Chapter 6
John unlocked the door to the penthouse, and Belle stepped in closing it behind them.
"Hey Dad, is Brady home? I wanna talk to him."
"Yeah, Belle. He's in his room. I think he's still up, he probably wants to talk to you too, sweetie."
"Okay, I'm gonna get changed and go bug him. Thanks for the ride, Daddy."
John leaned over and kissed his baby girl on the forehead, "No problem, Izzy. I just wish that tonight had been better for you and your friends."
"Everything will be fine, eventually. I know it will. But, it wasn't all bad. It was fun until . . . . well, you were there. You know."
"Yeah, yeah. Now hurry upstairs, and don't stay up too late."
"Alright. 'Night Daddy!"
Belle bounded upstairs and into her room. She quickly changed out of her dancing clothes into a pair of pink pajamas, and washed her makeup off. Just a few minutes later, she softly knocked on the door to her brother's room.
"Who is it?" Brady called from beyond the door.
"It's me, Brady."
Brady stood up and opened the door to let his little sister in. "Hey Belle..."
"Brady...."
"Belle....You know that I had nothing to do with the slideshow, right? I could never do something like that."
"Of course, Brady. I know you better than that. I never had any doubts. As much as you two fight, I know that you care about Chloe too much to do that to her."
Brady nodded in silent agreement. "I do care about Chloe. She's a lot like me, sometimes. I hated seeing her hurt so much."
"Me too, Brady. Chloe is one of my best friends, and I can only imagine what that must have felt like."
"And…to top it all off, Chloe probably thinks I betrayed her now. I hope she'll figure out it wasn't me."
"Don't worry. She won't have to. We got a full confession out of Mimi tonight. Her and Jan planned the whole thing. Mimi feels like dirt right now, but she's going to do everything she can to make it up to Chloe. She says she didn't want to go through with it, but Jan pushed her into it."
Brady pounded his fist against the dresser in anger. "DAMNIT! I KNEW IT. I tried to stop it, that's why I was at the slide projector in the first place. I KNEW it was those two little witches. I can believe that Jan would do something like that, but Mimi? She's really screwed up big time now."
"I know. And she knows it too. You should have seen her Brady, she's not herself anymore. But, she knows what she's done and she's ready to change and fix it all. I don't things will ever be completely healed, but at least she wants to try."
"Yeah, well, I wonder how Chloe feels about that. I'm worried about her state of mind right now, more than Mimi's."
Belle smacked her forehead in realization. "OH GOD. I'm such a terrible friend. I'm not even thinking straight. Tonight has been so chaotic. I should have gone right to Chloe. I was just too much in shock to think."
Brady nodded. "It's okay, Belle. I'm sure she isn't quite ready to have people pouncing all over her making sure she's okay. Chloe is more of a loner type, wants to keep it all in as long as possible."
"Well, I'm going to call her right now anyway. Just to let her know that Shawn and I are still her friends, and will always be here for her."
"Tell her it wasn't me. Tell her I'm sorry, please. She might not believe me, but she'll listen to you."
"No problem, Brady. I'll take care of it."
Belle gave her brother a quick hug, and headed back into her own bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed and hesitantly picked up the phone. She tapped the speed dial button for the Wesley home and waited for it to ring, hoping that she wouldn't wake anyone up.
Chloe jumped at the sound of the phone ringing, and even though she didn't want to talk to anyone, she instinctively grabbed for it. Force of habit, Lane. Force of habit. She thought.
"Hello."
"Chloe . . . did I wake you up?"
"Belle? Uhm, no. I can't sleep anyway. "
"Listen, I'm sorry I didn't go running after you, and I haven't called sooner. I was just shocked. "
"It's okay, Belle. I needed my space anyway. I think better alone."
"Chloe, I just called to see how you were, and let you know that I'm here for you no matter what. Okay?"
"Thanks Belle....but I'm not really in the mood to talk about it. Come over tomorrow morning, and we'll talk then."
"Really?"
"Yeah. 10 a.m., okay?"
"Yeah, that's fine. And, Chloe - one more thing - Brady had nothing to do with those slides. I swear it. He didn't think you'd believe it coming out of his mouth, but he knew that you would believe me."
"Yeah, Belle, I know. I mean, I thought he had betrayed me at first, but deep down I know that Brady couldn't do that to me. Hurting one of your friends is like hurting you too. Brady loves you too much to hurt you."
"Chloe, Brady cares about you too. It's not just for my sake."
"Okay, Belle. I believe you. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"
"Okay. Good night Chloe, get some rest."
"Thanks, Good night Belle."
Belle hung up the phone and took a glance at the framed pictures on her bedside table. All much happier times then - her, Shawn and Mimi at last year's dance...Phillip, Chloe, Shawn and her hanging out at Dot.Com. Then there was one of her favorites, a picture of her and Mimi at 9 years old. Mimi is smiling at the camera with one arm wrapped around Belle, and Belle is looking off to the side and laughing at something silly that Shawn was doing out of the picture. Belle had always loved that picture, but now she was afraid they would never have times like that again. They would never be as innocent as they were on that day, and now she would just have to hang on to her memories.
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John unlocked the door to the penthouse, and Belle stepped in closing it behind them.
"Hey Dad, is Brady home? I wanna talk to him."
"Yeah, Belle. He's in his room. I think he's still up, he probably wants to talk to you too, sweetie."
"Okay, I'm gonna get changed and go bug him. Thanks for the ride, Daddy."
John leaned over and kissed his baby girl on the forehead, "No problem, Izzy. I just wish that tonight had been better for you and your friends."
"Everything will be fine, eventually. I know it will. But, it wasn't all bad. It was fun until . . . . well, you were there. You know."
"Yeah, yeah. Now hurry upstairs, and don't stay up too late."
"Alright. 'Night Daddy!"
Belle bounded upstairs and into her room. She quickly changed out of her dancing clothes into a pair of pink pajamas, and washed her makeup off. Just a few minutes later, she softly knocked on the door to her brother's room.
"Who is it?" Brady called from beyond the door.
"It's me, Brady."
Brady stood up and opened the door to let his little sister in. "Hey Belle..."
"Brady...."
"Belle....You know that I had nothing to do with the slideshow, right? I could never do something like that."
"Of course, Brady. I know you better than that. I never had any doubts. As much as you two fight, I know that you care about Chloe too much to do that to her."
Brady nodded in silent agreement. "I do care about Chloe. She's a lot like me, sometimes. I hated seeing her hurt so much."
"Me too, Brady. Chloe is one of my best friends, and I can only imagine what that must have felt like."
"And…to top it all off, Chloe probably thinks I betrayed her now. I hope she'll figure out it wasn't me."
"Don't worry. She won't have to. We got a full confession out of Mimi tonight. Her and Jan planned the whole thing. Mimi feels like dirt right now, but she's going to do everything she can to make it up to Chloe. She says she didn't want to go through with it, but Jan pushed her into it."
Brady pounded his fist against the dresser in anger. "DAMNIT! I KNEW IT. I tried to stop it, that's why I was at the slide projector in the first place. I KNEW it was those two little witches. I can believe that Jan would do something like that, but Mimi? She's really screwed up big time now."
"I know. And she knows it too. You should have seen her Brady, she's not herself anymore. But, she knows what she's done and she's ready to change and fix it all. I don't things will ever be completely healed, but at least she wants to try."
"Yeah, well, I wonder how Chloe feels about that. I'm worried about her state of mind right now, more than Mimi's."
Belle smacked her forehead in realization. "OH GOD. I'm such a terrible friend. I'm not even thinking straight. Tonight has been so chaotic. I should have gone right to Chloe. I was just too much in shock to think."
Brady nodded. "It's okay, Belle. I'm sure she isn't quite ready to have people pouncing all over her making sure she's okay. Chloe is more of a loner type, wants to keep it all in as long as possible."
"Well, I'm going to call her right now anyway. Just to let her know that Shawn and I are still her friends, and will always be here for her."
"Tell her it wasn't me. Tell her I'm sorry, please. She might not believe me, but she'll listen to you."
"No problem, Brady. I'll take care of it."
Belle gave her brother a quick hug, and headed back into her own bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed and hesitantly picked up the phone. She tapped the speed dial button for the Wesley home and waited for it to ring, hoping that she wouldn't wake anyone up.
Chloe jumped at the sound of the phone ringing, and even though she didn't want to talk to anyone, she instinctively grabbed for it. Force of habit, Lane. Force of habit. She thought.
"Hello."
"Chloe . . . did I wake you up?"
"Belle? Uhm, no. I can't sleep anyway. "
"Listen, I'm sorry I didn't go running after you, and I haven't called sooner. I was just shocked. "
"It's okay, Belle. I needed my space anyway. I think better alone."
"Chloe, I just called to see how you were, and let you know that I'm here for you no matter what. Okay?"
"Thanks Belle....but I'm not really in the mood to talk about it. Come over tomorrow morning, and we'll talk then."
"Really?"
"Yeah. 10 a.m., okay?"
"Yeah, that's fine. And, Chloe - one more thing - Brady had nothing to do with those slides. I swear it. He didn't think you'd believe it coming out of his mouth, but he knew that you would believe me."
"Yeah, Belle, I know. I mean, I thought he had betrayed me at first, but deep down I know that Brady couldn't do that to me. Hurting one of your friends is like hurting you too. Brady loves you too much to hurt you."
"Chloe, Brady cares about you too. It's not just for my sake."
"Okay, Belle. I believe you. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"
"Okay. Good night Chloe, get some rest."
"Thanks, Good night Belle."
Belle hung up the phone and took a glance at the framed pictures on her bedside table. All much happier times then - her, Shawn and Mimi at last year's dance...Phillip, Chloe, Shawn and her hanging out at Dot.Com. Then there was one of her favorites, a picture of her and Mimi at 9 years old. Mimi is smiling at the camera with one arm wrapped around Belle, and Belle is looking off to the side and laughing at something silly that Shawn was doing out of the picture. Belle had always loved that picture, but now she was afraid they would never have times like that again. They would never be as innocent as they were on that day, and now she would just have to hang on to her memories.
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