The Stupidest Genius I've Ever Met (A Larkle Fic)

Prologue

Sun light trickles across his face from the window, jabbing at his closed eyelids, waking him long before the alarm is supposed to. Grimacing, he slides his eyes open. His cellphone rests on the pillow beside him, still locked on the text from the night before. 

"Can't wait to see everyone down here!" The text from Zay says. It was the end to a conversation about everyone meeting up in Texas to catch up before they have to go back to school. Farkle of course has agreed to go- after the summer he's had, he wants nothing more than to talk to his friends- but he's surprised that Riley and Maya have agreed to go too. 

Because he's tried to text, call, IM and visit them both repeatedly over the summer and has either been 'missed' or 'ignored' or told that the girls were busy by their parents. The first few times he'd ignored it, but now it feels very much like they've purposely avoided him.

Naturally, he's stung by that.

Sitting up, Farkle stares at his cell, feeling a turmoil of emotions swirl around in his head. Anger, hurt, need, loneliness. At one time in his life, he would have been overwhelmed by it all, maybe even cried.

But since his parents divorce, he's been different.

It started at the beginning of summer with the arguing. He'd hear them early in the morning, shouting obscenities and threats at each other, and he'd stay in bed until they'd both go to work.

The third time it happened, he'd called both Riley and Maya with no answer, and when a call to Lucas yielded that he was out helping his grandfather with Zay, he'd given up and sobbed alone in his room. By the seventh time that it had happened, he just ignored it and went about his morning, getting dressed, sneaking around them to grab breakfast, and then heading out to wander the city by himself for a few hours.

Then the divorce happened: which was a relief and a nightmare all in itself.

It was a relief because it meant that the fighting would stop. But it was a nightmare because both parents loved him and both wanted him to stay with them permanently. The court battle lasted almost a full month, and in the end, his mom won full custody.

All throughout, he was cut off from his friends.

And now he'll face them, changed as he is. He wonders if they'll notice. And, because of Riley and Maya's distance... he wonders if they will even care.

Forcing himself from the bed, he dresses and grabs his packed bag. He has to get on a plane to Texas soon, and he doesn't want to be late. Stuffing his cell in his pocket, he stares at his reflection for a moment.

He looks broken and angry. Forcing those emotions back, he pulls on a facade of his usual, cheerful self. Maybe he can hide it all. Pretend everything is fine.

It seems that's what people want.