Chapter 4.

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Farkle Minkus

No matter who you are, or where you live, the first day of school is a terrifying thing. It doesn't matter if it's a new place, or a new school. There's always this underlying fear of not fitting in. Even if you're going to the same school with same kids you've known for 10 years, there's still gut-wrenching fear that they suddenly won't accept you. 

And it's especially hard when are plucked from the place you've lived for 14 years and shipped off to a town in California with less than 2,000 people, which you didn't think was even possible, all because of your loud-mouthed blonde friend who smashed a car into your father's building, even though she was only 15. 

I just got used to being committed to being myself in New York, which is pretty the most accepting place on earth. 

Then again, I think showing the world who you really are is always scary, no matter who you are, because what if the world doesn't like you? 

I looked around my room in Lucas and I's apartment. I had just finished unpacking all of my posters and books. I remembered to add my string theory book to my bag. It's given me a lot of comfort, lately. To be reminded that everthing in the universe, dead or alive, was connected made me feel closer to my mother. A few months ago, my mom died of brain cancer. We didn't even find out about it until a few weeks before, because she almost never goes to the doctor.


My mother was a...proud woman. Which was just a fancy word for stubborn and opinionated. So stubborn, in fact, I never even got the chance to say goodbye. She refused to see me. The fact that she wasn't strong enough to fight the cancer- something that was made of her- killed her, both physically and emotionally. 

There are very few instances where "Jennifer Basset" and "emotionally" are included in the same sentence, and that's why she couldn't stand to face me while all she could do what was lay in a hospital bed and fade away.

"Hey, Minkus!" A voice came from the other room.


"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm coming." I grabbed my jacket and walked to the kitchenette, grabbing an apple.


"No." Lucas said, flipping an egg on the stove. "You need to eat."


"I am eating." I said, biting the Granny Smith. "See?"


"Farkle, you've lost like 20 pounds since the funeral."


"Lucas-"


"Look, just because I'm a dude doesn't mean I don't notice thing like Riley and Maya. You don't think I don't hear you crying and screaming in your sleep?"


My eyes widened, and refused to look him in the eye.


"Or that you've been ignoring the girls because you're afraid they'll catch on? You don't think I can't see your ribs when you come out of the shower because your an 80-pound sophomore in high school."


There were several moments of awkward silence. I refused to speak, and I think he was scared to.


"We gotta go." He muttered, brushing past me, grabbing his bag, and walking out.


I sighed, and slowly followed him, painting on a smile as I saw Maya and Riley walking up.


"'Sup?" Maya greeted, with a typical Maya-like head-nod.


"Are you guys ok?" Riley, asked, frowning.


My heart dropped, and looked to Lucas, seeing what he would say.

If you asked me a week ago, I would've said never, in any eternity, would he do anything to betray me. But the way he'd snapped at me... Honestly, I hadn't seen him like that since Zay showed up in middle school.

He looked frantically between Riley and I.

"Yeah, everything's fine." He smiled and grabbed Riley's hand, as Maya and I trailed behind.

I internally sighed as Maya trailed on about Josh, who was back in New York.


A/N Honestly, I forgot about this book, but I'm glad I did. Who's POV should I do next?

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