Chapter 4
Schemes, Duckies, and Gas Stations
Walking here was such a brilliant idea Hunter, Shawn thought, God I don't even know what I'm gonna do. What am I just gonna stay in this store for the rest of the night? No I can't do that. . . but it is open twenty- four hours. I've run away a million times and I always know what to do. . .why not this time?
Shawn knew the answer to this question though, he had always had someone stop him or he stayed with Cory, but Cory was not going to be any help this time.
The middle-aged man behind the counter of this tiny gas station eyed Shawn suspiciously, and Shawn couldn't blame him. Here he was soaking wet in his leather jacket with nowhere to go, and without a car as the man had certainly noticed.
"So what do you want?" the man said anxiously, "I mean you don't have a car do you?"
"What? No. . . I um. . ." Shawn didn't know what to say, "I just needed a walk that's all."
"It's eleven-thirty on a Sunday night and you need a walk?"
Shawn felt slightly annoyed, but since he had walked this far to a place Eric would not find him, he decided to play it nice, "I just had some. . .issues with my roommate."
"Girl?"
"No, he's my friend," Shawn answered.
"Okay," the man said pleasantly enough, "So what happened? I mean I don't get a lot of people 'round this time of night and I figure you could use someone to talk to."
Shawn looked puzzled, he hadn't met very many people in New York but those he had were always rushing and here was this guy chatting up a complete stranger. He shrugged, "It's nothing."
"Oh now come on, here," he said pointing to a chair near the counter he was working at, "sit down, I'll get us some soda, what kind you want?"
Shawn decided he would talk to this stranger, what could be the harm in it after all, " I'll take a Root Beer please."
"Please? No one says please 'round here, where you from?" he questioned as he went to grab the drinks.
"I just moved here from Philly a few months ago."
"Oh. . .you were brought up pretty good then?" the man remarked as he gave Shawn his Root Beer.
Shawn snorted, "Hardly. My mom took off twice, and my dad was always leavin'; he never could stay some place for more than two weeks. How 'bout you? You from around here?"
"I've lived here for about five years now, but I was born an' raised in Texas."
Shawn smiled a bit, "You do kind of have the southern drawl, not to mention the southern hospitality."
The man laughed a little, "Yeah I guess, by the way my name's Dave."
Dave held out his hand and Shawn shook it, "I'm Shawn."
"So Shawn," Dave said as he handed Shawn a can of Root Beer, "what happened with your roommate?"
Shawn didn't know what to say. How am I gonna tell a complete stranger that I'm think I'm in love with my GUY roommate? Yeah that'd be a great thing to say.
"Um. . . my roommate's brother is, was, my best friend-"
"What happened?"
"Um.his wife."
"Oh I get it. She was jealous about him spending time with you, I've been there."
"Really?" Shawn asked incredulously, "Did you guys work it out?"
Dave shook his bald head sadly, "Well. . . no, actually I haven't talked to him for twenty years now."
"Oh," Shawn said disappointed. He had hoped if Dave had worked it out, there would be a chance for Cory and him, "that's not exactly reassuring. Do you miss him?"
Dave stared at Shawn with caring brown eyes, "Of coarse. We were inseparable, until he got married. He was married right after college, didn't even have a job. She got fed up with me always comin over to his house and us takin off, and then she got a job transfer to Virginia and I haven't talked to them since."
"But listen Shawn, you need your best friend don't you? I regret every single day about never calling my friend. I don't care if his wife had a fit anymore, I just miss Tom and it will never be the same."
Shawn sighed, "Yeah I need him."
"Then find a way."
Shawn smiled, "Thanks Dave."
"Anytime. It was nice meeting you Shawn."
"Yeah, you too. Thanks for the Root Beer." With that Shawn walked out of the gas station with his heart a little lighter, but another thought crept back into his mind. What about Eric?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Who is it?" asked a very tired Cory. Who in the world was banging on the door at 12:30 in the morning and waken both he and Topanga up. He opened the door. . . Eric.
Topanga sighed crossly, "We can't get rid of any of them! Eric you're not allowed over here, especially at 12:30 in the morning!"
"Ice Queen I need to talk to Cory."
She threw up her hands in aversion, "I'm going back to sleep."
When Topanga left the room Eric continued, "Shawn flipped out again."
Cory's suffering heart twisted in agony, "He did?"
"Of coarse he did Cor. What? Did you think he wasn't going to? He loves you. You're the only family that has ever stayed by him. . . until now," Eric's eyes narrowed, "Do you even what to see him?"
Cory looked at Eric in amazement, "Yeah, but I can't. I miss him so much. I miss our walks in the park, our schemes, talking about everything. . ."
Eric's brow furrowed, "And I thought I was the one that liked Shawn."
"-going to Chubbie's, what do you mean?" Cory asked inquiringly.
"Cory I'm-" he started.
"Will you guys keep it down! I'm trying to sleep!" came Topanga's loud yell.
"Sorry hun!" then Cory whispered, "You're?"
" Cory, I'm gay, but this isn't about me, this is about Shawn."
Cory looked dazed, "When are you gonna tell Mom? Or Dad? Or Feeny?"
"Cory, do you wanna see Shawn or not?"
That broke his state of confusion, "Yeah! You can do that?"
Eric smirked, "I am the master of schemes-"
"I thought Shawn was the master."
"Fine but I'm the runner-upper, okay?"
"Runner-upper? Eric are you drunk again?"
"No, I just like the word."
"Better than you're rubber ducky?"
"Never! Duckies rule! But anyway Cory, you wanna see Shawn right?"
"Yeah."
"Well you can meet him everyday."
"How?"
"Just say you're looking for a job, and then after a week say you found one."
Cory's face lit up for the first time since Topanga had said he couldn't see Shawn anymore, "That could. . . I'm gonna see Shawn! Yay yay yay!"
Eric shushed him," Be quiet! We don't want Her hearing!"
"Oh yeah, but I'm gonna see Shawnie!" he smiled from ear to ear.
"Cor there's just one more thing. . ."
"Yeah?"
"Um. . . I might of. . . um. . . tried to kiss Shawn."
Cory's smile vanished. He groaned and fell on the couch behind him, "What? No you're just joking right Eric? Right?"
Eric shook his head.
"Where is he now?"
"I have no idea, he could be anywhere."
"Great. You have no idea where he could be?"
"No, sorry Cor."
"We have to find him, I need my best friend and I don't want him to get hurt."
"Ice Queen already killed him by taking you away, that-"
"Eric she's just frustrated! But we need to find Shawn, and this time I don't care what she says," then he asked slowly, "Eric are you and Shawn together? I mean you're not in love with him or anything right?"
Eric didn't answer.
Schemes, Duckies, and Gas Stations
Walking here was such a brilliant idea Hunter, Shawn thought, God I don't even know what I'm gonna do. What am I just gonna stay in this store for the rest of the night? No I can't do that. . . but it is open twenty- four hours. I've run away a million times and I always know what to do. . .why not this time?
Shawn knew the answer to this question though, he had always had someone stop him or he stayed with Cory, but Cory was not going to be any help this time.
The middle-aged man behind the counter of this tiny gas station eyed Shawn suspiciously, and Shawn couldn't blame him. Here he was soaking wet in his leather jacket with nowhere to go, and without a car as the man had certainly noticed.
"So what do you want?" the man said anxiously, "I mean you don't have a car do you?"
"What? No. . . I um. . ." Shawn didn't know what to say, "I just needed a walk that's all."
"It's eleven-thirty on a Sunday night and you need a walk?"
Shawn felt slightly annoyed, but since he had walked this far to a place Eric would not find him, he decided to play it nice, "I just had some. . .issues with my roommate."
"Girl?"
"No, he's my friend," Shawn answered.
"Okay," the man said pleasantly enough, "So what happened? I mean I don't get a lot of people 'round this time of night and I figure you could use someone to talk to."
Shawn looked puzzled, he hadn't met very many people in New York but those he had were always rushing and here was this guy chatting up a complete stranger. He shrugged, "It's nothing."
"Oh now come on, here," he said pointing to a chair near the counter he was working at, "sit down, I'll get us some soda, what kind you want?"
Shawn decided he would talk to this stranger, what could be the harm in it after all, " I'll take a Root Beer please."
"Please? No one says please 'round here, where you from?" he questioned as he went to grab the drinks.
"I just moved here from Philly a few months ago."
"Oh. . .you were brought up pretty good then?" the man remarked as he gave Shawn his Root Beer.
Shawn snorted, "Hardly. My mom took off twice, and my dad was always leavin'; he never could stay some place for more than two weeks. How 'bout you? You from around here?"
"I've lived here for about five years now, but I was born an' raised in Texas."
Shawn smiled a bit, "You do kind of have the southern drawl, not to mention the southern hospitality."
The man laughed a little, "Yeah I guess, by the way my name's Dave."
Dave held out his hand and Shawn shook it, "I'm Shawn."
"So Shawn," Dave said as he handed Shawn a can of Root Beer, "what happened with your roommate?"
Shawn didn't know what to say. How am I gonna tell a complete stranger that I'm think I'm in love with my GUY roommate? Yeah that'd be a great thing to say.
"Um. . . my roommate's brother is, was, my best friend-"
"What happened?"
"Um.his wife."
"Oh I get it. She was jealous about him spending time with you, I've been there."
"Really?" Shawn asked incredulously, "Did you guys work it out?"
Dave shook his bald head sadly, "Well. . . no, actually I haven't talked to him for twenty years now."
"Oh," Shawn said disappointed. He had hoped if Dave had worked it out, there would be a chance for Cory and him, "that's not exactly reassuring. Do you miss him?"
Dave stared at Shawn with caring brown eyes, "Of coarse. We were inseparable, until he got married. He was married right after college, didn't even have a job. She got fed up with me always comin over to his house and us takin off, and then she got a job transfer to Virginia and I haven't talked to them since."
"But listen Shawn, you need your best friend don't you? I regret every single day about never calling my friend. I don't care if his wife had a fit anymore, I just miss Tom and it will never be the same."
Shawn sighed, "Yeah I need him."
"Then find a way."
Shawn smiled, "Thanks Dave."
"Anytime. It was nice meeting you Shawn."
"Yeah, you too. Thanks for the Root Beer." With that Shawn walked out of the gas station with his heart a little lighter, but another thought crept back into his mind. What about Eric?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Who is it?" asked a very tired Cory. Who in the world was banging on the door at 12:30 in the morning and waken both he and Topanga up. He opened the door. . . Eric.
Topanga sighed crossly, "We can't get rid of any of them! Eric you're not allowed over here, especially at 12:30 in the morning!"
"Ice Queen I need to talk to Cory."
She threw up her hands in aversion, "I'm going back to sleep."
When Topanga left the room Eric continued, "Shawn flipped out again."
Cory's suffering heart twisted in agony, "He did?"
"Of coarse he did Cor. What? Did you think he wasn't going to? He loves you. You're the only family that has ever stayed by him. . . until now," Eric's eyes narrowed, "Do you even what to see him?"
Cory looked at Eric in amazement, "Yeah, but I can't. I miss him so much. I miss our walks in the park, our schemes, talking about everything. . ."
Eric's brow furrowed, "And I thought I was the one that liked Shawn."
"-going to Chubbie's, what do you mean?" Cory asked inquiringly.
"Cory I'm-" he started.
"Will you guys keep it down! I'm trying to sleep!" came Topanga's loud yell.
"Sorry hun!" then Cory whispered, "You're?"
" Cory, I'm gay, but this isn't about me, this is about Shawn."
Cory looked dazed, "When are you gonna tell Mom? Or Dad? Or Feeny?"
"Cory, do you wanna see Shawn or not?"
That broke his state of confusion, "Yeah! You can do that?"
Eric smirked, "I am the master of schemes-"
"I thought Shawn was the master."
"Fine but I'm the runner-upper, okay?"
"Runner-upper? Eric are you drunk again?"
"No, I just like the word."
"Better than you're rubber ducky?"
"Never! Duckies rule! But anyway Cory, you wanna see Shawn right?"
"Yeah."
"Well you can meet him everyday."
"How?"
"Just say you're looking for a job, and then after a week say you found one."
Cory's face lit up for the first time since Topanga had said he couldn't see Shawn anymore, "That could. . . I'm gonna see Shawn! Yay yay yay!"
Eric shushed him," Be quiet! We don't want Her hearing!"
"Oh yeah, but I'm gonna see Shawnie!" he smiled from ear to ear.
"Cor there's just one more thing. . ."
"Yeah?"
"Um. . . I might of. . . um. . . tried to kiss Shawn."
Cory's smile vanished. He groaned and fell on the couch behind him, "What? No you're just joking right Eric? Right?"
Eric shook his head.
"Where is he now?"
"I have no idea, he could be anywhere."
"Great. You have no idea where he could be?"
"No, sorry Cor."
"We have to find him, I need my best friend and I don't want him to get hurt."
"Ice Queen already killed him by taking you away, that-"
"Eric she's just frustrated! But we need to find Shawn, and this time I don't care what she says," then he asked slowly, "Eric are you and Shawn together? I mean you're not in love with him or anything right?"
Eric didn't answer.