What Are We Now?

(1) The Day After The First date

Today was the day Riley would see Lucas again after their date... With other people. All Riley could think about was Lucas and how in the world she was going to cope with seeing her best friend and her crush dating. She was being pulled at from both sides for goodness sake. She couldn't wish that Lucas looked sad about the date because that would mean Maya's unhappiness. Yet the idea of seeing him happy about the date made her cringe...but then Maya's face with a full blown smile would fill her mind and she knew she was doing the right thing. Riley sighed, over whelmed with her thoughts and feelings. Then there was the Charlie Gardner of it all.  Something was off with her and Charlie but she didn't know what that was quite yet. It wasn't like he was a bad person or anything, it was just the way she saw him... Something was not right there. Whatever it was, Riley simply couldn't focus on it, that was the least of her problems.

All this was running through her head in the early morning before school, she was still in bed, her alarm hadn't even gone off yet. She couldn't sleep the night before for obvious reasons.
Eventually she got up and turned off her alarm and got dressed. She chose a dark red long sleeve shirt, a navy pleated skirt and black tights, and purple knee high socks and brown boots. She decided to wear her hair curly and down that day. Then she went to the bathroom to wash her face and her teeth. Afterwards  Riley looked at herself in the mirror.
"It's ok. You're ok."
She smiled an unconvincing smile, took a deep breath and tried again.
This time her smile brightened the room. Yeah she'd gotten good at that with her bully days.
She sat on her bed and waited for Maya.

"Riles...?" Maya said.
"Hey you, how ya doing" Riley said with a smile on her face. Boy did she love her friends.
"Since last night? When we talked about nothing and how nothing happened? Mmm I'm good, the same really."
"Yeah me too... So you ready to see Lucas after your first serious, right-of-passage, coming-of-age, growing-up-stuff,  date?" Riley smiled genuinely, that's exactly what Maya said to Riley when Riley thought her date with Lucas would be as fake as Mayas date with Farkel. Maya smiled a knowing smile.
"Huh? Yeah... Sure am!"
"Maya!" Riley said knowingly, she even held up her hand, She didn't even have to say it. Ring power. Riley could tell Maya was holding back for her sake. Maya looked down, suddenly serious. Then she patted the seat next to her, at the bay window. Riley got up from her bed and sat next to her.
"Tell me."
"I'm nervous Riles."
"Really?" Riley said puzzled, Maya was never nervous about anything, well maybe when it came to her future.
"Yes..." Maya said. Then she was quiet for a moment before she exploded.
"Riley I'm scared of Ranger Rick!" She laughs without humor, " in what world does that make sense?!"
"In our world Maya. We're changing, and that's ok. It's okay to feel what your feeling Maya, you need to feel what your feeling." Riley said, looking at her best friend lovingly.
"Thanks Riley, really."
"I love you Maya you know that."
"I love you too Mathews, always have always will." Maya smiled. Then they linked arms and walked out of Riley's room to have some breakfast. 

When Riley and Maya make it to school, they make a bee line for their lockers, to grab some books for their first class of the day. The girls are chatting away when Lucas appears behind Riley.
"Hey Lucas!" Maya says.
"Hi hart, Mathews..." he begins to nod his head when Riley turns to face Lucas. Lucas pauses, seeming to take Riley in. 
"... Riley...You look-"
"Breathtakingly gorgeous!" Charlie finishes, snapping Lucas out of his daze. Charlie walks over to Riley and kisses her on the cheek. Riley looks down embarrassed. And Lucas looks away, clearly uncomfortable, then he looks at Maya feeling caught.
"Morning beautiful" Charlie says to Riley.
"Hi Charlie..." Riley says shyly
"Hey Riley..." Charlie says with a goofy grin on his face.
"Hi"
"Hel-"
"Ok that's enough you two, oh and by the way Maya you look wonderful ." Lucas scratches his arm, feeling weird.
"Lucas just because they are saying hi-hey-hey-morning, in the way you used to with Riley, doesn't mean we lost her as a friend." Maya stated matter of factly, "and right back at ya" Maya winks at Lucas.

Lucas smiles hiding his confusion as the girls and Charlie walked into class. Lucas trailed behind them, just thinking. Maya was an amazing girl but to be honest he didn't know how he felt about her and about her liking him. He also didn't know how he felt about Riley. All he knew was that he didn't like seeing Riley with Charlie. Riley and Charlie was just out of the blue for crying out loud. Unless... Did Riley already have feelings for him since before? She did show Charlie her notebook after all. She also chose to dance with him at the dance, Lucas just hadn't thought much of it back then, it was just so obvious Riley like him, Lucas. There was never anything to worry about. Until now. Riley said she liked Lucas as a brother, mean while Lucas thought they were something else entirely...
Lucas frowned. This wasn't how things were supposed to be....

So if there is any one reading😂
Should I continue? I mean I might any because I love GMW but yeah💜😸