“Yay!” Riley bounced up and down and wrapped her arms around her friend, squeezing him tight.
“Well, that’s settled, then,” Farkle gasped in amazement and delight, savoring every moment of Riley’s embrace.
But Maya wasn’t happy about the interruption. “Are you here for a reason, Farkle?” she asked impatiently.
“I’ve got two tickets to a concert, but there’s three of us,” he whined. “So who do I take?”
“You see?” Riley turned to look at Maya. “That right there is a very original situation. There will be many twists and turns that no one will see coming!”
“I liked the way you hugged me, Riley. I’m taking you,” Farkle quickly concluded, ducking away from the window and disappearing.
Riley dropped her jaw in exaggerated surprise. “I did not see that coming,” she swore, shaking her head at Maya.
“So we’re back!” Maya declared, eagerly smacking her hands together. She recounted the scene: “Subway car. You lock eyes. You fall into his lap. You grab Lucas by the face. You start moving toward him and—”
“Riley!” Mr. Matthews burst through the door with Riley’s mom beside him. He didn’t always have the best timing, but at that moment, it was pretty darn impeccable.
“Yay! Did I do something? Am I grounded? Does she have to leave?” Riley’s words tumbled out of her mouth in an enthusiastic torrent as she turned to look at Maya and frowned apologetically. “You have to leave.”
“No, we’re glad you’re both here,” Mrs. Matthews said. “We need you to babysit Auggie.”
“They need us to babysit Auggie!” Riley raved, certain this was precisely what was needed to steer Maya’s focus in a new—and much better—direction.
But instead, Maya practically yawned in Riley’s face. “Been there, done that.”
“Things could happen twice!” Riley insisted.
Mrs. Matthews didn’t like the sound of that. “Unless it’s an emergency, we don’t want to hear from you,” she warned them.
“What could happen?” Riley wondered, her voice dropping dramatically as she searched her mind for some solid possibilities. “I’ll tell you! We’ll put too much soap in the washing machine and then we’ll find a puppy and say, ‘Can we keep him?’ and then his owner will show up. It’ll be this hot guy that Maya will totally like—”
“Yayyy!” At long last, Maya hopped on Riley’s imaginary wild ride.
“But he’ll move away because Maya can never be happy—” Riley continued.
“Booo!” Maya frowned.
“You see?” Riley shot a sly grin at her best friend. “We got a lot going on today!”
“Tomorrow,” Mr. Matthews said, correcting her.
“Huh?” Riley wrinkled up her nose.
“Yeah, we need you to babysit tomorrow,” Mrs. Matthews told her.
“Today we got nothin’,” Mr. Matthews added with a lame shrug as he and Riley’s mom spun around and left the room.
“So!” Maya growled eagerly without skipping a beat. “You got Lucas by the face and—”
“Help me!” Auggie begged, marching through the doorway.
“Yay! Auggie!” Riley leapt up and raced over to pick up her perfect, cherubic little brother, then carried him back to the window seat and plunked him down between her and Maya. “Do you have any problems that I can help you with?”
“Well, I made a new friend at school,” Auggie began, his voice full of worry as he turned from Riley to Maya and back to Riley. “What if Mom doesn’t like him? What if she picks him up and puts him in the hallway like Ava? What if no one is ever good enough for Mommy’s little boy?”
Riley wrapped an arm around Auggie and ruffled his thick dark curls. “This is a thing!” She tossed a triumphant smile at Maya.
“Ehh. Not a whole thing.” Maya crossed her legs and shook her long blond hair indifferently. “We check back on this twice, tops.”
“I would be involved in it!” Riley insisted.
But Maya shook her head and stared at the ceiling. “Completely your mother’s thing.”
Riley considered that for a moment. Maya had a point. Why did she have to be right about this? “Yeah.” She frowned at her little brother. “Scram.”
Auggie slowly got up from the window seat and marched out of the room, shouting, “Moooommmmm!” as he made his way down the hall.
Then it was just Maya and Riley. Riley and Maya. Sitting there on the old, familiar window seat. Nothing to say. Nothing to see. Nothing to do. “So…that’s everybody we know, huh?” Riley forced a tight smile.
“Not quite,” Maya replied. “You’ve got one more friend who has a problem you can get involved in.”
“I do? Who?” Riley would take anyone at that point.
Maya smiled and raised her hand.
“Oh, yeah!” Riley grinned, sliding a little closer and linking arms with Maya as she practically cheered, “My troubled, misunderstood friend. People love your problems! You’re a mess!”
“Thanks,” Maya grumbled. “My problem is that I have a best friend who doesn’t want to talk about the most important thing going on in her life and I don’t know what to do. Can you help me, please?”
Ugh. There it was. No more tiptoeing around the subject. Maya had whacked her right over the head with it. Fine. “I kissed Lucas,” Riley finally said, swallowing the lump in her throat. Saying the words out loud was enough to fill her entire belly with butterflies.
“You don’t say!” Maya sounded so giddy, so relieved.
If only Riley could feel the same sense of calm. “What happens now?” she asked softly, searching her best friend’s eyes for some sort of reassurance.
It was the question she’d avoided asking herself, not to mention Lucas, ever since that night on the subway. But she knew she was going to have to figure it out eventually. Even if she wasn’t quite ready for the answer, apparently Maya couldn’t wait.
Later that day, at school, Riley wasn’t any closer to knowing what was going to happen between her and Lucas. All she knew was that things had changed. They were in uncharted territory, and at some point they were going to have to learn how to interact with each other in a whole new way. Fortunately, they were also going to have to learn what her dad was about to start teaching the class—meaning Riley could push her uncertain future with Lucas to the back of her mind again. For now.
“The New World,” said Mr. Matthews, standing in front of the chalkboard, where he’d written ELLIS ISLAND: IMMIGRATION. “People who lived their whole lives in a certain place traveled to a new land of new feelings and new opportunities, having no idea how to behave in this brand-new society.”
What the…? Yet again, Riley’s dad seemed to have been eavesdropping on her thoughts—and this didn’t sound like a history lesson so much as a play-by-play of everything that was happening between her and Lucas! With heat quickly rising to her cheeks, Riley spun around to look at Lucas, who was already shooting an equally confused and concerned look back at her.
“Lucas, what did you tell him?” Riley loud-whispered after turning back around in her seat, avoiding his stare.
“Nothing. I. Am. Also. Uncomfortable.” Lucas spoke like an awkward robot version of himself.
Ever the astute observer, Farkle looked at Maya and whispered, “Wait, Mr. Matthews doesn’t know Riley kissed Lucas?”
“Nope,” Maya replied with eager delight.
“So everything he says is making them uncomfortable?”
“Uh-huh.” Maya was grinning from ear to ear.
“Shall we take advantage of this?” Farkle wondered aloud.
“How could we not?” Maya agreed.
“I will begin!” Farkle jumped up from his chair and addressed the teacher. “So, Mr. Matthews. Tell me. After you’ve had the courage to close your eyes and take the face of the New World in your trembling hands…” He raised his hands, closed his eyes tight, and puckered up.
Oh, dear. Oh, my. What is Farkle doing? Riley wondered as she le
t out a pained little “yeep.”
Apparently, Mr. Matthews was wondering the same thing. “What are you trying to say, Farkle?” he asked, squinting at the auburn-haired brainiac.
“Are you supposed to be a couple next or what?” Farkle blurted out.
“Huh?” Mr. Matthews scrunched up his face, completely lost.
“What?” Riley gasped, nowhere near as lost as she wanted to be.
“Huh?” Lucas glared at Farkle.
“Oh, you don’t understand my question?” Farkle looked from Lucas to Maya and extended his arms toward her. “Perhaps my dear friend Ms. Maya Penelope Hart could help me out.…”
The moment Maya’s middle name shot out of Farkle’s mouth, a combination of fear and anger flashed across her face.
“Penelope!” taunted their classmate Sarah, her eyes dancing with amusement behind thick-framed glasses as she grinned at Maya.
“Farkle!” Maya scowled.
“It came out! It just came out! It came out! It just came out!” Farkle stammered apologetically, collapsing back into his chair.
“Penelope?” Lucas smirked at his desk behind Maya’s, clearly thrilled that he finally had something he could tease her about.
Maya spun around in her chair and stared him down. “Really, Huckleberry, you wanna play with me right now?”
“No.” Lucas instantly backed off.
“’Cause you’ve done quite enough, haven’t you?” Maya continued, leaning over Lucas’s desk and puckering up her lips at him.
“Maya.” Lucas glared at her.
“Maya,” Riley added firmly.
“Mr. Matthews.” Maya spun back around, her lips curled in an eager grin. “I think what Farkle is trying to say is, once you’ve kissed—”
“Yeep,” Riley squeaked.
“—the shores of this new world, I bet your friends from the Old World would want to hear about how the New World is, and if you don’t tell them, well, that’s just selfish!”
Luckily for Riley, Mr. Matthews was still lost. “What are you trying to say, Penelope?”
“Are you supposed to be a couple or what?” Maya demanded.
“All right,” Mr. Matthews said, exasperated, “what’s going on here, guys?”
“Nothing!” Riley insisted, fumbling around on her desk. “Could we just for once read from the book?” She opened to a chapter in the middle and quickly began reading. “‘The boy and girl had no idea of the changes they would soon be facing. Everything around them was different, including their own bodies.’” Riley stopped abruptly when the words registered in her brain. “What the…?”
Maya stifled a laugh. “You’re reading your health book.”
Farkle held up a finger and shot a terrified look at Riley. “Word of warning—page seventy-three. I don’t understand it! It makes no sense! It looks impossible!”
Mr. Matthews had had enough. “Riley! What is going on here?” he asked again.
“Farkle kissed my hand!” Maya volunteered in a noble effort to cover for her best friend.
“You did?” Mr. Matthews looked impressed as he glanced at Farkle.
“It was glorious.” Farkle sighed.
“It was,” Maya agreed, keeping up the charade. “I went home and questioned everything.”
“Okay.” Mr. Matthews nodded and took a few steps toward Riley’s desk. “And where were you when all of this hand kissing was going on?”
“Nowhere with no one doing nothing with nobody!” Riley said forcefully, staring straight ahead and avoiding her father’s eyes.
Mr. Matthews tilted his head, examining his daughter as if she was a science experiment. Then he slowly and deliberately walked to Lucas and examined him. Lucas looked back at Mr. Matthews as innocently as possible but then jumped straight out of his chair and raced from the classroom, climbing over students and desks as he made his escape. Mr. Matthews walked back to Riley and continued to examine her from every possible angle.
Unable to take another uncomfortable moment, Riley turned to Maya, desperate to make her own escape. “Auggie now.”
Shrugging, Maya finally relented. “I don’t see where else we can go.”
If only focusing on her little brother’s problems could make Riley’s disappear. But somehow she knew it wouldn’t be quite that easy.
Back at the Matthews apartment, Auggie was excited to have his new friend over to play. He silently hoped that his mom would stay at the kitchen table doing her lawyer work while he did his own work making sure they had fun.
“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to buy you something before you came over,” Auggie said as they sat on the couch in the living room.
“You don’t have to buy me something,” his friend replied.
Auggie was so used to his kinda-sorta girlfriend, Ava, from down the hall, demanding gifts that he was a bit confused by this. “Why else would you come over?”
“I came to play with you.”
Mrs. Matthews had been so busy working she’d hardly noticed that Mr. Matthews had brought Auggie and his friend home. But when she caught the tail end of their conversation, she rushed to the couch and plopped herself down between the boys. “Auggie! Who’s your nice normal friend who isn’t Ava and doesn’t need gifts to come over and play with you?”
“Doy!” Auggie’s friend replied, looking up at Mrs. Matthews with his sweet brown puppy-dog eyes.
“Excuse me?” Mrs. Matthews stared at the boy like he’d just sprouted a second head.
Auggie immediately grabbed his mother by the shoulder. “Leave it alone, Mom,” he begged.
But Mrs. Matthews wasn’t known for leaving things alone. “Okay, wait a minute, though. Your name, again? Will you just spell that for me?”
“D-e-w-e-y,” the boy replied, then crossed his little arms before boldly concluding, “Doy.”
“Wait a minute.” Mrs. Matthews stared harder at Auggie’s friend, as if yet another head had sprouted.
“The ‘w’ is silent,” Dewey explained, batting his lashes.
“Let it be silent,” Auggie implored his mom. “He’s my first bro.”
Mrs. Matthews plastered on her sweetest smile as she looked from Auggie to Dewey. “Okay, but see, honey, the ‘w’ is actually…not…silent.”
“No!” Dewey shrieked.
“Yes,” Mrs. Matthews insisted.
“Doyyy!” the little boy screamed, flinging out his arms defiantly.
“Let him be right, Mom,” Auggie commanded.
“Except he’s not right.” Mrs. Matthews, still smiling sweetly, looked from Auggie to Dewey. “No, see, his name is not Doyyy. It’s Dewey! With a ‘w’…that you say.”
That was absolutely not what Dewey wanted to hear. Staring into Mrs. Matthews’s face, he looked like he’d just been punched in the gut and began to hyperventilate. “Hihh—hiih—”
“Wh-wha-what is that?” Mrs. Matthews began to panic a bit herself. “What are you doing?”
Dewey’s wheezing suddenly erupted into an explosive, uncontrollable scream so loud that his entire face turned as red as the stripes on his hooded sweatshirt, causing Mrs. Matthews and Auggie to lean back in shock.
“You ruined my playdate!” Auggie yelled at his mom, throwing his hands up in frustration.
“I’m sorry!” Mrs. Matthews looked at her poor little boy and then stared into the teary eyes of his friend. “I’m so sorry, Dewey.”
“DOYYYYYY!” he screamed so loudly that Mrs. Matthews and Auggie nearly fell off the couch.
Hearing the screams, Mr. Matthews raced into the living room to see what was wrong. “What the…?” He turned to look at Mrs. Matthews. “What’d you do to Doy?”
Mrs. Matthews did a double take. Had her husband just said what she thought he’d said? “Are you kidding me, Cory?”
But Mr. Matthews had already gotten to know Auggie’s new friend quite well. “It’s Coy,” he told his wife firmly. “Around him, it’s Coy.” Then, turning to Dewey and kneeling down, he threw hi
s arms open wide and added, “Come to Coy, Doy.”
Dewey raced to the safe haven of Mr. Matthews’s arms. “Can we go to Auggie’s room?” the little boy sobbed.
“Yes!” Mr. Matthews agreed, on the verge of tears himself as he grabbed the little boy’s hand. “I’ll go and read you a stoy.”
With that, Mr. Matthews led Auggie and his friend out of the room, leaving Mrs. Matthews all alone. She shook her head and crossed her arms, marveling at the scene she’d just witnessed. What had happened to her husband? What had happened to her son? How could they possibly go along with Dewey on this? She was not going to let it go that easily. She needed some answers.
After school, Riley grabbed her books from her locker, desperate to make her escape with Maya and get home to Auggie and his problems. But when she spun around to leave, she discovered a huge crowd of girls staring at her like wild animals stalking their prey.
“Everybody stop looking at me!” Riley scowled.
“Tell us.” Sarah leaned in eagerly.
“I don’t kiss and tell,” Riley replied.
“Didja kiss?” Darby widened her blue eyes, ready for all the details.
“Yes,” Riley admitted before realizing what she was saying.
“Tell!” Darby insisted.
“And take your time,” Sarah added with a mischievous grin.
Riley leaned back against her locker and frowned. It was none of their business. “Nothing happened,” she told them, extending an arm to tap her best friend on the shoulder. “Back me up, Maya.”
But instead of complying, Maya turned to face the lockers, her back to the crowd of girls as she wrapped her arms around herself and launched into a fake making-out act, prompting all the girls to giggle.
“That’s inaccurate,” Riley said, pointing at Maya.
So Maya spun around, pushed her palms to her cheeks, and did the whole kissy-face, smooching-noises thing.
Okay, fine. Riley couldn’t resist a smile as she motioned to Maya and said, “Yeah, that’s pretty good.”
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the indoor quad, Lucas sat next to Farkle and attempted to fight off his own swarm of wild animal stalkers.
Friend Power Page 4
