******TAKES PLACE AFTER THE GIRL MEETS TEXAS TRILOGY. *******

Emily's POV

I was laying in bed, under my covers, fully dressed for school. When Maya walks in.

"Cough, cough. Sniffle." I say.

"No, no, no, no. You can't be sick. We have to go pick up Riley, and I don't know how to do this life thing alone." Maya says to me.

"I think I have the foo foo plague." I tell her, getting the fake disease from Riley a few weeks ago when we were talking about fake sicknesses.

"You do? And what do you take for that?" Maya asks me. I sigh.

"Foo foo medicine. And it makes you really sleepy. 'Night Bye." I say and hide under the covers.

"Okay, so I'm looking up your fake disease on the fake internet..." She says.

"Can I have a sick day, please?" I ask her, a pleading tone in my voice.

"It wants to know if you have a crushing weight on your chest. Do you have a crushing weight?"

"Yep. Crushing weight. Yep, yep." I say, then yelp as Maya sits on me. "Oh, no! Oh, no! Maya, I really do. I have the foo foo thing! It's like there's an elephant on my chest." I exclaim.

"I am at most a labradoodle." She tells me. I shrug, agreeing as she pulls the covers out from me.

"Maya, you have to get far, far away from me. I don't want you to catch this." I tell her.

"I know. That would be terrible." She says and gets into my bed and rolls all over me. "Okay, now can we please go to school now and get out of EmmyTown?" She asks me. I go quiet. "What? I just said, "Can we get out of EmmyTow--" I shove Maya off my bed. "Oof. What is it with you? That's just a word I made up."

"I know what it means. It means that I'm weird and broken and the town is filled with sad gummy bears." I say. 

"It means you're unique." She tells me. I shake my head.

"I don't want to be unique. I don't want anybody to notice me." I say to her.

"Since when? EmmyTown is where you live." She says to me.

"Well maybe that's not where I want to live anymore." I tell her. She gives me a confused look.

"Do you want me to get mom?" She asks me.

"No, I want you to stop calling it EmmyTown." I tell her.

"Emily come on. EmmyTown is where you have lived since you where like five. What's changed? It's EmmyTown! Nothing is meant to change." She says to me. I stand up and walk closer to her. "Is this serious or are we having fun?" She asks me.

"You are a bully." I say to her.

"Okay, that's not fun." She says.

"I don't like being laughed at, Maya. Nobody likes being laughed at." I tell her.

"I'm not laughing at you. Who's laughing at you?" She asks me, confused and slightly concerned.

"You never should have come up with it, and you're a bully. Okay?" I say to her and grab my bag, leaving my own bedroom. 

--------

In class later that morning.

"In what ways do human beings resolve conflict?" Cory asks us.

"Bring in the mama." Zay answers.

"They talk it out." Farkle says.

"They go to war." Lucas replies.

"Why can't they talk it out?" Farkle asks.

"They go to war." Lucas repeats.

"Oh, okay. You and me against Farkle." Zay says and shakes with Lucas. I roll my eyes.

"They talk it out." Farkle says.

"They go to war!" Lucas exclaims.

"Let's get him!" Zay exclaims.

Farkle gets a styrofoam ball gun and shoots at Lucas and Zay. "You shoulda talked it out." I smirk slightly.

"Many conflicts escalate and do not end well. The story of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr is a prime example. Anybody know what happened? Emily?" He asks me. I sigh.

"Please stop picking on me." I say.

"What?" Cory asks confused.

"They had a duel. Burr killed Hamilton." Farkle says.

"In 1791, Burr captured a senate seat from Hamilton's father-in-law, which launched their rivalry. Then Burr accused Hamilton of publicly insulting him." My phone goes off and I read it as he is talking. "Emily, no one should be texting you in class."

"I agree." I say and turn to Maya and Riley and say "I don't want you to say "EmmyTown" anymore." I tell them.

"I like Rileytown. I like you and I like to say whatever I want." Maya says.

"Now, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel to resolve their conflict." Cory says.

"Maybe that's what we should do." I say.

"Maybe you want to hear what happened to them first." Maya tells me.

"Hamilton believed the duel wasn't morally right, so he fired his pistol in the air. Burr, believing he had been shot at, fired at Hamilton and killed him. So, why am I telling you guys a story about what happens when you fail to resolve a conflict peacefully?" Lucas raises his hand up. "Lucas?"

"People get hurt." Lucas says.

"What do we need to learn?" Cory asks.

"I need to learn how to resolve a conflict." I say.

"What's going on?" He asks us.

"She thinks I'm a bully because I keep saying something she doesn't like." Maya explains.

"A bully isn't someone who says something you don't like. A bully is someone who uses power and intimidation to hurt others. There's a big difference between having a conflict with a friend and having a bully. So don't just throw that word around." Cory says.

"There are other words you shouldn't just throw around, either." I say.

"What? Like EmmyTown, the place where you live because you're there right now?" Maya asks.

"Maya! I asked you not to. Why do we have to keep on talking about this?" I ask her, a slight pleading look in my eyes.

"Because the most powerful tool in the human being arsenal is the ability to solve conflict with words.

"You guys think I'm weird and broken and messed up." I tell Maya and Riley.

"No kidding. You're unique and wonderful, and I love it here in EmmyTown." Maya says.

I stand up to Maya and Riley, and say. "I challenge you both to a duel."

"Okay, you're not really understanding this at all. Maya, Riley, please help her understand." Matthews says.

Maya and Riley stand up. "I accept. Duel to the death."

"Thank you very much." Cory says.

--------

I was standing out in the hall, no one was really around. I was playing with my necklace, the one Farkle had given me. "What's going on with you?" I hear a voice ask. I turn and see Farkle.

"Nothing. I'm fine." I say to him. I go to walk around him but he grabs my wrist. I try to hide the pain on my face but I know he noticed.

"Emily." He says.

"What?" I ask.

"I know you. I know when you're lying. So why are you lying right to my face?" He asks me.

I look down, trying not to let any tears fall. "Em-"

"Farkle. I'm fine." I say to him. "I'll see you later." I say then pull my wrist out of his grasp and walk away; trying to not let tears fall.

-----------

Farkle in Southern accent, says to me. "You will come back to me after the war, won't you, Darlin'?" He asks. I give him a look.

"Just give me the ice cream, Farkle." I say and he hands me both ice creams.

"Why are you my second, Huckleberry? Shouldn't you be over there with Riley?" Maya asks Huckleberry. Zay was Riley's second, as Farkle was mine.

"Well, it was decided if things get out of hand, I was the best choice to... contain you." Lucas says.

"Oh. You think you can?" Maya asks.

"Yeah, but I'll probably pay for it pretty good." Lucas replies.

"Why would you let them do this?" Cory asks Topanga.

"Oh, it's a slow day and the ice cream expires Tomorrow." Topanga says.

Maya scratches her backside against mine and Riley's.

"What are you doing?" We both ask her.

"I'm itchy." She replies.

"Maya, Riley, as the one challenged to this duel, you both get the first shot. All right, you'll take three paces, turn, and fire." Zay says.

"How do you know how to do this so well, Zay?"

"Well, back in Texas, we call this a Wednesday. Ice cream ready? One... two... three... turn... Fire!" He exclaims. "Wait a minute. Something's wrong." Farkle and Lucas pull him away from Riley Maya and I's path. "Oh, that would have been bad. Fire!"

Maya and Riley give there ice cream cones to Cory and Topanga.

"That's the best way to resolve a conflict I ever saw." Cory says and licks the ice cream cone. "This tastes one day before expired."

"Emily, take a hint, please, so we can all be done with this." Topanga tells me.

"This will be done when you treat me like an ordinary person who nobody notices." I say to them.

"You're not. You're a sweet, weird person and I love you just the way you are. Deal with it." Maya tells me. She goes to give me a hug, along with riley but I smear the ice cream cones in their faces.

"Don't call it EmmyTown and just leave me alone." I say before walking of the Bakery.

----------

Maya's POV

Lucas dries my face with a towel. "No need to contain me, Lucas. I'm fine." I tell him, lying.

"How are you fine? You don't look fine." He says to me.

"Because that's not Emily at all.  Something's really wrong. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews... Emily, Riley and I have a conflict. It won't teach us anything if you guys step in." I say to them.

"Okay. We're here if you need us." Cory says to us.

"I know." I say.

"Why are you so calm?" Lucas asks me.

"Because this isn't her. This isn't Emily at all." I say to them. Riley nods agreeing.

"Well, what could have changed her all of a sudden?" Zay asks.

"This is like when I always used to wear my turtlenecks and then there was somebody that didn't like that I..." Farkle trails off. "Oh, my Gosh." He says.

"What?" I ask him.

Lucas notices Farkle staring at him. "What are you looking at?"

"You gots to go." Farkle says.

"What?" Lucas asks.

"We need more towels." Farkle tells him.

"What?"

"The girls need more towels." He says.

"We're fine." Riley and I both say in unison.

"Get them more towels!" Farkle exclaims.

"Okay." Lucas says.

"Yes, sir." Zay says and the two leave the room.

"What's going on?" I ask

"Of course she loves Rileytown. Of course she's weird and she may be broken but she's unique. That's what we all love about her." Farkle tells me.

"So what's the problem?" I ask her.

"Somebody doesn't." Farkle says.

"What?" Riley asks.

"Emily doesn't want to be her because she feels like a nothing. Because a bully makes you feel like a nothing. A bully took something I liked about myself and made me feel bad about it." Farkle says.

"But why would she think I would ever do that? I'm her best friend. I'm her sister. Why is she yelling at me?" I ask him.

"Because I think she's trying to get you to hear her." Farkle says. "Have you realized she's been wearing long sleeves again?" He asks me.

"Long sleeves?" I ask. "She only wore those to hide the bruises and scars. But no one is hurting her." I tell him.

"What if she's hurting herself?" Farkle asks. I look down with a sigh.

"She wouldn't- would she?" I ask.

"She might. It might be another way of trying to get us to hear her." He tells me.

"Hear what? Why does she keep talking about a bully if she knows I'm not--" I then realize. "What? Oh, no." I get up and leave. 

--------------

Emily's POV

I was sitting in my bedroom with the door locked. I didn't want anyone to come in. I was sitting here, starring at my phone. I keep getting texts. I hear my window open. I look over and see Maya climbing through it.

"We have something to talk about, you and me." She tells me.

"I don't like it when we fight." I say to her.

"I'm going to be your best friend and your sister for the rest of your life. We're gonna have some conflicts along the way." She says to me as she sits down next to me.

"What will we do?" I ask her.

"We will work them out. We'll always work them out because we're friends. And if things get rough, maybe we'll throw some ice cream at each other, but we'll still be friends because that's what reasonable people do." She explains to me.

"So we have no conflict anymore?" I ask the blond.

"No. Now we have a new one. Why wouldn't you come to me? Or Farkle? How could you not come to us if someone is bullying you?" She asks me.

"I'm humiliated, Maya. I didn't want to let you see me humiliated. I didn't want to be the weak girl you found surrounded by glass, crying. I didn't want to be her again." I say.

"You thought it would just go away?" She asks me.

"Mm-hmm. It's getting worse." I say to her.

"You know what the difference is between a conflict with a bully and a conflict with a friend?" She asks me.

"What?" I ask. Maya gives me a hug. "You're the worst bully ever, Peaches." I tell her.

Maya chuckles. "I know. Peaches the bully just... doesn't strike fear into the hearts of anybody."

"I called you a bully and I ice creamed you and Riley. I'm really sorry." I say to her, a few tears falling down my face.

"It's okay." She says.

"Will you get back at me for the ice cream?" I ask her.

"Oh, yeah, and you're never gonna see it coming." Maya tells me.

"Couldn't you tell me just before you were gonna do it?" I ask.

"No, Honey. That would hurt my enjoyment." She says to me.

"I'm sorry I took everything out on you." I tell her.

"It's okay. You had to take it out on somebody. I'm glad you felt safe enough to take it out on me. And I'm sorry I didn't hear what you were trying to say earlier. But can you promise me something?"

"What?" I ask.

"Don't hurt yourself again." She says to me. I look down. "Farkle found out." She tells me.

"I'm gona have to tell him, aren't I?" I ask her.

"Yeah but you're not alone Em, you never will be." I give her a weak smile.

"Well, I will never go at you again." I tell her.

"No, it's okay. I can take it. Let it all out." She tells me.

"I'm better now." I tell her.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure you are. That's good. EmmyTown." She says again, making me upset again.

"Stop saying that! People shouldn't make fun of other people. What did I ever do to you?" I ask her and stand up. "You exist. You exist, and you're weird, and you're broken. you shouldn't get to live here. You don't deserve it. You deserved what he did to you. What your dad did to you." I say, about the texts, now crying. "Stop being who you are... or I'm gonna put my foot in your weird, stupid, broken face."

"Okay." Maya says.

"I'm fine." I say crying.

"I'm not. How long?" She asks me.

"A few weeks. Right after we got back from Texas." I let out a sob. "This has been going on a few weeks. I was scared to tell you or Farkle."

"Emmy, I got you." She says, hugging me.

"I tried dealing with her, Maya. She's not a reasonable person. How do I handle this? I don't know how to handle this." I tell her.

"Not alone." She replies.

"But I thought I was supposed to learn how to resolve a conflict." I say.

"You have a bully!" She says.

"And I have conflict?" I ask.

"You are incredibly screwy." Maya says.

"And I'm screwy, and I have a bully, and I have a conflict? What a tough day in EmmyTown." I say.

"Okay. So now we know two things. First, you are going to stay exactly who you are."

"What else?" I ask her.

"I don't think Lucas or Farkle will." She tells me.

----------------

"This should hold." Riley says after her, Maya and I barricaded my window so neither Farkle or Lucas could get in

Lucas breaks through the stuff barricading the window and looks at me. "Why would you not tell me about this?"

"I should be able to fight my own battles, Lucas."

"Well what about Farkle?" He asks me. "You're his girlfriend and you didn't even tell him." He says to me.

"I should be able to fight my own battles."

"No, you shouldn't. And you don't have to, Emily. That's the point of having friends. And did you really think there was anything you could put in this window to keep me from helping you?" He asks me.

"We don't like it when you get like this. Tell him, Maya." Riley says to him.

"Um... Lucas, pick up that bed with one arm." Maya says.

"Em, you wouldn't let me keep this kind of stuff to myself. You think we're gonna let you?" Farkle asks me as he enters through my window.

Zay opens door with a bowl of cereal; my coco puffs. We all look at him. "So what? You guys just come through the window and that's okay? I don't like it. Impolite. Oh, and I took some cereal. You're out of milk... now."

"You took my coco puffs." I say to him. He looks at the bowl then back at me. He goes to say something but Lucas cuts him off.

"I don't think it's right that Emily's always the first one to come help us but doesn't come to us when she needs help."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I should have told you. I just didn't want to put this on you guys." I tell them.

"We're friends. We can figure out anything." Farkle says to me.

"But what if you're dealing with someone who--" I start but my phone goes off. I read the text. "why won't it just stop?" I ask, a few tears falling down my face.

Farkle grabs my phone and puts it on the bed before wrapping his arms around me in a hug.

------------

I want to talk to you. I know there's something going on." Cory says to me the next day in class.

"Do you want me to tell you what it is?" I ask him.

"Do you want to, Emily? Because so far, you haven't told me, and I respect that." He tells me.

"It ain't good." Maya says.

"Yeah, I figured. But you're on it?" Cory asks her.

"Yes." She says.

He looks behind me at Farkle. "You're on it?"

"Always." Farkle replies. Cory nods and looks at Lucas.

"And you're on it?" He asks.

"Yep." Lucas says.

"The right way?" Cory asks him.

"We'll see." Lucas replies.

"The right way, Lucas. You know why? Because Aaron Burr might have won his duel by killing his rival, but he never held office again and he'll forever be known for this. You understand?" Cory says.

"Yes, sir." Lucas says.

"Farkle?"

"Everything will be okay, Mr. Matthews. It always is." He tells Mr. Matthews.

"Yeah, why do you suppose it always is? Zay?" Matthews asks the boy, who looks puzzled. "It's on the board." He tells him.

"The first one." Zay says. Friendship.

"That's right." Matthews says.

"And then you're going to tell us about the second one." Zay says. Growth.

"I am." Cory replies.

"Yeah, I know how this goes." Zay says.

"There's nothing more valuable than friends when you have to go through life. But even if your friends aren't around, even if you're all alone, there's always someone to turn to. A parent or a teacher. It's okay to ask for help. That's because there's so much out there that makes its way to you guys so much easier now." He explains.

"How do we fight that?" I ask.

"Well, now we turn to growth. Rely on each other. Grow together. But sometimes you have to grow by yourself. But whatever it is that makes it's way to you, it's just shadows from your intimidating world. Don't live in the shadow. Your growth can help you get back into the sun."

"Thanks, Matthews." I say to him. He nods.

"Sarah, Darby, Jade, Yindra, Wyatt, Jeffrey, Haley, Nate, Yogi, Dave, Clarissa, know there are lots of groups of friends in here and I know you guys go through stuff, too." He says. "Your math teacher helps you guys out, right? And relates Algebra to your lives? You guys okay?" He asks them. "Learn from each other. Continue to grow. And always know that I'm here for you." Cory says. The bell rings and Riley, Maya and I leave class.

--------------

We were at Topanga's bakery sitting on the couches. I had my head leaning on Farkle's shoulder.

"If you want me to Emily, I will take care of this for you." Lucas tells me. I sigh and sit up.

"Thank you but no." I say to him.

"Riley, Emily and I got this." Maya says.

I sigh again. "No. Thank you Maya, but no."

"You're gonna face this head on?" Zay asks me.

"Yes." I answer. "I think I know who it is, but I'm not gonna tell you guys. I'm gonna talk to them straight on and tell them to stop. And if they don't, I change my phone number and I will ignore them. Because I don't wanna drag more people into this. It's between me and her. That's it." I tell them.

I grab my bag. "I'll see you guys later."

--------------

I was standing out in the hall of the school, waiting for her to show up. I watch as she walks up.

"Hi." I say to her. I sigh. "You need to stop texting me, you need to leave me alone." I tell her. "Because what you say to me doesn't affect me like you want it to anymore. I have my best friends to help me. And I think the only reason you are doing this is because either you just have that much free time you spend it thinking of ways to hurt me. Or you're jealous. Of what? I have no idea. My life has sucked since the day my birth mom left." I say.

"So if your jealous. You need to fix that. You know if you were nicer to people, maybe you would have more friends to be there with you. I would be friends with you but I know I'm not the only person you have bullied." I say to her.

"But I'm telling you all this so you will stop. Your words wont hurt me after I walk away. Because yes I am a weird, broken, stupid person, and I make mistakes and my mistakes, I will learn from them and I will become better. I wont be broken the rest of my life. Maybe for a long time, but not my whole life." I explain. "You may think that I don't deserve the people I have in my life right now, and I may not, but they're there and just because you bully me to try make me push them away, it wont work because I know I know my best friends wont leave. I love them and they love me." I say. "So yes, I am a weird, broken girl who probably doesn't deserve what I have. But I have it and nothing you say will ever change it."

"I'm done letting your words get to me. I wont allow your words make me feel the way they did, not again. So stop texting me. Stop making me feel like crap. Leave me alone. Leave the others you bully alone, because we are all just human beings living in this world." I say to her. She sighs and begins walking away. "Have a nice day." I say then turn around, closing my locker. I see Maya and the others standing there.

"There she goes, getting smaller and smaller with each step." Maya says. I smile at her. She hugs me and I hug her back. I look at Farkle over her shoulder. He smiles at me, which I return.

-------------------------

Later that day, I was at Farkle's. We were supposed to be watching a movie but I wasn't paying attention to it. "Em?" I look up at him.

"Let me see your wrist." He says to me.

"No. Why?" I ask.

"Emmy." He says. I sigh and he grabs my hand and puls up my sleeve. And then he sighed. I pull my arm away and fix my sleeve before moving so that I was sitting up, with my back on the headboard. He follows and does the same. "Emily."

"No, just please." I say, not wanting to talk about it.

"We need to talk about it." He says to me. I shake my head. "Emily, please." He says. I look over at him.

"I'm sorry." I say to him.

"You don't have to apologize. You just- I wish you would have told me. I hate that you thought you couldn't talk to me. Em, I'll always be here for you. I never want you to feel alone or sad or scared. I never want you to feel like that is the only thing you can do." He tells me. I look down at my necklace that I was now playing with in my hands.

"I just, I thought that if I told you all of what was going on, you would think they were right. That I don't deserve you or Maya and the others." I tell him.

"You can always talk to me. And if someone doesn't deserve anything, it's me. I don't deserve you. You're an amazing girl and I love you and everything about you. You've been my best friend since first grade. You'll always be my best friend. You're my girlfriend and I don't know how I deserve you." He tells me. I give him a small smile. "You are one of the best things that's ever happened in my life, and I love you and I don't wanna lose you."

"I love you too Farkle and I don't wanna lose you either." I say to him. He smiles at me and kisses me lightly, before pulling away.

"So, do you wanna finish the movie or we can just keep talking." He asks me. I let out a laugh.

"I wanna finish the movie. But we can talk more after." I say, a smile on my face.

"Okay." He says and turns back on the movie.

-----------------

So I did this chapter. I know her whole speech sucked, and I'm sorry but I didn't know all of what to put. What did you think of the ending? Anyways what did you all think? Please comment. Thanks for reading. Bye.

-Kelly.