Chapter Fourteen: Girl Meets Flaws
"Graduation and awards night is coming up. I am very proud of this class. Several of you will be recognized for your achievements throughout the year." Cory told us. Maya stood up. "Awards are a scam, a girl like me never had a chance Matthews, never had a chance." Maya told him. Maya looked down at me and Riley. "Alright we'll do it, but it's ridiculous." Riley and I said.
Riley and I stood up. "It's a scam Matthews, she never had a chance." Riley and I said. "Maya will be receiving the Griff Hawkins Totally Cool Award." Cory told us. The whole class clapped for Maya while she just sat down. "Maya, you just found out you won the totally cool award and you just sit there." Riley said. Maya just looked at her. "Oh you're being cool." Riley stated. "Why won't you rub off on me?"
"Caroline will be receiving the John Quincy Adams Amazing Citizen Award for her contribution in the school and community." Cory announced. I stood up and bowed while the class clapped for me. "And our two finalist for the scholar athlete award are Lucas Friar," Cory paused so we could clap for Lucas before he continued. "And Billy Ross." "I hope you're ready for some competition dude." Billy told Lucas. "Oh you know how I hate competition." Lucas replied. They laughed with each, then they glared at each, then repeating that before they just smiled at each other.
"Hey golden boys you want to hop down from your cloud of awesomeness? You're making us normals feel bad." Maya told Billy and Lucas. "Yeah right after our hand shake of awesomeness." Billy replied. Lucas and Billy got up and did their stupid hand shake of awesomeness before they sat down again. "Every day." I stated. "Girls should have their own hand shake of awesomeness." Riley declared. "What would it be?" Maya and I asked. All three of us crossed our legs and whipped our hair. "Stop it." We said in unison.
"Farkle, you are being awarded the Joseph T. R. Epstein Confidence Award. Congratulations." Cory said looking over at Farkle's desk. We turned and instead of seeing Farkle there was a machine instead. "Farkle?" I questioned. "Farkle can't come to his desk right now. If you have a question for Farkle say one, a comment say two, billing questions three." Farkle's voice came through the machine.
"One. Where are you?" Cory asked. "You have selected three." Farkle stated. "No I said one." Cory protested. "Sorry we are experiencing unusual high call volume." Farkle told Cory. "Your call will be answered in approximately," "35." A voice said. "Minutes." Farkle said before music started to play. "Representative." Cory shouted.
"What is this Farkle's never missed a class in his life?" Cory asked. The bell rang and we grabbed our stuff. Riley moved and stood in front of Cory. "Yes?" Cory asked. "Everybody's getting an award, but me." Riley stated. "What good is having you as my teacher if the fix ain't in?" "I'm sorry Riley." Cory apologized. "Riley you don't need a trophy to feel good about yourself." I told her. "Yes I do sometimes I feel kind of invisible." Riley admitted. "Sometimes you want to be invisible Riley. Believe me." Farkle said.
"Lucas and I looked in the library." I told Maya and Riley as we walked into a hallway. We were looking for Farkle. "He's not there." Lucas added. "Hey guys I checked the ball field no Farkle." Billy told us as he walked over to us. "You looked on the baseball field for Farkle. Billy are you even trying?" Maya asked. "Not really." He answered before he walked away.
The door behind Riley opened and Farkle with janitor Harley came out. "Trouble lad I now release you to the hands of your caring friends 'cause they have time for this." Harley said, he walked back into the janitor's closet. "You wanna tell us what's going on here buddy?" Lucas asked. "Are you my buddy?" Farkle asked. "What?" Lucas questioned. "Spill it Farkle." Maya told Farkle.
"Somebody made fun of my turtlenecks." Farkle told us. "Your turtlenecks?" I questioned. "Yeah somebody said they make me weird." he replied. "You are weird." Maya told him. "She doesn't mean that." Riley said. "Sure I do. He knows he is, he embraces it. But you already know that Farkle, that's what makes you unique." Maya explained. "What's good being unique if somebody knows you're really not?" Farkle asked before he walked away.
"Gandhi, what'd he do?" Cory asked the next day in class pointing to a picture of Gandhi. "Freed Ireland." Maya guessed. "Caroline, why don't you try?" Cory thought. "Freed India." I told him without really thinking about it. "Correct, he freed India." Cory said. "Before or after he freed Ireland?" Maya asked. "Jackie Robinson, what'd he do?" Cory asked pointing to a picture of Jackie Robinson. "First Irish guy in the major leagues after Gandhi freed him." Billy answered. "I-I quit." Cory stammered in disbelief.
"But you can't quit sir." Farkle said through his machine. "And you need to be in my class Farkle." Cory told him. "How long are you gonna be out sick?" "Don't know." Farkle's voice replied as he faked cough. "Pretty bad cold sir." "Okay feel better." Cory said. "What about her?" he asked pointing to a picture a Malala. "That's Malala, the Taliban doesn't think that women shouldn't be educated. She stood up to them and became the first teenager to be nominated for a noble peace prize." Riley explained.
"Sometimes the world presents you with opportunities to show who you really are. Will you have to courage to someone who tries to take your spirit away?" Cory asked. Riley looked back at Farkle's desk before standing up. "May I be excused?" Riley asked. "For what?" Cory asked. "The world has presented me with an opportunity." Riley told him before walking out of the room.
Maya, Lucas, and I walked into the janitor's closet where we found Farkle, Riley, and janitor Harley. "Somebody told Farkle he doesn't deserve us as friends." Riley told us. "Who?" Maya asked. "It's not important." Farkle told her. "It's the most important thing in the world." Maya retorted. "I'll find him myself and I'd hate to be him when I do." Maya tried to walk out of the janitor's closet, but Lucas picked her up. "Am I there yet?"
"Farkle don't let what anybody says get to you, that's what gives them power." Lucas told Farkle. ""Why are you my friend?" Farkle asked. "What is it with that?" Lucas asked. "Farkle would you just come back to class?" Riley asked. "Pipi long stockings is right." Janitor Harley stated. "I, janitor Harley Connor, was in my youth a school meanie and someone you all know and love was often the target of my shenanigans. But his will was so strong it changed the nature of our relationship forever. In fact he even got me this job and now I hold him in the highest esteem." I wonder who that could be.
Cory walked into the janitor's closet. "Hey, Johnny Baboon!" Harley greeted. My eyes widen in amusement. "Johnny Baboon?" we all questioned. "You promised me." Cory said. "Oops." Harley replied. "Farkle you're here. Are you okay?" Cory asked. "I'm fine sir." Farkle replied. "Good and I'll see you in my class tomorrow morning?" Cory asked. "Yes sir." Farkle replied. He ran out of the closet and we followed behind him.
"This is a very special place to us Lucas." Riley told Lucas. We were seated at Riley's windows with Lucas. "This is where Riley, Caroline, and I figure out our most important stuff." Maya told him. "Do you talk about me?" Lucas asked. My eyes widened at this question. "What do I do now?" Riley asked. "I don't know what to do." "Start over and move on." I told her. "This is a very special place to us Lucas." Riley repeated. "Do you ever talk about me here?" Lucas asked again. Riley turned to look at me. "You gave me bad advice." Riley accused.
"Well I appreciate you having me here." Lucas told us. "Whatever Farkle's dealing with, he shouldn't have to go through it alone." "I want my Farkle back, we're not as good without him." Maya admitted. "If you tell him I said that I will jack you up son." The door opened and Cory walked in. "Ah the brain trust. You guys have one day to figure this out and fix Farkle. Or else you come to an adult, you understand me?" Cory told us.
"Yes dad." Riley and I replied while Maya said, "Yes Mr. Matthews." And Lucas said. "Yes sir." Cory walked out and closed the door. "If we could just find out who this guy was then I'd know you take care of him." Maya said. "What?" Lucas questioned. "Beat him up? Maya all those people on the blackboard never became like the people who were attacking them by resorting to their methods. It's just not the first response of an intelligent person."
The door quickly opened and Cory came into the room. "Get out." He growled. Lucas tried to get out the window. But Cory grabbed on to his ankle and tried to pull him. Riley hugged me and Maya. Lucas managed to get away from Cory, but Cory got his shoe. "That felt really good." Cory admitted. Riley reached out and grabbed Lucas' shoe.
Maya, Riley, and I approached Lucas in gym the next day. "Where's Farkle?" I asked. "I thought he said he wasn't going to miss anymore class." Lucas replied. "Then why haven't we seen him?" Maya asked. "Oh hey man baseball after school?" Billy asked Lucas when he walked into the gym. "I don't think I'm going to make it. My buddy's still been hassled and I wanna be there for him." Lucas explained.
"Your buddy?" Billy laughed. "You mean Farkle?" "Yeah nobody's seen him." Lucas told him. "You're better off." Billy told him. "Excuse me?" Lucas questioned. "Come on Lucas I don't see Farkle as your buddy." Billy said. "Why not?" Lucas asked. "You don't think he's different than us?" Billy asked. "What do you mean?" Lucas asked. "Smarter? Yeah, he's the smartest kid in school, but he doesn't make a big deal about it. I mean he does want to take over the world and everything. Frankly I'd like to see what he does with it."
"Lucas Farkle is a nothing." Billy told Lucas. I realized that it was Billy who was the one who put those ideas in Farkle's head. Lucas pushed Billy up against the mats that were against the wall. "You're the one who did this to Farkle?" Lucas asked. "Why would you do that to a guy like him?" "I don't know because he's a guy like him." Billy answered. "You want to let me go now?" Billy moved Lucas' hand off of his chest, but Lucas' pushed him back.
"You're the nothing Billy." Lucas told him. "Lucas don't." Maya and I said. "I thought this is what you wanted Maya." Lucas said to her. "What? She wanted you to pop me, Mr. Perfect. Well I don't think that's what he's going to do." Billy told us. "Yeah." Lucas nodded. "No that's exactly what I'm going to do." "No." Maya exclaimed as she jumped on Lucas' back. "That's what he wants, he wants you to be like him. " I told Lucas.
"Um you see, Lucas is like me we live in a cloud of awesomeness, remember?" Billy told us. "Handshake." Billy did part of their handshake. "I don't like you like this. This isn't the Billy I know and I wanna know why and I wanna know now." Lucas demanded. "And would you get off my back?" Maya got off of his back and walked over to me and Riley.
"Come on man. The Billy you know is your teammate," Billy told Lucas putting an arm around his shoulder, "and that comes way before whatever these guys are to you." "These guys?" Riley and I questioned. "Boy are you wrong these guys are my friends. All the time not just on the field." Lucas told Billy. "How are you even friends with that little guy?" Billy asked. "Because I can depend on him. Because he's the most loyal person I've ever meet because he's my best friend." Lucas explained.
"Do you really mean that?" Farkle asked. We looked up to see Farkle holding on to the rope. "You're my best friend too." "Farkle how'd you get up there I thought you couldn't climb the ropes." Lucas said. "I can't, but apparently in desperate situations I can fly." Farkle shouted. Riley, Maya, and I looked at each other before we ran over to get mats to help break Farkle's fall. After we had the mats in place Farkle screamed as he fell on to the mats.
"You can have him. You'll figure out sooner or later that they're not us." Billy said. "Who's us?" Lucas asked. Billy didn't answer instead he walked past Lucas and was about to leave until janitor Harley stopped him. "Nice that's exactly the way I used to think." Harley told him. "Now here I am with a mop." Billy walked out of the gym.
"Okay we're done." Maya said. "It's all over." I said. "Nothing more to do then carry on with our simple middle school lives." Maya said. "Except." I said pointing at Riley. "What are we going to do about Billy?" Riley asked. "Riley you can't fix everything." Maya told her and I nodded. Riley just looked at us. "Okay go ahead." We told her. We walked out of them gym leaving Lucas and Farkle.
"I don't even thin Billy thinks he did anything wrong." Riley stated. "Yeah, where's that come from?" Maya and I asked. "Girls at this age you're just finding out who you are. I mean people don't usually walk around wearing signs that tell you." Cory told us. "Here I am." Ava announced as she walked into the apartment. I looked at her shirt and it read Spoiled Rotten. "Ah what do I know?" Cory asked.
"Where's my brekkie?" Ava asked as she walked further into the apartment. "Oh joy." Topanga cheered sarcastically. "And none of that toaster pastry. Everyone knows that's a short cut, Topanga." Ava said. "Why don't you love us?" Maya asked picking up her breakfast while all three of us gave her sad looks. Topanga and Eva walked closer together. "Uh oh." Riley and I said.
Topanga picked Ava up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What was that for?" Ava asked. "Never change Ava." Topanga told her. "You know if you ever what to kiss me again I wouldn't stop you." Ava told her. "You be exactly who you are Ava. You wear it proudly." Topanga said sitting her down. "Was that for my benefit mom?" Riley asked. "How ya doing?" Topanga asked.
Riley picked the marker off of the table. "Riley you can't fix everything." Maya told her. Riley just looked at her. "Okay go ahead." Maya told her.
We were seated in class the next day waiting for Cory to come in. We had just put Riley's little plan into action. Cory walked in and looked at us. "What's going on?" he asked. "Riley made us write on our heads." A girl in the back of the room answered. She had the word Tattletale on her forehead.
"Riley?" Cory questioned. Riley had the word Insecure written on her forehead. "Insecure. It's always matter more to me what my friends think about me then what I think." Riley answered. "Caroline?" Cory asked me. I had the word Guilty written on my forehead. "I always feel like I am the problem for things that I don't have control over." I answered. "Maya?" Cory asked moving over to Maya. She had the word Broken written on her forehead. "When I own it, it doesn't make me feel so bad." Maya answered.
"Good so before someone else can use our flaws against us maybe it would help as admit that we all have them." Cory told us. Billy got up and started to walk out of the room. "You going somewhere Mr. Ross?" Cory asked. "Trying to be invisible?" "Believe me in doesn't help." Farkle told Billy. He lifted his hair up to show the word Nothing written on his forehead.
"You know Billy you seem to be the only one not wearing a flaw." Cory pointed out. "Do you not have any?" "Well none I know of." Billy answered. "What made you treat Farkle the way you did?" Maya asked. "Yeah, we never thought of you this way Billy." I told him. "I always thought of you as the good guy." Lucas stated. "Look I like people who are like me is that a flaw? Because I don't think so." Billy told us.
"Yes." We all answered. "You don't think I know that I'll never be a genius freak like you? I shouldn't make fun of that?" Billy asked. "No." we all said. Billy scoffed. "Stop making me feel bad. I already feel bad enough you got such great friends and that makes me feel…" Billy said. "I don't know. Is there a word for that?" "You're jealous. But you're Billy Ross." Riley stated.
"Yeah I'm Billy Ross. Jealous of you, of him because this little guy doesn't need to hit a baseball to have friends. Does that sound like jealousy to you?" Billy asked and I nodded. "Let me see that." Billy said to Riley holding out his hand. Riley gave him the black marker and he walked over to Farkle and gave him the marker. Farkle stood up and wrote Jealous on Billy's forehead. "Welcome to the team." I told him. "Thanks. Glad to be here." Billy said as he sat down behind Lucas.
"We're all human beings. We're all on the same team and if we sense our own flaws because we see them in others. It's true friends who wipe them away." Cory stated. Cory handed Riley a pack of wipes. Riley wiped my forehead, I wiped Maya's, and Maya wiped Riley's. Billy got up and took the wipes away from Riley. "I'm sorry Farkle. Any friend of Lucas should be a friend of mine." Billy apologized. Farkle pushed his hair up and Billy wiped away Farkle's flaw.
"Thanks, you want me to get rid of yours?" Farkle asked. "No I just got mine. I better try to understand mine a little bit more." Billy explained. Billy was about to sit down when Farkle stood up and asked, "Can we do the handshake?" "Dude, you think you're ready for the headshake?" Billy asked. "I'm so ready for the handshake." Farkle told him. Billy and Farkle did the handshake of awesomeness. When they were done Billy stated, "Well I don't understand anything."
Lucas walked up to the front of the classroom. "Mr. Matthews." Lucas said. "Mr. Perfect." Cory replied. "Will my friend be alright?" Lucas asked. Harley walked in with Farkle's turtlenecks and placed them on Farkle's desk. "I believe these belong to you." Harley said. "Thanks janitor Harley." Farkle thanked. "This is Mr. Matthews." Harley said before walking out of the room. "Yeah." Cory answered. "People change."
We were in the gym for awards night and we all decided to wear turtlenecks. "Well, we've given out our award for confidence." Cory said looking at Farkle, everyone clapped. "Cool." "Sup?" Maya asked. "Amazing citizen." I waved and help up my trophy. "And we've acknowledged our scholar athlete." Cory said gesturing to Lucas. "Jealous?" he asked Billy, with a little smirk. "Yeah, but I'm working on it." I turned to look at Riley.
"You okay Riles?" I asked. "I know getting an award was a big deal for you." Maya added. "I'm okay, really." Riley told us. "And now for our final award for the evening. The John Quincy Adams Spirit Award." Cory announced. "Goes to the student with the courage to stand up for what they believe in and change us for the better. Now the award is voted on by the student body so we have no idea in advance who will win."
Cory opened the envelope. "Huh." He said. He was looking at Riley as he moved from behind the podium. He ran his finger across his forehead. "Proud. Riley Matthews." He said showing us. We all clapped for Riley. "Maya how do I act cool about this?" Riley asked. "You just be who you are." Maya told her. Riley stood up and extended her arms. "Yay!" she shouted.