Emily's POV

"Riley, Em, I have to tell you guys something." Maya says. 

"I don't want to know." Riley says.

"I wanna know." I say and the school bell rings.

"Riles, Em, something happened." Maya tells us. 

"I don't need to know what happened." Riley says.

"I need to know!" I exclaim. 

"No, I need to tell you. Both of you. You need to know." Maya says to us. 

"Maya, I know a lot of things are going to happen." Riley says. "You know what else I know?" She asks, "I liked the new boy and you stepped back for me... And then I saw how scared you were for him. You need to feel whatever you feel. How could I ever keep that from you? Whatever happens, happens." Riley tells the blond. 

We started walking towards class when Lucas shows up Oh, great they're gonna be awkward. "My brother! Hey!" Riley shouts. I share a look with Maya. 

"Hi. Hey, Riley. You know, um... I want to thank you again for believing in me and giving me the confidence that I would be okay." Lucas tells her. 

"I will always believe in you. And I will always be here." Riley replies. 

"Thank you, Riley." He says to her.

"Hi." He says to Maya.

"Hey." She says.

"Hey." He repeats.

"Hi." She says.

"Wow." He says then walks into the classroom. 

"Hey, Riley." Charlie says, walking up. I roll my eyes.

"Hi, Charlie." She says to him. 

Charlie Gardner!" I say in a amused tone. 

"Stop it." Riley says to me. 

"Cheese souffle!" Maya says next. 

"Maya, we just got back. What could he possibly know? Who could have possibly said anything?" Riley asks us. I raise and eyebrow and we all look at Zay and Austin. 

"He made me." Austin says. 

"How did he make you?" Riley asks him. 

"Zay was like wanna hear a great Riley story?" I said yes. Then I was like, "you wanna hear a great Riley story?" To Charlie, He said, "yes." Austin explains. 

"I heard you and Lucas are just gonna be friends." Charlie says. 

"Yeah, actually, what we're doing is..." Riley trails off. 

"I heard you're free. Are you free?" Charlie asks.

-------

We were now in the bay window.

"I don't want this."

"We're confused." Maya says. 

"I don't want this either." Topanga says. 

"We're going into high school." I say. 

"Do you know what your priority is in high school?" Topanga asks us. 

"High school." Matthews says. 

"It's where you further your minds and you get an education. You know why?" She asks. "So that you're smart enough to not find yourself in a situation like this."

"We're not in a situation."

"Yes you are." I say to Riley.

"Everything's fine." She insists. 

"Maya?" Panga asks, 

"We're in a situation." Maya says. 

"Why do we have to have feelings?" I ask.

"You don't. Get rid of 'Em." Cory says to us. 

"You think you like Lucas?" Topanga asks Maya. 

"How can you not like him?" She asks. 

"I didn't think you liked anybody." Cory says. 

"It's my facade." Maya says. 

"Don't use big words correctly. It's not who ya are."

"We're Riley, Emily and Maya." Riley says. 

"We know our priorities..." Maya says, 

"And nothin' and nobody could ever come between us." I say. 

"You are three confused kids who think you know what you're doing." Matthews says.

"Hey, I'm not the one who likes Lucas. I like Farkle." I say. 

"But you don't." Matthews says, ignoring my comment. "So, don't do anything."

"Nothing is as easy as it seems when feelings are involved." Topanga says. 

"Mom, it is easy." Riley says. I shake my head. "Lucas is like my brother and... I want Maya to be happy."

"You think being the master of tombstone the bull is hard?" Topanga asks. 

That is nothing compared to being the master of your feelings, Riley. They will shake you around and they will send you flying. Sometimes you hold on and sometimes you let go. It's the scariest ride there is."

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Maya asks.

"Don't feel. I want you not to feel." Matthews says. 

"Do they have to go to high school?" Topanga asks about the three of us. 

"No! I have the power. I can hold them back." Matthews replies. 

"Dad, you can't hold us back. We're growing up." Riley says. 

"Can I hold them back?" He asks. 

"No." Panga answers. 

"Can anything hold them back?"

"No."  

"Are you okay, Riley?" Topanga asks her. 

"I'm going to need to figure that out."

"Are you okay?" Panga asks Maya. 

"I'm gonna need to let her figure that out."

"Oh, no... They're gonna figure it out. What do we do?"

"We trust them." Topanga answers her husband, 

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard." I nod agreeing with Matthews.

----

"The hoover dam on the Arizona/Nevada border holds back ten trillion gallons of confused 14-year-old feelings that look to smack down the concrete structure of your life and my life, and it can't take it and I don't want it, so everybody sit here and nobody move! Because as strong as the structural integrity of the hoover dam might be, just one little, tiny drop of water that makes its way through this barrier will chip away at the structural integrity of our lives as we know them, and the immediate result is the end of my personal happiness! So, your assignment is to hold everything back until I die and not let anything through!" Matthews says to us.

"Riley, what's that?" He asks his daughter as she gets passed a note from Charlie. 

"Nothing." She replies. 

"Riley... Did something get through?" He asks his daughter. 

"Riley, something happened between me and Lucas." Maya suddenly says.

"Finally!" I exclaim loudly. They all look at me. I slowly shrink back in my chair.

"Oh, boy." Lucas says.

Riley turns to face Charlie. "Yes, Charlie. I will go out with you." She says. 

"Hoover dam." Matthews says.

"Holy shit." I say.

-------

The next day in class.

"Matthews, we know that everything you teach is always about us, but this is just lazy!"

"I don't have the time! I'm going right for it! You don't think I could mash this up with the end of world war ii if I wanted to? America loves Russia! Then America doesn't love Russia! Japan loves France now! Japan asks France to go bowling! So they go on a couple of dates, but then Japan says to France, "I just want to be friends." So France says, "I got enough friends." So they try to be civil with each other, but there's a certain chill while they're hanging out by the lockers. There's a chill! You don't think everyone in this room is going bowling with everybody else at some point? Riley, Maya, and Lucas is all about everybody in this room, in every room, in the whole world, and the universe! They just got there first! The jerks!" Mr. Matthews rambles.

"Dad!" Riley says. 

"You're going to high school. You are growing up in spite of my wishes. It's real now. What's happened already is nothing compared to what's gonna happen to you now. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. Don't let anything bad happen to you!" Matthews says and then grabs his briefcase.

"The class isn't over yet, sir." Lucas says. 

"Nah, I've had it." He says to Lucas then leaves.

---------

"So this is our new relationship?" Maya asks Lucas as we were all at Topanga's, minus Riley. The two were on a date with Zay and I watching.

"Yeah." He says. "How's it going so far?"

"Weird, man. You guys don't have to watch." Maya tells us. 

"I can't look away!" I say to my sorta sister.

"How's it goin'?" Farkle asks. 

"Look at 'Em!" I say to Farkle, gesturing to the two blonds.

"You think they like each other?" Farkle asks Zay and I. 

"I do. But I think they liked each other better when she was yelling at him all the time." I tell them.  

"What about Riley and Lucas?"

"Well, I only knew Lucas before I came here, but then I met Riley, and she's just like him." Zay says.

"How?" Farkle asks Zay as he sits next to me, grabbing my hand.

"Well, the thing we all knew about Lucas is Lucas would do anything for his friends. And I never thought there could be anybody else like that, but Riley is." Zay explains. 

"So you think they are like brother and sister?" Farkle asks. 

"No, I just think they have a lot in common." Zay answers. "I mean, Riley would do anything for her friends, too."  

"Yeah." I say. 

"And I think she did." Zay continues. 

"So... what are you thinkin'?" Lucas asks the blond sitting next to him. 

"Oh, now? Oh, it's so funny you mention that. Actually, right now, in this exact moment, what I was thinking, what was running through my head was actually, if you don't start talking to me, I'm gonna pour this smoothie right over your head. So, why don't you give me the best you got?" Maya asks him. 

"Did I ever tell you once, I delivered a baby horse?" I shake my head. Maya pours her smoothie on him. "Actually, it looked kind of like this. The miracle of life." He says.

----------

"Riley, I can't be your brother anymore." Lucas says to her. walking into Topanga's the next night. Tonight was the night of Riley and Charlie's date.

"Hey, Friar. Do you think you can pick a better time for this big announcement? Riley and I are gonna go on a date." Charlie buds into their conversation.

"You are?" Lucas asks. 

"No holding hands or talking. Best date ever." We all give Charlie a look. "I know it's not, but it's what I got."

"Those are the rules?" Farkle asks.

"Who goes on a date and doesn't talk to each other?" Lucas asks, then looks at Maya. "Oh, yeah. We do."

"Hi. Hello. Hey Riley, can we go?" Charlie asks her. "I like to be there for the previews of coming attractions. When I'm not there for the previews of coming attractions, I feel like I didn't see the whole movie."

"Hey Riley, what do you do when you sit next to huckleberry?" Maya asks her. 

"Maya, I can't give you advice like that." Riley says. 

"Sure you can. You're his sister, right?" Maya says. 

"Nope. Not anymore." Lucas says. 

"Why?" Riley asks. 

"Auggie says we can't." Lucas says. 

"Hey, Friar..." Charlie says but is ignored. 

"And you know what? I think he's right. You already have a great brother." Lucas tells the brunette. 

"Hey, Friar!" Charlie says, yet again, but is ignored. 

"Then what will you be?" Riley asks. 

"He'll be me, because it's me now." Charlie says.

"Yeah. Sorry. You have every right."

"I also want to be there early to get snacks 'cause if we're not talking or holding hands, I was gonna buy some popcorn and licorice." Charlie says. 

"You mean popcorn and chocolate." Lucas says. 

"I'm not you!" Charlie says. 

"Okay!" Lucas exclaims. "Anyway, Auggie loves you, Riley. So, I'm gonna step back from being your brother."

"Say "me now." Charlie says to Maya. 

"Me now."

"You have every right."

"I break the licorice into little pieces so every time I take a handful of popcorn, I get a surprise." Charlie says. "I'm adorable. How are you not seeing this?"

"You see? Lucas does anything for anybody. I mean, he sacrifices being Riley's brother so he doesn't hurt Auggie's feelings." Zay says. 

"Well, same with Riley. She's stepping back from Lucas because she's doing exactly the same thing." Farkle says. I nod, agreeing. 

"Farkle, stop." Riley says to him.

"But I thought she didn't like him like that anymore." Zay says. 

No, Riley's stepping back from Lucas because she doesn't..." Riley drags me outside, Farkle following.

"Okay, she ends up with Emily and Farkle. How did we not see that coming?" Charlie asks.

------

"Farkle, Em, you don't know what's going on. Stop thinking." Riley says to the two of us. 

"I know Auggie's right. He's your only brother." Farkle says. 

"I've seen the way you look at Auggie, and I've seen the way you look at Lucas. It's not the same." I say to the brunette.

"I... I think I know my own feelings." Riley says to us. 

"You're a liar." Farkle and I say in unison. 

"Farkle, Emily." She says. 

"You're lying to yourself." I say to her. 

"Lucas and I don't make a good couple."

"You were both just nervous because that's not who you are." Farkle tells her.

"Okay, okay." She says. "But what about Maya?"

"We're not really sure how Maya feels." Farkle says. 

"You're not sure? How can you guys not be sure?" She asks us. 

"This isn't about her. I'm talking about how you feel." I say to her. 

"Emily, how do you even know about that? You weren't even there." She says to us. 

"Doesn't matter." I say. 

"What you're thinking is how you really feel." Farkle tells her. 

"I don't care. Farkle, Maya is mine and Em's best friend. She cares about him and he cares about her too." She tells us. 

"He might, but we know he likes you." I say to her. 

"You can't tell anybody." Riley says.

"I will, unless you do." Farkle says.

"Why?" She asks.

"Because we are growing up." I tell her. 

"And I don't know how to handle these feelings we're feeling. But I do know that we don't lie to each other." Farkle says. "We don't lie to each other, Riley."

"You're right. This is really hard and maybe I just need some time."

"We're always here for you." I say to her. I love you guys." She says to us, giving us a hug. 

"And we love you." I say. "Now go on your date." I tell her. And Charlie walks out. 

"Ready?" He asks her. 

"For the previews of coming attractions? Yeah." She says and the two leave. 

"I'm sure we're all wondering what happens now." Farkle says to me.

"We go get ice cream?" I ask, a smile on my face. He smiles back at me and gives me a small kiss.

-----------

Okay so I'm leaving this off here. How'd you guys like it? I think the ending was cute. Emily ships Lucaya. So next chapter is GM Forgiveness Project. I have plans but if any of you have suggestions, please comment. Anyways please comment. Thanks for reading. Bye.

-Kelly.