At school, Zoey was wearing a green sweater, denim jean and light brown boots. She was currently walking through the school halls with Topanga, talking to Debbie, one of their classmates who had recently been on a date with Gary.
"Gary took you to Le Chardonnay?" Zoey asked Debbie as the three of them walked down the stairs. "That's really expensive."
"Yeah, I know." Debbie responded. Topanga and Zoey stopped by their lockers. "It was really great. We were talking and laughing and having such a great time, and then..."
"At the end of the night...." Zoey trailed off.
"Parked two blocks from my house...." Debbie added.
"Octopus time." Topanga finished.
Gary then approached Debbie with a smile. "Hey. Had a nice night the other night."
Zoey rolled her eyes as he walked away.
"All over me." Debbie told them. "I mean, what happened to the nice guy I had dinner with? It's like, the night's almost over, so he's all over me? Why are guys such jerks on dates?"
Zoey glanced over her shoulder to see Shawn and Cory listening in on their conversation.
"Well, not all guys." Topanga defended.
"After a night of fighting them off, it's like... I don't know whether I wanna go out on dates anymore. I rather spend my time at the library. It's that pathetic." Debbie admitted.
"It's too bad guys and girls have such different ideas about what a date is supposed to be." Topanga replied.
"Yeah. What goes on in their heads?" Debbie wondered.
"There's two over there." Zoey said, gesturing to the eavesdropping boys.
"Hey, what goes on in your heads?" Debbie asked them bluntly.
"Topanga." Cory answered instantly. "24 hours day, it's the Topanga channel in here."
"Aw, who's a good boy?" Topanga praised as she fed him a piece of candy.
"It's been the Zoey Show in here since we met." Shawn replied, pointing to his head proudly.
Zoey smiled and leaned up to kiss him sweetly. "I love you."
Shawn wrapped an arm around her and turned to Debbie. "Debbie, don't you think that guys and girls are looking for the same things on dates?"
"Well, girls are looking for an evening of good conversation and, you know, the sense that you've made a genuine connection with another human being." Debbie answered without hesitation.
"You're not interested in making out?" Shawn asked. He looked down at his girlfriend in shock. "But we do that all the time. You don't like that?"
"I love that." Zoey assured and pressed a lovingly kiss against his lips.
"Well, maybe I am and maybe I'm not, but it shouldn't be expected because I went on a date with you." Debbie snapped defensively.
"So, how are we supposed to know what's okay?" Shawn wondered.
"We'll let you know." Debbie answered simply.
"You don't let us know very clearly." Shawn grumbled.
"Yeah, we do. You just don't listen. You're too busy planning your next move to hear us say no." Debbie responded.
Shawn had been too busy thinking about his relationship and ended up proving her right. "What?"
"You see, this is why I write my funny column." Cory said, trying to break the tension. "To take us away from the drudgery of interesting conversation."
"Yeah, but you should be writing about something that affects people." Topanga countered.
"Yeah. Why don't you write about why guys are such big jerks on dates?" Debbie sneered.
"Debbie, if you really feel that all guys want to do is go too far, then why go out with them at all?" Shawn questioned.
Debbie paused for a moment. "You're right. I'm done."
"Way to be sensitive, Shawn." Topanga snapped and stormed off.
"Yeah. Yeah, it really pays to be honest with a girl." Shawn grumbled and walked away.
••••
In Mr. Feeny's class, they were learning bout the book 'Black Like Me'. Zoey was scribbling down notes while Mr. Feeny underlined the book title on the blackboard.
"To research his book Black Like Me, author John Griffin, a white man, had his skin pigment temporarily darkened so that he could experience life through the perspective of a black man." Mr. Feeny explained.
"Wouldn't it have been easier to just.... ask?" Cory suggested.
"Well, there was such distrust between the races that Griffin felt that only by becoming black could he begin to understand the horrors of segregation." Mr. Feeny replied.
Shawn had an idea and leaned towards Cory. "Cory, that's your next story."
"What?" Cory asked.
"To understand what girls are talking about, you experience the world from a girl's point of view... by becoming a girl." Shawn explained with a smirk.
"That's crazy talk." Cory said immediately.
Zoey leaned in to join their conversation. "No, it's not. It'll just be like the book, but instead of skin pigment, you'll dress up like a girl and write about it."
"Chick Like Me." Shawn suggested. "That's meaningful, you know? You're writing a real article, not just some silly column."
"It's not a silly column." Cory said defensively.
"Yes, it is." Mr. Feeny agreed.
"Okay, Mr. Feeny. What happened to this guy Griffin after he wrote his book?" Cory asked.
"Well, he sold five million copies and won immediate world renown." Mr. Feeny replied. "Why do you ask, Mr. Matthews?"
"Miss Matthews." Cory corrected.
"What?" Mr. Feeny questioned.
Cory shrugged his shoulder. "Nothing."
••••
After school, Shawn, Cory, and Zoey went to the mall for a shopping spree. Although, Zoey and Cory had very different taste in clothing so that made it a very difficult trip.
The three of them were finally at Cory's house with all their shopping bags and entered through the kitchen backdoor. Mr. Matthews sat at the kitchen table while Mrs. Matthews was preparing dinner.
"Hi, son. How was your day?" Mr. Matthews asked.
"Fine." Cory answered hurryingly.
"What did you do at school?" Mr. Matthews wondered.
"Nothing." Cory replied as they began to run up the stairs.
"Hey, hold on! Wait there!" Mr. Matthews called out. He stood up from the table and approached them. "You know, every day I ask you 'What did you do?' and every day you tell me 'Nothing'. Well, I'm tried of 'Nothing'! I mean, we both know something happened today and I wanna know what 'it' is!"
"I decided to be a girl." Cory announced.
Mr. Matthews paused for a moment and walked back to the table. 'Well, you've taught me a very valuable lesson there, son."
"You know the book 'Black Like Me'?" Shawn asked.
Mrs. Matthews nodded. 'Sure, is that what you guys are reading at school?"
"Don't ask questions, Honey." Mr. Matthews said desperately.
"Cory's gonna write 'Chick Like Me' for the school newspaper. He's going to experience life from a girls point of view by dressing up like a girl." Shawn explained.
Cory pulled out a red dresses he had chosen. He held it against his chest and looked around with a smile.
Zoey grimaced. "You really have no taste."
"Nope, don't want ya to." Mr. Matthews told his son.
"Oh, come on. I think it would be a wonderful learning experience that could serve him well for the rest of his life." Mrs. Matthews said, grinning proudly at her son.
Cory pulled out another one of the dresses he had chosen. It was a loose black flowery dress. He held it against his chest and looked around with a smile.
Mrs. Matthews looked through the rest of the bags and slowly pulled out a silky black bra.
"It's a miracle bra!" Cory informed excitedly.
"It's a miracle bra, honey. Get the camera." Mr. Matthews mocked dryly.
"I'm not dressing up like a girl just for the sake of dressing up like a girl!" Cory exclaimed, huffing at his father's obvious disdain for the idea. "I'm a journalist, dagnabit."
Before anyone could speak, Topanga walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, Shawn, I might've been a bit protective of Debbie this morning, and I didn't fully consider your point of view." Topanga said softly.
Shawn grinned. "I never knew I had a point of view."
"You know what, Topanga, everything's worked out for the best because I've decided to be a girl and to see what it's really like." Cory told his girlfriend proudly.
Topanga grimaced at the dress he held. "Not in that dress, you're not."
"Told you so." Zoey said, smirking at Cory.
"Well, that's why I was counting on you and Zoey's expert assistance to help in selecting the proper female accouterments." Cory explained.
"You want us to dress you up like a girl?" Topanga asked.
Cory nodded and grinned. "Make Cory pretty."
••••
Half an hour later, Zoey, Shawn, and Topanga were standing outside of Cory's bathroom waiting for him to come out. He was refusing to come out no matter how much they begged.
"Cory? Sweetie, you have to come out eventually." Topanga said.
"Don't wanna." Cory said from the bathroom. "Second thoughts."
"Come on out. We won't laugh." Zoey promised.
"You're not seeing what I'm seeing!" Cory exclaimed.
"Hey, Cor, come on buddy." Shawn called, knocking on the bathroom door. "You're gonna write an article that means something. You're gonna make a difference, not only in our lives but in the lives of guys and girls everywhere."
"You're not seeing what I'm seeing." Cory repeated simply.
Zoey sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Cory. How bad a girl could you be?"
The bathroom door opened and Cory stepped into his room, clearly embarrassed. He was wearing a figureless dark pink dress, brown tights, and white heels. Not to mention the mess of colours on his face and the uneven wig he was wearing.
"Okay, bad." Shawn corrected, stunning at the sight of his best friend.
"How bad?" Cory wondered.
"Bad, bad." Shawn answered quickly.
"I know it. I look.... I look fat." Cory whispered with a deep frown.
"Fat is the least of your problems, baby." Shawn told him bluntly.
Cory turned to the girls with hopeful eyes. "Topanga, Zoey?"
Topanga hesitated. ".... Maybe it's just not a good colour for you."
"I just don't want to say anything because it will severally damage your confidence." Zoey said truthfully.
Cory looked at each member of the group before he attempted to escape into the bathroom. They all worked to keep him in place, not wanting to convince him to come out again.
"Come on, you guys. We can do this. It's just all how you present yourself." Topanga told her boyfriend. "Now, Cory, let's see how you present yourself."
Cory took a deep breath and smiled brightly, swinging his hips and swung his arms like he was dancing in the 50s, He walked to the end of his room and back.
"Was that al right?" Cory asked.
"Not even on a desert island." Shawn answered.
"Instructive, Shawn." Zoey told him.
"Okay, Cor, you're missing the obvious. Girls just glide more. They're more at ease. You gotta kind of let it flow." Shawn explained.
"That's pretty right on the nose there, Shawn." Topanga stated, impressed.
"Yeah, well, girls are m area. I like girls. Especially this one in particular." Shawn replied, looking down at Zoey and pressed a kiss on her lips.
"Okay. Then show me, Shawn." Cory begged.
Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "What's to show? Here."
Shawn demonstrated, gliding easily up and down Cory's room before he returned to his best friends.
Zoey stared at him in amazement at the accuracy of the walk. Then, an idea clicked. She glanced over at Topanga and was pleased to see a similar look on her expression as the two eye's met.
"What?" Shawn asked, seeing their mischievous looks. Zoey waited for him to catch on and his eyes widened. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no."
••••
Next day at school, Shawn walked down the hallway in the outfit he and Zoey had picked out from her closet the night before. He was wearing a red miniskirt with a black top tucked into it, black tights, and knee-high boots to match. He wore a brunette wig that was into a half-up ponytail and had applied his makeup perfectly.
Zoey stood next to Topanga at their lockers, watching as everyone in the hallway murmured as Shawn walked by with Cory, who was holding his book in his arms.
"Why are you carrying his books?" Topanga asked her boyfriend.
"Well, we're trying to create the illusion that Shawn's a girl, so I thought this would help." Cory explained.
"You never carry my books." Topanga pointed out.
"Well, look at him." Cory praised, turning to him. His eyes widened in realization and turned back to his girlfriend. "And look at yo. You are just radiant today."
"So, Shawn, how does it feel to be wearing panty hose?" Zoey wondered.
"Not Shawn." He whispered.
Cory nodded. "You're right."
"Yeah, he needs a girl name." Topanga muttered.
"Okay, this is easy. How about Janet?" Cory decided quickly.
Shawn shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no. Not Janet."
"What possible difference could it make?" Cory questioned.
"Cory!" Zoey snapped warningly. She turned to Shawn with a knowingly look. "You've thought about this before, haven't you?"
Shawn nodded. "A little."
"And what name have you thought about?" Zoey asked softly.
"Well... Veronica." He whispered, looking down at his shoes.
Cory smiled tightly at him before he turned to the girls and mouthed 'Veronica' in disbelief and confusion. Topanga have him a pointed look in return.
Zoey smiled at her boyfriend. "Veronica is a lovely name."
Then Mr. Feeny walked past the group.
"Good morning, Miss Lawrence, Miss Francis, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Hunter." Mr. Feeny greeted. He then paused when he noticed something was different about Shawn. He turned and smiled warmly at him. "If there's anything you need to talk about, my door is always open. I'm not here to judge."
"It's for an article we're writing, Mr. Feeny." Shawn explained.
"I'm not here to judge." Mr. Feeny repeated simply before he walked away from the group.
Cory's eyes widened when he saw Gary walking towards them. "Guys, target's approaching. 10 yards... 5 yards."
"Hi, Gary." Topanga greeted with a sweet smile as he approached them. "Debbie said you two went out on Saturday."
"Yeah, I had a nice time." Gary responded. He noticed Veronica and smiled charmingly. "Hi there. I'm Gary."
"Gary, this is Veronica." Cory eagerly introduced. "Veronica... Wasboyski."
"You know, I have never seen you before. You new in school?" Gary wondered.
"Yep." Shawn answered, chuckling nervously. "I'm just a whole new person."
"Listen, if you want, I'd be happy to, you know, take you to Chubbie's, tell you what teachers to avoid, that kind of stuff." Gary offered. "Unless your boyfriend already did that."
"Oh, no, Gary." Cory replied instead, clearly thrilled with how things are turning out. "This one is definitely available."
"Cory, I can speak for myself." Shawn whispered.
Cory nodded with a sheepish smile. 'Well, then you just do that, Veronica."
"That'd be great." Shawn told Gary, smiling.
"So, Saturday, is that good for both of you?" Topanga suggested.
Shawn's head snapped towards her. "Saturday's date night."
"It still is." Zoey reassured him pointedly.
"Okay, Saturday." Shawn decided, nodding with a force smile. He turned to them. "I'll give up a Saturday."
"Well, I'll see you then." Gary said, smiling at Shawn before he walked away from them.
"Shawnie, way to go!" Cory cheered.
"You got the date." Topanga said happily.
Zoey noticed Shawn frowning. "What's wrong?"
Shawn played with his hands nervously. "I have nothing to wear."
••••
Zoey joined Topanga at a tall table in Chubbies while Shawn and Gary sat at a booth further in the restaurant. Shawn was wearing a green dress while the wig was brushed down and was secured by a clip to hold the front few.
Zoey was making an effort to be inconspicuous by reading a magazine but she was making no such attempt and was watching the pair avidly.
Topanga sighed. "You're going to give us away."
"I'm not." Zoey objected. "I just want to make sure Gary doesn't try anything."
Garry smiled at Veronica. "This has been a terrific evening, and you are just great. And so... I'm wondering... how is it that someone like you doesn't have a boyfriend?"
"Well, I-I haven't really been looking for a boyfriend. Guess I've just been... going through a lot of changes." Shawn stuttered out nervously.
"Listen, any time you wanna talk, I'm here to listen." Gary offered.
"Thanks, that's nice Gary." Shawn said genuinely. He then stiffened in his seat.. "I gotta have some food."
"Oh, you got it. Waitress!" Gary called.
The doors leading to the kitchen burst open to reveal Cory. He was dressed in Chubbies signature white waitress dress with a big, bushy wig and large earrings. Topanga's eyes wide while Zoey's mouth parted in shock as they watched Cory approach the table.
"How ya doin', honey?" Cory asked them, his voice husky.
Shawn stared at his best friend in disbelief. "Cory-"
"I'm Cor-a" He corrected with a bright smile. "I'll be your waitress this evenin!"
"You know, I come in here a lot, but I've never seen you before." Gary stated.
"Quit hittin' on me! I'm just kiddin'." Cory laughed roughly. "It's my first night. Besides, it looks like you're already taken, cuties."
"You're insane." Shawn whispered.
"May I take your order?" Cory asked, ignoring his best friend.
"My usual. A double chili burger and um, one chocolate milkshake. With two straws." Gary replied.
"I'll have the same. And a steak." Shawn added. He noticed the weird looks he was receiving. "What?"
Cory chuckled and pinched his cheek. "Well, aren't you the voracious little eater?"
Once Cory went back to the kitchen, Shawn started to feel anxious around Gary who was getting a little too close for comfort and won't listen when he kept saying that he didn't like it.
"Ah!" Shawn yelped, shooting up from his seat when he felt Gary's hand on his leg.
"What's the matter?!" Gary wondered.
"You just don't listen! You're too busy planning your next move to hear us say no." Shawn snapped.
"What?" Gary asked, clearly not listening.
Shawn glared a him, grabbed his purse and stormed away from him. But before he could go to his girlfriend for comfort, Cory walked over to him.
"Where are you going?" Cory asked.
"He touched me." Shawn hissed, clearly upset by what happened.
"Where?" Cory questioned.
"On my knee. It's my knee. What makes him think that it's his knee?" Shawn sneered heatedly.
"Maybe you sent him a signal." Topanga suggested casually.
"The only signal I sent him was 'stop it'." Shawn replied.
"And he didn't listen." Zoey added, crossing her arms.
"I'm not like that. I'm not." Shawn insisted, looking between the girls.
Cory nodded over to Gary, who was walking over to the group. "Okay, well, here he comes."
"No, no. I quit." Shawn decided, frowning.
"You can't. We have an article to finish." Cory whispered frantically.
Shawn groaned. "I should've worn a pantsuit."
"Sorry I got a little aggressive." Gary apologized, strolling towards Shawn. "Nobody respects women more than me. You forgive me?"
"Of course she forgives you." Cory interrupted with a smile. "You two are just adorable together."
"Tell you what. How about I teach you how to play foosball?" Gary offered.
Shawn nodded. "How about I teach you?"
With that, the two walked to the back room of Chubbie to play a game. Cory grimaced as he began to move uncomfortably.
"What's with the face?" Zoey wondered.
"My hosiery is bunching." He complained, still using his husky voice.
Not long after Gary and Shawn had gone to play foosball, they heard a commotion. The three rushed over to see what was happening. Apparently, Shawn had gotten touched again and punched Gary straight in the jaw, flooring him.
Gary laid on the ground, cradling his jaw. "What was that for?!"
"For every girl I've ever known!" Shawn yelled.
Cory walked over to them and threw the cheque onto Gary. "Please pay at the register, honey. And tipping is not a city in China."
With that Cory held his arm out for Shawn. Shawn lipped his arm with his, linking arms with Zoey and Topanga as they left Chubbie's.
••••
At school, Cory's article made big waves in the school population. He'd gained some fame as people crowded around him to read the article. Zoey, Topanga, and Debbie joined them in the hallway.
"Well, gentlemen! Seems the whole schools is talking about it! And if I do say so myself, excellent article!" Mr. Feeny praised before frowning at the photos of Cora and Veronica. "Troubling photographs."
Topanga kissed Cory on the cheek. "Cory, I am so proud of you."
"Well, I am a journalist, dagnabbit." Cory responded proudly.
"Shawn, I wanted to thank you for what you did." Debbie said gratefully.
Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, not necessary. I learned a lot."
"You can do that?" Zoey teased her boyfriend.
Shawn smiled fondly at her before brushing his lips against hers, softly, delicately, like butterfly wings, just long enough that he could inhale her breath, feel the warmth of her skin, and the taste of her lipstick far after she had gone. When they pulled apart, Shawn wrapped his arms around her.
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PUBLISHED: June 25, 2018
WORDS: 3564