unbreak the broken ✘ shawn hunter (BMW)

T W E N T Y S E V E N

Most of the day today was spent with all of us laying about the apartment watching Christmas movies, but Eric and Jane surprised all of us with our own gingerbread house making kits, is we're now having a competition to see who could decorate the best house.

When I say "we're having a competition," I really mean Topanga and Jack. They have been working silently to beat the other.

Cory had trouble assembling his house, so he was out of the competition quickly. Jane and Eric are conjoining their houses to make a gingerbread mansion and declared that they were dropping out of the contest. I'm minding my own business making my house, and Shawn's too busy stealing and eating my candy to care what his looks like.

"I'm not going to have enough candy to finish one side of my house if you don't quit it," I smack Shawn's hand away from my candy bowl. "Eat your own."

"That's not as fun though," Shawn winks at me before grabbing more candy.

I roll my eyes and focus back on the roof. I'm going for a just snowed look, but the icing is getting everywhere, hence why I am no longer considered to be in the running for first or second place.

Shawn eventually pays attention to his own gingerbread house and starts decorating it again.

Jane lives about 10 minutes away from Pennbrook in the opposite direction of us, so she's leaving tonight to go home so she'll be home for Christmas morning. It's Christmas Eve today. Shawn told me he would stay at the apartment for Christmas so I wouldn't be alone. Topanga's parents are visiting their aunt right now, so they agreed that she could stay with us. Cory and Eric will be going home tomorrow, their mother didn't care if they were home for Christmas Eve, but wanted them home for Christmas lunch.

"Our gingerbread men are gingerbread neighbors," Cory says a bit louder, forcing me to stop paying attention to "Jingle Bells", and look over to him. "It's like us. We're the gingerbread men. And soon when we're all adult, we'll be neighbors. Not gingerbread neighbors, human neighbors. But still neighbors."

I giggle at Cory's little ramble, and continue placing the small colorful balls along my roof. After a half hour of us all working along to Christmas songs playing from Shawn's stereo, we finish and gather as judges to decide who one the decorating contest.

We end up declaring that Jack and Topanga's are equally as good, but I can't help but laugh when I repeat a conversation with both of them. They both came over to me to say, "You only said we tied so you didn't hurt his/her feelings, right? I really won, right?" To which I responded "yup" to both.

We're about to settle in and start a movie when I remember a sign I saw the other day when I was driving to the store, "Do you guys want to go to a drive-through light show?"

"A what?" Cory asks.

"Basically the town set up a bunch of Christmas lights in Newmann's Park, and you drive your car through it," I explain to my friends, "It looked fun, and it's free."

As soon as they heard free, we were packing into Jack's car. While his car only has 5 seats, his trunk is big enough to fit two people comfortable. Eric and Jane took the front seats with Eric driving. Jack, Topanga, and Cory got the middle, and Shawn and I were shoved into the trunk.

There was some snow on the ground from the past week of flurries, but once we started driving, snow began to fall. The ride to Newmann's Park was short, but beautiful. Shawn and I had our backs to the seats, so we were watching the road as we drove. At some point, Shawn took my hand in his. Something that he's been doing more often recently. Seeing all of the Christmas lights and snow was surreal.

It began 10 times more surreal when we entered the park. There were lights in every direction. There were strands above the car, lit up decorations like reindeer and Santa to the sides. We started going under a tunnel of lights when I spoke to Shawn, barely above a whisper.

"I never would have dreamed I'd be doing something like this with you guys. Normally I hide in my room until Keith leaves for his yearly Christmas poker game. Now he's in Maine and I don't know if I will ever see him again," my head finds it's way onto Shawn's shoulder, my eyes never leaving the shiny lights.

Shawn clears his throat before whispering back, "There was this one year, we were in high school. My mom had run away and my dad was following her across the country. You remember Mr. Turner? I was in between staying with him and the Matthews. I was at Johnathon's on Christmas and I don't know why, but I had convinced myself that my parents were going to come back together and take me home to celebrate Christmas as a family. I didn't even hear from my dad. He didn't call me again until March when he was in Georgia. Just to say that he was staying there for a while."

I don't respond right away, and Shawn speaks up again, "Being here now, celebrating like this with everyone makes me forget that feeling of being left behind."

My head turns and I catch his eye. The lights sparkle in Shawn's eyes, and the snow behind him makes him look so angelic. I slowly lean forward and give him a light kiss on his lips.

He smiles at me, and leans forward to give me one this time, again light and short.

I lay my head back on his shoulder until we get back to the apartment. Once we all say bye to Jane, and we're all inside, we decide to watch A Christmas Story.

It's already 10 o'clock, so as soon as we're all settled on the couch, Eric and Jack on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, everyones eyes begin to slowly flutter closed.

Topanga and Cory are sleeping in Eric's room tonight, so they eventually disappear in there.

I'm sitting on one end of the couch when the movie ends, and Shawn has somehow managed to lay down and spread across it with me at his feet. All three of the remaining boys have fallen asleep, and I know I'll hear complaints from Jack and Eric if I let them sleep on the floor.

"Eric, Jack, c'mon lets get you guys to bed," I lift up Jacks arm, helping him to his feet.

He kisses me on the head and then starts walking to his room before he turns back around. He somehow gets Eric up and they both go into Jack's room.

I decide to take this opportunity to put my presents for everybody under the tree, doing the same for the others that left theirs in the hallway. Topanga and Cory's were by the door so I put theirs under there as well. The only gifts that aren't under are Eric's and some of Shawn's.

I also straighten up the island that is full of gingerbread houses now.

By the time I'm done, I am now exhausted. I decide waking Shawn up is the last thing I have to do.

I go over and shake his shoulder a bit, "Shawn, go to your bed."

His eyes open slightly, and he mumbles, "One second."

His breath goes back to what they sound like when he's asleep, so I shake him one more time. "I'm gonna leave you here if you don't get up."

His eyes open more this time and he gives a tiny smile, "No you won't."

Shawn now gets up and follows me into his room. I get in bed and make our pillow wall. It's a habit now and I can't seem to stop it. Shawn disapproves though, and places the pillows against the wall.

"Come here," Shawn motions as he gets into bed.

I move closer with no objections. He wraps his arm behind me back and pulls me closer so that my head is laying on his chest. I hesitantly wrap one arm around his stomach.

"It's Christmas, we deserve to knock the wall down tonight," Shawn's sleepy voice comes back. "Mere Christmas, O."

"Merry Christmas, Shawn," I whisper back to him.

The pillow wall is not the only wall that has been broken down by you, Shawn.