I'm soo sorry I took so long writing this! I've been on vacation! I promise the next chapter won't be far off! Thanks for reviewing!!! ~Nina matthews
5: Topanga's Story

The silence was deafining, like a roar of waves crashing onto a beach. She cleared her throat and began. "It was our junior year...

~Four Years Ago~

"Have a nice Christmas vacation, class," Mr. Turner said, closing the book. The bell had just rang and everyone was rushing for the door. Corey, Shawn and Topanga stayed behind. They walked more slowly this time, savoring their last moments together before the break. Shawn was going to be with family in the trailer park, Corey would be heading up to see his grandparents in Connecticut. Topanga would be remaining with her family, her aunt would be coming in on Christmas Eve.
"I'll call from Granny's house," Corey promised. He looked into her eyes, she seemed to not want to meet his.
"You don't have to Corey. Just enjoy your break. It's only a few days." she insisted. He was always trying to be so caring.It sort of got on her last nerve. Everything he said and did got on her nerves it seemed. It was all she could do to keep from screaming at him, or worse yet, doing something to him to show she didn't need his constant surveilance. She could scarcely have a girls night out without him becoming defensive or hurt. Her friends missed her and she was beginning to ache for the freedom of being single.
"Okay, if you don't want me to call, I won't," Corey answered, sounding hurt.
"Actually Corey, I don't want you to call. Not once. You act like we can't breathe without each other, I know I can breathe when you're not at my side. I just need some space, maybe a few Corey free weeks." she snapped. The words left her mouth before she even realized what she said. Topanga sort of drew back, averting Corey's horrfied look.
"Fine! You'll get your damn 'Corey free weeks' or maybe it should be Corey-free months!" he managed. His face was livid with anger.
She opened her mouth to respond but the words caught in her throat. Her eyes pricked with tears at his words.
Corey took that as her agreement and motioned for Shawn to follow as he briskly walked away. Shawn threw a look back at her before he followed. She knew they would both be worrying about her during break.
They didn't need to be, she thought angerily. Not at all. She sat down on a nearby bench. Everyday Corey and her would sit there before class. Conversation would consist of Corey rambling on about Morgan's latest antics of Eric's horrible dating disasters. Their own dates were becoming pretty boring, and she felt as if she was married to him. Topanga knew she still loved Corey, but the passion was rapildy diminishing.
"That was quite an exit," a soft voice said from behind her. Topanga looked up at the speaker startled. It was Stewart Minkus. She hadn't seen him since he switched into a more advanced class at the end of eighth grade. He had grown much taller, but other than that he looked no different. His turtleshell-rimmed glasses still sat proudly on his nose, and his blond hair still parted with an uncanny precision.
Minkus's attire, that had lost it's chess club tournament look. He wore boot cut khaki's, though not at all baggy they were not tight either. His look seemed more fitting for an adult than a seventeen year old. Looking up into his eyes, she realized that his face had matured a lot. A small mustache was beginning to grow on his upper lip.
Topanga was too speechless to respond.Her surprise at seeing him and her unwillingness to discuss Corey's leaving froze her tounge.She did not even know where she stood with him anymore. Was that a break-up?
Minkus sat down next to her. "Any guy who walks out on you has some major problems," he said, in the same soft tone. It seemed more gentle know, with a hint of affection that he always used with her.
Her eyes watered again, "It's not Corey's fault. It's mine," she admitted. Before she knew it, she told him the thing, how she felt, how Corey acted and his final words. He patiently listened with great intensity. Corey had done that, but his attentiveness drove her crazy as well. He tried to answer all her problems and be a comforting shoulder with every little pain. Sometimes that suited her well, others she just needed to vent.
"Hey you kids, didn't you here? It's vacation, you don't need to be hanging around school." Mr. Turner said as he walked by. Topanga blushed and realized it had been an hour since school had let out. She always picked up on Mr. Turner's surprise at seeing her. Minkus offered to take her out to dinner and she consented, a little unwillingly. Corey had just left her, and now she was going out with another guy.
*This isn't another guy, this is Minkus* she thought with a grin, and followed him to Chubby's. There they sat in a corner booth, nowhere near where she usually sat.. The light above the table went out and it provided a nice shade from public eye.
"When did your frustration with Corey start?" Minkus asked.
"It must have been three weeks ago. I'm not sure, it just hit me one day, out of the blue. He's a great guy, but high school's supposed to be a whole dating experience," she found herself saying. "Is Corey the only guy I'm going to be dating? Is he the guy I'm going to get married to?" the last part was a little incredlous.
"Maybe you need some experience before going back to Corey, you know, a little testing of the waters."Minkus suggested.
At first Topanga wanted to consent but then she saw the gleam in Minkus's eye, the warm glow in his cheeks. He still liked her.
"I don't know.." she mummured, reaching for her purse.
"Well, I could show you how a date could work, you know, like a mock date." his offer was too rushed, his timing was off, she thought. But her mind needed a break from Corey and she knew her parents would jump all over the fact that Corey hadn't driven her home like always. So she agreed, against her better judgement. A part of her knew the dangers of this, but she tried to quiet her unwillingness to go on the date.
"Alright," she said a little bit later, and he instantly grinned. Just then a waiter came by, asking for drink orders.
"The lady here will have a Coke and I will have iced tea," he said, as if he could read her mind. The man nodded and promised to return for the menus.
"How did you know I wanted a Coke?" she demanded.
"Coke's your favorite drink," he answered confidently.
She laughed and began to relax. Minkus did not fail to impress her the entire evening. His awkardness was fading, though still evident in some of his conversation. Overall, he was different, or at least she thought he was different. Sometimes when he looked at her, she caught a climpse of the thirteen year old boy she once knew.
Soon they were walking out of Chubby's, and in an awkward point. She was breathless from laughing almost all evening and the wind felt especially cold on her flushed cheeks. It was beginning to snow giving the world a mystical look.
"At this point I would walk the girl back to her house and give her a kiss on the cheek," Minkus said softly, even though the mock date pretense had vanished with Topanga's reasoning.
"Only on the cheek?" she had to ask.
"Well, for you, there might be an exception," he returned, leaning closer to her.
"Minkus," she argued softly stepping back. He winced at the name and drew himself up.
"I apologize, I got carried away," he muttered. They began walking towards the bus stop. The only inconvience about Chubby's was that there wasn't a bus stop nearby. The snow picked up, along with the wind. Soon Topanga could hardly see where she was going.
"We have to get out of this," Minkus commented, stopping. She could hardly tell he stopped except that the black blur next to her went away. She nodded and then began running back to his car, a block down.
"Oh," Topanga cried out, as her feet slipped on some ice. She fell, rather ungracefully on her ankle. A sharp stab of pain told her she would need assistance getting home. Minkus instantly came to her side and helped her to stand. Progress was slow but they made it. By the time they pulled out onto the streets snow coated everything about an inch deep.It only came down harder though.
"We have to get off the roads," Minkus said, pulling off onto a residental street. "My house is closer," he added.
They hobbled inside and she leaned against the door frame while Minkus fiddled for his keys. She realized she had to call her parents and tell them where she was.She made up some excuse about walking home with her friend and deciding to wait for the snow storm to pass but getting stuck at her house. They bought it, and she felt a little relieved. They did not have time to ask about Corey.
Minkus started a fire and wrapped her ankle. His fingers felt rough and bumbling on her skin. She sensed he was nervous. In the dark of the living room, the fire cast weird shadows on the room. Nothing looked like it normally was, including Minkus. Looking into his eyes she saw that his glasses were off and his looked almost blue. The look her gave her then did not belong to any thirteen year old boy, quite the contrary, he looked like a man. Shadows played on his skin making it less floruesent white and more of a pale cream. His arms seemed to bulge in his button down shirt. She remembered vaguely wondering if he worked out. Before she knew it he was kissing her and she was returning it. How different his mouth was than Corey's, how different his hands felt when they gripped her shoulders and then moved to her back. Everything went hazy as their passions errupted. Topanga knew she was totally loosing her mind, as Minkus gently laid her down on the couch. It felt velvetly soft against her bare back. He looked a little hesistant above her, but she assured him by drawing him to her.
It wasn't until awhile later that Topagna realized the consequences of her actions. The bathroom lights were suddenly blinding white. Everything that was so blurry then as it came into focus. Her breath caught in her throat. The test read postive.

~Sorry it turned out so long! Thanks for reading!~