Hearts of trouble (under development)

Trio into solo

A couple of weeks pass, and the dynamic between Lily, Cory, and Shawn is noticeably strained. Although Shawn and Cory remain as close as ever, Lily has grown distant from both of them. She's often seen walking with Nate or sitting alone, headphones on, keeping to herself.

In the school hallway, Cory tries to catch up with Lily between classes.

"Lily, wait up!" he calls, jogging to her side.

She pauses, glancing over her shoulder. "Hey, Cory."

He notices the reserved tone in her voice and the way her arms are crossed defensively. "We haven't really talked in a while. Are you okay?"

Lily shrugs. "Yeah, I've just been... busy."

"Busy avoiding me and Shawn?" Cory asks, his tone light but probing.

Lily sighs. "I'm not avoiding you, Cory. I just needed some space."

Cory frowns, looking hurt but not pushing further. "Alright. But you know I'm here if you need me, right?"

"Yeah," Lily says softly, giving him a small, forced smile before walking off.

Meanwhile, Shawn's life seems to have taken a new turn. He and Angela have started dating, and their relationship is the talk of the school. Despite this, there's an undercurrent of tension whenever Lily and Shawn cross paths.

At lunch, Angela slides into the seat beside Shawn, laughing at something he just said. Across the cafeteria, Lily sits with Nate, pretending not to notice.

"She looks like she wants to murder you," Angela jokes, catching Lily's glance.

Shawn shakes his head. "She's just... dealing with stuff."

Angela raises an eyebrow. "Stuff that involves glaring at you every chance she gets?"

Shawn sighs. "It's complicated."

Angela places a hand on his arm. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here. But, Shawn, you don't owe anyone an explanation for moving on."

Shawn nods, but deep down, he knows it's more complicated than that.

Later that day, Cory finds himself caught in the middle as usual. During class, he sits between Shawn and Lily, feeling the weight of the silence between them.

"Are we just not going to address the giant elephant in the room?" Cory finally blurts out.

Lily gives him a side-eye. "Not now, Cory."

Shawn leans back in his chair. "Maybe not ever."

Cory groans, throwing his hands in the air. "Great. So this is my life now-mediating between my two best friends who can't even look at each other anymore. Fun."

Neither Lily nor Shawn responds, and Cory sighs, muttering under his breath, "Christmas can't come soon enough."

As the days go by, the distance between them becomes the new normal. Lily spends more time with Nate, who continues to be her constant source of support, while Shawn seems happy with Angela, at least on the surface.

But every now and then, when no one's looking, Shawn's eyes wander to Lily, and she catches herself glancing back, both of them wondering how things ever got so messy.

The hallway buzzed with the usual post-class chatter as Lily stormed out, her books clutched tightly to her chest. Cory hurried after her, weaving through students.

"Lily, wait!" he called, catching up to her by the lockers.

She spun around, her face flushed with frustration. "What, Cory? What now?"

"I don't understand why you're being so harsh about Shawn," Cory said, his tone exasperated. "He's trying, Lily. He's-"

"Of course, you're defending him," Lily snapped, cutting him off. "You always defend him."

Cory frowned, his brow furrowed. "That's not fair. I'm trying to keep the peace here. You're both my friends-"

"No, Cory," Lily interrupted, her voice rising. "You've never been my friend. You've always been Shawn's. Anytime I needed you, anytime I was hurt, you were always on his side. Even now, you're standing here making excuses for him instead of listening to me."

Cory's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond right away. The tension between them was palpable, and a few students nearby slowed down, pretending not to eavesdrop.

"I care about you, Lily," Cory finally said, his voice quieter. "But I care about Shawn too. I'm just trying to fix this before it gets worse."

"It's already worse," Lily said, her voice breaking. "And you know what? I'm done trying to fix things with someone who doesn't care about me. You can have your loyalty to Shawn. I don't need it. Or you."

Cory stared at her, stunned, as her words sunk in. Before he could respond, Lily turned and walked away, her head held high but her heart heavy.

As she walked out of the school building and into the crisp autumn air, Lily felt the weight of what she'd just said settle over her. She knew there was truth in her words-Cory had always been closer to Shawn-but losing that connection hurt more than she wanted to admit.

Cory, still standing in the hallway, ran a hand through his hair, replaying the argument in his head. He didn't know how to fix things this time, and for the first time in years, he wondered if he ever really understood Lily at all.