Chasing Butterflies | a GMW fanfic

Girl Meets Honesty Is The Best Policy

The end of their Thanksgiving break came and went in a blur. Riley spent the entire time hidden away in her room, claiming that she had an excessive amount of homework to finish. She even used this excuse to keep Maya and Farkle away, even though they both wanted to talk to her about why Lucas left so suddenly on Thanksgiving.

Lucas.

Riley hadn't seen him or heard from him since that night, and she was glad. Just thinking about him made Riley either want to yell or cry, and she had no desire to do either. So, she avoided thinking about him. Not completely, though.

The hopeless romantic in her was convinced that they would make up and, ideally, get back together. That part of her was sure that this argument was just a part of their relationship, and that they would soon fix everything.

Of course, another part of her wanted to throw something at him.

But, being the logical person she was, Riley knew that neither of these scenarios would happen. Their argument had seemed so final, and she was scared to think that it wasn't only the end of their relationship, but it was the end of their friendship as well. It would hurt to lose Lucas as a boyfriend, but it would hurt more to lose him as a friend. It was hard to imagine that just the week before, they had been happy - they had been together.

These were the thoughts that occupied Riley's mind as she walked into the school building after break. As she walked through the doors, it occurred to her that this was the first time she was walking into school alone. She usually had Maya, and when she didn't, she had Lucas or Farkle. But, she had ignored Maya all weekend, Farkle was probably already in the classroom, and Lucas probably never wanted to see her again.

So, Riley entered the school alone.

She walked into the classroom and took her seat, hoping no one would notice her.

"Homework? Really?" At the sound of Maya's voice, Riley turned to look at her. "That was the best you could do?"

Riley sighed. "Maya, I'm sorry. I just...needed some time to figure things out."

Maya nodded. "Fine. But, next time, find a better excuse."

Riley gave Maya a small smile, which quickly faded when Lucas walked into the classroom. Riley willed herself not to look at him, though she was the only one Lucas was looking at. However, he didn't say anything to her as he walked past her desk and took his seat.

Meanwhile, Cory had picked up a piece of chalk and was writing on the blackboard. Riley couldn't quite make out what he had written until he had finished.

The board read, "Honesty is the best policy."

Riley couldn't help it - she turned and narrowed her eyes at Lucas, who seemed to be quite on edge.

"Honesty," Cory began. "Since you were all children, you have been told that it's always better to tell the truth than to tell a lie. Sometimes, when we lie, really bad things happen because of that lie. It happens all the time."

Riley tapped her fingers on her desk. She knew Lucas was probably watching for some sort of reaction from her. She knew that he was just trying to make sure his secret never got out.

"Even though it's usually better to tell the truth, can anyone think of an instance where lying might be the better option?" Cory looked around the classroom. "Lucas?"

Riley turned to look back at Lucas, curious to hear his answer.

Lucas shrugged. "It's better to tell a lie when the truth would hurt someone worse than the lie would."

At this statement, Riley let out a dry laugh.

Cory turned and looked at her. "Riley? Would you care to add a second opinion?"

Riley made sure she had Lucas' attention before she spoke. "I think what Lucas meant is that it's better to tell a lie when the truth would hurt yourself worse than the lie would."

Her tone had become acrid, and she was now glaring at Lucas, though he just looked shocked.

"Riley," he said, his voice pleading. "Don't do this now."

Maya, Farkle, and the rest of the class seemed quite perturbed by this incident, all looking rather uncomfortable.

"Riley, are you okay?" Cory asked, concerned.

"Yeah, Riley - you don't seem like yourself today. Maybe you should go out in the hallway and get some air." Though his voice was steady, the look in his eyes showed that he knew exactly where Riley was going with this.

"I appreciate your concern, Lucas, but I'm fine. At least, I would be, if it wasn't for that stupid trip to Texas! I would be fine if you hadn't convinced me to go meet your parents!" Riley was now almost shouting.

"Is that what this is about? Is this about Lucas' parents?" Cory frowned, confused. "I thought you said they were nice?"

The noise in the classroom seemed to disappear, like the unusual silence before a storm.

"Lucas," Riley said. "Why don't you tell us all about your parents. In fact, why don't you tell us about your parents' deaths?"

[A/N: Drama! Make some popcorn, cause I'm hoping to make the next few chapters very dramatic. My apologies for not updating sooner - the start of school has made it so I don't have very much time - especially not enough time for writing, oops! I hope this chapter was worth waiting for, and I'll make sure the next few are good, too. As always, feedback and votes are appreciated! Also, I would recommend giving the song at the top a listen - it's a really good song and I love it.]