Call Me Sarah
Chapter Two
"Having a good time, Chloe?"
"Yes, Phillip." {for the thousandth time tonight.} Chloe thought as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
She and Phillip were slow dancing on Salem High's crowded dance floor. Phillip tightened his arm around her waist and stroked her silky long hair. Chloe suddenly and inexplicably felt a strong desire to break out of his grasp.
{Chloe, don't be silly.} She chided herself.
Phillip looked at her with his questioning blue eyes. "It's just, you seem a bit.distant tonight. Like your mind is millions of miles away."
Chloe flashed a bright smile to reassure him. "I'm fine. It's just, you know, me and dances." She looked around the gym where she and Phillip seemed to be the center of attention and the focus of every conversation. "I feel like I'm on display." She explained seriously.
Phillip grinned widely and pulled her closer to him. "Let them stare, baby. They're just jealous of what we have."
{And what DO we have, Phillip?} Chloe questioned silently. Suddenly her gaze was drawn to a corner of the gym where Brady was dancing with Nicole. She smiled as she noticed the smoothness of his movements. He had certainly come a long way. Barely six months ago he was confined to a wheelchair, paralyzed by an accidental shooting. Six months of painful, intensive physical therapy and he was now walking, and dancing, without even a cane for support. Chloe felt a twinge of pride at all he had accomplished. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and he had earned it.
So why was she so angry with him? The longer she watched the two of them dance, the angrier she got. Could it be, she was jealous? {That's absurd!} she laughed inwardly. {Besides, everyone knows Nicole is involved with Brady's grandfather, Victor. But does she HAVE to dance so close to Brady?!}
She turned her eyes from the revolting display and focused her attention on her neglected boyfriend. {Stop thinking about that infuriating Brady Black. Phillip is the one you love.} she told herself firmly. She smiled deeply at Phillip and laid her head on his shoulder as they danced the night away.
"You know, I would have done better tonight with a department store mannequin."
Brady shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Nicole. "I'm sorry, what?"
"My point exactly." She commented dryly. She placed her hands on her leather-clad hips. "Could you BE more inattentive? I mean, I can count on one hand the number of words you've said to me all evening."
Brady grimaced. She was right. He had been a horrible date. "I'm sorry Nicole. I've had my mind on other things."
"Really? I hadn't noticed." She stated wryly. "Let me guess. Chloe Lane?" She questioned with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
His head snapped up at that name. "What are you talking about?"
"I may be young, Brady, but I wasn't born yesterday. Your eyes have been glued to her from the moment we arrived."
Brady shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just concerned, that's all. I'm afraid something's going to happen to her tonight. She hasn't had a lot of luck with high school dances." He explained casually.
Nicole's expression told him that she wasn't buying it. "Uh huh. And you care because."
"I care because she's a good friend of my little sister. And that's it." He told her firmly.
"If you say so." Nicole shrugged. "Listen, I'm feeling strangely generous tonight, so I'll give you some free advice. If you want her, go after her. Make a move. Do something. 'Cause the kindergarten tactics you've been employing so far aren't going to cut it with a girl like her."
"Kindergarten tactics?" he raised his eyebrows in question.
"Yeah, fighting with her, calling her names? What are you, five? I'm surprised you haven't pushed her down or pulled her pigtails."
Brady brushed aside Nicole's disturbingly accurate observations. There was no way he was interested in Chloe. She's just a kid. "This conversation is over. I'm going to get a drink. Want anything?" he asked coolly.
"They don't serve alcohol at these things, do they?"
"No, they don't."
"Pity. I'd love a beer right now. Just get me some punch."
Brady walked over to the refreshments table, Nicole's words echoing in his mind. {Why do you care, Brady?} he asked himself. It wasn't like him. He'd lived a sad, lonely life, much of it at boarding school away from his family. Those years had made him tough, independent, bitter. Caring about others just wasn't something he did.
There were, of course a few exceptions. His father. Belle. And now Chloe Lane. {I must be getting soft. Even Marlena's starting to grow on me.} He shook his head in bemused wonder at the changes that seemed to be taking place inside of him. He still didn't know why he cared about Chloe; he only knew that he couldn't let her be hurt.
So he had been on edge the entire evening, looking for any possible threat against Chloe. But nothing had happened and the evening was quickly drawing to a close. {Maybe I was wrong.} He thought as he watched Chloe and Phillip dance surrounded by admiring couples. Just as he was turning to head back to Nicole, a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention.
He saw Jan Spears and Mimi Lockhart fiddling with the slide projector in a secluded corner of the gym. Mimi looked up and cast a quick, almost suspicious glance around the room before going back to her business.
{Huh. That's interesting.} Brady thought as he watched the girls' behavior. {I wonder what they're doing. I doubt seriously that they belong to the A\V club and neither of them have ever been huge fans of Chloe's. In fact, if I remember correctly, that Jan girl was responsible for rigging the bucket of chicken blood to fall on Chloe at last year's dance.}
The girls finally sneaked away from the slide projector and Brady stealthily walked over to it. He had gotten halfway through the slides when the gym lights came on signaling the crowning portion of the dance. As Mr. Woods got everyone's attention, Brady quickly left the projector, not wanting to be caught near it. His stomach twisted in knots as he wondered what those two girls had in store for Chloe. {Nothing you can do now. Just be ready to help, somehow.}
Phillip and Chloe were again crowned King and Queen. As they danced together, a slide show played memorable scenes from that year. Friendly faces smiled and waved on the large screen. It was altogether innocent, and Brady began to relax.
He jumped though when a hand clasped down on his shoulder.
He smiled at the man next to him. "Hi, Dad."
"Hey, son." John Black greeted his son. He was also chaperoning along with Hope Brady. John studied his son's face and raised an eyebrow in concern. "What's wrong? You look like you're expecting a bomb to drop. Relax, it's just a dance."
"I'll relax when this is all over.. Oh My God." He exclaimed lowly as he stared dumbfounded at the screen. The music had stopped abruptly and a horrified silence filled the packed gymnasium. No one moved. No one talked. No one breathed. They were still trying to believe their stunned eyes.
Chloe and Phillip stopped dancing, aware that the music had stopped. "I wonder what's going on?" Chloe whispered to Phillip. She looked back at him in wonder when he didn't answer. Phillip stood stone still, eyes riveted to the projector screen, his lips compressed into a thin line.
Chloe looked up at the screen and froze in shock. There her nude body was displayed on a giant screen with a lurid caption underneath that read simply: www. operagirl.net. The picture had been taken while she was in the school shower and strategically placed soap bubbles covered up the vital parts of her anatomy, but the implication was still there. This pornographic website was making money off of nude pictures of her, pictures taken against her will, without her knowing. Her mind reeled in shock. Who would do such a thing to her?
Slowly the gym was beginning to come to life. Amused whispers and soft laughter floated around the room. But Chloe was aware of none of it. She stood, eyes frozen on the screen. She felt horribly violated, felt hundreds of eyes burning into her flesh. And she wondered why it all seemed so familiar. Whispered words and hidden memories flittered through her mind. {No!} she struggled to maintain a tenuous grip on her sanity.
Brady's heart went out to Chloe, for the pain so evident on her face, in her large blue eyes. {I should have stopped this.} Guilt tore at him for failing in his self-appointed task of protecting her.
"I certainly wouldn't have expected this from her." John stated thoughtfully.
"She didn't do it, Dad. She never would have."
John squeezed his son's shoulder. "I believe you, son. Let's just pray that others do to."
Chloe looked over at Phillip. Her rock, her support. He would find out who had done this to her and he would make them pay. She felt strengthened to see the fury written across his features, and began to feel just a little sorry for the culprits of this horrible crime. She ignored the growing chants of "ghoul girl" and tried to gain perspective on what had happened. It was just another stupid prank. That's all. She placed her hand on Phillip's arm to try to calm him down.
"Come on, Phillip, let's go. It doesn't mean anything." She said reassuringly. She was floored when he viciously shook her hand off. "Phillip?" she questioned.
"So this was the secret job you wouldn't tell me about. Selling your body on the Internet?!" he sneered harshly at her.
"Phillip, what?" Certainly, he didn't think that she had done this?
"I would have given you all the money you could ever want. I LOVED you Chloe! But this is how you repay me? You embarrass me by flaunting yourself like some two-dollar WHORE!"
The blood drained from Chloe's face and the room began to spin. She was in shock, his words cut her to her very core. She couldn't even defend herself, she could only stand and listen as he berated her with a verbal assault that left her breathless and feeling worthless. Finally, when he'd run out of horrid things to call her, he turned with a dismissive wave of his hand and walked away.
Leaving her alone. Alone in a sea of laughing, mocking people. They seemed to surround her as they pointed accusatory fingers at her, harsh laughter echoing in the gym. Rhythmic chants. Ghoul Girl. Ghoul Girl. Ghoul Girl.
Chloe desperately searched the crowd of hateful strangers for one friendly face. Where were her friends? Was there no one who cared? No one who would help her? Finally, her eyes found Belle and Shawn, shock written across their features. Shock and.doubt. Did they also believe that she was guilty? {No!} she turned away from them. They wouldn't help her, she could see it in their eyes.
Brady! Where was Brady? He'd help her. He always seemed to be there when she needed him. Where was he? Relief surged through her when she saw his vibrant blue eyes standing out in the crowd. She could see that he believed her. He would help her. He wouldn't leave her.
She was vaguely aware of Mr. Woods trying to bring order to the chaos in the gym. "Who's responsible for this?!" he yelled over the crowd as he pointed to the slide.
Silence.
"Come on, someone knows something. Who did this?" He yelled louder.
Brady saw a smug Jan and a frightened Mimi standing in a far corner. He stepped forward to reveal them and what he had seen.
"Brady did it!" Kevin yelled. "I saw him earlier, messing with the projector."
Brady tried to protest but the damage had been done. He could see the pain in Chloe's eyes.
"Brady," she whispered as silent tears slid out of her eyes. "You did this?" She felt a large hole open up beneath her in the floor. She couldn't believe it. Brady had done this to her. The one person she had counted on and he had betrayed her. She had no one left.
She looked around the gym and saw all the hateful, sneering faces, heard their mocking insults ringing in her ear. {I'm alone.} she realized with a defeated slump of her shoulders. {always alone. always alone.} She stared at the floor in front of her, eyes unfocused, unblinking. {it's too much.} the child inside her cried. {too much. I don't wanna play no more. can I go to sleep now?}
From deep inside her came another voice. Deeper, stronger. {Yes, Chloe. Go to sleep. I will take care of everything.} And so Chloe's consciousness faded into darkness unaware of the people who called her name.
Chapter Two
"Having a good time, Chloe?"
"Yes, Phillip." {for the thousandth time tonight.} Chloe thought as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
She and Phillip were slow dancing on Salem High's crowded dance floor. Phillip tightened his arm around her waist and stroked her silky long hair. Chloe suddenly and inexplicably felt a strong desire to break out of his grasp.
{Chloe, don't be silly.} She chided herself.
Phillip looked at her with his questioning blue eyes. "It's just, you seem a bit.distant tonight. Like your mind is millions of miles away."
Chloe flashed a bright smile to reassure him. "I'm fine. It's just, you know, me and dances." She looked around the gym where she and Phillip seemed to be the center of attention and the focus of every conversation. "I feel like I'm on display." She explained seriously.
Phillip grinned widely and pulled her closer to him. "Let them stare, baby. They're just jealous of what we have."
{And what DO we have, Phillip?} Chloe questioned silently. Suddenly her gaze was drawn to a corner of the gym where Brady was dancing with Nicole. She smiled as she noticed the smoothness of his movements. He had certainly come a long way. Barely six months ago he was confined to a wheelchair, paralyzed by an accidental shooting. Six months of painful, intensive physical therapy and he was now walking, and dancing, without even a cane for support. Chloe felt a twinge of pride at all he had accomplished. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and he had earned it.
So why was she so angry with him? The longer she watched the two of them dance, the angrier she got. Could it be, she was jealous? {That's absurd!} she laughed inwardly. {Besides, everyone knows Nicole is involved with Brady's grandfather, Victor. But does she HAVE to dance so close to Brady?!}
She turned her eyes from the revolting display and focused her attention on her neglected boyfriend. {Stop thinking about that infuriating Brady Black. Phillip is the one you love.} she told herself firmly. She smiled deeply at Phillip and laid her head on his shoulder as they danced the night away.
"You know, I would have done better tonight with a department store mannequin."
Brady shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Nicole. "I'm sorry, what?"
"My point exactly." She commented dryly. She placed her hands on her leather-clad hips. "Could you BE more inattentive? I mean, I can count on one hand the number of words you've said to me all evening."
Brady grimaced. She was right. He had been a horrible date. "I'm sorry Nicole. I've had my mind on other things."
"Really? I hadn't noticed." She stated wryly. "Let me guess. Chloe Lane?" She questioned with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
His head snapped up at that name. "What are you talking about?"
"I may be young, Brady, but I wasn't born yesterday. Your eyes have been glued to her from the moment we arrived."
Brady shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just concerned, that's all. I'm afraid something's going to happen to her tonight. She hasn't had a lot of luck with high school dances." He explained casually.
Nicole's expression told him that she wasn't buying it. "Uh huh. And you care because."
"I care because she's a good friend of my little sister. And that's it." He told her firmly.
"If you say so." Nicole shrugged. "Listen, I'm feeling strangely generous tonight, so I'll give you some free advice. If you want her, go after her. Make a move. Do something. 'Cause the kindergarten tactics you've been employing so far aren't going to cut it with a girl like her."
"Kindergarten tactics?" he raised his eyebrows in question.
"Yeah, fighting with her, calling her names? What are you, five? I'm surprised you haven't pushed her down or pulled her pigtails."
Brady brushed aside Nicole's disturbingly accurate observations. There was no way he was interested in Chloe. She's just a kid. "This conversation is over. I'm going to get a drink. Want anything?" he asked coolly.
"They don't serve alcohol at these things, do they?"
"No, they don't."
"Pity. I'd love a beer right now. Just get me some punch."
Brady walked over to the refreshments table, Nicole's words echoing in his mind. {Why do you care, Brady?} he asked himself. It wasn't like him. He'd lived a sad, lonely life, much of it at boarding school away from his family. Those years had made him tough, independent, bitter. Caring about others just wasn't something he did.
There were, of course a few exceptions. His father. Belle. And now Chloe Lane. {I must be getting soft. Even Marlena's starting to grow on me.} He shook his head in bemused wonder at the changes that seemed to be taking place inside of him. He still didn't know why he cared about Chloe; he only knew that he couldn't let her be hurt.
So he had been on edge the entire evening, looking for any possible threat against Chloe. But nothing had happened and the evening was quickly drawing to a close. {Maybe I was wrong.} He thought as he watched Chloe and Phillip dance surrounded by admiring couples. Just as he was turning to head back to Nicole, a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention.
He saw Jan Spears and Mimi Lockhart fiddling with the slide projector in a secluded corner of the gym. Mimi looked up and cast a quick, almost suspicious glance around the room before going back to her business.
{Huh. That's interesting.} Brady thought as he watched the girls' behavior. {I wonder what they're doing. I doubt seriously that they belong to the A\V club and neither of them have ever been huge fans of Chloe's. In fact, if I remember correctly, that Jan girl was responsible for rigging the bucket of chicken blood to fall on Chloe at last year's dance.}
The girls finally sneaked away from the slide projector and Brady stealthily walked over to it. He had gotten halfway through the slides when the gym lights came on signaling the crowning portion of the dance. As Mr. Woods got everyone's attention, Brady quickly left the projector, not wanting to be caught near it. His stomach twisted in knots as he wondered what those two girls had in store for Chloe. {Nothing you can do now. Just be ready to help, somehow.}
Phillip and Chloe were again crowned King and Queen. As they danced together, a slide show played memorable scenes from that year. Friendly faces smiled and waved on the large screen. It was altogether innocent, and Brady began to relax.
He jumped though when a hand clasped down on his shoulder.
He smiled at the man next to him. "Hi, Dad."
"Hey, son." John Black greeted his son. He was also chaperoning along with Hope Brady. John studied his son's face and raised an eyebrow in concern. "What's wrong? You look like you're expecting a bomb to drop. Relax, it's just a dance."
"I'll relax when this is all over.. Oh My God." He exclaimed lowly as he stared dumbfounded at the screen. The music had stopped abruptly and a horrified silence filled the packed gymnasium. No one moved. No one talked. No one breathed. They were still trying to believe their stunned eyes.
Chloe and Phillip stopped dancing, aware that the music had stopped. "I wonder what's going on?" Chloe whispered to Phillip. She looked back at him in wonder when he didn't answer. Phillip stood stone still, eyes riveted to the projector screen, his lips compressed into a thin line.
Chloe looked up at the screen and froze in shock. There her nude body was displayed on a giant screen with a lurid caption underneath that read simply: www. operagirl.net. The picture had been taken while she was in the school shower and strategically placed soap bubbles covered up the vital parts of her anatomy, but the implication was still there. This pornographic website was making money off of nude pictures of her, pictures taken against her will, without her knowing. Her mind reeled in shock. Who would do such a thing to her?
Slowly the gym was beginning to come to life. Amused whispers and soft laughter floated around the room. But Chloe was aware of none of it. She stood, eyes frozen on the screen. She felt horribly violated, felt hundreds of eyes burning into her flesh. And she wondered why it all seemed so familiar. Whispered words and hidden memories flittered through her mind. {No!} she struggled to maintain a tenuous grip on her sanity.
Brady's heart went out to Chloe, for the pain so evident on her face, in her large blue eyes. {I should have stopped this.} Guilt tore at him for failing in his self-appointed task of protecting her.
"I certainly wouldn't have expected this from her." John stated thoughtfully.
"She didn't do it, Dad. She never would have."
John squeezed his son's shoulder. "I believe you, son. Let's just pray that others do to."
Chloe looked over at Phillip. Her rock, her support. He would find out who had done this to her and he would make them pay. She felt strengthened to see the fury written across his features, and began to feel just a little sorry for the culprits of this horrible crime. She ignored the growing chants of "ghoul girl" and tried to gain perspective on what had happened. It was just another stupid prank. That's all. She placed her hand on Phillip's arm to try to calm him down.
"Come on, Phillip, let's go. It doesn't mean anything." She said reassuringly. She was floored when he viciously shook her hand off. "Phillip?" she questioned.
"So this was the secret job you wouldn't tell me about. Selling your body on the Internet?!" he sneered harshly at her.
"Phillip, what?" Certainly, he didn't think that she had done this?
"I would have given you all the money you could ever want. I LOVED you Chloe! But this is how you repay me? You embarrass me by flaunting yourself like some two-dollar WHORE!"
The blood drained from Chloe's face and the room began to spin. She was in shock, his words cut her to her very core. She couldn't even defend herself, she could only stand and listen as he berated her with a verbal assault that left her breathless and feeling worthless. Finally, when he'd run out of horrid things to call her, he turned with a dismissive wave of his hand and walked away.
Leaving her alone. Alone in a sea of laughing, mocking people. They seemed to surround her as they pointed accusatory fingers at her, harsh laughter echoing in the gym. Rhythmic chants. Ghoul Girl. Ghoul Girl. Ghoul Girl.
Chloe desperately searched the crowd of hateful strangers for one friendly face. Where were her friends? Was there no one who cared? No one who would help her? Finally, her eyes found Belle and Shawn, shock written across their features. Shock and.doubt. Did they also believe that she was guilty? {No!} she turned away from them. They wouldn't help her, she could see it in their eyes.
Brady! Where was Brady? He'd help her. He always seemed to be there when she needed him. Where was he? Relief surged through her when she saw his vibrant blue eyes standing out in the crowd. She could see that he believed her. He would help her. He wouldn't leave her.
She was vaguely aware of Mr. Woods trying to bring order to the chaos in the gym. "Who's responsible for this?!" he yelled over the crowd as he pointed to the slide.
Silence.
"Come on, someone knows something. Who did this?" He yelled louder.
Brady saw a smug Jan and a frightened Mimi standing in a far corner. He stepped forward to reveal them and what he had seen.
"Brady did it!" Kevin yelled. "I saw him earlier, messing with the projector."
Brady tried to protest but the damage had been done. He could see the pain in Chloe's eyes.
"Brady," she whispered as silent tears slid out of her eyes. "You did this?" She felt a large hole open up beneath her in the floor. She couldn't believe it. Brady had done this to her. The one person she had counted on and he had betrayed her. She had no one left.
She looked around the gym and saw all the hateful, sneering faces, heard their mocking insults ringing in her ear. {I'm alone.} she realized with a defeated slump of her shoulders. {always alone. always alone.} She stared at the floor in front of her, eyes unfocused, unblinking. {it's too much.} the child inside her cried. {too much. I don't wanna play no more. can I go to sleep now?}
From deep inside her came another voice. Deeper, stronger. {Yes, Chloe. Go to sleep. I will take care of everything.} And so Chloe's consciousness faded into darkness unaware of the people who called her name.