Cory inhaled deeply, trying to hold back his emotions. He sat, alone, on the park bench, wishing it was a mere week ago; when he was in love, and his wife was in love with him.
"You know, fuck that!" he muttered under his breath. "I wish I could go back to grade school... I wish I had never met Shawn, or even Topanga. Maybe then this wouldn't hurt so much. Maybe then I'd be married to a girl who loved me. Maybe then I'd have a child that was mine."
The baby was due in a week, and his wife and Shawn had decided to tell Cory the news this afternoon: that the baby could possibly be Shawn's, and that they were in love.
"We didn't know how to tell you," Topanga said, sitting next to him on the couch. She placed a hand on his shoulder and began rubbing his back. "I wanted to tell you that time... That time in the hospital when I nearly lost the baby. And then we thought we'd wait until the baby was born, but I didn't want to wait that long. I didn't want you to see the baby, and then tear him or her from your arms."
"And do you think you saved me any pain?" Cory asked after a few seconds to take all this information in. "I'm having YOU torn away from me. By my BEST FRIEND!"
"I'm not saying you shouldn't be hurt," Topanga said. "In fact, I was expecting you to be. I was just trying to save you from more pain. You love the baby, and it's not even here yet. Imagine if you had already seen him or her. Do you really think you'd be able to part with it?"
"Probably not, Topanga, but that's not the point. You couldn't have told me this when you were pregnant? Or better yet - before we were married?"
"I didn't know then."
"Neither did I," Shawn interjected. "We had tried to do what was best. And we tried to ignore our feelings."
"The last thing we wanted to do was hurt you," Topanga added. "We thought that if I stayed with you, it would be best for me and the baby. And then Shawn could marry Rachel, even though he didn't love her, and everything would be okay. But it wouldn't. I DO love you, Cory, but I'm not IN love with you."
"It's just... I didn't even pick UP on any of this."
"Listen, Cor... I'm really sorry," Shawn said.
"Why? Why are you sorry, Shawn? You win. You get my wife, and you get my kid. I might as well just move out of this apartment right now, because Lord knows that'll be the next thing you inherit."
"Cory, I'm moving out," Topanga said. "As soon as I have the baby, I'm going to move in with Shawn."
"And what about Rachel?"
"She already left," Shawn replied. "I told her last week. She was pretty pissed, but in all honesty... I'm glad to see her go. Our relationship has been nothing but trouble since it started."
"Especially since you took her away from Jack," Cory said, "You know, Shawn... I'm beginning to see a pattern with you."
"Don't start," Topanga placed her hands on both his shoulders to prevent him from jumping Shawn. "Maybe Shawn and I should go. Before things get to ugly."
"Things have already gotten ugly."
And now, Cory was alone. Topanga had left the apartment to stay with Shawn, packing a few precious things to last her until the baby came. Then, once she delivered, they were going to send friends to gather the last of Topanga's things. They thought it would be too hard on Cory to have to see Topanga and Shawn moving things out of the apartment.
All he wanted were answers. Why hadn't Topanga told him sooner? He wasn't buying her excuse, and the only person he knew she trusted more than anything - other than him - was her best friend.
Whipping out his cell phone, he began dialing the familiar number. "Hey, Angela. This is Cory. I've got some stuff to ask you..."
"You know, fuck that!" he muttered under his breath. "I wish I could go back to grade school... I wish I had never met Shawn, or even Topanga. Maybe then this wouldn't hurt so much. Maybe then I'd be married to a girl who loved me. Maybe then I'd have a child that was mine."
The baby was due in a week, and his wife and Shawn had decided to tell Cory the news this afternoon: that the baby could possibly be Shawn's, and that they were in love.
"We didn't know how to tell you," Topanga said, sitting next to him on the couch. She placed a hand on his shoulder and began rubbing his back. "I wanted to tell you that time... That time in the hospital when I nearly lost the baby. And then we thought we'd wait until the baby was born, but I didn't want to wait that long. I didn't want you to see the baby, and then tear him or her from your arms."
"And do you think you saved me any pain?" Cory asked after a few seconds to take all this information in. "I'm having YOU torn away from me. By my BEST FRIEND!"
"I'm not saying you shouldn't be hurt," Topanga said. "In fact, I was expecting you to be. I was just trying to save you from more pain. You love the baby, and it's not even here yet. Imagine if you had already seen him or her. Do you really think you'd be able to part with it?"
"Probably not, Topanga, but that's not the point. You couldn't have told me this when you were pregnant? Or better yet - before we were married?"
"I didn't know then."
"Neither did I," Shawn interjected. "We had tried to do what was best. And we tried to ignore our feelings."
"The last thing we wanted to do was hurt you," Topanga added. "We thought that if I stayed with you, it would be best for me and the baby. And then Shawn could marry Rachel, even though he didn't love her, and everything would be okay. But it wouldn't. I DO love you, Cory, but I'm not IN love with you."
"It's just... I didn't even pick UP on any of this."
"Listen, Cor... I'm really sorry," Shawn said.
"Why? Why are you sorry, Shawn? You win. You get my wife, and you get my kid. I might as well just move out of this apartment right now, because Lord knows that'll be the next thing you inherit."
"Cory, I'm moving out," Topanga said. "As soon as I have the baby, I'm going to move in with Shawn."
"And what about Rachel?"
"She already left," Shawn replied. "I told her last week. She was pretty pissed, but in all honesty... I'm glad to see her go. Our relationship has been nothing but trouble since it started."
"Especially since you took her away from Jack," Cory said, "You know, Shawn... I'm beginning to see a pattern with you."
"Don't start," Topanga placed her hands on both his shoulders to prevent him from jumping Shawn. "Maybe Shawn and I should go. Before things get to ugly."
"Things have already gotten ugly."
And now, Cory was alone. Topanga had left the apartment to stay with Shawn, packing a few precious things to last her until the baby came. Then, once she delivered, they were going to send friends to gather the last of Topanga's things. They thought it would be too hard on Cory to have to see Topanga and Shawn moving things out of the apartment.
All he wanted were answers. Why hadn't Topanga told him sooner? He wasn't buying her excuse, and the only person he knew she trusted more than anything - other than him - was her best friend.
Whipping out his cell phone, he began dialing the familiar number. "Hey, Angela. This is Cory. I've got some stuff to ask you..."