It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

41| Wrong Side Of The Tracks

"Anybody?" Cory asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mr. Turner nodded. "Anybody."

"Absolutely anybody?" Cory questioned.

"Absolutely anybody." Mr. Turner answered.

"I pick Shawn." Cory said, pointing at Shawn behind him.

"I pick Cory." Shawn added.

"You know you walked right into that." Zoey simply told Mr. Turner.

Mr. Turner sadly nodded. "I did, didn't I?"

••••

At lunch, Zoey was walking through the cafeteria, holding a tray with her lunch on it. She came to a stop when she saw Shawn and Cory sitting at their usual table. Shawn looked up and noticed Zoey, who had a angry expression on her face. She turned around and began walking the other way.

"Hey, Zo." Shawn called, getting up from his seat and over to the brunette. "I just want to say that I'm really sorry about what I said earlier."

Zoey cocked her head to the side. "Really?"

Shawn nodded. "Yeah, I am. Do you wanna come sit with us?"

"Okay." Zoey answered.

Zoey walked over to their table and placed her tray of food beside Shawn, while Cory was starting his biography paper on Shawn.

"All right, Shawn Hunter... Now, where are you from?" Cory asked.

"I'm from here." Shawn answered.

Cory began writing down in his book. "Uh-huh. Shawn was raised by wolves."

Shawn then let out a howl when he saw Jill entering the cafeteria with her friend. He got up from his seat and approached her. "Jill, it's too bad Friday's all the way at the end of the week, huh?"

"Yeah... Look, Shawn, about Friday... I can't go out with you." Jill told him. Zoey stopped eating her lunch as she glanced between Shawn and Jill.

"I'm free Saturday too." Shawn responded.

"I can't Saturday... or any day." Jill said.

Shawn furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Why not?"

"I just can't, okay?" Jill snapped before she hurried away from Shawn, heading to a table with her friend.

"What was that about?" Zoey wondered, standing up from his chair.

"I don't know." Shawn answered honestly. "She just totally blew me off."

"Yeah, but yesterday she couldn't wait to go out with you." Cory pointed out, standing beside Zoey.

"Doesn't make sense. Something's wrong." Shawn said.

"Look, just wait here." Cory said. He and Zoey walked over to Mindy, Jill's friend, while Shawn walked to the vending machine to hear every word they said.

"Hey, Mindy.... Listen, what's with Jill? Why'd she dump Shawn?" Zoey asked, crossing her arms over her stomach.

"Come on, Zoey, I think it's pretty obvious. Like her parents would ever let her go out with him." Mindy answered.

"They have a problem with Shawn?" Cory questioned.

"Only a lot. Shawn and Jill don't exactly belong to the same... you, circle." Mandy explained.

Zoey furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean 'circle'?"

"Hello! His family, where they live, what they do. I mean, yuck!" Mandy said in disgust. "May I go, please?"