Broken homes

Window troubles

During music class, the students are practicing for an upcoming performance. Lily sits at the piano, effortlessly playing a classical piece while the rest of the class listens in awe. Her polished look and focused demeanor command attention, but there's a hint of tension in her posture.

As the song ends, Nate claps loudly, calling out, "That was amazing, Lily!" She gives him a small smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

Shawn, sitting in the back with Cory and Topanga, watches her silently. Cory leans over and whispers, "You should go talk to her, man. She's clearly not herself."

Shawn scoffs. "She looks fine to me. Besides, it's not like she'd want to hear from me."

Topanga glares at Shawn and hisses, "Stop being so stubborn. You hurt her, and now you're just watching from the sidelines?"

Before Shawn can reply, Andrea walks into the class to check on the students. Her eyes briefly meet Lily's, and there's an unspoken tension between them. Andrea offers some feedback to the teacher before leaving, but her presence seems to shake Lily.

As class ends, Nate nudges Lily and whispers, "Want to head out for lunch?" Lily hesitates, glancing at Shawn in the corner, but she nods and follows Nate out. Shawn watches them leave, his fists clenching as he mutters under his breath, "What's so great about him anyway?"

In the lunch hall, Nate and Lily sit at their usual table near the window. Nate is telling a story about his old school, mimicking his former teacher's voice with an exaggerated nasal tone. Lily laughs so hard she almost chokes on her drink.

"You're such an idiot!" she manages to say, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Hey, I'm just here to make your day better," Nate replies with a playful grin, leaning back in his chair.

Across the hall, Shawn sits with Cory, Topanga, and Angela, but his eyes are fixed on Lily and Nate. Every laugh, every smile she shares with Nate, seems to chip away at him.

Cory notices and nudges Shawn. "You know, staring at them like that isn't helping anyone."

Shawn snaps out of it. "I'm not staring. I'm just...observing."

Angela raises an eyebrow. "Observing? Shawn, you're practically burning holes into Nate's head."

Topanga sighs. "If you miss her, maybe talk to her instead of sulking."

Shawn doesn't respond, but his jaw tightens as he watches Nate lean closer to whisper something to Lily, making her laugh again.

Nate notices Shawn's glare and smirks slightly, raising his drink as if in a toast to him. Lily, unaware of the silent exchange, continues laughing, but Shawn's knuckles turn white as he grips his tray.

Cory shakes his head. "This is going to end badly, isn't it?"

After lunch, the school hallways buzz with the usual chaos of students heading to their next classes. Lily and Nate are walking side by side, still chuckling about their conversation at lunch.

"You seriously should do stand-up comedy, Nate," Lily says, nudging him with her shoulder. "You'd make a fortune."

"Only if you promise to be in the front row, laughing at all my terrible jokes," Nate quips back with a wink.

As they approach Lily's locker, Shawn appears at the end of the hall. His hands are shoved deep into his pockets, and his expression is unreadable. He stops in his tracks as he sees Nate lean casually against the locker next to Lily's, making her laugh again.

"Hey, Lily," Shawn says, his voice cutting through the noise.

Lily freezes for a second, her smile fading as she turns to face him. "Shawn." Her tone is guarded, her eyes flicking between him and Nate.