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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛʀᴀɪɴ ᴏғ ғᴏᴏʟs ꒱


❝ HAPPY NEW YEAR, SHAWNIE ❞

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Juliet had been in a gloomy mood all Christmas. She'd hardly smiled during any of the usual rituals and had seemed especially lackluster when giving Shawn his traditional Christmas present. She felt as if all of the joy had been sucked out of her and she was just tired all the time. Her mother had done her best to cheer her up with Christmas cookies and home movies but even the red-haired woman had been distracted and her attention was flighty. It was now approaching New Year's and Shawn had made it his resolution to cheer up his best friend.

The redhead was currently spending the day with him at Turner's, though (unusually) he'd been the one doing most of the talking. As he returned to the couch with a bowl of popcorn, he set it down with a loud thud, causing the girl to jump and her head to snap towards the sound. "Alright, that's it!" he exclaimed loudly, flopping down on the couch next to her.

"What's it?" the girl asked, but it was devoid of the usual curiosity.

"You've been moping around all holiday and I'm just not gonna allow it when New Year's comes around. We're gonna party in style," the boy informed her, "I can even ask my uncle and see if his limo's free."

Juliet sighed and sank against the couch cushions. "That sounds fun, have a good time."

The boy turned and grasped her hand and gave her arm a gentle tug. "No, no, no, Julie. You're not getting out of this. You're gonna be my date," he told her firmly. His eyes flicked away from her face as he realized the word he'd used (though he made no move to correct it.)

The redhead apathetically watched him tug on her arm gave a deeper sigh. "There's no way you're letting me stay home, is there?"

"Nope. You're gonna come celebrate New Year's with Cory and me."

"Wouldn't you rather have a date that— y'know, is an actual date?"

Shawn's expression grew serious as he looked at the girl. "Julie, there's no one else I'd rather spend New Year's with," he said gently, "you don't even have to be super festive. All you have to do is dress up. . . please?"

The girl's eyes closed for a moment before she opened them again. "Fine."

🌎🌎🌎

In the afternoon on New Year's, Juliet started to get ready for her night out. She couldn't help but feel a little excited at the thought of spending the evening with her best friends— something that she hadn't done for quite a while— and Shawn had used the word 'date' though she knew he hadn't meant it like that. It would be her first New Year's out which she also looking forward to.

Jack had asked her to spend New Year's with him while his parents hosted their annual party but Juliet had (rather happily, which had caused him to be suspicious) declined. She was almost glad that Shawn was forcing her to go since she'd had a legitimate reason to say no to Jack's invite.

She sifted through the clothes in her now-full closet which, before last summer, had been only half-filled with mostly pants and a few skirts. Now, there was an even variety of different styles and outfits that she could chose from and she had never been more grateful to Dalya and her generous gift.

The dress she chose was knee-length with a pale pink background, decorated with silver-sequined squares that went nicely with her red hair. Juliet had decided to French braid the right side of the red strands and pull the remaining hair over her other shoulder to have a half-up-half-down look. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, she chose a pair of low heels to add to the 'firsts' of the night. As Juliet entered the main living area, her mom looked up from where she was putting things into a decorative bag that went with her own fancy dress. 

"Oh, darling, you look so grown up!" she cried, and set the pouch down before she made her way towards her daughter. She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and looked at her outfit. "I remember like it was yesterday when Shawn claimed he would be your New Year's kiss," she said wistfully, "then you ate a whole clove of garlic to try and keep him away."

Juliet smiled at the memory and recalled how sharp it had been in her mouth. "That's all I tasted for a week after that," she added, "but every time I breathed on Shawn when he leaned in he reeled away."

Daly gave the younger girl a slightly watery, nostalgic smile. "Oh, you've got to let me take some pictures! Shawn's meeting you here, right? I must get some of the two of you!"

"Yeah, he should be here soon," the redhead told her, "and you always take pictures."

There was a knock on the door to which Daly said, "that would be him. Are you going to let him kiss you this year?" she asked with a teasing grin.

Juliet turned pink. "Mom!"

The older woman laughed as she went to answer the door to reveal (as expected) Shawn. "Shawn!" the red-haired woman exclaimed happily, "we were just talking about you, come in!"

"Thanks, Miss Capelwood," he greeted her as he stepped inside. "Happy New Year."

"And to you," she answered, before she swatted him lightly. "And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Daly? Or better yet, Mom."

"Mom!" Juliet exclaimed again as her face turned even more red.

"It's going to happen sometime," Daly shrugged. "Might as well get used to it."

Her words went unanswered as the boy's gaze fell on the redheaded girl and his mouth dropped open slightly. "Julie. . ." he breathed out, his eyes wide.

The girl shifted under his blatant stare. "Um, too much?"

She was acutely aware of her mother watching their interaction avidly, her hands clasped together under her chin as her eyes followed the two.

"No!" he said quickly before he repeated it slower. "No, it's— it's—" 

Juliet smiled shyly at his speechlessness and watched curiously as he approached her, seemingly in a daze. Hesitantly, Shawn reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're perfect," he told her honestly.

"You clean up nicely too, Shawnie," she said, and if the girl's face had been red before, it was positively flaming now.

Daly clapped her hands in excitement and quickly covered it up by exclaiming, "picture time!"

🌎🌎🌎

Shawn's limo had turned out to be a funeral hearse but she'd found the mistake so comedic that she spent much of the ride giggling at the misunderstanding. Shawn kept giving her bemused looks, though she made no effort to explain her sudden amusement. He was just glad she wasn't looking as upset as she had been.

When they arrived at the Matthews', Shawn burst into the house, leading Juliet by the hand. "Come on, everybody! Let's get crazy!"

"He's on my side," Cory said.

"And you're my crazy friends," Juliet added.

"And she's my date," Shawn announced proudly.

"Not a real date," the redhead amended quickly as she took in Cory's shocked face.

"Cory, Uncle Laslo and our limit await," the boy said, ignoring the correction.

Everyone looked out the door, prompting Mrs. Matthews to ask, "why does that limo look so strange?"

"Because it's a hearse," Juliet answered with a laugh, earning her confused looks from Cory's parents. The 'limo's' horn sounded a death march which only added humor to the error.

"That's cool," Cory observed, brushing the mistake aside.

"Yeah, wait 'till you see what's in the back seat," Shawn told him, leading the way to the 'limo.'

🌎🌎🌎

It wasn't much later that the group returned to the Matthews' home.

"Nice going, Shawn," Cory scolded him, "without Uncle Laslo's hearse how are we gonna make it to the parties?"

"Hey, hey, it's not my fault, okay? You see a corpse breathing, you've gotta take it back. It's the right thing to do, man."

"Look, I'm happy for the stiff, alright? But it really stuck it to a lot of people."

"Gee, guys, it's New Year's Eve, a time to celebrate, not fight," Topanga cut in.

"I've had enough fighting to last me the rest of the year," Juliet agreed with a sigh.

"You know what, you're right, girls," Cory said, "and we're gonna make this the best New Year's Eve ever. If we were dead, 'cause then we'd have a ride." He glared at Shawn.

Eric walked in with a blonde supermodel. "Oh, Rebecca-Alexa, I am so sorry the car broke down," he was saying apologetically.

"Eric, don't worry about it. These things happen," she replied calmly.

"You understand? You're not mean and icy? Oh, you are a super-duper model!"

Once Eric walked away, Shawn dropped Juliet's hand to walk over to the model. "Oh my God, do you know who you are?" he asked, "you're Rebecca-Alexa."

"Hi. Hi, I— I'm Cory," the curly-haired boy stepped forward. "I'm Eric's brother. Um, this is Topanga, she's a girl from school but—"

"Cory?" his girlfriend prompted him.

"She's also my girlfriend and I love her very much so, uh, don't get any ideas."

"So, so do supermodels have any special powers?" Shawn asked eagerly, "I mean, can you read what I'm thinking?"

Rebecca paused before she answered, "yes."

"I'm really sorry," the boy apologized.

Juliet sighed again and sank down on the couch to slump against the pillows. So much for her good mood.

"Rebecca-Alexa, I lucked out," Eric announced as he came back, "I got us the last cab in Philly."

"Oh, Eric, you gotta let us share it," Cory pleaded.

"Alright, let me think," he paused, "I'm seeing a big, hairy no."

"Eric, this is my first New Year's Eve out of the house, alright? I mean, without this cab, we're stranded."

"Alright, hold on, hold on," Eric paused again. "No, I tried. I just can't care less."

Rebecca placed a hand on Cory's shoulder. "Cory, I know how you feel. My older sister never took me anywhere and I never forgave her."

Eric changed his mind. "Yeah, Cor, great idea. Why don't you share our cab, bud?"

"Why thanks, Eric. What made you change your mind?"

"Why don't you come over here and I'll tell you?" Eric asked, pulling his brother away.

The spoke in low voices until Cory exclaimed, "oh, Eric, don't you worry about that. I'm not gonna do anything stupid."

🌎🌎🌎

Not even ten minutes later, they were back where they started again.

"Cory, how could you do something so stupid?" Eric asked as they walked back inside. "You sent away the last cab in the city!"

"Look, I'm telling you. There was something weird about that driver. I mean, didn't you his license in the windshield? It wasn't even his picture."

"Cory, if stupidity was in the Olympics you'd win a Nobel prize."

"Gold medal," Juliet corrected him flatly as she sank back down to the couch. Maybe she should just spend New Year's right here.

"That too," Eric agreed.

"Look, Eric, the man was obviously an impostor, okay? I mean, for all I know, he was gonna take us to some warehouse and cut out our livers," Cory said.

"Hey, no biggie. I've already had mine out," Shawn shrugged.

Juliet closed her eyes and prayed for patience.

Eric turned to his date. "Rebecca-Alexa, I apologize for all the stupidity that runs in this family. I'm just a carrier."

"It's no big deal," she said easily, "I don't need to go to a big, crowded party with everyone staring at us."

"Oh, we're goin', baby."

"Hey, light bulb!" Topanga cut in, "why don't we just have our own little party right here? I'm telling you, it'll be so much fun!"

"This couch is very comfortable," Juliet agreed.

"We could watch the ball drop from it," Topanga observed approvingly.

"Alright, alright, Cory, Shawn, make it stop," Eric commanded, interrupting the girls.

Shawn walked over to the couch and grasped the redhead's hands to tug her up. "We're gonna have a good New Year's out, Julie," he said firmly.

"Look, Rebecca-Alexa, one way or another, we are gonna be seen at that party," the eldest Matthews declared.

"How?" the model asked, "I mean, what are we gonna do? Take the subway?"

🌎🌎🌎

The group boarded the train and took up standing positions near each other. Eric and his date held on to the vertical pole while Shawn, Juliet, Cory and Topanga held on to the horizontal rail. Or, at least, the redhead tried to, but even in low heels her fingers could only just barely grasp the metal bar, leading the dark-haired boy to laugh at her. 

She glared at him. "Shut up, Shawn."

"You're just so short!" he exclaimed with a grin. "You can't even hold on to the rail."

The girl huffed and grumbled under her breath, missing the pointed glance Cory gave his best friend. "You know, Shawn, she still should hold on to something," he suggested loudly.

"Yeah, I'll hold on to the—"

Realization crossed Shawn's face and the boy grinned. He looped an arm around the redhead's waist and pulled her against him, causing the girl's face to flame for a second time. "Shawn!"

"You can hold on to me, Julie. I won't let you fall."

The girl glared daggers at the curly-haired boy who tried to appear innocent while also looking nervous. The train lurched into motion and she was forced (not that she was truly complaining) to turn and hold on to the dark-haired boy unless she wanted to lose her balance.

Juliet kept her gaze focused on the grimy windows in an effort to keep the redness from creeping up her face despite the fact that she was already very pink. She refused to look anywhere near the boy's face. If she had, she would have seen a pleased, slightly smug expression as he made sure his arm was securely around her waist to keep the girl from toppling over.

"Great idea, Rebecca," Eric said to the blonde model.

"I wasn't being serious."

"Well, then, you lucked out, 'cause this is fun. I mean, ridin' the rails in a mighty locomotive. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can," Eric chanted.

"It's nice to see you in a better mood, brother," Cory told him.

His brother gritted his teeth. "Just die."

"Isn't this great? There is something so exciting about doing things by the seat of your pants," Topanga said. She caught the redhead's eye and gave her a knowing look.

"Yeah, like that guy," Eric pointed out. Everyone turned to look at the back of the train car and groaned in disgust. Shawn quickly moved his hand up to cover the redhead's eyes.

"Hey, Cory, why do I feel like we're being watched?" the dark-haired boy asked, dropping his hand as they turned away.

"You feel that too?"

"Yeah, it's weird. You know, it feels kinda like—"

They both turned to see a poster of Mr. Feeny stating 'I WANT YOU TO STAY IN SCHOOL' to which both boys screamed. Once the train stopped, Shawn called to the passengers: "okay, come on. Let's do it, people. We've got parties to go to."

"What's your rush?" Juliet asked.

"It's only ten thirty," Topanga agreed, "we have plenty of time before midnight."

"Yeah. And Eric, you'll be kissing Rebecca in front of all of Philly, just like you wanted," Cory added.

"In front of all of Philly?" the blonde repeated, shocked.

"You know, I don't know where he gets this kinda stuff." Eric laughed awkwardly.

"So your brother thinks of me as just a trophy?" Rebecca asked Cory.

The boy paused as he looked between his brother and the model before he burst out: "yes!"

"Cory!" Eric exclaimed.

"How do you lie to a supermodel? I mean, those lips can see right through you."

"Eric? I just remembered. I have to go. . . home," Rebecca excused herself and left the train, disappearing into the station.

"What? No, wait! Rebecca-Alexa!" The train doors closed as Eric tried to race after her. "No!" he tried to run down the length of the car to catch up. "Rebecca-Alexa! No, wait! Stop the train! Stop the train! Rebecca-Alexa! No!"

"Eric, it's okay," Cory said to his brother.

"I have to get off the train, I have to get off the train!"

"No, look. You can get off at the next stop, alright?" Cory told him, "there aren't any cabs left in the city, she can't get too far. Trust me, okay? Everything's going to be dandy."

Just then, the train lights shut off and everyone stumbled backwards at the sudden stop. Juliet's feet caught on one another in her unfamiliar shoes and she tumbled towards the ground, only to be caught be two arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer. She tried to wiggle out of the grasp, thinking the worst, until Shawn's familiar voice met her ears. "Hey, hey, Julie, it's me."

She stilled and relaxed, relieved that he wasn't some creep that took the subway. When the lights flickered back on, Eric rounded on his brother. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Cory exclaimed.

The redhead quickly pushed herself off Shawn's chest, her face even more red than before as she tried to avoid his eyes. The voice over the intercom distracted them for a minute. "'Ladies and gentlemen, this is your—'" the voice crackled. "'We seem to be experiencing a major—'"

"What did he say?" Juliet asked.

"He said Cory broke the train," Eric sassed, "trapped on a subway. This is a nightmare!"

"There's nothing we can do about it now," the red-haired girl shrugged and took an unoccupied seat. Shawn joined her to sit on the empty one next to hers.

"Look, no one's gonna bother us if we just act tough, okay?" Cory said to his friends. "Boy, I love New Year's Eve. I'd sure hate to have to kill somebody though. . ." The man next to the curly-haired boy lowered his newspaper threateningly, causing the boy to add, "with my flu virus."

"Very convincing," Juliet commented dryly.

"In my defense, a flu virus can be deadly," Cory said.

Eric was still panicking about getting off the train. "Okay, if I could just pry my fingers into the door. . . They would get stuck, like this." He made a distressed sound as he pulled them free.

The intercom came on again: "'attention, passengers. The. . . still not functioning. Do not, under any circumstances. . . which may result in death or dismemberment.'"

"Now what did he say?" Cory asked.

"He said 'Cory, go out and lick the third rail,'" Eric replied.

"Hey! Buck up, buckers," Topanga stood up. "It's probably just a teeny electrical problem and look on the bright side— the city is saving on electricity!"

"What is it with you tonight, Topanga? Did you swallow Sandy Duncan?" Cory snapped.

"Don't be mean, Cory," Juliet protested tiredly.

"That's it, Cory Matthews. I am sick of being the rah-rah girl!" Topanga told him sharply, "you try being the positive one all the time and using words like 'buckers!' I have demons, so there! Wow, what a rush," she finished, looking surprised.

Shawn turned to the redhead next to him and gave her a wary look. "You're not gonna explode on me, are you?"

He looked relieved when she shook her head and instead let out a quiet breath as she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder.

"No, no," he told her. He stood quickly and earned an irritated huff in response. "C'mon, let's go exploring," he held his hand out to her and the redhead sighed before she took it. They left without saying a word to the rest of the group.

"You, uh, you guys don't spend a lot of time on the subway, do you?" one of the passengers asked Cory and Eric.

"Not on subways this nice," the curly-haired boy answered, "so, uh, what do you think the problem is?"

"A loose wire, an air blow in the Kinston."

Cory scoffed, "duh."

"How long 'till they fix it?" Eric asked.

"Oh a holiday, it's hard to say, man."

"Okay, guys," Shawn said as he and Juliet returned from their quick run through. "We've been up and down this train and here's the scoop. Car five, parochial schoolgirls who ditched their nun."

"Nice," Cory said before he quickly amended his statement: "for Shawn." Then he winced as Topanga hit him. "Uh, for the random subway guy?"

"Oh, and car two, Mrs. Ginelli just went into labor. I saw the head," Shawn continued.

"Hey, what are you eating?" Cory asked the redhead.

"Oh, that's the best part! Some caterers are stuck in the next car," she told him as she held out the napkin. "Look! It's a tiny, tiny crab cake!"

"In a light pastry shell," Cory added with a grin.

Eric slapped the napkin out of the girl's hand. "Will you forget about the crab cake? The subway. The subway, can they fix it? What's wrong with it?"

"Why would I ask?" Shawn scoffed, "we've got food, babes and birth. Eric, the cycle of life is complete."

"Not without Rebecca-Alexa," he answered. Juliet made a face at Eric's insistence on finding his date and grabbed Shawn's hand without a thought. 

"Okay, later," she said, pulling him back the way they came.

🌎🌎🌎

She'd found a party hat somewhere and it was now perched jauntily on her head as she fixed it by making the angle more obvious. Cory addressed the train: "okay! All aboard the party car. We've got refreshments by the conductor's booth, we've got dancing right here and if you guys want a quite place to chat, there is plenty of room down by the sad guy!" he motioned to his brother.

"Hey, everybody! Listen up. How about we give it up for the man who put together this little underground paar-tay?" the subway guy from earlier asked as he put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"What?" everyone asked.

"Party," he repeated.

"Oh!"

Juliet, while not as much of a dancer as her friends, was tapping her foot to the music as Shawn came up next to her. He saw the food she was holding and grinned. "Are you eating that for a reason?" he teased her.

The redhead turned pink. "I can't believe you remember that."

"'Course I do. I remember every New Year's we've spent together." There was a pause before he added: "do I get a kiss this year or am I gonna have to avoid garlic-breath?"

The girl hesitated and glanced down at the snack in her napkin before she looked back up at her best friend. While the night hadn't gone exactly as planned, Shawn had promised her a good New Year's. She hadn't thought of her slump all evening so he'd achieved his goal and she truly did have to thank him for it. It had been nice spending the evening with her best friends instead of moping around at home.

"Okay, everybody! Listen up, listen up! The New Year is coming in five. . . four. . . three. . . two. . . one! Happy New Year's!"

Juliet's hand crumpled the napkin, though she didn't make a move to kiss the boy in front of her. Instead, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Happy New Year, Shawnie," she whispered.

The boy wrapped his arms around her and returned the gesture. "Happy New Year, Julie."

[written dec. 2020]
[edited may 2022]