Troubled Child

Family Dinner

"How was your first day Holly?" Riley asked as she passed some potatoes to her father across from her. "Daddy, share." She lectured when she saw him tipping the whole bowl.

Cory frowned, put two spoonfuls on his plate, then passed it to his son, Auggie. "Fine. How was your day Chipmunk?" He asked the young girl.

"It was average." She shrugged.

Lucas nudged her. "Come on, that's all you gave me. Tell a little more."

Holly sighed. "Well, I don't have any friends because Cami moved. The kids I went to grade school with I don't know because I only talked to Cami and never talked to them so they kind of scare me. I don't like riding the bus." She frowned. "Oh and this girl, Emily Duncan, is gonna kill me tomorrow after school." She stabbed a piece of her meat. "That sums it up."

"What?!" Farkle exclaimed. "Lucas! You're her teacher and some girl is threatening my daughter! What are you gonna do about it?!" He yelled.

"Blood pressure, dear." Isadora remarked as she cut her four year old son's piece of chicken for him.

"This is the first I'm hearing about this." Lucas stated. "Sweets, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Holly frowned. "I didn't want you to feel bad. It's kind of your fault."

"Your fault?!" Farkle bellowed. "What did you do?!" He slammed his knife down onto the table, scratching it.

"Farkle! That is mahogany!" Riley yelled at her long time best friend.

Lucas held his hand up. "Farkle, take a deep breath. I'll handle this." He put his hand back down. "Sweets, what happened?" He asked in concern.

"Well, you know how she took my seat and then everyone switched seats and then you were gonna punish the whole class if she didn't move out of my seat?" He nodded. "Well she said I got her in trouble and I would pay for it, then she said just because our teacher is my Uncle doesn't mean she won't kill me. So I figure I'm gonna die tomorrow after school when she plans on putting her fist down my throat. She's very aggressive for a thirteen year old. I hope I'm braver when I turn thirteen because right now I am a chicken. If I make it to thirteen that is." She shrugged.

"I did not punish her because it was your seat. I was just trying to get her to understand that her attitude and lack of respect would not be tolerated in the classroom. That has nothing to do with you and I will talk to her."

Holly shook her head. "No. Leave her alone. You already made everyone hate her on the first day of school." She pushed away from Lucas and stood up. "May I be excused, please?"

Isadora nodded. "You may."

"Wait-" Lucas gently took hold of her arm so she wouldn't walk away. "I-I made everyone hate her? Why?"

Holly scoffed. "Instead of just giving her detention or sending her to the office you said you would give the whole class homework on the first day. Everyone got mad at her." She frowned. "Everyone was spreading rumors about her in the cafeteria, but they way she reacted. I don't think they were rumors, and she blames me because your my Uncle." She frowned.

Lucas frowned too. "What rumors?"

"Someone said she doesn't have parents, then someone else said they didn't even want her." Holly said.

"That's awful." Topanga stated.

"That poor little girl." Riley sighed.

"That is awful, but that doesn't excuse that she threatened you." Farkle said.

"Daddy, I know it doesn't, but I don't want to be like the other kids. I don't want to hate her, even if she can be scary. I think I want to be her friend, but I might not live that long."

Lucas stared at his dinner plate, then he looked up at Cory Matthews. His teacher, his favorite teacher, the reason he became a teacher. He wanted to help kids and teach them important life lessons like Cory taught him when he was growing up.

"Mr. Matthews, I'm sorry. I failed as a teacher, and on my first day." Lucas frowned and stood up from the table.

"I'll have a talk with him, excuse me." Cory stood from the table too.

"Are these dumb family dinners ever normal?" Ava Matthews quipped after she finished her meal. She wanted to make a comment earlier, but eating for two just made her want to stuff her face until she cleaned her plate.

Topanga bit her tongue so she wouldn't make a comment. Ever since her seventeen year old son came home with his eighteen year old girlfriend and admitted that she was pregnant and he was going to marry her Topanga had to accept that Ava would be a permanent part of their family, and Topanga loved her family. She loved Cory, Riley, and Auggie with all her heart. She grew to love Farkle Ava, Lucas, Isadora, Holly, and little Jupiter as well. She loved the family she became a part of when she fell in love with Cory; Allan, Amy, Eric, Morgan, and Josh. She loved the ones who moved away too, Zay, his wife Laura, and their daughter Cami. She loved the ones they hadn't seen in years. Shawn, Katy and Maya Hunter. It had been a little over thirteen years since she last saw the girl she thought of as another daughter. Cory's best friend Shawn and her best friend Katy kept in touch, but as for Maya, she only heard about Maya from Katy or Shawn. Saw a few pictures by email, but she hadn't actually seen the girl in years. The girl was almost thirty years old and it made Topanga's heart hurt a little.

"Pass the cheesy potatoes." Auggie stated as nicely as he could.

###

"Mr. Friar, you have not failed."

"Thanks, Mr. Matthews, but I think making the whole class hate one of your own students is failing."

"Lucas, do you remember when I gave Maya that F and she said I thought she was a failure so she walked out of class?" Cory said placing a hand on Lucas' back. "I felt like I failed her."

"You did?"

"Of course. I made one of my own students-" He chuckled. "I made a girl who was practically a daughter to me feel like a failure, but all I was trying to do was get her to live up to the potential that I knew she had. All you were trying to do was make a good first impression and when you met resistance from one little girl you wanted her to know that she wasn't as bad as she was acting. You knew that she had more to offer than a bad attitude and disobedience. I think you saw more in her and you wanted her to show you that you were right."

Lucas nodded. "I did. Right away, it was like I looked at this little blonde girl, and I saw Maya." He chuckled. "I knew there was to Maya than she let on and I see that in this girl. One day and I already know this girl isn't going to give me her best. I'm gonna have to bring it out of her, but maybe I just pushed a little too hard. I mean it was only the first day of school."

Cory nodded. "Maybe you did, but you did it with good intentions and that is all that matters. Tomorrow you get another chance. So, when this girl starts mocking you in your class and starts threatening my chipmunk, you'll know what to do. I'm proud of you, Lucas. I had a feeling you would be the one to grow up and become a teacher." Cory Matthews smiled.

"Funny, until I had you as a teacher I thought I'd be a baseball player."

Cory and Lucas shared a laugh.