Disclaimer: I do not own the Boy Meets World or Girl Meets World franchise. All rights belong to ABC-family, Disney and other labels and companies involved with this franchise. Characters you don't recognize belong to me unless stated otherwise.

"Yo! What's for dinner? I'm starving!" Eric slammed the door open as he marched into the kitchen, tossing his bag aside as his feet carried him straight to the fridge. "Can I have a snack? 'Kay thanks!" He rambled as he swung the fridge door open and reached for the plate of brownies his mother had stored on the first row.

"Excuse you, young man!" Amy Matthews placed her hands on her hips as she followed her son with stern eyes as he practically devoured the first brownie. "I raised you better than just to storm in and yell 'what's for dinner' like that!"

"I know, you raised me to get my own food when I'm hungry, so I am!" He nodded proudly as he took a bite out of the second brownie.

"She means that you could at least greet your mother instead of storming in like that," Lizzie explained with a somewhat amused grin as she walked over to the boy and snatched the plate out of his hands. "And she probably also raised you well enough to know that snacks before dinner will ruin your appetite!"

"I greeted her!" Eric protested as he made a desperate attempt to reach for the plate, but she kept it out of his reach. "I said 'Yo', didn't I?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes as she placed the plate of brownies on the counter, looking at his mother with an apologetic smile on her face. "Don't worry Mrs. Matthews, most parents count the first born as an experiment, at least you still have Cory and Morgan."

"Hey! I heard that!"

"Oh Liz, sometimes I wish you were my daughter instead!" Amy nodded with a soft sigh. She loved each of her children dearly, but even she was amazed by the antics her son came up with time and time again. That's why she enjoyed having Lizzie around the house as much as she was. Part of her hoped that she could somehow influence Eric, that some of her manners and knowledge would rub off on him. And part of her was glad to have a somewhat normal conversation for a change.

"Seriously, I'm right here!"

"Me too, Mrs. Matthews!" The two merely exchanged glances to know what the other was thinking, so she rolled with it. "But I'm happy to pretend to be your daughter while I'm here!"

"Oh, finally a child to be proud of!" Amy laughed as she walked around the kitchen counter and hugged the dark haired girl.

"Ok, now that hurt!" Eric pouted as he plopped down on the chair, sulking like a little child.

"That's what you get for being rude to your mother," Lizzie stuck out her tongue as she sat opposite of him and started unpacking her books. She opened her notebook and held her pen at the ready to write down anything he had issues with. "Alright, what act did you start having trouble with the wording?"

"How many acts does it have?"

"Five."

"Oh, then I guess around…" He hummed thoughtfully, his face making it seem like he was seriously contemplating the exact moment he started to struggle with the reading material. "Act one, page one."

Lizzie stared at her friend with utter disbelief. She wasn't quite sure if he was joking or seriously couldn't even get through the first act. "That's the prologue..."

Eric snapped his fingers before pointing at her with a pleased grin, "Exactly! It's too complicated."

"Two households, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. Whose misadventured piteous overthrows, do with their death bury their parents' strife." Lizzie recited off the top of her head, it was one of the most famous lines from the entire play that people usually link to the title without any hesitation. "What's so complicated about that."

"Who talks like that? I mean, piteous is that even real English?" He ridiculed as he started fiddling with the piece of paper in front of him.

She couldn't help to roll her eyes at his stupidity. "Oh no, it's only the work of the greatest English writer and poet of all time we're talking about. Of course, it's English!"

"But what in the world is piteous?"

"Your brain, that's what's piteous!" Another voice piped up, the two glanced up as Cory, Eric's curly haired younger brother entered the kitchen with his friend Shawn.

"Can't you see we're busy?" Eric shot back. "We're doing homework, so beat it pipsqueak."

"I didn't know paper airplanes were part of the curriculum," Cory snorted as he snatched the newly folded paper airplane out of his older brother's hands. "Sign me up for that class!"

"For your information, this requires a lot of skill," Eric seemed genuinely proud of his accomplishment as he snatched his airplane back and flicked the younger boy's forehead.

Rubbing her temples in frustration, she leaned back in her seat before raising her gaze back to her friend. "Eric, are you even taking this seriously? Cause you know I hate wasting my time and right now it definitely feels like I am."

"I am taking this very seriously..." Eric said before proudly holding up his newly folded piece of paper which he had turned into a basic airplane. "Look. I'm an engineer!"

"We're working on English, Eric. Focus!"

"You're tutoring him English?" Shawn questioned, followed by a loud and somewhat exaggerated laughter. "Good luck with that!"

"Laugh all you want, Hunter." Eric glared at the leather clad boy as he held his airplane ready to toss towards his victims. "Wait till you're in Feeny's class and have to deal with this nonsense written 500 years ago!"

"Romeo and Juliet is not nonsense, it's one of the greatest and most tragic love stories ever written." She wasn't even sure why she was still trying to defend the purpose and credibility of Shakespeare as it didn't seem to register with the boy whom she had known since kindergarten.

"Romeo and Juliet, huh?" Shawn repeated with a mischievous smile painting his lips as he approached the only girl in the room, kneeled down dramatically as "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet!"

Eric and Cory exchanged glances of confusion and second-hand embarrassment as Lizzie seemed genuinely surprised by the fact that he managed to quote a line correctly.

For as long as she knew Eric, she had also known Cory and by association also knew his best friend Shawn Hunter. He used to be all about the mischief but as they started high school, turned into a real ladies man, mostly because girls fell for his rebel-with-a-cause act. He didn't always act like it, but he still had some brains in that fancy haired head of his as was the case with Eric. The difference being that Eric just refused to show it. Ever.

"Impressive, Hunter." She flashed him an encouraging smile while taking her hand back which he had taken in his own and very gallantly kissed in his little dramatic act. "I'm sure you made many hearts swoon with that line, right?"

"Why did you think I remembered it?" He laughed as he got back to his feet. As he grew older he noticed that girls seemed to swoon and fall when quoting cheesy lines and started picking some up for his own game.

"You mean that stuff actually works on girls?" Cory wasn't very impressed, unlike his friend he had trouble with getting girls to like him. Ever since high school, he even had trouble dealing with his sudden hormonal driven feelings for his other middle-school friend Topanga, who became a lot less weird over summer.

"Oh yeah!" The leather-clad boy nodded proudly. "Chicks dig the romantic mush, Cor. It's a surefire. Especially when you're trying to impress the upper classmen."

"Yeah, right." Eric scoffed, not believing for a second that the girls in his year would ever even bat an eyelash when it came to Shawn and Cory or any of their age. "Keep dreaming, pipsqueak!"

"Well, ask Lizzie. She would be the expert." Shawn pointed out as he turned to the girl again.

"Liz, you're a girl and you're an upperclassman," Cory started, actually wondering if Shawn was telling the truth since his friend was known for bragging about a lot of things.

"Excellent observation," She couldn't resist rolling her eyes as he stated the obvious. "You Matthews boys sure are perceptive."

"Would mushy romantic stuff like reciting poetry and stuff really work?" Cory ignored the blatant sarcasm in her words as he continued his question. Eric turned his eyes to his best friend as well, curious what her answer would be.

"I think a guy who isn't afraid to show his vulnerable side definitely makes him more appealing." Lizzie agreed. "It makes them seem mature and sensitive, romantic even! Women don't want boys that play in the dirt, they want men who they can level with emotionally."

"See?" Shawn nodded proudly, thankful Lizzie was backing up what he was trying to point out although he hadn't reasoned it as deeply as she had just done.

"Shawn, you have the emotional level of a stick." Cory continued, still not getting how showing a soft side would make girls fall for him.

"So, what you're saying is… If I rhyme a few words and cry about some puppies, Chelsea would definitely go out with me?" Eric's mind was working overtime as he was slowly putting together the pieces of the puzzle, his only concern being if his current crush of the week would go out with him.

"I suppose, theoretically, it could increase your chances?" She arched a brow, worried where he was going with this. "But it also depe-"

She didn't get time to finish her sentence as Eric jumped up from his seat with a wide goofy smile plastered on his face. "That's it! Thanks, Liz, you're a lifesaver!" He practically yelled as he bolted away from the table and up the stairs to his room.

"But-" Lizzie stared after him, dumbfounded for a moment before letting out a loud and disappointing sigh. "Why do I even bother?"

"Don't. Even our parents tried, he's a hopeless case." Cory pointed out as he sat down on the seat where Eric sat earlier. "That's why we had Morgan."

"Speaking of hopelessness," Shawn's mischievous smile reappeared as he casually leaned against the table, eyes locked with Lizzie's. "Pick you up at seven?"

"Doesn't work on me, doofus!" She flicked his forehead with a soft chuckle before grabbing her things and leaving.

"Eh, worth a shot." Shawn shrugged and plopped down on the empty seat.

Terribly sorry for the long wait, I have been experiencing some motivational issues so I couldn't write for the life of me. I think I got my mojo back so hopefully, updates will come out more regularly.

Thanks for the support so far 3