It's always been you|| Topanga Lawrence

BRILLO HEAD

"Yes, I let you choose your own partners," Mr. Feeny was saying. "An astounding lapse of judgement for someone of my experience. I'm going to let you try again but this time I'll choose the teams. Mr. Hunter—"

"—I'll work with Tony. Seeing as were brothers and all ," he offered.

"I don't think so," Mr. Feeny said. "That would be awful. Instead, You'll be working with Mr. Minkus."

The two boys slapped their foreheads. "Oh no."

"Mr. Matthews—"

"I get to work with Tony, seeing as we're brothers and all?"

"You have no relation and still a no, Mr. Matthews. You'll be working with Miss Thompson."

"Oh alright!" Corey spoke making fun of Shawn as he was stuck with Minkus

"Tony seeing as your research was no as bad it was still terrible so I've paired you with Ms.Lawrence

"Oh nice" Tony he whispered

Topanga smiled at his response. She hadn't gotten much time to spend with the boy as he had now become quite distant with her

"I'm sorry Mr Hunter what was that"

"oh well Um sir I was just admiring your glasses were looking extra clear today" he said offering a big smile on his face

"Well thank you Mr T Hunter your brain is looking extra empty today" Mr Feeny replied going back to his desk

"Thanks- wait what?" Tony responded confused

The bushy-haired girl turned to the boy. "Give me your hand."

"Why?"

"I want to see if our energies converge."

Tony gave her his hand as Shawn and Corey oohed teasingly causing heat to rise to Tony's cheeks. Topanga turned around. "He is vibrationally acceptable."

Tony turned around and looked at Shawn and Corey both doing coo coo actions and Tony just thumped the back of their heads in retaliation

                                          -

Cory joined them then. "What d'you guys think of my hair?"

"Guys don't ask guys that question." Shawn told him suspicious

"Please Tony" Corey groaned

"It's your hair?" Tony sighed

"Does this qualify as a brillo head?" he clarified.

Shawn reached over and touched his hair. "Nah, you're more of a nerf head."

"You knew this and didn't tell me? Tony?" he pleaded.

He gave him a sympathetic look. "Sorry Cor, Shawns right. It's nothin' to be ashamed of, though. It's not a big deal."

"I've seen a lot of people with curly hair," Shawn added. "Can we move on now?"

"Easy for you to say! You guys have hair! I'm a Chia pet!" Cory exclaimed feeling around his head once more
"I mean look at this, you guys are hoggin' all the hair!"

Shawn shot him a look and slapped his hand away. "No touching."

"Hey! This took me two hours" Tony snapped swatting Corey's hands away

Topanga came to their table then. "Tony, I got Jedidiah to drive me to your house after school."

"Who's Jedidiah?"

"Her father."

"About the assignment can we not do it at my house." He asked embarrassed

Not many people in middle school knew he lived in the trailer park and he would like to keep it that way

"Hey Corey can we do it at your house, pleaseee-"

"Fine, if you help me with my hair later"

"Deal" they said shaking hands

"Before I leave, I'd like you to sign a petition to save Mrs. Rosemeade's job." She held out a clipboard.

"Who's Mrs. Rosemeade?" Tony asked.

"Our librarian," Topanga said

Topanga explained: "they're forcing her to retire. It's blatant ageism."

"Maybe it's because she's blatantly old,"Tony replied.

Topanga hit him on the back of his head. "She's blatantly nice."

"Look," Cory said. "Can we talk about this later? We're real, real busy here."

"Fine—" She said as she turned and left their table.

"Hey," Shawn said. "Minkus doesn't like me, he doesn't trust me, and he doesn't respect me so he's doing the assignment by himself. In my book, Stuart Minkus is a god."

Cory rolled his eyes and responded . "If Minkus is a god then why is he sitting at the weirdo table?"

"It's like the cast of the Addams family. Don't they care what they look like?"

"Who cares what they look like. What are we gonna do about my hair?"

"If you're that stressed out me and Tony can ask our sister what she uses to straighten her hair," Shawn offered.

"I didn't know she straightened her hair," Cory said.

"Yeah. If she didn't, she'd look as bad as oh, I don't know— you." He but before he could finish his sentence Tony stepped on his foot

                                       -
Topanga and Tony had agreed to meet at Corey's house and finished off their assignment there.

They hung out for a while talking a about there funny moments from before and playing other games until Corey asked Tony for help with his hair

Topanga bid him goodbye as she left the house

-

So should this stuff be burning?" Cory asked.

"Why, is it burning?" Tony asked confused

"No, I'm just trying to make conversation because we don't get to talk enough," he shot back.

"How badly is it burning?" Shawn asked worriedly.

"Bad," he confirmed. "Call your sister. Ask her if my ears should feel like throbbing jalapeños."

Tony quickly dialed the number and spoke into the phone. "Hey Stacey— it's me. Listen, Cory wants to know if that stuff you sent him should be burning." He paused. "Really?"

"Hurting, hurting now!" Cory exclaimed, waving his hands.

"Stacey wants to know how long it's been burning."

"Forty, forty-five minutes."

Shawn repeated the numbers to Tony and Tony repeated the numbers into the phone.

"HUNTERS! I'm gonna rip my heads off!" Cory cried.

"Stacey says you should've washed it out forty-five minutes ago." Cory screamed and ran to the bathroom. "Stacey says you shouldn't have left it in so long. Stacey says why didn't you two idiots read the label? Thanks, Stace," he added before he hung up the phone.

"I guess she didn't mean—"

He was cut off by Cory's scream and he came out of the bathroom with his family rushing into his room. Shawn jumped out the window and down the treehouse "Sorry Tony but I had nothing to do with this!" Said Shawn as his voice became faint the farther he had gone

"Oh shit" Tony muttered