TS42 Chapter 35 (End Of Act II)- Are We Ready For This?

Well, I'd like to thank you all for your continued support through the rough updating times I've had this year due to my high school junior year schedule, and I'm glad to see you have stuck with this fanfic for over 90,000 words! I just broke the 90,000 word mark on Chapter 34, and also broke the 28,000 viewer mark, setting a new personal high in views and viewers, so for that I thank you greatly. I'm glad to see you all reading this fan fiction and enjoying it so far, and I'm happy to say that I still have my plan in place to get all 50 chapters done by the end of this summer, but hopefully before then. This is the final chapter in the second act, which is the high school years. Act III will be filled with all kinds of adult happenings for the friends, and will be when all the loose ends (should) finally get tied up, as this will take us to Chapter 50, and an extremely special event which I shall not spoil quite yet. Now, before we begin, I would like to address the wait time for the next chapter. Due to final exams, and other school related events, as well as for dramatic purposes I did not be post this chapter until now, when I can continue with this fanfic. I will be working on one-shots or short fanfics and will continue reading everyone else's wonderful fanfics while I postpone the next chapter a short time again as well. Once again, thank you all for your continued support, and I am extremely pleased to finally present to you Chapter 35, the High School Graduation Chapter!

Riley's POV:

"Brrrrring!" The day is done, and I am done, in high school, as my time is over.

"Finally," Is heard all around me, as even I am willing to say the same thing at this point.

"Hey Lucas!" I could hear Maya say. Ugh, she has her own boy. Lucas is mine!

"Hi Riley!" He says to me. I feel special.

"Hi Lucas!" I say as I hug him. Maya just laughs at us.

"Don't I get a hug?" I hug her for Lucas so I still feel special.

"From me, yes. From him, no." I say.

"Aw... You're lucky Riley," she says truthfully while I just smile at her. Farkle and Maya then meet and have their own celebration, much more openly giddy than Lucas and mine.

"I can't believe we are done with this place. It's kind of surprising honestly," Lucas says to me while Maya and Farkle continue to talk to the other.

"Yeah, it's been a nice four years, hasn't it?" I kind of ask half reminiscing to Lucas.

"Well, there were some times that didn't exactly go as planned. For either or both of us, and for them too, but we got through it," He said.

"Yeah... I guess everyone has their ups and downs don't they? I'm just glad we had each other to get through it all," I add.

"Riley! Can you believe we are done here?! We are DONE! We are never ever ever coming back!" Maya exclaims happy to be done.

"You're not going to the party?" Lucas asks her.

"Wait, there's a party? Where?" Maya asks.

"At the school on the night of graduation," Farkle adds.

"Why didn't I hear of this?" Maya adds.

"You probably weren't listening because it had to deal with the school after we are done here," I add, as Farkle and Lucas agree laughing.

"I'll see. It's a party. I might go, I might not. Depends on how done with school I am," Maya says as she starts her walk to the sub.

"Speaking of Maya and parties, remember that time when she had a crush on Josh and she tried to sneak into one of his parties?" Lucas nods, not understanding my point. "Maybe Josh will have to try sneaking in to one of Maya's parties..." Lucas gives me a questioning look.

"What would that do? It would just tear both of them they can't be together, or Farkle, and I wouldn't want to see that," He brings up a good point.

"True, I suppose. I'm just glad we don't have those types of problems anymore. Our problems are because of ourselves mostly," I admit.

"Except for that one time-" Lucas starts, but I kiss him to shut him up.

"No no no, not today!" I say doing the finger wag thing like that Tumbo dude does on TV.

"Yeah, probably not a good idea. Remember that other time when we left to go to the sub at this time and missed it?" Lucas adds, as I check the time.

"Eh, we can walk home or wait for the next one. We have all the time in the world now without school, and we both have our phones," I add, and Lucas just shrugs, not really caring what to do.

"Riley, are you ready for this? For college? To be done with high school?" He asks almost out of nowhere.

"Of course, I think four years was enough here to get me ready. Why, do you think you need more seasoning?" I ask.

"No, it's just... New. It's going to be totally different. At least I had you in my classes in both middle and high school, I might not any more," he says.

"Like that's going to stop anything! There's a million ways to communicate outside of being in the same room for an hour, you know," I tease a little.

"Like what? FaceTime? Skype? Webcam?" He asks. I do a physical face palm.

"Do you need me to show you?" I have to ask this I suppose.

"If you don't want to tell me..." I laugh at his antics. "What's so funny?" I laugh harder.

"You're so clueless aren't you? I love it. Here's one," I say kissing him.

"I like that one. Any others?" You know, he is so funny. He's not even trying to be!

"A mobile device can do a lot nowadays too. It has a big green button where you can talk to someone a long ways away," I explain.

"Do I get to look at you after I push the big green button?" He asks playing along.

"Nope. If you use a camera you can though, just not in person," I add.

"I should try that some time. You'll have to help me set it up haha!" He says.

"Maybe I will. I'll do that," I say as we get to the sub station and it seems like it's running late.

"Let me call Maya and make sure she's okay," I say "You call Farkle," we both call on the phone.

"Maya, why is the train not leaving here?" It takes a long time before I hear a voice, Farkle's.

"Riley? Is that you?" Farkle asks, coughing.

"Yeah, are you and Maya okay?" I ask Farkle while Lucas hangs up knowing Farkle is on the other line and won't answer his phone.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay. Maya should be fine, I hope too," Farkle says, quite calm it seems.

"Wait, what do you mean, you think, and hope? What happened?" I ask frantically.

"One of the cars crashed a little bit ahead of ours. It didn't really crash, but that's the noise you heard. Might have been done on purpose," Farkle explains.

"What?!" I freak.

"Where's Maya?!" I ask worried.

"She's a little bit farther back, but they aren't letting people change cars for security reasons. Of course, she doesn't have a phone so I have no way of talking to her," Farkle adds.

"What was she doing in a different car?" I ask Farkle.

"I was getting ready to go up for my stop, which is the one after this and then this happened and I'm stuck I think two cars ahead of her," He responds.

"Are you sure the noise you heard was from ahead of you?" I ask to make sure.

"Positive. I saw flames a couple cars up as well, so that should be reasonable enough evidence to prove-" I cut him off

"Farkle, just answer the question!" I yell "Sorry,"

"Yes, it was ahead of me!" He reacts in a loud tone. Lucas let's out a breath, while Farkle regains his ability to breath regular air and I regain air lost from panicking.

"Let me know when everything is okay and you both are safe okay?" I ask of him.

"Okay, Riley, will do. I'll talk to you later," he says as he hangs up and Lucas gives me a shoulder hug. At least I think that's what it is.

"I don't think we will be getting anywhere any time soon. Want to just walk home?" I ask Lucas,

"Do we have any other choice? I really don't want to take a cab if we can help it," he responds.

"Then no we don't," I say as we head on our way to my house.

Time Skip About An Hour:

Finally made it home. After this day, I'm glad to finally be home safe and sound. Lucas and dad, two of my bodyguards are with me, and mom should be coming back soon.

"Hey Riley, what took you so long?" MAYA?! What the...

"Maya... What are you doing here? How did you get out?" I ask.

"Out of what?" She asks with an unknowing look on her face.

"The sub? Weren't you stuck?" I ask.

"Why would I be stuck?" She asks, obviously unknowing of the situation.

"Maya, weren't you on the train when the car got bombed or so we think?" Lucas addresses.

"A car got Bombed?! With Farkle on it?!" I hug her.

"He's okay we talked to him. He's worried about you right now," I tell her.

"How did you get a hold of him? He's okay?" Maya freaks.

"Yes, he's okay Maya! We called your phone and his phone and he answered yours," Now that I think about it that does seem odd doesn't it?

"That's strange. Are you sure he's okay? Maybe he thought my phone was his?" She asks.

"Maya, the only thing that he is not okay with is thinking that you might have gotten hit too," I tell her to calm her down. "That's why I was so surprised to see you. We all thought you were still on the sub, and are stuck there with Farkle," I add.

"Where is he? I want to see him," She asks.

"First, he didn't say. Second, you won't be able to go into the station, and third, if you find the right station, and somehow get in, you will still most likely not be able to see him until he gets cleared to go by all sorts of security people," Lucas explains.

"Getting out of school was the second longest wait of my life." Maya says.

Time Skip To That Night:

"Lucas?" I ask.

"Riley? He asks back.

"Are we ready for this? College, that is?" I ask him.

"You were the one that told me yesterday you were," He makes a good point.

"Yeah, but that was before the Farkle thing," I remind.

"Riley, what does that have anything to do with college?" He asks in a soft tone.

"That we won't have each other. We won't be riding home together. We won't be there for each other should something like this happen," I tell him.

"Then I guess we will just have to chat on the phone while we go out of the classroom then," he says smiling as he hugs me.

"You think we are ready for this?" I ask him.

"I think we are," he responds. "I know we are, Riley," I faint at the use of my name at the end of the sentence, as he kisses me and I fall asleep in my bed for some much needed rest to some sweet dreams despite the days earlier events.