Chapter 7 - "No Way Out" (Theme 59)
Shawn knocks on the door out of politeness, suppressing his usual urge to just barge into the Guster home without warning. He's trying to remember his manners, or at least some of them, because he's beginning to get the feeling that Mrs. Guster isn't exactly as fond of him as she used to be.
A few moments pass and Mrs. Guster opens the door. Shawn smiles sweetly up at her. She hesitates briefly before plastering on a less-than-sincere smile.
Although Shawn is young, he's no fool. He needs to be as sweet as possible to win her back over.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Guster," Shawn greets, his words oozing sugar. "Can Gus come out and play?"
"Burton," Mrs. Guster says pointedly. "Is upstairs. You can go on up to see him."
Shawn nods, disappointed in himself. He should know better. He's probably never going to get back into her good graces. Not after Gus came home with that B. And the unfortunate incident with the fireworks and the tea cozy... or the trampoline and the swimming pool.
Shawn snaps out of his thoughts when Mrs. Guster resignedly opens the door wider and walks towards the kitchen. Shawn lets himself in and quietly closes the door behind him. He slips off his shoes and places them carefully next to the door, as per usual when visiting the Guster household.
Gus is probably playing with that dorky chemistry set he'd gotten for his brithday last week, or maybe he's putting together his new telescope. He might even be using the Rock Tumbler. No matter what he's doing, it's not as exciting and important as what Shawn has in mind.
Shawn creeps slowly up to Gus's bedroom, deciding to sneak up and scare Gus. He keeps low to the ground and carefully steps around all the creaky spots in the hallway. Shawn is excited to discover that Gus's door isn't closed all the way.
Crouching low, Shawn peers through the crack. He can just see Gus, whose back is turned to him. Shawn notices the chemistry set, telescope, and even the Rock Tumbler sitting off to the side of the room, untouched.
Gus is talking to himself, but Shawn can't hear the words.
He's just about to stand up and burst into the room – he's prepared to laugh and laugh as Gus jumps in surprise – when Gus moves slightly and Shawn catches sight of what his best friend is playing with.
Shawn stands there, slack-jawed, as his disbelieving eyes take in the sight.
"Oh. My. God," Shawn says. Gus jumps in surprise and embarrassment, turning to the partially-opened door. Gus immediately throws the offending object across the room.
"Shawn!" Gus exclaims, trying to play cool but Shawn can see the flush in his cheeks and the shame in his eyes.
Shawn stands up and opens the door all the way. He walks into Gus's room, his eyes on the corner where the offensive object is now lying upside down on top of a stack of comic books. His eyes fall back on Gus, who is standing and staring at Shawn.
Shawn can almost hear Gus's mind at work, rifling through myriad excuses before ultimately realizing there's no escape. Gus steadies himself and prepares for the teasing.
Shawn looks down for a moment to collect his thoughts. He looks up at Gus.
"Were you..." he stops, rubs a hand through his hair, and starts again. "Gus, did I just see you playing with a Cabbage Patch Kid?"
Gus lowers his eyes.
"Seriously?" Shawn asks. "A Cabbage Patch doll?"
Gus takes a deep breath. He's not in the mood to be berated and teased yet again by his best friend. He looks up at Shawn, defensive fire in his eyes.
"Yes, Shawn! I have a Cabbage Patch Kid. I asked for it for my birthday, my parents bought it, and I got it for my birthday. Her name is Patti and yes, I was actually just playing with her. I realize that I am a boy and a doll is typically considered a girl's toy, but I don't care what you think. I don't care."
Gus crosses his arms triumphantly. He's practically beaming at beating Shawn to the punch. Shawn looks like he's unsure of what to say.
"What do you have to say to that, Shawn?" Gus asks, standing up even straighter.
"Well, geez, Gus. I honestly don't know where you get all this aggression from," Shawn shakes his head and walks over to the doll. He picks it up and examines it. "Sure, I was surprised, but then I was going to suggest I go home and get Captain VonPineappleHead and we go play in the tree house."
Shawn cherishes the look of utter shock on Gus's face.
"What?" Gus manages to squeak. "You have a Cabbage Patch Kid, too?"
"Of course not!" he cries, doubling over in laughter. "I just wanted," he gasps, laughing so hard he collapses to his knees on Gus's floor. "I just wanted to see your face! When I said that!"
Gus narrows his eyes, not amused in the least. He bends down and yanks Patti from Shawn's grasp as the latter continues to roll and laugh raucously.
"I can bring my Rainbow Brite, too," Shawn continues to laugh, holding his aching stomach. "And... and... Strawberry Shortcake!" Shawn dissolves into a fresh batch of giggles.
"Later, Shawn," Gus says simply, walking out of his room and leaving Shawn still in stitches.
After a moment, Shawn's laughter dies down and he realizes Gus isn't coming back. "Gus? Aw, Gus, come ON!"
Gus doesn't reappear, but Shawn feels the giggles bubbling up. He collapses yet again in a fit of laughter, wiping tears from his eyes and knowing that this tidbit of embarrassing information is going to come in handy at some point in the future.