2: Texas
It was their last night in Texas, and the group had completed what they'd set out to do. Lucas had conquered Tombstone the bull, saved his reputation and now they were all gathered by the campfire, singing songs and chatting quietly over the periodic crackle of the flames.
To Riley, it seemed like the perfect way to end off their trip – together. Obviously a couple of things had transpired and risen to light over the weekend, but it didn't matter as much as long as her friends were happy.
You see, Texas was a bubble. And once they returned to New York, that bubble would burst and give way to reality. Riley intended to squeeze every last drop of time she had left in Texas, especially since she had the feeling that everything was going to change when they got back.
She had seen the way Maya looked at Lucas when he made the decision to ride Tombstone. It was equal parts loathing and loving. It contained so much intensity that Riley was left stunned for a moment. It was only when Lucas fell off the bull that she managed to piece two and two together, realizing what she should have a long time ago – that Maya liked Lucas. That Maya liked Lucas a lot.
And now was her chance to return the favour Maya had granted her a year ago. Zay and Vanessa had been gone for just awhile, so Farkle and her still had time to catch up with them. She turned to the hat-donning cowboy next to her and smiled.
"Do you want me to buy you ice-cream, Farkle?"
The boy's head jerked up sharply, as if his train of thought had just been disrupted. "What?"
"Do. You. Want. Me. To. Buy. You. Ice-cream?" Riley asked again, this time accentuating each word.
"Oh, are you sure?" Farkle asked, breaking into a smile before she could even reply.
"Yeah," Riley said, getting up as she extended a hand, pulling him up to his feet. "Come on."
It was only when they were out of earshot from Maya and Lucas that Farkle spoke up.
"So what was that all about?" He asked, cocking his head to one side as he studied Riley.
She wasn't quite yet sure of how she felt when he did that, except for the fact that it seemed as if he could see right through her soul and into the deepest, darkest recesses of happy 24/7 Riley Town. It was something even Maya couldn't do.
"What was what about?" Riley feigned innocence as she cocked her head to match his, such that they were parallel to one another's.
Farkle laughed, nudging her in the side. "Cut it out, Riles. I know you didn't offer to waste five bucks on me just so you could 'buy me ice-cream'. Something's up, and you can tell me about it. If you want to, of course."
Always going to be the gentleman, wasn't he? Sometimes Riley thought he was more chivalrous than Lucas the Knight in Shining Armour himself. While Lucas had the tendency to lose his senses to emotions, Farkle was always calm and grounded, never one to jump to conclusions. He was someone she could always trust to make the right decisions, to give the right advice. Just not right now.
"Farkle," she said slowly before surprising him by throwing her arms into the air. "We're in Texas! Texas! Away from school and our parents and responsibilities…let's just enjoy our last night here, alright? No sadness, no nothing. Just a whole lot of happy."
The boy smiled at her just as they arrived at Jeffrey's Ice-Cream Parlour. It was all but crowded, save for Vanessa and Zay, who sat at a corner enjoying their banana split. They were leaning so close to each other that their heads were almost touching.
"Would you look at that," Riley grinned. "I think the biggest winner on this whole trip is Zay."
"Ladies first," Farkle held the door open for Riley to enter as the bell above them tinkled, announcing their arrival.
Zay looked up from his ice-cream and nudged his head, silently asking if the two new customers wanted to join them at their table.
Farkle shook his head and jabbed his finger towards Riley, who was now dancing over the wide array of ice-cream flavours excitedly.
Zay smiled and nodded back before jumping back into a conversation with Vanessa, understanding that the two friends needed their privacy.
Once they had gotten their ice-cream and found a place to sit (there wasn't really a lack of space in the first place, anyway), Farkle decided to speak up first, keeping in mind that Riley didn't want to talk about Maya and Lucas.
"Thanks for the treat," he said, waving his vanilla ice-cream cone.
"You're welcome, Farkle," Riley replied, throwing him a lazy smile. She was enjoying her chocolate chip cookie dough, picking apart at the scoop of ice-cream so that she could leave the cookie dough bits for last.
"How did you know that you liked Smackle as…more than a friend?" She suddenly asked, raising her head to look Farkle square in the eye.
Somehow, he knew that this wasn't just some random question that popped up at the back of her head. She was trying to get at something, but at that moment, he just wasn't sure what. So he decided to play along, figuring it was a good question anyway. He never really needed a reason to think about it till now.
"Well…" He answered slowly, his mind furiously flitting through the memories he'd shared with Smackle since they found out she had Asperger's.
It was only then that Farkle started to see her as more than just his infuriating arch nemesis from Einstein Academy, watching as the girl, despite her handicap, struggle to put herself out there and change because she wanted to. That reminded him so much of himself and he admired her so much for it that he couldn't help but be drawn to her.
I guess it helped that she's always liked me as more than a friend, he thought.
"Well?" Riley prodded.
"I get butterflies in my stomach every time I see her, and I just feel that someone can finally understand me and see the reasons behind my actions. You get what I mean?"
She nodded slowly. "That's how I felt about Lucas, too. The butterflies part, I mean."
Farkle didn't know what else to say, so he just waited for her to continue. It bugged him, seeing Riley so confused and pensive, especially when she was trying her darndest best to hide it.
"How about me and Maya, then? Before Smackle came along. Did you feel that way about us, too?"
How did he feel about Riley and Maya? They had all been friends since they were little, and he knew he always said that he loved the both of them like they were the moon and the stars, two beautiful angels who would always be out of his reach. And of course, despite the frequent shows of his pining over them, he knew that he would never be able to get either of them at the end of the day. It was just the way the universe worked, and honestly, he had grown used to that fact. Almost accepted it, even.
Riley and Maya were worlds apart from Smackle – incomparable, irreplaceable.
"You guys are my best friends, Riley," Farkle finally replied. "I would trust you with my life. I like Smackle, but this crush is still new and you know it wouldn't be fair to make such a comparison."
Riley laughed, the first genuine one he had heard all day. "You make a fair point, Farkle." A pause. "But Smackle is one lucky girl. You'll treat her like a queen."
It was getting late, and even Zay and Vanessa had left the parlour nearly a half hour ago. Riley and Farkle had long finished their ice-cream, but neither of them felt like moving. After their earlier conversation, they moved on to more light-hearted topics, such as the constellations that one could be find in the Texan sky.
Closing hour was at 11, and before they knew it, the duo was being chased out of the shop. They figured that Maya and Lucas had probably left the campfire place by then and decided to head back home as well, enjoying the chilly night breeze that accompanied their walk.
"Thanks for tonight, Farkle," Riley said, turning to smile at her friend. He was looking straight ahead as he walked, arms clasped behind his back. "I'm grateful for our friendship."
He looked towards her and grinned. The effervescent glow of the moon was reflected by his ash blonde hair, making it seem even lighter than usual.
"As am I."
In that moment – under the stars that were usually out-shone by the artificial city lights of New York City – it seemed to Riley that nothing could go wrong. And for a moment, she believed it so.
A/N: Hello again! Thanks so much for all the favs and follows, and I hope this chapter tickled your fancy (haha). There'll be lots of visits back to the past in this story so get ready for chapters alternating between the past and the present. When I watched this episode of Girl Meets Texas, I always wondered how Riley and Farkle's ice-cream 'date' might have went, hence my two cents on this chapter : Also, just rambling on a bit here but the promo for Girl Meets STEM seems to completely push the whole love triangle thing to the sidelines again and I guess the writers are going to drag it on to Season 3. Not that I really mind, actually, especially since they're really all too young to be involved in a solid relationship (because we're all looking towards the ENDGAME, right?). What do you guys think? And it's back to the present again for the next chapter! I'll probably only be able to upload it after New Years so till then, have a great holiday everybody! Reviews are very much appreciated c: