Prompt: Six students, of different stereotypes, are sentenced to Saturday detention which happens to land on a very important day for each of them. While their reasons for being there are up in the air, and they might start off on the wrong foot, they all eventually find out there's more to each person than they thought.

A/N: Okay, it's been a month and a half. I know. That's a long break. But here is the next chapter! I wrote this chapter as third person omniscient (for those who don't know what that means - it is when the POV doesn't stay in just one characters head). There will either be one more chapter or two. Depends on how much I write.

Word Count: 5k +

Chapter 6: Risk

Riley and Farkle walked slowly back to the library, not holding hands, but every now and then brushing against each other ever so slightly to make their heart rates pick up in pace. It was a comfortable silence that both wanted to fill with words they couldn't find. There was something here, and they both knew it. Had it always been there though? Riley was unsure. They used to be so close as friends when they were in middle school, she wasn't thinking about feelings like these. Feelings like these . . . she bit her lip, knowing that her feeling like this could possibly be a bad thing.

Farkle could disagree, knowing he's always had a soft spot for the girl walking next to him. He always felt something for her, even if he didn't know what the feeling was, but it was more than just a "friend" feeling. He shoved everything to the side when his parents were having problems. But he should've gone to her, knowing deep down that no matter where they were in life, she would have helped him in some way. His eyes glanced over at her, and she seemed to be deep in thought herself. Was this feeling real? They had a conversation today for the first time in two and a half years. How would he know for sure?

Just as they approached the door, Farkle stopped but Riley wasn't paying attention, other than looking at the floor in concentration. The genius grabbed her hand to pull her away from the wall she was about to walk into. Because of her tall stature and clumsiness, she lost her balance with the tug, and fell right into his arms. Her eyes caught his own and Farkle could have sworn he saw the whole universe in them. And he knew. He had feelings for her, and they were real.

Riley felt her heart leap, and she wasn't sure if it was because she almost ran into a wall, tripped over her own feet, or the fact that her face was inches from Farkle's and she could feel his heart beating as quickly as hers was. Or was that just her own? He was so close, she could feel the warmth of his breath hit her face and looking into his eyes she had the desire to lift herself on her tippy toes to . . . the thought was interrupted as she felt movement on her hip and realized that Farkle was gripping her waist to make sure she was stable enough to stand up straight again.

She pulled away slowly, both of them instantly missing the connection. Riley adjusted herself and Farkle stood there, not wanting to return to everyone, but he waited for the brunette to look at him and smile before opening the door like a gentleman. She lightly bumped into him as she walk past and he gave her a half-smile, and her cheeks colored to a faint pink.

All the happiness fell from Riley's expression upon seeing Mrs. Knows standing in front of Zay who was in the way of Isadora's desk. She wore a hard look, with her arms crossed, and foot tapping the ground. Farkle bumped into Riley and looked up, understanding why she stopped. The door shut behind them and the three occupants looked over.

The Librarian advanced on them. Riley backed up into Farkle out of fear. He was a wall and didn't move. As if he was frozen to the ground. He's been yelled at several times before. He was ready for the screech. But there was none. She stopped. Five feet from them and she stopped. "And just where did you run off to?"

Just before they both could respond, Farkle heard a name being called. And it wasn't coming from inside the Library. Riley heard her voice before she could even see her, and she wished she could tell her to be quiet. "Riley," Maya said, appearing from the door, with Lucas at her tail. "I need to talk to you." The blonde stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Mrs. Knows staring with a stern look on her face. They were in so much trouble.

"Ah, I see we all went for a little outing, did we?" Nobody was even tempted to say a word. Taking a chance at getting another Saturday detention just by saying the wrong thing was not worth it. "So we have a law breaker, a fighter, a cheater, and a sidekick," she glanced at the unknown faces of the kids. "Yes, I know why you are all in here today."

Lucas stepped forward. "But that's not us."

"But it is," she stated. "And you all are on road to having another Saturday detention. Do you know how to follow the rules?"

"We were though. You said to not leave the building and the whole school is a building. You gave us an assignment that couldn't be researched. How are we supposed to know who we are when we haven't even graduated high school? Or decided what we want to do for the rest of our lives? If you must know, I went to the gym. Being in my element helps me think. That's where we all were. In our our element." Lucas looked at the blonde standing in front of him. She hadn't been looking at him directly, but being discreet, only taking glances every so often. "But if you are going to punish anyone for walking out of the library, let it be just me. I was the first to walk out."

Maya's eyes met his own and she tugged his arm back. "No, we all walked out, but we weren't doing anything wrong. Please Mrs. Knows, Riley has a very important concert tonight. She's on the list for a potential scholarship to Juilliard. She had no part in what I was doing, and I'm the one who got us in trouble. She would never risk her spot for the school." Riley's heart soared, knowing that her best friend remembered about one of the most important moments of her life.

"Yeah," Farkle stated, "Riley was practicing her violin in the band room. As for me, I was heading to the science hall when I realized that it was the only building that was apart from the whole school itself, so I followed the music. Riley and I sat talking for a bit and I'm sure Maya was in the art room."

She nodded. "Yes. I didn't even pick up a paint brush though."

"You're saving your next artistic installment for a building somewhere else in the city?" The Librarian questioned.

The blonde sighed. "Look, what I do outside of the school is my business and no one else's. What I put on the school building was wrong." She dropped her head, and Riley sensed that she was hiding something. "But nothing happened in the halls nor the classrooms. You can even check the security footage."

Farkle's eyes widened. If she see's me picking the lock, I'm screwed. Riley looked back at him with a guilty expression. Oh, no she feels bad that I did that for her. I was worth it though. She needed to practice. What's another Saturday detention? He reached forward, only because she was still standing so close to him, and he lightly squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"And what about PDA?" asked Mrs. Knows. Farkle and Riley quickly let go of each others hand. "I noticed how close you two walked in next to each other." She pointed at the two.

Maya raised an eyebrow at their slight uncomfortableness. Farkle coughed, "We only hugged. That's it."

The old lady cackled. "Mr. Minkus, PDA as in the PDA that should be behind closed doors of your own home. Hugs, holding hands, a kiss, that doesn't bother me. That's what I see out of the people who walk in and out every day." She looked at Lucas and Maya. "What about you two?"

They shook their heads. Lucas looked at the blonde. "We had a conversation. No PDA." Maybe he wouldn't have to mention the fact that he was shirtless at one point, only to change, but if she checked, she would know that it was in no form of inappropriateness.

It was silent for a few moments while they waited for the inevitable answer. "Well, you've inched around my rules. You did not leave the building, so I can't necessarily punish you for that. For now, stay in here please. I'm sure you are able to find your quiet spot somewhere in here." She looked down at her huge watch on her arm. "Right now though, it's lunch time. Eat up."

They all scrambled for their lunches, while Mrs. Knows clacked her heels back to her office. Once the door was shut, Riley nearly tackled Maya in a hug, which wasn't hard to do because of their height difference. Maya wrapped her arms around the brunettes frame. "Oh Pumpkin, I'm sorry that I didn't realize your concert was tonight earlier. I had the dates mixed up, and I totally thought Christmas was two weeks from now." She squeezed her tight. "And I'm so sorry about getting you into trouble with me." Her grip loosened. "I know you don't agree with what I do, but I should have acted smarter."

Riley pulled away and looked at her best friend. "Don't agree? Of course I agree with what you do. I support every single one of your pieces. I just wish tagging buildings wasn't illegal sometimes. I just don't want you to get in trouble with the law." She grabbed her best friends hand. "Because if that happened, then you wouldn't be able to sit in the bay window with me ever again. And I would be visiting you in jail."

Maya's expression was grim. "I know. I should have been more careful too." She looked at Farkle, "So Freckle, you've decided to come out of your little cocoon, and join us once again."

The genius smirked. "I made a mistake." He turned his seat around to join the girls table. "I, Farkle "The Genius" Minkus made a mistake. I should have come to you both earlier. I'm sorry."

Maya waved the others over, and Riley moved her chair over to the side where Farkle was sitting. "That's okay. You figured yourself out by doing that." Zay sat to their left. "You realized that maybe science isn't the only thing out there for you. You find enjoyment out of other things."

As Smackle got seated on Farkle's other side, she looked at him in a concerning manner, "You're not into science anymore?"

Farkle shrugged, taking out his thermos of soup. "I still love the subject, but I have other hobbies. EA wasn't for me, which is why I returned. It wasn't because I wasn't smart enough, but the fact that I wasn't all bout the in depth structure. I liked being able to have structure here, but mostly conversations with real people. I felt EA was filled with too many robots. I like the fact that I'm now able to have my own opinion and feel freely, without having to think logically about everything."

"Oh," she stated. "I was going to continue at EA, but my parents could not afford for both me and my little brother Josiah to attend after a while, and so I gave up my spot so Joey could have an education there. By the time my parents were able to afford it again, I had my place here and the clubs I was invested in. I can't leave or don't want to leave."

"Smackle," Farkle said, "I hope you know that I'm not in competition with you anymore. That stopped a long time ago."

The lady genius was smart enough to figure that out. "I know. I just use the concept more often because it keeps me distracted. Focused."

Riley always wondered why Smackle was so tense and logical. She had thought that maybe she had an issue, but she wasn't going to say that aloud. Farkle looked at Isadora sympathetically. "You know, it's okay to talk about him."

The lady genius sighed shakily. "I know, but I haven't talked about him in three years." She looked at Zay. "How do you do it? How are you so together, knowing that both of your parents are gone?" For the first time, Maya saw Isadora Smackle's eyes become glassy with tears, and she was afraid she, herself would start to cry too. "Losing my older brother was the hardest thing that has ever happened to me. We lost him when I was ten and I'm still not over it. It's why I try not to feel, I'd rather be logical, I'd rather chose not to care in order to not feel that loss ever again."

"Ari," Riley remembered going to his memorial when she was ten. Maya and Farkle were both there too.

Farkle nodded. "You're brother was a good man, Smack. You should be proud to tell the world who he was."

Zay who had taken a seat at the end of the table looked down at his food. "It took me a while to get over it. I was a mess for a while, and it still gets to me, sometimes. But I was loved. I had a brother in Lucas, second family in his parents. Laurel might be a pain in my ass sometimes, but she's been a great older sister to me. Being surrounded by people who care about me, made up for what I lost, but they never let me forget who my parents were. I just find it a shame that my dad, who served as many years as he did flying planes in active war zones, dies in a car accident, because of a drunk driver. But I know that they're in a better place. I had to move on. I couldn't allow myself to be stuck in the past, because that's not what they would have wanted for me. They would want me to remember them as they were and continue on with my life." He reached for her hand underneath the table. "Izzy, I didn't know your brother, but I know he wouldn't want you to dwell on the past. I'm sure he knew you loved him, but he would want you to move forward and he wouldn't want you to not feel either. You should be happy, and willing to use these emotions we were given. There's a reason why we have them."

Farkle nodded, looking at Riley. "Exactly. Science doesn't overrule emotions. When it comes to family, friends, and romantic interests, we should be able to follow our hearts and use our brains at the same time."

Riley smiled and looked towards Maya, who was still making assumptions about what was going on between her best friend and the boy genius. She really wanted to talk to her best friend, but right now wasn't the right time. Just before she was about to take a bite out of the tuna melt her mom made her, he stomach growled. Her eyes looked down. "Oh you could have waited five more seconds," she exclaimed.

Lucas chuckled. "Someone hungry?"

Maya shrugged. "Yes, clearly my stomach is impatient and had to remind me that it was time to eat."

Farkle, who was taking the spoon out of his mouth smirked at her. "Maybe your stomach wouldn't be begging you for food if you ate breakfast everyday." Maya looked at him oddly. "Just because we haven't hung out in years doesn't mean I don't know that you still skip breakfast every morning to make your way over to Riley's and walk to school with her. Maybe sometimes Mrs. Matthews offers you food, but you deny, telling her you already ate with your parents, even if you hadn't."

Zay blinked. "What, do you stalk them?"

"No, I used to hang out with them every single day in middle school. It was her routine. Mrs. Topanga would normally make me eat with them when I would show up in the morning." Farkle glanced at Riley. "Your mom thought I needed to eat more, didn't she?"

Riley giggled. "I don't think she would admit it, but she wouldn't think that now. She hasn't seen you in a long time."

His eyes grew sad and he fiddled with the ends of her fraying cardigan. "Maybe it was time that I payed your family a visit?"

"You can have dinner with us tomorrow night if you want," she offered right away, not knowing why she said it so quickly. She turned away, blushing slightly.

Farkle smirked at her. "I would love to."

"Hey," Maya said. "He's gonna take my spot?"

Riley looked at her. "You know good and well that my mom will have your plate waiting for you. Besides, she would expect you to be there, knowing that we're having Tacos . . ." Riley looked up at one of the lights, waiting for her reaction.

"Tacos you say?" She leaned forward, interested. "And you think Shawn will be there too?" She asked hopefully. The guy started coming around more often, and in the last year, while she was dealing with her dad leaving her, she leaned on Shawn for support, knowing that he knew what it felt like to be left.

Riley nodded. "He's back in New York for a couple weeks."

"I wish he'd stay longer," she admitted.

"You mean you wished he'd stay forever?"

Lucas, who had been quiet for too long asked, "who's Shawn?" His tone was unknown.

"Uncle Shawn is my dad's best friend from childhood." Riley took out her small container of sushi. "He's been coming around since I was really little. Since I was born, he's been traveling around the world, taking photos and writing for a website that pays him to go to these different places. Recently in the last year, he's been doing the same thing, but he seems to be back in New York within a few weeks and stays with my family." She looked at her best friend. "I know it's for you. I heard him talking to my dad about it the last time he was here and I think he's afraid to admit it to you, but he knows that because of everything that happened between you and your dad, and knowing that you look up to him, he doesn't want you to feel like he's left you too. That's why he comes back every few weeks, spends some time with you, and he always tells you that he'll be back soon."

Maya smiled slightly. "He sends me one post card from one place he's been to and then he brings me all of the rest once he's back here. Each of the cards has the date written and a note about his adventure." She lightly ate the crust of her sandwich. "You think he might look at me like a daughter one day?"

"I already know he does," Riley said. "He's very fond of you, Maya."

Lucas glanced over at Maya, who was obviously struggling with some personal family issues. He wished he could make her feel better somehow, but knew that was something that couldn't be fixed easily. Having a parent abandon was almost as if they died. But here mom was still here.

Maya was conflicted when it came to how she felt about her family life. Her mother was a half-mom who still had a good heart, just made bad decisions at times. Maya wished she was closer to her mother like Riley was with Topanga, but her father leaving was even worse for her mothers sanity, and the only way she'll let people in now, is not by sympathy, but a man to meets her needs and take away all the pain she was burdened of the last few years, or even how the last 18 years were a waste of time. The only piece that wasn't regretted, was Maya, and the young blonde knew that, because even though her mom had a hard time dealing, she did love her daughter and made a point to tell her every time she left the house, or before hanging up on the phone. Maya only wished she had quality time spent.

She glanced over to the side and noticed Lucas watching her. His expression was concerned. "What?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just thinking."

She was tempted to ask what he was thinking, but she still wasn't sure what to think of their little conversation earlier. Were they friends? Her eyes glanced around the table and it seem as if all of them were just looking back and forth to each other. Were they all considered friends now? How could it be possible that within four hours they went from scoffing and arguing to sharing their thoughts, and having deep connections?

They all sat in silence as they finished eating their lunch. After each one was done, they walked away from the table. Riley walked up the steps to her favorite spot in the Library. It was the spot she usually sat at when she would study here. Maya found her a bay window on the third floor of the library that overlooked the courtyard of their school, and it was also a perfect view of her graffitied roof. Lucas he'd reached into his bag and found a stress relieving ball that he normally fiddled with when he was bored, so he and Zay tossed it around in an open area in the middle of the room. Smackle was back to her normal seat, but maybe a little less focused as she glanced up every now and then to meet Zay's dark eyes that were so bright and full of life.

Farkle walked up and down the aisles of books, unsure of what he was looking for. That was the best part about being a book lover. Not in search for anything specific, but willing to find an adventure in browsing, waiting for anything to catch the eye. He continued to get closer to Riley's area, but didn't notice until he was standing at the end of the aisle looking at her. She was writing and in the zone and he didn't want to bother her, so he said nothing. Just before he turned to go back, he heard her speak. "You know you can join me if you want."

"I didn't want to bother you while you were writing," he said.

She glanced over at him. "You're not bothering me."

He walked over and sat on the other side of the bench. She turned to where her back rested on the side of the book case and her legs were on Farkle's lap. He didn't mind. It was as if it was a natural thing for them. He smiled at the ground thinking about how the thought of her being his favorite story so far. The natural light allowed her face to glow and look like a fantasy goddess from one of his favorite books. His thoughts moved at a million miles an hour, and there was no way his mouth would have been about to keep up.

Her expression grew hard, and she looked at him. "Who am I?" She asked, and the question caught him completely off guard. "I mean . . . I know who I want to be, but right now, I'm just . . . just . . ."

"Riley." He asked. "You're just Riley. You're sweet, compassionate, always willing to see the best in others, incredibly beautiful, intelligent, and a very talented musician. That's who you are. Riley Matthews."

The brunette smiled slightly, biting her lip. Farkle didn't have to say much to make her stomach flutter. It's not the first time she's noticed this too. Even in the halls, in the middle of the school day, she would be rushing to her next class and the locker from across hers would shut and her eyes would glance over at him. She clearly remembered this was the first time since she'd seen him after returning from Einstein Academy. He had a growth spurt, and wasn't wearing those bright colors he wore in middle school. She had chided herself back then about how he used to be one of her best friends, and now she was highly attracted to him.

She still was. Even staring at him now, it was a year and a half ago, and he matured even more. She was sure they could still find something to argue about, but right now she had the temptation to lean forward and kiss him, which was something she had been secretly wanting to do. She had never even told Maya about her crush on him. It was easy to do so, because they weren't in the same circles anymore, so she couldn't be awkward like she normally was around guys she liked. She blinked again, even now sitting beside him these last couple of hours she wasn't awkward and that was strange. She was natural and though her heart was beating a million miles an hour, she felt content.

Riley dropped her legs and scooted closer to him. "You think I'm beautiful?"

Farkle blinked, unsure of what was happening, because it seemed like she was getting closer to him. "I did say incredibly, right?" Was she going to kiss him? Why would she do that? Did she want to kiss him? Did he want to kiss her? Yes.

Lost in a trance, he leaned down, prepared to meet her half way when Maya called out her name from somewhere nearby, and they both internally groaned. Riley squeezed his knee and stood up from where she was sitting. Did he lose his chance? "I'll be right back."

The brunette walked down the aisle and out into the open and saw Maya standing there with a soft expression on her face. She grabbed Riley's arm and hauled her into one of the study rooms and closed the door.

"What is going on between you and Dr. Farklestein?" Maya demanded.

Riley huffed and crossed her arms. "Well probably nothing now, since you interrupted us." Maya raised her eyebrows at he best friend, motioning her to continue. "Yes, we were having a moment."

"You like Farkle?" Her blue eyes were bright and excited.

Riley nodded. "I've liked him for a while now. I just never acted on it, because I was too caught up in trying to be the best violin player I could be so that's why said nothing."

The blonde smiled. "That's cute Riles, but you still are going to be the best violin player you could possibly be. That won't change." Maya walked around the bland room. "You think something could happen between the two of you?"

"If you don't interrupt us next time, I think so." The brunette stated.

She walked towards the door and before she walked out, Maya blurted out, "I think I like Lucas."

Riley blinked, turning around slowly. She eyed the blonde carefully. "You think you like him, or you know you like him?"

"I don't know," Maya sat at one of the chairs and slumped over, confused. "We had an argument and I judged him before I even had a conversation with him, and then we had a heart to heart and it turns out that he is not the guy everyone thinks he is and I actually like his personality and now I don't know what to do, because you know me and relationships. The only stable relationship I have with anyone at this school is you. I've been on tons of dates with guys, but you know that I've never been serious about my feelings for them."

Riley put her hands up. "Calm down, Peaches. We'll figure this out. Are you unsure about what to do because you are afraid he won't return the feelings?"

That's exactly what she was afraid of. She nodded slowly. "What do I do?"

"Be nice, but not too nice. Just be yourself and just act natural." Riley stated.

"Says the girl who is never natural when it comes to the guy she likes."

"Hey, I happen to be doing well with Farkle. I've surprised myself." Riley looked down, really hoping that he was still sitting there.

Maya smirked. "You know Farkle likes you. He practically declared his love for you in the seventh grade." Riley rolled her eyes. "Seriously Riles, you never take risks. Try to act on a gut feeling, rather than overthink it all. For once in your life, you can do something without practice. If you're gut is telling you to begin something with Farkle, go for it."

Riley placed each of her hands on Maya's shoulders. "Sounds like you just gave yourself perfect advice, Peaches."

Huh, didn't see that one coming. Maya watched as Riley turned towards the door. "What are you going to do?"

Riley smiled to herself. "I'm going to take a risk." There was no way she was going to miss that chance again. The brunette made her way back to the spot she left, and sure enough, Farkle was still sitting there, looking out the window. She couldn't believe how different he looked, compared to the Farkle she remembered back in middle school. His orange turtlenecks, wacky colored collared shirts, his bowl head haircut, and even though he was a little guy back then, his face had been rounder.

Now, he was tall, still thin, but filled out. He wore darker colors, consisting of graphic t-shirts that were space related everything, sweater vests, or button ups that made him look classy. His hair was short and spiked up in the front and was no longer the dirty blonde color it was, but a darker shade of brown. He such an attractive guy. Looking at him staring off to the side, she could see his sharp jaw line that no longer contained the looks of a boy, but instead a young man.

He looked back towards the aisle of books and stood up, noticing a different glimmer in her eyes. "Why are are you looking at me like that?" He asked cautiously.

"Do you remember when we were in middle school, and we had played in Romeo and Juliet?" She asked and he nodded slowly, unsure of where this was going. "You remember that just before Charlie Gardner was going to kiss me, you interrupted the entire play?"

He chuckled. "That was the most humiliating moment in middle school. I ruined Shakespeare. I would've probably been executed back in the 1600's if that would have been witnessed by the King or the play writer himself. I'm glad that people don't remember that dorky kid I was."

"I remember him," she stated. "He was my best friend."

"And you were mine," his voice was deep and low. The way he said that made Riley's insides turn. "You were the only one who clapped for me afterwards, even if I did ruin everything. You made me believe that I was a great actor. You filled me up with confidence that I was really special. You made me think that I could go after something that was totally unrealistic."

She approached him. "Those were the exact words you said before—"

"I kissed you?" He remembered the exact moment it happened. He looked down. "It doesn't even count. I missed your lips, and you cringed up even then. I might have acted like I scored the best thing, but I knew that I had just embarrassed myself." It was quiet for a few moments. "If only I had been taller. Anyway, why are we talking about this?" He looked back at her and realized how close they were.

He had to look down into her eyes because of how close she was to him. "Well you're a head taller than me now." With her hands, she pulled him down by his zip up jacket. "You can't miss this time."

Farkle's eyes fluttered closed as his lips lightly met hers, and his world seemed to explode all around them.

A/N: Alright my lovelies. Thank you for being so patient. Thank you for also being supportive of all my fics. I was sick towards the end of last week and lost a day of school work and writing, so I'm a day behind my schedule. I don't have a preview to the next chapter, but you will see it posted by next Wednesday at the latest!