Chapter 11:Caught
Mimi picked up her mocha and sat down on one of the cushioned chairs in Dot Com. She lifted her legs up onto it and took a sip of her mocha, thinking about the past week. It had been eventful. She got a high score on her first Government test. She had a shopping spree with Belle halfway through the week. Her dad got a raise so the whole family had a nice little dinner at a nearby restaurant. And she got a new babysitting job.
Yes, it had been quite a week. She thought back to when she went with Philip to the Brady Pub. She was glad he had confided in her. Sometimes she felt people were careful with what they said to her because they were afraid she was going to tell others. However, gossip wasn't as important to her anymore.
She took another sip of her mocha as she thought about how much fun she had been having with Philip lately. She felt they were getting close again. It was nice and he made her feels safe. She shivered a little as she thought about the stranger at the pier. The guy scared her. But Philip had been so protective, standing behind her defensively and then moving in front to block the stranger's view of her.
Then after the guy finally left, she felt secure in Philip's comforting embrace. Walking home together, he had even tried to get her mind off the guy by lightly teasing her and saying things to make her laugh.
Mimi sat, feeling relaxed and raised her mocha to her lips as someone she knew walked through the doors of Dot Com. Oh my, it was Kevin and he was coming over.
"Hello, Mimi. How are you?"
(Just dandy. Oh, and thanks for breaking up with me.)
"Hi Kevin. I'm doing all right. "How's it going with you?"
"Very well, Mimi, thank you. That Government test we had was a piece of cake, didn't you think?"
(Uh, which test were you taking Kevin?)
"Uh, maybe for geniuses like you Kevin, but not for ordinary people like me."
"I'm not a genius, but I do exercise my brain to get the creative juices flowing. So how did you do on the test?"
(Not as good as you.)
"An 87"
"Oh. You'll do better next time. I got a perfect score."
(Surprise! Surprise!)
"That's wonderful Kevin."
(Now please go away.)
"Mimi, I came over here because I wanted to talk about us."
(Uh, Kevin there is no US. You broke up with me, remember?)
"Really?"
"I think what happened is on the island we got carried away in the whole tropical atmosphere, the moon in the sky, all of the stars that were out and we let our biological urges take over."
(Yep, that's about what happened Kevin. Now can you please stop talking about it? You're making it sound like something you would read about in a textbook.)
"Uh Kevin-"
"Then we came back to civilization and we had to face each other in normal everyday circumstances. It was no longer a foreign environment. We were back in a place that we were accustomed to and we found out that we have very distinct personalities."
(Nice word, Kevin. Distinct. Are you done now?)
"Well thank you for that thoughtful analysis Kevin. And your point is?"
"I just didn't want you to think that you are inferior in any way just because I am intellectually superior. Your intelligence level is just not as high as mine, but don't worry because you have other VERY favorable attributes."
(Oh and don't worry Kevin about the fact that you are very LOW in social communication.)
"Uh, what favorable attributes, Kevin?"
"Your expertise at computers and the fact that you are very...pretty."
(Well, Kevin, you just redeemed yourself. Because if you had said anything about my...Never mind.)
"Thank you Kevin. That's very nice of you to say. And your mind is very sexy."
(Oh boy, I made him blush.)
"Thank you, Mimi. I hope we can be friends."
"Sure, Kevin and say hi to Susan."
(Oh, another blush! Well at least ONE of us has a significant other.)
" I will Mimi. Well, I will see you later."
"Okay, Kevin."
(Okay, that wasn't as painful as I thought it would be.)
"Hi Kevin. How's it going?"
"Hello Belle and Shawn." I'm doing very well. How are you?"
They simultaneously replied. "Great." Kevin left and Shawn and Belle sat in a chair, Belle almost on Shawn's lap.
"Hi, Meems." They said together. Then Belle sent Shawn to get her a mocha so she could talk to Mimi alone.
Belle turned to Mimi excitedly. "Oh my God, Meems, what did Kevin just say? Was it good? Are you okay?"
Mimi smiled and responded. "He just kind of broke up with me again. In a way that only Kevin could. Actually he was nicer this time, for him. What can I say, Belle? Kevin isn't always the most wonderful person in the personality department. At least he tries though. We're friends."
"Oh, Mimi. So have you found someone new yet or maybe someone's found you?" Belle waited for an answer hopefully.
"Sorry Belle. No one new."
Shawn came back to the girls and handed Belle her mocha, then sat down with his, with Belle once again practically on his lap.
"Maybe Shawn knows someone."
"No, Belle-" Mimi tried to stop Belle.
"Shawn, you must know a guy for Mimi right?" Belle looked at her boyfriend with extreme interest.
"Uh-"
Mimi got up abruptly, just wanting to get out of there. Funny, how last year she wouldn't of minded being set up on a date, but now it made her feel like some kind of charity case. Besides, she didn't need a guy now. She had other things she could focus on. "Sorry guys, gotta go. I forgot. I have to baby-sit. See you later."
"Mimi-" Belle tried to stop her friend as she ran out of the door.
Belle looked at Shawn, shocked. "What did I do wrong?"
Shawn wisely kept his mouth shut and took a long drink of his mocha. Yes, he was going out with a girl, a very special girl. However, would he ever completely understand them? The answer to that was a big fat NO.
***
Mimi sat down on one of the swings at Salem Park taking sips of her mocha from time to time. Therefore, she was surprised when she felt the swing start to move by some unseen force. She cursed, nearly dropping her drink in her lap.
"Now, now, now. There's no reason for such foul language, Miss Lockhart." Philip grinned at Mimi from behind the swing.
Mimi glared at him. "Philip, what do you think you are doing? You practically made me spill my mocha all over myself."
"Ooops! Sorry. Philip looked at Mimi with such a sad puppy dog face that she had to fight to keep from laughing.
Suddenly Philip moved to the front of the swing and squatted down in front of her grabbing the chains with his hands. Practically nose to nose he looked her right in the face and said with a roguish grin,
"Tell me what I can do to make it up to you. Anything Miss. Lockhart, just tell me."
His face so close to hers, Mimi could see Philip's eyes clearly, his very BLUE eyes. They were staring straight into hers and she was beginning to feel very nervous.
"You can..."
She hated that she could hear her voice shaking a little. If only she could wipe that smug look off his face...
"Yes..."
Even though it didn't seem possible, Philip moved even closer to Mimi, never breaking eye contact.
Mimi paused between each word that she said next, inching closer with each syllable.
"Get...
Out...
Of...
My....
WAY!"
And with that, Mimi pushed Philip so he fell backward down onto the ground and scrambled away from him, trying to hide the fact that she was attempting to get her breathing back to normal.
On the ground, Philip was laughing with one hand over his abdomen. He rolled over and lay on his stomach, watching Mimi stand there with her back to him. He couldn't keep from smiling as he watched her. She was wearing faded jeans, sneakers, and a Salem High Panthers sweatshirt with her hair down in soft waves. From the view of her back, he could tell that her hair was growing, now past her shoulders. And she looked pretty cute with that over size sweatshirt. Hmmm.....
Mimi felt his gaze and turned around to face him. "What? What are you looking at?" Mimi asked Philip, taking in his sweat pants, matching hooded jacket and sneakers he was wearing, his hair falling in his face now.
Philip looked up at her with a lazy smile. He was feeling so relaxed now, teasing her, laughing, just plain having fun. There was no tension, no uncertainty, no complicated mystery. Oh-oh, she didn't look too happy though. Time to rectify that little problem. She was being way too serious. That just wouldn't do. He lifted up his legs, letting them swing back and forth behind him and folded his arms under his chin, continuing smiling at her. He spoke to her, sounding very relaxed.
"Come here, Meems."
"Why?" Mimi asked cautiously.
"Just come here." He waved his hand lazily.
Mimi walked over apprehensively, screeching as Philip slyly looked up at her and grabbed her calves, bringing her crashing down next to him. He kept a careful grasp of her legs, making sure that she didn't fall backward.
"PHILI-"
Mimi screamed as she hit the ground on her knees. Philip got up on his own knees and picked up his football that was lying close by. He held the football in front of her and asked with an impish little smile,
"Want to play a little One on One?"
Mimi looked at him. He just kept gazing at her with that playful grin. Well, it might be fun.
"Okay Philly, you're on."
"Great."
Philip slowly, lazily, sat up and stood. Mimi looked up at him expectantly. He looked back down at her, his playful grin slowly fading. "Uh...Were you planning on getting up?" Philip asked her as he tossed his football back and forth from hand to hand.
Mimi smiled up at him helplessly. "Aren't you going to help me up?"
Philip chuckled. He was really starting to like this new side of her. "Sure." He bent down, holding out his hand to Mimi. She quickly grabbed it with one hand pulling on it hard, sending him falling to the ground and with the other, gathered a handful of fallen leaves. She threw them right in his face and grabbed his football, which he had dropped in surprise. Then she ran to an area in the park where there was an open field.
"HEY!"
Philip let out a yell in protest, then got up and ran after her. He followed her into the open field she escaped to. Philip saw a huge pile of leaves near a tree and picked up a big handful. He caught up to Mimi and threw them at her. Mimi dropped the football and followed suit by grabbing her own handful and throwing them at him. Soon they were both hitting each other with them, laughing hysterically as leaves flew all over the place.
Mimi was gathering another handful when she suddenly felt herself being picked up.
Philip bent down and scooped his arms under her legs forcing Mimi to hold onto him by lacing her hands around his shoulders.
"PHILIP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Philip walked with her in his arms over to the remaining pile of leaves, which was still quite sizeable. Then he daringly held her directly over the pile. Mimi looked down and then looked back at Philip in horror. She started to panic.
"YOU WOULDN'T!"
He answered her in an utterly calm tone, the antithesis of her frantic one.
"You don't think so?"
"YOU COULDN'T!"
"You're sure about that?"
"YOU SHOULDN'T!"
"Probably not."
He moved slightly away from the pile. Mimi sighed in relief.
"But......
What the heck!"
He moved quickly so Mimi was directly above the pile and dropped her onto the pile of leaves, his head falling back in laughter at the sight of her going down.
Mimi felt herself hit the leaves, but the vastness of them cushioned the landing as she landed on her butt, partly on her back. No way was she going to let Philip stay up there laughing, while she was down here, covered and surrounded by leaves. Earlier, he had pulled her down beside him. She returned the favor now by grabbing his legs under his knees, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Philip was surprised to find himself on the ground on his back, surrounded by leaves and Mimi right beside him. She started to get up, but he grabbed her and pulled her back down, shoving some leaves playfully in her face.
"Oh no, you don't, you're going to pay for that!"
Mimi struggled to get up, but some of the leaves were slippery from being a little damp and there were so many of them that it was like trying to get up from a waterbed. Philip throwing more leaves at her of course didn't make it any simpler. "You're the one that started it! How dare you drop me into this pile of leaves! That could have hurt!" She looked up at him angrily as she continued to struggle to get up.
Philip looked at her too, stifling a laugh. She was surrounded by leaves, her hair blending in with the colors. Watching her struggle to get up, only to end up in the same spot was funny too, even though she looked mad enough to hit him any moment.
"Come on. I knew there were enough leaves there to make it a soft landing. You know I would never hurt you. Look, if it makes you feel better, you can hit me." Philip pointed to his chin. "Right here, go ahead. Get all that aggression out!" Philip was grinning as he talked, having fun with her.
"I should!" Mimi looked at him with an irate expression and threw a big handful of leaves right in his face. "There!"
Philip picked up a bunch and hit her back. "And there you go!"
Before they knew it, there were leaves flying all over again and they had them everywhere on them. In their hair and sticking to their clothes. They continued throwing them until they collapsed in exhaustion. Breathing heavily, lying down on their backs, they tried desperately to get their breathing back to normal.
They looked around and saw leaves EVERYWHERE.
"What a mess!" Philip laughed and rolled over onto his stomach and slowly sat up, moving closer towards Mimi. He looked down at her and they both laughed. He held out his hands to her. Mimi looked up at him warily.
"No tricks, this time. I promise!" He could see her hesitation. "I mean you ought to see yourself, Meems. You have leaves everywhere on you." Philip reached for a couple of leaves in her hair and gently brushed them away with his hand.
"And what about you Philly?" Mimi helped him out by reaching up and brushing some leaves from his hair. Then she accepted Philip's outstretched hands. He pulled her up, bringing them face to face.
So close to her now, Philip felt a little wary himself. He spoke softly, a slight tremor in his voice. "You have one right there."
He gestured with his hand and delicately removed a leaf from behind her ear, causing Mimi to shiver a little and then giggle. His touch tickled and yet...
She looked into his eyes and he looked into hers...
"UH, EXCUSE ME."
They turned, startled by the interruption.
"Am I interrupting something because I could leave if you like, Uncle Phil?" Brady looked down at his uncle and his sister's best friend with a mischievous smile. Well this was interesting. Very interesting.
Mimi and Philip both looked at Brady in shock, then clumsily got up and proceeded to remove the leaves form their clothes and hair. Both racked their brains struggling to find a good explanation...
Brady watched in amusement as Mimi started. Oh, THIS is going to be good.
"Uh...uh...Brady, this...well..."
Philip's turn. "We can explain."
Brady smiled watching them still trying to remove the leaves as they told their FASCINATING little story....
"Yeah...uh..." Okay, that was Mimi.
"I mean not that we have ANYTHING to explain. See...Mimi fell..."
"Yeah. Into this pile of leaves and Philip..."
"I was helping her get up and..."
"Oh and so that explains why YOU have leaves all over you too Philip, right?" Brady was thoroughly enjoying himself.
"I fell..."
"Yeah he fell..."
"while trying to help her..."
"and landed right in the leaves."
Mimi and Philip both looked at Brady knowing their story must be the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.
"Uh-huh. Sure you guys. Whatever you say." Brady stifled a laugh.
Mimi brushed off the last of the leaves on her. "Well, I have to go. I have to baby-sit. It was nice seeing you Brady. And thank you Philip for helping me..uh.. when I fell." Mimi looked at Philip one last time and nervously ran off.
Philip just stood there and watched her leave as Brady picked up his forgotten football. "So Philip, you still want to play?"
Philip answered Brady, distracted. "What?"
"FOOTBALL. Do--you--want--to--play--football?" Brady asked Philip slowly.
Philip shook himself and looked at Brady. "Uh, yeah. Sure I do. Let's play."
"Uh, Uncle Phil?"
"Yeah?"
Brady pointed to a leaf. "You missed one behind your ear."
Chapter 12: Starry Nights, Lonely Nights
He was walking, barely looking at where he was going, paying more attention to a piece of paper in his hand. Distracted, he didn't notice the other person turning the corner and he bumped right into her knocking her over. He struggled to keep his balance. "Oh man, I'm so sorry-" His voice broke off as he realized whom he had knocked down.
She looked up at him, shocked.
"Philip..."
He looked down at her, equally shocked.
"Chloe..."
****
Mimi sighed again as Jan continued to complain.
"I HATE CLEANING THOSE DUMB LOCKER ROOMS!"
Oh no, here we go again, Mimi thought.
"It makes my hair smell and I feel all filthy and it's gross and disgusting. And it's all that stupid ghoul girl's fault. But she's going to pay! One of these days."
"Jan, just SHUT Up! Talking like that is what got us into this mess in the first place. And you're not the only one that doesn't like it. I don't either. But listening to you gripe about it just makes it worse, so GIVE IT A REST, will you?"
"Don't you DARE try to blame this all on me! You were more than happy to get back at that witch too so-"
"Yes, I know, but I don't want to rehash it all the time. We made a dumb, stupid, and very mean mistake and now we're paying for it. But we could be in JAIL now Jan, so why don't we just be grateful we're not!"
Jan was in a terrible mood after spending the afternoon cleaning. What would make her feel better? Ooohh! She knew. Putting Mimi down! The girl had the self-esteem of a wet mop.
"So Mimi, Kevin dumped you, huh, twice even, I heard?"
Mimi groaned. It was going to be a long night.
****
"So Philip, are you just going to stare or are you going to help me up?"
Chloe looked up at Philip, smiling slightly.
Philip hastily bent to help her, holding his hands out.
"Oh Chloe, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and I..."
His voice dropped off as he held onto her to help her up. The way she could still make him feel. Those eyes, that hair, her voice...She always amazed him, but she could also make him feel very unsettled...It felt like he had to fight to make himself...good enough for her.
Chloe was feeling uneasy also. They had talked so little since the island. Truth be told they had been avoiding each other. "It's okay. I was just going to go into Dot Com and get a mocha."
"Me too... Uh, you want to...no, never mind."
"What, Philip?"
"I just was wondering if you wanted to sit together and I don't know, talk. I mean not about anything special, just catch up on each other's lives a little..."
"Yeah Philip. I'd like that."
****
"Jan, Kevin and I are friends. And that's it. And we're both fine with that. I don't need a guy in my life right now."
Jan answered sarcastically and viciously. "Why Mimi, because you're SO busy? Busy doing what Mimi, scrubbing toilets? Please. At least I have a boyfriend. You have nothing. You are so pathetic. You are such a follower and everyone at school knows it. Everyone thinks you are a LOSER."
Mimi had stopped listening to Jan a long time ago, but words could still hurt. "You don't know what you're talking about Jan. At least I have friends, wonderful friends."
"What like Shawn and Belle? How often do you see them now Mimi? They're like attached at the hip ever since they started going out. If they spend any time with you, it's only because they feel sorry for you."
"That is so not true. You are the loser Jan because you get off, causing other people pain. And you never take responsibility for anything you do. And your grades suck. What did you get on that test in American Government, Jan huh? Wasn't that the letter F I saw on it?" Mimi smiled maliciously at Jan. She wanted a fight. Fine. She'd get one. If she was going to dish it out she had better learn how to take it. Mimi was no longer everyone's wet dishrag. She had a backbone now and she wasn't going to stand by and let ANYONE tell her off without defending herself.
"And since when do Belle, Shawn, or even Philip talk to you anymore Jan, huh? You may have a boyfriend, but that's all you have. Who's the loser now, Jan?"
And with that, Mimi walked ahead, leaving a very stunned Jan. Score for Mimi Lockhart.
****
Philip and Chloe were now sitting across from each other at a booth in Dot Com drinking mochas. Neither said a word. You couldn't cut the tension with a knife.
Chloe spoke. "So, how are you?"
"All right. How about you?"
"I'm doing okay. I was surprised to see you sitting on the bench for the first game-"
"You were there?" Philip asked her dumbfounded.
"Yeah. Brady wanted to go...so we went...together. But we left kind of early."
"Oh."
Of course she went with Brady. If he had asked her when they were going out together, she probably would have said no or at least given him a hard time, but since it was Brady....
He wasn't even going to go there. "My doctor didn't want me to play. He didn't think I was ready. But I just got the go ahead to play in this next game coming up."
"That's great, Philip!" She said, feeling happy for him.
"Yeah. So how did you like the game?"
"It was...interesting. It made a little more sense when Brady explained it to me." She looked down for a minute, knowing Brady was a sore subject with Philip.
So Brady explained it to her. How nice of him. She never seemed much interested when HE had tried to explain it to her.
"So...uh...you and Brady are together now?"
"We like to do stuff together. We're friends."
"Oh."
"What about you, Philip? Are you seeing...anyone?" She asked him, searching his eyes.
Philip's eyes widened in response.
****
Jan caught up to Mimi, surprised at how she had actually defended herself. But that was okay. Mimi was an easy target.
"Well, well, well, so you can actually speak up for yourself Mimi! So, if it's all over with Kevin, who do you have your eye on now? Or are you still pining away for Shawn?" Jan asked in a mock sweet voice.
"I told you Jan. I'm focusing on other things right now. And Shawn's with Belle and I'm happy for them both."
"Really? Not even just a LITTLE jealous?"
Mimi looked at her sternly, shook her head and turned away.
"Okay, fine. Let's talk about something else. At least the K-man got smart and dumped Vampira. But you know what I heard? That he sucks now on the field. Jase said that even Casey Wright is playing better than he is and everyone knows that Casey is like one of the worst players. Guess Phil is losing his-"
Mimi stopped abruptly and grabbed Jan by the arm, forcing her to face her. Jan pulled her arm back, but Mimi didn't give an inch as she let her have it.
"Only you Jan could say such awful and cruel things. And you actually called yourself his FRIEND once? And as for Jason, he is just as TWO-FACED as you are! Philip went through so much on the island and for a while, we weren't even sure if he would LIVE and you have the nerve to stand there and make light of it. YOU ARE DISGUSTING!"
Mimi turned away with contempt and started walking again.
Jan trailed behind. Hmmmm. The wheels in her head were spinning as she thought about Mimi's outburst, having to do with of all people: PHILIP. Wait a minute....
They had seemed somewhat friendly in her Government class the last couple of days. Was something going on there? OH, this was too good to be true. Mimi was falling for none other than Philip Kiriakis! How deliciously wonderful! Because there was no way that Philip would ever like someone like HER! Mimi was in for a huge fall and Jan was going to enjoy every moment of watching her take it.
****
Philip took a sip of his mocha and regained his composure.
"No, no one Chloe."
However, he didn't tell her that he was taking his studies more importantly and that he was spending more time with his friends and family.
"Oh, well I'm sure that won't last for long. There's hardly any girl at school that isn't crazy about you." She smiled at him.
Philip smiled a little and then turned serious. "Well Chloe, the truth is that I'm not interested in any of those girls."
And they're not really interested in me, they just care that I have money and that I'm popular. Philip thought to himself before the sound of Brady's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hi Uncle Phil. Hi."
The second hi was for Chloe and by the tone of Brady's voice and the expression on Chloe's face at seeing him, Philip could tell that they were becoming more than just friends.
"Hi Brady."
Philip knew his voice didn't sound too thrilled.
"Hey, you guys want me to come back later?" Brady asked.
"No, no Brady. I was just leaving." Philip got up to go.
"Philip, you don't have to go."
"Yeah, Chloe's right. Why don't you stay a while."
"I have something I have to do."
Philip ignored their protests, but said to Brady, "Brady thanks for practicing with me on Sunday. And I have some good news. I'm playing in the next game."
"All right Phil, that's great news! And I bet you'll be leading some of the winning touchdowns!"
Brady looked genuinely happy as he now sat next to Chloe.
"And I enjoyed Sunday. Let me know if you want to practice again, sometime."
Next Brady smiled playfully at Philip.
"Oh and by the way? How's Mimi? She hasn't unexplainably fallen in any piles of leaves.has she?"
Brady was trying to get a reaction and that was exactly what he got.
"Mimi? Uh...fine I guess."
Philip felt flustered as he saw Chloe watching the entire exchange with a confused/curious expression.
"Look, I gotta go. Bye Brady. Bye Chloe."
Brady and Chloe said bye in return and Philip left.
"So what was that about?" Chloe questioned Brady wondering what was going on.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Brady told Chloe, certain now that something WAS going on.
****
Mimi was glad she was nearly home. She wouldn't have to deal with Jan's excessive complaining anymore. After she made it clear she didn't want to talk about herself, Shawn, Chloe, Belle or Philip, Jan went back to whining about cleaning out the locker rooms again. But when Mimi heard a strange noise, she shushed Jan.
"Jan be quiet." She said in a whisper.
She could have sworn she heard something in the bushes, but when she called out nobody said anything. Maybe it was just the wind or a small animal. But if that was true, why did she have a strange feeling...
A feeling that...
That they were being watched.
She got a sudden chill and told Jan to walk faster.
****
Philip sat against the barn and looked up at the sky. Even with the cool autumn air, there were many stars out making it look magnificent.
Too bad, he was home...by himself. And it was a Friday night too! There was an away game tonight, but his appointment kept him from going, even just to sit on the bench. He sat there alone with a piece of wood and a small knife, which he started to whittle with. It was a hobby that he engaged in from time to time, more so lately as his mind recalled things.
He thought about Chloe and how it had been to see her. It would be so simple and even a relief to say it was a wonderful experience, but it hadn't been. It had been awkward and slightly uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say anymore. If only things could be easier. But it had never been that way with Chloe. And that should be okay, right? Life was a struggle. But what if he was working too hard...
Too hard to make a relationship work that was never meant to be...
Philip leaned his head against the wood wall. Why couldn't he just forget about her and let go...
COMPLETELY
She let him go and obviously was enjoying herself with someone different.
Someone different.
Brady.
Brady mentioning Mimi.
He thought back to when Brady found him with her, surrounded by leaves. He laughed softly now, thinking about what she looked like with all of those leaves in her hair. Her look of total astonishment when he dropped her on top of the pile. How soft her touch felt when she helped him remove the leaves from his hair.
The poor thing probably walked home with Jan tonight. Too bad. Jan could be incredibly mean and Philip worried that Mimi might still listen to her. She could take care of herself though. She had definitely proved that lately.
He smiled as he thought about how much fun he was having with her lately. He felt like he could just let go and enjoy himself. There were none of the pressures and uncertainty of a serious relationship. But that didn't mean that he didn't care about her. He was beginning to feel very protective of her.
He thought of the night on the pier and the stranger. She had been so scared and he was glad that he had been there to keep her safe, to protect her, to make her fell better, to.
Why was she in his thoughts so much lately? So much it seemed.
That he found himself wondering about her right now.wondering what she was doing and who she was with.
****
Mimi walked out to the backyard and sat on Connor's swing. It was a small wooden plank swing hanging from a tree. She looked up at the sky, amazed by the numbers of stars she saw and thought about her life.
What a life, huh? Here it was Friday and she was home instead of being out. Maybe Jan was right. Ha! What a laugh! Jan being right about anything. No matter how desperate she got, she would NEVER believe Jan again. And she would never be friends with her again, either.
She was fine without a guy in her life. She had friends and she had her family. That was enough. Kevin was just ...some fun when she was feeling very lonely and still feeling sorry for herself. But she couldn't be with someone who thought she was inferior. Sure, she had felt very fascinated by him on the island and he made her feel attractive and desirable. But when they came back to Salem, he seemed to change. He talked endlessly about topics either that bored her or that she couldn't make heads or tails of. In addition, their relationship seemed to lack warmth and tenderness. And something about it (what, she didn't really know) just didn't mesh. There was Shawn, but he was taken and there was no way Mimi would ever do anything to hurt Belle. Besides, she knew he would never look at her like he did at Belle. And Philip still loved Chloe, right?
Wait a minute.
Philip?
Why did she find herself thinking about him so much lately?
Maybe it was because she was having so much fun with him lately.
She felt at ease with him....well, most of the time. She could be silly with him and he was the same way with her. She thought about the day in the park, playing like when they were kids, with not a care in the world. When he picked her up and dropped her in all those leaves. How she got back at him by making him fall. The way he looked at her when he gently removed the leaf behind her ear.
She felt safe with him. His protectiveness at the pier and how caring he had been.
Doing his best to make her feel safe, getting her to laugh, trying to make her forget.
Why was he so prevalent in her mind lately? So often that.
That she thought of him right now.pondering his whereabouts and who he was spending his time with.
***
In two separate places, they sat alone, their thoughts unknowingly.
Very similar.
Note: In this story, Jan was not raped because I feel it wouldn't fit in with my story
Mimi picked up her mocha and sat down on one of the cushioned chairs in Dot Com. She lifted her legs up onto it and took a sip of her mocha, thinking about the past week. It had been eventful. She got a high score on her first Government test. She had a shopping spree with Belle halfway through the week. Her dad got a raise so the whole family had a nice little dinner at a nearby restaurant. And she got a new babysitting job.
Yes, it had been quite a week. She thought back to when she went with Philip to the Brady Pub. She was glad he had confided in her. Sometimes she felt people were careful with what they said to her because they were afraid she was going to tell others. However, gossip wasn't as important to her anymore.
She took another sip of her mocha as she thought about how much fun she had been having with Philip lately. She felt they were getting close again. It was nice and he made her feels safe. She shivered a little as she thought about the stranger at the pier. The guy scared her. But Philip had been so protective, standing behind her defensively and then moving in front to block the stranger's view of her.
Then after the guy finally left, she felt secure in Philip's comforting embrace. Walking home together, he had even tried to get her mind off the guy by lightly teasing her and saying things to make her laugh.
Mimi sat, feeling relaxed and raised her mocha to her lips as someone she knew walked through the doors of Dot Com. Oh my, it was Kevin and he was coming over.
"Hello, Mimi. How are you?"
(Just dandy. Oh, and thanks for breaking up with me.)
"Hi Kevin. I'm doing all right. "How's it going with you?"
"Very well, Mimi, thank you. That Government test we had was a piece of cake, didn't you think?"
(Uh, which test were you taking Kevin?)
"Uh, maybe for geniuses like you Kevin, but not for ordinary people like me."
"I'm not a genius, but I do exercise my brain to get the creative juices flowing. So how did you do on the test?"
(Not as good as you.)
"An 87"
"Oh. You'll do better next time. I got a perfect score."
(Surprise! Surprise!)
"That's wonderful Kevin."
(Now please go away.)
"Mimi, I came over here because I wanted to talk about us."
(Uh, Kevin there is no US. You broke up with me, remember?)
"Really?"
"I think what happened is on the island we got carried away in the whole tropical atmosphere, the moon in the sky, all of the stars that were out and we let our biological urges take over."
(Yep, that's about what happened Kevin. Now can you please stop talking about it? You're making it sound like something you would read about in a textbook.)
"Uh Kevin-"
"Then we came back to civilization and we had to face each other in normal everyday circumstances. It was no longer a foreign environment. We were back in a place that we were accustomed to and we found out that we have very distinct personalities."
(Nice word, Kevin. Distinct. Are you done now?)
"Well thank you for that thoughtful analysis Kevin. And your point is?"
"I just didn't want you to think that you are inferior in any way just because I am intellectually superior. Your intelligence level is just not as high as mine, but don't worry because you have other VERY favorable attributes."
(Oh and don't worry Kevin about the fact that you are very LOW in social communication.)
"Uh, what favorable attributes, Kevin?"
"Your expertise at computers and the fact that you are very...pretty."
(Well, Kevin, you just redeemed yourself. Because if you had said anything about my...Never mind.)
"Thank you Kevin. That's very nice of you to say. And your mind is very sexy."
(Oh boy, I made him blush.)
"Thank you, Mimi. I hope we can be friends."
"Sure, Kevin and say hi to Susan."
(Oh, another blush! Well at least ONE of us has a significant other.)
" I will Mimi. Well, I will see you later."
"Okay, Kevin."
(Okay, that wasn't as painful as I thought it would be.)
"Hi Kevin. How's it going?"
"Hello Belle and Shawn." I'm doing very well. How are you?"
They simultaneously replied. "Great." Kevin left and Shawn and Belle sat in a chair, Belle almost on Shawn's lap.
"Hi, Meems." They said together. Then Belle sent Shawn to get her a mocha so she could talk to Mimi alone.
Belle turned to Mimi excitedly. "Oh my God, Meems, what did Kevin just say? Was it good? Are you okay?"
Mimi smiled and responded. "He just kind of broke up with me again. In a way that only Kevin could. Actually he was nicer this time, for him. What can I say, Belle? Kevin isn't always the most wonderful person in the personality department. At least he tries though. We're friends."
"Oh, Mimi. So have you found someone new yet or maybe someone's found you?" Belle waited for an answer hopefully.
"Sorry Belle. No one new."
Shawn came back to the girls and handed Belle her mocha, then sat down with his, with Belle once again practically on his lap.
"Maybe Shawn knows someone."
"No, Belle-" Mimi tried to stop Belle.
"Shawn, you must know a guy for Mimi right?" Belle looked at her boyfriend with extreme interest.
"Uh-"
Mimi got up abruptly, just wanting to get out of there. Funny, how last year she wouldn't of minded being set up on a date, but now it made her feel like some kind of charity case. Besides, she didn't need a guy now. She had other things she could focus on. "Sorry guys, gotta go. I forgot. I have to baby-sit. See you later."
"Mimi-" Belle tried to stop her friend as she ran out of the door.
Belle looked at Shawn, shocked. "What did I do wrong?"
Shawn wisely kept his mouth shut and took a long drink of his mocha. Yes, he was going out with a girl, a very special girl. However, would he ever completely understand them? The answer to that was a big fat NO.
***
Mimi sat down on one of the swings at Salem Park taking sips of her mocha from time to time. Therefore, she was surprised when she felt the swing start to move by some unseen force. She cursed, nearly dropping her drink in her lap.
"Now, now, now. There's no reason for such foul language, Miss Lockhart." Philip grinned at Mimi from behind the swing.
Mimi glared at him. "Philip, what do you think you are doing? You practically made me spill my mocha all over myself."
"Ooops! Sorry. Philip looked at Mimi with such a sad puppy dog face that she had to fight to keep from laughing.
Suddenly Philip moved to the front of the swing and squatted down in front of her grabbing the chains with his hands. Practically nose to nose he looked her right in the face and said with a roguish grin,
"Tell me what I can do to make it up to you. Anything Miss. Lockhart, just tell me."
His face so close to hers, Mimi could see Philip's eyes clearly, his very BLUE eyes. They were staring straight into hers and she was beginning to feel very nervous.
"You can..."
She hated that she could hear her voice shaking a little. If only she could wipe that smug look off his face...
"Yes..."
Even though it didn't seem possible, Philip moved even closer to Mimi, never breaking eye contact.
Mimi paused between each word that she said next, inching closer with each syllable.
"Get...
Out...
Of...
My....
WAY!"
And with that, Mimi pushed Philip so he fell backward down onto the ground and scrambled away from him, trying to hide the fact that she was attempting to get her breathing back to normal.
On the ground, Philip was laughing with one hand over his abdomen. He rolled over and lay on his stomach, watching Mimi stand there with her back to him. He couldn't keep from smiling as he watched her. She was wearing faded jeans, sneakers, and a Salem High Panthers sweatshirt with her hair down in soft waves. From the view of her back, he could tell that her hair was growing, now past her shoulders. And she looked pretty cute with that over size sweatshirt. Hmmm.....
Mimi felt his gaze and turned around to face him. "What? What are you looking at?" Mimi asked Philip, taking in his sweat pants, matching hooded jacket and sneakers he was wearing, his hair falling in his face now.
Philip looked up at her with a lazy smile. He was feeling so relaxed now, teasing her, laughing, just plain having fun. There was no tension, no uncertainty, no complicated mystery. Oh-oh, she didn't look too happy though. Time to rectify that little problem. She was being way too serious. That just wouldn't do. He lifted up his legs, letting them swing back and forth behind him and folded his arms under his chin, continuing smiling at her. He spoke to her, sounding very relaxed.
"Come here, Meems."
"Why?" Mimi asked cautiously.
"Just come here." He waved his hand lazily.
Mimi walked over apprehensively, screeching as Philip slyly looked up at her and grabbed her calves, bringing her crashing down next to him. He kept a careful grasp of her legs, making sure that she didn't fall backward.
"PHILI-"
Mimi screamed as she hit the ground on her knees. Philip got up on his own knees and picked up his football that was lying close by. He held the football in front of her and asked with an impish little smile,
"Want to play a little One on One?"
Mimi looked at him. He just kept gazing at her with that playful grin. Well, it might be fun.
"Okay Philly, you're on."
"Great."
Philip slowly, lazily, sat up and stood. Mimi looked up at him expectantly. He looked back down at her, his playful grin slowly fading. "Uh...Were you planning on getting up?" Philip asked her as he tossed his football back and forth from hand to hand.
Mimi smiled up at him helplessly. "Aren't you going to help me up?"
Philip chuckled. He was really starting to like this new side of her. "Sure." He bent down, holding out his hand to Mimi. She quickly grabbed it with one hand pulling on it hard, sending him falling to the ground and with the other, gathered a handful of fallen leaves. She threw them right in his face and grabbed his football, which he had dropped in surprise. Then she ran to an area in the park where there was an open field.
"HEY!"
Philip let out a yell in protest, then got up and ran after her. He followed her into the open field she escaped to. Philip saw a huge pile of leaves near a tree and picked up a big handful. He caught up to Mimi and threw them at her. Mimi dropped the football and followed suit by grabbing her own handful and throwing them at him. Soon they were both hitting each other with them, laughing hysterically as leaves flew all over the place.
Mimi was gathering another handful when she suddenly felt herself being picked up.
Philip bent down and scooped his arms under her legs forcing Mimi to hold onto him by lacing her hands around his shoulders.
"PHILIP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Philip walked with her in his arms over to the remaining pile of leaves, which was still quite sizeable. Then he daringly held her directly over the pile. Mimi looked down and then looked back at Philip in horror. She started to panic.
"YOU WOULDN'T!"
He answered her in an utterly calm tone, the antithesis of her frantic one.
"You don't think so?"
"YOU COULDN'T!"
"You're sure about that?"
"YOU SHOULDN'T!"
"Probably not."
He moved slightly away from the pile. Mimi sighed in relief.
"But......
What the heck!"
He moved quickly so Mimi was directly above the pile and dropped her onto the pile of leaves, his head falling back in laughter at the sight of her going down.
Mimi felt herself hit the leaves, but the vastness of them cushioned the landing as she landed on her butt, partly on her back. No way was she going to let Philip stay up there laughing, while she was down here, covered and surrounded by leaves. Earlier, he had pulled her down beside him. She returned the favor now by grabbing his legs under his knees, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Philip was surprised to find himself on the ground on his back, surrounded by leaves and Mimi right beside him. She started to get up, but he grabbed her and pulled her back down, shoving some leaves playfully in her face.
"Oh no, you don't, you're going to pay for that!"
Mimi struggled to get up, but some of the leaves were slippery from being a little damp and there were so many of them that it was like trying to get up from a waterbed. Philip throwing more leaves at her of course didn't make it any simpler. "You're the one that started it! How dare you drop me into this pile of leaves! That could have hurt!" She looked up at him angrily as she continued to struggle to get up.
Philip looked at her too, stifling a laugh. She was surrounded by leaves, her hair blending in with the colors. Watching her struggle to get up, only to end up in the same spot was funny too, even though she looked mad enough to hit him any moment.
"Come on. I knew there were enough leaves there to make it a soft landing. You know I would never hurt you. Look, if it makes you feel better, you can hit me." Philip pointed to his chin. "Right here, go ahead. Get all that aggression out!" Philip was grinning as he talked, having fun with her.
"I should!" Mimi looked at him with an irate expression and threw a big handful of leaves right in his face. "There!"
Philip picked up a bunch and hit her back. "And there you go!"
Before they knew it, there were leaves flying all over again and they had them everywhere on them. In their hair and sticking to their clothes. They continued throwing them until they collapsed in exhaustion. Breathing heavily, lying down on their backs, they tried desperately to get their breathing back to normal.
They looked around and saw leaves EVERYWHERE.
"What a mess!" Philip laughed and rolled over onto his stomach and slowly sat up, moving closer towards Mimi. He looked down at her and they both laughed. He held out his hands to her. Mimi looked up at him warily.
"No tricks, this time. I promise!" He could see her hesitation. "I mean you ought to see yourself, Meems. You have leaves everywhere on you." Philip reached for a couple of leaves in her hair and gently brushed them away with his hand.
"And what about you Philly?" Mimi helped him out by reaching up and brushing some leaves from his hair. Then she accepted Philip's outstretched hands. He pulled her up, bringing them face to face.
So close to her now, Philip felt a little wary himself. He spoke softly, a slight tremor in his voice. "You have one right there."
He gestured with his hand and delicately removed a leaf from behind her ear, causing Mimi to shiver a little and then giggle. His touch tickled and yet...
She looked into his eyes and he looked into hers...
"UH, EXCUSE ME."
They turned, startled by the interruption.
"Am I interrupting something because I could leave if you like, Uncle Phil?" Brady looked down at his uncle and his sister's best friend with a mischievous smile. Well this was interesting. Very interesting.
Mimi and Philip both looked at Brady in shock, then clumsily got up and proceeded to remove the leaves form their clothes and hair. Both racked their brains struggling to find a good explanation...
Brady watched in amusement as Mimi started. Oh, THIS is going to be good.
"Uh...uh...Brady, this...well..."
Philip's turn. "We can explain."
Brady smiled watching them still trying to remove the leaves as they told their FASCINATING little story....
"Yeah...uh..." Okay, that was Mimi.
"I mean not that we have ANYTHING to explain. See...Mimi fell..."
"Yeah. Into this pile of leaves and Philip..."
"I was helping her get up and..."
"Oh and so that explains why YOU have leaves all over you too Philip, right?" Brady was thoroughly enjoying himself.
"I fell..."
"Yeah he fell..."
"while trying to help her..."
"and landed right in the leaves."
Mimi and Philip both looked at Brady knowing their story must be the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.
"Uh-huh. Sure you guys. Whatever you say." Brady stifled a laugh.
Mimi brushed off the last of the leaves on her. "Well, I have to go. I have to baby-sit. It was nice seeing you Brady. And thank you Philip for helping me..uh.. when I fell." Mimi looked at Philip one last time and nervously ran off.
Philip just stood there and watched her leave as Brady picked up his forgotten football. "So Philip, you still want to play?"
Philip answered Brady, distracted. "What?"
"FOOTBALL. Do--you--want--to--play--football?" Brady asked Philip slowly.
Philip shook himself and looked at Brady. "Uh, yeah. Sure I do. Let's play."
"Uh, Uncle Phil?"
"Yeah?"
Brady pointed to a leaf. "You missed one behind your ear."
Chapter 12: Starry Nights, Lonely Nights
He was walking, barely looking at where he was going, paying more attention to a piece of paper in his hand. Distracted, he didn't notice the other person turning the corner and he bumped right into her knocking her over. He struggled to keep his balance. "Oh man, I'm so sorry-" His voice broke off as he realized whom he had knocked down.
She looked up at him, shocked.
"Philip..."
He looked down at her, equally shocked.
"Chloe..."
****
Mimi sighed again as Jan continued to complain.
"I HATE CLEANING THOSE DUMB LOCKER ROOMS!"
Oh no, here we go again, Mimi thought.
"It makes my hair smell and I feel all filthy and it's gross and disgusting. And it's all that stupid ghoul girl's fault. But she's going to pay! One of these days."
"Jan, just SHUT Up! Talking like that is what got us into this mess in the first place. And you're not the only one that doesn't like it. I don't either. But listening to you gripe about it just makes it worse, so GIVE IT A REST, will you?"
"Don't you DARE try to blame this all on me! You were more than happy to get back at that witch too so-"
"Yes, I know, but I don't want to rehash it all the time. We made a dumb, stupid, and very mean mistake and now we're paying for it. But we could be in JAIL now Jan, so why don't we just be grateful we're not!"
Jan was in a terrible mood after spending the afternoon cleaning. What would make her feel better? Ooohh! She knew. Putting Mimi down! The girl had the self-esteem of a wet mop.
"So Mimi, Kevin dumped you, huh, twice even, I heard?"
Mimi groaned. It was going to be a long night.
****
"So Philip, are you just going to stare or are you going to help me up?"
Chloe looked up at Philip, smiling slightly.
Philip hastily bent to help her, holding his hands out.
"Oh Chloe, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and I..."
His voice dropped off as he held onto her to help her up. The way she could still make him feel. Those eyes, that hair, her voice...She always amazed him, but she could also make him feel very unsettled...It felt like he had to fight to make himself...good enough for her.
Chloe was feeling uneasy also. They had talked so little since the island. Truth be told they had been avoiding each other. "It's okay. I was just going to go into Dot Com and get a mocha."
"Me too... Uh, you want to...no, never mind."
"What, Philip?"
"I just was wondering if you wanted to sit together and I don't know, talk. I mean not about anything special, just catch up on each other's lives a little..."
"Yeah Philip. I'd like that."
****
"Jan, Kevin and I are friends. And that's it. And we're both fine with that. I don't need a guy in my life right now."
Jan answered sarcastically and viciously. "Why Mimi, because you're SO busy? Busy doing what Mimi, scrubbing toilets? Please. At least I have a boyfriend. You have nothing. You are so pathetic. You are such a follower and everyone at school knows it. Everyone thinks you are a LOSER."
Mimi had stopped listening to Jan a long time ago, but words could still hurt. "You don't know what you're talking about Jan. At least I have friends, wonderful friends."
"What like Shawn and Belle? How often do you see them now Mimi? They're like attached at the hip ever since they started going out. If they spend any time with you, it's only because they feel sorry for you."
"That is so not true. You are the loser Jan because you get off, causing other people pain. And you never take responsibility for anything you do. And your grades suck. What did you get on that test in American Government, Jan huh? Wasn't that the letter F I saw on it?" Mimi smiled maliciously at Jan. She wanted a fight. Fine. She'd get one. If she was going to dish it out she had better learn how to take it. Mimi was no longer everyone's wet dishrag. She had a backbone now and she wasn't going to stand by and let ANYONE tell her off without defending herself.
"And since when do Belle, Shawn, or even Philip talk to you anymore Jan, huh? You may have a boyfriend, but that's all you have. Who's the loser now, Jan?"
And with that, Mimi walked ahead, leaving a very stunned Jan. Score for Mimi Lockhart.
****
Philip and Chloe were now sitting across from each other at a booth in Dot Com drinking mochas. Neither said a word. You couldn't cut the tension with a knife.
Chloe spoke. "So, how are you?"
"All right. How about you?"
"I'm doing okay. I was surprised to see you sitting on the bench for the first game-"
"You were there?" Philip asked her dumbfounded.
"Yeah. Brady wanted to go...so we went...together. But we left kind of early."
"Oh."
Of course she went with Brady. If he had asked her when they were going out together, she probably would have said no or at least given him a hard time, but since it was Brady....
He wasn't even going to go there. "My doctor didn't want me to play. He didn't think I was ready. But I just got the go ahead to play in this next game coming up."
"That's great, Philip!" She said, feeling happy for him.
"Yeah. So how did you like the game?"
"It was...interesting. It made a little more sense when Brady explained it to me." She looked down for a minute, knowing Brady was a sore subject with Philip.
So Brady explained it to her. How nice of him. She never seemed much interested when HE had tried to explain it to her.
"So...uh...you and Brady are together now?"
"We like to do stuff together. We're friends."
"Oh."
"What about you, Philip? Are you seeing...anyone?" She asked him, searching his eyes.
Philip's eyes widened in response.
****
Jan caught up to Mimi, surprised at how she had actually defended herself. But that was okay. Mimi was an easy target.
"Well, well, well, so you can actually speak up for yourself Mimi! So, if it's all over with Kevin, who do you have your eye on now? Or are you still pining away for Shawn?" Jan asked in a mock sweet voice.
"I told you Jan. I'm focusing on other things right now. And Shawn's with Belle and I'm happy for them both."
"Really? Not even just a LITTLE jealous?"
Mimi looked at her sternly, shook her head and turned away.
"Okay, fine. Let's talk about something else. At least the K-man got smart and dumped Vampira. But you know what I heard? That he sucks now on the field. Jase said that even Casey Wright is playing better than he is and everyone knows that Casey is like one of the worst players. Guess Phil is losing his-"
Mimi stopped abruptly and grabbed Jan by the arm, forcing her to face her. Jan pulled her arm back, but Mimi didn't give an inch as she let her have it.
"Only you Jan could say such awful and cruel things. And you actually called yourself his FRIEND once? And as for Jason, he is just as TWO-FACED as you are! Philip went through so much on the island and for a while, we weren't even sure if he would LIVE and you have the nerve to stand there and make light of it. YOU ARE DISGUSTING!"
Mimi turned away with contempt and started walking again.
Jan trailed behind. Hmmmm. The wheels in her head were spinning as she thought about Mimi's outburst, having to do with of all people: PHILIP. Wait a minute....
They had seemed somewhat friendly in her Government class the last couple of days. Was something going on there? OH, this was too good to be true. Mimi was falling for none other than Philip Kiriakis! How deliciously wonderful! Because there was no way that Philip would ever like someone like HER! Mimi was in for a huge fall and Jan was going to enjoy every moment of watching her take it.
****
Philip took a sip of his mocha and regained his composure.
"No, no one Chloe."
However, he didn't tell her that he was taking his studies more importantly and that he was spending more time with his friends and family.
"Oh, well I'm sure that won't last for long. There's hardly any girl at school that isn't crazy about you." She smiled at him.
Philip smiled a little and then turned serious. "Well Chloe, the truth is that I'm not interested in any of those girls."
And they're not really interested in me, they just care that I have money and that I'm popular. Philip thought to himself before the sound of Brady's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hi Uncle Phil. Hi."
The second hi was for Chloe and by the tone of Brady's voice and the expression on Chloe's face at seeing him, Philip could tell that they were becoming more than just friends.
"Hi Brady."
Philip knew his voice didn't sound too thrilled.
"Hey, you guys want me to come back later?" Brady asked.
"No, no Brady. I was just leaving." Philip got up to go.
"Philip, you don't have to go."
"Yeah, Chloe's right. Why don't you stay a while."
"I have something I have to do."
Philip ignored their protests, but said to Brady, "Brady thanks for practicing with me on Sunday. And I have some good news. I'm playing in the next game."
"All right Phil, that's great news! And I bet you'll be leading some of the winning touchdowns!"
Brady looked genuinely happy as he now sat next to Chloe.
"And I enjoyed Sunday. Let me know if you want to practice again, sometime."
Next Brady smiled playfully at Philip.
"Oh and by the way? How's Mimi? She hasn't unexplainably fallen in any piles of leaves.has she?"
Brady was trying to get a reaction and that was exactly what he got.
"Mimi? Uh...fine I guess."
Philip felt flustered as he saw Chloe watching the entire exchange with a confused/curious expression.
"Look, I gotta go. Bye Brady. Bye Chloe."
Brady and Chloe said bye in return and Philip left.
"So what was that about?" Chloe questioned Brady wondering what was going on.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Brady told Chloe, certain now that something WAS going on.
****
Mimi was glad she was nearly home. She wouldn't have to deal with Jan's excessive complaining anymore. After she made it clear she didn't want to talk about herself, Shawn, Chloe, Belle or Philip, Jan went back to whining about cleaning out the locker rooms again. But when Mimi heard a strange noise, she shushed Jan.
"Jan be quiet." She said in a whisper.
She could have sworn she heard something in the bushes, but when she called out nobody said anything. Maybe it was just the wind or a small animal. But if that was true, why did she have a strange feeling...
A feeling that...
That they were being watched.
She got a sudden chill and told Jan to walk faster.
****
Philip sat against the barn and looked up at the sky. Even with the cool autumn air, there were many stars out making it look magnificent.
Too bad, he was home...by himself. And it was a Friday night too! There was an away game tonight, but his appointment kept him from going, even just to sit on the bench. He sat there alone with a piece of wood and a small knife, which he started to whittle with. It was a hobby that he engaged in from time to time, more so lately as his mind recalled things.
He thought about Chloe and how it had been to see her. It would be so simple and even a relief to say it was a wonderful experience, but it hadn't been. It had been awkward and slightly uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say anymore. If only things could be easier. But it had never been that way with Chloe. And that should be okay, right? Life was a struggle. But what if he was working too hard...
Too hard to make a relationship work that was never meant to be...
Philip leaned his head against the wood wall. Why couldn't he just forget about her and let go...
COMPLETELY
She let him go and obviously was enjoying herself with someone different.
Someone different.
Brady.
Brady mentioning Mimi.
He thought back to when Brady found him with her, surrounded by leaves. He laughed softly now, thinking about what she looked like with all of those leaves in her hair. Her look of total astonishment when he dropped her on top of the pile. How soft her touch felt when she helped him remove the leaves from his hair.
The poor thing probably walked home with Jan tonight. Too bad. Jan could be incredibly mean and Philip worried that Mimi might still listen to her. She could take care of herself though. She had definitely proved that lately.
He smiled as he thought about how much fun he was having with her lately. He felt like he could just let go and enjoy himself. There were none of the pressures and uncertainty of a serious relationship. But that didn't mean that he didn't care about her. He was beginning to feel very protective of her.
He thought of the night on the pier and the stranger. She had been so scared and he was glad that he had been there to keep her safe, to protect her, to make her fell better, to.
Why was she in his thoughts so much lately? So much it seemed.
That he found himself wondering about her right now.wondering what she was doing and who she was with.
****
Mimi walked out to the backyard and sat on Connor's swing. It was a small wooden plank swing hanging from a tree. She looked up at the sky, amazed by the numbers of stars she saw and thought about her life.
What a life, huh? Here it was Friday and she was home instead of being out. Maybe Jan was right. Ha! What a laugh! Jan being right about anything. No matter how desperate she got, she would NEVER believe Jan again. And she would never be friends with her again, either.
She was fine without a guy in her life. She had friends and she had her family. That was enough. Kevin was just ...some fun when she was feeling very lonely and still feeling sorry for herself. But she couldn't be with someone who thought she was inferior. Sure, she had felt very fascinated by him on the island and he made her feel attractive and desirable. But when they came back to Salem, he seemed to change. He talked endlessly about topics either that bored her or that she couldn't make heads or tails of. In addition, their relationship seemed to lack warmth and tenderness. And something about it (what, she didn't really know) just didn't mesh. There was Shawn, but he was taken and there was no way Mimi would ever do anything to hurt Belle. Besides, she knew he would never look at her like he did at Belle. And Philip still loved Chloe, right?
Wait a minute.
Philip?
Why did she find herself thinking about him so much lately?
Maybe it was because she was having so much fun with him lately.
She felt at ease with him....well, most of the time. She could be silly with him and he was the same way with her. She thought about the day in the park, playing like when they were kids, with not a care in the world. When he picked her up and dropped her in all those leaves. How she got back at him by making him fall. The way he looked at her when he gently removed the leaf behind her ear.
She felt safe with him. His protectiveness at the pier and how caring he had been.
Doing his best to make her feel safe, getting her to laugh, trying to make her forget.
Why was he so prevalent in her mind lately? So often that.
That she thought of him right now.pondering his whereabouts and who he was spending his time with.
***
In two separate places, they sat alone, their thoughts unknowingly.
Very similar.
Note: In this story, Jan was not raped because I feel it wouldn't fit in with my story