Small Town Girl (Farkle Minkus)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Girl Meets Difficult Situations

"While I understand Barbecue is not your thing, Farkle, you do seem to have found a new appreiation for our hometown cuisine."  We all looked at him, rather disturbed, as his face was covered in barbecue, and there was a mountain of bones in front of him.

"Easy, cowboy. You need to calm down." Lucas told him.

"Oh, I have to calm down? They make a big deal out of you riding a bull for four seconds. Well I ate him." I shook my head, laughing and taking a napkin to his face.

~~~

Maya and Riley went to get a drink.

"Sorry... I went a little overboard." Farkle told me. I laughed.

"That's ok. It's Texas, it's either go big or go home."

"You look really pretty tonight, if I haven't told you that yet." I smiled.

"Thank you. " Riley came back over.

"Hey, Huckleberry. We dancing or what?"

"Oh, can we do taht? Is that part of the new rules?" Lucas asked her. "This kind of dancing, sure." He got up, setting his hat down in his chair  while Maya sat in the chair beside Farkle.

"Maya, what's going on with you-"

"I don't know." She cut him off. "Do you know? Cause...help me."  he offered her his arm and she pulled him closer, laying her head on his shoulder. I gave her a sad smile.

"You didn't want him to get hurt because you care about him." I told her. She sat up.

"I care about all of us."

"You care about him." Farkle corrected.

I care about all of us."

"You care about him." We said together.

"I will kill you both."

"Alright, well I'm not gonna care about anybody for the rest of my life. Tried it once. Didn't work." I nodded as memories of Vanessa came flooding back. "From now on, I like nobody."

"Zay?"

"Unbelievable." I smiled as Vanessa approached our table.

"How's New York been treatin' you?"

"Good, yeah. You know, just tryin' to fit in. Makin' new friends."

"Looks like you've made some. This is Farkle."

"Texas lady."

"You know Skipper."

"Hey Vanessa."

"And this is my friend Maya."

"You did not just do that!" She stood up.

"What?"  She slid into the chair beside him.

"You did not just introduce your girlfriend as your friend."

"What?"

"Friend? I didn't even really get in introduction. What, I've been with you the longest, and that means nothing to you?" I asked, sitting in the other chair, on the other side.

"Um...what?"

"Isaiah Earl Babineaux." We both said together.

"Your middle name is Earl?" Vanessa asked.

"No."

"The next time you introduce your girlfriend as your friend-"

"Or don't even introduce her at all-"