Chapter Text
Cory thought the idea was stupid. No. He knew the idea was stupid. So why in the world did he go along with it so compliantly? He wouldn’t have it anymore. “Uh . . . Shawnie?”
“Yeah, Cor?” Shawn looked up at Cory. His look wasn’t angry, necessarily, but he didn’t seem to be entirely happy about his explanation being interrupted. His lips were pressed together. His eyelids fluttered in a way that told Cory to be quick about what he was going to say.
“Well, I was just wondering if we should maybe tell the girls about this. I mean, we don’t even know if they want to, you know, ‘spend the night’ with us,” Cory said. He thought the idea made a lot of sense, but apparently Shawn disagreed.
Shawn shook his head, “Cor, Cor, Cor, of course they do. It’s a weekend alone on a mountain top for crying out loud. Could there be a better time for romance? I mean, if I were a girl, I would want to spend the night with you.” Shawn said this so earnestly that Cory was almost convinced. “Okay... So, as I was saying, I sneak past Feeny’s room while you check for snoring.” Shawn had drawn out a small diagram on a piece of paper and was now pointing to different spots on it. “I slip a note under the door to get the girls’ attention. We don’t want to knock in case it wakes Feeny. I will tell Angela to send Topanga down that hall because you were having night terrors and you needed her, so then -”
“That doesn’t seem very realistic,” Said Cory
“Huh? What?” Shawn didn’t seem to know what he was talking about.
“Well, it’s just that I would like to think that if I were having night terrors, you'd be there for me.”
“Umm . . . While all that’s all nice and good, Cor, I don’t think that matters all too much here.”
“I would still like to know if I’m right.” He crossed his arms and looked at Shawn. This was a stupid thing to bring up, but that was fairly normal for Cory.
“About what?” was Shawn’s only reply.
“If I were to have night terrors, would you or would you not be there for me?”
“Wha - huh - Yes, Cory, I would be there for you if you were to have night terrors,” Shawn said, exasperated. The reply wasn’t hesitant, but Shawn still looked a little apprehensive about the prospect.
“Thank you,” Cory said plainly.
Shawn waved him away and went back to the plans. “Anytime, Cor.”
Every year, the Seniors at John Adams High go on a huge ski trip. They travel up to the mountains and stay at a ski lodge for the weekend. At that moment, everyone was waiting in the hall for the buses to arrive. Shawn was trying to explain how the two were going to spend the night with their girlfriends, without getting caught by Feeny.
Cory then noticed Topanga coming down the hall. She looked as beautiful as ever. “Topanga!” He went up to her and opened his arms for a hug, which she returned immediately. "Aren't you excited for this trip?” Cory said, holding Topanga a little less than arm's length away. This would definitely be a great bonding experience for them.
“Oh, I think it is going to be just wonderful. Skiing the slopes, with barely any time to sleep and eat! You know I have always loved skiing, but I have never had a chance to go to a place this nice, and for two whole days!” Topanga was really enthusiastic about this trip. It almost scared Cory, and it must have shown on his face because Topanga was now looking at him, mildly amused.
“Well, you know, I was thinking maybe we could take a little break here and there. It is always very important to eat and drink a lot of water when doing something physical. That also doesn’t leave a lot of time for ummm . . . Well, I mean, a weekend alone in the mountains.” Cory didn’t fully know what he was trying to communicate, but it seemed that Topanga got the hint.
“Oh, yes, of course, what was I thinking?” Topanga was definitely humoring him, “This is most definitely the perfect time for romance. Picture it, you and me, on the ski lift in between slopes. All alone together in the cold, huddled to keep warm.”
“That sounds amazing.” Even if Topanga was humoring him a little, it was still nice to hear she did want to spend time with him.
“Good,” Topanga gave him a peck on the lips and then walked off to collect her bags.
Shawn walked up to Cory and said, “See, I told you she would want to spend the night.”
Cory was mortified. I mean, what kind of person sprains their ankle coming off the bus? Certainly not a cool one. The main thing Cory was upset about, however, was that he wouldn’t be able to go skiing with Topanga.
“Don’t worry Cory, we can have just as great a time in here as if we were out there, where we’d be skiing, feeling the chilling wind on our faces until they go numb, having the best time of our lives while navigating the harsh terrain, with jumps and tight turns,” Topanga was at least trying to be comforting, but Cory knew how much she was looking forward to this ski trip. It would be wrong of Cory to keep her with him.
“Ohhhh, go skiing, Topanga,” He told her, even if he wished he didn’t.
“Thank you, Cory! I promise I’ll hang out with you in the afternoon.” Topanga hugged him and ran up to her room to put on all her snow gear. Cory sighed to himself. It was going to be a long day.
Cory took this moment to look around the lodge’s lobby. It had a nice rustic look. There was even a moose head hanging over the fireplace. To be honest, it made him shudder a little looking at it. The so-called fireplace was to the left of the sofa he sat on. In front of the sofa sat a couch, and in between them sat a large coffee table. The stairs were behind him, and the entryway was in front of him. Cory turned his head to the right. He found himself looking out of big picture windows. It was a beautiful day out. The sun was shining, and the trees were covered in blankets of glistening snow.
“So? How you feeling, city boy?” Asked Lauren, a worker at the lodge. She towered over him as she leaned on the back of the Sofa.
“I’m feeling fine, thank you,” Cory said. Lauren had been the one to fetch a physician and help him inside.
“Really? Even though you’re stuck with me all day?” Lauren said, jokingly.
“No. I mean, so far, you seem delightful.” Delightful? Jeez, Cory was great at talking to people.
“Me Delightful? Well, that's good to hear, I guess. At least she didn't seem too weirded out by it. “You seem delightful too, Cory,” Lauren laughed. She did have a cute laugh, didn’t she? “You know, I don’t think I’ll mind spending the day with you.”
The girl then walked away, presumably to do something that kept the lodge running.
Shawn came up behind him. Cory turned to face him. The look on his face was of pure concern, which confused Cory until he said, “Cory, um, are my ears working, or was that girl just flirting with you?”
“What? No!” Oh my god, was Cory oblivious. He definitely saw it now, but it wasn’t his intention to reciprocate. “Well . . . Maybe? So what if she was?” He felt a little defensive. “Are girls not allowed to be interested in me?”
“So, what if she was!” Shawn seemed completely exasperated and looked around frantically as if to make sure no one was listening. He kept his voice to a whisper and said, “Cory, have you forgotten about Topanga! You can’t flirt with another girl when you are in a relationship!” Cory was certain that wasn’t true; he had seen Shawn flirt with other girls even though he was dating Angela. He had even seen Topanga flirt with other guys. You can easily flirt with someone without wanting to pursue anything. Shawn looked at him with pleading eyes. Man, was he adorable.
“Shawn, I promise it didn’t mean anything. Alright?” Cory couldn’t believe the audacity of his best friend.
“Alright. But, Cor, please, whatever you do, don’t mess up what you have with Topanga. It’s really special, and most of us never get to have anything like that. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good. Now I’m gonna go hit the slopes. Don’t be stupid and do anything I wouldn’t do while I’m gone!” And with that, Shawn was out the door.
“Hey Cory,” Lauren was behind him again, leaning on the back of the sofa. “Do you need anything? I can fetch something for you if you want.”
“I don’t want to bother you; I’m sure you have much more important things to be doing than taking care of me,” Cory said.
“No, not really. It can be pretty slow sometimes.” Cory wasn’t quite sure why he blushed a little at her reply.
“Well, in that case, I would like a hot chocolate. I can't exactly stand up to get it, you see,” Cory gestured at his sprained ankle.
“Sure,” Lauren chuckled a little. She walked over to the coffee station. Cory noticed the way her hips swayed only slightly as she walked, and the way her long, brown hair rested on her back. He also noticed that he noticed these things. He chose not to think about it. Lauren filled up a paper cup using the hot water dispenser. She then ripped open a bag of Coco Mix before dumping it into the cup and then began stirring it in. Cory thought it was very nice of her to help him out.
As she walked back over with the cup, Cory asked, “It must be nice working at a ski lodge.”
“I mean, yeah, I guess.” She handed him the cup, “But it isn’t like I get to go skiing every day. Mostly, I have to stay inside and do housekeeping. Basically, it’s just a bunch of chores.” Lauren sat down on the arm of the sofa. “I’m just glad I have someone to talk to.” She smiled at Cory, and it made him feel a little flustered.
The day passed slowly. Cory and Lauren talked whenever she had a moment to spare. It was nice. Cory thought it was nice. He liked Lauren; she was sweet and funny. She made the day a little less boring.
“Hey! Cory, look what I found.” Lauren placed a small cardboard box on the coffee table. “While I was going through an old storage closet, I found some puzzles. They aren’t used very often because most people out here are, you know, skiing. If you aren’t allergic to dust, I was thinking maybe we could do one.”
“That sounds better than sitting around doing nothing,” Cory said. Lauren laughed a little, and Cory couldn’t deny it made him feel giddy.
And so for nearly the rest of the day, the two of them sat there, trying their best to complete the jigsaw. It was fun, and Cory’s stomach thought it was extremely exciting. Lauren was a very interesting person, he discovered. She hadn’t always lived up in the mountains. She and her family had moved when she was ten, from New York, actually. They came up to take care of her grandparents, who owned the lodge. They also seemed to share the same sense of humor.
“Oh my god, Cory, don’t say that!” Lauren was laughing hysterically. Cory was doing the exact same. By the time they caught their breath, both had forgotten what they were even laughing about. Lauren had a big smile on her face and looked at Cory fondly. Cory looked back at her with a similar expression. She was a great person. And pretty at that.
Lauren spoke first, “I think I should put this away now.” She was referring to the puzzle. They realized a little too late that half the pieces were missing. Lauren picked up one of the few that remained and handed it to Cory, “Think of it as a souvenir to remember me by.” She winked at him and scooped the rest of the pieces into the box. She then left, with said box in her hand.
Once she was gone, all Cory could think about was how much he wanted to continue talking to her. . . And how pretty she was.
Cory was beginning to get scared. He couldn’t possibly fall for a girl besides Topanga. They were made for each other. He looked at the jigsaw piece in his hand. Sighing to himself, he put it in his pocket.
“Cory! What the fuck was that!” Cory actually jumped in his seat. How had he not seen Shawn come in? He wasn’t in his snow gear, so he must have come in a while ago.
“Shawn! How long have you been here?”
“Long enough to know that you are making a huge mistake!”
“I’m not making a mistake, Shawn. Nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened! Cor, she gave you a ‘souvenir to remember her by.’ You call that nothing happening?” Shawn sat down on the couch next to him and sighed, “Cor, look, when I said what you have with Topanga is special, I meant it.” Shawn was being serious, “I-I’ve never had anyone like that. I’m scared I never will. Sure, I love Angela, and she loves me, but we’re not like you two. I mean, you two are destined to be together or something. I just don’t want you to lose that.” Shawn looked genuinely worried, and that made him worried too. Shawn had always worshiped Cory and Topanga’s relationship. Looking at his friend, Cory felt horrible. He felt more guilty about the way he was making Shawn stress than about basically being accused of cheating.
“Nothing happened. Nothing will happen. Shawn, I wouldn’t ever cheat on Topanga in one million years.”
“I’m not saying you would, but, Cory, I know you. I can tell you like this girl. I also know that you have trouble saying ‘no’ sometimes, and I think that maybe, if you keep hanging out with her, you might make a mistake.” Shawn was looking directly at Cory now. His hair was partially covering his eyes. “I don’t want you to make a mistake.” Cory wondered when they had started whispering. “You do like this girl. Don’t you?”
He lied. He lied to Shawn. He lied to himself, “No, I don’t like her; I just like talking to her. That's all.”
“Cory. I know you. Do you not think I know you?” His words were quiet, but you could still hear the hurt in his voice. Cory waited for the outburst, but none came. Shawn merely got up from his seat and then walked back upstairs. Cory felt a small tightness in his chest take hold.
It wasn’t long after this conversation that Topanga came in. She was bursting with excitement. She had a great day skiing. Cory decided to try to forget about Shawn and Lauren.
“Oh, Cory, you won’t believe how amazing today was! I am so sad you weren’t there. This place is amazing! It has some of the craziest slopes I have ever been on!” Cory felt a little bit bad that he wasn’t there, but the look on Topanga’s face made him feel almost just as good as if he had been with her. In all honesty, he doubted she would have had as much fun if he were there. He would most likely have stopped her from going on the big slopes because of how much of a wimp he could be sometimes. Topanga continued talking, “The skiing wasn’t even the best part, though! You know that band I like?”
Cory knew that band she liked all right. It was some really weird indie band that he couldn’t remember the name of. He swore that what they made could barely be considered music, but Cory would never tell Topanga that. He just nodded.
“Well, they were actually here today, and they agreed to let me be a guest vocalist for one of their new singles!” Cory was in shock. His jaw hung open, and he shook his head in disbelief.
The group, which consisted of Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Angela, sat in the lobby. Cory and Topanga were huddled on the same sofa Cory had been sitting on all day, and Shawn and Angela sat on the couch opposite. They were taking turns reading and answering questions out of a book Shawn had bought at the lodge’s gift shop. All the questions had to do with your romantic partner.
Cory knew why Shawn had recommended this, and every so often, he caught his friend looking at him with some mix of determination and nervousness written on his face. He swore to himself that Shawn was overreacting, and he didn’t need this stupid reminder to stay with Topanga.
“Okay, look, I think I found one.” Angela was snuggled up with Shawn and was wrapped in a quilt. “If you had to choose an animal for your partner to turn into, what would it be?” She looked at Topanga, “If I’m being honest, I don’t think I could continue to love someone if they became anything that wasn’t human.”
“Are you sure? I think I’d make a pretty cute puppy,” Shawn asked jokingly.
“Oh, you’d make an adorable puppy, but I sure wouldn’t date you.”
“And why is that?”
“I’m sorry, but I think most relationships work best when you can actually talk to each other.” Shawn rolled his eyes. “So, Topanga, what would you pick?”
“I would choose a hawk, because he would be able to fly free, but I would always know he would come back.” Topanga looked at Cory with the most adorable expression. They both smiled and giggled together.
Angela and Shawn gave each other a look of both disgust and amusement. “Promise me if I ever get like that, you’ll break up with me,” Said Angela.
It was nice, and any tension built up in Cory from earlier was slowly ebbing away. This was where he was meant to be. With Topanga on his arm, and his thoughts consisting of nothing but the moment. That was until Lauren showed up.
“Hey, guys! What are you doing?”
Of course, Topanga was the one to answer, “We are taking turns answering questions out of this book from your gift shop. Hey! Why don’t you answer one?”
“Okay! Why not? How could Lauren be so calm? Cory certainly wasn’t calm. She had definitely flirted with him earlier, and he let it happen. Now she was talking to his girlfriend like it was nothing?
“Angela, can you hand me the book?” She reached over, and Topanga took the book out of her hand. “Okay, let's see,” Topanga flipped through the pages, “Here’s one! If there was someone you knew you would be good with, but they were taken, what would you do?”
Was it getting hot in here, or was it just Cory?
“Well,” Lauren said, “I would try to make him see what is in front of him. I wouldn’t cross any boundaries, but I would let him know how I felt. If he felt the same way, I would hope he would break it off with the other girl. In the end, though, it is his choice.” She was looking directly at Cory.
It was definitely hot in here. Cory was beginning to sweat, and he took his arm off Topanga. He scooted away a little too. He didn’t think she noticed, but Shawn did.
“Cory’s turn! Topanga, give me the book.”
“Um, okay.” She was a little caught off guard by the harshness in Shawn's voice. Cory was freaking out now.
Once Shawn got the book, he asked, “If you felt guilty about something, would that change your behavior?" What was Shawn trying to do? Make the situation worse?
“Guilty? Wha-Who? Wha- What would I have to be guilty about?” Cory couldn’t help himself; he started laughing hysterically. Which definitely was not a side effect of any guilt. As is normally the case when someone bursts out laughing in the way he did, the delirium spreads to the people around him. Shawn was laughing just as hard as anyone else, but somehow he managed to glare at Cory the whole time. It was unsettling. The laughing fit went on for an unjustified amount of time, and when it was over, there was an awkward feeling in the air.
Topanga let out a polite cough. “I think I am going to head up to bed now. It has been a long day, and I would like to get some rest before hitting the slopes in the morning.” She gave Cory a peck on the cheek. “See you in the morning, Cory.”
Shawn and Angela decided it was time to go to bed, too. “In our separate rooms?” Shawn clarified.
“Yes, Shawn, in our separate rooms,” Angela said, heading upstairs.
“You heading up too?” Shawn directed towards Cory.
“Actually, I was thinking I would stay up for a little longer.”
“Don’t stay up too long.” Everything about the way Shawn said it felt like an accusation. Cory knew what he was thinking. But was he wrong? What good reason did Cory have to stay up? There was only one logical answer, and he didn’t like it. So why was Cory doing it? Why did Cory want to talk to Lauren so badly? She definitely liked him, and he was having trouble denying that he liked her. But he didn’t want to be with her, so he must be crazy, right? Cory was definitely guilty.