Late at night, Shawn was sitting at the kitchen table at the Matthews' household. Eric had invited him over and insisted on buying dinner. Eric had been trying to figure a way how to explain to Shawn about what he had seen at Chubbie's an hour ago.

"Eric, listen, don't think I don't appreciate a good T-Bone, but I would've been plenty happy with a double Chubbie Burger." Shawn said as he bit into the steak.

"He gets steak. I get cold grilled cheese. What gives?" Morgan questioned, sitting at the table beside Shawn.

Eric walked over behind Shawn and patted his shoulders. "Well, Morgan, I just that our brother's best friend, with his interesting life, he deserves a hearty meal."

"You don't think my life's interesting?" Morgan wondered.

"Morgan, did I just do something nice for Shawn?" Eric questioned.

"Yes." Morgan answered.

"Do I normally do nice stuff for Shawn?" Eric asked.

Morgan shook her head. "No."

"Why would I do nice stuff for Shawn?" Eric wondered.

"Because something terrible happened between him, Cory or Zoey." Morgan answered.

Eric forced out a chuckle. "Eat your grilled cheese."

Shawn placed his fork down and looked up at Eric. "So I would be correct in assuming that... this wonderful meal is actually one of those condemned-man, death-row, last-meal kind of things. But that can't be, because there's no cake." Eric reached to the cake holder in front of him and pulled the top off, revealing a chocolate cake. Shawn frowned and stood up. "Dead man walking. Should we do this in the living room."

"We could do it there." Eric said quietly. The two walked into the living room. "Look, I'm only telling you think because it's the right thing to do."

Shawn crossed his arms and pursed his lips. "Don't tell me."

"No, Shawn, I think you gotta hear this one." Eric said in a serious tone.

"Alright, then tell me. As long as it doesn't have anything to do with Cory and Zoey. I should be okay." Shawn told him.

Eric hesitated for a moment. "Okay. Um... have you ever heard the expression...."

Shawn watched as Eric faked being stabbed in the chest before falling back onto the couch dramatically.

"Well, you have my attention now." Shawn said, sitting on the couch beside Eric.

"Shawn, I saw Cory at Chubbies. He was there with Zoey. She seemed upset. They were hugging and he kissed her." Eric announced.

Shawn's mouth parted in shock. "What?"

"He kissed her." Eric repeated.

"What?!" Shawn demanded. He stood up and walked over to the phone.

"Nothing happened at all." Eric said, trying to ease the tension. "You know, normally I love tell you or Cory bad stuff, but this one's killing me. Shawn, I know how upset you must be."

"Eric, listen, nothing happened at all, right? You said so yourself." Shawn sneered. He dialed Zoey's house number into the phone and held it against his ear. "Zoey, it's me. Are you there? It's 7 o'clock. Pick up the phone. Where are you?"

When he didn't get a response, Shawn hung up. He began pacing around the living room with his jaw clenched in anger.

Eric sighed. "I had to tell you, right? You understand I had to tell you what I saw?"

Shawn shoved Eric back onto the couch. "How could you let this happen to me?"

"Okay, I understand that you're upset and that's why I'm not gonna kick your butt." Eric responded.

"You see him kiss her?" Shawn asked.

Eric sadly nodded. "I did."

"My butt's kicked anyway." Shawn mumbled with a frown.

••••

The next day at school, Shawn had spent all day looking for either Cory or Zoey to talk to her about what Eric had told him last night. But every time Zoey was within eyesight, she seemed to disappear. It was as if she knew Shawn was trying to corner her and she was doing everything she could to avoid him.

Shawn finally found her, coincidentally sitting with Cory in the cafeteria.

"Cory. Hi. Zoey. Hi." Shawn greeted the two seriously. "Both of you.... Hi." Both Cory and Zoey turned to him with worried eyes, their nerves reeling. "Zoey, I need to talk to you."

Zoey stood up and smiled apologetically. "I can't. I have Feeny's History class."

"No, you don't. You have lunch now." Shawn said, stepping in front of her. "How come you didn't call me back last night?"

"It was really late." Zoey simply replied.

Shawn narrowed his eyes. "It was seven o'clock."

Zoey sighed heavily. "Shawn, I have history now."

Shawn didn't have a chance to respond as she marched out of the cafeteria. Cory sighed and was about to follow her until Shawn stepped in front of him with a glare.

"Where are you going?" Shawn demanded.

"I've got history now." Cory lied.

"You have lunch now, with me." Shawn corrected.

"You let her go." Cory pointed out. Shawn continued to glare at his best friend. "Okay. Okay, but I only got like a minute or two."

Shawn sighed. "Alight, listen, I'm gonna be absolutely mature about this. Knock, knock."

"Who's there?" Cory slowly asked.

"You and Zoey, together at Chubbie's last night. Eric saw you." Shawn condemned them with a frown.

"You and Zoey, together at Chubbie's last night, Eric saw you.... who?" Cory wondered.

Shawn began to grew impatient. "Were you at Chubbie's last night?"

"Eric has no idea what he saw." Cory said defensively.

"Were you at Chubbie's last night?" Shawn repeated, his voice becoming louder.

"Yes." Cory answered.

"Were you there with Zoey?" Shawn asked.

"Yes." Cory replied.

Shawn huffed. "I'll be looking for a no on this next question. Got it? Did you kiss her?"

"Yes." Cory answered.

"No!" Shawn exclaimed in frustration. "Y-You kissed her?"

"Shawn, it was no big deal, okay? Zoey got into a fight with her mum. She was real emotional, and I happened to be there, so I gave her a hug, and yes, I gave her an innocent kiss. Innocent. That's what happened. And you know that I tell you everything." Cory explained.

"Yeah, but how come she didn't come to me?" Shawn asked.

"She will." Cory promised. "We just happened to run into each other first, that's all."

Shawn nodded slowly. "Okay, well, I guess I feel better then."

"Zoey loves you. Eric's got you jumping to conclusions. Tell him to back off." Cory advised.

••••

Late at night, Zoey was in her bedroom, twiddling with her fingers on her lap, a deep sigh escaping her lips.

Someone came in through the window, and as her head snapped up, she was unsurprised to see Shawn crawling into the room, panting. His blue eyes seemed slightly crazed until they landed on her.

Zoey jumped off of the bed, ready to explain before he could start yelling.

"Shawn-" Zoey was cut off as her boyfriend took two long strides over, grabbing the back of her head and tilted it up before pressing his lips against hers. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to be the last one to kiss you before I kill you." Shawn told her.

Zoey frowned. "Shawn...."

"Zo, my favourite part about our relationship is that... we-we've always been able to talk to each other. About anything. So I want you to talk to me." Shawn said quietly. Zoey reached up, pressing her lips to his and caressed his mouth in a lingering kiss.. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to be the last one to kiss you before I kill you." Zoey repeated with a slight smirk.

"This is really bad, huh?" Shawn asked.

Zoey nodded, taking his hand as she leaned him to her bed. She sat in the middle and patted the space beside her. Shawn's hand squeezed Zoey's when he realized what she must have been thinking. She closed her eyes, a single tear falling down her cheek.

"Shawn, look... you're my best friend, and you always have been. And more. And I know how young and stupid this is, but I've always believed that we'd be together for the rest of our lives." Zoey said, quickly wiping the tear away.

"Stop time." Shawn muttered.

Zoey furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"I want to call 'stop time' now. I want to stop time because I know that if you keep on going, then you're gonna get to the bad part. But I know that if we stop time, then we're gonna be together for the rest of our lives." Shawn said, pulling her body against his chest, stroking her hair with his fingers. He pulled away and noticed the tears brimming her eyes. "Hey, I-I called a stop time. You-You cant cry. Nothing happens during stop time. We're just together. Please, don't cry." Shawn then noticed her bedroom was filled with boxes. "How come there's so many boxes in your room?"

Zoey pulled away from Shawn as a tear fell down her cheek. "Shawn... My mum and I... are moving."

"To a different house on the same block you live on now?" Shawn asked.

"We're leaving Philadelphia." Zoey explained sadly. "We're moving the day after tomorrow. There's no way out of this. My mum was accepted for a new job in Pittsburgh, and they need her right away." Shawn sat at the end of the bed quietly. "Shawn, you have to say something."

"I don't believe in Pittsburgh." Shawn stated, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I believe in us. I mean, I don't care if I have to walk to Pittsburgh. Nothing's gonna come between us, all right? We're gonna be together for the rest of our lives. So there... I'm as young and stupid as you."

"I'm sorry I was afraid to talk to you. And here you are, trying to make me feel better." Zoey said. She then frowned and rested against his chest. "Shawn, what's going to happen?"

"Nothing. Look, what's gonna happen is that this is a... simple test for our relationship. A simple... piece-of-cake test for a relationship as solid as ours." Shawn replied.

Zoey smiled slightly. "You're right. If two people who care about each other as much as we do can't hold it together, then there's no hope for anyone."

"No. It's gonna take something a lot bigger than Pittsburgh to break us apart." Shawn said. Zoey gave him a smile before kissing him passionately. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to be the last one to kiss you before I kiss you again." Zoey replied with a smile.

••••

At the Ping Flamingo Trailer Park, Shawn was up all night trying to figure out the distance between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. He was sitting on the ground with maps surrounding him on the floor.

Virna and Chet stood in the kitchen, watching their son trying to find a solution.

"Shawn, honey, I know how hard this must seem right now, but sometimes we have to believe that things happened for a reason and that life works out for the best." Virna told her son.

Shawn was not giving up. Zoey was his happiness, the only treasure he adored with a complete passion. Since the day she came into his word; his life has never remained the same. She brought an endless smile to his face every day.

"Mum, listen, everything's gonna work out." Shawn reassured. "I mean, do you know how close Philadelphia and Pittsburgh actually are? It's very easy. It's just a matter of rearranging some schedules."

Virna shook her head. "No, I think it's going to be harder than you realize."

"Virna, Shawn's trying very hard." Chet told his wife. "Why do we have to-"

"Because, Chet, it's going to be harder than he realizes, and I think he needs to know that." Virna interrupted in a form tone of voice.

Shawn sighed. "Mum, listen, Zoey and I have talked about this, okay? If we believe we can make this work, why would you doubt us?"

"I don't doubt your feelings for Zoey. It's just that long-distance relationships are very difficult." Virna informed.

Shawn furrowed his eyebrows. "So what are you saying? You want us to just give up?"

"No, Shawn, I'm saying that you have lived in the same town all your lives, and now you won't, and that's going to make things painful." Virna explained.

Shawn looked at his father in disbelief. "Why is mum talking about pain?"

"Because it may be tougher than you think." Chet simply replied.

Shawn scoffed. "Listen, guys, Zoey and I know what's in each other's hearts, okay? And if our hearts say that we're worth any sacrifice for each other and we're willing to make those sacrifices because we're gonna be together for the rest of our lives, then why shouldn't we?"

"The rest of your lives?" Virna questioned.

Shawn nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"Shawn, you're sixteen years old." Virna reminded.

"Yeah, mum, so are a couple of friends of min named Romeo and Juliet and they turned out okay, didn't they?" Shawn snapped. He stood up and walked to his room.

••••

Shawn and Zoey sat against her bedroom wall. Zoey's butt on the ground but she had her legs over his lap, her head rested on his shoulder and his head on top of hers. Their hands were tangled on her lap, the scent of her shampoo invading his nostrils and managing to make him feel the slightest bit better.

"Marry me." Shawn insisted, lifting his head from off of Zoey's. "We'll buy a house, start a family, and live in the same city."

"Shawnie, we can't get married." Zoey said, running her fingers through his hair.

"Look, I know we'll struggle at first, but all couple struggle at first. But I figured we get a couple of part-time jobs, cut back on expenses, and find an abandoned home in an upscale neighborhood." Shawn told her.

Zoey smiled. "Shawn..."

Shawn stood up with a wide smile. "Now let's go see what your mum will kick in, okay? Come on, let's go."

"Shawn." Zoey called, squeezing his hand. "We can't get married."

Shawn frowned. "Can we see each other every weekend?"

"Yeah. Can we write letters to each other every day?" Zoey wondered, standing up from the ground.

"Yeah. Everyday." Shawn replied quietly. He pulled her body against his chest, stroking her hair with his fingers. "Look, Zo, I don't -I don't know. I mean, it is a new town. It's a new school. It's new people. I mean, pretty soon guys are gonna be lining up to ask you out. I mean, with me not there, why shouldn't you accept?"

"What about you, Shawn?" Zoey asked, pulling away a little so she could look at him properly. "I know a million girls who would love to go out with you. So where does that leave us? I'm leaving for Pittsburgh tomorrow night."

"Yeah. Well, it's a long walk to Pittsburgh." Shawn pointed out. He then took off his leather jacket and handed it to her. "Keep it. It's yours. Like I am."

••••

Cory had taken Shawn out to Chubbie's to cheer him up amid the Zoey moving situation. Shawn was a mess, he was drowning soda bottle after soda bottle like he was drinking his problems away at a bar.

"So, what are you and Zoey going to do this weekend?" Cory asked.

Shawn looked up with a frown. "You know, Cor, it occurs to me that we have been here an hour, and you have yet to feel bad for me. Now, why is that? Why haven't you felt bad for me?"

"Shawn, would you say that I happen to watch a lot of TV?" Cory asked.

"Apart from me - more than anyone I know." Shawn answered immediately. "Why?"

Cory smiled. "I have seen this plot a thousand times, and it always ends exactly the same. The girlfriend never moves away."

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Cory, the girlfriend's mum got a job in Pittsburgh."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, all packed up, enrolled in a new school, boo-hoo, tears, tears. Give me a challenge, okay? Zoey is not going anywhere." Cory said decidedly.

"Cory, it's not TV." Shawn pointed out slowly.

"Trust me." Cory said simply.

"So you're saying that she can't move if we're really supposed to be together, can she?" Shawn asked.

"Not if TV is the true mirror of our lives." Cory replied.

"Okay, okay. But wait, wait. What about tomorrow night? Now tomorrow night, she's coming over to your house to say goodbye, what about that?" Shawn countered, trying to find a flaw.

"It's not gonna happen." Cory answered.

"What about ER? Now the doctor on ER, she really left. What about her?" Shawn questioned.

"ER's real." Cory told him.

"So you don't really think she's gonna leave, do you?" Shawn asked in disbelief.

Cory shook his head. "No, I don't."

"And why not?" Shawn asked, beginning to feel hopeful again.

Cory gave him a meaningful look. "Because you don't deserve that kind of pain."

••••

Zoey had come to Cory's house to say goodbye to everyone. Topanga, Cory, and Shawn stood on Cory's back porch as they waited for Zoey to stop by.

"Hi, Shawn." Zoey greeted, approaching them. "Hi, guys. Thanks for coming."

"Sure, Zoey." Cory replied enthusiastically. "Really sorry that you're moving."

Topanga stood awkwardly in front of the other girl, unsure if this was a situation that called for a hug or not. Thankfully, Zoey seemed to understand her hesitation and hugged her first. Topanga wrapped her arms around her in return.

"I'm gonna miss you, Zo." Topanga mumbled quietly, feeling tears prick her eyes as it set in that she really was saying goodbye.

"I'm going to miss you too, Topanga." Zoey replied softly, hugging her together.

They parted and Topanga stepped away to let Zoey say goodbye to her boyfriend.

"Listen, Zoey, I was thinking Saturday night maybe you and I, we could go out to dinner, we could see a movie, we could hold each other for five hours." Shawn suggested.

Zoey frowned. "Shawn, what are you saying? I came over to say goodbye. That's hard enough."

"Zoey, listen, we don't need to say goodbye because you're not going anywhere. You're not moving." Shawn told her.

"Shawn, what are you saying? My mum is in the car waiting for me. We're leaving for Pittsburgh." Zoey responded.

Shawn shook his head. "No, you're.... you're not moving because we're supposed to be together like we've always talked about, so you can't move, because we don't deserve that kind of pain."

Zoey sighed. "Shawn, will you just give me a hug and a kiss and say goodbye to me?"

"No." Shawn replied.

Zoey wrapped her arms around him. "Goodbye, Shawnie. I love you."

Zoey kissed Shawn softly before reluctantly pulling away and walking to her mother's car.

"Cory, what's happening?" Shawn asked desperately as he watched the car begin to pull out.

"It's not over yet. The car's gonna turn around, just watch. Any second now. Just way. Okay." Cory said. The three watched the car drive down the road until it became a small dot they could barely see. "What the hell kind of TV show is this?"

"You know that pain everyone keeps talking about?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah." Cory answered softly.

"I think I'm starting to feel it...." Shawn trailed off as his eye began to tear up.

__________________
PUBLISHED: June 15, 2018
WORDS: 3257