"SOPHIAANN HOPEMAN from Granville Village, New York City, the United States of America, the continent of North America, Western hemisphere, the Earth, the solar system, the universe. The mind of God. And in the middle of all of it, is John Quincy Adams Middle School, me and my friends, because we are the center of the universe. At least, that's what I thought."

Matthews Residents

Maya and Sophia popped in through the window, "What up, losers?"

They jumped on Riley's bed.

"No, no, no! No doing that, girls.
School!" Mr. Matthews said.

"Who's gonna be my teacher?" Riley asked.

"Your teacher? Whoever loses." Mr. Matthews said.

"I don't believe you." She said.

"I'm telling you, girls, I'm gonna be teaching your lives to a whole new group of students!"

"Do you believe him?"

"I can't even believe we're starting off the new year without first talking about how when we were on the subway and you took Thomas by the face." Maya said.

Riley flipped Maya off the bed.

"We are not talking about that!" Riley said.

"We're kings."

"We're kings, Matthews." Sophia said.

"You don't get to tell us what to do anymore." Maya said.

"Get out." He said.

"Okay, but that was the last one." She said.

"Dad, you have to let us learn how to walk through life on our own two feet." Riley said.

The three of them went out the window, barefooted.

John Quincy Adams Middle School

"Hello! It is us, the kings." Sophia said.

"Hey, look at your feet. They're naked!" Farkle said.

"Eyes up here, buddy." Sophia said.

"Hey, Riley, your dad gonna be our teacher again this year?" Farkle asked.

"He said he's not."

"I'll believe it when I don't see it." Maya said.

Thomas and Lucas walked in together.

"Oh, hi." Riley said.

"Hey. Hi. Hey." Thomas said.

"Hi."

"All summer." Maya and Sophia said.

"Hey."

"You have to talk about it." Sophia said.

"She's right." Thomas said.

"Hi." Riley said.

"Oh, hey."

"Glad we talked about it." Riley said.

"Yeah, me too."

"Bye." She said.

"Hey."

"Hey." Farkle said.

The group walked into the classroom.

"I know it's gonna be my father." Riley said.

"I can't look." Sophia said.

"Scared." Riley said.

"Okay." Maya said.

They covered their eyes.

"Ready?" Sophia asked.

"Quick peek." Maya said.

"One, two, three, go."

They quickly moved their hands and saw someone who wasn't Mr. Matthews.

"Did you see what I saw?" Riley asked.

"Oh yeah." Maya said.

"Then why are we covering our eyes?" Sophia asked.

"Because it's gonna go away, I don't want it to go away, and it's gonna go away." Maya said.

They uncovered their eyes again and the man was still there.

"Y-y-y-y-ay!" Riley cheered.

"Thank you. Girls, take a seat." The teacher said.

All three of them jumped beside him.

"Your seats."

They moved to their desk.

"Yeah, okay, let's get started." He said, "Belgium, eighteen thirty-one."

"Y-y-y-y-ay!" Farkle cheered.

"This is gonna be our best year ever." Riley said.

"Let's just get up, go over, and look at him up close." Maya said.

The three of them stood up and looked at him.

"Yes?" He asked.

"He said, "yes."" Riley said.

"What do we do now?" Maya asked.

"I'm gonna touch him on the face." Sophia said.

She took her finger and drew in closer to him.

"Sit down!" He shouted.

They jumped back and sat down.

"You three strike me as a couple of girls who are used to special treatment." He said, "I don't know who your last teacher was, but I don't do that."

Farkle raised his hand.

"Farkle time, sir?"

"Go ahead, kid. You gotta Farkle, you gotta Farkle." He said.

He slowly put his hand back down.

"No, this is where he takes over the class." Lucas said.

The awkwardness level that Thomas and Riley were on was completely different from what Lucas and Sophia were on.

They were awkward around each other, it just wasn't as bad as the others.

"Oh. He takes over the class, you two just talk without raising your hand, and these three just do whatever they want?" He asked.

Thomas raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Pretty much, yeah." He said.

"You know what? I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to shape young minds. I wanted to dedicate my entire life to being an influential person who commands respect!" He said.

Riley stood from her seat and walked closer to the man and tried to touch him.

"I quit!" He said and walked out.

"What happens now?" Riley asked.

Mr. Matthews walked in, "You did this!"

"I can't believe you're gonna be my father again." Riley said.

The group looked at her.

"I said what I said."

"Seriously, Matthews, how's this possibly happening?" Sophia asked.

"I like that it's happening." Thomas said.

"The other guy wouldn't give me Farkle time."

"Yeah, he didn't like it at all when we talked." Lucas said.

"It's true. It was like he wanted to talk all the time." Maya said.

"I don't think he knew that history class is supposed to be about our lives." Riley said.

Mr. Matthews smiled, "Galileo. Everyone believed that the sun revolved around the earth except for him. Everyone thought they were the center of the universe and that everything else circled around them."

"I know somebody who circles around me a little too closely." Riley said.

"Is that what you think is happening here, Riley?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"We're in the eighth grade now." Riley said.

"We're a year older." Sophia added.

"We should be able to head off and explore without you." Riley told him.

"Okay. And you guys think you're ready?" He asked.

"Born ready." Maya said.

"I'll get there!" Riley said.

"You know what we're gonna do, Matthews? We're gonna transfer out of here." Sophia said.

"Yeah!" Maya said.

"Yeah?" Riley said.

"Yeah!" Maya said.

"Lucas? Farkle? Thomas?" Sophia questioned.

"I don't think so, Sophia." Thomas said.

"I really like him." Farkle said.

"I like the way he teaches us, I like how we're talking right now, and he doesn't stop us when he could if he wanted to." Lucas said.

"Wait? Why don't you stop us?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, that's interesting, isn't it?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Well, we're done with you." Maya said.

The trio stood up.

"Thanks for the lessons." Sophia said.

"Buy yourself something pretty." Maya said.

She gave him three dollars.

"Thank you. Oh, you're gonna need transfer slips." He said.

"I knew it. He's gonna keep us here on a technicality." Maya said.

He pulled out three transfer slips.

"Go ahead. Beat it." He said.

"Look at us, Riles, Soph, three young, independent women taking their own road, making their own way with their guts and their brains." Maya said.

"Needing nothing from nobody from this moment on!" Riley said.

Sophia opened the door and the three stuck a foot out.

He pulled the shoes out of his bag and threw them at the girls.

Fun.

"We think we're the center of the universe. We think everything revolves around us. We depend on the sun for light, for warmth every morning, every day. And when it's gone we sleep trusting that in the morning, it will always come back again."

Sophia entered the room first.

"Transfer slip! Poom!" Sophia said slapping the transfer slip on the desk.

"And Poom!" Riley and Maya said.

"Greetings, new classmates. Riley Matthews. Ready to be your friend."

"'Sup? I'm Maya. You don't look me in the eyes."

"I'm SophiaAnn, and I'm here to help these two."

"You three are late. You three don't talk. You three sit there and there and there." She said.

She pointed to one seat far on the left one in the middle and one far to the right.

"There and there and there?" Sophia asked.

"No, no, we sit together in the middle of everything." Maya said.

"Move!" She shouted.

Maya screamed in Sophia's ear.

"Thanks, I can totally hear now." Sophia joked.

"Bye-bye." Riley said as she hugged her friends.

"Excuse me. Were you three trying to have a moment? You three don't get a moment." She said, "This is not the you three show."

"We were told it was." Sophia said.

They went their separate ways but stopped when they saw three girls in the rows.

As they made it to the back they tried moving three girls out of the desk.

She slammed a book down and they went back to their seat.

"During the gold rush, people left the comfort of their own surroundings in the hope of finding greater riches in an inhospitable land." She said.

"Excuse me." Riley said standing up.

"I will not warn you again, side-person!" She said.

Riley sat down.

"You tell her, mom." Some girl said.

"You failed me." Another said.

"Look it's just another thing that only that dude cares about." Some girl said.

"Ha!"

"I saw a goat give birth."

"Hi."

"Hi."

Sophia stood up, "Wait a minute!"

"Students number six, seven, and eight!" The teacher said.

"That's us?" Riley asked.

The two others stood up.

"I believe so." Maya said.

"Students number six, seven, and eight?" Riley asked.

"Hey, at least she's talking to us." Sophia said.

"Yes?" Riley asked.

"Get out!" She yelled.

"Fine! Well, at least we get a dramatic exit!" Riley said.

The three of them stomped out but no one said anything.

They backed up.

"Oh, come on!" Riley shouted and they were officially out the door.

"Here's what's funny. If you're standing on the moon, you'd think the earth was revolving around you, instead of the other way around. It's really all about perspective. It's hard not to believe that you're the center of everything until something shows you you're not."

Sophia opened the door and the three put the transfer slip back on the desk and sat down.

"Just for a moment now we're all together. Just for a moment, we're happy. Let's really look at one another." Mr. Matthews read.

"Hello, girls. You're back?" He asked.

"Yes." Maya said.

"As bad as this is-" Riley said.

"Everything else is worse." Sophia confessed.

"Well, welcome back, ladies. You're just in time for today's lesson." Mr. Matthews said.

"Did we miss anything?" Sophia asked.

"Nah. We're just putting everything back in place. The real lesson begins right Now." He said snapping his fingers.

Svorski's

"Face it, we are never going to escape him." Riley said walking inside.

"He's everywhere." Maya said.

"How are we going to be kings of anything if everywhere we go we might run into-" Sophia spun around and saw Topanga.

"Topanga?"

"What are you doing here?" Riley asked.

"Is my-krainian bakery." She said.

"Still not funny." Auggie said.

"Not funny? I'll tell you what's not funny. This place loses a dollar fifty on every bulochki." Topanga said.

"I bake with love. How can you put price on love?" Mrs. Svorski asked.

"Watch me. Four ninety-five." Topanga said.

"Ooh! Ka-ching!" She said.

"Bakery window. Bakery window right now." Riley said.

Maya laughed as they walked to the window.

"That's nice. So, your dad's at school, your mom's at our hangout." Maya said, "That's nice."

"You're laughing at me?" Riley asked.

"Inside, I'm crying so hard." Maya said.

"Auggie, this is for you." Mrs.Svorski said, "Is flour shaker from Ukraine. Antique, like me. You take now. You are little Baker."

"What should I do with it?" Auggie said.

"Keep safe, treasure always.
Very important what in there." She said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Svorski."

"Thank you, Mrs. Svorski." Topanga said.

"Oh, thank you, Topanga and
Auggie." She said.

"I can't escape them, Maya and Sophia. My parents are constantly circling me like planets." She said.

Mr. Matthews banged on top of the window.

"Hello."

He walked inside.

"Riley. I haven't seen you in twenty minutes." He said hugging her, "Do you miss me? 'Cause I missed you."

"Auggie, come here. I miss you too, bud." He said hugging them both.

"Mrs. Svorski. I have some people who I think can be the perfect manager for when I can't be at the bakery." Topanga said.

"These people know the way around food game?" She asked.

"Absolutely."

"They're also very colorful. They really get into whatever they're doing." Topanga said.

"Sounds like good woman." She said.

"Oh! Sorry, I'm late." Katy said, "My donkey died on way here. Smells like being back in the kitchen in Ukraine. Waiting for Tato to come home, hoping he has not lost his last finger in the field mower. Oh no, no, he did."

"Oh, poor Tato." Mrs. Svorski said, "He can never win at "paper, rock, scissors. Always know rock is coming."

"One, two, three! Rock!" They said holding their fist up.

"I like her."

"Mom." Maya said getting up.

"Ohh, Mayabushka." She said hugging her, "I am gonna be here all the time now, baby girl. How great is that?"

"Mom you can't be here." Maya said.

"Well, at least my nana works here at night once a week." Sophia said.

"Where is this other person Topanga?" Mrs. Svorski asked.

"Right here." She said.

Her grandmother walked in.

"Working here all the time, I can finally see Sophia and her friends all the time now."

She hugged her from behind.

"Dad, mom, you're everywhere." Riley said.

"We just need some space." Maya said.

"It's like you're circling around us." Riley said.

"I'm sorry. You think we're circling around you?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Yes."

"Oh. I see." Topanga said.

"So, I guess we're all done with the parenting?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Yes, it seems we're all done with that part now."

"Good job, Topanga!"

"Good job, Cory! Remember that whole potty-training thing that we did for her?" Topanga asked.

"And now she wants to leave? Oh, I loved every minute of that.
Good times!" Mr. Matthews said.

"So, you're okay with this?" Riley asked.

"Oh yeah, we understand." Topanga said.

"You're a grownup. You know everything there is to know." Mr. Matthews said.

"Yup, you're ready to move away."

"Well, I mean, I'd like to stay in my own bedroom." Riley said.

"Okay."

"You'll just drop us a line when you get married and have kids?" Topanga asked.

"Mom, I just don't want you to be everywhere."

"Okay. Well, when you need us, we'll be at home."

"And we'll be back there, staying out of your way." Her grandmother said.

Katy following behind her.

"Okay."

"Good. So, nobody feels bad about this?" Riley asked.

"Well, let's see what happens." Mr. Matthews said.

"So, you two are here now?" Mrs. Svorski asked.

"We're here now." They said.

"Good."

"So." Riley said as they sat down.

"Here we are." Maya said.

"Kings." Sophia said.

"The sun doesn't go around the earth. We're the ones moving.
We orbit the sun, because we need it. We need its light and its heat, and if it wasn't there, we'd be dark and alone. I wasn't in Mrs. Svorski's orbit for very long, and I missed out on someone wonderful, but I was in my grandfather's orbit for as long as I remember. Auggie knew better.
He was very good friend to the both of them." Sophia said.

She walked over to Maya and grabbed her hand.

Riley walked with them.

"We think that we're the center of the universe, but the truth is we need to circle the ones we love for as long as they're here."

Sophia let them go back to their parents, they hugged them.

She walked to her grandmother hugging her.

"We need to hold them close, because no matter how far we travel, they are the ones who hold us in place. It's gravity, and without it, we would just all float away from each other."

Sophia stood back upfront.

"We are not kings at all. We are just tiny little specks. My name is SophiaAnn Hopeman from Granville Village, New York City, the United States of America, the continent of North America, the Western hemisphere, the Earth, the solar system, the universe, the mind of God."

"That's from Our Town, my teacher Mr. Matthews's favorite play."

"Just for a moment, we're all together. Let's really look at one another."

"Good night, Mrs. Svorski."

"Good night, grandfather."

Sophia walked over to Auggie and she put him in her lap.

"Good job, Sophia." He said.

"I know you're gonna miss them, buddy." Sophia said.

"She gave me her flour shaker." He said.

He passed it to her.

"That's really nice."

She shook it and heard something inside.

"What's inside?" She asked.

She cracked it opened.

"It's a note. Maybe she wrote you a note."

She passed him the note.

"Is not my-krainian bakery, I'm dead." The note said.

He hopped off my lap and went over to his family.

"I love you guys."

"Hello, Mr. Matthews."

"Hey, Mr. Feeny."

"You doing okay?"

"Yes, Cory. I'm still here."

"Great. That's great."

That day Sophia learned something, they all did. They will be a little kinder to others and try to a better friend because know when you're gonna lose them.

Word Count: 2749

Updated on: November 3rd, 2018

this bitch has a stupid ass name

Her grandfather passed along with Mrs.Svorski

So I'm starting season 2 and that means Texas is coming (not soon but it's close) give me some Texas ideas but remember

Thomas likes Riley

Maya does like someone

If she likes Thomas okay it's gonna be fine

If she like Lucas I'm gonna have to figure something out cause season 3 comes out in 2 months so yeah

Also tell me what you liked about this chapter

See ya soon