It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

58| New Friends and Old

When the end of class bell rung through the high school, Zoey walked out of Mr. Turner's classroom. Once she walked out of the classroom, her jaw dropped in shock.

Both Shawn and Cory were standing in the middle of the hall wearing cheerleading outfits. Zoey tried her hardest to hold back her laughter as kids whistled or laughed at the two.

"Hey, check out the new competition." Eric commented as he and Topanga appeared beside Zoey. "Pretty hot, huh?"

"Look at them, they must starve themselves." Zoey added with a smirk.

"I just get so nervous around such beauties." Eric teased as he walked away from them.

"No wonder I never made the squad." Topanga said before she walked away.

"Well, Cory, those Buns of Steel videos must have paid off." Shawn stated proudly.

Zoey stepped forward, looking at her best friend and boyfriend as every muscle in her body tried to keep in the laughter. "I don't even want to know."

Cory sighed and swished his pom-pom at her. "Okay, Zoey, let's hear it."

"Hear what?" Zoey asked.

"Make fun or laugh like everyone else." Cory said.

"Cor, come on. This is Zoey, she would do no such thing. She's different." Shawn said as he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.

Zoey broke. She suddenly doubled herself up and burst into a loud harsh cackle of laughter. Shawn turned and gave her a pointed glare. Zoey couldn't help it as she continued laughing before she walked down the school hallway.

••••

Zoey unlocked her locker and placed the books and folder that were in her arms into the metal storage. When she finished, she found Shawn and Cory wearing some John Adams hoodies and pants from the lost and found to wear.

"Ah, this sure feels better than those skirts." Shawn said.

"Well, I don't know, Shawn. I mean, there's something to be said for the freedom that they gave." Cory responded.

"Yeah, you thought that too?" Shawn asked.

After a moment, they both shook their heads in denial. Zoey raised her eyebrows at them skeptically.

"I both call you liars." Zoey said as she approached her friends.

Shawn sighed. "Well, we better get out of here before Frankie comes looking for us."

"Oh, not to worry, Shawn. Mr. Feeny just read him the riot act, remember? I mean, even Frankie wouldn't be stupid enough to mess with us after that, right?" Cory wondered.

Frankie approached and placed a firm hand on the boys' shoulders. "Oh, you'd be pained at how stupid I could be." He then pushed Shawn and Cory into Mr. Turner's classroom to which Zoey simply followed after. "You ratted on me and Joey. And as Joey used to say...." Frankie changed his voice to sound like Joey. "'Live by the rat, and die by the rat'."

"Well, what does that mean?" Zoey wondered as she sat on a desk.

"Well, why don't we ask him?" Frankie questioned. "Oh, wait, we cannot, for my one and only friend, Joey, has been suspended. I walk alone in this world, except for the grilled cheese sandwich in my pocket." He suddenly raised his fist towards the boys. "So who dies first?"

"Please, don't ruin their faces, especially Shawn's." Zoey advised.

"Whoa, whoa, Frankie... You know, what I'm getting here, pal, is that friendship is very important to you." Cory quickly observed. "So how about this? You let us live, you got two new friends."