Girl Meets The Real World

Girl Meets the Secret of Life

I couldn't focus in class the next day, not after everything that had followed that phone call.

"You want to what?" Our father had asked. It sounded absentminded, like he hadn't been listening. 

"Come home. I don't think New York is working out for us." I said shakily.

He sighed. "When you say 'we'," His voice dropped dangerously low. "You mean you, don't you?" I chose to remain silent. He sighed again. "Look. I know your brother's been doing well there. Even had a little crush on one of the girls in your class, didn't he? So something 'ere tells me that you're the one who wants to come home."

I blinked. "Lucas has been talking to you?"

"Yeah. He calls me twice a week." Before I had a chance to reply, my father started to speak again. "He's my son, Hadley. I appreciate that he makes the effort to talk to me, but I'm disappointed you don't share the same loyalty to your old man. As far as family is concerned, you ain't my daughter."

I felt weak. Slowly, I sank to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest. "What?" I whispered.

"It's the truth." He sounded indifferent. As if he hadn't just disowned me. "You ain't a Friar as far as character goes. Look at'cha. Hardly a year there and you want to come home. Lucas is doing well in that environment, why can't you? Because you're not a Friar." He clicked his tongue annoyedly. "You're just like your mother."

After that conversation, I refused to talk to Lucas. I didn't know what to feel. I was confused as to why he would talk to our father- the man who had done nothing but cause us pain our entire lives- and I felt betrayed, too. I thought we were close. I thought we were supposed to be twins. He was my big brother. We were meant to trust each other.

The only person I would let talk to me was Maya. I knew she shared my feelings. Her dad was a deadbeat too. 

"Don't think about it too much," she said, lightly touching my hand. Students were filing into the room one by one. Lessons were about to start soon. "Take some time to think it over. I know it hurts."

Mr Matthews entered not long after the bell went. 

  "All right. So should we actually learn about what happened in Belgium in 1831?" He asked, smiling at Farkle.

"No!" He yelled.

"No?"

"I always get my hopes up and then something happens to hurt my little Farkle heart. Well, this time I refuse to believe." He said, folding his hands together on his desk.

Mr Matthews smiled. "In 1831..."

"Yeeeeees?"He stopped short all of a sudden. "Wait! Anything gonna happen to you?"

Riley shook her head, leaning back in her chair. "No changes, lovin' life."

He turned to Lucas. "Anything gonna happen to you?"

"Nothing ever happens to me."

"Maya?"

Maya snored in response.

"Not-my-girlfriend?"

"I'm tired."

Farkle grinned from ear to ear. "Oh my gosh, this is it."

"In 1831, Belgium-"

Suddenly the door to the classroom swung open, revealing a tall boy with an unmistakable smirk. "What? Y'all started without me?"

Farkle's eyes grew wide. "GET OUT!" He screeched like a pterodactyl.

Zay looked taken aback. "Some people in this room are going to be very surprised to see me."