𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ━ shawn hunter¹

2│ON THE FENCE

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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐎 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴇɴᴄᴇ ꒱


❝ WONDER WOMAN WOULD
BE A VERY COOL MOM ❞

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"Say you could pick any superhero to be your dad. Who would you choose?" Cory asked.

"Batman, no question," Ellis said. "Live in a cool cave, borrow the Batmobile."

Shawn nodded. "He lets Robin hang out with him and he's not even his real kid, he's his ward."

"How do you get to be a ward?"

"Batman?" Cory shook his head. "Is he faster than a speeding bullet? I don't think so. Is he more powerful than a locomotive? Uh-huh."

"Boy, boys," Juliet cut in. "Why stick with the male superheroes? Wonder Woman would be a very cool mom. She's got superhuman strength so you'd never need help opening jars again. She can speak any language—"

"She can read your mind, though," Shawn pointed out. "You'd never get away with anything. Same with Superman— he sees through walls."

"I would make a very cool ward."

Juliet shook her head. "I would love to be an Amazon warrior. They're so fierce!"

"I'd like to have Superman for a dad," Cory insisted.

The redhead's mood soured slightly. "I'd like to have a dad at all."

Shawn gave her a sympathetic look as he knew that parents were a sore spot for her. In an effort to cheer her up, his gaze caught on someone. "Hey, look— there's Minkus." He pulled out his water gun and shot the boy in the back of the head.

A smile flickered across her face before she hit him gently on the arm. "Be nice, Shawnie."

"Ow," the boy said without bothering to look up.

"Whoa!" Cory gasped as he looked at the water gun. "The 2000-X Hydro Saturator."

"Careful. If Feeny sees this baby on school grounds, he'll snag it and I'll have to sit out on the water wars."

Ellis pulled out his own water gun. "Gentlemen and lady, meet the Hydro-Sat 3000. Blow your head clean off." Juliet rolled her eyes at the boy's exaggeration while her friends exclaimed excitedly over it. "I know a guy," Ellis boasted smugly. He shot Minkus in the back of the head as well.

"You really shouldn't do that," the boy said as he closed his book and stood.

"Why? You gonna melt?" Shawn taunted.

"No," Minkus said simply as he pulled out a case that held a much larger gun. "I'll retaliate. So go ahead, make. me. wet."

Juliet's eyes widened at the weapon that dwarfed her friends'. "Not bad, Minkus. Not bad at all."

The boy's face broke out in a smile, all menace gone. "Thank you, O sweet Juliet! Thy beauty made me effeminate and in my temper softened valor's steel!"

The redhead rolled her eyes at Minkus' quoting of the play. He seemed to have the whole thing memorized— not that she was surprised— and had fancied himself her Romeo since the day of the spelling bee. Shawn glared at the boy and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Juliet sighed at the boys' rivalry, completely used to it.

"Ah, who needs one of those?" Cory asked obliviously. "For your information, a well-placed water balloon can give you as much splash for your cash." He stood and walked over to the water fountain to fill up his balloon. "Like everyone's gonna have a humongous water gun." He turned and his eyes widened at the sight of everyone's guns trained on him. 

"How ya doin'?" he asked nervously. Water sprayed out of every nozzle, thoroughly soaking him. "Ah! Stop! Stop! I'll get one! I promise!" he cried as he tried to use his hands to block the sprays.

Mr. Feeny came in seconds later and not a single weapon was in sight. He walked over to the water fountain and took a sip. As he straightened, he said sternly, "Mr. Matthews, the water fountain is not a toy."

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That Saturday, Juliet joined Shawn and the rest of their friends for the water wars with a borrowed gun. It wasn't the most impressive but if she was sneaky enough she could do some pretty good damage with it. They converged on the Matthew's backyard. "Water war time, Cory!" Shawn called.

"WAR!" Minkus yelled, running in his yellow rain suit and holding his gun aloft.

"War brings out the beast in Minkus," Shawn explained.

Juliet wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. "That's why I'm glad to have him on my team."

'The beast' giggled at her compliment and practically melted against her side, earning him a glare from Shawn.

"You kids and your water wars," Cory said easily. "I'd love to join you but I'm having way too much fun here."

"You're bailing on the war?"

"To paint a fence?"

"You say paint a fence, I say par-tay. And by the way, even if you wanted to, I wouldn't cut you in on this action."

"Why not? I thought we were friends," Shawn said.

Juliet let go of Minkus to pat her friend on the arm. "Shawnie, he's pulling a Tom Sawyer on you."

"What?"

"I knew you'd know, Juliet!" Minkus said, pleased. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who's done the summer reading."

"What?" Shawn asked again.

"He's trying to get you to do all the work for him," the redhead explained.

"That's not true!" Cory insisted. "Guys, who're you gonna listen to? Me or some dumb girl?"

"Hey!" The exclamation came from both Minkus and Shawn but it was her best friend that continued: "don't call my wife dumb. Besides, she says play, you say work. I'll go with my girl."

"Cookie partner, Shawnie."

"Same thing!"

Cory sighed. "Look, I have seven dollars left from buying my Hydro-Sat and it's yours if you help me paint the fence."

"I say we hold out 'til lunch," Minkus said.

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They'd been painting the fence for some time and Juliet was getting very bored very quickly. It was annoying to have to bend over and reach each strip of green paint and she sighed nearly every time. Why was she friends with idiots? She knew the answer though: because they're my idiots.

"What flavor did you bring us?" Shawn asked as Cory came out with the requested desert.

"Vanilla. They're vanilla with chocolate on the outside like they've been for a thousand years!" Cory exclaimed, annoyed.

"I really prefer a Heath Bar Crunch," Minkus said as he unwrapped his ice cream.

"Ya do?" He grabbed the boy's desert and shoved it in the potted plant next to him. "Here you go, Minkus. Crunch on this."

"Is it just me or is he copping an attitude?"

"I'm beginning to feel unwelcome here."

"Water war?" Ellis asked.

"Water war," Juliet agreed, not liking Cory's complaining.

"Hey, come on!" the boy called after them. "I paid you! I brought you sandwiches! I got you ice cream!"

"Yeah, so?"

"So I'm gonna sue you!"

"Sue this!" Juliet aimed her gun at the boy and sprayed him, causing Shawn to laugh. "That's my girl! Have your lawyer call my mom!"

Juliet had never had so much fun in her entire life even though she got soaked to the bone. Cory even ended up making it which made it even better, the three of them teaming up against the rest of their friends. 

[edited apr. 2022]