Riarkle One Shots

What Love Is

I sit in my room and feel the tears streaming down my face.

I'm not sobbing or even crying really. It's more like I am so upset and can't hold it in and the tears just began to fall without my knowledge.

My phone chimes and look to see that it's Maya. She knows that something's wrong, but her parents took her to Florida for a week. That means she can't just open up my window and ask me what's going on. She has to call me and right now I just don't want to pick up the phone and talk.

I throw my phone behind me and it lands on my bed since I'm sitting with my back against the foot of it. My forehead leans down against my knees and I just let everything I've been bottling up out.

It's takes me a moment to realize I'm not alone.

I look up and see my other best friend.

Farkle Minkus.

I try to say something. Anything to let him know I'm fine, but nothing come out. Probably because I don't like to lie to him. Even if I do it doesn't take him long to realize that I did.

He doesn't speak a word. All he does is move away from the bay window and sit next to me. The boy wraps his arms around me and I find myself crying.

Really crying this time.

Like ugly sobs and snot coming out of my nose crying. 

All Farkle does is get me a tissue, well the whole box but he only hands me one, and then kneel in front of so that we're facing each other.

We stay like that until I'be calmed down. All that remains of my breakdown is my puffy face and red eyes.

Farkle holds me while combing my hair with his fingers. He asks me in a quiet but angry voice, "Who did this to you? Who made you this upset that you thought you had to cry alone?"

I sadly bury my face in his shoulder. "No one except myself."

I can tell that he doesn't really understate since he asks me to elaborate. "My own expectations of who I should be made me cry. My mind and heart are making me feel like the worst person in the world right now," I explain.

He plays with my ends, probably subconsciously, and replies with, "And what are your expectations of yourself?"

I think for a second. "I expect myself to see the good in people even if there isn't much there. That's what I need to do. That's what I should do."

"But you do do that Riley."

I shake my head. "Lately every time I look at a person I can't help, but think of something bad about them like oh her hair need a cut or his forehead is way to large. As soon as these thoughts enter my head I try to push them away and find something good about that person. I'm trying and sometimes it's not enough."

I stop babbling and just press my head into his shoulder. I just want to be close to him. Right now that's us all I need to feel better. To feel like the world isn't against me.

"You know," he says, "I had a teacher before when we were in middle school who told me that the first though that you have is the one the world taught you to think. It's what you have been, I guess, programmed to think. He second is what you taught yourself to think. The second one is what defines you, so don't beat yourself up over this."

I sit there and  think about what he told me.

He's right.

Not like that's a big surprise, but I really need to not be so hard myself. I need to just make sure I'm still the good person I always want to be.

I sit back a bit and get mesmerized by his beautiful blue eyes. I lean forward so that our heads are touching and tell him, "You are the best person in the world Farkle Minkus. Just don't Maya I told you that."

He laughs. "I promise I won't Riles." The guy takes a second to let the happy moment pass and has this serious look on his face with another emotion I can't place. "I'm always here for you. I've said that before, but don't think that I don't mean it."

I nod to let him know I understand. "I'm here for you too."

We stay like that for a while until my dad comes in.

"Riley, it's dinner- AHH," he shouts.

Farkle instinctively pulls away. "I'm sorry sir I'm just trying to-"

"GET OUT!" my Dad yells.

Farkle goes wide eyed and looks to me. I just shrug because my dad's never done this to him. Farkle gives me a quick kiss on the check and runs out with my dad on his tail.

"Dad," I call to him.

He turns and smiles. "Well at least it's not the cowboy. C'mon darling it's dinner time."

He starts to usher my to the kitchen, but I stop him. "Farkle and I aren't together," I clarify.

My father raises and eyebrow at me and sighs. He rubs his hands over his face and says, "If you two aren't together then I've failed at teaching you all about what love is. Because that's what it. It's you and Farkle and what you are both willing to do for each other. Look, I'm not going to force you two together, but don't let a good thing pass."

My dad walks out leaving me to think about everything. I touch my check where Farkle kissed me and smile. I look to the window and know my dad's right.

I'll have to talk to him tomorrow.

I then walk to the kitchen for a family dinner.