Once Derek and I got out of 5th period we saw Eric walking in the halls.

"Hey Eric." He turned around and walked over to us.

"Hey Cris what's up?"

"This is Derek, the guy i'm seeing. Derek this is Cory's older brother Eric." Eric smiled so wide I thought he was gonna pop a nerve. He wrapped his arms around Derek and picked him up.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." Eric jumped up and down with Derek in his arms looking mortified.

"ERIC PUT HIM DOWN YOU'RE FREAKING HIM OUT!"

Eric put him down and skipped away. Once Eric was gone Derek and I looked at each other and started laughing. "Is he always like that?"

"No, but I think he might be like that around you for a while. I mean you are new, but you'll get used to it." As we walked to our next class together, I wanted to check up on him. "So how's public school so far?"

"No drama yet, but I did mean to ask you about a thug i've been hearing a lot about, Harley Kiner was it?"

Before I had the chance to say anything, Harley came around the corner and put a finger to Derek's chest making him back up. "I know I didn't just hear the fresh meat call me a thug."

"You're right you didn't. I didn't say a word." Derek was letting Harley know he's nervous. Already a big mistake.

"Oh so now you're calling me a liar?" At this point Harley got him up against the lockers.

"I'm sorry man, listen from now on i'll call you whatever you want."

"How about, man with the really hard fist." He lifted up his hand to punch him and I put my hand over it.

"This one is mine Harley, you touch him and i'll kill you." Harley looked at me with his cold dead eyes to try and intimidate me. I gave him the same look back to let him know I wasn't kidding. "Move Kiner."

He put his fist down and backed away. "You're killing my business here Carrillo."

"You almost pounded mine. I think that makes us even."

"I've always liked your spunk Carrillo, the offer I gave you the day I met you still stands."

"And like I told you the day I met you, i'm not a thug, never have been, never will be."

"If that's what you what. But one day when you get tired of protecting weak little pipsqueaks like him, give me a call." The bell rang and Turner came out of his class. We all had him next.

"Hey Carrillo, new kid, get to cla—" He paused when he saw Harley standing near us. "Is there a problem here?"

"No problem. Just business. But I guess class is starting so i'll be on my way." Harley walked away slowly.

I grabbed Derek's hand to bring him into the class. When I sat him down in the seat in front of me, I looked over and saw him looking at me with his mouth agape. "What?" I asked.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get him to just stop."

I turned to face him fully. "A bully only has power over you if you give them power. I took that power from him the first day I met him when I threatened to key a teacher's car and blame it on him."

His eyes widened. "Are you insane?"

"A little, but I got him off our backs didn't I?"

"Would you actually have keyed the teacher's car?"

"I don't know to be honest, he was threatening Cory and I was sure as hell not gonna stand by and do nothing."

"You're a badass." I smiled at him and turned to face the front of the class.

After school Derek went home and the rest us of went to my house to hang for a bit. We all walked in through the front door and put our bags by the couch. I figured this was the time to ask the important question.

"So guys...what did you think of Derek?"

"He was cool." Shawn said nonchalantly.

"Yeah he seemed nice." Topanga added.

"He was alright." Cory said.

They all seemed like they were lying. "Okay now tell me the truth."

They all looked at each other, nodded, and looked back at me. "We wanna kill him." They all said in unison.

"What!? Whyyyyyyy?!" I groaned.

"He said he didn't like pudding, I don't trust him." Cory crosses his arms and laid all the way back into the couch.

Shawn rolled his eyes. "He just didn't seem like the type of guy you'd go out with."

"Oh yeah Shawn? Then what is the type of guy i'm supposed to be with?" I crossed my arms.

He stuttered on his words for a few seconds before he finally could say something. "I don't know. But he's too classy, and I felt like you were acting different around him."

"Yeah you were acting very....proper." Topanga said.

"Guys i'm growing up! I'm becoming a woman, i'm supposed to start acting a bit more proper."

"You're only supposed to act the way you want to act. And we've never seen you act that way before him." I made direct eye contact with Topanga when she said this. "I've always admired you most for your carelessness about what other people think. For as long as i've known you, you've been the most independent and unique person I know. You played basketball with the boys and won, you cut off half of your hair in the middle of Feeny's class to prove a point, you threatened to key a teacher's car. I just don't wanna see you lose yourself over a boy you just met."

"Guys i'm still me. I'm still crazy and impulsive and can most definitely beat all of you in a game of basketball." I pointed at all of them and then looked back at Topanga. "I just want the chance to have what you and Cory have." They both sat up a little more. "You guys are probably one of the most perfect couples in the world and seeing you guys together just makes me want to strive for that too."

"Cristina, Cory and I have what we have because we are Cory and Topanga. It's gonna be different for you. For you it's gonna be Cristina and somebody else." She walked over and put a hand on my arm.

Shawn got up and walked over to me too. "Only Cory and Topanga can be Cory and Topanga. You're different. You'll have something else."

"Different is good though." Cory spoke up. "You're different."

"So does this mean you guys will give Derek another chance? Because he's different too."

They looked around to each other. "Yeah we'll give him a second shot." Topanga said.

"AHHHHH!" I shouted and started to hug them all. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" They all hugged me back and smiled.

"Okay i'm starving so i'm gonna go order pizza for us. Be right back." She went into the kitchen and we all sat on the couch together.

"Do you guys still feel weird about this?" I asked.

"Yup."