Small Town Girl (Farkle Minkus)

Chapter Eight: Girl Meets Balance

The room had split. One side was Riley town, the students sitting quietly with their hands folded, while the other was stacking chairs and desks. I sat down on the floor, against the wall in the middle.

"Why are you guys over there? Why can't we just be one happy society that runs the way I think it should?"  Riley asked.

"Because you want us all to be you."

"We're not all you, Riley. I mean, you know the reason I've never been able to choose between you? Becauses if it was you all the time, life would be all-" He leaned against her desk. "La, la, la, la, la." She started following along with him. "And if it was you all the time, life would be like, " He let out a menacing growl. "Descensus in cuniculi cavum." Maya made a similar noise. "I need to be both of you guys."

"But who are you going to be with right now, Farkle." He looked at me.

"Hey, don't look at me. Skipperland is remaining neutral." He raised his eyebrows.

"So...You are both, aren't you?" He asked.

"I'm both and I'm neither. I'm not following the rules, but I'm not breaking them either."

"You might want to consider a little thing I call this." Maya opened the back door.

"He didn't lock the back door?" Lucas asked.

"Hey. School's out. He said we got the place to ourselves. He said to make our own rules. Rule number one, see you around suckers." Maya left, the other members of Mayaville following her.

"Farkle?" Riley asked.

"Hey. What part of Descensus In Cuniculi Cavum did you not understand?" I stood up, walking over.

"All of it." We said together.

"It means we drop down into the rabbit hole, man. " Farkle left.

"Lucas?"

"I never do anything, Riley." He followed them out and she turned to me.

"I'm going to the library." I said, grabbing my bag. "I'm gonna do my own thing."

~~~

I sat in the library, doing my homework. It was obvious the lesson Mr. Matthews was trying to teach. Without good to balance out the bad, everything is chaotic.  You have to find the balance in between. So what am I gonna do?

Both and neither.

~~~

When I came back to class, I was surprised to find Riley sitting with the bad kids, and Maya sitting with the good.

"How was Skipperland?" Farkle asked.

"Great, considering."

"What do you mean?" Riley asked.

"You guys still don't get the lesson yet, do you?"

"And you do?" I smirked.

"I'll let Matthews explain." I said, just as he came in.

"Ok, guys, detention over."

"Dad?"

"Yeah."

"Remember how you told us that people change people?"

"The secret of life."

"Well, when you're not with those people, how do you keep from changing back?"

"You went a little wild, did ya?" He asked.

"Whatever I got is strong in me, Matthews."

"Yeah, me too, but the other way." Riley agreed.