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❛ ʟᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ & ʟᴀᴄᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ғᴏʀɢɪᴠᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ
ғᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ꒱


❝ DEAR SHAWN. . .  ❞

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Cory couldn't wait to teach his students today's lesson. He hoped that, through osmosis, Juliet— and Shawn— would benefit from it, too. What he wanted more than anything in the world was for his friends to be happy, and for them to be happy with each other. He waited impatiently for his students to settle into their seats, not wasting a single second of class time once they had. "All through 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."

"What could it possibly be that I haven't already thought of?" Farkle wondered with the kind of arrogance that Miya found endearing. As long as it wasn't directed at her, she didn't mind it when her boyfriend showed off his intelligence.

"Farkle, I forgive you," Mr. Matthews proclaimed.

The genius frowned. "What did I do?"

Zay glanced at him from his place just behind him an aisle over. "I forgive you too."

Farkle turned to him, exasperated. "What did I do?"

"You know what you do," Zay retorted. Lucas nodded emphatically.

"I feel better now that I've forgiven you," their went on, bringing the class's attention back to him. "How do you feel?"

Farkle's expression took on a frantic appearance as he burst out: "I'm sorry for every time I've hurt you! What did I do?"

Miya smiled slightly at the desperate tone of his voice and leaned forward to pat him sympathetically on the shoulder. He twisted around, giving her a pleading look to see if she had any answers for him. She simply shook her head, though she had a hunch of what the boys were getting at.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the curly-haired man announced, "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."

Riley let out an interested hum. "We're in. What do we do?"

"Everyone take out a piece of paper," he instructed them. There was lots of rustling as the students did so. He went to his desk to retrieve a stack of red envelopes. As he continued to speak, he handed out enough for each row. "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."

"What's this got to do with history, Matthews?" Maya wanted to know.

"It gives you a chance to change it."

Riley fiddled with her pink pen, looking up from her blank paper to offer: "like when I forgave Auggie for biting the face off my Beary-the-Bear bear."

Cory sighed. "That wasn't forgiveness, honey."

"Why not?"

"Because you haven't gotten over it," he pointed out.

She held up the teddy in question, leaving her classmates to grimace at the sight of the stuffing that was coming out of its face. "This is the first thing I see every day."

Her father gave her an odd look before he moved on. "So is there anyone in your life that you want to forgive? Change your history. Go."

Riley adjusted her grip on her pen with a flourish, then leaned down and began to write dramatically: "dear Auggie the Murderer. . ."

Cory noticed that there were only two people who didn't start writing immediately. "Miya, Maya, no one in your life you want to forgive?"

"No," the blonde denied.

"Not that I can think of," Miya affirmed.

Lucas leaned forward to hesitantly suggest, "don't you think now would be a good time?"

"You and your mom are in a good place," Riley put in supportively. "You're strong, Maya. Don't you want to forgive him one day? Why not now?"

"'And you're adopted, Miya. What about your biological parents?'" Farkle spoke under his breath.

"And you're adopted, Miya," the Matthews girl brought up, turning to face her other friend. "What about your biological parents?"

The genius smirked at his correct guess but quickly became serious as he, too, looked behind him again to make sure Riley's idea didn't have a negative impact on his girlfriend. Miya seemed fine with the change of subject and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't really think about them. I'm not mad at them for giving me up or anything. I mean, if they hadn't, then I wouldn't have the life I do now, and I probably wouldn't know you guys."

"Aw," Riley cooed at her, touched by the sentiment. She startled a bit by the piece of paper Maya let flutter onto her desk. She picked it up and read the scribbled contents: "ahem. 'Riley, butt out. I am serious. Butt your butt out.'" The brunette smiled at her sweetly. "I forgive you."

🌎🌎🌎

Miya waited by the door of the history classroom for Farkle. After he finished packing up his things, he joined her. While they weren't quite comfortable enough yet to hold hands publicly in the hallway, she offered her arm to him, which he linked through with his, in the same style that Maya and Riley frequently did.

"I knew you were going to wait for me," he remarked smugly as they left the room.

"Well, yeah. I wait for you every day," she quipped. "It's not exactly like this was a surprise."

"I still knew what you were going to do," Farkle insisted, making her roll her eyes at his need to be right all the time. (Honestly, he reminded her of her mom sometimes. She wondered if that was just a smart-person thing.)

"Fine, technically you were completely right," she allowed, shaking her head as he straightened proudly. "But you wanna know what I know? We're going to find Zay and Lucas right now because you can't stand not knowing why they're forgiving you."

He blinked at her and his feet stilled for a second, startled by her accurate guess. "Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"

"I know you," she responded simply.

Sure enough, as soon as they spotted their other two friends, Farkle launched into his rant: "you know, you try to do your best by people. You try to be the best friend you could be. And what do you get?" He threw out his hands, frustrated, only to find two letters smacked in to his palms. He stared at the other boys with dismay. "What did I do?"

"Read 'em," Lucas ordered.

He opened Lucas' first and shared aloud: "dear Farkle, I forgive you for ruining every single movie we've ever seen together.'"

Miya's brows furrowed at the teen's annoyance. "You guys don't like that?"

Farkle quickly followed up with, "how do I ruin every single movie?"

Lucas gave the brunette a similar look. "You do?"

"Read mine," Zay prompted him, more interested in getting Farkle to realize the error of his ways. "Read mine."

The genius did so, opening the envelope to find the following words: "'I forgive you for figuring out the end of every movie and shouting it out before it happens.'"

Again, Miya gazed at both of them incredulously. "You guys don't like that?"

This time, it was Zay who inquired, "you do? Because, see, we don't want to know." He gestured between him and Lucas.

"Well, yeah," she concurred, feeling her face heat up a bit as she glanced at the boy in question. "I think it's, um, kind of cute."

Farkle's eyes widened, his whole face lighting up like someone had just told him he'd won a Nobel Prize.

"You do?" he repeated, the words slipping out in a stunned, slightly breathless way, as if he genuinely couldn't believe anyone would like one of his biggest social flaws.

Zay and Lucas both gaped at Miya, completely flabbergasted.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lucas interrupted, holding up a hand. "You like that he spoils movies?"

Miya gave a little shrug, her arm still linked through Farkle's, ducking her head bashfully under the trio's combined attention. "I probably wouldn't have figured it out on my own, anyway. I mean, he's just fast. And excited. It's kind of endearing."

Farkle was practically glowing now, and not just from the praise— he was basking in the warm realization that someone appreciated the very thing he'd been teased about for years.

"This is unbelievable," Zay muttered, looking between them like they'd just confessed to something that was actually impossible. "You guys really are made for each other."

"Thank you," Farkle stated sincerely, squeezing Miya's arm gently. "You get me."

"I try." She grinned, clearly enjoying how ruffled the other two looked.

Lucas narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion. "Okay, but what happens when we go see a mystery and Farkle calls the twist before the opening credits finish rolling?"

"I just want to share my abilities with my friends," the genius protested.

"Miya might want your abilities, but we don't," Lucas argued.

Zay nodded. "Your abilities make us want to hurt you."

Farkle stepped forward as their remaining friends left the history classroom. "Riley, Maya, movie with me?"

"Are you crazy?" Riley demanded.

"Never again," Maya agreed.

They alternated between examples of the spoilers Farkle had made in the past:

"She dies!"

"He blows up!"

"She's the killer."

"Nobody gets out of Monkey Town."

"Are you crazy?" Riley asked again.

"Hurt you," Maya added before the girls resumed their path to their next class.

"Well, thank you for forgiving me," Farkle addressed the boys once more. "Do you think we could still go to the movies if I stop telling you what happens next?"

Lucas arched a brow. "Do you think you can?"

"Of course I can!" he exclaimed. Miya lifted her free hand and counted silently down from three on her fingers. Once she hit one, her boyfriend predicted: "'oh, let's give him one more chance.' 'Hey!' Then you chase me, and then I scream."

"Let's give him one more chance," Zay suggested inevitably.

Lucas' eyes narrowed at him in annoyance. "Hey!"

"It's just too much fun!" Farkle objected. His grin faded as both boys launched themselves at him. He quickly detached his arm from Miya's and rushed down the hall with an, "ahh!"

🌎🌎🌎

"Hi, mom," Miya greeted Juliet after school that day. She'd opted for some alone time in her room so she could call her mom to talk about Cory's latest life lesson.

"'Hi, honey,'" the older woman responded. "'What's up?'" Then, she guessed: "'the sky, the clouds, outer space?'"

The Asian girl smiled at the prediction. "You sound like Farkle. But you're not as good as he is at guessing things. I was actually just gonna ask how you were. Y'know, after everything that happened a few weeks ago?"

"'Oh. I-I'm fine,'" Juliet promised, her voice taking on a breezy note. "'Totally not affected at all. Life's going on as normal, you know. Work, Violin, seeing your aunt and uncle. That kind of thing.'"

Most people would've been convinced by Juliet's easygoing attitude. They would've completely accepted her response without looking into it further— something she took pride in, especially when she'd been in college. But her daughter was a different story. Miya caught the way her mom's words weren't as effortless as she made them out to be. She heard the stutter on the 'I.' It made her frown, not liking the fact that her mom was hiding her true feelings from her. It only proved to herself that she was right to make this call and that her mom needed to learn about forgiveness more than anyone else she knew.

"Hmm," the brunette murmured, not quite bold enough to speak about her concerns directly. "Well, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about— my aunt and uncle, that is. Sort of." Her mom let out an curious hum, encouraging her to elaborate. "Uncle Cory's doing this lesson in class called the Forgiveness Project—"

"'That cheater!'" her mom interjected, gasping. "'Did he claim that idea as his own?'"

"Well, yeah," Miya confirmed. "Why? Is it not?"

Although she couldn't see it, Juliet shook her head emphatically. "'Uh-uh. He stole that from our second grade teacher! She did a Forgiveness Project where I wrote to my dad and Shawn—'" She broke off abruptly, her voice choking on the familiar name.

Miya didn't push her mom to talk about something she wasn't ready for, so she focused on the funnier side of the story. "I can't believe he stole it! And he said 'I have a good idea every once in a while.' Wait 'till I tell Riley!"

Juliet recovered from the unexpected mention of the man who threw her life into chaos and managed to chuckle at her daughter's amazement. "'So, who were you thinking about forgiving?'"

"I actually don't know," the Asian girl admitted. "There's no one in my life that I have a lasting grudge against, except he-who-must-not-be-named, but that's more because of you than anything he did to me. Riley mentioned I could write to my biological parents, but I don't even care about them. I mean really, I don't think anything in regards to them. The only thing I would be able to write is a thank-you note because I'm grateful they gave me up so I could have the life I do now."

Juliet was silent for a moment on the other end of the line. Not the kind of silence that stretches from disinterest or distraction, but the kind that crackles with something unspoken. Something heavy.

"'That's. . . really mature of you, Miya,'" she finally remarked, her voice soft and even. "'You've always been the more emotionally mature one between the two of us,'" she joked weakly. "'Still, I think if you ever wanted to reach out to them, even just to say thank you. . . that could be a good thing. For you. Only if you want to, though.'"

Miya thoughtfully tapped the tip of her pencil against the blank paper before her. "You really think that'd be okay?"

"'I do,'" Juliet replied, even though every syllable tasted like fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what might be stirred up. Fear that Miya might find something in her real parents that she wouldn't be able to give her. Fear that Miya would choose them over her, should it come down to it. "'They're part of your story, even if they're not part of your life. And you have the right to explore that if you feel ready.'"

There was a moment of quiet understanding between them. Miya nodded slowly. "I'll. . . think about it."

Juliet smiled tightly even though Miya couldn't see it. "'That's all I want.'"

Then came another pause. Not tense, but deliberate. Miya's voice was gentler when she spoke again. "There's. . . something else I've been thinking about. For the project."

Juliet waited.

"What if you forgave. . . him?" Miya queried, her voice low. "I mean, not for him. For you. I just. . . I want you to be happy, mom. And after what happened on New Year's. . ."

Juliet's stomach clenched. "'Miya. . .'"

"I know you don't wanna talk about it," Miya assured her hastily, holding up the hand that wasn't occupied with her cell phone like her mom could see her placating gesture. "And I'm not saying you have to. But. . . it's okay to let go. Uncle Cory told us that forgiving someone is one of the most important things you can do."

Juliet didn't speak right away. Her mind churned with a hundred defenses, justifications, all of them crumbling under the weight of her daughter's simple, quiet reasoning.

"'I'll. . . think about it,'" she echoed eventually. Her tone was lighter than before but still guarded. "'Just don't expect me to write any thank-you notes.'"

Miya laughed, a real one. "Yeah, no, that would be pushing it."

The older woman chuckled too, the moment easing. "'So. . . what else is going on? What happened to that Riley project of redecorating the bay window?'"

"Oh my gosh, don't even get me started," Miya groaned, flopping back on her bed. "Maya was not happy. You wouldn't believe how often she called on our 'name-twin power.' I don't know how many times I can tell her that our names are not the same. I mean, can May-a and Mi-ya sound any more different?"

"'Sounds like middle school's treating you well.'"

"Depends on your definition of 'well. . .'"

🌎🌎🌎

Jack sat at one of the tables in Topanga's bakery, his laptop open in front of him as he worked. Occasionally, he would pause to take a sip of what he claimed was the 'world's best coffee' (since Katy made it), or to watch his. . . partner (they weren't really into all the 'labels;' boyfriend seemed to juvenile) fondly. Riley, Maya and Miya were squeezed into the window booth on the left side of the door as they watched Jack's interactions with Maya's mom. The teenager in question cringed every time, but Riley thought it was cute.

It was only a little while later when Topanga arrived after getting off work that Riley started to understand her best friend's unease. Her mom had gone to the back to grab an apron and returned, tying it around her waist. Katy, apparently, could immediately tell that this was going to be a disaster and was trying to dissuade her friend from pursuing it. "Really, Topanga, please don't worry about this."

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

The blonde winced at the other woman's determination and once again tried to convince her otherwise. The three girls at the booth prepared to observe the entertainment that was sure to follow. Riley grinned in anticipation. "This is gonna be good."

"I can't take my eyes off it," her best friend agreed.

Topanga put her hands on her hips defiantly. "You don't think I can do this, do you?"

Katy smiled nervously. "I think that you are Topanga Matthews, attorney at law, and that might perhaps color the way that you deal with customers." She dropped her voice to a whisper as she muttered, "who I don't even think will believe that you're a waitress."

"I could be a fine waitress," Topanga argued. She brandished an order pad at her friend and made her way over to a customer who sat on one of the barstools. "And what will you have, sir?"

The man didn't look up from his menu. "Yeah, give me the cheesecake."

Topanga's smile tightened around the edges. "You want to try that a different way, chief?"

"No!"

"Okay," Katy cut in hurriedly, darting behind the counter to get the requested item. "Hey, Howie." She placed it on the counter in front of him. "There you go. You know what comes with our biggest piece of cheesecake? Our biggest smile."

She beamed at him as he gazed down at the dessert. "Don't ever leave me again."

Jack stood up from his seat aggressively. "Hey, don't talk to my partner like that! You wanna take this outside, pal?"

'Howie' gave him a flat look. "I was talking to the cheesecake."

"Oh," he mumbled, his face flushing slightly as he plopped back down in his chair.

Katy let out another anxious laugh as she made her way over to her boyfriend and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Easy, tiger. It's just cheesecake."

Jack offered her a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I knew that. Totally. Just. . . very protective of dessert-based declarations of love."

The blonde let out an unconvinced hum as Topanga readied herself to try again. "Okay, one more."

Katy gave her a stern look. "No more ever."

But, ever the perfectionist, Topanga was resolved to try again. "No. I'm gonna try that guy, right over there."

Everyone's gazes turned to the guy who'd just entered the bakery. Jack's eyes narrowed at the stranger, taking in the man's shoulder-length dark blonde hair and casual dress. He immediately determined that he disliked this guy, especially when Katy announced, "no, I got him."

Although she was surprised by her friend's assertion, Topanga conceded, "okay. I'll learn from you."

"You're going to want to watch what happens next very carefully," Maya commented to the two girls beside her.

"Why?" Riley wanted to know. "Your mother's great at this, Maya. What could happen?"

"If Farkle were here, he could tell us," Miya mused.

They fell silent as Katy slowly approached the man, who'd taken a seat at one of the tall tables. "Hello, sir. How are you today?" She didn't let him respond as she pushed on, "you a little hungry, are you? Is that why you've come here? Are you a little hungry?"

Jack didn't like the way this guy was looking at her like he knew her. He was, of course, aware of Kermit's existence (he'd laughed at the name when Katy had shared it with him), but she'd been reluctant to talk about her ex-husband more than what he'd needed to know. He'd understood and hadn't pressed, but the way this man was looking at her. . . it made him instantly suspicious— because that's how he would've looked at Juliet if he hadn't found Katy.

"What do you recommend?" the man inquired, finally able to get a word in edgewise.

"I recommend the first thing that I can get my hands on," she snapped, holding out her hand to Topanga. Confused by the interaction, the brunette didn't move, attempting to figure out what was going on. She only leapt into action when Katy hissed, "give me something!"

"Okay!" the Matthews exclaimed, rushing over to where Howie was digging into his cheesecake. She grabbed it from him before he even got a bite. "You should have said please!"

Then, she hurried back over to her friend and handed the plate to her. Katy picked the entire cake up with her bare hands and smashed it against the guy's face. Despite his initial suspicion, Jack couldn't help the flare of pride that flickered to life in his chest. Rising to his feet, he cheered, "hell yeah! That's my partner!"

"That's what I recommend!" Katy growled as Topanga gasped.

The brunette stared at her in shock. "You can do that? I didn't know you could do that. I would love to do that."

Mystery guy didn't move for a moment, recovering from the unexpected attack. Miya was forcefully reminded of her mom and Shawn and how Juliet usually countered his advances with water to the face. The realization made her turn to the blonde next to her. "Oh, my gosh. Is that him?"

Comprehension dawned on Riley's face at the same time and she demanded, "is he him? Did you do it? Did you do the assignment?"

Maya took several steadying breaths before she replied, "I wrote something, and I mailed it. Tell me it was a good move."

"It was a bad move," her best friend countered.

The blonde's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Tried it. It doesn't work," the Matthews girl explained. "They don't apologize. Forgiveness is for jerks."

"I'm glad you told me in time," Maya grumbled.

"Boy, I'm glad I didn't write my letter," Miya commented, earning a half-hearted glare from Maya.

Katy began throwing croissants at Maya's dad. Still lost, Topanga's head turned between the two of them like she was watching a tennis match. "I don't understand. Is this guy our millionth customer?"

"No!" the blonde woman snarled.

"Sir, why are you okay with this?" Topanga wondered as the man calmly cleaning the cheesecake off his face with his finger.

"I kind of expected it," he admitted.

That certainly didn't clear anything up and the brunette whirled back to address her friend. "Katy, who is this guy?"

Katy didn't reply, pressing her lips into a thin line as she brushed her hands to get rid of the crumbs. Jack stepped away from his table and moved closer to the blonde, standing slightly— protectively— in front of her as the tension continued to rise. Maya stood as well and shuffled towards the man, her head bowed with uncharacteristic vulnerability. The guy turned to look at her as her movement caught his attention. His cheesecake-covered face softened with recognition. "Hi, Maya."

"Hi, dad," she murmured.

Jack's hands tightened into fists by his sides. His jaw flexed. He didn't say anything at first— just watched the man in front of him like a lion deciding if the thing that just stepped into its territory was prey or threat. Probably both. From the little that Katy had told him about this guy over late-night talks in the quiet after Maya had gone to bed, Jack knew how much of an impact Kermit's leaving had affected the Harts.

He remembered Katy's voice trembling, even when she laughed it off. The way her hands shook when she'd brought up the day he left. How Maya lost her hope because of him.

So Jack was watching now. And he hated what he saw.

"You have some nerve," he sneered, voice just loud enough to be heard by everyone but calm enough to silence the bakery.

Kermit looked at him, bemused. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

"Jack Montacute," he introduced himself, stepping forward and holding out a hand. When Kermit instinctively reached for it, Jack didn't shake. He just tightened his grip around Kermit's hand like a vice and leaned in. "That's Mr. Montacute to you. I'm Katy's boyfriend."

The other man arched a brow at his assertiveness and the title he used. Riley and Miya, of course, had followed the blonde, not wanting her to deal with this kind of emotional upheaval on her own. The Matthews girl spoke then, her lips pulling into a bright smile to try and smooth over Jack's unfriendliness. "Hi. I'm Riley. I've heard a lot about you."

"Hi, Riley," he responded. "You a good friend of Maya's?"

She stared at him as if he personally offended her— which he had. "I'm sorry, and please don't take this the wrong way, but what?"

"Riley is my best friend," Maya informed him, forgoing any other label she might have (or want) for Riley at the moment for sake of simplicity. She linked her arms through both of the girls who stood next to her. "And this is Miya, my name-twin. But you wouldn't know much about either of them. Or me."

"Thank you for being Maya's best friend and. . . name-twin? Whatever that is," Kermit directed at the girls.

Riley held Maya a little closer. "It's easy because Maya's great. She's the best person I know."

Miya nodded. "Even though are names are pronounced completely differently, I'm still proud to be her name-twin."

"Then I'm happy she found you," he declared.

Riley leaned in to her best friend to whisper: "I was picturing a monster. He doesn't seem like a monster. He seems like Frosty the snow-guy."'

"What are you doing here, Kermit?" Katy wanted to know. Her hands anxiously fiddled with the towel she was holding, hardly able to look at the man she'd once loved. Instead, she focused her gaze on the one that she did, her brown eyes finding comfort in Jack's fierce blue ones.

She could see the spark of protectiveness in his eyes as he stood between her and Kermit, uncertain of what to do to be there for her but wanting to all the same. His desire to do so only made her more fond of him.

"I was invited." Kermit produced the red envelope that Cory had given his students a few days ago as proof.

"What?"

"This is all my dad's fault," Riley reported.

Topanga stared at her daughter in horror. "Your father had an idea?" When the teen nodded, the older woman quickly excused them: "I apologize immediately. Your food is on the house."

"That's very nice of you because I wouldn't have been able to afford all of this," Kermit tried to joke, but it fell flat. "May I please borrow a towel and your sink?" He gestured to his face. "And I'll take this to go."

🌎🌎🌎

"You said you were going out for a walk and you'd be back in an hour," Katy accused her ex-husband as soon as he left the kitchen to return to the main part of the bakery. His face was clean now but in Jack's opinion, that only made it more punch-able. "You're nine years late."

Kermit smiled in a way that Jack was starting to hate, unfazed by the woman's declaration. "Thank you, Katy."

"For what?"

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

"It was more than what you deserved," Jack muttered.

Katy placed a hand on the blond's arm and shrugged in response to her ex-husband's words. "Yeah, well, a girl should think well of her father."

"I was real happy to get your letter, Maya," Kermit spoke to his daughter warmly. "And that you've got a friends like Riley and Miya."

"This girl here is more of a father to me than you," the teen stated.

Riley drew her against her chest and stroked her hair. "Yeah, I raised Maya since she was a pup."

"Yeah, I don't have much faith in father parental figures and you're only enforcing that belief," Miya commented. "I mean, between parents who gave me up and one who abandoned my mom, there's not a great track record." She paused. "Huh. Maybe I do have some lingering resentment towards my bio parents."

No one quite knew what to say to that, but luckily Maya had more concerning matters to tackle. "So. . . you left. Why were Mom and I not good enough?"

"No, no, no. Maya," Katy tried to reassure her. "That was a long time ago. We're over it. We have Jack now, remember?" She squeezed her partner's hand, her grip almost painfully tight. Jack winced but didn't complain, knowing she needed some kind of release over his own personal comfort. Then, with her other hand, she began to smack her ex-husband's arm. "Why were we not good enough?"

"I think you know that wasn't it," Kermit reminded her, wincing at the 'attack.'

Katy scoffed with disbelief, turning away from him so she wouldn't have to look at him anymore. Jack glared at Maya's father, not caring to be subtle about his dislike. Riley shifted uncomfortably next to Miya. "You know, I should really go anywhere but here."

Maya grasped her arm as she stood up attempted to leave. "Nope, you're gonna stay with me. You're my family." She glanced at the Asian girl who made no effort to move. "You both are." The blonde turned her gaze up to meet her father's. "Oh, how's your other family?"

"Everyone is fine."

Sensing the increased awkwardness, Topanga moved closer to her daughter and firmly requested, "Riley, do you care to explain to me your father's idea here?"

"Our assignment was to forgive somebody," she informed her mom.

Topanga frowned, not quite following her husband's train of thought. "What does that have to do. . ."

"It changes our history," Riley supplied.

The older woman nodded appreciatively. "Oh. That's pretty good."

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

"To forgive him?" Katy inquired with a disbelieving look.

"Yeah, that was the assignment," Maya confirmed, her voice wavering slightly. "But I haven't decided if I'm going to pass or fail."

Kermit gazed earnestly at his daughter. "Maya, whatever you decide, thank you for reaching out to me."

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

"It's a piece of cake for me," Jack murmured, then chuckled at his unintentional pun.

Maya glanced at him as she stood, a ghost of a smile on her face before it was gone as rapidly as it had appeared. She walked over to her father and began to speak: "do you remember that night the thunder shook the apartment? I was five and I thought. . . the lightning was so bright, I thought the world was on fire."

Kermit squinted at her, not sure where she was going with this. "Why bring this up?"

"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," Maya carried on as if he hadn't interrupted her. "We were in Alaska looking for gold. And you said the lightning was the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis."

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

Something twisted in Jack's stomach at the blonde's story. He hated how this story almost made Kermit sound like someone worth missing. Where did that leave him in Maya's life? She'd already been too old for first steps, the first day of school, her first failed test, her first year of teenagerhood. He didn't know if they would ever get to have memories like that because she was old enough to not need a dad anymore.

Unaware of his self-deprecating thoughts, Maya continued her speech: "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?"

Kermit sighed. "No, Maya, I don't."

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

Oh. Jack's breath caught. It wasn't real. At least, not the version she just spoke of. The sudden tightness in his chest eased. He didn't have to compete with a father figure that was be better than he could ever be— Kermit was just as sucky of a dad as he'd initially assumed. There was absolutely no bond there that he would be trying to cooperate with.

Riley was more interested to know, "so how do you know the Aurora Borealis, Maya?"

"Mom," the blonde announced, turning to her mother with a warm smile. "It was Mom that came in. She made it Alaska and I wasn't scared at all."

Jack couldn't look away from Katy.

She was smiling at Maya with such quiet pride and love that it made something burn behind Jack's eyes. Not jealousy, not even sadness— just this aching awe. Because damn, how had she done this? How had she turned so much pain into something this strong and beautiful?

She was a better mom than she gave herself credit for. She'd made Alaska out of a thunderstorm. She'd made home out of herself. She'd been both parents, the good cop and the tough love, the protector and the soft place to land. And she never sought out praise, never even admitted that it was hard. All she'd wanted was Maya's happiness. He hoped that he could be half the parent she was some day.

He'd been afraid, when Kermit walked in, that he was about to lose something. That maybe this guy, despite everything, would claw his way back into Katy and Maya's hearts just enough to make Jack feel like a guest in their lives. But now?

Now he saw the truth.

Kermit might be part of their past, but Jack was part of their now. And if he was lucky— if he kept showing up the way he planned to— he'd be part of their future, too.

He reached out, pulled Katy into his side. She didn't resist. Her head fell against his shoulder and just breathed. Kermit watched their interaction, but his gaze lacked the jealousy Jack had been hoping for. There was only respect in his blue eyes, and maybe appreciation that Katy had found someone who could be there for her when she needed it. It only made Jack more irritated that this guy, who should be by all means a great father if the way he was acting now was anything to go by, had blown his chance by giving into selfish self-interest nine years ago. (But a small (very small) part of him was grateful that he had, since it would've meant that Jack didn't have the opportunity to have this place in Katy's life now.)

"Where were you?" Riley questioned the older man.

"I wasn't home."

She frowned. "How could you not be home?"

"Because kids bite teddy bears' faces off, friends ruin movies, parents give their children up and fathers leave," Maya explained. "You know, sometimes you can let it go, sometimes you can't. Your dad was wrong about this one, Riley."

🌎🌎🌎

The next day in school, Cory was interested in learning about how his students were doing on their assignment. "How's the forgiveness project going?"

"You killed us, Matthews," Maya complained immediately.

"I gotta say, Matthews, I don't know what you were thinking," Riley put in.

Lucas couldn't help but agree. "You think forgiveness leads to peace?"

"It leads to war in a movie theater," Zay grumbled, pointing an accusatory finger at their teacher.

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

"Sounds like good strategy," Cory commented.

The Texan scoffed. "Yeah. Then a cowboy comes on the screen. Farkle yells—"

"'Dead!'" Farkle finished.

"An old prospector comes on the screen."

"'Alien looking for a time portal,'" he declared.

"Next comes a cheerleader."

Cory's brow furrowed at the unexpected turn of events. "How is there a cheerleader in this movie?"

"No kidding!"

Mr. Matthews turned to his other students, hoping they had different results. "Well, I'm sure some of you had a better experience."

Unfortunately for him, every single teen shook their heads.

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

Cory settled himself on the edge of his desk as he listened to his daughter's objection. "Riley, did you really forgive Auggie?"

"No!"

He turned his attention to the blonde next to her. "Maya, did you forgive your father?"

"No," she admitted quietly.

"And Miya, did you really forgive your bio parents, or did you just convince yourself that you had?"

The brunette winced. "I still don't think I hate or have a grudge against them or anything, but maybe I'm not as okay with it as I thought I was."

Farkle didn't give their teacher time to question the boys as he answered for them: "and we didn't forgive Farkle." Then, he predicted that Zay would hit him with a balled-up piece of paper and mumbled "ow" seconds before he did.

"Well, it sounds to me like forgiveness is harder than it looks," Cory remarked.

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

He nodded. "If you're all right with it."

Her gaze fell on the paper in front of her, which she lifted slightly to read it better: "'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.'"

Despite their current differences, Lucas still cared about the blonde. Hearing the wavering quality to her voice, he reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Cory sighed at the heaviness in her tone. "Did he help you to understand what happened?"

"No."

"Why not?" the curly-haired man prompted her.

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

His gaze flicked to meet his daughter's. "Riley, why did Auggie bite your bear's face off?"

The brunette seemed to actually consider his question. "I don't know."

"Why not?"

"I never asked him," she realized.

"Miya? Lucas? Zay?" Cory prompted the rest of the group.

Lucas turned to his friend. "Farkle, why do you tell us the end of the movies?"

"Well, because you're good at everything you do," the genius shared. He gestured to Zay. "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." Then, he added, "'oh, Farkle, you don't need to impress us. We love you just the way you are. I'll always see a movie with you, babe.'" Even though he knew it was coming, he still felt his face heat up at the term of endearment— he still wasn't used to Miya addressing him as anything other than Farkle, but she seemed invested in trying out a 'couple' nickname that would suit him.

Lucas shot him a deadpan look. "Farkle, we are never going to the movies with you again."

"Ever," Zay confirmed emphatically.

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

"No, I didn't."

Sure enough, Riley turned around to smile warmly at him as Maya assured him, "oh, Farkle, you don't need to impress us."

"We love you just the way you are," the Matthews girl promised.

"I'll always see a movie with you, babe," Miya added, then froze. She slapped her hands over her mouth as the nickname slipped out, her eyes widening with embarrassment. Farkle gave her a charming smile and winked at her, then faced forward again.

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

"Yeah, we do."

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

Maya let out a shaky breath. "Why can't you just admit that you're wrong about this?"

"Because forgiveness is one of our finest qualities as human beings, Maya," he impressed upon her. "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."

🌎🌎🌎

After school that day, Miya sat down at her desk in her room and tried again to pen her letter to her bio parents. This time, she was being honest when she acknowledged that she hadn't thought much about them, ever. She had never tried to picture what they'd look like or what she'd say to them if they ever met. She felt like she should say something, though, at least to accept the fact that she felt like she'd missed out on having a dad. She'd always been content with her mom, but every so often— especially on Father's Day— she'd secretly wished she had a male parent, too.

At the sound of a knock on her door, Miya called 'come in!' and saw that it was Farkle. He came over to her desk and looked down at her blank piece of paper. "Trying to write to your parents?"

"Yeah." She didn't ask how he knew considering his 'abilities.' "It's not going so well, as you can see."

"Do you want company?"

She tilted her head to look up at him, blinking in surprise at his question. "Sure. But it's your house so you don't have to ask me for permission to stay."

"It may be my house, but this is your room," he countered, fetching a nearby chair to draw it up to her desk so he could sit next to her. "You have say over who can and can't be in here."

Her expression softened at the sentiment, touched that he respected her personal space that much. "Well, I'm glad you're here. Proof read my letter when I'm done?"

"'Course," he agreed, shifting closer to her so he could loop an arm around her shoulders as she started to write.

Sometime later, with the late afternoon sun lower in the sky so that it cast golden streaks across her desk, Miya finally set her pen down and exhaled slowly. Her fingers trembled just slightly and without saying anything, she handed it to Farkle. He accepted it gently, as if it were something delicate. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, her chest tight with anticipation. His eyes moved steadily across the page, brow furrowing just slightly at parts, his mouth twitching as he read something that made him smile— just a little.

When he finally looked up, his gaze was steady and warm. "That was really brave," he complimented her softly. "Not just writing to them but being honest. You didn't try to make it sound like anything other than what it was."

She blinked, surprised by how much his simple words hit her. "I wasn't even sure if I should write it. I don't know them. I don't even know if I want to, but. . . I guess I just wanted to say something. Even if they never read it."

He nodded, his voice quieter now. "You're allowed to want answers, even if they won't give them. Wanting to be seen by the people who made you doesn't make you ungrateful for the one who raised you." He paused, searching her face. "You're allowed to feel both."

Her throat tightened as he once again anticipated exactly how she was feeling. She didn't respond right away, but the way her eyes glistened gave her away. She looked at him, really looked at him, appreciating her boyfriend— his intelligence, his compassion, his loyalty— for all that he was.

"You're going to kiss me now, aren't you?" he guessed, a small, lopsided smirk tugging at his mouth.

She giggled at how on-the-nose he was. Then, she leaned in and did exactly that. It was soft, warm, and full of things she didn't quite have the words for yet. When she finally pulled away, her forehead rested against his for a second before she spoke again: "wanna see a movie?"

He grinned. "Even though I always spoil it?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm the one who said that I think your spoiler sense is cute. And honestly. . . I don't think I could watch a whole movie alone anymore."

Farkle's expression lit up brilliantly, like she'd just handed him the stars. "So, what movie are we watching?"

And at the exact same time, they chorused: "The Princess Bride."

They stared at each other for a beat, then burst out laughing.

"You're unbelievable," Miya pouted.

He just gave her that arrogant sort of smirk that he usually used when he'd proved a teacher wrong. "I know."

🌎🌎🌎

"Forgiveness does work, Maya," Riley decided. She, Maya and Miya were sitting in their usual spot at Topanga's, although this time Auggie had joined them— against his will, it looked like. He sat grumpily on Riley's lap as she kept her arms wrapped around him to prevent him from leaving. "You just have to do it right."

"Can I go play with my friends now?" her little brother begged her.

"No!" she insisted, then returned to her conversation with her friends: "all you have to do is listen to the other person."

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

She rested her chin on his shoulder and tapped his cheek with her finger. "Quiet. I'm talking."

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

To their surprise, Kermit appeared in the doorway shortly after she finished speaking. He held up his hands placatingly, afraid of getting the same reaction he had the previous day. "I am not hungry, so please don't throw anything at me."

Maya stood slowly from her seat. "I thought you left."

"I did," he replied. Miya noticed that he was holding tightly onto the telltale red envelope. "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 glanced at the friends and family that were seated in various spots around Topanga's. She took in her mom's unreadable expression, the Matthews' concerned ones, Jack's angry one (directed at Kermit), Riley's hopeful, trusting gaze and Miya's wariness. She knew they showed all those emotions because that was how they felt about her wellbeing and they'd be there when she inevitably crashed and burned. So, she willingly followed her father outside to talk to him in relative privacy.

The group inside the bakery was tense and quiet as they waited for Maya to rejoin them. At least on the girls' part, they strained to hear the conversation that was happening on the patio. It was only once the blonde came back into the café that they moved again. One look at her daughter's tear-streaked face was all Katy needed to go over to her and wrap her arms tightly around the girl. Maya sniffled quietly as she passed by her friends, avoiding eye contact with them until she stood in front of Mr. Matthews.

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly. "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."

He gazed at her gently. "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?" she managed to choke out.

"Maya, did you forgive yourself?"

Her face crumpled as she began to cry in earnest again. Jack, who had moved to stand next to Katy, started to reach out in an effort to comfort her. Before he could fully decide on how he wanted to do that, the blonde turned to him instinctively and wrapped her arms around his waist as she buried her face in his shirt. Unlike the first time she'd gotten emotional on him, he didn't freak out. Instead, his arms came around her without hesitation and he held her close.

🌎🌎🌎

Unsent correspondence from Miya Capelwood to her parents:

To my (biological) mom and dad:

Wow. It feels weird to call you that. I mean, I have a mom— a great mom. But it's weird to think about the fact that I have other parents— my 'real' parents— too. I'll be honest: I almost never think about you guys. I don't even know your real names. I've never asked. I've never needed to. Maybe it's because I'm not a typical orphan (it's even weirder to consider myself under that label.) I don't live at an orphanage. I have plenty of friends and even a boyfriend. Sure, life hasn't always been easy, but I'm not down-on-my-luck like Oliver Twist. I don't want for anything.

Well, that's not completely true. Although I'm good in the mom department, sometimes I wish I had a dad. It feels selfish to want that considering how hard my mom works to give me the best life possible, but that doesn't make it any less true. I know lots of people who grew up without dads. My mom didn't— for most of her life, at least. My mom's best friend (who I call Shawn-the-Jerk) didn't, not really. Even one of my best friends only has her mom, too. That's who she's forgiving for our assignment— her dad, I mean.

I guess I should explain that part. My history teacher is kind of like our class's life coach. A lot of his lessons revolve around what's going on in our lives so we can understand history better. This time, we're studying how forgiveness and peace can affect our future by changing our past. We're supposed to write letters to someone and forgive them for the wrong they've done to us.

I honestly didn't think I had anyone to forgive. I'm not mad at you guys for giving me up. I don't hate you. I don't resent you. Or, at least, I thought I didn't. I'm actually not sure. But when I really sat down to think about it, I realized I never let myself feel anything about you at all.

It's like there's this locked door in my head labeled "Bio Parents" and I've just. . . never opened it. Not because I was scared, but because I never needed to. I had everything I needed already. But for the sake of the assignment— and my own peace— I'm unlocking that door. Just for a moment. Just to say this:

I forgive you.

I forgive you for leaving. For not wanting me. For not being there. For all the birthdays you didn't show up for, even though I never expected you to. For the questions I never got answers to.

And maybe most of all. . . I'm actually grateful you left.

Because if you hadn't, I wouldn't have the life I do now. I wouldn't have her— Juliet. My real mom. The one who stayed. The one who held me through nightmares and laughed at my jokes and remembered what kind of ice cream I liked when I was sick. The one who fought for me, every single day. She's not perfect, but she's mine. She chose to be mine.

You may be my biological parents, but she is my real one. And even though there's this quiet ache for something I never had— a dad, a full picture— I wouldn't trade what I do have just to fill in those blanks. If someone offered me a do-over, a life where I got to have the two of you and a picture-perfect family? I'd still choose her. Every single time.

I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to worry about me. I'm okay. More than okay. I'm loved. I'm happy. I don't need you to come looking for me and I'm not looking for you.

But I do forgive you. And I hope, wherever you are, you've found peace. I hope you're happy, too.

That's all.

Miya

--

Unsent correspondence from Juliet Capelwood to Shawn Hunter:

Dear Shawn,

Where do I even begin?

We've been through so much together. You were my first friend, my first best friend, my first crush and my first heartbreak. I've cared about you for so long that I don't know how not to do that, even when I disliked you the most— never hated, though God knows I certainly tried. I wanted to hate you. You deserved it after everything you did. But I just couldn't. Probably because I still love you, even now.

How do we move on from this?

I want to move on. Not for your sake, but for mine. Miya thinks that if I forgive you, I'll find 'inner peace.' Cory taught her that, can you believe it? You guys could be such idiots back then that I sometimes feared for your futures.

But Cory wasn't wrong— not about everything, at least. Forgiveness is important. I've carried around this anger, this hurt, for longer than I care to think about. And it's heavy, Shawn. It's exhausting.

You broke my heart. You shattered it, really. Not just because you didn't come with me to England, but because you never even truly considered it. We were in love— at least, I thought we were. I had thought about the future. I pictured a life with you. I thought maybe you pictured one with me, too.

But when the moment came, you didn't choose me. You chose New York. You chose Cory and Topanga. And I know they're your family. I know what they mean to you, because of what they mean to me. I understood it, even then. But knowing that doesn't make the choice hurt any less.

You kissed me last New Year's. You looked at me like no time had passed at all. You told me you loved me. And for a second— just one second— I believed that maybe the world had circled back to where we left off. But then the second passed, and I was standing there again, wiser than I used to be.

If you loved me, truly loved me. . . how could you have walked away? How could you have let me leave, knowing it would break us? I've asked myself that question for years. And I still don't have an answer.

But here's what I've come to understand: love doesn't always come with clarity. Sometimes it's messy, sometimes it's scared, and sometimes it's just not enough. Maybe you loved me, and maybe you still do— but it didn't change what happened. It didn't change what it felt like to be left behind.

I forgive you, Shawn. For not choosing me. For the kiss. For the words. I forgive you because I need to, not because it made sense. But what I can't do is forget. I can't forget the ache I lived with— still live with. I can't forget the way I lost my breath when you let go. I can't forget how long it took me to even feel like myself again.

I don't know if we can put us back together on our own. I don't think even Cory and Riley, with all their scheming, have that power. It took something big to tear us apart. I think it can only take something of equal magnitude to bring us back together again.

Love,

Juliet

A/n: I have some good news and bad news for you guys. The good news is that there's only one episode/chapter left of this act! I decided to skip the "redecorating the bay window" episode since I couldn't really see how I could fit Miya in it, so I just referenced it in this chapter and called it a day.

The bad news is that my parents, who have been travelling for the last  four months, are coming back home next week. This means that my writing time will be much more limited and I probably won't be able to update as often as I have been. I'm determined to at least finish this act this year and with one more chapter, it shouldn't be hard— but we'll see. Only I would be able to drag one chapter out eight months 🤣.