~Riley~
Okay. So, I have a boyfriend. Farkle Minkus. Farkle Minkus is my boyfriend. I have a boyfriend. Did I mention Farkle's my boyfriend? We kissed. More than once. I have a boyfriend. Wait...

What does that mean exactly? Do I have to act differently around him now? Do I tell my parents? I have no idea. What I do know is that this smile I've been wearing since yesterday is becoming painful. But then again, I don't care because Farkle said "I'll see you tomorrow, Riley" and tomorrow is today.

Before I can start analysing what he said and begin to doubt myself, I go downstairs. As I do I'm greeted by Auggie rushing upstairs like there was something to run away from. I shrug it off once I warn him to be careful.

"What was that all about?" I ask my mom, gesturing towards the little boy who rushed past me in a hurry.

"I tried to feed the kid vegetables, so sue me." I laugh. "Why didn't I have this problem with you Riley?"

"Because, you'd always give the vegetables a sad backstory if I didn't. So I ate them all because I believed you and I felt sorry for them." I explain as I grab a plate carrying a delicious breakfast capable of making anyone's mouth water. Whilst I'm eating, my mom asks me a bunch of questions, most of which required a yes/no answer. She than asks if I have any plans for today so I tell her that I might be hanging out with a friend.

"Oh." Her surprise was evident in her tone. "You never talk about your friends." She mumbles to herself. I'm assuming I wasn't supposed to hear that, so I act like I didn't. It saves me from having to make up some lie so I don't have to admit that I've only recently started making friends.

"Yep." I clear my plate then go upstairs to take a shower and get ready for the day.

~Topanga~
The kids are upstairs in their rooms whilst Cory and I are down here watching TV. Well, Cory's watching TV, I'm imagining what Riley's friend is like. She never talks about her friends, she never goes to sleepovers or has them, her birthday parties have always been family gatherings and she never visits anyone else's house. Sometimes I wonder if she has many friends, but a girl like Riley surely has plenty of friends and a strong friendship group, right? Come to think of it, she never really talks about her social life at school, she just talks about what work she has to do, what interesting things she's learned and how she can't wait for summer to arrive. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it. I rest my head on Cory's shoulder. Just as I'm about to relax, I hear a gentle knock on the door.

"I'll get it." I state as I get up to open the door.

Once I do, I see a young boy holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers, looking fairly nervous. "Um, hi. Are you Mrs. Matthews?"

I smile at how nervous the boy is."Call me Topanga." I tell him, in hopes of easing his nerves.

"Farkle." The boy seems more relaxed as he holds out his free hand and I shake it.

"I guess we both have weird names huh Farkle?"

"I guess so." He smiles. "So, um, is Riley in?"

"Yeah she's in her room, come in." I step aside, holding the door for him to enter then closing it behind him. When I turn around I see Cory stood up and glowering at the defenseless teen. "So are you and Riley going to do something today?" I ask, attempting to break the tension Cory created.

Farkle pried his eyes away from Cory's glare as he answered. "Yeah, I-uh-actually planned the whole day out. I suppose you could count today as a first date."

"A what?!" Cory barked.

"Riley didn't tell you." Farkle backed away from Cory as he realized. "Of course she didn't Farkle, it only became official yesterday, why did you assume-"

"It's okay Farkle." I stop the boy from rambling to himself, reassuring him.

"How long have you been dating?" Cory asks with narrowed eyes.

"Officially? 21 hours and 48 minutes. But I suppose we've been 'acting like a couple' for longer."

"Aww young love." I coo, making the boy blush slightly.

"I don't like it."

"Cory!" I scold.

He pulls me to one side, away from Farkle's earshot. "She's too young Topanga!" He whisper yells.

"Cory we were only a few years older than her when we got married." I argue.

"Today's society is different Topanga. Boys nowadays can't be trusted. They're all monsters. Sneaky monsters. They attack when you least expect it." I smile, shaking my head at my husband's desperate attempt to keep our little daughter little for a while longer.

"He seems harmless enough to me." I walk back towards Farkle who's anxiously tapping his feet.

"Sneaky monsters I tell ya, all of 'em." Cory whispers as he follows me. "They're like an army of ninjas. The bad kind that can-"

"Sorry about that Farkle, my husband seems to think that you're a monster."

"I don't think, I know." He says confidently.

"Cory could you please just go upstairs and tell Riley her date's here." I order, exasperated by his childish behaviour.

"You do it. I'll keep an eye on this guy."

"Uhh, actually Mrs Matthews, Riley doesn't know this is a date." Farkle rubs the back of his neck.

"So you're a liar as well as a monster." Cory pounced.

"I-"

"Don't worry about him he wouldn't hurt a fly." I reassure Farkle one more time before I go upstairs to retrieve Riley.

~Farkle~
I had no idea just how scary this was going to be. Riley was supposed to open the door. I was supposed to take her hand and then that's it. I'd be out of here and on a wonderful date with the girl that I'm pretty sure I'm in love with. Instead, her mother opened the door and though she seems extremely friendly, her dad is terrifying. And of course good ol' Farkle let it slip that I was dating their daughter.

I feel like Mr. Matthews is preparing to attack me any moment now and I'm actually questioning if it's possible to make it out of here alive. Maybe he sees me as a threat. Pfft, don't kid yourself Farkle. Great, now you're ranting to yourself in your head, freak.

"Sit down, you monster." I don't hesitate to do as he says, I place the flowers on the table and sit down.

"You wouldn't hurt a fly huh?" I gulp and he starts pacing in front of me.

"How old are you?" Here we go.

"Sixte-"

"How long have you known Riley?"

"Long enough to rea-"

"Did you know each other in middle school?"

"We didn't go to the sa-"

"Which school did you go to then?" Will this man ever let me finish speaking?

"Einstein ac-"

"So you think you're too smart for her?" He raises his eyebrows.

"What? No of course n-"

"Where did you meet her then?"

I smile. "In the school libra-"

"Sorry which school are we talking about, the posh one or where you believe all the peasants go?" He remarks.

"I never said-" I frown.

"So you think my daughter is a peasant?"

"No! We go to the same sch-"

"When did you start wanting to steal her away from me?"

"I never wan-" I grow impatient.

"Have you ever been arrested?"

"No!"

He sharply turns and points his finger at me. "Aha! Only a guilty person would deny that so quickly."

"Mr Matthews," I stand up, "I've never been arrested. I'd never want to steal your daughter away from you. I certainly don't think you're daughter is a peasant and I've always been humble about my extraordinary intelligence. I know you care for your daughter's wellbeing but so do I and I'd never hurt her. Please stop trying to find an excuse for me not to date her and just give me a chance."

He narrows his eyes. "You're a wise sneaky monster."

~Riley~
I'm listening to music and playing games on my phone when my mom walks in my room. She sits next to me on my bed as I turn off my music. "Yes?" I ask, unable to tolerate her silence.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that your boyfriend is downstairs ready to 'hang out' with you for the day." My eyes grow wide when she calls Farkle my boyfriend. How does she know? More importantly, does my dad know?

"Um, who?" I try to play dumb but it doesn't seem to be working. She wraps her arms around me.

"Aww sweetie, why didn't you tell us? Okay, I understand you didn't want to tell you father but you could have told me." I didn't think she'd be this calm about this. For some reason I always thought she agreed with my dad on the whole dating idea.

"So you're not mad?" I ask. She pulls away and looks me in the eye.

"Why would I be mad? Honey, the only thing I'm mad at is the fact that you didn't tell me when you were crushing on this boy. I mean, the crush is the most exciting part. Well, not the most exciting pa-"

"Mom!" I yell.

"I'm kidding." She laughs. "I just want you to know that you shouldn't be afraid to tell us anything. There's no need to keep things like this a secret, okay?" Should I tell her about the bullying? I mean, it's been going on for so long that I've grown used to it, is there really any point in telling her anymore? "What is it? Is there something else?"

"No," I smile and shake my head. "Wait, did you leave Farkle with dad? Alone?" My face drops.

"Yeah, why?" I hold my palm out and look at her like it was obvious. "He's gonna eat the poor kid alive isn't he?" I nod and grab her hand as we run downstairs.

When I enter the room, I see my dad and Farkle face to face. My dad has his arms crossed and is glaring at Farkle who is obviously intimidated by his stance as he fidgets with the hem of his shirt. He looks kinda cute but now is not the time to appreciate the extra effort God put in to create him. "Dad don't kill him." I assert.

"Oh thank goodness." Farkle breathes a sigh of relief. I walk over to him. "I could've died!" He whisper yells wide eyed. I nod and whisper 'I know'. He looks me up and down smiling, "you look beautiful," he says. He frantically reaches for a bouquet of flowers on the table and gives them to me. "Uhh these are for you." I accept them and he wipes his hands on his jeans, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's nervous.

"Thank you, they're so pretty." I say in awe as I admire the collection of vibrant colours. I pass the flowers to my mom so she can place them in a vase. As I walk back to Farkle I trip on the rug and stumble, he grabs my shoulders to steady me and I let out a nervous laugh. Embarrassed, I look at the floor, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm sorry I'm such a klutz. I bet I look like an idiot." I mutter.

He chuckles. "You're adorable."

~Cory~
I watch as the two love-struck teenagers grow less anxious and more comfortable with each other as the conversation progresses. This boy makes my daughter smile, he makes her laugh. I haven't seen her this happy for a while. It's almost as if he can make her forget about all of her worries, anything that's upsetting her and temporarily erase all of her bad memories. But if he were to hurt her-

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." Oh, who am I kidding, a boy like this would never intentionally hurt my Riley.

"You're quoting Winnie the Pooh?" She raises her eyebrows.

"Apologies m'lady," he bows, " would you find it preferable if I quoted Shakespeare?" He dramatically clears his throat. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

"No, no," she laughs hysterically whilst holding her hand out signalling for him to stop. "Winnie the Pooh's perfect." She smiles.

I turn to my wife. "They work. Topanga, I don't like how well they work." I frown.

"It's young love." She beams, her smile is contagious.

"I don't like it." I joke as she wraps her arm around my waist and I wrap mine around her shoulder.

"I do my thing and you do your thing. You are you and I am I." She starts.

"And if in the end we end up together, it's beautiful." I finish, smiling at her.

"Now do you see it?" She rests her head on my shoulder, looking at Riley and Farkle.

"Yeah, I do." I answer sincerely.

"So, are you ready to go?" Farkle asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Riley lifts her arms gesturing towards the door then lets her arms drop by her side. He holds out his hand for her to hold and he opens the door for her.

"Have fun you two." I wave and Riley waves back with her free hand before she leaves and Farkle closes the door behind them.

I turn to Topanga, pouting and she awws. "Our baby's growing up. I don't like it."

She laughs, "you don't like much do you?"

A/N: Yeah...sorry for keeping you waiting for over month. I have no excuses. I was just struggling to think of what their first date would be like but after all that it's not even in this chapter :/