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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴍɪssɪɴɢ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇs ɪɪ ꒱


❝ YOU CAN'T KILL PEOPLE
WE KNOW, JULES ❞

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[During Ain't College Great]

"Where are Shawn and Angela going?" Cory asked his fiancée as he joined her at a table in the Student Union.

Topanga didn't look up from her magazine as she replied, "out."

"Out? Out as in the grocery store?"

She hesitated and her gaze moved to meet his as she began tentatively: "Cory, have you noticed that they've been spending more time together recently?"

"Uh. . . no?"

"They have been," she confirmed. "You can't possibly be that oblivious, can you?"

He scoffed. "I'm not oblivious, darling. I just have selective attention. Does Jules know about this?"

". . .No," the blonde answered quietly. "But they're just friends. It's nothing to worry about."

"See, now that you've said that I'm worried. Why doesn't Shawn's girlfriend know?"

"It's not that she's not supposed to," Topanga explained hastily. "It's just that I don't want you causing unnecessary drama—"

Cory gasped dramatically as he raised a hand to his chest. "Me? Cause unnecessary drama? Do you know who you're talking to?"

A faint smile pulled at her lips. "Yes, and that's exactly why I have this." She pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to him. "Angela wrote it up the other day."

"This is a restraining order!"

"Yes. Yes it is," she agreed. "Angela doesn't think that we can butt out of other people's business. I can, but I don't think you could."

"Really?" the curly-haired boy scoffed again. "I totally could." At his fiancée's unimpressed look, he sighed. "You're right, I couldn't. But if Angela and Shawn are just friends why do. . ." He froze as his eyes widened. "You were quick to specify their relationship. Is. . . that supposed to mean something?"

"I'm surprised you picked up on that."

"Selective attention," he reminded her. "Do you know something that I don't?"

"I know lots of things that you don't," Topanga countered. She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "But in this case, yes."

He ignored the jab and chose to focus on the gesture instead. "Are you going to tell me about this one?"

She sighed. "I'm not supposed to, Angela made me promise— but I don't know how she expects me to keep something from my fiancé."

"Let's go with that reasoning," Cory suggested. He rested his arms on the table to focus his eyes on her. "What's the secret?"

Glancing around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, the blonde lowered her voice to tell him: "Angela likes Shawn."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, obviously. They're friends, darling."

"As more than a friend."

The curly-haired boy stared at her. "What? But-but Shawn and Juliet—"

"She knows they're together," Topanga reassured him, "and she respects both of them enough not to interfere with their relationship but I've caught her looking at him before. Don't you go repeating it to anyone else."

"But-but how are you okay with this?" he demanded. "Juliet is our friend, my best friend. We have to tell her—"

"No!" Topanga exclaimed. She quickly reached forward to grasp his hand in hers to keep him from leaving. "We can't cause any drama. Angela said that they'd work things out."

"Angela this, Angela that," Cory mocked her slightly. "Don't you know this will blindside Juliet to epic proportions? How do you think she'd feel if she found out we knew all along and didn't stop it?"

"Which is why she can't find out. Angela promised that she'll tell her when the time is right."

"When will that be? When Shawn and Juliet get married? I can't just sit by and let my best friend have this going on behind her back—"

"She's my best friend too, you know," she snapped irritably, "and I don't like it either but we're all adults, Cory. They can handle it themselves and we'll just be supportive when they need it."

"Right. And what happens when Shawn breaks up with her to date Angela?"

"If that happens, we won't interfere."

"You won't interfere. There is no 'we,' Topanga," Cory told her. "I've known Jules almost all my life and I know how much she cares about Shawn. You better believe I'm going to interfere if it happens."

"You know Angela will kill you, right?"

"Well, then I'll live up to being Shawn's Mercutio."

🌎🌎🌎
[Before Everybody Loves Stuart]

Cory joined Juliet by the fireplace as the students of Pennbrook University were winding down for the day. Despite the late hour, the redhead was holding a to-go cup of coffee in her hands as she sat by herself.

"You know that'll keep you awake, right?" he questioned her as he parked himself next to her.

"What's the point of sleep?"

His expression softened. "You should still take care of yourself, Jules."

"What's the point?" she asked again as she watched Shawn and Angela morosely. The only reason he could tell what she was feeling was because the pair was paying more attention to the pool table; otherwise, he was sure that Juliet would make an effort to appear happy.

"You still have people who care about you, you know. Just because you're not with Shawn anymore—"

"Thanks for that reminder."

"—doesn't mean you're alone," he finished as if she hadn't spoken. "Promise me you'll get some sleep?"

"Let me finish my plan to kill Angela first," the redhead bargained, her eyes never leaving their friends.

Cory gave her a look. "You can't kill people we know, Jules. Don't you know how awkward holiday parties would be?"

The girl slumped then and opted to close her eyes. She rested her head on his shoulder. "It's a good thing I'm not really going to kill her, then."

"You could just talk with them if you wanted to."

"But I don't want to deal with. . . with her," she sighed. "I don't want to be seen as a jealous ex but I just miss him so much, Cor. It's hard even being in the same room as him."

"I know," he agreed quietly as he remembered her confession in the bathroom, "but doesn't it hurt more when you're not together?"

"We're not together no matter where I am in the building so it doesn't really matter what the physical distance between us is."

🌎🌎🌎
[After You're Married, You're Dead]

"So, what was that big blowup with Angela about?" Juliet inquired as she and Shawn had lunch after the movie they'd seen together.

"Oh, you know, the usual. . ." he explained vaguely. He paid his fries more attention than strictly necessary.

"Uh-huh. I mean, I completely agree that you're a pig but what was it this time?"

Shawn refused to meet her eyes and she was confused by how. . . uncomfortable he looked. "Er. . . I was hanging out with the guys and doing, well, guy stuff. Is that enough?"

She frowned. "Why can't you just tell me? If you'll remember, I was one of the guys in middle school. I don't know why it's any different now."

Finally, he looked up to stare at her incredulously. "Uh, it's different because we dated. You most definitely aren't one of the guys anymore."

"But I'm still your best friend," the redhead whined as her eyes widened pleadingly.

He sighed. "Fine. You wanna know where we went?" At her nod, he answered, "Cleaváge. Are you going to yell at me now?"

Juliet grimaced at his response. "You really are a pig but no, I'm not going to yell at you," she mocked him. "That's why Topanga was mad at Cory?"

"Yeah," Shawn confirmed. "The guys were giving him a hard time about being married so I thought it would be easier if he took off his ring. I mean, he stood out like a sore thumb in that place."

The girl frowned. "I think it's romantic that Cory wears it."

"I didn't say it wasn't," the dark-haired boy protested. "I just don't think it would be for me." He was surprised by the disappointed look on her face that followed his words.

"You wouldn't wear one even if. . . someone asked you to marry them? No matter how much you loved them?"

"I. . . well. . . I don't know," he admitted, desperately wishing he could ask why she seemed to care so much. "I guess it depends on the person."

🌎🌎🌎
[After Cutting the Cord]

Juliet was quiet the day following their triple date. She hardly spoke a word to her roommates as they got ready in the morning and avoided them all day despite her burning question: how did Angela like her date with Shawn?

Finally, she broke that night when they were getting ready for bed. "So, how did your date last night go? You, um, came back late."

"Pretty well," Angela replied as she pulled back the covers of her bed. "I mean, you saw how he was most of the evening, the life of the party." Only when you were there. "It was what I'd always thought a date with him would be like. We drove there, you know, so it was no surprise that he remained true to form after we left." That part, at least, was true.

"So. . ." the redhead prompted her despite dreading the answer.

"It was going really well— I mean, you know how good of a kisser he is— and I was quite enjoying myself." Here, Juliet's wince was obvious. "But that's when it all went to hell."

The girl straightened to stare at her. "What do you mean?" she demanded, half offended on Shawn's behalf.

"Everything was good, like I said, and even kind of. . . hot." Angela paused as she tried to decide if she really should share the rest before she concluded that she'd put the redhead through enough misery. "I, um, said his name but when he was supposed to say mine back, he said. . . your name."

There were several seconds of silence before: "my name?"

"Yep. Just what a girl wants to hear, right?"

"I'm. . . I'm sorry," Juliet tried to sound genuine. "That must have been really disappointing."

Angela shrugged. "I'm glad I still went out with him but I don't think we're meant to be. It's kind of like a right person, wrong time sort of thing."

"So if he didn't know me—"

"Then I think we would've worked out," the brunette finished but she added hastily, "I don't blame you, Juliet. You're lucky that he cares about you so much."

"I know," she concurred. "So, um, I'm guessing you won't be going out with him again, then?"

"No, I don't think so. As it turns out, I did end up being rebound," Angela admitted wryly.

"Well, I'm sorry," Juliet told her sincerely as she picked up her toiletries to head to the bathroom. "I, er, hope you feel better?"

The other girl smiled slightly at her uncertain tone. "Thanks."

The redhead nodded in response before she made her way out of the dorm. After carefully shutting the door behind her, she looked around to make sure that no one was in the hall before she punched the air triumphantly.

🌎🌎🌎
[After Road Trip]

Shawn pulled off the highway for lunch at another truck stop. Cory and Juliet had left him almost a week ago, though his daily phone calls with the redhead were always something that he looked forward to (he tried to ignore the fact that he counted down the hours until nine o'clock.)

After locking the trailer, he entered the diner and sat at the counter to order. A waitress came over and handed him a menu before she promised to be back in a few minutes. When she returned, she took out her notepad. "Alright, honey, what can I get for ya?"

"Coffee and a tuna melt," he requested. He'd immediately decided what to have once he'd seen the familiar offering.

"Comin' right up."

She went to the back and he was left alone again except for some regulars that sat at various tables. Only one— an older man with a short beard— was sitting at the counter with him. He could feel the man's dark eyes on him and was hardly surprised when the stranger spoke: "what brings you to a middle-of-nowhere place like this, son?"

"A voyage," Shawn replied. He smiled slightly as he used Cory's term. "Just clearing my head. You know how it is."

"Mmm," the driver agreed and they fell into silence.

While he waited for his food, he gave into the urge to pull out the Polaroid he kept in the pocket of his leather jacket. It was the first intentional picture he'd ever taken: the day that Juliet had introduced him to photography. He'd captured her in front of the bakery with her hand shading her eyes as she turned to look at him with a questioning smile on her face.

"You got a girl back home?" the same man spoke again as he presumably noticed the picture he'd taken out.

"It's not like that with Julie," the dark-haired boy objected quietly. "She's just a friend."

"Friends wouldn't stare at a picture of a girl like that."

"I mean, I care about her more than anyone I know," he began defensively, wondering why he felt the need to explain himself to this stranger, "but she really is just a friend."

"Son, the next time someone asks you that question it would be easier to just say yes."

[written oct. 2021]
[edited jun. 2022]