"ALL THROUGHOUT history, countries go to war. That's what we normally study in here. But today, we're going to talk about peace and forgiveness and how we get there. Every once in a while, I come up with a good idea." Mr. Matthews said.

"What could it possibly be that I haven't already thought of?" Farkle asked.

"Farkle, I forgive you."

"What did I do?"

Zay added, "I forgive you too."

"What did I do?!" Farkle asked.

"You know what you do." Thomas said.

"I feel better now that I've forgiven you. How do you feel?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I'm sorry for every time I've hurt you! What did I do?!" He questioned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we're going to begin the forgiveness project. Our history isn't just about what we've done. How we grow comes from the repair of what we've done and how we forgive what was done to us." Mr. Matthews said.

"Hmm. We're in. What do we do?" Riley asked.

"Everyone take out a piece of paper. So this isn't your laptop or your cell phone. You've got unlimited characters here. As many words as you want. The impact will last longer than six seconds. And I guarantee you, it's never going to disappear. So pick up a pen. Express feelings. This is one of the most important things you're ever going to do. You're about to forgive someone." Mr. Matthews said, passing out cards.

"What's this got to do with history, Matthews?" Sophia asked.

"It gives you a chance to change it."

"Like when I forgave Auggie for biting the face off my Beary-the-Bear bear."

"That wasn't forgiveness, honey."

"Why not?"

"Because you haven't gotten over it."

"This is the first thing I see every day." She said pulling out the bear.

"So is there anyone in your life that you want to forgive? Change your history. Go."

"Dear Auggie the murderer..." Riley said aloud.

"Maya, Sophia, no one in your life you want to forgive?"

"No."

"Don't you think now would be a good time?" Lucas asked.

"Maya, you and your mom are in a good place. You're strong, Maya. Don't you want to forgive him one day? Why not now?" Riley asked, "Sophia, there's nobody in this whole wide world you want to forgive?"

Sophia looked at her and smiled. She began to write along with Maya. Once finished the two of them gave the note to Riley.

"Ahem." Riley, butt out. I am serious. Butt your butt out."" She read, "No. "I forgive you." She said.

The Hallway

Maya, Riley, and Sophia walked out of the classroom when Farkle stopped the trio.

"Riley, Maya, Sophia, movie with me?" He asked.

"Are you crazy?" Riley asked.

"Never again." Maya said.

"She dies!"

"He blows up!"

"She's the killer."

"Nobody gets out of Monkey Town."

"Are you crazy?" Riley asked.

"Hurt you." Maya said.

Sophia's House

Sophia chose to write and forgive her mother. She had been writing her ever since the Texas thing, but she didn't really know if it was a good idea or not. Regardless, she did it anyways and shockingly her mother has written back.

She had explained how upset she was with her mother, but that she wasn't super angry with her. Her mother told her that she wasn't going to move anywhere anytime soon.

Sophia really saw no reason to write her saying that she had forgiven her but it's worth the shot.

"What are you doing?" Her nana asked.

"Writing a letter."

"Why?"

"Matthews is making us forgive people."

"Well who are you writing to?"

"My mother."

"Are you sure?"

It was dead silent.

"Maybe."

Dear, Mother I hope you're having a nice time in California or wherever your are now. But I'm writing to you because I'm forgiving you. I know I told you I wasn't angry, I was at first but I've gotten over it. I also gotten over you coming back to New York. You're happily married and have three other kids to take care of so this is just a letter of forgiveness I think I'm not so sure anymore. I just really want to see you so come down or up to New York.
Sincerely SophiaAnn Marie.

Topanga's

Riley, Maya, and Sophia were sitting in the little bay window at Topanga's as they watched Katy and Topanga have a small conversation.

"Really, Topanga, please don't worry about this." Katy said.

"No, I told you that I would come and help out when I can, and I can today."

"Yeah. No."

"This is gonna be good." Riley said.

"I can't take my eyes off it." Maya said.

"You don't think I can do this, do you?" Topanga asked.

"I think that you are Topanga Matthews, attorney at law, and that might perhaps color the way that you deal with customers, who I don't even think will believe that you're a waitress." Katy said.

"She could be a fine waitress." Nana said.

"And what will you have, sir?" Topanga asked.

"Yeah, give me the cheesecake." The man said.

"You want to try that a different way, chief?"

"No!"

"Okay. Hey, Howie." Katy said.

"Oh, there you go. You know what comes with our biggest piece of cheesecake? Our biggest smile." Katy said.

"Ha! Don't ever leave me again."

"Aw, thanks, Howie."

"I was talking to the cheesecake."

"Okay, one more." Topanga said.

"No more ever." Nana said.

"No. I'm gonna try that guy, right over there." Topanga said, pointing to a blond-haired man with a scruffy beard who entered.

"No, I got him." Katy said.

"Okay. I'll learn from you."

"You're going to want to watch what happens next very carefully." Maya told the two.

"Why? Your mother's great at this, Maya." Riley said.

"What could happen?" Sophia asked.

"Hello, sir. How are you today?" Katy asked the man.

"I'm-"

"You a little hungry, are you? Is that why you've come here? Are you a little hungry? Is that-"

"What do you recommend?" The man asked cutting her off.

"I recommend the first thing that I can get my hands on." Katy said, "Give me something."

"Okay. You should have said please!" Topanga said and gave the cheesecake to Katy.

"That's what I recommend!" She said and picked up the cheesecake and smeared it on the mans' face.

"You can do that? I didn't know you could do that. I would love to do that." Topanga asked.

"Oh, my gosh, is that him? Is he him? Did you do it? Did you do the assignment?" Riley asked.

"I wrote something, and I mailed it. Tell me it was a good move." Maya said.

"It was a bad move." Riley said.

"Why?" Sophia questioned.

"Tried it. It doesn't work! They don't apologize. Forgiveness is for jerks." She said.

"I'm glad you told me in time!" Maya said.

"Did you write your mom?" Maya asked.

"Yes I did."

"She's gonna walk through that door isn't she?" Riley asked.

Riley was very fond of Sophia's mother and so was Maya. But Sophia had high doubts about her mother walking through that door right now.

"No, she not."

The trio looked at Katy who was still throwing food at Maya's father.

"I don't understand. Is this guy our millionth customer?" Nana asked.

"No!" Katy said.

"Sir, why are you okay with this?" Topanga asked.

"I kind of expected it." He said.

"Katy, who is this guy?" Topanga asked.

Maya stood to her feet and walked towards the now messy table.

"Hi, Maya."

"Hi, Dad."

Riley and Sophia soon followed, "Hi. I'm Riley and this is Sophia. We've heard a lot about you." Riley said.

"Hi, Riley and Sophia. You a two good friends of Maya's?"

"I'm sorry, and please don't take this the wrong way, but what?" Sophia questioned.

"Riley and Sophia are my best friends. But you wouldn't know much about them. Or me."

"Thank you for being Maya's best friends."

"It's easy because Maya's great. She's the best person I know." Riley said.

"Then I'm happy she found you."

"I was picturing a monster. He doesn't seem like a monster. He seems like Frosty the... snow guy." Riley said

"What are you doing here, Kermit?" Katy asked.

"I was invited." He said showing the red envelope Maya sent him.

"What?"

"This is all my dad's fault."

"Your father had an idea?" Topanga asked.

"Uh-huh."

"I apologize immediately. Your food is on the house." Topanga said.

"That's very nice of you, because I wouldn't have been able to afford all of this. May I please borrow a towel and your sink?And I'll take this to go." He said.

A couple minutes after Katy calmed down and was ready to talk to him.

"You said you were going out for a walk and you'd be back in an hour. You're nine years late." She said.

"Thank you, Katy."

"For what?"

"I know that in those nine years, you protected me with Maya. You never once sold me out."

"Well, a girl should think well of her father."

"I was real happy to get your letter, Maya. And that you've got a friends like Sophia and Riley."

"These girls here are more of a father to me than you."

Sophia joked, "Yeah, we raised Maya since she was a pup."

"Looks like you did a bang-up job."

"So...you left. Why were Mom and I not good enough?" Maya asked.

"No, no, no. Maya. That was a long time ago. We're over it." Katy said and slapped Kermit repeatedly on the arm.

"Why were we not good enough?" Maya asked.

"Ah! I think you know that wasn't it." He said.

"Ha. You know, we should really go anywhere but here." Riley said and got up. Maya quickly pulled her back down.

"Nope, you're gonna stay with me. You're my family." She said.

"Oh, how's your other family?"

"Everyone is fine." He said.

"Riley, do you care to explain to me your father's idea here?" Topanga asked.

"Our assignment was to forgive somebody."

"What does that have to do-"

"It changes our history."

"Oh. That's pretty good."

"So Maya wrote to him and he showed up."

"To forgive him?" Katy asked.

"Yeah, that was the assignment. But I haven't decided if I'm going to pass or fail." Maya said.

"Maya, whatever you decide, thank you for reaching out to me."

"You know, this would be so much easier for me if he was a monster." Riley said.

"Do you remember the night the thunder shook the apartment? I was five and I thought-the lightning was so bright, I thought the world was on fire." Maya said.

"Why bring this up?" Kermit asked.

"I'm all under my covers crying and you come flying into the room and peek under the covers and decide to make it a game. We were in Alaska looking for gold. And you said the lightning was the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis." She said.

"Is this the reason the only thing you know is the Aurora Borealis?" Riley asked.

"You made that entire night an adventure until the storm passed. And I woke up the next morning and it was a sunny day. Don't you remember that?" Maya asked.

"No, Maya, I don't." He said.

"That's because it never happened. The storm happened but you didn't." Maya said.

"So how do you know the Aurora Borealis, Maya?" Riley asked.

"Mom. It was Mom that came in. She made it Alaska and I wasn't scared at all."

"Hmm. I was petrified. Greatest performance of my life."

"Where were you?" Maya asked.

"I wasn't home."

"How could you not be home?" Sophia asked.

"Because kids bite teddy bears' faces off, friends ruin movies and fathers leave. You know, sometimes you can let it go, sometimes you can't. Your dad was wrong about that one, Riley." Maya said and walked out.

"Riley."

"Yeah."

"Sophia who did you write?" Topanga asked.

"My mother."

"Is she coming?"

"Who knows."

John Quincy Adams Middle School. Mr. Matthews' History Classroom

"How's the forgiveness project going?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"You killed us, Matthews." Maya said.

"I gotta say, Matthews, I don't know what you were thinking." Sophia added.

"You think forgiveness leads to peace?" Lucas asked.

"It leads to war in a movie theater." Thomas said.

"Lights go down, the movie starts, I made Farkle sit in the other corner of the theater so he can't ruin anything." Lucas said.

"Sounds like good strategy." Mr. Matthews said.

"Yeah. Then a cowboy comes on the screen. Farkle yells-" Lucas started but Farkle cut him off.

"Dead!"

"An old prospector comes on the screen." Zay said.

""Alien looking for a time portal.""

"Next comes a cheerleader." Thomas said.

"How is there a cheerleader in this movie?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"No kidding." Farkle said.

"Well, I'm sure some of you had a better experience." Mr. Matthews said and everyone shook their heads no.

"Forgiveness doesn't work, Dad. I forgave Auggie and he didn't thank me."

"Riley, did you really forgive Auggie?"

"No!"

"Maya, did you forgive your father?"

"No."

"And we didn't forgive Farkle." Thomas said and threw a paper ball at him.

"Ow."

"Did you get in contact with your mother?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I wrote the letter, sent the letter, and got nothing back." Sophia answered.

"Well, it sounds to me that forgiveness is harder than it looks." Mr. Matthews said.

"I tried. Made it real clear. Want to hear it?" Maya asked.

"If you're all right with it."

"In school, I'm learning about forgiveness. What you did makes me have a lot of angry feelings inside of me. I don't want to be angry anymore. Why did you leave? Did I do something? Make me understand what I did. Your daughter, Maya.""

Thomas put his hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"Did he help you to understand what happened?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I mean, I guess I never gave him the chance to explain."

"Riley, why did Auggie bite your bear's face off?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"I never asked him."

"Lucas? Zay? Thomas?"

"Farkle, why do you tell us the end of the movies?" Lucas asked.

"Well, because you're good at everything you do. You got that class-clown thing going. All I've got is my mind, so I try to impress you with it any way I can. "Oh, Farkle, you don't need to impress us. We love you just the way you are."" Farkle said.

"Farkle, we are never going to the movies with you again." Thomas said.

"Ever." Zay said.

"Guess you missed that one. Huh, Farkle?" Lucas asked.

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, Farkle, you don't need to impress us." Sophia said.

"We love you just the way you are." Riley said.

"Movie?" He asked.

"Anytime."

"We gotta get better minds, man." Zay said.

"Yeah, we do." Lucas said.

"All of you do. Better minds know that sometimes to really forgive someone, it helps to understand them first. It gives the other person the chance to be heard from too." Mr. Matthews said.

"Why can't you just admit that you're wrong about this?" Maya asked.

"Because forgiveness is one of our finest qualities as human beings, Maya. You have to understand each other before you can even begin to know what comes next. Go understand each other. See what happens. Your assignment hasn't even begun until you do." Mr. Matthews said, "Are you gonna try to get in contact with your mother again?"

"What's the point?" Sophia asked.

"Because you like to write her."

"What's does he mean?" Riley asked.

"I write my mom all the time I just never send the letters. I write about everyone I see and I everything I do. Once I've done it I put the letter under the bed and never touched the letter again."

"How does he know?" Maya asked.

"He caught me writing a letter."

"Why don't you send those letters?" Lucas asked.

"I don't feel like touching the letters, and they would take four days to read."

"Sophia, just have faith." Mr. Matthews said.

Topanga's

The group had all joined at Topanga's. Riley had Auggie sat in her lap.

"Forgiveness does work, Maya and Sophia. You just have to do it right."

"Can I go play with my friends now?" Auggie asked.

"No!"

"All you have to do is listen to the other person." She said.

"Can I at least go to the bathroom, Riley?"

"Quiet. I'm talking." She said.

"Auggie is there every day, Riley. My dad couldn't get out of here fast enough. I mean, he's halfway home by now. Forgiveness doesn't work for everybody." Maya said.

"I am not hungry, so please don't throw anything at me." Kermit said waking in.

"I thought you left." Maya said.

"I did. I did. I was in the car on the way back. And then I looked at this thing again and it says you don't want to be angry anymore. I know what you all are to Maya. Thank you. I just need to borrow her for one second, if it's okay."

Maya looked back at everyone and walked out only to quickly return with tears down her face.

"I'm sorry. I failed. I know you wanted me to forgive him, but I didn't. I couldn't do it. You were wrong about this one, Mr. Matthews."

"I never expected that, Maya. That kind of forgiveness, it doesn't come so easy. But life is a long time. And I hope you get there someday. But that's never what I was looking for right now."

"What did you want from me?"

"Maya, did you forgive yourself?"

Maya hugged Matthews and cried harder.

The Matthews' House

Maya and Sophia had been looking at Riley who was still hugging onto Auggie.

"I am begging you to let me go. If you don't let me go, I swear I will eat your face off." He said and Riley let go.

"Oh, sweet freedom."

"The forgiveness was wonderful, Dad. Once you start, you just don't want to stop." Riley said standing up with Maya.

"Here."

"Me? What did I do?" He asked.

""Dear Dad, I forgive you for everything."" He read.

"I do." Riley said walking upstairs.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. What did I do?"

"Oh, you know what you do." Maya said walking behind Riley.

"So did your mother reach out Sophia?" Topanga asked.

By this time, Sophia had tears running down her face, "No."

"She did nothing to reach out to you?" Mr. Matthews asked joining her side.

"I got something."

"Well what was it?" Topanga asked.

"An email from Richard."

"Who's Richard?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Her husband, he said she couldn't come and when I asked why he said they were on vacation. That's why couldn't come. sShe on vacation and she couldn't even tell me herself."

"Sophia, do you really want to see your mother?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I did. I really wanted to."

"Or do you want someone who cares to look out for you?" Topanga asked.

"It's hard to have hope, I just want parents who care and want me around. She getting worse, she thinks she's getting better but she's not and once she's gone I'm out."

"What do you mean out?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I'm gonna be out of my house. My nana said I would be stay with Katy and Maya. She said Katy would adopt me and would take care of me."

"Why didn't she ask us?"

"She though you two had enough on your plate and since your a lawyer and your a teacher and have great kids that I wouldn't fit."

"Sophia there's always room for you and you know that. If you needs us we're there." Topanga said.

"I know and thank you."

"Do you forgive yourself because if you do I think you'll have a little bit of hope in you." Mr. Matthews said.

"I forgive myself because I know it's not me anymore."

Word Count:3394

literally wtf

Okay so here's the thing. I asked who wanted her mother to come back and a lot of people said yes but when they said yes they also said they didn't want her to forgive her mother.

So no mother sorry.

Also people want her nana out of the story like no more nana so now she's getting worse so yeah.

Okay thanks for 57k read and I'll see ya soon