It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

70| I Ain't Gonna Spray Lettuce No More

At school, the three stood by their lockers while Cory had started ranting to Shawn and Zoey about problems he was facing at home and how he was worried he was going to end up poor.

"And that's the whole sad mess I find myself in." Cory finished his story.

"Wow! And to think you were my only rich friend." Shawn said.

"Comfortable, never rich." Cory corrected.

"Indoor plumbing? Rich." Shawn told his best friend.

"Hardly." Zoey stated, shaking her head. "We have indoor plumbing but it freezes in the winter and the tap water tastes stale in the summer."

Cory sighed. "Well, whatever we are, we're not anymore. You know, I never realized how easy I had it."

"You had it easy, alright." Shawn agreed. "You, with your breakfasts in the morning, your lunches in the afternoon, your dinners at night. Eaters! You're eaters!"

"Shawn, they put the food the front of me." Cory explained.

"Thanks okay, Cor. You're my friend and I'm gonna teach you how to be poor." Shawn said with a wide smile.

"Would you?" Cory asked.

"Well, it's not going to be easy. You come from a world of many pants." Shawn said.

"They put the pants in front of me." Cory explained. "Now, don't turn your back on me."

Shawn slowly nodded his head. "Okay, Cory. You sound sincere. Let me ask you one question. When was the last time you slept inside."

"Last night." Cory answered.

Shawn threw his hands up in exasperation. "I can't work with you!"

••••

Shortly after school, the boys had dragged Zoey and Topanga to the Science Research Building. Shawn and Cory were both sitting on chairs with a hair cloth around their necks.

"Cory, taking part in a research study is a ridiculous way to make money." Topanga told her boyfriend. "If you need it that bad, I'll lend it to you."

"I mean, it's amusing though." Zoey muttered under her breath.

Cory hesitated before he look at Shawn who motioned for him to speak. "Well, Shawn says I've got to learn to provide for myself."

"Well, then get a real job!" Topanga insisted.

"Well, Shawn says I'm in no position to pay taxes right now." Cory responded.

"These guys don't even want to know our real names." Shawn added.

Zoey crossed her arms and sighed. "To be honest, I think you guys are both lunatics."

"Yeah? Well, we'll see what you think after we get our hundred bucks." Cory told his best friend.

"Just for testing a new shampoo?" Topanga asked.

Cory nodded. "Yep."

Then a guy in a hazmat suit walked into the room, holding a vial of green liquid by using long metal tweezer. Then all of a sudden the vial fell and shattered on the ground, smoke coming from it as the alarms began blaring. The man in the hazmat suit looked at the teenagers before running back in the back room.

"That's not good." Zoey muttered.

••••

Shawn and Zoey entered Chubbie's together and made their way downstairs to the restaurant where they saw Cory sitting at a table by himself.

"What are you doing?" Shawn demanded as they walked over to their friend.

Cory jumped in surprised and turned to look at them. "Shawn! Zo! You're here. I thought you'd be doing your little puppet show downtown which always brings in the cash."

"Zoey wanted to eat before we go." Shawn replied before his tone of voice changed when he eyes Cory's food. "I said, what are you doing?"

"It's not mine. I found it. It's not like I paid for it." Cory explained.

"I said, what are you doing?" Shawn demanded.

Cory finally caved in. "I'm eating meat!"

Shawn scoffed. "You disgust me, man."

"But I like meat. It's my parents fault, Shawn. They raised me. They gave me an allowance." Cory cried.

"Cory, Cory, Cory. My dear, sweet Cory." Shawn began softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There's no shame. There's three types of people in this world: people like you, who always mange to get by and people like me that are lucky enough to have people like you in their lives, and people like Zoey, who are smarter than both of us and will do better than we ever will."

"Thanks, man." Cory said gratefully. "You want a half of the sandwich, Zo?"

"That would be a quarter, Cor." Zoey corrected him.

"See? Exactly what I meant." Shawn said, pointing at his girlfriend with a nod before he took half of sandwich. "It's how the poor survive."

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PUBLISHED: May 16, 2018
WORDS: 765