[November 6th, 2019]

Riley's POV

We're in Art class.

"Who's your favorite student, Mr. Jackson?" Maya asked, curiously.

"I don't have favorites," he said.

"Yes, every teacher does," Maya said.

"Let's continue with our paintings, shall we?" He said. We continued our paintings. The project was the sky any way you wanted to paint it. "Now, I want to ask you all a question. Who is your favorite artist or band?"

"Overall?" KC asked.

"Yes."

"NF," KC said.

"I thought it was Taylor Swift," I said.

"She, well the country her, is my favorite country artist."

"Jonas Brothers," Maya said.

"Dalton Cyr," Farkle said.

"Okay, well whoever your favorite artist or band is, I want you to pick a lyric line or two of theirs that you relate to and write it on your paintings tomorrow."

"Why does it have to be our favorite artist?" Lucas asked.

"Who's your favorite musician or band?"

"Twenty One Pilots," he said.

"And why are they your favorite band?"

"Because they talk about important things," he said. "And I can relate to them with my faith."

"Exactly," Mr. Jackson said. "You can relate to them. That's why I want to use your favorite."

Farkle's POV

KC and I went to work and set up our equipment. Lucas, Zay, and Isadora came in and sat down. Aaron asked KC if he could sit with Lucas, and she said yes, so he went to sit with him. Maya was waiting around for delivery orders, and Riley went to take our friends orders. We found out that her and Lucas broke up, but they told us it was a private matter. KC and I decided to start out with a really relatable song for me.

"Hey everybody!" I said. "So, we're going to start out with a song that is personal for me." I looked over at my friends. "A lot of you, including some of my friends, don't know this, but today is the third anniversary of my baptism. In 8th grade I started to believe that maybe there was a God out there. The summer after, I was going through something dark. I realized that I wasn't happy, there was something missing from my life, from me. I felt completely lost. I decided to go to church with one of my friends. After that, he gave me a Bible. One night, I started reading it, and everything I had done wrong fell on my shoulders. That night, I started to truly believe. A few months later I decided to get baptized. So here is 'Saved' by Joseph O'Brien."

I gave it my best shot/ But it was never enough/ Pain was all that I got/ And I always gave up

I was feelin' all the weight of every sin and mistake/ Regrettin' every step and all the choices I made/ Oh, oh

I couldn't climb my way up/ I couldn't change who I was/ You found me/ Lost, abandoned/ Hopeless and afraid/ I couldn't be the hero/ Lifted me from down low/ And you/ Drew my heart up/ From the crashin' waves/ That's why they call it gettin' saved

You hold me together/ You keep me alive/ So how could I ever/ Leave Your side?

And when I feelin' all the weight of every sin and mistake/ I remember how You took it all and washed it away/ Oh, oh

I couldn't climb my way up/ I couldn't change who I was/ You found me/ Lost, abandoned/ Hopeless and afraid/ I couldn't be the hero/ Lifted me from down low/ And you/ Drew my heart up/ From the crashin' waves/ That's why they call it gettin' saved

In Christ I am made into a new creation/ The old passed away from me/ In Christ I am made into a new creation/ The old passed away from me

I couldn't climb my way up/ I couldn't change who I was/ You found me/ Lost, abandoned/ Hopeless and afraid/ I couldn't be the hero/ Lifted me from down low/ And you/ Drew my heart up/ From the crashin' waves/ That's why they call it gettin' saved/ That's why they call it gettin' saved

We finished the song.

"So it was KC's Birthday two days ago," I said. "We did a little get together, so we weren't here that day. Can everyone join me in wishing my beautiful and amazing girlfriend a happy belated 20th birthday!" We all sang 'happy birthday' to her.

After we were done, she whispered to me "Did you have to embarrass me?" She was laughing a little.

"It's my job," I joked.

"You're a dork, but you're my dork," she said. I smiled.

Josh's POV

I got home from work and saw Maya's car there. I went into the apartment, and saw KC and Farkle sitting there, watching a movie with Aaron.

"Oh, I thought Maya was here," I said. Suddenly I felt someone jump on my back.

"I am," she said. She spun herself to in front of me. "Wanted to surprise you." I looked over, and the table was set with candles and roses. I looked in her eyes and smiled.

"You did this?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Made your favorite." She skipped over to the table, pulled out my chair, then sat down in her own. I sat down. She gave me some lasagna and put some salad into my bowl. I took a bite.

"Wow, this tastes just like my mom's," I said.

"That's because it's her recipe," she said.

"How did you get it?" I asked. "My mom wouldn't even give it to Topanga."

"I have my ways," she said.

"Thank you," I said. "Actually, this made my whole day better."

"Why?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Well, I was screamed at by my boss and fired today."

"You got fired?" She asked worried.

"You were fired today?" Farkle asked, coming into the dining room.

"Yeah, I started having an asthma attack and I went to take my inhaler, and he grabbed it out of my hands," I said. "He said 'you can't do drugs on the job, that includes medications'. I grabbed it back from him and used it and was able to catch my breath. He grabbed it back and threw it in the trash. Well, I lost my cool, and punched him. He fired me right there."

"What kind of person does that?" KC asked. "That's ridiculous. That'd be like Topanga throwing Farkle's insulin away."

"Yeah," Farkle said. "I mean insulin isn't a drug, it's a hormone, bit it's my medication. That could have killed you."

"Well one good thing came out of it," I said, continuing to eat.

"What would that be?" Maya asked.

"A lot of my coworkers saw what happened and quit," I said. "They don't want to work for a jerk like that either."

I continued eating.

"I always want to make things better for you," she said. "I'm glad I was able to."

"Again, thank you," I said. "This means more than you know." I looked in her eyes. My favorite baby blues on my favorite girl's face. Even though our friends were in the other room, it's like we were the only ones there. The way her eyes fell into mine, it was a sign. I smiled.