"Well, it appears the sun has risen once again on our blessed Abigail Adams, my young chemists. Good morning and welcome back from your last Spring Break!"

Riley Matthews felt the familiar sharp stab of a bony elbow her side and turned to her best friend with an exaggerated look, eyebrows raised in questioning.

Maya Hart, beautiful, blonde, and bold, quirked one of her own dainty eyebrows and muttered, "Is he for real?"

Dropping her expression to an endearing smile, Riley rolled her eyes and pointed to the front with her pencil, "Pay attention."

"-Last project of your high school chemistry careers." Mr. Hudson was introducing, to be met with a round of cheers from the chunk of Senior class residing at their desks.

Waving, the elder man silenced the crowd, "Please, hold your applause until the end. Now, this last project obviously has to be something to stick in your minds and motivate you all to pursue chemistry in college!"

"Neeever gonna happen," Maya mumbled for only Riley, resting her chin on her palm and leaning forward.

The brunette bit back a smile and shook her head.

Mr. Hudson continued, "So, I'm gonna let you blow something up."

Again, the class erupted into cheers and even Maya sat up straight, a smirk playing at her lips.

"Yes, yes! You and a partner will be designing, creating, and lastly igniting your own fireworks." The teacher barely managed to call across the room of giddy students.

Instinctually, Riley and Maya knotted their arms together. No one around them even glanced over to ask for a team up. Riley Matthews and Maya Hart were only ever not partners when they were forced to go without. It went without saying that this project would be no exception.

…Until Mr. Hudson spoke next.

"Now, everyone get up and sit in alphabetical order by the last name. Whoever you end up next to, you will be spending the rest of the school year with."

Riley's heart stuttered, her smile sliding from her face.

No, no, no! Please, God, no!

Maya whirled around to look at her, wide-eyed as everyone else began to move around the classroom. She knew exactly why her best friend was still sitting on her original stool, frozen. She knew and yet she still looked slightly…amused?

Traitor!

"Ms. Matthews?"

Swallowing, Riley turned to see Mr. Hudson standing beside her (well, she guessed, not anymore) desk.

"Yes?" She squeaked out.

"Is there a problem?"

"…No?"

"Ah, good! Then, I think you'll find your new seat is over there." He pointed to a desk a few rows behind Riley. Slowly, the girl turned on her stool to follow the path of his finger.

There, exactly two tables back and one to the left sat a desk with only one boy currently occupying it.

The boy was sitting up, his posture as rigid and awkward as Riley imagined her own was at that moment, and he was fidgeting with the pencil in his hands, whirling it around his long digits expertly.

Farkle fucking Minkus.

His lighter brown hair was styled up in that annoyingly attractive spiked-up way that made it incredibly easy to get a good look at those electric blue eyes. Electric blue eyes that were currently boring back at Riley, cold and calculating and so damn intense.

God, does he always have to look like he's plotting my murder?

Turning back to Mr. Hudson, Riley opened her mouth.

"Nuh-uh, Ms. Matthews. Your partner is your partner, now get moving." The chemistry teacher grinned and passed her the stack of books that had been sitting before her. He gestured for her to move along.

Pouting at Maya as she passed, Riley ducked her head and trudged back to the table two back and one to the left. She slammed her books on to the desk and dramatically threw herself down onto the stool.

There was a long, long silence and then…

"Impressive display of maturity, Matthews. I'm in awe, truly."

Narrowing her eyes, Riley spun on the boy and pointed at him, angrily. "Listen here, you don't talk to me. You don't look at me. You don't breathe on me. Do that and we might actually get a decent grade."

Quirking an eyebrow and otherwise remaining expressionless, "And followed up by a completely rational reaction, not at all excessive. Color me surprised."

"Shut up, Minkus." Riley hissed, turning back to the front as Mr. Hudson began to go on about the project.

The hatred between Riley Matthews and Farkle Minkus began on the very first day of Freshman year.

Riley, bright and shiny with sunlight sown under her skin, had strolled in through the double doors of Abigail Adams High School with high-in-the-sky, apple pie hopes. She'd been the top student at John Quincy Adams Middle School and had been working on her valedictorian speech since her 351st 'A'.

It was her beginning, the true start of her path to excellence and Ivy League.

Farkle, darker and more empirical with some dents and scratches in the packaging, stumbled through the doors of Abigail Adams because an upperclassman had rammed into him. He'd been bullied and beaten in elementary school, transferring to Einstein Academy the second his parents said he could. He had excelled there, top marks and every teacher's favorite, and he was ready to keep the momentum going through high school.

Princeton, as his father constantly reminded him, was calling.

Riley hated Farkle from the moment she heard him cursing under his breath in latin while fumbling with his locker combination.

Farkle hated Riley from the moment he watched her recite Pi to the 28th digit when she'd only been asked for the basic 3.14.

The only thing the two seemed able to agree upon was that Abigail Adams was definitely not big enough for the both of them.

The bell rang, sharp and shrill, and Riley wasn't sure if she had ever heard anything as sweet as that sound. It had only been a week since Farkle Minkus had been assigned as her partner and she'd already wanted to kill him more times than she could count.

Shooting to her feet, she scowled and ignored Farkle as he opened his mouth to speak.

Once to the door, Riley took comfort in Maya's waiting presence.

"Are you okay?" The blonde asked, tugging at the lapels of her combat jacket. There was something in her tone that made Riley shot her a questioning look like she found the brunette's suffering funny.

"Oh, I'm great, Peaches!" Riley grinned painfully, forcing her cheeks to remain locked. "Why on Earth wouldn't I be? Because Farkle said that he should take charge on our project because we aren't 'writing fanfiction about rainbows and butterflies' so my expertise aren't required?"

"Ouch." Maya frowned.

Riley scoffed, wrenching her locker open, "Or maybe because he turned our work packet in after doing it all alone and without letting me see it?"

"Admittedly unnecessary."

"Oh, oh! Maybe you think I'm not fine because Farkle insisted on checking my work on balancing our chemical equation for gunpowder and, fuck him by the way, actually found one tiny, little mistake?!" Riley's voice rose and she slammed her locker back shut, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

Puckering her lips, Maya eyes widened at her best friend, Riley Matthews, cursing aloud and glanced around to see that the outburst had called the attention of some of their peers.

"Move along, ya stalkers, nothing to see here!" She snapped at two passing freshmen, who immediately cowered away and raced off. She turned back to Riley to speak, only to be interrupted by a third party coming to stand a few feet from them.

Farkle stood with his shoulders slouched, hands shoved in his pockets. Riley noticed his shirt was hanging a little haphazardly and his hair was messier than it'd been just before in the chemistry lab. Meeting those cold, blue eyes, she found them looking worn and tired.

Seriously?! What's the matter with him now?

"Minkus."

"Matthews."

"Can I help you?" Riley asked after Farkle didn't continue.

He groaned and closed his eyes, leaning his head back, "Help is such a strong word." Looking back down at her, he pulled a folded packet of papers from his pocket and held it out before him. The previously mentioned work packet. Huh.

"Hudson said that the point of having a partner is working with them and not against them, whatever that means." Farkle shrugged.

Riley smirked, "So, he could tell that you didn't let me work on it?"

Farkle just stared at her in response and she was once again struck by how exhausted he looked like he was too tired to even be annoyed by her as usual.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" She asked, glancing over at Maya. The blonde was watching the chemistry partners back-and-forth as if they were a tennis match.

"We have to redo it." He sighed and noticed Riley's drawn eyebrows, "Like together. It's due first thing tomorrow, the start of class."

"Wait, what?!" Riley exclaimed, dropping her arms, "But that means-"

"Meeting up after school, yeah, I know." Farkle shoved the packet back into his pocket and twitchily tugged at his hair. So that's how it was suddenly all messy… "Believe me, I'm about as excited as you, Matthews."

Rolling her eye because the whole situation was his fault, Riley grabbed Maya's arm and pushed past the boy. She threw over her shoulder, " at Topanga's at 5!"

"So, your mom owns this place, right?"

Riley glanced up from her chemistry textbook to see Farkle inspecting the little cafe. They'd been working for about an hour already in near silence, having created a rotation system where they completed the work and then exchanged it for the other's approval. It was actually working quite nicely, and now Minkus had to go and talk.

Following his gaze, Riley's chocolate eyes took in the familiar atmosphere of her second home. The scent of coffee and fresh croissants hung in the air, filling her nostrils and heart with nostalgia.

Tapping her pencil against the coil of her notebook, she nodded and returned to working, "My family, yeah." Scrunching up her face, she amended, "Co-own."

"It's nice."

Riley froze, wondering if she'd heard right. Farkle Minkus had never complimented anything about Riley. Never once in the four years that they had known of the other's existence. And sure he hadn't said she was pretty or smart or anything but he'd still said something nice about something dear to her.

Weird.

"Uh," Riley slowly meet his eyes, which were now zeroed in on her, "Thank you."

"I thought your mom was a lawyer? And your dad's a history teacher. Where does entrepreneurship come into all that?" Farkle asked.

She shifted and blushed, recalling her mother's attire on the day they had bought half of the cafe and bakery. A small laugh slipped past her lips as she shook her head, "Actually, it was going to go out of business and my mom has this freakish moral compass so she couldn't let it go down. And it's Auggie's favorite."

"Your little brother?" Farkle nodded, looking down at his hands fiddling on the table before him.

Confused, Riley nodded, "Yeah. How did you-"

Farkle cut her off, shifting in his booth, "Scientists observe."

"Sort of comes off like stalking." She quipped without thinking. Oddly, she hadn't actually meant it as an insult, just a joke, like she'd tease Maya.

And then something even odder happened.

Farkle laughed.

And not like a breezy, cool-guy chuckle either but a real honker, reminiscent of a car alarm.

It was silent for a moment before Riley burst into her own full out, gut busting laughter, bending over the table with tears forming in her eyes.

"Was," She gasped between giggles, "that your laugh?!"

The lingering smile that had befallen the boy's lip instantly slipped away and he slunk down into the booth, glaring at the table, "Shut up, Matthews."

Rolling her eyes, Riley half-hearted tried to smother her bubbly laughter, "Oh, don't pout! It was actually kind of cute." She shrugged, not realizing what she'd said at first.

Once the words did register in her head and she noticed Farkle freeze across from her, however, she viscously backpedaled with a horrified expression, "Not cute! I mean," She let out a squeaky attempt at a scoff, "I obviously didn't mean that you were- I was just-"

Riley forced her mouth shut, her cheeks burning as she looked anywhere but at Farkle Minkus.

Her stomach twisted when after several long, long minutes of returned silence and work, she glanced up to see Farkle looking once again at his fidgeting hands, the corners of his mouth curved into the smallest of smiles.

Oh fuck…

Weeks passed and following the evening at Topanga's, Riley found that Farkle Minkus wasn't quite as unbearable as she'd always thought.

Nope, that's not the problem with him anymore… She thought, looking up as the boy in question whirled into the chemistry classroom. Like her, he always seemed to prefer arriving long before the bell rang. Her heart hammered as he approached, head down and eyes on his feet, and she smiled to herself as she looked back at her notebook.

In fact, Riley's new problem with Farkle Minkus was, ironically, just how very, very bearable she was coming to find him.

Sure, she still wanted to throttle him a few times a class period and, yeah okay, she would still never, ever admit aloud that he was probably, maybe, just a little smarter than her but… something had definitely shifted in the last month she'd now been his partner.

Farkle's usual remarks that once made her blood boil now made Riley bite back smiles, as she slowly began to realize that most of the time the boy wasn't being intentionally rude, just incredibly socially inept, which was honestly so endearing.

The effort he had begun putting toward their partnership was another thing to draw her in, and while she figured he was probably just committed to a good grade there was a part of her that liked to think maybe he just trusted her opinion more.

And it didn't really help how damn adorable he was.

Seriously, Riley had always known that Farkle Minkus was objectively attractive; it had once made her even more infuriated with him. It was just different now. Now, she didn't feel the need to talk herself out of finding him attractive, to talk herself out of 'observing' him.

Observing him just a scientist would, of course, She reasoned. Taking notes on all his nervous ticks because goddamn the boy could just not sit still. Listing alphabetically the names of the important people in his life that he so very rarely mentioned: Jennifer, Lucas, Smackle, Stuart, Zay. Cataloging into a mental database every expression, every curve of a lip or quirk of an eyebrow.

"Matthews."

Riley pulled herself from her thoughts and turned to give Farkle a nod in greeting, "Minkus."

"Your weekend?"

"Good. Yours?"

"The usual."

This was another new routine for the pair. They now actually asked each other, in their own way, about each other's lives, weekends, and days. Riley relished the small interaction as it not only made her feel like just maybe her endearment was possibly mutual, but it was also teasing enough about Farkle's life to satisfy her mounting curiosity.

Farkle's cell phone, set face up on the table between them, buzzed and the screen lit up with a text.

From Jennifer Bassett Minkus: You are not the center of my universe, Farkle.

A pause and then a second buzz and text.

From Jennifer Bassett Minkus: Call your father or get over it.

The boy, who'd been busy hanging up his jacket and backpack on the back of his stool, dropped the bag to the floor and scrambled to grab the cell phone. Shoving it hastily into his pocket, he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

Another nervous tick. Riley noted before what she'd just seen really registered. Her eyebrows drew together as Farkle silently took his seat and kept his head bent.

Jennifer Bassett Minkus, Riley knew from the limited data she had, was Farkle's mother. Riley had seen the tall, gorgeous, intimidating blonde a few times over the years, walking next to her son in the hall at teacher conferences or whispering on her cell phone in the back row at debates. She'd seemed okay, even if a little terrifying.

Still, her words, seared into Riley's brain in Helvetica font, seems so harsh. She couldn't imagine ever having her own mother or father speak to her so brutally.

Thinking for a long moment, Riley swallowed hard and turned to Farkle before she could talk herself out of her next action, "Is everything okay, Farkle?"

His pencil paused mid-word and his eye flickered over to her before he pressed on, "It's rude to look at other people's texts."

"Scientists observe." Riley countered with an echo of the boy's own previous statement and kept her gaze and voice steady.

That made him stop his writing.

Farkle remained bent over his paper for a moment before spinning himself around to come face-to-face with the pretty brunette. Like, really, really face-to-face. Like, with how close he was and how those intense, magnetic, electric blue eyes seemed to be taking in every inch of her face, Riley struggled to remember her original question or even the fact that she was current in chemistry and supposed to be copying the notes from the board.

But who would ever be able to think with someone looking at them like that? Like she was a nearly complete theorem that would unravel the mysteries of the stars. Like she was a riddle that he, for whatever reason, was positively desperate to solve.

Swallowing hard, Farkle looked away after a second, after an eternity, and yet Riley still felt completely out of sorts. She blinked several times and, like her partner, returned to copying notes.

"Topanga's at 5."

Riley didn't acknowledge Farkle's words. Somehow she knew she didn't have to. He already knew she'd come.

Riley rushed into Topanga's twenty minutes late and feeling incredibly guilty. Her father always had to stay after school on Wednesdays for bus duty, but this Wednesday her mother also had to work late unexpectedly and had needed her to keep an eye on Auggie until one of them could get home.

She'd practically run from the apartment the moment her father walked in. It wasn't like she had Farkle's number to explain and she was worried that he'd give up on waiting for her.

But there he was, sitting at their usual booth, and of course fiddling with his hands.

Riley flung herself down across from him, an apology already on her lips, "Farkle, I am-"

"Matthews."

"-SO sorry! I swear I didn't-"

"Matthews."

"-Mean to leave you waiting. It's just-"

"Matthews!" Farkle snapped, expression exaggerated and a little bemused.

Riley slammed her mouth shut, a light blush spreading across her face. Looking at the table, her stomach dropped. Farkle's chemistry book and notebook were open and resting on the surface, obviously being actively utilized. "Oh no! I forgot my stuff!"

"Huh?" Farkle looked confused for a moment before he followed her gaze, "Um, actually, I just had these out while I was waiting, you know, for you." He shrugged without meeting her eye and reached out to slam the textbook shut.

"Oh."

Riley blushed more and worried at her lower lip, becoming very interested in her cuticles.

So, Farkle didn't want to meet for their project… she hadn't let herself really hope that he just wanted to spend time with her, just wanted to maybe talk to her. But now it seemed the logical conclusion and Riley tried to always be logical.

She waited for Farkle to begin, only he didn't. He remained silent, slouching in his seat, and rubbing the back of his neck.

Apprehension began to creep into the girl's bones. She'd never been alone with Farkle Minkus for any reason other than school work and she didn't really know what to expect. Was this just how he was socially? He had friends, right?

Yeah, Lucas Friar and Zay Babineaux. They're one mix-match threesome, but they are definitely friends.

Well, then maybe Farkle just didn't want to talk after all. So, why ask her here? Why wait for her when she didn't come on time?

Why?

Oh god, what if she'd been imagining his increasing kindness? What if he hadn't changed his mind about her after all? What if he hadn't changed his mind but had realized she'd changed her's? What if he was now just messing with her, laughing at her?

Taking a deep breath, the girl made herself sit up as a display of completely false confidence and narrowed her eyes at the genius across from her, "Look, Minkus, if you just asked me here to mess with me-"

"Mess with you?" Farkle echoed, his head snapping up at an alarming speed, eyes wide.

Riley raised her eyebrows at him skeptically and gestured around them.

He shook his head, quickly, "For once, Matthews, I am honestly not trying to mess with you."

Looking at him long and hard, Riley sighed and relaxed back into her seat. "So, what are you trying to do, then?"

"Talk to you, obviously." He stated like she was stupid for not already knowing. She did not appreciate the tone.

"Then talk."

"Well, shit, Matthews, why didn't I think of that? They certainly aren't joking about you being the second in our class." Farkle snapped, his eyes cold in a way Riley had honestly forgotten they could be. Her chest tightened as his words and gaze cutting into her.

"Oh, yeah, I am so out of here!" She frantically slid out of the booth and started toward the door only to feel a hand grasp her arm, firm but gentle. She didn't have to, but she followed the limb back up to the boy it belonged to, not saying a word.

Farkle, who always seemed to shy away, who always seemed so indecisive down to the way he couldn't pick one position to keep his body in, who infuriated and yet enthralled her, stared at her with steady and certain eyes.

"Wait, I shouldn't have said that," He paused and let her arm go, "It was wrong."

Drawing herself up, Riley nodded, "It was." Then she stepped back and slipped back into the booth across from him, "But I'm going to let it go and give you another chance."

Farkle laughed but it wasn't the cute, real laugh Riley had heard that one evening in this same spot. This was hallowed and humorless. She wasn't a fan. "Why? It's not like I've ever really given you a reason to be nice to me."

"I don't believe that kindness should require a reason," Riley said, simply.

Coming from anyone, anyone, else the statement would have sounded like complete bullshit. But this was Riley Matthews and Farkle had hated her from afar long enough to know that she really was just that idealistic. It was absolutely puzzling to him.

"You might want to start the talking, though. Wouldn't want to waste my generosity."

He found himself flickering his gaze back up to Riley without thinking. She was doodling with her finger on the table, a teasing and genuine smile playing on her lips.

So what? She's nice, that's great but it doesn't mean she'll ever understand. Go ahead, pour your heart out, cry her a river, it won't change a damn thing.

Farkle looked back down at his hands and sighed, tugging at his hair. "So, my parents aren't really home a lot…"

And no, he didn't pour his heart out or cry a river, but he did talk.

He shared with Riley Matthews things that very few people knew, things Farkle had previously only chosen to willingly share with Lucas and Zay and over time Smackle.

He explained how business kept his father away nearly constantly, how his mother took this as permission to never be around either because the money they had obviously needed spending, and how it was really better that way because it was never good when they were both home.

When he finished, he fished his phone from his pocket and flipped it over and over in his hands. "So, that was the text you saw. The academic honor awards for the senior class are next week and when I brought it up, my mom reminded me that I am not…"

"-The center of her universe." Riley finished, her voice wavering slightly. She shook her head, "She shouldn't have said that. That ceremony is where they introduce you as valedictorian before graduation and I'm sure you've earned more awards than just that this year. You worked hard and you deserve it, she should acknowledge that!"

Quirking an eyebrow, Farkle gave Riley a look, "Matthews, did you just say that I deserve valedictorian?"

A grin broke out across the girl's face and she shook her head, giggling and not even bothering to try and cover up her obvious affection, "Shut up, Minkus."

"Hey, Matthews?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks, you're actually not the worst person to talk to."

"And you're actually not the worst person to listen to."

OKAY WOW, this turned into a total monster! I did not mean for this to get so intense and long and crazy. I have decided that I'm going to end this here, with this little hint of something hanging in the air between our favorite duo. However, I am thinking of a 2nd part if people are interested? Maybe actually explore this version of Riley and Farkle becoming real friends… maybe more? Would anyone like that?