Hi, everyone. Um...so, yes, it's been a while since I last published anything. I'm very sorry about that. I had my butt kicked by pneumonia and am still dealing with residual side effects from that. It's not fun, definitely avoid it if you can.
Like the summary states, this story takes place in the same alternate universe as my story, Where You Least Expect It. This is essentially a flash-forward. While there are no specific plot points given away for the upcoming sequel, Good Things Come (coming very soon, I promise), you do get a glimpse of how everyone ended up- at least family wise. If that is not something you want spoiled, I understand passing on this one for right now.
As I've stated before, the ideas for Where You Least Expect It and everything that followed began well before Girl Meets World was announced publicly and I was dozens of chapters in before the show ever started. I've more or less known from the beginning where the characters will end up. I'm only saying this because Cory and Topanga's daughter will make an appearance in this story, but she is not Riley. Her name is Willow. Any similarities to Cory and Topanga's lives on Girl Meets World is merely a coincidence.
There is going to be one more chapter after this, potentially two. I'm still in the final editing stages and trying to determine if the last bit works as one chapter or if it needs to be broken up.
The sequel to Where You Least Expect It is coming, I promise. I just wanted to ease myself back into writing/editing with a short story after not being in front of my computer for such a long time being sick.
Hope you enjoy. :-)
"I don't understand. How could Trevor do this to me?" Fifteen year old Georgia Matthews choked back the lump in her throat and tried to remain focused on the road. She hadn't had much practice driving at night and the headlights from other cars were exceptionally bright. "A month ago he asked me to be his girlfriend and now he's kissing Kendra?" She furiously wiped away a stray tear. "I thought he really liked me."
"Do you want me to get Wyatt to scare him a little," her friend, Abby, asked from the back seat. "You know, beat him up for you?"
She shook her head and tightened her grip on the steering wheel of her father's car. If anything happened to it she'd be dead- especially since her parents didn't know she had the car out to begin with. "That's not going to help."
"Sure it will. Wyatt was undefeated on the wrestling team last year."
"As much fun as it is to imagine, beating up Trevor does nothing."
"So get even. Get another guy and make him jealous."
Georgia glanced at her best friend in the passenger seat. She and Jasmine had been inseparable since the day they met in second grade. "I don't think so."
"Come on, Gia, there are tons of guys just waiting to ask you out."
"I don't want a ton of guys. I wanted Trevor."
"He doesn't deserve you," the last of their foursome, Brenna, spoke up from the back. "Why waste your time on some guy who does that to you?"
"Maybe he'll change his mind," Georgia replied in a small voice. "He'll see how wrong Kendra is for him."
"Do you really want to be some guy's second choice?"
"But I was his first choice! If anyone's second it's Kendra."
"And if he comes back to you that will make you third."
She shook her head and stared at the bumper of the car in front of her. "I just want to go home and forget this night ever happened."
"Come back to my house. My parents are gone until tomorrow."
"Thanks, Bren, but I need to get the car back before my parents get home. They think I was hanging out at Jasmine's. If they find out I have dad's car they'll kill me."
"They don't know you took the car?"
"Hello, I only have my permit. I don't turn sixteen for eleven more days." She drummed her hands on the steering wheel. "Come on, why is there traffic at this time of night? Screw it, I'm going around him."
"But you're not supposed to go in that la-"
"Relax. I've seen my mom go into this lane to get around cars all the time. I know what I'm doing."
/
/
"All right, Eric, fess up. How much did you pay the mayor to get him to give you your own official day?"
He tossed a chunk of bread across the table, hitting Shawn on the shoulder. "I happen to be very popular. People love me. The mayor practically begged me- said it would boost the morals of the city." He looked to Angela and frowned. "That doesn't sound right."
"Morale, babe." She wrapped her arm around him and kissed his cheek. Eric had been so excited to share the news he dashed home between broadcasts to tell her and the kids. She was so happy for him and could barely restrain herself from bragging to every person they saw- friend or stranger. "Tell them the best part," she urged.
"You mean there's more than there ceremony with the mayor publicly declaring your day? Do you get the ceremonial giant key to the city, too?"
"When is this, by the way," Topanga asked, taking out her phone.
"It will be sometime either next month or the beginning of October. I had to say no to the first date he tossed out because of Sidonie's birthday. I don't think she'd want daddy taking over on her special day."
"Although she'd love a large group of people together to celebrate with," Angela commented. "Attendance for this is mandatory," she said, pointing to everyone at the table. "I don't care what you have to cancel or reschedule or rearrange. If kids need notes for school I will provide them. If Morgan can fly in from California there's no excuse for you guys to miss it."
"Morgan's flying in," Cory asked, amazed. His sister was usually so busy with her career that seeing her for holidays wasn't always a guarantee. "Well, duh, like we would miss it. So what is this best part you mentioned?"
"Normally these official days come with honorary street naming, too, and-"
"They're naming a freaking street after you," Jack exclaimed.
"No, I-"
"Shut up and listen."
He smiled at Angela and squeezed her hand before continuing. "I asked him to name the street after Feeny instead. He deserved it about a million times more than I ever will."
Everyone at the table grew quiet. It had only been a few years, but they would never be used to a world without the wisdom of Mr. Feeny.
"That's really nice, Eric."
"Yeah, he does deserve it." Topanga carefully dabbed the corner of her eye with her napkin. "He would kill you and act like he didn't want all of the attention…"
"…but secretly he'd love it."
"Exactly."
"Which street," Cory asked; speaking up once he was confident he wouldn't become emotional.
"It's going to be the stretch in front of the middle school: George Feeny Way."
"That's fitting. Mr. Feeny's way was usually the right way."
"And he did devote so much of his life to his students."
"It's perfect."
"I propose a toast," Rachel said, raising her glass. She may have only had Mr. Feeny as a teacher for a semester or two in college after his failed attempt to return as a student, but she still learned a great deal from the man, as did her kids. "To Mr. Feeny."
"May his lessons continue to live on and may we forever teach our children to not just do well, but to do good."
/
/
"Evan, please don't call my parents. Please."
"I'm not."
Georgia threw her arms around him. "Thank you. See," she said to her friends, "I told you he was cool."
"Don't go throwing me a parade just yet." He pushed her away and moved to inspect the front end of his Uncle Eric's car. After receiving the frantic call, assessing the situation, and realizing that no one was hurt, he agreed to the tow on one condition- parents were called. Now, however, Georgia was trying to skimp on her end of the deal. "I'm not calling- you are."
"But-"
"Gia, you're going to be in enough trouble as it is. You don't want to add lies on top of it. Trust me. I speak from experience. Lying doesn't make things better. You can't fix this by yourself unless you have the money to replace the tire, and no, I'm not loaning you a tire from the shop. You've also got these gouges on the front bumper that would need to be sanded down and repainted."
"They're going to kill me. And I can forget getting my license. I'll be twenty-five and still being driven around by mommy and daddy."
"I don't think so."
"Really?" She shot a hopeful look to her friends, but they only shrugged.
"Lucia will have her license by that point, maybe Sidda, too. So you'll be twenty-five and driven around by your baby sisters."
Georgia rolled her eyes. "You're so hilarious." She kicked a small rock on the garage floor, wincing when it hit a hub cap. "This night just sucks. I'd kill for a time machine to erase this whole thing."
/
/
"...and having to start all over again in a few weeks with preschool and kindergarten..." Angela shook her head. "...we met some of the parents at Back to School Night. A few of them look young enough to be our kids."
"At least none of them thought we were Sidda or Rosie's grandparents," Eric added. "I know that happened to mom and dad when Josh was a kid."
"Okay," Topanga jumped in, "That's enough with this old talk. We are not old."
"You'll have to excuse the wife," Cory said. "She's a little sensitive about age right now. How old is this new, hotshot lawyer the firm hired?"
She glared at her husband. He knew better. "Do you have any idea how dangerously close you are to sleeping on the couch tonight?"
"I'm sorry. I love you….and you're pretty."
She sipped her wine before continuing. "I'm not sensitive. I just don't need some twenty-seven year old named Poppy telling me how to do my job. The ink on her diploma hasn't even dried yet. Seriously, come on, Poppy? How can they expect our clients to put their trust into someone named Poppy?"
"I don't think people named Topanga get to question the names of others."
"Shut up, Shawn."
Jack shook his head and laughed. "Speaking as the oldest person at this table, I say we forget this age thing. You're only as old as you feel."
"I'll drink to that," Rachel said.
"Here, here," Naomi chimed in.
"And Rachel and I do have some good news to share." He glanced at his wife to be sure she didn't want to be the one to tell, but she nodded her approval. "Nina got a part in the off-Broadway musical she auditioned for. She's one of the background dancers and in the chorus."
"Oh, that's terrific!"
"Yay, Nina!"
"She's pretty excited. Although, she was obviously hoping for a bigger part, this has made her more determined to commit to her lessons."
"That's so great."
"When she told Evan he threatened to be at the stage door every night so no guys can ask for an autograph or phone number."
"I fully support that."
"Jack…"
"Give it up, Rach, there's not one guy at this table that isn't on board with Evan's idea."
"Right, between us four guys there are six daughters involved. You're not winning this."
She rolled her eyes at Eric's comments. "Please, right now the only guy Nina has her eyes on is a little gold one named Tony. She is determined to win one by the time she turns twenty-five. Angela, please set up a camera so I can watch his reaction to Georgia's first date. I doubt it'll top Jack's fit at Nina's first date, but if anyone could beat it it's him."
"Oh, I wish I would've thought to do that a few weeks ago. He almost cried."
"I did not!"
"Don't worry, babe, it was sweet." Angela turned her attention back to the table. "He spent the whole night moping and looking at old pictures."
"I wanted to be sharpening the butcher knife when the kid came to pick her up, but you wouldn't let me. All that was left was moping."
"Eric, do we really need to revisit the last time you used the butcher knife? You're lucky you still have all your fingers."
"I was home alone with Sidonie and Rosie and got distracted when one of them woke up crying," he said in an attempt to defend himself. "It happened over three years ago. Let it go." He held up his left hand. The doctor in the emergency room said it was probably his wedding ring that saved his finger. "And I thought you liked my scars, said they gave me a hint of danger."
"Klutzy danger."
"What a second, when the hell did my little munchkin start dating?"
"Cory-"
"The guy's not a punk, is he," Shawn asked.
She sighed. "No, Trevor seems like a nice kid. He was in Georgia's algebra and chemistry classes last year."
"Yeah, I'm sure he's got some equations and chemistry experiments in mind."
"Cory!"
"I work with teenagers," he elaborated. "They can be incredibly smart and shockingly stupid at the same time. That is a dangerous combination."
"You do realize that Willow will be thirteen in less than a month."
"Yes, and that scares the hell out of me."
Naomi shook her head and laughed. "You know we always promise that we're not going to talk about the kids, but this is where we always end up. These dinners are supposed to be a kid-free zone." Though the couples always intended to get together once a month, it rarely worked out that way. With kids, jobs, and life in general…it just didn't happen. Usually, one or two pairs would have to cancel when something would come up and once a month usually turned into every few months. The summers were a bit easier since there was no school, but this was their last outing of the summer. Hopefully everyone would be able to make the Labor Day barbecue at Amy and Alan's.
"If it's a competition," Shawn said to his wife, "we win. We've managed not to mention Levi once tonight."
"You mean until you blew it just now?"
"Uh…yeah."
"That's because there's nothing to tell. All he does is stare at a screen. If he bothers to talk to us at all, it's in monosyllabic form."
"What did you expect when you married Mr. Monosyllabic?"
"Hey! I talk…when I want to. Right now Levi's just being his own version of a fourteen year old butthead. Fortunately I speak teenage butthead."
"He is starting high school in a few weeks. I'm sure nerves are part of it."
"Probably, but he's still spending the next week down here helping out Uncle Mike at the garage whether he wants to or not. It's one way to get him to come up from video game coma."
"I can't believe your uncle is still running the garage. Isn't he almost seventy?"
"He says he'll retire the day after his funeral. Besides, Evan does most of the heavy work now."
"Mike- and that garage- was a godsend," Jack said. Evan never did develop a liking for school. He always felt like he was a few steps behind other kids in his grade. By the time he hit high school getting him to show up for class at all was a struggle and he started hanging around with questionable influences. Then he had shop class and discovered he had quite the knack for building and fixing. Jack and Rachel were so happy he'd found something to be enthusiastic about and asked Mike if Evan could help him out around the garage on weekends. It went so well he eventually made his great-nephew a deal: finish high school and become certified as a mechanic and he'd be brought on fulltime. That deal most likely saved him from an uncertain future.
"He's a little rough around the edges," Shawn added, "but Uncle Mike's always been a decent guy."
"Gee, do you think he'd let Willow work at the garage," Cory asked, rolling his eyes. "Maybe that would keep her busy."
"What do you mean?
"All Willow can talk about is her thirteenth birthday next month and almost being a teenager," Topanga lamented. "Then that gets her talking about high school. She wants to bypass eighth grade completely and wishes I would've induced labor a few days earlier so she would've been born before the cutoff. It drives her insane that her birthday is on the second."
"Why?"
"If her birthday was even a day earlier, she would be starting high school this year. She actually tried to plead her case with the district superintendent. She made pie charts, diagrams-"
"A future lawyer in the making?"
Topanga smiled at Angela's comment. Her daughter was so much like Cory, but every once in a while the Lawrence genes kicked in and it was like looking in a mirror. "After her little presentation, the superintendent took me and Cory aside and said he'd be willing to make an exception for Willow if she could pass an entrance exam- but we declined. Don't ever tell her about that. We just told her it's a blanket policy, no exceptions for late birthdays. She is very smart, but no way is she emotionally mature enough for high school. Our little guppy would be eaten alive."
"I certainly hope Donovan is less drama than his sister."
Cory tried to come up with the best way to sum up their ten year old. "Donny is…he's Donny. He still loves his comic books, soccer, and board games. He's the happiest, most agreeable kid I've ever met- well, aside from not quitting on asking for a dog no matter how many times we say no. Nothing throws him. He just rolls with the punches." The proud father chuckled before adding, "He gets it from me." He was confused when everybody at the table, his own wife included, double over with laughter. "What?"
"Cor, I've known you your whole life and shared a room with you for a few too many years. You may be happy and sometimes upbeat, but everything throws you off and you roll with nothing! You fight change until the very bitter end."
"That is not true! Topanga, you're a lawyer. Defend me."
Shawn didn't feel like listening to Cory try and convince everyone how calm and laid back he was. "Jack, Rachel, what are Calum and Milo up to?"
"You mean besides being girl-crazy teenagers," she said sarcastically. "I can't wait for school to start up again so Milo pays attention to something more than his girlfriend. At least Calum is serious enough about school that he wanted to take classes over the summer. It gives him something else to focus on."
"Yeah, sure, he gets to focus on the girls in his class," Eric suggested with a smirk.
"I didn't even think about that. And his lab partner the entire term was a girl."
"Okay, okay- Angela, Eric, you already talked about Georgia. What's new with her sisters?"
"Well, Lucia is…" Before Angela could answer the question her phone began to vibrate on the table. She checked the Caller ID. It was Georgia. "Hi, sweetie," she said into the phone. "Are you spending the night at Jasmine's or do you want me and dad to pick you up on our way home?"
Eric watched as the color drained from his wife's face and her happy, casual demeanor disappeared. "What? What's wrong?"
"What do you mean you took the car?!"
"She what?" They had driven Angela's car to the restaurant. That meant the car she took was… "What the hell is she doing with my car?"
"Wait-wait…are you hurt? Is anyone hurt?" She exhaled. "Okay. Don't move. Dad and I will be there soon."
Eric was already on his feet as Angela gathered her purse. "What happened?"
"All I know right now is Georgia went back home and snuck your car out of the garage after we left and drove her friends to a party."
He didn't know how that translated to having to ask if anyone was hurt. "And?"
"She blew out the front tire and ended up in a ditch." She checked the table and made sure she had everything. "She and her friends are with Evan at the garage."
"How did Evan get involved," Jack questioned.
"She called him to tow the car. I'm not sure of the details." She grabbed onto Eric's arm and stared at him, trying both to steady her own nerves and get a read on his. His expression, however, was blank. "Georgia says she's okay, but…"
"Go," Topanga urged. "We'll get the check and meet up with you guys."
/
/
"No way, he is totally cuter!"
Willow yanked the tablet away. "You are insane and obviously know nothing about how the music business works," she fired back at Lucia with certainty. "If your favorite is so cute, why do they stick him all the way in the back playing keyboards where no one can see him, huh? The best and cutest members of bands are up in the front playing guitar or singing. It's a fact."
"I bet my dad could get us tickets to their concert, maybe backstage passes, too."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and we wouldn't have to beg him or my mom or your parents to take us. We'll just make Georgia do it."
"She is going to freak when she's finds out we know she took your dad's car."
"I know, she'll want to kill us, but-"
"We will own her."
The girls wore identical grins as they imagined all the places they could make Georgia chauffer them to. Concerts, the mall, the movies, friends' houses…the possibilities were endless. They could make her drive back and forth from here and New York City just for fun.
"I wonder if-"
Thud.
"Shh." Lucia shushed her cousin tried to place the sound. She found her little sister, Sidonie, crouched down behind a chair with one of their cats cradled in her arms. "Sidda! I thought you and Rosie were taking a bath. How long were you back there?"
She leapt to her feet. "I don't know. I didn't learn my time yet. I was just looking to see where Frosty was hiding."
"Why was your cat hiding in my bedroom?"
"You can ask him, but he won't answer."
"What did you hear us talking about?"
"Music and boys." Sidonie blushed before she gave into the giggles and hid her face behind the cat. "Willow, who's Brody?"
"Sidda, you're dead!" Willow jumped up and chased her little cousin around the room.
"Tess," Lucia called out to the baby-sitter, her little sisters' baby-sitter, that is. She was twelve and far too old for one. "Sidda's spying on me and Willow! Again!"
"I am not! I was looking for Frosty."
"I thought you were getting some toys for the bath," Tess asked, appearing in the doorway.
She looked everywhere except at the sitter. "I-um…I was-"
"Sticking your big nose where it doesn't belong," Lucia finished.
"I-"
"Sidda, bath."
"But, I-"
"Come on. Rosie's waiting for us." She held out her hand.
"But-"
"Now. And you two," she said, turning to Lucia and Willow, "stay out of trouble."
"Trouble, what trouble?"
It was all she could do not to laugh at their feigned innocence. Like most twelve year olds, they were terrible liars. "You wouldn't have been so upset with Sidda being in here if you weren't hiding something."
"What are you basing this on," Willow challenged. "You have no evidence."
"Like I said, stay out of trouble."
/
/
"You guys will still visit me, right," Georgia asked her friends. "You'll let me know what's going on in the world?"
"What are you talking about?"
"As soon as my parents get here I'll be grounded until I'm so old the only I.D. to look forward to is a senior citizen's bus pass."
"My grandma's got one of those. The fare is reduced."
"That's so not the point right now! I'm never going see the light of day again."
"Georgia? Georgia?!"
She winced when she heard her parents. They were going to kill her. They were going to kill her in front of her friends and there was nothing she could do to stop it. "Mom, dad," she began when she saw them, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"Time out," Angela said.
"What?"
"No, I'm calling a time out on this, on whatever happened. It can wait until we get home." Like her father had done when she was a child, Angela and Eric continued the tradition with their daughters. Before any major punishment was handed out or any riot acts read there would be a time out. It was normally no more than a few minutes, but long enough for them to keep calm and remind their children that no matter the punishment they were still loved. Right now, however, she was using the pause to be grateful Georgia was okay. That was even more true after seeing the current state of Eric's car. The damage was slightly more severe than a blown front tire. "Come here."
She shot a confused look at her friends before going to her mother. Things made even less sense when she found herself wrapped in a hug. Still, Georgia found it difficult to maintain her composure once in her mom's embrace. "I'm sorry, mom."
"What were you thinking," she asked, unable to keep the emotion out of her voice.
"Someone sent me a text- a picture of Trevor kissing and dancing this girl named Kendra. I had to see if it was true."
Cory and Shawn were right: Trevor was a good for nothing little punk. Angela sighed and held her daughter tighter. For now she would be grateful that she was safe. "You're okay...physically? You're not hurt? None of you are hurt?" She looked to Georgia's friends.
"We're fine, Mrs. Matthews."
"Okay. Go outside and Evan's parents will drive you three home. You've all met Jack and Rachel countless times before." The girls nodded and stood.
"I'll walk them out," Evan said.
"Oh, girls?" They turned around just before vacating the garage. "I will be calling all of your parents tomorrow morning to let them know you were dumb enough to get in the car with an unlicensed driver behind the wheel."
"Yes, Mrs. Matthews."
Once they were alone Angela looked at Eric and found him crouched down in front of his SUV. He hadn't said anything to Georgia, barely even looked at her, since they arrived. He'd been acting odd ever since they got Georgia's call. "Eric?"
"My car…"
"Dad, I'm so sorry."
He ran his hand along the jagged cracks in the bumper. "Alexandria, what did they do to you, girl?"
"Alexandria?"
"Don't worry, no one but me is ever going to touch you again."
"Oh, god, mom, I think I broke him."