˗ˏˋ𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲ˊˎ˗
𝚟𝚒𝚒. 𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜
( S2E14 ) "girl meets creativity"

Valentina POV

𝑰 heard from Topanga that they are closing the arts program at Riley's school. It made me mad that they would even think about doing that. I was sitting with Hollie, Cora, and Topanga on the couch in the living room, while Josh, Connor, and Brett were sitting on the floor in front of us.

"Mommy! What's our plan?" Riley asked

"I'm sorry, girls. I can't wave a magical lawyer wand this time. The schools only get so much money every year. It's not a legal issue. They can spend it on whatever they see fit." Topanga sayid

"Are you telling her to give up?" Cora asked

"Would I ever tell you to do that?" Topanga asked

"No. So, what are you telling us?" Riley asked

"You have an opponent. Your opponent is thinking logically. If you think logically, you're gonna lose the creative arts." Topanga said

"Okay, but are they right? Are academics so much more valuable than the arts that we should just let them do this to us?" Maya asked

Auggie puts up a drawing on the refrigerator. 

"Do you guys like it?" Auggie asked

"Love it." I said, with a smile.

"I do, Auggie. I love it." Josh said

"No one should take it away from you." Maya said

"Someone's going to take it away from me?" Auggie asked

"No. Let's get 'em." Brett said 

"Let's get 'em." Auggie yelled

He goes running out the door screaming.

"Maya, I'm really proud of you for deciding to do something about your future." Topanga said

Auggie returns. 

"You guys left me out there to die." Auggie said

🥰

Later, I was sitting in the school board meeting waiting for the plan to start. Riley and the others have a plan for keeping the arts at the middle school. Jon was talking right now.

"I'm asking you to slow down before this vote becomes final. Once these cuts are official, then art and music and drama and dance-- they're gone. I mean, is that really acceptable? It's not too late to do the right thing here. Thank you, Chairperson Sanchez." Jon said

"Thank you, Superintendent Turner. That was a lovely, impassioned speech. Let me just check and see if it changed any of the numbers." Sanchez said 

She takes a brief look at chart. 

"No. I'm afraid not. Our next speaker is Mr. Isaiah Babineaux. Mr. Babineaux?" Sanchez asked

Zay stands. 

"Hello, chairperson. Thank you for seeing me." Zay said

"You're welcome, Mr. Babineaux. We are happy to see a young representative of our school community, who is, I trust, going to address us with great respect for our process." Sanchez said

"No. That's not what's gonna happen." Zay said 

Lucas, Riley, Maya, and Farkle join him. 

"We couldn't reach you with logic, so we decided to think... differently." Zay said

"Oh. Super. Okay. Wait a second. What exactly are you gonna do?" Sanchez asked

"Bomp, Bomp, Bomp." Lucas sang

"Ba, Da, Da, Bomp, Bomp, Bomp, Ba, Da, Da, Bomp, Bomp, Bomp, Ba, Da, Da, Bomp, Bomp, Bomp, Ba, Da, Da, Bomp, Bomp, Bomp, Ba, Da, Da." They all sang

"Oh, Mr. Friar." Zay sang

"Yes, Mr. Babineaux?" Lucas sang

"I like this room." Zay sang

"This is a nice room." Lucas sang

"So what do we do to a room if we want to kill the..." Zay sang

"A-R-T-S, arts?" Lucas sang

"We do this..." Zay said

"Gentlemen, what are you doing?" Sanchez asked

"The same thing you're doing to us." Lucas said 

They remove the portraits hanging in the room.

"Not as interesting a room anymore. Get the picture?" Zay asked

Riley looks to Chairperson Sanchez. 

"That's a very colorful scarf you're wearing." Riley said

"Thank you." Sanchez said

"May I?" Riley asked

She takes the scarf. 

"A dance to the loss of purple." Riley said

She does an interpretative dance with the scarf until Lucas takes it away from her.

"My name is Maya Hart. This committee relies on charts and graphs. I have information to add to them." Maya said

"Please share it with us, Ms. Hart." Sanchez said

"You want numbers? The United States Ranking in Math, Science and Reading has done nothing but drop for the past 50 years." Maya said

"Your proposal?" Sanchez asked

"Get rid of 'em." Maya said

"Cut Math, Science and Reading?" Sanchez asked

"Why not? We stink at 'em. But you know what we're number one at? Movies and Music! People all over the world are inspired by our creativity. But hey, I don't wanna get rid of anything. You started it." Maya said

"My hands are tied." Sanchez said

I scoff.

"Yeah, it's so funny. Everyone keeps saying that, but they're not. Look at 'em. Your hands are free. You just think they're tied." Maya said

"I'm afraid you're out of time. We have a long list of speakers on the list today and we need to be getting back to them. Topanga Matthews." Sanchez said

Topanga clears her throat and briefly looks at folder. 

"I yield my time to these children." Topanga said

"Uh... Cory Matthews." Sanchez said

"Yield." Cory said

"Joshua Matthews." Sanchez said

"Yield." Josh said

"Valentina Lawrence." Sanchez said

"Yield my time." I said

"Hollie Matthews." Sanchez said

"Yield." Hollie said

"Cora Adams." Sanchez said

"I yield my time." Cora said

"Connor Rowland." Sanchez said

"Yield." Connor said

"Brett Gilbert." Sanchez said

"Yield my time." Brett said

"Yes. Super. Okay. Wouldn't now be a good time for an adult point-of-view?" Sanchez asked

"Yield." We all said

"Oh, come on!" Sanchez said

"The adults have failed them. Especially Superintendent Turner!" Cory said

"Matthews!" Jon said

"Bomp, Bomp, Bomp." Lucas sang

"Ba, Da, Da, Bomp, Bomp, Bomp... Ba, Da, Da..." The five of them sang

"Oh, Mr. Farkle?" Lucas sang

"Yes, Mr. Freakface?" Farkle sang

"Although you are a scientist, we are also told that you have great creativity." Lucas said

"Why, yes. I sing and dance and am the greatest Pippin the stage has ever seen." Farkle said

"I love Pippin." A chairperson said

"May we see some of it, please?" Zay asked

"No, you may not! There are no longer plays or concerts in this school. Instead I shall perform for you 'A List Of Prime Numbers'." Farkle said

"Oh, that's disappointing." A chairperson said

"Bomp, Bomp, Bomp, Ba, Da, Da. Bomp, Bomp, Bomp, Ba, Da, Da, Bomp." Lucas and Zay sang

"Two. Three. Five. Seven. Eleven." Farkle said

The crowd groans. 

"Thirteen." Farkle said

"Boo!" The crowd said

"Okay, okay. I think we get your point, Mr. Farkle." Sanchez said

"With all due respect, Chairperson Sanchez, I don't think you do. And like I said, I can also do this." Farkle said

Farkle tap dances with the audience cheering and applauding. 

"Seventeen." Farkle said

The crowd groans. 

"Nineteen. Twenty-Three." Farkle said

"Boo!" The crowd said

"I hate 23. Let's get 'em!" Auggie said

Farkle tap dances with the audience cheering and applauding, then stops again. 

"Boo!" The crowd said

"Creativity feeds science, and science feeds creativity. That's what you're missing because you're not thinking creatively. Thank you." Farkle said

"I took all of my art off of the refrigerator. Do you have kids?" Auggie asked 

Some of the board members nod yes. 

"When you get home, please take their art off of the refrigerator, too. Otherwise you're hippopotamuses." Auggie said

I smile at Auggie.

"Hypocrites?" Sanchez corrected

"Please don't cut reading." Auggie said

"A dance in which a hippopotamus returns home to find his art taken from the refrigerator." Riley said

She does an interpretative dance. 

"Aah, ooh, mmm..." Riley said

"Ms. Hart, I am told that you can sing." Lucas said

"I can warble a tune." Maya replied

"Would you do us the great honor?" Zay asked

Maya gets to the microphone and starts singing. 

"Once I had a dream that dream had just begun..." Maya sang

Zay removes the microphone. 

"Yoink." Zay said

"Sorry. No more music." Maya said

"Chairperson Sanchez, with respect, you seem uncomfortable. Could that possibly have to do with your background?" Zay asked

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." Sanchez said

"Oh, let me be more specific. Where did you do your undergraduate work?" Zay asked

"Princeton." Sanchez replied

"Oh. Good school. Good school. What'd you study?" Zay asked

"I don't see how these questions are relevant to today's proceedings." Sanchez said

"Oh, you were an art major!" Zay said

The crowd gasps.

"Yes, Mr. Babineaux. I have a degree in studio art." Sanchez said

"A dance in which I graduate with a degree in studio art from Princeton University but then I get my hands tied." Riley said

"I don't need to see that one. I lived it." Sanchez said

"Does it hurt a little?" Maya asked

"It does. Especially since one of the paintings you took down was mine." Sanchez replied

"Chairperson Sanchez, got a favorite book?" Lucas asked

"Bridge To Terabithia." Sanchez replied

"Un-read it." Maya said

"Favorite movie?" Zay asked

"The Wizard Of Oz." Sanchez said

"Un-watch it." Zay said

"Well, you've just taken away my whole childhood, haven't you?" Sanchez asked

"When does it happen?" Maya asked

"When does what happen?" Sanchez asked

"When do you stop being able to think creatively?" Maya asked

"When do you get your hands tied?" Riley asked

"We don't want that to happen to us." Lucas said

"You went to a great school. I'm sure all of you did." Zay said

"You're very smart. You know this is the wrong way to think." Maya said

"You didn't ask me who my favorite artist is. It's Picasso. Do you have a favorite artist?" Sanchez asked

"All of them. Everyone who ever tried... including you." Maya replied

"You know, Picasso painted a masterpiece called 'Guernica'. Adults going to war on horses with swords. Except for one horse who was horrified at what the adults were doing. He's horrified because he knows it's wrong. I've always loved that horse. And when I was as young as you, I made a promise to myself that if I ever go to war, I would never forget 'Guernica' and the horse that knew better. Thank you, Ms. Hart, for reminding me." Sanchez said

"No. Thank you. I love learning about art. Would have never known about 'Guernica' if someone didn't care enough to teach me." Maya said

"Superintendent Turner... You have been requesting all along that we remain patient." Sanchez said

"Well, we're all teachers here. I think we can appreciate the value of a good lesson." Jon said

"Turner! My man!" Cory said

"Would you tell him to stop?" Jon asked

"I can't promise an immediate solution, but I can promise you that we can try and think differently. To think as creatively as these students. Thank you all for coming. This meeting is adjourned." Sanchez said

She bangs the gavel. 

"But our next meeting begins right now, and we will stay here until we come up with something that until we begin to think differently. Ms. Hart?" Sanchez asked

"Yes, ma'am?" Maya asked

"Please hang up my painting." Sanchez said

"Yes, ma'am." Maya said

Maya hangs Chairperson Sanchez's painting and Riley points to the horse inside the painting. Maya smiles and two walk out together.