A/N: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. As I explained on my bio, when I get happy, my angsty stories suffer for it. Well, my sister's happy with me, I'm working, and my life doesn't suck anymore, which made this story extremely hard to finish. But finish I must... and I promise to update on my other stories soon. Without further delay...

Chapter 3- Pieces

(Cory's POV)

When I met Shawn on the way to school, I asked him why he was wearing a flannel shirt over his usual t- shirt. It was only May, and it already felt like August.

"Fashion statement, Cor," he said. "I'm one of the disaffected youth of America."

"How was last night?" I asked.

"Fine. I'll be alright."

I had already talked to Topanga that morning. We had met to talk about what to do to celebrate graduation. I had mentioned in passing that Shawn seemed a little down to me on the phone last night, and she suggested that I invite him to do something in her words, that was a 'guy activity.'

So I asked Shawn to go play some pool with me, just like we used to. He agreed.

At Chubbies, we got our usual pool table and started racking them up. I noticed how Shawn carefully kept his flannel buttoned, even though the a/c was acting up in here. My shirt was sticking to my back, and I tried in vain to find a cool spot in the place.

"How are you staying so cool in that heavy shirt? I need to learn your secret," I joked.

If Shawn heard me, he didn't say anything. He started putting chalk on his cue and staring fixedly at the table.

"Shawn? Is everything okay?"

He looked up at me, and I noticed just how tired he looked. "Yep, Cor. Everything's good. Stripes or solids?"

"Stripes, always," I said. "Want me to break?"

"Be my guest."

We played a fast game silently. I won, only because Shawn was not paying any attention to the game. I wanted to ask him if he was sure that he was all right, but I knew from experience that it would just piss him off.

"Ready to call it a night?" I asked, as we put up the cues.

"Yeah."

We walked down the street, feeling the oppressive heat and humidity press down on us. Shawn stopped at a big brick house. "This is my stop. See you tomorrow."

"Okay." I watched as he went into the house. He turned around before he opened the door, and I thought he was going to say something, but he just closed the door.

When I got inside the door, my mother was sitting on the couch with Morgan and two of her friends. "That's my brother," Morgan said to them. "The weird one."

"His hair is weird," one of the girls agreed.

"I'll be up in my room," I informed my mother.

"Topanga called!" she shouted, as I ran up the steps.

I got in my room and called Topanga back. "Hey, I just got in. What's up?"

"I was just seeing how your evening went."

"I've had more fun getting my teeth cleaned," I said. "We barely talked the whole evening."

"Maybe he just didn't feel like talking tonight. At his most talkative, though..."

"He still doesn't say much," I finished. "Okay, point taken. I just feel, I don't know, like something's wrong."

"If it is, he'll probably tell you. Well, my mom is yelling at me to get off the phone. 'Night, Cory."

"Night, Topanga."

I hung up the phone and lay back on my bed, lost in thought. Despite what Topanga said, I knew that Shawn was acting strangely. And he was definitely not going to tell me. I was going to have to find out on my own.

The next two weeks were pretty much the same. Shawn looked thinner and more tired every day. He still was wearing long-sleeved shirts to school every day, even though the weather just got hotter and more humid. One day, he came to school popping aspirin. "Headache. Won't go away," he explained briefly when I questioned him.

The whole day passed slowly. Even Feeny didn't feel like lecturing, so he let us pair into study groups outside. The heat was oppressive, and even sitting in shade didn't help.

Shawn and I were sitting together silently, not studying but not goofing off either. "Hey, Cor," he said abruptly, "Do you want to study later today, at the trailer?"

I was taken aback at the suddenness of the request, but I said, "All right," and continued to zone out.

Later, we got to the trailer, which had been closed up. Shawn opened the door and left it open to air out the place. We went over to the table and spread out our books and read about the American Revolution. Finally Shawn pushed his book away and said abruptly, "I need to tell you something."

"Okay, shoot."

"I... I... no, this was a mistake." Shawn stood up. "I'm sorry, Cory." He went into one of the back rooms of the trailer.

I sat there out of indecision for a moment, debating whether to follow him or to go home. I was about to leave when something stopped me. It was if a hand had pushed me back into where Shawn was.

I slowly turned the knob of the door, softly calling Shawn. When he didn't answer, I slowly pushed the door open. The sight that greeted me I'll never forget...

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Sorry for the last cliffhanger. All will be revealed in the next (and last) chapter, Unite. Cheers!