Val Meets World

I don't own Girl Meets World!

Val Matthews opened her eyes and sat up in bed. It was the first day of her seventh grade year. She got dressed in a loose green t-shirt, blue jeans, and white converse. Then she went into her twin sister, Riley's, room. Inside was her sister and her sister's best friend, Maya Hart.

"Good morning, Ri." Val greeted "Morning, Maya."

"Val!" Riley cried "I want to go on the subway like you and Maya! I wanna be bad!"

Riley made a funny face that must have been her "bad girl" face.

Val laughed "Oh, Riley, are you sure you're ready for the subway?"

"Yes!" Her twin exclaimed.

"You think you're ready to walk past your parents and get on the subway?" Maya asked.

"I think I am."

"Let's see your face as you walk past Mom and Dad." Val commanded.

Riley made a very scared face.

"What are you making that face at us, Riley?" Maya pretended to be the twins's parents.

"Because I'm sneaking onto the subway!" Riley sighed "Out the window."

She and Maya crawled out the window onto the fire escape outside. Val rolled her eyes and left the room to go downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning Val." Topanga Matthews kissed her eldest daughter on the forehead.

"Vallie!" Her younger brother, Auggie, shouted "Look! Mommy made waffles!"

"Yum!" Val sat down at the kitchen table "Where's Dad?"

"Keeping an eye on your sister." Topanga smirked.

"He caught her sneaking out then?"

"Yep, in fact I'm supposed to be up there supporting him. Eat quick, or you'll be late for school." Topanga went upstairs.

Val ate her waffles quickly and grabbed her backpack.

"Bye, Mom!" She called as she walked out the door "Bye, Auggie! Have a good day!"

She crossed the hall and knocked on the door across from her own. It opened to reveal her best friend.

"Hey Andi."

The girl across from her, actually named Andrea and hated the nickname Andi, scowled "Call me Annie."

"Okay, okay, sorry." Val put her hands up "Are you ready to go? We'll be late if we don't leave soon."

"Yep, I'm ready." Annie grabbed her own backpack and stepped out "Let's go."

The two friends linked arms and walked down to the subway. They boarded a train and stood near the doors.

"Hey, is that Riley?" Annie asked, surprised "I thought she wasn't allowed on the subway yet."

Yes, Val was allowed on the subway and her sister wasn't. In truth, it made sense. Riley was immature and youthful. Val was more, well, wise. She could handle herself better than Riley could and could deal with peer pressure without issue while Riley would give in to make herself seem "cool."

"She's not technically." Val explained "I think Dad told her she could give it a try today though."

"Hmm, well, she looks happy." Annie pointed.

Her sister was now sitting in the lap of some boy.

Val quirked an eyebrow and chuckled "Yes, she does."

A woman came up to Riley and they spoke for a moment before Riley walked back to Maya. They talked and Maya took Riley's hand off the pole she was holding onto and Val's twin went flying backwards and landed on the lady's lap. The woman picked her up and put her back on the boys' lap. Val and Annie laughed quietly and Val grinned to see her sister so happy.

At last they reached the school and headed to class.

Riley and Maya walked into class. Val and Annie were already sitting in their seats.

"You have to do the homework, Maya," Riley was telling her friend "This teacher's insane, a total nut job."

"Hi, honey." The twins father, Cory Matthews, stood in front of his daughter.

"Hi, Daddy."

"You're late to your father's class."

"Oh, don't worry Mr. Matthews, you wrote her a note." Maya pulled out a piece of paper and waved it around.

"I did?" Cory asked.

"He did." Maya confirmed and handed the note to Riley.

"You did." Riley handed the note to her father.

Mr. Matthews read the note "Riley's late, deal with it. Oh! You got my signature down pretty good this time."

"It was easy, you write like a girl." Maya shrugged and took her seat.

"Okay, let me get back to jamming some learning into your heads. The Civil War!" Mr. Matthews smacked the blackboard.

"The Civil Bore!" Maya shouted.

"Thank you, future mini mart employee of the month."

"Would I be making more money than you?" Maya snarked.

Val giggled as she watched her father's face.

"The Civil War!" Cory went back to teaching "Anybody?"

Val raised her hand but Riley answered first "A war we fought against ourselves."

"What, you actually studied it?" Cory asked his daughter, surprised.

"No, I'm actually living it." Riley put her head down on the desk.

"People, people!" Farkle exclaimed "Are we here to learn it not?"

"What do you mean, Farkle?" Dad asked the boy.

"I've been in love with Riley since the first grade. But, I'm also equally in love with Maya. Some might say the great mystery of the universe is who's going to become the next Mrs. Farkle!" Farkle giggled maniacally.

"You don't want this." Maya glared.

"Bring it on."

"As fascinating as this is," Val smiled at her dad "Can we get back to the lesson?"

"I always thought he'd end up with back of the class Brenda." Riley ignored her sister.

"Ew, yuck!" Farkle gagged.

"Val, help me out here." Cory pleaded.

"Actually, Farkle, the great mystery of the universe is how you can love two people who couldn't possible be more different." Val replied.

"We're not so different." Riley defended.

Val stared at the two friends, they were as different as night and day. It was clear to anyone who knew them.

"May I overstep my bounds, Sir and Ma'am?" Farkle asked.

"You always do."

"Don't call me Ma'am."

Farkle got up and flipped Cory's nameplate over so it read 'Farkle.' "Riley is the sun, warm, bright, and lights up my whole day. Maya is the night, dark and mysterious. The night has always been a mystery to me. Because I go to bed at 7:30."

"At least someone gets a full night of sleep." Annie muttered, her head down on her desk.

Val reached over and poked her friend "Wake up. You can sleep in English."

"How could I love these two different women? How could I not? Thank you, I am Farkle!" Farkle continued over the girls conversation.

"So," Cory stood up from Farkle's seat and went back to his desk "We were indeed trying to find out who we were as a people. Who am I? What should I be? History shows that bad things happen when you don't know who you are."

The handsome boy from the subway walked into the classroom.

"Who are you? I don't know who you are."

Riley whipped around to face Maya "Subway boy!"

"I'm Lucas Friar from Austin, Texas." The boy introduced himself.

"Ah, new student, Mr. Friar?" Cory asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, you're just in time for today's assignment. Take a seat, please."

Lucas Friar sat down behind Riley. She turned to look at the extremely cute boy and smiled strangely.

"So, now we'd..." Cory noticed his younger daughter staring at his newest student and turned her head back to the front "So, now I'd like you to open your books to page 48."

Everyone did so.

"Now I'd like you to turn to page one."

Again the class followed his directions.

"Now I'd like for you to read from page one to 48."

Everyone groaned loudly except for Farkle, who gave a "Yay." And Val who smiled at her father.

"Oh, too bad on you!" Cory teased "Okay, so for tonight's assignment, I'd like you to write me a three-page essay on anything. Anything at all that you guys believe in so strongly you'd fight for it."

"That!" Maya pointed her finger at Val's father "I'd fight for no homework. I come here everyday. Why can't you teach me everything I need to know while I'm here?"

"Whoo!" Riley stood up and Dad gave her a look "Not whoo!"

"He gets our days, let's take back our nights! No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom!" Maya stood up and started chanting as the rest of the class, minus Val, Annie, Lucas, and Farkle, joined in "This is it, kid." May told Riley "You wanna be like me? Stand up."

Riley slowly stood up.

"Riley," Dad asked worriedly "What are you doing?"

"I'm making a choice about who I want to be."

"Riley, I already know exactly who you are." Dad tried to reassure her.

"Oh, really, Dad? Who am I?" Riley asked.

"You're just like me."

Val slapped her hand to her forehead "Not what she wants to hear, Dad."

"Oh, yeah? Would you do this?" Riley started chanting "No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom!"

She and Maya led the class out.

Maya turned back "Farkle, are you with us or not?"

"My education, or my women? My education, or my women?" Farkle debated out loud "Oh no! It's happening again, sir." And he fell back into the teachers arms.

Val shared a look with Annie and they both put their heads down on their desks in exasperation.

Val walked into the apartment "Warning, there's drama coming." She told her mother.

"Ma!" Riley stormed in.

Cory followed his younger daughter "Ma!"

"Whatever this is don't put me in the middle of the two people I love equally. Just kidding, come here honey." Topanga reached out her arms for her daughter.

Val rolled her eyes and mock sighed "I thought you loved us both equally."

"Of course I do." Topanga roped her older daughter into the hug.

"My teacher followed me home. Can we keep him? Can we keep him? Please say no!" Riley begged.

"She walked out of my class." Cory complained "She's trying to be Maya."

"Why would you want to be Maya?" Topanga asked.

"She's cool, she has a wild side, she does what she wants."

"But you're such a good person."

"Who cares about that?" Riley asked, frustrated "Do you really think I'm one of those girls who follows all the rules and never gets in trouble like Val?"

"I was hoping."

"Hey!" Val glared "I'm not just some goody-goody."

"You think I'm well raised?" Riley asked her mother.

Topanga glanced at Cory "Half." She decided.

"How important is it that you don't understand me at all?" Riley asked and ran upstairs.

"Let's get married! Let's have a kid! Oops, that's two kids! Let's have another kid!" Topanga mocked her husband.

"Well, you listened to me you big stupid." Cory teased.

Val laughed at her parents then followed her sister upstairs. She had just reached the door to her room when Auggie ran past screaming at the top of his voice for their mom. With a sigh, Val opened Riley's door.

"What did you say to him?"

"Just that you and I are the twins, not him." Riley looked sad.

"Oh, hon, Maya's had such an influence on you."

"That's not a bad thing!" Riley exclaimed.

"I never said it was." Val put up her hands in surrender "All I'm saying is that being friends with Maya is gonna get you into trouble, but her being friends with you is gonna get her out of it. She's giving you confidence and that's a good thing. You just need to put that confidence in yourself and not into being Maya."

"What do you mean?" Riley asked "I'm completely confident in myself."

"Then why do you want to change?"

The next day Riley, Maya, Val, and Annie were sitting at a lunch table. Riley and Maya were having school lunch and Val and Annie had brought their own.

"Aww," Maya cooed "Look at him, looking for a place to fit in." She was talking about the new kid, Lucas.

"Do you think he'll sit with us?" Riley's eyes were full of hope.

Farkle slid into a seat between the girls "Ladies!"

"Farkle." Everyone replied in unison.

"Interesting lunchtime dilemma. Sloppy Joe? Or chicken pot pie?" He looked between Riley and Maya "Sloppy Joe? Or chicken pot pie?"

"That all you got?" Maya asked.

"That's it. Same time tomorrow?" Farkle smiled, got up, and left.

"There he is!" Maya pointed at the new kid "Invite him to sit down."

"With words?" Riley looked fearful.

"You're ready for this." Maya assured her.

"What do I say?"

"Hey, Lucas," Annie said suggestively "Looking for somebody special?"

"I can't say that!" Riley panicked.

"Hey, Lucas, looking for somebody?" Val suggested.

"To forward."

"Hey, Lucas." Maya advised.

"Like we're on a first name basis?"

"Hey." All the girls said together.

"Hey." Riley smiled, pleased with the suggestion.

"Hey back." Lucas took a seat next to Val's twin.

"Hey." Riley faced him with a weird look on her face "You're sitting here."

"Is that okay?" He asked.

Riley gave him a thumbs up "Would you excuse me for just one second?"

She turned towards Maya and they squealed loudly and shrilly for a moment then Riley turned back to Lucas. Unfortunately, the twins father had appeared from nowhere and was now kneeling next to poor Lucas.

"How ya doin'" Cory asked his daughter.

"Dad, you have a choice here," Riley told him "You can understand that this is just a boy talking to me in the cafeteria, or-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna do whatever you say next." Cory told her.

"But this is so innocent!" Riley protested.

"Honey, fathers don't see anything as innocent. We see it as...what's the opposite of innocent?"

Maya raised her hand proudly "Right here!"

"Please don't embarrass me." Riley pleaded.

"He's gonna embarrass you." Val told her.

"I'm just gonna talk to Mr. Friar about geography." Cory turned to Lucas "You know, I've been to a lot of places. Never been to Texas, though. What part of Texas is closest to Mexico?"

"That'd be El Paso, Sir." Lucas said politely.

"Aw, come on, Dad, look at him, he's so nice." Val tried to help her sister.

Cory ignored his eldest child and grabbed the back of Lucas's chair "Sounds great, let's go right now!" He started dragging the poor boy away from the table.

Lucas smiled at Riley and gave a little wave as he was pulled out of the cafeteria.

Riley and Maya got up too and went to throw away the remainder of their food. Val and Annie sat waiting for them to come back as they packed up their lunches.

The next thing they heard Riley say was "You think I did my homework?"

"You did do your homework." Val told her "You did Maya's too. I know because you asked me for help."

"Riley," Maya sighed "Don't save me. Let me be me." Farkle walked by with a plate full of food "Oh, you got two desserts?"

"Angels food cake?"

"And devils food cake? Let me guess who's who." Maya teased.

"Hey, Farkle's just hungry. Not everything is about you."

"Finally someone else realizes that!" Annie whispered to Val.

Back in history class, Lucas was back.

"Hi." Riley whispered to him " I'm glad you're back."

"Hi, me too." Lucas whispered back.

"Hi." Cory shoved his face between the two, effectively interrupting their conversation "Apparently, you have a better sense of direction than I anticipated." Riley put her head in her hands as her father did the 'I'm watching you' sign "You are a really good looking guy. Okay," He stood up "So, today we're going to find out if anybody in here believes in something so strongly, they'd fight for it. Maya."

"Yes, sir?" Maya smirked.

"Present your homework."

"Can't do that, sir."

"Why not?"

"That's what I'm fighting against, sir."

"Oh, this could go on for a while." Farkle pulled out a sleep mask, snapped it on, and began to snore.

"I didn't do my homework either." Riley lied.

"Oh, really?" Cory asked.

"Yeah, we're the same now. I don't believe in homework." Riley smiled proudly.

"Guess what, Riley. That doesn't make you the same as Maya at all." Cory told her.

Maya raised her hand "I have something to say."

"Wow, I don't know what to do. I've never seen this before. The floor is yours Miss Hart." Cory bowed out of the way.

Maya stood up and moved in front of the desk "Get up, Farkle, you're gonna wanna be awake for this."

"Is it our honeymoon?" Farkle jolted awake.

"No, you missed that. Now it's time to hand in our essays."

"Oh! Farkle goes first! Farkle always goes first!" And Farkle ran out of the room.

"Alright," Maya said to the class "Everyone who did their homework, put it on your desk." She started collecting them.

"Careful there, Miss Hart." Cory warned.

"Are you sure about this?" Riley asked worriedly.

"I got this."

"Not a chance." Val told her when she reached her desk.

"Why not?"

"Because I know what you're planning." Val lowered her voice.

"Okay." Maya backed up and finished collecting everyone else's papers.

Farkle ran in with a dramatic diorama of some historic event complete with sparklers and tiny soldiers "The branding of Atlanta led to the end of the Civil War and to peace. I believe that peace is worth fighting for." Maya took a sparkler "Hey! That's a pivotal part of my diorama!" She stole another "And there goes Virginia."

"The burning of the homework led to the end of the Homework Rebellion, because there was no more homework." Maya got on a chair and prepared to burn the homework.

Val leapt up and grabbed the papers from her.

"Alright, alright, that's far enough, Maya. I get it!" Cory took the papers from his daughter.

"No homework, more freedom!" Maya shouted and raised the sparklers up in the air setting off the sprinklers and everyone started screaming "Okay, so those work."

"Is this all part of your presentation, or is this actually happening?" Farkle shrieked and climbed up Cory like he was a tree.

Lucas put his jacket over Riley's and his heads "Why didn't you stop your friend?"

"That's not what I do anymore!" Riley told him.

"You're better than that!"

Val sighed "This is what I told you last night, Riley. You need to have the confidence to be yourself and stop Maya from causing things like this. Because only you can get through to her and get her to stop."

"I'm just letting her be her!"

"And how's that working out for her?" Val shouted over the fire alarm.

They all looked over at Maya who was still standing on the chair, soaking wet and miserable looking.

"Miss Hart, you have detention." Cory told the girl "The principle will determine if it goes further than that."

"I deserve detention too." Riley protested.

"No you don't. You didn't do anything. And because you didn't do anything your best friend is now in very big trouble." He tried to look at Farkle who was sitting on his shoulders "Alright, Farkle, you can get down now."

"Actually, you're quite comfortable, Sir."

"Thank you, Farkle. GET OFF!"

"FARKLE ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE!"

Val sat on the couch with her hair wrapped up in a towel after school. Her Mom, Dad, and brother sat at the kitchen table.

"Where is he?!" Riley stormed in.

Everyone pointed at Cory, slightly afraid.

"There is no way I'll let you break up my friendship with Maya." Riley declared.

"Is that what you think I want, Riley?" Cory asked.

"No. What you said you want is for me to make the world my own. And you want me to do my homework. Well, I'm doing it right now. Here's what I think is worth fighting for. This is my best friend. She's gonna get me into trouble and I'm gonna get us out of it. And I did, because here we are. Look at us, Dad. We're right here. My Civil War is over, Dad. I won. What happens now?"

The Matthews family, Farkle, Lucas, and Annie stood in the subway having a ceremony for Riley's "growing up."

"Friends, family, and all you other subterranean mole people." Cory stood like a host presenting an award "We're here today to celebrate Riley being Riley. Now, some may call this a New York City Subway pass. But you, Riley, can consider this a ticket to the world."

"You think I'm ready?" Riley asked nervously.

"You showed us you are." Topanga smiled at her younger daughter.

"I'm proud of you sis." Val grinned.

"Riley, I've already met the world. It's your turn." Cory told her.

Riley smiled and took the card. Val gave her a hug.

"Hey, this isn't so different from Texas." Lucas said "Look, there's a pony."

"That's a rat." Val and Farkle told him.

Two models walked by and Farkle said his signature line "Ladies."

"Farkle." They answered flirtatiously.

"So, where do you wanna go?" Maya asked Riley.

"Don't know. Big world."

"Ours now?"

"Yeah, but my dad I'd say I have to be home by five." Riley smiled.

"Don't worry. He wrote you a note." Maya handed her best friend a note as they stepped onto the subway.

"Next stop, Astor Place, 14th street, and the world."

The family was back in the subway waiting for Riley and Maya. When the girls stepped off the train threw seemed very surprised.

"You came back and waited for us?" Riley asked.

"Hey, we told you we were always gonna be there for you." Topanga smiled.

"You've got a twin. You're never gonna be alone if you don't want to be." Val told her sister.

"Yeah, Riley. It's not so easy handing over the world without making sure everything's gonna be okay." Cory turned and saw his old teacher Mr. Feeny.

"Well done, Mr. Matthews."

"Good job, Dad." Val hugged her father "You know we love you and I think you handed her the world very well."

Word count: 3702
I hope you like it. Please don't forget to comment, vote, and add to your reading lists!
Love,
The Author