"Katy?" Topanga called out as she let herself into her friend's apartment, using her foot to close the door behind her. There was no immediate response, but she decided against calling for her again in case she was busy with Maya. Truthfully, there was nothing she had to say that couldn't be done later via a phone call, and so she was content with just putting the things she had brought with her away before letting herself back out. She had just emerged from the kitchen after arranging the alphabet magnets on the fridge door to spell out "Open me" when she saw Katy walking into the living room, her hair tousled as if she had been lying down.

"I didn't imagine you calling then," she said by way of greeting as she yawned and came around to the couch, dropping down next to the bag Topanga had left there.

"Didn't want to disturb you," she responded as she joined her. "How's Maya doing?"

"She's asleep," she responded. "She's really scared Topanga. I don't think it really hit her how much danger she was in until she got home. I don't know what would have happened if those teachers didn't get there when they did…"

Katy sniffed at that, lowering her head. Topanga reached out and pulled her into a tight hug, taking comfort from it as well. She had forced herself into lawyer mode once she had entered the school compound, but, truthfully, she had wanted nothing more than to just drop down on Maya's other side and try to comfort her as well. Katy's fears weren't unfounded. William Graham's current state was worrisome, but, when she had heard the condition Mr. Jackson had found him in the previous year? That knowledge had been enough to raise all the hairs on her arms and had her demanding to know why Adam Willis hadn't been expelled and arrested back then.

"I'm okay," Katy said shakily, after a minute. She pulled back and wiped at the few tears she had allowed to slip loose. "I can't – I can't do this now. Maya needs me to be strong."

"Maya is safe in her bed right now," Topanga reminded her. "Now's the time to take a moment for yourself."

The blonde woman nodded at that, seeing the truth in her words. "I knew something was wrong the second Cory called," she said. "I specified on all those application forms that he could handle anything that came up with Maya, so for him to tell me to come in? I-"she broke off, briefly burying her head in her hands. "That boy was really going to hurt her, Topanga. You saw the footage."

"He's in custody now," she reassured her. "He won't hurt anyone else. I'll make sure of it."

"We're pressing charges?" Katy asked her, and Topanga's mouth quirked slightly at the 'we', glad that Katy knew that she wasn't alone in this.

"We haven't yet," she answered. "You do have the option to, but realistically speaking, unless we go after him from a 'he abused a helpless girl' angle, he'll get a misdemeanour for simple assault. It's what he's done to William Graham that will put him away."

"Liam," Katy corrected.

"Right," Topanga said with a rueful half smile. "Liam's uncle pressed charges immediately but so far they've only booked him for a hate crime and aggravated assault. Once they have the full medical report they'll tack on more charges. Given his age and the fact that this isn't a first-time offence, he'll be serving time for this…no matter what his disgusting excuse for a father says."

"His parents showed up?"

"His father," Topanga answered with a grimace. "Let's just say I can see where the kid got the attitude from although father dearest was cowering in a corner by the time I was through with him."

"There's my shark lawyer," Katy joked, causing Topanga to chuckle. "What about the other one?"

"Zander Gallagar," Topanga said with a sigh, briefly rubbing at her forehead. "The kid's a nutcase," she said bluntly, and despite the situation, Katy let out a strangled laugh at that. "No, he really is," Topanga explained. "From what I could gather he and Liam started off as friends until the guy figured out he was gay. Their friendship went south in the worst possible way. He was the instigator that led to him getting beat up last year."

"And he did it again this time?"

"Yes," Topanga said, shaking her head. "When he saw Liam and Maya hanging out together something snapped in his brain and he somehow felt like he has to protect Maya from Liam. I guess somewhere along the line the kid decided he liked Maya and that what happened today was him protecting her honour."

"Topanga that's madness."

"The school counsellor told me off the record that he'd been recommended for psychological evaluation more than once in middle school. However, he, until now, has acted normal enough," she said, quirking her fingers in the air, "that it remained just that, recommendations that his parents ignored. He's been taken in for evaluation now, and, once again while you can press charges against him I honestly don't know if it'd be worth it. Even if he gets more than community service, he won't get the help he needs in a juvenile detention centre.

"He can't get away with this," Katy protested.

"He won't," she reassured, reaching over to take her hand. "But, if there's one thing the years have taught me is that all people can't be dealt with the same. He admitted sending the letters to Maya, and when Cory and Mr. Jackson went through his locker they found that his notebooks were filled page after page with rants. Some were about Maya and Liam, but also about a lot of other things that raised more than one red flag. It's your choice in the end, but I personally wouldn't bring him before the courts."

"But will they be back in school?" Katy asked then. "Topanga, I don't want them anywhere near Maya."

"I'm not above throwing my firm's weight around," Topanga reassured her. "The principal seems like a flake and trust me I'm going to be looking more into her because Katy, like I said before, Adam Willis should have never remained in that school after what he did. I'm giving them two days to handle it to my satisfaction or else I'm raising hell," she finished with a wicked smirk.

"Topanga thank you," Katy told her sincerely. "You're doing so much for us and it's Monday and just left work half-day and-"

"Shhhh," Topanga bid. "There was no way I wasn't going to come Katy. Besides, I told you," she continued with a grin, "Mondays aren't busy for me."

Katy chuckled at that but leant over so that she could put her head on Topanga's shoulder for a few seconds. "What's that?" she asked, finally noticing the stuff she hadn't had the time to put away.

"Oh that," Topanga said, leaning over to take and hand her the bag. "There's a container of brownies in there and an envelope with all the stuff Cory collected for Maya. It's her homework and any handouts she would have gotten this week since we weren't sure how many days you'd take her out for."

"Forever," she grumbled.

Topanga restrained a chuckle at that. "There are a couple containers of Chinese food in the fridge. I figured you wouldn't be up for cooking tonight."

"Topanga," Katy protested, even though her face reflected gratefulness.

"I also brought you this," she added, shooting her a mischievous look as she pulled out the final item, a bottle of red wine.

"You are ridiculous!" she declared, laughing.

"It's happy hour somewhere, babe."

"And that right there is Shawn's influence."

"Yeah, well I had to pick up something from him after all these years," she returned.

"Thank you for all of this, Topanga," Katy said, gratefully. "I just don't know what I would have done without you and Cory today."

"You would have managed," Topanga reassured her, giving her a one-armed hug. "You're a strong one Katy Grace."

"I am," she agreed, "but I'm still glad I have such good friends like you."

"Family," Topanga corrected, tapping her finger against her nose. "You're the future Mrs. Mr. Cory Matthews," she teased, "and that makes you my sister."

"Well then, you're the best sister I could ever ask for," Katy returned with a soft smile. "How about we crack this bottle of wine open now, huh?"

"I'll take a glass for the road," Topanga agreed readily, as they got up and headed into the kitchen, Topanga opening the bottle while Katy dug up two glasses. "You don't have to worry about the kids coming by," she said. "I told them to give Maya some space. No guarantee they won't blow up her phone, but it's up to her to decide when she's ready for company."

"Does that mean I should set up a sleeping bag for Riley outside Maya's window?" she joked.

"I'll tie her to her bed if I have to," Topanga promised. "She doesn't do well with boundaries sometimes. It's a Cory thing."

"Better that than his hair," she quipped, causing them both to giggle.

Soon Topanga would leave, and, all alone, Katy would return to her daughter's bedroom and just lie next to her as an ever vigilant guard, determined to ensure that her baby girl would never experience something like this again. For now though, she was content to just relish in the company of her closest friend turned sister, and, just for a few minutes, pretend that all was right with the world.

Maya grimaced as she sat up. The soreness in her shoulder was much more pronounced now than it had been before she had fallen asleep. She experimentally tried to raise her hand, and bit back a gasp of pain once she passed a certain angle. Yeah, she wasn't going to try that again for a while… She stared down at slumbering mother for a moment, glad that she had stayed even after she had slept. Seeing her there like this staved off the residual fear that threatened to creep back up and assault her. She didn't really get it, but the more time that passed, the worst she found herself feeling. She reached out, tempted to shake her mother awake for a hug, but decided against it. There was no need for the two of them to be awake and miserable. And so, instead, she carefully eased herself off the bed, taking stock of all the aches and pains that were only now making themselves known. She grimaced, but ultimately decided that nothing was unbearable and so, she opted against searching out pain killers.

She padded quietly across the room and through the door, glad now that Shawn had taken up oiling all the hinges in the apartment as it opened silently. Shooting her mother one last look, she wrapped her arms around herself as she walked to the kitchen, her stomach protesting loudly along the way. It was only now that she remembered that the last time she had eaten had been that morning, and even then, it had only been a bowl of oatmeal and fruit alongside some orange juice at Riley's place. The stove top was empty, and resigned, she pulled the fridge door open, ready to dig out some leftovers when she saw two take-out cartons. She took them out, and, spotting two emptied wine glasses on the counter, wondered if someone had come over while she had been sleeping. She took them back into the living room and sat, opening them one after the other. Waiting for her was the noodles and Chinese-styled chicken she was particularly fond off from the restaurant near to Riley's apartment building. Mrs. Matthews, she thought fondly as she started eating.

She finished all the noodles and most of the chicken before the gnawing feeling of hunger started to abate, and so she slowed her pace to a more leisurely one. She had dropped her phone on the coffee table once she had gotten home, and now she reached for it. She turned on internet access to it before setting it aside as she continued to eat. As she had expected, it started to vibrate crazily for nearly a full minute before finally settling down. Still, she let it be until her chicken was done and she investigated a container left on the table, happy to see brownies in there. She let herself indulge in one full square of the chocolatey treat before, reluctantly, taking up her phone once again.

She prioritised, ignoring any messages or tagged posts from anyone outside of her immediate friend group. She snorted as she saw how many new connection requests she had gotten on the school's social media site over the past few hours. It was like homecoming all over again, and, rolling her eyes, she mass-accepted all as the stupid system was rigged so that that action could be done with a single click whereas she would have had to manually reject each request. Doing that cleared a lot of the notifications automatically much to her relief, allowing her to more easily sift out the remaining content. The Art Club and the Show Choir message groups was ignored for now. Given the message count she knew that it'd take a long while for her to sort through all of them, and that, by now, someone – probably Dylan, Shane, or even Emily who technically was in both groups – would have issued some sort of statement.

She decided against responding to Shane's messages for now. It wasn't that she was still upset with him – going through what she had had caused a reassessment of her emotions – but, she couldn't deny how short he had been with her even as he had tried to offer her comfort. She didn't have to think too hard to understand why that was and she just…didn't want to deal with that right now. Dylan's message was a lot more supportive, and like always, she got a big-brother sort of vibes from him that lifted her mood minutely, while from Emily she had an update about Liam, telling her that he was now home from the hospital and that his fractured ribs would just need a lot of TLC, but that he would, ultimately, be fine. She sent up a silent prayer of thanks at that before moving on.

Riley's message was surprisingly concise and it's phrasing had a parent-ish undertone that implied that she had been cautioned against disturbing her, something she was surprisingly grateful for. Everyone else's messages echoed the same sentiment, although Maya found herself smiling minutely at Smackle's stilted effort at communication. She really was trying, she acknowledged, and, like with Riley, directed a series of hearts her way.

She lingered longest over Lucas' message. It was a single line - "I'm here when you need me" – but it was enough to have Maya pulling the pillow closer to her chest. Everything had seemed a little easier to bear when he had shown up in the office. The tightness in her chest seemed to ease and just watching him standing there, waiting for her to make the first move had been enough to make her stop hugging her knees and extend her hands to him. He had reacted immediately, and within seconds he was seated beside her, letting her direct what she wanted from him. She was glad that he did. Despite the fact that both the sight of him plus his trademark cologne screamed his identity to her, she had still hesitated when he entered her personal space, her mind screaming that he was another male and thus had the potential to be threatening. It was only now that she recalled flinching when Mr. Matthews had held out his jacket for her to put on, so she supposed that her initial reaction to Lucas was not unexpected.

But then he had spoken to her, his voice carefully moderated, and that had been enough to snap her back to reality. She had looked up at him, taking in his concerned green eyes and with that, the last barrier towards him had evaporated, and with a cross between a sigh and a sob, she had leant against him, allowing him to pull her closer to him so that she could use his chest as a pillow. She recalled grasping his shirt, using that as a secondary anchor while she closed her eyes and allowed his presence to waft over her. Despite all that high school had flung at them, she still considered him to be the strongest person she knew, and though there was no threat here in the office, feeling that strength so close to her was enough to relax her, and she had closed her eyes, letting him whisper nonsense words to her until Shane and Riley had arrived, her boyfriend's words essentially shattering whatever peace and comfort she had found.

Lucas had been reluctant to leave her even then, and so had looked to her for guidance. She hadn't wanted to let him go, and indeed briefly contemplating asking Riley to come join them so she could have even more comfort, but, even though she had been in a daze, the logical part of her mind spoke up enough to remind her that yeah, that would definitely increase Shane's anger towards her, and so, reluctantly, she had backed away and allowed him to take Lucas' place.

She was so grateful now that Lucas had been able to set aside his anger for her. She knew that it could not have been easy for him. She could imagine his immediate reaction about hearing that she had been hurt, but that hadn't stop him from coming to her, delayed though it had been. She could understand that. Lucas' temper would have undoubtedly been aroused, and in her state, she was grateful to not have had to deal with that. It wasn't to say that Shane hadn't been able to comfort her as well. It was just that the two of them still did not have an easy dynamic. They were still figuring out how to interact with each other. Plus, she supposed, there was the lingering tension between them to contend with. However, in the end, she had settled her head upon his shoulder and he had sung softly to her, which, in its own way, had been soothing.

But now, seated here in her living room with nothing more than a container of brownies to keep her company, all the emotions of the day started to weigh heavily upon on her, including the upheaval that had preceded Adam and Zander showing up in that corridor. She had made so many mistakes recently, and it was only now that they were slowly but surely becoming apparent to her. All of this was her fault. If she hadn't gone against her better judgement and had told someone that Adam was once against after Liam it could have ended then and there. With her as a witness to the incident, Adam would have gotten detention, and, seeing how protective everyone was over Liam, she knew that secondary measures would have been taken. She also could have mentioned what Zander was doing to someone – someone other than Alex who, just like her, was concerned but too wary about upsetting Liam to go against his wishes.

A more ridiculous voice in her mind whispered that it was her fault to begin with that Liam had been hurt. That if she'd followed her initial plan and had just broken away from Riley and the rest of them and stayed on her own that none of this would have happened. She would have never become friends with Liam, and thus effectively removed any need for Zander to pursue them. She didn't give the thought much weight though, but still, it was there, adding to the list of what ifs and maybes plaguing her.

She also could have handled the situation between her, Shane and Lucas a lot better so that they would not be heading towards a major falling out now. Thinking about it, she realised that there was indeed a slow but steady change in her dynamics with Lucas, something, she believed, had started after their conversation at the train station. She had told Lucas that she wasn't certain that she could trust him again and that she needed time to process and accept once again that he was committed to her and would not leave her. And yet, from the very next week, upon seeing him, Maya had felt like everything between them was fine. Maybe she had just needed a verbalised commitment from him. Or maybe it was the fact that he seemed so earnest in his desire to fix things with them. Or perhaps it was just that she had lowered her defences towards him once she was certain what his motives had been.

They were close now, perhaps even closer than they had been before the whole triangle thing had started, and while she loved it, she had to consider how that closeness could be interpreted outside of their group. They'd been labelled as their year's favourite couple back in middle school based on how they interacted with each other. How could she not expect Shane to be jealous or worried now, and that wasn't even considering his own familial history. She had been so blind, and perhaps even somewhat selfish, but, she supposed a part of her had been working under the assumption that if Riley – her best friend and Lucas' girlfriend – had no issues with it, why should anyone else? This was the same Riley who had come out of Topanga's when she and Lucas had been hugging technically too long, and yet she didn't bat a lash when she saw them in close proximity. And while she wasn't in the frame of mind to try to understand the change in Riley's behaviour at this point, she had to acknowledge that if it was bothering Shane then perhaps she really had to take a good look at what she and Lucas were doing and perhaps, dependently, change.

Except…

The hurt that realisation evoked was equally as intense as the fear that had coursed through her earlier, and suddenly, she felt overwhelmed. She tossed aside the pillow in favour of pulling her legs up so she could hug her knees, and, burying her head in them, she started to rock herself to and fro, trying and failing to calm down. It was too much, all too much, and while she wanted nothing more than to go and find comfort in her mother, the walk to get to her bedroom seemed almost insurmountable and so she just tightened her grip on herself further, as if that would keep herself in check.

Lost as she was in her thoughts and emotions, her senses dulled. She didn't hear the sound of the front door locks opening and closing, nor did she hear her name being called. She jolted when the couch depressed though and she lifted her head, blinking through her tears. She expected to see her mother, but it was Shawn's concerned eyes that came into view. She sniffled, not understanding why he was there. He wasn't supposed to be in New York. He should have been on a next out of town assignment, and yet, somehow, he was there beside her, travel coat and all, with a haggard expression on his face. He had cut his trip short to come home. She had caused yet another person trouble. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to speak, to part her lips and apologise for the inconvenience. Instead, her lip wobbled and, much like she had done with Lucas, she freed a hand to offer to him, begging for the help she wasn't certain she really deserved.

Shawn reached out and pulled her bodily to him, and the moment her face hit his coat she broke down, loud sobs and wails escaping her as she gave in to her baser emotions, trusting that Shawn could and would help her put the pieces back together once she was done falling apart.

Shawn had no idea how much time he spent there holding Maya while she cried in his arms, but god, he hoped to never be in such a position again. Her crying had been heart-breaking, and it physically hurt him to see her so miserable. Her sobs had eventually tapered off, but she had made no move to talk and he hadn't wanted to risk speaking either lest it set off a next bout out of crying. Except, she had been silent and still for a while, and so, finally, he risked shifting himself enough to see her face, and, as he half-expected, she was asleep in his arms, tear tracks visible on her face. He tucked her back against his chest, resigning himself to a long, uncomfortable night because there was no way in hell he was going to move and disturb her.

He must have eventually started to doze, because he awakened suddenly when he felt something being settled over himself. He opened his eyes and found Katy looking down at him apologetically. Oh, she had been trying to tuck a blanket around him and Maya.

"Hey," he whispered, careful to keep his voice low enough to not disturb Maya.

"Hey yourself," she returned, although her volume was a bit louder. He followed suit, trusting her to know just how loud they could be without disturbing the slumbering teenager. "I woke up and realised Maya was missing. I told you to wake me when you got here."

"She started crying as soon as she saw me," he answered apologetically, even as he patted the spot beside him.

She sat, and leant over to kiss his cheek before snuggling close. "Thank you for taking care of her," she said, "and for coming back."

"You don't have to thank me for that," he told her seriously, wrapping his arm around her. "You needed me. She needed me. There's nowhere else for me to be."

She looked at him searchingly for a moment before offering him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Shawn," she said. "It's hard for me to realise sometimes that you're mine, ours. That this is just stuff that you're supposed to do."

"Don't be sorry," he returned. "We've both had it hard before. We're still straightening things out."

"Okay," she responded.

She leant over him enough to grasp and finish arranging the blanket, ensuring that all three of them were covered. "How long are you here for?"

"Until," he responded with a shrug. "I was going to lock off after this assignment until Thanksgiving passed anyway, so I'll just get Tony to switch me to local gigs for now."

"Can you do that?"

"Sure," he reassured. "I've been the only family-less staff member on hand ever since I started working there, so until now I've been the one who got sent out whenever people's personal lives reared up. The guys actually started ragging on me after we got engaged saying that it's my time now. Of course I don't think anyone would have wagered that it'd happen the first time because some assholes tried to beat on my kid and her friend, but…here I am."

"I'm glad you are," she responded simply. "I'm scared."

She sounded far younger than her years when she said that, and Shawn's protective urges rose, causing him to pull her even closer to his side so that he could press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm here now," he reiterated. "You don't have to deal with this alone."

"There's so much to do," she said tiredly, resting her head against him. "A counsellor is coming tomorrow and I think I also want to have her checked out. The nurse says she's fine but I noticed that she's babying her shoulder. One of the guys jerked her by her arm, and I want to make sure that nothing's permanently damaged."

"Her rotator cuff maybe," Shawn responded, resisting the urge to start prodding at her shoulders to check for himself. "It's annoying but not too serious, especially at her age."

"Dealt with it before?" she asked curiously.

"Why do you think I'm looking forward to having two bag holders," he teased, grinning at her.

She chuckled, causing him to smile. It was nice to see some of the worry ease from her face. "You do realise you're stuck here until she wakes up, right?" she asked, looking to where Maya shifted slightly obviously make herself more comfortable against him.

"Part of the job," he said easily, stroking his hand along her back. "You can head to bed if you want. I don't mind."

"No, I'll stay," she answered. "My two favourite people are out here."

"So are mine," he returned, before pressing his cheek against her hair, and relaxing in a way that he could only do when she was with him.

"All alone, Smackle?" Zay said by way of greeting as he reached their usual meet-up spot to see only her there, a science magazine in her hand.

She looked at him, her expression softening slightly as she gestured for him to sit beside her. "Farkle decided to walk Riley to school this morning. He said it would give her a degree of stability."

"Well that's nice of him," he responded as he settled his bag between his feet. "Lucas' gone for a run so he'll be here closer to when the bell rings."

"Does his increased desire for endorphin release have something to do with yesterday's altercation?"

Zay stared at her, trying his best to figure out exactly what she was saying without assistance. It clicked after a moment. "Right…you're asking me if he's running to feel better."

"I suppose I am," she allowed.

"In that case, yes. We had a few close calls with him yesterday and it's not like there are hay bales around here for him to toss around till he feels better."

"Is he still mad at you?"

"You know about that?" he asked, her, surprised. He and Lucas had only argued once school had ended and they were safely aware from the rest of their group. And, it wasn't like his friend to air out their personal grievances publicly.

"Your bodies were very stiff when you were standing by each other when classes ended and your voice rose half an octave whenever speaking to him. Your voice rises when you are upset, is normal in most other cases, and lowers when you are speaking of personal matters or trying to be taken seriously."

Zay stared at her, honestly bemused by her analysis. He didn't even stop to consider the accuracy of it – Smackle was never wrong – but he couldn't help but feel as if she had gone beyond general research about human behaviour. What she had just said was tailored specifically to him. He blinked at that realisation, not sure of how to assess it. "He is mad at me," he said instead, holding back a sigh. "I suppose some of it is earned. I did know something was wrong but I didn't say anything."

"But you are not to be held accountable for that," she rebutted. "You were assured that he was not a threat were you not? For you to have said anything after that would have risked drawing unwanted attention towards Maya and her companion. They would have been angry at you for that."

"So basically I was in a no-win situation to start with," he huffed, his shoulders shaking. "Lucas doesn't get it Smackle," he said, clasping his hands together. "He's never been the one bullied. He doesn't get how ashamed you can feel when it's happening to you, how much you don't want to draw attention to it because you're afraid that people would turn around and say that it's your fault, that if you were just normal that they wouldn't have targeted you in the first place. But I've been there and I saw it written all over Liam's face just looking at him. He thought he had the situation under control, and Lucas can't know how empowering a feeling that is. If I had told someone, and it had gotten back to them – to him – he would have been humiliated. I can't deny that maybe this wouldn't have happened if I had told someone, but, god, at least the guy gets to keep his pride."

"And that is important?" Smackle inquired, her voice uncertain now.

Zay considered how best to reply to that before he settled upon an analogy. "Imagine you have a great idea, something that will get you out of school tomorrow and into NASA full time. Imagine not sharing that idea because, gee, I don't know, you wanted to check out the calculations more or something. Except you spend so much time on it that you miss the opportunity to submit your idea and there's nothing you can do about it."

"That would be devastating," she responded immediately.

"Now imagine in a year you see a scientist at NASA come up with that idea of yours. How would you feel?"

"Sad," she said after a moment's thought, "but still…happy that my idea was valid, even if I did not have the credit for it?"

"That feeling is sort of what Liam's probably having now."

Smackle's eyes widened at that. "You were in the right then," she declared. "You allowed Liam to gain a sense of accomplishment."

"I wouldn't go so far sugar," he said, his mouth quirking, his mind throwing up an image of the sophomore with a trophy celebrating surviving a beat-down, "but you've gotten the gist of his feelings."

Smackle's expression grew thoughtful. "I have never had someone explain emotions to me like this," she told him.

"I thought Farkle's helping you with that?" he asked.

"He tells me that I should not worry about it," she explained, reaching back to toss her hair back over her shoulder, "that with more experience I will understand it. But there are some things I do not think I can comprehend that way, like this. You helped me with that."

"Well that's Farkle being all scientific for you," Zay scoffed, although there was no heat behind his words.

Smackle set the magazine she had been holding down beside her, and turned her body towards him. "Before we began our relationship, Farkle always stated that like forces, no matter how much they attempt otherwise, will always repel each other. Like if you try to put two magnets together without switching their polar points," she added, when he shot her a confused look.

"Ohhhhh," he said knowingly. "He thought that the two of you were too alike?"

"Indeed," she confirmed with a nod. "We are very much alike, and sometimes, increasingly, I wonder if he is right."

Zay frowned, surprised by her words and the sadness that laced them, even if she was unaware of that fact. "Sugar, what are you talking about exactly?"

"I am talking about the fact that I am unable to help Farkle," she explained, reluctantly meeting his gaze, "much like I was unable to offer Maya any assistance yesterday. Both times Riley did what I could not do, and I am not content with that."

"Smackle you're doing a great job," Zay rebutted gently. "You're special, extra-ordinary, and we all know that. No one expects you to do anything you are not comfortable with."

"There is a difference between my discomfort towards social tasks and my inability to assist my friends when I wish to do so. I lack the equipment to help Farkle in the way I wish. And that extended to Maya as well yesterday. I do not know how to offer people comfort Zay."

"I saw you holding her hand, sugar," he gently contradicted. "That was you offering her comfort. I'm sure she appreciated it."

"I had no words for her."

"What did you do when you held her hand?" he asked, sitting up straighter.

Smackle tilted her head, considering it. "Her hand…it trembled as she talked. I started to rub it between mines until it stopped."

"And don't you think it stopping meant she was better?"

Now it was Smackle's turn to stare at him, as if she had not considered that. "I suppose I did help," she allowed. "Maya did smile at me when I made to leave."

"That was her thanking you for what you did," Zay told her gently. "And if it helps, you did a great job making me feel better Saturday."

"In what way?" she inquired. "I only told you that I was glad that your family was safe now."

"Which let me know that you're glad that I'm around," he answered, smiling at her. "That's exactly the sort of thing I needed to hear. See Smackle? You know what to do, even if you aren't aware of it."

"I am, aren't I?" she questioned after considering it. "You truly believe that to be the case, Zay?"

"I know it is," he returned, scrounging his nose at her, a gesture that caused her to chuckle and look away.

"Zay?"

"Yes, Smackle?"

"I believe you are useful to me," she said. "I feel…different now having spoken to you, as if the insubstantial thoughts that have been distracting me are gone."

"I'm glad to help," he told her.

"You said that I was awesome during homecoming," she reminded him then. "Is this still the case now? Even if you see that I have made very little progress since then?"

"I remember telling you that there wasn't a thing you needed to change," he answered, "and I still think that. We like you for who you are."

"All of you do?" she pressed.

"All of us," he confirmed. "Why? Do you still feel like an outsider?"

He watched as Smackle shifted, obviously uncomfortable with his question. "I do not wish to pursue this conversation any further," she said abruptly.

He nodded at that, though he still wondered exactly what she had been getting at. He stored it away for another time, trusting that, whenever she was ready to, she would bring it up with him once again. "We don't have to talk about that," he allowed. "Maybe instead you can use that genius brain of yours to help me get back into my friend's good books?"

"I will handle that," Smackle declared. "Lucas is being entirely unfair with you and I will not stand for it."

"You're going to defend my honour?" he couldn't help but ask, surprised.

"I shall," she confirmed. "Give me five minutes, and you shall have an apology from him and a promise to not be unreasonable again."

Smackle was wrong about that calculation though, perhaps for the first time in her life.

Rendering Lucas repentant would only take her three minutes and a half minutes.