Chapter 6
Shawn and Belle sat on one side of their favorite booth at dot.com. Chloe sat on the other side idly sipping her beverage and listening to Shawn & Belle ramble on about this TV show they had watched about UFO's and conspiracies.
"I'm telling you, Shawn. There is NO way that alien autopsy thing was real. You could practically see the seams on the plastic."
Shawn shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Belle, Belle, Belle... why do you refuse to believe? Alien autopsy video aside, there's so much other evidence that proves the existence of life on other planets."
Belle groaned in frustration. "Hey. I'm not saying that aliens DON'T exist. I just don't think they've visited earth."
Their argument was interrupted by Brady. He seemed to arrive out of thin air and stood at the end of their booth.
"Well... if it isn't my favorite Salem High School students. What is going on with the three musketeers tonight?"
Chloe rolled her eyes and pointed at Shawn & Belle. "Oh not much, just listening to Mulder & Scully over here debating the cosmos and our place in them. Fascinating stuff..."
Brady chuckled, then sat down on the empty spot next to Chloe. Belle raised one eyebrow and looked at her brother.
"So... what brings *you* here? Date fizzle out early?"
"Uhhh... not exactly. Michelle's looking at CDs. She'll be over here in a minute."
Chloe scooted slightly away from him and gave him a look that was a mix of surprise and disgust. "Oh geez. That's so romantic, Brady. You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet. Take her to look at CD's at the place you go to nearly every single day. I can't believe you've stayed single as long as you have with moves like that."
Belle and Shawn laughed uncontrollably, while Brady picked up Chloe's cup and began investigating it. He looked inside, sniffed it and wiped the rim. "Uhm... Chloe, did somebody put something in your drink here? A cranky pill, perhaps?"
Chloe groaned and snatched her cup out of Brady's hand. "Noooo... I'm fine."
Brady played along with her. "Right... cause you sound just fine."
Shawn and Belle looked at Chloe with a bit of shock over her sudden attitude change. A moment later, a pretty blonde girl walked towards their table. Brady stood up and put one arm around her waist.
"Well, you've met my sister and Shawn Brady..."
Belle and Shawn both waved and smiled, "Hi Michelle..."
"And, Michelle this is my friend..."
Michelle finished his sentence for him. "Chloe... Nice to finally meet you." She leaned forward and shook Chloe's hand firmly.
Chloe shook back and then looked a bit perplexed. "So, how did you know it was me?"
"Oh, Brady talks about you all the time. I mean, ALL the time."
Chloe grinned slyly. "Well, don't believe a word of it. It's probably not true." She gave Michelle a wink and sat back further in the booth to get a good look at her. She couldn't have been more opposite from Chloe in looks or stature. Chloe was tall, dark haired and had a curvier figure. Michelle was petite, waif-thin and had a short wavy blonde bob. Like night and day... she thought to herself.
Michelle shook her head fervently, "Oh, no. It's all good. I feel like I know you already... before I even met you."
Chloe nodded and smiled. "Well... that's a relief. And, Brady has said some wonderful things about you too. Nice to finally put a face to the name." Chloe was, of course, lying through her teeth. Brady had rarely, if ever, mentioned anything about Michelle to her. I wonder why that is. He talks about me to her, but I don't know anything about her. She thought.
There was an awkward silence, while Michelle looked at her watch. "Uhm... so. It was nice seeing you all. I'd love to stay and talk, but I have to get home. I just wanted to stop by and grab a CD for my sister."
Brady nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I better get you home then. Catcha ya later musketeers." Brady grinned and escorted Michelle out of dot.com.
There was a pause until Shawn started grinning at Chloe. He waved his hand as if in a motion to beckon someone across the room. "Excuse me! Waiter! I'd like a heaping helping of 'awkward' please."
Belle chuckled and continued. "Yes, and a side of 'just plain weird' to go please."
Shawn looked at Chloe and raised his eyebrows curiously. "So... what the heck was that all about?"
Chloe shrugged him off. "You got me. I tried to be nice... I was nice to her, it's not her fault I have issues. But, I was kind of a shrew to Brady. I'm sorry for that, but, it's just... tough to see him out there dating, having fun... without me."
Belle sighed. "Well... now you kinda know how he must have felt when he had to watch you be cozy with Phillip all the time."
Chloe groaned and put one hand on her forehead. "Ahhhh... This sucks. I'm sure she's a nice person, and I don't think it would be very fair of me to try and steal Brady away from her or something devious like that."
Shawn nodded in agreement. "No, we'll leave the devious scheming to experts like Jan. You just have to wait for the right time. It will come eventually."
Chloe sighed and looked downward. "I know... and I told myself I'd wait forever if I had to..."
Belle continued, "But the timing always sucks for you two."
"Right... but I can't let it get me down. Wallowing around like this is just ridiculous."
Belle nodded. "And it's bad for your complexion. Wallowing equals tiny lines and wrinkles."
Chloe laughed out loud. "Thanks Belle... I appreciate the beauty tips."
Belle shrugged and laughed. "Hey... It's one of my few talents. Beauty tips in even your darkest hour."
The three friends had a good laugh, and Shawn stood from his seat. "Hey... you two ready to go home? I promised my mom I'd have her car back by 12. So, by the time I drag you two home... I'll just be able to make it."
The two girls stood up and nodded in agreement. Chloe paused before heading out and decided that she would just have to play things cool for a while. She had to wait until she knew that Brady was ready to hear what she had to say.
***
Shawn and Belle sat on one side of their favorite booth at dot.com. Chloe sat on the other side idly sipping her beverage and listening to Shawn & Belle ramble on about this TV show they had watched about UFO's and conspiracies.
"I'm telling you, Shawn. There is NO way that alien autopsy thing was real. You could practically see the seams on the plastic."
Shawn shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Belle, Belle, Belle... why do you refuse to believe? Alien autopsy video aside, there's so much other evidence that proves the existence of life on other planets."
Belle groaned in frustration. "Hey. I'm not saying that aliens DON'T exist. I just don't think they've visited earth."
Their argument was interrupted by Brady. He seemed to arrive out of thin air and stood at the end of their booth.
"Well... if it isn't my favorite Salem High School students. What is going on with the three musketeers tonight?"
Chloe rolled her eyes and pointed at Shawn & Belle. "Oh not much, just listening to Mulder & Scully over here debating the cosmos and our place in them. Fascinating stuff..."
Brady chuckled, then sat down on the empty spot next to Chloe. Belle raised one eyebrow and looked at her brother.
"So... what brings *you* here? Date fizzle out early?"
"Uhhh... not exactly. Michelle's looking at CDs. She'll be over here in a minute."
Chloe scooted slightly away from him and gave him a look that was a mix of surprise and disgust. "Oh geez. That's so romantic, Brady. You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet. Take her to look at CD's at the place you go to nearly every single day. I can't believe you've stayed single as long as you have with moves like that."
Belle and Shawn laughed uncontrollably, while Brady picked up Chloe's cup and began investigating it. He looked inside, sniffed it and wiped the rim. "Uhm... Chloe, did somebody put something in your drink here? A cranky pill, perhaps?"
Chloe groaned and snatched her cup out of Brady's hand. "Noooo... I'm fine."
Brady played along with her. "Right... cause you sound just fine."
Shawn and Belle looked at Chloe with a bit of shock over her sudden attitude change. A moment later, a pretty blonde girl walked towards their table. Brady stood up and put one arm around her waist.
"Well, you've met my sister and Shawn Brady..."
Belle and Shawn both waved and smiled, "Hi Michelle..."
"And, Michelle this is my friend..."
Michelle finished his sentence for him. "Chloe... Nice to finally meet you." She leaned forward and shook Chloe's hand firmly.
Chloe shook back and then looked a bit perplexed. "So, how did you know it was me?"
"Oh, Brady talks about you all the time. I mean, ALL the time."
Chloe grinned slyly. "Well, don't believe a word of it. It's probably not true." She gave Michelle a wink and sat back further in the booth to get a good look at her. She couldn't have been more opposite from Chloe in looks or stature. Chloe was tall, dark haired and had a curvier figure. Michelle was petite, waif-thin and had a short wavy blonde bob. Like night and day... she thought to herself.
Michelle shook her head fervently, "Oh, no. It's all good. I feel like I know you already... before I even met you."
Chloe nodded and smiled. "Well... that's a relief. And, Brady has said some wonderful things about you too. Nice to finally put a face to the name." Chloe was, of course, lying through her teeth. Brady had rarely, if ever, mentioned anything about Michelle to her. I wonder why that is. He talks about me to her, but I don't know anything about her. She thought.
There was an awkward silence, while Michelle looked at her watch. "Uhm... so. It was nice seeing you all. I'd love to stay and talk, but I have to get home. I just wanted to stop by and grab a CD for my sister."
Brady nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I better get you home then. Catcha ya later musketeers." Brady grinned and escorted Michelle out of dot.com.
There was a pause until Shawn started grinning at Chloe. He waved his hand as if in a motion to beckon someone across the room. "Excuse me! Waiter! I'd like a heaping helping of 'awkward' please."
Belle chuckled and continued. "Yes, and a side of 'just plain weird' to go please."
Shawn looked at Chloe and raised his eyebrows curiously. "So... what the heck was that all about?"
Chloe shrugged him off. "You got me. I tried to be nice... I was nice to her, it's not her fault I have issues. But, I was kind of a shrew to Brady. I'm sorry for that, but, it's just... tough to see him out there dating, having fun... without me."
Belle sighed. "Well... now you kinda know how he must have felt when he had to watch you be cozy with Phillip all the time."
Chloe groaned and put one hand on her forehead. "Ahhhh... This sucks. I'm sure she's a nice person, and I don't think it would be very fair of me to try and steal Brady away from her or something devious like that."
Shawn nodded in agreement. "No, we'll leave the devious scheming to experts like Jan. You just have to wait for the right time. It will come eventually."
Chloe sighed and looked downward. "I know... and I told myself I'd wait forever if I had to..."
Belle continued, "But the timing always sucks for you two."
"Right... but I can't let it get me down. Wallowing around like this is just ridiculous."
Belle nodded. "And it's bad for your complexion. Wallowing equals tiny lines and wrinkles."
Chloe laughed out loud. "Thanks Belle... I appreciate the beauty tips."
Belle shrugged and laughed. "Hey... It's one of my few talents. Beauty tips in even your darkest hour."
The three friends had a good laugh, and Shawn stood from his seat. "Hey... you two ready to go home? I promised my mom I'd have her car back by 12. So, by the time I drag you two home... I'll just be able to make it."
The two girls stood up and nodded in agreement. Chloe paused before heading out and decided that she would just have to play things cool for a while. She had to wait until she knew that Brady was ready to hear what she had to say.
***