WARNING: Mentions of child abuse.

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i. It starts with one mistake. One day they messed up and then young Stuart Minkus is married and a father of a little boy with the strange name of Farkle.

Who names a little boy Farkle Minkus?

ii. But it doesn't stop with one mistake.

He's busy with school and she's busy, too, so Farkle goes to a daycare- it's expensive, sure, and not very good, but Farkle's taken care of.

So Stuart works on making a better place in the world for Farkle and pretends he loves his wife (that he never sees). It's okay though, because it'll get better soon.

iii. It doesn't get better.

Stuart is rising through the ranks of a prestigious company and getting a billion degrees and starting his own company and sleeps at the office with little boy Farkle still at the daycare while his mother disappears for days, weeks, months at a time.

It's okay though, because Stuart spoils Farkle with the fuzziest blankets and the most fun toys.

iv. The most fun toys are often discarded in Farkle's room.

Farkle gets bored. He doesn't see his father no, Dad- hardly ever, and his mother is an unreachable memory that sometimes comes into focus, only to scream at him and Dad for ruining her life and he doesn't even know what he's done.

v. He doesn't even know what he's done.

But he must've fixed it because everything's gotten better now. Dad's got an up-and-coming company and Mother's much happier because she has fancy new clothes and a fancy new apartment and a fancy new life.

So Farkle pretends everything is now okay because Dad and Mother smile at him and Dad can make it to the meals made by the chef and Mother drives him to kindergarten in her sleek car driven by Mr. What's-His-Name who stares at her with drool running down his chin.

Farkle accepts it and ignores the taunting kids and the mean names with mean words, opening a book and losing himself instead.

vi. Opening a book and losing himself instead.

It's spring of his kindergarten year and somehow he's reading college physics textbooks and hiding them from everyone even though he reads them at lunch and recess and when he's supposed to be asleep. He hides them because he pulled it out at dinner on Christmas and Dad told him he was going to be a genius like him until Mother screamed that he had to be normal and put that away right this instant but how did her six-year-old son get a college textbook anyway?

Screams come from his parents' room so he moves on from physics to calculus and pretends he doesn't notice his parents sleeping in separate room and Dad's near-constant business trips.

Around him, everyone's laughing or screaming and he's fading, fading fading.

vii. He's fading, fading, fading.

Nobody sees it, though. They just see Farkle less and thicker, heavier, smarter books. He wonders how their faces can contort into such shapes and pokes his cheeks for hours while staring at the mirror and trying to make his lips shift up or his eyes tear up or something.

And it's good that he's emotionless, apathetic, removed.

Especially the day when Mother is tired of being Mother.

viii. The day when Mother is tired of being Mother.

It's the day Farkle asks to go to a normal school because he doesn't belong everyone chants. Dad is away so he asks Mother but Mother was tired because they didn't have anything in my size at the store today so Mother yells and it's back to before but this time, this time her hand stretches out and he face is pink and he wonders if he should feel something because the maid is shocked and Mother is screaming that nobody can ever, ever know you idiot boy and poor girl.

She stills tells Dad to switch him schools and it'll be done before the first grade begins.

Ix. The first grade begins.

His summer was empty of Dad and full of Mother's temper so he wears brightly colored turtlenecks in the hopes that they cover the bruises and make him seem happy and maybe just maybe protect him from the monsters that lurk out there.

But he still sits where he can't be seen with a big book and nobody around because it's not different at all here.

Farkle. What idiot would name their little boy Farkle? Nobody wants to be friends with a Farkle Minkus.

x. Nobody wants to be friends with a Farkle Minkus.

Except for Riley Matthews, who invites everybody from their class to her Halloween party and he suddenly saves her- the vampire in a turtleneck named Farkle dares to save Riley Matthews because her drowning reminds him of going home and- and- and-

And she doesn't laugh at his name. She shushes Maya Hart and pulls Farkle along for so long that he leaves his books in his backpack and he starts to feel.

xi. He starts to feel.

That's not good. Mother doesn't stop but he starts to cry and it only gets harder. His turtlenecks are the best and only way to hide. Turtlenecks and Riley and Maya.

xi. Turtlenecks and Riley and Maya.

He hides and he laughs and he becomes like them, sort of. He keeps reading and stops sleeping and ignores his feelings. He gets comfortable.

xii. He gets comfortable.

Then Lucas Friar comes and then he loses Riley and Maya and he turn toward Smackle but Smackle reminds him to hide his feelings and he wonders if he can ever become Donnie Barnes, if he can ever get out of this mess.

xiii. Get out of this mess.

It's all that pushes him through the drama of high school, all that thickens his skin after each of Mother's hits.

And while they plan to stay, he hides the other letters because Farkle is our friends, he wouldn't leave us.

They open their NYU acceptance letters together and Riley watches as Farkle's smile drops when he thinks he's alone but he knew her better than Maya in eighth grade and she knows him better than anyone in senior year so Riley breaks into his house.

xiv. Riley breaks into his house.

He doesn't know until he comes home from a (predictable) date with Smackle to find her surrounded by his papers in his room and he almost loses his temper like his mother.

But Riley looks up with those wide, innocent eyes. She is crying and asking him why oh why Farkle don't you love us?

And Farkle tried to keep up the façade of twelve years but it's been twelve years and he doesn't want to pretend like he always does so he cries and blubbers and he tells Riley but Dad is listening and he doesn't see Dad until Riley is staring behind him and Dad breaks the glass of water he is carrying and Farkle knows.

xv. Farkle knows.

Farkle knows that he ruined everything just like he did eighteen years ago.

The screaming is so bad and Riley sweet Riley is so worried she makes him temporarily move in with her.

Riley never tells a soul what he told her because Daddy his parents are just struggling please can he stay oh Mommy please. But Auggie lets him sneak out as long as nothing happens with Riley you hear me?

And Riley sweet Riley holds him when he cries for hours at night because Farkle you have eighteen years of pain to let out.

So Farkle cries and cries and cries and lets go of Smackle and Maya and Lucas don't come by anymore thouh Zay stops by without the others knowledge and Riley says it's the relationships tearing them apart so Farkle doesn't feel guilty.

Riley surprises him with their matching acceptance letters to Stanford so far away so safe and tells him that they'll live together because she wants to stay away from strangers.

Farkle doesn't feel right living with someone while unmarried so he slips her the ring the first night he doesn't cry at all and she asks him why and how but he's loved her since she didn't laugh in first grade.

She laughs and Zay finds out and Auggie finds out but nobody else because not even they saw it coming but it's just so right.

xvi. But it's just so right.

It's so right that Riley decides they have all the people they need and Farkle calls Dad when Zay's driving to say I'm getting married please don't yell at me I love her and I have since she didn't laugh at my name and she listened and Dad is it okay with you?

He didn't plan to ask permission but leaps with joy when Dad says yes and Riley leaves a message for her parents. She's always wanted a big wedding but she doesn't care because she's happy and this is her life now even if Maya and Lucas and Smackle aren't there.

Auggie and Zay laugh when Riley mixes up her words and Farkle adds in a few nobody else knows but eighteen years of unwanted loneliness are gone from Farkle's memory the second she kisses him. It's not something new but it's binding and Stanford here come Farkle and Riley Minkus.

xvii. Stanford here come Farkle and Riley Minkus.

It started with one mistake, and a lot more followed. But, in their cramped apartment, Farkle and Riley Minkus study insane hours and become Donnie and Morotia M. Barnes on the days they can't handle struggle it's okay though. Because Farkle survived eighteen years with an absent Dad and an abusive Mother and Riley learned to love family even when Topanga and Cory call back and ask why couldn't we be there? and she doesn't know why.

Because life is a series of mistakes for them- mistakes that become miracles.