One For Love
A/N: Thanks for everyone who read the first chapter. And thank you, also, for the kind review. It was greatly appreciated.
Chapter 2
"Unknown"
Eric and Jack dumped the last of Eric's boxes in his room.
"Glad to have you back, bud," Jack said, slapping Eric on the shoulder. Jack was truly glad to have his best friend back. After things fell apart with Rachel, he wasn't sure what to expect. All he wanted now were for things to return to normal.
In the other room, Rachel sat on the couch. She wasn't sure what to expect, living with Jack. And Eric. Things had changed after they had broken things off. Moreover, he had changed. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was exactly, but whatever it was, she didn't like it. And Eric. As strange as he was, she and Jack both knew that he was holding them at an arms length. What Rachel had noticed, however, was it wasn't just herself and Jack that Eric kept at bay, but rather their entire group, his brother included. Rachel wasn't sure why, but she was determined to find out why. It pained her, slightly, to see Eric like this. Sure, his antics were still strange. But he wasn't just the same. No one was these days, she lamented. Everything was changing. And that scared her so much. These last few months at Pennbrook were it. Her life was waiting for her. And yet, she still had so much to learn. They all did. The real world was beckoning, but Rachel wanted nothing to do with it. Her thoughts were interrupted when the guys joined her. Eric sat on one of the bar stools, Jack collapsed onto the couch beside his ex-girlfriend.
"We should go out tonight, celebrate, you know, the three of us back together," Jack declared. Rachel looked over at Eric who nodded slowly.
"Sounds good!" She agreed. "Eric, where do you want to go?" He got off his stool, opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of juice.
"Doesn't matter," he said, concentrating intently on the bottle. "Wherever you want is fine. I'm just going to go unpack." He left the room. Rachel and Jack looked at each other. The tension was palpable. Jack cleared his throat and looked away. Rachel rubbed her hands on her jeans.
"I'm just-"
"I think I'll-" They both started at the same time. The pair laughed nervously and looked away. Rachel stood.
"I'm just going to go study." She, too, left the room. Jack, alone, sat on the couch.
"Maybe things can never be the same," he whispered to himself.
---
"I talked to Angela today." Shawn finally broke the silence in the room. He couldn't take it anymore. It was deafening. He didn't get an answer. He didn't expect one. "You know, every time I talk to her, I feel like she's coming around." He fell into the hush again. The walls were closing in on him. He didn't have the girl, and after last night, he didn't have his best friend. He wasn't sure what had happened between Cory and Topanga, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. Shawn had seen every facet of Cory's vast emotional range, but this was a new one, and that scared him for some reason. The urge to run, to get away suddenly became overwhelming; Shawn glanced at the clock beside him on the dresser.
"Well, it appears to be that time of day. Angela should be getting back from class. And I plan on waiting for her. You know, try and worm my way back in a little." With that, Shawn stood, tossed the magazine he'd been reading aside, glanced again in Cory's direction, and strolled out the door.
Once the door clicked into place, Cory looked up, pushing aside the torrid flood of thoughts that occupied his mind. His head fell back, hands drawn to his face. He sighed, he needed a distraction. He slowing got up. His jacket was hanging on the back of his desk chair. He grabbed it. He opened the door. Topanga was on the other side.
"Cory," she said, surprised to see him standing before him. "Cory, I-I just wanted to talk to you about last night." She looked into his face. "Is everything alright? You don't look-" Cory cut her off.
"I'm fine. Actually, I can't talk right now. Maybe later." He pushed past her, leaving the door to his room wide open. Topanga didn't know what to think. Her eyes trailed his form as he disappeared down the hall. This was a new development. Cory always had time for her, no matter the circumstance. He rounded the corner. Topanga shifted her gaze to his empty bedroom. It was neat enough, especially for housing Shawn and Cory. She walked in a few steps and looked around. She had been in that room so many times, but she'd never really looked at it. She never noticed the little things. His books were stacked neatly on his desk; his bulletin board hosted a variety of pictures of Shawn, Cory, and her. Under a picture of just the two of them was a wrinkled piece of paper. Topanga moved the picture aside and began to read. Sun. The only. The one. Donut in the sky. Space, big gaping place. Without, within our skin. Donut in the sky. Topanga had tears in her eyes by the time she had finished reading the poem. After all these years, she couldn't believe that Cory had kept her poem from their project in the sixth grade. She sat on the edge of his bed. She jumped when Shawn entered the room.
"Shawn! You scared me," she said, breathless, hand covering her heart.
"Topanga, what are you doing here?" he asked. "Where's Cory?" Topanga stood.
"I don't know. I came over here to talk to him, but he left. He didn't say where he was going." Shawn looked to the ceiling and ran a hand through his hair. Shawn took a deep breath and gave the girl a level stare.
"Topanga, I think we need to talk." Topanga shook her head. She couldn't handle this right now. Not from Shawn. Not now. Too much was happening. Too much had happened.
"Shawn," she said slowly. "I just don't think I can do this right now."
"There you are, girl. I was wondering where you were." Topanga breathed a sigh of relief. Angela walked into the room. Looking over at Shawn's serious expression, her smile faded. "Did I interrupt something?" She crossed her arms and looked at each in turn.
"No! No, I was just leaving." Topanga wasted no time leaving the room. Angela gave Shawn one last look before following her roommate out the door. Shawn ran a hand through his hair again and flopped onto his bed.