pluto. (a riarkle oneshot)

pluto.

*DISCLAIMER* I don't own any of the characters.
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"They made a scientific discovery, that Pluto's not a planet anymore."

He watches as Maya breaks the news to Riley, as the brunette's face falls and she very nearly crumbles as she tells her father to continue teaching.

He wishes that she never had to find that out, at least until more developments came out in the study, so that it wouldn't faze her as much as he knows it's going to now.

He almost feels like he failed as a member of the Riley Committee- they were supposed to keep this stuff away her so she could continue being the happy and energetic and unfazed Riley that they all knew and loved.

For the rest of the day, he could tell that Riley was faking all of her smiles and laughs, they weren't genuine, and he shared numerous concerned glances with Maya.

They had to fix this.

But how?

-

And then it's later in the week, and they're sitting together in the café and sharing what they are going to be putting in their time capsule, the second time around.

He puts in his orange turtleneck, and he says it's because he wore it when he felt like he was nothing, and it reminded him that his friends wouldn't let him be nothing, but it also just reminds him of Riley.

How she wore it on awards night the previous year, and how it made his heart leap.

He smiles as Riley lifts the small foam ball from her lap- he knew that she wasn't going to change her mind.

"When we open this up, I hope I haven't stopped believing in things."

He smiles.

He really hopes she won't stop believing.

And he hopes that he hasn't either.

Especially in them.

_____________

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Farkle looks to where his phone lies, face down on his wooden desk, partially covered by the physics notes that were scattered everywhere.

He furrows his eyebrows.

Who would be calling him?

He had told his friends to not call him, as he had midterms the next day and was uncharacteristically nervous about them.

He picks up his phone, and the name flashing on the screen makes his heart leap and plummet at the same time.

Riley <3

He is quick to press the green button, lifting the phone up to his ear shakily.

Riley never called him when she knew he was studying.

Never.

Something must be really wrong.

"Riley? Riley, baby, is something wrong?"

"I need you to come over. Now."

He can't tell her emotions from her voice; she doesn't sound particularly happy, but she doesn't sound like she's crying, or angry.

"What's wrong?"

"Just come over."

The line goes dead.

He runs.

He runs through apartment door and down into the subway and then back out of the subway and to Riley's building.