Riley's POV

After class, I caught up with Farkle at his locker. I feel like he's the only person who can help me right now. I took his arm and lead him over to the friendship bench in the hallway and sat him down.

"Riley, what's going on?" Farkle asked.

"How do you know if you and Smackle will make it through high school together?" I asked.

"Well, I don't KNOW, but I have hope that we will, because when she smiles at me, I get a feeling that I can only describe as Boilalaloo!" He said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Does she feel the same way?" I asked him.

"It's hard to say really, because of her Aspberger's and because we're both scientists, feelings are not our forte. It's going to take us a long time to figure out our feelings and be comfortable enough to express them physically. We'll probably still be on first base while you're on your honeymoon," he explained.

"So even though you know that being with Smackle is going to be hard, harder than if you dated someone else probably, you still feel like it's worth it, right?" I asked him.

"I do. She's the only girl I've ever met who's even smarter than me. Being with her has made me better. She has brought me to a whole new level that I didn't even know I was intellectually capable of." He said.

Hearing him talk about Smackle that way made me realize that Maya had done the same thing for me, emotionally. Being with Maya made me feel things I didn't even know I was capable of feeling for a girl, or for anyone really. I have such a better understanding now of who I am, and she's the reason for that. But I still have more to sort out.

"You used to love both me and Maya right?" I asked.

"I still love you both," he replied.

"I know, but I'm not talking about platonically," I said. "You used to love us both and you could never choose between us."

"The smartest decision I ever made was not choosing between my two best friends," Farkle said.

"What if you did, Farkle? What if you had to choose? How would you make your decision?" I asked him. A sudden realization swept over his face.

"Oh my gosh. This is about Maya and Lucas isn't it?" he asked. He looked devastated.

"Maya knows." He said.

"What does Maya know?" I asked.

"She knows you still like Lucas." Farkle said.

"How can she know that? I haven't even figured that out for myself yet." I said.

"Well, she suspects it, and it's killing her Riley." Farkle said, sadly.

Oh no. Maya must've confided in Farkle, telling him about her doubts, and now I'm here putting him in the middle. That must be why she wants to meet at the bay window later. She must want to talk about Lucas.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," I said.

"Oh, someone's getting hurt. But if we're not honest with each other, then everyone gets hurt. You, Maya, Lucas, Haley-"

"I know. But I don't know what to do, Farkle." I said, helplessly.

"You've always liked Lucas, and he always liked you," Farkle began. "But you and Maya have a really deep and special bond," he noted. "It runs so deep, you dropped your feelings for Lucas when you thought Maya liked him and you stepped back so they could explore their feelings for each other."

"I was trying to do what was best for everyone concerned," I explained.

"Why?" He questioned.

"Because I wanted Maya to be happy," I answered. I always want Maya to be happy, no matter what happens between us.

"You know, many psychology researchers believe that prioritizing someone else's happiness before your own indicates that you love that person," Farkle explained.

"I do, Farkle. I love Maya." I said with clarity.

"So it's Maya then?" Farkle asked.

"It's Maya. It's always been Maya, from day one. The first person I wanted in my world was her."