Warnings: Mentions of child abuse

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Chapter 3

It was Saturday at five o'clock when Shawn walked out of the garage finally. He was exhausted as he had to work for the past twenty-four hours straight thanks to Chet finding his hidden stash of money to pay the property taxes with. He had been saving up his money from working at the garage, the money he got from photography jobs and selling his pictures on the street. He had been able to save up in the past four months six hundred dollars and that was going towards the property taxes that were two grand that were due next month. Now that Chet had stolen it from him he had to try and come up with that money all over again all within the next month plus rent and utilities. He needed that six hundred dollars so he could be able to afford it all and now he was back down to zero. He had worked twenty-four hours straight at the garage and tomorrow he would have to be back there again at ten to work all day again. He would also have to work all week at the garage as well and just hope he could make enough money to cover everything. He would also have to try and get more photography jobs from working the street to see if he could make more money. He was able to get three hundred from working at the garage, it wasn't much considering how many hours he worked, but he only got paid a percentage of the price Uncle Mike charged for the work on the car. Shawn only gets paid five percent so if there isn't a big and expensive job for the car he didn't get much money for the amount of work he does.

The only thing keeping Shawn up right was knowing that tonight he would be able to sleep in a bed safely at Jon's place. He was also going to get to see Jack tonight and have something real to eat. He had been eating out of the vending machine on his break, but he didn't have much money so in the past twenty-four hours he's only had two small bags of chips and a coke. He was starving and exhausted and just wanted to sit down and not get up. Shawn didn't even want to think about the fact that he had History homework to do as well. Shawn walked out and saw that Jon was there sitting on the hood of his car. He smiled as he saw Shawn walk towards him, but the smile faded as he saw just how exhausted Shawn looked. He looked dead on his feet.

"Hey Shawn. You look exhausted." Turner said once Shawn got close enough.

"Hey Jon. I know we don't tend to do this, but I just really need a minute." Shawn said before he went and placed himself against Turner's chest and paced his head down on his shoulder.

Turner instantly wrapped his arms around Shawn and gave him a loving hug as he spoke.

"Hey anytime you need a hug you don't even have to ask."

Shawn wrapped his arms around Jon and they just stood there for a moment before Shawn pulled back and Turner saw that he had a few tears going down his face.

"Hey what's going on?" Turner asked with worry.

"Nothing I'm fine. I'm just so tired and so frustrated. I'm fine." Shawn said as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.

"In all of the time I've known you I've never seen you shed a single tear. You don't cry over nothing. Come on let's get in the car and you can tell me what is going on." Turner said with a soothing voice.

Shawn just gave a shaky nod and he went and got into the passenger seat while Turner got into the driver's seat. Turner started the car and headed towards his apartment so they wouldn't leave Jack waiting for them.

"What's going on Shawn? Or is it just an overall exhaustion?" Turner asked calmly.

"I'm so tired and frustrated. I've been saving up money from all of my jobs in the past four months. It's not much just whatever I could manage to put away. I was able to save six hundred dollars and I kept it in a small box under the floor boards in the closet. I don't have a bank account because my father used my name with different banks to steal money from them so it's ruined my name and no bank will let me open an account. So I had to hide it away where he couldn't find it. Only for some reason Thursday while I was working he tore the place apart. I got home and there was broken bottles all over the floor, he smashed the table and dining chairs into pieces, he even ripped up that mural I was working on for your extra credit. He ripped up the floor boards in the kitchen and in the closet and he found the money. He took it all and left the mess behind for me to clean up when I got home at two in the morning."

"Jesus Shawn. He's getting more unstable and more violent. What would have happened if you were there for it? He could have seriously hurt you." Turner said with worry.

"I know, I know. Six hundred dollars Jon. It was supposed to go towards the property taxes for next month. Its two grand and I need that to cover everything and now I have to try and make it all up. I've just spent the last twenty-four hours working at the garage straight for only three hundred bucks. It just pisses me off. I work all the time to pay the bills and cover everything and all he does is just get drunk and trash the place and just expects me to clean it up. And he knows I will because I don't want to live with glass on the floor and now I have to do that mural all over again when I could have used that time for another project." Shawn said with anger and frustration in his voice.

"You shouldn't be putting up with this Shawn. I know you don't want him to drink himself to death and I don't want to keep having the same conversation with you, but you need to leave and get out of there. You are sixteen your biggest worry should be your homework and not trying to come up with money to pay bills." Turner said with his own anger.

"I know and I know I have every right and reason to walk away, he's certainly done it enough times to justify it, but I can't. I can't do it not without being eaten alive by guilt. I need to talk to him when he's sober and try to get him to see what stress he's putting on me. He's gotta start working and helping out again. I can't keep going over twenty-four hours without sleep again. He's gotta try and change or at least put some of the money he makes playing pool back into the house." Shawn said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"You need to try and talk to him and I hope he doesn't turn violent against you. I would do it with you, but I have the feeling it would make it worse. You shouldn't be doing this Shawn. No one your age should have to be going through this. I'd offer you the money to help you pay the property taxes if I actually thought you would take it."

"I'll make it work, but I appreciate it. And you being there would just make him mad I'll handle it. What are we doing for dinner?"

"I thought I would pick up some Chinese on the way home and we can just relax there."

"Sounds good to me. I'm looking forward to seeing Jack again. I hope it's okay that I said we would meet at your place."

"It's our place Shawn, it always will be and of course it's okay for Jack to be there." Turner said as he pulled into the restaurant. "Anything you want in particular?"

"Honey garlic chicken sounds good."

"I'll be right back."

Turner got out of the car and headed inside. He didn't know what Jack would like so he got one of the family packages to get a good amount of variety for the three of them. The thing Turner loved so much about Chinese food was that it was cheap and you always get enough to last a couple of days. He had made sure he had gotten some breakfast groceries today as well for tomorrow. He was going to be making Shawn home fries, sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs tomorrow before he dropped Shawn off at work. He hated that Shawn was working so much and he hated feeling helpless. Turner could at least make sure Shawn was fed and had a bed to sleep in whenever he wanted. Turner got the food and headed back out to the car. He could see that Shawn was fighting to keep his eyes open. Turner placed the food on the backseat and got into his own seat. He heard Shawn's stomach growl at the smell of the food.

"God that smells so good." Shawn said waking up more now that his stomach was hungry again.

Turner spoke as he drove to the apartment. "When was the last time you ate?"

"The last actual meal I had was lunch at school on Friday. Other than that I ate two small bags of chips from the vending machine at work. It's part of the frustration. I spend my hard earned money on food so I can eat breakfast and take something with me for dinner to work. Only he gets drunk and eats it all with his friends just as fast as I can buy it. The only time I tend to eat a meal is at school it seems like anymore. I gotta find a different way to save money now and to try and keep food around somewhere."

"Ok well keeping money in the trailer isn't going to work. Once he knows you've hidden it he'll keep looking now. And a bank account in your name is out of the question. I could hold on to your money if you want. You could keep it at the apartment somewhere. That way you still have access to it, but Chet won't."

"Ya that would work. I'll start doing that." Shawn easily agreed.

"As for dinner I'll bring you a packed dinner to school that you can bring with you to work at night."

"Jon you don't have to do that." Shawn automatically said.

"I know I don't I want to. I make a lunch every day for myself it's no trouble to make one more and this way I know you are eating at least twice a day. I remember how much you can eat in a day and once at school is not enough for you. You are working all of these hours and not eating or sleeping properly you are going to get rundown and then sick. The last thing you need is to end up in the hospital because you got sick and your body can't fight it. I'm bringing you dinner to school and that's final." Turner said with a no argument tone in his voice that Shawn knew he wasn't going to win against.

"Thanks." Shawn said softly.

They pulled into Turner's usual parking space and they got out. Turner grabbed the food from the back seat and they went towards the front door. They saw Jack standing there by the front door as he didn't know what apartment number it was. Jack smiled as he saw Shawn.

"Hey man. You look tired." Jack said once Shawn and Turner were close enough that he could get a good look at him.

"It's been a long day. Did you find the place ok?" Shawn asked not looking to explain right now.

"Ya it wasn't too bad. How was work?" Jack asked as they headed inside.

"It was long, but it's done now and I don't go back until ten tomorrow morning."

"Do you do front desk work or do you actually work on the cars?" Jack asked as they headed up the stairs.

"I do both, but mostly I work on the cars I get paid five percent of the job that I work on." Shawn answered.

"That's it?" Jack asked.

"Ya well I don't have my license or of age to be a mechanic plus I work for family so it's a little different. I make more than I would working in a restaurant or a coffee shop. And I can get more hours." Shawn said back.

"Ya I guess it would work out in the end to be better given you're a minor. Is the garage busy a lot?" Jack asked as Turner unlocked the door and they headed inside.

"Normally ya. Uncle Mike does some stuff not quite on the up and up. I don't work on those cars only the legal ones. He tends to save those jobs for me, because I'm the only one that doesn't want to work on the illegal jobs." Shawn said.

"Well at least he doesn't make you so that's good." Jack said and it was clear he wasn't happy about the situation that Shawn was in.

"I hope you like Chinese food Jack." Turner said as he placed the cartoons down on the little island counter top.

"Ya who doesn't?" Jack said with a smile.

"Do you mind family style?" Turner asked as he grabbed some plates.

"Not at all." Jack said as he removed his jacket as Shawn did the same.

They all sat down at the island with Turner on the kitchen side and Jack and Shawn on the other side.

They all grabbed some food and put it on their plates as Jack spoke.

"So how was the rest of your week?" Jack asked Shawn.

"It was fine. Busy with work and school. You? Did your parents give you a hard time for coming down here?"

"Not at all actually. I was expecting some third degree and grilling when I got home, but they just asked how it went. When I told them I was coming down tonight they said I could stay the night if it was cool with you guys."

"Ya that's fine by me. We only have a couch for you though." Turner said.

"Couch works for me. Is that cool with you?" Jack asked Shawn.

"Ya it's good with me. I work tomorrow at ten though."

"I can head out at the same time that's no problem."

"How is school going for you Jack?" Turner asked.

"It's going well. I have a lot of final projects coming up and reports I have to start working on. We do a lot of team projects and twenty thousand word book reports. It's intense and can really bury you if you don't keep up with it."

"Wow that's intense. It'll get you ready for college though." Turner said.

"That it will and I'm thankful for that. Still sometimes you just want a weekend of doing nothing. My parents always have something going on that I have to attend these dinner parties for. We don't ever get to do something like this. This is awesome. Just sitting around talking and nothing fancy that you have to worry about manners and listening to conversations that you don't care about. We don't do this, we don't do the whole family dinner thing." Jack said honestly.

"I know what you mean. My parents are very well off and I used to spend every night it seemed like having to host a dinner party. It was always fine china and fancy food. I couldn't stand it." Turner said.

"The Matthews every night sit down for a family dinner and they are always together for it. I've never done it until I lived with Jon." Shawn said.

"It's important to be able to sit down together and talk about our day or anything. It's not always over here I'll admit there were many nights we ate in front of the TV on the couch watching a game." Turner said with a smile.

"It was still our time." Shawn said.

"And it always will be." Turner said.

"Man that is really cool. My parents and me are close, but sometimes I wish we could just be normal for a night or two. Me and my dad we play ball out back and stuff. We do, do normal things but sometimes it would be nice to be normal for longer than a few hours at a time." Jack said.

"Have you ever talked to your parents about it?" Turner asked.

"Naw I mean that's their way of life. My Dad he's very successful and he has to keep up appearances. I get that." Jack said.

"It's important that you talk to them about how you feel. I never did with my parents. They didn't want me to be a teacher, they wanted me to follow in the family business. I left at eighteen and I didn't talk to them for a long time, eight years. We're okay now, but I missed out on a lot of time with them all when I could have just talked to them and told them how I felt from the start. Don't leave for college with those feelings inside of you, the distance will only make them grow and life is too short to be not speaking to your family." Turner said calmly.

"You make a good point there Sir." Jack said honestly.

"Do me a favor and lose the Sir that makes me feel old." Turner said with a smile.

Shawn gave a chuckle to that and Jack gave a smile and a nod.

"Got it." Jack said.

"Oh Shawn you got a bunch of mail last night." Turner said as he went over to the kitchen counter where he normally kept the mail. He grabbed them as he turned back around to the island where Shawn was sitting. "Something interesting caught my attention. When did you start going by Shawn Turner?" Turner asked with a warm smile as he sat down and handed Shawn the pieces of mail.

"Ok that I can explain I swear." Shawn said with panic in his voice.

"Relax Shawn I don't care about the name. Though I have to say it looks and sounds really good. We might have to make that permanent one day. What I am interested in is what is in those envelopes. You have ten of them and some of them are well-known New York publishers. That is what I want to hear about." Turner said with a warm smile that Shawn couldn't help but smile back to.

"It's probably junk mail." Shawn said as he picked up the one envelope he had been waiting to hear back from.

"Publishers don't tend to send junk mail in large quantities." Turner said.

"Ok well two months ago I found this poster up in the food bank. It was a contest for kids between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. It's a poetry writing contests called the 100 Poem Challenge. You write a hundred poems and submit them all before the contests closes. It's based out of New York City and the top three winners would win money. First place gets fifteen hundred, second a thousand and third five hundred. I just did it for fun. I had a bunch of poems that I had written in the past year and a half and I wrote some more to make up the difference. I sent it all in as Shawn Turner just as a pen name and a precaution if I came in third place somehow." Shawn explained.

"Shawn Hunter and Chet could have taken the cheque and cashed it. Okay so open it." Turner said with a smile.

"You write poetry eh? That's cool and goes with you being creative. Do you play instruments?" Jack asked as Shawn opened the contest letter.

"I play guitar, I taught myself when I was eight. I found an old guitar out by the dumpsters and I cleaned it up. It's broken now though." Shawn said.

"Since when you still had it in great condition when you lived here." Turner asked.

"My father smashed it one night three months ago. Completely destroyed it." Shawn said as he pulled out the letter and began to read it.

Turner shook his head at that. It still amazed him how talented and creative Shawn was and that his own parents weren't supportive of him and his talent. When Shawn lived with him Turner made sure he encouraged Shawn to play his guitar and draw and write. He never told him to put the camera down or away. He never told him to stop playing the guitar all day long. He just allowed Shawn to explore his creativity anyway that worked for him. For Chet to actually smash Shawn's guitar, the guitar that he had repaired on his own with the help of a library book. It just pissed Turner off even more.

"Oh my God." Shawn said softly and in shock.

"What?" Turner asked slightly concerned.

Shawn looked up and looked right at Turner as he spoke. "I won." Shawn said in shock and amazed at the same time.

"What?" Jack asked with a smile.

"I won. I won the contest. I came in first place. I just won fifteen hundred dollars." Shawn said still in shock.

"What? Shawn that's amazing." Turner said with a huge smile.

"Dude that's awesome." Jack said with a smile of his own.

"Oh my God. That almost covers the property taxes I have to pay next month. I don't have to work as much now trying to come up with the money." Shawn said relieved.

"That is a conversation for another time. What does the letter say?" Turner asked hoping there would be a way that Shawn wouldn't have to spend the money on bills.

"Um…" Shawn said as he read the rest of the letter. "Ok so they want me to come out next weekend with the two other winners. They want to do an article for a magazine and a radio interview. They are paying for the hotel from Friday until Sunday as well as all of the food costs and transportation costs." Shawn said.

"That's amazing man. You get to be in New York City next weekend. We could hang out there and do dinner or something together." Jack said.

"Ya I just have to get time off work." Shawn said.

"You are going next weekend. Correction, we are going next weekend. You are not missing out on this amazing prize. Shawn an article is going to be written about your poetry. You get to be on the radio this is amazing Shawn. You get to be excited for this." Turner said with a smile trying to get Shawn to act like a sixteen year old and not an adult, a parent.

"This is pretty awesome. I only did it for fun and the chance of winning money. I never thought I would place or even win. It was open to the whole country between that age range. This is crazy." Shawn said with a smile and sounded shocked still.

"I have told you, you have always had talent and this proves it Shawn. You won out of everyone that applied you won. The sky is the limit with your talent." Turner said with honesty in his voice.

"What do the other ones say?" Jack asked.

"It's probably all junk from the contest." Shawn said as he grabbed one of the envelopes and opened it.

Shawn read the letter and they could see he was surprised by it.

"Judging by the look on your face right now I'm gonna assume not junk mail." Jack said.

"They want to meet me and discuss having my poetry published in my own book." Shawn said amazed.

"What? Holy crap." Jack said amazed.

"Shawn that is amazing." Turner said with his own smile.

Shawn went and opened the other envelopes and by the end of it he had nine publishers all looking to meet with him.

"They all want to meet with me to discuss a book deal. Nine publishers want to meet me." Shawn said amazed and stunned.

"Shawn man, that is an amazing opportunity for you. You can get your poetry published." Jack said with a smile.

"It's a great thing Shawn. You look like you ran into a wall right now though." Turner said.

"It's just a lot to take in right now. I mean I didn't think I would win the contest. I thought maybe if I was lucky enough I would place third. I've never had anyone read my poetry before it was just something I did to get my thoughts and feelings out. And now nine publishers want to meet with me to publish them. This is crazy." Shawn said amazed.

"You have always been talented Shawn and you've always had a hard time seeing and accepting that. Shawn this just proves what we have all been telling you that you are talented and will go very far. You have this amazing opportunity to share your gift with people and to go after your dreams. I am not about to let you throw that away because of low self-esteem thanks to that asshole father of yours. We are going to go to New York City together next weekend and we will meet with each of these publishers and decide together which one would be best suited for you. It is time for you to finally accept that you have talent and can truly be an artist. It's time to let yourself dream and embrace those dreams Son." Turner said in a serious voice.

The last word is what caught Shawn's attention and his eyes immediately snapped up to look at Turner. He could see the seriousness and love in Turner's eyes and it immediately soothed Shawn's worries and nerves on the matter. No one had ever called him son before, not even Chet. It was always my boy. Turner had never called Shawn his son, not even when they were living together, but he did now and Shawn knew he meant it completely. Shawn was living with Chet, but Shawn was very much Turner's son, he had become his son during that year that they lived together. Shawn had regretted leaving Turner's place to live back with Chet, but it was already done and now he was staying so he wouldn't feel the guilt at leaving Chet to drink himself to death. Shawn didn't even hesitate to write down Turner and not Hunter on the contest information sheet. It just came natural to him that he didn't even think twice. Hearing Turner call him son just sent a warm feeling throughout his chest.

"Ok." Shawn said with a warm smile to Turner.

"We need to celebrate. This is something we need to celebrate." Jack said with a smile.

"It is something we need to celebrate and we will tonight. You need to share this amazing news with a few people." Turner said with a smile that Shawn couldn't help but smile back at.

"Ya I guess I do eh. Topanga is going to be at the Matthews' tonight for dinner." Shawn said.

"Well let's call them." Turner said as he went over and grabbed the cordless phone.

Jack and Shawn continued to eat as they had been doing this whole time. Shawn was doing his best not to get excited, but part of him couldn't help himself. This was a huge opportunity that could open so many doors for him. He might be able to make money off of a book and not have to work so much at the garage and still make more money.

"Good evening Alan, how are you doing tonight?" Turner asked once Alan answered the phone.

"We're doing good. How about yourself?" Alan said back.

"We are doing wonderful. Shawn just got some amazing news and we were hoping to come by within an hour to share it with everyone. Would that be alright?"

"Ya of course come on over whenever you want."

"Great we will be there within an hour."

"Alright see you then."

Turner ended the call and sat back down at the table. "We're good." Turner said with a smile.

"This is really happening?" Shawn asked still shocked slightly.

"It really is. You go into work tomorrow you make sure that you tell your uncle that you can't work next weekend. We'll drive up Friday after school and check in to the hotel. Does it say anything about schedule?" Turner asked.

Shawn picked up the letter and checked the envelope and saw that there was another piece of paper. He pulled it out and saw that it was a schedule. "Ya so check in time is after three on Friday and then it has a meet and greet at seven where drinks and snacks will be served. Saturday it starts with interview prep at ten, then it goes on from there until about six where they have a dinner for everyone. Then check-out Sunday is at noon."

"Ok well maybe I'll talk to George and we could take Friday off and go down there early so we can talk to some of the publishers before we have to check-in. That way if we hit traffic we wouldn't have to stress about being late for anything." Turner said.

"Ya that would be good. I don't work Thursday night so I could crash here and we could just leave in the morning." Shawn agreed.

"I'll talk to George tonight I should be able to do it, there's enough time in between. We could also stop in on the way back to see my parents for a little bit if you want. They would love to see you."

"Are you sure? I've never met them before." Shawn said slightly unsure.

"We weren't ready for that, but I am if you are. They would love to meet you. They still ask about you all the time when I call them once a week. They would be just over an hour away. Only if you want to though Shawn no pressure." Turner said calmly.

"No I'd like to meet them if you think they would really want to meet me. It sounds like fun." Shawn said.

"They would love to meet you. I'll call them tomorrow and let them know we are coming down and when we get there you can share your good news." Turner said with a smile.

"Ok. Jack maybe if you are free you could come down Friday night for the meet and greet and hangout." Shawn asked still slightly unsure of how much time Jack truly wanted to spend together.

"I'd love to man. What hotel is it?"

"It says the Four Seasons." Shawn answered.

"That's one hell of a hotel. I'll be there for sure, I wouldn't miss it." Jack said with a smile.

They finished eating and cleaned up the left overs and put them in the fridge. They then grabbed their coats and headed out to go over to the Matthews' to tell them the good news. Shawn brought the letters with him because he knew someone was going to want to look at them. They made a quick stop along the way as Turner wanted to get some sparkling apple juice to toast to the celebration as none of them could drink. Once they arrived Turner parked his car and they headed up the driveway to the kitchen entrance. Turner went over and knocked on Mr. Feeny's door. After a moment the door opened and Mr. Feeny looked slightly concerned to see Turner standing there.

"Jonathan, what can I do for you tonight?" Mr. Feeny asked.

"Something amazing just happened to Shawn and you are going to want to hear this. Come on." Turner said with a smile and Mr. Feeny didn't have any choice but to follow as his curiosity was getting the better of him.

They walked over to the kitchen door and walked in with the others. Everyone else was still up in the kitchen either working on schedules or doing their homework including Topanga. They all looked up when they saw everyone enter.

"Hello everyone." Shawn said with a bright smile one they hadn't seen in a very long time now.

"Hey Shawn, who's your friend?" Topanga asked with a smile.

"This is my brother Jack. Jack this is Topanga and Mr. Feeny." Shawn answered.

"Hi it's great to meet you." Topanga said as she held her hand out and Jack shook it.

"It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot of good things about you." Jack said with a smile.

"All of which are true." Cory said with a smile to Topanga.

"George Feeny." Mr. Feeny said as he held his hand out and shook Jack's.

"Jack Conner, it's nice to meet you Sir."

"I wasn't aware you had another brother Shawn." Mr. Feeny said as he let Jack's hand go.

"I knew when I was seven, but Jack didn't find out until Tuesday night. He came down Wednesday and we hung out here and had dinner. He came up tonight and he's driving back tomorrow morning." Shawn answered.

"My that must have been quite the shock for you Jack. Where do you live?" Mr. Feeny asked feeling protective of Shawn, especially considering who his other older brother is.

"I live in New York City. I'm eighteen and top of my class in my High School. I play on the basketball team, I've never been arrested or even given a speeding ticket. Come the summer I will be moving down here to go to Pennbrook for the engineering program." Jack said with a calm smile as he knew what Mr. Feeny was doing and he wasn't bothered by it.

"My that is very impressive. Your parents must be very proud." Mr. Feeny said with a small smile.

"They are. But that is not why we are here." Jack said with a smile as he turned to look at Shawn.

"Shawny my man why are you here? Not that I don't love seeing you especially with that huge bright smile on your face. Haven't seen that in oh about seven months if feels good seeing it again. Why is it on your face though?" Cory asked with a smile as he stepped closer to Shawn.

"Because I just got some really good news and I'm excited for it. I'm actually excited for it which is a weird and new feeling." Shawn said with a lopsided smile.

"And I brought the sparkling juice to toast this celebration." Turner said.

"What no wine?" Eric said with a smirk.

"Seeing as how most of the people in this room aren't old enough to drink we'll go with the juice." Turner said.

"Alright well tell us Shawn don't leave us in suspense any longer." Alan said with a smile.

"So two months ago I saw a poster at the food bank for a poetry contest out in New York City. It's the 100 Poems Challenge. You have until the contest closing date to submit a hundred poems that you wrote. The winner would win fifteen hundred, second place a thousand and then third would win five hundred." Shawn started.

"Yes I've heard of it and have had students in the past apply for the contest. It's open to only teenagers between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. It's meant to try and inspire creative writing as those are the ages where children lose interest in it. It's very well-known and prestige. It spreads across the whole country they get almost three million applicants each year." Mr. Feeny said.

"Wow I didn't know it was that many." Shawn said amazed.

"It's one of the most turned out writing contests in the country. Even being able to write a hundred poems is an accomplishment in itself." Mr. Feeny said.

"Ok so you applied for the contest what happened?" Cory asked.

"I was able to get in all of the poems before the contest closed and I didn't hear anything until I got a letter in the mail yesterday, I just got it tonight from Jon."

"And? You're killing me here Shawn." Cory said with a smile.

"And I won. I came in first place." Shawn said with a smile still not able to believe he actually won.

"What? That's amazing Shawn." Topanga said with a huge smile.

"Shawn that's wonderful. I'm so proud of you." Amy said as she went and gave Shawn a hug that Shawn easily hugged back.

"That's awesome man." Eric said.

"See I always knew you had talent. I'm happy for you, you deserve it." Cory said as he gave Shawn a hug next followed by Topanga.

"Thanks." Shawn said.

"I'm proud of you Shawn you took a chance and it paid off. This definitely deserves celebration." Alan said with a warm smile.

"This most certainly does. Shawn this is a once in a life time opportunity for you. It's a true accomplishment that you should be very proud of." Mr. Feeny said with a warm voice that Shawn knew meant that he was proud of him.

"Thank-you Mr. Feeny." Shawn said slightly shyly.

"That's not all of the good news either." Jack said with a smile.

"There's more? Well do tell." Cory said with a curious look.

"They are paying for a hotel for next Friday until Sunday and all day Saturday I'll be doing an interview for a magazine article and a radio interview with the other two winners. I also got offers in the mail yesterday from nine different publishers asking to meet with me for a book deal on my poetry." Shawn said.

"Shawn that is fantastic." Amy said with a smile.

"It's truly a wonderful opportunity for you." Mr. Feeny said proudly.

"Shawn this is amazing. I'm so happy for you." Topanga said with a smile as she came over and gave Shawn another hug.

"Thank-you." Shawn said as he returned the hug.

"Shawn I'm very proud of you. We are celebrating this." Alan said as he made his way over to Shawn and pulled him into a hug himself.

Shawn hugged back and Turner went to get glasses for everyone so they could have a toast. Once everyone had a glass Turner spoke.

"To Shawn, may he never forget what true talent he has."

They all raised their glasses and spoke.

"To Shawn."

They all took a drink and Mr. Feeny spoke.

"Shawn, you should put together a portfolio of your sketches and photos for when you meet with the publishers. All too often they will use images that associate with the poems. You could use your own for it. Mr. Williams will be able to help you with it this week if you wish."

"Ya okay I can do that."

"That would be a good idea they might want to include it into the book." Turner said.

"I'll figure that out this week and I guess I should call the publishers and set up a time to meet with them eh?" Shawn said.

"Yes you need to do that. George, I was thinking I could take Friday off. That way we can be in New York meeting with publishers and not be rushed." Turner said.

"That's fine. You have more than enough holidays saved up. I'll have a substitute come in that day for you." Mr. Feeny easily agreed.

"This is awesome you'll be in my area next weekend. You're gonna love New York City especially at night in Times Square. It's beautiful." Jack said with a smile.

"Hopefully at night we'll have some time to look around." Shawn said,

"We can find the time I'm sure. Most of Saturday is during the day. After diner we can go out and stroll around." Turner said.

"You have to take pictures." Topanga said.

"I don't have a camera. I usually use the one from school." Shawn said.

"I'm sure Mr. Williams will allow you to bring one with you. I'm sure there is a project that it could attach itself to." Mr. Fenny said.

"Ask him and see. I don't think he'll care you're really good with the equipment." Turner said.

"With your prize money you could buy your own." Cory suggested.

"Maybe." Shawn said.

They spent the next hour sitting in the kitchen just talking before Eric, Jack, Shawn, Cory and Topanga headed outside to sit out back for a little while before they had to all leave for the night. Alan, Amy, Mr. Feeny and Turner headed into the living room to sit down and talk as well.

"I still can't believe Shawn won a National poetry contest." Alan said still amazed that he never knew Shawn could write poetry.

"I didn't even know he could write poetry. He never mentioned it ever before. That money will be great for him. He could use it to get some new clothes and a camera. Two things he could really use." Amy said.

"Unfortunately he is going to be using it to pay off the property taxes." Turner said clearly not happy about it.

"Property taxes? Why is he paying that and not Chet?" Alan asked annoyed that Shawn would have to pay bills at all let alone with his own money.

"He's been paying all of the bills for the past four months. Chet got fired four months ago and hasn't gotten a new one or has any interest in a new one. Shawn's been working so much to pay the bills each month and this month he has to pay two grand for property taxes. He's using all of his winnings to go towards paying them off. He saved up six hundred but Chet found it and took it. Shawn worked twenty-four hours straight this past day to make three hundred." Turner said with anger in his voice.

"I knew he was working, but I had no idea it was that much. We've all noticed that he's been more tired and getting a little rundown but I had no idea he was working that much. I just thought it was from school work and working part-time. Plus he has photography jobs as well. He's too young to be doing this and it's dangerous for him to be awake for twenty-four hours." Amy said with anger and worry in her voice.

"He shouldn't have to be worrying about paying bills. What the hell is Chet doing all day while Shawn is working his ass off?" Alan asked with anger in his voice.

"He's been drinking again. He's gone most of the time from what Shawn has told me. They don't see each other much." Turner said.

"Shawn shouldn't be there then. Why is he still living with Chet?" Mr. Feeny asked with anger in his voice as well.

"Hey don't look at me. I tried to get him to move back in with me. He still has a key and as of last weekend he is living with me on the weekends where he can get proper sleep and food into him. I've also been bringing him dinner to school so he has something when he goes to work or to home. Chet keeps eating the food with his drinking buddies. I've tried to get Shawn to leave, but he feels responsible for Chet. He thinks that if he leaves and Chet drinks himself to death it will be his fault." Turner answered.

"That's ridiculous it's not his fault if Chet is unable to become sober and support himself. Shawn can't live there just to take care of his father when he is the one that needs to be taken care of." Mr. Feeny said back.

"And I agree. But you know Shawn. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He'll always blame himself for Chet dying if he isn't there to keep a roof over his head and food in the fridge. Right now he can't bring himself to leave. I haven't pushed him on it because you know just as well as I do that it won't work. It has to be Shawn's decision. I've even thought about calling CPS but Shawn can lie better than anyone when he wants to. He'll deny it and that will make him push me away something he can't afford to do. I would rather him be honest with me and feel like he can come to me when he needs help or someone to talk to." Turner said calmly trying to explain himself.

"As hard as it is, that is the right thing to do. Shawn will distance himself from us if he thinks all we are going to do is hassle him about his home life. It's better for him if we offer a safe haven like we always have where he can come here and sleep for the night or be here for a meal. We need to keep a better eye on him now that we know he is working more than we thought and not eating enough. Shawn doesn't have much weight to lose right now. If he loses any and not sleeping enough he is more likely to get sick and not be able to fight it off." Alan said with worry.

"And that is my concern. Him getting rundown and getting sick. I don't want him in the hospital. Just the other day when he got the black eye, he was shaky on his feet then from being rundown. This weekend away will be good for him. He'll get to relax and sleep more. I'm hoping it rejuvenates him and is a positive experience for him. He deserves this and I'm hoping he can be just a sixteen year old and not the adult." Turner said.

"He does deserve this and I am very happy and proud of him. He took a huge chance and it paid off. Something that does not happen very often with him. He is truly talented and he appears to finally be seeing that. I have always said he had a great deal of potential if he could just believe in himself. I'm very happy to see that he is finally doing just that." Mr. Feeny said.

"He needs to enjoy that weekend in New York. It should be about him and his hard work. He deserve the attention and reward. We can't let him use that money on bills." Amy said sadly.

"I'm going to try and figure something out. I offered to pay, but he won't let me. Shawn hates charity and even though that is not what it would be he still sees it that way. I can understand I was like that too when I was younger. The property taxes are due at the start of next month so hopefully I can convince him to let me help." Turner said.

"If you are able to convince him and you need any help with putting the money together let me know." Mr. Feeny said.

"I think I'll be fine but thanks. Alan, do you know a good guitar shop?" Turner asked.

"Ya I know one. I didn't know you play."

"I don't. Shawn does."

"Really? I didn't know that." Amy said surprised.

"He sings too. He sounds amazing. He found this old guitar when he was eight next to a dumpster in the trailer park. He fixed it with a book he got from the library and taught himself how to play. He's amazing at it. It took me a few months to even get him to play it that first time with me home. He used to wait until he was alone. Once he got comfortable with playing around me he almost never stopped. I just found out tonight though that Chet smashed it to pieces when he was drunk a few months ago. I was looking to get him a new one, like a congratulations gift." Turner explained.

"That's a wonderful idea. I'd like to put in for that." Mr. Feeny said.

"We will too. We could get him a really nice guitar. My friend will give us a deal too." Alan said.

"Great I appreciate that. You won't believe how amazing he sounds. Especially because he taught himself with a book. He's got so much talent. I don't know how Chet could look at him and drink. How he could take his guitar and smash it. It blows my mind." Turner said sadly.

"Trust me we've wondered how Chet and Verna could leave Shawn behind over and over again. We've had many conversations about calling CPS and taking Shawn in as one of our own. We would have if we thought he would ever agree to it and not run away every chance he got." Alan said sadly.

"I'm hoping Shawn won't be there much longer. I just need him to see that Chet is not his responsibility and he'll leave. He's looking towards a future with going to college and working towards a scholarship. Hopefully he'll leave Chet behind soon so he can truly focus on his future." Turner said.

"With this weekend and meeting publishers, going on the radio, he may start thinking more seriously about what he can accomplish and how much living with Chet could cut into that." Mr. Feeny said.

"I hope so. He deserves to have this chance with his future. He deserves this after all of the hard work he has put in." Turner said.

"It's going to be a great weekend. One that he will always remember. What are you doing for dinner on Thursday?" Amy asked.

"I don't have any plans just yet." Turner answered.

"Good. Come by here and we can BBQ and celebrate. We can give him the guitar then as well." Amy suggested.

"Sounds great. Let me know what I can bring for dinner."

"George you are obviously welcome to come." Amy said with a warm smile.

"I wouldn't dream of missing it." Mr. Feeny said warmly back.

They spent the next half an hour talking before it was time to get going back to the apartment. They all said goodbye and Turner, Shawn and Jack headed back to Turner's apartment. It was just after nine thirty at night by the time they walked into the apartment. Shawn removed his coat and removed his shoes as did Turner and Jack. Shawn headed into the bathroom and grabbed two pain pills as his head and wrist were hurting him. He headed into the kitchen as Jack spoke.

"That was fun. Your friends are really great."

"They are awesome. And Topanga is insanely smart which helps for homework. She always knows what is going on." Shawn said before he took the pills.

"Head or wrist?" Turner asked with concern.

"Both." Shawn said with a shrug.

"You need to take a hot shower and get some sleep. You've been awake for over twenty-four hours now. Your body is going to crash soon." Turner said with concern.

"I know." Shawn said with exhaustion clear in his voice as all of his energy from the exciting news and being around people was quickly wearing off.

"I'll get you set up on the couch Jack." Turner said with a smile before he headed out to grab a blanket and a pillow.

"You really don't have to crash here if you don't want to." Shawn said.

"I want to. If that's still okay with you." Jack asked not wanting to make Shawn feel uncomfortable.

"It's cool with me. Jon usually makes something really good for breakfast."

"I love breakfast."

"Me too. Right next burgers."

"I love burgers especially homemade ones. We don't get them very often though."

"Cory and me used to go to Chubbies all the time. Every Friday night we used to go for dinner. We haven't really had the chance to do that in almost six months now. Why don't you get burgers that often?"

Turner walked back into the room with a blanket and pillow as Jack answered.

"My parents have a very busy life. It's not often we get to have home cooked meals. Normally our cook will organize the meals. It was really cool growing up, but now most days I just find myself wanting to have normal simple foods like everyone else my age. That's what I'm really looking forward to going to college. I can make my own dinners and go out on a Friday night with some friends and just hang out. It's gonna be awesome."

"That is what college is all about. Making new friends, having experiences and learning what you need for your career so you can make decent money and still have fun." Turner said with a smile.

"Engineers make very good money." Jack said with a smile.

"It's not always about money though. Some of the best things you can do in this world are free. Besides what good is money if you have no family or friends to share it with?" Shawn said calmly.

"And that is why you will always be down to earth and very rich." Turner said with a smile as he went over to Shawn and pulled him into a hug. Shawn hugged him back for a second before he pulled back.

"I'm gonna shower and get some sleep. I'll see you both in the morning."

"Good night Shawn." Jack said.

"Good night Jack."

"If your headache gets worse in the middle of the night come and get me." Turner said.

"I will. Good night."

"Good night."

Shawn headed towards the bathroom so he could take a hot shower and then get some sleep. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep for a week. He was looking forward to next weekend in New York City. He was hoping that he could relax and catch up on some sleep this week so he wouldn't be too tired for the weekend. He also knew he had to still work this week as much as he can to make up for losing the weekend. He had the fifteen hundred, but he still needed to make up for everything else that was coming up within the next few months. He just had to get to the summer when school was out and then he could work and not have to worry about school on top of it. Once Shawn got out of the shower he headed straight for bed and was asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was Thursday that following week right after school. Tonight was set for a night of celebration as everyone was going to be going over to the Matthews' house to have dinner and celebrate Shawn's success. This was something very important to them as they wanted to show Shawn they cared and that he shouldn't give up. He had won a National contest with his poetry plus he was meeting with nine different publishers the next day. It was a big deal and they wanted to show Shawn that if he continued to work hard it would pay off. They had gotten him a very nice acoustic guitar to replace the one that was broken. They had even gotten it engraved on the back so he would always remember that he was loved. Tonight they were going to be barbequing burgers, Shawn and Turner had made pasta salad and Mr. Feeny had made potato salad as well to go with dinner. They also had stuff for ice cream sundaes for dessert.

Turner had been slightly worried about Shawn all week. He was looking more and more tired as each day went on. He knew he was working on his extra credit work plus he was working all week so he could make up some hours for missing all weekend. Still he wasn't happy that Shawn wasn't getting enough proper food and sleep into him so his body could handle it. He was glad that this weekend, even though Shawn will be busy with the contest he would still be able to relax and enjoy the time off. Eli had also easily agreed to help him with creating his portfolio and is allowing Shawn to bring the best camera they have with him to New York. Eli was looking forward to seeing what Shawn would photograph as Shawn truly had become his best student. It was the end of the day and Topanga and Cory were just packing up from study hall. Turner was in the room getting his desk packed up so they could leave. He had made sure there were lesson plans for the substitute teacher for tomorrow so he wouldn't have to worry about that tonight. Tomorrow they can get up at seven, eat breakfast and then hit the road. They needed to be in New York City for ten to meet with their first publisher. Shawn had gotten directions already written down for each publisher so they wouldn't get lost. Turner had been in New York City a few times growing up, but he had never been to any of these locations. Turner was looking forward to this weekend and spending some time with Shawn. He was also going to be introducing Shawn to his parents on Sunday. They are going to do a simple dinner out to get everyone used to each other. His parents sounded very excited and supportive of the idea and they had been asking about Shawn for a while now. Turner was hoping everything would go alright. They were just about to head out when a student came into the room.

"Hey Cory you gotta get out front. Hunter looks like he's gonna get into a fight with some guy." The student said with a heavy voice from running all the way here.

"What?" Cory said as he took off out of the classroom with Topanga and Turner right behind him.

"Mr. Matthews no running in the hallway." Mr. Fenny said as he saw Cory run down the hall, but then looked confused when Topanga and then Turner did as well.

"What is going on Mr. Turner?" Mr. Feeny asked as he started to follow.

"I don't know. Charlie Davis just came into study hall saying Shawn looked like he was getting into a fight out front."

They ran the rest of the way to the front door and outside. They saw that Shawn was just off of school grounds with a ninth grader standing behind him. In front of Shawn was some older boy that was easily over the age of eighteen. He was right in Shawn's face, but Shawn wasn't backing down even though the older boy had fifty extra pounds on Shawn's size.

"Get out of my face Jackson." Shawn said with a deadly anger in his voice.

"What are you gonna do about it Hunter? Eddie ain't around no more to have his protection on ya. See never bothered with you before cause you kept out of my business but now you're fucking with it. That kid is mine he lives on my side of the street. That makes his ass mine. So step away and let me go about my business." Jackson said as he stood up as tall as he could to try and intimidate Shawn, but it didn't work.

"He's twelve years old you can't have him. Go find someone else to be your little lap dog and sell your drugs. You can't have the kid." Shawn said back.

Just then three of Jackson's gang members got out of the car that Jackson drove and moved over to stand behind Jackson. Cory, Turner, and Mr. Feeny all moved over so they were now standing beside Shawn.

"I suggest you take your friends and leave the property before I call the police." Mr. Feeny said.

Jackson chuckled to that before he spoke. "Be my guest call the police. He's the one with the drugs on him right now. I got nothing on me. So why don't you take your old ass and get out of here and let me finish my conversation."

"You don't get to talk to him like that. Take your crew and get the hell out of here. You don't get to sell your drugs in my school. You don't get to harass the kids in the park that just want to try and get out. Leave them alone and go and find your own runners that want the life. Stay the hell out of my area and stick to yours downtown." Shawn said with anger as he pushed Jackson back.

"You think your tough because of your last name. You think that'll keep you safe? Eddie is gone and with him went your protection. A war is starting and I'm gonna enjoy being the one that puts you down." Jackson said with seething anger in his voice.

"Now you wouldn't be threatenin' my kid brother now would you?"

They all turned to look at Eddie who had just gotten out of a car with his own three gang members. In the middle of their argument they didn't even hear the second car pulling up. Eddie came over and stood between Shawn and Jackson while his three other members went and stood in front of the other three members of Jackson's gang.

"I heard you were dead." Jackson said.

"Naw just went out of town for a little while. Had some work to do. Now what seems to be the problem that you would actually think you could threaten the life of my kid brother? You know the rules I leave you alone if you leave him alone. You start goin' against that I'm gonna have to start to take back some of that area of yours. So you best have a good reason for this display out here." Eddie said with a deadly tone.

"That kid over there is one of my runners. Your brother seems to think he can stand in the way of that. It's a good area for me right here I need runners in the area."

"You sellin' drugs in my kid brother's school? And you thought that'd be a good idea because?"

"Hey I give the runners the drugs it's on them where they sell em. Ya know that."

"Ya just like I know if I hear about any drugs bein' sold on this property I'll be comin' to find ya. My gang runs this town and everyone knows it. So you're gonna keep your drugs out of this school and leave the trailer kids alone. They belong to me. If you don't we're gonna have a problem and you won't survive it." Eddie said in a deadly tone.

"You got a war comin' your way." Jackson said in a deadly tone as well.

"One I'll always win. Get out of my face before I really get mad."

"This ain't over. You're gonna regret this Hunter, the both of you." Jackson threatened as he backed away and headed back over to his car with the three gang members following him.

Shawn turned around to look at the younger kid.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble." The kid said softly.

"It's not your fault. No one should make you sell drugs. Look there's this community centre not far from the trailer park. Go there after school and make some friends. They have different lessons for free you can learn some cool things. Just keep your head down and stay out of trouble." Shawn said.

The kid gave a nod and started to walk away.

"We need to talk." Eddie said to Shawn.

"That is the last thing I am going to do with you." Shawn said back.

"I'm serious. Now." Eddie demanded as he turned to head back towards his car.

"Shawn." Cory started, but Shawn cut him off.

"It's fine Cor." Shawn headed over to the car where Eddie was standing. The other three gang members stood there with the others as a wall to keep them from getting to Shawn and Eddie.

"What do you want Eddie?" Shawn asked clearly annoyed at this happening.

"Well hello to you too little brother."

"What did you expect Eddie? The last time I saw you, you were hurting my best friend then you disappear and I haven't seen or heard from you since. It's been months."

"I was out of town doing some work. Heard you were back in the trailer park. What happened to living with that teacher?"

"Our father came back and said things would be different so I moved back in with him."

"And how long did that last?" Eddie asked annoyed.

"Three months. I'm making it work. Now what do you want to talk about because I have somewhere I need to be."

"Ya and where would that be back home to trailer life?" Eddie asked with a condescending tone.

"No to a celebration party, my celebration party."

"For what?"

"I won a national contest with my poetry. I'm going to New York City where I'll be in an article and on the radio. I'm also meeting with nine publishers they want to publish my work in a book. You might like this life of crime but I don't and I won't be in it. I'm working towards an arts scholarship for college. I'm getting out and I'm staying out."

"Good for you. I mean that. It's why I've always had a protection on you. Give you the chance to get out. You always had that in your eyes. I hope you have fun this weekend."

"Thanks Eddie." Shawn said slightly surprised that Eddie was being like this.

"Look I know dad isn't working and your property taxes are due soon. I heard you were working for Uncle Mike but you're not making much besides the rent and other bills. So here." Eddie said as he pulled out a white envelope from his coat pocket and held it out for Shawn.

"What's this?" Shawn asked as he took the envelope

"Twenty-five hundred. Enough to cover the property taxes and help with some food. I know dad and his buddies eat a lot when they are drunk."

"Why are you giving this to me? Since when do you care?"

"Growing up after I left I was the one helping with the bills. When our father was too drunk to work and drank the welfare money away I worked at the garage and stealing to make enough to keep you with a roof over your head. I didn't go to school at the time like you are. You're tryin' to get out and I can respect that. It's just to help you out you don't have to pay me back or nothin'."

"I'm not gonna take money from you Eddie." Shawn said as he held the envelope back out to him.

"Either you take it or I leave it in the mailbox and you know if our father finds it he'll drink it away. You're better off using it for the bills. There's no strings attached to it and it's not charity if it's family. Use the money and not stress all weekend about the bills you can't afford to pay." Eddie said calmly.

Shawn thought about it for a moment before he put the envelope in his coat pocket.

"Thanks." Shawn said clearly uncomfortable with taking money from Eddie.

"Stay out of downtown for a while. A war is gonna start if you're not careful you'll end up gettin' caught in the middle of it."

"I'll avoid it as much as I can, but I sell photos downtown when I can."

"Just be careful when you're down there. They won't just wait for the night. Or your little friends for that matter." Eddie warned.

"I'll let them know. You going out of town again?"

"Naw I'll be around. Best not to leave for a while again with the heat comin' up."

"You gonna see our father?"

"Got no reason to. Enjoy your weekend in New York City. You still got my number?"

"Ya I do."

"Call if somethin' happens. I gotta go."

"Be safe eh."

"You too little brother."

Eddie got into the driver's seat while Shawn headed back towards the others. They all looked concerned and Shawn spoke.

"It's fine. I'm sorry about that Mr. Feeny. Jackson was trying to push drugs onto the kid and he looked like he needed help." Shawn said apologetically.

"It's quite alright Mr. Hunter. You did what I would hope any student at this school would do. Are you alright?" Mr. Feeny asked with concern.

"I'm fine, but I have a pocket full of drugs right now." Shawn said slightly awkwardly.

"Give me the drugs and I will dispose of them." Mr. Fenny said.

Shawn put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the small baggies with white powder and handed them over to Mr. Feeny. Mr. Feeny then put the drugs into his own pocket until he could flush them back in the school.

"We should get going we don't want to be late." Shawn said hoping to change the subject from what had just happened.

"Cory, Topanga do you need a ride?" Turner asked.

"No it's fine I brought my dad's car. We'll see you at the house." Cory said to Shawn.

"See ya soon." Shawn said with a small smile.

"Come on Shawn let's get going we need to pick up the salad along the way." Turner said clearly not happy about what had just happened here.

"I'll meet you both at the Matthews'." Mr. Feeny said.

Turner and Shawn headed to Turner's car while Mr. Feeny headed inside to gather his things and flush the drugs before he would leave. Once inside the car Turner started it and headed off for the apartment so they could drop off their things and pick up the pasta salad that was in the fridge. After being in the car for five minutes and no one saying anything Shawn spoke softly.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Turner asked with a tightness to his voice.

"For making you mad."

Turner took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. After learning about the level of abuse that Shawn had been through in his life. Turner knew that any anger he had at the situation he had to get it under control so Shawn knew that he wasn't in trouble by what happened.

"Am I mad yes, but I'm not mad at you Shawn. I'm proud of you. You stood up and did the right thing by helping that kid out. I'm mad at the situation and what that other guy said to you. I'm mad that you seem to have been dragged into an up and coming gang war because of who your brother is and because you did what was right. I'm not mad at you at all Shawn." Turner said hoping that explained everything to Shawn.

"I'm still sorry. I know you'll be worried about me and you already do that enough. The kid just seemed so upset and I've seen him around the park his mother just got divorced and that was all she could afford with her job. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing even though it would have been smarter to."

"And you would have felt guilty until you did something to change it. What did Eddie want to tell you?" Turner asked worriedly.

"That he was sticking around in town for a while and to be careful of being in the downtown area. He thinks a war is gonna start. I'm only there when I get the chance to sell any photos though so it's not like I live down there. I'll let Cory and Topanga know not to go down there unless they have to and not go alone."

"Good you need to make sure that none of you go alone down there. Nothing might happen, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Was that all Eddie wanted?"

"No he knew I was working at the garage and he told me that he wasn't gonna be seeing our father. He also gave me twenty-five hundred in cash in an envelope."

"He what?" Turner asked shocked.

"He used to live with us growing up until he couldn't take it anymore. He left when I was just six. He left to live with an uncle, he was sixteen at the time. He worked at the garage and stole when he could. He paid the rent and brought food over once a week for a few years until our father was back to working. He knew the property taxes were due soon and he knows how much they are roughly. He gave me the money so I wouldn't have to try and come up with it."

"And you took it from him? You do realise it is probably from stolen goods."

"I know. And at first I refused it but he said he would leave it in the mailbox at the trailer and my father checks it every day in case there is a cheque for me in there that he can steal. If he got the money he would have it gone by Monday morning with drinking and smoking. I might as well use it for the property taxes and save the five hundred for something that might come up. Are you mad I kept the money?"

"No I'm not. I don't like that he gave you money, but I can understand you taking it and using it for something good compared to Chet using it to get drunk all weekend. I'm also glad that you don't have to use your contest money on bills."

"I'll save it and see if I need it later on. It'll be nice to have the extra cash saved up in case it's a slow month in the garage. Takes some of the stress off that would be a month worth of bills."

"You pay out fifteen hundred a month in bills?" Turner asked shocked.

"It's actually closer to twenty-five hundred a month between the loan payments and the other bills. Plus if I ever want to have a bank account in my name or credit to get my own apartment at some point I'll have to pay off that debt. Which is around fifty grand that my father has racked up over the years."

"You shouldn't have to pay that off. There must be some way to prove that you didn't register those loans or bank accounts. Legally you aren't old enough to have any of those things. I know you could easily correct it if you filed fraud charges, but it was done by Chet and I don't see you doing that."

"I can't do that to him."

"I know you can't. There is probably another way to do it, but it would take a lawyer to figure out."

"Something I am not able to afford right now. I'll worry about it when I'm older." Shawn said as they pulled into the parking spot.

They both got out and grabbed their bag before they headed up into the apartment building and into their apartment.

"Did you pack a suit?" Turner asked.

"Ya I didn't know if I was supposed to or not."

"It's better to have one and not need it then to not have one and need it. I also spoke to my parents and we are meeting them for dinner in New York City Sunday. We have a reservation at a semi-fancy restaurant for five."

"No pressure there." Shawn said with worry and nervousness.

"Just be yourself and they will love you. They already do love you because I love you. They want to get to know you and for you to get to know them. They know why we are there and they are very excited for you. They are looking forward to hearing all about it. We don't have to though if you aren't ready for this though Shawn."

"I'm nervous, but I want to meet them. I'm curious about them. I think the nervousness will wear off once I meet them."

"It will and trust me they are just as nervous as you are. Now do we need to talk about anything before we head over to the Matthews? Anything I should know about?"

"Besides being tired nothing that can't wait until later."

"No, no waiting until later. We get it out right now so when we leave we can go and celebrate your success and then come back here happy and excited for tomorrow. Nothing is going to ruin this weekend. Did anything happen this week that I don't know about or that I should know about?" Turner asked calmly.

"I talked to my father about not drinking so much and helping out more with bills." Shawn admitted sadly.

"Ok see that is something we need to talk about. Sit down we have the time for this." Turner said as he sat down on the couch.

Shawn went and sat down and spoke as he did.

"I told him I was getting too tired between school and working at the garage."

"Ok and what did he say? Was he sober when you had this conversation?"

"He only had three beer so as close to sober as I can normally get him recently. And he said that living is hard and you have to make priorities. That if I was getting too tired with school and work than maybe I should drop out of school so I can just work full-time and make decent money. He's not happy that I won't work on any of the illegal jobs in the garage because it's more money. I was up all night Tuesday redoing my History report because he decided to rip up the one I did to prove that school was pointless. I had to write a twenty page report all over again, but I couldn't remember what I wrote for the first one or what the chapters were really on. So I had to read eight chapters all over again before I could even write the report. Then I worked last night after school until four in the morning. By the time I got home I only got just over an hour of sleep. I'm tired, but I'm always tired. I fell asleep in the shower this morning and ended up slipping and I banged my left side off the side of the shower. Now I have a huge bruise on my left side. Plus my eye is still black and my wrist is still sore. I'm worried about meeting these publishers and everyone else this weekend."

"First, you are not dropping out of school. The very last thing you should be doing is giving up on your dreams and hopes. You have a true talent and winning this contest just proves that. Second, you working on illegal jobs will only jeopardize your chances of success. You get arrested and any chance you have of getting an art scholarship goes right out the window no matter how talented you are. Third, you cannot keep going twenty-four hours and more without proper sleep, at least six hours. It should be eight but I know that isn't always easy for someone to do. If you keep going without proper sleep you will get sick and your body will be too exhausted to fight it off. You could end up in the hospital Shawn. Not to mention how dangerous it is to be working on cars that exhausted. You fell asleep in the shower and hurt yourself. What if that had been while you were at work? You could have seriously hurt yourself. You need to find a way to make sure you are getting enough sleep. If you are going to work at night to avoid Chet, fine I can understand that, but come here instead. This way you can sleep in a bed at least. As for your homework you'll just have to be really careful. Maybe keep it at school or here or with Cory when you need it some place safe so Chet can't destroy it on you like that again."

"Ok."

"And as for the bruising when we meet people just tell them that you broke up a fight and took an elbow for your troubles. I don't think people will really ask you about it."

"I just…" Shawn started, but then stopped.

"You just what Shawn?" Turner asked calmly.

"I just don't want to have to think about it this weekend. I just want to be me. Is that ok? Or is that selfish?" Shawn asked confused.

"It's not selfish to want to be yourself. Shawn I want you to be just a sixteen year old this weekend. Have fun and enjoy every moment of it, because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you. So many amazing things could come from this weekend. You only have one job from this moment until Monday morning and that is to just be sixteen and not thirty. Be the kid and I'll be the adult. Deal?"

"Deal." Shawn easily agreed.

"Good now is there anything else we need to talk about before we don't talk about it again until Monday morning?" Turner asked with a warm smile.

"Nothing."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get out of here and go celebrate."

They both smiled and got up off the couch. Shawn went and put the envelope in his duffle bag for now while Turner grabbed the pasta salad and they headed out of the apartment and back down to Turner's car. They headed over to the Matthews' house and arrived twenty minutes later. They headed inside the kitchen door and saw that everyone was there in the kitchen including Mr. Feeny.

"Hey you guys made it." Alan said with a smile.

"Ya sorry we are late we just had something we needed to talk about." Turner said as he placed the pasta salad down on the island counter top while Shawn went over to lean against the island counter.

"Cory was just filling us in on what happened at the end of school. Shawn, are you alright?" Amy asked with concern.

"I'm fine it was no big deal." Shawn said trying to blow it off.

"It's not a no big deal situation though Shawn, you need to be careful." Alan said in a serious voice.

"I will I promise. But Cor you and Topanga shouldn't be downtown alone just in case. A gang war has been coming for months now it wouldn't be a good idea to be alone downtown especially after dark."

"Neither should you." Turner said in a serious voice.

"I won't be and when I need to be down there I'll be careful as always." Shawn said.

"We will be as well." Topanga said.

"I can't believe I missed it." Eric said with annoyance that he had been at his car already when this was happening.

"It was a good thing you weren't there. We don't need any of you starting anything or creating problems. Let the police handle the gangs and keep your heads down. I understand that Shawn you were standing up for another younger kid. I'm proud of you for that, but you especially you Shawn, have to be careful and pick your battles. Stay out of their way as often as you can until things cool down again. We love you and we don't want to see you hurt." Alan said in his father voice.

"I'll be really careful I promise. This isn't my first gang war." Shawn said with a shrug.

"You've been through this before?" Cory asked shocked that Shawn had never said anything before.

"Twice the first time I learnt my lesson and kept to certain streets. Having the name Hunter isn't exactly a good thing." Shawn said with another shrug.

"What happened the first time?" Turner asked with concern.

"It was nothing. I just got beat up a little. I was eight and went down the wrong street. I was fine." Shawn said like it was nothing.

"Wait was that when you said you fell down the stairs?" Cory asked as he remembered something from when Shawn was eight.

"Yup. Easier than explaining that I got caught in a gang war. You wouldn't have understood at eight Cor." Shawn said with a smirk.

"I don't like this." Topanga said with worry.

"I don't either." Mr. Feeny said.

"Guys I promise I will be fine." Shawn said trying to comfort everyone.

"Just remember that you can always come here if you are in trouble. I don't care what time of the night it is. Do you understand me?" Alan said in a serious voice.

"Yes. I promise." Shawn said with sincerity in his voice.

"Good now no more of that. This is a celebration. Let's heat up that barbeque and get those burgers going." Amy said with a warm smile.

They all started to get things ready for dinner and get the barbeque going. While it was warming up Eric, Cory, Shawn, Morgan and Topanga went and played basketball. Once dinner was ready they all went inside and ate and talked about how their day was outside of the altercation after school. They talked about what Shawn would be doing in New York City with the contest and the publishers. They kept the conversation light and family friendly. Once dinner was over they all cleaned up and headed into the living room. Shawn sat down in the chair while the others sat on the couch or the other chair. Turner went behind the couch as he spoke.

"Alright Shawn we have a little congratulations gift for you."

"What? You guys didn't have to do that." Shawn said clearly uncomfortable with being given a gift still after all these years of never receiving any.

"We know we didn't we wanted to." Amy said with a warm smile.

"I didn't know you guys got him anything." Cory said shocked as well.

"That's because you suck at hiding things from Shawn." Alan said with a smile.

"Close your eyes." Turner said with a warm smile.

"Seriously?" Shawn asked skeptically.

"Yes now close your eyes." Turner said warmly.

Shawn closed his eyes and Turner grabbed the hard black guitar case and went around the couch. He placed the guitar down on the coffee table before he spoke.

"Alright open em."

Shawn opened his eyes and the shock was clear as day on his face.

"Are you serious?" Shawn asked softly.

"What's in the case?" Eric whispered to Cory.

"A guitar, but I'm not sure why." Cory whispered back.

"Because he plays guitar." Topanga whispered.

"How do you know that and I don't?" Cory whispered to her.

"Because I don't pressure him and I heard him play once at Mr. Turner's apartment when he was home sick." Topanga whispered back.

"Open it." Turner said with a warm smile.

Shawn moved and opened the case and sure enough a brand new acoustic guitar with a black leather strap was sitting in the case.

"It's beautiful." Topanga commented.

"I'm afraid to touch it." Shawn said honestly.

Turner gave a chuckle before he spoke. "It won't break that easily. Go ahead."

Shawn moved carefully and picked up the guitar out of the case. He noticed something on the back of the guitar and he tilted it slightly so he could see what it was. He saw that something was on a silver plate and engraved into it was "Never Stop Believing in Yourself and Your Dreams. Love Your Family." Shawn smiled as he looked at everyone before he spoke.

"Thank-you."

"You are most welcome Shawn." Mr. Feeny said on everyone's behalf.

"Come on play something." Cory said with a smile.

"Oh I don't know. I don't really play in front of people." Shawn said nervously.

"We're all family here Shawn. You don't have to sing just strum a few cords." Alan said encouragingly as he knew that Shawn had never played in front of anyone besides Turner.

Shawn looked over at Turner who gave him a warm smile and encouraging nod. Shawn let out a shaky breath before he spoke.

"Ok."

Shawn ran his right hand along the neck of the guitar while he mind thought of something quick to play. He didn't have a pick, but he never did, so he began to use his left hand to strum the guitar as he played the notes. He only played for a couple of minutes before he stopped, but just those couple of minutes and they were all amazed at how talented Shawn was. Especially because he taught himself how to play with a book. He didn't have anyone to teach him or show him how to position his hand for easier transitions. For someone that didn't have any training but a book he was truly talented. With some coaching he would be even better and truly a master of the guitar. Shawn finished playing and he was clearly feeling unsure about himself as he had never played around anyone beside Turner and that one time Topanga walked in on him.

"That was great Shawn." Alan said proudly.

"Thanks." Shawn said awkwardly as he was not used to praise in his life.

"I can't believe I didn't know you could play guitar. When did you start?" Cory asked amazed that he didn't know something about his best friend.

"Um when I was eight I found a guitar out by a dumpster. It was beat up and needed repairs. I thought it might be fun so I repaired it using a book from the library and pieces that I found around town that were thrown out. Then I taught myself with a book." Shawn answered.

"Wait no one taught you how to do that? Dude that's talent." Eric said supportingly.

"Would lessons be something you are interested in?" Amy asked.

"I don't know. It would be cool to learn different cords and how to transition easier. I just know what I learnt in that one book. I'd like to learn more, but I don't know how comfortable I would be with some stranger trying to teach me." Shawn said.

"Why a stranger? I play you know that. I could teach you some different cords and transitions. From what I saw you are way above a beginner Shawn. You could come by one night you don't work and I can show you some different stuff." Alan offered with a warm smile.

"Really?" Shawn asked slightly surprised.

"Of course. Come by any time you know that. I would be happy to teach you. You have a natural talent Shawn you need to keep it up and build on it. Even if all you ever do is just play for fun and for yourself. It's good to have an outlet. I would love to teach you, especially because these two don't have any interest in learning." Alan said as he looked over to Eric and Cory.

"I have no interest in starting and do you really want Eric touching your guitar?" Cory asked with a smirk.

"Hey." Eric objected.

"Ya that's true. Anytime Shawn just come on over. I'm dying to pass on the knowledge to someone might as well be a member of my family." Alan said with a warm smile.

Shawn smiled back before he spoke. "Ok"

"Make sure you play that with a pick though. The new strings are sharp." Alan said.

"I don't use one, never have." Shawn said.

"Why not? Wouldn't you cut your fingers up playing that way?" Turner asked confused.

"Many times. But I just never found one so I got used to playing with bandages on my fingers." Shawn said with a shrug.

"Ok no." Alan said as he got up from the couch and went over to his guitar case. He took out one of his picks and walked back over to Shawn as he spoke.

"Here use this. I have like twenty of them all over the house I'm surprised you haven't stumbled upon any over the years."

"Thanks." Shawn said as he took the pick.

"No problem. I knew a guy who used to play without a pick he sliced the top of his finger off one day practicing with his new strings. He learnt the hard way. I don't want you to either." Alan said as he sat back down on the couch.

"Ouch." Eric said.

"I wasn't aware they were that sharp." Mr. Feeny said.

"The high-end ones can be very sharp. It's meant for the electric guitars to produce a sharper sound. But if you play without a pick you can seriously hurt your hands especially if you are doing slides on the neck." Alan said.

"Done that before. Had to get five stitches." Shawn said.

"You've gotten stitches a lot." Cory said.

"Not my fault I was an active kid that loved to climb." Shawn said with a smile, but Turner doubted now that some of those injuries and stitches came from Shawn climbing around through windows.

"Why do you climb through windows? Why not a door?" Eric asked.

"What kind of challenge is a door?" Shawn said with a smirk, but Turner could see that it was a lie. He made a mental note to ask Shawn about it later as he too was wondering why Shawn preferred windows than doors.

"Are you going to be seeing Jack in New York?" Amy asked.

"He's supposed to be meeting us at the hotel Friday for the welcome meet and greet." Shawn answered.

"How has this new relationship been Shawn?" Mr. Feeny asked with concern.

"Ok I think. It's just starting out, but so far nothing bad has happened. He seems like a good guy and he hasn't been arrested."

"He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. He's looking forward to going to college." Turner added.

"He seemed cool to me." Eric said with a shrug.

"He's better than Eddie that's for sure." Cory said.

"Yes it would seem. I hope the relationship works Shawn. It would be good for you to have a family member that is not involved in illegal activities. Someone you could look up to and speak with. " Mr. Feeny said.

"We'll see what happens." Shawn said.

"Shawn is going to meet my parents Sunday night for dinner." Turner said.

"How do you feel about that Shawn?" Alan asked with concern.

"Nervous." Shawn said as he put his guitar back into the case.

"That's to be expected. You've never met them before. It's natural to be nervous." Mr. Feeny said.

"They will love you Shawn." Amy said with a warm smile.

"They already do. They are very excited to meet him and hear all about his weekend in the city." Turner said.

"Which will be awesome." Cory said with a smile.

"It will be, but it is getting late we should head back home. Get a good night sleep before we hit the road tomorrow morning bright and early." Turner said.

"What time are you leaving in the morning?" Alan asked.

"We need to be on the road by eight to get to the first publisher for our ten o'clock meeting." Turner answered.

"Well you better get going so you can get a good night sleep for the drive." Amy said with a warm smile.

"Thank-you so much for the guitar and dinner." Shawn said with a smile.

"You are most welcome Shawn. We love you and you enjoy this weekend." Amy said as she got up off the couch and gave Shawn a hug.

Once all of the goodbyes were said Turner and Shawn headed out to go back home. Once they arrived back at the apartment they headed inside. It was just after eight-thirty at night when they walked back into the apartment. Shawn set the guitar case down on the floor by his duffle bag so he could remove his coat and shoes as Turner did the same.

"You must be exhausted." Turner said.

"Not yet, but that's probably until I sit down." Shawn said with a smirk.

"I don't know how you are still on your feet to begin with." Turner said as he went to sit down on the couch with Shawn right behind him.

They sat down on the couch and Shawn sat back and Turner could see the exhaustion creeping onto his face.

"I don't know either. Some days I'm so tired that I can barely function yet I still am able to go to work and do what needs to be done."

"Your body is going through the movements with your brain turned off. Like autopilot. It's not a good thing Shawn."

"Well I don't have to worry about that this weekend. I still can't believe you guys bought me a guitar. I don't know how I could ever thank-you for it Jon." Shawn said as he turned to face Turner.

"You can thank us by never forgetting that you have talent Shawn." Turner said in a serious voice.

"It's not that easy." Shawn said softly.

"Why not Shawn? What's keeping you from seeing it?" Turner asked calmly.

"I don't know. I mean I hear when you say it, when the Matthews and Mr. Fenny says it. But my mind it's like it doesn't go in. All I can hear is my father's voice in my head telling me that I'm worthless and stupid. The other voices don't go through. Is that ever going to stop?" Shawn asked sadly.

"It's going to take some time. It's not going to get better while you are still there, hearing it. I know you feel and believe that Chet is your responsibility to look after. That you would feel guilty if he drank himself to death. I can understand that, but Shawn you need to try and think about what staying with him is and will do to you. To your health and not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. You need to see that living with someone that is abusing you will only hurt you." Turner said gently.

"I don't know what to do. I know that staying with him isn't the smartest thing to do, but at the same time I still believe he'll change. He did it growing up he would drink and not work and then he would stay sober and work. Part of me still believes he will as stupid as that sounds." Shawn said sadly.

"That doesn't sound stupid at all Shawn. You're sixteen and even though you've been through this for thirteen years it's natural for you to believe that he will change for you. I'm natural for you to want to be the reason he gets sober. I wish I could tell you that he will. I'm sorry though because I can't. The truth is if he was going to change for you he would have done it a long time ago. I wish I could tell you otherwise I really do." Turner said sadly.

"I know. But I still can't just leave him to die. Maybe one day I'll be able to walk away, but I can't just yet. I'm sorry. I know you want me to. I know it frustrates you that I can't. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for Shawn. I understand why you can't. This isn't something I can make you do. I wish you would leave, but I can't force you. This has to be your decision otherwise it won't work. Just remember the deal right?" Turner said in a serious voice.

"I remember." Shawn said back with a slight sad tone to his voice.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ya."

"Why do you really use the window over a door?"

"You picked up on that eh?" Shawn said nervously.

"I did, but the others didn't. I was just wondering what the real reason was."

"There's always a window." Shawn simply said.

"What do you mean?" Turner asked confused.

"In the old trailer we used to have this small room kind of like a storage room only just bigger than a closet. The door would lock from the outside and there was no handle on the inside. It broke off a long time ago before we even got it. There was a small window though just big enough for someone small under the age of fourteen to fit through. My father used to lock me in there when he was mad. The first time I was five and I was in there for two days before he remembered I was there. There was no heating or cooling in the room so in the summer it was like being in a tin box, it was so hot and in the winter it was freezing. There would even be ice on the walls. He used to keep his beer and liquor there. When I was six I was in there for three days. He had left that first day I could see him drive away from the window. I remember I used old cases of beer to stand on so I could see out the window. I waited for three days in that spot for the truck to come back. It was so hot in that room I couldn't do it anymore. So I played around with the window and was finally able to get it open and I crawled through. I went to the community centre to hide out in. They always had water and snacks there. The one worker she made me a sandwich and kept giving me water bottles to drink. That night I went back and I saw him pulling into the park. I ran and got to the window and went back into the room so he wouldn't know I was gone. He let me out the next day. Acted like he didn't leave me in this hot room for four days with no food or water. Just told me I had chores to do. I've always had a window to crawl out of." Shawn explained sadly.

"That's heartbreaking Shawn. I can't believe what you've been through. The pain you've been through. You never should have experienced any of that." Turner said sadly.

"I got used to it. Do you know how I met Cory?"

"No I can't say I've heard that story." Turner asked interested in how Shawn and Cory had met.

"We were in the first grade. Topanga was in our class. We've always been in the same classes the three of us until high school. We weren't friends right away though. We had been in school for three months before Cory even spoke to me. Everyone avoided me in school. I was that trailer kid, the one that didn't belong. The one that didn't always have a lunch and when I did it was usually eaten out a can that I used my Swiss Army Knife to open. No one talked to me. One day we went on a field trip to the zoo. Cory and Topanga ran by as I was sitting on a bench eating and I asked if they wanted to have lunch together. Cory said no that everyone says not to talk to me because I live in a trailer. They ran off and Cory climbed this ridiculously small wall that kept the lamas in their pit. He fell in and Topanga called for help. I ran over and hopped into the lama pit and got Cory to stand up so we could hop out. I had to help him climb over. This wall to me was nothing, yet Cory couldn't just put his leg up and hop over. He never had to do anything like that. Afterwards he invited me to his house and told his parents how I saved his life and that we were going to be best friends forever. We've been best friends ever since." Shawn said with a warm smile at the memory.

"That sounds exactly like Cory." Turner said with a chuckle.

"I was seven the first time I snuck into his room at night. Climbed up the tree and went right in. Eric and him were sleeping and I went over to his bed and nudged him awake. He thought I was some burglar looking to kill him. Once he saw that it was me he calmed down. Until he saw my black eye at least. I had snuck out when my father passed out. Took a beer bottle to the face; that was before I learnt how to move fast enough. He wanted to wake his parents, but I convinced him that I was fine. I lied and said I got hit by a door. He didn't ask why I was there just pulled the covers back and told me to lay down. I snuck back out in the morning and went home. Ever since that night he has always left his window unlocked so I could always get in. He's only asked me maybe ten times why I was there over the years. I think as we grew up he started to figure out that my home life wasn't all that happy. He has no idea about the hitting, but he knows my parents argued a lot. I think he just assumed it had to do with that. It's silly but to me if there's a window I know that I'll be able to get out if I have to. I'll always have a way out." Shawn explained.

"That's not silly Shawn. It's not silly at all. I'm so sorry you had go through any of that. I look at you and all I can think is how could anyone hurt you. How could Chet ever raise his hand to you? I don't know why some people hurt children. I wish I had answers for you. A way to explain why he would hurt you, something to give you closure and peace. I will always be here for you no matter what. You can tell me anything, anytime. I love you son." Turner said with a pained voice.

"I love you too." Shawn said with tears building in his eyes.

Turner pulled Shawn into a loving hug and Shawn easily returned it. He couldn't stop the few tears from falling and Turner held Shawn closer to him and rubbed a soothing hand along Shawn's back. After a minute Shawn pulled back and wiped his cheeks from the tears as he spoke.

"Sorry."

"Hey I told you, you never have to apologies for crying. You've been through a lot Shawn you have every right to be upset and hurt over it."

"I've never talked about it before. It never used to bother me. Why does it bother me now?" Shawn asked confused as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Turner spoke as he moved his hand and gently wiped the tear away. "Because when you were younger you didn't know exactly what was going on. It happens all the time with child abuse victims. They don't realise that something is wrong until they get a little older. During the teenage years is when it typically bothers them. It's at this age where you will either try and survive and be better for it or you'll spiral down and give up to drinking or drugs. Unfortunately with child abuse victims it's either one or the other. It's why I'm concerned and worried for you. I know you want out of the life. I know you want to go to college and be something. I couldn't be prouder of you. I'm worried though that one day it'll be too much and you'll throw it all away just to escape for a little while. And with the amount of alcohol in the trailer it would be all too easy to drink. I don't want Chet to win. I don't want Chet to destroy everything that is amazing about you Shawn."

"I won't let him. I have too many people that care about me to let that happen. I promise I won't let it get to that point."

"I believe you. I believe in you Shawn and I always will." Turner said with a warm smile.

"I'm glad you're in my life. I don't think I would be here if it weren't for you." Shawn said with a warm smile.

"I'm glad I could be here for you. You've made my life have meaning and be worth something. I had no idea what I was missing out on until you came along. I'm very lucky to have you in my life."

Shawn gave a smile before he yawned. Turner chuckled slightly before he spoke. "You need to sleep. We both need sleep so we are ready for tomorrow. I got stuff for breakfast too."

"Sleep sounds really good right now. What time do we have to be up?"

"I will have breakfast ready for seven. So if you are not up by quarter too I will wake you up."

"Sounds good. Good night Jon."

"Sweet dreams Shawn."

Shawn got up off the couch and picked up his guitar and duffle bag and went into his room. He put his money that he got from Eddie in his drawer for safe keeping before he got changed into some sleep clothes and crawled into bed. He was asleep within minutes.