For those of you who want me to update my other stories, I will. I just need to take a break for awhile but I haven't abandoned them. Just be patient. :)
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I stopped by my house to pick up some clothes for the night. I grabbed a tank top and a pair of pajama pants, and my favorite pair of jeans and crop top for tomorrow. I threw them in my bag and gave mom a quick kiss before heading out the door with Ashley.
Ashley looked at me, "Can I tell you something?" she asked.
I became suspicious. "Yeah," I said slowly.
"I invited someone else over tonight..."
"Who?" I said.
"Ellie."
My eyes widened. "What? You know she can't stand me!"
"That isn't true," she insisted. "You are both my friends and I wanted you two to get along. Please do this for me, Paige."
The doorbell rang. "Do I have a choice?"
"No," she said. "Now lets have some fun!"
I smiled. "Okay, okay...but if she insults me one time..."
"She won't!" Ashley assured me, rushing to the door.
Ellie walked in and looked as confused as I did.
"Hey, Ellie," I said, trying my best to be in a good mood. I was going to have fun, despite the social differences between the three of us.
The uneasiness in her face seemed to melt away as she said, "Hey, Paige."
"Do you guys want some ice cream?" Ashley asked.
"Ice cream sounds great," I said.
We followed Ashley to the kitchen.
Ashley scooped some ice cream out for the three of us and we sat down at the kitchen table.
"Paige?"
I looked up at Ellie. "Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about your breakup with Spinner. I know he meant a lot to you."
I smiled at her. "Thanks."
Maybe I had misjudged her. Maybe there was more to her than a punk hair do and black clothes.
"So, Paige," Ashley said. "Tell us about this guy that you met."
"Oh...it's not like that. We're friends," I said. "But he's cool, and he's really easy to talk to. What about you? Who is this mystery guy?"
Ashley blushed a little. "He's from New York, and he moved here to be with his family. I think that he had a rough childhood-although he's never mentioned that to me-I really care about him. Its different than with Craig or Jimmy. It's deeper."
I smiled. "I'm glad you found someone."
"So am I," Ellie said. "You were really upset when Craig cheated on you."
"I don't really blame him anymore. I mean, it was Manny Santos...hardly any guy can say no to her. And I mean....when you get carried away its hard to stop."
"Yeah," I admitted. "You are right. But you can't really blame Manny, she just wants to be loved."
"But at the same time, she went about it the wrong way," Ellie added.
"True. I'm not really sure she knows any other way though...and that's really sad," I said.
"It is sad. I just hope she finds someone who can love her. I mean really love her, not just use her for sex. That isn't healthy for anyone." Ashley said with a sigh.
"So, Ellie," I said. "How has your romantic life been?"
She looked at me like she thought I was being snobby-but I wasn't. "It's fine."
"You haven't been seeing anyone?" I asked.
Just then the doorbell rang, cutting through our conversation. "I'll get it," I said.
I went to the door and answered it but there was no one there, only a folded sheet of paper. I picked it up and carried it into the kitchen. "Looks like you have a secret admirer, Ash."
She took the sheet of paper from my hand. As she read it, her face fell.
"What is it?"
"N—Nothing...just a scrap piece of paper," she stammered.
"Yeah right," I snatched it from her hand and read it. My face fell. "Oh my God."
"What?" Ellie asked, grabbing it from me. "'I see you, Spirit.' What is that supposed to mean?"
"Ashley...Dean is here," I said.
"What is going on?"
Ashley explained a little. "We need to call the police."
"No," I said. "The police couldn't do anything about the rape remember? There wasn't any evidence."
"This is evidence that he is stalking you," Ashley said.
"No. No one is going to call the police."
"Then let me call someone," she said. "We are three sixteen year old girls who are being watched by a rapist we need to do something."
"Fine call your boyfriend," I said. "But not the police."
Ashley picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Damn!" she yelled, throwing it down. "he's not home, and I can't get through on his cell phone."
"Call Craig," Ellie said. "He would do anything for you."
"Paige, will you do it?" she asked me.
"Me?" I said.
"Please," Ashley begged.
I grabbed the phone and dialed his number. "Craig? It's Paige...I'm over at Ashley's and we got this really scary note...I was wondering if you would come over?" I said into the phone.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a few."
"Thanks." I hung up the phone. "He said he'd be here in a few minutes."
"Paige," Ashley said. "How did you know Craig's phone number?"
I froze. "Uh...you remember that guy I told you about? The one from the support group?"
"Yeah..." she said slowly.
"That was him. But you can't tell him because I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Its against the privacy policy."
"Okay," she said slowly.
"Yeah, kind of weird I know."
"Yeah, but these things happen."
When Craig came through the door it was everything I could do not to run to him and hug him, crying and asking him to protect me. Standing back while he and Ashley talked was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
Luckily, we didn't hear from Dean the rest of the nigh. When Ashley and Ellie-finally-went to sleep, I could hug Craig at last. He was the only person who could comfort me.
"I was so scared," I said. "I told you I felt like he was going to come back. This is the second time today!"
He wiped tears from my cheeks. "It's okay, I'm here now. He wont hurt you again."
"Thank you, Craig," I said. "Thank you so much for being such a good friend to me."
It was true, too. He was being a really good friend. A best friend.
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I stopped by my house to pick up some clothes for the night. I grabbed a tank top and a pair of pajama pants, and my favorite pair of jeans and crop top for tomorrow. I threw them in my bag and gave mom a quick kiss before heading out the door with Ashley.
Ashley looked at me, "Can I tell you something?" she asked.
I became suspicious. "Yeah," I said slowly.
"I invited someone else over tonight..."
"Who?" I said.
"Ellie."
My eyes widened. "What? You know she can't stand me!"
"That isn't true," she insisted. "You are both my friends and I wanted you two to get along. Please do this for me, Paige."
The doorbell rang. "Do I have a choice?"
"No," she said. "Now lets have some fun!"
I smiled. "Okay, okay...but if she insults me one time..."
"She won't!" Ashley assured me, rushing to the door.
Ellie walked in and looked as confused as I did.
"Hey, Ellie," I said, trying my best to be in a good mood. I was going to have fun, despite the social differences between the three of us.
The uneasiness in her face seemed to melt away as she said, "Hey, Paige."
"Do you guys want some ice cream?" Ashley asked.
"Ice cream sounds great," I said.
We followed Ashley to the kitchen.
Ashley scooped some ice cream out for the three of us and we sat down at the kitchen table.
"Paige?"
I looked up at Ellie. "Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about your breakup with Spinner. I know he meant a lot to you."
I smiled at her. "Thanks."
Maybe I had misjudged her. Maybe there was more to her than a punk hair do and black clothes.
"So, Paige," Ashley said. "Tell us about this guy that you met."
"Oh...it's not like that. We're friends," I said. "But he's cool, and he's really easy to talk to. What about you? Who is this mystery guy?"
Ashley blushed a little. "He's from New York, and he moved here to be with his family. I think that he had a rough childhood-although he's never mentioned that to me-I really care about him. Its different than with Craig or Jimmy. It's deeper."
I smiled. "I'm glad you found someone."
"So am I," Ellie said. "You were really upset when Craig cheated on you."
"I don't really blame him anymore. I mean, it was Manny Santos...hardly any guy can say no to her. And I mean....when you get carried away its hard to stop."
"Yeah," I admitted. "You are right. But you can't really blame Manny, she just wants to be loved."
"But at the same time, she went about it the wrong way," Ellie added.
"True. I'm not really sure she knows any other way though...and that's really sad," I said.
"It is sad. I just hope she finds someone who can love her. I mean really love her, not just use her for sex. That isn't healthy for anyone." Ashley said with a sigh.
"So, Ellie," I said. "How has your romantic life been?"
She looked at me like she thought I was being snobby-but I wasn't. "It's fine."
"You haven't been seeing anyone?" I asked.
Just then the doorbell rang, cutting through our conversation. "I'll get it," I said.
I went to the door and answered it but there was no one there, only a folded sheet of paper. I picked it up and carried it into the kitchen. "Looks like you have a secret admirer, Ash."
She took the sheet of paper from my hand. As she read it, her face fell.
"What is it?"
"N—Nothing...just a scrap piece of paper," she stammered.
"Yeah right," I snatched it from her hand and read it. My face fell. "Oh my God."
"What?" Ellie asked, grabbing it from me. "'I see you, Spirit.' What is that supposed to mean?"
"Ashley...Dean is here," I said.
"What is going on?"
Ashley explained a little. "We need to call the police."
"No," I said. "The police couldn't do anything about the rape remember? There wasn't any evidence."
"This is evidence that he is stalking you," Ashley said.
"No. No one is going to call the police."
"Then let me call someone," she said. "We are three sixteen year old girls who are being watched by a rapist we need to do something."
"Fine call your boyfriend," I said. "But not the police."
Ashley picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Damn!" she yelled, throwing it down. "he's not home, and I can't get through on his cell phone."
"Call Craig," Ellie said. "He would do anything for you."
"Paige, will you do it?" she asked me.
"Me?" I said.
"Please," Ashley begged.
I grabbed the phone and dialed his number. "Craig? It's Paige...I'm over at Ashley's and we got this really scary note...I was wondering if you would come over?" I said into the phone.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a few."
"Thanks." I hung up the phone. "He said he'd be here in a few minutes."
"Paige," Ashley said. "How did you know Craig's phone number?"
I froze. "Uh...you remember that guy I told you about? The one from the support group?"
"Yeah..." she said slowly.
"That was him. But you can't tell him because I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Its against the privacy policy."
"Okay," she said slowly.
"Yeah, kind of weird I know."
"Yeah, but these things happen."
When Craig came through the door it was everything I could do not to run to him and hug him, crying and asking him to protect me. Standing back while he and Ashley talked was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
Luckily, we didn't hear from Dean the rest of the nigh. When Ashley and Ellie-finally-went to sleep, I could hug Craig at last. He was the only person who could comfort me.
"I was so scared," I said. "I told you I felt like he was going to come back. This is the second time today!"
He wiped tears from my cheeks. "It's okay, I'm here now. He wont hurt you again."
"Thank you, Craig," I said. "Thank you so much for being such a good friend to me."
It was true, too. He was being a really good friend. A best friend.
