"Graduation and awards night is coming up. I am very proud of this class. Several of you will be recognized for your achievements throughout the year." Cory told his class with pride.
"Awards are a scam! A girl like me never had a chance, Matthews. Never had a chance!" Maya stands up and yells before she turns and stares at Riley who gives a sigh of annoyance before she too also stands and points an accusing finger at her father.
"It's a scam, Matthews! She never had a chance!"
Cory rolls his eyes at the two girls "Maya will be receiving the griff Hawkins 'Totally Cool' award."
This causes the blonde to sit back in her seat with pride as the class politely claps for Riley looks at her friend in pride and slight envy "Maya, you just found out you won the totally cool award, yet you just sit there?" The brunette asks before her eyes widen in realization. "Oh, you're being cool. Why won't you rub off on me?"" she whines at the end.
Cory ignores the two girls and walks towards the blonde Texan "And our two finalists for the scholar athlete award are Lucas Friar," the class claps again and Alora smiles towards the blonde, causing him to blush and look away from the green eyed girl.
"and Billy Ross." Cory continues as a dark skinned boy with cropped black hair beams in pride.
" I hope you're ready for some competition, dude." Billy says as Lucas turns around and smirks. "Oh, well, you know how I hate competition."
The two laugh as they lean in and out with the same forced laugh before Lucas smiles and points at the brown eyed boy.
"You guys are so weird." Alora told the two before they did their elaborate handshake of awesomeness. "And do you guys have to do that everyday?"
"Well we are awesome, pretty girl." Billy smirked as he turned to the green eyed girl "I mean you'd know better than anyone else if you'd let me take you out." he winked at her as Alora shivered and looked away.
"That's enough, Mr, Ross." Cory spoke in a stern voice as he had noticed his goddaughters discomfort. "Farkle, you are being awarded the Joseph T.R. Epstein confidence award. " he looks at the mini genius empty desk. "Congratulations. Farkle?"
Alora looked to the empty seat next to her when a robotic voice was heard "Farkle can't come to his desk right now. If you have a question for Farkle, say, 'one;' a comment, say, 'two;' billing questions, 'three."
Cory looks confused at the machine sitting where his student usually is "One. Where are you?"
"You have selected three"
"No I said 'One!" Cory argued back with the machine.
"Sorry, we are experiencing unusually high call volume. Your call will be answered in approximately...35...minutes." after that guitar music began to play.
Cory looked to his goddaughter for some guidance.
"I don't know where he is, Uncle Cory. He hasn't said anything to me when I ask." the green eyed girl told the older man as she played with her fingers, hidden under her desk.
The bell to switch classes rang, Alora gathered her books and headed to her next class with Lucas and was followed by Billy as Riley and Maya stayed behind to talk to Cory.
Hallway
"So, you really don't know why Farkle has been missing class?" Lucas asked the shorter girl.
Alora bit her lip before she answered "Um, no I don't."
"Right" Lucas said in a sarcastic voice as he the two stopped at their shared math class. Before Alora could enter the room she was suddenly pulled back by her arm.
"So, Hunter, you never answered my question." Billy Ross told her with a smile.
Lucas stopped at the doorway and narrowed his eyes at his teammate as Alora looked up at the darker skinned boy in confusion.
"What question?" she asked.
The smile on Billy's face became tense "You and me, going out on a date."
Alora stared at the taller boy "Sorry, but no thank you."
The green eyed girl turned away to head back into her math class only to be stopped again, but the grip on her arm was stronger than the last time.
"Why not?" Billy asked threw clenched teeth, it was obvious that the smaller girls rejection had hurt the boys pride.
Alora winced at the pressure on her arm, Lucas took note of it and in a flash his own hand was tightly grasped around Billy's, making the older boy release the green eyed girl and wince.
The blond Texan released the darker skinned boy "Sorry about that, Billy." he didn't sound sorry. "You were holding on to my girl a bit tight there and if she says 'no' then she doesn't have to explain herself to you, 'no' is 'no'."
With that he lightly pushed Alora ahead of him and into the classroom as Billy grasped his wrist in slight pain and headed to his own class.
After Class
"I called Farkle's dad and he was confused because the driver had dropped Farkle off at school and the chip inside Farkle's head says he's still in the school building."
Alora told the group as they met up in the hallway before lunch as none of them had seen Farkle at school for the whole day.
"Farkle has a chip in his head?" Maya asked in fascination and skepticism.
"For Kidnapping circumstances." Alora told the group, before lifting wrist to show off a beautiful silver charm bracelet. "I have a chip in this bracelet, my father didn't want them to apply one in my body so farkle asked his dad to get me one and they placed it in this charm bracelet that I got from Daddy."
Riley looked at the bracelet in jealousy while Lucas and Maya both looked confused and worried on why Farkle would need to track his best friend.
Lucas shook his head and decided to ask Farkle when they found him. "I looked in the library. He's not there."
Billy walked towards the group out of seemingly nowhere "Hey, guys, I checked the ball field. No Farkle."
"You looked on the baseball field for Farkle?" Maya asked with a laugh. "Billy, are you even trying? "
Billy shrugged his shoulder "Not really." he answered as he walked away from the group.
The door to the supply closet opened from behind Alora, causing the girl to jump in surprise as Janitor Harvey walked out with Farkle. "Troubled lad, I now release you to the hands of your caring friends, 'cause they... have time for this." he goes back into the closet while Farkle just looks at the ground.
"You wanna tell us what's going on here, buddy?" Lucas asks in a gentle voice.
Farkle looks up at the sound of the Texan's voice and studied him "Are you my friend?"
Lucas looks taken aback "What?"
Maya had enough and stepped in front of the mini genius "Spill it, Farkle." she orders him.
"Somebody made fun of my turtlenecks."
"Your turtlenecks?" Riley asks in surprise.
"Yeah, somebody said they make me weird."
"You are weird." Maya says in agreement.
Alora looks at the blonde with narrowed eyes "He's not weird, he's unique."
Farkle gives Alora a small smile that quickly falls from his face "What good is being unique if somebody knows you're really not?"
He leaves the group standing in silence in the hall before Alora runs after him.
"Farkle!" the green eyed girl calls for her friend as the boy stops in the center of the deserted hall and waits for the shorter girl to reach him.
"Who is it?" Alora orders the boy in front of her.
"Don't worry about it Alora, I can handle this." Farkle tries to reassure her.
Alora rolls her pretty green eyes at Farkle before she pulls him into a her arms "Of course it matters" she whispers into his neck "You're one of the most important people in my life."
The arms wrapped around her waist tightened as Farkle burrowed his face into her neck. After a while Alora started to break the hug, only to be stopped "Can we just stay here...just for a little longer?"
The shorter girl said nothing but tightened her own arms back around the taller boy's neck.
Next Day
Alora and Lucas arrived at school together and to the biracial girls frustration, Farkle did not arrive to class.
"Gandhi" Cory called to his class as he took notice of the mini genius' absence. "What'd he do?" he asked the class.
"Freed Ireland!" Maya called out with conviction.
"Alora!?" Cory pleaded to is goddaughter.
"He freed India."
Maya turned to look at the green eyed girl in confusion "Before or after he freed Ireland?"
"Maya," Lucas called the blondes attention to himself as Alora and Cory both looked confused "he never freed Ireland."
"Are you sure?"
"Jackie Robinson!" Cory called to his class to drown out Maya's voice and was answered by Billy. "First guy to play in the major leagues after Gandhi freed him."
"I-- I quit." Cory was done with his class at this point.
Farkle's voice rang in the classroom from his voice machine "But you can't quit, sir!"
"And you need to be in my class, Farkle. How long are you gonna be out sick?"
"Don't know," he lets out a cough "pretty bad cold, sir."
It was obvious to the class that Cory didn't believe him "Okay, feel better." he pointed to a picture of a teen girl. "Who is this girl?'
"That's Malala. The Taliban doesn't think that women should be educated. She stood up to them and became the first teenager ever to be nominated for a Nobel Peace prize." Riley answered.
"Sometimes the world presents you with opportunities to show who you really are. Will you have the courage to stand up to someone who tries to take your spirit away?"
Alora quickly raises her hand and stands form her desk at the same time as Riley. Cory looks at the two and has an idea on what they want but as Alora is Farkle's best friend he called on her first. "Yes, Alora?"
"May I be excused?"
Cory smirks at his goddaughter. "What for?"
The green eyed girl walks to the door but stops before she exits to face her uncle "The world has presented me with an opportunity."
She makes her way to the same closet she had found the boy in the day before and enters to see her best friend sitting at one of the school's extra desks.
"Alora?" he calls her name in surprise.
"Farkle. you're my best friend so I know that there is no one in this entire school that loves learning as much as you do. So why does some idiot, who doesn't even really know you get to stop you from doing something you love...Nobody gets to crush your spirit."
Farkle stood from his desk and grasped Alora's smaller hand in his own. "Thank you, Alora but my spirit is fine. I just don't want to be me anymore."
Alora's grip on his hand got tighter "Why would you say that?" When he refuses to answer her grip gets tighter and he visibly cringes in pain.
"Alora?" he whined as he tried to pry his hand free from her painful grip. "Your gonna tell me why you feel like this because this isn't my Farkle and I want my Farkle back and I want him back now."
"He said I was the biggest nothing in this school." he said in a whisper.
Alora recoiled as if she'd been slapped as Farkle continued. "He said I had no right to walk around acting all confident and pretending like people liked me. He said I had no right to have friends like you, because I was the biggest nothing in this school."
Alora pulled the blue eyed boy back into her arms. "he's wrong and it's not okay for some bully to say that to you." her grip on him tightened "You being my friend is my choice, and you're more than my best friend...you're my family and I try not to give up on family."
"Kids can be very cruel. I know this from personal experience." The two teens jumped apart when Janitor Harley spoke, the two forgetting he was in the room with them.
Farkle gave the older man a skeptical look "You, were picked on as a kid?"
"No, I was the other one, the picker-on-er. I'm so ashamed." he turned away from the duo "Just-- just look away." he told them as Lucas,Riley, and Maya enter.
"Farkle, what's going on?" Riley asks.
Alora looks at her best friend and when she realizes that he's bot going to tell the trio she tells them for him.
"Some inconsiderate prick told Farkle he doesn't deserve to have friends."
"Who?" Maya demanded with a scowl and it was one of the few times the blond and green eyed girl agreed.
"It's no one important." the mini genius tells them in a mumble.
"Of course it matters." Maya tells him.
"She's right," Alora agrees, causing the blond girl to look at her in surprise along with the rest of the group, but she ignores them "It's one of the most important things. If he can make you feel like this, make you miss out on something you love, make you question your friendships, our friendship, then it does matter."
Farkle looks at his childhood friend and tears prickle in his eyes "It's not important."
"Stop saying that!" Alora snaps at him "If you won't tell me who it is than I'll find out on my own and you know that when I find him I'll make him wish he kept his comments to himself." She turns to stomp out of the closet, but is stopped by Lucas, who grabs her by her underarms and carries her back with her feet kicking in the air.
"Put me down, Lucas!" She yells at the Texan as she kicks her legs harder.
"You're not going after anybody." Lucas tells her in a firm voice. He's a little entertained by how the green eyed girl is acting considering it's way more brash than how she usually acts.
He finally sets her on the ground when she stops kicking her legs, but keeps a hold on her right arm so she can't make an escape.
"You'll have to let me go at some point." she warns him.
"I've got time, Green Eyes." he smirks before facing his brown haired friend and put on a more compassionate face. "Farkle, don't let what anybody says get to you. That's what gives them power."
Farkle gives him a questioning look "Why are we friends?"
"Why do you keep asking that?" Lucas asks in return "We're friends because I like hanging out with you."
Riley looks at the group and lets out a sigh as she finally speaks to Farkle. "Would you just come back to class?"
"Snippy's right," Harley told the group, who jumped in surprise as they had forgotten he was still there "I, janitor Harley Keiner, was in my youth a school meanie. And someone you all know and love was often the target of my shenanigans. But his will was so strong, it changed the nature of our relationship forever. In fact, he even got me this job, and now I hold him in the highest esteem." At that moment, Cory enters the room and is greeted by Harley. "Hey, Johnny Baboon!"
"Johnny Baboon!" the group of children said in unison as they giggled.
Cory glares at the other man and points an accusing finger at him "You promised me!"
His features soften as he looks at his students. "Farkle, you're here. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sir."
"Good. Then I'll see you in my class Tomorrow morning." Cory tells him.
"Yes, sir." Farkle tells him as he and the other kids leave the closet.
Hunters House
Alora was sitting in her room and texting Lucas. The Texan was telling her about what had happened when he was at the Mathews apartment after school.
She had tried to call the young Minkus but he wouldn't answer her calls or texts.
"Hey, babygirl." Shawn greeted his daughter as he walked into her bedroom.
"Daddy?" Alora raised a brow at her father who dawned an enlightened look before he sheepishly smiled at his daughter.
"I forgot to knock again, sorry."
"Its okay, what's up?" Alora asked her father as she placed her phone on her bedside table.
"I got a call from Cory, he was telling me about baby Minkus, you wanna tell me what's going on with him?" Shawn tried not to force his daughter to talk to him, he wanted her to want to tell him things and for the most part she told him everything, including when her friend would visit her every month and he kept track of it to make sure he had her favorite snacks and some medicine for her to take for that week.
Alora bit her bottom lip as she thought about Farkle "Someone is bullying him."
"Well, Cory is allowing you one day to find a way to help him before he's making you all take this to an adult."
"Okay." she nodded her head in understanding.
"But, if you don't think you can help him than you do what you think is best, I like to believe that your godparents and I have raised you to where you can handle this but even if you can I don't want you to handle it on your own, you can ask for help." Shawn told her.
"I don't know what to do." Alora had tears in her eyes as she looked up at her father, all it took was for Shawn to see her glassy eyes and he had her in his arms.
"I know," Shawn told her "but I know you'll do the right thing."
"I want to hurt him for hurting Farkle." the green eyed girl admitted.
"I know, and I want you to know that if you do hurt this guy." Shawn pulled Alora away from his chest so he could look her directly in the eyes and spoke in a serious voice "There will be no consequences given to you by me, you protect your friends as long as you don't get arrested or expelled."
"Don't get caught."
"Exactly." The two Hunters pinky swore before Shawn had informed her dinner was already done and the two left the girls bedroom to eat.
The next day Alora had spent the morning searching for the blue eyed genius, but had not found him.
It was second period and she had gym, it was a class she shared with her friends along with Riley and Maya.
She had on the gym uniform that consisted of a red shirt that had the school name and a soaring eagle on the front along with dark blue gym shorts, and her hair was pulled into two low pigtails that were braided from the top of her head to the base and than scored leaving the rest free.
As she left the locker room she came across a surprising sight, Lucas had Billy pinned up against the gym wall and the blonde boy looked pissed.
Alora quickly ran over to hear what was going on "You're the one who did this to Farkle? Why would you do that to a guy like him?"
And then the pieces fell into place. "What?" her voice was calm as Maya and Riley both looked towards the younger girl they could feel the anger from her yes that had seemed to sharpen to a jade green as she gritted her teeth.
"I don't know. 'Cause he's a guy like him. You wanna let me go now?" Billy said as if he had done nothing wrong causing Riley and Maya to look away from the biracial girl and back towards the two boys.
Lucas slammed the boy harder into the wall "You're the nothing, Billy!"
"Lucas, don't!" Maya warned him.
Lucas kept a hold on the other boy as he turned his head to face the shorter blonde girl "I thought this is what you wanted, Maya?"
"What? She wanted you to pop me, Mr. Perfect? Well, I don't think that's what he's gonna do."
"Yeah," Lucas started to chuckle before like a switch his face went dead calm "That's exactly what I'm gonna do."
He pulled his fist back but was stopped in surprise as Maya hopped onto his back. "That's what he wants. He wants you to be like him." she told the angry blonde boy.
Alora had stopped listening to the group as she kept laser focus on the taller dark skinned boy, her fist clenched at her sides as her eyes narrowed even more the more she heard Billy talk.
"-depend on him, because he's the most loyal person I've ever met, because he's my best friend." she heard some of what Lucas had said before a voice seemed to clear more of the cloud of anger that had taken over her mind was heard.
"You really mean that?" Farkle was heard as the group , bedside Alora whose eyes are still trained on Billy looked up to find Farkle hanging on a rope "You're my guy best friend, too!"
"Farkle, how'd you get up there? I thought you couldn't climb the ropes." Lucas asked with a surprise laugh.
"I can't! But in desperate situations, apparently I can fly!" he answered with a smile before he caught sight of Alora. "Lucas, you might want to grab Alora before-"
As Farkle spoke Alora finally moved and made a run for Billy, Lucas quickly turned to look at the green eyed girl and was just fast enough to grab her before she made it to the her target.
Lucas was not expecting the small girl to be that strong and started to struggle with holding her in place.
At one point she had escaped him and with a yell had jumped on her target and got in at least one punch before Lucas pulled her away and over his shoulder as she started to punch him in the back and kick her legs.
"Lucas Friar, you put me down right now!" she yelled as she struggled.
"No, cause then you're just gonna go after him again."
"So what, he deserves it, you were gonna punch him!" she yells from his shoulder.
Lucas huffs from the girls struggle "You're not getting into trouble for fighting, especially not a guy who's at least a head taller than you."
"Oh, what, because I'm a girl, screw you Lucas."
"Oh, how I wish you would." the blonde mumbled before he lightly smacked the younger girl's rear, causing her to yelp in surprise and her mind to short circuit in embarrassment.
With Alora now calmed he turned his attention back to his teammate "What's wrong with you?"
"There's nothing wrong with me." Billy argued back.
"I've never actually seen you hang out with anybody that isn't on the team."
"Dude, whatever. I don't need this." Billy said as he turned to leave the gym.
"You don't? Too bad. Because friends like Farkle don't just fall out of thin air." Lucas told him as just as the words left his lips Farkle had fallen from the rope but was lucky enough to land on some mats that Riley and Maya had gathered for him.
Billy looks at the fallen boy and then back at Lucas but his eyes seem to be trained on something else. Lucas notices where his eyes are put and glares at him "You want a repeat of what happened the last time you touched her." the Texan growled as Billy removed his eyes from Alora's ass.
Billy scoffs "You can have him. You'll figure out sooner or later that they're not us."
"Who's 'us?" Lucas asks in return but is unanswered as Billy leaves the gym.
"Lucas?' Alora called for the blond's attention.
"Yeah, Alora."
"You can put me down now." she blushed.
"Right." Lucas agreed as he softly placed the girl back on her feet.
Farkle walks up to the duo and pulls the girl into his arms with a sigh " I almost died."
"I know, buddy" Lucas tells him with a soft smile.
"I should have hit him harder." Alora pouted into Farkle's chest.
This caused the two boys to smile "We know, Alora." they said in unison.
Alora's bedroom
Alora and Farkle are having a sleep over at her house, she had tried to invite Lucas but Shawn had quickly shut her down as soon as the blondes name came out of his daughters mouth.
Now that the two best friends are teenagers Shawn had made it a rule that Farkle could spend the night but they had to have their sleepover in the living room or in her bedroom with the door open.
At the moment Farkle was brushing Alora's wet hair after she got out the shower. The quiet between the two was interrupted by Alora's quiet voice. "Why didn't you tell me it was him?"
It was something that had been on her mind for a while but she felt so guilty that she couldn't see what was happening from the very beginning.
Billy never even acknowledged Farkle's presence like he did with her, Maya, and Riley. The dark skinned boy just acted indifferent of the mini genius, but she know noticed that Billy also tried to leave Farkle out when they all talked together and usually tried to get her or Lucas to leave the brown haired boy out as well.
Farkle stilled with her hairbrush half way through her hair before he gently set it on her vanity.
"I was embarrassed." he told her in a quiet voice as Alora quickly turned in her seat to stare at the boy.
"You're the youngest so I should be the one looking after you, making sure sure you're happy and safe and how can I do that when I let some guy, who's opinion shouldn't even matter to me make me hate myself...I should be stronger than that." he whispered the last part but but Alora still heard.
The blue eyed boy kept his head down and his fist clenched as if he was too upset with himself to look at her.
"Farkle," it took a few moments but he finally lifted his head to look at her. "You're an idiot."
He looked at her in bewilderment. "We're best friends, we look after and protect each other." she told him as she grabbed his hand in her own. "You are actually more than my best friend, you're my brother and I over you Farkle and I never want you to think that failed me in anyway because the only way you can fail me is if you leave or ignore me and even than I'm gonna fight for you."
The two stood in silence as tears fell from the boy's eyes and a soft smile grew on his lips.
"I love you too, Alora."
Cory's Classroom
When Alora walked into her uncle's class the next morning she was stopped by her cousin, and Maya ,who had pulled the green eyed girl to her seat and started to write on her forehead.
"What are you doing?" she asked the two older girls but neither one answered her and after they finished writing on her head they moved away from her.
"Alora?" she turned as her name was called to face Darby and Sarah only to see they too had words written on their foreheads, with Darby's saying 'tattletale' and Sarah's reading 'Afraid'. "Riley wrote down our Flaws on our foreheads." Darby answered her earlier question.
She looked at her glasses wearing friend in confusion "Why is your flaw afraid?' she asked.
"I-I don't know it's just what they wrote."
Alora went through her school bag and pulled out a wet wipe and wiped off Sarah's so called flaw. "I don't think you're afraid per say I think it's more like your indecisive." she turned to the blonde "What do you think, Darby?"
The blond nodded in agreement "definitely indecisive."
With that the green eyed girl wrote the word 'indecisive' on Sarah.
"What does mine say?" she asked but before the two could answer she was greeted by the blond Texan.
"Hey, Alora." Lucas greeted her and smiled as she turned around but frowned when he saw the word's written on her forehead. "Why is 'Pick Me' and 'Kiss Up' written on you as a flaw?"
The girl raised her brows in surprise. "I guess that's what Riley and Maya think about me." she mumbled
Sarah dug through the green eyed girls bag and pulled out another wet wipe and handed it to Lucas, who said his thanks and wiped off the words staining her skin.
Darby pulled out a marker and after conversing with Sarah turned Alora to face her and started writing a new word on her forehead.
Cory finally arrived at his classroom to see all his students with words written on their foreheads.
"What's going on?" he asked the class.
Darby was quick to stand and point an accusing finger at Riley. "Riley wrote on our heads!"
Sarah turned to smile at her friend. "I guess your flaw as 'tattletale' was actually correct." the blond playfully glared at the brunette.
Cory raised a brow and turned to his daughter. "Riley?"
The girl in question pointed to the flaw on her forehead that reads 'insecure' and the class was a little surprise she actually wrote down a flaw that was true about herself. "Insecure. It's always mattered more to me what my friends think about me than what I think."
Cory nodded his head in understanding as he was the same way. "Maya?"
"Broken, When I own it, it doesn't make me feel so bad." the blonde admitted.
"Alora?"
"I actually have no idea what my flaw is?" the green eyed girl admitted.
Cory laughed at his niece as Farkle tells her what is written "It reads 'pushover' and it's kind of right."
"That's not what Maya and I wrote on your forehead." Riley tells her.
"What you wrote wasn't a flaw." Sarah told her fellow brunette.
"It was just what you thought of her." Darby finished.
Alora thought about her flaw and could also see how it could be true. "I can see how that could be true either this," she points at her head "or people pleaser. I just don't ant to disappoint anyone."
"You could never." Lucas reassures her with a smile.
"Good. So, before someone can use our own flaws against us, maybe it would help us to admit we all have 'em." At this is being said Billy gets up from his seat and starts to leave. "You going somewhere, Mr. Ross? Trying to be invisible?" Cory asks him.
"Believe me, it doesn't help." Farkle tells him a s he lifts his hair to reveal the flaw on his forehead which reads 'nothing'
"You know, Billy, you seem to be the only one here not wearing a flaw. Do you not have any?" Cory asks him.
Billy just shrugs with a cocky laugh "None that I know of." he smirks.
Alora glares at him "I can enlighten you on a few, like what made you think it was okay to treat Farkle like you did?"
"I always tried to think of you as the good guy." Lucas admitted as he thought back to the other boy grabbing you, he knew Billy wasn't perfect but he didn't think he would be a bully.
"Look, I like people who are... like me. Is that a flaw? Because I don't think so." Billy told the class.
Everyone in the room deadpanned at him "It's a pretty big flaw." Sarah tells him as the rest of the class nod in agreement.
"You don't think I know I'll never be a genius freak like you?" Billy asks Farkle "I shouldn't make fun of that?"
"No" Alora tells him. "That just makes you an awful person."
Billy scoffs and looks at the green eyed girl "Stop making me feel bad. I already feel bad enough he's got such great friends. That he's got Alora. And that makes me feel... I don't know. Is there a word for that?"
"Its called being jealous and Farkle doesn't have Alora she chooses to spend time with him the same way she chooses to spend time with me." Lucas tells him.
Riley huffs out a breath in disbelief that a boy actually likes Alora ''But you're Billy Ross." she says that just being him should make him immune to any flaws.
"Yeah. I'm Billy Ross. Jealous of you? Of him? Because this little guy doesn't need to hit a baseball to... have friends? Does that sound like jealousy to you? " he asks before he looks at Riley's marker. "Let me see that." he takes the marker from Riley and at first moves to Alora but a glare from Lucas has him quickly changing direction and hands the marker to Farkle who writes the word "Jealous" on Billy's forehead.
"Welcome to the team." Farkle smiles at him.
"Thanks. Glad to be here."
Cory smiles at his class as he starts handing out wet wipes "We're all human beings. We're all on the same team. And if we sense our own flaws because we see them in others... It's true friends who help us wipe them away." he hands wipes to Riley and she and Maya wipe each other's flaws.
Billy offers to wipe away Farkle's "I'm sorry, Farkle. Any friend of Lucas should be a friend of mine." He apologizes as he wipes the flaw on Farkle's forehead.
"Thanks." The mini genius smiles before offering to wipe away Billy's but the boy declines and decides he needs to wear his for a little longer. "About Alora," Farkle tells him, "we are just friends, but it's not gonna work out with the two of you."
Billy looks at the green eyed girl as Lucas is gently wiping away her flaw with a smile on his face. "Yeah, I can see that."
After wiping off Alora's flaw ,Lucas leads her to Cory's desk "Mr. Mathews?"
"Mr.Perfect?" Cory reads Lucas' flaw.
"Is Farkle gonna be alright?" Alora asks
"Yeah," he answers as he watches Farkle and Billy interact. "People change."
The two teens nod as Alora leads Lucas to his seat and leans down to wipe away his flaw and Lucas just stares at her, entranced.
Billy and Farkle both look over "He's got it bad for her." Billy says with a laugh as he watches the two, he still was attracted to Alora but that was it, just an attraction to a pretty girl but Lucas looked at Alora like she hung the stars in the sky.
Farkle snorted "Understatement, her father and Mr. Mathews hates it."
Billy turned to see Riley and Maya glaring at the two unsuspecting teens "Seems they aren't the only ones." he nods his head in the two girls' direction "Now that I can place a name to my feelings I can definitely see that girl's jealousy a mile away."
Awards Night
Cory stood in the front of the auditorium with a microphone in his had.
"Well, we've given out our award for confidence... " the audience claps as Farkle displays his trophy "cool..."
The audience claps again as Maya just nods her head in silent thanks "Sup".
"...And we've acknowledged our scholar athlete." The audience claps for Lucas who turns with a smug smile. "jealous?"
Billy smiles back "Yeah...but I'm working on it." he admits.
Maya notices her best friends disappointment "You okay, Riles? I know getting an award was a big deal for you."
Riley puts on a smile "I'm okay. There is an award at the end that I heard my dad talking about and I'm sure to win after what I did for Farkle and Billy."
Lucas rolls his eyes as he hears her, Alora wasn't given an award and she's fine and happy for everyone who was given one.
"And now for our final award of the evening." Cory tells the audience. "The John Quincy Adams Spirit Award goes to the student with the courage to stand up for what they believe in, help others and change for the better. Now the award is voted on by the student body, so we have no idea in advance who will win." He slowly opens the envelope.
"Huh." He smiles and points to his forehead. "Proud." Riley grins in expectancy as her father reveals the envelope to the audience and quickly frowns at what she sees.
"Alora Hunter." The audience claps as Alora looks shocks but quickly smiles in happiness.
"What!?" Maya yells so everyone in the room can hear her and they all look at the blonde who has her arms wrapped around a sad Riley. "How could Alora win that award after what Riley just did for Farkle and Billy?"
Alora looks uncomfortable while Farkle, Lucas, Billy, along with Darby, Sarah and Yogi glare at the blonde.
"So what." Sarah tells the two girls.
"Yeah she did one thing for someone else and she deserves the award." Darby follows.
"Alora is always helping others." Farkle told them.
"Without expecting anything in return, That's why her flaw was 'pushover'" Yogi's calm voice was heard.
Lucas pulled Alora forward "She's kind to everyone who deserves her kindness to. And really Riley, did you just do that whole Flaw thing just to get this award?"
Riley's mouth dropped open as more tears fall from her eyes"Why would you say that?" she cries.
"Because that's what it looks like." he told her.
"Alright!" Cory called for the children's attention. "Riley, Alora won the award, the student body voted for her, I'm sorry that you didn't win an award."
His daughter just turned away from him and pushed her face into Maya's shoulder and continued t cry.
"And, Maya." he called to the blonde "I know Riley's upset but you can't say things like that, you should be happy for others' success like they are happy for yours, Now the both of you apologize to Alora."
The two girls started at Cory in disbelief before Riley pouted and looked to the green eyed girl "I'm sorry." she mumbled but everyone knew she didn't mean it.
Maya just continued to stare Cory in the eyes in defiance before Cory started to glare at the blonde girl who huffed with a roll of her eyes and looked at Alora "Sorry." she snapped.
Cory pinched the bridge of his nose but knew that w as the best he would be getting from the two girls and turned to his niece with a soft gaze "I am so proud of you Alora and I know Shawn will be too when we get you home."
He pulled Alora into a hug as the audience begins to clap for the biracial girl once more.
That night Shawn and Alora had ice cream sundays and cake until they both passed out on the sofa.