The Case of the Manila Envelope--Chapter 6
by HA
For a while, no one said anything. Shirley stared at Blake and did her best to control herself. Bo looked at him in disbelief. Stink's jaw dropped while he tried to find the right words to express his thoughts.
Finally, he did. "You're going out on a date with Molly?" he exclaimed.
Blake smiled bitterly. "Yeah, looks like it."
Shirley reached out and grabbed Blake by the arm. "Come on."
Bo followed Shirley as she dragged Blake along, leaving Stink to ponder what just happened. "He's going on a date with Molly?" he lamented.
"What's going on?" Shirley asked, losing control and tightening her grip on Blake's arm.
Blake shook her off. "It's none of your business, Shirley."
Bo groaned. "First Rika, now you. What's next?"
"Guys," Blake began, pleading with his eyes, "I wish I could tell you, but..."
He stopped talking and looked past his friends. Looking sideways, Shirley saw Molly standing there.
"Blake, you do remember our agreement, correct?" Molly said as she approached the group.
"I do," Blake answered with a frown.
"Good," Molly said. "I'll see you later."
Just as Molly was about to depart, Shirley stepped into her way. "What's the point of all this? What are you up to?" she demanded, glaring at the sociopath.
Molly flashed her a grin. "Why, Holmes, whatever do you mean?" she said innocently. "Blake and I are just going out on a friendly date."
Shirley glared at Molly intensely. "I'll stop you."
"Really, Holmes, you must stop being so suspicious of everyone," Molly said, and she leaned closer to Shirley. "Oh, and don't bother going to my room. I've been upgrading my security measures recently." Looking at Blake, she said cheerfully, "Well, see you tomorrow night."
Shirley continued to glare at Molly as she left. She felt her hand curl into a fist, and she wanted to run after her archrival and force her to tell by doing something rather unHolmes-like, such as pulling on her long blond hair until she talked.
Blake looked after Molly, and as soon as she was at a good distance, he looked at Shirley with downcast eyes. For a moment, she thought he was going to say something like this was all a sick joke. Blake walked up to Shirley, and as Bo watched, he took her hands into his own and looked into her blue eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and he left her.
Shirley watched as Blake walked away, and Bo found himself torn between feeling sorry for Blake and reveling in his misery. Then, he saw Shirley standing there by herself with her head down, and he walked up to her. "Shirley..." he began, and after some hesitation, he nervously reached for her shoulder.
Shirley looked at her hands, and then she noticed something there. Opening her hands, she found something in her hand.
Bo pulled his hand away and looked over Shirley's shoulder. "What's that?" he asked.
Shirley quickly pocketed the object into her school blazer. "Did you see Rika at lunch?"
"Um, no," Bo recalled.
"Odd, don't you think?" Shirley said.
"Yeah," Bo said, but his eyes kept wandering to Shirley's blazer pocket. "Er, Shirley, what...?"
"Let's go find her," Shirley said seriously, and she walked off.
Bo frowned, watched her for a bit, and resigned himself to following her.
* * * * *
"I can't believe it," Stink said after dumping the contents of his milk carton into his mouth. After sulking in front of the dorms, he rejoined his friends at their lunch table and sulked there. "I can't believe Blake's taking her on a date."
Alicia looked at Blake, who was sitting at Molly's table. The handsome young man was looking away from Molly as she was discussing various matters with her tablemates. To Alicia, he seemed to be looking for someone. "Something tells me he's not exactly thrilled with going out with her."
"How can that be true?" Stink said, focusing on Molly. "Look at her. Who wouldn't want to go out with her?"
"From the looks of things, not Blake," Parker commented.
Stink frowned. "It's not fair. What does he have that I don't have?"
"Good looks," Parker said.
"Maturity," Alicia added.
"No visible zits," Parker said.
"Self-control," Alicia said.
"I get it, I get it," Stink said, waving away the comments.
"Well, you did cause quite a stink in the science lab yesterday," Alicia pointed out. "I don't think Molly wants to go out with someone who almost ruined her good smell."
"You know, Stink, maybe you should lower your expectations. Try to get a girl who'll be willing to go out with you instead of someone who'll keep rejecting you," Parker advised, and turning to Alicia, he said, "So, how about a movie tomorrow? I heard that this great sci-fi movie is playing..."
Alicia became more focused on her lunch, and Stink continued to stare at Molly from afar. "Life's not fair," he lamented.
"Get used to it," Alicia said, still trying to tune out Parker as he continued to describe the movie's plot.
"I can't lose her," Stink whispered to Alicia as he continued to look at Molly. "You've got to help me."
"What?" Alicia said as she dropped her fork.
"You've got to help me keep an eye on her," Stink said. "After all, you're off tomorrow."
"I am not helping you stalk Molly!" Alicia said, losing her cool.
"It's not stalking," Stink whispered harshly. "I'm just...looking out for her."
Alicia rolled her eyes, and Parker droned on. "Stink, if you're going to follow Molly and Blake around on their date, go right ahead." She chewed on some lettuce from her salad. "If you want to make a total fool of yourself, that's your business."
* * * * *
Making their way into the main building, Shirley and Bo saw Rika as she exited the science lab. She noticed the two detectives, but said nothing to them as she passed them and left the building.
"Man, when she gives someone the cold shoulder..." Bo began, but he stopped as he followed Shirley into the science lab. As she rushed into the room, Bo stayed just outside the doorway.
Shirley turned around and looked at Bo. "Why aren't you coming in?"
Bo gulped. "Oh, I'll just wait out here until you're done," he said shakily. "I'll keep an eye out for Rika just in case she comes back."
Shirley raised an eyebrow at her best friend, but she eventually resumed her search. As she did, Bo watched her rather than the hallway. He noticed how Shirley was becoming more womanlike in her figure, how more defined her curves were. For a moment, a powerful thought crossed his mind, and he almost stepped inside, but he suddenly felt uncomfortable, quickly dismissed the thought, and refocused on the hallway.
Finding nothing on the floor and on the tables, Shirley looked in the wastebasket and found a crumpled piece of paper. "Hmmmmm..." she said as she pulled it out.
"What'd you find?" Bo asked as Shirley joined him in the hallway. Luckily, he had calmed down.
Stopping by the lockers, Shirley opened the paper, and both kids found the following:
Meet me at the new construction site downtown at 8 PM. Don't be late.
Shirley looked at the lower right hand corner of the note and found a drawn spiral.
* * * * *
Once she got home, Shirley found herself alone in the house, went immediately to her attic lab, and alternated between doing her homework and going over her current case by doing more online research. When she finished her homework, she focused exclusively on the note, and after dusting it for fingerprints, she found nothing.
"A clever one, that Gamer of the Dark," Shirley said to no one in particular although Watson was in earshot.
Confident that she successfully sorted all the pieces of the puzzle properly, Shirley looked at the paper flower resting on her table. Blake had once mentioned to her that he was a little skilled at origami during their first date, but she had never seen him actually demonstrate his skills. The flower was red, and Shirley noticed especially the words "OPEN ME" on one petal.
Taking the delicate looking piece of paper, Shirley opened it and found a layer of white. Separating the two sheets of paper, she found writing on the white paper, and she read it to herself:
Dear Shirley,
If you're reading this, I can only say I'm sorry. However, Molly's managed to get something of mine, and she's using it to blackmail me into a date. Basically, if I don't comply, she'll post it online as Y. I can't tell you what it is, but I can't allow her to post it. I know you want to do everything in your power to save me, but please don't. You and Bo need to focus on the Gamer of the Dark and find out what she's up to in Redington. Please don't worry about me. I can handle Molly. Just take care of yourself, and good luck.
Love,
Blake
Shirley put the paper away and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she tried to suppress the tears threatening to emerge from her eyes. Unfortunately, she saw Blake's kind face, and the moisture began to leak.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and took another deep breath. Holding back the tears, she finally regained emotional control. *I have to focus,* she told herself. *I have to focus.*
"Shirley?"
Shirley turned around and found Bo standing there dressed in his usual clothes. Feelings of disappointment and relief swelled inside her, and she found herself fighting to maintain the stoic façade she tried to emulate from her famous ancestor.
"Are you okay?" Bo asked with concern, stepping forward.
"Never been better," she answered. "What are you doing here? I thought you got in trouble with your parents about not showing up for work."
"Oh, my mom persuaded my dad to let me go after I told them about seeing how you were doing," Bo said, willing himself not to blush. "Of course, my allowance got reduced a lot, but I'm okay with that…" He wanted to say more, but instead he thought, *…as long as you're okay.*
"Well, I'm okay, but thanks for your concern," Shirley said firmly. "I believe I've figured out everything about the Gamer of the Dark."
"Naturally," Bo said, smiling. "Care to enlighten me?"
"I think we'll get a chance to confirm my suspicions after we go see the Gamer and Rika," Shirley said, returning to her table.
"That'll be fun," Bo said dryly. "I'm sure they'll love us crashing their little meeting."
"Something tells me we'll be all right," Shirley stated as she started organizing her table.
Bo sighed. "Well, I'd better come along so you don't get into too much trouble."
"I appreciate your help," Shirley said.
"No problem." Before Bo knew it, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Too bad Blake won't be coming with us. He would've loved meeting an urban legend."
Shirley froze and leaned against the table, and the emotional defenses she had in place crumbled. Bo watched as her body shook, and he could've sworn he heard her sobbing. Walking up to her and without any hesitation, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Shirley?"
Shirley turned around, and Bo clearly saw the redness of her eyes and the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her mouth was scrunched into a frown, and before Bo could say anything, she leaned against him and cried some more.
Feeling her face against his shoulder and her arms around him, Bo found himself trying to process what was going on. Shirley Holmes, his stoic best friend and amateur sleuth, had broken down into tears and was leaning against him. In all the time he had known her, he never saw her like this. Soon, the realization of his physical closeness to her dawned on him. His nose now confirmed that her hair did smell of aloe. For a moment, his arms hung limply at his sides, but he soon willed them to wrap themselves around Shirley, who continued to moisten his shirt with her tears.
"Hey," Bo said softly as he stroked Shirley's hair. "It's okay, it's okay."
Shirley sniffled and looked at Bo through her reddy eyes. "Why, Bo? Why is she doing this to us?"
Unable to help himself, Bo wiped away one of Shirley's tears with his finger. "Maybe she wants to irk you a little. Show off some of that so-called power she has over people, you know."
Shirley wiped her eyes. "I have to do something to help him."
"Shirley…"
"You don't get it," Shirley said, straightening up herself, causing Bo to feel a little disappointed she didn't stay longer in his arms. "Whatever she has must be very important to Blake. She can just keep it and make him do what she wants, and since he's so good at computers…"
"I get it," Bo said gently, "but Blake can take care of himself."
"He's never tried taking Molly on his own before," Shirley said, sniffling again. "If he tries to cross her, she'll ruin him."
"Hey." Bo placed both his hands on Shirley's shoulders and looked down at her. "If Blake can handle a bunch of masked killers, he can handle Molly."
"But…"
"He'll be fine. Besides, there's the Gamer of the Dark," Bo said. "Like you said, we have to find out what she's up to, and if we don't, someone might end up a statue on the sidewalk or something like that."
Shirley wiped her eyes and nodded, and no one spoke. Realizing that he was touching Shirley, Bo willed himself to let go of her shoulders, but something made him keep them there. Then, one of his recent thoughts came to him. Looking into her blue eyes, he saw himself moving one hand to the back of her head and feeling her hair. He saw himself enjoying the silkiness of it, and then he would look at her lips. He saw himself closing his eyes, leaning forward, and...
"Bo?"
Shaken out of his reverie, Bo let go of Shirley. "Um, I'd better get home before I get into too much trouble. I don't think my parents would like it if I kept my visit here too long."
"I doubt they'd mind," Shirley said. "Why don't you stay for dinner?"
"Um, no thanks. The rest of your family'll be home soon."
"Bo, they know who you are," Shirley said.
Bo gulped. "Well, I have to go home anyway. Got homework."
"I can help you with it," Shirley said.
"That's okay, that's okay," Bo said, holding up his hand and shaking his head. "I can handle it." He made his way to the staircase. "I'll see you tomorrow for the great hunt."
"Bo..." Shirley began.
Bo stopped walking and turned around. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone you cried."
"Thank you, but that wasn't what I was going to say," Shirley said.
"Then what?" Bo said as he took a step down, his eyes transfixed on Shirley.
"I wanted to thank you for being such a good friend," Shirley said.
Bo forced himself to smile. "Hey, no problem. Will you be okay?"
"I'll be fine." Shirley wiped away the stray remains of a tear. "You're right. Blake can handle it by himself. He knows what Molly really is."
"He sure does," Bo said. "See you, Shirley."
Walking across the room, Shirley watched as her best friend descended the staircase, and just as he had reached the bottom, she said, "Bo?"
Bo paused at the back of the bookcase. "Yeah?"
"If you ever start dating, that girl would be so lucky to have you," she said, but in her mind, she wasn't sure where that came from.
"I guess you're right," Bo said, and he exited through the bookcase.
After saying goodbye to Gran, who was practicing Tai-Chi in the living room, Bo left the Holmes residence. As he mounted his bike, he started thinking about Shirley crying in his arms. He felt guilty about the thought, but he also felt sympathy for her. At the same time, he was angry at Blake for doing that to her, and at the moment, he wanted to find him and slug him in the face. Then, Bo's thoughts went back to what he wanted to do in there, and they quickly shifted to what his dreams kept showing him as the next step.
"Aaaargh!" he exclaimed in frustration, and as he took off, he tried his best to purge those thoughts out of his mind. Unfortunately, as he rode home, all he could think about was Shirley in his arms, the intense blueness of her eyes, the silky feel of her hair, and her lips.
END OF CHAPTER 6
by HA
For a while, no one said anything. Shirley stared at Blake and did her best to control herself. Bo looked at him in disbelief. Stink's jaw dropped while he tried to find the right words to express his thoughts.
Finally, he did. "You're going out on a date with Molly?" he exclaimed.
Blake smiled bitterly. "Yeah, looks like it."
Shirley reached out and grabbed Blake by the arm. "Come on."
Bo followed Shirley as she dragged Blake along, leaving Stink to ponder what just happened. "He's going on a date with Molly?" he lamented.
"What's going on?" Shirley asked, losing control and tightening her grip on Blake's arm.
Blake shook her off. "It's none of your business, Shirley."
Bo groaned. "First Rika, now you. What's next?"
"Guys," Blake began, pleading with his eyes, "I wish I could tell you, but..."
He stopped talking and looked past his friends. Looking sideways, Shirley saw Molly standing there.
"Blake, you do remember our agreement, correct?" Molly said as she approached the group.
"I do," Blake answered with a frown.
"Good," Molly said. "I'll see you later."
Just as Molly was about to depart, Shirley stepped into her way. "What's the point of all this? What are you up to?" she demanded, glaring at the sociopath.
Molly flashed her a grin. "Why, Holmes, whatever do you mean?" she said innocently. "Blake and I are just going out on a friendly date."
Shirley glared at Molly intensely. "I'll stop you."
"Really, Holmes, you must stop being so suspicious of everyone," Molly said, and she leaned closer to Shirley. "Oh, and don't bother going to my room. I've been upgrading my security measures recently." Looking at Blake, she said cheerfully, "Well, see you tomorrow night."
Shirley continued to glare at Molly as she left. She felt her hand curl into a fist, and she wanted to run after her archrival and force her to tell by doing something rather unHolmes-like, such as pulling on her long blond hair until she talked.
Blake looked after Molly, and as soon as she was at a good distance, he looked at Shirley with downcast eyes. For a moment, she thought he was going to say something like this was all a sick joke. Blake walked up to Shirley, and as Bo watched, he took her hands into his own and looked into her blue eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and he left her.
Shirley watched as Blake walked away, and Bo found himself torn between feeling sorry for Blake and reveling in his misery. Then, he saw Shirley standing there by herself with her head down, and he walked up to her. "Shirley..." he began, and after some hesitation, he nervously reached for her shoulder.
Shirley looked at her hands, and then she noticed something there. Opening her hands, she found something in her hand.
Bo pulled his hand away and looked over Shirley's shoulder. "What's that?" he asked.
Shirley quickly pocketed the object into her school blazer. "Did you see Rika at lunch?"
"Um, no," Bo recalled.
"Odd, don't you think?" Shirley said.
"Yeah," Bo said, but his eyes kept wandering to Shirley's blazer pocket. "Er, Shirley, what...?"
"Let's go find her," Shirley said seriously, and she walked off.
Bo frowned, watched her for a bit, and resigned himself to following her.
* * * * *
"I can't believe it," Stink said after dumping the contents of his milk carton into his mouth. After sulking in front of the dorms, he rejoined his friends at their lunch table and sulked there. "I can't believe Blake's taking her on a date."
Alicia looked at Blake, who was sitting at Molly's table. The handsome young man was looking away from Molly as she was discussing various matters with her tablemates. To Alicia, he seemed to be looking for someone. "Something tells me he's not exactly thrilled with going out with her."
"How can that be true?" Stink said, focusing on Molly. "Look at her. Who wouldn't want to go out with her?"
"From the looks of things, not Blake," Parker commented.
Stink frowned. "It's not fair. What does he have that I don't have?"
"Good looks," Parker said.
"Maturity," Alicia added.
"No visible zits," Parker said.
"Self-control," Alicia said.
"I get it, I get it," Stink said, waving away the comments.
"Well, you did cause quite a stink in the science lab yesterday," Alicia pointed out. "I don't think Molly wants to go out with someone who almost ruined her good smell."
"You know, Stink, maybe you should lower your expectations. Try to get a girl who'll be willing to go out with you instead of someone who'll keep rejecting you," Parker advised, and turning to Alicia, he said, "So, how about a movie tomorrow? I heard that this great sci-fi movie is playing..."
Alicia became more focused on her lunch, and Stink continued to stare at Molly from afar. "Life's not fair," he lamented.
"Get used to it," Alicia said, still trying to tune out Parker as he continued to describe the movie's plot.
"I can't lose her," Stink whispered to Alicia as he continued to look at Molly. "You've got to help me."
"What?" Alicia said as she dropped her fork.
"You've got to help me keep an eye on her," Stink said. "After all, you're off tomorrow."
"I am not helping you stalk Molly!" Alicia said, losing her cool.
"It's not stalking," Stink whispered harshly. "I'm just...looking out for her."
Alicia rolled her eyes, and Parker droned on. "Stink, if you're going to follow Molly and Blake around on their date, go right ahead." She chewed on some lettuce from her salad. "If you want to make a total fool of yourself, that's your business."
* * * * *
Making their way into the main building, Shirley and Bo saw Rika as she exited the science lab. She noticed the two detectives, but said nothing to them as she passed them and left the building.
"Man, when she gives someone the cold shoulder..." Bo began, but he stopped as he followed Shirley into the science lab. As she rushed into the room, Bo stayed just outside the doorway.
Shirley turned around and looked at Bo. "Why aren't you coming in?"
Bo gulped. "Oh, I'll just wait out here until you're done," he said shakily. "I'll keep an eye out for Rika just in case she comes back."
Shirley raised an eyebrow at her best friend, but she eventually resumed her search. As she did, Bo watched her rather than the hallway. He noticed how Shirley was becoming more womanlike in her figure, how more defined her curves were. For a moment, a powerful thought crossed his mind, and he almost stepped inside, but he suddenly felt uncomfortable, quickly dismissed the thought, and refocused on the hallway.
Finding nothing on the floor and on the tables, Shirley looked in the wastebasket and found a crumpled piece of paper. "Hmmmmm..." she said as she pulled it out.
"What'd you find?" Bo asked as Shirley joined him in the hallway. Luckily, he had calmed down.
Stopping by the lockers, Shirley opened the paper, and both kids found the following:
Meet me at the new construction site downtown at 8 PM. Don't be late.
Shirley looked at the lower right hand corner of the note and found a drawn spiral.
* * * * *
Once she got home, Shirley found herself alone in the house, went immediately to her attic lab, and alternated between doing her homework and going over her current case by doing more online research. When she finished her homework, she focused exclusively on the note, and after dusting it for fingerprints, she found nothing.
"A clever one, that Gamer of the Dark," Shirley said to no one in particular although Watson was in earshot.
Confident that she successfully sorted all the pieces of the puzzle properly, Shirley looked at the paper flower resting on her table. Blake had once mentioned to her that he was a little skilled at origami during their first date, but she had never seen him actually demonstrate his skills. The flower was red, and Shirley noticed especially the words "OPEN ME" on one petal.
Taking the delicate looking piece of paper, Shirley opened it and found a layer of white. Separating the two sheets of paper, she found writing on the white paper, and she read it to herself:
Dear Shirley,
If you're reading this, I can only say I'm sorry. However, Molly's managed to get something of mine, and she's using it to blackmail me into a date. Basically, if I don't comply, she'll post it online as Y. I can't tell you what it is, but I can't allow her to post it. I know you want to do everything in your power to save me, but please don't. You and Bo need to focus on the Gamer of the Dark and find out what she's up to in Redington. Please don't worry about me. I can handle Molly. Just take care of yourself, and good luck.
Love,
Blake
Shirley put the paper away and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she tried to suppress the tears threatening to emerge from her eyes. Unfortunately, she saw Blake's kind face, and the moisture began to leak.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and took another deep breath. Holding back the tears, she finally regained emotional control. *I have to focus,* she told herself. *I have to focus.*
"Shirley?"
Shirley turned around and found Bo standing there dressed in his usual clothes. Feelings of disappointment and relief swelled inside her, and she found herself fighting to maintain the stoic façade she tried to emulate from her famous ancestor.
"Are you okay?" Bo asked with concern, stepping forward.
"Never been better," she answered. "What are you doing here? I thought you got in trouble with your parents about not showing up for work."
"Oh, my mom persuaded my dad to let me go after I told them about seeing how you were doing," Bo said, willing himself not to blush. "Of course, my allowance got reduced a lot, but I'm okay with that…" He wanted to say more, but instead he thought, *…as long as you're okay.*
"Well, I'm okay, but thanks for your concern," Shirley said firmly. "I believe I've figured out everything about the Gamer of the Dark."
"Naturally," Bo said, smiling. "Care to enlighten me?"
"I think we'll get a chance to confirm my suspicions after we go see the Gamer and Rika," Shirley said, returning to her table.
"That'll be fun," Bo said dryly. "I'm sure they'll love us crashing their little meeting."
"Something tells me we'll be all right," Shirley stated as she started organizing her table.
Bo sighed. "Well, I'd better come along so you don't get into too much trouble."
"I appreciate your help," Shirley said.
"No problem." Before Bo knew it, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Too bad Blake won't be coming with us. He would've loved meeting an urban legend."
Shirley froze and leaned against the table, and the emotional defenses she had in place crumbled. Bo watched as her body shook, and he could've sworn he heard her sobbing. Walking up to her and without any hesitation, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Shirley?"
Shirley turned around, and Bo clearly saw the redness of her eyes and the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her mouth was scrunched into a frown, and before Bo could say anything, she leaned against him and cried some more.
Feeling her face against his shoulder and her arms around him, Bo found himself trying to process what was going on. Shirley Holmes, his stoic best friend and amateur sleuth, had broken down into tears and was leaning against him. In all the time he had known her, he never saw her like this. Soon, the realization of his physical closeness to her dawned on him. His nose now confirmed that her hair did smell of aloe. For a moment, his arms hung limply at his sides, but he soon willed them to wrap themselves around Shirley, who continued to moisten his shirt with her tears.
"Hey," Bo said softly as he stroked Shirley's hair. "It's okay, it's okay."
Shirley sniffled and looked at Bo through her reddy eyes. "Why, Bo? Why is she doing this to us?"
Unable to help himself, Bo wiped away one of Shirley's tears with his finger. "Maybe she wants to irk you a little. Show off some of that so-called power she has over people, you know."
Shirley wiped her eyes. "I have to do something to help him."
"Shirley…"
"You don't get it," Shirley said, straightening up herself, causing Bo to feel a little disappointed she didn't stay longer in his arms. "Whatever she has must be very important to Blake. She can just keep it and make him do what she wants, and since he's so good at computers…"
"I get it," Bo said gently, "but Blake can take care of himself."
"He's never tried taking Molly on his own before," Shirley said, sniffling again. "If he tries to cross her, she'll ruin him."
"Hey." Bo placed both his hands on Shirley's shoulders and looked down at her. "If Blake can handle a bunch of masked killers, he can handle Molly."
"But…"
"He'll be fine. Besides, there's the Gamer of the Dark," Bo said. "Like you said, we have to find out what she's up to, and if we don't, someone might end up a statue on the sidewalk or something like that."
Shirley wiped her eyes and nodded, and no one spoke. Realizing that he was touching Shirley, Bo willed himself to let go of her shoulders, but something made him keep them there. Then, one of his recent thoughts came to him. Looking into her blue eyes, he saw himself moving one hand to the back of her head and feeling her hair. He saw himself enjoying the silkiness of it, and then he would look at her lips. He saw himself closing his eyes, leaning forward, and...
"Bo?"
Shaken out of his reverie, Bo let go of Shirley. "Um, I'd better get home before I get into too much trouble. I don't think my parents would like it if I kept my visit here too long."
"I doubt they'd mind," Shirley said. "Why don't you stay for dinner?"
"Um, no thanks. The rest of your family'll be home soon."
"Bo, they know who you are," Shirley said.
Bo gulped. "Well, I have to go home anyway. Got homework."
"I can help you with it," Shirley said.
"That's okay, that's okay," Bo said, holding up his hand and shaking his head. "I can handle it." He made his way to the staircase. "I'll see you tomorrow for the great hunt."
"Bo..." Shirley began.
Bo stopped walking and turned around. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone you cried."
"Thank you, but that wasn't what I was going to say," Shirley said.
"Then what?" Bo said as he took a step down, his eyes transfixed on Shirley.
"I wanted to thank you for being such a good friend," Shirley said.
Bo forced himself to smile. "Hey, no problem. Will you be okay?"
"I'll be fine." Shirley wiped away the stray remains of a tear. "You're right. Blake can handle it by himself. He knows what Molly really is."
"He sure does," Bo said. "See you, Shirley."
Walking across the room, Shirley watched as her best friend descended the staircase, and just as he had reached the bottom, she said, "Bo?"
Bo paused at the back of the bookcase. "Yeah?"
"If you ever start dating, that girl would be so lucky to have you," she said, but in her mind, she wasn't sure where that came from.
"I guess you're right," Bo said, and he exited through the bookcase.
After saying goodbye to Gran, who was practicing Tai-Chi in the living room, Bo left the Holmes residence. As he mounted his bike, he started thinking about Shirley crying in his arms. He felt guilty about the thought, but he also felt sympathy for her. At the same time, he was angry at Blake for doing that to her, and at the moment, he wanted to find him and slug him in the face. Then, Bo's thoughts went back to what he wanted to do in there, and they quickly shifted to what his dreams kept showing him as the next step.
"Aaaargh!" he exclaimed in frustration, and as he took off, he tried his best to purge those thoughts out of his mind. Unfortunately, as he rode home, all he could think about was Shirley in his arms, the intense blueness of her eyes, the silky feel of her hair, and her lips.
END OF CHAPTER 6