"What do you think?" I asked Mr. Jackson.

It's the week of Halloween and Mr. Jackson gave an assignment about monsters.

I took inspiration from the statutes at the park. In, the foreground, three friends smiling in the sun. But in the background, there was a lonely zombie with blonde hair.

"Is that you?"

I nodded.

"Why a zombie?"

"Because sometimes I feel...like I'm not a real person. I have this human body and it's I don't know to...drive it. I'm just this bad thing wandering around. And I can see my friends and they can see me, but the dead can't walk among the living."

He smiled, "Wonderful job Maya. A"

%%%%%

"Come on Maya, you had to have gotten an invite."

"No, I didn't. " I said, opening my locker.

Abigail Abrams was buzzing about this 'amazing' freshmen Halloween party.

"Maya, you're cool. You must have been invited."

I opened the Abigail Abrams site and handed Riley my phone, "See nothing."

"I can't believe it. Everyone is going."

"Riley that's ridiculous."

We walked into the classroom.

"Who here has been invited to the party?" Riley asked the whole class.

Everybody except Farkle raises their hands. Farkle looked down.

"Farkle you didn't get invited too?" Riley says.

I looked at Zay, "Even you got invited? You just moved there?"

"People like me, Maya."

Then Lucas walked and Riley ran at him.

"Lucas, tell me I can be your plus one." She pleaded.

He looked around confused, "Sure, but where are we going?"

"The Freshmen Halloween party." Riley said, "Let me see your phone."

He pulls his phone out and hands it to her. That was easy.

"He didn't get an invite. Lucas didn't get invited."

They all gasped. Because he is considered "popular".

"It's okay. I don't like parties so we'll do something else."

The class gasped again.

"Whose party is this anyway?" I asked.

Sarah raises her hand., "Missy Bradford."

"Missy?" Riley yelled, "My nemesis."

"Her parents own the entire brownstone and they won't be home...so it's going to be the party of the year. "

"Aren't you being a little dramatic?" I smirked.

"I hear Beyoncé is going to be there," Sarah said.

I have of course don't believe a word of that.

Riley gasped, "Queen Bey is going to be at the party, I'm not invited to."

"We are going to have nothing to talk about on Monday." Farkle yelled standing up, "And we are going to plunge lower and lower onto the high school food chain. We will be guppies."

"Hey but guppies are cute huh?" I said trying to get them to calm down.

They weren't going to let this go so I had to take into my own hands.

"Okay, let's go find Missy."

%%%%

We haven't seen Missy Bradford in two years. However, we did recognize her face, though she had grown quite a bit since then.

In the lunchroom, the 6 of us gather around Missy, Chai, and their more confused friends.

"Hey, Lucas." She says, then looks around, "And everyone."

"What do you have against us?" I yelled.

"You talking about the party huh?" Missy said, "I thought you were too cool to care about that stuff."

"Oh, I am." I smirked then pointed to Riley, "But she's not. So what up?"

Missy stands up and turns to me and Lucas.

"I would have invited you two...but where you go." She points to Farkle and Riley, "They go."

Well, that is true.

Missy turns to them, "And you two, are just...too much."

"What is that supposed to mean?" They both said, frowning.

Missy looked at Chai and her friends for support. Chai looked down at her food.

"Well, you're overly dramatic and...have no chill," Missy said.

"Chill?" They both said.

"We can be chill." Riley bit.

"So chill," Farkle followed.

"We are gotta be so chill that you will freeze to death by our chill...ness," Riley said.

"Yea, we gotta be 0 degrees Celsius," Farkle said.

"Like you can turn around and be a new person?" Missy asked.

Just then, Farkle tore away his green sailboat shirt, revealing a long sleeve back shirt. Then he pulls out a black beanie...out of nowhere.

"Wow, Farkle," Missy winked at him.

"I'm no longer Farkle...I'm Donnie Barns."

Missy looked over at Chai, "What do you think?"

Chai looked at me then at Missy, "Yea, I would like for them to come. Missy...you're going to be so popular, you won't even notice them."

Missy crosses her arms, "Okay, you all are invited to my party."

Missy pulls out her phone. All four of our phones beeped.

Riley walked off. I was about to follow her when Chai came up to me.

"So you're going to the party then?" She asked.

"Um, yea...you?"

"Yea." She nodded, "So...see you there?"

I nodded. She smiled. I started giggling. Missy looked over at me. I put my hand over my mouth and walked out.

%%%%

Riley said she was fine. Farkle...or "Donnie Barnes," said he was fine. They wouldn't talk about it. I thought it would blow over.

So I showed up to pick up Riley for the party in the flapper costume we had previously agreed on.

I found Riley at the bay window.

"Ready for the party…"

Everything was suddenly dark and black. And there Riley was dressed in black and wearing 100% more eyeliner than she usually wears.

"I wish to be alone."

"Riley…"

"There is no more Riley. I'm Morotia M. Black."

"What's going on here? I thought we were going to be flappers?"

"That was when I was a little child... Now I'm dark and depressed."

"Riley..."

"Morotia"

"Morotia, snap out of it."

"And what? Smile myself to death?"

I sat down next to her.

"You are being ridiculous. Is there anybody being more ridiculous than you"

And then Farkle opens the window and pops his head in.

"I'm Donnie Barnes."

"Morotia M. Black." Riley said, "Shall we sit and ponder our very existence and how much we do not care?"

"Yea." Farkle said, then he cleared his throat, speaking in a deeper voice, "I mean, yeah sure."

"This isn't going to work. We need Riley back" I told Riley.

"There is no value to the existence of Riley." She said.

"Farkle can you help me?" I told Farkle.

"There is no value to the existence of Farkle...dude," He said.

"Guys I know you are hurt and what Missy said DID affect you." I said, "But I can't live in a world without Riley and Farkle."

"Well, they're gone." Riley barked, "What if we are fixed? What if this is who we are meant to be?"

I stood up.

"Okay, I'll be right back. I'm going to fix this."

%%%%

"Mom, I need your help," I said walking into Topanga's.

Mom was at the counter.

"I don't think I've ever heard more beautiful words come out of that little face."

"I need to prove to Riley how great being Riley is. So I need you to turn me into Riley."

"You want to be Riley Matthews?"

Yea, can you do that?"

Mom took a breath.

She looks up to the ceiling and does that blushing cheeks smile that Riley does.

"I love today. Today is even better than yesterday. And yesterday was the best day ever. I'd think about tomorrow but I would burst….into sparkles."

"Okay, that was good."

Mom nodded and leaned in, "But before you become another person should know that...you might learn things about them."

"I know everything about Riley."

"But there might be some things...even she doesn't know."

This was going to a rough night.

%%%%

At the party, I walked in with my brown wig, wearing Riley's jean skirt and jacket.

"Lollipops and citrus and...like that." I cheer, "What an amazing house, it's sparkling."

The real Riley rolled her eyes then said, "It's a ghastly habit."

"And I'm Donnie Barnes," Farkle said.

Smackle, dressed as a starker girl, came in with him. Tonight she is Izzy, "the cool chick" and girlfriend to Donnie Barnes. It's kind of sweet how they do something completely insane together.

Then we saw Lucas. He was wearing a white lab coat, a stethoscope around his neck., and holding a stuffed...purple cat.

I turned to see Riley have that flicker of a second where she dropped character. The moment her eyes lit up and she started to smile.

Maybe it was just the wig talking...but what Lucas did, was the cutest thing...ever.

However, when Riley realized she was being watched, she dropped her smile.

Lucas walked over and saw Riley, "What the…"

"Life is what we do between nothingness." She dramatically said.

"Hey, " I perked smiling with my cheeks.

That must have tricked his brain for a minute.

"Hey," he said, blushing.

Then he shook his head, "No."

I pulled Lucas aside.

"Okay, let me explain, Ranger Rick."

"What are ya'll doing?" he asked, "Ya'll take Halloween way too seriously?"

"Riley is going through something. What Missy said really hurt her."

"Missy hurt Riley," Lucas said with his eyes going crazy.

"No," I grabbed his arm.

I felt his muscles underneath the coat. Wow...wait...ew.

I took my handoff.

"Lucas, you can't fix this with violence," I said.

"That doesn't sound like you, Maya," He smirked.

"Yea, it sounds like Riley," I said. "Because Riley is the best person somebody can be."

"La la la world peace...and bunnies." I sang backing away to Riley.

Riley stared into space. I put my hands on her shoulder.

"Cheer up frowning face."

"For what? Just to be mock."

"Maya?" I heard.

I turned to see Chai dressed as a witch. She shifted her eyes between us.

"Oh, you're in a thing aren't you? Okay."

"Chai," I said.

"It's okay, we'll chat later." She said walking away.

That was humiliating. People were staring at me. Some were laughing with me. But I felt a lot of them were laughing at me. Lucas walked up to us again.

"I'm not okay with this." he said to Riley, "I want the real Riley."

"Aww, Lucas you're a very sweet guy." I cheered, "That's why I've always liked you. Since I fell into your lap on the subway. When I look at you I see rainbows and butterflies."

I felt Riley staring at me. But I couldn't stop talking.

"You're so grounded...that you keep from floating away. We're not just two rays of sunshine, we're two sides of a complete picture. That's why I'm in love with you,"

The second after I said it, I gulped.

"I'm in love with you….and nobody else."

I looked over at Riley. She was quivering.

Boy, do I wish I could just turn back time and had never said that.

Lucas shifted his eyes between us.

"Okay, who said that? Maya or Riley?"

I took the wig off, "Riley."

Lucas walked past me to get to Riley, "Is that true?"

Riley stood there talking gibberish.

Lucas grabbed her hand and put it over his chest, "Because you keep me from blowing up. It's you that keeps me grounded. And I love you, just the way you are."

The entire party awed. My knees were trembling. Lucas knew once he said it, there was no taking it back. Unlike me, he meant it.

Riley ran off. I wanted to run after her, but I couldn't move. So many things had changed in the last ten seconds, the body couldn't process it all. Before I could feel my legs again, Lucas had already ran after her. They were both gone.

I sat down and took off the jean jacket.

"Do you want a drink?"

A looked up to see Chai.

"I...I don't drink."

"Relax. I'm just offering a coke." Chai says, "So was the scheme successful?"

"I know Riley is...a lot. But she's my best friend."

Chai sat down next to me, "My best friend is a lot too."

She motioned to Missy, dressed as a princess, bossing around some poor boy.

"You're loyal." Chai said, "That's one of the reasons why I like you."

Did she just say she liked me?

"You...like me?"

"Yea." She nervously shifted.

"Well, I don't unlike you. I haven't seen enough of you to...unlike. But what I have seen of you...I like."

Was that English?

"Really...do you want to go...hang out...upstairs...to see if how much we like each other?" Chai asked.

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