Chapter One: Everything's Changing
"Mary, I swear it, you have more of my stuff in your room than Lucy..." Emily picked her brush up off of Mary's bureau.
"But you and Lucy share a room..." Mary Camden poked her head out of the bathroom.
"My point exactly," Emily sighed. "I'm going to be leaving for Pennbrook in a few days with Cory, Topanga, Eric, Jack and Shawn...and I need all my stuff back, so can you go through your room and take out everything that's mine? Please?"
"Sure, I guess..." Mary shrugged. "When are you leaving?" she asked.
"On Friday...today is Wednesday, so you know? You kinda need to hurry up..." Emily brushed her hair. "Oh, by the way, Robbie called for you earlier..."
Mary frantically ran out of the bathroom, and picked up the phone. "What time?" she shouted, dialing the numbers.
"Uh...about two..." she shrugged. "Do me a favor, and tell mom and dad that Matt's driving me to Cory's...ok?" Emily asked. "And if they ask who's there, just say Cory, Topanga, Eric, Miranda, Matt, Amanda, Shawn and myself..."
"Sure, see ya later, Emily..." Mary yelled.
~~
"Cor," Shawn tried to explain. "I don't get it. Something about the way things have been going lately makes me fall for her even more lately. Maybe the fact that she's not immortal or something..."
"What do you mean?" Cory asked. Shawn had been talking about a mystery girl a lot lately, yet, he refused to tell even Cory who she was. The only living soul that knew who she was, was Matt, and it was driving Cory to the breaking point. Usually, Cory was the one that Shawn confided in, but lately, he'd been going more and more to Matt. "If I knew who she was, that'd make it a lot easier."
"I'll tell you sooner or later, Cor. Just not right now, ok?" Shawn watched the door, as though he was waiting for someone to get there.
Cory rolled his eyes. "If you're not gonna tell me, then don't talk about her, ok?" he growled.
"Sorry, Cor...I'm just having a hard time admitting it to myself...and you know? If I can't admit it to me," Shawn was interrupted by Cory.
"But you can admit it to Matt Camden?" Cory asked. "That's nice Shawn...very nice..."
"Believe me, if you knew, you'd understand..." he nodded. "Just be patient, ok, Cor?"
~~
"Yeah, he is coming to Pennbrook with us, he didn't tell you?" Emily asked Matt, after he'd implied whether or not Shawn was going to college with everyone.
"Yes, he told me." Matt rolled his eyes. "What I mean is, he feels so disconnected, that he told me that he feels like even if his body is going with you, his mind might not be all the way there. He needs someone he can talk to."
"I don't understand..." Emily was confused. "What does any of this have to do with me?"
"What I'm saying, Emily, is that you shouldn't just cast Shawn away because of the past, you know? You've known him as long as Topanga, and even Cory, has. I bet if you guys searched enough you could find that you have so much in common..." Matt told his sister. "Believe me, if I didn't think this, I wouldn't be saying it to you."
"I know, Matt..." Emily shrugged. "But I just think it's kinda weird that all of a sudden, now that we've graduated, he wants everything to be ok with us."
"He's maturing. Think of it that way." Matt said as he changed the radio station. "Senior year does that. You remember how I was before senior year?"
"Yeah, as bad as Shawn, if not worse..." Emily grinned.
"He's been through a lot this year. Things like that change people..." he turned the corner onto Cedar Road, where Cory lived. "Remember his whole ordeal with Angela, when she said she couldn't date him because of where he lived? Then it took Cory to get them back together. And then, he decided she deserved better, so he dumped her."
"And then they got back together, but he wound up losing her to Simon in the end. Yeah...I remember it all too well. I got the 'Yo, Camden, your brother took my woman' speech." She groaned. "I remember that all too well..."
"And then, another thing that probably changed him is that he found his long-lost brother, remember?" Matt turned into the driveway. "But they absolutely hate each other..."
"Yeah, kind of like you and I used to?" Emily chuckled at Matt. "Now we talk more than anyone else in the house..."
"Just think about it," Matt opened the door, and got out of the car. "I mean, he's a cool guy, you just need to give him a chance..."
Emily sat there, thinking for a second, then got out of the car. "Maybe Matt's right..." she told herself, and ran up behind Matt. "I guess you're right..." she nodded to him. "I'll talk to him."
"Good, thanks, Emily. He's a good guy..." Matt smiled, as he knocked on the door.
"I'll get it!" Emily heard Topanga call from the kitchen. "Hey, Matt! Amanda is in the living room. Come on in, Emily!"
Shawn was sitting out in the backyard on a branch of the Matthews' backyard tree. He brushed a hand through his hair, making it fall into place. 'She's here...' he thought. 'Here we go...'
She looked at Shawn and laughed, "Some things will never change, though..." she looked at Matt with a grin, then walked up to Cory and Topanga. "What's up, Cory?" she asked.
"Not much," Cory shrugged. "Shawn's acting weird. He's not telling me anything, and he's talking to your brother a lot more than normal..."
"Matt? Why?" Topanga asked.
"I was hoping you knew..." Emily shrugged. "Matt was, like, talking nicely about him, and Matt never talks nicely about guys at school. I was spooked out, frankly..."
"I guess. Something's going on..." Topanga shrugged. "Maybe one of us should talk to him..."
"I'll go...Matt told me I should talk to him..." Emily walked across the room.
Shawn saw her coming, and his heart skipped a beat. 'Why am I feeling like this?' he asked. 'I don't like her, there is no way I can like Emily Camden!' he told himself. 'She's not my type in the least! But, she is pretty...and...NO...Shawn, don't do this to yourself. You've known her almost forever. Relationships like that never work! Here she comes...oh boy...' he tried to recover. "Hey, Camden, what's up?"
"Not much, Shawn..." she rolled her eyes. "What's with calling me Camden again? You don't call Matt that anymore..."
"Yeah, sorry, Emily." Shawn shrugged. "I guess, since Matt and I have talked..."
"I never thought I'd see the day that you and my brother would get along..." Emily grinned, as she jumped up into the tree. "Honestly, it's kinda freaking me out," she winked.
"He's giving me advice about girls, that's all," Shawn nodded. "He's pretty good at that..."
Emily cackled out a laugh, when her jaw dropped when she looked at Shawn. "Oh...you weren't kidding?" she asked. "Whoa..." she sat beside Shawn. "It's funny how we can always give good advice about things that we have trouble with ourselves, isn't it?"
Shawn agreed. "He gives me better advice than Cory ever has, though. It kinda scares me, too."
"You don't want Cory to hear you say that, he'll take offense, and rightfully so, too." She half-smiled. "I mean, I know that Matt gives awesome advice. But, Cory has such a good heart, you know?"
"Yeah, but he has to understand, I need someone to turn to. I mean, he's constantly with Topanga..." Shawn sighed. "Topanga is a great person, yeah, but you know? Same way with Miranda and Eric."
"You feel like they're stealing your best friends?" Emily straightened her white peasant skirt, and crossed her legs.
"Exactly. How did you know that?" Shawn asked.
"I feel the same way about Cory and Eric. He's a great person, but it's like I don't know Topanga or Miranda anymore." Emily sighed. "It's kinda weird, but they're still my best friends, and I know I can always count on them."
Shawn nodded again. "I completely agree. It really gets to you after awhile, though..."
"Yeah," Emily wanted to change the subject, because she had told no one about her outlook on Cory and Topanga or Eric and Miranda. "So, how do you feel about this whole Pennbrook move?" she asked.
"I have mixed emotions about it..." Shawn sighed heavily. "I mean, you know, just like you, Philadelphia is the only place I've known. I'll feel so odd somewhere else. But, then again, this is a great chance to start over, and find out who I am, or even change it."
"I completely agree about the whole 'Philadelphia is the only place I've known' thing," Emily nodded. "But, you don't want to change who you are, Shawn. You're one of the most interesting people I know. I'm gonna make a deal with you..."
"What?" Shawn asked, grinning.
"You don't change, I won't, ok?" she grinned back at him.
"Deal," he held out his hand to shake hers.
She shook his hand, and she felt strangely connected to Shawn. "And, so we don't go back on it, you can always come talk to me whenever you need it, ok?"
Shawn's grin changed into a full out smile. "Deal."
Matt and Amanda joined Topanga and Cory by the kitchen window, watching Shawn and Emily talk. 'I knew I could get her to talk to him...' Matt grinned.
Eric and Miranda walked out into the kitchen. "What's going on? Whoa, Shawn and Emily? How long has this been going on?"
"Only a few minutes..." Topanga smiled. "They look so cute together!"
"Mary, I swear it, you have more of my stuff in your room than Lucy..." Emily picked her brush up off of Mary's bureau.
"But you and Lucy share a room..." Mary Camden poked her head out of the bathroom.
"My point exactly," Emily sighed. "I'm going to be leaving for Pennbrook in a few days with Cory, Topanga, Eric, Jack and Shawn...and I need all my stuff back, so can you go through your room and take out everything that's mine? Please?"
"Sure, I guess..." Mary shrugged. "When are you leaving?" she asked.
"On Friday...today is Wednesday, so you know? You kinda need to hurry up..." Emily brushed her hair. "Oh, by the way, Robbie called for you earlier..."
Mary frantically ran out of the bathroom, and picked up the phone. "What time?" she shouted, dialing the numbers.
"Uh...about two..." she shrugged. "Do me a favor, and tell mom and dad that Matt's driving me to Cory's...ok?" Emily asked. "And if they ask who's there, just say Cory, Topanga, Eric, Miranda, Matt, Amanda, Shawn and myself..."
"Sure, see ya later, Emily..." Mary yelled.
~~
"Cor," Shawn tried to explain. "I don't get it. Something about the way things have been going lately makes me fall for her even more lately. Maybe the fact that she's not immortal or something..."
"What do you mean?" Cory asked. Shawn had been talking about a mystery girl a lot lately, yet, he refused to tell even Cory who she was. The only living soul that knew who she was, was Matt, and it was driving Cory to the breaking point. Usually, Cory was the one that Shawn confided in, but lately, he'd been going more and more to Matt. "If I knew who she was, that'd make it a lot easier."
"I'll tell you sooner or later, Cor. Just not right now, ok?" Shawn watched the door, as though he was waiting for someone to get there.
Cory rolled his eyes. "If you're not gonna tell me, then don't talk about her, ok?" he growled.
"Sorry, Cor...I'm just having a hard time admitting it to myself...and you know? If I can't admit it to me," Shawn was interrupted by Cory.
"But you can admit it to Matt Camden?" Cory asked. "That's nice Shawn...very nice..."
"Believe me, if you knew, you'd understand..." he nodded. "Just be patient, ok, Cor?"
~~
"Yeah, he is coming to Pennbrook with us, he didn't tell you?" Emily asked Matt, after he'd implied whether or not Shawn was going to college with everyone.
"Yes, he told me." Matt rolled his eyes. "What I mean is, he feels so disconnected, that he told me that he feels like even if his body is going with you, his mind might not be all the way there. He needs someone he can talk to."
"I don't understand..." Emily was confused. "What does any of this have to do with me?"
"What I'm saying, Emily, is that you shouldn't just cast Shawn away because of the past, you know? You've known him as long as Topanga, and even Cory, has. I bet if you guys searched enough you could find that you have so much in common..." Matt told his sister. "Believe me, if I didn't think this, I wouldn't be saying it to you."
"I know, Matt..." Emily shrugged. "But I just think it's kinda weird that all of a sudden, now that we've graduated, he wants everything to be ok with us."
"He's maturing. Think of it that way." Matt said as he changed the radio station. "Senior year does that. You remember how I was before senior year?"
"Yeah, as bad as Shawn, if not worse..." Emily grinned.
"He's been through a lot this year. Things like that change people..." he turned the corner onto Cedar Road, where Cory lived. "Remember his whole ordeal with Angela, when she said she couldn't date him because of where he lived? Then it took Cory to get them back together. And then, he decided she deserved better, so he dumped her."
"And then they got back together, but he wound up losing her to Simon in the end. Yeah...I remember it all too well. I got the 'Yo, Camden, your brother took my woman' speech." She groaned. "I remember that all too well..."
"And then, another thing that probably changed him is that he found his long-lost brother, remember?" Matt turned into the driveway. "But they absolutely hate each other..."
"Yeah, kind of like you and I used to?" Emily chuckled at Matt. "Now we talk more than anyone else in the house..."
"Just think about it," Matt opened the door, and got out of the car. "I mean, he's a cool guy, you just need to give him a chance..."
Emily sat there, thinking for a second, then got out of the car. "Maybe Matt's right..." she told herself, and ran up behind Matt. "I guess you're right..." she nodded to him. "I'll talk to him."
"Good, thanks, Emily. He's a good guy..." Matt smiled, as he knocked on the door.
"I'll get it!" Emily heard Topanga call from the kitchen. "Hey, Matt! Amanda is in the living room. Come on in, Emily!"
Shawn was sitting out in the backyard on a branch of the Matthews' backyard tree. He brushed a hand through his hair, making it fall into place. 'She's here...' he thought. 'Here we go...'
She looked at Shawn and laughed, "Some things will never change, though..." she looked at Matt with a grin, then walked up to Cory and Topanga. "What's up, Cory?" she asked.
"Not much," Cory shrugged. "Shawn's acting weird. He's not telling me anything, and he's talking to your brother a lot more than normal..."
"Matt? Why?" Topanga asked.
"I was hoping you knew..." Emily shrugged. "Matt was, like, talking nicely about him, and Matt never talks nicely about guys at school. I was spooked out, frankly..."
"I guess. Something's going on..." Topanga shrugged. "Maybe one of us should talk to him..."
"I'll go...Matt told me I should talk to him..." Emily walked across the room.
Shawn saw her coming, and his heart skipped a beat. 'Why am I feeling like this?' he asked. 'I don't like her, there is no way I can like Emily Camden!' he told himself. 'She's not my type in the least! But, she is pretty...and...NO...Shawn, don't do this to yourself. You've known her almost forever. Relationships like that never work! Here she comes...oh boy...' he tried to recover. "Hey, Camden, what's up?"
"Not much, Shawn..." she rolled her eyes. "What's with calling me Camden again? You don't call Matt that anymore..."
"Yeah, sorry, Emily." Shawn shrugged. "I guess, since Matt and I have talked..."
"I never thought I'd see the day that you and my brother would get along..." Emily grinned, as she jumped up into the tree. "Honestly, it's kinda freaking me out," she winked.
"He's giving me advice about girls, that's all," Shawn nodded. "He's pretty good at that..."
Emily cackled out a laugh, when her jaw dropped when she looked at Shawn. "Oh...you weren't kidding?" she asked. "Whoa..." she sat beside Shawn. "It's funny how we can always give good advice about things that we have trouble with ourselves, isn't it?"
Shawn agreed. "He gives me better advice than Cory ever has, though. It kinda scares me, too."
"You don't want Cory to hear you say that, he'll take offense, and rightfully so, too." She half-smiled. "I mean, I know that Matt gives awesome advice. But, Cory has such a good heart, you know?"
"Yeah, but he has to understand, I need someone to turn to. I mean, he's constantly with Topanga..." Shawn sighed. "Topanga is a great person, yeah, but you know? Same way with Miranda and Eric."
"You feel like they're stealing your best friends?" Emily straightened her white peasant skirt, and crossed her legs.
"Exactly. How did you know that?" Shawn asked.
"I feel the same way about Cory and Eric. He's a great person, but it's like I don't know Topanga or Miranda anymore." Emily sighed. "It's kinda weird, but they're still my best friends, and I know I can always count on them."
Shawn nodded again. "I completely agree. It really gets to you after awhile, though..."
"Yeah," Emily wanted to change the subject, because she had told no one about her outlook on Cory and Topanga or Eric and Miranda. "So, how do you feel about this whole Pennbrook move?" she asked.
"I have mixed emotions about it..." Shawn sighed heavily. "I mean, you know, just like you, Philadelphia is the only place I've known. I'll feel so odd somewhere else. But, then again, this is a great chance to start over, and find out who I am, or even change it."
"I completely agree about the whole 'Philadelphia is the only place I've known' thing," Emily nodded. "But, you don't want to change who you are, Shawn. You're one of the most interesting people I know. I'm gonna make a deal with you..."
"What?" Shawn asked, grinning.
"You don't change, I won't, ok?" she grinned back at him.
"Deal," he held out his hand to shake hers.
She shook his hand, and she felt strangely connected to Shawn. "And, so we don't go back on it, you can always come talk to me whenever you need it, ok?"
Shawn's grin changed into a full out smile. "Deal."
Matt and Amanda joined Topanga and Cory by the kitchen window, watching Shawn and Emily talk. 'I knew I could get her to talk to him...' Matt grinned.
Eric and Miranda walked out into the kitchen. "What's going on? Whoa, Shawn and Emily? How long has this been going on?"
"Only a few minutes..." Topanga smiled. "They look so cute together!"