Chapter Text
He can’t do this anymore.
The pressure has become too much for Farkle. Constantly being reminded that he has to be top of his class at NYU and inherit his father’s company one day is driving him crazy. The stress has been building and building, and now halfway through his junior year, he’s finally at his breaking point.
If that wasn’t enough, college hasn’t really turned out to be what Farkle expected. It’s a lot of dodging questions from classmates about why he doesn’t want to hook up with random girls every Friday night and endlessly, but unsuccessfully, looking for a quiet place on campus to get away from all the noise.
Life has been pushing his limits, and one day on an impulse, he decides to push back.
Farkle pulls his backpack out of his dorm room closet and haphazardly empties the contents. Textbooks, calculators, and notecards spill out onto the floor in a jumbled mess, but he just leaves them there and makes his way to the small dresser in his room. He pulls out the drawers in a hurry, taking whatever he can find.
He’s frantically shoving things into his backpack when he hears his door open. He jumps, not expecting Riley to be standing there in the archway with a puzzled expression on her face.
“What are you doing here?” he huffs.
“I needed help with my chemistry homework. You said you would explain it to me, remember?” Riley quickly scans the room and sees the mess Farkle has created. “Farkle, where are you going?
“I’m leaving.”
“Yes, I see that.”
“No, Riley. I’m leaving. I don’t know where or for how long, but I can’t be here right now. I need to get away from all of this.”
He knows that Riley will somehow understand what he means. After all, she knows what his life is like. She’s known his parents all her life, too. They’re not so forgiving when he does something that could even slightly damage the company name or when his grades are less than perfect. She’s always done her best to comfort him when things became too overwhelming, but sometimes it’s not enough. This is one of those times.
Staring at Riley from across the room, Farkle’s preparing a short goodbye speech in his head. As he looks into her eyes, he keeps going back and forth, debating if he should finally just go for it and kiss her. After all the years he’s spent secretly wanting but never having her, and after all of the missed opportunities with other girls because he couldn’t let go of his feelings for her, at least he would have no regrets before he leaves and possibly never sees her again. If he kisses her, at least it would be a pretty damn memorable last moment.
A goodbye speech isn’t needed though, because a moment later Riley extends her hand out toward him.
“I want to be wherever you are,” she says confidently.
Farkle’s mouth opens in shock. There is strength in her words and clarity in her eyes.
“Riley…”
“If you’re going, I’m going too.”
Farkle breaths in and nods. He zips his backpack and swings it over his shoulder. After quickly scanning his room, his eyes meet Riley’s. Farkle grabs her hand, and once he’s holding on tight, Riley starts running. They don’t even bother looking back as they leave the building and run away from everything they know.