Third Person's P.O.V

For lunch the next day, Cleo sat in Mr. Matthews room trying to get him to read her homework assignment. He didn't understand why she couldn't wait until class started.

"Cleo, honey, can you tell me why this can't wait until later?" Mr. Matthews asked. Cleo sighed and pulled a chair up to Mr. Matthews desk. "If you don't think Maya isn't going to up her game in her 'no homework' thing, you're crazy. I'm not going to let her try and ruin something I actually cared about." Cleo looked hard at him before sighing and extending her paper towards her one last time.

"You remind me of my daughter and Maya. You're a fighter like Maya, but you're fighting for something you're passionate about like Riley."

Cleo looked deeply into Mr. Matthews' eyes. They held a nostalgic feel in them when he spoke. Cleo chuckled at the man and stood up, walking towards the door. "I don't remind you of them, I remind them of someone of your past. You just compare me to Riley and Maya because I know them."

Mr. Matthews looked at Cleo with an odd look. He wanted to question how she could know that, but it didn't make it out of his mouth.

"By the way, Lucas was going to sit with Riley at lunch."

•••

Cleo lazily strolled into Mr. Matthews class about 5 minutes after the bell rang. Everyone stared as she walked in and she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Janitor Harley can hold a conversation," Cleo looked directly at Cory and smirked, "told me a lot about a nickname he gave to someone named Cory."

Cleo skipped to her seat and sat down, enjoying the horrified look on Cory's face. Cory playfully glared at the girl before continuing to talk to the class.

Cleo watched Mr. Matthews make Riley turn back around from Lucas and call him good looking. She could tell he wanted his daughter to have a crush-free life, which definitely wasn't gonna happen.

"Okay. So, today we're gonna find out if anybody here believes in something so strongly, they'd fight for it," Cory directed his attention to Maya, "Maya."

"Yes, sir?"

"Present your homework."

"Can't do that, sir.

"Why not?"

"Oh for heaven's sake, she didn't do it because that's what she's fighting for!" Cleo said. She was going to bang her head on her desk if this continued.

"She's right, Matthews."

She heard Farkle mention something before he put on a sleep mask on. She then groaned when she heard Riley say she didn't do the homework either.

Cleo turned towards Lucas and mouthed 'help me' to him, which he just shook his head at and laughed. Cleo smiled back at him and turned back around to see Cory looking curiously at her.

This was gonna be a long class.

Cleo realized that when Maya raised her hand and woke up Farkle.

"Get up Farkle. You're gonna want to be awake for this one." Maya pulls off Farkle's sleep mask as she spoke. "Is it our honeymoon?" He asked. Cleo decided to intervene just to help Farkle out. "Farkle, honey, you missed it. I'll help you plan another later but it's time to hand in our essays."

Farkle rushed out the class quickly after mention how he wanted to go first. Meanwhile, Maya got everyone to take out their homework and collected it from everyone except me since I didn't have mine.

"So you joined the rebellion after all?"

"Nah, Cory has my paper."

Maya put a hand on her chest with fake hurt in her voice. "Working with the enemy? How could you?" Maya then smiled at the girl, letting her know there weren't any hard feelings.

Farkle then came running back into the class with a big project that included sparklers.

"The branding of Atlanta led to the end of the Civil War, and of peace. I believe that peace is worth fighting for," he paused as Maya took a sparkler off his project, "hey, that's a pivotal part of my diorama," Maya then reaches and took another sparkler, "and there goes Virginia."

"The burning of the homework led to the end of the Homework Rebellion because there was no more homework."

Everything clicked in Cleo's mind when Maya stood in her chair and was about to burn the homework. She jumped up and snatched the papers out her hands. "Blondie, you're going too far!"

Maya simply ignored her and held the sparklers up to the sprinklers while she yelled her no homework chant. Cleo tried to take the sparklers, but it was too late. The sprinklers already went off and everyone started running out the class.

"Ok, so those work!"

Cleo wanted to scold Maya but she knew now wasn't the time. She watched the exchange between Cory, Maya, Riley, Lucas, and Farkle. Cleo knew Cory cared for everyone but they were just making it hard for him.

By the time the sprinklers were off, Maya was out the classroom and Riley, Cory, and Farkle left out too. Cleo was soaked and cold, holding her arms together to feel better. She suddenly felt something weigh down on her body and looked up to see Lucas next to her.

His jacket rested on her shoulders and he held her close to warm her up. "You could've just left the room."

"I had to watch them to make my decision." Lucas looked at her with a curious look. "What've you decided?"

"I'm gonna help them. Someone needs to balance the two out and Cory needs someone on his side. Plus, this could be fun." Cleo smiled and looked up at Lucas, then his jacket, and back at Lucas.

"Using your jacket to help your future girlfriend then giving it to your ex? You're bold, Mr. Friar."

•••

Cleo had walked out just in time to see Maya walk away upset. Cory looked at Cleo and sighed knowing he had to let Cleo help.

"Go. Just know if your gonna walk into either of their lives, don't walk out when it gets tough."

"Of course." Cleo nodded her head and walked a good distance before Cory called her name. "Cleo! I want you to meet someone later on. If you can, come over. Riley will tell you where to go."

Noting what he said, she ran off. Her first instinct was towards the subway, which was the only way anyone was getting home. It took a while, but she eventually made it and walked right in on Riley using her strength to open up the subway doors.

She slipped in just as the lady for yesterday made a comment about Maya and Riley. She noticed the lady look at her and smile before adding to the commentary.

"Ohhh, and look who's here! I'm guessing she's a new one! I like her, she seems mature."

Riley and Maya turned towards Cleo who awkwardly waved at them. Riley was the first to speak up saying, "Cleo, I'm not trying to be rude exactly, but what are you doing here."

Riley also noticed the jacket that belonged to Lucas on her shoulders but didn't ask about it.

"Listen, I've watched you two for two days and I can tell you've been friends for a long time. You're the opposite of each other and you couldn't be more perfect for each other. Maya, Riley looks up to you and wants you to be her friend forever. Riley, it's the same for Maya in a way. Don't let the differences between you guys be the reason you try to change one another, which could end you guys as you know it."

With that, Maya and Riley knew they could trust Cleo. They let her stay as the talked about what was happening now and what was going to happen in the future.

Which only lasted a little bit since they got to where they need to be fairly quick, and the trip to Riley's apartment building wasn't far.

"Where is he!"

Riley yelled when she walked through the front door. A woman and a child that pointed to Cory, who happened to be right next to him.

"There is no way I'll let you break up my friendship with Maya."

"Is that what you think I want Riley?"

"No. What you said you really want is for me to make the world my own and you want me to do my homework. Well, I'm doing it right now. Here's what I think is worth fighting for. This is my best friend. She's gonna get me into trouble, and I'm gonna get us out of it. And I did because here we are"

"I've also made new friends like Cleo. She's gonna make sure we don't ruin ourselves and teach us what she already knows about the world. Look at us, Dad. We're right here. My Civil War is over, Dad. I won. What happens now?"

•••

Cleo waved at Maya and Riley as they went to Riley's room while she stayed in the living room. She noticed Cory was still on the bench in the kitchen along with the women in the child.

The little one instantly got up and ran over to here. He held his little hand out, which Cleo gladly shook. "I'm Riley's brother, Auggie!" He enthusiastically said. Cleo bent down to his height and ruffled Auggie's hair and spoke. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Auggie. I'm Cleo and I think we'll be great friends."

Auggie smiles and dragged Cleo over to the table. When she sat down, she first noticed her essay sitting in front of Cory. She noticed an A+ on it, which instantly made smile, but made her question why she had to be here.

Cory seemed to be reading her mind.

"Cleo, this is my wife Topanga. Topanga, this is the girl I was talking about, Cleo."

Topanga held her hand out for the girl with a loving look on her face. It made Cleo feel welcomed into the household more than she already did. She gladly shook her hand just as a light bulb went off in her head.

"Topanga. It's a Native American name, and it means 'Where the Mountain Meets the Sea.' Your parents must've known you were gonna be someone special."

"I like her already."

Cory smiled at the two of them. He then slid over her essay and looked to Topanga to speak first.

"First things first, your essay was beautiful. Your grammar is next level, you handwriting beautiful, and your topic required an open mind. You wrote about believing protests, which at first I found weird given what the assignment was about. You wrote about how you would always believe people had the right to have their voices heard. That you'd fight for what you think is right no matter the risk." Topanga stopped and looked over to Cory to continue."

"As simple as that sounded when I first starting reading it, you went in depth as the essay went on. Writing from the point of view of someone who didn't understand the point of protests and from the point of view of someone who did. Reading it, I learned you'd fight so hard for something, you'd die for it. You know who I see in you, I see who Topanga use to be and still is. I also see a few friends of mine in you because I know you becoming friends with my daughter and Maya will be the best thing that ever happened to them"

"You're gonna whatever it takes to protect both of them. I just want to thank you in advance for that."

•••

Cleo stood next to Lucas and looked at the gang around her. Cory and Topanga were giving Riley her own subway card, which was her own ticket to the world in a way.

Riley was ready and even if she wasn't, Cleo and Maya would be there.

"Hey, this isn't so different from Texas, there's a pony."

Cleo looked over at Farkle with a confused look about what Lucas was seeing.

"That's a rat."

Cleo patted Lucas' back after his face dropped at Farkle's statement. She held a small conversation with Farkle since she hasn't really spoken to him. It lasted a good minute until Maya sling her arm around Cleo and Riley and pulled them in.

"You know Sunshine, Blondie, with this world being yours now, I wouldn't mind being in it."

"Of course you're in it. I have to be home by five though." Riley said. Maya quickly pulled a piece of paper out her pocket and smirked. "Don't worry, he wrote you a note."

With that, they all got on the train. Cleo looked back at Cory and Topanga to salute them. She wished Zoë could be here but knew it couldn't be like that at the moment.

But with Cory and Topanga, something told her they'd be right where they left them and would always be with there when they needed them.

OOTC #1

OOTC #2