FLASHBACK 1994

It was just a few weeks before the Santa Barbara High School senior prom. Everyone was getting ready, dresses and tuxedos were getting bought, limos were being rented, and plans for after parties were being made. And everyone was getting dates. 18-year-old Shawn Spencer had already asked Natalie Amber Toscana. She was simply the prettiest, coolest, most popular girl at school. She was head cheerleader, homecoming queen, class president, and a local teen model. And Shawn was the envy of every guy. Shawn's best friend, Burton "Gus" Guster had a date, too. He was taking Luanne Stephens, his good friend from his chemistry class. Luanne was the nicest girl that Gus had ever met. She was very sweet and kind. She volunteered at a local hospital and at her church. She got straight A's and was chosen to be valedictorian for their graduating class. Gus was so excited to get a date and he shared his excited with Shawn after school. An ecstatic Gus met up with Shawn at their cars after school.

"Guys, guys, you will never believe it!" Gus said.

"What? You finally kissed a girl?" mocked Shawn.

Gus responded with a curt "No." Then, he perked up. "You will never guess who I'm taking to prom."

"You finally found a date?" Shawn responded. "You mean, you're not taking your cousin, Kelsey?"

At first, Shawn just laughed.

"No, I'm taking Luanne Stephens," Gus responded, excitedly.

All the boys stared at him for a few seconds.

"No, dude, seriously, who are you taking?" Shawn asked.

"I just told you, Luanne Stephens," he said, seriously.

Shawn laughed hard.

Gus was not pleased. "Why on earth are you laughing?"

Shawn stopped and said, "How do I put this delicately? She's a dog."

Gus was horrified. "She is not!" He retorted.

"Come on, dude, she is," Shawn said. "She's no Jennifer Aniston."

Gus had to admit that Luanne wasn't Jennifer Aniston. She was slightly overweight and wore glasses. But she had a beautiful face, pretty eyes, and a gorgeous smile. Gus thought she was beautiful because of her personality

"Well, Shawn, she may not look like Jennifer Aniston," he explained. "But she is a nice person and she is very sweet, something that Natalie Amber isn't."

With that, a hurt Gus walked away.

PRESENT DAY

Shawn Spencer was sitting at the Psych offices, putting his feet on his desk and throwing a ball.

Gus came into the office and asked, "So, Shawn, how was the blind date I set you up with?"

Shawn stopped throwing the ball and looked at him. "It was horrible."

"What do you mean, horrible?" Gus asked, as he helped himself to a cup of coffee.

"Gus, why did you set me up with a youth minister?" He asked.

"Come on, Cheryl is a nice lady," he said.

"Gus, look at me," Shawn said, standing up and waving his hand across his lean body. "Do I look like the kind of dude who would date a youth minister? I mean, look at how she dresses."

"What about how she dresses?" Gus asked, sitting down at his desk, flipping through mail.

"She wore black pants with a lacy shirt that covered everything," Shawn explained, as he pushed his chair towards Gus. "And she had her hair pulled back and wore very little make-up. She looked like a younger version of my grandmother."

"Shawn, did you even bother to get to know Cheryl?" he asked. "Do you know that she writes poetry? Or that she bakes for the homeless?"

Shawn's face fell. "Well, she may have mentioned that in our conversation."

Gus looked at Shawn and said, "You know, Shawn, you are about as deep as a Frisbee."

"What do you mean, 'I'm as deep as a Frisbee?'" Shawn demanded.

"I mean that you are so swallow," he said. "When it comes to a girl, you only about how they look like; whether they're thin or pretty or wear sexy clothes."

"That's not true," Shawn said. "I look at their legs as well."

"I rest my case," Gus said, as he sat back and slipped his coffee.

Shawn stood at his desk for a few minutes and thought about that Gus had said. It's true. All his life, since he was first interested in girls, he had always gone for the pretty girl, the one who wore nice, short skirts and wore lots of make-up. He never bothered to get to know the person. Perhaps that is why he never had a real relationship or never was in love. He just looked at the cover but never read the book.