✓ | 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 ( 𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀. )

ELEVEN.

a/n: GUESS WHO HAS OFFICIALLY RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD AND PROMISES TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME GOOD CHAPTERS IN THE COMING WEEKS? hint, it's me.

. . .

riley matthews

"You told me yourself that you didn't like him, so now I'm going on a date with him tonight. Do you have a problem with that, Riley?"

If someone was to ask me how much I wanted to punch Maya Hart in the face right this very moment, I wouldn't even hesitate to answer.

I had to physically restrain myself from throttling my best friend right then and there in my bedroom at seven thirty in the night, instead releasing a sarcastically bitter cackle that only pleased her. "No, I don't have a problem with that. I'm just confused as to why you've suddenly started to show interest in him. I mean, since when did you even know who Lucas Friar was. You only ever seem to pay attention to the boys on the football team," I muttered rather bitterly.

It was harsh, but it was true. Heck, even I'd admit that I used to only pay attention to the boys on the football team. That was, until Lucas.

She paused antagonistically, as if I had brutally offended her. Perhaps I said something that I shouldn't have but choosing to think with my brain over my heart all the time was tiring. Using sense over sensibility was only meant as a defence mechanism, but what was I really trying to defend, anyway? Getting hurt was inevitable. People who had sensibility were bound to make stupid and reckless decisions so why couldn't I just make stupid and reckless decisions for once?

She remained still and for a moment there, I was afraid I had actually gone too far. Me, going too far. What a wild concept.

I looked at Maya, her eyes narrowing as she thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip. She was looking straight past me with a certain dullness in her blue eyes that I had only began noticing recently. These past few weeks, Maya had a habit of getting lost in her thoughts. They were subtle, but any moment Maya wasn't talking or doing anything, I could immediately tell she was in her own little world.

I had began noticing it after the incident in the cafeteria with Missy. Nobody could miss the way Maya was staring so intently at her during the prolonged period of awkward silence that was shared between the three of us. Something was definitely on her mind, though I knew there would be no point in me asking.

If there was one thing Maya was good at, it was lying. And not in the manipulative, menacing sort of sense. She was absolutely amazing at keeping up a facade that would fool almost everybody, including me. It wasn't a nice thought knowing that your best friend, whom you were supposed to know completely inside and out, was able to hide behind a false facade without your knowledge or awareness for so long. It hurt.

We both remained in an excruciatingly prolonged period of silence until Maya suddenly cleared her throat. She unexpectedly plastered a wide smirk on her face, and I could tell it was forced.

"It looks like someone's a little jealous," she arrogantly cooed, teasingly fluttering her long lashes at me as if nothing strange had just happened in the past few minutes. I didn't know how to respond, and perhaps that was because I was still in slight shock at her sudden personality change.

She impatiently sighed, standing up from the bay window seat as she plotted herself next to me on the bed. "Riley, he's just ... cute. And we go way back. I don't see what the problem is, considering we've already established that you're definitely not into him, right?"