Chapter 8:
Whitney went into Chad's bedroom, looking for some clothes she could change into.
She found one of his T-shirts and some sweat pants. She put them on.
Sitting down on the sofa, she turned on the TV, looking for something interesting to
watch.
As she was going through a rerun of I Love Lucy, her mind drifted back to the events
that had transpired the night before.
She gulped in nervousness just imagining what her parents' reaction would be when
she returned home. She was reluctant to go back, but she knew she had to. She couldn't run
away from this problem - and she wouldn't, after all, music was what she wanted to pursue.
And Julian Crane had been right. Tennis was her FATHER'S dream, not HERS. He had been
insisting that she practice the sport for ten years now. She didn't hate it, but she had gotten
used to it. She hadn't refused to become a tennis player for a decade. But now, something
better came along. Something she was actually passionate about. Singing. With Chad.
Whitney shut the television screen off as she went into Chad's bedroom again.
Curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she wanted to find out some information about this
guy in her life that she barely knew.
She opened the door of his closet and looked around. She noticed a shoebox lying on
the floor. She bent to pick it up and carried it over to the bed. Opening it up, she was surprised
to see it full with many photographs and papers.
She took out the folded newspaper clipping and opened it up. In a small caption was the
title "Two murdered in a drunk-driving incident." She began to read the whole article and was
surprised to see it was about Chad's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Harris. She couldn't help shed
tears for Chad's loss. The newspaper was from 8 months ago. Chad must have left Castleton
right after his parents were buried, she thought to herself. She wished that she could go back
in time and be there for Chad when he was first going through this. She didn't know what it
was like to lose two parents at the same time, but she could imagine.
She put the newspaper clipping aside and began to go through the pictures. She saw
some of Chad by himself, and some with whom it seemed were his parents. She jumped when
she heard the phone ring.
She ran to pick it up. Chad's phone didn't have Caller ID, therefore she couldn't tell
who was calling. She was unsure if she should answer. What if it were her parents? But how
would they know this number? But... the phone kept ringing, and Whitney decided to answer
it.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"Hi, umm, Chad?" the caller could tell he wasn't talking to Chad.
"Umm, Chad's not here," Whitney answered. She sighed in relief when she realized
that the voice did not sound like that of her parents'.
"Ohh, who's this?" came the reply.
"Why don't you tell me first?" said Whitney.
"This is Chad's uncle. My name is William. Now, can I know who I am talking to?"
"Yeah," Whitney uttered. "I'm a friend of Chad's. He's away at work right now. How
did you get this number?"
"I tracked down my nephew. I haven't seen him since his parents' funeral. I want to
talk to him. Tell him to call me back." The man gave Whitney a phone number he could be
reached at, then he hung up.
Poor Chad, Whitney thought to herself, he's slowly but surely forgetting his past. But
now, it's back to haunt him.
Chad returned home not too long later.
"Hey," he said, kissing Whitney on the cheek. "I ran into your sister Simone at the
Book Cafe."
"You did?" she asked, surprised.
"Ya," Chad continued to say, taking off his jacket, "she introduced herself and asked
me if I knew where you were."
"What did you say?" Whitney asked, alarmed.
"I told her that you will return home when you're ready. She didn't seem to like that
answer, because she stormed off after that."
"Oh," was Whitney's response. "Did she mention at all how things are going between
my parents?"
"No," Chad replied. "But it doesn't seem good. She looked a little on edge."
"Great!" Whitney sighed, a trace of sarcasm evident in her voice. "I wish my parents
had never known Julian Crane. He seems to be the cause of all of their problems."
Chad gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, trying to make her forget the problems she
was having.
"Oh, your uncle called!" she suddenly remembered, mid kiss.
Chad looked at her in alarm. "Uncle William?"
"Yeah," Whitney replied, going to get the slip of paper on which she had written the
man's phone number.
Chad stared at the piece of paper in disbelief. How dare he try to reach him NOW!
Eight months after that nightmare of reality he had gone through. He hadn't even been there
for him when Chad needed family the most! Why did he want to keep in touch with me now? he
thought to himself. Whatever the reason, I don't care.
Chad took the paper from Whitney's outstretched hand, crumbled it up into a ball and
threw it on the floor.
"Chad!" Whitney exclaimed, surprised by his obvious anger. "He's family. And he
wants to talk to you."
"Too late for that," Chad replied, his temper rising. "I'm sorry, Whitney, but you don't
know him like I do!" He went into his bedroom, slamming the door loudly behind him.
{a/n: please keep reading. and thanx 4 the reviews. i'm gonna try to update more often
since one of my other stories (Kay's Story) is almost over.}
Whitney went into Chad's bedroom, looking for some clothes she could change into.
She found one of his T-shirts and some sweat pants. She put them on.
Sitting down on the sofa, she turned on the TV, looking for something interesting to
watch.
As she was going through a rerun of I Love Lucy, her mind drifted back to the events
that had transpired the night before.
She gulped in nervousness just imagining what her parents' reaction would be when
she returned home. She was reluctant to go back, but she knew she had to. She couldn't run
away from this problem - and she wouldn't, after all, music was what she wanted to pursue.
And Julian Crane had been right. Tennis was her FATHER'S dream, not HERS. He had been
insisting that she practice the sport for ten years now. She didn't hate it, but she had gotten
used to it. She hadn't refused to become a tennis player for a decade. But now, something
better came along. Something she was actually passionate about. Singing. With Chad.
Whitney shut the television screen off as she went into Chad's bedroom again.
Curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she wanted to find out some information about this
guy in her life that she barely knew.
She opened the door of his closet and looked around. She noticed a shoebox lying on
the floor. She bent to pick it up and carried it over to the bed. Opening it up, she was surprised
to see it full with many photographs and papers.
She took out the folded newspaper clipping and opened it up. In a small caption was the
title "Two murdered in a drunk-driving incident." She began to read the whole article and was
surprised to see it was about Chad's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Harris. She couldn't help shed
tears for Chad's loss. The newspaper was from 8 months ago. Chad must have left Castleton
right after his parents were buried, she thought to herself. She wished that she could go back
in time and be there for Chad when he was first going through this. She didn't know what it
was like to lose two parents at the same time, but she could imagine.
She put the newspaper clipping aside and began to go through the pictures. She saw
some of Chad by himself, and some with whom it seemed were his parents. She jumped when
she heard the phone ring.
She ran to pick it up. Chad's phone didn't have Caller ID, therefore she couldn't tell
who was calling. She was unsure if she should answer. What if it were her parents? But how
would they know this number? But... the phone kept ringing, and Whitney decided to answer
it.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"Hi, umm, Chad?" the caller could tell he wasn't talking to Chad.
"Umm, Chad's not here," Whitney answered. She sighed in relief when she realized
that the voice did not sound like that of her parents'.
"Ohh, who's this?" came the reply.
"Why don't you tell me first?" said Whitney.
"This is Chad's uncle. My name is William. Now, can I know who I am talking to?"
"Yeah," Whitney uttered. "I'm a friend of Chad's. He's away at work right now. How
did you get this number?"
"I tracked down my nephew. I haven't seen him since his parents' funeral. I want to
talk to him. Tell him to call me back." The man gave Whitney a phone number he could be
reached at, then he hung up.
Poor Chad, Whitney thought to herself, he's slowly but surely forgetting his past. But
now, it's back to haunt him.
Chad returned home not too long later.
"Hey," he said, kissing Whitney on the cheek. "I ran into your sister Simone at the
Book Cafe."
"You did?" she asked, surprised.
"Ya," Chad continued to say, taking off his jacket, "she introduced herself and asked
me if I knew where you were."
"What did you say?" Whitney asked, alarmed.
"I told her that you will return home when you're ready. She didn't seem to like that
answer, because she stormed off after that."
"Oh," was Whitney's response. "Did she mention at all how things are going between
my parents?"
"No," Chad replied. "But it doesn't seem good. She looked a little on edge."
"Great!" Whitney sighed, a trace of sarcasm evident in her voice. "I wish my parents
had never known Julian Crane. He seems to be the cause of all of their problems."
Chad gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, trying to make her forget the problems she
was having.
"Oh, your uncle called!" she suddenly remembered, mid kiss.
Chad looked at her in alarm. "Uncle William?"
"Yeah," Whitney replied, going to get the slip of paper on which she had written the
man's phone number.
Chad stared at the piece of paper in disbelief. How dare he try to reach him NOW!
Eight months after that nightmare of reality he had gone through. He hadn't even been there
for him when Chad needed family the most! Why did he want to keep in touch with me now? he
thought to himself. Whatever the reason, I don't care.
Chad took the paper from Whitney's outstretched hand, crumbled it up into a ball and
threw it on the floor.
"Chad!" Whitney exclaimed, surprised by his obvious anger. "He's family. And he
wants to talk to you."
"Too late for that," Chad replied, his temper rising. "I'm sorry, Whitney, but you don't
know him like I do!" He went into his bedroom, slamming the door loudly behind him.
{a/n: please keep reading. and thanx 4 the reviews. i'm gonna try to update more often
since one of my other stories (Kay's Story) is almost over.}