Kenzie's Time to Meet the World

~15~ Bullies and Screwups

"I just know what you might be dealing with is all. I'm not proud of how I know... but I know." Then he opened the door and walked out, with us following him. "Troubled children, I now release you to the hands of your caring friends, 'cause they... have time for this." He then walked back in and closed the door behind him.

"You wanna tell us what's going on here, buddy?"

"Are you our buddy?" Farkle asked.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Spill it, both of you."

"Somebody made fun of my turtlenecks."

"Your turtlenecks?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, somebody said they make me weird."

"You are weird." Maya said.

"She doesn't mean that." Riley quickly defended.

"Sure, I do. Both of them are. They knows they are. They embrace it. But you already know that, both of you. That's what makes you unique."

We stayed silent for a second, before I spoke up. "What good is being unique if somebody knows you're really not?"

~<3~
"

We need to talk." Lucas said, walking over to me after school.

"I don't feel like talking."

"Well we're going to talk anyway. What did that person tell you? They told Farkle he was nothing. What did they tell you?"

"They told me the truth. They know. About my mom... about the whole incident. I'm a screwup. If the others found out, they would hate me. My dad hates me already..."

"None of that is true! Name one thing that you messed up Makenzie!"

"I'm the reason you got kicked out of school. I'm the reason my mom's dead! And I'm the reason you won't talk to Zay! It's all me, Lucas!"

"None of that was your fault. Don't even bring Zay into this... none of it was your fault. I chose to do what I did. That's what got me kicked out of school. And you didn't have any way of knowing what would happen to your mom." He told me, looking me in the eyes. "I don't blame you for anything, Makenzie... I'm better here anyway. I got a fresh start. And if anything, I owe that all to you, 'little sis'."

I laughed at his use of our nicknames. We always used to refer to each other as big bro and little sis. I had missed that.

~<3~

Riley walked into the janitor's closet the next day. "Farkle. Kenz. Nobody in this school loves to learn more than you two. Get back into the classroom where you belong. Nobody gets to crush your spirit."

"My spirit's fine." Farkle said shrugging. "I just don't want to be me anymore."

"Why? Because somebody said something about what you wear? Stupid reason. Stupid shirt." She tugged at Farkle's shirt. "Stupid, stupid, stupid shirt. It isn't you."

"You can have these, Janitor Harley." He said, handing him a pile of turtlenecks. "I'm done with turtlenecks."

"Aww, jeez. Thanks, kid. They won't fit me. Oh, it's a good thing-- they're horrible." I hit him on the arm for that.

Riley grabbed each of us by our shirt collars. "Guys, this isn't you. This isn't the Farkle and Kenz I know. And I want to know why and I want to know now."

"He said I was the biggest nothing in this school." "He said I'm alone and everyone hates me." We said at the same time.

"What?"