Zoey sat beside Shawn in film studies class. Studying film from a variety of disciplinary perspectives will allow students not only to interpret the complex visual texts that pervade our image-saturated culture, but also to appreciate the beauty of the cinematic language that tells some of our greatest cultural stories.
Cory presented his documentary which was basically MTV, The Real World but instead he followed Jack, Eric, Shawn, Blake and Zoey around the apartment with a camera.
The first shot was Shawn sitting on the couch, holding a phone up to his ear.
"Oh, hi, Zoey." Shawn said into the phone. "Yeah, every day until the end of the school year is available. You're available every day too? That's great!"
the camera swung around to Jack's entrance to show him wearing a suit. "Hey, brother Shawn. It's me, Jack, home from college. Got an A. Now they want me to teach."
Then the shot switched to Zoey sitting on her bed, fiddling with a rubix cube.
"The only reason I moved here was because my Aunt thought it would be a good chance for me to get to know my brother, Blake. I really hope this things works out with my brother. Even though we're siblings, I don't know if we're anything alike." Zoey admitted into the camera.
The film ended and Mr. Feeny turned off the TV as the students cheered for Cory's work.
"An excellent start on your documentary, Mr. Matthews." Mr. Feeny praised.
"What?" Cory asked, surprised.
"Yes, excellent. I said 'excellent' and I was talking about something you did. I don't know what came over me." Mr. Feeny replied.
"Wow. Mr. Feeny, you really think that I made a good film?" Cory asked as he sat back down at his seat.
"Uh, no." Mr. Feeny corrected. "I think The Graduate was a good film. What we have here is an excellent..."
Cory looked up at Mr. Feeny with wide eyes. "What?"
"Don't toy with me, Mr. Matthews." Mr. Feeny told him sternly. "I would simply suggest that this being your senior year and NYU having a wonderful film program, that this student film could be your foot in the door to a fine university."
Cory leaned towards Topanga, grabbing the tape. "This film could be my foot."
"That said, are there any comments on the documentary we just saw?" Mr. Feeny asked. One girl in the back raised her arm. "Yes, Angela?"
"No offense, Cory, but your project looks like you ripped off that show on MTV, The Real World." Angela stated.
"I have no knowledge of this Real World of which you speak. My real world is the real, real world." Cory responded dramatically.
As the bell rang, Zoey slung her backpack on her shoulder before Shawn wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him as they walked out class together.
••••
The next day, Zoey slipped into the warm shower and sighed in relief as the water ran through her hair, dripped down her face onto her shoulders and chest and then down her back and legs. She stood straighter and gripped the shampoo bottle that awaited her on the side. Squirting some of the liquid into her hand, she ran her fingers and the shampoo through her hair.
After a good twenty minutes, Zoey twisted the knob until the water stopped free falling and was left standing. She reached around the curtain, gripping the towel that waited for her on the small hook. She brought the towel to her body and wrapped it around herself before pushing the curtain back.
Zoey let out a yelp when she face-to-face with Cory, raising the camera and focused it on her. He wore a yellow raincoat and hat.
The doorbell went off in the apartment. Zoey raced to the door, holding tight to the towel around her body as Cory followed her with the camera.
"You got too far." Zoey told Cory, frustratedly.
"I've got a film to make, Zo. Now, you agreed to do this." Cory responded.
Zoey turned to face him angrily. "Cory, you were waiting outside the curtain while I was taking a shower! You can't use that."
"Well, it's for the European version." Cory simply explained. "Okay, if I don't get into NYU, my next choice is Sweden YU."
The doorbell buzzed once more. Zoey turned around to face the door and opened it reveal a curly-haired girl on the other side.
The curly-haired girl smiled. "Hi, I'm Wendy from 3-B. I stopped by to say hi to Blake."
"Oh, he... He's not here." Zoey informed her.
"Why is a strange boy with a camera dressed like Paddington Bear?" Wendy wondered, gesturing towards Cory.
Zoey chuckled hesitantly. "He's doing a student film. If it embarrasses you, you can just tell him to stop."
"No, no, I'm an acting major." Wendy said, walking into the apartment. She stood in front of Cory, facing the camera. "I have two monologues: Nora from A Doll's House and one that I wrote called, I'm a Little Unicorn. I'm also very good at improv."
"She's good at improv." Cory commented.
Zoey rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "So, Wendy... would you like to hang out sometimes? I like making new friends."
Wendy smiled. "Sure. Tonight?"
"Sounds good." Zoey replied. When Wendy walked out of the apartment, Zoey slammed the door shut and turned to face Cory in anger. "I'm going to kill you!"
Cory shook her head. "No, you won't. You're not that type of person."
"You're right." Zoey agreed, pursing her lips. "But Blake and Shawn are."
••••
Later that night, Shawn, Cory, Topanga and Zoey sat in their usual booth at Chubbie's eating dinner together. Zoey waited patiently for Wendy, extremely excited to have a new friend join them.
"So, Shawn, Zoey, how are things working out with your brothers?" Topanga asked.
"Oh, don't tell her. Let her see it on film." Cory insisted as he took a sip from his drink.
Topanga narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with this? It sounds kind of personal."
"It is." Shawn agreed. "But you know, Cory's our best friend, and we trust that he's not going to make us look bad."
"My vision is to show people a side of Shawn Hunter and Zoey Franics that they have never seen before." Cory explained.
"What side is that?" Zoey wondered.
"Well, the side that shows you two overcoming all the odds. You know, Shawn moving out of the trailer park, getting to know your newfound brother from a different social class who desperately wants to bond with you... and Zoey, leaving Philadelphia, running away to come back to Shawn, living with your aunt and getting to know your brother you didn't know you had."
Before Zoey could respond, she caught sight of Blake and Wendy walking down the stairs. Shocked, Zoey stood up from the booth and made her way to the other table.
"Hey, Zoey. This is Wendy." Blake introduced.
"Yeah. We've met." Zoey said.
Blake furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean you've met?"
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Zoey wondered.
Zoey took a deep breath as she walked into the back room of Chubbies. Blake followed her after a second. The two siblings stood face-to-face with each other. Unknown to them, Cory picked up his camera and followed them quickly, trailing by Topanga and Shawn.
"So, how do you know Wendy?" Blake asked.
"She came to the door." Zoey replied. "You?"
"Orientation." Blake answered, crossing his arms over his stomach. "It was a lot more exciting than it sounds."
Zoey scoffed. "We've got a problem here, Blake."
Blake shook his head. "No, we don't. I don't know what you're so worked up about. The only problem I see is that I'm in the middle of a date, and you're in the middle of me being on a date."
"I don't have a problem. Where did you take her?" Zoey questioned.
"To dinner and a concert." Blake simply answered.
"Dinner and a concert?" Zoey repeated in disbelief.
"Sheryl Crow. We're here for dessert." Blake explained with a small smile.
"You win." Zoey conceded, visibly deflating. All she wanted to do is make a new friend in the apartment building.
"What?" Blake asked, confused.
"I can't compete with dinner and a concert, Blake." Zoey told him.
"Zoey, it's not a competition." Blake argued. "There's more to then than Wendy, okay? So if you want, I'll tell her to go home and you and I could have some time to talk."
Zoey pursed her lips. "You know what? I'm sorry I bothered you at all. Have a nice date, okay?"
With that, Zoey walked out of the back room of Chubbies.
••••
That night, Cory went out to find Zoey, knowing the disagreement her and Blake were having were taking a toll on her. He found her sitting on a park bench, staring down at her fumbling hands.
When Zoey heard footsteps approaching her, she looked up to see Cory.
"Hey. Look who's here. The documentary man. South Philly, making movies." Zoey muttered.
"Yeah, I... figured you'd be here. You used to always came to this spot every time you and your mother fought about your father." Cory responded.
Zoey pursed her lips. "Why don't you start rolling that thing, and we'll finish your movie."
"No." Cory countered. "No, I'm not here for that. That's not important anymore."
"It is to me. I've got something to say. Turn it on." Zoey insisted.
"Okay." Cory muttered, slowly sliding the camera into the proper position, looking slightly uncertain as he did so.
Zoey inhaled a deep breath. "A few days ago a stranger came up to me claiming that he was my brother. I always wanted a brother or sister because being the only child got lonely sometimes. I always sat there in my room, playing with my toys, but always wanted someone to play with. Of course I had friends my age, but 'they couldn't live with me', my mother repeatedly told me after my crying sessions when they left. I wanted someone to mess with and blame things on. If I took the last cookie off the plate, I couldn't blame anyone. It was clearly me. I mean, I loved being spoiled by my mum. She always sat down have tea parties with me and my stuffed animals, but would get tired of it after an hour or so. So where did that leave me? Alone with Mr. Penguin with his overstuffed white belly, and my favourite pink bear with the bright yellow hat that I can't remember the name of now."
"You're not alone anymore."
Zoey turned her head to see Blake approaching her.
"What are you doing here?" Zoey demanded.
"Look, my... our father is my hero and guide in my life. He is the one I look upon whenever I find myself in trouble. My father has been my guiding force for all my major decisions in life. In fact, I have never regretted adhering to his advice as it has always worked for me. He is a hardworking and passionate person. But he never mentioned you or mum." Blake explained.
Zoey stood up from the park bench and stood up. "I don't believe that."
"Zoey, trust me. When I found an old photo our family together a couple days ago I went straight to dad. That's when he told me the truth about you and mum, and without hesitation I came straight here to find you." Blake told her.
"Do you know the reason why they left each other?" Zoey asked, tears glistening her eyes. "Because all I know is the reason they fought, it is because of a problem in their relationship."
Blake hesitantly nodded. "The reason mum and dad broke up was because dad started drinking. Mum didn't like it but he continued."
"It's always been just mum and I. When Dad just packed his bags and left, as simple as that, I never saw him. I wasn't able to get to know him, didn't get to find out what kind of food he liked, the TV shows he watched or even if he ever loved me. I've never written a Father's Day card or felt the warmth of his arms around her. I can't escape him he's everywhere, every father I see with his family having a picnic at the park..." Zoey trailed off as a tear rolled down the side of her face.
"Zoey, I've always wanted a siblings when I was younger. I remember begging dad to get another kid. I didn't understand the process of it all, but I can remember standing at the kitchen table crying, looking at dad, and asking him to get another kid. In the moment, I wanted a brother or sister so bad that it hurt. But right now, we both have this amazing opportunity to get to know each other. Without mum, without dad.... just us." Blake told her.
"All I ever wanted was a brother." Zoey admitted.
Blake smiled. "Okay, you got one."
Cory's expression softened as he watched Blake pull his sister in for a hug. Knowing how upset Zoey had been about bout Blake and her father, he was glad that she was able to move on.
_____________________
PUBLISHED: September 6, 2018
WORDS: 2240