The Van Gogh expedition is not a regular art exhibition in a stuffy old museum. It's a sensory-packed experience that actually allows you to become part of a masterpiece and experience Van Gogh's art in a completely different way.
When Topanga and Zoey walked in, they came across a quiet setting with art displayed against plain backdrops and a label telling you the name of the artist, the work and the date.
"'Silas Matthews and Ebeneezer Hunter, founding fathers'." Topanga read the plague underneath a old photo. "I knew I shouldn't have come here. I was supposed to come here with Cory. Everything reminds me of him. Zo, I miss him."
"Topanga, you're going crazy. You're starting to see our boyfriends everywhere. Let's just see this exhibit, you've been waiting forever to see this." Zoey insisted.
"How could he talk to another girl all night. How could he kiss her?" Topanga demanded for the thousandth time.
"He told you it didn't mean anything." Zoey reminded.
"How could it not mean anything?" Topanga asked in disbelief. "He kissed another girl. You don't kiss somebody and have it not mean anything. I don't understand that. I should have left him up on those monkey bars."
"Oh, please, not the monkey bar story." Zoey begged.
"Monkey bars." Topanga began wistfully. "I was in the sandbox and I saw the cutest little curly-haired boy on the monkey..." She trailed off as he turned around to see her friend mimicking her story. She gave her a pointed look. "Okay, just forget it."
The two girls walked further into the exhibit and moved closer to one of the paintings, standing behind two girls.
"'Van Gogh's brush strokes and choice of colour emphasize his heightened sense of emotion'." One girl read from the brochure.
"Yeah." The other girl agreed before they went to the next painting.
Topanga and Zoey stepped closer to admire the painting before Zoey's gaze caught sight of a reasonably attractive boy who was watching them.
Zoey nudged Topanga. "I think you have an admirer, Topanga."
The boy began to approached them. "Excuse me, is your name Topanga."
Topanga nodded. "Yes, my name is Topanga."
"I'm Ricky Ferris." He introduced. "I'm sure you don't remember me, but I certainly remember you."
Zoey narrowed her ways at him. "You two know each other?"
Ricky chuckled nervously. "Sort of. You changed my life forever when we were about six years old."
"I did?" Topanga asked.
"She did?" Zoey wondered.
"You see," He began, his gaze focused on Topanga. "You ended my little league career. Hit me with a fast ball so hard right on my left cheek. I think I still have a mark there, but you don't want to see that. You see, you were the one who helped me realize that I was more of an artist than an athlete."
"He owes you." Zoey whispered to Topanga.
"I'm sorry and I promise never to hit you on the tush with a fast ball ever again." Topanga replied.
"Well, why don't you make it up to me by seeing the Van Gogh's exhibit together?" Ricky offered.
Topanga hesitated.
"Oh, look." Zoey spoke as she raised the brochure. "They just opened a new exhibit that called 'you're allowed to ditch your best friend for the cute boy in front of you'."
Topanga gave her a teasing smirk. Zoey nodded and walked over to more of the art. She didn't really mind really, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of looking at the art.
As Zoey stood in front of Almond Blossoms, she lingered there longer than the other paintings. It truly was a masterpiece.
It had been hours. As closing time for the museum drew near, Zoey found her best friend standing in front of Starry Night with Ricky. With a sly smile, she crept over to the statue in the corner of the room to peer out from behind it through one of the two holes, eavesdropping.
"So, dinner?" Ricky wondered. "We can keep talking about Starry Night or the real stars if you want."
"Ricky, look, I've had a really great time talking to you. I can't believe we talked all day, but I don't know, my heads in a funny place right now." Topanga explained.
"Topanga, do you plan on eating dinner tomorrow night?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied.
"So do I. So how's this? Tomorrow night at eight o'clock, we'll meet at Thibault de Chattelu's." He offered.
"The little French café?" She wondered.
"Yeah." He answered. "Now here's the thing. We're going to be sitting at the same table and I'm going to be sitting across from you. Now, if you want it to be a date, you look up from your dinner. If you don't want it to be a date, don't look up. But if you do look up, I'll be looking back at you."
When Ricky said his goodbye to Topanga and walked to the exit, Zoey glanced up at the ceiling and attempted to whistle to imitate nonchalance.
Topanga looked over at her and chuckled. "Alright, come out."
"You know, I couldn't help overhearing..." Zoey trailed off casually.
"Should I go out with him or not?" Topanga wondered.
"Well, he's pretty cute, cultured, sensitive artist type, want to take you to a romantic French restaurant." Zoey listed with pursed lips. "Should you go out with him? Hmm..." She then pretended to consider it. "Yes!"
"I don't know." Topanga said.
"You don't know what?' Zoey asked.
"He's not Cory." Topanga pointed out.
"He's pretty good looking." Zoey responded, placing a comforting hand on Topanga's shoulder.
"So if I go out with him, then Cory and I are really finished, aren't we?" Topanga questioned sadly.
"I don't see where it would help the relationship. No." Zoey answered.
"I don't know what to do." Topanga admitted. "I mean, Ricky and I talked all day. He knew so much about paintings. That's what makes me want to get to know him better. He's so complex and interesting."
Zoey pursed her lips. "Well, do you think Cory is complex and interesting?"
"Yeah, but it's different. Even though I've known Cory all my life, how can I go out with another guy until I know what Cory feels about this painting?" Topanga wondered.
"Topanga, this guy swept you off your feet." Zoey pointed out simply. "You gotta give him a chance. Maybe one day you won't be telling people that you met the guy you love on the monkey bars, but you met him in front of a masterpiece, and he told you how he felt about it, and he swept you off your feet."
"I'm not leaving my feet for anybody until I give Cory a chance." Topanga declared.
Zoey smiled. "Okay."
Topanga gave her a grateful look and squeezed her appreciatively before they left the museum together.
••••
At school the next day, Zoey had finished filling Shawn in on what happened at the museum as she closed her locker shut. Shawn looked like he was about to explode.
"How could you let her go out with another guy?!" Shawn demanded.
"Topanga's her own person, Shawn. She can do whatever she wants." Zoey told her boyfriend.
"Okay, time out. Time out, Zo. You and I, we're doing pretty good, right?" He wondered.
Zoey nodded. "Yeah...?"
"Right, so then we should start to show each other all the different sides of our personalities, right?" Shawn asked.
Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Shawn, I've known you since kindergarten, I think I've seen all your personalities."
"Well, just because we've known each other for all those years doesn't mean you know all of me." Shawn said.
"Sure." Zoey responded, following along with it.
"Okay, good, so then this is me, really, really mad." Shawn began before he raised his voice. "You let her go out with another guy?! How does that help them get back together? Now, granted, I may not be the smartest kid in school, but I think it's bad!"
"All right, this is me really, really practical. Cory and Topanga have broken up. They both need to get on with their lives." Zoey told him.
"They're not broken up!" Shawn insisted loudly.
"They're broken up!" Zoey retorted.
"They're taking a break!" He exclaimed.
"They're broken up!" She repeated just as loudly.
"They're-"
"Broken up!" Zoey interrupted her boyfriend. "Cory went out with Lauren. Topanga went with Ricky."
"Okay, if I went out with another girl tonight, that wouldn't mean that I don't love you and we wouldn't be broken up tomorrow." Shawn tried to argue.
Zoey narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, yeah, well, you go out with another girl tonight and you will be permanently broken tomorrow."
A faint smile appeared on Shawn's face as Zoey stepped forward and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips.
Shawn looked down at her, his expression almost sad. "They've been together for fifteen years, Zoey."
"So have we." She pointed out.
He chuckled slightly. "Yeah, but we're different. These love rules don't apply to them."
"Look, Shawnie, all I'm saying is that they're stuck. They need to see where life takes them. Otherwise, they're going to be unhappy everyday. I don't want that for my friends." She explained.
"I don't want that for them either." He agreed.
The bell rang to signal the start of class.
Shawn held onto Zoey's hand as he led his girlfriend to the classroom and they only separated when they had to.
When Zoey was about to sit down in her usual spot, Topanga ran up to her and grabbed her arm.
"Zo, I have to talk to you." Topanga insisted. "Something happened."
"Good or bad?" Zoey wondered.
"Amazing." Topanga replied with a wide smile. "Absolutely wonderful. I've never had a kiss that meant more to me in my life."
Zoey paused for a moment before turning to her boyfriend. "I'm sorry, Shawn, it's over."
"Good afternoon." Mr. Feeny greeted as he walked into the classroom, gaining everyone's attention. "I hope everyone enjoyed reading their last Shakespeare play while in high school." He paused while everyone cheered. "Hey, I didn't you know you felt that way about it. Okay, we'll do one more." Everyone in the class groaned which caused Mr. Feeny to smile. "Sike! Mr. Hunter, perhaps you'll share with us a passage from Antony and Cleopatra. Maybe something that was meaningful for you."
Shawn flipped through the book before he found what he was looking for. "'Though it be honest, it is never good to bring bad news.' Act two, scene five."
"Interesting passage. Why did you choose that?" Mr. Feeny asked.
"Because I want everyone to understand how important it is not to kill the messenger." Shawn explained as he looked at his best friend.
••••
After class, Topanga pulled Zoey over to the couch in the hallway. As they sat, Zoey gave Topanga a curious look when she noticed the giddy smile on her face.
"So you like this guy, huh?" Zoey asked.
"I'm in love with him. I knew it the minute I kissed him." Topanga replied.
Zoey gave her friend a wary expression. "Topanga, you're coming off a long relationship and you're vulnerable right now. And you shouldn't rush into something because of one kiss from someone cute, perfect guy. It was just a kiss, wasn't it?"
"That's all it took." Topanga said happily. "Do you know what I felt when he kissed me?"
"Yeah, I probably do." Zoey answered.
"Nothing." Topanga explained.
Zoey furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What?"
"I called him today to let him know I can't ever see him again." Topanga said.
"You did?" Zoey wondered, still finding it hard to believe that Topanga had felt nothing.
"Because I'm in love, Zo. I don't mean high school 'I love you, I love you too'. I mean, I am in love with Cory Matthews, and I want to be. There's nobody else in the world for me and there will never be. I'm taken." Topanga announced cheerfully.
Zoey smiled widely and leaned forward to hug her. "I'm so happy for you!"
••••
Shawn and Zoey were at the museum, looking at one of the paintings on display. Zoey hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder as they observed the painting.
"What does this make you think of?" Zoey wondered.
Shawn turned to Zoey and placed his free hand on her shoulder and drew her closer. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips that easily made her blush.
Shawn tugged Zoey over to the next painting. "And, um, what does this make you think of?"
Zoey smiled and grasped the collar of his shirt to pull him down into a passionate kiss that left him breathless.
The next painting was Starry Night and the couple paused in front of it.
"And what about this?' Zoey asked.
Shawn didn't answer. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Zoey's shoulders as she leaned against his side.
____________________
PUBLISHED: October 11, 2018
WORDS: 2171