Part Nine:
That night at dinner, Craig told Joey about the showcase of his photographs. Joey had seemed very proud: "I knew that this summer class would be good for you!" was the way he put it.
"Can I see your pictures, Craig?" Angela asked sweetly.
"Sure, maybe your dad can bring you to the show." Craig looked at Joey, who nodded at his daughter. She squealed: she loved looking at her older brother's pictures. Although she was a bit too young to really appreciate his talent, she said that a lot of the pictures he took were "pretty".
After dinner, it was Craig's turn to do the dishes. As he did them, he heard the phone ring. "I've got it!" Joey called out. Craig went back to work as he heard Joey talk on the phone. But a second later, Joey was in the kitchen. "It's for you," he said. Craig dried his hands quickly. As Joey handed his the phone, he said in a whisper, "It's a girl." Craig rolled his eyes as he took the phone.
"Hello?"
"I know what you've been doing."
"Huh?" Craig vaguely recognized the voice, but who was it. "What are you talking about?"
"I know everything," the girl continued. "You better stop, or I'll tell...the principal, superintendant...Ashley."
"Ellie?" Craig whispered, more to himself then the speaker. "How do you-"
"I'll tell Ashley," she repeated, "unless you break up with Miss Roberts."
"What the-"
The dial tone rang in his ears as Ellie hung up the phone. Craig stared at the reciever until he managed to click the phone off. He went back to hang it up on the charger.
"Who was that?" Joey was sitting in the living room, reading the newspaper.
"Um...Ashley," he lied.
"Oh?" Joey looked very interested. "Haven't gone out with her in awhile, have you?"
"Nah, but...I'm thinking maybe I'll go over there tonight. After I finish the dishes."
"No, no, don't worry about those," Joey said, standing up. "Go now, I can take care of the dishes."
"Really?" Craig contained his excitement. "Thanks, Joey. I'll try not to be out long." With that, Craig rushed out the door. He had no intention of going to Ashley's...not tonight, at least. No, he had to go and talk to Miss Roberts.
He went to a pay phone on the corner and called her. "I need you to pick me up on the corner."
"Oh? You want to spend the night?" She had that tone in her voice again.
"No, um...we need to talk."
"Okay." Carrie knew that nothing good came out of those words. "I'll be there soon." She hung up, and Craig went and sat on a bench.
A little while later, Carrie pulled up in her Buick. Craig got in the front seat, and, without looking at him, she asked, "Where do you want to go?"
"Let's just drive." Carrie took off down the street. Craig reached over and turned off her radio: The Doors "Roadhouse" had been playing. Carrie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Us." He swallowed and continued: "Someone knows about us."
"Who? How?"
"It's...Ellie Nash."
"The girl from my class?" Carrie asked. "How did she find out?"
"She called me up tonight, said that she saw us through the window today-"
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"
There was an akward silence in the car. Craig had to keep going, he knew. "She said that she'll rat us out if we don't break it off."
"Why would she do that?"
Craig couldn't lie. "She's friends with this girl I was kinda seeing, before...you know..."
"I see." Another silence before Carrie continued. "I'm thinking about moving back to San Fransisco."
"Huh?"
"I still have relatives there. And..." She took a deep breath. Suddenly, she pulled the car over and looked at Craig. "I think I'm in love with you."
"Huh?"
Carrie moaned. "No! That's not right. Look..." she turned away. "I'm sorry, Craig, but I have to go."
"What about your job?"
"Well, it's obviously ruined now," she said with a laugh. "Anyway...I'm going to resign tomorrow, and pack up my things. I'll be okay." There were tears in her eyes.
"You don't have to go," Craig said sofly. "I can make her stay quiet, I know I can. She said she wouldn't tell if we broke it off-"
"But don't you SEE, Craig? It's over. We're not a secret anymore."
"Why do we have to be a secret?"
Carrie never replyed to that. She just leaned over and kissed Craig, one last time. "You'll never see me again, Craig. I'm so, so sorry that I did this to you."
"Goodbye." Craig knew that there was no way to convince her: she wanted to leave, and she would. Craig got out of the car.
"Wait, don't you want me to take you somewhere?"
Craig smiled at her. "We're close to the place I'm heading. Goodbye, Miss Roberts."
As Craig walked away into the night, he could vaguely hear her whisper, "It's Carrie."
That night at dinner, Craig told Joey about the showcase of his photographs. Joey had seemed very proud: "I knew that this summer class would be good for you!" was the way he put it.
"Can I see your pictures, Craig?" Angela asked sweetly.
"Sure, maybe your dad can bring you to the show." Craig looked at Joey, who nodded at his daughter. She squealed: she loved looking at her older brother's pictures. Although she was a bit too young to really appreciate his talent, she said that a lot of the pictures he took were "pretty".
After dinner, it was Craig's turn to do the dishes. As he did them, he heard the phone ring. "I've got it!" Joey called out. Craig went back to work as he heard Joey talk on the phone. But a second later, Joey was in the kitchen. "It's for you," he said. Craig dried his hands quickly. As Joey handed his the phone, he said in a whisper, "It's a girl." Craig rolled his eyes as he took the phone.
"Hello?"
"I know what you've been doing."
"Huh?" Craig vaguely recognized the voice, but who was it. "What are you talking about?"
"I know everything," the girl continued. "You better stop, or I'll tell...the principal, superintendant...Ashley."
"Ellie?" Craig whispered, more to himself then the speaker. "How do you-"
"I'll tell Ashley," she repeated, "unless you break up with Miss Roberts."
"What the-"
The dial tone rang in his ears as Ellie hung up the phone. Craig stared at the reciever until he managed to click the phone off. He went back to hang it up on the charger.
"Who was that?" Joey was sitting in the living room, reading the newspaper.
"Um...Ashley," he lied.
"Oh?" Joey looked very interested. "Haven't gone out with her in awhile, have you?"
"Nah, but...I'm thinking maybe I'll go over there tonight. After I finish the dishes."
"No, no, don't worry about those," Joey said, standing up. "Go now, I can take care of the dishes."
"Really?" Craig contained his excitement. "Thanks, Joey. I'll try not to be out long." With that, Craig rushed out the door. He had no intention of going to Ashley's...not tonight, at least. No, he had to go and talk to Miss Roberts.
He went to a pay phone on the corner and called her. "I need you to pick me up on the corner."
"Oh? You want to spend the night?" She had that tone in her voice again.
"No, um...we need to talk."
"Okay." Carrie knew that nothing good came out of those words. "I'll be there soon." She hung up, and Craig went and sat on a bench.
A little while later, Carrie pulled up in her Buick. Craig got in the front seat, and, without looking at him, she asked, "Where do you want to go?"
"Let's just drive." Carrie took off down the street. Craig reached over and turned off her radio: The Doors "Roadhouse" had been playing. Carrie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Us." He swallowed and continued: "Someone knows about us."
"Who? How?"
"It's...Ellie Nash."
"The girl from my class?" Carrie asked. "How did she find out?"
"She called me up tonight, said that she saw us through the window today-"
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"
There was an akward silence in the car. Craig had to keep going, he knew. "She said that she'll rat us out if we don't break it off."
"Why would she do that?"
Craig couldn't lie. "She's friends with this girl I was kinda seeing, before...you know..."
"I see." Another silence before Carrie continued. "I'm thinking about moving back to San Fransisco."
"Huh?"
"I still have relatives there. And..." She took a deep breath. Suddenly, she pulled the car over and looked at Craig. "I think I'm in love with you."
"Huh?"
Carrie moaned. "No! That's not right. Look..." she turned away. "I'm sorry, Craig, but I have to go."
"What about your job?"
"Well, it's obviously ruined now," she said with a laugh. "Anyway...I'm going to resign tomorrow, and pack up my things. I'll be okay." There were tears in her eyes.
"You don't have to go," Craig said sofly. "I can make her stay quiet, I know I can. She said she wouldn't tell if we broke it off-"
"But don't you SEE, Craig? It's over. We're not a secret anymore."
"Why do we have to be a secret?"
Carrie never replyed to that. She just leaned over and kissed Craig, one last time. "You'll never see me again, Craig. I'm so, so sorry that I did this to you."
"Goodbye." Craig knew that there was no way to convince her: she wanted to leave, and she would. Craig got out of the car.
"Wait, don't you want me to take you somewhere?"
Craig smiled at her. "We're close to the place I'm heading. Goodbye, Miss Roberts."
As Craig walked away into the night, he could vaguely hear her whisper, "It's Carrie."