Collide ✖️ Rucas

Chapter Seven

The following Monday, Riley was worn out. She had extra practices which she had to take Alice along to, and then she had school as well as work several nights. She stumbled into class and sat down in her seat. Maya and Smackle exchanged looks over her head and Sarah frowned. She nudged Riley in the side and the brunette looked up.

"Huh?" she asked groggily.

"You okay?" Maya asked. "You look a little...tired?" she finished weakly, tired hardly beginning to cover the hazy eyes messy hair. Riley gave a short, slight laugh.

"I'm okay, just getting use to the new routine...we have practice this afternoon," Riley said. Smackle nodded. "Okay, I have to pick Alice up from the daycare again." Maya bit her lip. "At least we're not practicing with the baseball team, I don't know if I could deal with that..." Smackle and Maya exchanged pained looks and Riley let out a long sigh. "Oh boy, what is it?" she asked, wincing.

"Well, we kind of...sort of...uh...invited Farkle and Zay to come...and Sarah invited Charlie...so Lucas's going to be there as well," Maya said. Riley groaned and dropped her head in her hands.

At lunch, Lucas and the rest of the baseball team sat with the girls. Riley ended up pressed against Lucas and the wall. Lucas could feel Riley's every move as she tried to get comfortable, stuck between him and the wall. Every now and again, he glanced at her, but other than that, he kept his eyes forward. He and the other baseball players were commenting on girls every time they walked past. Riley could hear what he was saying and rolled her eyes every time. Finally, she snapped.

"Look, stop talking about the girls as if they're some trophy! You should hear yourselves! You're pathetic!"

"Pathetic? You're calling me pathetic? You're the one sitting here basically asleep and looking terrible and you have the nerve to call me pathetic?!" Lucas snapped back. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!" Lucas shouted.

"Because you're always in my face!" Riley shouted back. Riley glared at him, then got up and stomped out of the cafeteria. Smackle glared across at Lucas who have her an outraged look and shrugged.

"What? She started it!" Farkle sighed and looked across at Lucas, who raised his hands. "Fine, fine, I'll go talk to her," he snapped and got up and went in the direction she had gone. He walked through the hallways, and then checked the gym. He saw someone on the far side of the gym, but it wasn't Riley, it was one of the girls on the dancing squad. Lucas crossed the gym to ask if she had seen Riley. "Hey..." She turned around and grinned widely.

"Hey, Lucas!" she said in the same syrupy voice every other girl used on him.

"Have you seen Riley?" he asked her and her face dropped slightly.

"Probably gone home to check on Alice," she muttered scornfully. Lucas frowned.

"Why would she have done that?" Lucas asked. She gave him the 'duh' look.

"Because it's hers," she said bluntly. Lucas's eyes flickered in realization.

"You've got to be kidding me, right?" Lucas asked the dancer with a skeptical look on his face.

"No, it's hers," the dancer answered with a smirk. The bell rang and Lucas backed away. "Bye, Lucas!" she called after him as he ran out of the gym. He frowned as he made his way to his next class. It made sense, when he thought about it. The way Riley looked at Alice was different from the way she looked at Auggie, it wasn't as though she loved her more, it was just a different sort of love. And Riley had looked after her during practice and now it explained it if she was going home now. Lucas frowned as he made it to his next class. He couldn't believe Riley had a kid, she just didn't seem like that kind of person. And when she had yelled at him at the party about screwing people, when she was the one with the kid. Lucas frowned deeper as he pushed open the door and sat down heavily in his seat.

Straight after school, Lucas made his way over to where Maya and Smackle were standing. He expected Riley to be with them, but she wasn't.

"Where's Riley?" he asked.

"She left about...thirty seconds ago," Smackle replied. "But here's her address," Smackle said helpfully scribbling it down on a piece of paper and handing it to the baseball player. He stuffed it in his pocket and left the school grounds, in the direction of Riley's house. When he reached it, he frowned, thinking about what he was going to say. Shrugging, he made his way up the door and knocked. Riley opened it and frowned when she saw him standing there.

"Uh, hey?" Lucas attempted. Her eyes narrowed.

"Okay, why are you here?" she asked bluntly. Lucas glared at her.

"The reason I came over was to ask you a question," he began.

"Will I go out with you? No, sorry, you're too arrogant," she promptly replied and went to close the door. Lucas snorted and put a hand on the door to stop it from closing.

"Don't flatter yourself," he growled. "Is Alice your daughter?" Riley's eyes widened and she blinked quickly, pursing her lips together.

"Who told you?" Riley asked with a tight expression.

"Are you telling me it's true?" Lucas asked.

"What does it matter to you?" Riley hissed and slammed the door. She slid down on the other side and hot tears slid down her cheeks. "How did he find out? Just what I need now—be blackmailed by the biggest idiot in the school," she muttered angrily to herself, pushing away the tears with her fist. Suddenly, the door opened again and she tumbled out. She glared at Lucas from where she was on the ground and he bent down to her level. There was still a proud glint in her red eyes and he sighed.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," he muttered. She scoffed.

"I don't need your sympathy." He sighed and shrugged.

"No, but to keep this secret, you need my word," he told her. Riley glared at him until she realized he was right. Then she slowly nodded.