Lollie Parker

"Lollie!"

She continued eating.

The footsteps began to grow louder and louder down the stairs.

"I got it!" Noah smiled.

"Got what?" Lollie asked, mouth full of cereal.

"The part-time daycare job!"

Lollie looked up at him, "Happy for you?"

"Okay," He sat down, "let me explain. With this job, it's gonna help me with college application time. It shows that I actually care about children like you and that I could possibly nurse them."

"Isn't it too early to be worrying about college and I am not a child."

"It's never too early... I'm becoming Farkle."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

"And I do so take care of you."

Lollie rolled her eyes, "Well, thank you for doing so... it's not like I have parents or anything to take care of me."

She stood up and placed her bowl in the sink, Noah turned and faced her.

"Let's just say you had a big opportunity on your plate."

"Feels like you're foreshadowing." Lollie said.

"I'm not a psychic." Noah sighed, "Anyways. Big opportunity. Would you take it or continue doing your daily life?"

"It depends on the opportunity."

"Well, this job is my big opportunity."

"I'm happy for ya. One step closer to what you actually want to do with your life."

Noah smiled, "Whatever big opportunity you have, Lollie, no matter how big or small... I hope you take it."

"Thanks."

Someone began knocking on the door.

"It's probably Maya and Riley."

Lollie walked towards the door, "We're throwing a suh suh suh." Maya said.

"Glad I know what that is."

"Surprise Sweet Sixteen." Riley smiled.

"Too bad none of us are turning sixteen."

"Listen here, Ollie." Maya started, "We don't care."

﹏﹏﹏﹏

"In every life, there are landmarks." Mr. Matthews said, "What are the historical markers of our lives? Most important first."

"Sweet Sixteen."

"No."

"Arbor Day."

"No." Mr. Matthews said, "Even Sweet Sixteen is more important than Arbor Day."

"Sweet Sixteen."

"Arbor Day."

"No. Most important first."

"Sweet Sixteen is the doorway to our driver's license." Riley said.

"Arbor Day is the doorway to nobody knows what it is."

"And college."

"You're going without me?"

"No, you're going to the little one next door."

"Yay." Maya faced Lollie, "Where are you going, darling?"

Lollie smiled, "Africa."

"No, you're going to the big one just like Riley."

"Okay, darling."

"Farkle?"

"Birth."

"Okay, let's go with that because it's not what you said." Mr. Matthews said, pointing towards Riley.

"I win the Nobel Prize for Physics." Smackle said.

"Smackle, we just got born."

"Okay. I'll wait."

"Our first birthday." Lucas said.

"So then, we celebrate our birth every year. What's next?"

"I win the Nobel Prize for Physics."

"Not yet, Smackle."

"Get to it!"

"Our first steps, our first words, our first day at school." Zay said.

As the class groaned, Farkle smiled, "Yay, The day I met Lollie and Riley and Maya and Smackle and Noah and Lucas and Zay."

"Okay, so we get born. We learn to walk and talk. We met our friends. Then what?"

Smackle smiled, "You know."

"Then we grew up and we're not little kids anymore." Lucas said.

"And it goes by fast, doesn't it?" Noah questioned.

"It goes by very fast, Mr. Parker." Mr. Matthews said, "Your adventures were my adventure not very long ago."

"Then we have our various coming of age ceremonies." Farkle added.

"Oh you mean like..."

"I want us to have a Surprise Sweet Sixteen party." Riley said.

"Riley, how is it a surprise if we all know about it?" Lucas asked.

"Because we'll be celebrating it while we're fifteen and you're twenty-four," Maya said.

"Okay, now everybody make a big ol' surprise face."

Everyone but Zay and Lollie did so.

"Can't believe half of you guys did that." Lollie said.

Zay held his hand up for a high five. Lollie smiled and gave him one.

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't count." Zay said, "I mean, it must have been a Sweet Sixteen for a reason. Why? I don't care."

"Well, now. Zay brings up an interesting point."

"No, I don't."

"Riley has an instinct to accelerate the clock." Mr. Matthews said, "Why do you think that is?"

"Because I want a party."

"Try again."

"Well, 'cause I agree with Zay. We are growing up very fast."

"What? You agree with me?"

"Yeah."

He gasped and held his hands together.

"Okay, yeah. That was fun. Hey, but watch this surprise face."

He gasped again, "Okay, only one was fun."

"Okay, so there it is, freshmen." Mr. Matthews said, "You guys are all gonna be sixteen or seventeen your junior year. You're gonna be thinkin' about where to go to college."

"Stockholm University so I can be nearby to pick up my Nobel Prize."

"We'll talk." Farkle said.

"We'll talk in Swedish."

"Okay. Smackle has her life planned out. What about the rest of you? Are you better off letting life surprise you or is there a way to be ready for whatever is gonna happen?"

"You can't prepare for the eat-in-bowl Mr. Matthews." Lollie said.

"The what?"

"The in-evit-a-ble. You always have the in-betweeners."

"Inbetweeners?"

"The things that happen between your lives. Like, Sweet Sixteens, or college, Nobel Prizes, going to Africa. You can't prepare for some of those. How could you possibly be prepared or unprepared for something like that?"

"You could always look at the landmarks of our lives so far." He said, "Have they prepared you for what's gonna come next? Happy Sweet Sixteen, everybody. Your assignment is to tell me what's gonna happen next?"

"And if we don't know?" Lollie asked.

"You'll know."

﹏﹏﹏﹏

The group all sat at Topanga's.

"Okay, let's pretend that we've finished our sophomore year and we're juniors now." Riley said.

"What changed?" Zay asked.

"I don't understand what could be calculated by projecting the future." Farkle said.

"You and Maya still be best friends?" Noah asked.

"Better than now." Maya said.

"Absolutely."

"What if someone moved?" Lollie asked, "What if one of you moved so far away you just stopped talking with each other?"

"That is speculation." Smackle said.

"Speculation is not scientific." Farkle added.

"We can't learn anything thing way."

"Lollie and Lucas still together?" Zay asked.

"I would hope so." Riley said.

Lollie faced Lucas and smiled, "What if one of us moved far, far away... like Africa and we stopped talking?"

"What's with you and Africa?" He smiled.

Her smile fell a little, "It's just far away. I would love if we were together that long."

"What about you and Farkle?" Zay asked.

"What about us?"

"Would you guys still be best friends?"

Lollie looked at Farkle, "He's my best friend and I would like to be best friends with him forever, and no matter how far we are we could be friends forever."

"Huh."

"Lollie's confidence in her relationship with Farkle is far stronger than her confidence in Lucas." Smackle said.

"Well, what can we take from this?" Farkle asked.

"I end up with Lucas."

"Smackle!"

"Yeah, like yelling at me is gonna change the course of destiny."

"You're not confident in us?" Lucas asked.

"I'm grateful for what I have with you. If I wasn't I wouldn't be here. That's my part in destiny."

"Farkle?"

"I'm grateful for Farkle."

"We're forever." He smiled.

"I believe 'em."

"So do I."

"It's what gives me hope for all of us." Lucas said.

"So, regular friends are stronger relationships than boyfriends and girlfriends." Farkle said.

Smackle pointed, "Or are those types of relationships so new to us, we simply don't understand them yet?

"Well," Noah started, "maybe that's why we take up a whole lot of high school trying to figure them out."

"I'm grateful for us too, Lollie."

Lollie smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, grabbing his hand in the process.

"What is that?" Smackle asked.

"They know there's vulnerability in that kind of relationship, and yet that happened."

"What is that? What just happened there?"

"Feelings."

"How are supposed to measure feelings? How are we supposed to know what we're gonna fee when we're juniors? What kind of dumb-head assignment is this?" Smackle questioned, now standing.

"Get out the way. She gonna explode." Zay said.

"I'm gonna fail this assignment!" She shouted, "I'm gonna fail this assignment. Click."

"Wh- what happened?"

"She crashed." Farkle said.

"What, like a computer?"

"Yeah, it's like the little rainbow wheel is spinning. She'll be back. Lucas, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure."

Zay stood up and walked towards Smackle. Snapping his fingers in front of her.

"Lollie?" Riley called, "What if we don't care about our boyfriends as much as we care about each other?"

"We show love in different ways, Riley. I care about you and Maya just like how I care about Lucas. It's just different."

"What different way?"

"Less." Maya said.

"Why do we make friendships if they're only gonna go away?"

Noah began joining Zay as they moved Smackle around.

"Why do they have to go away?" Maya asked.

"Because people move on." Lollie said.

"And we're supposed to think like juniors now." Riley said.

"So?" Maya questioned, "What's different?"

"Well, right now, there are millions of juniors all over the world deciding what college they want to get into."

Riley began to get distracted as Zay and Noah were "having a conversation" with Smackle.

"And even though they say that they're all gonna be friends forever, they're all going someplace."

"You're right. We might all separate and never talk to each other again." Lollie said.

"We're going to the same college, right?" Riley asked.

Maya sighed, "Riley-"

"We're going to the same college."

"What if I need to go to Europe or something to study Art?" Maya asked.

"Or go to Africa."

"You both will, so get into the same college as me."

"No, I won't." Maya said, "Maybe Lollie will, but I won't. We're supposed to think like juniors. That's when we know we don't stay together forever."

"Sweet Sixteen isn't sweet at all."

"They lied to us."

"Okay, you three are the strangest people alive." Zay said.

"Press any key to continue." Smackle said.

"Never mind."

Noah took her glasses off and placed them on his face.

Zay then pressed her nose, "What'd I miss?" She asked.

"Well, Lollie and Farkle are more important than Lollie and Lucas." Zay said.

"I don't think anybody missed that." She said, "I like your glasses, Noah."

"Oh. I just got 'em."

"Oh," Zay said, "uh, and we probably won't be together after high school anymore."

"Oh. Click."

"Alright, will you stop that? Who does that?"

Riley and Maya sighed, "Click."

Lollie stood up, "You and me... booth."

"Who?"

"Zay."

"Awh."

Lollie smiled and she and Zay walked towards a booth.

"What am I supposed to do?" Noah asked.

"You have the ability to move them however you please."

The two of them sat down.

"You make me laugh." Lollie said.

"I try."

"And I want you to know that you all hold value to me."

"I know... we know."

"Don't agree with me."

Zay sighed, "Fine. I won't."

"Good."

"Good."

"What I feel about Farkle is completely different than what I feel about Lucas."

"I don't agree."

"You're a good listener."

"I try." He smiled, "We know how you care about Farkle and Lucas, I personally think that when we're juniors-"

"Or going to Africa."

"Or going to Africa. I see you wanting to branch your friendship with Farkle. No matter what, we know you love Lucas if you were to go anywhere no matter how far you would want the best for Lucas. Get what I'm saying?"

Lollie nodded, "I know me. I would get him to live his life without me. Which I know he could do."

"He cares deeply about you, Lollie. That's never gonna change. No matter where you go."

﹏﹏﹏﹏

"Are we all gonna be okay?" Farkle asked.

"We always will be."

"How do you know?"

Lollie stepped forward, "I believe in us, Farkle."

"I mean, yeah, but things change. The natural evolution of all beings is to grow and change."

"Hey, I know this." Maya smiled.

"What kind of teacher is your father supposed to be?" Smackle asked, "I'm going to fail this assignment and he's gonna cost me my Nobel Prize. Does he know what he's doing?"

"Yes, he does." Maya smiled, "Finches and mockingbirds, his boat was the Beagle, and for extra credit, Galapagos."

"Charles Darwin."

"How do you know the theory of evolution?" Smackle asked.

"Because I failed it. I know it because I failed it, but he made sure I knew it because he knew I'd need it someday." Maya said, "He's a great teacher. He's the best there is."

"And like always, he's just trying to get us to evolve."

﹏﹏﹏﹏

Later that day, Lollie joined Smackle at Topanga's.

"Hi."

"Hello."

"I wanna talk."

"About?"

Lollie began looking around and sighed, "I broke up with Lucas today."

"What? Why?"

"Because I knew how much you liked him and you express your feelings towards him so easily. I- I can't do that, but you can."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you're one of my best friends, Smackle. I stepped back for you. So once he gets here it's not awkward."

"He doesn't know you're here?"

"It wouldn't matter." Lollie smiled, "What matters is that you can be your truest self with Lucas."

Lollie stood up, "No matter what happens today, express it. Express yourself."

Lollie walked towards the bar and sat down.

Lucas came in shortly later and sat down with Smackle.

"Hi."

"Hello." Smackle said, "There are lots of empty seats around, and yet you are sitting very close."

"Oh. Does that bother you?"

"Well, as you know, I don't like to be sat right next to except for Farkle."

"You have very nice eyes."

"Okay. They formed in utero, starting with my optic nerves and then my retinas."

"So it's okay with you if I just stay right here, right?"

"Well, you know, Farkle's not here and you're invading my personal space like a Hun."

"If Farkle was here, you would be making a joke like I was hitting on you. You know, Lollie and I came to an agreement that we would break up so we could get closer. And now, here we are. Finally alone."

Lollie watching everything go down saw Riley and Maya standing towards the entryway.

"And there is something I want to admit to you."

"You're hot for my mind?"

"No."

"You mean you only see me as a steaming cauldron of woman?"

"Okay."

"Lucas Friar, my heart belongs to someone else."

"Say it louder."

"Must I torture you?"

"Say it louder, Smackle." Lollie smiled.

Lollie joined the two of them, "I just always say those things because I guess I'm a little insecure that Farkle doesn't really, really like me as much as he says, so I guess I'm just trying to protect myself." Smackle said.

"You don't have to, Isadora." Farkle said, standing from behind the counter, "I like you exactly as much as I say. It's possible I might even like you more than "like you.". I don't know. Right now, that's just a hypothesis."

"Based on what?"

Zay and Noah also stood up, "Should gave seen how nervous he was from back here." Zay said.

"Should have seen how he approached me with this plan." Lollie said.

"I think we're a perfect match." Farkle said.

"You do?"

"Yeah." He said sitting across from her, "Lucas and Lollie knew how you really felt, but I wasn't sure. You can go now."

"No, stay where you are."

"Smackle."

"You may proceed."

"Lucas set this up so I could know how you really felt."

"Now you know."

Smackle looked back at the two, a sign for them to leave.

"Define "I might even like you more than "like you."."

"I like you so much that when I'm sixteen, I'll tell you to go study in Sweden if you really want to."

"No. I'm going to stupid Princeton with you."

"Lollie." Smackle called, "You and Lucas?"

"You and Farkle?"

"We're good."

"So are we."

"Wait? Sweden? Princeton?" Riley sputtered, "What's the difference? They're going away. Why do people become friends if it's not going to be forever? I don't want a Sweet Sixteen."

"You don't?" Maya asked.

"No. I don't want any surprises. I don't want anybody to go anywhere. I don't want anything to happen to us at all."

"That's the opposite of life, Riley." Lollie said.

"I don't care. Nobody move. Nobody move at all."

"You heard her." Maya said.

﹏﹏﹏﹏

"Okay, juniors," Mr. Matthews said, "how are your lives going? What's next for you? Smarkle."

The two of them stood up and walked towards the front.

"Well, Smackle and I have applied early decision to Princeton and I have a pretty good feeling we're gonna get in."

"Is that because you've maintained your excellent academic record?"

"Yes, and because in the last two years, we've cured the common cold, invented an alternative fuel source, solved global warming, and-" She sneezed, "Ah, crud."

"So, I take it Farkle and Smackle are still together."

"Yeah."

"We have feelings for each other we must figure out." Smackle said.

"Because we're people of science."

"It may tale forever."

"Good."

"Good."

"Thank you. We are Smarkle."

"All right. Zay and Noah."

"Well, I think that the big news is that Noah peaked in his sophomore year and now it's Zay time."

"Hm. This is not what we decided on."

"It's not my fault that you peaked. You're over."

"Yeah? What happened to me?"

"Know, you say that a lot now, where you're just like, "What happened to me?" and I pull you around in your little red wagon. You're like, "What happened to me?" and I'm like, "I don't know! It's Zay time. Stop bringing me down."

"So, I'm guessing you've managed to remain friends."

"That'll never change." Zay said.

"I used to have a little red wagon. Then Mariah put it in a garage sale."

"I used to have a little red wagon. My mom made me put it in the garage sale."

"Hey, if things ever do go bad..."

"I'll be there."

"Thank you, gentlemen."

"When did things start going bad?" Noah asked.

"Oh, the triangle took all the life out of you."

"Yeah."

"Double L?"

The two of them stood in front of the classroom.

Lollie folded her arms in front of her, "We didn't get past junior year."

"Why?"

"She kept talking about Africa."

"Africa-hahaha."

"Lollie." Mr. Matthews said.

"We talked about Lucas' junior year. He applies to get a scholarship for any sport and then he gets that scholarship and then he goes to that college."

"And Lollie?"

"Well," Lucas said, "I would hope that she would apply to a good art college and she'll get in no doubt."

"So separation?"

Lollie looked up, "I don't know. Don't want to think about it."

"Why not?"

"Riley said it best, we grow up and grow apart and I don't want to think about that part of my life yet especially when you have the in-betweens."

"The unknown."

"Exactly." Lollie said, "What if you had a big opportunity in one hand and your regular life in the other. What do you go for?"

"Depends on the big opportunity." Mr. Matthews said.

"That's what I said." Lollie muttered.

"I would like to also think that no matter how far Lollie and I were we would make it work."

"You two have been through a lot as a couple." Mr. Matthews said, "You had crushes, you got together, you've fought, broken up, and faith brought you two back together."

"Before I had the thoughts of being apart. I would've like to think whether we go to Princeton, Sweden, back to Texas, or staying here in New York, we would all find some form of communication." Lollie said.

"You can still do that." Mr. Matthews said.

Lollie rested her body on Lucas.

"I hope the best for the both of you. You've both come a very long way."

The two of them sent a smile to him and returned to their seats.

"Riley, Maya?"

"We looked at all of the landmarks of our lives." Riley said.

"We don't have any control being born."

"We just know that we're real lucky to be here."

"And if we get even luckier, we climb in through the right window."

"Yeah. We examined all of the landmarks of our lives from the very beginning right up until wanting a Surprise Sweet Sixteen party."

"And we found that they all have one thing in common."

"They all put us in a world of people and what we do control is the people that we want to keep in our lives and a party at any age is just another chance to be all together."

"So, I take it you're not ready for your Sweet Sixteen." Mr. Matthews said.

"No." She answered, "Maybe never. I didn't want us to go anywhere. I wanted us to sit still. But that's not life. We're freshmen. Exactly where we're supposed to be. We should enjoy this now. That's life."

"Sweet Sixteen will be a lot more sweeter when we are sixteen." Maya said, "But right now we're protected."

"We know exactly where we're gonna be for the next three years."

"So, no party." Mr. Matthews said.

"No, of course, party."

"What our landmarks have shown us is that we picked the right friends and we'll always be together."

"Life loves us."

Mr. Matthews turned and faced the class, "Lollie?"

"I believe that in our high school lives, we still have that opportunity to grow and to learn more about each other. Where friends become family." She smiled, "Hope isn't for suckers."

"And that's the best thing to celebrate at any time." Riley said.

﹏﹏﹏﹏

"Party time!" Maya shouted as they walked into the Parker household.

"I actually have things to do." Lollie said, "So, maybe, party at Riley's."

"Lollie." Noah said.

"Can't convince me otherwise. I'll stop by later."

"Lollie."

She turned around and looked at her mother, "Hi."

"Zander dropped this off."

She walked towards the table and picked up the heavy envelope.

She opened it up and read one of the letters inside.

"What is it?" Maya asked.

"Her acceptance letter to an art school in Africa." Finn said.

"You guys read this?"

"When haven't I read your mail, Lollie?" Fran asked.

She looked back down at the letter, not taking notice of the people around her. Not noticing Topanga and Auggie in the room. The young boy crying already.

"You can't go." Auggie said, "Mom tell her she can't go."

"Um," Lollie started, "You weren't going to tell anyone?" Noah asked.

"I- uh, didn't apply. Zander took in his own actions to do it for me. I had no idea that the school even existed before he brought it up."

"You two talked about this?" He asked.

"After the whole Christmas thing, he wanted to meet. I said yes, and he told me he was moving to Africa for his job. He asked me about going and then he showed me the school and how he sent in something I painted and now here we are."

"That's why you kept bringing Africa up." Riley said.

"Yeah." She whispered.

"Well, you're gonna say no." Noah said, "Right?"

"It's a great opportunity." She said tears pricked her eyes.

"Are you serious?"

"You literally said if I had a big opportunity that I should take it."

"Not this big."

"Are you mad at me? This wasn't my choice, he applied for me."

"But you've contemplated ongoing haven't you?"

She began to wipe her face, "It doesn't matter because I haven't even made a decision."

"There's a decision?" Riley asked.

"There's always a decision."

"Well," Noah started, "go."

"What?"

"Go. Leave. Have fun, don't forget us while you're in Africa."

"Noah." Finn called.

"What? You think it's fair that she has been keeping this for weeks? For us not to know?"

"We knew." Finn said, "You, Mariah, and everyone else didn't."

"I just don't think it's fair-"

"What's not fair, Lollie?" Noah asked, "It's like you're throwing what you have here away."

"What do you want me to do? Tell me what you want and I'll do it."

Both of them crying at this point, one angry crying the other having tears continuously running down their face.

"Go."

With that, he headed upstairs.

Lollie faced the others at the table, "I'm sorry."

"Sweetheart." Bailey said, she held her hand out and guided Lollie towards the table, "Whatever you decide we are going to be there regardless."

Maya gripping Riley's hand and same vise versa, crying omg each other's shoulder. Auggie sitting in his mother's lap crying as well, and Mariah... a mess of her own.

"We know this is hard. What we don't know is how hard. We'll be there no matter what choice you make, Mija."

So, what was she gonna do now?
﹏﹏﹏﹏

Word Count: 4200
Episode: Girl Meets Sweet Sixteen
Pages: 48

im sorry haven't updated in forever but i have one more chapter and ive already typed it look at me

I WANT ANIMAL CROSSING
hello i am getting animal crossing