"If you have friends who actually like you, you're popular enough." - E. Lockhart, 'Real Live Boyfriends'

(Oct. 14) Popularity is something we as humans can get addicted to. We strive to be known by a group of people. But we learned this week that that's not what matters, especially if you don't be yourself.

~<3~

( Song (don't hate me, but I was clueless and this song is super catchy) ~ Popular - Wicked)

We stood in the hallway of the school. "Look what's happening; look what's coming," Riley said excitedly.

"What's coming, crazy?" Maya asked, humoring her.

"Invitations... to the seventh-grade parties. It's begun. We could be party girls. I'm going to need a party-girl walk." She then proceeded to do one of the craziest walks I'd seen in my life.

"Yeah, that's not it," I noted, adjusting my backpack. Riley just kept going.

"You know, there are going to be boys at these parties. But not just any boys. No, opposite-sex boys. They're the best kind."

"No kidding." This is bad.

"Yeah, you sound ready for this."

"Oh, I am. And I may just be the first girl who crosses over from our side of the room to the..."

"Yeah, it's gonna be us." Maya and I chorused after pausing for a moment.

"Yeah, it's gonna be you," Riley said at the same time. "You know what pretty-boy hipster is handing out invitations to... don't you?"

"A party?" I asked confusedly as she tapped me on the shoulder.

"Membership cards to the popular club."

Maya groaned. "Why can't you just let it be a party?"

"Yeah, it sounded normal when it was just a party."

"Because this is it, right here. This where you two go one way and I go the other way. You get the invite and you marry pretty-boy hipster and his best friend and I end up marrying Anthony Delveccio and we buy things in bulk. You're gonna be popular. I'm not." She started rubbing Maya's hair. "Good for you." She started rubbing mine. "Good girls. Bye-bye, Maya. Kenz." She started sobbing. "Bye-bye."

At that moment, "Pretty-Boy Hipster" walked up, holding out his arm to give Riley an invitation. She moved his arm to face us. He moved it back. "Yay! For me. Girls, I know you didn't get one, but is it okay if I'm really happy?"

"You go get 'em, tiger." Riley "party-girl" walked out.

"I love you, but you're a lot of work." I said before the two of us "party-girl" walked out.

~<3~

We walked into history class and Riley walked straight to Matthews' desk, her invitation on it. "Boom!"

He picked it up. "You got invited to something?"

"So much for genetics, baby."

"Ooh, seventh-grade party. Yup, I didn't get invited to a whole lot of these. Your mom did," He pointed to me. "but not me. Good for you. I'm proud of you. Boy-girl party?"

"Yup."

Then both Riley and Cory chorused. "You can't go."

"May we approach?" Yeah, we got the gist of things by now.

"Hurry, please." They chorused again.

"We're gonna keep your young'un out of trouble, sir."

"Yup, she's safe with us."

"Hart, Huxton, you both are trouble. Why would I want my young'un anywhere near the same party you're gonna be at?"

Maya grinned. "You wouldn't. Say it."

"You know you wanna say it."

He turned to Riley. "You can't go if Kenzie and Maya are invited." We pointed to Riley.

"They're not invited."

"So much for genetics, baby." I mimicked.

"Then you may go." Maya justified.

"Thanks, daddy."

Maya and I turned to the class. "Alright, good day, everybody."

"Everybody out, class dismissed." Almost everybody except Farkle stood up.

"Sit down!" Matthews reprimanded.

"Sit down." The three of us girls chorused to the class. They sat back down and so did we.

"So, there's this guy Damocles who–" I tried to cut him off,

"Who the heck named this guy! I mean out of all the names they could've pick–"

"Who really really wants to be king. One day, he gets an invitation to come to sit on the throne and actually hang with royalty."

Riley banged her hands on the desk. "No!"

"'Sup, Riles? Pop's lesson hitting a little too close to home?"

"Like that's never happened before," I said sarcastically. Literally almost all his lessons were us.

"Nope, what he's saying has nothing to do with me. Yes, I've been invited to hang with middle-school royalty, but nothing bad could happen."

Matthews nodded. "I'm sure you're right. Farkle!"

Farkle started to tell us what happened. "When Damocles s–"

"It's like they were asking for him to get bullied. Oh. Sorry, Farkle." I need to control my thinking to speaking input.

"When he sat on the throne he noticed a sword hanging over it, held up by a single tiny thread."

"Maya," Matthews called on her.

"Be careful what you wish for?"

"Why?"

"Being what other people want you to be is just a sword hanging over your head."

"Good. Riley."

"Nothing to do with me."

~<3~

The four of us (Matthews, Riley, Maya, and I) were in the hallway of the place the party was held at. "Well looky here, teacher daddy, nothing hanging over my head except this here halo of popularity." She turned to Maya and I. "And yay for you, my best friends, for watching me with smiles."

Maya and I had both figured something was up. "Yeah, we're smiling."

"We're watching." "Prettyboy Hipster", as we have titled him, walked into the room we were in front of, and Riley did a happy dance then crossed her arms.

"Alright, alright. Half hour you can stay. I'm waiting right here." Matthews said as Riley rang the doorbell. "I changed my mind. I want you both in there. Protect your friend."

Maya shrugged. "We can't do that, sir. Weren't invited."

"So much for genetics, baby." I reminded him.

"Will ya stop that?" He asked as I grinned. "And why is that exactly?"

"About to find out, sir. Smile."

"Watch. Enjoy the show." Here's where it got interesting.

The door opened revealing Farkle. "Greetings, fellow partygoer."

"Farkle?" Riley asked, confused.

"Starting to become clear, sir?" I asked, grinning.

"Oh, yeah. I'm smiling real big."

Farkle cleared his throat. "Announcing the arrival of party guest number six, female number one."

"I'm a female, Farkle." Some girl said, slightly flirtatiously, doing a strange pose.

"You getting this yet?" Maya asked.

Riley turns to us. "But pretty boy, pretty boy's still here." She protested.

"Wait for it," I said, imitating Shawn Spencer.

"Prettyboy Hipster" took off his trenchcoat, revealing to be two academically advanced kids that I recognized from school.

Matthews laughed. "That's the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Riley turned to us. "It's a geek party."

"I know, honey." Maya and I chorused.

"Everybody look at Riley." All of the kids at the party turned, then changed in unison. "Honk honk waka cha."

Matthews started laughing again. "Honey, stay an hour. Stay a week, stay forever. Just enjoy." He turned to us. "Hey, you know what would make this just perfect for me?"

"Have you noticed the lightsabers hanging from the ceiling precariously over your head?" One of the kids that were in the trenchcoat asked. Riley looked up and one of the lightsaber toys descended and pointed at her.

"Damocles."

"Watch your mouth." I goofily reprimanded her.

"There it is." Matthews laughed.

"I know." Maya and I laughed along.

~<3~

Maya and I stomped into our classroom, grabbing Farkle by the collar with a hand each. "Okay, Farkle. Where is she?"

"What'd you do with her?" I growled.

"Whatever have I done to deserve this display of affection?" He asked. That boy is crazy.

"This look like affection to you?" We asked.

"I takes it however it comes." He touched his chin. "Right here, nurse." I flicked him with my finger on the spot where he pointed,

"She wasn't there when I tried to pick her up this morning and I couldn't find her in the halls."

'What'd you do with our girl?"

"Makenzie, Maya release the Farkle." She never calls me by my full name... Oh. We turned around to see Riley, who was dressed as a Harajuku girl. "Farkle didn't do anything except open my eyes to what the world really thinks I am."

"A Harajuku girl?"

"No one thinks that."

"Yes, because I figured if what I am is nerdy-geeky, I'm going to set the nerdy-geeky world on fire."

Maya and I turned to her Matthews and chorused. "You take it."

"Nope, beyond me. All yours."

"Why should I struggle to be popular when I can be these people's express fairy queen? Ha!"

"Ha!" The two boys from last night yelled. Riley nodded and walked to her desk. Maya moved and Riley pulled her chair out.

"No, please." Maya protested. "The one guy was two guys."

"The sword fell."

" This is the way you're gonna go?"

"You're gonna embrace this?" I asked in shock.

"Deal with it. I've gone over to the dork side." Yikes. That was both funny and rude at the same time.

"This isn't you."

"At all."

"This is her," Farkle said.

"They love this me," Riley said smiling.

"So do we," I said frowning.

"We're not changing you back," Maya stated, sitting down.

Matthews shook his head. "Oh, yes you are. My daughter's going through this week's crazy, you get in there."

"Father, may we continue with the lesson? I seek knowledge."

"Never mind, leave her alone."

"Look at her." We exclaimed, pointing to Riley who had put her chin on her desk and was reading to herself. No offense, but Riley wasn't a reader.

Matthews shrugged and ran to the two boys. "All right, what do you guys know about girls?"

"Mostly we're terrified of them, sir."

"So we try to keep our distance."

Matthews grinned. "Well, then I choose empress fairy nut job." Riley leaned back and extended her arms outward as students did the robot dance. My life is so weird.

~<3~

"This is not who you are. What do you know about being a Harajuku girl?" Maria asked as the class ended.

"Nothing! The answer is she knows nothing about that!" I exclaimed.

"I don't have to know anything except that they love it. Sorry, Maya, Kenzie, I walk with a different crowd now. And as you can see, I am quite the influence on them." Riley waved at her "crowd," before walking to her desk.

"Girls?"

"She's gone, sir."

"We can't do anything now."

Farkle smiled. "Yes, she is."

~<3~

Maya and I came through the bay window. "Okay, I'm gonna take one last shot at this while I believe Riley is still in there and not completely under the spell of- " I stopped and we both looked at Farkle, who pointed to us and said, "Ladies."

Maya grabbed his arm pulling him down to the floor. "Farkle!" I put a hand on her arm, trying to get her to calm down.

Farkle stood up. "She's one of us now, Maya, Kenz." I pulled him to the floor this time.

"She's one of us, Farkle," I said frustratedly. He pulled me down by my shoulder as he stood up.

"You're not letting her reach her full potential." He grabbed Riley's arm and pulled her close to him while I stupid up.

Maya turned to Riley. "The world I know wants you to be yourself. In my world, it needs you in it."

Farkle turned Riley to face him. "You're one of us now. And I've decided to prove it by letting you help the John Quincy Adams' spelling-bee team to the regional finals."

"Really?"

"I'm right about you, Riley. I know I am." He replied.

"Thank you, Farkle." She turned to us and said. "Sorry, girls. The world wants what it wants. And right now, the world wants me like this."

"This isn't over, Farkle." We growled.

"I'm not scared."

"Oh, really?" Maya and I pulled him down again, then he pulled us down again.

"Guys, what about me?" Riley asked. Then, the three of us pulled her down.

~<3~

'Welcome, to this qualifying round of the city regional spelling bee between our own John Quincy Adams Middle School," Matthews said as some of our "fans" started clapping, "and Einstein Academy." The students from Einstein Academy started clapping.

"Formidable opponents... And Smackle." Rivalry much?

"I will destroy you." The girl replied.

"I am energy, you can't destroy energy. Ha!"

The girl then proceeded to mouth "I love you" when Farkle's mouth was turned.

"Riley, get up there and show us who you really are." Farkle encouraged. Riley stood up and got behind the podium.

"Okay, Ms. Matthews." That's our cue. "Your first word is -" Maya and I stood up, placing a card on top of his. "Girls, you can't-"

"Check out the word, Mr. Matthews." We chorused

"Maya, Kenz, what are you doing?"

"Hey, Farkle's not the only one with a master plan."

"Yeah, we can be evil geniuses."

"Ms. Matthews, your word is Harajuku."

"Excuse me?"

"Harajuku."

"Uh, may I have the meaning of the word?"

"Oh, you don't know? Then let me tell you. It's a real neighborhood in Japan, where authentic Japanese girls have created an authentic look and life for themselves that is unique to them."

"Country of origin?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Can I hear it in a sentence?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah." She pointed to me.

"'Stop pretending to be a Harajuku girl, because you're not; you're Riley.' R-i-l-e-y."

"Five seconds, Ms. Matthews, or you're eliminated."

"What do you mean "eliminated"?"

"It means you won't a part of the group anymore." Farkle sighed.

"Harajuku," She sighed taking the pair of glasses off, "something I am n-o-t. Sorry, Farkle. It was a lovely party and your friends are really cool."

The boys looked at each other. "We are?"

"We've never been called that before."

"Thanks, Riley. We feel the same way about you." Farkle said as the buzzer buzzed. She walked to some empty seats and we say down.

"Well, I guess we're back to where popular is gonna be kind of hard, huh?"

"We wouldn't know," Maya said.

"And let's not try so hard to find out," I added, putting my arm around Riley's neck as we leaned our heads on Maya's shoulders. Who cared about popularity, we were friends.