THIS IS A HUG
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
Got inspired while re-watching the episode "Cult Fiction" on youtube and is Cory's POV during the scene. Belongs to Buena Vista Entertainment and Disney.
I watched Shawn as he stared down at Mr. Turner. I saw the emotions playing out on his face: fear, desperation…it made me hurt. I hated seeing my best friend like this.
"Corey, I can't be in here. This is too intense," he said in a panicked voice.
"For all of us, Shawn," Topanga answered. "But this is life. This is really happening right now," she continued in a serious tone.
"I need Mr. Mac," Shawn insisted.
"No! He can't help you with this," she responded, and I could tell that she was frustrated. So was I. We just couldn't understand why Shawn was putting so much faith in this guy. And I knew the frustration stemmed from feeling helpless that she couldn't get through to one of her best friends. "Shawn, what is the matter with you!" she asked. He began stammering.
"I can't look at him like this!" he finally managed to get out. He's scared, I thought. Seeing that he was about to leave, I ran in front of him to block the door. "Cory, what are you doing? Come on, let me go."
"No," I told him. I wasn't leaving him. I wasn't losing my best friend to this creepy cult guy.
"Cory, let me go!"
"Shawn! This is a hug!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him. "Okay, this is a hug! And this is when you hug somebody, when you care about them and you want them to know that!" I continued, tightening my grip. I'm with you, Shawn. Please see this, I thought, trying to convey my feelings into the hug. I released Shawn and I could see the hurt, vulnerability, and confusion in his eyes. In all our years of friendship, we had never had an argument like this. I had never talked to him like this. I had never needed to. But he was scaring me. I was losing him and I couldn't bear that thought. "Now you cannot leave here, do you hear me?" I continued. Please, Shawn. Please hear me, I begged silently. "Turner took care of you, he loves you, and you love him!" He stared at me. "Is that real? Or are Mr. Mac and the Centre real?" Shawn was silent. "You decide, but you cannot go." I looked into his eyes until I was sure that he understood how serious I was. From what I could see, he finally got it. He knew I meant it. "We can go," I finished. Topanga approached me and I watched Shawn warily as we headed out. I gave him one last look, and then walked out the door.