Author's Note: I know I'm jumping the gun here, doing a story on Girl Meets World before it even airs, but when Ben tweeted the above pic of Cory's new classroom, it sparked something. The idea wouldn't go away, and this resulted.
Cory looked at his new classroom. He couldn't help thinking it felt just a little familiar. By some quirk of fate, the room he'd been assigned to reminded him rather strongly of his own sixth grade social studies classroom. He looked down the center row, picturing himself seated between Topanga and Shawn. No matter what grade, the three of them always sat like that. Together.
Now it was Cory's turn to be the teacher. There was no question what had led him to this particular career path. It was all thanks to George Feeny. The man had taught him social studies, but also so much more. Feeny hadn't just been a teacher, he was also Cory's next door neighbor. Inevitably, whatever problems Cory faced, Feeny knew about them. He always managed to offer some bit of advice, often with a gardening metaphor thrown in.
This wasn't Cory's first year teaching, so he really shouldn't feel this nervous. But he knew it had to do with one of the students who would be sitting in one of these very seats. His own daughter, Riley Matthews. She was definitely his little girl. Louis was the baby of the family, and he certainly got his share of spoiling, but Riley had a special bond with her father.
How would that bond translate into the classroom? Riley was a very smart girl, having inherited her mother's intelligence. It wasn't that Cory worried she wouldn't be a good student. There was no chance of that. But having to be both parent and teacher at the same time was more than a little daunting.
Though he'd never been religious, or even spiritual, like his wife, Cory found himself praying. "Can I really do this?" he wondered aloud, as he gazed out the window at the sky over New York City.
"Of course you can, Mr. Matthews."
The voice made Cory jump. "Mr. Feeny? What are you doing here?" He crossed the room in seconds, eager to greet his favorite teacher.
Mr. Feeny accepted the handshake Cory offered, and then embraced him. "I had some business to attend to here in New York, and I couldn't resist visiting two of my favorite students. I stopped by your apartment, and Topanga told me you were here."
"Well, I'm glad you came! Did Topanga tell you?"
"About Riley being in your class? Yes, she did. It won't be easy, but you can do this. I seem to recall having my next-door neighbor in one of my classes, and I've always thought it worked out pretty well." He grinned.
"Yeah, but you and I weren't actually related."
"Cory, for all intents and purposes, we were. I mean, I babysat Morgan. I let you and Mr. Hunter house-sit while I was away, and I even let you paint my shutters once. Need I go on?"
"But Riley...she's my little girl. And sixth grade is a big deal. You know, this is when boys start discovering girls, and vice versa. It's not easy to teach with all of that going on."
"Yes, I was lucky that none of that ever happened in my classroom," Feeny said sarcastically.
"All right, so maybe you do know what I'm dealing with here. I just hope I can be as good of a teacher as you were to me." Cory hated admitting something like this, but he knew that was really what bothered him most.
Mr. Feeny put a hand on Cory's shoulder. "You and Topanga have done a wonderful job with both of your children. Riley is so much like her mother. I'm sure you will be a more than adequate teacher. I've always had faith in you, Cory. But you need to have faith in yourself. Haven't I taught you that?"
Cory nodded hesitantly. Mr. Feeny had taught him so many things. But, ultimately, he'd helped Cory to find his place in the world, even though that meant leaving his family behind in Philadelphia. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. Cory rarely thought back to those days. But now he could clearly picture himself in his backyard, having a heart-to-heart with his little brother, Josh. He'd done what he could to impart some of the lessons he'd learned along the way. Maybe, in his eagerness to teach, he'd neglected to take his own advice. "Yeah, Mr. Feeny. I guess you did."
"Well, then. It looks like my work here is done." With that, Mr. Feeny nodded at Cory, and without another word, he turned around and walked away.
For a moment, Cory thought about calling out to him to say thank you. But Mr. Feeny wasn't one for long goodbyes. He'd said all he needed to, and he knew when to move on. Cory knew now he would likely be a very good teacher this year. But there was no way he'd be any better than Mr. Feeny.
The End