A/N:Chapter 11.

Never Give In

Chapter 11

Smackle

Isadora could pinpoint the worst day of her life. She remembered someone sitting her down and explaining things to her. She was the smartest kid in school and the confusion that she was different made her feel ashamed. The counselor there gave her a kind smile telling her that she was not alone, there were others like her. It didn't help her worry less or feel less alienated. So what if there were others out there, they weren't here with her.

"Izzy," Someone from behind her called out. Said person sounded unsure and even hesitant and given that the school hallway was empty, on the account of it being very much past school hours, it made her curious. Smackle turned around and was surprised.

"Maya how are you?" She asked politely.

"I'm fine," Maya said looking unsure and usually Smackle would accept it as it is but she decided she would point it out.

"Well from my physical observations you look fidgety and given the current predicament we are all in I would think that you are a little uncomfortable and awkward with me," Smackle said. Maya looked suddenly a lot more unsure.

"Uhm.."

"What do you want Maya," Smackle said softly with a smile.

"To reach out," Maya blurted, "I want all of us to try again."

Smackle smiled. She did miss her companions. Things have not been easy for the longest of time. She had seen them around school but the days of laughing, hanging out and having conversations were long gone. These days if she was not in school, or at the library she was at home studying. She was thriving academically but she had never felt all the more alone. She had overheard her parents talking to one another about her. About whether they should send her of to therapy. Suffice to say she gave up on the idea of getting a drink from the kitchen and slipped away quietly to her bedroom.

"That can be arranged," Smackle said trying to keep things light, "But as you are aware me and Farkle are no longer seeing one another."

"Oh"

"You can give him a try," Smackle offered. The two girls were silent for a minute, neither knew what to say. Just let your guard down Smackle thought, you have come so far, "I don't think he wants to see me anymore."

Maybe she did not sound sad enough as Maya rolled her eyes. She thought that the current societal rules were that friends before significant others. Then again Maya did know Farkle first. So maybe Maya was following the friends before significant others rule.

"Farkle is a guy. He might be a genius but sometimes he can be so male," Maya said affectionately. Smackle was immediately hit with this emotion of hostility. She is...was his girlfriend. They had talks and conversations. But at that moment she realised Maya and Riley had some sort of established footing before she ever came into the picture. She hated feeling this conflict between her emotions and her reasoning.

"I'm not following you"

"Riley farkle and me"

"Riley farkle and I," Smackle corrects Maya. Maya looked at her blankly.

"Huh?"

"I should be the last not me," Smackle explained.

"Okay uh us three," Maya looked at Smackle thinking that she would be corrected again, "Have been friends for the longest time. Before there was you and Farkle, and Zay and Lucas there was us three. And the three of us love and protect one another. Always have always will."

Smackle could hear the slight change of tone in Maya's voice. She put that aside for the moment. Her mind had always been more analytical and scientific but even she saw how this goes. Suddenly the hallway was a lot more invading even though there was only her and Maya.

"Excuse me Maya, I suddenly remembered something," Smackle excused herself. She barely heard Maya give her a reply before she made a beeline exit.

"Izzy?" The little girl looked up when she heard her name being called. She knew she looked bad. She had tear streaks all over her face and her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"On sweetheart," She was immediately pulled up and given a hug.

"They say I'm weird," Izzy sobbed into her mother's embrace.

"Well you know what?" Izzy turned t o her mother's face listening with rapt attention. Her mother was whispering her a secret, "Some of the best people are."

She didn't understand what her mother meant at that moment but she will. At that moment her mother's words made her less ashamed of being her. And one day in the future she will meet a girl with such brightness and wide-eyed wonder and belief. The brunette hair girl was like a candle to the moth to everyone around her, someone who made Izzy feel like she could touch the sky.

"He thinks he cannot protect me because he cannot protect the two of them. That has been the reason he pushed me away," Smackle spoke. It has been days later and she was at study room when she spoke those words out loud.

"And you found this out of your own?" Zay asked looking at her. Smackle looked at Zay. He was the only one in that group of friends that had tried to talk to everyone, and she found comfort in the fact that Zay was always Zay.

"Maya reached out to me, Smackle explained. She shook her head trying to clear her muddled thoughts. Trying to distract herself she asked Zay, "So how are things?"

"Lucas apologised," Smackle heard about the locker room incident, "Maya is talking to Farkle again."

"Thats a good thing right?" Smackle question.

"Hopefully," Zay supplied.

It took maybe a week before the inevitable happened. During that week she saw glimpses of Maya and Farkle talking and Lucas and Zay walking around the hall. They were repairing their friendships. And she was happy for them. Maya and Zay have talked to her in the span of the week and Lucas gave her a small smile yesterday that she took as a win. Lucas doesn't smile as much as he used to. The only thing she could not take account for was her relationship with Farkle.

She has absolutely no idea where she stood. Well she does. But she does not know what was the appropriate reaction or how she should behave towards him now that he was an ex. She had observed other girls smack talk their previous boyfriends. Was that what she had to do as well?

And that was how she found herself face to face with Farkle at the library. She was all ready to leave but she decided enough was enough. No more avoidance.

"Farkle look at me," Smackle said quietly.

"I can't"

"Why not?" She said, her frustration showing. What made him so special that he can act this way.

"I don't want you to be disappointed," he said. That made her pause. She was not good at this, at talking about her emotions. She used to because of him but now she struggles.

"I'm not," Smackle said before the silence took over. She didn't know how long it was before she spoke again, "I used to be so insecure about it, you know?"

"What?"

"You and Riley," Smackle said with a hint of a smile. From where she was she could see Farkle rolling his eyes before saying what he had told her countless of times before

"We are…"

"...just friends I know," Smackle interrupted , "You told me enough times. But you are not just friends."

"Iz…" She could feel Farkle's eyes on her.

"You love her, she is your chosen family"

"I.."

"I understand that now," Smackle said before turning to Farkle, "Remember, there was a period early on, back when we were dating, that my aspergers got the better of me."

"You avoided me."

"Riley was the one who found me and she reasoned with me. She read up about more about it even after you weren't diagnosed," Smackle revealed.

"That's the kind of person she is," Farkle said.

"And she is the reason why I'm going to say this," Smackle said facing him fully, time to be brave, "You have helped me and you were so patient and you shown me how to be more comfortable with myself. You were there for me. Now it is my turn to be there for you. Don't push me away. I want to be there for you. Please let me be there for you."

She did not know what to expect when she was done. There were possibilities that he would walk away and she would be alone again. Her thought had drifted to those situation but when she felt herself being held onto did she finally begin to breathe again. He was hugging her and it was no perfect, they both had a lot to talk about but it felt like a step in the right direction.

"Okay," Farkle finally said.

"Okay?" She repeated

"Yeah"

"I missed you."

Chapter 11 done. I will like to take this moment to apologize for the long wait. I was busy a while back, and then I got sick and then I got busy again with life. I tried my hardest to write but there were a lot of pressing matters. So next chapter will be a Riley chapter, and I have only an outline written but I will try to get it up as soon as I can. What do you think of this chapter and what will you like to see happen next? I promise that the next chapter won't take this long to get up, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you all very soon (hopefully) :)