Val Meets Boys
I don't own Girl Meets World!
"Talk to him." Maya ordered Riley who was texting Lucas.
"Why? We have a great text relationship." Riley protested.
"You know what's better than a text relationship?" Val asked.
"What?" Riley asked, getting excited.
"Talk to him!" Val and Maya said together.
"He's right over there." Maya pointed out the boy, also on his phone.
"Nooooo!" Riley whined "Too complicated over there. Lots can go wrong over there. The only thing that can go wrong over here, is if I go over there."
Val stole Riley's phone and Maya pointed her over to Lucas. Riley sighed as she slunk over behind Lucas. She hid behind the bench the boy was sitting on and popped her head up next to Lucas's.
'Hi!' She mouthed 'Hi! Hello!'
Riley looked sadly over to Maya and Val who mouthed 'Talk to him.'
Instead of using her voice, like a normal person, Riley took a long whiff from Lucas's neck. Val slapped a hand to her forehead as Maya beckoned Riley back over.
"How'd I do?" Riley asked, skipping over.
"You smelled him?" Val asked incredulously.
"Yep!" Riley chirped.
"You smelled him is what you did." Maya rolled her eyes.
"I walk through life the way I walk through life."
"Can we please talk about this?" Val asked and Maya nodded.
Riley walked into class, stealing her phone back from her sister, and sending off a text. Both Val and Maya looked at their phones.
"Nope."
"You guys don't connect with each other. It's like you can't exist without these." Cory waved a cell phone in the air "You use emoticons rather than emotions. You're an unfeeling generation of zombies." Riley and Maya started eating each other, pretending to be zombies "Stop eating her." He ordered as a girl walked in to class "You're late, Miss Myzell."
"My goldfish died." Myzell said flatly.
"You see, this is what I'm talking about!" Cory put an arm around Myzell's shoulders "Miss Myzell has clearly suffered a tragic loss. Yet, she does not seem in touch with her emotions."
"Excuse me," Myzell said, still in a flat tone "I am crying my eyes out. I'm gonna have to leave class early." And she walked out the door.
""Wow," Cory was surprised "She actually made it out the door this time."
Myzell came back in "I actually made it out the door this time!"
"Yes, girl!" Val high fived her as she walked to her seat.
"Dad, adjust and deal. Cell phones have been around for, like, ever." Riley pulled out her phone.
"It'll amaze you to know that there was a whole world before you and cell phones." Cory sighed.
"And it'll amaze you to know that I have 394 friends in here." Riley smiled, proud of herself.
"And I'm amazed you believe that." Val raised an eyebrow "I have 3,976 friends online and only half of them are people I know really well."
Riley sighed, how was her sister so popular? It wasn't fair.
Their father drew a line across the blackboard "This is a timeline of all human existence." He pointed to the beginning "Starting here is everyone who lived, laughed, loved, and understood the value of life. The cell phone era, which started right about here," He drew a line close to the end of the long line "Pretty much destroys all of that. Way to go, you."
Lucas raised his hand "Sir, if I may take a different position?"
"Yeah, save me Mr. Friar, do I go to far?"
"Always, sir." Lucas smiled "I understand your point, but I use my phone to video chat my old friends and to find out what's going on in Texas."
"Yeah," Maya teased "How else can he keep tabs on all the hoedowns and cattle pageants?"
"Maya!" Riley said, shocked.
"It's okay, Riley." Lucas assured her "I'm unaffected by Maya's views of country life. As my Uncle Buster always says, 'Be like an eagle, and soar above the mockingbird.'"
Riley giggled "You're the mockingbird."
"I know. It kills me that I can't get to you." Maya growled at Lucas.
"Sorry, ma'am." Lucas tipped an imaginary hat to her.
Maya shuddered in annoyance and turned away.
Farkle raised his hand "Farkle time, sir?"
"Oh! I love Farkle time!" Cory said, switching places with Farkle.
"With all due respect to history, Mr. Matthews, what's important to our generation will be on this side of the timeline, when Farkle and technology rule, and I will easily be able to make another one of you." Farkle pulled out a strand of Riley's hair.
"Ow!" She said.
"And another one of you." He pulled out a strand of Maya's hair.
"Ow." She said with a menacing glare.
"So, wait," Val raised her hand "Now there's four of them and one of you?"
Farkle's eyes got big "That's awesome. The future, you can't escape it! I am Farkle!" He bowed dramatically and went back to his seat.
"The assignment," Cory stood up and moved back to the front of the classroom "You can't escape it! I am teacher! Okay, so here's what you're going to do, guys. We're gonna split you into teams and discover whether or not technology has made us better people. You'll do presentations on your findings. And here's the twist. No computers!"
"What?!" Farkle slammed his hands on his desk.
"We're going old school. You're going to do your research at the New York Public Library."
"Where?" Riley asked, confused.
"That big building we walk past on the way to the subway." Val sighed.
"And here's another twist, because I trust you not at all...give me your cell phones." Cory held out his hands.
"No!" Riley clutched her phone to her chest in protest.
"Yeah." Cory said "Come on, hand 'em up. Hand 'em up. Okay, so our teams for this assignment. Maya."
Farkle dove into Maya's lap "What up?" Maya shoved him off.
"Val, you will be with Annie, and Riley..." He looked at Lucas "No! No!" The bell rang "No! Why did you have to come here?" Cory asked Lucas as he walked out.
"Sorry I make you uneasy, sir." Lucas smiled.
Riley came up to Cory "Oh, Dad, we don't even have our phones. I mean what could possibly happen?"
She walked out the door leaving her father staring at his older daughter in horror.
"What have you done?" Val teased "You've really stepped in it, Dad."
Riley, Maya, and Val stood in front of the lockers as Lucas and Farkle walked up to them.
"Hey, soaring eagle, you walking us to the library tonight?" Maya asked.
"Sure, if that's good with you?" Lucas said politely.
"Well," Val decided to have a little fun "Since you're Riley's partner on this assignment, I guess we should find out if it's okay with her."
Maya caught on "Riley?"
The girl stood perfectly still.
"Any thoughts that might come out of your mouth in word form?" Val asked.
"No, because you don't have your phone anymore, so what are you going to do to communicate, I wonder?" Riley put up two thumbs up in response to Maya's question "Oh, look at that, two thumbs up from Riley." Riley smiled widely "And a smiley face."
The Matthews family sat at the kitchen table eating dinner together. Auggie was telling his mother and oldest sister about his day.
"It was a good day. And then my friends treated me nicely. And then my teacher measured us and then I'm growing! And then Jenny Lewis loves me. I think because I'm growing." Auggie said, matter of factly.
Riley joined the conversation "It wasn't a good day. And then my friend pulled my hair out. And then my teacher took my phone away. And then my teacher was also my father!" She complained.
"At least you're growing." Auggie smiled.
Topanga shared a glance with her older daughter before turning back to Riley "Honey, please don't fall apart. Look at this as a beautiful opportunity to spend time with your family." She pleaded.
"Hi, Riley." Auggie grinned widely.
"How ya doin'" Riley tried to ask nicely.
"Wanna hear about my day? It was a good day."
"Mom!" Riley turned to her mother.
"Forgive her, Auggie, She misses her telephone." Topanga teased.
"Well, then she can have mine." Auggie offered Riley a toy phone.
She took it and pressed a button "The cow goes moo..." The phone said.
"I'm not gonna make it." Riley put her head down on the table.
"That's what your father thinks." Topanga sighed.
"She can't." Cory commented.
"Honey," Topanga leaned forward "Please don't make your father right. It's no good for any of us when your father is right."
"She's right." Cory nodded.
Why are you really doing this?" Riley asked.
"Because I want you and your friends to become human beings. And I believe that by doing this, you guys can become human beings."
"Aren't you worried about Val?" Riley asked.
"Nope." Cory shook his head "Your sister, she's got this thing down. She actually knows where the library is."
The intercom buzzed "Hey, losers, it's Maya."
"Except her." Cory sighed "She has no hope of becoming a human being."
"You know what? I am going to do this. I can make it through this whole thing without making a text or call." Riley walked over and pressed the intercom button "Come on up."
"Of course you can, sweetheart. And you know what? You're already a wonderful human being, but every so often little tests like this are gonna come up." Topanga told her daughter.
"Why?" Riley whined.
"Because it's your father's job to give you little tests. And maybe along the way, you guys are gonna learn a little bit more about yourselves."
"Beautifully put, Mom." Val smiled.
Maya entered "Yeah, like I've learned I'm actually ok with all of this."
"You don't miss your phone, Maya?" Topanga asked.
"I was the only one in class without a smartphone anyway, and now I kind of feel like everyone's even." Maya explained.
Annie came through the door "'Sup guys. Ready to go, Val?"
"Almost," Val told her friend "We're just waiting for-"
The intercom buzzed "Farkle."
"Almost ready." Riley said.
The intercom buzzed again "And Lucas."
"Ready now!" Riley fell over herself, knocking into Val on her way out the door.
"Okay, I guess we're going now." Val said, rubbing her arm.
She and Annie followed Riley and Maya out the door.
The large group of Riley, Maya, Farkle, Lucas, Annie, and Val walked into the library.
"What is this place?" Riley asked in awe.
"This is where the ancients stored all their wisdom." Farkle said.
"Really, Farkle? I thought you were smarter than that." Val teased.
"Look at all those..." Maya faltered, unable to think of the word.
"Books." Val sighed exasperatedly.
"Books." The others, minus Annie, said in awe.
"Look." Lucas pulled a book off a nearby shelf and blew the dust off of it 'Tales of Human Interaction.'"
"We'll take it." Maya grabbed the book "Thanks, quickdraw. Farkle, do whatever you do with that." She dropped it on the table.
"You mean read?" Annie asked.
Farkle grabbed the book and opened it to the first page "Chapter one..."
"Oh, I'm bored out of my mind. Let's go see a movie." Maya groaned.
"Shh!"
"Ah!"Everyone but Val and Annie screamed.
"There's one of those ancients now." Farkle slowly approached Ruth the librarian "Oh, wondrous gatekeeper of the knowledge, we are travelers from another time and space."
"Seventh grade middle school." Riley supplied.
"We wish to partake of this information from your great hall of wisdom." Farkle said trying to be impressive.
"Do you rent phones?" Riley asked loudly.
"Shh!"
"There's no one here but us." Lucas said, looking around.
"Why do we have to shush?" Maya asked rudely.
"Um, it's a library?" Val said, it was kind of obvious.
"Let me handle this, Maya, she obviously likes it quiet." Farkle moved closer to Ruth "Hello, book-lady."
"Well, hello, and who might you be?" Ruth asked.
"I might be Farkle." Farkle flirted.
"Would you do me a favor, Farkle?"
"Oh, you know I will."
"Why don't you go over there," Ruth pointed to a far away part of the library "And shh!"
"Well, that was disappointing." Farkle sighed and dragged Maya over to the spot Ruth had pointed at.
"Hi, Ruth." Val smiled and waved.
"Valencia!" Ruth cried "Come here, how are you?"
"You know the book-lady?" Riley asked, surprised.
"Valencia?" Lucas asked.
"Her name is Ruth. And yes, we both know her." Val groaned "We're here all the time. And Ruth, you promised to call me Val."
"Sorry, dear." Ruth smiled sheepishly "Now, who's this?"
"This is my sister, Riley. We're here to do research on how technology has affected humanity." Val explained.
"Oh, you'll find books on that in section PN 3.0094" Ruth told them.
"Thanks, Ruth." Annie said and pulled Val away to the section
Farkle, Maya, Annie, and Val sat at a window, Farkle was reading from the book Maya had stolen from Lucas.
"People used to need places like this. Now we can hold everything that's here in a little device we can put in our pockets. I don't even need to look out this window to know what phase the moon is in or where the stars are." Farkle sighed.
"Yeah, well, I don't have a phone like that. I just have the actual sky." Maya explained.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for you. You're at a real disadvantage. That can be the basis of our presentation, okay?" Farkle smiled at his idea "Wanna read back the notes?"
"What notes?"
"You weren't taking notes?"
"No."
"You know what? Why bother? Without a computer all we have is a pencil and a pad." Farkle grabbed the notepad from Maya and stared at it in shock "Maya, I had no idea."
"Yeah, neither did I." Maya said softly.
"Maya," Val stood up and looked over Farkle's shoulder "That's beautiful."
Riley and Lucas sat at a table, awkwardly reading a book.
"My dad thinks we have no idea how to talk to each other." Riley tried to break the ice.
"What if he's right?" Lucas asked.
"Shh!" Ruth shushed.
"But we're not saying anything." Lucas protested.
"I know."
"Then why are you shushing us?" Riley asked, confused.
"Because I can't take it any more. Come here." Ruth beckoned Riley over "Couple of sweet kids like you and you sit there like a couple of lumps. You're a disgrace to every single story on these shelves."
"Okay, so what do I say to him?" Riley asked.
"Look around. Nothing here but books about boys and girls and men and women and what they say to each other. Open any one of them and you-" Riley tried to pick up a book "Not that one." Riley reached for another book "Oh, boy, not that one! Look, all these books have one thing in common."
"What's that?" Riley asked curiously.
"You start on page one, and each page brings you deeper into the story. What's your name?"
"Riley."
"What's his name?"
"Lucas." Riley smiled goofily.
"You like a good story Riley?" Ruth asked "Start at the beginning."
Riley nodded and walked back to Lucas "Hi."
On the other side of the library Farkle and Maya were talking, this time Maya was reading from the book.
"'Because it's not until you really looked at each other and made a human connection that you can even begin to know each other.'"
"Look in my eyes." Farkle ordered.
"No."
"Look in my eyes."
"No."
"Look in my eyes."
"No!"
Riley and Lucas were talking, having a deep conversation.
"I guess the thing I miss most about Texas is the pets I used to have." Lucas told Riley.
Val and Annie were listening from the next table over, staying quiet and listening closely.
"I had a hamster." Riley smiled, remembering.
"I had twenty-four horses."
"You win." Riley giggled "Tell me about them?"
"One day after school, Sofia was foaling." Lucas told her.
"That means she was giving birth, right?" Riley double checked.
"Not bad, city girl." Lucas teased "And there was no one there, so I called Dr. Galendo and he talked me through it. Anyway, that was all."
"More." Riley urged.
Lucas paused before continuing "Did you know that a baby horse stands in the first hour after it's born?"
"Really?" Riley was amazed "I'd have liked to have been there for that."
"It was the coolest thing I've ever seen, and I was a part of it." Lucas looked deep into Riley's eyes "Riley."
"Lucas."
"I've never told anyone this before."
"Yeah?"
"I think someday I might like to be a veterinarian." Lucas whispered.
"That's cool too." Riley was slightly disappointed he wasn't going to confess any feelings for her.
"I delivered this beautiful palomino. I'd show you her picture, but I don't have my phone."
"That's okay, just keep talking."
Annie turned to Val and whispered "Are they cute or awkward?"
"A little bit of both. But mostly cute."
Back at the Matthews apartment Auggie was coloring.
"I colored a new picture." He announced to his parents who were sitting on the couch.
"Stay like this forever." Topanga begged as she hugged her little boy.
"Would you please, that'd be great." Cory joined the hug.
"The picture's over there." Auggie pointed at the wall which was covered in crayon "Mommy, Daddy, Val, Auggie, and no Riley."
Cory stared "Uh, Auggie I don't think-"
"It's beautiful!" Topanga exclaimed before turning to her husband "I think that's what you're supposed to do. I have no idea."
"And look at the 'fridgerator." Auggie gestured to the refrigerator.
"The new one?" Topanga asked in horror.
"That's our trip to the Jersey Shore." Auggie explained.
"It's beautiful. I think that's what you're supposed to do." Topanga gave a weak smile as Auggie went to his room.
Riley and Val entered.
"How was your night girls?" Cory asked.
"Thank you for sending us to the library." Riley smiled happily.
"Really?"
"Yes. Lucas and I did really well on the assignment." Riley paused "I think we connected."
"What do you mean connected? What are you talking about? How did you connect?" Cory panicked.
"We, talked about stuff that was important to us. To important to text. Did you know that if you listen to someone they'll tell you stuff?" Riley sighed.
"Oh, boy."
"Friends talk to each other, but, real friends listen. Maya knows how to draw, and, I know how to be a real friend. You're a good teacher, Dad. You can keep my phone, as long as you want." Riley hugged her father and left to go upstairs.
Val burst out laughing at her father's expression "Beautiful, Dad." She wiped an imaginary tear.
"Congratulations, Cory." Topanga smiled.
"What did I do?" A horrified Cory asked.
"You, just taught our daughter how to feel." Topanga said proudly.
"I did that?"
"You did."
"I didn't mean to do that!"
"Well, you did."
"She has feelings now?"
"Mm-hmm." Val and Topanga said in unison.
"How many?" Cory asked nervously.
"All of them." Val said "Just like you and Mom."
"Well, put 'em back!" Cory demanded.
"We can't do that." Topanga explained.
"I have a way." Cory realized.
"There's no way." Val told him.
"I have a way."
The next day in history class Cory pulled out the box of phones and started handing them back out.
"Here you go, take your phone. Take it now. Very good. Here's your phone. Good, great, nobody talks to nobody. No more feelings. Thank you. Okay, guys, the great technology debate. Let's boot it up!" Cory clapped his hands joyfully.
Riley, Maya, Farkle, and Lucas all stood up at the front of the classroom.
"I have always believed technology would help us fulfill our potential as a species. But when Farkle does rule the world, no matter what devices we come up with, we should also never forget what we can do with a pencil, a piece of paper and our own imaginations." Farkle took out Maya's drawing from the night before "I've been keeping this in my pocket where my phone used to be. I keep looking at it. I'm fine."
"Thanks, Farkle." Maya was almost blushing.
"Look in my eyes." Farkle commanded and just like that the moment was gone.
"No."
Riley stepped forward "I thought my whole life was in my phone, but it turns out that I don't really have any friends in here. And you don't need your phone to connect with your real friends."
"Allow us to demonstrate." Lucas said.
He and Riley turned to each other.
"Hi." Said Riley.
"Hi." Said Lucas.
It was Val and Annie's turn next.
"Technology has been a barrier and a key." Val began "It has prevented us from connecting on a personal level but at the same time it has opened up a whole new world of possibilities at our fingertips."
"I use my phone to keep in touch with my family that lives far away." Annie said "Like my brother and my Dad."
"I use my phone for reading, research, and staying connected and safe when I'm out." Val said "But I also know that reading from a real book is better than reading on a phone or tablet, it's more real and honest."
"We do need to learn how to reconnect with each other." Annie explained "We need to become human again and break our gaze from our screens and look at the night sky and the sun and the sea."
"It is worth it, to see the world through our own eyes rather than a phone screen. We deserve to view the world in a beautiful light."
Word count: 3645 words
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Love,
The Author