Zoey stood off to the side in the Student Union to help Cory and Topanga film a video to advertise the university. There had been more than forty takes already but no one was giving up.
"And action!" The direction called.
Cory and Topanga opened the doors.
"Hello. I'm Topanga Lawrence." Topanga began.
"Hi, I'm Cory Matthews." Cory added. "We'll be hosting your hosts on this historic tour of Pennbrook College."
"For over a century, Pennbrook has been a place where thousands of students come each fall to embark on a journey." Topanga continued as they walked further into the Student Union and stopped at the end of the couch.
"A journey will take you to a ugiverse of exciting experiences." Cory said.
"So if Pennbrook is the college of your choice...." Topanga trailed off.
"Then come on." Cory finished with an awkward wave.
"Cut! Cut!" The direction announced.
"You think?" Cory demanded, annoyed. "Where've you been? I stink. I think I said the word 'ugiverse'."
"Shall we try it one more time?" The director asked with a sigh. "Maybe take fifty-nine will be the charm."
Cory shook his head. "No, no. I knew way back at take thirty-three that I was sucko. I quit."
The onlooking students cheered loudly.
"Whoa!" Topanga called out. "Wait a minute, I don't understand. Cory and I were picked as the perfect freshman couple because of our natural chemistry."
"Yeah, where'd that go?" The director wondered.
"Cor, come on. Don't leave yet." Shawn insisted supportively, strolling towards his best friend.. "I want to hear you butch the word 'curriculum'."
"Oh, yeah? If curricum is such an easy word, then let's hear you say it." Cory challenged.
Shawn leaned forward slightly. "Curriculum."
"Wow." Cory muttered.
"Do that again." The director instructed, his full attention on Shawn.
Shawn turned to face him. "Curriculum."
The director held his hands up to his eye to imitate a telescope. "Wow. I like it...." He then glanced over at Zoey. "Hey, you wouldn't possible consider, uh...."
Shawn and Zoey turned to each other with wide eyes before turning back to the director.
"Absolutely not!" Shawn and Zoey exclaimed in unison.
"No way!"
"There's no chemistry here."
"Never was."
"It'll be so awkward."
"Well, if you two won't do it together, would you...." The director trailed off, pointing between Shawn and Cory.
"What a great idea!" Cory exclaimed. "Shawn, you could take my place."
The director smiled widely. "Perfect."
"Oh, I don't know." Shawn said as his eyes flickered between Topanga and Zoey.
"I don't feel comfortable doing this unless Cory is gonna do it." Topanga insisted.
"Cory, I can't be you." Shawn told his best friend.
"Shawn, listen, I don't want to be responsible for ruining this film. You can take my place. Besides, Topanga will be here and she'll make you feel comfortable." Cory responded.
"I think it's a bad idea." Shawn admitted.
Cory scoffed. "Oh, when did I ever have a bad idea?"
"This isn't going to end well." Zoey muttered under her breath.
••••
After places had been reset, the new casting had gone much better than the first fifty tries. They'd made it to the end of the script with Shawn and Topanga sitting on the couch in front of the camera.
"The social life at Pennbrook University will lead to lifelong friendships and who knows? Maybe more. Right, honey?" Topanga asked.
"That's right, snookums." Shawn replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Why, I remember the first night we met, right here in the newly remodelled student union which was paid for by the generous donation of Mr. Stanley Kandleman, class of '48."
"In fact, many students wind up meeting their lifelong mates here at Pennbrook." Topanga continued.
"And while that may not be the number one reason to attend Pennbrook College..." Shawn trailed off.
"It sure ranks high on our list." Topanga finished.
"Kiss her." The director instructed suddenly as he stood from his chair. Shawn and Topanga hesitated for a moment as they looked at each other before pressing their lips against each other. "Come on, more heat. Come on, you're in love. Oh, that's hot. That's very hot."
Even though Zoey knew it was for a movie, but she watched the scene in front of her with almost sick fascination as her worst nightmare came true. Her stomach twisted at the sight of her best friends kiss each other passionately.
Cory instantly grabbed the megaphone and spoke loudly into it. "Cut! Cut! Cut! Back away from the girlfriend! What was that?"
"What?" Shawn asked as he pulled away from Topanga.
"What, 'what?' You know what! You kissed my girlfriend!" Coy shouted.
Shawn pointed at the director. "He told me too."
"And if he told you to put a knife through my heart would you do it?" Cory wondered.
"It depends." Shawn retorted. "Would you be yelling in my ear through a bullhorn at the time?"
Cory smiled nervously and quickly passed the megaphone to the director. "I don't like that you kissed my girlfriend."
"It didn't mean anything." Shawn assured.
"Cory, this is silly. Please don't go crazy over this. Please." Topanga pleaded.
Cory's hands curled into fists as he tried to fight the urge and muttered his girlfriend's request as he walked away.
Shawn stood from the couch and slid his hands into his pockets as he approached his ex-girlfriend. "Hey, Zo."
"What do you want, Shawn?" Zoey wondered, eyeing him warily.
"You're not jealous, are you?" Shawn asked, an irritating, smug smile on his face. "You're not going to make a big deal out of this like Cory, right?"
"You wish, Hunter. We're not dating anymore. You can kiss whomever you'd like and I couldn't care." Zoey replied before she walked away from him.
••••
Later that night, Zoey and Angela were in her dorm room doing room doing homework. The room was completely silent as they worked until Zoey spoke what's on her mind.
"It's like he expected me to care!" Zoey exclaimed as as she threw her hands up in exasperation. "What am I supposed to say 'Yes, Shawnie. I still have feelings for you and it kills me to see you kissing my best friend'."
"But you do care." Angela pointed out.
Zoey rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, but that's beside the point! I'd like to see how he would react if I kissed Cory."
"Well, you're not wrong. Do you think he was hoping you'd be jealous?" Angela wondered.
Zoey scoffed. "Of course not, Angela. He's the one who wanted to break up in the first place. It would be impossible for him to still have feelings for me-"
"Like you do for him?" Angela suggested. Before Zoey could respond, there was a knock on the door. "Come in."
Cory opened the door and walked into the room. "Hey."
"Hey." Zoey and Angela greeted in unison.
"What are you studying?" Cory wondered.
"White history." Angela answered as she continued writing in her notebook. "You know, you people contributed quite a bit to this country."
Cory held up a hand. "Thanks. Zo?"
"English." Zoey replied as she looked up from her notebook.
"I'm not surprised. But I got my own problems." Cory began, sitting on the end of Zoey's bed. "Now, you know about what's gone down between Shawn and Topanga because you were there and I know how much you still care about him and how much I care about that betraying witch of a girl-"
"Get the point, Cor." Zoey insisted.
"Shawn and Topanga are out on a date." He announced.
It took a moment for the words to register in Zoey's mind while across the room.
Angela burst into laughter. "They would never do that."
"It's true!" Cory exclaimed, turning to face her.
"Well, why would they..." Angela began.
"Because I made the reservation." Cory informed.
Angela furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, what-"
"And I paid for it." Cory added.
Angela gave him a look. "Why did you-"
"I ordered the soufflé in advance." Cory explained.
"Why?" Zoey questioned.
"Because you have to do that sort of thing, Zo." Cory replied.
Zoey grabbed the collar of Cory's shirt, pulling him towards her. "Cory, why?"
"I don't know. Call the restaurant. Gosh, the love of my life is out with my best friend and all you and Angela want to discuss dessert policy. Jeez, you're annoying." Cory responded, getting out of her grip.
"Cory, is this still about the kiss?" Zoey wondered.
"Of course it's still about the kiss!" He answered.
"Come on, Cory. It was all for show!" Angela added in disbelief.
Cory's eyes narrowed her at. "Wait a minute. She told you about this? That means it must have meant something to her." He then turned to face Zoey. "In all the time that you were with Shawn, did he ever call out the name Topanga?"
"No, but he called out the name Cory." Zoey answered casually.
Cory hesitated for a moment. "In-in what context?"
"In the context of how stupid you are." Zoey told him.
"You were there, Zo. How could you remain unaffected by this? Are you sure you still have feelings for him? Because I don't understand why you're not making a bigger deal out of this." He said.
"Of course I still have feelings for him." Zoey responded.. "But it was a movie!"
"There was passion!" He exclaimed.
"They were acting. They were pretending." She said.
Cory shook his head. "They weren't pretending. I know when Topanga pretends. I've been there."
"Cory, you have nothing to worry about. They're going to go out on this date, spend the evening talking about your idiocy and have a terrible time." She assured.
"You really think so?" Cory asked hopefully.
"I know so." Zoey replied confidently.
Cory sighed in relief. "All right. Thanks a lot, guys. That helped."
Then all of a sudden they heard Topanga's voice out in the hallway.
"Ha ha! You're so funny, Shawn." Topanga chuckled.
"Oh, stop!." Shawn responded.
Cory turned to face Zoey and Angela.. "You morons."
With that, Cory stood and ran out of the dorm room.
••••
A few minutes later, Cory had barged into the dorm room again with a painful expression. Zoey sighed, knowing something was up and allowed him to pull her by the hand out into the hallway.
"I heard sounds, Zoey. Forbidden sounds. I think there was a cow in there." Cory explained.
Zoey gave him a look. "Cor, you're letting your imagination run away with you."
"Really? Go ahead." Cory insisted, stepping away from the door. 'Tell me there's nothing going on in there."
Zoey stepped forward and pressed her ear against the door. "There's nothing going on in there."
Cory's face crumpled. "Oh no, they're nestling."
"I'm opening the door." She declared.
"No, I don't want to see." Cory said frantically, raising a hand in front of his face. Zoey rolled her eyes and opened the door to reveal... nothing. He walked into the room in disbelief. "There's no one here."
"Of course not. We're talking about Shawn and Topanga. They don't care about each other because they have you." She told him.
"No, Zo, you are thinking about this too logically. And this defies logic. This is raw, hot, unfiltered passion and that kiss opened the gates." He explained.
"There are no gates." She argued.
Cory huffed. "Oh, there's gates."
Zoey sighed. "Cor, haven't we known each other a long time?"
"Yeah?" Cory replied in confusion.
"Well, is there any tension between us?" She wondered.
Cory hesitated. "Well.... there was that one time when you didn't get me a gift for my birthday. I mean, I pretended not to notice but ooh."
Zoey rolled her eyes. "Not that kind of tension."
Cory's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean-"
"I mean, have you ever thought of me in a way other than just a friend?" Zoey asked.
"Never!" Cory exclaimed immediately.
"Tel the truth." She ordered him.
"One time." He admitted sheepishly.
Zoey narrowed her eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't my fault. See, I had a dream and you were in it." Cory explained.
"Was it a good dream?" Zoey asked.
Cory nodded enthusiastically. "Yes."
"Was it real?" She questioned.
He shook his head. "No."
"Neither was the kiss." She told him.
"Yeah, but-but they... it happened and they felt something." He insisted.
"How do you know?" She demanded.
"Because you can't do something like that without feeling anything." He answered.
Zoey raised her eyebrows. "Even if they're just friends?"
"Yeah." Cory replied.
"Okay." Zoey said as she stepped forward and placed her hands against Cory's chest to force him back on the bed.
Cory eye's widened. "Oh, no. It's the dream!"
"Trust me, I'm not thrilled about this either." She complained as she knelt on the mattress above him.
With a deep breath, Zoey leaned down and pressed her lips to his in a very solid kiss. When they pulled apart, Zoey sat up while Cory continued to stare at her with eyes widen.
"Wow." He gaped.
"What?" Zoey wondered.
"Nothing." He answered.
"No, tell me." She insisted.
"No, I mean, I... I felt nothing." Cory explained. "I mean, it felt good and everything but not-"
"Like you and Topanga?" Zoey offered.
Cory looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, not like me and Topanga."
"Yeah. Well, that's because you love Topanga, Cor, and when you're with her you feel something for her. And that's why it doesn't matter that she kissed Shawn, because she only feels something for you." Zoey told him.
"So even a kiss like you and I just had is just a kiss between friends...." He began.
"Because you don't love me." She said.
"Yeah." Cory responded, shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry."
"Well, it's okay, I've been getting a lot of that lately." Zoey said, trying to appear unaffected but Cory noticed her fumbling with her fingers nervously.
Cory's gaze met hers. "Well, you don't deserve it. You know I do love you, Zo? Just not like that."
Zoey nodded. "I know. I love you too, Cor."
"And you're a great person. Thanks for talking me down." Cory said before lifting his arm. "Come here." Zoey smiled as she joined him on the bed, curling up against him. Then a contented look appeared on his face when he remembered something. "Hey!"
"What?" Zoey asked.
"What about when I walked in and Shawn was in his underpants?" He wondered.
Zoey chuckled. "Cory, if you're going to spend the rest of your life with Topanga, don't you think you should trust her more?"
"Oh, nobody would trust anybody they caught in such a compromising position." Cory said.
"There you are." Topanga spoke when she entered the room. "We've been looking all over for you."
Cory immediately held up his hands. "I can explain!"
"Shawn, I found him. He's in bed with Zoey!" Topanga called out.
Shawn walked into the room and stood beside Topanga. "Oh, they're so cute."
Topanga and Shawn exchanged a look before they rushed towards the bed and took a flying leap to land on their friends.
_____________________
PUBLISHED: November 18, 2018
WORDS: 2532