Sunshine | Farkle

17: raina meets jellybeans

"may your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears."

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          It was odd to me to be sitting in a circle surrounding a deep brown coffee table in my favorite cafe in the world. Usually, it'd be blissful and calming, but due to the fact there were three others with me today, it was anything but blissful and calming. Lucas had asked me in school to meet him at Topanga's in the afternoon, and I assumed it was to have another deep talk about Riley and Maya. To my surprise, it was what I thought, only it was a whole intervention. Apparently, Lucas and his friends have a lot of them.

          Farkle sits besides Lucas on the connected orange seats, Zay sits across from me, and I sit alone, awkward and sweating profusely. Despite growing closer to Farkle and Lucas, Zay still made me nervous. I wish I didn't get so nervous sometimes.

            "How am I supposed to choose between two people I really care about?" Lucas asks to kick off the group discussion. His voice was in obvious torment.

           "You have to," Farkle says simply.

           "Well, how do I live with myself if I hurt Riley or Maya?" Lucas solicits.

          "Well, I know who I'd choose," Zay says unexpectedly.

          His tone or voice and choice of words cause an amused smile to spread across my face but a hostile expression to plague Lucas'. "You've thought about this before?" Lucas gawks.

          "Yeah," Zay shrugs nonchalantly.

          "I don't want you thinking about it!"

          "Okay, then I won't."

          The three of us watch in silence as Zay's face starts off as serious and then slowly grows into a knowing smirk. Lucas instantly shoved him in the shoulder, laughing slightly as he tells him to stop. He then asks Zay who would he choose out of curiosity, and I only saw this going downhill from there.

            "Riley," Zay declares, causing Lucas to raise his brows in surprise. "I like Riley. I'd choose Riley and I'd be happy with Riley. Decision's over. It's Riley." Out of Lucas's peripheral vision, Farkle slowly inches closer. "Or!" Zay shouts suddenly, "I'd choose Maya. Yeah, I like Maya. I'd choose Maya and be happy with Maya."

          Confused, I look back and forth between all three boys. Lucas, being the most puzzled, asks what was going on as Zay asks Farkle if he got a reading on anything.

           "No significance difference in facial reading or tone of voice. He has actually not made a decision yet. There might be no scientific way to do this," Farkle concludes before slowly reeling himself back to sit properly. I stare in awe. I would have never thought of deciding between two people based on science. It was quite impressive. Noticing my staring, Farkle turns to me and smiles. I simply smile back.

          "I have a way," I announce.

          Farkle's warm smile turns into one of betrayal. "How do you have a way when I don't have a way?" he asks in disbelief.

           Zay stands up, chuckling to himself. "If this is upsetting you, then it must be good," he laughs to himself.

          "What's your plan?" Lucas inquires.

          I stand up as well now, motioning to Zay to throw me a bag of jellybeans he had been eating. He tosses it lightly, and so catch it with ease before shaking them to emphasize their importance.