nine - Yearbook Time
''Ladies and gentleman of the hallway,'' Farkle exclaims, alerting the attention of his group of friends that consist of Maya Hart, Ryan Collins and Lucas Friar with Riley Matthews by his side, carrying a box twice his size.
''It's Yearbook Time!'' Riley cheers as she pulls out one from the box.
Ryan smiled as people crowded around Farkle and Riley for their copy of the yearbooks.
''Hi, page forty two,'' Riley greeted towards a blonde.
''Hi, pages twenty seven, thirty four and fifty eight,'' Farkle leaned towards the dark skin boy. ''You're doing too much, you should calm down.''
Ryan giggles as the boy walks away.
''Yearbooks,'' Riley repeats. ''Find out who we are and what we really think about each other.''
''Hmm,'' Ryan hums as Maya passed down a yearbook to Ryan, meant to passed down to Lucas. ''Less of that, more of, how people see each other.''
''Well, you know what I think about you?'' Maya peered over to Lucas.
''No, I do not,'' He complies.
''But, I wanna tell you,'' Maya continues to pressure as she takes a step down from on top of the bench.
He shakes his head. ''I don't think you need to.''
''I'm gonna do it anyway.''
''Don't do it.''
She tilts her head to the side. ''It's been a while.''
''I'm asking you, not to do it.''
She jabs a finger into his chest. ''I'm gonna do it. You wanna run, or you want it straight in the face?''
''Well, I wanna run, but how would that look?'' He cringed in thought.
''Ha, ha, ha, ha, hur,'' Maya tested her humming, scaling it's tone.
''You guys wouldn't judge me if I run, right?'' He rushed.
Maya continued and Ryan's laughter slowly rose.
''Come on, man. There's always another option!''
''Ha-Hurr!'' Maya dragged on, close up his face. The tone was so strong that it practically blew him away.
''You okay, now?'' He asked once it was over, blinking his eyes rapidly.
''Hmm, that was good,'' She hummed in satisfaction, before taking her seat again, next to Ryan.
''You know what else is good? Yearbooks,'' Riley urged. ''All of our classmates say what they think of us.''
''Yearbook, find out how we'll be remembered,'' Farkle adds. ''And guess what? You took another nice picture, you freak.''
Lucas chuckles. ''Thanks, Farkle. How will you be remembered?''
''Uh oh,'' Ryan cringed as she flipped a couple of pages into the yearbooks to see the winning nominations.
The blonde beside her peered at her with a cringe. ''They did it to him again?''
''Most likely to be Farkle.. Farkle.''
''I didn't think I'd win it again this year, but I did,'' Farkle responded, his facial features full prove of how deflated he was towards this.
''What does that mean, exactly?'' Riley questions with narrowed eyes.
''How should I know? They turned being me into a category.''
''Hey,'' Lucas chuckles. ''Riley won, most likely to smile herself to death.''
''Awe,'' She grinned. ''Well, who wouldn't wanna go that way? I mean, when the time comes, why you gotta be a gloomy gus.''
Maya scoffs. ''Riles, I don't think they meant this as a good thing.''
''They're making fun of me, and they're making fun of you too,'' Farkle clarifies.
''What?''
''Would you stop smiling?'' Maya grimaced.
''I'm not smiling, Maya, this is my upset face,'' Riley clears out. ''This is smiling..''
Ryan's eye's enlarged as wide as Riley smile had went. ''More like you're constipated smile, jesus, Riles.''
''You know what? I don't care what they say,'' Farkle counters nonchalantly, but it was fake given that he was clearly affected at these random yearbook nominations.
''Neither do I,'' Riley agrees.
''Sure you do,'' Ryan tempted, teasingly towards the two. Though, that probably wasn't the best thing to do at a vulnerable moment like this.
''I don't care what they say at all.''
''Neither do I, at all,'' Her natural brunette locks shifted with her as she faced away from Farkle and groans irritably loud.
''How did this stuff even get in here?'' She questions as she leaned into Farkle's side. ''Where are the editors?''
''Wow, we must have very poor quality control.''
''What you get, huckleberry?'' Maya nods towards the sandy blonde.
''I got most likely to be okay with anything that ever happens,'' He smiles.
Ryan mimics the mere grin Maya has plastered against her lips. ''How do you feel about that?''
''Well, actually, I'm okay with- Oh.''
Ryan grins as it finally dawned upon him.
''I'm not all sunshine and rainbows,'' Riley purely fails to counter. ''I have a dark side.''
''Let me see your dark side face.''
Her features dropped into what looked like a pout, and she didn't know what it is, but it was the cutest Ryan has ever witness.
''Awe,'' She gushed with Maya and Lucas.
Riley smiles in return.
Shaking her head out of a daze, Ryan sets her copy aside, ''Listen, we can't get over ourselves on this. It's just harmless fun.''
''Being made fun of, is not harmless fun,'' Farkle spazzed back.
She extended an arm out and asked ''What makes all of this a bad thing?''
''It's all bad,'' Riley exclaims. ''It shows us how people think of us.''
She blew her lips into a pout and shrugs. ''Well, forget about it. What's done is done and you can't change whatever you please within two point five seconds.''
''Yeah,'' Farkle comments, but it was almost demeaning as twirled around, his geeky apparel torn apart on the floor with a whole new hairstyle and basically a whole new Farkle dressed in all black.
''Holy,'' Ryan mutters under her breath.
''This is me now,'' Farkle declares.
''Farkle?''
''Nope,'' He shakes his head. ''Farkle's gone. You will never see him again.''
And with that, he walking into Mr. Matthews classroom.
''Oh my god,'' Ryan continues to speak low, her brought up to her neck. ''Even his voice had a glo up.''
× × ×
''Okay,'' Corey urged a grin as he walked into a classroom where the new Farkle leaned against his desk. ''What do we got here?''
''I'm Donnie Barns,'' Farkle cheers.
With her one leg folded on top of another and hands resting in her lap, Ryan rolls her eyes and shakes her head. She found the situation unnecessary and pointless.
''Really, Farkle?'' Maya giggles. ''Of all the names in the world to pick for another personality, you pick Donnie Barns?''
''Ooh, mine would be Spencer Vidal,'' Ryan smiled dreamily during her randomized comment.
Lucas narrows his eyes. ''Spencer Vidal?''
''Do you know how many times people thought I was spanish until they heard my full name?'' Ryan jabs a finger into her chest as she leans a tad bit off her seat towards him.
Farkle shakes his head. ''You don't get it do you? I'm Donnie Barns; regular guy.''
Corey stood behind him with a grin. ''I'd see that movie.''
''No you wouldn't,'' Ryan unfolds her legs and grips the edge of her desk to push her physique back, her chair following along in the process. She walked to the front of the class and leaned against the desk with Farkle. ''Regular guys doing the same regular things everyday are boring. It's not exciting to see you're not different from everyone else.''
As the words flowed from her lips, she eyed Farkles plain features soften for only a split second. But that yearbook nomination really had him convinced, and he wasn't giving up. Good thing for him, neither was she.
Farkle nods his head. ''Donnie Barns is the real me.'' His orbs flicker from the ground, where he kept his focus at most and towards Ryan. ''Farkle Minkus is my goofy other personality.''
''No,'' Lucas stood as well. ''You're Farkle. Look, I'll prove it you.''
Lucas leaned over to flip Mr. Matthews name tag placed at the corner of his wooden desk to where it's titled Farkle.
''See.''
Farkle flipped it over once more to where it says, Donnie Barns: Regular Guy.
Ryan looks away astonished. ''Even the name tag got a glo up.''
''How did you possibly do that?'' Lucas questions, more focus on that than Ryan.
Farkle shrugs his shoulders and walks over to his seat. ''I don't want most likely to be Farkle. Face it cowboy, there's a new pretty boy in town. Thank You! I am-''
Ryan's lips twitched into a smirk while a brow was cocked at the boy who was about to pull a classic Farkle notation.
''Donnie Barns,'' He finalizes before sliding into his seat.
Lucas turned to Mr.Matthews. ''Are you gonna do something? Because this is where you do something, right? Are you gonna do something? Is there a lesson? You got a lesson? Is there a lesson?''
The brunette beside him placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. ''Settle down, child.''
''Iceland-''
Ryan took a step back as Lucas tore away from his grip and pointed back at Farkle, exclaiming, ''Iceland! You all fixed? No? I don't think he's all fixed. If that was Riley, you know you'd fixed her.''
''Sit down, Lucas,'' He smiled gently.
Although, the orders were not directed to her, Ryan went back to her seat as well while Lucas chuckles, ''Oh, you know I'm right.''
''Iceland and Greenland,'' Corey proclaimed when walking behind his desk, settling his briefcase against the wooden structure. He looks up and juts his chin towards one of his students. ''What do you think about that Mr. Barns.''
''When I look like this, I don't have to think,'' He shrugs. ''Right, Lucas?''
''Dude, I won the scholar athlete award,'' He points out.
''Ooh, nerd alert.''
Ryan furrows her brows at those who laugh at him.
''So because you gotten bullied, you're going to become one? Smart move, Minkus,'' She remarks, leaning into her seat.
''It's Barns.''
''Yeah, whatever,'' She waves him off.
''Iceland and Greenland, anybody?'' Corey repeats.
''Iceland is a land of ice,'' Riley points out the obvious.
He points a finger at her. ''Wrong?''
''Then Greenland is the land of Green,'' Maya chimes in.
''Wrong,'' He repeats.
''Then who cares? Stupid countries don't even know who they are,'' Maya adds on by mumbling, ''Stupid countries.''
''The vikings discovered this beautiful green country-''
''I come from vikings,'' Farkle randomly comments.
Lucas cocks a brow. ''You do?''
''You don't know me.''
''Oh my god,'' Ryan sneers.
''So, the vikings, they didn't want anyone else taking their new country. So they decided to name it Iceland. Everyone figures, it must be cold, nobody wants to go there.''
''So they made everybody think of it in that way, even though it wasn't true?'' Riley clarifies unsurely.
''That's right. Then another viking comes along, Eric The Red, and he discovers a land of snow and ice, and he wants everyone to go there, instead. So he names that, Greenland, and everyone goes there. The jerks.''
''So you're saying the perception of the thing doesn't make it so?'' Lucas asked, peering at Farkle every now and then.
''I'm saying, people are always gonna say stuff. How you react to what they say, is what makes you the person you are.''
Riley tilts her head to the side. ''So don't react?''
''That's right.''
''Just keep on smiling.''
''Would you please?'' He smiles. ''Lesson over.''
''And nothing anybody else says is ever going to make me feel any different.''
''Hey, Ryan, Lucas, congratulations on winning favorite couple,'' Someone in the classroom randomly encourages, alarming Ryan from deep thoughts.
She sits up and looks around in Lucas direction, seeing a copy of the yearbook being held from behind him, revealing the nomination.
Ryan narrows her eyes, ''Oh, I see the problem. They forgot to add, of best friends.''
She hums with a disapproving nod of her head. ''No, I don't think-''
''Shut up.''
''Okay.''
''I feel different,'' Riley remarks.
''How is that possible?'' Lucas question, finding it just as hard to believe as the group of friends themselfs.
''No offense, but how can anybody see Ryan and Lucas as a couple?'' Maya questions with furrowed brows.
The girl scoffs. ''Everybody does.''
''But we're so much alike,'' Riley points a finger between Lucas and herself.
''And they're so different.''
''But, we're like a summer rain,'' Riley continues, but it only seems to backfire more.
''And they're like fire,'' Sarah adds.
''We're also just friends, you loon,'' Ryan remarks with furrowed brows.
Riley spins around her seat. ''Daddy, remember when you told me not to react?''
''Yes?''
''I'm gonna react!''
''Oh, boy!'' Ryan screeched, her head was thrown back and her physique leaned off of her seat.
× × ×
Ryan sat on the train, the next morning. Her lavender Jansport bag leaned against the side of her thighs and on the seat, zipped open. She had Distraction playing by Kehlani on her spotify and her yearbook rested open on her lap.
There was a page behind the most likely, and it was the biggest and definitely most noticeable page of all. Though, it wasn't a good thing. Not for Ryan's sake at least.
× × ×
''What the hell is this?'' Ryan exclaims.
''Language, Ms. Collins,'' Mr. Matthews urged in a disapproving stance.
Ryan holds a hand up at Corey as she took a step forward into the classroom. ''Let me get this straight. You're now some goth chick and you're Riley? Why?''
''The lame excuse for life has approved for our new lifestyle,'' Riley borely states.
She cringed at the so called improved voice, Riley had used.
''You all should feel so ridiculous and selfish,'' She sneered at the group of three that decided to twist and turn into people they're not. ''Did you see what I win?''
''The dumb best couple nomination,'' Riley prompt.
She cocks a brow. ''Did you turn the page?''
The group looks around with furrowed brows until Ryan opens up her copy that was already held in her grip, turning it towards the exact page she was talking about.
''Most likely to make it nowhere in life,'' She flips the book around for the whole class to see. ''And you see that? I take up the whole page.''
Riley, Maya and Farkle held inward pouts, almost as if they're stubborn stance faltered.
''But you don't see me acting out,'' She slaps her arms to her side, her book now closed. ''You don't see me, running away from my problems by becoming some stupid altered ego. I'm still me, being me and doing me.''
She looks away with a scoff. ''The sad thing is too, you're gonna realize that's all not worth it.''
''How would you know?'' Farkle asked.
''Because I acted out back in Texas. I made everyone afraid of me when in reality, I was afraid of everyone around me,'' She shrugs her shoulders. ''But everything I did, everything I've done, that wasn't me. All I did was waste my time. You guys need to see beyond this perspective.''
She pointed at Farkle, ''So what you won, most likely to be Farkle. You got you're own nomination, meaning you're not like no basic person out here. Neither is smiling yourself to death.''
She turned to Maya and that's when the preacher vibe faded drastically. ''I don't know what went wrong here.''
''Jesus, Ryan and Lucas. I'm not gonna be Riley forever. I'd know how much everybody would miss me if I did.''
''No, no,'' Sarah chimes in. ''Stay Riley.''
''Yeah, you're a good Riley.''
''Shut Up!'' Ryan yells, causing both of them to lean back into their seat.
''Maya, you're the most secure person in this room,'' Lucas encourages. ''You have a great life, why would you change? I mean, okay, not a great life, I mean, your family life, could be, you know, better. But, at least at school, you're here a lot. Right? Ryan, little help, please?''
She pursed her lips and shakes her head. ''Nope, I think you got it down just fine Mr. Smooth.''
''I think people should be the best person they can be,'' Farkle points out.
''I agree,'' Maya simply nods. ''Riley Matthews is the best person I can be. Maya is gone, and you're never gonna see her again.''
Ryan's features were twisted in a cringe as Maya rested her chin on top of her folded arms on the desk, humming while her eyes scanned an open book. ''World peace. And bunnies!''
''All right, you all say I'm most likely to be okay with anything. Well, I'm not okay with any of this. I'm not okay with all you guys not realizing that what you say about people matters,'' Lucas turns to his group of friends. ''And I'm not okay with you guys thinking what people say about you matters.''
''You know what happened after everybody went to Greenland because someone told them to?'' Mr. Matthews asks to his class. Though, Ryan felt a history class discussion should be the last thing to be discussed. ''Donnie?''
Farkle asked, ''Riley?''
Maya smiled over to Riley. ''Black swan?''
''They all died,'' She answered.
''Yep.''
''What? Really?'' Riley asked, taken back at the accuracy.
''Really,'' He nods. ''They came to an inhospitable, uninhabited ice ball named Greenland because someone said it was pretty, and the first thing they did was die. The jerks! So please remember, you shouldn't pay attention to what everybody says. Because if you listen to everybody else, you just might end up crashing your little ships onto the rocks.
''But you should listen to the people who care about you,'' Lucas chimes in. ''Because they have your best interest at heart. Right, buddy? You're much more than just a regular guy.
''Aw, Lucas, you're a very sweet guy,'' Maya gushed, still playing the Riley facade. ''That's why I always liked you since I fell into your lap on the subway. It's why we should have been favorite couple, because we're so much alike. You know, it's like we're two sunshine-y people from the same sunshine-y family. That's why I like you so much. It's like you're my brother. Oh. It's like he's your-''
''What?'' Riley asked.
''Whoa,'' Maya breathed out.
''What just happened?''
''Uh, nothing,'' Maya pulled off the brunette wig. ''Nothing happened. I don't wanna be Riley anymore. Only you're Riley. I'm Maya. We don't care what you say. We're not crashing our ships. Come back. Come back right now.''
× × ×
''Sounds like everythings back to normal,'' Ryan smiled against the phone.
''Yeah, I guess you could say that,'' Lucas agrees, genuinely happy as her. ''Hey, you said that you went through a change?''
Her smile faltered during Lucas' brief pause. ''Are you ever worried about going through that change again?''
She shrugs. ''Honestly, yes. I just hope I have the right people there for me to keep me in check.''