It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

100| A Very Topanga Christmas

The holiday season is officially here...

The entire lounge room was decorated in Christmas stuff. The rails up the stairs were tangled with Christmas lights and tinsel, with a big Christmas tree near the staircase.

Christmas Day - a day Zoey and her mother looks forward to every year. To her family, it is not so much a religious celebration, but rather a celebration of family culture and togetherness.

Now this Christmas was going to be different. It the first holiday Zoey was going to spend with her brother. This is gonna be the best Christmas ever.

"So, Blake, how do you usually celebrate Christmas?" Zoey wondered.

"We usually go to Val D'yssere and ski the French Alps." Blake replied. "How about you?"

"Well, mum and I usually sit on the couch and watch Christmas movies while drinking hot coco." Zoey explained, and then sighed. "Okay, two siblings, not a whole lot in common."

"Nothing alike whatsoever." Blake agreed. "So how should we celebrate Christmas?"

Zoey shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think it's important what we do as long as we do it together."

"So what do we do?" Blake wondered.

••••

Christmas Eve weather was mostly snow that had fallen this year. A breeze blew by as Zoey opened her bedroom window, she could smell the sweet sugar cookies and crumble apple pie.

Zoey walked out into the living room to see Jack cleaning the house, Blake cooking in the kitchen, while Shawn was comforting Cory who sat on the arm of the couch, complaining about how Topanga was taking over The Matthew's family traditions.

Cory sighed. "Boy, you're with somebody for 32 years, you think you know them."

"Wait, Cor, you walked out on Topanga on Christmas Eve day?" Zoey asked in disbelief as she walked down the stairs to face him. "Go back."

"No. I'm not going back." Cory protested.

"You know, Jack, he doesn't realize how lucky he is to have a girl like Topanga." Shawn told his older brother.

"I don't really know her." Jack stated.

"You know, I was gonna give her this ring, Shawn. You know? I was gonna give her this ring that meant that we're gonna be together forever, okay? But then I started learning all these things about her. What kind of human being puts grapefruit juice in orange juice?" Cory questioned.

Zoey sighed and turned to her boyfriend. "Handle this."

"Cory, I am but a simple idiot, but the one thing I do know is that you and Topanga are just like grapefruit juice and orange juice." Shawn said.

"Okay...." Cory trailed off, trying to understand what his best friend is telling him.

"You shouldn't be together, yet somehow you are." Shawn explained.

"You know, I'm sure I'll get to know her." Jack said, optimistically. "And if I don't, I don't. Well, Merry Christmas, everyone."

With that, Jack walked out of the apartment.

"I should go with Jack, this seems like its your problem." Blake said, rushing across the living room and walked out of the apartment, following after Jack.

Cory sighed. "Guys, you know, I... I thought Topanga and I were exactly alike, but we're not. We're different people. But I guess it's better I found out this now."

"Cory, you want to talk about different people? Me and Blake don't have one thing in common. Nothing. We're spending Christmas together trying to find one similarity." Zoey told her best friend.

The front door opened to reveal Jack and Topanga.

"Hey, um, some girl's here to see you." Jack informed, gesturing towards Topanga.

Topanga walked over to Cory before noticing how everyone was around them. She gave each and everyone of them a pointed look which caused Jack to walk out of the apartment, and Zoey and Shawn to stand in the kitchen.

"Now, Cory, I know you're upset with me. I'm sorry, I love you, and if you never want to go caroling with me, you don't have to. I'm sorry my family's traditions are different than your family's. I'll just be waiting for you back at your house whenever you want to come home." Topanga said softly.

With that, Topanga turned around and walked towards the door. She opened to find Jack and Blake listening in on the other side. They tried to play it off casually but failed as Topanga left the building.

Zoey looked over at Cory and noticed that he had a frown on his face.

"Go after her, Cor. It's Christmas." She insisted.

"No, I need to think. If Topanga won't let me fall asleep listening to Feeny read a Christmas Carol, I'm gonna fall asleep watching it on TV." Cory said as he grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

"Okay. Do whatever you want, but Zoey and I are going ice skating." Shawn announced.

"Wait a minute." Blake interrupted, staring at his sister in shock. "You like ice skating?"

Zoey nodded. "I love ice skating."

"I love ice skating, too." Blake said with a smile.

Zoey's eyes widen. "You're kidding?!"

"No!" Blake exclaimed happily. "Now we got something in common!"

"Let's go ice skating!" Zoey insisted as she made her way towards the front door. "All right, and every Christmas, we'll go ice skating. We're starting a tradition right here.

"I especially love ice skating in France." Blake added.

Zoey gave her brother a pointed look. "Don't kill this."

"Okay." He quickly said.

••••

Blake, Jack, Shawn, and Zoey were at the Matthews' house after they went ice skating with each other. Everyone stood in the living room at the Matthews', exchanging and opening their gifts.

Shawn wrapped an arm around Zoey's waist, kissing her temple before he opened his jacket and took out a wrapped, slightly wrinkled package and handed it to her.

"Merry Christmas, Zo." Shawn said with a warm smile.

Zoey looked down at the page, it was rectangular. She opened it and her eyes widened. It was a simply, but elegant necklace. The gold necklace had the letter Z and S on the chain.

"Shawn...." She trailed off in shock. "This is beautiful."

"Well, a beautiful necklace needs to be worn by a beautiful girl." He responded.

Zoey rolled her eyes before she grabbed a present under the tree and handed it to Shawn. He hesitated for a moment before he unwrapped the gift to reveal a black jumper.

"Wow, thank you Zo." Shawn said gratefully.

"And now for my favourite part of the holidays. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens." Mr. Feeny called from the chair. Everyone sat down in the living room and waited for Mr. Feeny to begin. "' A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens' as read by George Feeny. ''Marley was dead, to begin with. There was no doubt whatever about that. The registrar of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker..."

A few hours later, by the time Mr. Feeny had finally finished reading, everyone was either sleeping on the couch, on each other, or on the floor. Zoey snuggled into Shawn's chest as she slept peacefully.

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PUBLISHED: September 19, 2018
WORDS: 1183