Chapter One: California Here We Come
"Shaun! Did you get the letter?" Cory Matthews bolted to his regular booth in Chubby's, a fast food place that all the local kids hung out at in Philadelphia.
"Yeah man, I got it." Shaun Hunter held up the unopened envelope. "We just gotta wait for..."
"You guys!!!" Topanga Lawrence sped down the steps and into the booth with Cory and Shaun.
"...Topanga." Shaun finished. "Alright, here we go."
"Foreign exchange program!" Cory said.
"I hope I get Scotland."
"I didn't know you spoke Scottish." Shaun said.
Topanga rolled her eyes. "Nevermind. Okay. One two three!"
They all tore open their envelopes. "Hillridge, California." Cory read.
"Hey! Me too!" Shaun said.
"Yay!!!" they yelled.
"Topanga?" Cory asked.
"Hillridge, California." she said glumly. "I was hoping for somewhere exotic."
"Topanga, look at it this way. You'll be with us." Cory said.
Topanga sighed and laid her head on the table. "I wanted a vacation."
Cory looked at his best friend. "Is she insulting us?"
"I believe so, my little Cory."
"A whole semester without our parents. No Eric. No Harley." Cory said. "Life will be good."
"Who are you staying with?" Topanga asked.
"Miranda Sanchez." Shaun read. "What about you guys?"
"David Gordon." Cory said.
"Elizabeth McGuire." Topanga read her letter.
"Hey how come you got a girl?" Cory asked Shaun.
Shaun shrugged, chewing on a french fry. "Funny how everything works out for me."
Cory rolled his eyes and dug into the fries.
***
"Lizzie!" Miranda Sanchez said, running into the Digital Bean. "I got a boy I got a boy!"
Lizzie McGuire looked up in surprise. "You got a boy??? No fair!!!"
"His name is Shaun Hunter. He's from Philadelphia. And he's a boy!!!" Miranda said, sitting down.
"Okay, that's so not fair. I got a girl. Her name is...Tah-...tah....tahpah..."
"Lemme see that." David "Gordo" Gordon plucked the paper from her hands. "Topanga. Topanga Lawrence. Hey, she's from Philly too. So's my guy."
"I wonder if they know each other." Lizzie said.
"I wish they sent photos with these things." Miranda sighed.
Gordo rolled his eyes. "One track mind much?"
"Jealous much?" Miranda fired back.
"Of the guy?" Gordo snorted. "Please."
"Me. I have a member of the opposite sex, and you have..."
"Cory Matthews. But unlike you, I'm not really looking for a long distance relationship."
"Not when you have one right in front of you...ow!" Miranda rubbed her shin after Gordo kicked her under the table. He shot her a Look.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting Topah...topah...."
"TOPANGA!" Gordo and Miranda both yelled.
"Fine, Topanga!" Lizzie replied. "When did you guys become the English police?"
Gordo rolled his eyes and laughed at her, Lizzie just grumbled to herself.
***
"Cory, are you sure you have everything?" Amy Matthews asked her son at the Philadelphia Airport.
"Yes mom." Cory said.
"Did you pack plenty of clean underwear?" she asked.
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm fourteen, I'm not a baby anymore."
"But you're my baby. We're not gonna see you for an entire semester."
"Amy, he'll be fine. He's a good kid." Alan Matthews, Cory's father, told his wife.
"Hey, where's Eric and Morgan? Didn't they come to say goodbye?" Topanga asked. Cory, Topanga, Amy, and Alan all looked around.
"Eric!!! Get off the baggage claim!" Alan yelled. "Morgan, stay out of people's suitcases." He turned to Cory. "You are our only normal child, Don't let us down." He turned to retrieve both his youngest and eldest children.
"Where's Shaun???" Cory looked around, panicked.
"He's over there in the pack of stewardesses." Topanga pointed. A minute later, Shaun walked over, stuffing papers with phone numbers written on them in his pocket.
"Why didn't anybody tell me about this place???" he asked. "Is there more of it?"
Topanga shook her head. "Shaun, where's your dad?"
"He didn't come. He has this fear of airplanes..." Shaun shrugged.
Suddenly, an announcement came on over the loudspeaker.
"Now boarding flight 334 to Los Angeles, California, we are now boarding."
"I guess that's us." Cory said to his mom.
"Be good. Mind the..."
"Gordons." Cory finished.
"Yes, mind the Gordons. Don't get into any trouble." Amy said. "I love you."
"Love you too mom." Cory said. "I'll see you in June."
The trio boarded the plane, and quickly found their seats.
"I'm so excited!" Topanga said. Shaun sat in his seat, obviously pondering something.
"Shaun, what's wrong?" Cory asked.
"So let me get this straight. This thing..."
"The plane?" Topanga asked.
"Yeah, this big piece of tin, is gonna float us over to California? I don't buy it, I want my money back."
"Shaun, it's not exactly like..." Topanga started, but Cory raised a hand to stop her.
"Don't explain it to him, you'll confuse him even more."
"We get peanuts on this thing right?" Shaun asked.
Topanga sighed. It was going to be a long flight.
"Shaun! Did you get the letter?" Cory Matthews bolted to his regular booth in Chubby's, a fast food place that all the local kids hung out at in Philadelphia.
"Yeah man, I got it." Shaun Hunter held up the unopened envelope. "We just gotta wait for..."
"You guys!!!" Topanga Lawrence sped down the steps and into the booth with Cory and Shaun.
"...Topanga." Shaun finished. "Alright, here we go."
"Foreign exchange program!" Cory said.
"I hope I get Scotland."
"I didn't know you spoke Scottish." Shaun said.
Topanga rolled her eyes. "Nevermind. Okay. One two three!"
They all tore open their envelopes. "Hillridge, California." Cory read.
"Hey! Me too!" Shaun said.
"Yay!!!" they yelled.
"Topanga?" Cory asked.
"Hillridge, California." she said glumly. "I was hoping for somewhere exotic."
"Topanga, look at it this way. You'll be with us." Cory said.
Topanga sighed and laid her head on the table. "I wanted a vacation."
Cory looked at his best friend. "Is she insulting us?"
"I believe so, my little Cory."
"A whole semester without our parents. No Eric. No Harley." Cory said. "Life will be good."
"Who are you staying with?" Topanga asked.
"Miranda Sanchez." Shaun read. "What about you guys?"
"David Gordon." Cory said.
"Elizabeth McGuire." Topanga read her letter.
"Hey how come you got a girl?" Cory asked Shaun.
Shaun shrugged, chewing on a french fry. "Funny how everything works out for me."
Cory rolled his eyes and dug into the fries.
***
"Lizzie!" Miranda Sanchez said, running into the Digital Bean. "I got a boy I got a boy!"
Lizzie McGuire looked up in surprise. "You got a boy??? No fair!!!"
"His name is Shaun Hunter. He's from Philadelphia. And he's a boy!!!" Miranda said, sitting down.
"Okay, that's so not fair. I got a girl. Her name is...Tah-...tah....tahpah..."
"Lemme see that." David "Gordo" Gordon plucked the paper from her hands. "Topanga. Topanga Lawrence. Hey, she's from Philly too. So's my guy."
"I wonder if they know each other." Lizzie said.
"I wish they sent photos with these things." Miranda sighed.
Gordo rolled his eyes. "One track mind much?"
"Jealous much?" Miranda fired back.
"Of the guy?" Gordo snorted. "Please."
"Me. I have a member of the opposite sex, and you have..."
"Cory Matthews. But unlike you, I'm not really looking for a long distance relationship."
"Not when you have one right in front of you...ow!" Miranda rubbed her shin after Gordo kicked her under the table. He shot her a Look.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting Topah...topah...."
"TOPANGA!" Gordo and Miranda both yelled.
"Fine, Topanga!" Lizzie replied. "When did you guys become the English police?"
Gordo rolled his eyes and laughed at her, Lizzie just grumbled to herself.
***
"Cory, are you sure you have everything?" Amy Matthews asked her son at the Philadelphia Airport.
"Yes mom." Cory said.
"Did you pack plenty of clean underwear?" she asked.
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm fourteen, I'm not a baby anymore."
"But you're my baby. We're not gonna see you for an entire semester."
"Amy, he'll be fine. He's a good kid." Alan Matthews, Cory's father, told his wife.
"Hey, where's Eric and Morgan? Didn't they come to say goodbye?" Topanga asked. Cory, Topanga, Amy, and Alan all looked around.
"Eric!!! Get off the baggage claim!" Alan yelled. "Morgan, stay out of people's suitcases." He turned to Cory. "You are our only normal child, Don't let us down." He turned to retrieve both his youngest and eldest children.
"Where's Shaun???" Cory looked around, panicked.
"He's over there in the pack of stewardesses." Topanga pointed. A minute later, Shaun walked over, stuffing papers with phone numbers written on them in his pocket.
"Why didn't anybody tell me about this place???" he asked. "Is there more of it?"
Topanga shook her head. "Shaun, where's your dad?"
"He didn't come. He has this fear of airplanes..." Shaun shrugged.
Suddenly, an announcement came on over the loudspeaker.
"Now boarding flight 334 to Los Angeles, California, we are now boarding."
"I guess that's us." Cory said to his mom.
"Be good. Mind the..."
"Gordons." Cory finished.
"Yes, mind the Gordons. Don't get into any trouble." Amy said. "I love you."
"Love you too mom." Cory said. "I'll see you in June."
The trio boarded the plane, and quickly found their seats.
"I'm so excited!" Topanga said. Shaun sat in his seat, obviously pondering something.
"Shaun, what's wrong?" Cory asked.
"So let me get this straight. This thing..."
"The plane?" Topanga asked.
"Yeah, this big piece of tin, is gonna float us over to California? I don't buy it, I want my money back."
"Shaun, it's not exactly like..." Topanga started, but Cory raised a hand to stop her.
"Don't explain it to him, you'll confuse him even more."
"We get peanuts on this thing right?" Shaun asked.
Topanga sighed. It was going to be a long flight.