Hello, everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World.

Disclaimer: GRAPHIC PHYSICAL ABUSE, MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE (SEMI-GRAPHIC IN MY OPINION, BUT READ AT YOUR OWN RISK), MENTIONS OF SUICIDE

Farkle awakened to find his mother sleeping beside him. If anyone were to walk in on the scene, they'd probably see it as cute, but the truth was that Farkle's mother was actually passed out from the excessive drinking she'd done last night. She'd also molested him while she was drunk, and that's why she had passed out in his bed and not on the couch or even on the floor.

Farkle slowly moved his mother's arm off of his chest and onto the mattress beside her before sliding out from under the covers. He slipped on some jeans and a long sleeved turtle neck to hide the bite marks and bruises on his neck (Farkle had blocked out most of what happened last night, and seeing those marks in the mirror, he was glad his brain had hidden the memory away).

Farkle stared at his mother, still in a red party dress and shivering in their freezing cold house (either Mother forgot to pay the bills or turned the heat off last night). He sighed before covering her with his comforter (she may abuse him and do things to him, but she was still his mother. Farkle wasn't sure if it was wrong that he still loved her after everything she'd done, and as much as he wanted to ask someone, he couldn't without giving away Their Little Secret) and watching as she snuggled under the covers, and she breathed, softly.

"I love you, Mother," he murmured before leaving the room.

He thought what happened last night and whispered to himself, "But not that way."

Farkle opened the door, plastered a smile on his face, and left his house to face the world.

"Ladies," he said as he found Maya and Riley standing in the hallway of their school, outside the history classroom.

"Farkle," they replied in unison.

"School dance. I am putting you down for dances one through all of them," he said, sternly. "We will alternate. Me and you, you and me. When you are not dancing with me, you may not dance with anyone else. You will sit and wait until it is your turn to dance with me again."

"Yeah, none of this is happening," Maya told him.

"Well, then may I have one dance with each of you?" Farkle asked.

"Sure," Riley replied.

"Ha, that's all I really wanted. You just got played by Farkle," Farkle joked before walking away.

A few feet away from them, he stopped dead, thinking back on his speech. It was meant as a joke, but... he'd sounded so much like his mother.

"Farkle, you are to go to school and come home straight afterward unless I tell you otherwise. You are not to tell anyone about our Little Secret, not even your so called friends or your teacher or your father. You are to do your homework and then your chores and then you will sit in your room until I call you. You are to stay out of my way. Am I understood?"

Farkle blinked and shook the memory out of his head. That was said to him almost every morning, as though he needed the reminder.

Farkle was once again faced with a question that nearly sent him into a panic attack.

Was he becoming his mother?

"Friar," Mr. Matthews said, cheerfully, the following day. "Farkle. Hart. You!" He spat the final word.

Farkle frowned as he seated himself and watched Mr. Matthews glare at his daughter.

What had happened there? Farkle had never seen Mr. Matthews so mad at Riley. It reminded him so much of... no, he wouldn't go there. Mr. Matthews was nothing like his mother.

But what if he was? What if Farkle was making a mistake trusting him? What if he was just another person that would hurt him?

No. Farkle wouldn't allow his brain to travel down that road.

"Dad-" Riley began, but Mr. Matthews shushed her while smacking his fingers against his thumb in the universal sign for stop talking.

Riley sighed. "Okay," she muttered before taking her seat.

"I have your tests on Darwin to pass back," he announced. "I'm glad to see that some of you have evolved since the last quiz." He laughed at his own joke.

Farkle looked around at the emotionless class before taking pity on his teacher and barking/honking his unique laugh.

"Ms. Hart," he said, handing her her test. "Mr. Friar, good job. Mr. Farkle!" He exclaimed, handing Farkle the test.

"A number 700!" Farkle cheered. "Huzzah!" He added, pulling a confetti cannon out of his pocket and blowing into the tube, laughing as it honked and exploded confetti out of the end.

I can give Father the good news... over the phone, Farkle added, and at least Mother won't be angry at me for my grades. Let's just hope she won't find anything else to be angry about.

"Mr. Friar," Mr. Matthews said. "I took particular interest in your position that evolution does not take the place of a... how did you put it?"

"A guiding hand that has your best interest at heart," Lucas read.

Maya raised her hand.

"You failed me," she said, flatly.

Farkle blinked.

"Why don't we talk about this after class?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"What's there to talk about?" Maya asked, standing and Farkle could almost hear the tears threatening to escape her eyes in her voice. "You gave me an F. You think I'm a failure."

She sighed and handed her test back to him. "There's nothing more for you to teach me."

"Come on," he said, looking between Maya and his daughter. "Both of you have to say that?"

Maya inhaled, deeply, before approaching the door.

"What? You mean I lost you both?" He demanded. "Maya! You do not walk out of here."

Maya stopped in the doorway and glanced at him one last time before exiting the classroom.

Farkle stood.

"Farkle," Riley began, standing as well.

"Riley, you're there for her all the time, but this is something I can talk to her about. Please, I need both of you to trust me," Farkle said, looking from Riley to the teacher.

Mr. Matthews nodded. "Go."

Farkle exited the classroom and ran after Maya.

"I don't want to talk, Riley," she said, hearing the footsteps and assuming her best friend had come after her.

"Even if you don't want to talk, you need to," Farkle said, and the sound of his voice caused her to turn.

"Farkle, I don't need to talk about anything."

"Yes, you do. Maya, did I ever tell you about my one and only F?" Farkle asked.

Maya frowned. "You failed something?"

Farkle nodded. "I was in fifth grade. I failed a math test because my parents had kept me up all night with their fighting the night before. I couldn't concentrate, and I wound up failing. Maya, here's the truth. Mr. Matthews is trying to support you; he offered to talk to you about it; he truly cares about you, and you're taking that for granted.

"When I got my F, my mom... she called me stupid instead of my name for over a month. She would say Stupid, do your homework or Stupid, get me a drink. And my dad didn't talk to me for two weeks. This was one F. I'm not saying this to make you feel bad or for you to pity me. In fact, you are the only person I have ever told, and you can't tell anyone else, not even Riley.

"Maya, I wish that I had someone as supportive as Mr. Matthews in my life all the time. You are like another child to him. He doesn't want you to fail the class, and the reason he didn't yell at you is because failing is a part of life. You learn from it. Maya, you can study all you want, but if you don't fail sometimes, you never get any smarter.

"Maya, don't blame Mr. Matthews. He wants to help. He loves you; he cares about you. Don't take that for granted."

The shrill ring of the bell echoed through the halls, and the hallway became filled with students. Farkle disappeared into the crowd and left Maya standing in the middle of a flood of people, too shocked by his speech to move a muscle.

"Are you okay?" Riley asked, appearing at her side.

Maya nodded. "Yeah. After school, I think we need to talk to your dad. And then, we need to talk to Farkle."

"I got my seven hundredth A today," Farkle said into the phone.

His dad laughed. "Great job!"

"When are you coming to visit?" Farkle asked.

"Hmm... probably a month, maybe a month and a half. Good news, though! My visit should fall right around career day."

"Awesome!" Farkle said. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too, kiddo," his dad said, and Farkle could hear his smile. "How's your mom holding up?"

"I wouldn't say she's doing good without you around, but she's getting better about it," Farkle said, which wasn't a total lie. His mom hit him twice as much without his dad here, and she was slowly cutting back on the beatings.

He spoke too soon.

Farkle glanced up and saw his mother standing in the doorway, glaring at him.

"Um, I have to go now, Dad. I'll call you tomorrow... I love you."

Farkle knew his dad was frowning. Farkle wasn't a touchy feely kind of guy. He rarely said he loved his parents, although it kind of went without saying. Farkle saying it aloud must've thrown his dad for a loop.

"I love you, too, Farkle," his dad said before Farkle hung up.

"Hello, Mother," Farkle said.

"Farkle, do you know why Cory Matthews would call to say he was... worried?" His mother asked.

"No. I don't," Farkle replied, taking a few steps back as his mother approached him, towering over the cowering boy.

"He told me that... that friend of your's, Maya... was worried about your living situation. She told him that she suspected that we weren't treating you right. Cory said that he knew your father would never do that, but he didn't mention me."

Farkle took a shaky breath. "I-I don't know why-"

His mother didn't allow him to finish. She lashed out and grabbed his wirsts, lifting him off the floor. Farkle cried out in pain as her strong hands almost crushed his wrists.

"What did you tell them about me?" She snarled.

Farkle sobbed. "I-I just told her about m-my first F when you called me Stupid."

"I thought we agreed that you were to tell no one about our Little Secret."

"I'm sorry! I was trying to help h-" Farkle's statement turned into a yell when his mother tossed him into the kitchen table. Farkle landed in a crumbled heap on the floor, his back burning and already beginning to bruise.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! They could've thrown me in jail, taken you away if they found out. Do you want to go into foster care?" His mother demanded. "Those families will make me look nice!" (I am aware that many foster families are nice and caring; in fact, I know some very loving families that take in children and care for them as if they were their own. Farkle's mom is just trying to scare him into keeping the abuse a secret).

Farkle trembled. "No. Please, Mom, I didn't me-"

Farkle yelped as his mother's hands wrapped around his neck, squeezing, tightly. Farkle's breathing became shallow before she squeezed tighter and cut off his oxygen, entirely.

"Momma," he whimpered. "S-Stop," he rasped before he stopped trying to speak.

He wasn't sure how long they laid there on the floor with her pinning him to the ground with a knee on his chest and her hands around his throat, but it felt like an eternity. Just when Farkle's vision started to turn black around the edges, her hands released him.

Farkle collapsed to the floor, gasping for air, and he felt arms wrap around him in an embrace.

"Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness," his mother repeated as she ran her hands through his hair and held him against her body as he took in huge gulps of air. "Farkle, I am so sorry! I don't know what came over me."

Farkle leaned into her, too foggy headed from oxygen deprivation and too distracted by the fact that his mom was hugging him for the first time in years to care that she had almost killed him seconds before.

"Farkle, please. I don't want you to get taken away, and I know you don't want that. I just got so angry and so scared when I thought you were going to be taken away from me and thrown into foster care. I know I hurt you sometimes, and I'm sorry, but I love you more than anything in the world, even your father. Please, Farkle... I've lost so much. Your dad left on a business trip; I haven't seen my parents in over a year; most of my friends avoid me at all costs. You're all I have left. If I lost you, too... I wouldn't be able to survive. Please, Farkle. Don't tell anyone about this. If you get taken away, I'll kill myself. You don't want that, do you?"

Farkle shook his head, rapidly. "No, Mom! Please, I'm sorry for telling. I won't tell anyone ever again. Please don't hurt yourself."

His mother nodded. "I won't... as long as you don't leave me."

Farkle nodded.

"Why don't you head up to bed? Oh, and by the way, I'll be going out tomorrow night, so you can take a taxi home or stay at a friend's house after the dance. Okay? See you on Saturday," his mother said before leaving him on the kitchen floor.

Farkle knew what 'going out' meant. She would get drunk or high or both and come home at three AM and... touch him. She molested him when she was sober, but it was twice as bad when she was drunk, and from what happened today, she'd be doing a lot of drinking and maybe even drugs. When she was that drunk or high, she'd forget he was her son entirely and call him Stewart and... Farkle didn't even want to think about it.

Forget the taxi. He was definitely staying somewhere else.

"So Farkle... about the other day..." Maya began as her and Farkle danced in the purple light of the gymnasium.

"Maya, please. You're my friend, and I'm glad you care about me, but nothing bad is going on in my house. My parents have high expectations, and back then, they didn't handle failure the best way, but they're better about it now. You'll see on career day in a month and a half. You'll get to see my dad," Farkle told her.

"What about your mom? Is she still hard on you?" Maya asked.

"Sometimes, but she loves me. Even if she's hard on me, I love her, too. Isn't that what matters?" Farkle questioned.

Maya nodded. "Why are you wearing a turtle neck at the dance?" She laughed, changing the subject.

Farkle raised an eyebrow. "Maya Hart, turtle necks are the next big thing. I'm making a fashion statement."

Maya chuckled. "Whatever you say..."

The truth was... Farkle was wearing a white turtle neck under his black jacket to hide the finger shaped bruises around his neck and the small circular indention where his mother's ring dug into his throat. Plus the sleeves were long and tight enough so that there wasn't a chance they'd slip down and reveal the hand print shaped bruises on his skin.

Farkle and Maya walked off to the side, shortly followed by Riley and Lucas.

"I've noticed some fathers have shown up to pick up their daughters," Mr. Matthews was saying. "I'd like to suggest one last dance... a father daughter dance."

Farkle sat back with Lucas while Mr. Matthews approached Riley, who stepped to the side and allowed her father to take Maya's hand.

"Maya and Riley are lucky to have Mr. Matthews," Farkle said to Lucas.

Lucas smiled. "You are, too."

Farkle frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lucas laughed. "I've seen the way he treats you in class. You're just as much a son to him as Maya is like his daughter. He's not going to like me as long as Riley likes me. I have a feeling he would trust you with her, though."

Farkle laughed. "Like that would ever happen. I like Maya and Riley, but... Neither of them are the one."

Lucas nodded. "I know. I like Riley, but... she's not the one I'll marry. She knows that, too, deep down, but we're kids. We don't know where we'll end up in twenty years."

Farkle shrugged. "And it doesn't really matter. At least not yet."

Lucas chuckled. "So where are your parents?"

Farkle sighed. "My mom's with friends, and my dad's on a business trip. I'll probably be staying with Mr. Matthews."

Lucas nodded. "Well, if you ever need a place to stay, come to my house. I've told my parents about you, and they'd be glad to have you."

Farkle nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

He'd probably need a place to stay some day. A place that wasn't the Matthews' house. He just hoped that that day wouldn't come any time soon.

Lucas left with his father, and Riley and Maya talked in the corner of the emptying gym while Farkle walked up to Mr. Matthews.

"Mr. Matthews," he said.

"Yes, Farkle?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I kind of need a place to stay tonight. My dad's out of town, and my mom's out with friends. Would it be okay if I stayed with you? I can sleep on the couch," Farkle assured him.

Mr. Matthews smiled. "Of course you can stay, but you're not sleeping on the couch. You can stay in Auggie's room."

Farkle grinned. "Thanks, Mr. Matthews."

"No need to thank me, Farkle. You're always welcome. If you ever need us, we're here for you."

He was obviously referring to what Maya told him yesterday.

Farkle nodded.

He didn't need help (liar, a small voice in the back of his head whispered), but it was good to know that they'd be there if he ever did need help.

Something told Farkle that someday he would need it.

I know Farkle didn't wear a turtle neck to the dance in the show, but he did in my story. Also, the chapter title refers to Farkle learning that Mr. Matthews and his friends are supportive of him, even if he didn't realize it earlier.

Don't let Maya's suspicions be misleading. We still have a long way to go before they find out about the abuse.

Thanks for reading! Until next time!