𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 — 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

❝ 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 ❞

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

"No. You don't have my permission for this," Amanda heard Maya say from the hallway outside of Riley's bedroom, "this place has always been my sanctuary from the storm."

"Maya, we're doing it."

"It never mattered what was going on outside these windows. When I sit here with you and Mandy, I'm safe. We're not changing that."

Riley tilted her head to the side, "you looking forward to high school?"

"We don't know if that's still happening!"

"Maya, it's going to happen," Riley chuckled, "you stink at change, and I want to hit the ground running from the very first day!"

"I stink at change," Maya scoffed, "remember when you were afraid Mandy was changing? Remember when you said 'change fills my pockets with pennies of uncertainty,' you stink at change."

"Yes. But I've changed," Riley countered, "Maya, it's a natural part of growing up."

"You always have my bay window, Maya," the two girls turned to see Amanda leaning against the door frame, "mine is never changing."

"Why not?"

"Because I stink at change as well," she answered her cousin, "bad change, at least."

"But Mandy—we're going into high school—"

"So? Riley, just because we're moving from the eighth grade to the ninth grade, doesn't mean we have to change everything around us completely."

"We're doing it."

"No," Maya took a breath, "you know what I'm used to? You know what's natural? The way the sun comes in through these windows and the pillows are warm when you put your head on them, or how the moon glows off of the curtain and we don't care that it's the middle of the night because we're here, and we're safe, and we're protected."

"And we're doing it."

"Or how Farkle comes in through this window all our lives and says 'ladies!' I don't want that to ever change."

As if on cue, the boy in question comes in through the window opening and pauses before speaking, "hey."

"Why do things change, Farkle?"

"Because things grow," he answered the blonde, "did you know that every seven years, your body grows a new set of cells? Every seven years it's like you're a new person."

"Mr. Norton taught us that in science class."

"Yeah? Well, I'm exactly the same as I was when I was seven, and I'll be exactly the same when I'm—do it."

"Twenty-one," Farkle nodded, "see, the difference between you at seven and now is that at seven you just met me, and now, you've learned to use me."

"Yeah. Farkle, I hope we can say that you've grown up into a handsome young man without embarrassing you," Riley smiled.

"Uh—no, you can't."

"Look at him, Riles," Maya pinched the boy's cheek, "remember the little boy he was?"

"He saved my life. He saved my life twice!"

"When did I meet you, Farkle?"

"Christmas," Farkle reminded Amanda with a smile, "you were visiting and I slept over."

Amanda chuckled, "oh yeah! I brought my Christmas break homework over and you helped me. I remember thinking, 'I'm not gonna let this kid go,' and I didn't. I always asked Riley about you."

"And I always asked Riley about you."

"Back away from the beautiful girl, Farkle," the four that sat on the window made room for two more boys, Andrew and Lucas.

"Oh great, Riley," Maya exclaimed, "look what you did. You made hee—haw and ay—boy show up out of nowhere."

"You're changing the bay window," Andrew asked, ignoring Maya's comment.

"Boys, how does this affect you? You didn't grow up with us."

"I did. Before I moved away. I remember everything we talked about here," Andrew smiled at Riley, "and when we talked on the phone, you told me whenever we talked, you sit at the bay window and pretend I'm here with you."

"I remember," Riley smiled back, her cheeks warm.

"Yeah, and whatever is special to Amanda is special to me. I have lots of memories here. You guys have changed me in the best possible way," Lucas said as he grabbed his girlfriend's hand.

"High school is coming up," Riley reminded her group of friends, "we're changing. Look around, guys. This is a—a little girl's bedroom. It needs to change with us."

"Riley—"

"It's time to forget about the past," she cut her cousin off.

"Why do we have to," Maya asked.

Riley stood, "Maya, what's important now is—who are we going to be?"

"What happens to who we were," Maya turned to Amanda, "help me with this, wise one."

Amanda stood and faced her cousin, "Riles, I get where you're coming from. But, really think about what you're doing. This place is special. And you're lucky," she shrugged, "I didn't have a place like this. A safe place. A bay window. I didn't have anywhere to go when things got scary or bad, you do. And it's full of memories. Don't change it just because you think everyone here is changing."

"Amanda—"

"People change all of the time," Amanda continued, "what's going to happen in another seven years and we change again? You redecorate it all over again? This place is safe to me. It's safe to Maya—to everyone in this room," she paused, "you're not touching this bay window, Riley."

It was silent in the bedroom as everyone looked between the two cousins. The two girls had made up a couple nights after New Years, but the others could tell that neither Riley or Amanda were over the situation. The silence was broken when Riley reached out, grabbed a curtain, yanked on it, and pulled—causing the whole fabric to fall into Riley's hands. Amanda flinched at the noise. Before her or Maya realized, the whole room was being torn apart.

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

"How could you let them do this," Maya asked Cory and Topanga from her seat at the—now torn down— bay window. Amanda was next to her with a blank expression on her features.

"We didn't," Matthews answered with wide eyes, "what did you guys do?!"

"Riley, this is your favorite place in the world!"

"I'm just a teenage girl rearranging her room a lot."

"Uh-huh," Topanga crosses her arms, "what's really happening?"

"Just because we're going to high school, she thinks we should destroy our childhood," Amanda spoke for the first time since Riley began to tear down her room.

Matthews nodded, "okay, you know, this raises an interesting question. who here knows—"

"Stop."

"Stop what," he asked the six kids who spoke in unison.

Riley stepped forward, her faceless bear in hand, "you were about to teach us something, weren't you?"

"No..."

"Sure you were."

"It's the weekend and you can't stop," Farkle chuckled after Lucas spoke.

"You need help, Matthews," Maya nodded.

"You're not allowed to teach us anything today."

"I wasn't gonna teach you anything," Matthews stressed to Andrew.

"Yay!"

"Awe."

"Because—you already know this one."

"Awe."

"Yay!"

"The truth is, people get comfortable with what's familiar," Matthews said.

"Yeah. And when you get to comfortable, you don't allow yourself room to grow," Topanga continued for her husband.

"The worst thing you can do is fold your arms and refuse what's gonna come anyway," everyone turned to the two girls at the bay window, seeing their arms crossed, with a solemn expression.

"Honey," Topanga started to her daughter, "it's totally okay that you want to create space for new memories. Let's just keep the old memories somewhere safe. You may decide you want to visit them later," the woman shrugged as she took the faceless bear from her daughters hands.

"Okay," Riley turned to the two girls, "you see, girls? One of us is complete okay with bringing in the new."

Her parents snickered to each other in remembrance, their daughter joined the awkward laughing. Her parents explained that her statement brought back an old memory. An event that changed everything.

──

Cory Matthews just left the apartment in a panic. It was time for his wife to give birth to their son—leaving a little Maya and little Riley, behind.

"You're gonna be a big sister, Riley," little Maya said, "you're very lucky. Your family loves each other," the little girl pulled her legs to her chest.

"What's wrong, Maya," little Riley asked.

"We don't know where my daddy is."

──

"Mom?"

Morgan Matthews turned to see her thirteen year old coming into the kitchen with tear stained cheeks. Morgan had just gotten off the phone with the principal of her daughters school to find a solution to the bullying but no one was willing to take Amanda's side. No one.

"Yes, baby-cakes?"

"What's going to happen next?"

Her mother sighed, "I don't know. No one is willing to help us—help you. It's time for a change..."

"What kind of change?"

"You're moving, Amanda."

"Where are we going?"

"You are going away, I'm staying here."

"But—why—I—"

"Because, I can't handle the backlash of what you've done! Don't you get it? No one is in your corner in this situation! I have no idea what to do with you," her mother snapped.

"So that's it? You're giving up on me? Like dad did?"

"Don't you dare," her mother seethed, "room. Now, young lady."

Amanda held back tears as she ran to her bedroom, which was very small, no bay window, no safe place. She sat on her bed and pulled her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth, listening to the silent noise of the outside and inside world with tears rolling down her face for what it seemed like the hundredth time that year.

──

Somethings never change. The two girls sat at the bay window with their knees pressed against their chest—rocking back and forth, guarding themselves from reality.

Maya was the first to speak, "yeah, that was the day I decided that change wasn't such a good thing."

Riley sighed from her seat next to her bestfriend, her hand on Maya's shoulder, "sometimes it is, Maya."

"I don't want to go to high school."

"Why not?"

Maya looked at Riley, "we've always been together. What if something changes? What if something happens?"

"People drift apart in high school," Amanda spoke from her seat in between Lucas and Maya. She had her head on his shoulder, sniffling now and then.

"Girls," Riley chuckled softly as she looked around at her friends, "how could that possibly happen to us?"

"How could it possibly happen that the bay window would change," Maya rambled as she sat up from her position, "how could it possibly happen that people just—leave?"

"Or lose hope in you."

Riley tilted Maya's chin toward her, "Maya, sometimes change is good. It leads to wonderful growing up."

"What if I mess up again," Amanda asked the group, "what if one of you aren't by my side in high school and I mess up again? What if you guys leave me and practically think of me as a disgrace like my mom does?"

"Darlin', look at me," Lucas said softly, "you won't. You've learned so much from what happened at your old school. Sure, it was a horrible situation but you turned it into a positive. We call you the 'wise one' for a reason."

"This was my first safe place in a long time," Amanda said, wiping her nose with her sleeve.

"This was the first place I ever thought was safe. Even if my whole world was changing, this place never would."

Riley sighed, "then we'll put it back. We'll put it back, girls."

"Riles, we know it isn't just the bay window we're saying goodbye to," Maya said, Amanda nodding in agreement.

"It's us, right," Farkle asked, "you think you're saying goodbye to us?"

"Maya, Amanda, we're not going anywhere," Andrew reassured.

"Not in high school—"

"Not any time," Lucas finished for Farkle, his eyes still on his girlfriend, "it's always gonna be us."

"Very good," the teens turned to look at the two adults in the room, who were by the doorway.

"That's it," Andrew asked.

"Yeah."

"That's what you wanted us to learn?"

"Leave me alone."

"It's his day off," Topanga joked before she and her husband left the six teens alone.

Riley turned to her two best friends, "girls, we're never leaving. No matter where we go, or what we do, we're never leaving. High school is just the next place. Both of your safe places are us. Your safe place is me, both of you."

"And we're yours."

"Forever and always."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

edited: 27 feb 2021