It was Belle. Of course.
"Chloe?"
"Hi, Belle."
"Oh good. So Brady got you home alright?"
"No, Belle. Actually, I got home in several pieces. My left leg is in the kitchen, and my left ear is still outside on the porch."
"Not funny!" Belle laughed anyway.
"Oh, thank your brother for me. He was really sweet and really helpful."
"You are saying that Brady is sweet? That's a first."
"Well he was."
"Oh, yeah! Chloe, Jan regained consciousness, just in case you wanted to know. Philip seemed to be in a daze right after you left, but when me and Shawn told him that you were safe with Brady he got back to reality. ...Unfortunately, he got back to reality angry, and started cursing my brother."
Oh, that's new, Chloe thought. Of course Philip would react like that. He always does.
"Oh, thank god," Chloe said, not thinking.
"What? Thank god for Philip cursing my brother?"
Chloe thought about that.
"Well...yeah, kind of," she answered. "I don't mean that Brady deserves to be cursed, not all the time, at least. I was ... just ... kind of ... thinking of, maybe..."
"What, Chloe?" Belle demanded curiously. "What were you thinking of?"
"Dumping Philip. That's what I was thinking of doing."
"Chloe, Philip doesn't want to break up just because of the stupid Operagirl.net prank that Jan pulled."
"Ha, so it was Jan!"
"Philip really cares about you. He understands that you didn't plan that whole thing, and that no one would want to just put themselves on display like that. He doesn't have any problems with you."
"But he has problems with Brady."
Belle was always ready to talk, but what Chloe'd said stopped her in her tracks.
"Ye-ah," Belle let out slowly.
"And he has problems with every guy that I spend time around. I don't care if he doesn't have a problem with me; I have a problem with him."
"Chloe, that's a pretty dramatic turn-around I just heard. What exactly did my brother say to make you think about all this?"
"What makes you think that your brother made me think of it?"
"Because right before you two were announced as the king and queen of the Last Blast, you were acting all gaga over Philip. And when you were...exposed, on that big screen, he didn't want to break up with you; he just wanted to know why you chose that way to get money. And I know that you didn't do it, Chloe, so don't get mad. But anyway, the only people that you've been with since then are Brady and your mom and Dr. Wesley, maybe. And I know that those last two don't influence you too much."
"You must be a shrink's daughter."
"What does that mean?"
"Oh...I don't know. It just came to mind."
"So, what did my brother say to you?"
Chloe thought about Brady and the things that he'd said to her.
**FLASHBACK**
"He's going to eventually fathom what happened earlier and dump you."
"No he wouldn't. He loves me."
"Oh, please. Philip loves gourmet pizza that his cook makes. But if it were out there for everyone to eat publicly, when he couldn't even have it privately, he's drop it like a flaming bag of crap."
**END OF FLASHBACK**
"Well..." Chloe began, before remembering something else that Brady had said to her, but in the afternoon before the dance.
**FLASHBACK**
"At least I don't try to clip your wings, Chloe."
**END OF FLASHBACK**
Chloe got it. It all fit into place like a cooperative jigsaw puzzle. She'd been thinking earlier that Philip wanted what the rest of the world could not have, just in general, and she'd wondered what was so bad about that. Now she realized what Philip wanted to hide away from the world, even if he wanted it unconsciously. Philip wanted to make her the gourmet pizza. He didn't want any guys paying any attention to her; he wanted to have her all to himself.
"Oh my god," she said, not even realizing that she said it.
"What?" Chloe'd forgotten that Belle was on the other line.
"Philip wants me to be his pizza!"
Belle hesitated, hoping that her friend would explain what she'd just said.
"When we were outside, Brady said that when Philip actually realized what happened, he'd dump me, and then I said that he wouldn't because he loves me, and then he said something about gourmet pizza that his cook makes. Brady said that Philip loved the pizza, but if it was served publicly for everyone to have a slice, then he wouldn't want it. I didn't realize exactly what that meant until a minute ago. Earlier this afternoon, he said that Philip was trying to clip my wings, and now I know what he meant. It makes perfect sense. Philip wants me to be the pizza, so he can be the only one to eat it. He wouldn't want me if I was out in the open, in the public, and that's why he gets jealous of every other guy that I'm around."
"O-kay..."
"I'm going to break up with Philip!" Chloe sounded ecstatic.
"Gee, Chloe, you seem kind of...really really happy about this," Belle commented.
"Well, I am. I'm going to be free of the suffocating green-eyed monster."
"Oh, Chloe, Brady's home! Gotta chat with him. I want to know exactly what he said about that gourmet pizza, and see if we can order some."
"Belle, thank Brady for me!" Chloe exclaimed before hearing the click.
"Brady!"
Brady turned to his little sister, limped over to the couch and sat down. He'd heard the end of her phone conversation, including the gourmet pizza part.
"Hello Belle. I told Chloe that Philip loved his cook's gourmet pizza, but if it was available to everyone publicly when he couldn't just have it privately, then he'd drop it like a flaming bag of crap."
"Brady!" Belle was surprised.
"Sorry. I remember the flaming bag of crap part perfectly, though; she called me on it. Miss diva can't handle a little language from Mr. tempermental."
"I think she forgot about your flaming bag of crap phrase, Brady, because she said that you were very sweet and helpful." Belle explained matter-of-factly.
"Really?" Brady replied. "Not as sweet and helpful as King Philip, though, right?"
"Um, actually..." Belle began to illustrate. Should I give him the details of my friend's love life? Belle thought. After all, he did kind of influence her choice. "Actually, Chloe decided that she's going to break up with Philip."
Brady's eyes grew wider, and his jaw dropped a bit.
"I was surprised, too," Belle said, noticing her brother's reaction. "And it was even weirder than just that, Brady. Get this: she was totally giddy. I mean, she seemed completely elated when she said she was going to break up with him. I'm kind of sad for Philip, but I've never seen, or heard, Chloe like this before."
"Like what, exactly?" Brady asked for clarification.
"So happy, Brady. I've never heard her be so happy. And I still cannot get my mind off that particularly strange fact that she's so happy because she's breaking up with someone."
Brady yawned.
"Belle, did Chloe leave any more messages for me? I'd like to get some sleep soon."
"Oh yeah. She says thank you." Brady smirked and remembered her kiss.
"Really? That's all? No smart aleck remarks?" he said.
"Well, when I asked if you got her home alright, she did say no, that she came home in several pieces." Brady laughed.
"Like, her leg was on the porch and her ear was in the kitchen, or something?"
Brady laughed again. Your leg always could be on the porch, he thought, because my lips are still with you.
"Chloe?"
"Hi, Belle."
"Oh good. So Brady got you home alright?"
"No, Belle. Actually, I got home in several pieces. My left leg is in the kitchen, and my left ear is still outside on the porch."
"Not funny!" Belle laughed anyway.
"Oh, thank your brother for me. He was really sweet and really helpful."
"You are saying that Brady is sweet? That's a first."
"Well he was."
"Oh, yeah! Chloe, Jan regained consciousness, just in case you wanted to know. Philip seemed to be in a daze right after you left, but when me and Shawn told him that you were safe with Brady he got back to reality. ...Unfortunately, he got back to reality angry, and started cursing my brother."
Oh, that's new, Chloe thought. Of course Philip would react like that. He always does.
"Oh, thank god," Chloe said, not thinking.
"What? Thank god for Philip cursing my brother?"
Chloe thought about that.
"Well...yeah, kind of," she answered. "I don't mean that Brady deserves to be cursed, not all the time, at least. I was ... just ... kind of ... thinking of, maybe..."
"What, Chloe?" Belle demanded curiously. "What were you thinking of?"
"Dumping Philip. That's what I was thinking of doing."
"Chloe, Philip doesn't want to break up just because of the stupid Operagirl.net prank that Jan pulled."
"Ha, so it was Jan!"
"Philip really cares about you. He understands that you didn't plan that whole thing, and that no one would want to just put themselves on display like that. He doesn't have any problems with you."
"But he has problems with Brady."
Belle was always ready to talk, but what Chloe'd said stopped her in her tracks.
"Ye-ah," Belle let out slowly.
"And he has problems with every guy that I spend time around. I don't care if he doesn't have a problem with me; I have a problem with him."
"Chloe, that's a pretty dramatic turn-around I just heard. What exactly did my brother say to make you think about all this?"
"What makes you think that your brother made me think of it?"
"Because right before you two were announced as the king and queen of the Last Blast, you were acting all gaga over Philip. And when you were...exposed, on that big screen, he didn't want to break up with you; he just wanted to know why you chose that way to get money. And I know that you didn't do it, Chloe, so don't get mad. But anyway, the only people that you've been with since then are Brady and your mom and Dr. Wesley, maybe. And I know that those last two don't influence you too much."
"You must be a shrink's daughter."
"What does that mean?"
"Oh...I don't know. It just came to mind."
"So, what did my brother say to you?"
Chloe thought about Brady and the things that he'd said to her.
**FLASHBACK**
"He's going to eventually fathom what happened earlier and dump you."
"No he wouldn't. He loves me."
"Oh, please. Philip loves gourmet pizza that his cook makes. But if it were out there for everyone to eat publicly, when he couldn't even have it privately, he's drop it like a flaming bag of crap."
**END OF FLASHBACK**
"Well..." Chloe began, before remembering something else that Brady had said to her, but in the afternoon before the dance.
**FLASHBACK**
"At least I don't try to clip your wings, Chloe."
**END OF FLASHBACK**
Chloe got it. It all fit into place like a cooperative jigsaw puzzle. She'd been thinking earlier that Philip wanted what the rest of the world could not have, just in general, and she'd wondered what was so bad about that. Now she realized what Philip wanted to hide away from the world, even if he wanted it unconsciously. Philip wanted to make her the gourmet pizza. He didn't want any guys paying any attention to her; he wanted to have her all to himself.
"Oh my god," she said, not even realizing that she said it.
"What?" Chloe'd forgotten that Belle was on the other line.
"Philip wants me to be his pizza!"
Belle hesitated, hoping that her friend would explain what she'd just said.
"When we were outside, Brady said that when Philip actually realized what happened, he'd dump me, and then I said that he wouldn't because he loves me, and then he said something about gourmet pizza that his cook makes. Brady said that Philip loved the pizza, but if it was served publicly for everyone to have a slice, then he wouldn't want it. I didn't realize exactly what that meant until a minute ago. Earlier this afternoon, he said that Philip was trying to clip my wings, and now I know what he meant. It makes perfect sense. Philip wants me to be the pizza, so he can be the only one to eat it. He wouldn't want me if I was out in the open, in the public, and that's why he gets jealous of every other guy that I'm around."
"O-kay..."
"I'm going to break up with Philip!" Chloe sounded ecstatic.
"Gee, Chloe, you seem kind of...really really happy about this," Belle commented.
"Well, I am. I'm going to be free of the suffocating green-eyed monster."
"Oh, Chloe, Brady's home! Gotta chat with him. I want to know exactly what he said about that gourmet pizza, and see if we can order some."
"Belle, thank Brady for me!" Chloe exclaimed before hearing the click.
"Brady!"
Brady turned to his little sister, limped over to the couch and sat down. He'd heard the end of her phone conversation, including the gourmet pizza part.
"Hello Belle. I told Chloe that Philip loved his cook's gourmet pizza, but if it was available to everyone publicly when he couldn't just have it privately, then he'd drop it like a flaming bag of crap."
"Brady!" Belle was surprised.
"Sorry. I remember the flaming bag of crap part perfectly, though; she called me on it. Miss diva can't handle a little language from Mr. tempermental."
"I think she forgot about your flaming bag of crap phrase, Brady, because she said that you were very sweet and helpful." Belle explained matter-of-factly.
"Really?" Brady replied. "Not as sweet and helpful as King Philip, though, right?"
"Um, actually..." Belle began to illustrate. Should I give him the details of my friend's love life? Belle thought. After all, he did kind of influence her choice. "Actually, Chloe decided that she's going to break up with Philip."
Brady's eyes grew wider, and his jaw dropped a bit.
"I was surprised, too," Belle said, noticing her brother's reaction. "And it was even weirder than just that, Brady. Get this: she was totally giddy. I mean, she seemed completely elated when she said she was going to break up with him. I'm kind of sad for Philip, but I've never seen, or heard, Chloe like this before."
"Like what, exactly?" Brady asked for clarification.
"So happy, Brady. I've never heard her be so happy. And I still cannot get my mind off that particularly strange fact that she's so happy because she's breaking up with someone."
Brady yawned.
"Belle, did Chloe leave any more messages for me? I'd like to get some sleep soon."
"Oh yeah. She says thank you." Brady smirked and remembered her kiss.
"Really? That's all? No smart aleck remarks?" he said.
"Well, when I asked if you got her home alright, she did say no, that she came home in several pieces." Brady laughed.
"Like, her leg was on the porch and her ear was in the kitchen, or something?"
Brady laughed again. Your leg always could be on the porch, he thought, because my lips are still with you.