MOST TIMES, MAVERICK DECKER was a smart, but overall weird father when it came down to it. Or atleast, that's how his daughters would describe him as.

See, Katherine and Kimberly didn't get their first phones until they were ten years old. However, when they got theirs, Maverick implemented this system that he thought was genius in his opinion.

Every weekday had two set of rules; Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays would be days in which they could go outside with their phones, but then they'd have to hand it over to him when they came home.

Tuesdays, and Thursdays; they weren't allowed to have their phones outside, but when they came home, they could use it.

The weekends were the only exceptions to both rules, but Maverick still urged them to keep their phone usage to a low.

This system was irritating at first for both girls. Many days occurred when they'd forget what type of day it was, often leaving them frustrated, sometimes towards themselves, mostly to their dad.

But with time, the system actually started working, and soon enough they understood the lesson he was teaching them, and why he was doing this. Even if they both thought it was such a cliche.

The purpose of this was to teach them that they didn't need their phone to exist, that life was meant to be lived doing things outside of their phones.

Quite meaningful—they know.

Now in present time, the trio were by their lockers, as Kat needed to get something from hers. But upon arrival, Riley and Maya notice somebody from afar.

"Look, Kat. Lone-Star is nearby," Maya announced out into the air.

A couple feet from them was Lucas himself, sitting at the bench beside Mr. Matthew's class room, his attention attached to his phone.

And yes, Katherine has already given him twenty different nicknames since they met.

Go figure.

While grabbing her books from her locker, Kat glanced at him and shrugged. "Oh—cool," she sighed, nonchalantly.

Riley gasps. "Ya hear that, Maya? She didn't gag or scoff when acknowledging his presence this time!"

"You're right!" Maya replied, veering to Kat with an impressed grin. "You've made good progress, sweetie-pie. I'm proud of you."

Kat rolls her eyes and shuts her locker door. "Alright, would you both please stop? Just because I don't react a certain way at the sight or reference of Huckleberry, doesn't mean I'm warming up to him. I still don't like him."

Riley insists, "But come on, Kitty-Kat! He doesn't seem all that bad." She gestures to where he was. "I mean, look at him."

But from where they were, the only thing in their view was his back, which wasn't helping Riley's argument at all.

"Wow, such a nice-looking back I guess?" Kat insisted, saying what was on her mind. "But seriously, what can anyone even like about him?"

"I don't know, hun. Why don't you find out for yourself?" Maya suggested.

At such an idea, Kat spits out an appalled chuckle. "Sweetie, I think I'd rather gouge my eyes out and not be able to see again before ever doing that."

Maya pursed her lips. "You know you can be a bit brutal sometimes, right?" She shines a small smile. "This is why we're best friends."

Kat grins. "I know," she assured.

Riley brings them back to her topic. "Alright, look, what we're trying to say is that it doesn't hurt to get to know someone. I mean, isn't it your goal this year to be more out there and let people in?"

"Oh, I do intend to put myself more out there for people, Riley."

"You do?"

"Of course."

Riley smiles. "Good!"

"But he isn't part of that pool of people I think I want to know," Kat assured, driving Riley's face to falter. "And maybe there is something about Lucas that'll make him likable to me, but for now, I don't think I plan on knowing what that is."

She leaves their sides afterward and walked to her Uncle's room, as the other two stayed behind in the hallway.

"This is going to be one heck of a journey, isn't it, peaches?" Riley asked with a sigh.

The blondie sighs as well, knowing she was right. "Yup, sure is, pumpkin," she affirmed, before wrapping her arm around her and dragging them into the classroom too.

⤵︎

     CORY MATTHEW'S LESSON today was about technology, which was the reason he had a phone in one hand, and a miffed look plastered on his face.

"You guys don't connect with each other. It's like you can't exist without these. You use emoticons rather than emotions. You're an unfeeling generation of zombies!" he informed antagonistically to his class.

Riley and Maya funnily thought then to lean over to each other and act like they were zombies, eating their brains.

Kat chuckles besides them. "And there goes my zombie girls."

Cory shook his head at the two. "Stop eating her," he advised, making them stop at once.

Suddenly, the door opens to one of his other students.

"You're late, Miss Myzell."

"My goldfish died," she replied flatly.

Her response drives Cory to wrap a not-so-friendly arm around her. "You see? This is what I'm talking about; Miss Myzell has clearly suffered a tragic loss, yet she does not seem in touch with her actual emotions!"

"Excuse me?" Myzell scrunched her face. "I am crying my eyes out...I'm gonna have to leave class early."

And like she said she would, she pridefully walks out, letting the door shut behind her.

Both of Cory's brows rose. "Oh, she actually made it out the door this time.

He opens the door as Myzell appears back at the doorway. "I actually made it out the door this time!" she exclaimed, shocked at her own doings.

As she walked to her seat, Kat raised her thumbs up to her. "Good Job," she said, hoping she didn't sound awkward.

Myzell grins her way. "Aww thanks, Kitty-Kat."

And to see Myzell's enthusiasm, Kat's heart leaped in joy, proud that she did such a little thing out of her comfort zone.

Bringing the conversation back to today's topic, Riley spoke up. "Dad, adjust and deal. Cell phones have been around for, like, ever."

"It'll amaze you to know that there was a whole world before you and cell phones," Cory argued.

"Yeah Riles, he's right. I don't think phone cell phones came out until the 80s or something," Kat adds to her godfather's words.

"Well, of course, you're going to agree with me, Kat. You're a book nerd." He points to his daughter and Maya. "Who's getting corrupted by these two little rascals."

"In a good way," Kat raised a finger to him.

"No, no. Not in a good way," Cory shook his head again. Kat rolls her eyes as he went to his board to draw a line across it. "This is a timeline of all human existence. Starting here." He points at the start, "-is everyone who ever lived, laughed, loved, and understood the value of life. The cellphone era, which begins right around here," drawing a line near the end, "pretty much destroys all of that. Way to go, you."

Lucas raises his hand. "Sir, if I may take a different position?"

"Yeah, save me, Mr. Friar. Do I go too far?"

"Always, sir," he replied, truthfully. "I understand your point, but I use my phone to video chat my old friends and to find out what's going on in Texas."

"Yeah. How else can he keep tabs on all the hoedowns and cattle pageants?" Maya mocked in an obnoxious country accent, clapping her hands together.

"Oh, Maya..."

"It's okay, red. Just like I'm unbothered by your obnoxious presence every day, I'm unaffected by Maya's views of country life. As my Uncle Buster always says, "Be like an eagle and soar above the mockingbird."

Kat giggles. "Seems like you and I are the mockingbirds, Maya."

"I know," the blondie deadpanned. She turns around to Lucas with a glare. "You know, it also kills me that I can't get to you."

"Sorry," he tips his imaginary hat. "Ma'am."

Turning back around, Maya just shudders in annoyance.

Farkle raises his hand too. "Farkle time, sir?"

"Oh, I love Farkle time," Cory grinned as he switched places with him.

Farkle began his rant, "With all due respect to history, Mr. Matthews, what's important to our generation will be on this side of the timeline," motioning to the left end of the line, "-when Farkle and technology rule." He's smirking by now. "And I will easily be able to make another one of you," he plucks a piece of Riley's hair.

"Ow."

"One of you," plucks Maya's hair.

"Ow," Maya deadpanned with a stony stare.

"And another one you," plucks Kat's hair.

"Ow!" she groans, her hand flying to her hair.

As he shoved their hair into his back pocket, Riley questioned, "Wait, so now there's six of us and one of you?"

"That's awesome," Farkle responded, letting his smirk stay alive on his lips. "The future, you can't escape it, I am Farkle!"

He walks back to his seat after, with Cory back to his table. "The assignment, you can't escape it, I am teacher!" he enthusiastically points to himself. "Okay, so here's what we're going to do, guys. We're going to split into teams and discover whether or not new technology has made us better people. You'll do presentations on your findings. And here's a twist. No computers."

"What?!" Farkle yelped out.

"We're going old school. You're going to do your research at the New York Public Library."

"Where?!" Maya shouted, her expression twisting.

Though, unlike her and Farkle, Kat was ecstatic. "Oh, yay!" she clapped her hands eagerly.

Cory adds, "And here's another twist because I trust you not at all. Give me your cell phones."

"No!" Riley cried.

Murmurs of complaining erupted around the classroom as everyone brought their phones up to the front, handing them over to Cory.

"Yeah. Come on, hand 'em up, hand 'em up. Thank you, thank you," he says while grabbing their phones. "Okay, so our teams for this assignment. Maya.."

Quickly, Farkle rushed to sit on Maya's lap. "What up!" he says, acting all cool until she pushes him off of her.

Kat chortles at them, but before she even knows it, her world shuts down.

"And Katherine, you will be with Lucas."

"Excuse me!" they yell out together.

Their gazes flash to one another, with different degrees of disgust on their faces.

"You want me to work with her?!"

"You want me to work with him?!"

Again, they looked back to each other, still infuriated by this. "Eugh!" they shivered in a growing revulsion.

"Play nice, you two," Cory advised.

"No!" Kat objected. "No, I will not play nice and I will continue to not play nice until class is over because this is outrageous!"

The bell suddenly rings, much to Katherine's demise.

"Oh, goddamn it!" she shrieked.

This was actually happening. One of Kat's worst nightmares was finally coming true sooner than she expected. She almost couldn't believe it.

Everyone leaves the class then, especially Lucas.

Meanwhile, Kat took her sweet time packing up before trudging up to her godfather. "Okay, listen here, old man," she began, "I get you're teaching us about living without our technology, but seriously? Pairing me up with Sir. Texas? Are you purposefully trying to drive me insane or something?!"

Cory gives her a look. "Look, you know I mean well with what I do in this class. And since you and Lucas both moved here, all the interactions I've seen between you two end with sourness in the air, and frankly, that isn't what I want from either of you, especially since you both are still trying to adjust to this school."

But before she could speak her mind, he adds, "Take this assignment as an opportunity to get to know him. Maybe you'll learn something that'll change your perspective on him."

Kat keeps her composure. "Yeah—I highly doubt that, sir," she assured before finding her way out of the class once more.

⤵︎

     THE DECKER FAMILY DECIDED to crash dinnertime with the Matthews this evening. They've been doing it a lot lately as it was Maverick's lame excuse to hang out with his best friends, aka Cory and Topanga.

"It was a good day. And then my friends treated me nicely. And then my teacher measured us and then I'm growing. And then Jenny Lewis loves me. I think because I'm growing," Auggie reveals as he was rambling about his day during dinner.

The Decker siblings pouted at him. "Well, if that isn't the cutest thing I've heard today," Kim says in a childish voice, stealing a glance at Kat.

Riley ruins the conversational mood, however. "It wasn't a good day. And then my friend pulled my hair out. And then my teacher took my phone away. And then my teacher was also my father," she points to Cory to her right.

"At least you're growing," Auggie commented, leaving the Deckers to wheeze.

Topanga frowns at her daughter. "Honey, please don't come apart. Look at this as a beautiful opportunity to spend time with your family."

Maverick adds along, "Yeah, Riley. I mean, look at Katherine. She doesn't seem to be suffering without her phone."

"That's because she and Kim can live weeks without their phones!" Riley argued.

"Okay, woah, woah." Kim raised her fork as she spoke. "I don't know about weeks-But I know I can definitely survive a couple of days without it."

"Yeah, Riles—how about you try to talk to Auggie?" Kat suggested.

The two Matthew siblings listen to her word of advice and meet each other's stares.

"Hello, Riley," Auggie greeted.

"How you doing?" Riley asks.

"Want to hear about my day? It was a good day-"

"Mom!" Riley interrupts him as she yells at her.

Topanga turns to her son. "Forgive her, Auggie. She misses her telephone."

"Well, then she can have mine," Auggie suggested, handing Riley his toy phone.

As she presses a random button, the toy phone goes off. "The cow goes..."

"Mooooo!" Auggie finishes the sentence.

Again, Kim and Kat giggle before repeating, "Moooo," the same way Auggie did too.

Riley shoots them death stares in return.

"Yeah, we're a little childish, but let us be, okay!" Kim exclaimed in defense.

Riley hands her brother back his phone toy and breathed out a sigh. "I'm not gonna make it."

"That's what your father thinks," Topanga replied.

"She can't," Cory assured.

"Honey, please don't make your father right. It's no good for any of us when your father is right."

Kat plants a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Yeah, and we wouldn't want to live in a world in which Uncle Cory is right now, do we?"

"Hey, shut it you!" Cory threateningly pointed at his niece.

Shaking his head, Maverick chortled. "She's right, Riles. Prove Cory wrong."

"I thought you were my best friend!"

"I thought I was?!"

"Did you really think that, Topanga?"

"Wha-" she halts her words before shaking her head in an annoyed defeat.

Riley shifts to her father, asking genuinely, "Why are you really doing this?"

Glancing at his wife, he revealed, "Because I want you and your friends to become human beings. And I believe that by doing this, you guys can learn to become real human beings."

Suddenly, the intercom buzzes. "Hey, losers, it's Maya," her voice echoes into the living room.

"Except her," Cory points to the door.

By then, Riley had enough. She stood up from the table and grabbed her tablecloth to throw onto her plate. "You know what? I am going to do this. I can get through this whole thing without making a text or a call." She walks towards the intercom and pressed the button to talk. "Come on up," she says into it.

"You go, sista," Kim encouraged, balling her hand into a fist as she punched the air.

Topanga strolls over to Riley and wrapped a supportive arm around her. "Of course you can, sweetheart. And you know what? You're already a wonderful human being, but every so often, little tests like this are gonna come up," she explains while bringing her back to the table.

"Why?" Riley wanted to know.

"Because it's your father's job to give you little tests. And maybe along the way, you guys are going to learn a little bit more about yourselves."

The door opens to Maya. "Yeah, like I've learned that I'm actually really okay with all of this."

"You don't miss your phone, Maya?"

"I was the only one in class without a smartphone anyway, and now I kind of feel like everybody's even."

The intercom buzzes again. "Farkle!"

"Be ready in a minute," Riley said out loud.

It buzzes a second time. "And Lucas."

"Ugh, kill me already!" Kat groaned as she grumpily got off her seat and went out the door, with Riley and Maya tailing behind her.

When Maya shuts the door, Mav looks at his family suspiciously. "So, she really doesn't like that Lucas boy, hmh?" pointing his fork at the door.

Kim plants a hand on her father's shoulder as she held a smirk on her face. "Yeah—for now."

⤵︎

     ARRIVING AT THE LIBRARY, everyone except Katherine was looking around the place with faces plastered in awe. Honestly, watching her friends act this ridiculous was hilarious in her eyes. They were acting like this was the first time they'd ever been to a library in their life.

Which, if it was, that would actually be kind of tragic.

To Katherine, the library was one of her new sanctuaries away from the world. She'd often come here for silence and to wander around the shelves to read or borrow whatever caught her attention. It also felt homily to her, considering in Philadelphia, she also adored the public library there.

She just really liked this place, and it was a damn shame that her friends were acting all weird.

"What is this place?" Riley warily asks.

"This is where the ancients stored all of their wisdom," Farkle answered.

Kat squints her eyes at her friends. "Sure...you can say that I guess."

Maya continued to seem perplexed as they roamed. "So you've been here before, Kat?"

"Mhm, I've been coming here a lot—recently," she admits, a bit sheepishly.

The blondie finds her sights coming across something. "Look at all of those..."

"Books," Farkle finishes her sentence.

"Books..." Riley and Maya say together slowly.

Wow, these people are weird... Kat thought.

Lucas grabs a book from the shelf then. "Look." He blows away some of the dust from the cover to read the title. "Tales Of Human Interaction."

"We'll take it." Maya snatches the book from him. "Thanks, quickdraw." She slams the book down on the table. "Do whatever you need to do with that," she advised, sliding it to Farkle as she, Riley, and he sat.

"You mean read?" Farkle said, questionably. He opens the book up and flips through its pages, stopping on one of them. "Chapter One..."

"Oh, I'm bored out of my mind. Let's go to a movie," Maya grumbled in an breath.

"Shh!" the librarian shouts.

"Ahh!" everyone except Kat yelped, hearing her.

Farkle points to the librarian in shock. "There's one of those ancients now," he whispered, eyes wide.

As the others cautiously walked towards her, Kat grew appalled at Farkle's words. "Way to judge people based on their looks, Farkle," she scoffed and strolled towards the librarian. "I didn't realize you were working today."

Everyone abruptly gasps at Kat, which spooks her into confusion.

"You know time-travel lady?!" Maya exclaimed.

She leans her arm on the librarian's table. "Yes. And by the way, time-travel lady here is actually called a librarian, weirdos." She swayed back to the woman with a pleading look. "Please be nice to them. They're my friends."

"No, no, it's okay, Kat. Let me handle this. She obviously likes it quiet." Farkle walked up to the librarian and smirked. "Hello, librarian lady."

Visibly, she's not all amused by him. "Well, hello. And who might you be?"

"I might be Farkle."

"Would you do me a favor, Farkle?"

"Oh, you know I will."

"Why don't you go over there-" she points to the table, "and... Shh!"

Farkle's smirk fades away, an appalled look taking over his face. "Well, that's disappointing," he snarled, before walking back to the table with Riley and Maya, leaving Kat and Lucas standing alone by each other.

At the table, Farkle began to read off of the book again, "This chapter's called "Disconnect To Connect."

Maya reads the next part, "Not until we put down our phones, switch off our computers, and look in each other's eyes, we won't be able to touch each other's hearts." She scoffs at the sentence. "Yeah, like that's going to work on anybody."

Only, it was right in plain sight.

Soon in the middle of their silence, Kat's eyes trailed up from the ground, only to find her gaze latching onto Lucas'.

It was then she noticed the color of his eyes. They were green, reminding her of emeralds under the library's light, which were actually her favorite kind of gemstone.

And to Lucas, hers were a shade of green as well, reminding him of olives, which was ironically, his favorite fruit.

And for both, perhaps it was the way they were looking at each other now, but deep inside their inner being, they knew something in them changed. They didn't know if it was a good thing, but neither dared to question it.

Realizing then that they were staring too long, Kat snaps out of it and does the first thing that comes to mind.

Aka, punching his arm, quite hard.

"Ow!" he groaned, his face contorting.

"Stop looking at me!" Kat vehemently whispered.

"You're the one that looked at me!"

"You're the one that looked back!" she argued, even if it was weak. "Why did you look back?!"

"I-I don't know," he stumbled and shrugged.

She stares at him for before swallowing hard. It didn't seem like he was lying, but it didn't help her understand why they did that.

"Well—I don't know either." Her eyes sink to the ground, conflicted mentally. "I guess we both just don't know..."

The room around them goes silent again until Kat found her eyes trailing back up, only to meet his stare another damn time.

Now agitated, she throws him another punch and walked away with a scoff.

"Ow! Kat!"

"Shhsh!" the librarian groaned out.

"I-" he spoke before grumbling under his breath, following where she went.

This, was going to be a long night...

lani's talking!

literally them ahahaha

honestly though, what's the difference between rivals and enemies? I've been wondering that since I've been rewriting this story lol 

but hi people! hope you all have been well. college has been still kicking my ass lately but I'm working through it :,)

anyways, thank you all sm for reading, and I will se you all in the next chapter!

byeeee <3