Shauna POV
For some strange reason, this school handed out yearbooks in October instead of at the end of the year...
"Ladies and gentlemen of the hallway, it's yearbook time!" Farkle announced while handing out the books to each student.
"Yearbooks! Find out who we are and what we really think about each other," Smiley Riley said.
"You wanna know what I think about you?" Maya asked, looking at Lucas.
"No, I do not."
"But I wanna tell you."
"I don't think you need to."
"She's gonna do it anyway." I smirked. I felt that Lucas and Maya had enormous chemistry. Don't tell Riley that though.
"Don't do it. It's been a while. I'm asking you not to do it."
"She's gonna do it."
"You wanna run, or you want it straight in the face?" Maya asked teasingly.
"Well, I wanna run, but how would that look?" Maya began to hum a ha hurr toon. "You guys wouldn't judge me if I run, right?" Maya continued to taunt him with her humming. "Come on, man. There's always another option!" Maya then screamed 'HaHurr' in Lucas's face.
"That was good," I praised her.
"You know what else is good? Yearbooks. All of our classmates say what they think of us. Yearbooks; find out how we'll be remembered," Riley interrupted.
'"Most likely to be Farkle...' Farkle. I didn't think I'd win it again this year, but I did."
"What does that mean exactly, Farkle?" I questioned.
"How should I know? They turned being me into a category!"
"Hey, Riley won most likely to smile herself to death," Maya announced, reading over Riley's shoulder.
"Aw. Well, who wouldn't wanna go that way? I mean, when the time comes, why you gotta be a gloomy Gus?"
"Riles, I don't think they meant this as a good thing..." I replied tentatively.
"They're making fun of me, and they're making fun of you too," Farkle added.
Riley and Farkle both tried to brush it off but it was clear they were both heavily bothered by their superlatives. I on the other hand had gotten 'most likely to get straight A's,' I wasn't sure why they figured that but it didn't bother me at all.
*****
Farkle had changed into some 'cool guy' get up, that honestly made him look quite attractive, and Riley was attempting to have a dark side. Maya, Lucas and I were the same and desperately trying to change them back.
"I'm Donnie Barnes, regular guy. Donnie Barnes is the real me. Farkle Minkus is my goofy other personality," he announced.
"No, you're Farkle," Lucas worriedly argued.
"I don't wanna be most likely to be Farkle. Face it, cowboy. There's a new pretty boy in town. Thank you. I am... Donnie Barnes."
"Are you gonna do something?" I asked Mr. Matthews, "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?"
"Iceland."
"Iceland!" I repeated.
"You all fixed?" Lucas asked Farkle.
"No. I don't think he's all fixed."
"If that was Riley, you know you'd fix her," Lucas argued with Mr. Matthews.
"Sit down, Lucas, Shauna."
"Oh, you know he's right," I said pointing a finger at our teacher before taking my seat.
Mr. Matthews continued his lesson about Iceland and Greenland, and it seemed as though things were fixed when all of a sudden one of the students in the back of the class said; "Hey, Maya, Lucas, congratulations on winning favorite couple."
Yep I voted for that one...
"How is that possible? How could anybody ever see me and Lucas as a couple?" Maya asked.
"Everybody does."
"But we're so much alike." Riley attempted to step in.
"And they're so different," the Sarah girl said.
"But we're like a summer rain."
"And they're like fiyah!"
I couldn't agree more.
*****
Riley had surrounded herself with everything black that was in her house. Maya, Topanga and I attempted to snap her out of it but it was no use. Especially when 'Donnie Barnes' showed up.
"Riley is gone. Everybody else is right. I'm wasting my life, and I'm tired of being chip-chip-chipper."
"You're being ridiculous!" I insisted.
"Is there anybody more ridiculous than you?" Maya added.
A knock sounded at the window and Farkle peeked in. "I'm Donnie Barnes!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really miss, 'ladies,' I groaned.
"That's a catchphrase, and Donnie Barnes don't need no stinkin' catchphrase. You know why? I'm Donnie Barnes. Shplidow!"
"Okay, I'm out," I said exiting the window. I had enough going on, I figured Maya and Lucas could handle this.
*****
"Please be back to normal. Please be back to normal!" Lucas pleaded as he entered the classroom.
"I'm Donnie Barnes."
"What the..." Lucas said looking at Riley.
"Life is what we do between nothings."
"Is this a New York thing?" I asked.
Lucas nodded in agreement with my question. "What is this?"
Maya entered the class dressed head to toe like Riley Matthews. "Maya you too!" Lucas groaned.
"Lollipops, and circuses, and things that rhyme with that." Maya giggled in an attempt to be Riley.
"No!" Lucas shouted.
"This is your solution, Maya?" I asked.
"Hi."
"Hey."
"Hi... No!" Lucas shouted again after getting drawn into shy flirtation by the fake Riley.
"Please be back to normal. Please be back to normal!" Mr. Matthews begged as he entered the classroom with his eyes covered.
"What's up, Hambone?"
"Don't worry, Daddy. I'm going to fix everybody right up." Maya assured her 'father.' Mr. Matthews screamed when he saw Maya.
"All right, you know what? It's Lucas time."
Lucas stood up and walked to the front of the room. "You're the best Farkle we got, and everyone knows it. And you are a complete ray of sunshine. And you are not," he said, pointing to Maya, "And that's who we are. I don't know what this is. But I do know that if you let someone say who you are, then you really won't be who you are, and you certainly won't end up being who you were meant to be."
"Don't worry. I'm not gonna stay Riley. I know how much everybody would miss me if I did." Maya reassured us.
"No, no, stay Riley."
"Yeah, you're a good Riley," a girl on the other side of the room said.
"Wait. You like us all like this?"
"We like Riley. We don't care who plays her."
"What about Maya!"
"Maya, you're the most secure person in this room. 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, uh... you're here a lot. Right?"
I hit Lucas upside the head. "Little help, please. Donnie Barnes?"
"I think people should be the best person they can be," Farkle—Donnie Barnes said.
"I agree," I said, not anticipating that I just made things worse.
"Riley Matthews is the best person I can be. Maya is gone, and you're never gonna see her again. ♪ La la la la la la ♪ World peace. And bunnies!"
The next day Mr. Matthews was continuing to teach about Iceland and Greenland. "You know what happened after everybody went to Greenland because someone told them to? Donnie? Riley? Black swan?"
"They all died." 'Black Swan' responded.
"Yep," I said.
Riley blinked rapidly in shock. "What? Really?"
"Really," Mr. Matthews answered, "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," I said.
"Because they have your best interest at heart. Right, buddy?" Lucas continued while looking at Farkle, "You're much more than just a regular guy."
"Aw, Lucas, you're a very sweet guy. 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." Maya paused her rant, a look of realization dawned across her face. "Oh. It's like he's your..."
"What?" Riley asked.
"Whoa," I breathed.
"What just happened?" Riley asked again.
"Uh, nothing," Maya exclaimed, ripping off her 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!" Maya begged.
*****
Riley and Maya entered Topanga's looking like themselves. All of us looked like ourselves except for Farkle.
"Yeah, we know who we are. And you know who you are. You're Farkle, and it's a state of being. There's only one, and everybody who cares about you knows that. You are in your own category, Farkle," Riley announced.
"I'm glad you guys are back to normal. I love you both any way you are."
"So you're gonna come back too?" I asked Farkle.
"No."
"Why not?" Lucas questioned.
"Because people change, Lucas. I think you know that better than anyone. And I think it could be a good thing."
"What?"
"You don't have to call me Donnie Barnes. I made that up. My name is Farkle Minkus. I'm growing up. And I don't know what's gonna happen next. But you guys are my best friends, so deal with it."
"Okay, Farkle, who are you? I wanna know the new rules," I said.
"I'm finding out who I am."
"You know who you are. You have your own category named after you," Lucas insisted.
"What's a Farkle anyway?"
"A Farkle is a loyal, loving, best possible friend that there could be. I think everyone should have one. But they don't, and I do. And I never want him to go away."
"A Farkle is a nerdy, little scientist genius."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," I said.
"Is it?"
I could have laughed. Farkle was amazing. "No! Not to me. And not to the people who care about you."
"So it's okay if I stay the scientist that I am?" Farkle asked.
"Yes!" I thought the answer was obvious.
"And you'll allow me to run some tests?"
"What kind?" Lucas wondered nervously.
"In order for a living organism to thrive, it needs to be allowed to grow. I may not wear my turtlenecks every day."
"I'll miss them," I replied.
"You still wanna take over the world?" Lucas asked.
"I wanna take over myself first. But then, yeah, the world."
"Well, we're right here next to you," I said throwing an arm around him.
"Thanks. I never want that to change."
I knew it never would.