"Okay, guys, yearbook time." Topanga said when she approached Shawn, Zoey and Cory in the middle of the school hall. "As you look back on your first year at John Adams, what would you consider your greatest accomplishment and why?"
"Probably meetings new friends." Zoey said, shrugging her shoulders. Topanga nodded and wrote it down in her notepad.
"Let's see...." Cory trailed off. "I mean, there's so many."
"It's hard to pick just one."
"There the time we..." Cory started.
"No. No, that wasn't us." Shawn said, cutting off Cory.
"What about the time we...?" Cory asked.
Shawn shook his head. "Also not us."
"You guys are the two most pathetic students in this school." Topanga told the boys before she walked away from them.
"That's an accomplishment." Shawn said.
"She's right, Shawn. I mean, the year's almost over and I haven't made a name for myself. And you know whose fault it is?" Cory asked.
"Your own?" Zoey guessed, raising her eyebrows
"No, why should I take the fall? I blame..." Cory trailed off and looked across the hall to see the jocks picking on a kid. "...the jocks!"
"Why?" Zoey asked.
"Because they wear those stupid jackets and therefore get all the girls." Cory explained. "What chance do I have?"
"Whoa." Shawn said when a jock came up behind him and picked him up. "Major growth spurt."
"Too heavy." The jock told his friends before putting down Shawn and made their way towards Cory.
"Please don't. Please don't. I had a fat, heavy breakfast." Cory begged before his mouth was covered by another jock as he was lifted into the air.
"We've got an opening of the 108-pound super-confetti-weight division on the wrestling team." A blonde jock explained. "Savage?"
A jock shook Cory slightly. "Perfect."
"Congratulations, kids. You're on the wrestling team." The blonde Jock announced when Cory was placed back on the ground.
Cory scoffed and made his way over to Shawn and Zoey. "Yeah! Like there's a chance in the universe I'd ever want to be on your stupid wrestling team."
"Here's your jacket." Another jock said, handing him the item of clothing.
"Ooh." Cory said, grabbing the jacket. "Look, guys, my jacket."
"Here's your uniform." the jock said, passing it to Cory.
"My uniform." Cory repeated, excitedly as he took the piece of clothing. "This is like Christmas here."
"Here's your candy." The jock added.
"Candy?" Cory wondered.
A blonde, tall girl walked up to Cory and wrapped an arm around him. "Hi, I'm Candy."
"Sweet." Cory responded.
••••
The next day at school, Shawn and Zoey were sitting at a table in the cafeteria, watching Cory sit at another table surrounded by Jocks.
"A toast to Cory Matthews! The newest member of the John Adams High wrestling team." A jock said.
"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" All the Jocks chanted as they all drank from their drinks. Cory tried crushing a can to his head, but only hurting himself which caused Zoey to slightly cringed.
"He has to stop doing this." Zoey said.
"I know, let's go talk to him." Shawn responded.
Shawn and Zoey got up from their table and met Cory in the middle, as he wobbled over to them, holding his head in pain.
"Hey, you okay?" Shawn asked.
"Yeah, Cor. You don't look so good." Zoey added as Cory nearly fell over until she held him up.
"Yes, Pat and Jessica. But I'd like to solve the puzzle." Cory answered.
"Cory." Zoey called.
"What?" He asked.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" She questioned.
"So I'll finally have cool stuff to put in the yearbook. And this jacket is a babe magnet." Cory explained.
Candy walked up to Cory, holding two cans in her hands. "Matthews, look. Two cans."
Zoey narrowed her eyes when Candy let out a yell and smashed both cans flat against her head.
"Let's get out of here before she reloads." Shawn said, pulling Zoey as they ran out of the cafeteria.
••••
After school, Shawn and Zoey were currently sitting at the counter of Chubbies while Cory was sitting in a booth filled with jocks and girls. Zoey than noticed Topanga walking down the stairs and went straight to Cory.
"Okay, is it just me or is he acting like a different person?" Zoey wondered.
"You're right, Zo. He is acting weird." Shawn answered as Topanga approached them. "Hey, Topanga, you want to ask me some more questions for the yearbook?"
"Uh, yeah." Topanga said, her eyes glued to Cory. "Where do you think Cory's gonna end up in ten years?"
"You mean me, don't you?" Shawn asked.
"That's what I said." Topanga answered.
"No, you said, 'Cory'." Zoey said with a smirk.
"I did not." Topanga quickly denied.
"You like him." Shawn teased.
Topanga grabbed his shirt and leaned forward. "I don't not. You say that again, I will kill you!"
Zoey couldn't help but giggle. "You like him a lot."
Topanga groaned and released Shawn before she walked up the stairs, leaving Chubbies.
"She likes him." Shawn stated.
"Not even questionable." Zoey added with a smirk.
••••
Next day at school Shawn and Zoey entered the gym to saw Cory jumping over the skipping rope.
"That's pretty amazing." Shawn stated. Cory stopped jumping and showed his friends that the skipping rope was in half.
"Have you tried lifting yet?" Zoey wondered.
"I tried, but man, are they heavy." Cory answered.
"You sure you know what you're doing, taking Joey on?" Shawn asked as the three sat down on the bleachers.
"Absolutely." Cory answered. "Cause he's not taking me seriously. You know, I bet he's not even training."
"Hey, Matthews!" Joey called when he and Frankie entered the gym. "Come to watch the enemy train?"
Zoey patted Cory on the shoulder. "Nice going, Cor."
"Why am I always wrong about everything?" Cory wondered.
"We don't want you here in our camp. Maybe this is a closed-door session. Maybe I'll just whip your sorry elfin duck-face now." Joey told him.
"Joey, Joey." Frankie called, pulling his friend away. "Your opponent is playing mind games with you. Ignore, and focus on the task at hand... our training. Lesson one: Balance."
The three watched Frankie and Joey balance on feet and flapped their arms up and down like a bird.
"Am I the only one seeing this?" Zoey whispered to her friends.
"Uh-uh." Shawn and Cory answered in unison.
"Now, this is a wrestling technique I picked up while I was touring Japan last summer. It's called 'Push the wrestler out of the ring'." Frankie said, getting into a sumo stands.
Joey then ran towards him, only to not have an effect on Frankie and immediately fell onto the mat.
"Guys, there's a little voice inside my head saying 'Do not fear Joey'." Cory whispered. Joey went at Frankie again and fell on the mat once more. "A little voice saying, 'I can beat Joey'."
The three then watched Joey went at Frankie once more. He jumped in the air and kicked Frankie down on the mat. Zoey's eyes widened.
"What does the voice tell you now, Cor?" Zoey wondered.
Cory quickly gripped onto her arm. "It's saying 'ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!'"
••••
It was the day of the wrestling match between Joey and Cory. Inside the gym, there were around fifty people inside while Zoey stood beside Shawn as they were with Cory.
"Okay, look, Joey trained with Frankie, the immovable object. My advice to you... move." Shawn told him.
"Move as much as possible." Zoey added.
A Jock walked up to Cory and Joey, pulling them in the middle. "The winner goes the jacket and spot on the team. Now, let's go! Shake hands."
Cory and Joey shook hands and moved to the edges of the mat. The whistle blew and Joey charged at Cory, who moved to the side just in time.
"Aw, he moved, Frankie. "Joey called. "Is that in the rules?" Cory then grabbed Joey's limbs and pulled, causing him to fall to the ground. Cory quickly got on top of Joey. "What the heck are you doin'?"
The umpire banged on the mat, signaling Cory had won the match.
Cory laughed as he got up from Joey and high fived Shawn and Zoey. "Oh, yeah! I won! I won!"
"Lost to Matthews? I don't think so." Joey said.
"I got the jacket, though, right?" Cory asked, holding the piece of clothing.
"He beat you by the rules, fair and square." The jock told Joey.
"Okay, then I challenge Matthews to another fight. Unfair and unsquared, after hours. Mano a rat-o." Joey said.
"I don't need to fight you, Joey. I already proved myself." Cory responded.
"Now I think you're proving yourself to be yellow. I'll bet you bleed lemonade." Joey said. Frankie held him back as the three walked out of the gym. "Oh, you can run, but you can't hide, Matthews. You remember this face, cause it's gonna haunt ya. Yellow! Yellow! Yellow!"
••••
Later at night Cory had agreed to fight Joey in the gym. Zoey thought it was stupid but she would always be there to support her friend no matter what.
"Shawn, Zoey, why did I agree to fight Joey?" Cory asked as three were inside the gym locker room. "I mean, who am I kidding? I'm not a jock. If Joey wants this stupid jacket so much, he can have it."
"Backing down from a fight, now that takes guys." Zoey said.
"It's just Griff and a couple of thugs." Cory said as they walked out of the locker room. "Who cares what they think? I mean, it's not like it's in front of the entire school."
They walked into the gym and saw mostly everyone in school on the bleachers or standing outside the square ring that was built in the middle of the gym.
Zoey sighed heavily. "Cory, you need to stop saying things like that."
"You see? Wrong about everything." Cory said.
"Come on, Cory, let's bail." Shawn insisted.
They were about to run out of the gym until Griff grabbed onto Cory's arm. "Matthews, where do you think you're going?"
Cory nervously laughed. "He thinks I'm this Cory Matthews guy, too. I don't get it. That's, like, the eighth person today who's said that. Wow! I'll see you later, okay?"
"No, I don't think so." Griff said, pulling Cory towards the ring. "I put a lot of work into this. Phone calls were made, favors were called in."
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Robert Goulet." A man announced over to P.A. system.
Robert Goulet walked inside the ring and began singing the National Anthem into the microphone. And when he finished, everyone clapped, including Zoey.
"Thank you." Robert Goulet said. Cory tried to turn and walk way, but Griff kept him in place. "Okay, are you ready to rumble!" Everyone cheered. "Tonight's main event: Joey 'The Rat' Epstein verses Cory 'The Cory' Matthews." Zoey clapped along with the school as Cory stepped into the ring with Joey. "And before we get started, I'd like to introduce some of the VIPs with us tonight. From TV's Baywatch, Yasmine Bleeth."
Zoey clapped when Yasmine walked into the gym and made her way to Griff. They talked for a second before Griff kissed her.
"Help, I'm drowning!" Shawn cried.
"What?" Yasmine asked.
"It was worth a shot." Shawn said. Zoey simply rolled her eyes.
"And now one of John Adams' all-time, legendary thugs. You know him as Frankie Stecchino's father, the rest of the world knows as the eleven times heavy-weight wrestling champion of the world, Vadar." Goulet announced.
Zoey scrunched her face when she saw Frankie's father walking out of the doors before he stepped into the ring.
"Thank you, Bob. Thank you, very much." Frankie's father growled before turning to Cory. "Matthews... let me tell you something. If Joey won't get the job done, Vadar will. Because I am fear. Stick around, and find out who the real man is."
"Whoa." Zoey said, gulping nervously.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't get your name." Cory responded. Frankie's father began barking at Cory, scaring him. "Oh, my god!"
"All right!" Goulet called. "Get to your corner... and come out fighting when you hear the sound of the ding-dong."
"Give my best to Vera, huh?" Griff said as he stepped into the ring and grabbed the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Robert Goulet."
Everyone cheered and applauded as Goulet made his way out of the gym.
Zoey sighed nervously and grabbed onto Shawn's arm. "This is not going to end well for Cor."
"Cory, I didn't know you were fighting." Eric called, approaching his little brother.
"What are you doing here?" Cory questioned.
"The guy in the parking lot sold me a ticket. He said 'Go see an idiot get pounded'." Eric answered, showing Cory the ticket.
"See an idiot get pounded." Cory said, reading off the ticket.
"Cost me fifty bucks, but it was worth it. Sitting next to the girl from Baywatch." Eric said, rushing over to the bleachers.
"Cory, what's this thing for?" Shawn asked, ringing the bell. "Oops!"
without hesitation, Zoey glared at her friend and slapped him upside the head. Shawn let out a small groan in pain.
Zoey watched as Joey charged towards Cory, who dodged the attack. Joey went at Cory again, who lifted his foot out, hitting Joey in the stomach. Cory ran over to Joey and picked him up and dropped him on the mat. Cory then got up onto the ropes, jumped off and landed on Joey.
"Frankie, tag me. Tag me!" Joey shouted, reaching his hand out. Frankie slapped Joey's hand and got into the ring.
Cory laughed nervously. "Hey, this really isn't fair."
"Good." Frankie said.
"Cory! Cory!" Eric called. "Come on, get out. Get out, come on."
"Okay, but you're in." Cory responded.
"What?" Eric asked in confusion before he was pulled into the ring.
Eric ran at Frankie and almost knocked him over. Frankie then waited for Eric to attack, which did by poking Frankie in the eye, followed by headbutting him.
"Son!" Frankie's father called. "You're taking too long. Give Daddy a tag." Frankie slapped his father's hand. "Ha!" He yelled as he got into the ring with Eric. "This chump's mine!"
Zoey fumbled with her fingers nervously as Eric began to cry as Frankie's dad gabbed him by the neck and picked up him over his head.
"Hey, pal! You can't do that to my brother!" Cory shouted, he got back into the ring and ran at Frankie's father only for him to fall to the ground.
"Make me, you little rug rat!" Frankie's father shouted as he continued to hold Eric above his head.
"Put the Matthews boy down!" Mr. Feeny ordered as he and Mr. Turner walked into the gym.
"Come over and say that." Frankie's father said.
Mr. Feeny jumped over the ropes and into the ring.
"Yo, Matthews. Sidebar." Mr. Turner called, kneeling down at the ring.
"Are you kidding me?" Cory questioned, still on the ground in pain.
"I thought you said you'd never have to fight." Mr. Turner said.
"Mr. Turner, you should know by now, I'm wrong about absolutely everything." Cory responded.
"Sit him down, now." Mr. Feeny demanded the big wrestle.
"Feeny, you can't tell me what to do anymore. I'm not one of your punk students. I'm the fact of death!" Frankie's father shouted.
"It was scarier when you had acne." Mr. Feeny replied. " Your little bully tactics didn't work back then, and they're not gonna work now. Now, put him down."
"Make me!" Frankie's father challenged.
"I'll be glad to." Mr. Feeny said before whispering something Zoey couldn't hear.
"You wouldn't." Frankie's father said
"I would." Mr. Feeny responded. Frankie's father immediately dropped Eric, who fell onto the mat and rolled out of the ring.
"All right, all right. You won this round. But next time, and there will be a next time, Texas death match. Loser leaves town." Frankie's father said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Mr. Feeny said before turning to Mr. Turner. "This is why I avoid reunions."
••••
At school, Zoey, Shawn and Cory were in the middle of the halls, discussing about the wrestling match.
"Guys, you think if I stayed in the ring I would've had a shot?" Cory asked, holding his jacket.
"Yeah, and you also had a shot at dating Yasmine Bleeth." Zoey said with a slight huff.
"Really? Did she say something?" Cory asked.
Shawn sighed. "You break my hear sometimes, Cory."
"Head you wanted to see me, Matthews." A jock said as he and Candy approached Cory,
"Yeah, I don't really need this anymore." Cory said, passing the jacket to the jock. "Thanks for the shot."
"You're okay, Matthews." The jock told him.
"He always was." Shawn said.
"And always will be." Zoey added.
"Candy, where are you going?" Cory asked when she began walking away.
"I go with the jacket." She answered. "Didn't you know that?"
"I probably should've have." Cory said to himself.
"Hey, guys." Topanga greeted as she approached them. "I gotta hand in yearbook write-ups tomorrow, and I still have a couple more questions for Cory."
"You like him." Shawn faked sneezed before he coughed.
"Oh, bless your heart, Shawnie." Zoey cooed, patting his back she winked at Topanga.
"Shut up." Topanga told them.
Zoey smiled as she grabbed onto Shawn's hand and walked to their next class, leaving Cory and Topanga together.
___________________
PUBLISHED: March 28, 2018
WORDS: 2936