Girl Meets Her Mystery

A Life Ruined

Farkle hears it in his head now. Riley. He said Riley's name. He called her Riley. SHIT.

    "Nothing." Farkle tries to play it off. "I didn't say anything."

    "Yes. You called me Riley. You we're kissing me and thinking of Riley!"

    Smackle's surprised her glasses aren't fogged up from all the steaming pouring out of her ears. They fight and argue over it for forty minutes, Farkle swearing that it meant nothing and Smackle trying to observe his face to see if there's any physical signs he's lying. 

    A Fur Elise ringtone blares from Smackle's bag . "I'm getting that and by the time I'm off the phone, you better have an answer." She digs around in the backpack and pulls out the phone, sliding it to call. "Hello?"

    "Smackle? Are you with Farkle? Is he okay?"

    "He's breathing. For now anyway."

    "Good," Riley says. "I wanted to make sure since he called and then wasn't answering. I'll see you tomorrow!"

    "Wait, what?" Smackle breaks off from her anger to tune into the conversation.

    "Oh yeah, when he called me five minutes ago...made a weird squeaking sound."

    "Oh, you mean Maya. She has Farkle's phone."

    There's muffling on the other end. Another voice. And then Riley is back on the phone, asking Smackle to put Farkle on. Smackle practically throws the phone at him.

    "Riley?" 

    Smackle sticks out her tongue when he says Riley's name again.

     "Hello?"

    "Where is Maya?"

    "She went on a walk," Farkle says, biting. "She has my phone."

    "Yeah, well she's not picking up."

    "Is the phone off?"   

    "No."

    "Then she's ignoring you."

    Riley's end is silent and Farkle waits to hear more. He isn't trying to mean, but it's not his fault if Maya's ignoring them. It is, however, his fault that he called Smackle a different name and his anger from that is transferring to anger with this-with Riley.

    "Maybe someone else has her phone? I mean your phone?"

    "What do you want me to do, Riley?" Farkle demands. "Go out and search for her on the streets? Where's your boyfriend? Tell him to do it."

    "He already left two seconds ago."

    "Figures," Farkle mutters. "You know what Riley, maybe you should be a little more worried about your boyfriend who keeps going after your best friend. If you're okay being second best, that's fine, but stop being so goddamn naive." He hangs up, head pounding. He's never in his life been that mean to anyone. Least of all Riley.

    "We're done," Smackle grabs her phone violently and gathers her things.

    "Because I called you the wrong name?" Farkle asks, scowling.

    "Because Maya is obviously missing and it's late and you're being a dick. And as obvious as it is that Lucas and Maya have something going on, it's pretty clear you're a green monster when it comes to Lucas. It doesn't take a genius to get why."

    She plucks her jacket off the coat tack and swings the door open. When it slam shut, Farkle sinks to his knees. He wonders how he could mess his entire life up in a matter of minutes.