Shawn hated that she knew him so well. It had been about three days since she left. Shawn didn't speak to anyone in those days. He couldn't even bring himself to look at anyone. He just moped around the apartment. Jack would give him worried glances, but he didn't say anything. For that Shawn was grateful. Though now it was time to snap out of it. He couldn't stop living his life because she left him. She didn't just leave him though. She left everyone. Eric hasn't been the same since she left. He also drifted around the apartment looking lost. 'What day is it?' Shawn wondered as he woke up. He glanced at the calander next to his bed. 'Friday? Can that be right?' He wondered rubbing his eyes. Jack and Eric were at work. 'Maybe I should visit Cory. He must be a wreck with Missy gone.'
He glanced at the clock. 'noon already?' he thought. Well at least it's not too early to visit Cory. He showered and got dressed and went over to the Cory's house. Shawn knocked on the door but no one answered. He though about where everyone would be. Amy was probably out shopping with Morgan before Morgan's dance class. Alan should be at work. Cory should be home though. He reached for the doorknob. The door was opened so he entered the house. "Hello? Anyone home?" Shawn called. "Up here." Cory shouted from upstairs. Shawn climbed the stairs. He looked in Cory's room but didn't see him. "Over here." Cory said. Shawn turned around and saw Cory sitting on the floor of Missy's room, which was right across the hall from his room.
Shawn took a deep breath and entered the room. It smelt of strawberries. His mind flooded with a million and three memories of her. Shawn sat on the floor next to Cory, who had a photo album on his lap. "You wouldn't believe how many of these she has. Most of them are pictures of the three of us..." Cory said. Shawn took the album from Cory and looked at a picture of the three of them at age eight covered in mud. "Who's idea was it to mud wrestle?" Shawn asked with a slight laugh. "Either yours or hers. I can't remember." Cory said laughing. "It was probably mines." Shawn said. He flipped through a couple of pages.
"This is one of my favoites." Cory said pointing to a picture in the middle of the page. It was the day the three of them started high school. "Ooh yeah. She became quite a girl in high school. I'll never forget the next day. It was the first time I had ever seen her dress like a girl." Shawn said with a laugh. "I think she did it for you." Cory said. Then he looked down at another album he had found. "Really?" Shawn asked. "Yeah, cuz you were into all those girls at the time. She thought maybe if she dressed like them... You'd like her too." Cory said, not looking up from the photo album. Shawn frowned and looked at a picture of her brightly smiling from the top of a tree.
"I always did like her." Shawn said softly. Cory looked up surprised. "You did?" Cory asked. Shawn nodded. "She's so much better than me though. We both know that." Shawn said. "That's not true." Cory said. "You're a good guy, Shawn." Shawn shook his head and closed the book. He leaned against her bed and sighed. He looked around the room. "She left just about everything, didn't she?" He said observantly. Cory nodded."She probably wanted to keep it light, since she's on the move right now." He said.
They sat there for a couple of moments in silence. Then Cory jumped up. "This is so dumb. We're moping around here like she died or something. All we have to do is go out there and find her!!" Cory said. Shawn sighed. He loved that Cory had faith that they could find her but Shawn knew better than that. "We won't find her. She's a lot smarter than us. If she doesn't want to be found, we won't find her. Besides, what would we do when we found her?" Shawn asked. "We would drag her back home kicking and screaming." Cory said like the answer was obvious. Shawn just stared at him for a moment and Cory sat down looking a bit defeated.
"Why did she go?" Cory asked looking as if Shawn had the answer. Shawn shrugged. "I don't know. She's special, you know. There's no telling what goes through her mind." Shawn said. "But she knows our minds awfully well." Cory said. "Yeah, you've got that right." Shawn said. He picked up another photo album. "She never showed me this picture." He said. It was a picture of him with a goofy grin on his face. Like he was laughing at something. Cory looked at the picture. "I've never seen it before. It's a good picture of you." He said.
Shawn looked over as Cory flipped through the book he had. "Stop." Shawn said. He reached over to take the book from Cory. "This is my favorite picture." Shawn said pointing to a picture of Missy laying in the grass, her blonde hair shining in the sun. She was laughing. "I was standing over her when I took the picture. Remember? That was when we spent the weekend at the lake last year." Shawn said. "Yeah, she looks so happy there." Cory said. Shawn took the picture out of the book and put it in his jacket pocket. "What are you doing?" Cory asked. "Well, she's gone. So the way I figure it, her stuffs up for grabs." Shawn said. "She's going to kick your butt when she gets back for stealing a picture." Cory said. "Yeah, well I should kick her butt for leaving me." Shawn said.
He glanced at the clock. 'noon already?' he thought. Well at least it's not too early to visit Cory. He showered and got dressed and went over to the Cory's house. Shawn knocked on the door but no one answered. He though about where everyone would be. Amy was probably out shopping with Morgan before Morgan's dance class. Alan should be at work. Cory should be home though. He reached for the doorknob. The door was opened so he entered the house. "Hello? Anyone home?" Shawn called. "Up here." Cory shouted from upstairs. Shawn climbed the stairs. He looked in Cory's room but didn't see him. "Over here." Cory said. Shawn turned around and saw Cory sitting on the floor of Missy's room, which was right across the hall from his room.
Shawn took a deep breath and entered the room. It smelt of strawberries. His mind flooded with a million and three memories of her. Shawn sat on the floor next to Cory, who had a photo album on his lap. "You wouldn't believe how many of these she has. Most of them are pictures of the three of us..." Cory said. Shawn took the album from Cory and looked at a picture of the three of them at age eight covered in mud. "Who's idea was it to mud wrestle?" Shawn asked with a slight laugh. "Either yours or hers. I can't remember." Cory said laughing. "It was probably mines." Shawn said. He flipped through a couple of pages.
"This is one of my favoites." Cory said pointing to a picture in the middle of the page. It was the day the three of them started high school. "Ooh yeah. She became quite a girl in high school. I'll never forget the next day. It was the first time I had ever seen her dress like a girl." Shawn said with a laugh. "I think she did it for you." Cory said. Then he looked down at another album he had found. "Really?" Shawn asked. "Yeah, cuz you were into all those girls at the time. She thought maybe if she dressed like them... You'd like her too." Cory said, not looking up from the photo album. Shawn frowned and looked at a picture of her brightly smiling from the top of a tree.
"I always did like her." Shawn said softly. Cory looked up surprised. "You did?" Cory asked. Shawn nodded. "She's so much better than me though. We both know that." Shawn said. "That's not true." Cory said. "You're a good guy, Shawn." Shawn shook his head and closed the book. He leaned against her bed and sighed. He looked around the room. "She left just about everything, didn't she?" He said observantly. Cory nodded."She probably wanted to keep it light, since she's on the move right now." He said.
They sat there for a couple of moments in silence. Then Cory jumped up. "This is so dumb. We're moping around here like she died or something. All we have to do is go out there and find her!!" Cory said. Shawn sighed. He loved that Cory had faith that they could find her but Shawn knew better than that. "We won't find her. She's a lot smarter than us. If she doesn't want to be found, we won't find her. Besides, what would we do when we found her?" Shawn asked. "We would drag her back home kicking and screaming." Cory said like the answer was obvious. Shawn just stared at him for a moment and Cory sat down looking a bit defeated.
"Why did she go?" Cory asked looking as if Shawn had the answer. Shawn shrugged. "I don't know. She's special, you know. There's no telling what goes through her mind." Shawn said. "But she knows our minds awfully well." Cory said. "Yeah, you've got that right." Shawn said. He picked up another photo album. "She never showed me this picture." He said. It was a picture of him with a goofy grin on his face. Like he was laughing at something. Cory looked at the picture. "I've never seen it before. It's a good picture of you." He said.
Shawn looked over as Cory flipped through the book he had. "Stop." Shawn said. He reached over to take the book from Cory. "This is my favorite picture." Shawn said pointing to a picture of Missy laying in the grass, her blonde hair shining in the sun. She was laughing. "I was standing over her when I took the picture. Remember? That was when we spent the weekend at the lake last year." Shawn said. "Yeah, she looks so happy there." Cory said. Shawn took the picture out of the book and put it in his jacket pocket. "What are you doing?" Cory asked. "Well, she's gone. So the way I figure it, her stuffs up for grabs." Shawn said. "She's going to kick your butt when she gets back for stealing a picture." Cory said. "Yeah, well I should kick her butt for leaving me." Shawn said.