A/N: So Texas happened. How are we all feeling? I have several thoughts on the topic, which I'm going to just briefly put here. After the first part, I think everyone was thinking that Rucas was somewhat lost. After the third part, I felt like anything could happen, but it's still leaning more towards Rucas than Lucaya. Riley has hung onto every word Lucas has said since the beginning. She loved hearing his foal story. Maya dumped a smoothie on his head. Doesn't exactly scream hope to me. But I think we've got a long ways to go with all of them. But I think Lucas will be the key. He has to figure out his feelings. Anyway, sorry I haven't updated in a few days, it's hard to write a Rucas story when there's all this Texas-ness going on. Thank you so much to all the new followers, I hope I made this story worth your time. This will probably be the last chapter and maybe an epilogue to follow shortly. I have some other story lines that I'd like to start on, possibly in this same universe.

Riley had been a mess for the last few days. When Lucas left out the window she couldn't believe how much had changed between them in such a short amount of time. Lucas had hit Billy. Riley couldn't believe he had done that. But he was defending her, so could she really be upset with him?

Riley thought about what Billy had said to Lucas that set him off. He had said that he was taking his spot on the team, and his girl. He had said it in a way that made Lucas believe he was going to take advantage of Riley? What interactions had Riley even had with Billy? He had seemed like he was going to ask her out a few times. Now that Riley thought about it, she never felt comfortable around him. She hadn't really noticed it until now.

Riley had managed to avoid Lucas the next few days at school. Part of her hoped to run into him by accident and the other part of her was terrified to know what would happen if they did run into each other.

"Have you seen him at all Maya?"

"I've seen him around, but he hasn't talked to me. In fact, I think he's avoiding me as much as he's avoiding you. He knows that I'm still not happy with the way he's treating you."

"Maya, he explained himself. And he honestly thinks he's doing the right thing staying away from me. Which actually makes me like him even more."

Riley thinks about this for a moment. "I can't let him do this. He needs to know how I feel."

"Now that you mention it, he has a baseball game tomorrow. Wanna go? We could bring Farkle."

"You two have been awfully cozy lately. Is there something I should know?"

"Nothing officially. But he is coming over for dinner tonight. He said there's something he wants to talk to my mom about."

Riley couldn't help but smile at that. Farkle had been such a good friend to them for so long. He used to be the nerdy underdog but those days were long gone. Farkle no longer backed down to Maya's teasing, and Maya may have actually met her match. Riley knew that she didn't have to worry about them because Farkle was insanely loyal to his friends. Friendship came first, but they might actually make each other happy.

GMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMW

Riley waited anxiously for her friends to pick her up to go to the ballpark. She wasn't exactly sure what she was going to say to Lucas but she had to know one way or another if there was any hope for them. Riley was waiting on her front porch when Maya's car pulled up. As she got in she couldn't help but notice that Farkle had his hand on Maya's.

"So I take it dinner went well?"

"Yeah, I sorta asked Maya to go out with me. I hope that's okay Riley, I know how much you want me."

"I am willing to take one for the team in this case. But, I'm just warning you, she's my best friend and if you hurt her, I'll... make sure you get hurt too."

The three of them laughed because they knew Riley couldn't hurt a fly.

As they neared the ballpark Riley could feel her nerves growing. She wanted to be with Lucas, but she was terrified of rejection. Even though they practically just met, Riley had grown to like Lucas so much.

They walked up to the bleachers and Riley looked for Lucas. He wasn't on the mound like usual, he was on 1st base. Riley remembered that Lucas had said that he also played 1st base but that he would usually start pitching. As Riley was watching Lucas, she noticed that he seemed off. He was watching Billy, who was warming up on the pitcher's mound. Lucas turned to look at Riley and normally she would pretend like she wasn't just staring at him, but she couldn't seem to look away.

As the game began, Riley noticed that Lucas fell into an ease. It didn't matter where he was on the field, he knew exactly what was going on on every side of the ball. Billy threw the first pitch and it was a wild one. The next three were the same story. Riley remembered watching Lucas pitch and he had a confidence about him. Billy looked terrified.

The runner had stepped off the base and Lucas was trying to get Billy to throw the ball at him. Billy turned and threw it and it was another wild throw. Riley felt her heart leap out of her chest when the ball bounced off Lucas' mitt. After returning the ball to Billy, Lucas looked up at Riley. She couldn't tell what he was thinking but it looked like he was looking for answers.

'Lucas has always calmed me down when I'm nervous to be around him. Maybe Billy needs that calming too.' Riley thought.

Then Lucas started walking to the mound. Riley got nervous because the last she knew of them talking didn't exactly end well. Lucas simply walked up, said a few words to Billy and then went back to 1st base.

It seemed like Billy became a new person. He threw the next three batters out and the team ended up winning the game. Riley was watching Lucas at first but she ended up cheering on the whole team. They were having so much fun during the game, she couldn't help but have fun herself.

Lucas had a different glow about him when he was on a baseball field. Riley got it. She used to wonder why everyone seemed to love baseball so much. She used to wonder how anyone could have fun watching a baseball game. And then she started watching someone she cared about play. There was something about cheering on someone you loved that made the game interesting.

Suddenly Riley realized something.

She not only had fallen for Lucas, she fell for the game. She needed to remember to thank him for that later.

"Riley, we're gonna let you catch up with Lucas."

Riley hugged Maya. She always knew exactly what Riley wanted. She watched her friends as they happily walked together back to the car.

Riley walked towards the dugout to wait for Lucas. He was talking to Billy again, but this time they were smiling and laughing. Riley felt relieved that they had seemed to work things out.

"That's new," Lucas said and pointed towards Maya and Farkle.

"Yeah, it kinda came as a shock to us all. But sometimes the person you need most is right in front of you."

Riley knew it was a bold thing to say with Lucas standing right in front of her but she meant it. And she hoped that Lucas felt the same way.

"You couldn't be more right. Thank you for coming today. I don't think the game would have turned around if you hadn't been here."

"Me? You were the one who turned it around out there. Billy was a mess until you went out there and talked to him. After that, he was just fine."

"You're the reason I talked to him. I really didn't want to. But when I looked up and saw you, I knew I couldn't just stand there and do nothing."

Riley couldn't believe he was giving her credit for what had happened today. "How do you do that?" She asked him.

Lucas' eyes grew wide, "Do what?"

"Make me feel like the most special girl in the world without even trying."

"It's pretty easy when you are the most special girl in the world."

Riley looked up at the sky. The clouds that had come over them looked like they could start pouring any second now. If she was going to get this out, it had to be now.

"Lucas, I honestly don't care if you think you're not good for me. What you did out there today proved that that's not true. You are such a good person, and I want to be wherever you are. I don't know if you want the same thing, but that's what I want."

As if on cue, the raindrops started falling down.

Lucas looked like he was either in shock or that he was getting ready to break bad news to her. Riley started counting her heartbeats.

"Riley, from the first time I saw you, in that tutu with your camera, I wanted to know who you were. And then you set up right behind home plate where you were all I could see. I just wanted to talk to you. So I threw the baseball at you, just to see you look up at me. Then you came to my game and at the first sign of trouble you were worried about me. And then that day, when we were almost taken out by a bike..." Lucas laughed at that. "I promise it was instinct that made me pull you towards me, but I don't regret it. That kiss was...a moment to remember. But, I'm hoping this one will top it."

With that, Lucas pulled Riley towards him and they finally shared their second kiss.

And it was definitely a moment to remember.