▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ & ᴄᴏɴsᴇǫᴜᴇɴᴄᴇs ꒱


❝ LIFE MOVES ON & SO HAVE I ❞

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

Juliet and Jack left Mr. Williams' class and the blond offered to carry her books. The girl just shook her head and instead said, "so, what do you want to do for the social media project?"

They'd been assigned as partners to come up with a newsworthy story for their broadcast later this week. Juliet knew Shawn and Cory would do the bare minimum and as much as she. . . didn't know how she felt about Jack, she was glad she had someone to do the project with. The boy glanced at her. "We could interview my dad," he suggested.

"Your dad? I thought you didn't want me to meet him."

"We can just say it's for the project." He shrugged, making the girl frown.

"You're ashamed of me."

The blond stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the redhead with wide eyes. "What?" he exclaimed. "Ocean Eyes, that's not true!"

Juliet sighed. "But you don't want to tell your dad we're dating."

"No, no, that's not it," Jack corrected her quickly, reaching out to place his hands gently on her arms. "I am ashamed, but not of you. Never you, Ocean Eyes. I just. . . I think my dad's reaction to you will be very embarrassing for me and I don't want you to think that that's how I think."

The redhead looked up and saw how genuinely he was looking at her; the boy's normally bright blue eyes dark with seriousness. She studied his expression for a moment before she nodded reluctantly. "Alright, we can interview your dad. I'll be behind the camera and you can ask him the questions if you want?"

"Sounds good. Seriously, it's not you," Jack repeated firmly.

"Right," the redhead conceded and while she was convinced, she still couldn't help but feel slighted.

🌎🌎🌎

"Alright, next up we have Capelwood and Montacute's report," Mr. Williams announced to the class as he slid the tape into the receiver. "They interviewed Mr. Montacute, a highly successful CEO, to get the top advice in the industry to cover our business section."

The screen lit up to show a dark-haired man with sharp blue eyes. He was sitting in a leather swivel chair that was commonly seen in an expensive lawyer's office. A large desk of dark wood sat bare to his right. The only items on it were a top-of-the-line computer and on the opposite side was a glass paperweight. The office space itself was mostly empty and brightly lit with a wall of important-looking books that sat behind the man and a few sophisticated paintings on the other two sides. The third was all windows which let in plenty of light and were partly obscured by plants.

"'Alright, uh, dad. Today we're going to be interviewing you about some business savvy-things kids like us can do to help prepare ourselves for the future,'" Jack's voice sounded as the camera moved out to include the blonde boy in the frame.

"'Yes, you've told me this Jackson. Get on with it, I don't have all day,'" Emyr replied shortly.

"'I guess I'll get right into it then. So, why did you decide to become a banker?'" Jack asked.

"'It's been the family business since before I was born so of course I was going to follow my father's footsteps, though it looks like the tradition won't be continued,'" the dark-haired man stated pointedly, causing the blond to shift in discomfort. "'I wanted to build up our current financial wealth by opening our banks to the common people and expand our audience which was a vision I was successfully able to carry out.'"

"'Right. What sort of skills did you develop from this line of work?'"

"'I learned how to be an astute business man and never take 'no' for an answer. That's the important thing, Jackson. If you want something badly enough, 'no' will never be in your vocabulary. Of course, it must be a worthwhile cause to pursue but you gain determination and perseverance as you accomplish your goals. You must also learn how to say 'no' easily and not be affected when you disappoint others. You can't please everyone but the one person you should always please is yourself.'"

The questions continued for several minutes before Emyr's phone rang . "'Oh, I do have to take this. Good luck on your little report, Jackson." His father dismissed them coolly as he picked up the phone to answer it.

The camera turned to the blond who gave an apologetic expression before he jerked his head towards the door and the screen went black. Mr. Williams turned the lights back on and took the tape out of the TV. "A very informative report, Capelwood and Montacute. I'm sure this will be helpful to those who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs. Next up, we have Hunter and Matthews who are reporting on. . . lunch food preparation."

🌎🌎🌎

"I'm sorry my dad was like that," Jack apologized with a sigh as they sat down for lunch the next day. "I mean, he's always like that but—"

"It's alright, Jackson," Juliet teased him.

The blond grimaced. "Please don't call me that. My dad insists on calling me by my full name."

"Yeah, well, at least you have a dad to call you by your name," the redhead complained, only partially serious.

"Oce—" the boy started, only to be cut off by her amused smile.

"It's alright, Jack. I'm only joking. It doesn't bother me nearly as much as it used to." She took a bite of her sandwich and shrugged. "Life moves on and so have I."

The blond studied her. "What would you do if your dad did magically reappear?"

The redhead paused as she thought. "Honestly? I have no idea. I've never even thought that there was a chance so I haven't thought about if there was. I'm happy with my life now and, well, I might seriously freak out if a man claiming to be my long-lost dad suddenly showed up."

"Do you think you could grow to. . . accept him, though?"

The girl turned to give him a suspicious look. "Why all these questions?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, you don't talk about your dad much and since you've finally met mine, I dunno. I was just curious."

"Yeah, well, it depends on how he makes amends for his actions," the redhead answered in response to if she would 'accept him.' "If he's a complete a-hole about coming back then definitely not. If he's honestly trying, I'd give him a chance. It also depends on why he left."

"Now that would be a newsworthy story," Jack commented with a faint grin, uncertain as to whether this was something he could joke about.

"It would definitely be some type of story, that's for sure," Juliet agreed.

🌎🌎🌎

Juliet and Jack stood behind the TV monitors as they watched Topanga prepare to go live on TV, the blonde obviously nervous. The redhead was happily eating a bagel in one hand while her other was (slightly less happily) occupied with holding Jack's hand. As Shawn handed Topanga some napkins to help cool her down, the blond boy shook his hand loose from the girl's and moved his arm to wrap it around her shoulders. Juliet tensed instantly, unused to that contact from this boy. It was such a Shawn thing to do that she was caught off guard when anyone else did it.

Feeling only slightly guilty, she pulled herself free from the boy's grasp, which earned her a confused look. "What?"

"Sorry, Jack. I just. . . didn't like that."

"But Hunter does it," the boy reminded her, sounding puzzled.

"Shawn's been doing that for years. I couldn't stop him if I tried," Juliet told him. "It just feels weird when anyone else does it."

"So your boyfriend can't do it?" Jack wondered, his tone becoming irritated.

"No," she answered flatly. The blond huffed. 

"Fine," he replied, crossing his arms against his chest. Juliet quickly grew uncomfortable with his negative attitude and ducked behind the Matthews who were watching the origami lady on the TV.

"Right down to the deck chairs," Mr. Matthews was saying.

Shawn came over and joined them. "Ain't nothing wrong with that," he observed with a small smirk. Juliet folded her arms over her chest and frowned, causing the dark-haired boy to look down at her and then to where Jack was standing in a similar position. His smirk broadened. "Trouble in paradise again, Julie?"

The redhead sighed as the lighting changed to indicate they were on the air. "I'm not in the mood, Shawn."

The boy gave her a concerned look but was prevented from questioning her further as Topanga began talking. "Hello, Philadelphia. This is Topanga Lawrence with the John Adams report. Campus police are baffled by stolen tube-sock ring."

🌎🌎🌎

"Thank you, Bob," Topanga addressed their guest as she finished up the segment. "And once again, Bob's book Confessions of a Crossing Guard is available in the school book store and we'll be right back."

"Topanga is doing very well," Mrs. Matthews stated. "She has a natural poise."

"Leonard, a thought on the cue cards," she snapped at the boy offscreen, "they're facing you! Hunter, where's Cory with the last story? Juliet, do you have your business piece ready to go?" She didn't wait for a response. "Mr. Williams, I can't work like this!"

The redhead watched Jack hand Mr. Williams their tape as Cory came charging into the room. "Everybody, out of my way! I'm making TV!"

"Okay, we're back in three, two—"

Topanga read off the now-correctly-facing cue cards: "now we have our business section presented by Juliet Capelwood and Jack Montacute. And finally, a report filed by Cory Matthews on. . . Janitor Bud? Why?"

After Juliet's and Jack's piece ran, Cory's face appeared on the screen. The boy was concentrating on using a toothpick. "'It's out,'" Shawn's voice told him.

"'Spinach,'" he observed.

"'Cory, I'm rolling.'"

"'Alright. Remind me to edit this out, huh?'" the boy cleared his throat. "'We're here in the hallways of John Adams High where all of us our trapped. Trapped like. . . deer.'"

"Great analogy, Cor," the redhead mumbled.

Shawn seemed to agree with her as his voice from off camera repeated, "'deer?'"

"'Trapped deer,'" Cory agreed, "'all of us, until three thirty. Or are some less trapped than others?'"

Janitor Bud was shown next as he left the custodian's office along with Cory's edit of 'not a dramatization' that flashed across the screen. The janitor looked at his punch-out card and laughed. "'Right.'"

As he left, the camera zoomed in dramatically on the clock which read two fifty-five. "'Bum, bum, bum!'" Cory sang forcefully before he reappeared on the screen. "'I'd be laughing too if I were skipping out at two fifty-five. End of story? No. We know that Janitor Bud leaves at two fifty-five, yet he gets paid until five o'clock. Scandal? Oh, yeah.'" 

The curly-haired boy ducked out of the frame so the camera could focus on Joey. The screen read 'a thug' in similarly flashing letters. Joey was then seen grabbing Janitor Bud's work card which had a five dollar bill attached to it. "'Bum, bum, bum!'" the boy sang again.

On screen, Joey smirked. "'Mr. Lincoln, meet Mr. Pocket,'" he announced, and clocked Janitor Bud out at five before he giggled manically as he left.

"'And there you have it,'" Cory reported as he became the main focus again. "'Janitor Bud, the man who mopped his way into our hearts, willing to risk his spotless reputation for a few measly hours a week. Where are our heroes? I do not know, but I do know that this is the loneliest mop I've ever seen.'"

Once the piece was over, Topanga finished up their show. "Wow. Well, this is Topanga Lawrence and good day. And, uh, don't eat veal."

"And we're clear!" Mr. Williams called.

"Huh? Huh, Mr. Williams? Just what you asked for," Cory remarked proudly.

"News that grabs," Shawn agreed.

"Very effective report," their teacher approved.

"Well, it was tough at first but once we found our angle we had a great time," the curly-haired boy added.

"Sure did some digging."

Cory turned to his parents. "So, Mom, Dad, how proud are you? Your son, the investigative reporter."

"Uh, Alan?" Mrs. Matthews asked quietly.

"Um, well, Cory, was this all true?" Mr. Matthews questioned him.

"Well, you saw it. 'Not a dramatization. Not a dramatization.'" He mimed the flashing with his hands as he grinned.

"Well, that's very unfortunate," Mr. Feeny said somberly.

"Why's that?"

"Because now I have the unpleasant task of firing Janitor Bud."

🌎🌎🌎

"Julie, hey— wait." A hand grasped the girl's wrist and brought her to a stop. She tensed as she thought Jack was following her before Shawn's familiar voice registered in her ears.

Relaxing, she turned to face him. "What's up, Shawnie?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "What's up?" he repeated. "You're asking me what's up?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"What's up with you and Montacute?" he demanded, his tone only slightly more forceful than he originally intended.

The redhead swallowed. "Uh, nothing?"

"C'mon, Julie. I know something's wrong. You were standing practically fifty feet apart during our broadcast." The boy's eyes narrowed. "Do I have to talk to him?"

A faint smile flickered across her face as she knew what Shawn 'talking' to her boyfriend meant. "No," she reassured him."I just needed space."

He gave her a concerned look. "Are you sure? You know I'm here if you need to talk to me, right?"

The girl's expression softened and she reached over to gently squeeze his hand before she quickly dropped it. "I know, Shawnie, and I'd tell you if something was wrong. It's just a little spat."

He didn't seem to fully believe her— something that was not lost on the redhead— but luckily he let it drop for the time being. "Can you believe how annoyed the whole school with us is over Janitor Bud being fired?" he wondered instead.










A/n: please enjoy these incorrect quotes I made last night (the last one is the most accurate)!

[Juliet when she first realizes that she 'like-likes' Shawn]

[Alternative scene during 'Wrong Side of the Tracks' or 'Home']

[This is 100% them and I didn't even know this textpost existed when I wrote the prologue]

[written dec. 2020]
[edited may 2022]