At school, Zoey had her bag slugged over her shoulders as she stood in the hallway with Shawn and Cory. It had been a few days since Cory and Topanga had talked, and it seemed that Shawn was taking this harder than them.
"You and Topanga can't be apart like this. It's giving me a heart attack." Shawn complained, placing a hand over his heart.
"Well, maybe they wouldn't be in this position if you didn't give Cory the worst advice in the world." Zoey said, giving her boyfriend a pointed look.
Cory sighed and closed his locker. "I didn't even do anything, okay? I meet one other girl, I talk to her, and I get a little thank-you note."
"Cory, she wrote you the most passionate love letter I've ever read that didn't start with 'dear Shawn'." Shawn said. Zoey glared at him before elbowing him in the side. He groaned in pain, rubbing his sore side. "What? It's true."
The three of them walked over to the couch in the school's hallway.
"I can't control what another person puts in a letter, Shawn. Now, Topanga knows that." Cory said before sitting down on the couch.
Shawn sat down beside his best friend and gave him a pointed look. "Okay, it's been raining for seven days. How do you explain that?"
"Warm air meets a low pressure system?" Cory guessed.
"Wow, you actually paid attention in our Weather and Climate class?" Zoey asked with a teasing smirk.
"Wrong!" Shawn exclaimed, ignoring both of them. "It's raining because god is crying. And he's crying because he created you and Topanga to be the role model of the perfect couple for the entire world."
"I thought that was you two?" Cory asked, glancing between Shawn and Zoey.
Shawn scoffed. "Come on, Cor. We're obviously the most perfect couple in all of existence which includes your little crummy world."
The bell rang which meant class.
"Shawn, Topanga's angry at me. What are you so upset about?" Cory questioned.
"Because, you know, you two are my best friends and are perfect for one another. You and Topanga were made for each other and it hurts seeing the two of you like this." Shawn answered.
"Shawn, I didn't do anything, okay? I fell off a bus. I sat on a couch. I talked to some girl. I didn't write that letter and she kissed me." Cory said firmly.
"Cory, a guy can do no better than Topanga Lawrence." Shawn reminded. Zoey pursed her lips and smacked him up the head. "And Zoey Francis."
Cory nodded. "Yeah, I know that."
"Then be at Chubbie's after school." Shawn told him.
••••
Zoey had decided to support Topanga and let Shawn wait with Cory at Chubbies. Zoey opened the door for her best friend before following her inside.
They entered the restaurant together and walked down the stairs to see the girl from the lodge, Lauren talking to Cory. Zoey's eyes widen and shook her head in disbelief. The two girls slowly made their way over to them.
"Lauren, I'm meeting Topanga here, okay? I don't want her to see us together." Cory said, trying to send her away.
"Can't always get what you want." Topanga said from behind him. She sadly turned to Shawn. "Strike three."
Zoey gave Cory a disappointed look while Topanga began to make her way up the stairs to leave Chubbies.
"Topanga, I'm sorry." Cory apologized, catching up to her. "It didn't mean what it sounded like, okay? I had no idea she was gonna be here."
"She came all this way to talk to you, and... if you feel that you need to talk to her, then that's what you should to." Topanga responded.
"It's a trap." Shawn told his best friend. "Take Topanga and go. Trap."
"I couldn't be with somebody who wasn't 100% sure. So f you need some time then yeah, take it." Topanga said.
Zoey met Shawn's eyes across the restaurant for a moment and his expression read help me fix this. She sighed and followed Topanga up the stairs.
••••
Zoey arrived at Topanga's house. She walked up to the front door and knocked on it which only resulted in the door swiveling open as if someone didn't bother to properly close it, most likely Topanga in her saddened sat. She looked inside and didn't see anybody at first. She assumed Topanga's parents were at work right now.
Zoey walked inside since she wasn't really afraid of barging in unannounced since she's been over at the Lawrence's house many time over the years and her family embers were used to her coming over.
Zoey walked through the house until she heard the sound of quiet sobbing. She pinpointed where it was coming from and it led her to Topanga's room with the door shut. She walked up and gently knocked on the door while silently calling out to her.
"Topanga? Are you alright in there?" Zoey asked.
Zoey already knew that Topanga clearly wasn't since she knew about the whole thing, but she stilled asked anyway to show her concern.
The sobbing stopped on the other side for a moment before Zoey heard Topanga speak softly.
"Go away, Zo. I wanna be left alone." Topanga said in a saddened tone.
Being the stubborn friend that Zoey is, she still remained there determined to comfort her friend.
"Topanga, you know I can't just abandon my best friend like this. So please, let me in?" Zoey asked.
"Please, just go Zoey. I don't want to burden you my problems." Topanga said.
"Do you remember a couple years ago there was rumours going around school that you and Cory had slept together? I was by your side the entire time." Zoey pointed out.
There was a moment of silence.
"It's open." Topanga said softly.
Zoey hastily opened the door to see Topanga on her bed but she was definitely not herself. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy and she had tears going down her cheeks. Somehow in a short span of time she had already accumulated a large number of used tissues on her bed next to her.
"I'm sorry." Zoey said as she down next to Topanga.
Topanga looked from the corner of her eyes before she suddenly threw her arms around Zoey's neck and pulled her into a hug while sobbing. Zoey rubbed her back gently as Topanga continued to cry. Zoey almost felt like crying herself for seeing her best friend like this, she had to remain strong.
Topanga eventually calmed down as best as she could before separating the hug and looked at Zoey.
"But that's not Cory at all. When I saw.... him with her...." Topanga struggled on the last part and she started tearing up again. Zoey placed a hand on hers. "They looked like they really enjoy their company."
"If it helps, no one likes her." Zoey simply said.
"Why would he do this to me? Was I not good enough for him? Did I do something to make him do this?" Topanga asked. Zoey shook her head.
"Don't say that, Topanga! Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life! He clearly couldn't see that at the time." Zoey replied, trying to cheer her up.
Zoey pulled Topanga into another comforting hug with her staining Zoey's shoulder with her tears. Zoey didn't care about that. Topanga stopped crying before separating the hug before Zoey grabbed another tissue for her. Topanga blew her nose again.
"But why would he do that? I was always trying to be the best girlfriend that I could be to him. It must have something I did, because why else would he.... he... kiss her?" Topanga asked before hugging her legs and putting her head down.
Zoey got of the bed and stood in front of Topanga, placing both hands on her shoulders which prompted her to look up.
"Topanga, I refuse to believe that it was something that you did to make him do something this terrible to you. It's his fault because you are way to sweet and caring to do something would warrant such an act from him. He's an idiot because a smart person would never make a girl as amazing as you cry for any reason." Zoey said truthfully.
Topanga smiled. "Thank you, Zo."
"Well, I care a lot about my friends which also includes you. You mean a lot to me and I honestly can't stand to see you upset." Zoey responded.
••••
Shawn and Zoey were sitting on the couch in the apartment. His arm was wrapped around her as she leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. Her feet were folded on the cushions underneath her while her boyfriend's were stretched out, propped up against the coffee table.
Knocking was then heard on the door.
Shawn got up from the couch and opened the door to reveal Cory who was completely drenched from the rain earlier today. Zoey furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed how pale and almost scared Cory looked.
"I had a good time." Cory admitted.
"Cory, you're soaking wet." Shawn said and ushered him inside the apartment.
"I went out with Lauren. We had fun. I had fun with a girl who isn't Topanga." Cory stammered, obviously disappointed with himself.
"You've got a tough choice to make here. We are going to decide this scientifically." Shawn began as he walked into the kitchen and placed a double-pan scale on the island. "Hand me those jelly beans over there." Cory grabbed the bag of jellybeans and past them over to him. "First off, personality. Which girl makes you laugh?"
"We're not gonna decide the rest of my life with jelly beans, Shawn." Cory said incredulously.
"Shawn, this is crazy." Zoey told her boyfriend.
Shawn scoffed. "Then who is going to decide the rest of your life, Cory? You?"
"Okay, fine. But don't use the red ones. I want to eat those." Cory said.
Shawn held up a blue jellybean. "Who makes you laugh?"
"Topanga makes me laugh. But, you know, Lauren makes me laugh, too." Cory replied.
Shawn dropped a jellybean into both sides of the scale, keeping it perfectly balanced.
"Alright, which girl would you rather have deep conversations with?" Shawn asked.
Cory shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I mean, I can talk to Topanga about anything. But I like talking to Lauren also."
"All right..." Shawn sighed as the scale once again remained perfectly balanced. "Honesty. You can trust her. Very key. Very key."
"Well, Topanga's the most honest person I've ever met." Cory answered immediately.
Zoey breathed out in relief. "Well, that's double beaner, and I'm gonna use red."
"But Lauren has been honest with me, guys, from the very beginning." Cory added with a frown, clearly stressed out about this.
"Okay. Uh.. Okay, now I'm gonna ask you a very important question. Who's got the better.... You know. Who's got the perfume going? Who do you see yourself....?" Shawn asked, giggling shyly.
"Oh, you mean... Well, there's only one Topanga, and she's got the 'Huh-huh-huh' with the 'ra-ra' and the 'hockity-hockity'." Cory said with a smile. Shawn nodded and dropped three jellybeans into Topanga's side. The scale had finally tipped. "But there's nothing like being inside Lauren's jacket."
Zoey's eyes widen in shock. "What?!"
Cory frowned. "Just pour the beans."
Shawn sighed as he poured three jellybeans into Lauren's side, once again making the scales balance.
"It's a tie. You like Lauren as much as you like Topanga, and you can't live without either of them." Shawn told his best friend. "Maybe this was a bad idea."
Zoey raised her eyebrows at Shawn. "Ya think?"
"No. No, this was a good idea. Yeah... I like Lauren. I like spending time with her. But I can live without her. I can't live without Topanga." Cory explained. He smiled as he took the bag of jellybeans from Shawn and placed it on Topanga's side. "It's no contest."
With that, Cory rushed out of the apartment.
••••
Later that day, Zoey and Shawn decided to go to Chubbie's. They entered the restaurant together and walked down the stairs to see Topanga marching towards the stairs with tears in her eyes.
"Topanga, what's wrong?" Zoey asked in concern.
Without a reply, Topanga walked past them and up the stairs.
The couple turned to see Cory standing in the middle of Chubbie's with sadness, disbelief, and heartbroken written all over his face.
That's when it clicked.
Topanga and Cory broke up.
"It's gonna be okay." Shawn said softly, trying to assure his best friend.
Cory shook his head sadly. "No. No, it won't."
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PUBLISHED: October 7, 2018
WORDS: 2126