Chapter Two
"I've got hos…in different area codes, area codes." Chloe sang along to Ludacris on the way to the airport, knowing Brady was trying not to laugh at her opera version of the rap song.
"Chloe…can I ask you something?" Brady looked at her from the driver's side of the jeep.
"I know what you're gonna say. No, I'm not really the abominable ho man, and I don't think we should read our whore-ascopes or get some whore-derves. Also, I don't keep my condoms in a big ass sack. I was just singing along to the song." Chloe smiled, glad to have cleared that up.
Brady laughed. "I don't believe you. BUT, that's not what I was going to say."
"Brady, you must not know me very well if you can mistake me for a black man that easily."
"Chloe. I could never mistake you for a man." Brady stared at her, watching her turn red. "Anyway. Be serious. Let me ask the question."
"Go ahead."
"Are you going to take Philip back?" Brady nervously ran his hands along the steering wheel. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to that one.
"Brady…I really don't know. Why do you ask anyway?"
"Well, I was just gonna say bye to you if you decided to date him again."
"Brady?! You wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore if I took Philip back?"
"That's not it, Chloe. I'm just saying that you know how Philip gets. There is no way we will be able to hang out anymore if you are with him. He'll probably try to kill me." Brady rolled his eyes. "Not that I couldn't take his pansy ass easily," he added.
"Pansy ass?" Chloe giggled. "He is kinda wimpy compared to you, isn't he?"
"Hell yes!" Brady told her proudly. "He's built like Christina fucking Aguilera!"
Once Chloe stopped laughing from the picture in her head of Philip's head on Christina's body, she noticed that they were sitting in the parking lot. "Oh! We're here. And we're late. Let's go!"
They got out of the car and ran through the double doors, just in time to see Shawn and Belle walk off the airplane, both dressed in Hawaiian print shirts and khaki shorts.
"TINK!" Brady cried out to his sister, wrapping her in a hug. After he put her down, he turned to Shawn. "If I find out she's pregnant, I swear I'll rip off your fucking-"
"WOAH THERE BUDDY!" Shawn yelled out. "There's no need to rip anything off. Belle is not pregnant. At least, not by me."
"Shawn!" Belle smacked him on the arm. Brady rolled his eyes and turned back to Chloe, who had a distant look on her face. He braced himself and turned around. Yup, it was HIM she was staring at. Philip.
"Chloe. I missed you so much."
"Philip." Chloe looked into his eyes. 'I thought I was supposted to know what to do when I saw him, dammit! Thanks a lot Nancy.'
Philip ran to Chloe and put his lips on hers, smiling as she returned the kiss. 'I knew she still wanted me,' he thought to himself. 'Zippity do dah zippity day my oh my what a wonderful day!'
Chloe opened her eyes and saw Brady watching her over Philip's shoulder. 'He looks sad. I have to tell him that our friendship isn't going to end just because I'm taking Philip back.'
'DAMMIT! I should have known.' Brady turned around and started walking to the baggage claim section of the airport. "Come on Belle, Shawn, get your stuff and let's go."
Belle noticed the looks Brady was giving Chloe and Philip, but decided not to comment on it. 'He'll tell me when he's ready. Maybe I shouldn't have encouraged Philip as much as I did.'
Shawn and Belle grabbed their stuff off the revolving belt and turned as Brady yelled out to Chloe. "You coming?"
"Baby, come with me!" Philip pleaded. "I've got a limo, with a big backseat." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Um…actually I think I'll just go with Brady. I left my um, coat in his car. Plus, I want to talk to Belle." Chloe ran off to join the three walking out the door.
'Coat? In August? Something fishy is going on here.' Philip wracked his brain trying to figure out what Chloe could be hiding. After ten seconds he gave up, figuring, 'I never used my brain before, why start now?'
******
"Brady, wait!" Chloe ran to catch up with him.
Brady tried not to let his anger and hurt control him. He clenched his teeth, knowing that his jaw was twitching from his temper. He turned to look at her and the confused look in her eyes made everything melt away.
"We'll still be friends, I promise. I'll make sure Philip doesn't get jealous of us. And if he does, we can just be friends behind his back, he'll never figure it out, he's too dumb!" Chloe talked fast, trying to get Brady to forgive her for whatever she had done.
Brady laughed. He could never stay mad at her for long, no matter how hurt he might be. "Pinky swear?"
"Yes!" Chloe grabbed his pinky and shook it, pleased that she didn't lose him. "No matter how much I love Philip, you and I will always be buddies."
Brady groaned. 'Why the fuck did she have to go and say that?'
"Buddies. Woo hoo." Brady gave a small smile.
"Yup! We are like brother and sister, Brady!" Chloe beamed at him.
'Ouch.' Brady winced in pain. 'That was even worse than the last one. Now I feel guilty and…incestuous.'
"But you think I'm too cute to be your brother, right?" Brady was hoping to repair his ego at least a little bit.
"Yeah, definitely true. You are way too hot to be my brother." Chloe blushed, thinking she had gone to far with the last statement, but Brady only grinned and opened the door of the jeep, the smile leaving his face when he saw Belle and Shawn already in the backseat making out.
"Enough! Stop! I'm here, and I don't want to be blinded by this nasty ass PDA!" Brady was stunned when they didn't even seem to hear him. "SHAWN! Which body appendage do you want to lose first?!"
That got Shawn's attention. Jerking his head up, he looked at Brady meekly. "Preferably a finger or something."
"It's gonna hurt a lot worse than a finger," Brady mumbled to himself, knowing Shawn heard him when he saw his face turn white. "Naw, man. You're a good guy. Just don't do this shit in front of me and I'll pretend it doesn't happen at all."
"Brady!!"
"Yeah, Belle. I'm too overprotective, I know. But I can't help it." Brady looked up and saw Chloe trying not to laugh at the display in front of her. Belle and Shawn's clothes all rumpled, guilty looks on their faces, Brady smiling at them.
"You think that's funny, huh?"
"Yeah, Brady, I do." Chloe let the laughter out and soon they were all laughing together. Then Philip walked up.
Brady felt the feelings of hurt and betrayal wash over him again. 'Why did she have to do that to me? There I was, falling in love with her, and she has to love my uncle instead.'
"Chloe, I just wanted one last kiss. And to beg you to come home with me." Philip leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "Please?"
"Fine. Brady, I'm gonna go with-" Brady was already in the car, looking at her with a sadness in his eyes. He watched her wave, nodded back, and turned on the engine, driving out of the parking lot.
"I've got hos…in different area codes, area codes." Chloe sang along to Ludacris on the way to the airport, knowing Brady was trying not to laugh at her opera version of the rap song.
"Chloe…can I ask you something?" Brady looked at her from the driver's side of the jeep.
"I know what you're gonna say. No, I'm not really the abominable ho man, and I don't think we should read our whore-ascopes or get some whore-derves. Also, I don't keep my condoms in a big ass sack. I was just singing along to the song." Chloe smiled, glad to have cleared that up.
Brady laughed. "I don't believe you. BUT, that's not what I was going to say."
"Brady, you must not know me very well if you can mistake me for a black man that easily."
"Chloe. I could never mistake you for a man." Brady stared at her, watching her turn red. "Anyway. Be serious. Let me ask the question."
"Go ahead."
"Are you going to take Philip back?" Brady nervously ran his hands along the steering wheel. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to that one.
"Brady…I really don't know. Why do you ask anyway?"
"Well, I was just gonna say bye to you if you decided to date him again."
"Brady?! You wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore if I took Philip back?"
"That's not it, Chloe. I'm just saying that you know how Philip gets. There is no way we will be able to hang out anymore if you are with him. He'll probably try to kill me." Brady rolled his eyes. "Not that I couldn't take his pansy ass easily," he added.
"Pansy ass?" Chloe giggled. "He is kinda wimpy compared to you, isn't he?"
"Hell yes!" Brady told her proudly. "He's built like Christina fucking Aguilera!"
Once Chloe stopped laughing from the picture in her head of Philip's head on Christina's body, she noticed that they were sitting in the parking lot. "Oh! We're here. And we're late. Let's go!"
They got out of the car and ran through the double doors, just in time to see Shawn and Belle walk off the airplane, both dressed in Hawaiian print shirts and khaki shorts.
"TINK!" Brady cried out to his sister, wrapping her in a hug. After he put her down, he turned to Shawn. "If I find out she's pregnant, I swear I'll rip off your fucking-"
"WOAH THERE BUDDY!" Shawn yelled out. "There's no need to rip anything off. Belle is not pregnant. At least, not by me."
"Shawn!" Belle smacked him on the arm. Brady rolled his eyes and turned back to Chloe, who had a distant look on her face. He braced himself and turned around. Yup, it was HIM she was staring at. Philip.
"Chloe. I missed you so much."
"Philip." Chloe looked into his eyes. 'I thought I was supposted to know what to do when I saw him, dammit! Thanks a lot Nancy.'
Philip ran to Chloe and put his lips on hers, smiling as she returned the kiss. 'I knew she still wanted me,' he thought to himself. 'Zippity do dah zippity day my oh my what a wonderful day!'
Chloe opened her eyes and saw Brady watching her over Philip's shoulder. 'He looks sad. I have to tell him that our friendship isn't going to end just because I'm taking Philip back.'
'DAMMIT! I should have known.' Brady turned around and started walking to the baggage claim section of the airport. "Come on Belle, Shawn, get your stuff and let's go."
Belle noticed the looks Brady was giving Chloe and Philip, but decided not to comment on it. 'He'll tell me when he's ready. Maybe I shouldn't have encouraged Philip as much as I did.'
Shawn and Belle grabbed their stuff off the revolving belt and turned as Brady yelled out to Chloe. "You coming?"
"Baby, come with me!" Philip pleaded. "I've got a limo, with a big backseat." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Um…actually I think I'll just go with Brady. I left my um, coat in his car. Plus, I want to talk to Belle." Chloe ran off to join the three walking out the door.
'Coat? In August? Something fishy is going on here.' Philip wracked his brain trying to figure out what Chloe could be hiding. After ten seconds he gave up, figuring, 'I never used my brain before, why start now?'
******
"Brady, wait!" Chloe ran to catch up with him.
Brady tried not to let his anger and hurt control him. He clenched his teeth, knowing that his jaw was twitching from his temper. He turned to look at her and the confused look in her eyes made everything melt away.
"We'll still be friends, I promise. I'll make sure Philip doesn't get jealous of us. And if he does, we can just be friends behind his back, he'll never figure it out, he's too dumb!" Chloe talked fast, trying to get Brady to forgive her for whatever she had done.
Brady laughed. He could never stay mad at her for long, no matter how hurt he might be. "Pinky swear?"
"Yes!" Chloe grabbed his pinky and shook it, pleased that she didn't lose him. "No matter how much I love Philip, you and I will always be buddies."
Brady groaned. 'Why the fuck did she have to go and say that?'
"Buddies. Woo hoo." Brady gave a small smile.
"Yup! We are like brother and sister, Brady!" Chloe beamed at him.
'Ouch.' Brady winced in pain. 'That was even worse than the last one. Now I feel guilty and…incestuous.'
"But you think I'm too cute to be your brother, right?" Brady was hoping to repair his ego at least a little bit.
"Yeah, definitely true. You are way too hot to be my brother." Chloe blushed, thinking she had gone to far with the last statement, but Brady only grinned and opened the door of the jeep, the smile leaving his face when he saw Belle and Shawn already in the backseat making out.
"Enough! Stop! I'm here, and I don't want to be blinded by this nasty ass PDA!" Brady was stunned when they didn't even seem to hear him. "SHAWN! Which body appendage do you want to lose first?!"
That got Shawn's attention. Jerking his head up, he looked at Brady meekly. "Preferably a finger or something."
"It's gonna hurt a lot worse than a finger," Brady mumbled to himself, knowing Shawn heard him when he saw his face turn white. "Naw, man. You're a good guy. Just don't do this shit in front of me and I'll pretend it doesn't happen at all."
"Brady!!"
"Yeah, Belle. I'm too overprotective, I know. But I can't help it." Brady looked up and saw Chloe trying not to laugh at the display in front of her. Belle and Shawn's clothes all rumpled, guilty looks on their faces, Brady smiling at them.
"You think that's funny, huh?"
"Yeah, Brady, I do." Chloe let the laughter out and soon they were all laughing together. Then Philip walked up.
Brady felt the feelings of hurt and betrayal wash over him again. 'Why did she have to do that to me? There I was, falling in love with her, and she has to love my uncle instead.'
"Chloe, I just wanted one last kiss. And to beg you to come home with me." Philip leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "Please?"
"Fine. Brady, I'm gonna go with-" Brady was already in the car, looking at her with a sadness in his eyes. He watched her wave, nodded back, and turned on the engine, driving out of the parking lot.
