Author's Note: This story is based on the NBC television series The Facts of Life, which as far as I know, is the property of Embassy Television, Columbia Pictures Television, and Sony Pictures Television. No infringement is intended.

Reality Check

One week ago, sixteen-year-old Blair Warner won the Fine Arts Festival at the Eastland School for Girls, for the third year in a row. But even though the wealthy, beautiful blonde sophomore did possess a heart of gold way deep down inside, her overall attitude – including the way she handled accepting awards – was, to put it bluntly, obnoxious. She did love and care for other people, but to be painfully honest, she wasn't usually very good at showing it, and she often acted as though she was the most arrogant, snobbish girl in all Peekskill. One of her three roommates, Jo Polniaczek, a scholarship student from the Bronx, was positively brilliant at putting Blair in her place with well-timed jabs whenever the occasion called for it, and her other two roommates, Natalie Green and Tootie Ramsey, were also fairly good at taking Blair down a couple of pegs when she was being annoying. However, underneath it all, the four girls, who lived together in the room across the hall from the school dietician, Mrs. Edna Garrett, really were family to each other and they all cared for one another a great deal – even if two of them would never actually admit it. Given Blair's impossible attitude last week, though, it was quite understandable that Mrs. Garrett and Jo ganged up against her and got on her case. Shortly after receiving the news that she'd won Eastland's Fine Arts Festival again, Blair learned that her cousin, Geri Tyler, would be coming to the school to visit her, and to say the very least, her behavior from that point on was much less than admirable. Her cousin, a professional comedienne, suffered from cerebral palsy, and the minute she arrived on campus, Blair could not have made it more obvious how uncomfortable she was around her. Quite frankly, Blair was downright rude to her cousin, and she made poor Geri feel just as uncomfortable – maybe even more so – than she clearly was.

Unfortunately for Blair, because of her frequently childish and snobbish attitude towards others, everyone in her Eastland family jumped to the wrong conclusion about her relationship with Geri. They all assumed that Blair was embarrassed by her cousin because of her disability, even Mrs. Garrett. As it turned out, though, Blair's problems with Geri were caused by inner pain that ran much deeper than any of them could have guessed. Blair had been shipped away to various boarding schools by her "parents" ever since she was old enough to start kindergarten, and to anyone who even remotely knew the Warners, it was painfully clear that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Warner were ever particularly concerned with actually caring for or about their own daughter. They had far more love in their hearts for their money, for their business, for their love life, for their travels, and ultimately for themselves than they ever had for Blair. As painfully obnoxious as Blair always was because of her spoiled princess act, the reason she even needed that act in the first place was so she could pretend that all was right in her world, when the brutal fact was, her own parents simply did not love her. As long as she was pretending to be a perfect, wealthy little princess who was loved and valued by everyone, she could avoid that soul-crushing truth. Obviously, in normally-functioning families with parents who actually do their jobs, children easily receive the attention they need without having to continuously work for it. Sadly, in Blair's world, she often had to work, hard, to receive even a small amount of time and attention from her parents. Due to everything Geri had accomplished in the face of her disability, it was far easier for her to receive attention from even extended family members. In fact, during the occasional family gatherings for Christmas and other holidays, she actually received more attention from Blair's mother than Blair did. Blair deeply loved and admired Geri, and in her own words to Mrs. Garrett a week ago, she gladly turned over the spotlight to Geri at home. Even though she was so often ignored by Mr. and Mrs. Warner, she knew that Geri deserved every moment of praise and attention she received from their family back home and she didn't begrudge her that. However, the victory dinner that was held in her honor a week ago to celebrate her winning the arts festival was supposed to be her chance to finally enjoy the spotlight; her chance to get some attention; her chance to shine a little. And when Geri suddenly showed up, she put a real monkey wrench in the works, although she certainly never meant to. It definitely didn't help matters that the other girls pressured Geri into performing one of her skits at Blair's dinner, and it also didn't help being surrounded by people who were hurling insults at her and jumping to unfair conclusions about her without knowing the whole story. It was indeed true that a lot of the backlash Blair received from the girls and even from Mrs. Garrett was actually her own fault because of her relentless spoiled little girl routine. However, it was also true that beneath her intolerable exterior lived a badly injured little girl trapped in a sea of unacknowledged pain, who desperately needed love from her parents that she would never receive.

Now that a little bit of time had passed since Geri's unexpected visit, Blair had had a chance to really reflect on everything that had happened. After taking Jo's insults and enduring Mrs. Garrett's stern (and annoying!) lecture about not running away from her problems, Blair did what everybody wanted and expected of her. As usual when it came to Geri, she put her own unmet needs aside, pulled it together, went out into the cafeteria, and yet again turned over most of the spotlight to her cousin. Blair did realize that evening that she had been unfair to Geri, and she was glad that she did the right thing and made up with her. However, there were some leftover issues from that night that were still unresolved in Blair's mind and heart. After debating it within herself for a couple of days, she eventually decided she would confront Mrs. Garrett about what had happened a week ago, even though she knew it would be uncomfortable for her and possibly for Mrs. Garrett too.

It was three-thirty on a Friday afternoon, and while the other girls had gone out, Mrs. Garrett was reading a book in her room when Blair suddenly knocked.

"Come in," said Mrs. Garrett who was sitting with the book at her desk, and a moment later, Blair entered. Mrs. Garrett then put her book down on her desk, stood up, and said, "Ah hello, Blair. What's on your mind?"

"If you have a moment, Mrs. Garrett, I need to speak with you about something."

"Of course," she said, and then she led Blair over to the side of her bed, and the two of them sat down together. Once they were seated, Mrs. Garrett took off her reading glasses, locked her blue eyes with Blair's chestnut eyes, and asked, "What's going on, dear?"

"This isn't easy for me, but…I need to talk to you about what happened last week when my cousin Geri came to visit."

"What about it?"

"I know that I wasn't fair to Geri when she came here last week. I know that I was cold and rude to her, and I know that she had no idea that by coming here, she would stir up all these painful issues inside me. I know that I was the one with the problem, not Geri, and I know that she didn't do anything wrong. She didn't deserve me giving her the cold shoulder the way I did. I realize that. But still, even though I was acting like a jerk, I really didn't need all the judgment I got from everybody here – including you."

Taken aback, Mrs. Garrett simply looked at her and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I could take all the judgment and criticism from Jo and the girls. Natalie and Tootie are too young to know better, and Jo hates me anyway, so it's only natural for her to give me a hard time. But it really, really hurt last week that I had to take so much unfair judgment from you, too. We've known each other for over a year now. I thought you really knew me. I know I can act pretty over-the-top sometimes, but still, I believed that you of all people knew that there was more to me than that. I thought that you of all people knew that I was a caring person."

Mrs. Garrett then put her hand on top of Blair's, and she insisted, "I do know that, Blair."

"Then why did you judge me like Jo did?"

"Judge you? How did I judge you?"

Blair sighed then and said, "We both know that there are two different kinds of judgment. There's the kind of judgment where you call people out on their behavior when they do something wrong and hurt others, and then there's the kind of judgment where you jump to unfair conclusions about people without knowing all the facts. When Geri came here last week, your judgment towards me was the second kind. You jumped to conclusions about me that were totally unfair. Mrs. Garrett, you really hurt me when you jumped to the conclusion that I was so petty and shallow that I would actually be ashamed of Geri because of her disability. After all this time that we've known one another, shouldn't you know me better than that by now?"

After mulling it over for several long, silent moments, Mrs. Garrett said, "You know something? You're right, Blair. I was being unfair to you last week by jumping to that conclusion about you. I really do try not to jump to conclusions about people based just on what I see on the outside, but last week, that's exactly what I did do without even realizing it. I'm so sorry, Blair."

Blair accepted Mrs. Garrett's apology with a nod, and then she stood up. After pacing for a brief moment, she sighed and looked at Mrs. G. and said, "I guess at the end of the day, it wasn't any better that I was jealous of Geri instead of being embarrassed by her."

Mrs. Garrett stood as well and responded, "Yes, but it is understandable that you would end up feeling that way." After putting an understanding hand on her shoulder, she looked into Blair's eyes once again and said, "Blair, I do understand that all throughout your childhood, you've suffered a lot of pain. I know how much it hurt you when you went through so many marriages, divorces, and remarriages with your parents. I know it's taken a real toll on you inside. And I know how you crave attention from your parents, and that they hardly ever make any real time for you, which is why it's particularly painful when you and your family get together on holidays and you see Geri getting so much attention from everyone. I know that you deserve better from your parents; that you've always deserved better. Your feelings of jealousy towards your cousin are not the real problem, here. They're a symptom of the problem."

"And how do I fix the problem, Mrs. Garrett? I've tried everything I can possibly think of to get Mother and Daddy to spend more time with me through the years, but it never, ever, ever works. To Mother, I'm just a playmate to go on shopping sprees with, and to Daddy, I'm just a list of toys he has to buy for me to keep me occupied so I won't bother him while he does business. Did you know my father didn't even love me enough to be there when I was born, Mrs. Garrett?" Blair asked as a stray tear escaped from one of her chestnut eyes. "I've tried so hard to be good enough to make them pay attention to me, really pay attention to me, and no matter what I do, it's never enough. And after all these years, I'm beginning to believe that it never will be."

"Oh honey, there's something about this fallen, cruel world that you have to understand," Mrs. Garrett said gently, visibly fighting off tears, herself.

"What's that?"

"That life is terribly unfair. Blair, not everyone who can become a parent should become a parent. I think that mentally and emotionally, neither one of your parents ever really had what it took to be the kind of mother and father you deserved. I know that they're not giving you the love you truly need, but it's not because they choose not to out of some kind of vicious desire to hurt you. It's because they are incapable of truly loving another person, much less a child, because they don't know how to stop being children themselves. I know it's not fair that in your relationships with your parents, you always have to be the strong one and the mature one. I know that you've always deserved to have parents in your life who know how to be adults; who know how to be there for you. From day one, you've always gotten the short end of the stick with them. I see that. I get that. But even though it is so very unfair, it is the situation you were born into, and as hard and as painful as it is, you're going to have to make your peace with it so it won't eat away at you and make you sick," Mrs. Garrett instructed her, and then she walked over to her nightstand and grabbed a couple of tissues.

"How do I do that?" Blair asked quietly while Mrs. Garrett dried her eyes, both of which had now gotten misty.

"By realizing that even though taking you on shopping sprees and showering you with material possessions isn't always the best way for your parents to let you know they care, they are in fact expressing affection for you in the only way they know how. I know all of it is a poor substitute for the time, attention, and yes, love, that you crave and deserve, but at the end of the day, you have to understand that it is all that they are capable of giving to you. As I said, it's not the best way…but it's their way, Blair. And you're just going to have to accept it for what it is, because if you don't, you'll spend your whole life filled with anger, bitterness, resentment, even hatred, and it'll eat you alive. And honey, you know as well as I do that that's no way to live."

Blair sighed and said, "You're right, Mrs. Garrett."

"And here's something else you need to begin to understand," Mrs. Garrett told her while lovingly pushing a few blonde strands of hair back behind Blair's ear.

"What?" she asked.

"Whatever problems and issues your parents have…whatever it is that's keeping them from being the kind of parents you deserve…it's their fault, Blair, not yours. It is not your fault that they've never been able to truly love you and care for you and be genuine parents to you. It is not because of anything that you have or have not done that they don't pay attention to you. It's because of them. It's their fault. They are the ones with the problem. They are the ones to blame. They haven't deprived you emotionally the way they have all these years because of you; because you couldn't be good enough, as you put it. It's because of them. It's because they made the unfair decision sixteen years ago to sign up for a job that they were incapable of doing. And let your parents' decision and the pain you've suffered because of it be a lesson to you, Blair. When you're grown and married and you and your husband start thinking about having children, make absolutely sure that the two of you are truly ready for the spiritual, financial, physical, and psychological responsibilities of being a parent long before you start having unprotected sex. Do not make careless decisions in the bedroom and risk getting pregnant with a child if you are not yet in a place in your life where you are capable of giving that child everything he or she deserves."

"You know…until you said that just now, I honestly never thought about how the consequences of unprotected sex applied to me personally in my own life. You're right, Mrs. Garrett. I do have to be extremely careful about what kind of choices I make in the bedroom later on in my life. I can't ever allow a child to get hurt the way my parents hurt me. I remember last year when I was in your sex education class and someone asked you what your personal beliefs were about sex, and you told us that because you were a Christian, you believed that sex outside of marriage was wrong. I thought all this time that you were just being old-fashioned, but now that I think about it, I think I understand. Even if a woman is on birth control and having safe sex, there's still a chance that she might get pregnant. And if she isn't already married, then there's also a chance that she could end up raising her baby on her own, and nobody knows better than I do how devastating it is to never have a real father in your life. Children need a mother and a father, Mrs. Garrett. Preferably one present father, not an absentee father and a bunch of absentee stepfathers."

"I couldn't agree more. It really hurt my sons, having a so-called 'father' who was never really there for them; who was always far more interested in partying and gambling than he ever was in being a parent. One of the biggest reasons I got a divorce from my ex-husband was because all of his atrocious behavior was becoming a very bad influence on Raymond and Alex, and I couldn't allow that. But even though my boys still did well after the divorce, it was very hard on them not having a father in their lives. When it comes to families, mothers and fathers each bring something vital to the table that children need, which is why there are such tragic consequences, for the children and for everyone involved, when people are careless about their choices in the bedroom, or about who they marry."

"I think I get that now. I never thought I'd be so old-fashioned that I'd wait until I got married before I had sex, but now, I think I understand why God wanted it that way. Children need stability. They need to have parents in their lives who are actually serious about their marriage. They need one mother and one father who really love them and put them first, not a revolving door of marriages, divorces, remarriages, new stepfathers, new stepmothers, etc. Even if I were on birth control, I still wouldn't want to risk having sex without knowing for sure that if I got pregnant, my child would have a permanent father in the picture."

"Sex isn't all fun and games, Blair. It is a tremendous responsibility that a person must always take seriously. The world puts a ridiculous amount of pressure on young people these days to have sex before they're truly ready. But you don't have to listen to the lies the world tells you, and you don't have to cave in to pressure that others may put on you. Jesus gave you an intelligent mind, Blair. Use it. Remember everything you've been through, and make wiser decisions than your parents did."

"I will. I am not bringing a child into this world until I am thoroughly convinced that my husband and I can give him everything he needs. I just wish my own parents would have shown me the same courtesy. If Mother and Daddy had waited until they were a little more mature before they had me, they might have actually given me everything I needed emotionally, and I never would have suffered the way I have inside all this time."

"Maybe. There's no doubt about it that the ultimate consequences of your parents' bad choices have fallen on your shoulders, and we both know that's not fair. But as I was saying before, life is never fair. But even though the position your parents have put you in is so unfair, in a way, it could actually be seen as a good thing. Since you understand what it's like to have to suffer through the emotional roller coaster ride of all your parents' divorces and remarriages, and since you understand how it feels to have your parents deprive you of the love and attention you need, you know how to empathize with other kids here who are going through the same thing with their own families. You're able to be there for them as a friend, in ways many other people can't. Whenever other girls at this school are having similar problems, you are the one they come looking for. If you hadn't gone through all the things that you have over the years, you wouldn't know how to help them."

"That's true," Blair said quietly as she really began thinking over all of Mrs. Garrett's words of wisdom. "I won't try to pretend that it hasn't hurt; that it still doesn't hurt, a lot, because it does. Maybe it always will. But after everything you've said, for the first time in my life, I'm beginning to believe that I actually can make my peace with it all and start to move on with my life."

"Good. I don't know if saying this will be any help or not, but for the record, I want you to know that I couldn't possibly have any more love in my heart for you if you were my own daughter. I mean that, Blair. I really do."

"Oh, Mrs. Garrett," Blair gasped as she started getting choked up again, and then she hugged Mrs. G.

When their long embrace ended several moments later, Mrs. Garrett said, "I know how it hurts that your parents are incapable of giving you all the things that you need emotionally. But for what it's worth, you are surrounded by people who love you and care about you. Try to focus on that and not so much on what your parents are failing to give you."

Blair nodded and said, "I'll try, Mrs. Garrett. Thank you."

"Of course," said Mrs. G., and then once again, she grabbed a tissue and dried Blair's eyes.

That very same afternoon, Geri went to visit her mother, Francesca Tyler. Francesca was about average height, and she too was a brunette like her younger sister, although unlike Monica Warner, she had blue eyes which her daughter obviously inherited. Francesca was a homemaker with a green thumb, and even though it was in the middle of January, she was busy watering all her indoor plants scattered throughout the living room when Geri rang the doorbell. After answering the door and letting Geri in, they walked through the living room into the spacious white kitchen and sat down together on the two tall stools at the large kitchen island.

"So Geri, what's on your mind?" asked Francesca.

"Not much, Mom."

"Quit lying, sweet girl," Francesca lovingly scolded as she flicked her daughter's nose. "I can always tell when you have something on your mind that you need to discuss. Out with it. What's going on?"

After pausing for a couple of moments, Geri sighed and answered, "It's Blair. I finally went to Eastland for the first time last week to visit her, and she acted so strange. Blair and I grew up together. I was one of the first people to see her at the hospital when she was born. She's always been the little sister I never had. And all these years, she's never once acted as though she were ashamed of me because of my disability, but for the first time ever in our relationship, she made me feel that way when I went to see her last week. I know that Aunt Monica has always spoiled Blair. I know how Blair can act a lot of the time. I love my little cousin, but it's not exactly a secret that even Job would find it hard to be patient with her sometimes!"

Francesca laughed and said, "Oh yes, I know. Sometimes, Blair really does remind me a lot of my little sister. It's not always easy to be patient with Monica, either. Don't get me wrong. Monica's my sister and I love her, but she's not exactly the most mature and responsible person on the planet."

"You're right. Aunt Monica does tend to live her life like she's some kind of doll in a dollhouse."

"Exactly. And much of the time, children live what they learn. I know Blair doesn't always make it easy, but she's got her own struggles deep down inside and she really does need patience and understanding."

"But Aunt Monica's childishness doesn't excuse the way Blair treated me when I went to Eastland to visit her," Geri complained.

"I know it doesn't, darling. I'm really very sorry that Blair made you feel so uncomfortable when you went to see her. That was inexcusable. But let me ask you something, Geri. When you were at Eastland, did you do anything to take attention away from Blair?"

"No, of course not. Well, she did win the Fine Arts Festival at Eastland again, and when I got there, they were preparing a special dinner in her honor. I hit it off with all her friends, and they asked me to give a performance. I didn't ask anybody to let me perform, but Blair's friends kept pressuring me."

"Mm-hmm. And I always thought I'd raised my daughter to be strong enough to be her own person and not give in to peer pressure," Francesca teased while pushing a few strands of her daughter's hair back behind her ear, and Geri gave her an embarrassed smile in return. "Sweetheart, you were wrong to let others pressure you into performing at Blair's special dinner last week."

"But why? Everybody enjoyed my performance. Blair even performed half of the skit with me."

"That's not the point. The point is, it's hard enough for Blair to get even a tiny bit of attention and recognition from her own parents for all her accomplishments. She's an excellent student. She's a talented artist. But no matter how many good report cards she gets or how many art awards she receives at Eastland, her parents have never been there for any of it, and it's doubtful that they ever will be. As I said, I do love my little sister, but it's just a cold, hard fact that she and David are far too self-centered and petty to ever really care about anyone other than themselves. Physically speaking, things have always been harder for you than they are for most other people because of your cerebral palsy. But emotionally speaking, things have always been harder for Blair because her own parents have never loved her enough to truly parent her. You had to work hard to learn how to do things like walking and riding a bike, but you never had to work hard to get love and attention from your father and me, did you?"

It was in that moment that the light bulb went on in Geri's mind, and she began to see how right her mother was. She then shook her head and told her truthfully, "No, Mom."

"Blair constantly has to work hard for her mother and father to even acknowledge that she exists most days. Most of the time, neither one of them even bother to call her or write her. So even the tiniest bit of attention she receives from others is terribly important to her. In your professional life with your comedy acts, you are always in the spotlight."

"And in my personal life, I'm always in the spotlight at home because of my CP," Geri said knowingly.

"Geri, we all respect you tremendously because of everything you've accomplished throughout your life. You know that."

Geri locked her eyes with her mother's then and said, "I know."

"But I don't think you were right when you jumped to the conclusion that after all these years, Blair suddenly decided out of the blue that she was ashamed of you because of your disability. Honey, you know I love you more than anything in this world, and I don't mean this harshly, but I think it's time you had a reality check. Geri, everything is not always a CP issue, and I think it may be possible that because of all you've been through with your disability over the years, you sometimes have a tendency to see everything as a CP issue when it really isn't. When it comes to your visit with Blair last week, I don't think your cerebral palsy has anything to do with the way Blair acted. In my opinion, I think that Blair was afraid that when you showed up at Eastland, you would steal her place in the spotlight and take some attention away from her that she really needed for herself. As difficult as Blair can be to deal with at times, you have to understand that underneath it all, there's a hurting little girl who's crying and begging for her parents' attention. Blair needs attention, Geri. She needs to have times when she's the one in the spotlight."

Geri nodded with understanding, and again, her eyes locked with her mother's and she told her, "You're right, Mom. I was wrong to give in to peer pressure. I was wrong to give a performance on Blair's special night. I ended up making it all about me when it should have been all about Blair. Instead of getting in the spotlight myself, I should have stood back and let Blair shine instead." In the next moment, Geri kissed her mother's cheek and said, "Thanks for the reality check, Mom. I think I needed it."

"You're very welcome," said Francesca, and then the mother and daughter embraced.

A couple of moments later, the ladies got up, and Geri announced that she had to leave. As Francesca Tyler escorted Geri to the door, Geri informed her, "I'm going to head straight to Eastland. I've got to find a way to make everything up to Blair."

"Good girl," said Francesca, and again, they hugged. Once the embrace ended, Francesca added, "Geri, I am so proud of you."

Geri smiled and responded, "Thanks, Mom."

They then said goodbye and Geri walked out to her car and began driving to the Eastland campus.

The next day, a Saturday, Mrs. Garrett took Blair out for lunch at Blair's favorite Italian restaurant in downtown Peekskill, and they had a lovely time together. However, for some reason, Mrs. Garrett wouldn't let Blair order dessert. After enjoying a very nice meal and some pleasant conversation that day, Mrs. Garrett eventually brought Blair home at around two o'clock that afternoon. When they entered the cafeteria, Blair noticed that the lights had been turned off.

"Why are the lights off, Mrs. Garrett?" Blair asked while flipping the light switch, all the while Mrs. Garrett was innocently shrugging her shoulders.

"Surprise!" everybody suddenly yelled as they all jumped out from their various hiding places, and it was then that Blair saw all the balloons and streamers and decorations.

Blair laughed and asked, "What's all this? My birthday was over two weeks ago."

"And that party was equally as nauseating as this one is going to be," Jo teased.

Geri then walked towards Blair and explained, "It was my idea, Blair. I realized that I probably stole your place in the spotlight at your special dinner last week. I made it all about me and my comedy act, when it really should have been all about you and what you've achieved at this year's Fine Arts Festival. I felt bad about that, so I came here yesterday and talked to Mrs. Garrett and your friends in private, and we planned this surprise party for you."

Ordinarily, this would've been Blair's cue to go off into her spoiled princess act and start blabbing about how wonderful she was – and get on everybody's nerves in the process. However, given the fact that all of this was coming from Geri, the cousin she'd looked up to and admired so much her whole life, she couldn't help but get a little choked up.

"Geri…you did all this for me?" she asked quietly.

"Of course I did. I love you, Blair. You know that."

While fighting off tears, Blair put her arms around Geri and told her, "I love you too, Geri."

Mrs. Garrett then put her hand on Blair's shoulder and said, "We all love you, Blair. We know that back home, you don't always get everything you need. But here, you are surrounded by people who love you and care for you, and we want you to know that."

"I don't know what to say. Thanks, you guys. Thanks, Geri. This is so sweet."

"Can we bring out the cake now?" asked Natalie.

"Yeah. I've been looking forward to Howard's chocolate cake all day," Tootie chimed in.

"Howard baked a chocolate cake?" Blair asked with a smile.

"He sure did. He baked it especially for you. That's why I wouldn't let you eat dessert earlier," Mrs. Garrett explained.

In the next moment, she called Howard's name, and he came out carrying a big chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, all the while everybody started singing For She's a Jolly Good Fellow. As everybody sang to her, Blair looked at her cousin and at all her dear friends, smiled, and drank in all their love.