SCHOOL

"You know why it's a great day?" Riley said as we walked down the staircase.

"For you? Because it's a day," Maya snickered.

"Endless possibilities lie ahead."

"Nothing is endless except your goofy face," Maya replied as we got to the bottom of the staircase and the blonde noticed a crisp five dollar bill, "What a great day! Looky here. What should we buy?"

"We're not buying anything. That money is not yours."

"This is where our friendship ends, right here, right now. Goodbye forever." I tugged the blonde's arm, pulling her back as Riley stared at the girl with the money.

"Maya, somebody dropped that."

"Who? Name? Whose is it? Whose? I'll take any 'whose'. I'll take the 'who's' with the apostrophe because I never know which is right.

"In this case, it would be the whose without an apostrophe, because you're meaning to say 'who does this belong to'," I noted as the girls turned to me for a moment, before returning to their conversation.

"How could you live knowing that that belongs to somebody else?" the brunette asked.

"Everything I own belonged to somebody else," Maya retorted blandly, before shaking her head, "Riley, it's a five-sky. Not even a one-sky. Anybody could find a one-sky."

"Put it back!"

"This is my only source of income," as the bell rung I sighed, going to class. Maya followed me before pausing as Riley spoke once more. I huffed, just heading into the classroom, not wanting to deal with the girl's bickering. As I sat down Lucas poked my right shoulder. I turned back to him, crossing my legs.

"I've been summoned?" I said looking at him with a smile, "Whatcha need Cowboy?" Lucas shook his head as he chuckled, before smiling back at me.

"Wanna run lines during lunch?" he asked referencing the production he and I were set to star in a little while before the school year would end. I nodded as the girls walked in. I noticed Maya now had two five dollar bills in her hand.

"Where'd you get a clone?" I raised an eyebrow at the blonde. She smirked, looking at Riley as she sat down.

"The same place," Maya grinned, "Mocha chip after school!" she said holding the pair in a satisfactory victory.

As I pulled out my notebook Riley couldn't help but hold a glare at Maya. The blonde huffed.

"Riles, it was just a coincidence I happened to find it. Can you leave it alone?"

"There are no coincidences, Maya."

"A coincidence is just the universe's way of saying, 'Hi'."

"Or God's," I chimed in, the two girls looked at me weirdly, I held an awkward smile between my gritted teeth, "Alrighty then." I sighed, turning back in my seat, thinking it better to not get involved. Matthews looked at me from his desk.

"Hi."

"Apparently, somebody here needs to learn a lesson," I said glancing over at the blonde and brunette feuders.

"In 1425, Joan of Arc, a 13-year-old girl, believed that she heard the voice of God," Matthews pointed to the board. Riley leaned over to Maya.

"This is your lesson," she whispered, before leaning back in her desk and wearing a confident smile.

"Telling her to drive the English out of France."

"Wow," I said.

"Amazing," Riley's eyes widened with impressment.

"Yeah, back then you could drive at 13?" Maya giggled, oblivious to the bigger picture Riley was trying to stress to her.

"Loony-tunes was just a little," Zay started rolling his fingers around his head, "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"

"Nobody hears voices in their head. That's just crazy," Farkle said, before pausing as his eyes widened and his head turned, "It is so!" he said to now one imparticular.

"Not so crazy now is it," I sighed, "Some people hear them, some people don't. It's a part of life, and they come to you when you need them the most," everyone looked at me, "At least that's what I think, but hey I'm just a 14-year-old Idina... I'm no 13-year-old Joan of Arc," I shrugged, turning my attention back to our history teacher.

"Now Joan knew that this belief could cost her her life," he continued. Lucas turned to Zay.

"What if she wasn't crazy, Farkle? What if she just deeply believed in something?"

"Well, then why believe in anything you can't prove?" Farkle shot back.

"Ah, now there's a question. Guess where this is leading us?" our teacher smirked.

"To an assignment," Maya answered correctly, causing everyone except Farkle and me.

"Yay," Farkle said quietly as I grinned.

"You've all walked through life long enough with your blissfully empty heads. But what do you guys really believe in? Some of our greatest thinkers believed in something so strongly that they gave their lives to change the world."

"Show-offs," Maya chuckled.

"Like Joan of Arc," Zay said before sighing, "The Wack-a-doo." I turned in my seat back to him.

"Like Malala Yousafzai, who took a bullet for girl's educational rights!" I almost shouted. Matthews stared at me then looked back at Zay.

"And I think I just found our first pairing," Matthews smirked, pointing to the dark-skinned boy, then I, "You like Malala so much? That's your topic."

"Ugh," Zay groaned. I smiled. Malala was one of my heroes, my inspirations. I scribbled something down as the teacher continued to find 'perfect matches' for the assignment.

"Does anyone here believe in anything, anything at all?" Matthews addressed the rest of the class. Riley quickly raised her hand high.

"I believe that Maya did wrong by taking somebody else's five-dollar bill." Maya raised her hand in a mocking manner of the brunette.

"I believe in five dollars' worth of ice cream," she blinked with an innocent smirk across her lips.

"And I believe that you two are the perfect team for this if there ever was one. You guys are going to report on Thomas Jefferson."

"Aw, boo!" Maya pouted.

"Farkle," he pointed to the chestnut boy, "you're a man of science."

"I need me my proof," Farkle nodded.

"And Lucas?"

"I have beliefs that work for me, sir," the taller boy replied. Our teacher pursed his lips with a mischievous grin.

"Well, this is going to be fun. You guys are going to report on Joan of Arc."

"She's a saint," my fellow Texan replied.

"Yeah, a saint. Whoo-whoo!" Farkle scoffed.

"Now I want you two to really learn something from Jefferson," Matthews bent down to Maya and Riley's desks.

"Ah, boo!" Maya groaned.

"Why do you keep booing Jefferson?" Matthews leaned on Maya's desk.

"He hates us," she glared at him.

"How do you know?"

"He's making us do this."

"He died over 200 years ago."

"So it's you making us do this?"

"Yeah," Maya scowled.

"Aw, boo!" the two shouted at each other. Before a full on fight could break out the bell rang, "Sweet freedom!" Our teacher shouted, running out of the room before any of the students had a chance to pass him up. I collected my stuff. Farkle walked over to my desk, for a few moments, I ignored him.

"Farkle I'm not going to judge you, we have different beliefs and that's fine," I said swinging my bag over my shoulder.

"That is very mature of you Idina," Farkle replied, as I turned around he lightly kissed the bridge of my nose where my glasses were. I couldn't help but grin.

"Yay," I said simply and sweetly. He rubbed the back of his neck, his hair moving slightly as he did.

"And do not worry our baby Minki can be raised however you desire," he assured me. I raised an eyebrow.

"You've thought about things like that?" he nodded, "Farkle... we are only in middle school."

"Almost high school soon," he noted. I bit my lip, before lacing my hand with his.

"Well, I think it's absolutely adorable," I said, before leaning my head on his shoulder as we walked out the door. I paused for a moment as we reached our lockers.

"What's up?" he asked looking at me.

"Farkle, I'm Jewish, you know that right?" he nodded once more, "So if we did have kids... in the very distant future," I said quickly, "I would want them to be raised practicing Judaism."

"Well then," Farkle grinned and raised his hands up, "L'Chaim!" he almost shouted. I nodded, impressed he knew the Hebrew term.

"To life," I translated, my smile broadening.

AFTER SCHOOL

Riley sat down next to Maya as we gathered at Topanga's to work on our assignments. The brunette put down her purse with a huff.

"You don't just pick things up and think that they're yours," Riley said as the blonde picked up the brunette's purse.

"Oh, my gosh! Look what I found!" Maya joked.

"You need to believe in things."

"I might if my life was as hunky-dory as yours."

"Oh, so you're saying it's easier to believe when things are going well?"

"Things are going well. I just got 10 bucks and this new purse I just lent you."

"Then why won't you believe in anything?" Riley raised an eyebrow.

I looked across the table where Zay and me, glaring at the dark-skinned boy,"Give me one reason why Malala was crazy."

"She let herself get shot!" Zay scoffed. I sighed, opening my textbook and showing him a picture of a map. I pointed to Pakistan.

"Look," my finger jabbed the page roughly, "There are some countries where girls aren't treated fairly. They don't go to school, they don't get the same rights, all they do is get married and have babies! Malala didn't want that, she wanted to make her own choices, have her own rights, figure out the world for herself, not have it laid out perfectly for her."

"I still say she's a wack-a-doo!" Zay pouted.

"Ugh!" I plopped my head on the open textbook. I looked up momentarily to see Farkle standing behind the counter, looking at a seated Lucas, with his arms crossed.

"How can you go through life so blind, so trusting?" the genius boy asked.

"I do trust in certain things," Lucas replied simply.

"Why? What is that? I don't understand that."

"I don't know. I just feel like I have a better life because of it."

"You have a better life because of look-at-ya!" Farkle glared looking Lucas up and down, "Your freak face is just a collection of cells and bone structure that was randomly and somehow so perfectly put together that if there is a force that did that for you, I'll tell you right now, he hates me." I giggled slightly at that comment, hiding it behind my book as I looked back over at the girls while Zay played with a pencil, putting it on his nose. I rolled my eyes and listened to what progress they were making, clearly as two-thirds of us were achieving absolutely nothing.

"How has my deep, deep teenage belief system not rubbed off on you?" Riley questioned.

"Thomas Jefferson, please," Maya said in a fancy voice.

"Fine. What do we know about him?" the brunette looked at her partner.

"He's on both my five-dollar bills."

"He's on the two."

"I just said that."

"He wrote the Declaration of Independence."

"Lincoln?"

"Jefferson. Do you even know the difference between them?"

"Three bucks."

"You aren't going to be any help on this, are you?"

"I have faith that somehow it'll all get done."

"Yeah, by me, Maya, like always."

I looked over at Zay, "Look I'm always the one to finish the assignments, are you gonna help me or what Pretty Boy?" Zay looked up, the pencil on his nose.

"What? Sorry didn't hear you," the curly-haired boy replied, distractedly. I grabbed the pencil off his nose and snapped it.

"They burned Joan of Arc at the stake because they were afraid," Lucas said to Farkle as he gestured, "Just like you're afraid there are certain things that can't be explained by science."

"They were afraid because they believed in witches and superstitions because they lacked the knowledge to diagnose her condition," Farkle replied.

"Why do you have to call it a condition? She had a vision. Well, you say 'vision', but you know vision, properly diagnosed by a medical professional is, 'Whoo!'"

"Farkle, you did it. What I believe is all wrong. I really respect how you and your scientific mind have changed me," Lucas paused, "Oh, either that or..." he blew a raspberry. I stood angrily, glaring at Zay.

"Okay, I can't work with Saint Huckleberry the Perfect," Farkle said walking over to Riley and Maya. I walked over to Riley's side of the couch.

"And I can work with Captain Stupid Head," I said pointing at Zay.

"Tell me about it," Maya groaned.

"Zay, change partners?" Lucas asked looking at his friend.

"Riley change partners?" I asked looking at the brunette.

"Absolutely," the two answered in unison.

"Oh, of course, you three would make it a square dance," Maya said looking at myself and the other Texan boys.

I went over to Zay as he stood, jumping on his back, "To Mr. Matthews class!" I demanded. He giggled.

"Gladly," he glared, making horsey noises and running off as our friends followed.

HISTORY CLASSROOM

Riley walked in first as we marched in a line. Maya, then Lucas, Farkle, myself, then Zay.

"Yes?" Matthews looked up at the half a dozen of us.

"We want to switch teams," I slammed my hand against his desk, "I can't work like this!" I pointed to Zay, who was fooling around with a pencil once more.

"I'm sorry what are we doing again?" Zay asked obliviously. I huffed.

"Ya see what you got me partnered with Matthews?!"

Maya started to speak in a husky voice, pretending to be our teacher, "'No can do, kids! Once you make teams, there's no switching back because what I say goes, because I have a whistle'."

"I don't sound like that." We all looked at each other, then back at him.

"You do," we replied in unison as I nodded my head vigorously.

"Okay, fine, go ahead, switch."

"Really?" Riley raised an eyebrow with a smile across her face.

"Sure." Maya nodded as we left, seeming satisfied with our success. We left in the same line we'd come in, with Zay leading and Riley being the last one out the door.

"He's up to something," Riley deduced, furrowing her eyebrows once we were in the hall.

"He's sneaky smart," Farkle nodded.

"Well, maybe we should just stay the teams that we were," Lucas bit his lip. Zay nodded.

"Not a chance," Maya replied.

"No thanks Cowboy," I added shaking my head.

"I'm fine with my face," Farkle said with wide eyes.

"Joan of Arc much?" Zay asked patting Farkle's back.

"Maya, come on, I won't bring it up again," Riley bargained, "You and I are always partners."

"Riles, I just... I just need a break."

"From what?"

"From you and all these things you believe."

"Fine then!" Riley huffed, going to me, "I still have my other best friend. Come on Idina!" Riley said tugging my arm before she started to walk off quickly in the wrong direction.

"Other way Riles," I sighed.

"I knew that!" She turned and started walking back, not letting it show that she'd made a mistake.

I poked Farkle's shoulder, he turned back to me for a moment, "For the record, I'm very much fine with your face," I said, before storming off after Riley.

As we sat in Topanga's once more Riley couldn't help but stare at Maya and Lucas, who were now working together. Hurt was written across the brunette's face. I looked over at Zay, who was still playing with his darn pencil as Farkle seemed to be hard at work.

"I don't think she really meant that Riley," I looked at her across the counter.

"She does. She wants a break from me. Money changes people," Riley pouted.

"Maya?" Lucas tapped Maya's shoulder as she sipped a drink through a curly straw.

"Maya's on vacation. Please leave a message at the beep," the blonde replied blandly. Lucas sat back and waited for the beep.

"Oh, there's no beep, is there?" he realized.

"Look, Riley and I are just taking a friendly little break. It's no big thing."

"I'm not sure Riley sees it that way. The two of you can't be apart. It shakes the foundations of the whole world."

"That's very scientific, Huckleberry," Maya rolled her eyes.

"Some things are just true."

"I'm on vacation, just like you're on vacation from the genius."

"How does Farkle not have faith in stuff he can't even see?" Lucas huffed.

"Join me at the beach, Lucas," Maya demanded.

"Is nothing real anymore?" the cowboy shrugged and kicked his feet up on the table.

I bent over Riley's shoulder as she scrolled through her phone, focusing more on her relationship with the blonde than her relationship with a good grade on the project.

"You know, is possible that you're too close?" I unlatched the query, causing the brunette to glare at me as I sighed and shook my head, "Okay, let's just do the assignment then." Riley nodded and sat down. I leaned against the counter.

"How do you feel about Thomas Jefferson?"

"Well, the more I read, the more impressive he gets."

"Right? He never once wavered from what he believed."

"I admire his strength of character, even though I don't necessarily agree with it, I admire it."

"But then... so we completely agree with each other."

"Looks like it."

"Yeah." I bit my lip.

"So why do I need you?"

"I don't know."

"I think Joan of Arc had good intentions, Farkle seems to think she had a screw loose," Lucas sighed.

"Eh, she was just a goofball teenage girl that just wanted to show what she thought about things," Maya said her opinion flatly.

"Sounds like someone we know. Sounds like deep down, you admire her."

"No. I don't admire her. I don't miss her and I am quite enjoying my 'me' time," Maya scoffed, she paused, rolling her tongue around her mouth, "I miss her. I love her. What did you do to me, Ranger Rick?" she grunted before standing.

"Where are you going?" Farkle asked, glancing up from his book. Zay looked at the blonde as well.

"Airport. You ruined my whole vacation!" Maya started pretending to be an airplane as Riley held a sign up for her like you would if you were picking someone up from the airport. When they both saw each other they squealed and embraced each other. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hi, peaches!" Riley grinned, "You're back! What'd you bring me?"

"Nothing!" they took another selfie as I sighed.

"Ooh, that's a good one," Riley noted as the looked at it.

Farkle stood, "Well this obviously isn't working out."

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Zay said.

"To Mr. Matthews class!" I shouted once more and pointed, as the kids followed my direction.

We stormed the class quickly. In the same fashion, in the same line as last time.

Riley started, "Okay, we know you're going to say no, but-"

"Switch again," Matthews blandly cut her off.

"Thank you," I sighed. He looked at his daughter then the blonde.

"So are you and Maya back together?"

"No, Riley and I have decided to separate our work lives from our bay window lives," Maya replied.

"Well, I'm sure that will keep the love alive," our teacher said very unenthusiastically.

"Oh definitely," I sarcastically nodded. He looked at me.

"You and Farkle are still together right? Because that's the only thing I'm sure of at this point, in this bunch I mean..." he gestured to the half-a-dozen of us, "Look at cha!"

I looked over at Farkle who blushed, "Yes Mr. Matthews. Idina and I are still together," he confirmed.

"Good," Matthews smiled.

THE MATTHEWS' APARTMENT

"Why did my father assign us, Jefferson? I get that he wrote the Declaration of Independence. He said, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident'. Is that what he wants us to know? That believing in something is just the obvious thing to do?" Riley asked Farkle. She and he sat on the couch in her living room, Maya and I sat at the dining table, and the two Texan boys sat in the living room bay window, hard at work I hoped.

"Not to me. A scientist needs to hold things under a microscope, Riley. That's the only way to really understand what's right in front of you," Farkle replied.

"Did you ever think that when you look through a microscope, you miss the bigger picture?"

"No." I looked at Maya.

"So Joan of Arc," I started, "I think she was kind of amazing."

"Idina, what is it that makes people like her and you have faith in a higher power? Riley of Arc is trying to push me there, but I'm just not the type of person that likes to be pushed, you know?"

"Yeah, I've noticed," I chuckled staring back at the blonde, "I don't think you can be pushed into something this important anyway, even by Riley."

"Yeah. Joan of Arc thought she had a voice in her head."

I sighed, "Look, don't expect it to be big, loud and obvious. For me, most of what I believe comes to me when it's quiet."

"Yeah? I don't get a lot of quiet," she bit her lip, "What do you do?"

"I don't know. I just... I just listen," I run my finger over the paper, "I listen to the small things. The little actions, the things that we do to make the world a better place. I watch, I see, I make sure that I try to do some good every now and then."

She looked at me, "So you don't question it?" I smiled.

"I do, all the time, but that doesn't stop me from believing."

THE NEXT DAY

It was right before school, about maybe 15 minutes before we would have to skedaddle to make it for our first period. Riley, Maya and I ended up just sitting. In her room, in the bay window. The boys had come too. Zay would've but he was face-timing with Smackle that morning, like a mini-date. It was quiet in the bedroom, really quiet. Until, it wasn't.

"Can I ask you two a very personal question?" Maya bit her lip. I nodded.

"Are there any other kind?" Riley, said, acknowledging it was okay.

"Do you pray?"

"When I feel the need to... yes," I admitted.

"All the time," the brunette responded for herself.

"Isn't that sort of..." Maya paused.

"Amazing?" Riley tried to finish her sentence.

"Greedy," Maya shook her head.

"Greedy? How?"

"Shouldn't you leave something for someone else?" Farkle asked.

"Huh," Riley thought about the statement.

"I don't think I take up his time, I don't ask for much, normally just that I'm safe," I looked at them, "My mom's safe, and that my friends are safe."

"Well, I think everyone gets heard," Lucas sighed.

"See, I just don't get how those things are possible. I mean, do you really believe he hears everything you say?" Farkle asked.

"Do you like computers?" Lucas asked.

"I do."

"Can I find out everywhere you've been with just," I held up my hand, "one click?"

"Yeah," Farkle nodded.

"God can't do that?" Lucas finished our example as Riley's father walked into the room.

"Morning, guys. You get everything sorted out?" he asked.

"No. Why won't everybody just believe everything I believe?" Riley huffed in annoyance.

"They won't?"

"No," Farkle said simply.

"How dare they?" the teacher moved towards us, leaning against the wall by the bay window, "Farkle, I thought men of science were open to new discoveries."

"Look, people, it's simple: seeing is believing."

"So you don't believe that Joan of Arc heard the voice of-"

"God? First, you'll have to prove God to me."

"Okay."

"Okay, I'm right? Or okay, you're actually going-"

"Take a deep breath, Farkle," the genius did as he was told, "Now that air that you just breathed in, that air that's between you and me, what color is it?"

"It's clear, Mr. Matthews. That's why I can see you. I believe in you because I can see you."

"That's your position?"

"Yes."

"ROYGBIV."

"Uh-oh."

"What?" Maya raised an eyebrow.

"We learned about ROYGBIV in first grade," Lucas replied.

"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet," I listed off.

"It's a rainbow," Riley smiled.

"You got a prism on you, Farkle?"

"No! Who would carry a... why would you think... yes," Farkle surrendered, handing the history teacher the prism from his pocket.

"Great," he chuckled, taking the glass object and sitting down as he held it up, "So remind me what this does, please."

"It slows down the speed of light and refracts it into the elemental spectrum of colors," Farkle spoke as Mr. Matthews used the prism, making a rainbow on one of the walls of the bedroom.

"Ooh, a rainbow," Riley smiled.

"That's right," Matthews nodded.

"So this air that's between us isn't really clear at all," I noted.

"Yes," Matthews replied, "Even though we can't see that."

Farkle's face stayed unemotional, "Okay, but I don't see how-"

"What's outside that window, Farkle?" the chestnut-haired boy peeked his head up, looking out the window.

"Flowers, the fire escape, the street, the people on the street, apartment buildings," Farkle listed off.

"And what's in the apartment buildings?"

"I can't see that."

"People, families, mothers, fathers, kids," Lucas retorted.

"And beyond them?" our teacher pushed.

"The sky, the stars, the whole universe," Riley put her hands in her lap.

"All of it. Every person, every child, everything out there, everything we see and we don't see."

"And all of these shiny elements of a force that bound us together," I said, "There it, there a part of the bigger picture." Farkle bit his lip looking at our teacher, seeming to let what he'd said sink in.

"I like to think of that as a part of God refracted," Matthews nodded, "Aspects of God that I can see," he looked at his brunette daughter, "What's the secret to life, Riley?"

"People change people."

"We're here to discover what it is we want to believe in. And different people believe in different things. But it doesn't hurt to listen to people we love before we decide for ourselves," Matthews finished his mini-lesson and started to walk away, before turning to my fellow Texan, "Oh. And, uh, Lucas?"

"I'm in your daughter's room?"

"Yeah," Lucas quickly turned around as Matthews ran at him, he climbed out the window abruptly as the teacher stole one of his shoes.

"I think he's gonna need that," I giggled. Grabbing the shoe and sighing.

When we got to school I found Lucas sitting with Zay on the bench in the hall, the blonde boy was short a shoe.

"Stupid Head, Cowboy," I greeted the two as I reached into my backpack, and tossed Lucas the boot, "Think you're missing something."

"Yup," Lucas replied, propping the shoe back on his foot before walking to class. Soon, it was time for us to give our reports. The six of us went straight to the front of the class. We each hold up our reports in our hands. Maya and Riley have blue-colored ones, Lucas and Farkle have green, while Zay and I have sort of a salmon colored ones.

"So we're all up here together," Lucas started.

"Because we don't know who's with who anymore," I stated.

"Thomas Jefferson," Riley said gripping her report.

"Malala Yousafzai," Zay added.

"Joan of Arc," Farkle finished the list of our 3 topics. Maya and Riley gave their portion of the report firs.t

"Before he wrote the Declaration of Independence," Maya started, "Jefferson warmed up with a little something called-"

"The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom," Riley said looking at her father.

"Found it, did ya?" he replied with a smile.

"You knew we would."

"He strongly believed that in a truly free society, religion should be a personal choice," Maya said.

"Thanks to him and what he believed, we live in a place where we can listen to what others have to say and then make decisions for ourselves," Riley turned to Maya, "So how can I not do the same for you?" she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Riley," the blonde replied quietly.

"Very enlightening, ladies," our teacher nodded, "Idina? Zay?"

"Malala didn't hear the voice of God, she heard her own voice," Zay said.

"She stood up for what was right, in a country where they believe that God wants all woman to be suppressed, to go unheard," I looked at Farkle, "But... God hears everyone."

"She believed in something so strongly, that she was willing to die for it."

"And now, she inspires millions of teens, just like y'all in this classroom," I ended our report.

"Good job," he nodded, before looking at the last pair, "Guys?"

"Joan of Arc was the fiercest teenage girl there ever was," Farkle said looking at us girls of the group, "and I know some pretty fierce teenage girls," I lightly giggled as did Maya.

"She believed so much in what she thought was right, her beliefs inspired a whole nation," Lucas said looking at the class, "Did God speak to her? Who can say for sure?"

"But there is no question that she believed. And that's what gave her a strong voice of her own."

"Nice report, guys," the father of our fellow classmate nodded.

"Nice assignment, Mr. Matthews."

"Thanks, Farkle. I try."

"Want to know what I learned to believe?" I looked at him as he spoke.

"Absolutely."

"We are somehow surrounded by the people we need in our lives. They're right in front of me. And I can see them," he looked at us as Riley placed her arm in mine and her blonde partner's, "I don't know how it happened that the six of us are here together in this place at this time right now, That part's a mystery to me. But I'm grateful that it happened." I couldn't hold back a smile as he spoke.

After school we sat in the same bay window we had that very morning, but it was just myself with the blonde and the brunette. No guys this time. Riley looked to Maya, resting her hands in her lap.

"I love you just the way you are and I never want you to take a vacation from me again and I will never try to make you do any-" Riley rambled.

"I said a prayer last night," Maya said softly.

"Can I say yay?" I giggled.

"Of course, you'd ask that Riles," I replied. Maya nodded.

"It was real quiet. I was alone in my bedroom looking out my window. And all those people in all those buildings, I just, I wanted them to be taken care of."

"I love you," Riley and I said in unison, causing us both to smile.

"You two were in my prayer last night too, and my mom." I listened as Maya retold her tale.

"You don't have to tell me what you said," I shrugged. Riley burst with excitement.

"Ooh, what did you pray for me? No, no, no, don't tell me. That's between you and-"

"I want you two to have an endless supply of great days."

"Thank you."

"What did you pray for yourself?" I asked her.

"Me? Nothing. I would never bug him about me." Riley sighed.

"Gee, I always bug him about me," I smiled.

"I like what you believe, Maya."

"Thanks, you guys."

"I will always have a lot to learn." Riley put her head on Maya's shoulder as I stroked her hair.

"Yes, you will," I sighed, "Yes you will."