"...And that, Mr. Hunter, is how babies are made." Mr. Feeny explained once again, looking up from the passage he'd been reading.
Shawn shook his head with a suspicious expression. "I still don't believe him."
"Uh, before I forget, uh next Friday will be College Recruitment Day. Representatives will be here from, USC, NYU, and Rutgers." Mr. Feeny announced. The bell rang and everyone began filing out. "Oh, and Mr. Matthews, your interview with Stanford has been rescheduled from 3:00 to 3:30."
Shawn furrowed his eyebrows. "Stanford? What's that all about?"
"Oh, it's just an interview." Cory simply said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's nothing from nothing."
Zoey followed the boys into the hall as she wondered how much of a blow up this was going to be.
"Cory. When we were little kids, you promised me that we'd go to the same college together." Shawn reminded him pointedly, clearly feeling hurt over this.
Cory chuckled sheepishly. "Did I say that?"
"Yes." Shawn answered, nodding vehemently. "And you also told me that if I graduated High School, you'd take me to Vermont to watch the leaves change."
"Right, Vermont. October." Cory reassured him. "Write it down."
"You know I could never get into Stanford." Shawn said as they walked over to their lockers.
Cory sighed. "Well, Stanford's just one of the many schools I'm applying to, Shawn. I'm also applying to Wisconsin, Penn."
There it was.
Shawn gasped dramatically. "Wisconsin and Penn? We never discussed those!"
"Here we go." Zoey groaned as she leaned against the lockers.
"Well, it doesn't have to be Wisconsin or Penn, Shawnie." Cory reassured, trying to calm him down. "It cam be a school from your list. What's on your list?"
Shawn narrowed his eyes heatedly. "You want to know what's on my list? Number one, I don't need a list because my best friend Cory wouldn't apply to any school that I couldn't get into."
"Your list makes me feel bad." Cory muttered. Shawn huff and opened his locker. "Shawn, it... it, you know, it's early. I have no idea what my plans are."
Shawn slammed his locker shut and glared at Cory. "Oh, interesting. Your plans, not our plans. Hmm."
"Don't you take that tone with me, Shawn Hunter." Cory demanded like a parent would.
Shawn shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not taking any tone. If you want to go to college at Stanford, then go. In fact, go now. Give you plenty of time to start making your new college friends." He then wrapped an arm around Zoey's shoulders. "Let's go, Zo."
"But-but I don't want to make new friends." Cory mumbled.
"You know what?" Shawn questioned, turning to face Cory. "Maybe I should start making new friends, too, huh?"
Cory frowned. "But I don't want you to make new friends."
"Well, you need to, Cory. What did you think? That I was always going to be here? Is that what you thought? Well, I'm not." Shawn responded.
••••
Zoey slugged her bag strap over her shoulder as she walked through the school hall with Shawn. As they were walking, Shawn was complaining to his girlfriend about Cory's college application decision.
"You know he didn't mean it like that, right?" Zoey said.
"It doesn't matter how he meant it, I should've seen this coming." Shawn responded bitterly.
Zoey smirked. "Shawn, you're not really this upset with him, are you? I know college is scary but he'll come back, you see."
Shawn scoffed. "I'm not scared of college. It was only a matter of time before he broke his promise."
"Shawn, I think we need to talk." Cory insisted as he approached them.
Shawn rolled his eyes and turned to Cory. "No. Everything's fine. Our little conversation this morning was very helpful in making me realize that out entire relationship has been nothing more than a LIE!"
Everyone in the hallway stopped what they were doing and stared at the three teenagers when they heard Shawn yelling. Cory gave the crowd a nervous look.
"Move along, move along. Just a couple of seniors rehearsing a little playlet." Cory explained. Once the audience dispersed , he turned back to Shawn. "Don't you think you're being a little dramatic about this?"
"Very much so." Zoey answered honestly.
"Dramatic? Perhaps a little." Shawn admitted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look out the window. I paid of skywriter a lot of money to write 'Cory, I hate you' in the clouds."
Zoey rolled her eyes as she followed her boyfriend to the classroom. It too much self-control not to say something at the boy, Andy, who was sitting in Cory's seat. Instead, she sat down in her seat beside Shawn and leaned her head against her hand to wait for Cory's reaction.
Cory let out a yelp when he attempted to sit down at his seat.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my seat?" Cory demanded.
"His name is Andy." Shawn informed.
"Who's Andy?" Cory questioned.
Shawn sighed. "He's my new...."
"Best friend?" Cory guessed as a worried expression appeared on his face.
"Friend." Shawn finished. "Cory, we agreed that we were going to go out and meet new people."
Cory frowned. "I'm not making you happy?"
"No, Cory, it's... It's not you, okay? It's me. And right now I just need my space." Shawn explained.
"But we're still friends?" Cory asked.
"Right now, I don't know what we are. Give me my space." Shawn responded.
••••
Zoey reluctantly agreed to go to Chubbie's with Shawn. She'd decided that for the most part, she'd let things just play out. She knew that Cory and Shawn's friendship was stronger than this and they'd 'get back together' eventually.
As soon as she met up with her boyfriend, she noticed he had two other unknown guys with him.
They all entered the restaurant together and walked down the stairs with Shawn in front. That's when Zoey sat Cory standing at the counter with Topanga and another boy from their class sitting in their booth.
Zoey and the others made their way over to a table and the two boys sat down. Shawn sat down beside Zoey, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Shawn?" Cory spoke when he approached their table. He turned to the boys sitting with his best friends. "Boys. Zoey."
"Hey, Cor." Zoey greeted with a smile.
"Well, this is certainly appears to be a lot more than just giving each other space." Cory pointed out.
Shawn sighed and stood up from his seat. "Cory, we agreed that we were going to make new friends."
"No, you agreed." Cory argued. "I was perfectly happy with the way things were."
"Then explain him!" Shawn exclaimed, pointing to the new boy with a deep frown.
Cory straightened his shoulders and pursed his lips. "His name is Lionel. We met today, and we are getting along just famously because I'm young, Hunter, I'm vital, and I have a lot to offer."
"Yeah, well, so do I." Shawn snapped.
"The difference is that I have the dignity to keep my friendships personal and private, not parade them around in public for your twisted amusement." Cory retorted.
Shawn's eyes widen in shock. "You little punk!"
"You dirty man!" Cory yelled.
Cory suddenly picked up a glass of water that sat nearby and splashed the liquid at Shawn, who retaliated by grabbing his glass of water and repeated the gesture.
"Face it, Matthews. Or friendship never made any sense in the first place." Shawn stated.
"You're right!" Cory exclaimed. "Why?"
"Because we're different. You're college, I'm townie. It was only a matter of time before that caught up with us." Shawn told him.
"Then let's end it now before it lasts any longer than it did." Cory declared.
"No!" Shawn countered. "No! Come on, Zo!"
"Wait, who gets custody of Zoey?" Cory wondered.
"I do. She's my girlfriend." Shawn said like it was obvious.
"Well, she's been my best friend longer!" Cory argued.
Shawn scoffed. "No, she isn't. We've all been best friends for ten years."
"No, you stopped being her best friend the second you became her boyfriend. So, three year boyfriend versus ten year best friend." Cory explained.
Zoey rolled her eyes and stood up from her seat, standing between the boys. "Guys, it's fine. If this divorce is really going to happen, at least you both get me for Christmas."
••••
Back at the apartment, Zoey leaned against the railing as she watched Shawn with a bored expression on her face as he picked up Cory's stuff from around the apartment.
"Shawn, being a senior is a very scary time. We have a lot of decisions we need to make. " Zoey pointed out.
Shawn stopped putting items in the box he was carrying to face her. "Yeah, I know that."
"Okay, and instead of being angry, you're just afraid that Cory is moving on and leaving you behind?" She wondered.
"No, it's not." He replied firmly. "Cory and I are done, Zo. That's just a fact you're going to have to accept."
It took Shawn about an hour to find all of Cory's things and put them outside before he decided to spontaneously have a party. Even then, though she could clearly see that he was sulking and he didn't even bother to be a good host.
With a sigh, Zoey made her way over to her shoulder and slid her hand into his. Taking Shawn by surprise, she stood up on he toes and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips.
Zoey pulled away and smiled slightly. "Did you enjoy that?"
"Yes, ma'am." Shawn replied immediately with a wide smile.
Zoey grinned. "Okay, good."
Then all of a sudden loud knocking was heard on the front door.
"Shawn!" Cory's voice was heard on the other side. "I know you're in there!
"Kirk, it's about time...." Shawn called out, opening the door, which revealed Cory on the other side. "Oh. It's you. I'm, uh... I'm having a party. What?"
Cory laughed in disbelief. "Yeah. A party, right."
"He actually is." Zoey said, appearing behind her boyfriend.
Zoey opened the door wider to allow Cory to see inside the apartment which was filled with people.
"That certainty is some shindig." Cory stated.
Shawn crossed his arms over his stomach. "Yeah, you know. Just pounding down some sodas, swapping a few stories with some close friends."
Cory scoffed. "Close friends? You hardly know them."
"Exactly. So if they leave, who cares?" Shawn said. He turned to face the apartment and raised his voice. "Get out, all of you!"
With that, Everyone began filing out of the apartment.
"Now get back in there!" Zoey ordered. As they followed her command, a wide smile spread across her lips. "This is actually quite fun."
"You see? No emotional attachment, nobody gets hurt. That's my kind of friendship, baby." Shawn said.
"So? This is it?" Cory wondered.
Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so."
"Well, it's been a fun run." Cory stated.
"It has been." Shawn agreed.
"Hey. Remember the time we ate cake at the Paramus Mall?" Cory suddenly asked.
"Cory, please don't." Shawn interjected with a frown. "No emotion, it's too hard. Have a nice, you know.... whatever."
"I don't hate you." Cory told him.
"Just go." Shawn insisted.
"Lionel, we're through ere." Cory said to his new friend. He picked up the waiting box and headed towards the elevator.
"Lionel? Lionel." Shawn softly called, catching up to him and pulled him aside. "If you guys ever play basketball, make sure there's plenty of water around because Cory tends to get dehydrated."
"Lionel!" Cory called from inside the elevator.
"And- and let him win once in a while. He likes that." Shawn added. "And, Lionel, never eat cake in Paramus. That's ours.: He let Lionel go and turned back to the apartment to see Zoey giving him an amused look. "What?"
"You miss him." Zoey stated the obvious.
••••
Next day at school, Zoey and Topanga arranged Cory and Shawn to come together in Mr. Feeny's office. Zoey turned the knob to open the officer door and stepped inside.
Shawn and Cory gasped as they sat down in front of the desk.. "Topanga and Zoey!"
"You wouldn't listen to me, you wouldn't listen to Zoey, you won't listen to each other, so maybe you'll listen to Mr. Feeny." Topanga explained.
"Well, it hasn't happened yet." Mr. Feeny responded. "But I'll take a shot at it. Okay, who wants to start?"
"I have nothing to say." Cory said, looking away from Shawn.
"Me either." Shawn agreed, looking the other way.
"Okay, that was my best shot." Mr. Feeny admitted.
"What?" Zoey demanded in disbelief as she approached his desk. "Mr. Feeny, these people are about ready to throw away ten years of friendship and you call that your best shot? Shame on you. Shame."
"I show up. I teach. Why isn't that enough? Why?" Mr. Feeny questioned.
"Look, Mr. Feeny, let's not waste anyone's time, okay?" Shawn said as he stood up from his spot. "Cory and I, we broke up."
"It should have happened sooner." Cory stated.
"But we stayed together for the kids." Shawn added.
Mr. Feeny gave both boys an odd look.
"In the class." Cory explained.
"You two have been the best of friends for as long as I know you. Now, when did this problem start?" Mr. Feeny wondered.
"His problem started the day he met me!" Shawn replied, looking down at Cory. "You didn't think I was good enough for you since the day you met me!"
••••
[13 years ago]
Shawn and Zoey were sitting on a wall at the Zoo with their feet resting against the seat of the bench beneath them. A group of their classmates ran past them.
"Hey!" Shawn called out as Cory ran past them. He stopped with Topanga by his side. "Want to have lunch with us?"
"I don't think I should. Those guys say that you live in a trailer park and I should've like you." Cory responded.
"Oh, well, if you want to have lunch with us, we'll be right here." Shawn said hopefully.
With that, Topanga and Cory ran off.
Zoey gave Shawn an sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Shawnie."
"It's alright, Zo." Shawn replied with a tight smile.
The two them watched as Cory knelt to perch on a wall that was been them and the llama's.
"Hey, Topanga. I'm a llama! Look, I'm a- whoa! Whoa!" Cory yelped when he tumbled into the llama pen.
"Cory, I told you not to play by the llamas!" Topanga scolded.
"Help! Help!" Cory cried out.
"Somebody help!" Topanga added.
All their classmates ran off but Shawn and Zoey ran over to them. Shawn climbed into the pen and helped Cory out before he returned to his place beside Zoey.
"Hey, thanks for pulling me out of the llama pen." Cory said gratefully. "My name's Cory."
"I'm Shawn." He introduced.
Zoey smiled. "I'm Zoey."
"She's my wife." Shawn explained.
"I'm Topanga." She introduced herself quietly.
"The wife." Cory informed. "I'm sorry I didn't have lunch with you, my friends were wrong. They're not even my friends."
"I'll be your friend." Shawn offered.
"Me too." Zoey added with a smile.
Cory's eyes widen. "Really?"
"Just promise me when we grow up, you won't go to college and leave me. Zoey's already agreed." Shawn said.
"Okay." Cory promised. "Friends forever?"
Shawn nodded. "Forever."
Shawn and Cory then hugged each other while the girls exchanged a look.
"Stop it, you're boys!" Topanga exclaimed.
"I think it's cute." Zoey commented.
••••
[Present Day]
"Stop it, you're boys." Topanga repeated as Shawn and Cory hugged in the middle of Mr. Feeny's office.
"I think it's cute." Zoey commented with a smirk.
"Thank you for pulling me out of the llama pen." Cory said gratefully as they pulled apart from the hug.
"Thank you for having lunch with me." Shawn added with a wide smile.
"Oh, here we go." Mr. Feeny sighed.
"Cory, I want you to go to the best college you can get into. We'll be best friends all our lives, no matter where you go." Shawn promised.
"And I should have been more aware of your insecurities and how sensitive you can be." Cory responded.
"Do you think I'm sensitive?" Shawn asked softly.
Cory nodded his head. "I do."
"You know what, Cor? I'm going to work real hard so whatever college you get into, I'll be right there with you." Shawn insisted.
"You mean it?" Cory wondered.
"I've never meant anything more in my whole life." Shawn replied.
Shawn and Cory went for another hug.
"Stop it!" Topanga shouted, stopping the boys from embracing one another. "We still all have to be ready for the possibility we may end up in different places."
"Yeah." Zoey agreed, nodding her head. "And that's why we have to make our senior year together the best year of our lives. I mean, I applied to the University of Miami--"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Shawn interrupted his girlfriend in shock. "You're going to Miami?"
"Yeah. You know, I did tell you that." She argued, not in the mood for this. "If you didn't listen, that's not my fault."
"No, Zoey, you never mentioned anything about it." Shawn complained with a frown.
"You two." Mr. Feeny said to the couple. "Sit down."
Shawn and Zoey exchanged a look before they took the seats in front of Mr. Feeny's desk.
"Well, it all started the day she was nagging me to have lunch with me...." Shawn began.
Zoey leaned forward and hit his knee. "I don't nag!"
"Ow!" Shawn winced.
_____________________
PUBLISHED: September 9, 2018
WORDS: 2956