It'd been a long, long time since Morgan Mendoza had stepped foot in
Vista View Apartments - or New York at least. She'd been living in Los
Angeles, California for two years. She was twenty-four years old, having
her birthday a few days ago. She'd celebrated with a couple of friends but
hadn't had time for anything.
Now, she was moving back to New York, not because of business, but because of choice. She just liked New York better.
Something vague was in her past, though, as she walked into the Digital Hang-out. Something she remembered. As she sipped her double latté with skim milk, she tried to remember.
A curly-headed guy was all she remembered. A curly-headed guy, and a really cute guy who was in love with someone with ovarian cancer, she remembered that. Why couldn't she remember? Two years, that's long enough to remember people.
But there were a lot of people in New York, and she saw a lot of them. But who were they?
A curly-headed guy came into the Digital Hang-Out. Morgan didn't see him, he didn't see Morgan. But they both felt something weird - like there was a presence. A presence of someone important.
If you asked Morgan now, she wouldn't know. She didn't even know then. But something made her turn around - like someone tapping her on the shoulder. When she did, she saw him.
At the same exact moment, he saw her, and for a split-second, their eyes met and it was like in those cartoons when there's some weird zapping laser thing that connects their eyes. They couldn't take their eyes off each other.
But after that split-second, he turned to order and she turned around to her double latté. But who was he? She knew him but she couldn't place it.
She turned around again and he was looking at her. "Turn around," was her first instinct, but she ignored it and instead listened to the voices in her head. "Keep looking," the voices said.
So she did. She smiled at him. That smile was the exact thing, the thing that did it. He remembered that smile. He knew who she was. She was Morgan Mendoza.
"Oh, God, he's coming to my table!" she thought to herself. "Just pretend you.can't hear him." That was the best thing she could think of?
"Morgan Mendoza?" he asked. "Yeah?" Stupid idiot, she thought. Anyone else would just go with the plan. But I can't. She couldn't - didn't - wouldn't look up. She refused to.
"Hi, don't you remember me?" She looked up finally. Just pretend you do, even though you don't.
"Yeah, I remember you! Hi!" she said. It was too fake because he sat down across from her. "You don't remember me, do you?" he said, deflated.
"Sorry, I've seen a lot of people within the past two years," she told him apologetically. "If you tell me your name, I'm sure I'll remember you."
"Cory Matthews," he said. "Oh my God! I DO remember you! Cory Matthews? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time."
"How long?" he asked. "A very long time." She replied solemnly. "So how's it been in L.A.? Designed anything for Jennifer Aniston? Better yet, what are you doing back here?"
She laughed. "Well actually yeah, I've been really successful, but I decided to come back. I like New York better."
He smiled. "Still got the turquoise convertible?" This made her sad and happy at the same time. Sad that he cared about her so much he remembered, and happy because - heck, he remembered and she didn't expect anyone to! "Yeah, I do! How do you think I got here, flying?"
He gave her a look. "Like most normal people, yeah, I did." They smiled at each other. "I'm glad your back. I really, really am."
What was she supposed to say? She couldn't lie to him. "Me too." But what did he mean by "really, really am"? Did he mean.no; she was just being stupid. Being in L.A., you have to be on your toes, especially if you're as beautiful as Morgan was.
"So how's Topanga?" Morgan asked. "Oh, well, she.she's.she's doing okay," Cory said. "No, tell me the truth. So how's Topanga?"
He looked at her with a look that melts your heart because you feel sorry for him - he just looked so sad. "She's in Seattle right now. Business. I haven't seen her in two months."
Morgan didn't believe what she was hearing. "Two months? Who's gone on business for two months?" Then Morgan got it.
"That's just it, I don't know!" he said, exasperated. "I don't know if she'll come back."
Morgan put her hand on his. "Yes, she will. You just have to believe she will, and she will. Besides, I'm here now. I'm going to butt in as usual and take matters into my own hands. And you will be so sorry that I'm here you won't be really, really glad anymore." She smiled and they both laughed.
Back at Morgan's newly furnished apartment, she and Cory looked up Topanga's hotel number. Morgan picked up the phone and dialed it.
"Hi, is a Mrs. Topanga Matthews there?" she asked. "Oh, really? Okay. Yeah, I see. Huh? You've got to be joking. Morgan Mendoza. Oh, my gosh! That's so cool! How's Kim? Is she okay?" Cory cleared his throat; obviously employing Morgan should shut up. "Okay, just wondering. Yeah, yeah, no, tell her a Cory Matthews called. Uh huh. Yeah they've been in love their entire loves. Kinda like you and Tom.anyway.see you then. Bye." She hung up the phone. "Apparently she won't be in until nine tonight. And she's been gone for two months because she found a new romance and isn't under the name Topanga Matthews anymore, it's under the name Topanga Cory is SUCH an Idiot."
Cory looked confused. "Whoa," he said. "Yeah, Cory, duh!" she told him. "Imagine going through your entire life with a last name like Cory is such an idiot. Hey!" he said understanding.
"I don't know why she's been gone for two months but heck, she certainly isn't in love with another guy." "Well, you know those Seattle types," he told her. "Who knows who she found?"
Morgan rolled her eyes. "Listen, you think Topanga could fall in love with anyone but you?"
"I don't know right now, what are you planning on doing that would teach me some sort of lesson about how much Topanga and I love each other?" he asked.
"I'm not planning any sort of lesson," she said, confused. "What I'm planning is.absolutely nothing." She said, giving up. "You know, who was I kidding, coming to New York? I don't have anything except a vague past that no one knows. I'm just a loser who runs away every time she's afraid. I had no business coming here. I might as well just go back to L.A., no one wants me anywhere I go."
And without any warning, without any second thoughts, Cory kissed Morgan this time. When they pulled back finally, they looked at each other.
"Why'd we do this, Cory?" she asked. "I don't know," he admitted. "We need to.to.just forget this ever happened." She said. Forget forgetting.Cory kissed Morgan a second time. When it was finally over, they stared at each other for a long time. "What are we doing? I mean what does it mean?" She asked. She was partly asking herself, not Cory, but he answered anyway.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "Well that sucks! Neither do I!" she told him, irritated. Her cell phone rang at that moment, almost on cue. "Hello?" she said, answering it. "Oh my God, you're kidding. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. I feel so bad! Oh, no! Well, thank you. No, that's not a good idea." She handed the phone to Cory, who raised an eyebrow at her. "Take it, you need to hear this."
He reluctantly took the phone and listened to the news. He gave the phone back to Morgan and stared at her. Morgan hung up. He sat down on the couch.
"I didn't even say goodbye," Cory said. "It's okay," she said, sitting down next to him. "You can cry."
They hugged each other and cried for a long, long time. Once they couldn't cry anymore, they pulled back and looked at each other. "I didn't even say goodbye to her," he repeated. "That's okay, she knows you love her." He shook his head. "No, that's not it," he said. "I just feel like.like now that she's gone.I don't love her as much."
She tried to understand this, but couldn't. "I've never been in love," she said. "So I wouldn't know. I've just read about it."
He looked at her. "You think you could still fall in love?" he asked her. "I don't know, I think that ship has sailed."
He shook his head again. "No, no, I don't think so." They looked at each other for a long time, trying to understand what each other was feeling - and if I do say so, I think they did a pretty good job of it.
"She looks beautiful," Cory whispered to Shawn. Shawn looked at Morgan. "I guess so. I'm not really one to judge." He said.
That was true. Ever since Shawn and Angela had gotten married after Morgan left, Shawn didn't really say anything about other girls.
Morgan DID look beautiful. She was wearing a black off-the-shoulder dress. She wasn't wearing a hat like most of the fancy ladies there, but she had curled her hair and let it hang loosely. She'd curled it in just the right places. Everything about her looked so right - even her lip-gloss looked brilliant.
"Are you going to find someone else, with Topanga gone?" Shawn asked. "I don't want to think about that right now," he said staring at Morgan. It started to rain then. But it wasn't rain - it was a total storm. Morgan screamed when there was a clap of thunder, and Cory rushed over there to take care of her.
"I don't know, Shawn," he said to Shawn. "I just feel like this is right."
Now, she was moving back to New York, not because of business, but because of choice. She just liked New York better.
Something vague was in her past, though, as she walked into the Digital Hang-out. Something she remembered. As she sipped her double latté with skim milk, she tried to remember.
A curly-headed guy was all she remembered. A curly-headed guy, and a really cute guy who was in love with someone with ovarian cancer, she remembered that. Why couldn't she remember? Two years, that's long enough to remember people.
But there were a lot of people in New York, and she saw a lot of them. But who were they?
A curly-headed guy came into the Digital Hang-Out. Morgan didn't see him, he didn't see Morgan. But they both felt something weird - like there was a presence. A presence of someone important.
If you asked Morgan now, she wouldn't know. She didn't even know then. But something made her turn around - like someone tapping her on the shoulder. When she did, she saw him.
At the same exact moment, he saw her, and for a split-second, their eyes met and it was like in those cartoons when there's some weird zapping laser thing that connects their eyes. They couldn't take their eyes off each other.
But after that split-second, he turned to order and she turned around to her double latté. But who was he? She knew him but she couldn't place it.
She turned around again and he was looking at her. "Turn around," was her first instinct, but she ignored it and instead listened to the voices in her head. "Keep looking," the voices said.
So she did. She smiled at him. That smile was the exact thing, the thing that did it. He remembered that smile. He knew who she was. She was Morgan Mendoza.
"Oh, God, he's coming to my table!" she thought to herself. "Just pretend you.can't hear him." That was the best thing she could think of?
"Morgan Mendoza?" he asked. "Yeah?" Stupid idiot, she thought. Anyone else would just go with the plan. But I can't. She couldn't - didn't - wouldn't look up. She refused to.
"Hi, don't you remember me?" She looked up finally. Just pretend you do, even though you don't.
"Yeah, I remember you! Hi!" she said. It was too fake because he sat down across from her. "You don't remember me, do you?" he said, deflated.
"Sorry, I've seen a lot of people within the past two years," she told him apologetically. "If you tell me your name, I'm sure I'll remember you."
"Cory Matthews," he said. "Oh my God! I DO remember you! Cory Matthews? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time."
"How long?" he asked. "A very long time." She replied solemnly. "So how's it been in L.A.? Designed anything for Jennifer Aniston? Better yet, what are you doing back here?"
She laughed. "Well actually yeah, I've been really successful, but I decided to come back. I like New York better."
He smiled. "Still got the turquoise convertible?" This made her sad and happy at the same time. Sad that he cared about her so much he remembered, and happy because - heck, he remembered and she didn't expect anyone to! "Yeah, I do! How do you think I got here, flying?"
He gave her a look. "Like most normal people, yeah, I did." They smiled at each other. "I'm glad your back. I really, really am."
What was she supposed to say? She couldn't lie to him. "Me too." But what did he mean by "really, really am"? Did he mean.no; she was just being stupid. Being in L.A., you have to be on your toes, especially if you're as beautiful as Morgan was.
"So how's Topanga?" Morgan asked. "Oh, well, she.she's.she's doing okay," Cory said. "No, tell me the truth. So how's Topanga?"
He looked at her with a look that melts your heart because you feel sorry for him - he just looked so sad. "She's in Seattle right now. Business. I haven't seen her in two months."
Morgan didn't believe what she was hearing. "Two months? Who's gone on business for two months?" Then Morgan got it.
"That's just it, I don't know!" he said, exasperated. "I don't know if she'll come back."
Morgan put her hand on his. "Yes, she will. You just have to believe she will, and she will. Besides, I'm here now. I'm going to butt in as usual and take matters into my own hands. And you will be so sorry that I'm here you won't be really, really glad anymore." She smiled and they both laughed.
Back at Morgan's newly furnished apartment, she and Cory looked up Topanga's hotel number. Morgan picked up the phone and dialed it.
"Hi, is a Mrs. Topanga Matthews there?" she asked. "Oh, really? Okay. Yeah, I see. Huh? You've got to be joking. Morgan Mendoza. Oh, my gosh! That's so cool! How's Kim? Is she okay?" Cory cleared his throat; obviously employing Morgan should shut up. "Okay, just wondering. Yeah, yeah, no, tell her a Cory Matthews called. Uh huh. Yeah they've been in love their entire loves. Kinda like you and Tom.anyway.see you then. Bye." She hung up the phone. "Apparently she won't be in until nine tonight. And she's been gone for two months because she found a new romance and isn't under the name Topanga Matthews anymore, it's under the name Topanga Cory is SUCH an Idiot."
Cory looked confused. "Whoa," he said. "Yeah, Cory, duh!" she told him. "Imagine going through your entire life with a last name like Cory is such an idiot. Hey!" he said understanding.
"I don't know why she's been gone for two months but heck, she certainly isn't in love with another guy." "Well, you know those Seattle types," he told her. "Who knows who she found?"
Morgan rolled her eyes. "Listen, you think Topanga could fall in love with anyone but you?"
"I don't know right now, what are you planning on doing that would teach me some sort of lesson about how much Topanga and I love each other?" he asked.
"I'm not planning any sort of lesson," she said, confused. "What I'm planning is.absolutely nothing." She said, giving up. "You know, who was I kidding, coming to New York? I don't have anything except a vague past that no one knows. I'm just a loser who runs away every time she's afraid. I had no business coming here. I might as well just go back to L.A., no one wants me anywhere I go."
And without any warning, without any second thoughts, Cory kissed Morgan this time. When they pulled back finally, they looked at each other.
"Why'd we do this, Cory?" she asked. "I don't know," he admitted. "We need to.to.just forget this ever happened." She said. Forget forgetting.Cory kissed Morgan a second time. When it was finally over, they stared at each other for a long time. "What are we doing? I mean what does it mean?" She asked. She was partly asking herself, not Cory, but he answered anyway.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "Well that sucks! Neither do I!" she told him, irritated. Her cell phone rang at that moment, almost on cue. "Hello?" she said, answering it. "Oh my God, you're kidding. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. I feel so bad! Oh, no! Well, thank you. No, that's not a good idea." She handed the phone to Cory, who raised an eyebrow at her. "Take it, you need to hear this."
He reluctantly took the phone and listened to the news. He gave the phone back to Morgan and stared at her. Morgan hung up. He sat down on the couch.
"I didn't even say goodbye," Cory said. "It's okay," she said, sitting down next to him. "You can cry."
They hugged each other and cried for a long, long time. Once they couldn't cry anymore, they pulled back and looked at each other. "I didn't even say goodbye to her," he repeated. "That's okay, she knows you love her." He shook his head. "No, that's not it," he said. "I just feel like.like now that she's gone.I don't love her as much."
She tried to understand this, but couldn't. "I've never been in love," she said. "So I wouldn't know. I've just read about it."
He looked at her. "You think you could still fall in love?" he asked her. "I don't know, I think that ship has sailed."
He shook his head again. "No, no, I don't think so." They looked at each other for a long time, trying to understand what each other was feeling - and if I do say so, I think they did a pretty good job of it.
"She looks beautiful," Cory whispered to Shawn. Shawn looked at Morgan. "I guess so. I'm not really one to judge." He said.
That was true. Ever since Shawn and Angela had gotten married after Morgan left, Shawn didn't really say anything about other girls.
Morgan DID look beautiful. She was wearing a black off-the-shoulder dress. She wasn't wearing a hat like most of the fancy ladies there, but she had curled her hair and let it hang loosely. She'd curled it in just the right places. Everything about her looked so right - even her lip-gloss looked brilliant.
"Are you going to find someone else, with Topanga gone?" Shawn asked. "I don't want to think about that right now," he said staring at Morgan. It started to rain then. But it wasn't rain - it was a total storm. Morgan screamed when there was a clap of thunder, and Cory rushed over there to take care of her.
"I don't know, Shawn," he said to Shawn. "I just feel like this is right."