All Over Again || Rucas

Not really in a party mood

Riley's POV

Josh is driving. I'm staring out of the window.

The last few days have been really awful. Maya wouldn't talk to me and Lucas would avoid everyone. Farkle, Zay and I were feeling a little lost.

This party has transformed to our only chance of getting back together, as a group.

Maybe you'll think that what Lucas did wasn't THAT bad. But imagine. Your ex best friend comes back after two freaking years, your boyfriend asks her out (for whatever reason) and she actually thinks of saying yes.

Anyway, Josh is driving. He is careful not to pass the house; neither of us has ever been to Charlie's.

He's my uncle, but I have to admit; Josh looks pretty hot. He isn't wearing a suit, which is typical. He's wearing jeans that match his blue eyes and a shirt. With the clothes he've chosen you can understand how fit he is.

I am wearing a black backless dress. It's short and the night is hot so my legs are bare. I have my black vans on. Some years ago, I'd probably wear high heels but now I have understood that the most important thing about shoes is to be comfortable. And anyway I'm tall enough without them. I'm taller than Maya and a lot of other girls in my class. I have my hair down and I've straighten them, as if they weren't straight already. Dark lipstick and black eyeliner.

Ahead, of us I see a big house. A huge garden and neon lights. The music's loud enough to be heard in the car.

Josh stops the car in a dark corner and we get out. The night is warm, as expected. Josh looks at me/

"Ready?", he asks. He knows what's going on.

I nod. We walk until we reach the entrance, where two muscular guys with that very famous sturdy bodytypes and black sunglasses stand. They stop me just as soon as I try to walk in.

"We need to see the invitation, ma'am.", one of them says.

Shoot. No one told me I needed one to get in.

"No worries! They're with me.", someone says.

I look up to face Charlie. Wow, he has growned. The same green eyes and brown hair, of course, but he is much taller. He's smiling at me and I smile back. The two men let us in and Josh taps my shoulder.

"I'm going to take a look around. Are you going to be okay?"

I just nod, once again. Josh has this thing; he wants to walk around in a place, see how it is, how it works, explore hallways and rooms and gardens. We both did that a lot when we were somewhere in Phili.

He disappears just as Charlie walks to me.

"Did I do anything that annoyed your boyfriend?", he asks smiling.

I laugh softly.

"Nah. And he is my uncle.", I say. Actually, I kinda yell, because the music's really loud. Charlie seems surprised.

"He's pretty young!", he comments. "Anyway, Riley, you look amazing. I like this look on you."

I blush and smile at him.

"Thank you Charlie. You too."

He seems to like my reply.

"When did you get back?", he asks.

I shrug.

"Just a few days ago.", I answer his question. "But you changed classes and I didn't see you."

He looks down, as if he's ashamed. I didn't say it as an accusation. Not, really. But I do want him to know that I didn't like the fact that he wasn't in my class anymore. Why? Because really, I didn't. I always liked Charlie as a friend and he was always there for me when I needed him.

"Yeah, about that... When you left...", he says.

I frown.

"What happened when I left?", I ask.

He smiles at me with a smile that I'm not used to see on Charlie. A smile that says "poor innocent girl, you know nothing".

"Come on Riley. You know Maya and the rest of your friends. Maya got wild. And Lucas. Lucas just looked weird. He didn't talk like he used to. Farkle was devastated too and I remember catching Zay staring at your empty sit. I just didn't recognize our class anymore.", he says.

He makes it sound like I am the center of the world but I'm not.

"Hey, Charlie!", a blonde yells. "John and Katy are here. Come say hello."

He gives me another smile, and murmurs something that I didn't manage to hear. I just smile back at him and he walks away.

I decide to walk around, just like Josh has taught me to do. There's a big pool and some tables with food waiting for me. And then my eyes catches them.

Maya is wearing short electric blue dress. It's tight and it huggs her slim body. Lucas is wearing a black suit and a white shirt. Everything good so far.

Maya had her arms wrapped around Lucas's neck and she's kissing him passionately. Their mouths are moving in total unison and Lucas's hands hug her back, her waist and, just for a minute, her ass. A lot of people are dancing next to them, sometimes pushing their bodies but they don't seem to care.

I'm just staring at them. You know, when people see something catastrophic, they all react differently. Some people look away immediately and some others can't keep their eyes off. I'm part of the second category, obviously.

After some time, I can't calculate exactly how much, I notice Josh in my field of view. I'm surprised to see that he is looking at those two people I am. But now I turn my eyes to him, and try to block Lucas and Maya completely. Josh looks sad, almost like a kicked puppy, like me and I wonder if I misunderstood all his questions and concern about Maya. He drifts his eyes to mine. He presses his lips into a line and nods at me, looking close to tearing up. I just sigh.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn to look at who it is. I am surprised once again.