Chapter 2 - A Choice
As soon as the officer was gone, George closed the door behind him and turned to glare at Shawn.
"Please, Mr. Feeny, you have to let me stay here tonight. Cory's dad is going to freak out if I go over there right now."
"And what do you expect to happen in the morning?"
"I'll sneak in before they wake up, and you'll keep this between us?" A shred of hope filled his eyes.
"I most certainly will not."
"Come on, man. He already thinks I'm a bad influence on Cory. He's gonna kick me out."
"Do you truly believe that?"
"Well...maybe not. But that's worse!"
"Maybe that was something to consider before you snuck out to commit petty thievery in the middle of the night."
"I wasn't...I didn't mean...I can explain."
"Oh, can you?"
Shawn winced. "Uh. No."
"Well then, Mr. Hunter. We certainly find ourselves in a quandary."
"Quandary?"
"Oh, yes. Specifically, what am I to do with you?"
The boy shrugged. "I already gave you my suggestion, you didn't like it."
"Tell me, what punishment do you believe fits this crime?"
His voice grew smaller. "Losing Jon isn't enough?"
For a half a second, George's anger flared hotter than ever. This was Shawn's old standby: blaming his life circumstances for his own poor decisions. But he found he couldn't hold onto it. Shawn had been taller than George since the sixth grade, and he was nearly a man now, but George still looked at him and saw the scared little boy he'd known for years. "You really miss him, don't you?"
Shawn looked away. "I didn't mean to get in trouble tonight. It's not fair to Cory's parents. They've already got three kids, they've got enough to deal with, and it's just...I'm always feeling like the walls are caving in."
George frowned. "And that's a reason to break into convenience stores?"
"I wasn't going to..." He shook his head. "What does it matter? You're not gonna believe me."
"Try me."
Shawn shifted his weight and took a deep breath. "I went back to the trailer park. I'm used to sleeping outside there, so I was just going to camp out on a bench, I swear. But I got caught up with some guys I used to know-"
"And one thing led to another."
"You understand?"
He sighed. "Understanding and condoning are two very different things, Mr. Hunter."
Shawn squirmed. "So what are you gonna do?"
George looked down and considered. As it was, he had the authority to do very little, either to punish the boy or to help him with his situation. It would be different, of course, if Shawn were living with him. It was summer, and George had no wife to please or other children to mentor, which meant he could pour all of his energy and devotion into this child. He could put the boy to work to make atonement for his misdeeds, but also give him the time and space to process his tumultuous emotions, listening and advising as the need arose.
Of course, George would never commit to that. It would more or less cost him his summer, which he valued highly.
He looked up at Shawn. The boy looked so lost...
George took a deep breath. So he was doing this. "I'm going to give you a choice."
Shawn peeked up at him through his bangs.
"I can walk you across my yard and into the Matthews's house. You can face the music. As you ought to, I might add."
"Please, Mr. Feeny," Shawn said quietly. "I don't want to put them through that. Anything but that."
"Which brings you to your other option."
"What's that?"
"You fear inconveniencing the Matthews, but clearly you don't fear any ire or disdain from me."
"What?"
"You chose to lie to a law enforcement officer and ask him to bring you here. You must have known I wouldn't let you get away with this."
Shawn shifted his weight.
"If it is my censure you prefer, Mr. Hunter, far be it from me to deny you. You are quite welcome to stay with me while your guardian recovers."
Shawn took a step back. "No, no, I couldn't..."
"You'd have your own bedroom, your own restroom. You would remain close to your best friend without feeling like a burden on his family. I would provide for your needs until Jonathan becomes able again, and I would be more than happy to transport you to the hospital each day." He doubted Mr. and Mrs. Matthews were able to support daily visits.
"Wait. Every day?"
George nodded.
Shawn glanced toward the Matthews' house, then back at George. "Would you tell Cory's dad about tonight?"
"Well, in such a case, it would be none of his business, Mr. Hunter, as it would not be his responsibility to see to your punishment."
Shawn winced, eyes begging.
"Make your choice, Mr. Hunter. It's late, and I'd quite like to return to bed."
"Can I sleep on it?"
"Sleep on it you may, but you need to decide where."
"Here," he said quickly.
George blinked a couple of times. What had he gotten himself into?
"If you're sure," Shawn added.
"Very well," George said. "I'll see you to your room."
Shawn adjusted his backpack on his back, and he followed George up the stairs.
There was no way Shawn was really going to stay with Feeny.
Sure, the offer of his own room and daily visits was tempting, but Shawn wasn't crazy. Besides, it wouldn't do him any good. The Matthews didn't even want him; there was no way Feeny did.
But Feeny had given him a way out of facing Cory's dad tonight, and that was all he needed. A few hours to think of a good excuse for why he'd run, and an excuse for not delivering the news of what he'd done wrong at two in the morning to someone who was already unhappy with him for things he couldn't control.
Shawn set his backpack down on the little desk in the room where Feeny had left him. It was easily as big as the room Cory and Eric shared, and the bed was full sized. He sat down on it—it was really soft.
He was too wired to sleep, though. Shawn kicked off his shoes and padded into the bathroom next door. Shawn had had to fight for his turn in the shower all week, and he felt gross. There were towels and wash clothes and soap and shampoo, and the towels were soft, and the soap smelled so clean. Did Feeny just keep his guest bedroom and bathroom ready for people, all the time? Shawn shook his head, smirking—he'd probably never understand Feeny.
But if everything was already set up...it would be a shame for all of that work to go to waste. He was sure Feeny wouldn't mind, as long as he was quiet. He turned on the hot water, peeled off his sweaty clothes, and stepped into the shower. Even the water pressure was good.
Shawn didn't hurry himself. He stayed until the hot water turned lukewarm, and he walked back to the guest room in the fluffy towel.
Back in the guest room, he dumped out his backpack and frowned. It wouldn't have mattered if he was going to be homeless, but he was down to his last set of clean clothes. At the Matthews, he would have to fight for the washer and dryer. But right now...Feeny wasn't using his, right? He wouldn't mind if Shawn used them.
Shawn searched the house until he found the laundry room, then he loaded his clothes in and set it to cold water, since that was all that was left. Then he wandered out into the empty living room. He'd had to share the TV with Cory and Eric all week. If he kept the volume low, it wouldn't bother anyone if he used it, would it?
Grabbing the remote, Shawn plunked down on the couch and flipped through channels until he found something he was willing to watch. He wandered into the kitchen and looked through the fridge—it wasn't as well stocked as the Matthews, but he at least had some lunch meat and cheese. Shawn brought them over to the couch and absentmindedly went through both packages.
He glanced up at the clock. Four in the morning. If he got back to the Matthews by six, they wouldn't know the difference. He could take a quick nap and get back in time. Shawn remembered to throw away his garbage and turn off the TV before heading up the stairs.
Shawn flicked on the light in the room, and he left it on. He couldn't do that with Cory and Eric, but Jon knew he slept better with the lights on in his room, and he didn't mind. What Feeny didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
Shawn settled into bed, sinking deep into the soft mattress. He just had to make sure he woke up in two hours...