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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ, sʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ ꒱


❝ I WON'T LIE FOR YOU ❞

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Juliet's gaze was focused on Shawn's empty desk. He'd been absent in History, too, and Cory had failed to mention where their best friend was. Mr. Feeny entered the classroom, interrupting her attention. "Mr. Matthews, where did you get that papaya?"

"From home. Is there a problem?"

"I've got my eye on you," Mr. Feeny continued to Mr. Turner's desk.

"Hey, George. What's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to be sure you knew that the Hunter boy missed his history test this morning."

"He what?"

Cory stood. "Oh, that's my fault, my fault. I was supposed to tell you that Shawn had a severe case of, uh. . ." he looked to Mr. Feeny. "Help me out, here."

"Sloth?"

"Yes. Hong Kong Sloth."

Juliet facepalmed. "Idiot."

"That's it," Mr. Turner scoffed as he set down his things and stalked out of the classroom.

"Not your best work, Mr. Matthews," Mr. Feeny told him.

"You didn't try at all," Juliet agreed.

🌎🌎🌎

"Hong Kong Sloth?" Shawn repeated.

"Don't look at me, he's the idiot," Juliet pointed to Cory, who looked offended.

"Well, Feeny came up with the 'sloth' but I added the 'Hong Kong,'" he protested.

"That doesn't help your argument, Cor."

"Turner didn't even want to talk about it," Shawn sighed, "he's all 'Hunter, tomorrow you're going to see the new guidance counselor.' I'll tell you one thing, though. Shawn Hunter is not gonna waste an hour of his life listening to some baldheaded, long-winded, leisure-suit-wearing know-it-all."

"Hey, you've basically described Juliet!" Cory ducked to avoid the series of blows aimed for his head.

A woman came up to them, halting Juliet's attack on her friend. "Oh, my name's on the door! They didn't have to do that!"

"You're the new guidance counselor?" Cory asked.

"Hi, I'm Devon Collins."

"Hi. Shawn Hunter. Guide me."

🌎🌎🌎

Juliet woke to the sound of someone tapping at her window. She really needed to remember to leave it open. She was groggy as she pushed it open and let Shawn in. The boy stuck his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket once he was standing. "Julie."

"What on earth possessed you to be up now?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, "I've been thinking—"

"You can do that?" she asked, grumpy at the four-in-the-morning hour.

Shawn rolled his eyes, knowing that when she was tired she was short-tempered. "Yes. The guidance counselor, she had some good points."

"Okay?"

"I'm taking off, Julie. I— I just wanted to say goodbye before I left." As much as he wanted to ask her to come with him, he knew her education was far more important to her. Besides, she didn't need him. She had Jack, after all.

"Right," Juliet said. It wasn't the first time Shawn had talked about taking off.

"No, really. I'm leaving town."

The red-haired girl frowned, worry started to creep in. "Shawnie, what about school? Is it because of— of— Mr. Turner?"

"No, no, this has nothing to do with school or Turner. This is about me. I'm going to do a little traveling to get to know myself. I'll be happier at school if I do."

"Where did this idea come from, Shawnie?"

"The guidance counselor."

Juliet's hands balled into fists, out of the boy's line of sight and she tried to reign in her temper. "So Mr. Turner's just letting you take off?"

"He doesn't know and I don't want him to find out. He'd just try and stop me. I know you understand me, Julie. I know you hate lying to teachers but could you just cover for me long enough so I can get out of town?" he gave her a pleading look as the stony one on her face told him she wasn't pleased.

"No."

"Look, Julie, I've thought all this through. I feel like I'm really ready. You've travelled this summer, you know how it feels."

"No, Shawn."

"C'mon, Julie. Please."

"No, Shawn."

"Why can't you understand that this is something I need to do?" he asked as frustration crept into his voice. He ran his hands through his hair.

"No. I won't lie for you, Shawn, because I'm coming with you."

He stared at her, wide-eyed. "What?"

Juliet gave him an unimpressed look. "You're known for your hare-brained schemes and half-cooked plans. This is one of them. Let me be the other half so you don't get into trouble."

"But— but what about school? What about Jack?"

"You're more important than either of those things," she told him honestly, "and if you're hellbent on leaving I'm going to make damn sure we're gonna do it right."

The boy's face softened into that familiar, adoring look he'd given her all throughout childhood. "I think I love you."

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me get some things together before we take off, okay?"

"You got it. You want me to pack for you?" he asked hopefully.

"You must think I'm an idiot," was the redhead's only response, which was followed with a glare and: "if you even touch my drawers you'll be a hand short, Hunter."

🌎🌎🌎

Juliet and Shawn waited in the bus terminal. The girl couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes discretely at the fact that Shawn thought he could get to Europe on the road. She hadn't corrected him, though, knowing that it would be easier for Mr. Turner to find them here than in an airport. It wasn't like they could afford those tickets anyway.

"Want a mango?" the old man sitting next to them asked, a large gift basket on his lap.

"Sure," Shawn answered, and he handed it over to the redhead. "For you."

"Thanks," she said with an amused smile. The man got up and wandered off, leaving the pair behind.

"So, are you excited for our next big adventure?" he asked the girl.

Juliet shrugged, knowing they probably wouldn't get that far. She was right, of course— she'd been the one to tip off Mr. Turner, after all, though the man hadn't been happy with the early phone call. "Hunter, Capelwood, you're still here."

Shawn stood. "John, how'd you find us?"

"Easy. Once I found out where you were going I figured Shawn Hunter, Europe, bus. It helped that your friend tipped me off."

"Mr. Turner!" the redhead exclaimed.

"Did I say that out loud? Oops."

"Juliet!" Shawn said sharply as he turned to the girl, who raised her hands in defensively.

"I told you I wouldn't lie for you!"

He turned back to their teacher and held out their tickets. "It doesn't matter. Next stop, Paris."

"Pairs, Texas?" he questioned them.

"Hey, it's easier finding us here than at the airport," she told him.

"Oh, I thought the TX meant tax," the dark-haired boy said, shooting the girl an accusing look and she smiled innocently at him in response.

"Look, I don't know what Miss Collins told you but running away is not the answer."

"John," Shawn scoffed, "I'm not running away. If I was, Julie wouldn't be here. I'm finally going someplace." He slid a quarter into the coin slot. "You know, I could ski the alps or even go to Spain and chase the bulls!"

"Uh, actually, they chase you," Mr. Turner corrected him as the boy straightened.

"Who needs Spain? Europe's a big town. I'm sure there's tons of cool stuff that I could do."

Mr. Turner glanced at the redhead, who sighed. "You see what I have to work with?"

Their teacher shook his head as he followed the boy back to their seat. "This is a big step. Why didn't you come and talk to me about it?"

"Well you know, John, you're busy. You've got your own stuff going on."

"That doesn't mean I don't care about what's happening in your life."

"Yeah, I know you care about me. I know that inside, you're like my buddy and all."

"Yeah, you're my buddy, too, but it's more than that, Shawn. I'm responsible for you," Mr. Turner told him.

"John, give yourself a break, it's not like you're my dad."

"Yeah, I guess I'm not," he agreed.

"And I'm cool with it. I mean, I'm used to being alone—"

"Shawn—" Juliet started.

"You didn't have to come with me, Julie," he said to the girl, "I should've known you'd rat me out."

The girl's eyes widened. "Shawn, I only ratted you out because I care about you! As your best friend I don't think this is the right move for you, right now. Maybe in a few years, yeah, but you thought you could get to Europe by bus."

"Only because you didn't correct me," the boy answered, "it's made me realize that I gotta look out for myself, so I'll see you later. Thanks for the roof."

"Shawn! Get back here," Mr. Turner commanded him, causing the boy to turn. "You're not going anywhere."

"I'm goin' to Europe."

"No, you're goin' to Texas. Shawn, come on, you're fifteen years old, you've got no money and Juliet's the only one with the faintest idea of what you guys are getting yourselves into. You think there's a chance that I'm right?"

"I don't know," Shawn admitted.

"You're comin' home with me, where you belong. Look, if you really want to go to Europe, we'll go together. We can even take Capelwood along if she wants to come. Next summer."

"I could see that working," the boy said, glancing over to where the redhead waited a few steps away with her hands grasping the straps of her backpack. It was nice to imagine hiking through some European countryside with her like she had probably done all last summer.

"But only if you start goin' to class and getting those grades up. C'mon, you got a History test to make up."

The old man from earlier came by. "Hey kid. You listen to your dad."

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna," he handed his bus ticket to the man before he turned to the redhead, "help me study, Julie?"

"Of course. We can learn all about Europe," she promised and then added with a smile, "and how it's not a town."

The boy rolled his eyes as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't miss you correcting me, y'know."

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For once, Juliet wasn't startled by the tapping at her window. Instead, the sliding of the pane told her exactly who it was. "You left it open," Shawn's surprised voice greeted her.

The girl placed her book down on the bed and stood. "Yeah, I figured I might as well seeing as you come in that way so often."

As she stepped closer to him, she realized he was looking at her like that again and the familiar, tingling warmth spread through her as pink rose to her face. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"I just realized how much I appreciate you," was the boy's response, "I never thanked you for anything."

"You don't have to," the girl shrugged. "It's what— what best friends are for."

"Hey," Shawn said as he stepped closer to her. This time, he was unable to fight the urge and he raised his hands to gently cup her face, and he tilted her head upward so he could meet her eyes. "I don't know where I'd be without you, Julie. Really."

Despite the warmth that she was positive was radiating from her face, she smiled. "Probably in Paris, Texas," she joked, causing the boy to roll his eyes.

"Yeah," he admitted after a moment. His gaze met hers again. "I meant it when I said I love you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," she repeated, "you've said it before."

"Right. Of course."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Juliet forced herself to stop talking so she wouldn't look so stupid. That look in Shawn's eyes— the ones that turned them from blue to silvery— was making it hard to think straight. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as her. . . buried feelings for her best friend came back, not as long gone as she thought they were. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him. She'd heard from other girls what they'd thought and knew he was reportedly a good kisser. He certainly got enough practice.

She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the thought and the moment was over. Jack. Your boyfriend. Remember him? Not Shawn.

The boy in front of her cleared his throat. "Right, well, that's all I wanted to say. See you later, Julie. Goodnight."

"Night, Shawnie," she said, stepping quickly away from him so she wouldn't ask him to stay. 

[written dec. 2020]
[edited may 2022]