-------------------------

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from boy meets world! Blah, blah, blah...

I have taken the storyline from a few other fics that Shawn is abused by his father, but with a little twist; this now takes place after Shawn's mother has left him. All the rest is completely original.

-------------------------

PLEASE READ WARNING: This story contains serious elements including severe physical, mental, sexual and emotional abuse, violence, Vulgarities, prostitution, Child endangerment, and the foster care system. You have been warned - if you want to read on, please do. There are also elements such as comedy, romance, friendship, the prevail of human spirit, criminal investigation, adventure, coming of age tales, bravery and thrills. It is a very diverse story, with a lot going on, however you may need a strong stomach and possibly a box of tissues if you're very sensitive - so sit tight, hold onto that cup of tea, and read on.

------------------------- Chapter 9: Corky -------------------------

Shawn's eyes flutter open tiredly. His brain feels as though it is banging against his skull. He is in a bed, clean white sheets covering him. When his eyes adjust to his surroundings he realises he is back at the trailer, in his own bed. He remembers his father had thrown up in the bed, and begins to ready himself to jump out of it. Only he still doesn't have much strength and it seems that the sheets have been cleaned or are brand new.

He shudders as the memories of that black and white room come back to him and what happened in there, behind that locked door; With only him and Freddie. He sniffs, but does not cry. He's done enough crying. It never seems to help anyway. "That just makes you more sexier" Freddie had said. So crying definitely doesn't help. In fact it probably makes things worse. His thoughts are interrupted by his Chets voice - coming from the trailer doorway.

"...can't come out, he's been hurt and he doesn't want to see anyone, so can you leave now, Corky."

Cory is here. His best friend is just a few metres away.

"NO!" he hears himself yell.

He wishes he hadn't spoken. He's really weak. His father can do anything he wants to him. Only he so badly wants to see a friendly face. Not his fathers or a pervert. It's kind of an accident that he'd actually spoken.

"Shawn?" he hears Cory's voice.

"I'm here" he replies.

Cory appears at the doorway of his small room. He must have pushed past Chet. Chet is an angry and manipulative bastard, but he won't touch a hair on another kid's head. He knows better than that. That's why he takes it all out on Shawn. He disappears from the trailer. He probably went out in his truck. He knows Shawn won't tell Cory what'd really happened.

Cory appeared quite shocked at Shawn's appearance.

"What, what happened?"

"Oh" Shawn replies, "this...I well, I got beat up...quite badly..."

"I can see that" Cory replies, his expression troubled.

Shawn sighs and opens his mouth to ask him how he's been, but he feels like his voice is going to crack so he decides against that idea.

"Shawn, are you crying?" Cory steps closer.

Shawn's eyes shift from one side of the room to the other, trying to focus on something else. Trying not to think about his life and what'd happened to him in the past few weeks.

"N...o..." this time his voice cracks.

He covers his face with his hands and tries to make himself stay silent.

"Shawn, I think you really need to see a doctor" Cory states.

He comes right up to Shawn's face and pulls his hands away.

"I know you Shawnie, and I know that something really bad has happened, and you need to tell someone - I can see it in your eyes, you look like something terrible has happened..."

"Oh, Cor, you...you think you know me, you know the funny, cheerful, dumb-ass me, you don't know the real me, you think you know, but you really don't" Shawn sniffs and looks into Cory's eyes. "You're the best friend I've ever had...you're the only friend I've ever had...and I don't ever want you to really know me, I don't think you could handle the truth"

"No, Shawnie, don't talk like that, you can tell me anything..."

"Stop calling me Shawnie, like everything's alright, it'll never be alright" he sobs.

Cory stares at Shawn. What has he missed?

"I'm sorry" Cory begins. "I really am, I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when you were in so much pain, but I'm here now, please Shawn, you're my best friend too, I don't like it that you're like this..."

"You don't like it that I'm like this" Shawn says, getting the wrong impression of what Cory was saying. "Well, this is the way I am and if you don't like it you can get out..." He doesn't mean to sound so cruel, but he's angry, and he doesn't want Cory getting any closer to the truth.

"...I, I didn't mean it that way, I meant for your sake, it's not good being all upset, I just meant I didn't like seeing you having to be all upset..."

"Yeah, whatever" Shawn replies flatly. This isn't going the way he had hoped.

Cory bites down on his bottom lip and fidgets with his hands. He's never seen Shawn this emotionally unstable. Something has to be really wrong.

"Look, Cory, I'm sorry..." he breathes in, and rubs at his nose. "I'm sorry for getting at you, but...I think you should just go, as... as you can see, I'm, I'm not myself today, I'll be alright..."

Cory gives Shawn a doubtful gaze.

"I mean it" Shawn states reassuringly.

"But, I can't just leave when you're like this, and, and what was that thing about me not knowing the real you, tell me what the real you is then, don't push me away..."

"Cory, please..." Shawn pleads with his eyes.

Cory looks as though he is about to say something but he just turns around. He hesitates a few times. Trying to force himself to go back there, but it's obvious he's just making Shawn angrier and angrier and he doesn't want Shawn to be angry at him. He doesn't know what to do. Maybe he just needs to cool down, then he'll tell him what's really bothering him, apart from being beaten up. He feels terribly bad for leaving like that. He waits around at the trailer door for a little while. He never goes back in though.

Meanwhile Shawn pulls the sheets over his head and tries to fall asleep again. He just wants to escape from everything and everyone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"...Ya hear me?"

Shawn yawns and opens his eyes again.

"Hello?"

"Wha...What?" Shawn mumbles.

He suddenly feels something heavy slam down onto his stomach. It's one of his textbooks from school. There's still bad bruising around that area and his skin burns from every one of Freddie's touches.

"When I ask ya somethin' you answer" Chet goes on.

"Yeah, yes sir" Shawn replies. "I just wasn't awake Sir"

"Yer well, you are now. What'd you say to that corky kid? You didn't tell him anythin' funny did ya?" Chet says threateningly.

"Of course not, and his name is Cory, not Corky" Shawn replied daring to correct Chet.

"Are you undermining me?"

"No, sir, I'm just being truthful, you always tell me to be truthful"

"Ah, yer, I guess I do"

Shawn lets out a small sigh without making it very evident. The world hadn't known it, but he'd just daringly escaped a huge trap.

"When..." Shawn starts, "...when will I be going back to school?"

Chet snorts. "Erm, next week should do it, those bruises should be almost gone by then, it'll be what 2 weeks by then anyway, I guess you'll just have to make something up about why you're walkin' funny though" Chet laughs to himself.

Shawn feels the shame explode from the pit of his stomach. He pinches himself in an attempt to get rid of it. He hopes he'll make it through his school days, but at same time he figures – does he really want to?

-------------------------