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maryeemeeh · 7 years

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Wolves of Manhattan

Summary: He is the rich kid from the Upper East Side with a troubled past and a dysfunctional family. She is from Greenwich Village who is pulled into the world of the rich and famous when her parents receive promotions. When their paths cross, a spark is ignited and the tables are turned when they learn they are far more connected than they thought. AU.

Originally posted on fanfiction.net

A/N: I didn’t realize I haven’t posted Chapter 7 on here. But it has been up on fanfiction.net. And yes, I am currently working on the latest chapter. I know it’s been months, but I had to get a few one-shots out of my system first before I continued with this (lol). CHAPTER SEVEN

Lucas woke up to bright light streaming through his window. He squinted and shielded his eyes, blinking a few times before he reluctantly got up and stretched. He grabbed his phone buried underneath one of the pillows and turned off the alarm before it sounded in a few seconds. He let out a long yawn and walked out of his room towards the connecting bathroom.

When Lucas had fixed himself up wearing casual dark jeans and a simple V-neck white shirt underneath a grey shawl collar cardigan, he made his way to the dining room where cooked breakfast was laid out on the table. There were blueberry waffles, bacon, breads, macaroons, fresh fruits, juice and tea that made his stomach grumble from the smell alone. He briefly looked up and met his father's sharp gaze. He was fashionably dressed in a dark grey suit and black tie. His graying hair was slicked back and his face cleanly shaven, making him appear 10 years younger. But the eyes were still so terrifyingly righteous that Lucas had to avert his gaze to the gentle blue eyes of his mother—warm and inviting in comparison to his father's hardened expression.

"Morning," Lucas greeted as his mom gave him a warm smile and signaled him to sit down and eat beside her. He obliged and took the empty seat across from his father.

Breakfast was silent except for the chewing and the scraping of forks against plates. Lucas had finished before them as he got up and began to walk out the door.

"Hold on, son." His father called out to him as Lucas turned around and sighed. "Where are you going at this hour?"

"Paying my dues, sir. Mom didn't tell you?"

"Not in that bakery you are." He murmured.

Lucas' eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" His face remained taut, muscles rippling across his frame as he shifted.

"I got off the phone with the Dean a few moments ago, and explained to him our…delicate family situation. He has agreed for you to complete your hours at Friar Enterprises while you continue coaching Little League."

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?!"

"Lucas!" His mother gasped, glancing anxiously between her husband and son. The tension in the room was almost palpable, emotions running on overload as they stared each other down.

"I just want to spend more quality time with you, Lucas." Mr. Friar explained, a nonchalant expression on his face. "Make up for lost time, is that a crime?"

Lucas lightly chuckled at the irony of the last statement. "No, you just want to control every aspect of my life as always." He retorted. His father opened his mouth, about to reply before deflating with a frown.

"I'll see you in my office in an hour." He said curtly, absently picking up his coffee mug and turning his attention over to today's paper.

Lucas' eyes flickered, a look of disbelief on his face. He glanced over at his mother, desperately pleading with his eyes, but she said nothing as she gazed at him calmly. A heavy silence filled the room, wearing down between them before Lucas regarded his father carefully.

"Whatever." His voice was surprisingly steady and collected as he grabbed the house keys from the kitchen counter and stormed out of the apartment.

A few minutes of precious peace was broken the moment another customer walked in, causing the little golden bell at the top of the door to jingle. She scrunched up her face, the smallest of sounds making her ears ring with intensity.

"Ugh." She hissed as she felt small, delicate fingers lift her head up from the table. Her limbs were heavy and her mind sluggish, but she forced herself to sit up on the chair. The morning light from the window blinded her, searing into her pupils like the fires of hell. "So this is what a hangover feels like." She groaned, accepting the water bottle that was placed in front of her. "Remind me to never drink again."

"I'm so sorry, Smackle. I should have never let you out of my sight."

"It's not your fault, Riley. I made the careless and idiotic decision to drink, not you."

"Going to the party was a stupid idea." Riley rambled on in one of her dramatic tirades, getting all worked up as the guilt forced her gaze downwards. "I'm so sorry I made you go with me."

Smackle rolled her eyes. "Would you stop that? Despite how terrible I'm feeling right now, I had fun last night." A hint of a smile graced her features as she thought about Farkle. Riley frowned and watched as Smackle rubbed her hand down her tired face. Just moments later, Evan returned to their table with two coffee mugs in hand.

"I thought this might help." He grinned, cautiously placing the coffee mugs in front of them. "Expresso macchiato for your hangover, and vanilla latte with extra whip for you, Riley."

"Oh thank you!" Smackle's gaze brightened a little at the delightful aroma of coffee. "Just what I need to restore my normal functioning."

Evan smiled, grabbing an empty seat nearby to join them and listened as they talked about the party.

"Sounds like you had a great time, Smackle." He smirked and then glanced over at Riley, whose eyes were wandering aimlessly around the room. Moments later, the bell chimed and echoed throughout the bakery, sounding another customer's arrival. They looked up as Lucas strode inside with his head hung low and one of his hands in his cardigan pocket. He placed the folded black shirt and apron on the counter by the cash register before turning around and hastily exiting through the doors.

"Okay…what's that about?" Smackle asked curiously as they exchange bewildered looks.

"I'll be back." Riley stood up and motioned towards the main entrance. Once she stepped outside, the cool morning breeze embraced her from behind while the warm sunrays hit the corners of her face. Her eyes scanned around the busy crowd, at the many pedestrians and tourists roaming the streets until she spotted him walking along the sidewalk towards the parked black Cadillac Escalade.

"Lucas!"

He stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes went a bit wider, and he looked at her in awe as she approached him. "Hey, Riley."

"Hi…" She smiled, a genuine concern pulling at her lips. "Is everything okay? I just saw you walk in and out of there so fast." Riley stared at him for a moment and noticed his face had crumpled with emotion.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. It's my Dad…" he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked her over with gentle, emerald eyes. "He's back."

"Oh…"

"I won't be staying at the bakery. I'll be completing my hours at my Dad's company." A disappointed tone entered his voice. Riley slowly nodded, unsure of what to say. She could see the uncertainty clouding his features, the frustration and anger he was trying to desperately hide from her. So she gave him a reassuring smile—hoping it would ease some of his worries.

"No matter how you feel about him, Lucas…he is still your father who loves you and just wants what's best for you even if you don't agree with him."

He sighed as her words broke through him for a fraction of a second and completely crippled his defenses. "I know…"

A blanket of silence fell upon them; their eyes still set on one another. Lucas was sort of at a loss as he felt his heart slammed against his ribcage at the softness of her gaze. It amazed him that even though he wasn't in the best of moods when it came to his father, somehow...someway she had an effect on him that nobody ever had before. And as scary as it was, Lucas was absolutely sure she was the only one in the world who managed to make him feel the way she did.

Made him feel that everything was going to be okay.

"Anyway, I should go. My Dad is expecting me." He muttered as he took a few steps back and reluctantly began distancing himself from her. "I'll see you around."

Riley nodded, smiling lightly as she watched him get in the back of the car and leave.

The rest of the weekend went by without much incident, and that was mostly due to the fact that Riley didn't leave her apartment once—other than going to Topanga's to help out for a couple of hours. When school rolled around, she found herself being summoned to the Dean's office at the end of first period. As she made her way towards the administration building, she spotted Missy Bradford just stepping out of the Dean's office, a mischievous smirk plastered on her face. Riley didn't think much of it as she approached Missy and greeted her with a giddy smile. "Hi, Missy."

"Oh hey, Reina."

"It's, Riley."

"Oh…right." Missy flipped her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "Well, bye now."

"Bye!" Riley waved cheerfully and proceeded towards the office, knocking on the familiar oak door.

"Come in." The cool, composed voice belonging to her father sounded through. Pushing the door slowly with one hand, he did not look the slightest bit happy.

"Dad? You wanted to see me?" Riley asked somewhat tentatively as she cautiously entered the room.

"Yes, please sit down." He gestured as she perched on the edge of the nearest chair, not knowing what she was supposed to be guilty of or why she was even there in the first place.

"Does this belong to you?" He asked, placing a dark blue jean jacket on the desk.

"That's not mine." Riley answered truthfully.

"Missy Bradford told me she invited a few friends over for a party, and thought maybe you left it behind." He said, wearily sitting back in his chair. "But I was thinking it couldn't possibly be yours because if you had attended the party, I would have known about it." Riley swallowed thickly, unable to hide the guilt clearly etched on her face. "So why would Miss Bradford think this was your jacket?"

She drew in a nervous breath, bracing herself. "Please don't get angry, Dad."

"I'm not angry, Riley. I'm disappointed that you would lie to me."

"I didn't lie…I just left that part out." She shrugged innocently in an attempt to play it off as something unimportant.

Mr. Matthews regarded her for a moment and sighed. "You're still keeping things from me, Riley and that's being dishonest."

"I'm sorry, Dad." She lowered her gaze shamefully and scuffed her foot on the ground. "I just…I wanted to meet new people and make some friends, and I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'll say no." Mr. Matthews looked her over with a mixture of empathy and concern in his eyes. "Are you going to tell Mom?"

"No, because you are."

She sighed. "I'm so sorry, Dad."

"Just promise me it won't happen again."

"I promise..." There was a brief pause as Riley rubbed her hands together nervously. "So am I grounded?" She asked as Mr. Matthew released a light chuckle and found that he couldn't stay disappointed at her for long.

"Well...it all depends on whether or not you'll accept my proposition."

Her brows knitted together curiously. "What do you have in mind?"

"Finals are coming up and they are going to need some tutors to help out for a few hours after school. This would be a great opportunity for you to meet people and for them to see how amazing you are." Riley beamed at the thought. "That…or be grounded on your mother's terms."

"I'll take it!" She exclaimed, a bright smile suddenly radiating from her lips. "So when do I start?"

"How does right after school sound?"

Her last two period classes went by quickly as she looked forward to the end of the day when she would help someone become a better student. While waiting in the tutor center located inside the library, Riley grabbed the nearest empty table and made herself comfortable in a chair. She took out her pencil and notebook and began flipping through her science book aimlessly, unaware of the doors opening behind her.

"Uh…Riley Matthews?"

A masculine voice sounded, pulling her from her thoughts. Her brown eyes met his warily as surprise registered in her mind when she recognized him.

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Thor. It looks like you're my tutor." He smiled, taking a seat across from her at the table as he handed her an official tutor assignment slip with their names printed on them. "Not exactly my favorite subject, but I have a history quiz by the end of the week, and I need to turn my C- into a B+ if I have any chance of getting into Columbia."

She narrowed her eyes, studying him carefully. He looked handsome with his built physique and soft brown hair that fell just above his light brown eyes. "You're the guy that had a bit of a scuffle with Lucas in the hallway the other day."

He cocked a brow at her mockingly, amused. "And you must be the pretty new girl who is also the Dean's daughter." Her lips parted in disbelief as a light chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh come on, two new people at the school who arrived at the same time with the same last name." He smirked. "Even I don't need a tutor to figure that one out."

"Are you making fun of me?" She huffed.

He blinked and flashed her a puzzled look. "I wasn't trying to be funny. I was simply stating the obvious."

Riley closed her science book and released a sigh. "Okay, if I'm going to help you…I need to know the kind of person I'm dealing with because if you're gonna be the jerk I saw in the hallway the other day, then you can just forget about it. Because guess what? We all have problems, and we shouldn't have to put it out on other people."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. He felt a strange sense of weariness settle over him as he gazed at Riley. "Is that was Lucas is telling you?" His shoulders relaxed as the barest hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "You care about him." It sounded more like a statement than a question as Riley felt his eyes studying her.

"So do you."

"You don't even know me, Princess."

Riley frowned and chose her next words carefully. "I know you guys used to be close friends, and despite your big ego, you miss him." Thor opened his mouth to quickly reply, only to find that no words would leave him. He remained silent, and she can see from the way his face darkened that she has hit a nerve.

"Are you my tutor or my shrink?" He addressed her with a warning tone that she was crossing the line. But at this point, Riley couldn't stop herself. She couldn't help herself when an opportunity arose—the need to help people, to fix those who were broken. If she couldn't fix what was happening between Lucas and his father, then maybe she can mend a friendship.

"Whatever you need me to be." She answered as Thor blinked, looking as surprise as she did. It felt so utterly strange being cared for by someone he barely knew, and yet there was something about it that was almost soothing. There was a short silence as her eyes fell from Thor's inquiring gaze to the open history book on the desk. She swallowed weakly, propping her chin on her hands as she felt her cheeks flush. "Alright then. World War II."

To be continued…

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