One Night ✔

8. High School Never Ends

"Riley we're gonna be late for the party" Lucas laughs as we stumble into my bedroom. Our parents were busy conversing downstairs; no one would ever know we were even gone as long as we were quiet.

"The party can wait" I reply rolling my eyes as I push him back onto the bed, my hands pulling down the zipper on my dress as I let it fall off my shoulders and onto the floor in a heap of fabric. Lucas' eyes widen as he stares up at me in shock, lust filling his eyes as they run over my curves.

"Riley we can wait. Just because college is coming up and things are changing doesn't mean-." I press my finger to his lips in an effort to shut him up and smile as I move to straddle him.

"Luke, I'm done waiting" I murmur before crashing my lips onto his.

~ 🌌 ~

"How can he think that Avery is Charlie's?" I ask in confusion, sitting at the island in my kitchen. Maya was standing on the other side, tracing her finger around the rim of her mug thoughtfully.

We had come back to my place after the reunion and despite the early hour of the morning I couldn't bring myself to fall asleep. I had to figure out why Lucas thought I had conceived a child with one of my least favorite people on the planet.

Silence falls over us for a long moment until finally Maya looks up from her mug with her eyes widened in surprise. "How did we not remember?" she murmurs. "Didn't Charlie kiss you that night at the party?" she asks curiously and I sigh, nodding my head reluctantly.

The memory of his lips pressed aggressively against mine made my stomach churn in disgust. I was glad he didn't make an appearance at the reunion tonight, that was the last thing I needed. I didn't think I could've handled Lucas and Charlie.

"We didn't really kiss, he attacked me and I tried to push him off" I explain, taking a deep breath. "When I was finally able to break free from him I went to find Lucas."

She worries on her bottom lip. "You don't think he saw the kiss do you?"

I groan, letting my head fall into my hands. "Why wouldn't he at least talk to me?" I ask in frustration. "After everything that happened that day" I trail off, shaking my head.

Maya gives me a supportive smile as she takes her hand in mine. "I'm sorry Riles."

"Mom, what are you doing up?" Avery asks as she walks into the room, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Sit down" I plead softly. She does what I ask, eyeing me wearily as she takes a seat beside me. "I saw your father" I explain. Her eyes widen.

"Did you tell him about me?" she asks and I hear the hopefulness in her voice, breaking my heart.

"It'a a little more complicated than simply telling him, especially after tonight" Maya sighs.

"Why, what happened?" Avery asks worriedly as she looks between us.

I take a long sip of my coffee, bracing myself for the words that are about to come out of my mouth. It still blew my mind that somehow Lucas had convinced himself that on the same night I lost my virginity to him that I had turned around and slept with Charlie. "Apparently your actual father thinks your father is a boy who forced himself on me at a party" I explain making Avery's eyes go wide, her mouth falling open before quickly closing again.

"What?" she exclaims in confusion. "W-why would he possibly think that?"

"I guess he saw us kissing. I don't really know" I sigh, raking my fingers through my hair. "I need Advil" I add as I stand up, walking over to the medicine cabinet. "I've ruined everything" I murmur, unscrewing the lid of the pill bottle.

Avery comes up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist in a tight hug. "You haven't ruined anything" she assures me. "Get some sleep mom" she adds sweetly. I turn around to face her and pull her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head as a smile pulls at my lips.

"Goodnight sweetheart."

"Goodnight" she replies. "Night Aunt Maya" she adds, waving at the blonde before heading back to her bedroom.

"She is way too nice" Maya insists as her bedroom door clicks shut. "This is what happens when dancing rays of sunshine and huckleberries have kids" she adds. I chuckle, grabbing a glass of water and swallowing my Advil.

"If only I could work up the courage to tell him about her" I sigh.

"You will" she assures me, reaching across the counter to take my hands in hers. "Just take it a day at a time."

I smile at the blonde across from me. I couldn't imagine my life without her, she was my sanity, my best friend. Surely I would've lost my mind a long time ago without her. "Thank you for being here" I murmur. She shrugs her shoulders.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."