Chapter 9
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PART 1
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Toby drove home with the mysterious box sitting on the passenger's side of the seat. The whole thing kind of creeped him out. He would occasionally cast a sideways glance at it; eying it as if he just picked up a hitchhiker that he was beginning to suspect might be a serial killer. While he had no idea how it had got on his front seat, he was in no doubt who had put it there. Jareth. This was his "subtle" way of reminding Toby that they had unfinished business.
When he finally pulled into his driveway, it was nearly eight o'clock. He cut the lights and killed the engine but remained in the vehicle. He stared at the velvet box for several moments before finally reaching out with his right hand and collecting it. He lifted it, feeling its weight which seemed eerily heavier to him now then when he last held it. Undoing the clasp, he opened the lid. Toby could practically smell the magic it exuded. Even in the dimness, the gem at its center seemed to glow amidst the folds of soft fabric, as if it radiated its own internal light. As he stared at it, he wondered exactly how Jareth planned to win his sister over with the silver cuff. He looked at it a few seconds more before he snapped the lid shut and went into the house.
He found his mom and dad on the couch watching a movie. They looked up in surprise as he entered the room.
"Hey kiddo, what are you doing back so soon?" Roger Williams asked. "We didn't expect you home until later. Is everything okay?"
Toby thought back over what had transpired earlier.
"Yeah, everything's fine," he assured them, "Just had something I needed to get done here is all." Toby quickly turned to another subject. "Hey mom, dad, Sarah's work is throwing her a party on Saturday and she invited me and Angie. Is it okay if we go?"
His mother sat up a little straighter on the couch.
"Where is the party going to be?" she wanted to know.
"At a club called Blue. They're throwing it to celebrate her movie deal."
"A club?" His mom's tone was turning into that of a mother superior's. "Will there be alcohol there?"
Toby tried to play it down. He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, maybe."
His mom pursed her lips, a sure indicator his request was about to be denied.
"I don't know Toby. I don't think a club is the appropriate place for someone you're age to be at."
Toby groaned. He looked to his dad seeking an ally. His father was more sympathetic to his cause.
"Well Karen this is a special occasion," he tried to persuade his wife, "And it's not like he wouldn't be supervised, Sarah will be there. Why don't we give Sarah a call and discuss this party with her before we make any kind of decision about it?"
Karen Williams glanced at her husband sitting on the couch beside her. He gave her an encouraging grin. She looked to her son who was watching her hopefully. He could see her defenses crumbling. Finally, she caved.
"Alright, I'll call Sarah."
Toby started to smile. The battle was half won. Sarah had an uncanny ability of getting people to see things her way. He knew Sarah would be able to convince his mom. He hoped.
His mother rose from her spot on the couch to place the call. Toby walked over and plopped down next to his dad to wait.
"Don't worry," his dad reassured him, "Sarah will talk your mother into it."
"Yeah," he agreed giving his father a nod. Toby could hear his mom speaking now and his dad turned the TV down a little lower so they could make out what she was saying. She was standing in the entryway between the kitchen and the living room. He watched her as she asked Sarah about the club they were going to and whether or not there would be alcohol there. Then his mother was quiet for some time as she listened to the answer. Since he wasn't able to hear both sides of the conversation, Toby could only imagine what Sarah was saying on the other end of the line. Whatever it was didn't quite persuade his mother because then she asked Sarah if she would keep an eye on him all night. He watched his mother's face from the other end of the room. It was very contemplative, and Toby held his breath as she listened to Sarah's answer. Finally, Karen gave just the slightest nod and he knew his sister had pulled through for him. His father elbowed him lightly in the ribs.
"What did I tell you?"
Toby grinned and nodded. There was nothing left to do but wait for his mom to get off the phone and tell him he could go. Karen chatted a little longer on the phone with Sarah, congratulating her on her movie and asking questions about it. A few minutes later she was saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.
She strolled into the living room up to the two Williams men on the couch. She looked down at her son.
"Okay, you can go," she yielded, and then set her jaw as she added, "Sarah told me that all underage patrons are out by eleven o'clock so you are to be home at midnight young man, and not a minute later!" Toby moaned and opened his mouth to disagree with his mom. She silenced him with her raised hand. "Or you don't have to go at all," she added in conjuncture.
Toby grimaced at his mother's decree and turned to his dad for backup but found none. His father merely shrugged at him in forfeit and darted his eyes back to his wife.
"Fine," he groused, rising from the couch. He retreated up the stairs to his room.
"And if I smell even one drop of alcohol on you," his mother called out after him, "you'll be grounded until you graduate from college!"
Toby rolled his eyes and made a sarcastic face, safely out of view of his mom. While disappointed he wouldn't be able to stay out later, he was ecstatic that he was going at all. Hanging out in a club was a big step up from high school dances and formals. It was considerably more adult and he could hardly wait until the next day to tell Angie and boast to his friends at school. He would be the envy of all of them. That Saturday when his buddies would be hanging out at Gino's or, if they had a few bucks to blow, maybe at a movie, he would be chilling with his girlfriend and sister at a nightclub. The fact that his sister was somewhat of a local celebrity (all his friends knew who Sarah was and declared her a 'smoking hottie', though not while in his presence) made it that much cooler and all the more impressive. Toby practically rubbed his hands in anticipation. That Saturday was going to be awesome.
In his room, Toby emptied the contents of his jacket pockets, including the mysterious red box that had appeared in his Nova. Opening the left hand drawer of his desk, he dropped it inside. He stared at it one last time before he closed the drawer then headed off to take a shower. He didn't think about the bracelet for the rest of the evening.
The next day at school, Toby told Angie about the plans he and Sarah made for Saturday night. She was equally as excited as he was the night before. She even jumped up and down a little bit at the news until she ended her outburst by throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss. Her friends were just as giddy as she was and massed around her to plan what outfit she would wear. Being left out of the circle and not really interested in hearing the ins and outs of fashion, Toby went searching for his own friends.
His friends took it much how he expected them to as well, with many moans of envy and comments on how lucky he was. Toby basked in their benign jealousy until Chad Harter made the statement how mind-blowing it would be to get to 'bump and grind' with Sarah on the dance floor. That took all the enjoyment out of Toby's bragging and he gave Chad a murderous stare. All Toby received back was a wolfish grin and the rest of the boys, sensing his discomfort from Chad's statement, started in with their own comments on how hot they thought his sister was. Toby just glared at them, his face getting redder with each new remark until finally he called them a bunch of frikken pervs and stormed off.
There was another surprise awaiting the couple during Mrs. Bach's American Lit class. Toby could sense there was something in the air when he and Angie entered the classroom and instead of the usual look of distaste she gave him, she actually smiled when they entered the room. Her pleasant demeanor left him confounded. The only time she ever smiled at him was when she was handing him a failing paper and the one time in the hall when he wasn't watching where he was going and ran into an open locker door. Frankly, her smiling left him a little unnerved. He wondered if maybe she was planning a surprise test or if she somehow found out there was a terminal illness you could contract from handling footballs. Whatever it was, a grinning Mrs. Bach boded no good for Toby.
As it turned out her smile wasn't for him at all, but was intended for Angie. At the beginning of the class before they started their discussion on chapter nineteen of 'The Grapes of Wrath' Mrs. Bach stood up before the class and revealed that she had a very special announcement. With a beaming face she announced that one of her pupils, in that very class, submitted an essay that won the Emmett/Rosemund Literary Scholarship for five thousand dollars. Toby noticed Angie sit up straighter in her seat as Mrs. Bach looked directly at her. She widened her grin and pronounced the winner was Angie Bernard. There was a short burst of applause from the students. Toby put his thumb and index fingers to the corners of his mouth and fweeted out a loud, shrill whistle that earned him a dark look from the stern teacher. Angie glanced around the classroom, her face glowing with joy as her peers congratulated her and applauded. Toby noticed even the normally stoic Mrs. Bach pulled the stick (which has permanent residence up her ass) out long enough to smile at her and clap with the rest of the room.
After all the accolades from the class died down, it was back to business as usual. Mrs. Bach instructed her class to open their books to chapter nineteen and told Toby to get his legs out of the aisle. Toby smiled. Nothing could dampen his mood. He was going to be hanging out at a nightclub on Saturday, his girlfriend was winning scholarships and Mrs. Bach was still a bitch. All was right in the universe.
After class, as they were readying themselves to leave, Mrs. Bach asked Angie to stay behind so they could discuss her scholarship further. She cast a sideways glance at her boyfriend and slowly pulled her hand out of his as the distance between them increased.
"I'll see you at lunch," she told him with a smile. Toby just winked back at her as he left for his next class.
In his fourth period algebra class, word was already getting around about Angie winning the scholarship. Many friends where passing on their congratulations to Angie through him. Many more came to compliment her intellect and determination. Toby's chest filled with pride and happiness for his girlfriend. He couldn't recall feeling so much admiration for any of the girls he previously dated. Though they were all very nice girls (except Shari Ross who he took to the Winter Ball in tenth grade, then dumped him as soon as they got through the doors to chase after Brian Grove) none of them measured up to her. Angie made everyone he dated before her seem like shiny bows on top of an empty box. All flash but no substance. Angie was so much more than that. Bright, pretty and charming, she was loved and admired by all who knew her. Most especially by a certain quarterback who nearly got a concussion the first time he saw her.
The couple was reunited at lunchtime but Toby could perceive something amiss with his girlfriend. She barely looked up at him when he sat down at the lunch table. But he really knew something was wrong when he snatched a couple of fries off her tray and still kept all his fingers.
"Hey, what's up with you?" his voice was imploring. Angie sighed in disappointment and turned to him.
"You know when Mrs. Bach had me stay after to talk about my scholarship?" she started.
Uh oh. "Yeah,"
"Well there's going to be a banquet in Kingston but only for the recipients and their parents," she continued haltingly.
Bad. "Go on," he urged.
"And it's being held this Saturday at seven in the evening." She concluded mournfully.
Shit!
Toby banged his hand on his tray making his milk bounce. This just wasn't fair! The first time he would be able to hang out in a nightclub and his girlfriend was skipping out on him!
"Aw, c'mon Angie!" he moaned. "You have to come!"
"I can't!" she stressed to him. "There is no way my mom would ever let me blow off something like this just so I could go dancing at a club! Besides, this is kind of a big thing for me."
Toby folded his arms in front of him and leaned against the table. He lowered his head and glared at his sloppy joe. This was just fan-frikking-tastic.
Angie slipped her arm in the crook of his elbow and leaned close to him. "I'd take you with me if I could," she wheedled, trying to console him.
Toby gave her a loud snort. He knew she was trying to make him feel better but he was in no mood to be soothed. Ordinarily, he would be all for her going to the banquet and, if he were allowed, would be more than happy to be there with her for support. But why the hell did it have to fall on this Saturday? Of all the shit dumb luck!
"What am I supposed to do now?" he griped sullenly.
"I don't know," she thought a little, "Why don't you take one of your friends?"
Toby sat there for a minute and imagined taking one of his friends. His brow furrowed when he remembered what they had to say about his sister that morning. There was no way he was inviting any of those horn dogs to go with him on Saturday so they could try to put the moves on his sister. The idea of it made the blood in his temples thrum.
"Not a chance." He mumbled.
Angie sighed and leaned her head on against him in sympathy. Suddenly, her head popped off his shoulder and she perked up. Her eyes opened a little wider as inspiration struck.
"I know who you could take," she spoke quickly, a sign of her enthusiasm.
Toby turned his head to look at her. "Yeah, who?" he grumbled.
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Maggie." was her simple answer.
Now it was Toby's turn to stare. His mouth dropped open a little bit at her proposal. Take Maggie Gillepsie to Blue? Now she was just being ridiculous.
"You're crazy," he surmised at her suggestion and went back to staring at his lunch tray.
"Just hear me out," she tugged on his arm to regain his attention. "Since you're so against taking one of your friends, why don't you take one of mine?" Her eyes were filled with hope. "And no one would be more grateful for the invite than Maggie."
Toby considered the chatty junior and recalled the melancholy she went through when he and Angie first got together. He had made a vow to himself that he would make it up to her someday but the idea of taking her as a date to a trendy nightclub didn't sound like a good plan to him.
"I don't think that's a very good idea," he declined.
"Oh c'mon Toby, please?" she pleaded. "It would mean so much to her, especially after the rough time she's been having." They both knew what she was referring to. "Besides, it's not like it'll be a date. She's your friend too. Nothing could be more natural!"
He considered the hopeful girl's proposition. It astounded him that she could be so considerate to one of her friends, particularly one she knew once had a crush on him! He knew if the shoe were on the other foot, he would not be so trusting of his friends take her anywhere! But here she was, pleading Maggie's case without even the slightest misgiving towards the other girl. Her faith in her friends astonished him.
"Okay," he relented, "Maggie it is." Angie squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around his neck. Toby returned the squeeze but then grabbing her shoulders set her back at arm's length. "But, you're going to be the one that mentions it to her! I don't want her getting the wrong idea and thinking I want to date her."
Angie made a wave of her hand, banishing the notion. "Oh, she's not going to think that!" she said, brushing off her boyfriend's concern. "I can't wait to tell her! Let's tell her after lunch!"
He agreed hesitantly and when the lunch bell sounded they both headed down the hall to intercept Maggie at her locker. The younger girl was busying herself with selecting the correct books for her next class and didn't even notice the couple until they were almost at her locker. She looked at them in surprise and a little doubt as the approached her.
"Hey guys, what's up?" she asked, shooting a look first at Angie, then briefly at Toby.
"What are you doing this Saturday?" Angie was smiling broadly. Maggie looked at her friend with confusion.
"Nothing, why?"
"How would you like to go to Blue Saturday night with Toby?"
The junior really did look confused now. She stared in bewilderment at Angie then gave Toby a disbelieving look. Toby stood there calmly though, with a neutral expression on his face. Finally, not being able to get a clue from him she addressed her friend again.
"Are you guys kidding me?" she said with a heavy amount of uncertainty in her voice.
"Nope," Angie assured her, "I can't go since I'll be out of town at a scholarship banquet that night and we thought maybe you'd like to go instead."
The talkative female was at a loss for words, a rarity in Toby's experience. She kept darting disbelieving looks between the two of them trying to decipher whether they were pranking her or not. When no joke was immediate in forthcoming, her expression changed to one of glee.
"Well, yeah!" she exclaimed. "I'd love to go! I mean I'll have to ask my mom but I'm sure it'll be okay. What time should I be ready?" She directly addressed Toby.
"I want to get to Sarah's before seven so how bout I pick you up at six?" he offered up. "We'll be back home before midnight."
Maggie nodded her head in understanding. "Leave at six, back by twelve, got it," then she turned her attention back to Angie. "This is going to be so fun!" she was practically bouncing from excitement. "I can't what! Thanks you guys!"
She gave them both in turn an appreciative look. Toby could see the unfiltered joy in her face before she caught up Angie in a big hug. He smiled at seeing how happy it made her. The sight went a long way in soothing his rueful conscious. It gave him a warm feeling knowing he was making a girl, who was saddened by him only weeks ago, so happy. Perhaps Angie had the right idea about the whole situation. This could go a long way in healing the breach that had formed between the three of them. And from what he could see, Maggie wasn't interpreting it as anything more than two friends going out together. This was actually working out better than he had anticipated. He thought to himself, 'Maybe this Saturday isn't going to turn out so bad after all!'
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PART 2
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As the week drew closer to the anticipated night, the buzz around the group of friends heightened. The girls were still excitedly conversing on what outfit should be worn for that night, same as before, with the only exception being the cast change. Now it was Maggie who was at the center of the circle instead of Angie. Maggie was giddy the whole week from the attention she was receiving and in anticipation of the big event. Her new entourage had all kind of suggestions on what she should wear, how she should do her makeup and which color nail polish would go with what outfit. The closer to Saturday it became, the more fevered the discussions got and the more magazines came out for shoe references and hairstyles.
Toby's week worn on, much the same as the weeks before had. Sure he was looking forward to going out Saturday night but now that Angie wasn't going with, much of the thrill had left him. Not that he expected the night to be a flop, he was certain he would have a good time hanging out with Maggie. It just wouldn't be the same without Angie. Angie, for her part, was playing the role of sympathetic girlfriend and supportive friend to both Toby and Maggie, but Toby could see as the days passed the look of anticipation for her own big event shone out of her eyes. He didn't begrudge her enthusiasm. It was a very big thing for her and if it had come at a more opportune time he would be feeling disappointed that he wasn't allowed to accompany her to it. But with it being on the exact same day as his big night, it had sucked much of the enjoyment out of the occasions. Still, Toby was resolved to have a fun time with Maggie and be happy for his girlfriend.
The early afternoon of that Saturday, Toby could be found at the Bernard residence, sitting on the porch swing with Angie. He had stopped by to spend a little time with her before she and her mother headed off to Kingston. He wouldn't be able to stay very long, since Angie still needed to get ready for the banquet and they had to drop Mariah off at a friend's house for over night. But what little time that was allotted him, he spent telling her how happy he was for her and not to eat any bad shellfish.
"Toby, it's being held at the Ramada, not the Salmonella Seafood Shack!" she chastised him. "I highly doubt they will be serving us poisoned shrimp."
"You never can tell these days," he tormented, "They forget to remove one little poop chute and you could be in bed for days heaving your guts out." He cast a mischievous glance sideways at her. She was giving him a dangerous look. A smile cracked across the teenaged boy's face.
"I'm just kidding," he pulled her into his side with his right arm. "Seriously, you go and have a good time. I'd love to go with you but I'm kind of in high demand this evening myself."
Now it was Angie's turn for a comeback. "Oh that's right, you have a little party of your own to go to don't you? I completely forgot." They both threw each other sarcastic looks before they started laughing at one another.
"I'm sorry I can't come with you tonight," she apologized as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I would have loved to have gone with you if it wasn't for this banquet."
Toby shrugged. "Eh, don't worry about it. You could hardly have backed out seeing you were a recipient and all. Besides," he gave her an impish grin, "It's not like I'll be going along."
Angie elbowed him lightheartedly in the ribs. "You be a gentleman." she warned. "If I hear you were anything less than a perfect choirboy, you're going to be in a heap of trouble!"
Toby chuckled and gave her a light hug then rose to his feet. "I'll take that as my cue to leave before you start making more terroristic threats." He leaned down and planted as kiss on her lips. Pulling back only a few inches away from her face, he gave her a sly smile. "See you tomorrow nerd."
Angie's nose wrinkled at his use of the term nerd. She squinted her eyes in mock anger and stuck her tongue out at him. It only made Toby grin more and snicker as he was leaving the porch. She hopped out of her spot on the swing and called out after him as he crossed the yard to his Nova.
"Well that's a pretty heavy slam coming from a muscle-headed jock!" she insulted. Toby just kept walking to his car giving her no indication that he heard her. "And just remember what I told you! You better not make her fall in love with you!" she teased.
Toby was still chuckling at her as he was pulling out of her driveway and onto the main road. He looked up at the house at her on the porch with her arms across her chest and a smug look on her face. Not willing to let her get the last word in, he rolled down his window for one last dig.
"I promise nothing." Was his delayed response to her last warning. With that he quickly pulled away from her house. He spared a look in his rear view mirror as he was speeding away and could see the disgruntled Angie leaning over the porch railing, shaking her fist and mouthing threats he couldn't hear. Toby just grinned in amusement and headed for home.
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PART 3
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It was five o'clock when Toby finally decided to start getting ready for the night. He took a shower and shaved the stubble off his cheeks and debated whether of not he should keep the growth on his chin. He couldn't decide if it made him look older or scruffy. Figuring there wasn't enough length there to make it stylish, he scrapped the blade over his chin and rid himself of all facial hairs.
Next was his hair. Squeezing a dollop of gel in his left palm and rubbed it vigorously between his hands. He then ran his hands though his hair and tousled it until he got it the way he liked it. With a couple of swipes of deodorant under his arms and a quick shot of body spray across his chest, Toby headed for his bedroom with his bath towel wrapped around his waist.
In his room he quickly set to picking out his wardrobe. Unlike the girls in Maggie's 'entourage', Toby spent very little time deciding what he was going to wear. He opened his closet door and took inventory of what was in it. His decision came down to a classic white dress shirt or a long sleeved black button down the front shirt with white shoulder patch on the left side. He picked the black shirt and went to his dresser to pick out a pair of jeans. He threw on a pair of black high tops and his look was complete.
Since it was the first full week of December, Toby knew he would have to wear some kind of a jacket, at least until he got to the club. He considered his varsity jacket then decided against it, realizing it would brand him a high school student. That was something he definitely didn't want to give away. There was always his dad's old brown leather coat. This alternative was better than his previous option and he ran to the top of the steps to holler down at his dad if he could borrow it. His father replied that he could and it was in the chest at the bottom of their bed.
Now complete with his father's leather coat, he gave himself an appraising look in his mirror and liked what he saw. His dad's coat really set off his outfit. He looked fashionable in an effortless sort of way. The only thing he needed to pull the whole look together was his watch. He went over to his desk to retrieve it and was startled by what he found there instead.
Sitting in the center of his desk was a red and silver box.
Toby stared at the box. He was certain that he had not taken it out of his desk drawer and placed it there. This meant that someone came into his room and put it there. He eyed his room suspiciously, trying to see if the culprit was still there or had touched anything else. His room was the same as it ever was and there were no dubious characters lurking anywhere.
The message was loud and clear: Give Sarah the bracelet. Toby picked up the ornate box. He knew he should probably give it to Sarah and be rid of the damn thing without delay but he didn't feel comfortable with it. This just wasn't the night. Tonight they were just going out to dance and have a good time. He didn't need to get weighed down with the Goblin King's love life tonight. Toby pulled open his desk drawer and dropped the box back inside.
"Next time," he said as he snatched up his watch and keys and headed downstairs.
His parents were scattered throughout the downstairs. His dad was watching television in the living room and he could hear his mom in the kitchen cleaning up the dinner dishes. His dad turned in his chair to see his son descend down the stairs. He gave the boy an approving look.
"Well, don't you look good," He complimented his son. "The coat looks good on you."
Toby smiled at his dad. "Yeah, thanks."
"Toby, are you getting ready to leave?" his mother called out to him from the kitchen.
"Yeah mom!" he yelled back at her. Soon Karen Williams was joining her son and husband in the living room, drying her soapy hands on her apron as she came in. She walked directly up to Toby and stopped in front of him.
"What time are you to be back in this house?" she interrogated.
He rolled his eyes and sighed but dutifully answered her, "Twelve o'clock."
"Not a minute later!" she warned. "And no drinking, no speeding and remember to use your safety belt."
"Okay mom," he groaned. She closed the distance between the two of them and stood on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the check. Toby leaned down to accommodate her. "Have a wonderful time tonight dear. And listen to your sister!" she reminded him. He nodded to his mother and turned for the door.
"Have fun tonight champ," his dad told him as he was headed out. "Yep," was the only response he gave before he was outside on his way to his car.
It was a cold evening and he could see his breath hanging in the air. He walked briskly to his Nova his hands shoved in his coat pocket. When he got to his car he yanked open the door but before he could take his place in the driver's seat he was startled by a familiar sight.
A red velvet box.
Toby gaped at the box. Someone was trying to get his attention and wasn't going to take no for an answer. He picked it up and thought about throwing it out on the road in disgust but reconsidered. It would probably just reappear again and he didn't need a magical box popping up with Maggie in the car. Toby let out an irritated sigh. He knew he had to give it to Sarah sometime and apparently tonight was going to be the night.
"Alright, alright, I get it." he muttered as he leaned across the front seat and put the box in the glove compartment. "I'll give Sarah the damn bracelet."
There were no other incidents as he drove over to Maggie's house to pick her up. He pulled into her driveway at ten minutes before six and hoped he was too early as he sprinted up to their front door. He took his hand out of his coat pocket just long enough to knock on the door then quickly returned it. After a few seconds, the door was opening and a man with salt and pepper hair was staring out at him.
"Good evening Mr. Gillepsie. I'm Toby Williams," he introduced himself politely. "I'm here to take Maggie out tonight."
Frank Gillepsie looked Toby up and down. He felt like he was being inspected for defects, which, in all probability, he was. He stood quietly at the front door waiting for some response from the older man. When he was done with his evaluation of the teenager he cast his glance out to the driveway and the car that was idling there. A critical look crossed his face.
"Is that your Nova out there running?" Maggie's father's voice was deep and crisp, just how he imagined a drill sergeant would sound. For all he knew, the man standing before him could have been in the military. He was easily every bit as tall as Toby, maybe even taller and very broad at the shoulders. He managed to avoid the mid-life spread so many older men fall victim to and for some odd reason, Toby noticed his incredibly large hands. He could crush a melon in just one of them! He would hate to think what one of those manglers could do to a head…..
Just then, Toby realized he was staring at the imposing man inside the door who was still waiting for an answer to his question! The thunderstruck teenager snapped himself out of his daze and finally answered him.
"Uh, yeah."
'He looks pissed, I should have turned the engine off!' he mentally criticized himself. The Nova sat in the driveway rumbling away like a great cat. Ordinarily Toby would have cut the engine before approaching a house, particularly a girl's house, but it was such a cold night, he had left it on to keep the heater running.
Toby made an involuntary gulp as the older man cast another critical look out to his driveway. After a few tense moments, he spoke again.
"That's a 72 right?"
Toby blinked in surprise. This was not the response he was expecting. The conversation was veering in a strange direction. He looked at Maggie's father in a new light. Her dad was studying his car with acute interest. Realization dawned on Toby. It wasn't the noise that was annoying the man. In fact, with closer inspection Toby could see the man wasn't annoyed at all. The guy was a motorhead. Toby broke into a relieved smile.
"Yeah it is," he confirmed the man's assertion. "It's a SS."
Frank Gillepsie cocked his head to the side to listen to the engine better. "Sounds like a four-barrel 350 V8 to me."
Toby gave him a blank expression. He never was into the mechanics of a car so he had no idea what he was talking about. But before he had a chance to make a vehicle faux pas, Maggie came bounding up to the door.
"Daddy, what did I tell you!" she admonished him with teen authority. "No car talk! Hey Toby."
"Hi Maggie." He replied back.
Toby was stunned by the girl's appearance. Maggie Gillepsie looked….. well, amazing was the best word he could use to describe the younger girl. Her dark hair was piled fashionably on her head with spiky wisps adorning her face and crown of her head. She was wearing an off white dress with matching shoes and a violet fur jacket. Normally Maggie wore very natural make-up but for tonight she had on a pink tinted lip gloss and her brown eyes were rimmed with dark eyeliner and the lids dusted with a glittery pale blue eye shadow. She looked very stylish, like she stepped off a page from a teen fashion magazine.
Mr. Gillepsie looked down at his daughter and smiled. It was easy to see that the teenaged girl was the apple of her father's eye. Maggie reached up to give her dad a hug and a kiss.
"I'll be back soon daddy." She promised him.
The older man just smiled as she went past him out the door. His eyes lighted on Toby again and his look hardened.
"I want her back in this house before midnight." His voice was authoritative.
All Toby could do was nod his head in agreement. Satisfied his orders had been received, the older man mercifully closed the door on him without anymore interaction.
"Don't let my dad rile you up," Maggie said to him as they were walking to his car, "He's like that with everyone."
"Mmmm." Was all he said back to her. Once they got into the car it took Toby little time before he had it in reverse and was headed down the road. There was an odd silence in the car as they drove along. Before it could get uncomfortable, he paid her a compliment.
"You look really nice tonight."
"Thanks!" the girl glowed from his compliment. "You look nice too."
There was a small awkward silence again. Toby tried to fill it with polite conversation. "Is that real fur?" That was all it took to open the flood gates.
"What? No!" she assured him. "This is faux fur, but it looks real doesn't it? I would never wear real fur, it's inhumane you know. I'm completely against animal cruelty. Do you know what they do to those poor animals on fur farms? If you did, I promise you, you wouldn't ever look at a fur coat the same way again. I don't know why those Hollywood actresses still insist on wearing furs on the red carpet and stuff. Don't they realize they're wearing murdered animals? And don't even get me started on what goes on at slaughterhouses…. Is that coat leather?"
.
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PART 4
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Toby arrived at Sarah's apartment in record time with Maggie chattering the whole way. Even though her incessant gabbing put him in a zombie like daze, he was glad for it. He and she were back to the way they were before he and Angie started dating. Even though he still found her non-stop talking exasperating, a chatty Maggie was better than a depressed Maggie.
The two teenagers climbed the stairs to Sarah's second story apartment. They strode up to the door and Toby rapped on it. After a few seconds, the door opened.
Sarah was on the other side looking gorgeous. She was in red oriental dress with cropped sleeves and a mandarin collar with a water drop open at the neck. It was embroidered with golden cherry blossoms and branches and she paired it with black hose and heels. Her hair was done up to match her dress, a bun at the back of her head with black chopsticks keeping it immobilized and long wisps of hair framing her face. Toby was in awe. Sarah looked sophisticated and (he abhorred to use this word, especially about his sister) flirty.
"Whoa sis, it looks like a JC Penney blew up all over you," he joked. Maggie gasped beside him, in shock. Sarah took his criticism in stride though.
"That's how much you know, I got it at Sears." she shot back. Sarah turned her eyes on Toby's date. "Hi, I'm Sarah, I'm this jackass's sister. Why don't you come in?" She opened her door wider for admittance. "You," she directed her attention back to her brother, "can stay in the hallway."
Toby smirked at her as he pushed his way into the apartment. "Sarah, this is my friend Maggie." He introduced them.
"It's nice to meet you Maggie," Sarah reached out for the younger girl's hand.
Maggie gripped Sarah's hand with both of hers. "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you as well!" she spouted enthusiastically. "Toby's told us all about your new movie deal! That is so cool. Do you think you'll be starring with any movie stars, like Orlando Bloom maybe? Wouldn't that be awesome! Probably not though, right? I think it's great that you work in the child entertainment industry, you know, the kids are our future. Can I use your bathroom to do a little touch-up?"
Sarah observed her whole outburst with a look of amazement on her face. She literally had to give herself a little headshake to snap herself out of her shock.
"Um, yeah, sure." She recovered. "Down the hallway, first door on the right."
"Thanks!" Maggie called out merrily as she turned down the hallway.
"Well, she's a talkative little thing isn't she?" Sarah said in a low voice, once the girl was out of earshot. "I thought you were bringing Angie tonight?"
"She couldn't come, she had a scholarship banquet she had to go to," he explained. "So I brought Maggie along instead. A bit of a chatterbox but she's okay once you get used to her."
"Uh-huh," she drawled out giving him a scrupulous look, "That's the understatement of the year!"
"Just do what I do and go to a happy place," he advised her. "Are we ready to go?"
"Just as soon as I get my coat and your date is done in the bathroom." She pulled her black leather coat on and fastened the tie around her waist. "We'll take my car there. I'd rather arrive in style than in that old rust bucket of yours." She gave him a smirk.
"Yeah, whatever," he brushed off her smart comment. "My rust bucket could beat your crap box any day. That's a really nice coat there sis, looks real expensive. Make sure you mention its leather to Maggie."
The trio arrived at Blue a little bit after seven. After a long winded lecture about the evils of harvesting animals for their skins on the ride over, Sarah was anxious to be out of the car. On their walk into the club, Sarah leaned in closer to her brother.
"Don't think you're getting away with that leather coat ambush," she hissed at him, "I am so going to pay you back for that one."
Toby snickered under his breath at his handiwork. But all thought of furs and animal cruelty left his head once he stepped into the night club. It was more than he ever imagined.
It was huge inside. The lighting was dim and everywhere glowed with blue neon lights that lined the walls and along the bar. There was a large dance floor that was edged with flashing blue and green lights that were embedded in the floor and covered with shatter-proof glass. The air thumped with the sound of the base that was being played out of the speakers that were on the stage where the deejay was set up. Every so often, laser lights would scan the crowd in sync with the music. The bar was off on the right and had three big screen televisions placed on the wall behind it. The dance floor was surrounded by cocktail tables but to the left side of the club was set up long tables and booths. There were several people sitting at the tables, a few Toby even recognized. Like Kelly Roberts, the cute weather girl at Sarah's station and the guy from the car sales commercial that they lead off in a straight jacket because his prices are so low it's crazy.
"ID please."
Toby was so caught up in the sights and sounds that surrounded him he almost didn't notice the tall, robust man that was working the door. Toby was surprised by him at first but then read the name 'Blue' across his black tee shirt and realized he was a bouncer.
"These two aren't drinking!" Sarah told the man rather loudly, so she could be heard above the music. The bouncer nodded at her and told Toby and Maggie to stick out their arms. The two teens did as they were instructed and he fastened a wristband around each of their right wrists. It had little pictures of martini glasses on it with a circle around the glasses and a slash through the middle of the circle.
"These are your passes in here tonight," the burly man explained to them. "If me or any of my other colleagues," at this time he pointed out three other men as brawny as he was, dressed in black tee shirts, "catch either one of you without this wristband on, we'll toss you out. Got that?"
Maggie and Toby nodded their heads. The doorman continued.
"Your cut off time is eleven o'clock. After that all underages are out, no exceptions. If we find you trying to hide out in here or trying to sneak back in, you're banned from Blue."
He waited for either of the teens to ask him a question or try to contradict him. Neither of them did. The bouncer eyed them up a little more then jerked his head towards the inside of the club, indicating they were allowed to enter.
"Hey!" Sarah shouted at Toby to be heard over the music, "I see some of the guys from work. C'mon, this way!" She grabbed Toby by the arm and pulled him towards the long tables. Maggie was in tow behind them.
"Can you believe this place!" Maggie asked him as they made their way through the crowd of people towards their tables. "This place is incredible!" She looked all around her in awe.
Before the three of them could make it to the tables, Sarah was approached by a short, plump, blond haired woman dressed in pink babydoll shirt that showed off way too much of her cleavage. The woman looked positively giddy.
"Oh hey Tracey!" (or Sarah could have said Stacey, Toby couldn't hear her too well) "This is my baby brother Toby and his friend Maggie."
"Nice to meet you," the blonde woman said to them without even giving them a sideways glance. "Sarah, you will never guess who's here tonight! Charles Weinerzetheim!" Toby snorted humorously at the mention of his name.
"Mr. Weinerzetheim's here tonight?" she asked, eyes scanning the crowd.
"Yes!" the shorter woman confirmed. "He showed up only ten minutes ago, he pulled up in a silver Jaguar! And he's most anxious to meet you!"
Tracey (or Stacey) took Sarah's hand and lead her to a corner of the club where the booths were, leaving Toby and Maggie to tag along. In the very last booth were two men with stout glasses filled with ice and an amber liquid (scotch maybe?) that were speaking closely. They looked up at their approach and Toby recognized the one man as Sarah's station manager, Mr. Kurtz, who stood up as they drew nearer. The other man, who looked older than Sarah but not quite as old as his parents, stayed seated. He was very lean, almost to the point of being gaunt.
"Sarah!" her boss called out to his sister. "So glad you could join us! I was almost afraid something happened to you."
"You know me Paul, I love to make an entrance." Her excuse poured smoothly from her lips.
Mr. Kurtz laughed. "Your movie's not even made yet and you're already acting like a star!" he smiled. "Sarah, I would like to introduce you to the man that will be directing your movie debut, Charles Weinerzetheim."
Sarah looked at the thin man and gave him a winning smile. Toby leaned in closely to his sister to whisper in her ear, so that only she could hear, 'Chuck Wieners At Him'. Her only reply was a swift elbow to his side, never even breaking eye contact with the director.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Weinerzetheim." She extended her hand across the table to shake his. "Allow me to introduce my brother Toby and his date Maggie."
The two teens took turns shaking the director's hand. "It's a pleasure to finally get to meet you Sarah. And please, call me Charles." His voice was soft but discernable above the din of the nightclub. "You two as well." He nodded in Toby and Maggie's direction. "Please, allow me to get all of you a drink. Perhaps champagne all around, to celebrate Sarah's promising future."
Toby began to open his mouth to say he wasn't legal but before he got the chance, Sarah spoke up for him.
"Oh, these two aren't drinking." She explained to him. Toby held up his right wrist to confirm it.
"Ah," he said with comprehension, "then perhaps a cola or virgin daiquiri?"
Maggie's eyes lit up at the mention of a fancy drink. She yanked on Toby's arm.
"Yeah, that sounds good." He agreed.
The man motioned for a waitress and placed their order. In a few minutes they were all seated, enjoying their drinks.
The talk at the table was very stale for the youngest of the party. Toby thought discussing the production of Sarah's movie would be interesting, but it wasn't. He found the conversation painstakingly boring and he could tell by the way Maggie was looking around and drumming her fingers on the table, she was just as bored.
Charles noticed their boredom and spoke up, "I'm afraid this conversation is rather dry for youngsters. You two should be on the dance floor enjoying yourselves! And feel free to put anything you order on my tab."
Toby thanked the man for his hospitality as he and Maggie departed from the group. The two friends made their way onto the dance floor and started to sway and move with the music that was playing. Maggie was a really good dancer. She knew all the latest steps and easily kept up with the rhythm of the music. Toby, on the other hand, was a little less skilled than his partner. It took him a little while before he got in step with her, and even then, he could only manage a modified two step.
After a few songs, the two left the dance floor to go get something to drink. They showed off their wristbands to an attractive female bartender who had hot pink streaks through her blonde hair. Toby ordered a Coke for himself and another virgin strawberry daiquiri for Maggie. When she asked for imbursement for the drinks, Toby told her to put it on Charles Weinerzetheim's tab. She nodded in agreement and moved down the bar to the next customer. Toby and Maggie gathered up their drinks and settled at a recently deserted cocktail table.
"I really am having a great time tonight!" she announced as they sat down. "This is the coolest place I've ever been at! Thanks for bringing me along."
"No problem," he said, as he scanned the crowd. A tall, thin boy with brown hair drew his attention. He caught him staring at him and Maggie for the better part of when they were dancing. Toby could see the boy was roughly about their age maybe a little older, but definitely not twenty-one yet (he spotted him wearing the same wristband they were). When he saw Toby caught him staring, he looked away quickly and pretended to be listening to what his friends around him were saying. Toby grinned.
"Don't look now, but I think you're getting checked out," he told her.
Maggie immediately began craning her head around trying to locate her admirer. "Where?"
"Over there, next to the stage."
Maggie directed her attention to the indicated spot and located the group of boys. About that same time, the boy in question looked over at them again and seeing she was looking in his direction, flashed her a smile. Maggie smiled timidly back.
"What should I do?" she asked Toby.
"Don't worry about it, I know just what to do." He guaranteed her. Toby picked up his drink from the table and began walking away. Before he got two steps, she had a hold of his arm.
"Don't just leave me here!" she squealed at him.
"Take it easy," he tried to calm her, "I'm just going to go over and talk to Sarah for a little bit. You stay right here. That guy isn't going to come up to talk to you with me standing around. Don't worry, you'll be fine."
He gave her a reassuring look. When he saw she was okay, he walked over to the tables where he last saw Sarah.
His sister was standing there chatting with some of her colleagues from work. He noticed her arms swinging more loosely than before, an effect of the alcohol she was consuming. He walked up to her and saw she had a different drink in her hand.
"Hey sis, how's it going?"
Sarah turned to look at her brother with a lopsided grin on her face. "Tobes!" she exclaimed. "We're doing great over here. Where's your friend?"
Toby looked across the club and saw that Maggie was now in the company of the brown haired boy that had been watching her earlier. They were talking and flirting with each other.
"She's over there making a new friend," he told her as he nodded in Maggie's direction. Sarah looked towards the bar and got a big smile.
"Well, good for her!" her words ran together a little.
Just then, Charles came up to the siblings with a glass filled with blue liquid.
"Here you are," he said handing it to Sarah. She took the drink with her free hand.
"But I haven't even finished the last drink you got me yet!" she laughed. She turned to Toby. "Charles and I have been talking about my movie and he thinks that with his help it will put me in position for getting more roles! Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, that's great," he agreed.
"I think your sister has great raw talent," he complimented her. His eyes roved over Sarah briefly without her notice. But Toby noticed. "I think with my guidance, your sister could really move up in the world." He gave Toby a seedy wink. With that, he led Sarah away into the crowd.
Toby stood there, fuming. He had a feeling he knew exactly what kind of role he wanted to get Sarah in and it had nothing to do with her acting. He was just settling on the idea of going over and laying one up alongside of old Chuckie's head when he paused. What would happen to Sarah's movie? He felt fairly certain that attacking the director would pretty much nip that deal in the bud. And how would he justify his actions? He pummels a guy all because he looked at his sister and got a twitch in his eye? No, he couldn't do that. But he would be damned if he was going to let that sleazy s.o.b. take advantage of his sister.
Opting for a more 'watch and see' approach, Toby went back over to the dance floor where Maggie was still happily chatting it up with her admirer. She saw him moving towards them and broke out in a great smile.
"Toby!" she called out to him excitedly, "I want you to meet Tyler. He's a senior over at Glendale."
Tyler and Toby nodded their heads at each other in acknowledgement. The brown haired boy smiled at Toby.
"I saw the football game between our schools and I gotta admit, you guys are tough," he praised. "You had us worried for a bit."
"Yeah, well your team got the better of us." He was surprised the statement didn't give him any discomfort to say.
"Well, if it's any consolation to you, we got knocked out of the playoffs by Martinsville two weeks later." It did console him a little bit. "The murdered us, 35-14."
"They're really good," Toby concluded. "What brings you out here tonight?"
Tyler opened his mouth but Maggie was already there. "He's here with his brother Travis and his friends," she answered for him, "Its Travis's twenty-first birthday! I can't wait until I'm twenty one, I'm going to have a big blow out for my birthday. Oh, I love this song! Let's go dance!" The Glendale boy gave Toby a bemused look as the excited girl grabbed hold of his hand and led him out to the dance floor.
As the duo danced, Toby just leaned up against the cocktail table they were occupying and watched his sister like a hawk. He saw as the shady director brought her yet another drink, and him place his hand on the small of her back. She continued talking and laughing with the group around her but gradually moved away from the unwelcome contact. Toby smiled viciously as the older man was shut down.
For the better part of an hour, Toby was content to watch as Sarah brushed off all of Chuckie's attempts to pursue her. He kept trying to ply Sarah with drinks, which gave him cause for alarm, but with Sarah safe among her co-workers he doubted she was in any real danger. Still, he knew what the calculating Charles was up to.
During his vigil, Toby interacted with Tyler and his group. Travis and his two friends all came over to talk with his brother's new acquaintances. Travis also complimented him on his playing in the last game and asked if he had any offers from colleges. Toby told them that MSU and PennState was showing interest but he hadn't decided which one he would go with. The other boys looked duly impressed and each one offered up their own recommendation. As the hour passed from nine to ten o'clock they kept him engaged in conversation but all the while Toby was keeping tabs on Sarah. Eventually, another song that Maggie liked began to play. She grabbed Toby's hand and broke his concentration.
Realizing what she was after he began to protest. "Wait- nah Maggie, I think I'll just sit this one out-"
"Oh no you don't!" she interrupted, "You've hardly danced at all tonight! Quit being such a party poop and come dance with me!"
Toby relented and let the perky junior drag him onto the dance floor. They were followed out by Tyler and his one friend that had also taken an interest in Maggie and was vying for her attention. As they danced, Toby continued to keep watch over his sister, occasionally catching a glimpse of her through the sea of bobbing heads. He could see the smarmy director was by her side again, but this time Sarah wasn't smiling or talking. Toby shifted through the crowd to keep a visual on his sister. He watched as the slender man leaned down close to her ear and whisper something to her that made her shoot him a glare and snap something back at him. Toby stopped dancing completely when he saw him grab Sarah's arm.
Maggie noticed something was wrong with her dance partner and quit dancing as well. "What's a matter?" she asked him.
Toby didn't answer only continued to watch the scene across the club unfold before him. Sarah had wrested her arm free from his grip and was staring at him hotly. By now, Sarah's co-workers become aware of the situation and watched with worried faces. She said a few abrupt words that he couldn't decipher but it only made the brazen male reach for her again. At that time Toby was in motion.
He pushed through the wall of bodies that were between him and Sarah. Once he broke free of the dance floor, he strode purposefully up to where his sister and her molester were arguing. As he approached them, he could hear Sarah warding off her antagonist.
"….. and I am not one of those floozies that goes bouncing from bed to bed trying to land a part in some B rated movie!" she snarled at him. "If that's what you had in mind, then you can just forget it!"
The scumbag just stood there with an arrogant expression on his face. His lips twisted in an ugly smile.
"Sarah, you truly can't be so naïve," he taunted her, "That's how it's done in this business. I toss you a couple of parts to help boost you lagging career, and in return you show me some heartfelt appreciation." The word practically oozed from his mouth. "Everybody wins. If you don't want to play the game, I'm sure I can find another bimbo that will."
Sarah's jaw dropped open in horror at what he had just said to her. Toby could see she was struggling to form a comeback so he stepped in for her.
"Hey, douchebag," the haughty man cast a scornful look in Toby's direction. "I think you heard her. She doesn't want anything to do with you or that tiny pecker of yours."
Now it was the director's turn to be shocked. He looked at Toby contemptuously, stunned that the boy dared speak to him like that! He took a step forward and in one quick motion, threw his drink in Toby's face.
Toby recoiled, his eyes burning from the strong liquor. It took him only a split second to recover then rush towards his assailant.
Sarah and her boss, Mr. Kurtz quickly threw their bodies in between the enraged teenager and his instigator.
"Toby NO!" Sarah yelled over the racket. "Let it go, he's not worth it!"
At this time, some of the bouncers took notice of the altercation and were hurrying over to break it up. Seeing that reinforcements were on the way emboldened the sleazy director.
"You're lucky your sister was here to keep you from making a big mistake!" he sneered at Toby. Before he could respond, Sarah spun on his tormentor.
"Let me tell you something Chuck WeinersAtHim!" she spit out at the man. He bristled at the misuse of his name. "Don't kid yourself, you're the lucky one! My brother would have mopped the floor you!" She took a step towards him and angrily pointed her finger in his face. "And another thing, I'd never sleep with you even if it would win me an Oscar!" She was on a roll now. "Hell, I wouldn't even be able to fake and orgasm with you, I'm not that good of an actress!"
Before she had a chance to insult him further, two bouncers were there to escort them out. The one that had carded them at the front door led an indignant Sarah to the exit. Maggie (who had watched the whole spectacle with a mortified expression on her face) gathered up Sarah's coat and purse that she left behind at the table and hurried off after her. That left just Toby and his usher.
"Are we going to have any problems?" the bouncer asked him. He was a large, bald black man who looked like he might burst out of his tee shirt at any moment. Going against him would be suicide.
"No problems here," Toby promised. "Just let me swing by our table and gather up my coat."
The bouncer eyed him suspiciously but nodded his head in concession.
Toby made his way through the crowd towards their table. The party was still in full swing. Other than a few looky-loos, the clubs patrons and rest of the staff seemed oblivious to the heated confrontation that just took place.
Toby found his coat where he had left it hanging on one of the bar stools at the table he and his new friends had occupied. He put his coat on and was headed for the door, but not before he tended to one last bit of business.
The teenager casually strolled up the bar. He was greeted by the pretty bartender that had been keeping his tab earlier. Not aware of what had just transpired, she asked him for his order.
"A round of drinks for the house," he told her. The bartender looked at him in amazement. Toby gave her a devious smile. "Compliments of Charles Weinerzetheim."
.
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PART 5
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Once in the parking lot, Toby hurried to Sarah's car to make a hasty get away. He found Maggie and Sarah in the back seat of the BMW. Sarah was lying on the seat, an inebriated mess, and Maggie was smoothing her hair with her hand. Toby crawled into the driver's seat.
"Guess I'm driving," he reached his hand into the back seat. "Keys."
Sarah mumbled something that only Maggie could understand which sent the younger girl rummaging through Sarah's purse. After a few seconds, she produced the keys and handed them to Toby.
The car roared to life and the band of miscreants was soon speeding out of the parking lot. Toby took a left turn and aimed the car in the direction of Sarah's apartment. He had a little difficulty finding his way back to Sarah's, being that it was the first time he had ever been in that section of town. After having to backtrack once, Toby drove around until he finally recognized a Dairy Queen that he always passed on the way to her place. Confident he was on the right track, he took a turn at the next light then it was straight through a few more lights to Sarah's apartment.
During the drive home, Sarah regained some control over herself and was sitting up in the backseat. Still very pissed off about the turn the evening took, she vented about what jerks men could be and used quite a few expletives to describe her former, would-be director. During one particularly fiery rant, she even wished he was dead. Toby had never heard his sister talk that way. Not even the time when she picked him up from kindergarten and one of the snootier moms thought she was his mother and criticized her for being an unwed teen mom. His teacher had to come out to resolve that little episode. But even though Sarah had been mad enough to call the other woman a 'festering boil on society's ass', she didn't wish her dead. Toby attributed her particularly vicious statement do to the fact she had been drinking and the vile things that were said to her.
They pulled up to Sarah's building around ten-thirty. Toby carefully backed Sarah's car into her parking space and shut off the engine. Once everyone exited the car, he pressed the lock button twice until he heard the 'bloop' of the car locking. Then he proceeded to walk Sarah and Maggie to the apartment.
Sarah managed to make it upstairs without incident and even was able to unlock her door, though it did take her three attempts to get the key into the lock. Once inside the apartment Sarah flung her coat and purse onto the couch.
"Make yourself at home you guys!" she waved grandly around the living room. Maggie gave him a cautious look and Toby knew it was time to call it a night.
"Um, that's okay," he told his sister, "I think it's time for us to hit the road."
"What? No!" she objected. "C'mon you guys, it's not even eleven yet, you can't leave now!" She took a step towards them and stumbled on the carpet. Toby was there to catch her before she fell to the floor. Sarah dangled in his arms as he tried to right her on her feet. When he finally got her somewhat steady, she looked up at him with droopy eyes.
"I think I have to go to the bathroom." Her intoxicated breath blew straight in his face. Toby grimaced at the smell.
"Whew!" he waved his hand in front of his face in emphasis. "Whatever you want, just don't breathe on me again." He shifted her in his arms until he was supporting her with his right arm around her waist. Maggie came around to her other side to help support her. "Come on you."
Once in the bathroom, Sarah dropped down on the toilet. She leaned back against the tank and scrubbed her eyes with the heel of her hands. After a little bit, she uncovered her eyes and looked up at them.
"I think I'm going to be okay." She announced. "My head is swimming a little that's all." A weary smile played across her lips. "Well this turned out to be some kind of a night. I lose my movie deal, you nearly get in a fight and we get tossed out of a club, all in less than four hours. That's got to be some kind of a record for how fast things can go down the crapper. I don't care. It's not like it's never-"
A choking sob broke off what she was about to say and Sarah slumped forward, covering her face with her hands. Her body began to shudder as she started to weep. Toby turned to Maggie who had a concerned look on her face.
"Can you give us a minute?"
The girl just nodded as she stared at Sarah. Then she turned to revisit the living room. Toby closed the bathroom door after she left.
He stepped beside his sister and placed his hand on her shoulder. He said nothing as she wept, willing to let her cry it out. After awhile, she took in a trembling breath.
"It's just not fair!" she wailed, still with her face buried in her hands. "Everything was going fine until that jackass came around talking about making a movie about my show!" She sniffled. "I know it was only going to be a straight to video movie but it was a start. It made me think that maybe- I had hoped that it would-" she broke off again in a new wave of sobs. She looked up from her seat at Toby, her eyes and cheeks smeared with her mascara. "Why did he have to be like that Toby?"
Toby sighed as he sat down across from her on the side of the bathtub. He looked gently at his sister. She quieted a little.
"You know what I think Sarah?" she shook her head, "I think, screw him. I think he's just a dirty old man that can't get women to sleep with him unless he buys them and he couldn't get you to stoop to that level. So what if you lost the movie? Big deal! They'll be other offers out there, better offers! And if not, who cares? You were doing just fine before he showed up. Listen, you're the star of one TV show and you're the producer of another show. Someday you'll be running that place! You did that all on your own. You didn't need that guy, he needed you. It's his loss."
Sarah smiled weakly at her brother. She had stopped crying but her eyes still glistened from unshed tears. She ran the back of her hand under her nose and sniffed.
"I guess you're right," she took a cleansing breath before going on. "He sure made a mess of things tonight though." She looked up at him fearfully, "Don't tell Karen about what happened tonight or she'll never let you visit me again!"
Toby took his finger and crossed his heart. "What mom doesn't know won't hurt her."
She laughed emptily. "You know, it's just my luck. The first guy to take an interest in me in months and it had to be that degenerate pervert!" She snorted. "Between guys that run screaming from me and guys that just want to jump my bones, I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with me."
Toby gave her a wicked grin. "You mean you're just beginning to wonder that?"
Sarah sniggered at his statement then shook her head slowly. When she looked back up at him he could see a hidden regret in her eyes.
"I'm serious." she said. Toby dropped his smile. "I used to tell myself to be patient and one day it would just happen. That Mr. Right was just around the next corner. But I'm not so sure about that anymore. I'm starting to worry that there might not be somebody out there for me. That maybe that's all there is out there, perverts and coffee dates, you know?" She let out a shaky sigh. "I'm scared that I may never find my soulmate." she murmured sadly.
Maybe it was her use of the word 'soulmate' that made him remember or maybe he didn't want his sister to be so sad and lonely. Whatever it was, Toby's thoughts turned to the little red box in the glove compartment of his Nova. Though he wasn't certain how it would help the present situation, he felt compelled that he should give it to her. Perhaps it would cheer her up just to get a present? Or maybe it would lift her spirits to know that someone did love her and was only waiting for the chance to prove that to her? Whatever the reasoning was, he felt that the time was right to give it to her. But the bracelet was all the way down in his car and….wait. He felt a small bulge in his coat. Slipping his hand into the pocket, his fingers brushed against velvet. He was startled by his discovery. How did that get in there? Not really wanting to know the answer, he pushed the uncertainty out of his mind and withdrew the box from his coat.
Sarah's eyes were on the box immediately. Surprised by its appearance, she asked "What's that?"
Toby looked up at his sister, with a nervous face. Calming himself, he counted to five before answering. "It's a gift."
She looked at him in puzzlement. "For me? What for?"
Toby was ready this time. "Well, since you went and gave me my Christmas present early I thought I'd return the favor." He lied smoothly as he handed her the box. "Merry Christmas."
Sarah reached out and took the gift from him. As soon as the box left his hand, a great wave of relief came over him. There. He had fulfilled his side of the bargain. The Goblin King was at last paid up.
She opened the box and drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes widened when she saw the silver bracelet that lay within. Gingerly picking it up with her fingers, she removed it from its velvety sheath.
"Oh Toby, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, her eyes never leaving the bangle. "Thank you so much!"
Toby didn't answer her, only watched her reaction. At first, he was glad that his 'gift' cheered her up so much. It seemed to be the only redeemable moment of the night. But then, he noticed the strange way his sister looked at the silver cuff, as if she were mesmerized by it. Her eyes scanned greedily over it as she examined the curves and etchings of it. Gradually, a glazed look came over her eyes as a slight smile stretched across her face.
Then he felt it. Something…. wasn't right. It disturbed him to see the change that had come over her. She had the same hungry look on her face that Jareth had on his the night he gave the bracelet to him. Alarms blared in Toby's head. Somewhere deep down in his soul, he sensed danger. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was but he knew something was wrong, this was wrong. As Sarah was eagerly unclasping the chain to put it on her wrist, understanding suddenly flooded into Toby. It was the bracelet. The bracelet was affecting her this way!
Without a moment's hesitation, Toby reached out with his right hand and smacked the piece of jewelry away from her. Sarah looked at him wildly and gave him a kind of growl before she dove to the floor to retrieve it. But Toby was there first. He scooped up the silver bracelet, only to have Sarah violently try to wrest it away from him. She fought to regain the bracelet, even sinking her nails painfully into the backs of his hands. He winced as blood welled up to the surface but he refused to relinquish the cuff.
"That's mine!" she shrieked, still trying to jerk the bracelet loose. Toby tried to pull his hands away from her but she clutched to them like a drowning woman.
"Sarah!" he yelled at her, "Sarah!" She quit pulling and looked him in the face. Toby could see the uncontrollable desperation in her eyes. "Sarah, you got to listen to me, this bracelet isn't what you think it is. I didn't get it for you for Christmas, in fact I didn't get it for you at all. It was given to me by-" he paused to gather his courage, "It was given to me by Jareth."
Sarah flinched back in shock. She released his hands as if she were gripping a hot coal. "Jareth?" she asked in confusion.
Toby nodded his head. "He wanted me to give that to you as payment for….for a wish."
Sarah narrowed her eyes. "A wish? What kind of wish?"
Toby sat down on the bathroom floor and tiredly stretched out his legs. He leaned back against the tub and sighed. He took in a deep breath preparing himself for what he was about to do. Then he told Sarah everything.
He told her about the first night he met Jareth all those years ago, when he wished he could be quarterback of the football team and how Todd Adams had broke his leg leaving the position clear for Toby. He told her how Lancelot had disappeared the next day and how it had scared him but not enough that he didn't call on the Goblin King a few years later to fix their parents' marriage. That time he killed Heather Blair. He said how sorry he was for it and how he swore never to do it again but then a few weeks ago he made a wish that Angie would break up with Shane so that he could date her. He said he thought he could rein the Goblin King in, be able to somehow control him, but then when he showed up on Thanksgiving demanding Sarah in exchange for his wish, he knew he was in trouble. He tried to get him to take something else but that was when he pulled out the bracelet and convinced him to give it to her, saying it wouldn't harm her in the slightest. He told her it was Jareth that gave him the book and that he was madly in love with her and just wanted the chance to prove it to her. He had believed him then but now he knew better. He knew the Goblin King had deceived him and was just using him to get to Sarah.
Sarah sat across the floor from him, mouth open and eyes wide at his revelation. She didn't interrupt him once during his twisted tale. When he finished, she still didn't say anything for a long time. She sat there, running her hands through her hair that had come loose during their struggle. Finally, she spoke.
"After all these years and he's still…" her sentence tapered off. She focused her eyes sharply on her brother. "Are you sure that's everything? You're not forgetting to tell me something?"
Toby nodded his head. He felt he had told her the most critical details. Sarah scrutinized him a little longer then licked her lips nervously.
"Good," she said. "Then his little plan didn't work and now there's nothing he can use against us."
Toby was confused. "But Sarah, I still owe him payment for my last wish!"
"He said all you had to do was give me the bracelet right?"
He blinked. "Right," he agreed.
"And so you have! There was nothing said about you taking it back!" She looked at him with a cunningness he didn't think she could possess.
Toby got the gist of her logic. He gave her the bracelet so technically he did uphold his part of the deal. Technically.
"I don't know, do you think that'll work?" he doubted.
"Oh yeah, it'll work." She said nodding vigorously. "From what I know about Ja- the Goblin King, he's a sneaky cheat, but he'd never go back on his words. He's a stickler by them. I can't explain it but it's like it would offend his royal dignity or something." Her face grew solemn. "Under no circumstances are you ever to call on the Goblin King, for anything, ever again. I don't care if there's an asteroid threatening to destroy earth: You do not call for him! You understand? Don't even use the 'W' word again!" Sarah got to her knees and crawled closer to him. She grasped his face between her hands.
"Toby, I need you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say to you," her eyes bore into his with intensity. He saw fear and worry in them. "If he ever comes back, to tempt you or threaten you or whatever, I want you to say these words to him, exactly: You have no power over me. You got that?"
You have no power over me. That was the last line the heroine (Sarah) had said to the Goblin King in the book! Though he couldn't see how six little words could have any effect over a person like Jareth. He'd feel a lot more comfortable armed with crosses and wooden stakes.
Sarah gripped his face tighter when he didn't respond to her immediately. "You got that!" He nodded his head.
"Say it!" she insisted vehemently.
"You have no power over me!" he repeated.
Sarah relaxed a little and released his face. Scooting backwards, she leaned against the opposite wall from Toby. She drew her legs up to her chest and rested her forearms atop her knees. She let her head loll backwards and off to the right side. It scared him to see his sister, sitting there like that. She looked numb and tired and defeated. It pained him to know he was to blame for their current situation.
Plucking up what little resolve he had left, he spoke.
"Sarah, do you hate me?" His voice was small even in his own ears.
Sarah turned her head to look at him under tired lids. She furrowed her brow and her lips pursed. She studied him for a few moments then finally answered him.
"No Toby, I don't hate you," she sighed wearily. "I could never hate you, you're my brother. I know it's not your fault. You were just a kid when he came along and tricked you. You didn't mean any harm. You didn't know what he was capable of." She lifted her head from against the wall. "But you know now."
Toby said nothing. He just sat there with his sister in the despairing silence. They sat like that for what seemed like an eternity; neither speaking, neither moving. Finally Toby snapped out of his stupor. He looked at his watch and saw that it was five minutes until eleven. His curfew loomed before him menacingly.
"Whoa, I've got to get out of here," he said rising from his spot on the floor. Sarah didn't move except to watch him stand up. "If I don't get home by midnight, it's my ass that will be turned into a pumpkin."
His statement seemed to pull Sarah out of her gloom as well. Her lips twitched with a smile and her eyes brightened.
"Yeah, you better get going," she agreed. She gestured to the velvet box that was lying on the floor. "Don't forget to take…..that with you."
Toby bent over and picked up the box and put the bracelet that was still in his hand back inside it. "Don't worry, as soon as I get home, I'm going to destroy this thing," he promised.
"Good."
Toby went to leave the bathroom. Before he got the door all the way open he turned back to Sarah.
"Sarah, everything's going to turn out okay, isn't it?"
She thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah, everything's going to be okay Tobes," she reassured him. "Just remember what I told you: You have no power over me."
Toby smiled at her and nodded. He stepped out of the bathroom then turned to her again. As he looked down at his sister, guilt washed over him. "Sarah, I'm sorry."
"I know you are," was her simple answer.
.
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PART 6
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Toby found Maggie sitting in the living room watching a movie on TV, seemingly oblivious to what had happened in the bathroom. As she saw him coming out the hallway, she stood up from the couch.
"At last!" she exclaimed. "I thought you'd never come out of there! Is she okay now?"
Toby's lips thinned at her question. "Yeah, she's okay now."
The two teenagers hastily left the apartment and once outside, strode quickly to his car. Once inside, it took him less than a minute to turn it on, back out of his stall and pull out onto the main road. The streets were mostly deserted, with the exception of the odd car passing them. It was five after eleven. He was going to make his curfew.
Toby relaxed a little bit as he drove. He felt a great weight lifted off of him now that he confessed everything to Sarah. Though he was worried what kind of reaction Jareth would have at this turn of events, he felt sure that he wouldn't be able to take his wish away or retaliate against him. After all, he did precisely what he asked him to do, he gave her the bracelet. In Toby's mind, he fulfilled his side of the bargain.
Toby was so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed that Maggie had been talking to him the whole time. He just became aware of her prattling when she stopped, waiting for his response.
"Um, er, what was that?"
Maggie rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"I said, this was one heck of a night!" she repeated.
Toby smiled. "Yeah it was," he agreed. He thought back to the near scuffle at the nightclub. "Hey, sorry bout that scene back at the club."
"Don't apologize, you were great!" she spewed. "If some guy ever talked to a sister of mine like that, if I had a sister, I would have done the same thing!"
He felt little consolation from her words. "Yeah, but I got us thrown out."
Maggie shrugged, "So what? It was still the best night ever!" Toby was glad she was taking things so well. "Besides, it wasn't all a loss, I got two phone numbers."
Toby's mouth dropped open in shock. He cast a quick glance across the seat at her. "You mean you got Tyler's number and his friend's?"
The junior got a broad smile on her face that confirmed what Toby had assumed was true. He returned her smile.
"Why Maggie Gillepsie, you little tease!" he chastised her.
She shrugged her shoulders. "What?" she asked innocently. "A girl likes a little variety."
The two teenagers burst out laughing at her last statement. For Toby, it was as if someone opened the pressure valve on all the stress he had building up from the evening. It was good to talk and laugh, like a normal teenager, about completely non-consequential stuff like getting a guy's phone number.
Their laughter died down after a bit and they rode in a comfortable silence for awhile. Toby was busy in his mind retracing their route to get back home, straight through two red lights, then take a left at the third then straight through to the exit onto the bypass. He calculated he would have Maggie home at about twenty til twelve and he would be strolling in his door right on time.
"You know, I'm happy for you guys."
Toby was so startled by her confusing statement he almost missed the light turn green. He proceeded though the intersection.
"What?" he asked.
"You and Angie," she explained. "I'm happy you two are together."
Toby looked at her quizzically, not knowing where this was coming from. Maggie could see his bewilderment clearly written on his face.
"Oh, I wasn't too happy about it at first," she admitted, "I'm not sure if you knew this but I had a crush on you since the beginning of this year." Toby said nothing. "It really hurt when I found out you guys were dating, but you know what? You two are good together. You two make sense together. A lot more than you and I would have."
He didn't know what to say. It was one of the kindest and most honest things anyone had ever said to him. Her honesty, made him want to be honest.
"Well, you know Maggie, you're not so bad yourself," he said. "And who knows? Maybe if I never met Angie, I might have asked you out."
Maggie laughed. "Yeah, right." She scowled. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"
Toby laughed with her. "Not unless I got a contact buzz off that drink he threw at me!"
She smiled as she pinched her nose. "Yeah, whew! You can smell it. What was it he threw on you?"
"Beats me, but it sure burned like hell!"
Toby was coming up to the second intersection. Go straight, then turn left at the next light. His light had just turned green before he pulled up to the intersection so he kept his car going at its same speed. Up ahead he could see the light where he wanted to make his turn.
"You know Maggie, we all need to get together and do something sometime. You can even bring along one of your Glendale boy –"
"OH MY GOD TOBY, LOOK OUT!"
That was the last thing he heard before her screams were drowned out by the sickening sound of metal crunching on metal. Toby lurched in his seat as he was thrown against his door, his head making contact with the window, shattering glass everywhere. His seatbelt kept him from bashing his head into the steering wheel as his car spun almost a hundred and eighty degrees and he heard a kind of cartoonish 'POP!' as one of his tires blew. He felt a stabbing pain in his right thigh. His car finally came to a jarring stop with a grating metal sound.
Toby sat there for a moment in chaos as his senses slowly returned to him. The first thing he felt was horrible pain and moistness on his forehead along his hair line. He reached up and tenderly touched the spot. As he pulled his hand away and saw his fingers were covered in blood. It was then he realized he was just in an accident.
The second sense he recovered was his hearing. Gradually he tuned in to the blaring sound of a car horn. 'Is that mine?' he thought dazedly. He slowly comprehended that it wasn't his that was honking but the guy's that had ran into him. He wondered why the other driver was laying on the horn so long. After a while, the horn began to die down until eventually it stopped altogether. Toby turned his head to assess the damage. He felt a sharp pain in his neck as he turned. There was glass everywhere and his steering wheel had a very noticeable bend to it where his leg had slammed into it. Then he looked across the seat to ask Maggie if she was okay.
She wasn't.
Maggie was still fastened in but she was unconscious and her body laid crumpled in the seatbelt. Toby panicked.
"MAGGIE!" he screamed.
He undid his seat belt at super human speed and quickly reached across and undid hers. As soon as the belt loosened, she slumped forward, like a puppet without any strings. He carefully sat her back up in her seat trying to be sure not to jostle her. Her head drooped down and he could see in the back of her neck a little bone jutting, nearly threatening to pierce the skin.
"oh no, oh no, OH NO, OH NO, OHNO, OHNO, NONONONONO!" he started to scream.
Toby pulled the girl to him, cradling her back in his chest. He grabbed her under the arms up by her chest and began to pull her out of the car. Once he got her free, he carefully laid her on the ground next to his mangled vehicle. Her head lolled to the side at an unnatural angle. He gently took her head in his hands and placed it in his lap. There was a small trickle of blood coming out her nose.
By now, a car had pulled over. A man and his girlfriend got out of the car and rushed to the help the teenagers. Toby looked up at them and saw the horror on their faces.
"Somebody call for help!" he yelled out, his voice cracking. Tears were streaming down his face and snot was dripping from his nose. "Somebody help her!" he cried.
The man ran back to his car and dug around his console until he found his cell phone. He flipped it open and dialed 9-1-1.
"There's been an accident on Canton and Bulger!" the man spoke urgently in the phone. "Three people are injured, I think one of them is dead- "
"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Toby screamed at him. The man stared at him aghast. Toby looked back down at Maggie's face. Her eyes were closed, she looked as though she were sleeping. "She can't be dead," he bawled.
The man on the phone finished the call. He took a few cautious steps closer to Toby. "An ambulance is going to be here real soon." Toby just nodded his head and continued to cradle her head in his lap. By that time another car had pulled up.
"What happened?" he heard the anxious voice of another man.
"There's been some kind of bad accident." Somewhere in the background he heard the woman crying.
"You don't want to go over there!" the first man warned. "The guy in the Jag didn't make it."
By this time Toby could hear the distant howl of sirens coming closer. In a matter of moments a new man in a blue shirt was beside him.
"Come on son, we got to get you checked out," the man told him gently as he tried to help him up.
Toby looked in the paramedic's face, his face wet with his tears. "But what about Maggie?" he wanted to know.
The man gingerly moved her head from his lap so he could help Toby to his feet. "My colleague is going to see to her, I need to check you out right now." The teenaged boy looked trustingly at him. "She'll be okay, you need to come with me now."
Toby did what he was told and went with the paramedic to the back of the ambulance. It was the first time he could see the total damage of the wreck.
His stomach dropped when he saw it. The whole passenger side of his Nova was caved in and his front side was resting on a bent up rim. The side windows had been smashed, leaving glass sprayed across the pavement. But the other car definitely got the worst of it. The front of the car had been pushed back, leaving the hood looking like a balled up wad of aluminum foil. The windshield was smashed and the roof had caved from the impact. A black tarp was hanging down over the driver's side door preventing him from seeing anymore.
Police lights were flashing everywhere and another ambulance pulled up. By now they had flares burning at both sides of the intersection and an officer was directing traffic around the scene of the accident. Another police officer was talking to the couple that had first stopped. The man was describing what he had seen, using his hands while he talked. The woman didn't seem to be much use at all. She just stood there beside her boyfriend crying.
"Okay, let's take a look at that cut."
Toby was brought back to himself as the paramedic examined the cut on his forehead. He looked back to the spot where Maggie laid. Two paramedics were kneeling down beside her blocking his view of what was going on.
"I got her out of the car," Toby blubbered as the man was cleaning his cut. "She was knocked out so I got her out of the car and laid her down on the ground. Was that right?"
"Yeah kid," the man agreed, "You did good. Now try to be still for me."
Toby sat quietly as he let the paramedic tend to him. He watched as the other two paramedics hovered over Maggie. Then one finally got up and went to the back of the other ambulance to retrieve something. Toby assumed he was getting a stretcher so they could get Maggie in the ambulance and off to the hospital. Instead, the man pulled out a black tarp. Toby watched in anguish as the man walked back over to his companion and then unfurled the plastic shroud. He watched as he shook it out and how it fluttered to the ground, lighting on her body. He stared at that black tarp, that now had a form, knowing that the form under it was Maggie. That's when the screaming began. It took him a while until he realized where the screaming was coming from.
It was coming from him.
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Author's Note: My apologies for taking SO LONG on this chapter, but it was a particularly difficult one for me to write for many reasons. My next chapter won't take so long to get out, I promise. As always, I eagerly await your reviews.
