The Age Of Seventeen

Part 42 (part 3)

3 RD  P E R S O N

"Lucas!" Riley squealed, she wasn't expecting to see him today.

"Hey, Riles." He doesn't sound too excited, more like nervous. "I came by to talk to you."

"Sure! Let's head to my room," she grabs his hand and guides him over to her room, where they take a seat by the bay window. "So what's going on?"

"Um- I.."

"If this is about you leaving the other night at Zay's party don't worry about it. Zay got me home, so I wasn't unattended. I did however get drunk, well hammered I should say. No worries, I didn't puke everywhere, just a little in the cab." Riley babbled on and on, but Lucas didn't mind. He took in the sweet sound of her happy voice before he told her the news she'd expected to hear the least. "Lucas..?"

"Yeah, im sorry I spaced out..." he began.

"Lucas, before you say what you wanted to say I just want to thank you. I'm so grateful for the last three years we have spent together, and I know I couldn't have ended high school, graduated and started college without you. You believe in me in ways no one else but Maya does and I appreciate it. I have something to show you, but I don't know if it's too soon. I wanted to give it to you later, but this seems like it's the perfect time." She stood and walked over to her night table where she picked up a small box.

"Riley, I-" she pushed the box into his hands when he wouldn't take it and gave him a small smile. She crossed her fingers as he sighed and I did the blue wrapping paper. He opened the flaps and found a lot of confetti. "Um, thanks I totally needed some confetti."

"Dig into it, silly." Riley laughed, pushing his hands inside. He was just about to take them out when he felt a long strip of paper. He fished it out, and found that they were two. Two plane tickets to London, a place they always dreamed of visiting. "You like it? I know it's two weeks from now, but happy birthday."

"Riley, oh my god..." Lucas wanted to kiss her and hug her, but he couldn't swallow the guilty lump in his throat. "Riley, I-I ..God..."

"You dot have to say anything," she offered happily. "I just wanted to surprise you. It's not everyday you turn nineteen."

He got all quiet. "Riley I'm so sorry." He couldn't help the tears that pricked at his eyes. "I don't deserve this, I truly don't. You're so amazing, and you doing this for me just proves how much of an ass I was for doing what I did. God, I'm so sorry Riley."

"Lucas? What are you talking about?" She cleaned his tears with her thumbs, her forehead easing into a frown.

"Riley- I.."

"Shh, Lucas. It's okay. Whatever it is can't be that big of a dea-"

"Smackle and I slept together." There he had said it. He felt an instant relive, and then he felt confused when she began to laugh hysterically.

"Good joke, Lucas!"

"I'm not joking, Riley."

•

She knocked on the boy's door angrily. His mother had let him in, and as soon as he opened his bedroom door she pushed past him. She looked everywhere for a clue or something to tell her what Lucas had said wasn't true. Something to prove this painful pain in her chest was just part of a big joke.

"Lucas told me something today, but I don't believe him Zay." She was already crying. "He said it happened right here and I had been downstairs the entire time. How crazy is that!?-"She cut herself off short when she saw the glasses in Zay's nightstand. Damn those glasses, why where they there? Why did they have to prove everything she had been told was true!?

"Zay, I can't believe it! They slept together and you covered for them! I knew I heard something I knew it!" She screamed and threw her tiny fists into his chest, crying rivers of tears and wishing she could disappear. "You fucking liar! You knew and didn't tell me!"

"I'm sorry, Riley I couldn't let you see that. Believe me I am just as mad as you are!" Zay tried to comfort the girl, but she was truly heart broken beyond repair. Her heart burned deep with rage and pain and she had no way of letting all of it out.

She stormed out before she said a couple of hurtful things. She hailed a cab back home. He hoped he wouldn't be there. Halfway home she looked out the window and saw the girl walking in to what she recognized as Farkle's apartment complex. She told the cab man to halt and gave him whatever she had in her pockets and ran after the girl.

"I can't believe you! I can't believe you would do this to me! Why are you ruining the only thing I felt this strongly about, huh? What did I ever do to you?!"

"Riley, Riley calm down!" Farkle spoke. He looked in between the crying girl and the shocked one. "What's going on?"

"How could you do that to all of us, Smackle?" Riley asked her voice croaking at the end.

"I'm sorry, Riley. One thing led to another and we were drunk... I'm sorry."

"Is this some kind of revenge? Because this is exactly what Maya and Farkle did to you? If anyone knows what this feels like it's you, so why would you do it!?" She screamed furiously, wanting to push the girl and punch her until she got rid of this ugly feeling inside.

"What are you talking about, Riley? What is she talking about, Smackle?" Farkle frowned, more confused than ever. Although he kind of knew what had gone down based on Riley's statement. "Did you sleep with Lucas?" Smackle slowly nodded. "Oh my God, Smackle why!?"

"I can't be here anymore. I got to go home." Riley cried, fists forming at her sides. Farkle shook his head at Smackle and walked away from her, bringing Riley back home. Riley fell asleep on the way there so he made sure to place her down in bed and tuck her in. He waited a few then left Riley, hoping his friends wouldn't separate over this. But most importantly he wondered if Smackle has done what she did on purpose. After all she kind of wanted to have something with Lucas years back.

•

M A Y A

"Oh my God," my hands cupped my mouth and I couldn't believe what Zay had just told me. Josh's guilty eyes did nothing to lessen the shock. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I couldn't, it's not my story to tell. I simply heard what happened and promised Riley I'd cover for her and made sure you were alright."Josh informed. "Sorry, Maya."

"Where is she? I need to speak to her- oh God, I can't even imagine what she's feeling.." I looked at Zay since I knew he had to know. He shook his head.

"I don't know, only Lucas knows where she is. He was the one that convinced all of us not to tell anyone else and cover for Riley. All I know was that she said she needed to go away and she wanted time to think things out." Zay spoke.

"Zay, Josh you are both on babysitting duty. I have to go to Lucas and do what I should have done days ago," before they could tell me anything else I dashed out.