Chapter 8
Chloe slept late into the morning. Usually being quite the morning person, Craig found it rather suspicious that she was not yet up at eleven. Chloe found that sleeping was a waste of time, yet she had never slept in this late in all her life! When she finally did wake up, it was eleven thirty. Chloe sat up groggily and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Craig waited until Chloe was dressed and actually awake before he pounced on her with his questions.
Around noon, Chloe came down the stairs. Her hair was once again back in that same low ponytail, but with an added bounce from the curls she had had the night before.
"Good morning pumpkin." Craig said as she sat across from him at the kitchen table. "Sleep well?"
"Yes daddy. As a matter of fact I did." She said, looking at him suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Craig replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you ready for some lunch?"
"Lunch? What about breakfast?"
"Well you slept through that."
"I did?" Chloe looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "I did!"
"Told you so pumpkin." Craig said, then left the table and made himself comfortable on the couch.
Chloe looked around the kitchen and sighed. It wasn't a bad sigh, like 'oh no I slept in' but a good sigh like 'Brady Black is amazing'.
"You know what dad? I think I'm gonna step outside for a bit ok?"
"Sure pumpkin. Just don't be out until dawn this time huh?"
"What? You know about that?" Chloe froze in mid-step as she was reaching for the doorknob.
"Nope. But I guess I do now." He smiled and started laughing from his seat on the couch.
"That was sneaky!"
"I know, I know…" Craig wiped a tear from his eye. "Well, run along then. I am capable of making lunch myself."
Chloe nodded her head slowly and opened the door about halfway when her stomach rumbled. 'Darn…' she thought to herself. She closed the door and knelt on the ground in the kitchen, rifling through the cupboards for something to fill her stomach. She spied a box of crackers in the back corner of the cupboard. She stuck her head in to see better and pulled the box out with her hand. As she was removing her head from the cupboard she hit the back of it on the cupboard's doorframe.
"Ouch!" She called out, rubbing the back of her head. She stood up and placed the crackers on the counter.
She felt a sort of wetness on her face by her nose. Chloe raised her hand to it and pulled her fingers back. Each was dotted with a puddle of scarlet blood. She had a nosebleed.
"Daddy!" She said running into the living room.
"Oh, Chloe! What happened? Did you hit your nose on something?"
"No! I hit the back of my head!" She cried, still confused as to why her nose was bleeding when it was the back of her head that was in pain.
Craig handed her a tissue and led her to the couch. The semi-amused expression on his face turned to a frown.
"Oh no…Chloe…" He said slowly, locking eyes with his daughter.
Chloe nodded her head solemnly. "I know Daddy."
***
Monday, everyone was back at school. Phillip and his crew were hanging out in front of the school when who should walk up but Brady and the school's Plain Jane hand in hand.
Phillip stood up from where he sat on a picnic table. Mimi and Belle turned their heads to see what he was looking at. A sharp gasp omitted from Mimi's lips. Then she turned on Belle.
"Humph! You said wait for him to come to me? Looks like I waited too long huh Belle?"
Belle narrowed her eyes. Then all of a sudden the evil flare was gone.
"Maybe you need to shop at By-Way." She said, keeping her eyes on Chloe. Jason laughter rang out from behind them.
"Or in the dark." Mimi added, smiling.
Chloe stopped and turned to face the girls. "I'm sorry Mimi, but judging by your outfit, you already do shop in the dark."
Then she turned to Brady and whispered something in his ear, disappearing into the school and leaving Brady at the mercy of his friends.
"Brady, Brady, Brady…" Phillip said, walking towards him, clicking his tongue and pasting a half-smile on his face.
"Brady, why her? She's distorting your vision! There are much prettier girls going for you." Mimi said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Nah, Meems, Chloe was looking pretty hot in that play if you ask me." Jason said, propping himself down on the picnic table beside her.
"I double that." Phillip said nodding his head. "But you can still do better. Look at her! She's a servant to god. Her looking like what she looked like last night was a once in a lifetime thing."
"I don't care." Brady said casually, standing his ground.
Mimi huffed loudly from her seat. "Besides, Brady, you said you were my boyfriend!"
"I didn't say anything." Brady replied, looking down at Mimi. "You just assumed it."
"Well you never said you weren't!" She whined, standing up to face him.
"That would just be stating the obvious."
And with that, he turned, and he too, headed inside the school.
Mimi, Belle, Phillip and Jason all stared after him in shock.
"Wow, he's got it bad." Jason said casually. "Looks like you struck out Meems."
"Shutup!" Mimi hissed, plunking herself back down.
Belle's eyes lit up suddenly. "Oh my god, you know what Meems?" She said, turning and giving her friend a wide-eyed look. "My mom took lots of pictures of the play…" She said slowly, hoping that Mimi would catch on.
"So?"
Belle sighed. "Look, she took lots of pictures of Chloe…"
"Ok Belle….That's great." Mimi said, looking at her and shaking her head. Then the idea started to dawn on her. "Oh?…Oh!" Mimi cried, jumping up from her seat. "Oh! Oh! Oh!"
Belle stood up too and shook her head vigorously. Then they both disappeared into the school as well.
"I often wonder what goes on in their heads."
"Well, there's no time like the present to find out."
Phillip and Jason followed the two giggly girls into the building.
***
Mimi and Belle sat at a desk in the art room, looking through the pictures that Belle's mom had taken.
"See, I brought these so that I could rub it in your face that Brady doesn't like you…" She said slowly, holding up pictures of Chloe and Brady in the final scene. "But now, I have much better usage." She laughed wickedly and started to cut out a close up shot of Chloe.
Mimi giggled as she searched through the X-rated magazine she had found under her younger brother's bed. "Miss. Chloe it's time to start watching your back! No snappy comebacks are gonna save you now."
Chloe slept late into the morning. Usually being quite the morning person, Craig found it rather suspicious that she was not yet up at eleven. Chloe found that sleeping was a waste of time, yet she had never slept in this late in all her life! When she finally did wake up, it was eleven thirty. Chloe sat up groggily and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Craig waited until Chloe was dressed and actually awake before he pounced on her with his questions.
Around noon, Chloe came down the stairs. Her hair was once again back in that same low ponytail, but with an added bounce from the curls she had had the night before.
"Good morning pumpkin." Craig said as she sat across from him at the kitchen table. "Sleep well?"
"Yes daddy. As a matter of fact I did." She said, looking at him suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Craig replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you ready for some lunch?"
"Lunch? What about breakfast?"
"Well you slept through that."
"I did?" Chloe looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "I did!"
"Told you so pumpkin." Craig said, then left the table and made himself comfortable on the couch.
Chloe looked around the kitchen and sighed. It wasn't a bad sigh, like 'oh no I slept in' but a good sigh like 'Brady Black is amazing'.
"You know what dad? I think I'm gonna step outside for a bit ok?"
"Sure pumpkin. Just don't be out until dawn this time huh?"
"What? You know about that?" Chloe froze in mid-step as she was reaching for the doorknob.
"Nope. But I guess I do now." He smiled and started laughing from his seat on the couch.
"That was sneaky!"
"I know, I know…" Craig wiped a tear from his eye. "Well, run along then. I am capable of making lunch myself."
Chloe nodded her head slowly and opened the door about halfway when her stomach rumbled. 'Darn…' she thought to herself. She closed the door and knelt on the ground in the kitchen, rifling through the cupboards for something to fill her stomach. She spied a box of crackers in the back corner of the cupboard. She stuck her head in to see better and pulled the box out with her hand. As she was removing her head from the cupboard she hit the back of it on the cupboard's doorframe.
"Ouch!" She called out, rubbing the back of her head. She stood up and placed the crackers on the counter.
She felt a sort of wetness on her face by her nose. Chloe raised her hand to it and pulled her fingers back. Each was dotted with a puddle of scarlet blood. She had a nosebleed.
"Daddy!" She said running into the living room.
"Oh, Chloe! What happened? Did you hit your nose on something?"
"No! I hit the back of my head!" She cried, still confused as to why her nose was bleeding when it was the back of her head that was in pain.
Craig handed her a tissue and led her to the couch. The semi-amused expression on his face turned to a frown.
"Oh no…Chloe…" He said slowly, locking eyes with his daughter.
Chloe nodded her head solemnly. "I know Daddy."
***
Monday, everyone was back at school. Phillip and his crew were hanging out in front of the school when who should walk up but Brady and the school's Plain Jane hand in hand.
Phillip stood up from where he sat on a picnic table. Mimi and Belle turned their heads to see what he was looking at. A sharp gasp omitted from Mimi's lips. Then she turned on Belle.
"Humph! You said wait for him to come to me? Looks like I waited too long huh Belle?"
Belle narrowed her eyes. Then all of a sudden the evil flare was gone.
"Maybe you need to shop at By-Way." She said, keeping her eyes on Chloe. Jason laughter rang out from behind them.
"Or in the dark." Mimi added, smiling.
Chloe stopped and turned to face the girls. "I'm sorry Mimi, but judging by your outfit, you already do shop in the dark."
Then she turned to Brady and whispered something in his ear, disappearing into the school and leaving Brady at the mercy of his friends.
"Brady, Brady, Brady…" Phillip said, walking towards him, clicking his tongue and pasting a half-smile on his face.
"Brady, why her? She's distorting your vision! There are much prettier girls going for you." Mimi said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Nah, Meems, Chloe was looking pretty hot in that play if you ask me." Jason said, propping himself down on the picnic table beside her.
"I double that." Phillip said nodding his head. "But you can still do better. Look at her! She's a servant to god. Her looking like what she looked like last night was a once in a lifetime thing."
"I don't care." Brady said casually, standing his ground.
Mimi huffed loudly from her seat. "Besides, Brady, you said you were my boyfriend!"
"I didn't say anything." Brady replied, looking down at Mimi. "You just assumed it."
"Well you never said you weren't!" She whined, standing up to face him.
"That would just be stating the obvious."
And with that, he turned, and he too, headed inside the school.
Mimi, Belle, Phillip and Jason all stared after him in shock.
"Wow, he's got it bad." Jason said casually. "Looks like you struck out Meems."
"Shutup!" Mimi hissed, plunking herself back down.
Belle's eyes lit up suddenly. "Oh my god, you know what Meems?" She said, turning and giving her friend a wide-eyed look. "My mom took lots of pictures of the play…" She said slowly, hoping that Mimi would catch on.
"So?"
Belle sighed. "Look, she took lots of pictures of Chloe…"
"Ok Belle….That's great." Mimi said, looking at her and shaking her head. Then the idea started to dawn on her. "Oh?…Oh!" Mimi cried, jumping up from her seat. "Oh! Oh! Oh!"
Belle stood up too and shook her head vigorously. Then they both disappeared into the school as well.
"I often wonder what goes on in their heads."
"Well, there's no time like the present to find out."
Phillip and Jason followed the two giggly girls into the building.
***
Mimi and Belle sat at a desk in the art room, looking through the pictures that Belle's mom had taken.
"See, I brought these so that I could rub it in your face that Brady doesn't like you…" She said slowly, holding up pictures of Chloe and Brady in the final scene. "But now, I have much better usage." She laughed wickedly and started to cut out a close up shot of Chloe.
Mimi giggled as she searched through the X-rated magazine she had found under her younger brother's bed. "Miss. Chloe it's time to start watching your back! No snappy comebacks are gonna save you now."