5: Graduation

Maya and Farkle were over at Riley's house for dinner, courtesy of Topanga and Cory Matthews. Their teenage host had disappeared to take a shower a while ago and left her two friends to their own devices. Now sitting across from each other at the dining table, Maya was attempting to force some sort of answer out of Farkle. He had been strikingly happy the past day, grinning widely to himself every few minutes. He looked like an utter idiot, and despite his friends having tried to pry a reason out of him all day long, he refused to tell them anything.

"You're smiling so hard I can barely see your eyes!" Maya spat out, eyeing the boy in front of her. "Spill! What's gotten you in such a fine mood?"

"Patience, my dearest," Farkle replied, smiling cheekily. "I'm going to announce it during dinner."

Maya groaned, throwing her arms up in defeat. "Fine! I'm going to take a nap so time will pass faster and I won't have to consciously sit through this agonizing wait. Have fun smiling to yourself, Minkus."

She settled her head down on the table and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to sleep. But of course, she didn't really. She just wondered about Farkle, and what he might possibly have to say. And she contemplated on how fast time flew – their final exams had come and gone, and graduation from middle school was just upon them. She couldn't really process the fact that a chapter of her life was about to end.

After a few minutes of silence had passed, Maya heard several chairs around her being dragged across the ground, and the soft swish of clothing that brushed against the seats as the Matthews joined Farkle and her at the table.

She raised her head from the little nook of her arms, squinting against the sudden brightness after having closed her eyes for so long.

"Great," she said, "can the boy finally reveal his secret?"

Everyone stared expectantly at Farkle, who was gripping the edges of his chair so tightly as he rocked back and forth that he looked like a rocket about to blast off. All could tell that the answer had been on the tip of his tongue the entire day, and he was ecstatic that it could finally be spoken, though none were sure why he didn't just say it right from the beginning.

"Okay." Farkle took a deep breath, trying to suppress a smile. "So…I GOT CHOSEN AS VALEDICTORIAN!"

The last five words were blurted out so fast that it took a couple of seconds for the others (with the exception of Cory Matthews) to process what the boy had said.

"I actually knew it all along," Cory shrugged, a smug expression on his face.

But everyone ignored him as the table suddenly erupted in whoops and cheers. Topanga clapped Farkle's back with pride while Riley, sitting on his other side, clutched his hands with an elated smile. He caught her eyes with his – his heart was bursting with joy.

"I thought the surprise would be bigger than that but I guess this is pretty great too," Maya attempted to feign disinterest though really, her grin was wider than anyone else's.

At the same time, Auggie turned to Cory with a puzzled expression and asked, "What does valedictorian mean?"

Before Cory could respond, Farkle, whose gaze was still fixated on Riley, answered, "It means I'll be making a very important speech at graduation. And the thing is – I have absolutely no clue what to say."

Farkle was looking at Riley as he said it, and the girl couldn't help but feel like it was a personal plea to her for help. A plea to move him, to help inspire his speech into existence. And with no more exams to study or worry for, she decided to make it her sole mission before graduating to help her friend overcome his writer's block.

In fact, an idea was already beginning to take form.

Farkle really meant it when he said that he had no clue what to say. Words usually came easy to him, as evident from his uncanny ability to break out in unplanned and unrehearsed soliloquies about Belgium 1931 in class. But this was different.

He wasn't a detached outsider looking in, but an insider attempting to use his words to help those on the outside understand just how precious the past few years in middle school had been for him and his friends. How could he possibly summarize all of his treasured experiences in five hundred words? How could he explain to his schoolmates just how much they would miss these moments when they graduated?

He knew he was exaggerating slightly – most of them would go on to attend John Quincy Adams High. But he was sure that the innocent, carefree adolescence that had once been their middle school years would no longer be quite the same.

How could he write a speech that was addressed to the entire eighth grade but at the same time, resonated to each person on an individual level?

Farkle's mind swirled endlessly, and his first draft was due to be submitted to the teacher-in-charge in just a few days' time.

He stared blankly at the empty word document before him.

"Screw this, I'm calling Smackle."

One of the iPhones placed in the middle of the table started ringing, its strong vibration startling the group of friends who were currently deep in discussion at Topanga's café.

Riley peered over to check the caller ID and saw Farkle's name, along with a picture of his face, flashing on Smackle's phone screen.

She looked up and smirked. "Speaking of the devil…looks like your boyfriend is calling to see what you're up to, Smackle."

The bespectacled girl flashed a smile that seemed more proud than coy. She reached out to pick the phone up. "Sorry for breaking your no-phones rule," she said to Riley before answering the call.

Maya, Lucas and Riley watched as the conversation between Smackle and Farkle took place. They were only able to pick up bits and pieces of what they were talking about based on the former's responses.

"I know, Farkle," Smackle let out a little sigh. "You should take a break and get back to it again when you're feeling less bogged down…don't worry, I'm sure you'll finish it on time…"

Riley couldn't help but smile at the coincidence. A few days after Farkle had first shared the good news, she decided to gather Maya, Lucas and Smackle together to formulate a plan to help get him inspired to write his speech. They were just diving into their first meeting when he interrupted it by calling – and of all things, to rant to Smackle about how stressed he was about it.

Little did he know what was coming for him.

After a few minutes had passed, Smackle suddenly broke out into laughter. "Alright then…see you soon, Minkus," she said before hanging up.

It was strange for Riley to see the girl laugh so naturally now, especially since she used to do everything in such an awkward, robotic manner. Only Farkle could make her smile the way she did – her actions were always more natural and less guarded with him around.

"What did Farkle say that was so funny?" Lucas asked, curious.

"He said he's already started on his speech."

"That's great!" Maya gestured towards Smackle as she turned to look at Riley. "We can finally end this silly meeting."

"I wasn't finished," Smackle snapped, catching the blonde by surprise. Regaining her composure, she continued, "So far, he's written two words."

Riley looked around at her friends, trying to reel in their support. "Well, I guess that's better than nothing, right?" she said. "What were they?"

Smackle pulled a straight face. "Good morning."

There was a second of stunned silence before the table erupted into fits of laughter, drawing stares from others around them. It was hilarious just imagining the deadpan way Farkle had probably said it over the phone, disappointed and annoyed with himself.

"I guess the meeting's still in session, then," Riley teased, winking at Maya.

The blonde girl groaned. "So what's your grand plan, Miss Sherlock?"

Riley shifted in her seat as she felt all eyes on her. She leant towards her group of friends and let them in on her plan, whereupon hearing it, they all agreed that it would be the best way to inspire Farkle Minkus.

They immediately got to work, searching their phones and laptops for possible videos and pictures they could send to Riley, who would then have to figure out how to use iMovie for the first time to piece them all together in a video.

Smackle watched as the girl frowned at her laptop, reading a step-by-step tutorial on how the software worked. She had always admired Riley's determination, and most of all, her undying loyalty and dedication towards her friends.

Ever since Smackle was young, her parents had ingrained in her the notion of independence – to be wary and distrustful of her peers and classmates at Einstein Academy. After all, what was the point of letting her guard down and forming close relationships with them when at the end of the day, nothing would change the fact that they were, and would continue to be, her potential competitors?

It was only after she had met Riley and Co. that she realized how friendships should work. Seeing them turn up for spelling bees and science tournaments in a bid to support Farkle over the past few years was a sight that she had become well accustomed to, and she had to admit that it raised a sort of longing in her heart, to have such people in her life that she could count on so dearly as well. And ever since she started hanging out with them on occasion, she could feel her steely and guarded heart beginning to thaw.

"What motivates you to do this for your friends?" Smackle suddenly found herself asking before she could even stop herself.

Speaking before thinking – another bad habit that she had only cultivated after spending time with them. If her parents were present, they would probably say that the only consolation was that her question sounded very much like an interrogation, or something leading up to an experimental study.

"Sorry?" Riley looked up from the glare of her computer screen, having only heard someone talk to her but not actually processing what they'd said.

Smackle nudged her head towards Riley. "This. The extravagant plans you always come up with to help your friends, even when they never said anything about needing it. Why do you do it anyway?"

Riley frowned, as if she had never been asked this question before and had to think very hard on how to respond.

"I honestly never really thought about it," she answered truthfully. "I guess it comes naturally. I feel troubled whenever I see my friends upset, so I do something about it."

"And Farkle?"

"He's one of my best friends. Of course I'll help him." Then, as an afterthought, Riley added, "And anyway, they've always helped me in return. Even when I don't ask for it."

Smackle didn't know what sort of answer she was looking for, so she just allowed to herself to fall silent, continuing to sift through past photos of Farkle in her phone. She realized that there weren't many of such before they started dating, and it was probably because she had always viewed him as her arch nemesis, or a crush that she would never be able to get close to.

But there she was now, in a position which her parents would regard as being a big fish in a small pond. That is, if they actually knew who she was mixing with in the first place.

All the times she went out with Farkle or his friends, she would cover up with a lie that she was staying back in school to study. Mr and Mrs Smackle had no clue that she had been fraternizing with the enemy, and she planned to keep it that way.

Farkle decided to go straight home from school the next day, on the basis that he had yet to complete even a paragraph of his speech. So far, he'd managed to squeeze something out after googling 'How to write a Valedictorian speech' on the internet, but that made it feel as forced as ever.

He threw his backpack onto the bed upon reaching his room and flung himself down beside it, heaving a huge sigh. He let himself enjoy the sheer softness of his mattress and stared up at his planetarium ceiling for a couple of moments before sitting up again, preparing himself to get down to business.

The boy started by unpacking his bag, fishing out the day's assignments and his pencil case. But as he did so, something shiny caught his eye. He opened his bag wider to get a closer look and realized that it was a CD glinting in its transparent casing. He picked it up and read the bolded words written neatly on the masking tape that was stuck to the front:

FOR INSPIRATION

Farkle's eyes lit up – inspiration was clearly what he needed. So desperate was he that he didn't even bother worrying about the possible computer viruses the CD might host before inserting it into his computer's disk drive.

A little icon popped up on the desktop a few seconds later and he clicked on it, waiting eagerly for its contents to load.

A window to a video suddenly opened, and the first thing Farkle saw was his own face – chubbier and rounder with young age – grinning at the camera. Music started to play in the background, and he identified it as Two Door Cinema Club's Undercover Martyn. The upbeat tune was matched against an off-screen voice that he recognized as younger Riley's, which exclaimed, "Is the camera working? Is it? Say hello, Farkle!"

He chuckled at the memory it triggered from the recesses of his brain. Riley, Maya and him were in 5th Grade, working together on an English project that required them to film and act out a sequence. They were younger then, and it was way before anyone else had entered their lives – Lucas, Zay or Smackle.

Farkle proceeded to watch the rest of the 7-minute video, which was essentially a montage of his time at John Quincy Adams Middle School. It was strung together by shaky video clips and pictures, all of which caused a pang of nostalgia and sentimentality to hit the boy, as he was reminded once again of the fruitful and precious time he had spent there.

He let out a smile as he mentally sifted through a list of people that could have possibly spent so much time and effort on this – a smile which grew wider when he finally settled on a name. A warm feeling rose in his chest and stayed there for a long time – as long as it took for him to finish his speech (which he managed in under two hours) and long after that.

It was finally here. Their day of graduation, which honestly shouldn't seem that big of a deal, but just was to Riley. Her time in middle school had blessed her with countless lessons and opportunities, as well as wonderful friends that she would cherish forever if she could. But at the same time, she felt that this official parting from a period in their lives signalled the start of a new adventure, which of course, would see them treading the deep waters of high school.

The entire cohort was packed to the front of the auditorium, sitting according to alphabetical order of their last names. This resulted in Riley and Farkle sitting just a few seats away from each other, but with Maya, Lucas and Zay scattered randomly in other rows.

Parents were seated right behind the last row of graduating students, all fidgeting about to get a glimpse of their children.

Principal Yancy was currently delivering his speech onstage, but Riley found herself unable to concentrate. She kept looking over to where Farkle sat on her far right, shoulders relaxed and eyes focused intently on the speaker in front of them.

The morning after she had slipped the completed CD into Farkle's bag when he wasn't looking, he came to school in a chirpier mood than he had been in days. Her easiest guess was that the video had done its job, and she was excited to hear what he had to say.

Riley was only snapped out of her thoughts when Principal Yancy finally called Farkle onstage. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "please join me in welcoming the valedictorian of the graduating batch of 2015 – Mr. Farkle Minkus!"

The auditorium erupted in applause, with a few whoops here and there that Riley was sure came from Zay and Lucas.

"Good luck," she mouthed to the boy as he squeezed past the other sitting students to get to the aisle.

Farkle looked exceptionally studious despite wearing a ridiculous shimmery purple gown, and confidence was what he exuded as he walked up the stage and to the podium. He had a piece of paper in his hands, but he didn't even have to look at it once he started the speech with a soft "ahem".

"A very good morning to our distinguished guests, parents, teachers and friends. Those close to me would probably know how troubled I was over the last couple of days, thinking about what to write for this speech. I had so much that I wanted to say, but I didn't know how to put them into words.

"But thanks to the help of some of my dearest friends, I know now how.

"Contrary to the idea that there's only ever one of us, we actually spend our entire lives switching through different personas – the people we were yesterday aren't the people we are today. And neither will the people we are tomorrow, be the people we are today. To highlight an example, I, myself, have been a hundred different Farkles during my time here in middle school.

"Some of you might recognise me as the geeky boy who loves orange turtle necks, while others remember me as Donnie Barnes, regular guy. Then there's those who just view me as their friend, foe, brother, boyfriend…the list goes on. A list that will keep growing as we continue on with our lives.

"Now what's the point that I'm trying to make here? It's that we've all experienced things over the last few years that have changed us – be it for better or for worse – but we aren't going to stay stagnant. We will refuse to. There's a hundred other versions of us waiting in the coming years, and we will embrace them with open arms because like someone I highly respect once said to me, people change people. And what is progress without change?

Let's not look upon this day as an end because honestly, it is merely the beginning of a new adventure. If there's anything my time here has taught me, it's that there's countless possibilities out there – to become a changed person, to chase your dreams, to help others.

Things will probably get really, really hard and really, really confusing. But with each day that passes, you will shed your old skin and grow a new one. Hopefully we will like who we become at the end of the day, but till then, the best bet is to welcome change and most importantly, hold close the people who mean the world to you. What's better than growing alone, is to grow and learn together.

So give the person next to you a pat on the back, or even a hug. Congrats guys, school's out for the summer. But be prepared for what lies ahead, because although one milestone has come to an end, our journey of growth has just begun."

With that, Farkle stepped out from behind the podium and bowed to the audience, signalling the end of his speech.

Riley jumped to her feet and started clapping, leading the applause that spread from the front to the back till everyone in the auditorium was standing up and cheering for the lanky boy on stage.

Although this was Farkle's moment, Riley felt as if she herself were in his place. Dizzying happiness washed over her and she smiled so hard that her cheeks hurt.

When her friend was on the top of the world, she was on the top of the world too.

After the ceremony was over, everyone was ushered from the hall to the reception area to take photographs and grab a bite at the buffet table. The room was abuzz with chatter and laughter as Farkle weaved through the crowded space of parents and students.

He could feel pats on his back and words of congratulations being tossed over to him as he passed by, and he smiled gratefully in response to each one of them. But he was distracted. There was someone that he wanted to find – and thank.

He finally managed to locate said someone standing awkwardly at a side of the room, a fruit punch clutched in her hand as she peered around with her neck outstretched, as if searching for someone too.

Farkle sneaked up behind her and teased, "Looking for me?"

The girl turned around, looking like she was about to brace herself to chase someone away before she seeing who it was.

Her face softened significantly, eyes sparkling beneath her black-rimmed glasses. "Oh, there you are," she said. "You were fantastic up there, Farkle."

"Thanks to you," Farkle gestured towards her. "I wouldn't have done it without your help."

Smackle's face scrunched up in confusion ever-so-slightly. "My help?" She echoed.

Farkle's smiled. His chest swelled in a way it never did around her before. Look at that girl, he thought. And there I was thinking that she would boast about it.

"Yeah," he replied, "the video you made inspired me greatly. And I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate it – it and you, of course."

Smackle hesitated for a split-second, too quick for Farkle to register in his state of euphoria.

"Oh right," she masked her lie with a smile, which she hoped didn't look too desperate, or like she was hiding something. "You're welcome."

Farkle studied Smackle for a moment, weighing his options. He had been holding something off for the longest time, but he felt that it was finally the right time to do it.

Taking a hold of the girl's hands, Farkle pulled Smackle closer to him, chuckling when he saw how her eyes enlarged at the sudden action. He had read tons of books and watched countless more movies – surely he should have a semblance of how kissing worked.

Lean forward, eyes closed…

"What the heck, Farkle," a voice abruptly broke the couple apart.

It was none other than Maya Hart, her golden curls bouncing as she bulldozed her way through. There was an empty line carved out behind her where the crowd was sliced in two, showing the path of destruction that she had created to get there.

"You certainly enjoy interrupting things," Smackle commented disdainfully.

"It's not my fault. Our parents are the ones who want to take a group photo." Maya turned to Farkle, "We called your name five times over the speaker!" Then, regarding Smackle, "Come help us take the pic, would you?"

Smackle smiled sullenly. "Of course. Lead the way."

Cory Matthews approached his daughter, who was sneakily grabbing a chocolate éclair from the buffet table, looking back and forth to make sure no one was watching.

"You forgot to look behind you," he placed a hand on Riley's shoulder, causing her hunched figure to jolt up in surprise.

Riley turned around slowly, a nervous grin plastered on her face that screamed 'Caught in the act!' She frantically stuffed the pastry into her mouth and laughed nervously.

"This is my fifth one," she explained in-between chews. Her words were rounded and slightly inaudible. "I think the kids standing there saw me too many times."

She shook her head frustratedly. "They shouldn't look at me! I'm a bad influence!"

Always so exaggerated and comical – that was one of the things that Cory loved about his daughter.

He was supposed to be walking around and making sure that the reception was running smoothly. But the atmosphere was beginning to die down and most people were already starting to take their leave, so he decided to find his daughter before she ran off with her friends.

"So how are you feeling?" He asked. It was a serious question which answer he was curious to find out. His girl was growing up so incredibly fast that sometimes he could feel her slipping away. He had heard of other parents' horror stories about how their children would rebel relentlessly and spew vulgarities once they'd hit a certain age. He had hoped against all odds that the time would never come. So far, it's been working miraculously well.

Riley smiled thoughtfully. "Excited. And nervous. But mostly excited."

Cory put an arm around her shoulders and gave it a tight squeeze. She looked up and leaned against him like she'd always did since young.

"I'm quite excited too, actually," he said. "But do you know how I really feel?"

Riley wrapped an arm around his waist and placed her free hand on her hip, leaning backwards to get a better view of her father, dressed nicely in a suit and tie.

"How do you feel, dad?" She asked.

"Proud. Really proud."

A/N: Hi guys! I know it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, but I was really bogged down by work so I could only write small snippets at a time each night. Despite this, I hope you all have enjoyed this (extremely) long chapter! J In fact, this chapter marks the end of the first part of this story – Middle School. The other two parts are Summer followed by High School. And guess who finally makes an appearance in the next chapter?! *wink* Joshua Matthews *wink* Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! Keep them coming guys, I would really appreciate it :') Till the next chapter!