Home [Shawn Hunter]

what do you believe in?

"Lawrence Good, Matthews Okay Young Excellent, Hunter Bad." Mr. Turner says as he passes us our assignments back just as the bell rings, "Hold on Hold on you four." Turner stops us as we stand up to leave, "You're a junior in high school, almost a senior. You have no goals as far as I can see, you even thinking of going to college?" Turner lectures Hunter, "Yeah I'm thinking of going." "Yeah, where?" "Hawai'i, thinking I have a better shot outside the country." He says and I sit, dropping my face into my palms. "Hawai'i is a state honey." I say, muffled into my palm. "No way?" He sounds genuinely surprised, "But it's tropical." "Anyway, Hunter; the people who care about you in this world you can count on one hand so don't blow me off, okay?" Turner refocuses the conversation. "John, I got people who care about me." He sounds hurt. "You know Shawn, Mr. Turner is right. We got one more year of high school and the humidity in Hawai'i is gonna make my hair go woooo!" Cory says, gesturing a puffball on top of his head. "I want to go to Penn State." Topanga chimes in, "And I'm going with her! Are we surprised?" Cory says, pulling her closely to him. "Cass?" Mr. Turner asks, "I want to go, just don't know where. I kinda wanted to go wherever Shawn got accepted to." I confess and Turner looks hurt. Topanga and Cory leave to their study hall leaving just Shawn and I to be lectured. "Tick Tock Hunter, times ticking and you need to figure out your life." Turner says. "You're not my guardian anymore, I'm back with my parents, I'll be okay." Shawn says. "You have four years of security in these halls but next year they throw you out. Who're you gonna be then, huh? You can't drag this one down with you because you know she'll go down with you. Figure it out, Hunter." Turner says, walking away from us, back to his desk which then makes Shawn storm out of the classroom. I quickly look back at Turner before sighing and chasing after Shawn.

"Shawn." I call, following him into the boys' bathroom. "Cass, get out of here." He says, leaning against the sink, "No. What's wrong?" "Everyone is always judging me, Cory, John, you!" "Me?" "Yeah you!" "No I don't!" "Going wherever I get accepted? What is that supposed to mean?" he shouts "It means I don't care where we go, I just want to be with you because I don't want to be away from you!" I shout back, "I need you, Shawny." I lower my tone and he hugs me. "See you at lunch." I say to him, leaving the bathroom and going to my next class.

++

After school as I'm laying in bed I begin to hear little clanks against my window. I jumped up thinking it's Shawn; I was worried about him, I haven't seen him since we spoke in the bathroom. I'm a little disappointed to see Cory. "Come on, Cor." I say quietly, opening my window. "Sorry, your dad is home. I didn't want to stir the pot." He apologizes as he climbs through. "Thanks, last time Eric came here my parents were so mad." "Shawn joined a cult." He blurts out . "Shawn did what?" I ask Cory as he rambles on about Shawn ditching school after we had our talk; he wasn't at lunch and neither of us could find him for the rest of the school day. "He left with some girl and she brought him to this what is literally a cult! They hug and this Mr. Mack man is their leader and it's weird, Cass." "Is he there now?" "He said he lives there now so I assume so." Cory says "Take me." I groan and grab my keys, "I'll meet you at your house." I instruct Cory before he climbs out of my window and I go downstairs. "Daddy, can I go to the library to study?" I ask, timidly. "For what? You can't study here." "With Topanga." "Topanga doesn't live here anymore, liar!" He gets in my face, "She does! She lives with her aunt Prudence. Down the street! Her parents told her she could to finish her school year at John Adams." I explain, scared for what he'll do next; he's had a rough couple days at work and has been taking it out on me. I've just been extra good at hiding it, I have been since Cory and Shawn found out–they said if they saw it again they'd call the cops and I can't let that happen. Shawn and I haven't even done much of anything since just so he doesn't spot anything I couldn't cover up.

"First that Matthews boy comes over here asking for you, now you want to go to the library?" He says through his teeth. "James, if you let her go we can have alone time." My mother distracts him, "Whatever, you're just like your whore of a mother." He let go of my arm, "You wonder why she's such a whore like you, look at what you say in front of her!" He yells at her as I slip out of the house and hurry over to the Matthews.