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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚ ▎❛ 𝐎𝐍𝐄 ❜ ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀs ꒱
❝ THERE IS NO OTHER SIDE ❞
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On the first day of school of their Senior year, Juliet and Cory entered the familiar setting together. They parted soon after as the curly-haired boy went to find Shawn while the redhead left to look for Topanga.
Juliet had been living with the Matthews for only a few days; she was staying with Morgan in her room and everything had been going smoothly so far. It was strange seeing Cory so much after not nearly spending as much time with him as she did with Shawn, but it was a good change.
Before she'd moved in, she'd spent her entire summer in upstate New York and had hardly seen her other best friends so she was particularly looking forward to seeing Topanga again. She found the blonde in the hallway with a book in hand as she stood off to the side. Smiling happily, the redhead approached her. "Studying already, Panga?"
The other girl closed her book with a snap! and looked up. Her expression brightened at the sight of her best friend. She held out her arms. "Peaches!"
Juliet enthusiastically returned the hug and pulled away a moment later. "I missed you."
"Aw," the blonde said. "I missed you too." Her expression turned mischievous. "We have so much to catch up on! What's up with you and Shawn these days?"
She felt her face immediately warm at the question and she ducked her head as she became embarrassed. "Hello to you too, Topanga."
Topanga rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, hello to you too. Now spill."
"Oh— well— I did kiss him," Juliet admitted sheepishly. Her friend's face broke into an expression of amazement.
"Good for you!" she cheered. "And?"
"And well, I don't think we're just friends anymore but I we haven't really talked since then. We're still not actually dating though."
The blonde patted her on the arm. "That's alright. Baby steps, baby steps."
"And how are you and Cory?" the redhead asked in return.
She shrugged. "We've been the same since kindergarten, Peaches. You and Shawn are what's interesting."
Juliet gave her a look of disbelief before she shook her head. "Anyway, you wanna walk to the senior hall together?"
"You do know it's going to just be like this part of school, right?"
"Well, yeah, but isn't there some sort of myth that the person you walk into the hall with will be your best friend forever?"
There was no such saying but Topanga accepted her reasoning without further argument. Instead, she offered her arm so Juliet could loop hers through it. Together, they made their way to the double doors that separated the Seniors from the rest of the school.
"Wait, wait, wait," the redhead started as soon as Topanga reached for the handles, "it should still be a momentous occasion even if there's nothing special on the other side. I mean, c'mon, Panga. We're Seniors! Anything can happen this year!"
The blonde gave her a fond look. "Alright, Peaches. What should we do?"
They glanced at each other and Juliet shrugged. "I dunno. What d'you wanna do?"
"We could just go find the guys?" she suggested.
"Yeah, alright."
🌎🌎🌎
That afternoon, Juliet, Shawn and Cory entered the curly-haired boy's room to find a large, empty space where the double beds used to be. Cory showed them the change enthusiastically. "Guys, I've been waiting for this my whole life. Eric has gone to college and the room is mine. All mine!"
"You sound like a greedy tax collector, Cor," the redhead chided him.
"Let the man celebrate, Julie! He's had to share the room his entire life," Shawn told her. "What's with the candles?"
"Those are for Topanga. To set the mood," Cory answered as his friend picked up the holders to smell them.
"It kind of looks like a church in here," Shawn observed.
"You're ruining the mood," he repeated. "Finally. You know, I'm no longer a guest in this room. It's mine. You see that picture? Mine. You see that wallpaper? Mine."
"I'll be happy for you as long as you stop saying mood like that," Juliet informed him.
For once, he seemed unaffected by her nagging. Two delivery men arrived carrying a large mattress between them. "Whose queen size bed is this?"
"Mine!"
"First room to yourself, huh?" he asked as he leaned the bed against the wall.
"Maybe."
"It comes with the industry standard twenty year warranty." As he left, he added, "remember, no means no."
"You know, guys, I can feel it. We're seniors this year. We're unstoppable, baby. This is gonna be the best year of our lives!" Cory exclaimed excitedly.
The door suddenly opened to reveal the eldest Matthews brother. "Daddy's home!"
"Eric, what are you doing here?"
"You didn't get rid of my bed, did you?" Eric scoffed.
🌎🌎🌎
After school the next day, Shawn and Juliet walked to Chubbie's together on their way to meet Cory and Topanga. A comfortable silence had fallen between them and the redhead contentedly swung their joined hands as she enjoyed the thought of what endless possibilities this year could bring. Despite their uneventful entrance into the senior hall, she (for once) agreed with Cory that this was going to be their best year ever.
The dark-haired boy opened the door and stood aside to allow her to enter first before he followed her down the stairs. The mood (as Cory put it) instantly soured the moment they stepped off the landing. Curious, the redhead looked around for the reason only to be tugged over to where Cory and Topanga were standing with an unfamiliar guy.
"What are you doing here?" Shawn demanded as his grip on her hand tightened.
"No, don't ruin this for me, Shawn. Listen, whoever this guys is, whatever minor personal infraction happened between the two of you, let it go because the world knows that this one is gonna be Eric's roommate and the world is my friend," Cory pleaded.
Juliet ignored him and studied the other boy closely. Unease twisted in her stomach as she took in his features. She glanced at Shawn's angry expression and back at the stranger before she put two and two together. "Shawnie, he's not—"
"He's my brother," Shawn agreed.
"Of course he is. He is not your brother," the curly-haired boy insisted.
"Same dad, different moms. His mom bailed on my dad years ago, found a guy with a few bucks and I guess they've kept Jack pretty busy 'cause we haven't heard from him."
"That's not exactly what happened," Jack argued.
"Whatever, Jack. Let's go, Julie."
"Look, Shawn, I think we need to talk, okay?"
"You turned your back on your father and on me!" Shawn exclaimed. "There, we talked." His hand slid out of the redhead's grasp and he stalked away without a backward glance.
It took a moment for Juliet to process what happened before she jolted into motion to scramble after her best friend. "Shawn! Shawn, wait! Don't do anything reckless!" she called as she chased after him, though he was too far ahead to have possibly heard her. She caught up with him outside of the restaurant. "Shawn, wait—"
He rounded on her with a fierce expression. "What is he thinking that he can show up after years of nothing?" he all but snarled. "Did he ever think about how I felt? What about all those letters I sent him? And then he just shows up and expects us to be family? And he has the nerve to say that we should talk? That he expects us to be brothers after everything? How dare—"
"I know," Juliet agreed quietly. "It sucks. I'm sorry, Shawnie—"
He immediately looked guilty. "No, I'm sorry, Julie. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."
She shrugged. "I know you didn't mean it."
"But still," he insisted. "I wasn't angry with you. I-I know you're only trying to help—"
The redhead looked up at him and met his eyes. "Is there anything I can do?"
The boy's expression softened and he stepped closer to her. She held her breath as his hands came up to gently cup the sides of her face and she hardly dared to look away from him. Then, he leaned forward and kissed her. After her initial surprise faded, Juliet looped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss eagerly, still getting used to the fact that they could do this now. When he pulled away, his hands remained where they were as he pressed his forehead against hers.
She was terribly tempted to kiss him again, but instead she tried to joke: "did that help?"
A faint smile curled on Shawn's lips. "You have no idea," he replied gently. "You're on my side, right?"
"There is no other side," she promised softly.
🌎🌎🌎
Juliet sat next to Shawn at the kitchen table in his trailer while Chet sat on his son's other side as he fiddled with a toaster. A binder lay open in front of the boy and she was helping him finish his homework. He was currently working on a math problem as she looked over his shoulder, though concentration was hard to come by as she could feel the warmth of his leg next to hers and her gaze kept flicking to his lips. They had yet to kiss in front of anyone, though, and she was sure that he wouldn't want to first person to be his father. She attempted to focus on the boy's work. (That didn't stop her from leaning against him a little more often than necessary in an attempt to make him. . . distracted as well.)
"So, how was your day, boy?" Chet asked, breaking their silence.
"Just another day," Shawn replied easily as he tried to keep his attention on his homework.
"Anything out of the ordinary?"
"Just another day."
"I like this talking we're doing. It's good."
Gently, Juliet nudged the boy's hand. "No, Shawnie, the x doesn't disappear. You have to transfer it." She took the pencil from him and demonstrated. "See? Like this."
He sighed. "Exes always disappear after a few years. Why can't this one be any different?"
A giggle escaped her lips and he smiled happily at the sound. "This is math, not real relationships," she corrected him. "Every aspect of the equation is important or you'll get a wrong answer."
"I'm glad you'll be marrying a smart woman, son. You can have her do your taxes and get a refund instead of being committed for fraud," Chet observed as he watched the girl confidently work on the problem.
Juliet's face colored and she took extra care in forming the numbers in the next step to avoid the boy's gaze. Chet didn't miss the fond glance that his son gave the girl or the light pink that had appeared on his face, though he tried to play it off casually. "Julie's in study mode, dad. Don't distract her."
"Sorry, sorry," the older man said, giving the pair an amused look as a knock sounded on the door. He stood. "Yeah? Come in."
Jack opened the door and stepped into the trailer. What concentration Shawn had had for his homework vanished as he watched his brother with an unfriendly gaze. Chet, not recognizing the boy at first, put down the toaster and approached him. "What can I do for you?" He paused as he finally saw who he was. "Well. Look at you. How are you?"
"Well, I've been okay."
"This is a surprise," Chet said.
"I ran into Shawn today," Jack explained.
He turned to his other son. "You told me nothing special happened today."
"Yeah. I did."
At the boy's tone, Juliet looked up from the problem to take in the scene as Chet tried to repair the situation. "Shawn, don't be like that. We got ourselves a little family reunion cooking here, huh? Jack, have you met Shawnie's wife?" He gestured to the redhead.
"Yeah, hi."
Juliet didn't reply so Chet continued: "so, uh, how's your mama's husband? Your stepdaddy. How's he treating you?"
"He treats me well," Jack told him.
"Uh-huh. You still in school?"
"I graduated from high school and I'm going to Pennbrook."
"Well, what do you know about that?" Chet exclaimed happily. "I got me a boy in college!"
"Shawn's going to college next year," the redhead remarked pointedly.
"Well, Jack's the first," the older man said. "I guess your. . . new daddy raised you up good."
"Yeah," Shawn interrupted them. "Raised him up so good he hasn't come to visit all this time. What are you doing here, Jack?"
"You know, maybe he needs a place to stay," his father suggested. "Look, Jack, I mean, this ain't much, but— I know you're used to better, but we could get another rollaway cot and you could—"
"Oh, it's okay," Jack cut him off. "I got an apartment by the college. As soon as I find some roommates the place is mine."
"I asked you what you're doing here, Jack," Shawn repeated. "Did you finally get up enough guilt about dad to pay him a little pity call?"
"That's not it. I wanted to come here. I have a brother here. I came here to see you." He glanced at the redhead. "Hey, would you mind giving us a minute? It's a bit of a family matter—"
"She is family," the dark-haired boy interjected. "She's been around longer than you have. I'm not kicking her out."
"Shawn—"
"No, Julie, you can hear whatever he has to say. I'm going to tell you anyway so you might as well hear it firsthand to save the trouble." He gave his brother a challenging look.
"You know, uh, seeing you two brothers together like that, an idea comes over me. I don't get a whole lot of ideas but I'm pretty sure this is a good one. You two boys have been given an opportunity to get to know each other. I think you should take advantage of it." Chet tried to diffuse the tension.
"No, dad," Shawn protested.
"He wants a roommate. Well, I want you to live with him."
"I'd love to have you as my roommate, man," Jack agreed. "It's a great apartment, terrific area."
"No," Shawn insisted as he stood.
"Look, if you're worried about the rent I can make up the difference—" Juliet winced at the boy's argument, knowing Shawn wouldn't take it well.
She was right as he exclaimed, "there it is! Jack is here to try and rescue me from trailer life."
"No, that's not why I'm here—"
Juliet stood now as well. "Guys, calm down. Take a breather—"
"I thought you were on my side!" the dark-haired boy said accusingly.
The redhead huffed. "I am on your side, Shawn, but this isn't helping—"
"Look, forget it," Jack interrupted her. "I gotta go." He turned to his father. "I'm sorry. It was good to see you. I'll call you." He addressed his brother one last time: "you know, I just thought it would be good, Shawn. For the both of us."
Before he could leave, Chet called after him: "Jack! Uh—" He looked around his trailer before his gaze landed on a jacket hanging by the door. He took it off the hook. "Here, take this. It's gonna be a cold one tonight."
"Thanks," Jack told him before he left.
"What are you trying to do?" Shawn demanded.
"Well, Shawn, ever since you were born, I-I always wanted to give you something I never could until now. A chance at a better life. Take it." Chet sank into a nearby arm chair, fiddling with the toaster again.
"He means nothing to me!"
"He's your brother," his father replied, still not looking at him. "He's a good boy. I think you ought to move in with him. Maybe some of that Pennbrook stuff will rub off on you and I'll have two boys in college."
"Dad, why are you trying to kick me out?" Shawn asked in disbelief.
"I-I might not be much of a father," he admitted, "but I know this is right, so. . . get outta here. Scoot! Go on!"
"I'm not going anywhere," Shawn insisted, turning back to the table, "and you're right about one thing. You're not much of a father." He picked up his binder and strode out of the room.
Juliet shot the older man an apologetic glance before she darted after him. "Shawn—"
When they got to his room, he glowered at her. "What about being on my side, huh, Julie?
The redhead threw up her hands in exasperation. "I can only keep telling you that I am, you idiot. It's not like you make it easy when you don't listen—"
"You don't think I should give him a chance, do you?" he demanded.
"Well no," she agreed— though if she hadn't known the Shawn's side she might've said yes. "But you make it awfully hard to support you when you take your feelings out on other people!"
"My dad was trying to kick me out!"
"He just wants what's best for you, like I do," Juliet told him. "You might want to think about that before you go biting my head off."
🌎🌎🌎
Juliet helped carry Shawn's boxes to his new room as the conflict over where he would live resolved itself with Mr. Matthews' wise words. The dark-haired boy was now more accepting of the new situation and had agreed to move without further issue. He set his boxes down so he could look around the room for inspiration. "You were right, Julie. This is a good idea."
"And when am I ever wrong?" she teased him, placing what she was carrying on the ground.
"Never," he agreed. "I should have seen this coming."
"You really should have."
His expression softened as he turned to the redhead and reached over to tug on her arm. She looked at him curiously but before she could ask what he wanted, he leaned over the boxes between them and kissed her. The redhead closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of his lips on hers. The door opened to reveal Jack who immediately tried to back away. "Oh, wow. I didn't know you guys were a thing—"
They parted, both looking mildly embarrassed and Juliet suggested, "we should invest in a lock."
Jack grinned at his brother. "You really won, didn't you?"
Shawn gave the girl an affectionate glance. "Yeah, I did."
The older Hunter's face took on a faux-apologetic look as he glanced at the redhead. "I'm sorry you got stuck with the less handsome Hunter."
Juliet sent him a cheerful smile. "I really don't think I did," she disagreed, laughing at the mock-offended expression that Jack wore and the smug one that appeared on Shawn's face.
[written apr. 2021]
[edited may 2022]