Chapter 6- The Problem with Boys

"I wonder what his problem was with Evan." Riley was laying across her bed and Maya was sitting knees to chest in the bay window, staring out the sidewalk below. "What could Evan have said that Lucas would have reacted like that?" She waited for a response from Maya. Not a sound. She sat up and looked at Maya, waiting. Maya turned when Riley stopped talking, unaware she was being asked a question.

"What?" Maya asked. Riley flopped back down on her bed.

"Ugh. Never mind."

"I'm sorry, Riles. I just have other things on my mind. I'll pay attention now. Promise." Maya turned away from the window and gave Riley an exaggerated stare. "Well, I'm waiting."

"Just forget it, Maya." Riley sneered. "Now you're being sarcastic."

"I'm sorry, Riles. I am listening. Sincerely." Maya's tone was genuine. Riley turned cautiously to Maya.

"Like I was saying," Riley continued, "I don't know what Evan could have said that would have made Lucas that upset." Just as Maya was about to answer, Riley's phone rang.

"It's Lucas." Riley replied, looking at the caller id. Maya rolled her eyes and turned back toward the window, sighing sadly.

"Lucas?! What is going on? What happened at school today?" As Riley talked with Lucas, Maya daydreamed out the window about the fun she was going to have this summer. She wondered where Shawn was going to take her. She had always wanted to go to Japan or Austria. She imagined swimming in the ocean and walking along Hollywood Boulevard in California. There were so many options. She was going stir crazy being stuck in the winter of New York. She just wanted to go. Without realizing it, she stood up and put her coat on while walking toward the door. She would inevitably find out what happened with Riley later. She just wanted to go home right now.

Riley did not even notice that Maya had left. She was engrossed in a conversation with Lucas. She was not getting the answers she wanted. Lucas was dancing around the issue. He was telling her about the rest of his day, giving her details of things she did not care about, from what he had for lunch to what he did in gym. Frustrated, Riley rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.

"Lucas. Obviously, you are not going to tell me what is going on so I am going to go now. I will talk to you tomorrow." With that, she hung up the phone and threw it across her bed. No sooner did she do that, it rang again. She snatched her phone and answered it angrily.

"I told you I would talk to you tomorrow, Lucas!" she growled.

"Ok, but I am not Lucas. I guess I will talk to you tomorrow." Said the voice on the other line. Riley was embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Evan. I thought you were-"

"Lucas? Yeah, I figured." He replied, cutting her off midsentence.

"Since I have you on the phone, Evan," Riley asked, "What did you say to Lucas to make him act the way he did? I apologize for the way he acted, by the way."

"I am not even sure myself." Evan replied. "The teacher told me to stand up, and tell the class something about myself. So I stood up and told the class that I moved here from Illinois to be with my Mom. To help her out because she was attacked last month and suffered a head injury. After that, he started to act really strange."

"Strange, how?"

"Well, he stopped talking to me and the rest of the class period, he just kind of, stared at me. Almost like he was studying me or something. So, I turned around and told him to knock it off. The teacher heard and gave us both detentions."

"Well, Evan, this has been enlightening, but I have homework to do. Thank you for the information and I'll see you in school tomorrow. Good Night."

"All right. Bright and early, Riley. Good Night." As she hung up the phone and placed it on her nightstand, she finally noticed that Maya was gone. Feeling like a horrible friend, she put her head in her hands with a heavy sigh.

"Well, since I am spending all this time on the phone," she thought out loud, "I may as well call Maya and apologize." She picked up her phone and dialed Maya's number. She answered on the third ring.

"Riley?" Maya answered, dully.

"Maya," Riley replied apologetically, "I am so sorry. I did mean to ignore you. Is everything okay?"

"I was trying to talk to you about this summer, but you seemed busy so I figured I would talk to you later. What did Lucas have to say?"

"Nothing. Literally. He talked about lunch and gym but would not say anything about Evan."

"Huh."

"Evan called right after that, though."

"And? What did he say?"

"He told me that Lucas started acting weird when Evan mentioned his mom and her accident."

"Well, that is weird. Maybe Lucas is just worried about moving next week."

"The weirdest part, though, is Lucas told me to stay away from Evan. That he isn't who I think he is."

"What does that mean?"

"I have no clue. But I'll worry about that later. Tell me about your plans over the summer, Maya."

Riley and Maya discussed where Shawn would possibly take Maya over summer break. Maya had talked to Shawn and was scheduled to take a job in Europe in July. They would be visiting Italy and Germany, eventually making their way to Austria. Maya was elated when Shawn told her. The summer could not come fast enough for her.

"Well, today is my last day, Riley." Lucas was sitting by the flagpole outside the school, Riley on his lap. "Let's make this day count." Riley looked up at him, curiously.

"What do you mean, Lucas?" Riley asked, cautiously. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he smiled at Riley. He patted her back, signaling for her to get up. As they both stood up, Lucas took her hand and they walked away from the school. Confused, Riley followed along.

"Lucas, where are we going? We have to go to school." Riley looked behind her as the school got smaller.

"We are going to have fun today, Riley. I want to spend my last day with you and not worry about anything else."

"Ok. But where are we going?"

"We are going to- I am keeping it a surprise."

"Lucas! Don't tease!" He laughed and they kept walking until they reached a bus stop. Nervously, Riley followed behind Lucas and they rode the bus for about 45 minutes, talking about their relationship after he moved.

"I know the inevitable is coming, Riley."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Long distance relationships rarely last. And the statistics are worse for a teenage couple, like us."

"Lucas, don't-" Lucas held up a finger to stop her.

"Just let me finish, Riley. I am not dumb. I see how you look at Evan, sometimes. You may not think it means anything, but there is something there. It's not fair for me to make you wait for me. I don't even know where in Texas we are living, much less if and when I will be back here. I love you Riley. I love you enough to-" he choked on the words, "-let you go." He quickly wiped away the tears that were forming. Riley looked at him, in shock.

"Are you- are we-" she stammered, tears flowing down her cheeks. Lucas took her hands in his.

"Yes, but not today. Today is about us. Let's enjoy it before I have to leave." He kissed her tears and hugged her tightly. They held each other the rest of the trip on the bus.

When the bus finally reached the stop, Lucas stood up and pulled Riley to her feet, leading her off the bus. When she stepped off the bus, she looked up and gasped. Lucas had brought her to one of her favorite places in the world. Coney Island.