the basement and let me take all of it in there. People see my life as an easy simple life, the I get whatever I want type of life, but it's never been that way. I'm just a normal teenage guy with a lot of struggles in my life. Struggles that have to deal with anger, stupid dad, parents with a screwed up marriage, and me basically having to take care of my siblings because all my parents do is eat, sleep, fight, and work. But yeah that's my life." Lucas laid it all on the table. He let it all out hoping that it would give Maya the courage to tell him her story. He's never told anyone this but figured it would be a good idea if he wanted to get a good grade.
Maya was speechless she never new popular boy Lucas was dealing with all of this. She leaned over and paused the recording.
"I am so sorry." Maya said.
"For what?" Lucas asked.
"For what you've been through. I mean I'll admit I've always seen you as the popular guy with everything handed to him but now I know that you're just like everyone else." Maya said.
"It's totally fine, I've come to realize that I probably get thought of like that because I put myself into the wrong crowd instead of just being myself. I just figured not a lot of people like the real me." Lucas replied looking down at the floor now.
"I like the real you." Maya said.
"Why?" Lucas asked.
"Because you go through struggles and fight through them. It kind of relates to me." Maya said crossing her arms around her knees.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Lucas asked sitting up straight now.
"Not now, I'm still not ready." Maya said.
"Like I said before, that's fine." Lucas said standing up.
"So do you have any questions?" He asked.
"Nope, but knowing me I'll probably think of some tonight and get back to you tomorrow." Maya answered and started to laugh.
"Before I take you home is it okay if you ride with me to go get my brother and sister I need to get them because they don't like to stay there very long. And I can just take you home right after that." Lucas asked Maya standing up and getting his keys off his dresser.
"Uh yeah that's fine. I actually don't feel like going home." Maya said which made Lucas worried.
"Well shouldn't you tell your mom that?" Lucas asked.
"She doesn't care, she probably won't even notice that I'm gone." Maya admitted.
"Do you not get attention at home?" Lucas asked.
"A little, but very little." Maya said.
"From your mom and dad?" He asked.
"Um no just my mom, my dad isn't around." Maya said still sitting on the couch. Lucas then came back over and sat down next to her.
"What do you mean he's not around?" Lucas asked.
"I never met him, he left my mom once she got far in her pregnancy. I've heard stories about him but never met him and really don't care to." Maya said.
"I'm sorry, you deserve to have a fatherly figure in your life." Lucas said.
"Oh trust me, I get a new one every morning when I see random guys in their boxers drinking coffee after having one night stands with my mom." Maya said.
"Wow, have you talked to your mom about it?" Lucas asked.
"No it's not that simple, she works all day and night and then hooks up with the guys she meets at her job. Have you ever talked to your dad?" Maya asked.
"No it's not that simple when you have your whole life plan given to you and it's not what you want." Lucas said.
"Exactly, now you see where I''m coming from." Maya said. "The only family I've ever known is the Matthews's. They've basically brought me into their family like I was their own."
"Well you deserve that. You really do. From the little bit that I've heard so far, you seem like all you deserve is happieness." He said.
"You do too. We have different stories but they're kind of similar. It's like your dad was never there either. I mean of course he was there but he wasn't there." Maya said.
"Exactly and my mom just watches and doesn't do anything kind of like your mom doesn't see your pain." He said.
"Exactly." Maya said with a smile on her face. They finally for the first time connected eyes. Lucas looked deep into her blue eyes and she looked deep into his green. They had a moment, but Maya doesn't like to get too close to people so she broke it apart.
"Um, so let's go get your brother and sister, and if it's okay I'd like to come back and continue to work on our project?" Maya asked.
"Of course it is." He said standing up and taking her hand to help her up. She took us and stood up.
"Thanks." She said and followed him out to his truck. He opened the door for her and then got in on his own. They rode in silence, of course they had the radio but it didn't feel the awkwardness that was in the air. They then pulled into the first school to pick up his little sister.
"I have to walk in to pick up Emma, you want to come?" He asked parking the truck.
"Sure, why not?" She said and hoped out of the truck.
They walked into the school together and he of course opened the door for her. He walked to her classroom and she watched as Lucas's face lit up when he saw his little sister. She look into the classroom and saw Emma's face light up too. Maya smiled at what she was witnessing, the love between a sister and a brother.
"Hey, Emma." He said walking up and hugging her.
"Hey, Lucas." She said right back.
"Were you good today?" He asked.
"Very, and you?" She asked getting her stuff from the closet.
"Yep." He said.
"Good, wait, who is that?" Emma asked now pointing to Maya.
"That's just a friend from school, we're working on a project together." Lucas said.
"She's really pretty." Emma said. Maya laughed and then walked up to her.
"Hi, I'm Maya. It's nice to meet you." Maya said shaking her hand.
"I'm Emma, it's nice to meet you too." Emma said shaking her hand back.
"You seem like you're really smart." Maya said.
"Oh I am. I'm the smartest in my class." Emma said and that made Maya laugh.
"You must get your brains from your brother." Maya said.
"Yeah, and we both get it from our mom." Emma said.
"Oh really?" Maya asked with a smile and then looked at Lucas who was smiling at them both. No one has ever gotten along with Emma this fast.
"Yeah she was valadictorian." Emma said.
"Wow, that's pretty freaking amazing." Maya said.
"Yeah it is, anyway can we go now Lucas I want to watch Spongebob and we still have to go pick up Dylan." Emma said.
"Yeah let's go." He said. They walked out the door and he had Emma's hand in his and as they walked through the door way he had his hand on the small of Maya's back. Maya's stomach did back flips and it scared her. She quickly moved away and then they all walked out to the truck. Lucas put her in the back and then they drove to go get Dylan. When they pulled up he was outside sitting under a tree for the shade. When he saw his brothers truck he jumped up and ran to it. He jumped in the back and Lucas could tell he was mad.
"What's wrong buddy?" He asked looking in the rearview mirror.
"I had such a bad day." He said with is arms folded across his chest.
"And why is that?" Lucas asked.
"Well first Emily broke up with me, then I failed my Math test, then I forgot my lunch money so I couldn't eat, and then me and Brian got in a fight." He said.
"Brian and I." Emma corrected.
"I don't care." He said looking out the window. "Who's the chick?" He asked still looking as the trees go by.
"The chick's name is Maya. She's a friend from school, we have a project to work on." Lucas said. Maya could tell the behavior difference in Emma and Dylan.
"I'm sorry you had a bad day." Maya said turning to look at Dylan.
"Whatever." He said still not looking at her.
"Well in my opinion it's Emily's lost, and you can easily make up the test in fact I can tutor you, and you just need to learn how to forgive and forget with Brian. Also if your brother doesn't mind I'll buy you some Bojangles, I can only imagine how hungry you are." Maya said. This got Dylans attention. He had a half smile on his face.
"Thanks." He said.
"Lucas, can you please take us to Bojangles?" Maya asked.
"We have food at home." Lucas said.
"Please, if you love your brother you will." Maya said and he just shook his head. "Please." Maya said once more now getting in his face.
"Fine." Lucas said. He felt something when he was with Maya. He loved seeing how she was with his siblings and he loved how her personality was and how he can easily open up to her because she's been through the same stuff. He loves seeing how she gets when she's hyper. He loves seeing her happy because she deserves that.
Oh. My. Gosh.
Lucas Friar loves Maya Hart!