I was staying with Lucas's family, not that he knew that. I walked into the house, dropping my back-pack by the front door and walked into the kitchen. Mrs. Friar stood in the kitchen, eating cereal.
"Oh, hey Skipper? How was your first day?"
"It was ok. Lucas didn't seem particularly excited to see me." I told her.
"He's ashamed. Give him time. He'll come around." I nodded. "How's your mom?"
"She's ok, I think. I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to her." She smiled.
"She's a fighter. She's gonna do just fine."
"Yeah, I know." The door opened and Lucas came in.
"So Riley's mad at me now." I nodded.
"That tends to happen when you keep secrets from people." I told him. "They're your friends. You just need to tell them the truth."
"I can't." He said. "I won't."
"Then suck it up, buttercup." I added.
~~~
When we got to school the next day, the tension in the air was obvious.
"Al washes a car in six minutes. Fred washes the same car in Eight minutes. How long does it take Al and Fred to wash the same car together?"
"How is this anything?"
"Three minutes twenty-five point seven seconds." Farkle replied.
"Wrong."
"I'm sorry, What did you just say?"
"You're wrong."
"I'm wrong? You're a history teacher teaching English, science, whatever you've got going on at home; You waltz your wife in here on career day-"
"She's a respected attorney."
"My father says she should've been my mother!"
"If she was your mother you wouldn't exist." I told him.
"What do you want from me?" Mr. Matthews asked.
"Mr. Matthews teaches us about a lot of things. He's open-minded that way." Lucas said, looking at Riley.
"He can be open minded because he knows who we are."
"Oh. She took us both out."
"I teach this way because in my old school, I had a very strict teacher."
"He teach History, English, or Math?" Zay asked.
"I don't know. But in his class, there was no talking. No interruptions."
"So you didn't like him."
"I loved him."
"Then why don't you teach like him?" Questioned Farkle.
"Because I could never try and be like him. I could only fail. I only succeed with you guys if I get my teaching across as effectively as he did."
"You do. He does." Maya agreed. "Thank you, Maya. And I will, now. Al washes a car in six minutes. Fred washes the same car in eight minutes."
"He thinks it's math class. Somebody stop him! You, what's your name?"
"Farkle."
"What'd you call me?"
"My name is Farkle."
"Who would do that to you?"
"I like it." I told him.
"So your assignment today is to wash a car. Together."
"With him?" Riley asked, pointing at Lucas.
"Especially with him."
"If you do it correctly you'll find the answer is three minutes twenty-five point seven seconds."
"If you do it correctly, you will find the secret of life." The bell rang and I stayed behind. "Question Ms. Jackson?"
"I know the answer." I told him.
"Hit me."
"They did it together."
"Yes." He said.
"So the time doesn't matter. All that matters is that they got it done by doing it together."
"Hmm...interesting."
"I'm I right?" He smiled.
"How'd you come to that conclusion?"
"I saw Lucas back in Texas...and then I saw Lucas now." He smiled.
"Congratulations, Skipper. You now know the secret of life." I grabbed my stuff, leaving the classroom.
~~~
We stood outside, doing the car washing experiment.
"Done." Maya said, finishing up the car.
"Amazing."
"How long?"
"Nineteen minutes, Forty-two seconds. You are the worst car washer in this class." Farkle told her.
"Ah! You mean no one will ever ask me to wash a car for them?" Maya asked sarcastically. "Say it."
"You're a genius." Riley told her.
"Oh, stop."
"THe only two who washed the car in six minutes and eight minutes exactly were Riley and-"
"Lucas? Was it Lucas? Could it have been Lucas? Lucas?"
"Yeah, Lucas."
"I'm not washing a car with him."
"Oh yes you are, you're washing it in three minutes twenty-five point seven seconds and I will go back to your father and say, Ha! Now pick up that hose!"
"Fine." Riley said.
"And you pick up that bucket!"
"Yes sir."
"And...go!" I stood beside Farkle, watching them. "No, no, no, work together. The equation doesn't work if you don't work together." I smiled. That's the whole point, Farkle.
"Riley, I could use some water over here to rinse this off."
"Oh no." I said.
"What?" Farkle asked.
"That's gonna hurt."
"Oh. Water? You want some water?"
"Yes please."
"Oh, Huckleberry, Huckleberry...whatever bad, bad things you did at your old school, you are still such a Huckleberry."
"Why? You need water to rinse off-" He ran around the car, rolling over the hood as Riley soaked him with the hose.
"Tell me what you did!"
"Nothing this bad!" He replied.
"They threw you out of school!"
"Wash the car! You're supposed to be washing the car! Why aren't you washing the car, wash the car!" I went to pull Farkle back, but Riley turned around, spritzing us both with the hose. "Ok!" I grabbed his wrist, pulling him backwards.
"When are you gonna tell me what you did?!"
"Fine! You want me to tell you what I did?" He asked.
"Everything."
"Ok. Good girl, just give me the hose, and I'll tell you. Good girl."
"Fine." She handed him the hose.
"Bad idea." I told her.
"Thank you."
"No, thank you."
"MAYA!" He backed her up into the fence, spraying her down. I laughed. Farkle grabbed my arm, pulling me away from them.
"You guys are really close, aren't you?" I asked.
"Yeah, we are."
"Wait wait! Lucas I lost my contact lens!" Riley said, crawling on the ground.
"Oh my gosh. Riley, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" He crouched down and she snuck behind him, grabbing the bucket. "Wait, since when do you wear-" She dumped the bucket over his head, pushing him back against the car.
"You were the first boy I ever liked. That's a big deal for me. Are you worth it? Tell me and I'll believe you. I want to believe you. Are you worth it?"
"Yes."
"Ok." She took the bucket off of him. He had soap in his hair. Farkle walked up between them.
"You two have completely ruined this experiment for me! You are significantly over three minutes-"
"By how much?" Riley asked.
"A day! And you haven't even dried the car yet." They picked him up, running him over the hood of the car.
"Okay, ok. I think it's dry!" I walked over, grabbing the hose.
"Hey Riley!" She turned around. "In Texas we have a saying. What goes 'round comes 'round!" I turned the hose on, spraying all three of them.
"Come here!" Lucas screamed, grabbing the hose. I dropped it and he wrapped his arms around my waist, picking me up while Maya grabbed the hose and sprayed me. I screamed as it soaked my clothes. I laughed. New York wasn't so bad. This was going to be fun.
~~~
Al washes a car in Six minutes. Fred washes the same car in eight minutes. How long does it take Al and Fred to wash the same car together? Farkle?"
"They were snapping towels at each other! I said, 'the car's not even dry yet!' and they went Pshhhhh Whoa!"
"So, not three minutes twenty-five point seven seconds?"
"I was wruhh."
"Excuse me?"
"I was wruhh!!"
"Well...it takes a big man to admit when he was 'wruhh!'." I laughed.
"There is no answer to this equation. Except on paper. Except in a math class, which this isn't. One of you figured it out before you even washed the car."
"What? Who?" Farkle asked.
"Me." I told him.
"How?! How!?"
"I saw how much Lucas had changed since I knew him." I looked at him. "He's the answer."
"What?"
"Care to elaborate?" I asked Mr. Matthews.
"People change people. No matter what I teach you in here, learning from the people you care about is more important than the words on any page. That's why I let you talk in here sometimes. That's why it's interesting. Mr. Babineaux might've appreciated that, if he was here. Where's your friend, Mr. Friar?"
"I don't know. I can't always be responsible for him." I looked at Lucas, realizing what had been going on. I had known that Lucas had gotten expelled. I just didn't know why he did what he did. I get it now.
"Sure you can. But maybe in a different way now."
"Look, Zay's mouth gets him in trouble. He thinks he's tougher than he is, maybe. But he's my friend, and I care bout my friends. Riley, you understand that better than anyone. What was I supposed to do!?" I cleared my throat, informing him that he was yelling now. "I'm sorry, Again. I'm working on it, ok?"
"LUCAS!"
"Oh crap." I said standing up.
"Oh, not again...I'll be right back, sir."
"Lucas."
"I'm ok, sir." We both headed towards the door.
"Lucas!"
"I'm ok, sir. If I managed to not come back expelled, then you have all changed me." We left and I put a hand on his arm.
"I didn't know that Zay was the reason you did it. Otherwise I wouldn't have yelled at you."
"It's fine." We walked out to see a guy, pinning him up against lockers.
"I did it again. I'm sorry."
"It's ok, Zay. Get outta here." They guy put him down, leaning on him. I crossed over, standing in front of him, Lucas directly behind me. He let him up and he crossed over behind us.
"Are you kidding me? I had a neck in my hand. I liked it. I miss it. One of you my new neck?"
"Are you the one?" Lucas asked, pushing me behind him. "Because there's one in ever school, isn't there? So, in this school you're the-"
"Yeah. It's me."
"I couldn't help but appreciate your pointy boots. Back in Texas we appreciate a nice pointy boot." Lucas kicked his knee down, pushing him up against the locker. "It could end a fight real quick unless somebody knows to put his heel on the soft part where all of your toes are."
"Ow."
"Now I'm sure you'd like to throw a punch, except I got both your wrists. And I'm as strong as a horse. I don't even work at it. I just am."
"The way I see it, all that matters is what happens after you let go."
"Yeah. I know it'd be simpler to just start takin' shots at each other, But I'm gonna tell you somethin' and you really need to hear this. In the end, you're gonna be the one on the floor, and I'm gonna be the one who walks away. So, I'm gonna do you a favor and let you keep your reputation." He said, backing up. "Now I'd like you to let me keep mine, otherwise we're gonna be twenty and still in middle school. You want that?"
"I am twenty." He said, walking way. I slapped Lucas's back.
"So I could've taken him, right?" Zay asked.
"Sure. Why do you keep finding yourself in these situations?"
"Well, I like knowing you have my back." He sat next to him.
"I know why she's here. Why are you here, Zay?"
"Well, maybe I missed my best friend, alright? Maybe we both had a friend in Texas and he moved away and I missed hanging out with him and convinced my entire family to pack everything-"
"Your dad got transferred?"
"Yeah, same as you."
"Look, I'm glad you're here, Buddy. I'm glad both of you are here. But...I don't wanna have to keep being the same guy you knew back in Texas."
"Yeah. I'm not so sure you are." He wrapped an arm around him.
"He's not. I promise you, he's not."
And that's how I moved to New York, how I learned the secret of Life, and how I met my new friends...
But hey...that's only the beginning of the story.