Riley took a deep breath, looking toward the open door that led to her father's classroom. It had been a long night, running through the memory of Lucas yelling at her over and over, and the devastated look on Maya's face…it kept her up all night, even though she knew, or at least thought she knew, that Maya and Lucas weren't upset with her anymore. She'd let Maya take the train ahead of her after breakfast, making up an excuse about forgetting a textbook, but really she just couldn't stand the thought of their silence, knowing full well both of their minds would wander to the same boy…Unwilling, she pushed herself to walk through the door, quickly taking her seat at the front of the classroom.

"Hey, Riley," Lucas' voice was soft behind her. "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?" It was gentle, and even before she turned around she knew the look on his face: the concerned blue eyes, the constant half-smile he'd acquired along with all his southern charm. This was the Lucas she knew. Always trying to do the right thing. She could talk to him when he was like this, no problem.

"I don't know if now is a good time to talk," Smackle interrupted, leaning half-way out of her seat next to Farkle.

"What?" Lucas' Face melted from kindness to confusion. "Smackle, this really doesn't have anything to do with you. I am definitely not flirting with you."

"I know, I just don't see this being an opportune moment. Besides, here's Mr. Matthews. I suppose class is starting now. Oops!"

Cory looked between Smackle and Lucas, eyebrows raised, but then shrugged it off. "Oops? Maybe not. But good morning, everyone. Welcome back to class. Does everyone remember where we left off?"

"Maybe we can just skip that part," Maya offered. "I think we got it."

"Oh do ya now?" Cory responded.

"I for one already have an excellent understanding, Mr. Matthews, and would greatly appreciate moving forward with the lesson." Smackle's smile was sugary-sweet. Farkle peered at her, not sure what exactly was going on with her.

"Well, if you're all so sure. Let's move on." Cory turned to the board to start the lesson, but Farkle found himself distracted for once. He'd never seen Isadora so worked up before. She wasn't just teasing this time, she was scheming. He just wasn't sure what for.

"Smackle, what are you up to?" Farkle whispered.

"I'm keeping you all together, that's what." She smiled, ever-confident.

Farkle glanced at Lucas. He was sitting perfectly straight, hands folded, but twitching and fidgeting so much it was hard to understand how he was still in his seat. It was hard to see him so on edge. He knew he regretted his outburst. Texas Lucas was a part of him that he'd spent so long trying to bury and hide that once it showed itself, it became hard to turn back from again. But he was different now. All of them had made Lucas different. Hopefully, the change would be a lasting one.

"And that's all I've got for you today. Good work, guys." Cory brushed his hands off and took a seat at his desk.

In a quick movement, Lucas was in front of Riley. "Hey, I'd really like to talk to you soon, okay?"

"And I'd like to talk to you right now! Shall we?" Smackle practically leapt in front of Lucas, pushing Riley out the door before she could respond. "Anyways, you look great today. Love the outfit, love the hair. Let's catch up!" and in a moment, they were swept away into the chaos of the hall.

"You wanna explain that to me?" Lucas asked, turning to Farkle.

"I'd tell ya if I could."

"The girl may be a brainiac but you can't say she's not strange," Zay said.

"Honestly," Maya said, getting up from her seat. "I think she's the smartest of all of us." She glanced at Lucas, and left without another word.

"What's her problem?" Zay asked.

"I'd tell ya if I could," Lucas repeated.

"Yo, Matthews, is this why girls are always complaining about men? What are we missing here? Give us a hint, man," Zay called, waving down Cory's attention.

"Ay-ay-ay. Listen boys, when it comes to understanding women, I generally find that I don't, so I use the direct approach. When I don't understand, I try asking. See what that does for you."