It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

147| Family Trees

Shawn and Zoey rushed to the Matthews' house. They had good news. Shawn opened the door and stepped into the living room where Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, Cory and Topanga.

Zoey walked inside and closed the front door behind her.

"Hey!" Shawn greeted happily.

Cory smiled widely. "Shawnie! Zo!"

Zoey walked over to Shawn and tugged on his arm. "Tell them."

"There's nothing to tell." Shawn muttered.

"Tell us what?" Cory wondered.

"Nothing. I got a letter from my mum - Virna." Shawn announced, grabbing the letter from his leather jacket pocket.

Cory leaned forward. "Have you opened it?"

Shawn shook his head. "No."

"Tear it up!" Cory insisted, standing up from the couch.

"Cory, I haven't heard from her in three years." Shawn told his best friend.

"Just tear it up." Cory repeated.

Mr. Matthews smiled as he pointed at the engaged couple. "Hey, Shawn, Zoey."

"Hey, Mr. Matthews!" Shawn greeted happily.

"Happy birthday in three days, right? Forty-six?" Zoey asked.

Mr. Matthews walked over and hugged them tightly. "This is what I'm talking about, people! These are good kids!"

"Shawn, look. Everything's going great for you, okay? You've got friends. You've got a beautiful, honest, sweet, loving fiancée that loves you." Cory said, gesturing to Zoey.

Zoey smiled. "Thanks, Cor."

"Shut up!" Cory exclaimed before returning his attention back to Shawn. "You've made peace with your father's death. You've made peace with your loony mother. There's no good in that letter."

"Cory, maybe Shawn needs to take a look at that letter for reasons you can't see right now." Mrs. Matthews suggested.

"Gee, Mum, you know, I'm.... I'm looking around the room here, trying to see if anyone asked your opinion. I don't see anyone... is anyone... No?" Cory wondered. Mrs. Matthews patted his face harshly. He turned back to Shawn. "Look, you want an opinion, you ask Topanga, okay? Ask her! Go ahead. Topanga, tell him."

"Cory, honey... I think you need to let Shawn do whatever he wants." Topanga said.

Cory chuckled. "Don't you ever snap at me like that in public again!"

Topanga slapped  her husband in the face with a notebook.

Shawn opened the letter and began reading it. "It says my mum is somewhere in Honduras..."

Cory's eyes widen. "Oh, no! He opened it."

"And she's never coming back. That's nothing new. She's happy for Zoey and I getting married. She heard that Dad died, and now I have the right to know something." Shawn continued.

"Shawn, put the letter back in the envelope!" Cory demanded.

"Wait a minute! Maybe it's good news." Mrs. Matthews told her son.

"Trust me! It's not!" Cory exclaimed.

Cory stormed over to Shawn and snatched the letter out of his hands.

Zoey furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed how pale her fiancée was as his expression was completely dumbstruck.

"Honey...?" Zoey called softly.