"A
Single Yellow Rose" – Chapter Twelve
"You still alive over there?" Chloe asked after
several minutes went by without a sound from the six foot plus frame belonging
to Brady Black.
"Yeah, I'm still here."
"You got started early on the
celebrating didn't you?"
"Yeah, well Heather blew me off
tonight," Brady said, his eyes still closed as his head lolled back and forth
against the back edge of the swing, "and I don't mean that in a good way."
Chloe felt herself blush at Brady's
words and she was glad for the shadows of the porch. She had never really known
how to take Belle's brother from the moment they first met. He was only older
than her by three years but sometimes their age differences made him seem light
years away. He had flirted like crazy with her on the construction site this
past summer while they were working on Mimi's house, especially during those
weeks when she was upset with Shawn and Philip about that bet. He had even
called her late one night, just after Philip's party when they all had gotten
stranded out at the Horton cabin, asking her if she was sure Philip was the one
she wanted. When she assured him he was, Brady had hung up on her without
saying another word. But every time she saw him after that he seemed to make a
conscious effort to treated her like just another friend of his sister's.
"So," Chloe said, again breaking the
silence that surrounded them, "who is this Heather?"
"A girl I use to know in high
school. We sort of hooked up again when we ran into each other on campus of
Salem U a few months ago. She's smart and fun and she has the most beautiful
long red hair..."
"So what's wrong with her?" she
asked after his voice trailed off to nothing.
Brady slowly opened his eyes and
turned to face Chloe. "She's not you."
Shocked, Chloe could only stare at
Brady until she realized her jaw was hanging open in surprise at the words he'd
spoken. Snapping her mouth shut she quickly looked away from Brady's powerful
stare.
"Why did you leave Chloe? I mean,
you just up and disappeared and boy, did that turn this town upside down."
Brady straightened and turned to face her. "What scared you off? Was it Philip?
Did the boy wonder get a little too familiar with you?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Come on Chloe, you've got to be the
most innocent girl I've met, at least since junior high. I bet you never even
kissed a guy before you starting hanging out with Philip. Did he push things
too far?"
"I think you are asking questions
about something that is none of your business."
"Look, I'm not into
voyeurism…getting a girl isn't a problem for me so don't think I'm asking about
your sex life because I'm hard up. I'm asking because I've been watching you
the last couple of weeks…what little I've seen of you…and you've been acting
really strange. I've tried to figure out why and the only word I could come up
with was fear."
"I think you've had too much to
drink Brady."
"You're probably right but so am I…about this
anyway. Something is going on with you Chloe…you're scared of something."
"And you think that's Philip's fault?"
"Before he met you he always had a
pretty active social life if you know what I mean. Suddenly he finds himself
involved with someone who's never…well, who's a-"
"What Brady? A virgin? Go ahead, you
can say the word without turning to stone."
"I'm just saying that Philip is used
to a being with someone who's as experienced as he is. In fact until he met you
I don't he's ever had a steady girlfriend. You know that old saying…so many
girls, so little time…"
"So what would he want with little
ol' me…is that what you're saying? That I'm not woman enough to hold on to
him?"
Brady raked his fingers through his
hair and lifted the cup to his lips before he realized it was empty and tossed
it aside. "That's not what I'm saying, damn it! I just meant that you and
Philip are at opposite ends of the scale of sexual experiences and I just want
to make sure he didn't try something stupid with you."
Angry at his words, Chloe pushed
herself off of the swing and stood facing him. "Well, that's very considerate
of you Brady. But maybe it's more than that. Maybe you just want to know if
Philip is getting something that you're not!"
A calm fury settled over Brady's
features as he reined in that famous Black temper he inherited from his father.
"What did you just say?"
"Well, let me put your mind at ease.
Philip isn't getting anything from me and he probably never will. You see I've
already been had Brady, maybe not in the physical sense but I'm damaged goods."
Chloe cried, hot, stinging tears gathering in her eyes before spilling down her
cheeks. "I have no idea what it feels like to want to be with someone
because…because all I ever feel is pain and humiliation!"
Shocked at her own words, Chloe spun
around and walked over to the railing. Wrapping her arms tightly across her
chest, she tried desperately to control the shaking that raked her body.
"Chloe, I had no idea…" Brady said,
as he slowly walked up behind her.
"Well, now you do so I hope I've put
your mind at ease about my sex life."
Reaching out Brady placed his hands
on her shoulders. "Chloe, please…I never meant to hurt you."
"Don't touch me!" Chloe twisted away
from his hands. "Don't you see? I didn't run because of anything Philip did. I
ran because of me and now thanks to you…I now know what Philip is missing out
on by being with me."
"I didn't mean…I don't want you to
feel that way."
"Well, you have no control over my
feelings…I have no control over my feelings."
"Philip knows about what happen…what
you've been through."
Unable to face him, Chloe kept her
back to him and only nodded her head.
"I guess I owe him more credit that
I thought."
Chloe whirled around at Brady's
words. "Why? Because he says he still wants to be with me?"
"Any guy would want to be with you
Chloe," Brady said advancing on her until he was towering over her. "You are
beautiful and smart and talented…and I have wanted you from the first moment I
saw you."
Brady grabbed her arms and dragged
her up against him, his mouth settling hard against hers. Placing her hands
against his chest, Chloe turned her face away. "Brady…no!"
"Chloe.." he whispered, his breath
flowed over her face, carrying with it the foul stench of beer.
"Let me go!" she cried, pushing
against him.
Without warning, she was suddenly
released from Brady's grasp so fast that she stumbled back into the swing.
Regaining her balance, she pressed her fingers against her bruised lips as she
watched Philip grab Brady by his shoulder, spinning him around, and then his
fist smashed into Brady's jaw sending him flying across the porch.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" Philip growled
as he advanced on Brady who has landed on his knees and stayed there. "How dare
you put your hands on her.."
"Philip stop!" Chloe screamed.
But Philip reared back as Brady
started to rise, his own hands now balled into fists, and landed another blow
to his face that sent Brady flat on his back. Philip stood over him and grabbed
the front of his shirt. "Come on, get up and fight!"
Chloe ran over to Philip, seizing
his arm. "No Philip, stop! Please! He's had enough!"
Philip looked up at Chloe, his hair
hanging low over his eyes but she could she could still see the rage there.
"I'm okay Philip, please don't."
Philip released the front of Brady's
shirt and backed away, taking Chloe with him as Brady pulled himself up against
the wall of the house.
"I'm sorry Chloe…I don't know what
came over me."
"Get the hell out of here Black,"
Philip said.
"I'm so sorry Chloe," Brady took a
faltering step toward her, "please forgive…"
Chloe couldn't stop herself from
taking a step back and Philip wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I think you
better go Brady."
Unable to look at him, Chloe closed
her eyes and buried her face into Philip's chest not seeing the pain of regret
registering on Brady's face. He only nodded silently as he walked away.
Turning, Philip pulled Chloe fully into his embrace, gently rubbing his hands
up and down her back as he felt her fight for control.
"Are you okay?"
Chloe nodded mutely against his
chest.
"What the hell happened here?"
Chloe lifted her face, brushing back
the tears. "He showed up a few seconds after you left. We were talking and it
turned into argument and then he tried to kiss me…he's drunk Philip."
"That's no excuse Chloe!"
"He was asking me why I ran away and
he said he thought it was because of-"
"Me," Philip interrupted her, "he
thought I did something to make you leave."
Chloe nodded, as she stepped out of
Philip arms and sat back down on the swing. "But I told him that it wasn't you.
I told him that it because of me but he kept talking about all the other girls
you been with and how innocent I was…ha! What a laugh huh? Me…innocent."
"Chloe you are innocent," Philip
said.
"No, I'm not," Chloe said, shaking
her head. "Naïve maybe…naïve enough to think that I could be normal…that I
could have what other girls have. Brady made me realize that it's not going to
happen for me and it's not fair to you."
"Fair to me? What are you talking
about?"
"Philip, I'm just not ready for a
relationship with you and all that goes along with that. I have so much to work through and you're
use to being with a girl who wants-"
Dropping to his knees in front of
her, Philip reached for Chloe clenched hands and held them tight in his own. "A
girl who wants me because of my family's money, or the big fancy house or the
fact I'm the starting quarterback on the football team…but not you. You wanted
to be with me because of me and I want to be with you for the same reason."
"I don't know how much I can give
you."
"So don't give…take. I promised you
I would stay with you through all of this and that is what I am going to do.
Chloe, you are my best friend and I am not walking away from you. If all you
want is to hold hands then I can accept that and when you are ready to take the
next step I'll be there. I promise you…I will be there."
Reaching out Chloe gently brushed
back his golden hair off his forehead. "No matter how hard I push…you aren't
going anywhere are you?"
"If I ever thought that being with
you was hurting you I would walk away," Philip said, bending down to place a
light kiss on her hands, "but until that day comes I'm staying right here."
*****
"So the battle begins."
Jason stared down at Jan and he could tell she was
well on her way to another drunken stupor. "What do you want Jan?"
"Hey, I just here to have good time
and celebrate our victory tonight. The Panthers are my football team too, you
know."
"Yeah because you've slept with most
of them," he muttered under his breath as he turned away.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me Jan."
She had heard him and she had to
admit it was pretty much the truth. She could count on one hand those she had
yet to nail with Philip and Nick being at the top of the list. Philip was so
far gone over Ghoul Girl it wasn't even funny and Nick had been dating fellow
senior Rita Austen since they were freshmen and they both already had been
accepted at NYU for the next fall. But other than those two and a few even she
wouldn't lower her standards for, Jason was right on target.
She had hoped to use his feelings for her to get
this plan into action but it was obvious from the way he kept watching Lockhart
out there she would have to move onto plan B knowing if there was anything she
could count on it was Jason's hot temper.
"Well, well, well...it looks like
'Mimi The Loser' is earning herself a new nickname."
"Back off Jan, I'm warning you."
"It's a free country Jason, I can
say anything I want. She certainly is showing us all a new side of her isn't
she?"
Jason refused to comment but he
heard a few of the girls standing next to Jan agree with her.
"I mean, look at her! Who knew she
could bump and grind like that? I bet Steve is just dying to find out she is as
good at those moves horizontally as she is vertically."
"I wouldn't mind finding out that
myself," came a deep voice from behind Jason.
"Shut up Pullman," Jason said,
looking back at his team mate.
"Hey man, someone told me you laid a
righteous kiss on her tonight and here you are standing on the sidelines."
"Yeah," another member of the team
said joining them, "looks like you walked away and opened up the door for
someone else there buddy."
"Back off," Jason said, the muscles
along his jaw tightening, "I'm warning you."
"You know what they say," Jan
smiled, "you've got to watch out for those quiet ones. Gee, I wonder she
learned moves like that? Do you think they come naturally to her or has she had
some private instruction that none of us know about?"
"That's it Jan," Jason said, turning
around he pushed at her with his arm since his hands were full with the two
cups of beer, "let's go."
"Go where?" Jan said, stepping away
from him.
"You and I have a little talking to
do…now." Jason pressed his arm against her shoulders and pushed her through the
crowd and while Jan made a feeble attempt at protesting she allowed him to lead
her away from the dance floor.
Mimi had turned away the moment she
saw that witch come up and start talking to Jason, unable to stand the sight of
the two of them together. 'You're so stupid,' she berated herself, 'you thought
you were doing the right thing with Jason and that damn jacket. And after one
drink you suddenly get a case of the braves and think you can actually get him
to dance with you with a few shakes of your hips.'
Pushing off Steve's hand before it even got close to
touching her, she headed off the dance floor, stopping short when she saw Jason
leading Jan away, his arm circled around her shoulders.
"Here you go Meems," Belle said,
walking up and handing Mimi her cup, "one bash special."
Grabbing it, Mimi started gulping
down the drink, blocking the sight of Jan and Jason walking away with the rim
of the cup.
"Whoa, slow down there." Shawn said,
joining them.
"Shut up Shawn."
"Hey, what's the matter with…are you
crying?"
"I can't believe how stupid I was."
Mimi said, turning away. "She crooks her little finger and he goes running. She
was right all along."
"Mimi what are you talking about?" Belle
asked, looking at Shawn who only shrugged his shoulders. "Who was right?"
"Jan! I'm talking about Jan…she told
me that her and Jason were still together even though they might not be
boyfriend and girlfriend. She even said they had a private celebration planned
for tonight. Well, it looks like they are going off to enjoy themselves."
"Jason's with Jan? Where?"
"Right behind you and if you think
I'm sticking around to watch you are sadly mistaken."
Belle and Shawn watched as Mimi
disappeared into the crowd. They turned around and saw Jason and Jan
disappearing in the other direction. "What in the hell is going on?"
"I don't know Shawn but I have to go
after her." Belle said.
"Belle, wait a minute-" Shawn
protested but seconds later she too had disappeared into the sea of teenagers.
"Why is everyone picking tonight to turn into Houdini?"
*****
Jason lead Jan away from the dance
floor knowing he had to hash things out with her once and for all before he
could even think about starting something with Mimi. He took a sip of beer from
the closest cup.
"Hey Jase, come here a second."
Looking over Jason saw more of his
team mates, mostly seniors, standing nearby. "Not now guys."
"We're talking about next week's
game…if we get in. Who do you think we have a better chance of beating…Central
or Merrimack?"
Suddenly Jason found himself and Jan
in the middle of a discussion about the upcoming game. He appreciated the fact
that the guys seemed to value his opinions about game strategy and what plays
were the offensive line's strongest.
Jan slowly back away, looking around
for her friends when they suddenly appeared behind her.
"Okay, you guys know what to do?" she asked in a
hushed whisper and was answered with quick nods. "Give me about ten minutes and
then make sure you get her."
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
"It has so far so just shut up and get going."
"Hey, this isn't going to take both
of us…I've got my eye on her cute little blond friend."
"Whatever…just make sure one of you
gets to Mimi. Now disappear."
Stepping back into the group Jan
started flirting with a couple of the players reminding Jason what his original
intentions were. "Come on Jan…let's go."
"So long fellows…Jason and I are
going off to have a little….talk," she said, adding a quick wink in their
direction.
Jason's temper burned as the meaning
behind her words and the laughter it produced from his team mates. He lead her
away from the crowd but it seemed so matter where he turned they were always
surround by people.
"Damn! Isn't there anywhere where we
can talk without you putting on a show?"
"Well, we could always go inside the
house to a nice, quiet bed-"
"Forget it," Jason said. "Look, down
by the lake over there…let's go."
"If you say so." Jan said, heading
straight for the gazebo.
A few minutes later, she walked up
the few steps to the middle of the raised, wooden platform, digging her hands
into the front pockets of her jeans. "Well, we are here…what was so important
that you needed to talk to me about?"
"I want to talk about us." Jason
said.
"There is no 'us' remember…you made
that clear the morning you walked in on me and-"
"Yeah, I remember but you seem to
keep forgetting. I am sick and tired of turning around and finding you sticking
your nose in my business."
"Are we talking about your crush on
the dear, sweet Mimi?"
Jason advanced on Jan. "That's just
what I mean! How I feel about Mimi or any other girl is none of your business!
You were the one who decided she wanted to go looking for another boyfriend and
it only took you a matter of hours to find one."
"And you were the one who suddenly
jumped on the Chloe bandwagon…'she's not so bad' you said…please!"
"She not," Jason swung his arms wide
trying to make him point and in the process the contents of his cups splashed
over the rims. "You would know that if you just tried to get to know
her...she's a nice girl!"
"Give me those things before you
drown both of us." Jan said, grabbing the cups out of his hands. "Chloe is a
witch, plain and simple and nothing you are going to say is going to convince
me of anything different!"
"Jesus…why do I even try." Jason
said, turning around and walked to the other side of the gazebo, bracing his
hands against the railing.
Jan quickly turned away and sat the
cups on the railing, crushing the plastic pellet in her hands and dropping the
white power into the cups. Giving them a quick stir with her fingers, she
picked them back up and turned back to Jason.
"What do you want me to do?" she
asked, walking over to where Jason stood, his back still turned away from her.
"Stand here and listen to you list off all the good, wonderful things about the
future Mrs. Kiriakis?"
Jason turned to face her and reached
out for his beer. Lord knows, he needed a drink right about now. "That would
just too much for you now wouldn't it Jan?"
Jan smiled as Jason tipped one of
the cups to his lips, quickly draining it. "It's not worth my time Jason."
"But messing with me is? Fine, you
want to hang out with crack heads and sleep with every fraternity guy at Salem
University that's fine with me but stay out of my life."
The sudden blinking of his eyes was
her first clue that the fast acting drug was working. She watched as Jason gave
a quick shake of his head to clear it. 'Oh no sweetie,' she thought, 'it's
going to take more than that to clear this up.'
"God, it's warm out here." Jason
said, unsnapping his jacket.
"I think it's a little chilly
myself. Maybe it's your heated temper…why don't you take off your jacket if you
are so hot."
"Don't tell me what to do," Jason
said slowly, unable to resist removing his jacket as it seemed to be getting
warmer by the minute. Dropping the empty cup to the floor, he slipped off his
jacket and reached out to hang it over the railing, stumbling over his own
feet.
"What's wrong with me? It usually
takes more a few beers to get me this way."
"Maybe you're in love."
Jason pushed his hair off his
forehead, unable to believe how dizzy he suddenly felt. "Shut up Jan."
"Maybe you just need to sit down,
come on" she said, reaching for his arm.
"I can sit down by myself," Jason
said, pulling his arm free as he staggered to the steps of the gazebo and
leaned against the tall support column and tried to focus on the lake.
Suddenly, he felt his legs give out on him and he slid to the floor, the
contents of his other cup spilling onto the grass. Pulling his shirt from the
waist band of his jeans, he held it out from his chest, desperate to get the
cool air next to his skin.
"Take your shirt off if you need
to," Jan said, sitting down in front of him, positioning herself in between his
spread legs, realizing she was facing the house and the party. "It won't be the
first time I've seen your chest."
The muscles in his arms felt like
lead but he had to cool off or he was afraid he would pass out. It took all his
strength to pull his shirt over his head but the night air felt blessedly cold
on his skin.
"Are you okay?"
"No," Jason said, as he struggled to
keep his eyes open unable to stop his head from nodding back and forwards.
"What's the matter with me?"
"Do you want me to go get someone?"
"Someone?" Jason slurred, trying to
focus on the voice in front of him.
"Do you want me to get Mimi?"
"Mimi," Jason smiled and Jan had to
stop herself from smacking it right off his face. "Mimi, Mimi, Mimi…is that
you?" Jason closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the column.
"Ah…I'm sorry…I'm sorry for the way I acted. I don't know what's wrong with
me…do you know what's wrong with me?"
Jan reached up and began unbuttoning
her shirt, her own smile wide across her face. "Everything is going to be just
fine Jason…just fine."
To
be continued…