~Chapter 2~
Paul and Joanie arrived at their house early that Saturday morning, ready for the weekend. Joanie was the first in the house; and the door opened without difficulty. "Paul? Did you leave the door unlocked?" "No." "Are you sure? I know you do that sometimes." "Joanie, trust me. I didn't know when we were coming back home; there's no way I'd leave the door unlocked. Why?" But by then, Joanie had gone into the kitchen. "The windows are open, too." "Well, that wasn't me." "Are you positive you didn't leave the door unlocked and the windows open?" "I could've.but I doubt it." He knew Joanie didn't hear him because she was heading upstairs. "Where are you going?" "Upstairs. I'm checking if anything's different there." She soon descended down the stairs. "Nothing." "Joanie, you're over-reacting. It was probably just some kid." "Well, Paul, I find it a bit ironic that Dwayne was kidnapped and someone tried to bust in." "Me too. But the two have nothing to do with each other, okay? Let's just try to have a nice, peaceful weekend and forget about this." "Fine."
Evening quickly approached and soon the couple went to the restaurant Paul had made reservations for since after the meeting. It took two hours to order and get seated, but they were finally there. "This is nice. We haven't been out to dinner in a long time." Paul said. "I know. This is nice." "So, now that we can finally talk, what do you want to talk about?" "Wow, any other day I'd have a thousand things. Now I can't think of anything." "I can." Paul thought to himself, unable to get Stephanie's love letter off his mind. "You okay?" He noticed that this was the third time she had started staring off into the distance. "Yeah, I.I just have a lot on my mind." "Like what?" "This whole kidnapping thing. The break-in." "Forget about that! Like I said earlier, they're not connected." "I know. It's just weird." "Well, you know, if you're scared, this guy's gonna get you. He preys on fear." "That's not funny, Paul." "Sorry, just trying to cheer you up." "Well, that's not helping." "You're not having a good time, are you?" "Not at all. You?" "Nope. Wanna get out of here?" "Yes. Let's go." "All right. I don't wanna have to pay." "So let the whole restaurant know." She told him, sarcasm in her voice. "Alright, alright. Let's just go."
It was a cold, brisk night, the same kind of evening when Dwayne was kidnapped. "That was fun". Joanie joked once they were in the car. "Wasn't it?" Suddenly, Paul's cell phone rang. "Hello?" "Paul? Hi, this is Vince. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's more. Terri's been kidnapped." "What?! How?" "I just don't know. I really don't. And the worst part is she just disappeared without a trace. At least with Dwayne, I knew he was kidnapped in the parking lot. Terri could've been kidnapped in the arena, on her way home, at home."His voice trailed off. "Hey, Vince, it's not your fault." "I know." "Why are you calling me anyway?" "I'm calling everyone. I know its Saturday night, but this can't exactly wait 'til Monday." "Oh, okay." "Hey, could you tell Joanie what's goin' on? That would really save me some time." "Sure thing, Vince." "Alright, sounds good. Bye." "Bye." "What did Vince want?" Joanie asked Paul after he hung up. "Bad news. Terri's been kidnapped." "How?" "I dunno. Nobody knows. Not Vince, not the police, nobody." "Well, this has just been the best weekend ever, hasn't it been?" "Yes. Definitely."
"So, how was your weekend?" Sean asked Monday afternoon. "Eh." "How was dinner?" "Bad." Paul said, and watched as Kevin gave Sean some money, which he stuck in his pocket. "So you guys were betting dinner would be bad?" "I thought dinner would go well." Kevin replied. "I have nothing to do with it." Scott added. "Hey, Paul? Can I talk to you for a minute.alone?" Sean asked. "Yeah, sure." He motioned for Kevin and Scott to leave, but when they wouldn't budge, Paul walked away. "What's up?" "Did you tell her?" "Are you crazy? I told you Friday that I wasn't gonna tell her!" "Why, its not like you did anything.you did? Didn't you? You were with Steph this weekend, weren't you?" "No!" "Then why was your weekend so bad?" "Well, someone broke in?" "How?" "I dunno. But, luckily, nothing was stolen." "Did you call the police?" "No. I don't have any evidence that someone was in the house. The police could just say that I left the door unlocked and the window open." "Maybe Steph robbed you." Paul gave him an angry look. "Hey, I was just joking around." "Well, it's not funny." "Sorry." "Look, I was thinking a lot about all this over the weekend. I decided I'm gonna tell Stephanie that its never gonna happen. I'm tired of having such a guilty conscience when I didn't even do anything." "That's fair." "Yeah. Well, I gotta go. Bye Sean." "Bye." Paul walked to Stephanie's locker room/office. He was so nervous, but she seemed happy to see him. "Hi Paul. Did you get the 'script'?" "It was no script. It was a love letter." "Then you did get it." "That's right." "And?" "And its never gonna happen. Look, I'm in love with Joanie and she's in love with me. We're very happy together. We're even talking about getting married soon." "What does she have that I don't?" Paul had no answer to that. "I'm sorry, Stephanie." "Why do you have to be with her? I mean, its clear that we should be together." "No, we can't be together." He said, opening the door to leave. "Tell me if you change your mind." "I won't."
Paul was surprised to find Sean waiting outside the door. "Don't you ever go away?" Paul asked sarcastically. "Nope. Good job. That takes care of that." "Not yet." He said as he took the letter out of his pocket and threw it toward the garbage can. "Out of sight, out of mind."
Joanie had been looking for Paul for a while now. She had to see him before the show began. She couldn't explain why; it was just a certain unease she felt. She turned the corner and stepped on something. She picked up the crumpled paper ball to see what it was. She felt her heart break more and more with each word she read. When she finished, she had to reread it to make sure it was real. It was. It was Stephanie's letter to Paul.
Paul and Joanie arrived at their house early that Saturday morning, ready for the weekend. Joanie was the first in the house; and the door opened without difficulty. "Paul? Did you leave the door unlocked?" "No." "Are you sure? I know you do that sometimes." "Joanie, trust me. I didn't know when we were coming back home; there's no way I'd leave the door unlocked. Why?" But by then, Joanie had gone into the kitchen. "The windows are open, too." "Well, that wasn't me." "Are you positive you didn't leave the door unlocked and the windows open?" "I could've.but I doubt it." He knew Joanie didn't hear him because she was heading upstairs. "Where are you going?" "Upstairs. I'm checking if anything's different there." She soon descended down the stairs. "Nothing." "Joanie, you're over-reacting. It was probably just some kid." "Well, Paul, I find it a bit ironic that Dwayne was kidnapped and someone tried to bust in." "Me too. But the two have nothing to do with each other, okay? Let's just try to have a nice, peaceful weekend and forget about this." "Fine."
Evening quickly approached and soon the couple went to the restaurant Paul had made reservations for since after the meeting. It took two hours to order and get seated, but they were finally there. "This is nice. We haven't been out to dinner in a long time." Paul said. "I know. This is nice." "So, now that we can finally talk, what do you want to talk about?" "Wow, any other day I'd have a thousand things. Now I can't think of anything." "I can." Paul thought to himself, unable to get Stephanie's love letter off his mind. "You okay?" He noticed that this was the third time she had started staring off into the distance. "Yeah, I.I just have a lot on my mind." "Like what?" "This whole kidnapping thing. The break-in." "Forget about that! Like I said earlier, they're not connected." "I know. It's just weird." "Well, you know, if you're scared, this guy's gonna get you. He preys on fear." "That's not funny, Paul." "Sorry, just trying to cheer you up." "Well, that's not helping." "You're not having a good time, are you?" "Not at all. You?" "Nope. Wanna get out of here?" "Yes. Let's go." "All right. I don't wanna have to pay." "So let the whole restaurant know." She told him, sarcasm in her voice. "Alright, alright. Let's just go."
It was a cold, brisk night, the same kind of evening when Dwayne was kidnapped. "That was fun". Joanie joked once they were in the car. "Wasn't it?" Suddenly, Paul's cell phone rang. "Hello?" "Paul? Hi, this is Vince. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's more. Terri's been kidnapped." "What?! How?" "I just don't know. I really don't. And the worst part is she just disappeared without a trace. At least with Dwayne, I knew he was kidnapped in the parking lot. Terri could've been kidnapped in the arena, on her way home, at home."His voice trailed off. "Hey, Vince, it's not your fault." "I know." "Why are you calling me anyway?" "I'm calling everyone. I know its Saturday night, but this can't exactly wait 'til Monday." "Oh, okay." "Hey, could you tell Joanie what's goin' on? That would really save me some time." "Sure thing, Vince." "Alright, sounds good. Bye." "Bye." "What did Vince want?" Joanie asked Paul after he hung up. "Bad news. Terri's been kidnapped." "How?" "I dunno. Nobody knows. Not Vince, not the police, nobody." "Well, this has just been the best weekend ever, hasn't it been?" "Yes. Definitely."
"So, how was your weekend?" Sean asked Monday afternoon. "Eh." "How was dinner?" "Bad." Paul said, and watched as Kevin gave Sean some money, which he stuck in his pocket. "So you guys were betting dinner would be bad?" "I thought dinner would go well." Kevin replied. "I have nothing to do with it." Scott added. "Hey, Paul? Can I talk to you for a minute.alone?" Sean asked. "Yeah, sure." He motioned for Kevin and Scott to leave, but when they wouldn't budge, Paul walked away. "What's up?" "Did you tell her?" "Are you crazy? I told you Friday that I wasn't gonna tell her!" "Why, its not like you did anything.you did? Didn't you? You were with Steph this weekend, weren't you?" "No!" "Then why was your weekend so bad?" "Well, someone broke in?" "How?" "I dunno. But, luckily, nothing was stolen." "Did you call the police?" "No. I don't have any evidence that someone was in the house. The police could just say that I left the door unlocked and the window open." "Maybe Steph robbed you." Paul gave him an angry look. "Hey, I was just joking around." "Well, it's not funny." "Sorry." "Look, I was thinking a lot about all this over the weekend. I decided I'm gonna tell Stephanie that its never gonna happen. I'm tired of having such a guilty conscience when I didn't even do anything." "That's fair." "Yeah. Well, I gotta go. Bye Sean." "Bye." Paul walked to Stephanie's locker room/office. He was so nervous, but she seemed happy to see him. "Hi Paul. Did you get the 'script'?" "It was no script. It was a love letter." "Then you did get it." "That's right." "And?" "And its never gonna happen. Look, I'm in love with Joanie and she's in love with me. We're very happy together. We're even talking about getting married soon." "What does she have that I don't?" Paul had no answer to that. "I'm sorry, Stephanie." "Why do you have to be with her? I mean, its clear that we should be together." "No, we can't be together." He said, opening the door to leave. "Tell me if you change your mind." "I won't."
Paul was surprised to find Sean waiting outside the door. "Don't you ever go away?" Paul asked sarcastically. "Nope. Good job. That takes care of that." "Not yet." He said as he took the letter out of his pocket and threw it toward the garbage can. "Out of sight, out of mind."
Joanie had been looking for Paul for a while now. She had to see him before the show began. She couldn't explain why; it was just a certain unease she felt. She turned the corner and stepped on something. She picked up the crumpled paper ball to see what it was. She felt her heart break more and more with each word she read. When she finished, she had to reread it to make sure it was real. It was. It was Stephanie's letter to Paul.