Texas Lucas

I'm So Confused

Maya pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "Why did you do that?" She whispered, short of breath, still staring at him.

He frowned in confusion. "I'm sorry. I was dizzy and then I looked at you and everything cleared up and I just- I wanted to." He explained to her.

Maya slowly backed away. "I told you. You're Riley's guy and she's my best friend. The second thing you need to know about me is, I would never take anything of Riley's." She sighed. "No matter how much I might want it."

She was hoping he didn't hear the last part, but he did.

"I'm so confused. If you like me and I feel like I like you, then why am I with this Riley girl who I don't even feel like I like?"

Maya took a shaky breath and moved further away from him to the chair near his bedside. She was quiet for a moment. "You don't remember. You're confused because you don't remember, but if you did then you would know you're Riley's guy. You don't like me. You never liked me. You will never like me." She sighed. "And I used to be okay with that."

He blinked. "Why are you not okay with it now?" He asked.

Maya wouldn't look at him. "You. You gave me hope." She blinked back tears. "You shouldn't have done that, Lucas. I know it's for suckers." Maya looked up and caught him staring at her. "Stop."

He shrugged. "Sorry." He looked down at his hands then back up at her again. She caught him.

"Quit lookin' at me!"

He kept staring. "I'm sorry, Maya. You look-" She cut him off.

"Yeah, good. I know. You already told me. Before the bull thing."

He smiled. "I was gonna say cute, all pouty like that. But I bet you look cuter when you smile."

Maya shook her head. "Stop. Will you just stop. I want everything to stop!" She said standing up.

He stood up too. "Maya, I can't help how I feel when I look at you. I have no memory of you, but I know you must be very important to me. I feel it. My heart races around you."

"And it clip clops like a horse around Riley." She stated.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Did I say that before? That doesn't sound like something I would say." He shook his head.

Maya rolled her eyes. "No. I was making fun of you. That's what I do. Riley builds you up and I tear you down, that's how it works."

"Oh." He frowned. "Why?"

"Because someone has to kick you off your pedestal or else you start thinking stupid things like you can ride a bull and then you get hurt like you did!" She yelled.

"You make fun of me because you like me?" He asked.

"I didn't say that!"

"You didn't have to." He shrugged his shoulders. "I can hear how much you care, Maya. I care about you too, very much. I know I do. I can feel it." He took her hand and put it on his chest. "Maybe you're not in my head anymore, but you're still in here."

Maya took a deep breath. "Okay."

"What's going on in here?"

Maya pulled her hand away and backed up. Lucas turned to the door and saw Zay, that Riley girl, and another guy their age. He smiled widely. "Zay! I heard we made up and we're friends again. I'm really glad." He walked over to give his best friend a bro hug.

Zay hugged him back. "Me too and I'm glad you didn't die."

Lucas pulled away. "Yeah so am I, but I just wish I remembered." He looked back at Maya, then he glanced at Riley. "I'm so confused right now." He sighed deeply.

Farkle stepped forward. "I can clear things up. I am Farkle Minkus, your best friend from New York, which I have to say or Zay will get jealous." Zay just grinned. "Beside me is Riley Matthews, she is a good friend and a good person, she is like the sunshine already being present in our lives. Behind you is, Maya Penelope Hart, the first time I told you that she tried to kill me, but you stopped her. You're a good friend, Lucas. You always have our backs when we need you ever since your dad got transferred to New York."

Lucas blinked. "Farkle? Really?"

He just smiled. "Yup! Don't wear it out." He grinned at him.

Lucas chuckled. "I'm not sure you could." He shook his head.

Farkle nodded. "Interestingly enough, that was your exact response the first time you found out what my name was."

Lucas smiled and nodded. "Okay, but I'm still confused. Can you explain why I feel like I like Maya, but she says I like Riley?"

Maya took a shaky breath and sat back down. Riley gulped then walked over to sit beside her.

Farkle blinked. "I don't know. I always thought it was Lucas and Riley. I didn't know there was a Lucas and Maya, except for the one time when the whole class voted you and Maya favorite couple. That was a weird day."

"Weird because of Maya and I?"

Farkle shook his head. "No. Riley, Maya, and myself made that day weird and unusual for everyone. We acted like different people."

Lucas blinked. "Why?"

Farkle licked his lips, then he looked over at Maya and Riley. "We lost ourselves for awhile, but they found themselves again. I am still trying to find myself."

Lucas nodded. "Me too, buddy. I don't even remember who I became, but I know who I was and I don't want to be that again."

Zay nodded. "You're not, man. I'm not either. People change people and these three have changed us." He smiled at Maya. "That one over there really changed us."

Lucas blinked. He looked at Maya sitting beside Riley and then he looked back at Zay. "How? How did Maya really change us?"

Farkle jumped in. "I think he meant Riley. Riley changed us all for the better, Maya included." He smiled brightly at her.

"True, Riley helps us stay out of trouble and her father teaches us about life, but Maya was the one who made me feel included when I thought you got these new friends and didn't need me anymore and Maya is the one who keeps you balanced between your good and bad side. I've seen it. Maya changes us, she makes us better, she's pretty amazing."

Lucas turned and smiled at Maya. "I know. It only took me a few seconds to figure that out."

Maya looked down at her shoes.

Zay sighed. "Yeah, if you didn't tell me you liked her so much I would've asked her out on my first day." He chuckled. Then he realized what he said out loud and swallowed hard. "Oops. Me and my big mouth strike again."

"Wait.. You're saying Lucas liked me before he lost his memory?" Maya said while standing up.

Zay nodded. "I wasn't supposed to say that, but yeah. The blonde beauty slip that one time almost got me in trouble." He chuckled nervously. "But Lucas didn't get too mad because I didn't actually say the words 'he likes you'.. until now, that is." Zay nervously chuckled again. "Oops."

Lucas didn't look mad. He still just looked confused, but every once in a while he would send a small smile Maya's way.