Chapter 4: The Great Homework Rebellion

A/N: Yes, yes I know I promised this chapter last week but I also said that was nearly impossible so don't be too disappointed. I've been having some family issues lately so please don't freak out if I don't update the exact moment I promise. Well, here's the chapter you'll most likely all been looking forward to. In this chapter, Cory, Topanga, and Shawn are introduced to their new Feeny and meet some surprising new people while Eric tries to find a job. Well, without further ado; I give you chapter four of '1994'. Enjoy!

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Okay, so Cory didn't actually believe that he was going to be a famous baseball player for the Phillies anymore than he believed in time travel, but look where they were.

He quickly learned that you actually had to be good at baseball to be a baseball player, and he wasn't quite cut out for that job anyway. Running was as far from his mind as his schoolwork and that was saying something. But a teacher? Why couldn't future him be something cool and make a lot of money? Was this because he always slacked off in school? Did he flunk out of college and have no other choice to become a teacher? He shivered at the thought of teaching kids everyday, and seventh graders at the worst! Why couldn't he teach something cool, like science fiction movies? Why did he have to teach seventh grade History?

"No. Freaking. Way." Shawn burst out laughing, earning a well-deserved glare from the short blonde standing next to him on the subway who was watching her friend fawn over some boy on the other side of the train. "You're Feeny!" He snorted loudly, nearly doubling over in laughter. Cory had the urge to hit him but he stood still, only scowling at Shawn.

"I think it's great, Cory; following in Mr. Feeny's footsteps." Topanga complimented, trying to stop the fight about to break out. He ignored the blonde next to him and crossed his arms over his chest, smirking at Shawn.

"You done there?" He questioned calmly, rolling his eyes at his best friend who was still cracking up. Shawn shook his head, unable to speak through his hysterical laughter. After almost a minute he finally breathed again, wiping away tears from his eyes. Cory only watched his friend trying to calm down, his eyes fixated on the girls next to them who were currently switching between talking to a guy near the back of the train. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a slight smile on his face as Shawn finally began to calm down.

"Ah, man. I can't believe you're actually a teacher, of all the jobs in the world!" Shawn snorted, still bent on teasing Cory who was growing more and more cross by the second. He could tell he was about to do something he would regret; he could always tell. Topanga was tensed up next to him, also probably aware of the chaos about to ensure on the Subway. Since when did she seem to know him so well?

"At least I have a job." He emphasized, the words seemingly slipping out of his mouth. He watched Shawn's expression fall, his lips forming a pout as his brow furrowed and his eyes flared with anger and confusion. It took him a moment to process Cory's comment and as much as Cory wanted to take it back, he couldn't stop anything now.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He scoffed, trying to brush off what Cory had just said. While on the outside Cory tried to stand his ground, on the inside he was mentally kicking himself. Why the hell did he say something like that? Why was he so stupid all the time? Topanga stepped in between the two boys, crossing her arms and glaring at Cory.

"Cory, cut this out and take it back." She ordered, attempting to keep the peace in their group. He knew she was being more than rational and he probably should listen to his friend but there was that little voice in the back of his mind, just telling him to keep going. He hated when he listened to himself.

"No, no, get out of this, Topanga. What did you just say?" He stepped closer to Cory, pushing his shoulder harshly as he ran a hand through his now shorter hair, his bangs falling into his eyes that were swimming with anger now. Cory knew he had taken it too far.

"I said at least I have a job." He spat, pushing Shawn right back. Both held an unblinking glare, caught in a furious staring match. "Trailer Trash." He added, adding more force to his shove this time so Shawn accidentally bumped into the small brunette behind them. This was absurd, what was he doing? Shawn was his best friend, so why was he acting like this toward him? Was it the embarrassment from being made fun of or just the fact that he needed to retaliate to maintain his dignity? Whatever it was, he knew that he had messed up when he say Shawn's features go blank and his eyes fill with hurt.

"Cory." Topanga hissed scornfully, shooting a reproachful look his way. "Don't start this now, please guys." She pleaded, but both ignored her; Cory too busy reprimanding himself and Shawn battling with emotions.

"I get it. I'm not rich enough to be friends with Mr. Teacher over here." He almost laughed, regaining his cool composure after getting up again. "Who needs friends like you anyway?" He sneered as the train finally came to a stop and the doors opened, people rushing out in waves. He disappeared into the crowds, Topanga and Cory also stepping off, making no attempt to go get him. Even Topanga knew how Shawn could get when he was like that.

"Why did you have to do something like that?" Topanga shook her head at Cory, as if he'd have an answer to the question he had been asking himself this whole time. She glared at him before sauntering off, most likely to go and find Shawn, leaving Cory speechless.

His future was definitely not looking so great.

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Topanga wasn't the perfect friend.

Not to Shawn, not to Cory, not to anyone really. But, she did know how to sort out people's problems and while butting in was usually an issue for her and her friends, it came in handy sometimes.

Evidently, now was not one of those times.

As she scanned the subway platforms for her friend, she realized she didn't even know how she was going to get to John Quincy Adams Middle School. She had lost both Cory and Shawn, she had no idea where she was going, and all she wanted to do was get out of here. The crowds were overwhelming and neither of her friends were in sight. She let out a worried sigh, trying once more to peer over the crowds of people. She was taken aback when she felt a sharp tapping on her shoulder and she whipped around, trying to find whoever had interrupted her.

"Are you lost or something?" It was the innocent looking brunette and her shorter friend from the train. They must have noticed her bookbag and probably thought she was lost, which she wasn't denying and as much as she hated to admit it, it would be nice to get some help.

"Sorta." She shrugged, coining a lopsided smile. The two girls seemed nice enough to Topanga and hopefully they were also in the seventh grade. After all, she was in the market for some new company after the subway fiasco. "Do you know where John Quincy Adams Middle School is?" She questioned sheepishly, looking around the subway which was beginning to clear up.

"Sure! We go there anyway. What grade are you in?" The brunette asked, seemingly cheerier than her friend who was indifferent to anything going on. They began to walk up the stairs, the crisp September air hitting Topanga's face as the exited the subway. She hoped Cory and Shawn made their way to the school alright and that they would work things out; after all, they always did.

"Seventh. You?" She asked nonchalantly as if she was just a normal 13-year-old girl starting at a new school and not an accidental time traveler from an entirely different decade. She hoped she looked normal enough to blend in with the rest of the twenty-first century. Her clothes were limited to cheap second-hand store hand-me-downs, not wanting to burden her nephew with anything else. Jason had already been so kind, taking her and her friends in on such short notice. She could never ask for anything else from him without feeling bad.

"Same here! My name's Riley," She introduced before gesturing to her friend "And this is Maya." She finished with a smile. While Riley was so cheery and happy, Maya was moody and sarcastic. Topanga saw a little bit of her friends in both of them and maybe she was going crazy but Riley really reminded her of Cory and Maya really reminded her of Shawn. "You'll never guess who the Seventh grade history teacher is either." Riley added and Topanga suddenly felt sick to her stomach, truly hoping this conversation wasn't going where she thought it was going.

"Get this: It's her dad." Maya interrupted, elbowing Riley gently.

Okay, so maybe Riley reminded her a little too much of Cory.

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Shawn didn't even want to be in the same room as his two ex-best friends in the first place and here he was, pressed up against Cory's side in a cluttered broom closet.

Upon arriving at the school, Topanga had immediately pulled them aside, her face flushed red and her eyes filled with distress. No matter how much he protested, he still followed her and Cory less than willingly into the janitor's closet in the back of a hallway.

"What is it, Topanga?" Shawn questioned, completely ignoring Cory next to him. He didn't even want to look at his curly haired friend right now, not after that morning. He couldn't even believe what Cory had started just because he laughed a little at Cory's future. Sure, it was a little rude but he didn't need to lash out and mess everything up. What the hell was wrong with him anyway? Whether it was the future problem or the fact he was a middle school teacher didn't faze Shawn. Cory was still his best friend and whether or not he was successful in the future didn't matter to him. All they needed was each other but apparently, future Shawn just didn't belong in future Cory's life.

"You'll never believe who I just met." She breathed, anxiousness obviously getting to her for Topanga was never this giddy. It took her a minute to finally calm down before she could speak again, her face evident with excitement. "Okay, okay." She tried to start but began to stutter again, unable to speak.

"Spit it out!" Cory demanded, also obviously anxious about Topanga's news. Shawn couldn't deny that he too was a little bit nervous. The future was a little bit terrifying but discovering something that could alter their lives forever was horrifying and without information his guesses were becoming absurd.

"Okay, um, there's this girl and-" She began to blush again and Cory and Shawn both shared perplexed looks.

"Topanga! You're supposed to marry Cory!" Shawn yelled in distress, his mouth gaping. Topanga immediately formed a glare at Shawn's head, rolling her eyes at her friend's ignorance. However, his yelling must have been overheard because the next thing they knew the door of the janitor's closet flew open and all three turned to face the bearded janitor standing in front of them.

"What are you kids doin' in here? Get to class!" He barked, startling all of them. He sounded oddly familiar, a voice that Shawn couldn't exactly place but definitely someone he knew. Topanga groaned, dragging her friends out along with her.

"I'll tell you later." She moaned, and Shawn was right along with her in her state of distress. First period; history. History with the older version of his best friend teaching them. History from a century that wasn't even theirs. This was going to be great.

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The classroom was crowded with nearly twenty seventh graders as Shawn, Cory, and Topanga stepped into the room a few minutes before the bell rang. Each of them taking the few open seats in the back that had obviously been reserved for them. It was sort of laughable, really, how uncomfortable Topanga seemed sitting in the back with him and Cory for the first time in her life. Topanga really was the definition of a teacher's pet; almost as insane as Stuart Minkus from the sixth grade.

The blonde let out a small gasp next to him as two girls entered the room. One with long brown hair and one with wavy blonde hair. Shawn quickly recognized them as the two girls from the subway ride, immediately bringing back a wave of unwarranted thoughts. He glanced over to Cory beside him, whose eyes were fixated on his future self which was a bit creepy to say the least. Future Cory looked about the same as he used to, the only difference was a bigger nose that Shawn would usually make a joke about if they weren't in such a compromising situation. Besides, his best friend would probably just make a joke about him being trailer trash again.

Get over it, Shawn. You know he's right.

He mentally cursed the voice in his head before blocking the noise out, concentrating on the two girls in the front of the classroom who were obviously trying to negotiate with Cory about being late.

"Don't worry Mr. Matthews, you wrote her a note." The blonde reassured their teacher, prompting the entire class to laugh, even Shawn. She was funny, but not as funny as Shawn could be. He scoffed to himself, remembering all the weird conversations he had in Mr. Turner's class the previous year. A pang of sadness hit his chest when he thought back to Mr. Turner. Why did he ever think it was a good idea to just show up to the guy's house unannounced in the middle of the night? If he were back in his time, Mr. Turner would probably hate him for ruining his date and then hate him some more for eating his food. God, how could he be so stupid?

"I did?" Cory asked, obviously confused.

"He did."

"You did." The brunette insisted, handing the crumpled up note to their teacher. Shawn leaned forward in his desk, a bit intrigued about what would happen next. Already classes in the future were more exciting than History classes with Mr. Feeny.

"Riley is late. Deal with it." Cory read aloud to the class, causing them all to laugh even more. Riley smiled sweetly along with her friend and Shawn could tell they were the ones who took care of most of the class entertainment, just like him and Cory had done. "Hmm, got my signature down pretty good this time." He praised the blonde, crumpling up the note and setting it on his desk. The younger Cory could only watch, dumbstruck from his seat, unable to speak. Shawn could tell that must be uncomfortable for him and he was a little grateful that future him didn't live in New York.

"Oh it was easy, you write like a girl." The blonde shrugged as she and Riley took their seats in the front of the classroom as Mr. Matthews began to take attendance. Shawn was thankful that he wasn't the one who had to change his name like Cory or Topanga. However, he did notice how Mr. Matthews frowned when he reached Topanga's alias, obviously picking up on something which Shawn prayed he didn't investigate any further. It was lucky for them though that after finishing attendance, he set the list down and moved to the front of his blackboard again, leaning on his desk.

"Okay, so let me get back to jammin' some learning into your heads." He announced as Shawn and Cory shared a smile before they both turned away feverishly. No matter how badly Shawn wanted to make peace with Cory, he wasn't stepping down until the brillo head apologized. "The Civil War!" He declared and Shawn saw how Topanga's face fell at the fact they were learning the same old Seventh Grade stuff. The only reason she had actually wanted to go to school was to learn more about the past twenty years they had missed and now they were just learning the same material again. That was going to drive her nuts for sure.

"The Civil Bore!" The blonde, (who's name Shawn had discovered was Maya) shot back. She grinned wildly, obviously proud of her little stunt. Shawn shrugged; he could do better than that.

"Thank you, future Mini-Mart employee of the month." Cory rolled his eyes at the blonde, trying to brush off her sarcastic comments.

"Would she be making more money than you?" Shawn called out to the front of the room, forcing all eyes of every kid in the class onto him. He could see the brave ones cracking smiles and the obviously obedient ones glaring at him. Mr. Matthews simply ignored Shawn, trying to continue with his lesson.

"The Civil War!" He announced again, trying to fix the attention of the class back onto him. "Anybody?" He glanced around the room, looking for willing volunteers.

"A war we fought against ourselves." Riley spoke up confidently, causing Mr. Matthews to gain a look of shock.

"Whoa. You actually studied it?" He questioned as if he had never had a pupil do his work before which Shawn didn't exactly doubt. Cory as a teacher didn't seem to be that strict.

"No! I'm actually living it!" She declared, putting her head down on her desk in agony as the class laughed. The boy with a striking bowl cut in front of Topanga spoke up, trying to capture the class' attention.

"People, people! Are we here to learn or not?" He shouted and Shawn, Cory, and Topanga all shared a horrified glance before whispering under their breath at once:

"Minkus!"

"That's my name, don't wear it out." The bowl cut boy smirked proudly, his eyes resting on Topanga, ignoring the other two boys. "Well, hello there, pretty lady." He greeted as Shawn rolled his eyes. Yup, definitely Minkus.

"What do you mean, Farkle?" Mr. Matthews questioned, fixing his eyes on the kid. Farkle, Shawn laughed to himself, staring hard at the young Minkus. Not much better than Stuart.

"I've been in love with Riley since the first grade." Farkle stated dreamily, staring wistfully at the brunette girl who threw her hands up in the air in defeat, a confused look on her face. "But, I'm also equally in love with Maya." He added, winking at the sassy blonde. "Some might say the great mystery of the universe is who's going to be the first Mrs. Farkle." He commented flirtatiously, Maya turning around in her seat to face the conceited Minkus.

"You don't want this." She assured him, her tone harsh and cold. Farkle only continued, his perseverance actually endearing.

"Bring it on."

"I always thought he'd wind up with Back-Of-The-Class-Brenda." Riley shrugged, nodding towards a geeky looking girl, decked out in red, her nose stuck in a book.

"Actually the great mystery of the universe is how you could love two women the same who couldn't possibly be more different." Mr. Matthews added his input, obviously upsetting Topanga. Shawn knew how important knowledge was to her and all this getting off track was making her upset. Even Cory could sense it and he was as clueless about girls as Farkle.

"May I overstep my boundaries, sir?" Farkle asked, raising his hand as he spoke.

"You always do." Mr. Matthews stepped aside, letting Farkle run up to the front of the class to speak. He flipped over the plaque on Mr. Matthews' desk which read his name to reveal a side that read 'Farkle' instead.

"Riley: the sun." He started, leaning over Riley's desk; gaining the class' interest along with Topanga's. "Warm and bright and lights up my whole day." He moved along to Maya's desk, also staring into her eyes intently. "Maya: the night. Dark and mysterious. And the night has always been a mystery to me," he concluded, glancing towards Maya briefly. "Because I go to bed at 7:30. How could I love these two different women? How could I not? Thank you, I am Farkle!" He shouted, taking a deep bow before returning to his desk in a flourish. Shawn was shocked. History class was way better than he had ever imagined.

"So," Mr. Matthews started again, obviously going back to teaching again. "We were indeed trying to find out who we were as a people. Who am I? What should I be? History shows that bad things happen when you don't know who you are." He lectured, finally capturing the entire class' attention and even Shawn's. He decided that he liked teacher Cory a whole lot better than he liked Feeny. Just then, the door opened and a boy with sort hair entered the classroom, his backpack slung around his shoulder and a slip of paper in his hand. "Who are you; I don't know who you are." Mr. Matthews asked the scared-looking kid as he entered the room, handing the slip of paper to their teacher.

"I'm Lucas Friar. From Austin, Texas." He greeted warmly, his Southern accent already showing. Shawn rolled his eyes, trying to snap at Topanga who was staring dreamily at the boy. She quit immediately after seeing her friend's warning glances and averted her eyes from the cowboy who set his bag down right behind Riley.

"Oh. Another new student, Mr. Friar?" He questioned, the boy nodding and confirming his thoughts.

"Yes, sir."

"Great, you're just in time for today's assignment. Have a seat." He ordered, returning to his spot in the front of the class. Topanga sat up straighter in her seat and Shawn was convinced it had nothing to do with the cowboy; she just wanted homework like a hungry dog waiting for food. "So, I want you guys to open your books to page 48." He instructed, looking down at a planner on his desk. "Now, I'd like you to turn to page one." He continued, the class reluctantly following his directions. "Now, I'd like you to read from page one to 48." He finished, causing the entire class to groan except for Lucas and Topanga. Cory had returned from his coma-like state and although silent was still following directions from his future self. Shawn pitied him only a little bit, not quite understanding how weird that must be.

"Aw, too bad on you!" He laughed, pointing to the sentences written on the blackboard behind him. "Okay, so for tonight's assignment, I want you to write a three-page essay on anything. Anything at all that you guys believe in so strongly that you'd fight for it." Shawn noticed Topanga already jotting down ideas on a sheet of paper and he chuckled to himself. He had a feeling that she would be one of the only ones taking the assignment seriously.

"That." Maya spoke up confidently, sitting up further in her seat. "I'd fight for no homework. I come here every day why can't you teach me all I need to know while I'm here?" Maya questioned; the rest of the class obviously amused by her outburst.

"Whoo!" Riley shouted, trying to support her friend's protest. Mr. Matthews shot her a look of disdain and she immediately took it back with a weak "Not whoo!"

"He gets our days, let's take back our nights. Who's with me?" She called, rising to her feet and looking around the classroom of kids. "No homework, more freedom, no homework, more freedom, no homework more freedom!" She started a chant, the rest of the class picking up on it quickly, including Cory and Shawn. As the chant grew louder and louder, Mr. Matthews coined a shocked expression at the uprising, taking a small step back. Riley also stood up, surprising Mr. Matthews for some reason.

"What'cha doin?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and Shawn wondered through all the chanting why he was so concerned about what Riley was doing.

"I'm making a choice about who I want to be. About whose world I want it to be." She declared, looking back at Maya who was starting to lead the class out the door, a sudden wave of nostalgia hitting Shawn as he remembered Cory and himself doing something similar earlier that year. Could history really repeat itself in an entirely different century?

"Riley, I know you. You know exactly who you are." Mr. Matthews tried to convince Riley as Shawn listened in to their conversation over the hubbub of the class.

"Who am I, dad?"

Dad.

She said dad.

As in Cory was her father.

And Topanga was her mother.

As in they were sitting in a classroom with Cory and Topanga's daughter.

Their future daughter who looked exactly like Cory with Topanga's hair.

And suddenly, both Cory and Farkle fainted and Shawn wished he was right there with them.

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Okay, definitely the longest chapter I've ever written. Lots of material to cover and still more to come, (let's be real here I'm gonna need to add at least three more chapters to season one.) Well, tell me what you guys thought and have a nice week!