After a major storm or hurricane, it seems like everything's unsteady. Like you could blink and something terrible could happen. The same could be said for after you experience a tragedy. But then, slowly but surely, it gets better.

For me, it was finally getting better. I was settled at Maya's house. I didn't think about my dad leaving me. I didn't think about my mom dying. I just lived life. Until I blinked. Then everything changed.

~<3~

"Y'know what I like?" Riley asked Maya and I as we walked into the school. "Life. And I like it when it doesn't change." She paused, turning to us. "We should sing our happy song."

"We don't have a happy song." I pointed out.

"We should have a happy song."

"We will never have a happy song." Maya said.

"Not with that attitude." The bell rang and we walked into class.

"So you don't want anything to change?" I asked.

"No, I don't like change." We sat down. "Change fills my pockets with pennies of uncertainty." We stared at her questioningly, as Cory speaks up.

"All right. So should we actually learn about what happened in Belgium in 1831?" Wow. I never thought it would happen.

"No!" The one person you wouldn't expect to say did.

"No?" Cory questioned, looking at Farkle.

"I always get my hopes up and then something happens to hurt my little Farkle heart. Well, this time I refuse to believe."

"In 1831..." Cory started.

"Yes?" Farkle said excitedly, before frowning. "Wait!" He turned to Riley. "Anything going to suddenly happen to you?"

"No changes, lovin' life."

He turned to Lucas. "Anything going to happen to you?"

"Nothing ever happens to me."

"Maya? Kenz?" Maya snored and I shook my head, busy doodling. "Oh my gosh. This is it."

"In 1831..." Cory started, "Belgium-"

"What? Y'all started without me?" A familiar voice said, and I gasped, turning to exchange a glance with Lucas. Farkle stood up.

"Get out!"

Zay simply looked around. "Two people in this room are going to be very surprised to see me." He said, meeting my eyes, causing me to look down.

"Am I one?" Riley asked.

"Don't know, sugar, but could you get any cuter?"

"Well I can't answer that."

Cory interrupted? "You got a transcript, kid?"

"I do. Check out them grades." He said, handing him a paper. "Here, let me sing 'em to you. De, de, de, de, de, de... de F."

"Yeah, that's Kenz and I's song." Maya said, smiling.

"Isaiah Babineaux. From Austin, Texas." I could feel the room go silent. I knew that if I looked at Farkle he would be staring me down.

"What are you doing here, Zay?" Lucas asked.

"Well, the first thing I'm doing is waitin' for a better reaction from you." Then he turned to me. "In fact, both of you, Makenzie"

That did it. I could feel the class' eyes on me. "Maya, something's changing." Riley said, while Maya just stared at me. She looked... disappointed.

"Okay, Mr. Teach, where do I sit? You know, usually I'm more of a back row kind of guy." He looked at Back-of-the-class Brenda before turning back. "Whoa. That's unusual." Cory gestured to the seat behind Lucas. "Have a seat right there, Mr. Babineaux."

"Lucas, Kenzie, do you know this Isaiah?" Riley questioned.

Zay sat on his desk. "Yeah, tell 'em you two know me good."

"How 'bout the three of us talk later, okay?" Lucas said. I nodded in agreement.

"Well, Mr. Babineaux, if you work out as well as last year's new student, we're happy to have you."

"Wait. What? Lucas, you're doing okay here?"

"Why wouldn't he be okay here?" Riley asked innocently, causing me to cringe.

"Not currently on probation? No disciplinary actions? They just let them wander free?"

"Them?" Maya and Farkle asked.

"Makenzie and Lucas." Zay said in a 'duh' tone.

"Sit down!" Farkle yelled. "Okay new guy's all settled in and there's still class time left so do it! Do it while I'm still tingly!"

"So, In 1831, Belgium declared-"

For the second time that day, an unexpected voice spoke up. "What is the secret of life?"

Cory and Farkle simply stared at Yogi. "I'm sorry, Mr. Farkle." He stood up. "I know I'm not your daughter, but I too have value in this world. What is the secret of life?" Cory chuckled and held up the eraser.

"Don't do it!" Farkle warned. "Put that eraser down and no one gets hurt." Cory smiled and erased the chalkboard, causing Farkle to scream and pound his head on his desk.

"Yogi has asked the primary riddle of the universe: What is the secret of life? People spend their whole lives trying to figure it out. I was lucky. I had a teacher who cared about me to make sure I knew. Lucas, You got an opinion on this?"

"Yes, What do you got, Mr. Moral Compass?" Maya said, causing me to groan.

"Did you just call Lucas Friar your moral compass? What's next? You''ll call Kenzie your moral compass?" Zay asked, smirking. "Ha, they called you moral compass!" He laughed. Lucas and I turned and glared at him, while I rolled my eyes. "Okay."

"Something bad is going to happen, Maya."

Maya nodded. "Yeah. It occurs to me you're trying to tell us Ranger Rick was a little different back in Texas."

"A little? What do they know, exactly? 'Cause I wouldn't wanna say anything wrong. They know you're a year older, right?" I was starting to get more and more frustrated with Zay.

"Yeah. Now they do."

Zay shook his head. "Oh, yeah, it's my fault. Look at you! At least Makenzie told them about how her mom died." oh no. "I mean how can you not tell them you're a year older, but Kenz can tell them how she-"

I stood up, slamming my hands on the table. "Isaiah Babineaux will you shut the heck up for once!!!" I yelled.

"Okay," Cory said softly. "That's enough, Mr. Babineaux."

"Oh, so you know about them?"

"I know all about Mr. Friar and Ms. Huxton." Wait what?

"Excuse me?"

"Riley, you're shaking." Maya warned, although she was shaking just as much.

"Dad? You know something?"

"Back in Texas-"

"Lucas! You sure?" Cory interrupted.

Lucas nodded. "Back in Texas I did something. I had to leave."

"It was great! I mean, they threw him out of the whole school!"

"And whose fault was that?" I shot, although I knew it was probably also mine.

"What?" Riley asked.

"I came here to get a new start. Nobody knew me here. Well except Makenzie." Zay raised his hand and smiled. "I know them."

"Do we know you?" Maya and Riley asked us.

~<3~

It was lunchtime, and, rather than make things awkward I sat by myself for lunch. Lucas was not as smart. Anyway, I was minding my own buisness, sitting up against my locker, eating my grilled cheese, when someone sat down next to me.

"Hey." He said tentatively.

"Go away."

"You can't ignore me forever."

"I can and I will."

"We need to talk, K." I turned to face him.

"What do you want me to say, Zay! History repeats itself." I scoffed. "I was finally having a normal life, then you come and start telling everybody about my mom!"

"Look it was an accident, Kenz. I didn't realize they didn't know."

"It's always an accident with you, Zay. Lucas got kicked out of school because you accidentally told everyone what happened to my mom. So when someone bullied me about it, and then you because you stuck up for me, Lucas went crazy. You don't know when to stop, Zay. You never do." He just looked down. "Look, it's nice to see you and all... and maybe we can eventually be friends again, but for now... I need some time. I have a reputation here. I'm different then I was in Texas." I sighed, picking up my backpack and walking away.

~<3~

"You knew?!" Riley screamed at her father. I was sitting in the living room bay window, trying to act invisible.

"Well, i'm not gonna beat that." Auggie said, hopping off the table and coming sit on my lap.

Maya walked in. "Boy are you gonna get yelled at, Mr. Matthews! Oh, I missed it?" She turned to Riley. "Do it again."

Topanga sighed. "A normal people sanctuary. I'd like a fountain. Maybe a candle."

"How could you keep something like this away from me?" Riley asked.

"Just some where people don't go hysterical over every little thing."

Cory sighed. "Yes, I did know Lucas was expelled, and that something happened to Makenzie's mother."

"What?" Topanga asked, standing up.

" Topanga, you knew, I told you all about this." Cory whispered, causing me to frown. So they already knew.

"Yes, I know you told me all about this, but I want nothing to do with that!" She whispered back.

"Why would you let me like him if you know something about him?"

"Why would you let Makenzie tell us her mom died of cancer?" Maya asked.

"Riley, Maya, whatever this is about Lucas, that I know nothing about, and whatever happened to Mrs. Huxton, which I also know nothing about, I'm sure your father knows exactly what you need to learn from it."

"Really? Dad? You got anything?" Riley asked, and I looked at Maya.

"I'm sleeping over at Farkle's tonight." I told her, causing her to just frown and shrug. Why did Zay have to come?

~<3~

"Al washes a car in six minutes. Fred washes the same car in eight minutes. How long does it take Al and Fred to wash the same car together?"

"How is this anything?" Riley asked.

Farkle shot his hand up. "Three minutes twenty-five point seven seconds."

"Wrong!" Cory exclaimed, causing Farkle to stare at him blankly.

"I'm sorry what did you just say?"

"He said you're wrong." I told him, patting his shoulder.

"I'm wrong? You're a history teacher teaching English, science, whatever you got going on at home. You waltz your wife in here on career day."

"She's a respected attorney."

"My father said she should've been my mother!" That caused me to burst out in laughter.

Cory frowned. "What do you want from me?"

"Mr. Matthew teaches us about a lot of things." Lucas pointed out.

"Yeah, he's open-minded that way." I said, frowning.

"He can be open-minded because he knows who we are and what we've done." Riley shot back.

Lucas shook his head. "Oh. She took all three of us out."

"I teach this way because in my old school I had a very strict teacher."

"Feeeennaaayyy" I exclaimed. Yes, my mother told me about him.

Zay raised his hand. "Did he teach history, English, or math?"

"I don't know. But in his class there was no talking. No interruptions."

"So you didn't like him?" Zay asked again, confused.

"I loved him."

"Then why don't you teach like him?" Farkle asked.

"Because, I would never try and be like him. I could only fail. I only succeed you guys if I get my teaching across as effectively as he does."

"You do." Maya and I chorused, before turning to the class. "He does."

"Thank you, girls. And I will now. Al washes a car in six minutes. Fred washes the same car in eight minutes."

"He thinks it's math class! Somebody stop him!" Zay yelled. He pointed at Farkle. "You, what's your name?"

"Farkle."

"What did you call me?"

"My name is Farkle." He said tonelessly.

"Who would do that to you?"

Cory cleared his throat. "So your assignment today is to wash a car, together."

"With him?" Riley asked.

"Especially with him."

Farkle raised his hand. "If you do it correctly, You will find the answer is three minutes twenty-five point seven seconds."

"If you do it correctly, You will find the secret of life."

I hope you guys enjoy part one!!! This is the scene that started my idea for the book, and I can't wait to write part 2!!

What do you think happened with Zay?

How do you think Kenz was different?

Will Makenzie forgive him, and will they be friends again (or more ;)?

~Cassidy