✓ | 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 ( 𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀. )

THIRTEEN.

a/n: timezones are absolutely ridiculous but right now in australia, it's currently the 20th of april, meaning that sixteen years ago, your sarcastic, angsty, bitter lil bundle of joy was born. aka me. yay !!

i just wanted to update so i could send love and joy to everyone and give yous some of that birthday spirit we all need. i love you.

by the way, this is a horrible chapter but i wrote it in like two hours and i am terribly sleepy so i apologise in advanced.

. . .

lucas friar
Dating Maya had somehow turned into a routine.

Pick her up outside of her house in the morning, drive her to school, walk her to class, sit with her at lunch and drop her home after school. Every single day.

And wasn't I supposed to enjoy routines? Didn't I like everything to be neat and in order and to have my life perfectly scheduled? I was Lucas Friar, the boy who despised change. The boy who liked to plan every part of his day and maintain that exact plan to ensure that nothing could ever go wrong in his life. So why the hell didn't I like this?

I was changing so goddamn much I had almost become unaware of the person I was now. Was I seriously going through an identity crisis in my freaking high school years, the time when you were practically forced to conform into the identities everyone wanted you to be? I wasn't a jock, or a nerd, or a theatre kid, or any other stereotype that defied individualism. I wasn't anybody. I had no identity. No label. The only thing I could have potentially been recognised with was for being Maya's boyfriend.

But even then, I wasn't too sure of that.

If being Maya's boyfriend meant silent car rides, silent walks and silent lunch times together then I would've worn that boyfriend label proudly. But it clearly wasn't the case. I could've blamed it on the fact that I was an extremely awkward person but even then, I still would've been able to blurt out at least something. I still would've been able to have some sort of a conversation with her, and whether or not it may have been a fully functioning one, we may never know.

The relationship just didn't feel right. Sure, my heart always fluttered immensely when she walked into a room, and I could never wipe a smile off my face when she would suddenly enter my thoughts. Even when she held my hand or grasped my waist I could feel my breath hitching in my throat. But they were all emotions caused by physical interaction. And I was beginning to wonder if that's what it was all along. Just a physical attraction.

I shook my head vigorously, denying the thought almost immediately once it entered my mind. It was absolutely ridiculous, I mean, we were childhood best friends. That should've meant something. I simply don't believe in coincidences. A coincidence is just the universe's way of saying hello, and here I was, finally greeting it back only to have it not respond.

I looked up at the clock fastened to the wall, eyeing the hand as it struck another minute. Class had just barely begun and I was already so goddamn eager to get out. Suddenly, Ms Blanchard strutted in, catching the attention of every student as they took to their seats. It wasn't as if she was frightening, though everyone knew never to cross her. She was somewhat of a fierce, hardcore feminist that could probably burn each and every one of us if she had the chance.

"Okay, so continuing on from last lesson with the novel The Great Gatsby, we're going to have an open class discussion about the love that Gatsby has for Daisy, and whether or not it's real or if he has just conjured an unrealistic fantasy. Would anybody like to begin?"