Call Me Sarah
Chapter Nine
"Nice arm." A voice remarked behind her.
Sarah turned around to see who was standing there. "Boy Scout." She rolled her eyes. "I shoulda known it was you."
Brady motioned to the empty spot beside her on the pier. "Can I join you?"
She shrugged nonchalantly and he sat down beside her. They sat quietly looking out over the water for a few minutes. Brady shot a quick glance at the girl beside him.
"You know, this is one of Chloe's favorite places. She likes to come here and just look at the water and think." He mentioned casually.
"Really. Can't say I'm surprised. That girl is five kinds of boring." She stated mockingly.
Brady looked at Sarah speculatively. "And yet you're here. Looking out at the water. Maybe there's some of Chloe in you after all." He suggested.
Sarah turned her attention back to the bobbing waters. "Don't count on it." She said softly.
Brady was surprised at how well their conversation was going so far. Granted, she wasn't exactly an open book, but at least she hadn't attacked him. So it was a small victory. Now to keep her talking, maybe he'd get a clue on how to get Chloe back.
Brady spoke up again, trying to maintain a light, breezy air. "I understand you've had quite an eventful evening."
Sarah grinned, her blue eyes flashing with mischief. "Yeah, I'm just having all kinds of fun."
"Fun? Beating the snot out of Jan and terrorizing Mimi was fun?"
"It didn't suck." She replied with a dark smile.
"Well, if you care."
"I don't." Sarah interrupted with a hint of warning in her voice.
Brady inhaled deeply reminding himself to tread carefully. He began again with a disinterested tone. "I was just saying that Jan is in the hospital. She's going to be okay but she does have some nasty bruises." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye to gauge her response.
But her face remained impassive and uncaring. She shrugged her shoulders again. "Nothing worse than she's gotten before, I bet."
"What does that mean?"
Sarah stifled a bored yawn. She wasn't sure, and she certainly didn't care, but she had gotten the feeling when she was hitting Jan, that the girl had been hit before and quite regularly. She knew how to take a beating. "Ask her parents." She said simply. "And as for Mimi. Please, I did her a favor."
Brady tried to stifle his laugh, but it still came out as a snicker.
Sarah laughed freely and the light musical sound was music to Brady's ears. It was Chloe's laugh. But then the laughter died to be replaced by Sarah's mocking voice. "I see you agree with me."
He chuckled softly despite himself. "Yeah. The funny thing is, her hair had just grown out from the last time. The girl's going to be back to wearing hats for the next several months."
"The last time?" She questioned.
Brady looked at her quizzically. "Yeah, you remember. The glue in the shampoo bottle?" he prompted.
Sarah laughed again. "Someone put glue in her shampoo? That's classic!" she roared.
But Brady just kept staring at her. "Uh, yeah, you did. I mean, Chloe, she put glue in Mimi's shampoo bottle when Mimi and her family were staying with Chloe. You don't remember?"
Sarah shot him her best idiot look. "Hello? Not Chloe." She sneered derisively.
"I know that. I just thought that you would at least have her memories."
"Sorry. Don't work that way."
Brady gazed at her thoughtfully. {Finally, an opening.} "So, how does it work?" he asked softly.
Sarah studied him for a minute while she debated internally. She shrugged finally and began her story. "The short version is something happens to Chloe, something she can't handle, then I come out and take care of it for her. Whether it means getting her out of her present situation, or just bodysitting until she's strong enough to cope. At first, I was just a substitute; I'd stand in for her until things improved, but over time I've kinda become her protector, her avenger."
"Like with Jan and Mimi." Brady interjected.
"Yeah, but usually on a much larger scale. That's what makes me wonder,." she trailed off.
"Wonder what?" he prompted.
"Well, Chloe's been through so much.crap in her life that a lame teenage prank like this doesn't even register on the scale. So why did she shutdown? Why does she need me now, especially after so long?"
Brady mulled over this new information. He still felt that he was to blame for Chloe's breakdown, for not being there when she needed him. But maybe there was more to it than he thought. "So, you mean, that you don't have any idea what caused her breakdown? You don't know what she's thinking, what's been going on in her life?"
"Not one clue." She replied as she gazed out over the water. "Which doesn't exactly make my job easy. Do you know what it's like to suddenly wake up from a long deep sleep to find your self in a strange place, surrounded by people you don't know and you have to somehow fix things?" she inhaled a deep breath. "Let me tell you it is exhausting, and I am very tired. I'm tired of all of it."
They were silent for a moment, both staring at the waving reflections in the dark water. Brady went back over what he had learned. He gained a lot of useful information, but he was still clueless as to how to reach Chloe. He seized upon an idea and decided to give it a try.
"Sarah, is there a way that I can talk to Chloe? I need to tell her something." He said softly.
"Tell her what?" she asked suspiciously.
Brady inhaled deeply. "Chloe believed that I had set up the website, and she.went away before I could tell her that it wasn't me. I have to tell her.she needs to know that I didn't do this to her. I would never hurt her like that." He trailed off in a hoarse whisper, his blue eyes pleading.
Sarah observed him quietly. "Wow, you really care about her, don't you?"
Brady paused before finally replying. "Yeah. I do." He said simply, avoiding her eyes.
Sarah stared at the gorgeous boy beside her, her eyes wandering again over his body. She remembered their earlier encounter with a wicked smile. {mmmm. It's a pity he's in love with Chloe. He's got bad boy written all over him. Oh the things I could do with him.} "So you wanna talk to Chloe." She shrugged simply. "Okay."
Brady watched her intently as she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Quiet minutes passed and then finally, she fluttered open her eyes. She looked over at Brady, confusion written on her features.
"Brady?" she glanced around the pier. "How did I get here? I was at the dance, and then." her face screwed up in pain.
"Don't think about it, Chloe." He breathed as he hugged her tightly. "I'm just so glad to have you back. I've been, we've all been so worried about you." He said as he continued to hold her in his arms, relief pouring through him. He hoped this would last, that Sarah wouldn't come back.
Chloe rested her head on his chest and tightened her arms around his waist. Then, ever so slowly, her hands lowered. Then with a quick movement she grabbed his butt in her hands and squeezed.
Brady jumped back in surprise as Chloe collapsed in a fit of laughter. "Nice butt." She cracked.
He looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Sarah."
"How did you know?" she asked innocently as she continued chuckling. "Sorry, Boy Scout. This ain't Oprah. You can't talk to Chloe. She's not here."
"You could've told me that before." He bit out dryly.
"What, and miss the chance to cop a feel?" She shot back with a wide smile.
Brady sighed and settled back down beside Sarah. "Okay, so if I can't talk to Chloe, can we at least talk about her? Can you tell me about her life? Why does she need you in the first place? I mean, everyone has their problems, but they don't have.alternate personalities or whatever it is that you are."
"Yeah, but I guarantee you that everyone hasn't had Chloe's life. Her story reads like some melodramatic Lifetime movie, only much more so.
It all started the day she watched her parents die."
Chapter Nine
"Nice arm." A voice remarked behind her.
Sarah turned around to see who was standing there. "Boy Scout." She rolled her eyes. "I shoulda known it was you."
Brady motioned to the empty spot beside her on the pier. "Can I join you?"
She shrugged nonchalantly and he sat down beside her. They sat quietly looking out over the water for a few minutes. Brady shot a quick glance at the girl beside him.
"You know, this is one of Chloe's favorite places. She likes to come here and just look at the water and think." He mentioned casually.
"Really. Can't say I'm surprised. That girl is five kinds of boring." She stated mockingly.
Brady looked at Sarah speculatively. "And yet you're here. Looking out at the water. Maybe there's some of Chloe in you after all." He suggested.
Sarah turned her attention back to the bobbing waters. "Don't count on it." She said softly.
Brady was surprised at how well their conversation was going so far. Granted, she wasn't exactly an open book, but at least she hadn't attacked him. So it was a small victory. Now to keep her talking, maybe he'd get a clue on how to get Chloe back.
Brady spoke up again, trying to maintain a light, breezy air. "I understand you've had quite an eventful evening."
Sarah grinned, her blue eyes flashing with mischief. "Yeah, I'm just having all kinds of fun."
"Fun? Beating the snot out of Jan and terrorizing Mimi was fun?"
"It didn't suck." She replied with a dark smile.
"Well, if you care."
"I don't." Sarah interrupted with a hint of warning in her voice.
Brady inhaled deeply reminding himself to tread carefully. He began again with a disinterested tone. "I was just saying that Jan is in the hospital. She's going to be okay but she does have some nasty bruises." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye to gauge her response.
But her face remained impassive and uncaring. She shrugged her shoulders again. "Nothing worse than she's gotten before, I bet."
"What does that mean?"
Sarah stifled a bored yawn. She wasn't sure, and she certainly didn't care, but she had gotten the feeling when she was hitting Jan, that the girl had been hit before and quite regularly. She knew how to take a beating. "Ask her parents." She said simply. "And as for Mimi. Please, I did her a favor."
Brady tried to stifle his laugh, but it still came out as a snicker.
Sarah laughed freely and the light musical sound was music to Brady's ears. It was Chloe's laugh. But then the laughter died to be replaced by Sarah's mocking voice. "I see you agree with me."
He chuckled softly despite himself. "Yeah. The funny thing is, her hair had just grown out from the last time. The girl's going to be back to wearing hats for the next several months."
"The last time?" She questioned.
Brady looked at her quizzically. "Yeah, you remember. The glue in the shampoo bottle?" he prompted.
Sarah laughed again. "Someone put glue in her shampoo? That's classic!" she roared.
But Brady just kept staring at her. "Uh, yeah, you did. I mean, Chloe, she put glue in Mimi's shampoo bottle when Mimi and her family were staying with Chloe. You don't remember?"
Sarah shot him her best idiot look. "Hello? Not Chloe." She sneered derisively.
"I know that. I just thought that you would at least have her memories."
"Sorry. Don't work that way."
Brady gazed at her thoughtfully. {Finally, an opening.} "So, how does it work?" he asked softly.
Sarah studied him for a minute while she debated internally. She shrugged finally and began her story. "The short version is something happens to Chloe, something she can't handle, then I come out and take care of it for her. Whether it means getting her out of her present situation, or just bodysitting until she's strong enough to cope. At first, I was just a substitute; I'd stand in for her until things improved, but over time I've kinda become her protector, her avenger."
"Like with Jan and Mimi." Brady interjected.
"Yeah, but usually on a much larger scale. That's what makes me wonder,." she trailed off.
"Wonder what?" he prompted.
"Well, Chloe's been through so much.crap in her life that a lame teenage prank like this doesn't even register on the scale. So why did she shutdown? Why does she need me now, especially after so long?"
Brady mulled over this new information. He still felt that he was to blame for Chloe's breakdown, for not being there when she needed him. But maybe there was more to it than he thought. "So, you mean, that you don't have any idea what caused her breakdown? You don't know what she's thinking, what's been going on in her life?"
"Not one clue." She replied as she gazed out over the water. "Which doesn't exactly make my job easy. Do you know what it's like to suddenly wake up from a long deep sleep to find your self in a strange place, surrounded by people you don't know and you have to somehow fix things?" she inhaled a deep breath. "Let me tell you it is exhausting, and I am very tired. I'm tired of all of it."
They were silent for a moment, both staring at the waving reflections in the dark water. Brady went back over what he had learned. He gained a lot of useful information, but he was still clueless as to how to reach Chloe. He seized upon an idea and decided to give it a try.
"Sarah, is there a way that I can talk to Chloe? I need to tell her something." He said softly.
"Tell her what?" she asked suspiciously.
Brady inhaled deeply. "Chloe believed that I had set up the website, and she.went away before I could tell her that it wasn't me. I have to tell her.she needs to know that I didn't do this to her. I would never hurt her like that." He trailed off in a hoarse whisper, his blue eyes pleading.
Sarah observed him quietly. "Wow, you really care about her, don't you?"
Brady paused before finally replying. "Yeah. I do." He said simply, avoiding her eyes.
Sarah stared at the gorgeous boy beside her, her eyes wandering again over his body. She remembered their earlier encounter with a wicked smile. {mmmm. It's a pity he's in love with Chloe. He's got bad boy written all over him. Oh the things I could do with him.} "So you wanna talk to Chloe." She shrugged simply. "Okay."
Brady watched her intently as she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Quiet minutes passed and then finally, she fluttered open her eyes. She looked over at Brady, confusion written on her features.
"Brady?" she glanced around the pier. "How did I get here? I was at the dance, and then." her face screwed up in pain.
"Don't think about it, Chloe." He breathed as he hugged her tightly. "I'm just so glad to have you back. I've been, we've all been so worried about you." He said as he continued to hold her in his arms, relief pouring through him. He hoped this would last, that Sarah wouldn't come back.
Chloe rested her head on his chest and tightened her arms around his waist. Then, ever so slowly, her hands lowered. Then with a quick movement she grabbed his butt in her hands and squeezed.
Brady jumped back in surprise as Chloe collapsed in a fit of laughter. "Nice butt." She cracked.
He looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Sarah."
"How did you know?" she asked innocently as she continued chuckling. "Sorry, Boy Scout. This ain't Oprah. You can't talk to Chloe. She's not here."
"You could've told me that before." He bit out dryly.
"What, and miss the chance to cop a feel?" She shot back with a wide smile.
Brady sighed and settled back down beside Sarah. "Okay, so if I can't talk to Chloe, can we at least talk about her? Can you tell me about her life? Why does she need you in the first place? I mean, everyone has their problems, but they don't have.alternate personalities or whatever it is that you are."
"Yeah, but I guarantee you that everyone hasn't had Chloe's life. Her story reads like some melodramatic Lifetime movie, only much more so.
It all started the day she watched her parents die."