Harley and Cassie followed Gabriel, Riley and Maya into Spanish class.
"Good morning," Señora Feinstein-Chang, their Spanish teacher, greet them, "please take your seats."
Harley, Gabriel and Cassie greeted their teacher in Spanish and took their seats.
"Spanish class," Riley said, enthusiastically. "I just love this class. I wish it was in English."
"Roberta, Spanish only," Señora Feinstein-Chang said in Spanish.
"What are you trying to accomplish.
"She wants us to only speak in Spanish," Maya explained."
"Today, hi ham," Riley said in a terrible Spanish accent, "hawearing sandals."
"Robert," Señora Feinstein-Chang said.
"That's my name here!"
"Robert, Spanish only!" Señora Feinstein-Chang said.
Maya turned to their Spanish teacher said in Spanish, "We'll help her, Señora Feinstein-Chang."
"I would appreciate that, Maya," Señora Feinstein-Chang said.
"Why do you get to stay Maya and I have to be Roberta?" Riley asked.
"Because Maya is actually Spanish," Maya explained.
"Well, then what's Riley?" Riley asked.
"A trick to make us all think you're cute," Maya said.
"I'm Riley," Riley smiled.
Maya shrugged helplessly.
"You did it," Maya said. "I wanna squish your face."
Harley smiled at Maya's words as he took out his notebook.
"Good morning, class," Señora Feinstein-Chang greeted them in Spanish. "I have your first test to hand back to you. Maya, good work."
Señora Feinstein-Chang began passing them back their tests from the previous class.
Harley picked up his test to see a B+.
Maya glanced at Harley and quickly looked away with a small smile on her face.
"How did you do?" Cassie asked, turning around on her desk.
"A B+," Harley said, showing her his test. "You?"
"A-," she said, showing him hers.
"Oooh, that's good," Gabriel said.
"How did you do, Gabe?" Cassie asked.
"A B," he shrugged.
Riley looked at Maya's paper and clapped her hands.
"Ooh!" Riley said. "Wait, wait, what's that in English?"
"An A is an A wherever you go," Maya smiled.
"You got an A?" Gabriel said, surprised.
"Yay!" Riley clapped her hands.
"Yeah," Maya nodded.
"Spanish!" Señora Feinstein-Chang said to Riley.
"GOOOOOAL!" Riley said, lifting her arms.
She looked down at her paper.
"A D?" she said, her excitement disappeared.
"Spanish," Señora Feinstein-Chang nodded.
"Ay - ay - ay," Riley said.
***
Harley, Cassie and Peter were at the bakery that Gabriel and the others always went to. Harley couldn't leave his brother home alone, not when Elizabeth and Lexi working late that day and James being out of town. Gabriel, Riley, Maya and the others didn't mind Peter tagging along.
Cassie, on the other hand, was invited by Riley.
"What, you not sittin' with us anymore?" Maya said in a Brooklyn accent.
Riley was sitting behind the group in a chair.
"I don't deserve to sit with you guys," Riley said, dramatically. "I am disgraced," she gestured to the Spanish test pinned to her shirt. "D for disgraced."
"Riley, it's only one grade," Gabriel, who was also there, said.
"Yeah, you know how many D's I got in middle school?"
Harley and Peter raised their eyebrows.
"Once, I got five D's in one day," Maya said.
Everyone laughed.
"You're 'Cinco D Maya,'" Gabriel laughed.
"'Cinco D Maya?'" Peter repeated with a smile.
"Seriously?" Cassie said.
"Oh, I don't get it!" Riley said, angrily.
"Actually, those D's don't matter anyone," Farkle said. "None of our old grades do.
"We all start as equals here," Smackle said, "because only our high school grades count on our permanent record."
Riley gets up and walked over.
"What?" she said. "What's that?"
"Our high school transcript," Harley said.
"It's what colleges use when they decide whether to accept you or not," Peter said.
"How do you know that?"
Peter shrugged. "I thought everyone knew this."
"So far, no one will accept you," Smackle told Riley.
Harley and Cassie stared at Smakle.
"Hm," Riley said. "Smackle, remember how you asked us to let you know when your refreshing honesty crosses over into-"
"Get to it, Bubbles!" Smackle snapped.
"Now!" Riley pointed at Smackle. "Now!"
"Wait," Maya said, "so they don't care about middle school?"
"They only look at high school," Harley said.
Maya grabbed Farkle and yelled, "Then why'd you make me go all this time?"
"Wait. So nobody cares about all the good grades I got when I was a kid?" Riley asked.
"No," Gabriel shook his head.
ZayThey only care that you didn't eat paste.RileyOh. How long does that stay in ya?Maya
"Boy, all those years I went to middle school," Maya said, "and I coulda been scratchin' lottery tickets and chuggin' sody pop.:
Zay
"Well, Maya, you finally hit the jackpot," Caleb finally said. "I mean, right now you can go to any college you want."
"What about me?" Riley asked.
"Well, you're her cute friend," Caleb said.
"Please don't give up on me, college!" Riley said.
"Colleges don't just care about grades," Cassie said. "They also care about extracurriculars."
"They do?" Riley said.
Cassie nodded.
"What are you planning on doing?" Maya asked Cassie.
"Acting," Cassie smiled. "I'm planning on auditioning for the play tomorrow, plus join the drama club."
"You're into acting?" Farkle said, hopeful.
Cassie nodded. "Yeah, always have been."
"Oh, dear god, no," Gabriel covered his face.
Harley stared at Gabriel.
"What about you Harley?" Maya asked.
"I don't know, I'm thinking of joining the yearbook team," Harley shrugged, "and maybe baseball. I still haven't decided."
"You play baseball?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"He's one of the best baseball players I've ever seen!" Peter said.
Harley smiled.
"You should've seen him when we were living in Los Angeles."
Harley noticed a small smile appear on Maya's face. It quickly disappeared when she noticed Harley looking at her.
"I know that Lucas and Zay are planning on trying out for baseball," Gabriel said.
"So am I," Caleb said, smiling proudly.
"Are you going to try out too?" Cassie asked Gabriel.
"I don't know," Gabriel shrugged. "I'm not that interested in sports."
"Try out!" Caleb said. "Come on. Come with Lucas, Zay and I."
"Lucas and Zay play too?" Harley said.
Caleb nodded.
"Lucas was the star in middle school," Caleb said.
"I never got a D before," Riley said.
"I used to be the biggest star in middle school," Farkle said.
"You're still a star, dearest one," Smackle said.
Peter stared.
Harley raised an eyebrow.
He noticed Cassie's expression in the corner of his eye. He bit his lip, wondering what's going on.
"Yeah, but I used to be the North Star," Farkle said. "I used to be the brightest star in the sky! What do you do when you realize you're not the smartest kid in school anymore?"
"I don't know," Riley said. "Maya, what do you do when you realize your best days might have been in middle school?"
"I don't know," Maya shrugged. "Why don't we ask my big fat honkin' A?"
Harley smiled.
Maya picked up her test.
"What do you do, A?" Maya asked.
She held her test to her ear.
"Uh - huh," she said and Riley leaned in. "Uh - huh. Uh-huh, I-"
"What did it say?" Riley asked.
"Shh!" Gabriel and Caleb said.
"Maya and A don't get to spend a lot of time together," Caleb said.
"Let's let them have their moment," Gabriel said.
He and Caleb packed their things and left.
Harley and Cassie raised their eyebrows.
"Oh, I don't know," Maya said to her test.
Farkle and Smakle left as well.
"I guess we're leaving too," Cassie said.
Harley nodded.
"Can we go to the deli?" Peter asked as he followed his brother and Cassie out of the bakery.
"Oh, yeah, alright," Harley said.