Chapter 16 Concern
Philip got home from football practice and went up to his room. He threw his backpack down on a chair, took his shoes off and changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, his mind on the previous night. He thought about the previous night. What a night! The whole gang decided to spend the evening exploring "haunted houses" and was having a fun time until Mimi got hurt.
****
Philip got back from getting his and Mimi's jackets. Shawn, Belle, Chloe and Brady were outside waiting for them.
Earlier, Mimi had taken quite a tumble, running away from an "idiotic mummy." Well, that was Philip's description for the guy now. The "idiot" should have gotten a clue when she screamed and started running. She ended up falling and hitting her head on one of those "dumb" caskets. Watching her fall like that had really scared Philip. Philip had gone over to the "idiotic mummy" giving him a piece of his mind, while the hopeless guy tried to tell him it was part of the haunted house. He was SUPPOSED to scare people! Brady and Shawn managed to calm Philip down and he sat by Mimi waiting for her to wake up. When she did, he helped her to sit up, wrapping his arms around her waist as Belle went to go get her a pillow to rest her head against. Philip checked her head, feeling a bump, and insisted on taking her to the hospital.
Now he noticed her looking at something from where he had left her sitting. He wondered what it was.
"Mimi?"
He questioned, moving down next to her on the floor. She surprised him by grabbing onto him, holding on desperately.
"Meems?"
He asked, using her nickname since childhood and started to put his arms around her, holding her for a bit. Still concerned, he watched her carefully as he helped her up, holding onto her waist protectively. He held out her jacket for her, helping her get her arms in the sleeves, looking at her with concern once more. She seemed shaky and not completely steady on her feet.
"What was it? What were you looking at?"
He asked her, keeping a grip on her arm to help her stand.
She paused before she answered him, looking away for a minute.
"Nothing, nothing important."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"All right."
He answered her with some doubt, but didn't press the issue. He wanted to get her to the hospital. Before they managed even one step though, she began to sway on her feet.
"MIMI!"
She struggled to get her balance, feeling him supporting her.
"I'm.I'm okay."
"Yeah, right."
He answered her skeptically, his eyes full of concern.
"Maybe I should just carry you out of here."
The concern still lining his facial features, he was prepared to do just that.
"Don't be silly. I can walk out of here. I'm all right. Let's just go."
He looked at her skeptically again, but agreed, holding onto her tightly, making sure that if she did fall, he'd be ready to catch her.
They went outside, checking in with the rest of the gang before Philip got to his dad's car. He helped her in, fastened her seatbelt for her and started to drive.
On the road, Philip looked over at Mimi worriedly; she looked like she was getting ready to fall asleep.
One of her eyes closed-
"NO, DON'T FALL ASLEEP! MIMI, YOU HAVE TO STAY AWAKE!"
Well that definitely worked.
Ooops, he didn't mean to yell that loud. He just wanted to get her attention. He ran one hand through his hair in frustration, watching her jump from the sound of his voice and open both eyes wide, staring at him.
"What are you trying to do Philip, scare the living daylights out of me!?" She asked him in shock.
"I just didn't want you to fall asleep. You should stay awake." He looked at her sheepishly. "Here, let's listen to some music."
He put on a station, turned it up, the music blaring from the radio.
"Philip, can you turn it down?"
"WHAT?"
He had to yell to even hear himself.
"CAN YOU TURN THE DAMN MUSIC DOWN?"
Mimi yelled out, looking at him in bewilderment.
He looked back at her, shook his head and turned the music down, still trying to make sure she wasn't about to fall asleep.
"I just.don't close your eyes, okay?"
"I won't. Don't worry, you managed to keep me wide awake with all that. What was that music anyway, Revival of Headbanger's Ball?" She laughed, smiling at him.
Philip smiled back and laughed too. "Yeah, I guess. Don't ever lose your sense of humor Meems okay?"
He gave her one of his dimpled grins, and then turned more sober.
"How you feeling? Your head okay?"
"I'm all right. It definitely hurts, but the ice makes it feel better."
He watched her holding an ice pack against her head.
"Good. Well here we are. Let's get you checked out."
Philip pulled into the hospital parking lot and helped her get out of the car. Then they went inside the hospital. After talking to a nurse who called for a doctor to check her, Philip waited for Mimi in the waiting room.
****
Philip lay back on his bed, remembering. After she came out with the doctor he found out she had a pretty good-sized bump on the back of her head and would need a day of rest.
So today, he smiled at Jan, letting her know she would be on her own cleaning out the locker rooms and made sure he took good notes in their Gov. Class. Now he wondered how she was feeling.
He took the receiver of his phone off, dialed her number, then lay back down on the bed, and waited for an answer.
Mimi was sitting up in bed, wearing an oversized T-shirt and comfortable stretch pants. A pillow was at her back, supporting her head. She was reading a magazine and listening to an NSYNC cd on her portable player when she heard the phone ring. She reached for the receiver.
"Hello."
"Hey Meems, it's Philip."
"Hi Phil."
"Listen, I just called to see how you were doing."
Philip walked over to the chair and picked up his backpack, carrying it with him back to his bed. He took a folder out it and threw the backpack on the floor. He lay back down on the bed with his folder.
"Feeling practically stir-crazy."
Mimi turned her portable player off, and then lay down on the bed, leafing through her magazine, abstract-mindedly.
"After my third soap opera and talk show, I realized that going to school isn't that bad after all."
"Really?"
"There was this one nutty show called 'Days of Turmoil' and everyone has these messed up lives. This crazy girl kidnapped her own sibling. This wacko woman buried her nemesis alive. And there's this weird guy named Ralph or something like that who talks in this outrageous accent and acts like a lunatic. Oh and don't get me started on the guy who dressed like a woman to visit his girlfriend who's being held hostage by this other guy who likes to set earthquakes for the fun of it."
Philip started laughing. "What a wild show! Guess you're ready to come back to school, back to reality."
"Definitely."
Philip lay on his side.
"So how are you doing otherwise? How's your head?"
Mimi settled back more against her pillow.
"It still hurts a tiny bit. But it's a lot better now. The aspirin helps."
"That's good. I'm glad you're feeling better. Hey, and you even got out of cleaning the locker rooms for a day!"
Mimi smiled. "Yeah, Belle told me that you let Jan know I wouldn't be there to help her. And that you delivered the news with one of your infamous grins--such a bad boy Philly." Mimi mocked him.
"You talked to Belle today too? So let me get this straight, you watched TV and talked to Belle? When exactly did you get any sleep today Miss Lockhart, which is what you were supposed to be doing?" Philip asked her sternly.
"I got plenty of sleep.last night and in the morning. Honestly, I tried to fall back asleep, but most of the day I was just bored." Mimi defended herself and then changed the subject, hoping Philip wouldn't notice. "So was Jan mad?"
Philip smirked at her attempt to get him off track. "Smooth Lockhart, smooth. But you better be feeling better tomorrow or I'm going to see to it that you get enough sleep myself."
"And just how are you going to do that Kiriakis?" Mimi teased, enjoying the light-heartedness of their conversation.
Philip laughed evilly. "You'll just have to find out won't you? Seriously Meems, are you sure you're feeling better? Maybe you should stay home another day and this time get some REST."
Mimi heard genuine concern in Philip's voice. "I'm okay Philip, really. And I did get plenty of rest. Most of the time when I was watching TV I dozed on and off. And I didn't wake up till very late this morning. Now what did Jan's face look like when you told her?"
Philip was reassured to hear that she rested more than it sounded like at first. He teased her again.
"Now that's bad, gloating about the fact that your arch nemesis had to work all by herself today. Hey, today you would normally stay late, right?" Philip laughed, thinking about how Jan had to take Mimi's place.
Mimi laughed too. "Not as bad as you! Anyways, I'll probably just have to stay later tomorrow and make up for it."
"But you're still recovering."
"I can clean Phil." Mimi added in a dry voice.
"Fine, then I guess I'm walking you home tomorrow." Philip added.
"That's not part of our deal."
"It is now."
Philip spoke in a voice that left little room for argument. He lay back down on his back, his head against his pillow.
Mimi was inwardly happy that Philip wanted to walk her home.
"Whatever. I'm too tired to argue about it and I don't really feel like walking alone. How was practice? Isn't it almost the end of the season?"
"Yeah, not too many more games to go. I can't believe how late I started this year."
"But it's easier for you to get through the practices now, right?"
"Yeah. Being team captain isn't that bad either."
Philip smiled. His playing kept getting better and better and for the first time in his life, he really appreciated that fact. Every touch down he made now meant something.
Mimi cheered him on good-naturedly. "Go Philly. So how was Government today? Please tell me you took notes. Do we have a test coming up?"
Mimi rushed on, barely pausing with each sentence.
She was rambling.
"Slow down Mimi."
Philip reached for his folder and opened it up, looking at its contents.
"One question at a time. It was long and tedious as usual. Of course I took notes. When do I not? And yes, without fail, Carter announced a new test for next week. All essay questions."
Philip finished somewhat morosely. He hated essay questions. He closed his folder.
"Great. Wonderful." Mimi knew she didn't sound too happy either. "So, can I borrow your notes?"
"Sure. We probably should study together anyways. This one sounds tough."
"Philip, every test we've had in that class has been tough. The only one who doesn't think they're tough is Kevin. He thinks they're 'a piece of cake!'"
Mimi imitated Kevin's opinion of one of their tests.
Philip laughed, and then wondered at her response. He agreed to not talk about Kevin, but she was the one who brought him up. Now he was curious. Did they see each other since? He had to be careful about this.
"So have you talked to Kevin lately?"
"We have an agreement Philip." Mimi warned.
"Yeah, but you're the one who brought him up."
Mimi sighed. "Oh fine. Yeah, I saw him the day you threw me into that leaf pile at the park. I was at Dot Com and he came over to talk to me."
Philip suppressed a chuckle at the memory of watching her go flying down into that pile of leaves, her face showing total shock.
"So uh, he thought the test was easy.that's why he came to talk to you.about the test?"
Philip asked, sounding deceptively casual.
Mimi could tell he was fishing.
"No, he basically told me that we're too different. He's smarter than me-"
Philip interrupted her.
"He said that?"
He asked, feeling a little angry with Kevin now.
"Actually his exact words were that he's 'intellectually superior', but that I have VERY favorable attributes."
"WHAT?"
Philip sat up abruptly. The way she said that. And what did Kevin mean by that comment? If he meant: Oh Kevin, you better not have meant-
"What the heck does that mean?"
Philip was very irritated now.
Okay, was she just kidding herself or did Philip actually sound mad? Did it bother him, what Kevin said? Oh stop fooling yourself Mimi.
"Uh, my computer experience and he said that I was pretty." The last part Mimi said a little shyly.
Philip sighed and lay back again. Good Kevin, very good.
"Oh, that was actually kind of a nice thing to say."
He felt calm again. "So you guys are cool then?"
"Yeah. We're friends. Okay, now it's my turn to ask you something."
"What?" Philip asked warily.
"Why did you leave the dance so early that night?" Mimi bravely asked, twisting a strand of her hair on her finger.
Philip moved a lock of hair away from his eyes. "I already told you that. I wasn't enjoying myself."
"But why weren't you enjoying yourself? Come on Philip, what happened?"
Philip sighed. "You're not going to give up on this are you?"
"Nope."
"I.I was dancing with Gretchen Adams, you know the cheerleader-"
Mimi cut him off. "You were dancing with Gretchen?"
"Yeah."
Philip waited to hear her reaction, feeling a tiny smile pull at his lips. Was she jealous?
Mimi answered, sounding completely nonchalant.
"Oh, and what happened? She step on your foot or something?"
Philip laughed a little. "No. Uh. A song came on."
"Well Philip that's what usually happens when you're at a dance. You kind of need music, you know?"
"It wasn't just any song."
Philip waited and got no response. He sighed again.
"It was the song I danced with Chloe to at the Last Blast Dance: our song."
Mimi sighed herself. If she hadn't pulled that stupid prank, they probably would still be together.
"Oh, now I get it."
Should she ask? Did she have any right to?
"How did Chloe react?"
"I don't think she did. I don't think she was even there anymore. She must have left with Brady earlier." Philip ran his hand through his hair.
"Sorry Philip."
"It's not your fault."
"But you guys probably would have been there together if Jan and I-"
He cut her off, sounding irritated.
"Look, we've been over this again and again. You made a mistake and so did I that night. Sure, what you and Jan did was awful, but I didn't make things any better." Philip shook his head, bothered.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore, all right?"
Mimi felt a little hurt by the tone of his voice, but she thought she probably deserved it. That's what you get when you open up a can of worms. She decided she might as well just end this conversation now, before it got ugly. She moved abruptly, hitting her head accidentally on her headboard.
"Ohh."
Philip quickly forgot any earlier irritation as he heard her moan in what sounded like pain.
"Meems, what happened? Are you okay?"
Mimi slowly settled back against her pillow, taking deep breaths, feeling the pain gradually go away.
"Yeah, I'm all right. I just hit my head on the headboard of my bed. Chalk it up for clumsy Mimi, huh?"
Philip let out a relieved sigh.
"Hey, you're not clumsy. You're just probably tired. I better let you go."
"Yeah, before I go and say something else that makes you angry at me."
Philip shook his head a little in disbelief.
"I'm not angry at you. There are just some things I'd rather not talk about, okay?"
"Okay, but if you ever change your mind, I hope you know you can talk to me."
Philip smiled. "Yeah, I know that."
Mimi yawned, feeling her eyes start to get heavy.
Philip smiled again, in response.
"I heard that. You getting sleepy?"
"Yeah."
Mimi lay more against her pillow, yawning again.
"All right. I better let you go. Sleep well, okay Meems."
"Yeah, you too."
"G'night Meems."
"G'night Phil."
Mimi tiredly hung up the phone and went to sleep, with a smile on her face, her witch cat next to her.
Philip hung up the phone and lay back.thinking.
****
He woke up suddenly, sitting straight up in shock. He looked around frantically for a second, making sure of where he was. Then he let his head fall back against the headboard of his bed.
Another one of those recurring dreams about.
The island.
He sighed, reaching for his guitar, which he now usually kept near his bed. It was given to him when he was a child, along with a shower of many other gifts. He never had a lack of material things, that was for sure. He learned a little how to play it and then pretty much ignored it-until her- until he serenaded her. But lately he played it for himself and as he played, sometimes he thought of someone else.
He sat cross-legged on his bed, his guitar on his lap. One perk of living in a mansion was that the walls were thick and if your door was closed, no one could hear you.
He moved one hand onto the cords, the other on the strings and started to play a song he had listened to lately. He wasn't a melancholy person by nature, but the near loss of life and of what, love?, changed him. Music was now a comfort. How ironic.
He strummed the guitar, singing along in a soulful haunting voice.
{Tell me what you see
Was it a dream? Was I in it?
Life seemed so obscene until it's over
Who knows?}
{All I want is someone who can fill the hole
In the life I know
In between life and death when there's nothing left
Do you wanna know?}
{You come in on your own
And you leave on your own
Forget the lovers you've known
And your friends on your own}
{Tell me if it's true
That I need you, you are changing
I've seen this road before down on the floor
It is hurting me}
{All I want is someone who can fill the hole in the life I know
In between life and death when there's nothing left
Do you want to know?}
{You come in on your own
And you leave on your own
Forget the lovers you've known
And your friends on your own}
{Lies
I've got to get rid of this hole inside}
Philip put the guitar back down on the floor, lay back down and fell asleep.
This time there were no disturbing dreams.
"On Your Own" Song Lyrics by Richard Ashcroft of The Verve
Chapter 17: Cruising
Mimi sat next to Philip in the back of Brady's car. Brady and Chloe were in the front and Shawn and Belle were in the back next to her and Philip. And they were one pretty raucous group right now. Salem High just won another of a string of football games and they were now celebrating. Mimi of course had to miss the game, but she was promptly picked up after it was done so she could join her friends. What a crazy group they were. Some of them got along wonderfully and some of them had very tense relationships, but when they were together, they seemed to bond in a very special way.
Another song came over the radio making them all break out in song once again, a familiar theme of the night.
"Okay, who's hungry?" Brady called back to everyone, winking at Chloe sitting next to him.
They all let out a holler. Brady laughed and continued driving.
A car drove by honking and they called out, returning the greeting with a honk also. The whole strip was covered with cars, mostly Salem High students, celebrating their victory. Even though it was somewhat chilly, everyone had their windows rolled down or in some cases even the top down. Another car passed by, letting out a victory cry.
"OOOHHH! SALEM HIGH! PANTHERS ARE NUMBER ONE AGAIN! YES!"
Belle cheered in response in her loudest voice. Shawn laughed and pulled her back towards him, kissing her.
"Hey! Not in my car!" Brady yelled out, only half joking.
"Quiet Big Brother!" Belle called out and snuggled into Shawn's arms.
Another car passed by, the occupants yelling out,
"Philly K, you are the man!"
Philip chuckled and yelled back good naturedly, glancing at Mimi with a wide grin. She returned it, but then spoke up.
"Oh no, his head's going to get swelled up again if people keep treating him like that." She smirked at Philip.
"Hey!" Philip protested.
"You don't have to worry about that Mimi! It never really stopped growing along with that inflated ego of his!" Shawn replied jokingly.
"Well, who scored MOST of the touchdowns tonight, huh Brady?" Philip responded.
"What?" Brady called out from the front.
"Not you Brady, I was talking to the Brady back here."
Chloe giggled at Philip's answer, watching Brady's bewildered face.
"What?"
"Oh forget it, I meant Shawn. Maybe we should just start calling you Black. It'll make things easier on everyone."
Philip joked, in a good mood after such a great game and enjoying the present company.
Brady grumbled from up front and drove into the drive-in of the fast food joint they decided to eat at.
"All right, what does everyone want?"
Everyone started yelling out what they wanted while Chloe kept asking if they had veggie burgers.
"QUIET!"
Brady yelled out irritably.
"One at a time you guys. All right who's first?"
He was almost sorry he asked when they were done. Everyone wanted something entirely different. Brady shook his head in frustration.
"Okay, let me get this straight, Belle wants #4 with no tomatoes, no mayonnaise, no mustard, pretty much no nothing."
Shawn laughed.
"And a diet coke!" Belle called out.
"What do you need a DIET coke for? It's not like you need to lose any weight!"
Chloe looked at him with annoyance. "Brady, you have a younger sister and you still don't know anything about teenage girls."
Brady didn't even respond to that. "And you Mimi, you want #7 with no onions, but you want them to add tomatoes. Look. Why don't you just take Belle's and eat those. It would be a lot easier."
"Yuck."
Both girls gave their opinion of that idea.
"And you Chloe, you want a burger, but they don't have any veggie burgers so you don't want one. You want a salad, but you don't like the dressing. You want fries, but they're too greasy. So what am I supposed to order for you, huh?"
Everyone in back was laughing hysterically. Brady was just so funny when he was irritated.
"And let's not forget Shawn and Phil. Shawn wants a #2 and Phil wants a #6, but Shawn also wants a side order of this and Phil wants a side order of that." Brady finished sarcastically.
"And all I want is a #5, no changes, no additions, just plain #5."
"BOR-ING!"
They all called out laughing uproariously and giving each other five, slapping each other's hands.
Brady just groaned and attempted to order. And then realized morosely that he had no idea what most of them wanted to drink. It started out easy enough, until somebody wanted a shake. Then things got chaotic. Brady shook his head in frustration again.
When they got their food, after everybody finally decided their orders, Brady drove back out to the strip. Chloe handed him a fry, then ate one herself, smiling at him innocently. Brady sighed.
In the back, Shawn and Belle were tasting each other's meals. And Mimi was teasing Philip about what a big shot he was when a car drove by, a whole bunch of girls yelling out that they "loved him!"
"Oh Phil, more of your admirers!"
Mimi mocked Philip.
"That's it! You're getting it now!"
Philip started tickling Mimi, nearly making her drop her soda.
Brady watched from the front in horror, thinking they were going to spill soda all over his precious automobile.
"Not in my car!!"
Philip and Mimi laughed, but Philip stopped his tickling, deciding to behave himself, before he got thrown out. Brady's new car was like his baby.
"Who Let the Dogs Out" came on the school radio station and all the guys started barking while the girls added back-up vocals.
When the song ended, Brady asked everyone a question.
"Okay, so where to now? Any parties or anything?"
"Yeah lots of them." Philip responded. "Jason's having one at his house."
"Which means we won't be going there." Belle answered with distaste.
Everyone laughed.
"Hey, how about we go to that gathering they're having over by The Point. That sounds cool." Shawn suggested.
Everyone agreed and it was decided that they would head towards The Point.
****
The Point was simply a place to park. It included a fantastic view of Salem and you could take a walk in the woods too.
When they got there they saw teens sitting on top of their cars and some dancing to music blaring from the car speakers. Some were heading off for the woods and others were taking advantage of having no adults around.
They got out of the car and Shawn and Belle went to go dance in the moonlight. Brady and Chloe joined them, dancing a little ways off. Mimi walked a little behind Philip, who was immediately bombarded by some very flirty cheerleaders.
"Oh, my gosh look it's Philly K!"
Philip gave one of his dazzling smiles, enjoying the attention.
Mimi stood back and watched as the girls hung all over Philip, dancing with him, flirting, just having a grand old time. She sighed and turned around, walking right into somebody.
"OOPS!" Mimi accidentally ran right into one of the Salem High Panthers, in other words, one of the football players.
"Hey MIMSI, howsa it goin"
Great. It was Travis Lewis and he was drunk out of his mind.
"It's a going." Mimi responded with some sarcasm.
"Howsabout we take a little walkie through the woods, whatayasay?"
Mimi laughed and then placed her hand, like a barrier, in front of her face. The guy smelled like a brewery.
"That's okay Travis. I think I'll just stay here."
"Okay, howsabout a lil dance?"
Travis reached for Mimi, practically hanging over her. He was so much bigger than her.
"No." Mimi responded, trying to get him off her. Oh, his breath! YUCK.
"Comeon Mimsi."
"She said no. Now why don't you get a hint and take a walk."
Philip walked up to Travis and dislodged him from Mimi. Actually, he had to do very little. Mimi had already managed to push him almost completely away from her.
"Ugh." Philip smelled Travis's breath in disgust. "And Travis go get some breath mints or something."
"Sober Up Travis!" Mimi piped in.
Philip laughed and watched as Travis stumbled away back to some of the other players.
"You okay?"
Philip turned back towards Mimi and questioned her.
Mimi smirked at him and waved her arm casually.
"Me? I'm fine. His BREATH was pretty scary though. I'm shocked I'm still standing."
Philip laughed again. "Ah Meems, you're so funny."
"Yep that's me, the girl who can make all the guys laugh. So what happened to your little fan club, huh Phil?"
Philip smiled. "I don't know. They weren't entirely sober. They're probably having fun somewhere. What happened to you anyway? One minute you're behind me and the next I see Travis all over you."
"You didn't seem to really miss me when your admirers came over." Mimi responded cryptically.
Was she angry?
"Ah, those girls always act that way. You know. They think I'm great because I'm captain of the football team blah blah blah and 'cause I'm rich."
"You poor thing. And don't expect me to believe you don't like them fawning all over you." Mimi responded with disbelief.
Philip smiled at her, thinking she looked cute when she got angry, in her jeans and blue jacket. He was wearing jeans and his block jacket.
"It's all right, but it's no big deal. I know who my real friends are." He smiled at her again.
She smiled back. "So where did the others go?"
She looked around for her friends but couldn't find them anywhere.
"They said they were going to go take a walk. They weren't sure where you were either so I said I'd find you."
"Oh, well if you want to go join them you can. I'll just stay here."
"Nah. They probably want to be alone." He smirked. "Besides, I have to stay with you and make sure no more drunken idiots breathe on you."
Mimi protested. "I don't need you to protect me!"
Philip was starting to feel some frustration now. "I didn't say that."
Mimi gave him a perturbed look and walked ahead towards the other end where it was easy to see almost all of Salem. She heard Philip walk up behind her quietly. She looked out ahead. The night sky was so beautiful tonight, but there was also a chill in the air. She shivered a little and heard a rustling behind her.
Before she knew it, Philip was draping his jacket over her shoulders without a single word. She looked up at him for a second and then sat down on the ground, looking at the view of the city.
Philip sat down on the ground next to Mimi.
"So how come you're not wearing your block jacket?" He looked over at her, waiting for an answer.
"My block jacket for soccer you mean? Actually, I barely wear it this year. I kind of feel weird wearing it."
Mimi responded softly, looking down.
Philip moved his head down a little to see her face better.
"Why?"
"Because I'm not even playing this year. It's such a drag. The team's doing so great this year. Guess I didn't make any difference." Mimi answered ruefully.
"That's not true. Everybody makes a difference on a team. You should know that. And I saw you play a couple of times. You really helped the team out a lot. I bet they miss you."
Philip watched as Mimi finally raised her head and met his eyes with hers. He smiled at her encouragingly.
"I guess so. They've told me they do. And I definitely miss-"
Mimi shook her head.
"Forget it."
"You miss playing, don't you?"
"Yeah." She looked at him. "I'm kind of surprised you actually remember seeing me play. I didn't think you ever really paid attention or cared."
"Hey, I'm not THAT self centered." Philip mocked himself. "You played really good. I liked watching you. I liked seeing how tough you were out there on the field, how you refused to give in, even if you guys were losing."
"You really thought that about me?" Mimi looked at him a little shyly.
Philip glanced over at her. "Yeah, I did."
"Thanks."
"Your welcome."
They both smiled at each other, and then looked back at the view.
Mimi took Philip's jacket off her shoulders and started to hand it back to him.
Philip looked at her questioningly.
"What, you don't want to wear it? Aren't you cold?"
"A little, but I already have a jacket on. I'll be okay. Besides, all your buddies are over there and you don't want them to."
She dropped off, feeling a little inhibited.
Philip still had no clue what she meant. "I don't want them to what?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you? Philip, you know what it means when a guy lets a girl wear his letter jacket."
Philip finally nodded in recognition, but did nothing to get the jacket back from her.
"Of course I know, but you're cold and I'd rather have you wear it than get sick."
Mimi gestured to the group of students, farther behind them.
"But what if they think something?"
"Then let them think something. But I doubt that's going to happen. I mean everyone knows we're just friends." Philip smiled at her casually.
Of course, friends. Just friends. How could Philip Kiriakis ever think more of someone like Mimi Lockhart?
Stop it!
You also always insist that you guys are just friends. So why did his words bother her?
Mimi looked and saw Philip smiling at her curiously.
"So where did you just go now, huh Meems?"
"Nowhere, I was just thinking of something. It's no big deal."
"Like it was no big deal what you were looking at on Halloween? You know, when I came back from bringing your jacket?" Philip went on a little impatiently. "Come on Mimi, what were you looking at that night?"
"It was nothing Philip."
"Okay, so who are Melinda and Robert?"
"You heard me when I said that?" Mimi asked apprehensively.
"All of us did."
"Oh."
"Well?"
"If I answer your question you have to answer mine."
"Okay, that's fair."
Now how should she tell him this? She decided to partly tell him the truth. Actually she had no idea what the truth really was.
"I had this crazy dream when I was out and those were two people in the dream. I sort of went back in time.in the dream. Okay, now your turn. Was what Brady said true? Did you really want to go after that mummy that jumped out at me?"
Philip was still wondering about the dream, but he knew now it was his turn to answer a question.
"Yeah, I did. I was worried about you and since he was the one that scared you, I blamed him for you getting hurt." Philip told Mimi candidly.
Mimi looked at him and smiled a little. "Thanks for caring."
Philip smiled back. "Thanks for caring about me when I was in the hospital after the island."
Then they lapsed into silence, gazing at the moon in the sky and the lights from the city.
In the background the Salem High DJ could be heard, coming from the cars. "Okay Panthers, out there cruising around tonight, celebrating another Salem High Victory, here's the perfect song for you, 'CRUISIN.'"
Mimi started swaying a little from where she was sitting next to Philip, humming to the beginning beats of the classic song.
Philip smiled and felt himself humming along too. Then he started to softly sing.
{Baby let's cruise
Away from here}
He gestured to Mimi, bumping against her lightly. She started to protest, but then gave in, with a smile.
{Don't be confused
The way is clear}
Philip grinned happily.
"Hey not half bad. We're pretty good actually."
He stood up, bent over and reached for Mimi's hand as the song continued to play in the background, the soulful sounds of Smokey Robinson's voice resonating in the night.
Mimi smiled, even though she felt a little uncertain and let him take her hand, feeling him pull her up beside him.
{You're gonna fly away
Glad you're goin' my way}
He kept a hold of her hand, swaying lightly to the music, and then reached for her other hand. They started to slowly dance together, hand in hand.
{I love it when we're cruisin' together}
She handed him his jacket, feeling warmer, and he gave her a questioning look at first, but eventually took it and let it fall to the ground. They turned around as he moved one hand around her waist and she moved hers to his upper arm. The soothing grooves continued.
{And inch by inch we get closer and closer
To every little part of each other ooh baby, yeah
So let the music take your mind
Just release and you will find}
Philip twirled her around with one hand, both of them softly laughing. Then when she came back to him, he put both hands around her waist, and moved in a tiny bit closer. She put both hands on his upper arms now, her fingertips touching his shoulders. They started to develop a routine of looking at each other, then looking away, both feeling a little unsure of themselves, but also enjoying the sensation of dancing together to the relaxing sounds of the song.
Philip sang softly again as Mimi hesitantly rested her head a little against his shoulder. When she felt him move closer to her again though, his chin near the top of her head, she relaxed more, listening to the sound of his voice.
{You're gonna fly away
Yeah, I'm glad you're goin' my way
I love it when we're cruising' together}
He nudged her a little with his arm, letting her know it was her turn. She began to softly sing her part.
{The music is played for love, oh
Cruisin' is made for love
I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it}
Philip pulled back and gave her a quick grin, letting her know he liked her rendition. Then he moved his head closer to hers as they slowly moved back and forth to the music, together.
Shawn and Belle came out of the woods and stared in shock at the sight, then grinned at each other. Philip and Mimi were dancing with each other, kind of close and they looked like they were really enjoying it.
Hmmm.
Was something going on between them?
Philip and Mimi continued to dance, their eyes closed, inwardly smiling as they felt the pleasure of being close to each other.
Of growing closer.
{You're gonna fly away
Glad you're goin' my way
I love it when we're cruising' together
The music is played (It's love) for love
Cruisin' is made for love}
{I love it, I love it.}
Song Lyrics from: Cruisin' (What a Classic!)
Written by Smokey Robinson and Marvin Tarplin
By the way, some notes about the last chapter, chapter 15.
I'd also like to add as one of my methods of research for the last chapter the movie: 'The Craft'. It actually helped with some of that chanting and the binding and everything. I don't know, but for some reason that movie reminds me of 'The Lost Boys', the girl version.
I enjoy doing research and always have liked doing it for reports and such.
Philip got home from football practice and went up to his room. He threw his backpack down on a chair, took his shoes off and changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, his mind on the previous night. He thought about the previous night. What a night! The whole gang decided to spend the evening exploring "haunted houses" and was having a fun time until Mimi got hurt.
****
Philip got back from getting his and Mimi's jackets. Shawn, Belle, Chloe and Brady were outside waiting for them.
Earlier, Mimi had taken quite a tumble, running away from an "idiotic mummy." Well, that was Philip's description for the guy now. The "idiot" should have gotten a clue when she screamed and started running. She ended up falling and hitting her head on one of those "dumb" caskets. Watching her fall like that had really scared Philip. Philip had gone over to the "idiotic mummy" giving him a piece of his mind, while the hopeless guy tried to tell him it was part of the haunted house. He was SUPPOSED to scare people! Brady and Shawn managed to calm Philip down and he sat by Mimi waiting for her to wake up. When she did, he helped her to sit up, wrapping his arms around her waist as Belle went to go get her a pillow to rest her head against. Philip checked her head, feeling a bump, and insisted on taking her to the hospital.
Now he noticed her looking at something from where he had left her sitting. He wondered what it was.
"Mimi?"
He questioned, moving down next to her on the floor. She surprised him by grabbing onto him, holding on desperately.
"Meems?"
He asked, using her nickname since childhood and started to put his arms around her, holding her for a bit. Still concerned, he watched her carefully as he helped her up, holding onto her waist protectively. He held out her jacket for her, helping her get her arms in the sleeves, looking at her with concern once more. She seemed shaky and not completely steady on her feet.
"What was it? What were you looking at?"
He asked her, keeping a grip on her arm to help her stand.
She paused before she answered him, looking away for a minute.
"Nothing, nothing important."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"All right."
He answered her with some doubt, but didn't press the issue. He wanted to get her to the hospital. Before they managed even one step though, she began to sway on her feet.
"MIMI!"
She struggled to get her balance, feeling him supporting her.
"I'm.I'm okay."
"Yeah, right."
He answered her skeptically, his eyes full of concern.
"Maybe I should just carry you out of here."
The concern still lining his facial features, he was prepared to do just that.
"Don't be silly. I can walk out of here. I'm all right. Let's just go."
He looked at her skeptically again, but agreed, holding onto her tightly, making sure that if she did fall, he'd be ready to catch her.
They went outside, checking in with the rest of the gang before Philip got to his dad's car. He helped her in, fastened her seatbelt for her and started to drive.
On the road, Philip looked over at Mimi worriedly; she looked like she was getting ready to fall asleep.
One of her eyes closed-
"NO, DON'T FALL ASLEEP! MIMI, YOU HAVE TO STAY AWAKE!"
Well that definitely worked.
Ooops, he didn't mean to yell that loud. He just wanted to get her attention. He ran one hand through his hair in frustration, watching her jump from the sound of his voice and open both eyes wide, staring at him.
"What are you trying to do Philip, scare the living daylights out of me!?" She asked him in shock.
"I just didn't want you to fall asleep. You should stay awake." He looked at her sheepishly. "Here, let's listen to some music."
He put on a station, turned it up, the music blaring from the radio.
"Philip, can you turn it down?"
"WHAT?"
He had to yell to even hear himself.
"CAN YOU TURN THE DAMN MUSIC DOWN?"
Mimi yelled out, looking at him in bewilderment.
He looked back at her, shook his head and turned the music down, still trying to make sure she wasn't about to fall asleep.
"I just.don't close your eyes, okay?"
"I won't. Don't worry, you managed to keep me wide awake with all that. What was that music anyway, Revival of Headbanger's Ball?" She laughed, smiling at him.
Philip smiled back and laughed too. "Yeah, I guess. Don't ever lose your sense of humor Meems okay?"
He gave her one of his dimpled grins, and then turned more sober.
"How you feeling? Your head okay?"
"I'm all right. It definitely hurts, but the ice makes it feel better."
He watched her holding an ice pack against her head.
"Good. Well here we are. Let's get you checked out."
Philip pulled into the hospital parking lot and helped her get out of the car. Then they went inside the hospital. After talking to a nurse who called for a doctor to check her, Philip waited for Mimi in the waiting room.
****
Philip lay back on his bed, remembering. After she came out with the doctor he found out she had a pretty good-sized bump on the back of her head and would need a day of rest.
So today, he smiled at Jan, letting her know she would be on her own cleaning out the locker rooms and made sure he took good notes in their Gov. Class. Now he wondered how she was feeling.
He took the receiver of his phone off, dialed her number, then lay back down on the bed, and waited for an answer.
Mimi was sitting up in bed, wearing an oversized T-shirt and comfortable stretch pants. A pillow was at her back, supporting her head. She was reading a magazine and listening to an NSYNC cd on her portable player when she heard the phone ring. She reached for the receiver.
"Hello."
"Hey Meems, it's Philip."
"Hi Phil."
"Listen, I just called to see how you were doing."
Philip walked over to the chair and picked up his backpack, carrying it with him back to his bed. He took a folder out it and threw the backpack on the floor. He lay back down on the bed with his folder.
"Feeling practically stir-crazy."
Mimi turned her portable player off, and then lay down on the bed, leafing through her magazine, abstract-mindedly.
"After my third soap opera and talk show, I realized that going to school isn't that bad after all."
"Really?"
"There was this one nutty show called 'Days of Turmoil' and everyone has these messed up lives. This crazy girl kidnapped her own sibling. This wacko woman buried her nemesis alive. And there's this weird guy named Ralph or something like that who talks in this outrageous accent and acts like a lunatic. Oh and don't get me started on the guy who dressed like a woman to visit his girlfriend who's being held hostage by this other guy who likes to set earthquakes for the fun of it."
Philip started laughing. "What a wild show! Guess you're ready to come back to school, back to reality."
"Definitely."
Philip lay on his side.
"So how are you doing otherwise? How's your head?"
Mimi settled back more against her pillow.
"It still hurts a tiny bit. But it's a lot better now. The aspirin helps."
"That's good. I'm glad you're feeling better. Hey, and you even got out of cleaning the locker rooms for a day!"
Mimi smiled. "Yeah, Belle told me that you let Jan know I wouldn't be there to help her. And that you delivered the news with one of your infamous grins--such a bad boy Philly." Mimi mocked him.
"You talked to Belle today too? So let me get this straight, you watched TV and talked to Belle? When exactly did you get any sleep today Miss Lockhart, which is what you were supposed to be doing?" Philip asked her sternly.
"I got plenty of sleep.last night and in the morning. Honestly, I tried to fall back asleep, but most of the day I was just bored." Mimi defended herself and then changed the subject, hoping Philip wouldn't notice. "So was Jan mad?"
Philip smirked at her attempt to get him off track. "Smooth Lockhart, smooth. But you better be feeling better tomorrow or I'm going to see to it that you get enough sleep myself."
"And just how are you going to do that Kiriakis?" Mimi teased, enjoying the light-heartedness of their conversation.
Philip laughed evilly. "You'll just have to find out won't you? Seriously Meems, are you sure you're feeling better? Maybe you should stay home another day and this time get some REST."
Mimi heard genuine concern in Philip's voice. "I'm okay Philip, really. And I did get plenty of rest. Most of the time when I was watching TV I dozed on and off. And I didn't wake up till very late this morning. Now what did Jan's face look like when you told her?"
Philip was reassured to hear that she rested more than it sounded like at first. He teased her again.
"Now that's bad, gloating about the fact that your arch nemesis had to work all by herself today. Hey, today you would normally stay late, right?" Philip laughed, thinking about how Jan had to take Mimi's place.
Mimi laughed too. "Not as bad as you! Anyways, I'll probably just have to stay later tomorrow and make up for it."
"But you're still recovering."
"I can clean Phil." Mimi added in a dry voice.
"Fine, then I guess I'm walking you home tomorrow." Philip added.
"That's not part of our deal."
"It is now."
Philip spoke in a voice that left little room for argument. He lay back down on his back, his head against his pillow.
Mimi was inwardly happy that Philip wanted to walk her home.
"Whatever. I'm too tired to argue about it and I don't really feel like walking alone. How was practice? Isn't it almost the end of the season?"
"Yeah, not too many more games to go. I can't believe how late I started this year."
"But it's easier for you to get through the practices now, right?"
"Yeah. Being team captain isn't that bad either."
Philip smiled. His playing kept getting better and better and for the first time in his life, he really appreciated that fact. Every touch down he made now meant something.
Mimi cheered him on good-naturedly. "Go Philly. So how was Government today? Please tell me you took notes. Do we have a test coming up?"
Mimi rushed on, barely pausing with each sentence.
She was rambling.
"Slow down Mimi."
Philip reached for his folder and opened it up, looking at its contents.
"One question at a time. It was long and tedious as usual. Of course I took notes. When do I not? And yes, without fail, Carter announced a new test for next week. All essay questions."
Philip finished somewhat morosely. He hated essay questions. He closed his folder.
"Great. Wonderful." Mimi knew she didn't sound too happy either. "So, can I borrow your notes?"
"Sure. We probably should study together anyways. This one sounds tough."
"Philip, every test we've had in that class has been tough. The only one who doesn't think they're tough is Kevin. He thinks they're 'a piece of cake!'"
Mimi imitated Kevin's opinion of one of their tests.
Philip laughed, and then wondered at her response. He agreed to not talk about Kevin, but she was the one who brought him up. Now he was curious. Did they see each other since? He had to be careful about this.
"So have you talked to Kevin lately?"
"We have an agreement Philip." Mimi warned.
"Yeah, but you're the one who brought him up."
Mimi sighed. "Oh fine. Yeah, I saw him the day you threw me into that leaf pile at the park. I was at Dot Com and he came over to talk to me."
Philip suppressed a chuckle at the memory of watching her go flying down into that pile of leaves, her face showing total shock.
"So uh, he thought the test was easy.that's why he came to talk to you.about the test?"
Philip asked, sounding deceptively casual.
Mimi could tell he was fishing.
"No, he basically told me that we're too different. He's smarter than me-"
Philip interrupted her.
"He said that?"
He asked, feeling a little angry with Kevin now.
"Actually his exact words were that he's 'intellectually superior', but that I have VERY favorable attributes."
"WHAT?"
Philip sat up abruptly. The way she said that. And what did Kevin mean by that comment? If he meant: Oh Kevin, you better not have meant-
"What the heck does that mean?"
Philip was very irritated now.
Okay, was she just kidding herself or did Philip actually sound mad? Did it bother him, what Kevin said? Oh stop fooling yourself Mimi.
"Uh, my computer experience and he said that I was pretty." The last part Mimi said a little shyly.
Philip sighed and lay back again. Good Kevin, very good.
"Oh, that was actually kind of a nice thing to say."
He felt calm again. "So you guys are cool then?"
"Yeah. We're friends. Okay, now it's my turn to ask you something."
"What?" Philip asked warily.
"Why did you leave the dance so early that night?" Mimi bravely asked, twisting a strand of her hair on her finger.
Philip moved a lock of hair away from his eyes. "I already told you that. I wasn't enjoying myself."
"But why weren't you enjoying yourself? Come on Philip, what happened?"
Philip sighed. "You're not going to give up on this are you?"
"Nope."
"I.I was dancing with Gretchen Adams, you know the cheerleader-"
Mimi cut him off. "You were dancing with Gretchen?"
"Yeah."
Philip waited to hear her reaction, feeling a tiny smile pull at his lips. Was she jealous?
Mimi answered, sounding completely nonchalant.
"Oh, and what happened? She step on your foot or something?"
Philip laughed a little. "No. Uh. A song came on."
"Well Philip that's what usually happens when you're at a dance. You kind of need music, you know?"
"It wasn't just any song."
Philip waited and got no response. He sighed again.
"It was the song I danced with Chloe to at the Last Blast Dance: our song."
Mimi sighed herself. If she hadn't pulled that stupid prank, they probably would still be together.
"Oh, now I get it."
Should she ask? Did she have any right to?
"How did Chloe react?"
"I don't think she did. I don't think she was even there anymore. She must have left with Brady earlier." Philip ran his hand through his hair.
"Sorry Philip."
"It's not your fault."
"But you guys probably would have been there together if Jan and I-"
He cut her off, sounding irritated.
"Look, we've been over this again and again. You made a mistake and so did I that night. Sure, what you and Jan did was awful, but I didn't make things any better." Philip shook his head, bothered.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore, all right?"
Mimi felt a little hurt by the tone of his voice, but she thought she probably deserved it. That's what you get when you open up a can of worms. She decided she might as well just end this conversation now, before it got ugly. She moved abruptly, hitting her head accidentally on her headboard.
"Ohh."
Philip quickly forgot any earlier irritation as he heard her moan in what sounded like pain.
"Meems, what happened? Are you okay?"
Mimi slowly settled back against her pillow, taking deep breaths, feeling the pain gradually go away.
"Yeah, I'm all right. I just hit my head on the headboard of my bed. Chalk it up for clumsy Mimi, huh?"
Philip let out a relieved sigh.
"Hey, you're not clumsy. You're just probably tired. I better let you go."
"Yeah, before I go and say something else that makes you angry at me."
Philip shook his head a little in disbelief.
"I'm not angry at you. There are just some things I'd rather not talk about, okay?"
"Okay, but if you ever change your mind, I hope you know you can talk to me."
Philip smiled. "Yeah, I know that."
Mimi yawned, feeling her eyes start to get heavy.
Philip smiled again, in response.
"I heard that. You getting sleepy?"
"Yeah."
Mimi lay more against her pillow, yawning again.
"All right. I better let you go. Sleep well, okay Meems."
"Yeah, you too."
"G'night Meems."
"G'night Phil."
Mimi tiredly hung up the phone and went to sleep, with a smile on her face, her witch cat next to her.
Philip hung up the phone and lay back.thinking.
****
He woke up suddenly, sitting straight up in shock. He looked around frantically for a second, making sure of where he was. Then he let his head fall back against the headboard of his bed.
Another one of those recurring dreams about.
The island.
He sighed, reaching for his guitar, which he now usually kept near his bed. It was given to him when he was a child, along with a shower of many other gifts. He never had a lack of material things, that was for sure. He learned a little how to play it and then pretty much ignored it-until her- until he serenaded her. But lately he played it for himself and as he played, sometimes he thought of someone else.
He sat cross-legged on his bed, his guitar on his lap. One perk of living in a mansion was that the walls were thick and if your door was closed, no one could hear you.
He moved one hand onto the cords, the other on the strings and started to play a song he had listened to lately. He wasn't a melancholy person by nature, but the near loss of life and of what, love?, changed him. Music was now a comfort. How ironic.
He strummed the guitar, singing along in a soulful haunting voice.
{Tell me what you see
Was it a dream? Was I in it?
Life seemed so obscene until it's over
Who knows?}
{All I want is someone who can fill the hole
In the life I know
In between life and death when there's nothing left
Do you wanna know?}
{You come in on your own
And you leave on your own
Forget the lovers you've known
And your friends on your own}
{Tell me if it's true
That I need you, you are changing
I've seen this road before down on the floor
It is hurting me}
{All I want is someone who can fill the hole in the life I know
In between life and death when there's nothing left
Do you want to know?}
{You come in on your own
And you leave on your own
Forget the lovers you've known
And your friends on your own}
{Lies
I've got to get rid of this hole inside}
Philip put the guitar back down on the floor, lay back down and fell asleep.
This time there were no disturbing dreams.
"On Your Own" Song Lyrics by Richard Ashcroft of The Verve
Chapter 17: Cruising
Mimi sat next to Philip in the back of Brady's car. Brady and Chloe were in the front and Shawn and Belle were in the back next to her and Philip. And they were one pretty raucous group right now. Salem High just won another of a string of football games and they were now celebrating. Mimi of course had to miss the game, but she was promptly picked up after it was done so she could join her friends. What a crazy group they were. Some of them got along wonderfully and some of them had very tense relationships, but when they were together, they seemed to bond in a very special way.
Another song came over the radio making them all break out in song once again, a familiar theme of the night.
"Okay, who's hungry?" Brady called back to everyone, winking at Chloe sitting next to him.
They all let out a holler. Brady laughed and continued driving.
A car drove by honking and they called out, returning the greeting with a honk also. The whole strip was covered with cars, mostly Salem High students, celebrating their victory. Even though it was somewhat chilly, everyone had their windows rolled down or in some cases even the top down. Another car passed by, letting out a victory cry.
"OOOHHH! SALEM HIGH! PANTHERS ARE NUMBER ONE AGAIN! YES!"
Belle cheered in response in her loudest voice. Shawn laughed and pulled her back towards him, kissing her.
"Hey! Not in my car!" Brady yelled out, only half joking.
"Quiet Big Brother!" Belle called out and snuggled into Shawn's arms.
Another car passed by, the occupants yelling out,
"Philly K, you are the man!"
Philip chuckled and yelled back good naturedly, glancing at Mimi with a wide grin. She returned it, but then spoke up.
"Oh no, his head's going to get swelled up again if people keep treating him like that." She smirked at Philip.
"Hey!" Philip protested.
"You don't have to worry about that Mimi! It never really stopped growing along with that inflated ego of his!" Shawn replied jokingly.
"Well, who scored MOST of the touchdowns tonight, huh Brady?" Philip responded.
"What?" Brady called out from the front.
"Not you Brady, I was talking to the Brady back here."
Chloe giggled at Philip's answer, watching Brady's bewildered face.
"What?"
"Oh forget it, I meant Shawn. Maybe we should just start calling you Black. It'll make things easier on everyone."
Philip joked, in a good mood after such a great game and enjoying the present company.
Brady grumbled from up front and drove into the drive-in of the fast food joint they decided to eat at.
"All right, what does everyone want?"
Everyone started yelling out what they wanted while Chloe kept asking if they had veggie burgers.
"QUIET!"
Brady yelled out irritably.
"One at a time you guys. All right who's first?"
He was almost sorry he asked when they were done. Everyone wanted something entirely different. Brady shook his head in frustration.
"Okay, let me get this straight, Belle wants #4 with no tomatoes, no mayonnaise, no mustard, pretty much no nothing."
Shawn laughed.
"And a diet coke!" Belle called out.
"What do you need a DIET coke for? It's not like you need to lose any weight!"
Chloe looked at him with annoyance. "Brady, you have a younger sister and you still don't know anything about teenage girls."
Brady didn't even respond to that. "And you Mimi, you want #7 with no onions, but you want them to add tomatoes. Look. Why don't you just take Belle's and eat those. It would be a lot easier."
"Yuck."
Both girls gave their opinion of that idea.
"And you Chloe, you want a burger, but they don't have any veggie burgers so you don't want one. You want a salad, but you don't like the dressing. You want fries, but they're too greasy. So what am I supposed to order for you, huh?"
Everyone in back was laughing hysterically. Brady was just so funny when he was irritated.
"And let's not forget Shawn and Phil. Shawn wants a #2 and Phil wants a #6, but Shawn also wants a side order of this and Phil wants a side order of that." Brady finished sarcastically.
"And all I want is a #5, no changes, no additions, just plain #5."
"BOR-ING!"
They all called out laughing uproariously and giving each other five, slapping each other's hands.
Brady just groaned and attempted to order. And then realized morosely that he had no idea what most of them wanted to drink. It started out easy enough, until somebody wanted a shake. Then things got chaotic. Brady shook his head in frustration again.
When they got their food, after everybody finally decided their orders, Brady drove back out to the strip. Chloe handed him a fry, then ate one herself, smiling at him innocently. Brady sighed.
In the back, Shawn and Belle were tasting each other's meals. And Mimi was teasing Philip about what a big shot he was when a car drove by, a whole bunch of girls yelling out that they "loved him!"
"Oh Phil, more of your admirers!"
Mimi mocked Philip.
"That's it! You're getting it now!"
Philip started tickling Mimi, nearly making her drop her soda.
Brady watched from the front in horror, thinking they were going to spill soda all over his precious automobile.
"Not in my car!!"
Philip and Mimi laughed, but Philip stopped his tickling, deciding to behave himself, before he got thrown out. Brady's new car was like his baby.
"Who Let the Dogs Out" came on the school radio station and all the guys started barking while the girls added back-up vocals.
When the song ended, Brady asked everyone a question.
"Okay, so where to now? Any parties or anything?"
"Yeah lots of them." Philip responded. "Jason's having one at his house."
"Which means we won't be going there." Belle answered with distaste.
Everyone laughed.
"Hey, how about we go to that gathering they're having over by The Point. That sounds cool." Shawn suggested.
Everyone agreed and it was decided that they would head towards The Point.
****
The Point was simply a place to park. It included a fantastic view of Salem and you could take a walk in the woods too.
When they got there they saw teens sitting on top of their cars and some dancing to music blaring from the car speakers. Some were heading off for the woods and others were taking advantage of having no adults around.
They got out of the car and Shawn and Belle went to go dance in the moonlight. Brady and Chloe joined them, dancing a little ways off. Mimi walked a little behind Philip, who was immediately bombarded by some very flirty cheerleaders.
"Oh, my gosh look it's Philly K!"
Philip gave one of his dazzling smiles, enjoying the attention.
Mimi stood back and watched as the girls hung all over Philip, dancing with him, flirting, just having a grand old time. She sighed and turned around, walking right into somebody.
"OOPS!" Mimi accidentally ran right into one of the Salem High Panthers, in other words, one of the football players.
"Hey MIMSI, howsa it goin"
Great. It was Travis Lewis and he was drunk out of his mind.
"It's a going." Mimi responded with some sarcasm.
"Howsabout we take a little walkie through the woods, whatayasay?"
Mimi laughed and then placed her hand, like a barrier, in front of her face. The guy smelled like a brewery.
"That's okay Travis. I think I'll just stay here."
"Okay, howsabout a lil dance?"
Travis reached for Mimi, practically hanging over her. He was so much bigger than her.
"No." Mimi responded, trying to get him off her. Oh, his breath! YUCK.
"Comeon Mimsi."
"She said no. Now why don't you get a hint and take a walk."
Philip walked up to Travis and dislodged him from Mimi. Actually, he had to do very little. Mimi had already managed to push him almost completely away from her.
"Ugh." Philip smelled Travis's breath in disgust. "And Travis go get some breath mints or something."
"Sober Up Travis!" Mimi piped in.
Philip laughed and watched as Travis stumbled away back to some of the other players.
"You okay?"
Philip turned back towards Mimi and questioned her.
Mimi smirked at him and waved her arm casually.
"Me? I'm fine. His BREATH was pretty scary though. I'm shocked I'm still standing."
Philip laughed again. "Ah Meems, you're so funny."
"Yep that's me, the girl who can make all the guys laugh. So what happened to your little fan club, huh Phil?"
Philip smiled. "I don't know. They weren't entirely sober. They're probably having fun somewhere. What happened to you anyway? One minute you're behind me and the next I see Travis all over you."
"You didn't seem to really miss me when your admirers came over." Mimi responded cryptically.
Was she angry?
"Ah, those girls always act that way. You know. They think I'm great because I'm captain of the football team blah blah blah and 'cause I'm rich."
"You poor thing. And don't expect me to believe you don't like them fawning all over you." Mimi responded with disbelief.
Philip smiled at her, thinking she looked cute when she got angry, in her jeans and blue jacket. He was wearing jeans and his block jacket.
"It's all right, but it's no big deal. I know who my real friends are." He smiled at her again.
She smiled back. "So where did the others go?"
She looked around for her friends but couldn't find them anywhere.
"They said they were going to go take a walk. They weren't sure where you were either so I said I'd find you."
"Oh, well if you want to go join them you can. I'll just stay here."
"Nah. They probably want to be alone." He smirked. "Besides, I have to stay with you and make sure no more drunken idiots breathe on you."
Mimi protested. "I don't need you to protect me!"
Philip was starting to feel some frustration now. "I didn't say that."
Mimi gave him a perturbed look and walked ahead towards the other end where it was easy to see almost all of Salem. She heard Philip walk up behind her quietly. She looked out ahead. The night sky was so beautiful tonight, but there was also a chill in the air. She shivered a little and heard a rustling behind her.
Before she knew it, Philip was draping his jacket over her shoulders without a single word. She looked up at him for a second and then sat down on the ground, looking at the view of the city.
Philip sat down on the ground next to Mimi.
"So how come you're not wearing your block jacket?" He looked over at her, waiting for an answer.
"My block jacket for soccer you mean? Actually, I barely wear it this year. I kind of feel weird wearing it."
Mimi responded softly, looking down.
Philip moved his head down a little to see her face better.
"Why?"
"Because I'm not even playing this year. It's such a drag. The team's doing so great this year. Guess I didn't make any difference." Mimi answered ruefully.
"That's not true. Everybody makes a difference on a team. You should know that. And I saw you play a couple of times. You really helped the team out a lot. I bet they miss you."
Philip watched as Mimi finally raised her head and met his eyes with hers. He smiled at her encouragingly.
"I guess so. They've told me they do. And I definitely miss-"
Mimi shook her head.
"Forget it."
"You miss playing, don't you?"
"Yeah." She looked at him. "I'm kind of surprised you actually remember seeing me play. I didn't think you ever really paid attention or cared."
"Hey, I'm not THAT self centered." Philip mocked himself. "You played really good. I liked watching you. I liked seeing how tough you were out there on the field, how you refused to give in, even if you guys were losing."
"You really thought that about me?" Mimi looked at him a little shyly.
Philip glanced over at her. "Yeah, I did."
"Thanks."
"Your welcome."
They both smiled at each other, and then looked back at the view.
Mimi took Philip's jacket off her shoulders and started to hand it back to him.
Philip looked at her questioningly.
"What, you don't want to wear it? Aren't you cold?"
"A little, but I already have a jacket on. I'll be okay. Besides, all your buddies are over there and you don't want them to."
She dropped off, feeling a little inhibited.
Philip still had no clue what she meant. "I don't want them to what?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you? Philip, you know what it means when a guy lets a girl wear his letter jacket."
Philip finally nodded in recognition, but did nothing to get the jacket back from her.
"Of course I know, but you're cold and I'd rather have you wear it than get sick."
Mimi gestured to the group of students, farther behind them.
"But what if they think something?"
"Then let them think something. But I doubt that's going to happen. I mean everyone knows we're just friends." Philip smiled at her casually.
Of course, friends. Just friends. How could Philip Kiriakis ever think more of someone like Mimi Lockhart?
Stop it!
You also always insist that you guys are just friends. So why did his words bother her?
Mimi looked and saw Philip smiling at her curiously.
"So where did you just go now, huh Meems?"
"Nowhere, I was just thinking of something. It's no big deal."
"Like it was no big deal what you were looking at on Halloween? You know, when I came back from bringing your jacket?" Philip went on a little impatiently. "Come on Mimi, what were you looking at that night?"
"It was nothing Philip."
"Okay, so who are Melinda and Robert?"
"You heard me when I said that?" Mimi asked apprehensively.
"All of us did."
"Oh."
"Well?"
"If I answer your question you have to answer mine."
"Okay, that's fair."
Now how should she tell him this? She decided to partly tell him the truth. Actually she had no idea what the truth really was.
"I had this crazy dream when I was out and those were two people in the dream. I sort of went back in time.in the dream. Okay, now your turn. Was what Brady said true? Did you really want to go after that mummy that jumped out at me?"
Philip was still wondering about the dream, but he knew now it was his turn to answer a question.
"Yeah, I did. I was worried about you and since he was the one that scared you, I blamed him for you getting hurt." Philip told Mimi candidly.
Mimi looked at him and smiled a little. "Thanks for caring."
Philip smiled back. "Thanks for caring about me when I was in the hospital after the island."
Then they lapsed into silence, gazing at the moon in the sky and the lights from the city.
In the background the Salem High DJ could be heard, coming from the cars. "Okay Panthers, out there cruising around tonight, celebrating another Salem High Victory, here's the perfect song for you, 'CRUISIN.'"
Mimi started swaying a little from where she was sitting next to Philip, humming to the beginning beats of the classic song.
Philip smiled and felt himself humming along too. Then he started to softly sing.
{Baby let's cruise
Away from here}
He gestured to Mimi, bumping against her lightly. She started to protest, but then gave in, with a smile.
{Don't be confused
The way is clear}
Philip grinned happily.
"Hey not half bad. We're pretty good actually."
He stood up, bent over and reached for Mimi's hand as the song continued to play in the background, the soulful sounds of Smokey Robinson's voice resonating in the night.
Mimi smiled, even though she felt a little uncertain and let him take her hand, feeling him pull her up beside him.
{You're gonna fly away
Glad you're goin' my way}
He kept a hold of her hand, swaying lightly to the music, and then reached for her other hand. They started to slowly dance together, hand in hand.
{I love it when we're cruisin' together}
She handed him his jacket, feeling warmer, and he gave her a questioning look at first, but eventually took it and let it fall to the ground. They turned around as he moved one hand around her waist and she moved hers to his upper arm. The soothing grooves continued.
{And inch by inch we get closer and closer
To every little part of each other ooh baby, yeah
So let the music take your mind
Just release and you will find}
Philip twirled her around with one hand, both of them softly laughing. Then when she came back to him, he put both hands around her waist, and moved in a tiny bit closer. She put both hands on his upper arms now, her fingertips touching his shoulders. They started to develop a routine of looking at each other, then looking away, both feeling a little unsure of themselves, but also enjoying the sensation of dancing together to the relaxing sounds of the song.
Philip sang softly again as Mimi hesitantly rested her head a little against his shoulder. When she felt him move closer to her again though, his chin near the top of her head, she relaxed more, listening to the sound of his voice.
{You're gonna fly away
Yeah, I'm glad you're goin' my way
I love it when we're cruising' together}
He nudged her a little with his arm, letting her know it was her turn. She began to softly sing her part.
{The music is played for love, oh
Cruisin' is made for love
I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it}
Philip pulled back and gave her a quick grin, letting her know he liked her rendition. Then he moved his head closer to hers as they slowly moved back and forth to the music, together.
Shawn and Belle came out of the woods and stared in shock at the sight, then grinned at each other. Philip and Mimi were dancing with each other, kind of close and they looked like they were really enjoying it.
Hmmm.
Was something going on between them?
Philip and Mimi continued to dance, their eyes closed, inwardly smiling as they felt the pleasure of being close to each other.
Of growing closer.
{You're gonna fly away
Glad you're goin' my way
I love it when we're cruising' together
The music is played (It's love) for love
Cruisin' is made for love}
{I love it, I love it.}
Song Lyrics from: Cruisin' (What a Classic!)
Written by Smokey Robinson and Marvin Tarplin
By the way, some notes about the last chapter, chapter 15.
I'd also like to add as one of my methods of research for the last chapter the movie: 'The Craft'. It actually helped with some of that chanting and the binding and everything. I don't know, but for some reason that movie reminds me of 'The Lost Boys', the girl version.
I enjoy doing research and always have liked doing it for reports and such.