It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

141| They're Killing Us

Zoey was always happy for Topanga. Really, she was - despite everything. Despite Topanga's high emotions, despite the terrible, horrible dress she was putting her. Despite everything, she was happy that Cory and Topanga were finally getting married.

Topanga called for her friends to show her their outfits. Zoey placed a fake smile onto her face as she followed Rachel and Angela down the steps with the pink silk clutched in one hand to keep herself from tripping.

As Zoey, Rachel and Angela came to a stop in the kitchen, Topanga raised her hands over her mouth.

"Those are the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen!" Topanga cried dramatically.

"Oh, no." Rachel groaned.

"Topanga...." Angela began cautiously. "Do you think that maybe you're a little too emotional to make the right decision about this?"

"Those are the most beautiful dresses I..." Topanga began repeating herself.

"Okay, okay, alright." Zoey agreed quickly.

"Where's Morgan?" Topanga wondered. "I want to see how beautiful my future sister looks."

"Hey, Morgan, come on out!" Rachel called out. "Share the joy!"

Morgan appeared, frowning deeply as she came down the stairs to join Zoey, Rachel and Angela.

"What are you, psycho?" Morgan demanded.

"Morgan, you look so beautiful!" Topanga complimented happily.

"We look like clowns!" Morgan exclaimed.

"Beautiful clowns." Angela corrected.

"Cirque Du Soleil clowns." Rachel added.

Zoey placed a hand on Morgan's shoulder and leaned down. "Hey, I hate wearing this as well but Topanga is an emotional state-"

"Horn-honkin, big-shoe wearin clowns." Morgan carried on, brushing off her warning. "I ain't wearing it."

Thankfully, Topanga seemed unaffected by Morgan's words and turned to show them their accessories.

"They come with parasols." Topanga said enthusiastically as she passed them to her friends. "And the best part is that after the wedding, you guys are obviously gonna want to wear these dresses over and over again."

Morgan furiously tore the dress off.

"Die, dress, die!" Morgan shouted, hitting the dress with the parasol.

Angela, Rachel and Zoey instantly grabbed onto Morgan, stopping her.

"Okay, honey." Angela said.

"It's dead! It's dead!" Rachel exclaimed.

"It can't hurt you anymore." Zoey assured. She then approached Topanga and placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Sweetie, how you doing? You good? You okay? Okay. Well, bout these lovely, lovely dresses...."

"Maybe it's possible...." Rachel trailed off.

"That we are not..." Angela continued.

"Lovely enough...." Zoey added

"For them." Angela finished.

Topanga crossed her arms and frowned. "Just cut the crap. At least Morgan was honest. Well, that's it. If you guys can't put on these dresses and get caught up in the magic of my Southern-belle wedding, then who need y'all?"

"You're from Philadelphia, stupid!" Morgan told her.

••••

Shawn had tried to smooth things over with Angela, Rachel and Zoey by convincing, more like bribing, them to accept the current circumstances. It took a while for them to agreed.

Zoey, Rachel, Angela and Morgan met Cory and Topanga at the wedding hall, they came wearing the bridesmaid dresses.

"Ladies, front and center!" Shawn announced and they all entered the room. "Okay, who wants to go first?"

Rachel stepped forward. "I totally love my bridesmaid's dress. I totally love my bridesmaid's dress."

"I feel like a delicate Georgia peach in this dress in this dress, and I'm thrilled to wear it. Thank you." Angela added.

"I'm not doing it." Zoey hissed quietly at her fiancée. "I'm not." Shawn gave her a look and pushed her gently forwards. The false smile appeared on her face as she strolled towards Topanga. "I feel like a princess in this dress. I'm lucky to be your Maid of Honor."

It was finally Morgan's turn.

"I was very selfish and inconsiderate yesterday. This is your wedding and I'm going to tell you the truth." Morgan said. She turned around to look at Shawn, who nodded encouragingly. She faced Topanga again. "Your friends are stinking liars! Shawn paid them fifty bucks each, and I wouldn't use this dress to wipe my...."

Mr. Matthews leapt forward to cover Morgan's with his hand before she could finish the sentence. He then picked her up, kicking, and carried her out of the wedding hall.

Eric, Jack and Blake appeared at the entrance. Zoey rolled her eyes at the sight of the black robe Eric wore, undoubtedly hiding the part of his scheme underneath.

"Hello, everyone." Eric greeted.

"Don't do this. Look at me, I'm begging you." Blake pleaded with Eric.

"Quiet, half-breed!" Eric told him as he walked to the center of the room. "There are some people in this room who shall remain nameless, Cory, Mummy and Daddy, that don't think I'm Best Man material. Well, I'm sorry I had to do this, Cory."

"Look. Rethink this, alright?" Jack asked him imploringly. "It's a bad move."

"You know something, Topanga? If I can't be the best man then I'm gonna be the groom." Eric said, ignoring Jack as he undid the tie to his robe and tossed it to the floor to reveal an orange, old-fashioned suit. "Topanga, I love you. I've always loved you, even since I saw you through that peephole in the bathroom and I know you've secretly longed for me as well. So, Topanga, let's drop this cha-rade." He dropped down on one knee. "Topanga, marry me, and let's make nick-nick."

Cory turned to his fiancée. "Get him."

Without hesitation, Topanga let out an animalistic yell and launched herself at Eric.

••••

"So, I'm afraid that all of our horrible experiences have brought us here." Topanga said.

"We knew that planning a wedding was gonna be tough, but I don't think any of us are gonna survive this engagement." Cory continued.

"There's no way we'll make it until June. There's just no way." Topanga said before her left eye began to twitch. "I'll do something very bad to Eric. I will."

Cory gave his fiancée a concerned look. "Honey....."

"I know! I'm twitching! Back off!" Topanga told him before her voice quietened. "Please, we're asking you to understand. This wedding is the most important day of our lives."

"But you people have turned this sacred, beautiful event into a freak show." Cory said.

"We know you all mean well, we just don't think we're gonna be able to survive an eight month engagement." Topanga admitted.

"We want to get married next week." Cory announced.

"No wedding hall, no fancy planner, just our friends and family." Topanga explained.

"All the people who care about us, right here, next Friday night, eight o'clock-seven central." Cory added.

"Uh, on question."

As the lights turned on, Cory and Topanga turned to Mr. Feeny who surrounded by their friends and family in the Matthews' living room.

"Mr. Feeny?" Cory asked.

"You're gonna go through with it this time, aren't you?" Mr. Feeny wondered.

Instead of answering, Cory and Topanga smiled at each other lovingly.

_____________________
PUBLISHED: February 26, 2019
WORDS: 1159