"Shawn." "Shawn, it's me, Cory." "Cory, what are you doing here?" "Well, my best friend's sick, his folks are out of town." "I just thought I'd drop by and check on you." "These bags weigh a ton." "But, you know, I just brought over a few little sundries to tide you through." "Cough syrup, aspirin." "Vaporub?" "What, you didn't bring me any flowers?" "Well, actually, I did." "I just didn't know if it was appropriate." "It's not." "It's not appropriate." "Now, uh, if you'll excuse me, I, um..." "I got to get some sleep. (COUGHS)" "I'm very contagious." "Oh, say no more." "I'll just plug in the humidifier and be on my way." "Shawn." "Claire?" "Shawn?" "Cory." "Really, you don't have to go." "Yeah, like, I'm not embarrassed enough." "Me and my mentholatum." "You know, Shawn, if you had plans like this, you didn't have to fake a cold." "You could've just told me." "No, I couldn't have." "Why not?" "Look, you're just going to have to trust me on this one, okay?" "Cory, you won't tell anyone I was here, will you?" "(SHAWN SIGHS)" "Well, normally I would've told Shawn, but he already knows." "Unless he's just a complete idiot." "You can trust him." "Come on." "Yes?" "Shawn, we've always told each other everything." "Did I say there was nothing to tell?" "But I..." "Did I say there was nothing to tell?" "Yes, but you still..." "Then let it go." "Shawn, you and a girl spent the night together, without me." "(GROANS)" "Man, this is not something you sit around and talk to a friend about." "Why is that?" "Because you've moved up to a higher level of intimacy with women, and I'm still walking around with my address in my pocket?" "You know, don't be so hard on yourself about that one." "That's a tough address. 321." "No, no." "This is about where you are and where I'm not." "Cory, don't do anything because of me, okay?" "Shawn, I've been going out with Topanga since, like, the day I was born, and all we've ever done is kiss." "I just think it's time to take it to the next step, okay?" "Okay." "So what is the next step?" "Hello." "May I take your coat?" "Oh, you like my outfit." "What, these old things?" "Hello." "May I take your coat?" "(DOORBELL RINGS) Ah, you like my outfit." "What, these old things?" "Hello." "May I take your coat?" "I'm not wearing one." "Ah, you like my outfit." "Cory, are you okay?" "What, these old things?" "(SIGHS)" "So what'd you want to do tonight?" "Watch TV, go to a movie?" "Uh, yeah." "We could go to a movie or grab a burger or go up to my room and just..." "You know." "What would we do in your room?" "Uh, have you seen my new CD changer?" "I was with you when you bought it." "Yes, but you see, it's set up now, and we can go see it in my room." "Okay." "Oh, okay." "Let's go." "All right." "Yeah." "Let's go." "Cory, are you coming?" "Oh, yeah, me." "What, are you having a seance?" "Why would you say that?" "(STAMMERING) The candles, I love candles." "The room is always like this." "Honest." ""Love Sonnets by Shelley"?" "Why would you say that?" "Poetry, I love poetry, and Shelley, her use of romantic imagery is, dare I say, sensual." "Shelley was a guy." "Eesh." "So we going to play anything on your CD changer?" "Uh, yeah, yeah." "Um, now, in order to get the best sound, you really should sit right about here." "On your bed?" "Uh, it has nothing to do with the bed, and it has nothing..." "It just has to do with the placement of the speakers and the placement of you on the..." "Bed?" "It just happens to be there." "Um, so, now let our musical journey begin." "(MUSIC PLAYING)" "* I can hold up three fingers" "Oh, uh, that happens to be Morgan's delightful little kiddy CD." "* Oops, where's my nose?" "I love this!" "I used to listen to this when I was a kid." "Yes, he's charming, and he's purple, but he's out the window." "And now for something a little more, shall we say, uh, not that." "(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)" "That's really pretty." "What is it?" "I don't know." "It came with my mom's Volvo." "ANNOUNCER ON CD PLAYER:" "Welcome to the safe and secure world of Volvo ownership." "Protected by a steel cage and front and side airbags." "We should get that car." "(MUSIC CHANGING)" "(ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYING)" "Cory?" "Yeah, it's me." "What exactly did you think was going to happen here?" "Uh, Topanga, you're talking to me like I planned this." "Cory, there's a bowl of grapes on the bed." "Why would you say that, "grapes"?" "Topanga, come on, I'm trying so hard here." "To do what?" "Well, I just think we're old enough." "Old enough to do what?" "Well, I just think we're old enough like Shawn." "Shawn?" "What does he have to do with this?" "(STAMMERING) No, nothing." "Not a thing in the world." "I..." "Look, Shawn had a girl stay over last night, and he hardly even knows her." "But you and I, we've known each other all our lives, and you're my girlfriend, and I love you, and..." "I mean, we should be at, like, ninth base by now." "Why?" "So you can keep up with your buddy?" "No." "I just think my buddy had a good idea this time." "I should probably go now." "No." "You stay." "I'll go." "I'm so pathetic." "I'm throwing myself out." "(INAUDIBLE)" "Mr. Feeny." "Miss Lawrence." "Hey, Topanga." "Cory." "She's obviously very busy, what with her classes and having to go to them." "Yes, I'm sure it's nothing more than that." "What, are you blind in the eyes, man?" "She hates me." "Yes, I can see there's trouble in paradise." "On a happier note, this compact disc sailed into my living room last night," "and landed on my walnut credenza." "Sorry about that." "I was aiming for the moon." "Uh-huh." "Cory, normally, I don't get involved in the personal affairs of my students, but you two are just so cute together." "What can I do?" "Nothing, okay?" "I'm not gonna come to her, and she's not gonna come to me." "No, no, no, Cory." "Regardless of hurt feelings, it's always advisable to keep the lines of communication open." "Okay, Mr. Feeny." "You seem to know everything." "So I'll try your little communication thing." "Uh, Topanga, if what I did last night was out of line," "I think at the very least, we should be able to communicate." "I don't know what to say to you." "(WHISPERING) Feeny, what else you got?" "Well, on the upside, I can make everyone shake their head." "And I hope you're happy." "What?" "I've blown it with Topanga, and it's on your head." "Wait a minute." "Let me get this straight." "What?" "I made a move on Topanga last night, and she got all upset, like we're not supposed to be doing that, even though I told her that you had a girl spending nights at your place..." "What, you told her about Claire?" "Uh, perhaps." "Cory, you promised you wouldn't tell anyone." "I thought I could trust you." "Shawn, we're talking about Topanga..." "No." "No, no, no." "We're talking about trust." "But you don't know what that means, do you?" "Cory, it's Friday night." "Aren't you going out with Topanga?" "All right, you know what this family hasn't done in a long time?" "Sing." "How about Shawn?" "Come on, we'll do rounds." "* Michael, row the boat ashore *" "Just the mommies." "What happened between you and Shawn?" "Okay, just the friendless, dateless lonely boys." "* Michael, row the boat ashore" "* Hallelujah" "* Sister, help..." "All right, all right." "What's the matter with him?" "Oh, come on." "He's at that age where it could be almost anything." "I wouldn't even know how to guess." "So Shawn's rounding the bases, and you're still chucking' peanuts up in the stands." "I ain't even gettin' peanuts." "Well, maybe you're moving too fast." "I mean, these things have gotta happen naturally." "It's naturally, Eric, for guys like Shawn and you." "You know what, you never even told me about your first time." "Remember Mitchell Davis?" "There's an unexpected surprise." "Why don't you tell me about your second time?" "Just stick with me." "All right, look," "Mitch and I were always competing about everything." "Who could run the fastest, who could shoot the most baskets, who could catch the most flies." "Oh, please." "Get to it." "One day, Mitch shows up here." "He's got a brand new bike." "Three-speed, emerald green, speedometer on the handle." "Wait, you had one just like that." "Exactly." "That's why Mitch got his." "But see, to show me up, his didn't have any training wheels." "So, okay, I go, I begged Dad, right?" "I'm begging him," ""Please take off my training wheels."" "He tells me I'm not ready." "Well, apparently Mitch wasn't either, 'cause one day, we're racing down Oakhurst Drive..." "Mmm, Dead Man's Hill." "Right." "Mitch falls off his bike, slams his head into some garbage cans, and that, my friend, is why Mitchell Davis repeated the sixth grade 11 times." "Eric, what does this possibly have to do with me and Topanga moving past kissing?" "Cory, sex is like a bike without training wheels." "If you try it before you're ready, you're gonna fall off and break your head." "You know, Shawn, you don't have to always use the window." "I like it." "Danger." "Listen, I'm sorry I told Topanga about you and Claire." "You forgive me?" "Yeah." "Friends for life." "You know that." "Good." "Good." "And I want you to know you can always trust me, always come to me for anything." "My parents are back in town." "Can I bring Claire here tonight?" "Oh, just throw it in my face." "Cory, it's not like that." "Then what is it, Shawn?" "Cory, don't you think that if I could've told you something," "I would have?" "Shawn," "I think you know that you can always trust me with anything." "You swear you'll never tell?" "I swear." "Okay, Claire and I aren't doing anything." "We never have." "The reason she's been staying at my place..." "Her dad hits her." "What do you mean he hits her?" "At night sometimes, he yells a lot and beats her up." "Wait, Claire's dad?" "He's the vice president of a bank." "Yeah, I know." "Good job, fancy home, a low-life creep." "But I just can't hide her at my place anymore." "Well, we should probably go to the police." "No." "Cory, the cops aren't going to do anything." "Why not?" "Because I'm a kid from a trailer park, and he's the vice president of a bank." "I mean, who do you think they're gonna listen to?" "Well, then at least let me tell my parents." "I mean..." "No!" "Cory, you just swore that you wouldn't tell anyone." "I need to know." "Can I bring Claire here tonight?" "What about her dad?" "Won't he be upset if she's not there?" "What about her mom?" "Her mom's scared." "She's just pretending it's not happening, and Claire's gotten really good at sneaking out." "Yeah." "I'll call you when my parents go to sleep." "It's okay." "Uh, kitchen." "There's a bathroom in there." "You can sleep on this couch." "If you want more blankets, I'll just..." "This is fine." "Don't worry, I'll be out before your parents get up." "Oh." "No, you don't have to do that." "Is that your mom and dad?" "Yeah." "They look like nice people." "They are." "They are nice people." "I like your house." "It reminds me of my aunt's place in Vermont." "I spent a summer there once." "She had flowers everywhere." "Sounds like a great place." "You'd wake up in the morning, and even before you opened your eyes, you could smell these flowers." "You just knew that everything was all right." "So, you want me to put your coat someplace?" "No, it's fine." "Really, it's okay." "I walked into my door." "I'm kind of clumsy." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, that happens." "That happens to me all the time." "I must have walked into my own door like 10 times." "Shawn told you, huh?" "Look, I know it's not my place to tell you what to do or anything..." "You know, actually, could I have a glass of milk, if that's okay?" "Yeah." "You know, I really think if I could tell my parents, they'd know what..." "To do." "So, um, Claire got out before your parents woke up?" "Yeah." "Your plan of protecting her one night at a time worked." "For one night, Shawn." "Good." "So, um, now it's the next night, and I'm wondering if you can leave your door unlocked again." "Shawn..." "Cory, she likes your place." "She said she feels safe there." "Can't you just do this?" "You can't just move from place to place because it feels safe." "Come here." "Did you see what that jerk did to her arm?" "Now, we gotta get Claire, and we gotta go to the police." "No." "No." "Cops just make things worse." "Oh, you're right, Shawn." "You put a cherry bomb in the mailbox." "The cops came and made things worse for you." "You stole Turner's bike, more cops, more worse." "So you see my point then?" "Shawn, you're a criminal." "The cops were doing their job." "Now, we're getting Claire, and we're going to the police." "If you do, I'll just lie." "Claire, you gotta do something." "Look, you come home to the people in that picture, and you know they love you." "My dad loves me, too." "He just has all this stress at work, and I get in his way at the wrong times." "Well?" "No." "No." "He's wrong, okay?" "What he's doing to you is wrong." "Cory." "Yeah, I'll unlock my door." "SHAWN:" "Take it easy." "I'm coming." "Cory." "It's the middle of the night." "What, didn't Claire show up?" "Yeah, she showed up." "I'm fine." "It's really not as bad as it looks." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I'm so sorry." "I should have been there." "He won't do this to you again." "I promise." "Shawn, you can't promise something like that." "I know you wanna do the right thing, but you have been wrong on this all the way." "Look, in a year and a half, I'll be off at college." "Until then, I'll just stay out of his way." "Claire, you haven't been doing a real good job of that so far." "You're against me now, too?" "You don't deserve this." "Nobody does." "You didn't make him do this, Claire, but you can't make him stop all by yourself." "I didn't do anything to him." "I didn't do anything." "Why did he have me?" "Cor, don't forget those." "Yeah, I know." "It's a good thing my parents aren't up yet, huh?" "Yeah." "Good thing we're still asleep." "Yeah, we shouldn't be up for an hour." "Mom, Dad, it's nice to see you both." "Yeah, anything we need to know about before we wake up?" "Well, first off, it's got nothing to do with these." "Cory." "We were taking care of a friend who was being roughed up by her dad." "Claire Ferguson?" "You told them?" "No." "This time, no." "No, he didn't tell us, Shawn." "She left her schoolbook here." "She wanted us to keep it a secret." "We decided to respect that." "Hey, guys, if you've got a friend in serious trouble, then the only thing you have to respect is how to get her the right kind of help." "Oh, we took care of that." "Did you?" "Did you call the police?" "No." "We put Claire on a bus to Vermont." "She's gonna stay with her aunt who lives there." "It's a real nice place, Dad, with flowers, and it's where she wants to be." "So we did the right thing." "Really?" "What's gonna stop her dad from bringing her back?" "He's not gonna do that." "Well, who's gonna stop him?" "Are you gonna stop him, Shawn?" "Is her aunt gonna stop him?" "Because the distance is not gonna be what stops him." "I'm gonna stop him." "How?" "I'm going to the police." "Good." "We'll drive you." "I promised Claire I'd take care of her." "Well, now you really are." "It looks really pretty there." "Yeah." "Claire says she's really happy in Vermont." "I mean, she's started a new school." "She's making new friends." "Her dad's in a therapy program, and she says maybe they'll see each other again someday." "I hope everything works out for her." "Yeah." "So, why's your house so quiet tonight?" "Oh, well, Mom and Dad are at Morgan's soccer game, and Eric's at the store." "And here we are again." "Alone in your bedroom." "Yeah, but if you notice, there are no candles." "What about the grapes?" "Well, I just like grapes." "Anyway, listen, Topanga, this thing with Claire," "I mean, she had to grow up so fast." "I know." "I just like being 15, here with you." "Just kissing?" "Yeah." "Kissing's good." "And I want you to know I would never want to abuse our relationship." "What was that for?" "Hey, just 'cause we're not going to ninth base doesn't mean we can't take a little lead off of first." "Lead off of first?" "Uh, baseball been berry, berry good to me." "(MUSIC PLAYING)" "* I can hold up three fingers" "(MOUTHING) * I can hold up five toes" "* I can hold up eight fingers... *"