"And then he hugged her so tight, all of her broken pieces fit back together."
WARNING: THERE ARE MENTIONS OF SELF HARM, ABUSE, AND SUICIDE IN THIS BOOK. IF ANY OF THESE THINGS TRIGGER BAD MEMORIES, I RECOMMEND YOU DO NOT READ THIS BOOK
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"I LOVE YOU."
Erica sucked in a breath. "What?"
"I love you." Lucas repeated. "I want you to know that I love you. And I always will."
"As friends though, right?" Erica asked. She knew it seemed like the worst thing to say at the time, but Riley had a crush on him, and Erica didn't want to get in the middle of that, like Maya once did.
Lucas' face dropped momentarily, before returning to the concerned look from before. "Of course."
"Then I love you too." • • • LUCAS HAD KNOWN that he would have another problem on his hands from the moment he met Erica. He knew she was pretty, everyone could see that, but he also knew as soon as she opened her mouth that he could easily fall for her.
And that's exactly what he'd done.
He'd fallen for her—hard.
Something about her just drew him to her like a moth to a flame. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but it was there.
Lucas was prepping himself for triangle part two.
"So, let me get this straight." Zay said. "You like Erica and Riley?"
"Another damn triangle?" Farkle asked.
"Fuckboi Friar." Brandon said, shaking his head.
"What the heck is that?" Lucas asked.
"It's the nickname the whole class gave you while you were in the triangle with Maya and Riley." Brandon explained.
"Fuckboi Friar?" Lucas asked.
Brandon nodded, and Zay chuckled while Lucas glared at him.
"Who cares, Lucas." Farkle said. "You cannot do this again. You can't do it to Riley."
"Or Erica." Zay said. "She's going through a lot of stuff right now. She can't handle this too. And what if you decide you like Riley still the most?" He asked. "Then, Erica gets rejected. She's in a very delicate place. You can't do that."
"You know those feelings you're feeling for Erica?" Brandon asked. "Kill them." • • • THE NEXT DAY at school, Lucas had tried to ignore his feelings for Erica, but it wasn't working.
Mr. Matthews was talking about something, but Lucas wasn't paying attention. He had Erica running around his brain.
He looked over at Erica, who smiled at him.
Lucas' heart skipped a beat, before smiling back at Erica.
Maya looked between the two. She knew exactly what was going on.
"Maya." Riley whispered. "Are you okay?"
Maya looked at Riley, and noticed the worry lines on her forehead. She wasn't worried about Maya.
Riley knew.
Riley knew that Lucas was falling for Erica.
"Are you okay?" Maya asked.
"Me?" Riley asked. "Of course. I'm always okay—"
"Riley." Maya said sternly. "I'm talking about the Lucas thing."
Riley tightly smiled. "Same here." • • • MALIA HAD SKIPPED her first day back at school. She didn't want to go. Not when Erica was doing things like this.
An idea popped in Malia's head.
She went into the bathroom, searching for the razor that was hidden in here.
After an hour of searching, just as she was about to give up, Malia saw it.
She looked at the dried blood on it, stifled a few tears that had threatened to spill out, and threw it out the window.
"Can't hurt any of us now." Malia whispered.
Boy, was she wrong. • • • RILEY LOOKED AT Erica and Lucas' exchange. She looked at Lucas' face.
He was in love with her.
Anyone with eyes could see it.
He never looked at Maya or Riley like that.
A tear slipped out of Riley's eye.
She quickly wiped it off her cheek.
Someone put a hand on her back. Riley turned around and it was Maya. "Look at them, peaches." Riley said. "How can I be the one holding them back from looking like that?"
"Are you gonna let him go?" Maya asked.
"I am, Maya." Riley said. "I'll find someone else."
"Go tell him, then." Maya said. "I talked to Zay. He said that Lucas is trying to get rid of his feelings for your sake. If your feelings are gone, go tell him. Let them be together."
"I will, Maya." Riley said. "Thank you." • • • "LUCAS, I NEED to talk to you." Riley said, while they were doing their homework at Topanga's that night. "In private."
"Sure, Riley." Lucas said, getting up. "Lead the way."
Riley led him to the table outside. "I know." She blatantly said.
"You know what?" Lucas asked.
"I know that you're in love with Erica." Riley said.
"Riley, I—"
"I'm not done." Riley cut Lucas off. "It's okay that you love her. Really. It is. I want you to know that I'm okay with this. Don't let me be the reason you two aren't happy."
Lucas looked up at Riley. "Thank you." He said, getting up and hugging her. "You were the first girl I liked. That will always mean something to me."
"Me too." Riley said. "Now go get her."
author's note- lmao i just realized that Erica's barely in this chapter oops:/ anywayy this book will be finished within a few chapters and i've been thinking about what to do next. here are some options-
