Cory and Topanga invited Shawn and Zoey to come with them to sit in and watch a wedding so that they could get an idea of what they wanted theirs to be like.
Shawn and Cory were dressed in tuxes while Topanga wore a dark blue dress and Zoey wore one in a beige colour. The four stood off to the side as the party guest milled around and waited for the event to start.
"Topanga, listen. I gotta tell you, I feel very uncomfortable being at a wedding that we weren't invited to." Cory said as he glanced around nervously.
"Cory, it goes on all the time." Topanga assured him. "Mr. Beckman, the wedding planner, said that as long as we keep a low profile, everything will be okay."
"These things are delicious!" Shawn exclaimed loudly as he ate from a tray that a caterer was holding. "You know, you guys should get married here."
Zoey swatted his arm. "Stop it!"
Shawn dropped the pastry to raise his arm so he could defend himself. "You stop it!"
"Our wedding will never be this beautiful." Topanga stated as she looked around the hall wistfully.
"And why not?" Cory wondered.
"Because we'll never be able to afford a wedding like this." Topanga replied.
Cory narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute, your dad's not rich?"
Topanga shook her head. "No."
"Bye." Cory said as he made to walk away. Topanga caught his arm and gave him a pointed look.
••••
Cory was pulled off by an older man from the wedding as the four of them went over to where some of the wedding hall's employees waited to be called on.
Cory came over to Shawn and Zoey and explained everything what he was offered by the older man.
"Take the money." Shawn said quickly.
"Don't take the money." Zoey disagreed.
"I love Topanga." Cory stated.
"We all do. Take the money." Shawn insisted.
Zoey gave him a pointed look. "If we were still dating and you were offered a million dollars to marry this girl, would you?"
Shawn hesitated for a moment. "Um...."
"You idiot!" Zoey snapped, smacking him up the head.
"I'm not taking the money, okay? I love Topanga more than the money. Topanga is my life." Cory explained.
Topanga strolled towards them. "Cory, you're not supposed to be just standing around. You're supposed to be doing research."
"I know. I was gonna." He replied.
"'I was gonna'." She repeated. "Do you know what that means, Zoey?"
"Yep. You're going to do everything by yourself. Just like every group project since elementary school." Zoey replied dryly.
Topanga stood in between the two boys. "Ugh. Cory, I don't ask much of you." She said before turning to Shawn as Cory shook his head behind her back. "And you, you're his best friend. You're supposed to help him. Help him. Zo, you're supposed to keep them in line." She turned back to Cory, which made Shawn to nod his head. "Now, I want you guys to be taking notes during the wedding so we can decide what we want and do not want for our own wedding. Are you guys listening to me?"
When Topanga looked between them, Shawn nodded while Cory shook his head.
Shawn sent his best friend a look. "Well fine. If you're not taking the money, I am."
"Shawn!" Zoey exclaimed, watching as he walked away.
"What's he talking about?" Topanga asked, gesturing to Shawn.
"Money. We were talking about money." Cory replied.
"We don't have any." Topanga stated.
"I know." Cory said.
"Cory, I wish our wedding could be this beautiful. Don't you ever wonder what id' be like to have all the money in the world and you could just do whatever you wanted?" Topanga wondered.
Cory hesitated a glance over to Zoey for help. Zoey slightly shook her head in response.
"No!" Cory exclaimed. "Never. Where do you get these meshuga ideas?"
••••
The wedding was about to begin. Everyone sat in their seats while Zoey stood beside Shawn at the back of the room. Moments later Cory and Topanga joined them before the same older man from before pulled Cory away.
"Why does that man keep talking to Cory?" Topanga wondered.
"It makes you made, doesn't it?" Shawn asked. "You should break up with him."
Zoey rolled her eyes before they went to sit down. Cory and Topanga sat together in the row in front of Zoey as the bridal music began playing to indicate that the wedding was starting. They quieted as the bride herself came down the aisle on her father's arm and arrived at the altar.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to join Jessica and Edward in holy matrimony." The minster began.
Topanga sighed quietly. "This whole thing is so out of our league. They'll probably get in some private jet and honeymoon in Tahiti."
"In some private romantic villa on some nude beach." Zoey added.
"Hoy!" Shawn exclaimed when he sat down beside Zoey.
"You just saw the bride?" Cory wondered.
"Ooh, yeah." Shawn replied.
"Can you imagine what kind of honeymoon they're going to have?" Topanga questioned.
"Yeah." Shawn said. "Could you just imagine?"
"No." Cory responded quickly.
"If there is anyone here present who might just give cause as to why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or fever hold your peace." The minister continued.
Cory raised his arm.
"What are you doing?" Topanga hissed.
"Spasm." Cory answered hastily.
Topanga lowered Cory's arm only for him to raise it again. She used more force the second time, which was enough to send him sprawling into the middle of the aisle.
The minister looked down at him. "Young man, is there something you'd like to say?"
The older man from earlier hurried forward. "Yes, yes, you do. Say something kid."
"What are you doing?" Topanga demanded.
"Do you mind?" The man asked. "I'm talking to my son-in-law."
Zoey rolled her eyes as she watched the man help Cory into the a standing position. Cory chuckled nervously when he realized everyone's eyes were on him.
"Hi." Cory nervously greeted. "I don't know any of you, but, um, I guess I should say something very important here."
"Alright. Everybody listen to this. This is important!" The older man exclaimed.
"Um, this s the greatest place to get married that I've ever seen, and I would give anything to be able to get married in a place like this. But I can't, so it doesn't matter." Cory said.
"Cory, will you please tell me what's going on?" Topanga asked him.
"What's going on is that when you love somebody nothing else matters." Cory answered. "Not the money, not where you get married, nothing like that. All that matters is who you're standing next to, and the only person I want to stand next to is you." He turned to face the bride and groom. "So, Jessie, Eddie, I wish you two what we have, true love that you can always count on." He turned back to his friends. "Let's go. This is their day. We'll have our day."
Shawn, Topanga and Zoey agreed quietly as they stood up from their seats and walked out of the venue.
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PUBLISHED: January 3, 2019
WORDS: 1218