It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

10| Santa's Little Helper

Zoey was currently sitting at her desk, listening to Mr. Feeny read 'A Christmas Carol', but she didn't pay attention to the story as she tried not to laugh at Shawn and Cory pulling funny faces at each other. Zoey placed a hand up to her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter.

"'And it always said of Scrooge... that he knew how to keep Christmas well... if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us. And so as Tiny Tim observed... God bless us, every one." Mr. Feeny said, finishing the story. "And so ends Dickens' masterpiece 'A Christmas Carol'."

"Wait a minute. That's not the end. Where's the Grinch?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah. Isn't the Grinch supposed to show up now and, like, take everything?" Cory questioned.

Mr. Feeny rolled his eyes in annoyance, but Zoey chuckled at her best friends.

"How comes it's called 'A Christmas Carol' anyway?" Shawn wondered.

"Yeah. There was nobody in this story named Carol." Cory said.

Zoey shook her head and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. "Oh, my God."

"Miss Lawrence, would you please trade places with Mr. Matthews?" Mr. Feeny asked.

"All right." Topanga said, before closing her eyes. "I'm a hyperactive, underachieving, eleven-year-old boy."

"I meant physically." Mr. Feeny clarified.

"Oh well, that takes less of a psychic toll." Topanga said, as she stood up from her desk.

"Why do I have to move?" Cory wondered, standing up.

"We were just giving our review of the book." Shawn said.

"Yeah." Cory said, sitting down at Topanga's desk. "I mean, you say literary masterpiece... we say... Anh!"

Both Cory and Shawn put their thumbs down and made a buzzer sound. Zoey placed her hands over her mouth and nose, and chuckled. She couldn't take this seriously with those boys.

"Mr. Matthews, I'm less interested in your review... than I am that you understand the material." Mr. Feeny said, approaching Cory. "What, in your opinion, was Mr. Dickens trying to express in his Christmas story?"

"That if you're a real butthead... then neat ghosts will take you to cool places." Cory simply responded.

Mr. Feeny puts this thumb down and made a buzzer sound.

••••

After class, the three of them were in the cafeteria, eating lunch. Zoey sat in between Cory and Shawn. Both Cory and Zoey had their tray of food in front of them while Shawn just had a small brown paper bag from home.

"Fish and Sticks." Cory said, holding a fish stick. "Two things nature never would've put together. What'd you get?"

Shawn pulled out a sandwich from his brown bag. "Peanut better and jelly. Two things nature couldn't keep apart."

"Since when did your mum pack you lunch?" Cory questioned.

"Yeah, I thought you liked Fish sticks." Zoey said, turning to Shawn with a small smile. "You love them that much, you would do anything for them."

Shawn nodded. "I do, but I think it's cruel how the little fish scream when they rip their sticks off."

"Well, here Shawn. You can have mine." Zoey said, passing Shawn her plate of fish sticks. "You know I don't like them anyway."

Shawn smiled. "Thanks, Zo. You're the best."

"I would do anything for my best friend." Zoey said with a warm smile.