She Likes Girls ;~ Rilaya

Girl Meets Assignment

Riley's POV

It has been a few days since Lucas walked into our classroom, and ever since he joined our class he's been doing quite well. The class likes him, Farkle and Maya definitely like him and even I've warmed up to him quite a bit. He joins in our discussions in lesson that used to be just the three of us and we talk a lot in school, we've even met up after school in the café and hung out for a while. He's kind, funny, and it doesn't hurt to look at him so he's got a lot going for him. He's quite a nice friend to have... with the exception of all the looks. He looks at me rather a lot, even when he's talking to Maya he'll occasionally glance over at me and smile and although many girls would go crazy if someone like him looked at them, honestly it makes me kind of uncomfortable. Not that he does it, just the amount he does it. I wonder why...

"Riley!"

"Huh?" I shook my head and blinked hard and when I opened my eyes again I was greeted by my dad's intense stare. I guess I'd drifted off in thought in the middle of his lesson (he does go on a lot) and he'd noticed, and now he was going to ask me something just to prove I wasn't listening.

"Phone, please?" I frowned and looked down to my desk where he was holding a box already filled with phones of the rest of the class. I was expecting a question and though I guess he did kind of ask one, it wasn't the kind I was expecting. Reluctantly, I slid my phone out of my pocket and dropped it into the box, having the same confused look on my face as I did it. "Thank you." It seemed like that was all he wanted and he wasn't going to say any more, however I was praying that he would explain once more... just in case anyone wasn't listening. "Okay, for those that weren't listening..." He glanced over at me then back to the class. "I'm taking away your phones because you need to learn to connect and communicate without them. You are so dependant on these things, it's like you can't exist without them! I'm sure it'll amaze you all to know that there was a whole world before you and mobile phones. You use emoticons rather than emotions. You're an unfeeling generation of zombies." Maya and I looked at each other and immediately began imitating zombies; Maya eating me whilst I lazily fought back. "Stop eating her." We sat up straight then my dad turned to the chalkboard and drew a line across it. "This is a timeline of all human existence." He pointed at the beginning of the timeline. "Starting here is everyone who ever lived, laughed, loved, and understood the value of life. The mobile phone era, which begins right around here..." He drew a circle around the timeline, almost at the end of it. "...pretty much destroys all of that. Way to go, you."

Lucas raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Friar? Do you have an opposing point?"

He nodded. "I understand your point, but I use my phone to video chat my old friends and to find out what's going on in Texas."

"Yeah. How else can he keep tabs on all the hoedowns and cattle pageants?" Maya did a little dance just to add to her point.

"Maya!"

"It's okay, Riley. I'm unaffected by Maya's views of country life. As my Uncle Buster always says, 'Be like an eagle and soar above the mockingbird'."

I leaned over and said teasingly, "You're the mockingbird."

"I know." She turned to Lucas with a look of clear annoyance. "It kills me that I can't get to you."

"Sorry, ma'am." He tipped his imaginary hat causing Maya to shudder with irritation and turn back to the front of the room.

Farkle suddenly raised his hand. "Farkle time, sir?"

"Oh, I love Farkle time." My dad hurried over to Farkle's chair and sat down whilst Farkle made his way to the front of the classroom.

"With all due respect to history, Mr. Matthews, what's important to our generation will be on this side of the timeline, when Farkle and technology rule." He looked at me and I became scared very quickly. "And I will easily be able to make another one of you." He reached over and pulled a hair out of my head; turns out I was right to be scared.

"Ow."

Farkle then turned to Maya and the expression on her face made me worried she was going to attack him if he did anything. "And another one of you." No matter how Maya looked, Farkle still went ahead and pulled a hair out of her head as well.

"Ow." It sounded as if she was speaking through gritted teeth.

"Wait, so now there's four of us and one of you?"

The creepiest smile appeared on his face as he thought about it. "That's awesome. The future, you can't escape it, I am Farkle!" He bowed before going back to his seat.

"The assignment, you can't escape it, I am teacher!" I couldn't help rolling my eyes at my dad as he passed Farkle on his way back to the front. "Okay, so now I have your phones, back to the assignment. You're going to split into teams and find out whether or not new technology has made us better people, and you will present your findings. Oh, and another twist, no computers!"

The entire class exclaimed, "What?!"

"We're going old school. To find out what it was like living without technology, you're going to research with no technology. You are going to do your research at the New York Public Library." I was going to protest when all of a sudden the bell rang and everyone began leaving, many of them groaning about the newest assignment. "Have fun!"

I waited for Maya and we walked out of class with Farkle following close behind. "Should we walk to the library tonight?" Maya nodded. "Farkle?" He nodded as well. "Great."

Farkle sat down and I turned back to Maya, but she wasn't there. She'd walked over to Lucas who was at his locker, so I made my way over to her to hear her ask, "Hey, soaring eagle, you walking with us to the library tonight?"

"Sure, if that's cool with you guys."

"Well, seeing as how you're working with Riley on this assignment, we should probably find out if it's okay with her." She turned to me. "Riley?" I froze and the two of them stared at me. "Riley? Is it okay with you if Lucas walks with us to the library?" It was a simple question with a simple answer but for some reason I couldn't get any words out. I couldn't even think of any words to say. They continued staring at me and I knew I had to do something, so without thinking I gave two thumbs up. "Oh, two thumbs up from Riley." I smiled. "And a smiley face."