Girl Meets Him

Girl Meets Pluto

Mr. Matthews pointed at the board. "Somebody read that."

"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it. Winston Churchill," Lucas read.

"And he did. Who's gonna write their own history here? What is history? I keep forgetting," Mr. Matthews asked.

"History is time passing," Riley answered.

"Oh, yeah? How much time?" Mr. Matthews asked. "Someone once said, a hundred years from now, all new people."

"A hundred years," Maya guessed.

"Wrong," Mr. Matthews said.

"You set me up," Maya said.

"When should you guys begin to make your own history?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Right now," I answered.

"Good. So, today, we're talking about Winston Churchill. When the new people come, how do you want them talking about you?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Nicely?" Riley offered.

"How long do we have before history makes its decision about us?" Maya asked.

"What if they're writing it down now?" Farkle added.

"Doesn't matter," Mr. Matthews answered. "Chapter One: Introduction. Please read."

"There is a comfort in knowing that history is fixed. You can no sooner change history than you can change the nine planets in our solar system, from Mercury to Pluto," Riley read.

"Oh," we realized.

"What?" Riley questioned.

"Nice job, Mr. Matthews," Lucas said.

"What'd he do?" Riley asked.

"He just showed us history books can be wrong," Lucas explained. "You can change history."

"I don't get it," Riley said cluelessly.

"How could she not know?" Lucas questioned.

"Look at the bird!" Maya said, pointing to the other side of the classroom.

Riley looked foolishly, smiling widely. Maya turned her voice into a hiss. "She doesn't know because she has us."

"The Riley Committee," I explained.

"The committee exists to keep certain information away from Riley," Farkle added.

"Like what?" Lucas asked.

"Everything, really." I shrugged.

"Listen. This committee can't protect her for the rest of her life. She's getting too smart," Mr. Matthews hissed.

"She's looking for a bird!" Farkle and I protested.

"Well, someone's gotta tell her," Mr. Matthews decided.

"You do it," Maya scoffed.

"Nah. You do it!" Mr. Matthews snapped.

"Hi, sweetie," Maya said.

"Peaches," Riley replied, smiling.

"See, we've all been protecting you from something," Maya admitted. "You know Pluto?"

"Pluto? I love Pluto. Everybody knows that. Pluto's a little cutie-pie. The smallest planet with the biggest heart. I love Pluto so much, I would kiss it on the face," Riley ranted.

"Not doing it!"

"You're doing it!"

"Honey?"

"Peaches?"