Disclaimer remains relevant. See Prologue.

I'm back! And I should be better than ever!

So I released Part Five a few days ago, then was looking through my documents to replace my Prologue.
Suddenly, My Prologue replaced Part One. I almost had a heart attack!

In a calm and collected heap of nervousness, I worked my working worker fingers off the past few days to replaced Part One! I hope that it reads better, and makes more sense. I hope everyone takes a look and likes it even more!

-Part One: Kid-

I got my welcome alright.

"We sincerely hope you enjoy your stay at Brownstone Apartments!" Said an old lady at the front desk.

It has taken quite a while for our father to request keys. Apparently, he never even applied for a place we could live in. Arriving in Greensville, New York, New York was a stroke of luck. Grant should've been on his knees in praise for his legs aren't cooped up in the back of a Chevy right now. Unfortunately, he was banging his head against our suitcases we brought in.

I got up from a comfy chair the lobby held and waltzed up to him. "Losing patience, brother?"

"Does it look like it?" he asked in an irked tone.

"Yeah..." I snickered, "I'm starting to see black and blue on your forehead."

Grant stood up and reached his hands for my neck, "Why don't I show ya what black 'n blu-"

"Grant!" our father boomed. His head was beet red from his talk with the clerk. "Make yourself useful and carry some bags to the duplex." He chucked him a set of keys and led him to the elevators. Before he pushed a button he turned around and glared daggers to me.

"I expect the rest of our stuff up here in less than ten minutes."

I tried to keep my eyes from rolling to the back of my head. How the flip was I going to get all that to floor three?

Now, my family was quite selfish. Even before my mother considered divorce, everyone spent time away from each other lest there'd be food on the table. Even then, not much would be said. I'd never know how hard my mother worked at the office, how much farming Grant did, when Dad actually got up to do something. Bottles would be left all over the house, and when she had me pick them up, she always said to do it quickly. You could guess why.

Leaving us was the best decision Mom could ever make. Her second best should've been taking me with her. I was left with slobs. Overweight men who would tell me to work harder. Push me to my limits. Treat me like the slave I am. If I ever disappointed them, my nervous system would disappoint myself. Mother cared for me, but time to chitchat was rare.

And now it was time for me to care for some luggage.

"Mister. Come here." I jerked my head towards the clerk who spoke. "You seem to have spaced out. You okay, young chap?"

I approached her and leaned on the counter with a forearm. "Just a little tired. Not having the best of days, but I'll pull through," I lied.

"I know better than that, mister. Here, take these." In her hand was two keys. Seconds later, they were in my hand."

"What are these for? Did you already give a set to my dad?" I asked. I don't want her to just give me another apartment to myself.

"No no no, these," she enunciated, bringing a giddy smile to her face, "are for your room, and your window."

I was dumbfounded. Why of all things would she talk about a window? Everyone knows that windows should not just be opened up by keys! Wait a minute... Yeah they should. We're in the Big Apple of all places. Of course we should have locks on our windows and doors. Why would she save a couple measly keys for me?

"Uhm, would you care to explain why I have these?" I inquired. No doubt I was glad to have them. It was just confusing.

She gave a wink and preached to me. "You see, kid, that window is going to be your place. I know a few girls and boys who just love to talk and talk at theirs. There's no doubt in my mind that your little home will be your saving grace... Your gateway to something I believe you need."

This lady's the gateway to something alright. How many issues of Reader's Digest has she read, ten? Fifty? Three hundred?

"Thank you for this ma'am. I'm sure my time here will be put to good use." I said.

"I'm just as sure as you'll ever be." she replied with a typical old-lady-laugh. "Just call me Abigail if you ever need me, kid. It's about the only word I can hear clearly!"

Abigail was a nice elder, but she needed to quit calling me Kid. She didn't know how much I hate that nickname.

As soon as I turned around, two formally dressed people walked in. Given their looks, I wouldn't be surprised if they considered moving to a richer part of the city. The woman wore an outfit that one would wear to a courthouse. She looked like a lawyer, but gave the appearance of the most considerate lady anyone ever came to know. I could've said the same thing about the man, but his hair was frizzled, and the tie he had was poorly shifted. I wouldn't have been surprised if he just finished teaching a bunch of crazy students at some academy.

And he was the first to talk, making me laugh so hard as he ran his mouth nonstop, "Oh my gosh Topi that's the new guy in the new family that we heard about The lady was right and he's gonna eat my sanity and my lunch You should go talk to him and keep him as far away as possible He's a dangerous one-"

The woman slapped his cheek, snapping out of it before he could push her to me. "Hunny, that's no right way to speak about a kid!"

I could only rub the back of my neck sheepishly; they seemed so innocent that I felt very much out of place.

"Sorry about that sir. I'm Topanga Matthews, and this is my husband Cory." She approached me to shake my hand. I took it gladly.

"You just gave him our names! Now he's gonna kill us all!" the teacher exclaimed.

"I'm pretty sure that's not on my to do list, sir. My name's Jude Irons, and if my family gives me the okay, I'll be attending Abigail Adams." I said, introducing myself.

The lobby fell silent as the essence of awe filled the area. I wasn't counting the seconds, but I knew that what had to be said was worth waiting for. The couple looked dumbfounded, as if I was a godsend meant to fill the world with happiness.

"Oh my lanta. Cory, this is godsend!" Topanga cried, "The kids are gonna be so happy!"

Hmph. Called it.

The Matthew parents wasted no time helping me get all our belongings to my staying place. All the while we talked about who they were and what they were doing. I was told that I can always stop for a pancake or anything I needed. Even after it all was brought, my brother and father didn't give the best introduction. In fact, they just bustled out of the duplex and assigned me to organize the living quarters. I was ticked, but also thankful to have some time to myself.

After a couple hours of moving couches and things of the like, I finally had the chance to see what the clerk was talking about. Once I finally set down my father's television, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and made my way up a some stairs. I moved past a few open doors, one being the bathroom and another being the pigsty of Grant's room, and looked to my right. There was a smaller door that had a lock on it like the others, but I couldn't get it to budge. I fished my pockets for the bronze keys and stuck one in the keyhole. What my eyes awaited was unmatchable to my old room. By far.

There was space. The wooden floor was there for me to pace about and move. It was open to my delight. My bed had blankets and sheets available for deployment. Yes, the walls were white, and so was the closet. It had much more room than the one I used to own. I was spoiled, and my thankfulness showed it.

The curtains that hid my window's were a royal purple. I thought it was quite odd for a white room to have purple beds and curtains, but why should I complain? I have space to enjoy! I pulled back the curtains and gasped. There were cushions, and the windows were huge. To my astonishment, I picked up two sticky notes which were placed between the keyhole to unlock my left window.

Hope we made you happy whoever you are. Come visit below your room when we're around!

- Maya

How kind of her. Did she do this?

Don't think Maya was the one who planned this. It was me.

- Riley

No sooner did I finish reading those when I heard mumbling below me. In a frantic rush of excitement, I yanked open my window and now clearly heard what the people below me were talking about.

"And you guys were listing symptoms, and I was like 'Check check checky check check!'" Laughter followed the guys' voice, and I felt inclined to laugh as well. I didn't know why, but I had to. I already felt at home.

I imagined what it would be like to have a group of people in my room, talking and laughing away without a care in the outside world. Interacting with me and spending time with me.

That's selfish of you, kid. Don't think you're gonna have what they have.
But, you want that.
C'mon now, you don't deserve it. You've been a loner your entire life. You can do it another 83 years.
It's for the taking. Did you hear how excited the couple was to see you?
About as excited as parents can be. You know how they are... Covering up truths and spending time with what's important to only them. You think the children down there are any better?
Don't overthink this. That can wait another day. When was the last time you risked yourself? You just read two notes from these girls who cared enough to make a place for you?

You know what your heart longs for, Jude. Don't dismiss it.

"Hey Riley, did you hear the window open?" A lower voice asked.

"Oh my gosh, Maya! It's happening!" squealed a girl.

Let me take back what I said.

I couldn't help myself but holler down below me. I leaned my head out the window and yelled as loud as I could. "HEY! Are you the around people!"

It took a few seconds of what I thought was scuffling, but then I saw a head with a beanie poke out the window, "Well, we aren't squares!"

"Should I come down?!" I asked. The wind wasn't carrying my voice but I knew it came across.

"Don't waste your time up there! Use the ladder!" he yelled, pointing to his left. I followed his direction and with much effort climbed down to their level.

You have never done this before. Don't screw it up.

I screwed it up. Big time. I didn't know how far I was to the floor below me, so I threw myself in like a missile, praying that I'd make it all the way in. My body jolted from the impact.

The first thing I saw was not four people my age wondering why I looked like an awkwardly dead fish. I was staring at the floor and hearing an almost genuine laughter.

"Hahahaha! Did you see that guys! He just flew ten feet into the room!" said the deeper pitched guy, wrapped up in giggles.

I rolled around with a goofy smile on my face, no doubt that I was more embarrassed than ever before. "Give me a break. I'm sure that those two didn't make it their first time."

Silence followed. I was given deadpan expressions by the guys while a blonde girl nodded in agreement.

"He's got it right, Lucas. Both you and Farkle didn't have it easy." she said.

The brunette one was tapping her foot on the floor, quite unfazed by my entrance. "How much longer are we gonna let him lie here?"

The group of us talked nonstop. Well, everyone except me. They had so many questions. Some were stupid. Others were very intriguing. And a few were deep. I had enough answers to submit a survey to Family Feud. Needless to say, I was pressured. It felt uncomfortable the entire time. What games did I like to play? Where did I grow up? What makes me a worthy drum set player? How many friends do I have right now? Should I have friends?

"Uhm..." I said with beads of sweat trickling down my face. "You tell me."

As comically common for crazy scenarios I'm involved in, the room fell silent. As I grabbed a nearby tissue to wipe my face, I couldn't help but notice how everyone was looking at the floor. Riley paced around her room in deep thought. Everyone else was still, wondering why such questions had to be asked. Filled to the brim with nervousness, I looked at the face closest to me: Maya Hart.

The time it took for her to recognize my direction of gaze wasn't long. In fact, she seemed to know what she wanted before I even locked eyes with her. A soft smile ran across her lips. These two things were all it took for something in my chest to flip. Then I did a double take. The smile hasn't left, and I instinctively mirrored it. I let my shoulders drop and lost some of the tension which coursed through me.

Maya answered Farkle's question first, "I think he should. After all, behind crazy personalities, we're all people." Thanks to these words, it felt safe to lower my guard.

"Jude," Farkle asked me. He squinted his eyes. Something told me the smarty never got enough answers. I could respect that, "why are you... you?!"

I picked my guard back up. Was it okay for people to be different, Farkle? For my money, I would've asked you the same question since hearing your dilemmas on Belgium. For a second, I lost respect for the guy. I thought I was the only one who over analyzed everything life had to offer. Overthinking was my But . No one else was supposed to carry such a burden and lose themselves in the anxieties of social interaction.
But Farkle...
The Minkus kid wasn't freaking out. He was just studying. His eyes have not displayed fear or submission, but determination.

Maybe you can try to do the same thing. It'll only help if you actually speak.

"I'm me, because I have to be... I-I guess..." I stuttered. The eyes on my face were too much to handle. I looked out the window I sat next to, contemplating what I just said.

"Please," Lucas scoffed with a sarcastic tone, "tell me you have an answer that's not depressing."

I looked to him, his scornful face drilling into the pride I had. My heart blazed against my chest, telling me that it's just how some people act on a first impression. Surely, he hasn't lost faith in me. I've only been here about half an hour.

"I know I ought to be, uhm... I think I'm called for it." I started. "Every day, I choose to get up, deal with the things on Earth, then I go to sleep putting it together. I have my reasons. Regardless of what they are to you. I think I am constantly changing, day by day."

What was I thinking? A whole bunch of mumbling and bumbling. Riley's jaw was ajar, as if in some sort of trance. Farkle seemed bewildered though, as if he was listening to an alien speaking English. His eyes lit up like a star in the evening sky; they were individually astonishing. I couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

This guy was pretty awesome. And we just met!

The posture of the flannel wearing cowboy is what got to me the most. When I took a first look at the people I was surrounded by, I knew that Lucas was the backbone. He seemed wise, supportive, and very lenient. I should've learned to not trust my judgement. It's taken me places that I don't want to go back to.

I saw Maya from my peripherals scratching her face. At least I hoped that's what she was doing. I wouldn't want my words to burden anyone.

Farkle stepped off the closet he was leaning on, and politely asked for me to move from where I was sitting. "I don't think I will understand you for a long time Jude..."

That's nice to know. Thanks. I shot the nerd with a smirk of my own. We both didn't know each other very well, but that's something we both can respect.

He continued, "But I think a man who acts like a jock and answers questions like a book qualifies as a friend. I'll take him." With that, he hopped out the bay window. I cackled at the reasoning he has. It's illogical, but hilarious.

Lucas was the next to leave, not without giving Riley a smooch on the head. My eyes widened at the public display of affection; granted, I didn't know the relational status of anyone around us.

"If you think that's crazy," Maya told me, "you should see how silly Farkle acts around us." I rolled my eyes. The more you know.

"Don't get me wrong Jude, you aren't a bad kid." Lucas said, topping it off with my trigger word. I dismissed it this time. "I just need some time to think. Text ya later Riles."

"Bye, my lone star." she called back, giving him the gaga eyes.

As Lucas climbed out the window, he pretended to tip a hat towards me. Behind the glare he gave, the rest of us could tell he was innocent. He just needed some time.

We should have given him more than time.

Riley skipped happily to Maya and plopped herself on her lap, to which the blonde groaned, "I used to have the feels for him, but they weren't as strong as yours."

"Oh, quiet you. You wished you still had them." Riley giggled, poking her seat's nose.

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do- HEY!"

"Why the sudden change to present tense?" I interrupted.

To this, Maya groaned, pushing the silly girl off of her, "We used to be in this complicated triangle. It's been settled now."

"Speaking of settled, Momma's pancakes are settled and my stomach is unsettled. C'mon guys!" And just like that, Riley was gone, whooshing out her door at breakneck speed.

For a moment, Maya and I just sat at the bay window. As I pieced together everything that's been discussed, a calm breeze blew through the room. We took the moment and exhaled as loudly as possible. She turned her face to me before we busted out laughter.
Never have I taken small moments like these for granted with my mother.

"I'll take it that discussions like this happen all the time with you guys?" I inquired.

"You're right, but you are a worthy reason for such conversations." She casted a smile my way before standing up and walking to the door. She laced a hand around its frame before turning to me.

This is your chance to thank her for being your first friend.
Don't count on her saying much. She's just sticking up for you.
You made it this far. Just tell her thanks.
You don't deserve it.
Look. This is what Riley's parents were talking about, you're arrival and its impact.

"You okay?" She came back, and was now at my level. Nearly jumped me out of my skin.
Its demolition on everyone you know.
"I... Hmph..." I was digging out of the bottom of the barrel. This was my chance to confirm my new friend and I was blowing it. The tension came back, and it was stronger than what I dreamt of the last couple nights. My throat tightened, and my vision blurred, eyes threatening to release fluids.

It's been too long... Your schemes of pity and helplessness are over with... shut your freaking mouth...

"Don't be afraid. It's only me." I felt warmth on my left shoulder, and just like water to a drainpipe, the tension was gone. How?

"Thanks for considering me as your friend. I don't deserve you." I calmly said, attempting to collect myself.

"Don't forget what I said, we're all people. I can be here for you." Maya cooed, removing her hand from me. Then she startled the entire duplex and everyone in it. "Hey Cory, add a plate for Jude!"

"ACK! DON'T MAKE ME SIT NEXT TO HIM!"

I sat next to Mr. Matthews.

Contrary to his fussing, we all assumed he liked having me around.

We indulged on pancakes and conversation. This time around, there was more laughter, and actual discussion rather than interrogation. The youngest boy in the Matthews family, Auggie, told me a story about his first day driving a car.

"Now, now, Auggie, you were in my lap on the way to school. You did NOT have the seat to yourself," interjected Cory. "you were in my lap."

"But I still had the steering wheel. And the blinker thingy. I also had you check the blinker fluid!" he argued back.

Every one of us belted out in laughter, Riley almost choking on her bacon. This is the kind of discussion I liked the most, being able to see the smiles of my new companions. Whether it'd be the discussion of politics or the latest fashion trends, it was more than what has ever been spoken of back home. I liked it, and if I had the privilege of eating anything every night with these guys, I would abuse it. - Just kidding, that's too strong of a word.

Topanga spoke up, catching the table's attention. "School starts tomorrow, how excited are you guys for your Senior year?"

"That depends on how excited Cory is to teach us." I answered, casting a smirk his way.

"Well I'm very excited to tell you, as luck and the directors of whatever we're in told me," he started, pulling out a piece of paper and scanning it quickly, "you guys are actually in a few classes with me at the same time!"

For a moment, we all felt awkward, wondering why he would point out such a confusing statement. Nevertheless, the best friends and I high-fived each other across the table. Some of us had study hall together, we all met in Seventh Period for History, and I had an AP Philosophy class with him and Farkle at the end.

"So are you telling us that you and Farkle are gonna teach philosophy together?" asked Riley.

"No, but I'm gonna teach it alone." He answered, "We all know that 'Farkle Time' is exclusive to History."

Hmph. Farkle Time? This kid must be way smarter than I once perceived. A grin showed itself on my face. The anticipation I had for this year was worth all the other years I've screwed up. With real companions by my side, I was going to conquer my past.

I was going to make this the turning point of my life.

Hopefully.

Maybe.

Could.

Might.

As I lied on my bed, the one single thing flashed through my mind. And it was destroying me.

Good luck doing that when no one cares.

Thanks for making it here! Don't forget to leave a review, and I'll hear from y'all soon! I'll be working on Part Six when I get the chance. (Thanks to my lack of time spent playing Super Smash Bros., I'll have that chance easily!)

See ya, and God Bless!