Philip stood perfectly still as he watched Brady take the seat across from
Chloe. Though he could not see Chloe's face from where he was standing,
Philip could not miss the smug grin tugging at the corners of Brady's
mouth.
Behind the curtain, Shawn saw the light flash, and he took that as his cue to give Philip and Chloe their ten. He might not agree that they deserved it, but Shawn had made a promise to Philip, and he fully intended to keep it. But, even Shawn could not have foreseen the twists and turns of the evening, and their adverse effect on the grand scheme he had devised with his friends.
Breaking eye contact with Brady, Chloe nervously glanced at the scale after hearing the surrounding crowd's applause and carefree yells. Her eyes started at the bottom of the scale, but did not come to a rest until they reached the top where the light had gone to a ten.
Chloe found that she could only stare at the light in disbelief as Brady moved out of his chair. She wondered just how it was possible that she and Brady had scored a ten. It was impossible. It had to be. Otherwise, fate would be working in the same direction as Chloe's heart, and her mind has some serious objections to that.
Leaning over to Chloe before he left, Brady daringly brushing his lips against her cheek for all to see and whispered, "I didn't need a light to tell me that we're perfect for each other."
Chloe watched in awe as Brady stepped away from the machine and floated out the front door of the pub, never looking back. Forcing herself to overcome her preoccupation with the mysterious Brady Black, Chloe listlessly moved away from the machine.
Before Chloe had the time to analyze Brady's flirtatious behavior, Philip appeared at her side. Forcing down the anger caused by knowing that half the people he went to school with would be joking about Chloe's scores with him and Brady and the kiss that his uncle had planted on her cheek, Philip tenderly placed a hand on the small of his girlfriend's back. In a hushed tone, he said, "I'm honestly going to kill Shawn when this is all over. Until then, let's just finish this stupid plan of his."
As though luck decided to work in his favor for the first time that night, Philip had to take no more than three steps away from Chloe before he bumped into Mimi herself. He startled his friend by grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the crowd and toward a machine he now hated.
"Meems, I think it's time you tried the love machine."
Taking a quick peek over her shoulder only to see that Jason was glaring at her from the back of the room while Jeremy was following her, Mimi remarked, "I don't think so. I should probably just get home."
Philip knew that if he didn't find some way to get Mimi into one of the chairs, he would be heckled for a lifetime by Chloe and Shawn for losing his legendary charm. Deciding to skip the puppy-dog face and go straight to the dimples, Philip smoothly replied, "Come on, Mimi. Just take a spin or two in the chair. With a girl as pretty as you, I'm sure we'll have a ton of guys lining up."
"Yeah . . . I'm just a regular babe," sarcastically agreed Mimi as she gave Philip her most suspicious glare. She'd known Philip Kiriakis practically her entire life, and she knew that if he was using those fervent dimples on her, he must have a good reason.
"Meems, you know you're pretty, so just come with me and get in that chair." Ignoring Mimi's protests, Philip dragged her to the chair, giving her his most charming smile as he gently pushed her into the cushioned seat. "Stay."
Chloe quickly scanned the crowd as she watched Philip drag Mimi to the dreaded love machine. Pushing aside her recent memories of that very machine and Brady's chaste kiss, Chloe searched for a guy that she felt Shawn would agree qualified as 'hot'.
Just when she was preparing to give up hope of finding a beautiful stranger lurking in the crowd, Chloe noticed a handsome guy making his way to the front, weaving through the immense group of teenagers. Brazenly, Chloe reached out and grabbed his wrist. She purposely ignored the perplexed look that he sent her. She was definitely not in the mood to have her sanity judged by a complete stranger.
Tossing Philip a quick wink as she pulled Jeremy behind her, Chloe loudly announced, "We have another volunteer for the love machine!"
Leading Jeremy to the seat beside Mimi, Chloe curiously wondered just why Mimi was blushing like some junior high student getting introduced to her lifelong crush. Little did Chloe know that the very guy she sat beside Mimi was the same one that they were trying to make her forget about.
With the couple securely in the seats, Philip hurriedly walked Chloe back to the curtain. Just before they entered, Philip asked, "Do you really think that guy is hot?"
Chloe sneaked a quick glance at the blonde man and his tan, athletic body before answering, "Oh, yeah."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Craig groaned and rubbed his tired face with his right hand, clasping the cordless phone in his left. Despite his obvious displeasure with the conversation he was having, Craig continued to try his best to be patient with the person on the other end of the line.
As the other person finished an incredibly long lecture, Craig protested, "Ma, I'm telling you, it's not a good idea."
Craig was silenced by his mother beginning yet another lecture. This time it covered Craig's inexcusable behavior as a son. His mother used that speech to point out that it would far from kill Craig to do his own mother one tiny favor that would benefit the entire family.
After another ten minutes of enduring the one-sided conversation, Craig finally surrendered to his mother's demands. He had learned long ago that it was futile to try and argue with his mother when her mind was made up on such an important matter.
Telling his mother that it was getting late and he needed his rest, Craig managed to end the phone call. Collapsing on the couch, Craig pondered just how he would tell Nancy about their impromptu houseguest. Even more importantly, how he would survive her reaction.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Philip and Chloe came through the curtain just as the cue light blinked on the wall, indicating that there was a waiting couple in the chairs.
Pushing the lever nearly to the floor, Shawn faked a smile and remarked, "I hope Mimi appreciates everything we do for her."
Wanting a moment to let Shawn know just how unhappy he was with the plan to save Mimi self-respect, Philip turned to Chloe and questioned, "Don't you need to be out there finding the next guy for Meems?"
"Sure," Chloe hesitantly answered as she forced herself back out the curtains. She had the distinct impression that Shawn was going to be even less pleased after Philip finished his tantrum
Stepping into view of the chairs, Chloe caught herself smiling as Mimi looked timidly at the handsome young man sitting across from her. Chloe wished that she could have seen the look on Mimi's face when the light soared to a nine.
Chloe paused mid-stride as she had a sudden, uncomforting realization. She was actually rooting for Mimi. Now, that was a scary thought. Tossing aside the idea of being on friendly terms with Mimi, Chloe continued across the pub, determined to keep Mimi in the chair and find another guy that could sit with her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Clenching and unclenching his fist in an almost rhythmic pattern, Jason watched Mimi and Jeremy. In his mind, those two scoring a nine proved just how fake the childish machine was.
Jason couldn't quite define the emotion that was taking control of his entire body. He knew that he was still angry at Mimi for just walking away from him when he needed to speak to her. But, anger wasn't all that he was feeling.
At the front of the room, Jason saw Jeremy lean in close to Mimi and whisper something into her ear. Watching Mimi laugh at the quiet comment, Jason made the quick decision to do whatever it took to get Mimi to listen to what he had to say. Jason Masters refused to be ignored.
As he was pushing his way through the rambunctious teenagers, Jason felt a hand grasp in arm. When he turned to verbally assault his attacker, his cruel words died on his lips. Instead, he merely stated, "Not now, Belle."
Belle stood stunned as she watched Jason walk away from her without another word. She was beginning to wonder if rudeness was a contagious disease, because it seemed as if all her friends were suffering from it.
First, she'd been trying to talk to Chloe, but never seemed to be able to track her down for longer than thirty seconds. Then, when she'd tried to corner Philip to ask if something was wrong with Chloe, he'd sent her off on some silly errand and disappeared while she was gone. Then, there had been Shawn. After scoring a nine on the love machine with her, he'd completely vanished and she hadn't seen him since.
Then, when Belle had felt certain that she'd suffered from all the abandonment she could possibly handle for one evening, she had tried to approach Jeremy after he spoke to Mimi. He had been making his way to the front of the room when she called out his name. He'd merely waved a hand in her direction before continuing his mission to cross the room. Then, to top the evening off, Jason had practically ignored her as he also headed to the front of the room.
What was going on with her friends?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Mimi began to rise from the seat, a light blush still gracing her cheeks from Jeremy's presence, when she was pushed right back down by none other than Chloe Lane.
"Stay."
"Gee, where have I heard that before," muttered Mimi as she watched Chloe quickly walk away. Despite the feeling of giddiness that resulted from scoring such a high score with such a hunky guy, Mimi still wanted to go home. She'd always thought that she would love basking in the spotlight, but when she was finally there, she learned that having nearly every set of eyes in a room glued to you was not the greatest feeling after all.
Several feet away, she could hear Chloe talking to someone, probably the next victim of the love machine. However, Mimi was too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the world surrounding her. That is, until a figure appeared in front of her, leering over her.
Mimi peered up in abject horror at the person taking the seat across from her. She silently cursed the fates for their sick desire to make her the most miserable person alive. Why else would she be subjected to not only having her compatibility measured with Jeremy, but Jason as well.
"I said I wanted to talk to you," lowly barked Jason as he took the seat across from Mimi.
Using the last of her willpower, Mimi stood to go. She had barely rose to her feet when Jason grabbed her wrist and commanded, "Stay."
Throwing herself back in the chair, Mimi questioned unhappily, "What? Is that the magic word tonight?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Shawn, we need to talk."
Keeping his attention focused on the light that he was waiting to blink, Shawn asked, "About what?"
"The three that you gave me and Chloe."
Shawn turned his attention away from the light and stared at Philip, trying to figure out just what his uncle was talking about. "Three? I gave you guys a ten."
"No, you gave us a three. You gave Chloe and Brady a ten," countered Philip as he took a menacing step toward Shawn. "Joey and Sandy didn't show, and you were too absorbed in your crush on Belle to notice. Because of you, my girlfriend scored a ten with Brady - who took that as his cue to kiss her."
"Whoa . . . was this kiss on the lips?"
"No, but it's only a matter of time. I know guys like Brady. He's just going to keep pushing until he's pushed me completely out of Chloe's life. And, you've somehow managed to make things even worse."
Shawn refused to back down from Philip. He knew that his friend was a great person, and part of that was due to Chloe. However, Shawn also knew that Philip's love for Chloe was hurting both of them. They each expected things from the other that simply weren't possible.
"Philip, you're screwed up relationship isn't my fault, and you know it. You can't blame me for your mistakes."
"My mistakes? What exactly would those be Shawn? Do I love her too much? Do I worry too much about her safety? Come on, Shawn, you seem to think you know everything so why don't you tell me just how I've screwed everything up?"
Taking a single step that put him toe-to-toe with Philip, Shawn replied, "I never said I knew everything, but everyone knows that you and Chloe just aren't cutting it as a couple."
"Oh, and I suppose you're just the king of love, aren't you? When was the last time you even kissed a girl? You can't even get up the courage to ask Belle out, but you expect me to listen to you analyze my love for Chloe?"
"Look, Philip, I'm not saying any of this to be mean. I know that you and Chloe care about each other. That much is obvious. I'm just afraid that the longer you two lie to yourselves, the more it's going to hurt when it's over."
Giving Shawn a rough push, Philip warned, "Stay out of it, Shawn. I'm warning you."
Shawn moved back closer to Philip and dared, "Oh, yeah? You're warning me? What exactly are you going to do?"
"What is your problem, Shawn?" Philip asked as he turned to look away from his pal. Shawn was acting stranger than usual, and Philip knew that he was about a remark away from decking his precious nephew. "Why don't you just back off?"
"Why don't you just make me?"
"Shawn, seriously, what is your deal? If you don't shut your mouth, I'm going to shut it for you."
"Yeah, why do I doubt that?"
Before Shawn could utter one more sarcastic question, Philip was knocking him to the floor, both temporarily forgetting that they should be watching the light.
As the scuffle continued, both young men began to yell things that were neither appropriate or a true reflection of their feeling. Lost in the angry moment, Philip and Shawn both just wanted to hurt the other with both words and violence.
"I swear to God, Shawn, if you're wanting Chloe for yourself, you're going to be sorry," vowed Philip as he used his right fist to punch Shawn in the stomach, ignoring the fact that they had pulled the curtain open slightly during their fight and a small crowd was gathering, including Belle and Chloe.
Wanting to do anything to make Philip mad, Shawn remarked, "Oh, yeah? Just what would you do if I said I was going after Chloe? Throw a fit and have your rich father try to bribe her into staying with you? It wouldn't work, Philip - unlike you, Chloe has morals." The very moment the words left his mouth, Shawn knew he didn't mean them. He had never been interested in Chloe, and never would be. Shawn only had eyes for one girl - Belle Black. And, he knew that that Philip was a decent person, but Shawn just couldn't resist the opportunity to provoke Philip even more.
However, that was the final insult that Shawn would utter before Philip knocked him halfway across the room, causing him to fall over the lever, pushing it all the way to the floor.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Unaware of just what was going on behind the machine, Jason and Mimi gave each other one long stare before they each squeezed the handle. Both sat in a state of shock when the light flew straight to the top, granting them a ten.
However, before either could comment, Belle's screams roused them from the state of surprise. Forgetting that he had wanted to talk to Mimi, Jason jumped from his chair to see just what was wrong. As he came around the corner, he saw the Philip and Shawn were throwing punches as they made their way out of the curtains.
While Belle had stepped away from them while continuing to scream, Chloe refused to back away as she tried to convince them to break it up. She'd overheard a good portion of what the boys had been fighting about. It physically sickened Chloe to think that she'd caused two fights in one night.
For the first time since she'd met him, Chloe was relieved to see Jason walking in her direction. She noticed that he was looking just over her shoulder at the guy that had been in the love machine with Mimi before him. Later, when there was no fighting, no love machine, and no interruptions, Chloe knew that she'd have to give Jason and Mimi's behavior together some consideration. Because, if she did not know better, she would think that there might be something going on between the two of them.
Catching Jeremy's gaze, Jason nodded toward the battling duo, a sign that they would each grab one of the guys and hope to not get punched in the process. Deciding that he was still Philip's friend despite all the arguing over the past year, Jason chose to try and grab him. That worked great for Jeremy, who was left with his cousin.
Throwing both his arms around Philip, Jason tried to pull him off Shawn as Jeremy attempted to cool Shawn down. Just when Jeremy thought that he had Shawn under control, his relative pushed him away. Of course, Shawn was far too absorbed with attacking Philip to notice just who had been holding him back. At the same time, Philip loosened himself from Jason's grasp and lunged at Shawn.
With a violent collision, the young men met. Shawn attempted to spin Philip around and make him lose his grip, but it proved to be yet another plan of his destined to fail. At the very moment Shawn began to spin Philip, Chloe stepped forward, begging them to stop.
Before anyone could prevent the accident, Philip, Shawn, and Chloe all fell backwards against the table set up with the food and drinks for the evening. Chloe released a high-pitch scream as she w fell over with the guys and they landed as a group beside the punch bowl, causing it to flip over on top of them.
Glancing down at her often troublesome friends, Belle forced back her tears and meekly asked, "Are you guys alright?" When all three nodded, Belle quickly turned from them and fled the pub. The evening had proven itself a disaster, and she wanted as far away from the destruction as possible.
Looming over the trio, Jason laughed heartily and remarked, "Man, you guys have done it now. Not only do you all three look like drowned rats, but you've also ticked Belle off. Good going."
Directing her own anger at Jason, Mimi asked, "Why don't you just leave them alone? It doesn't even concern you. Then again, you seem to be making it a habit to butt into everyone else's business." Her short rant complete, Mimi turned away from the entire group and walked out of the pub. Like her friend, she wanted away from the mess caused by Shawn, Chloe, and Philip.
Tossing his punch covered friends one last glance, Jason muttered, "I'm out of here."
When Shawn saw a hand reach down for him, he looked up and saw his very own second cousin. With an expression that displayed just how stunned he was, Shawn asked, "Jeremy, when did you get back in Salem?"
Chuckling just a little, Jeremy helped Shawn to his feet before answering, "It's a long story Shawn. And, I'll tell it to you sometime when you're not covered in red punch."
Glancing over his shoulder, Shawn saw that Philip had also gotten to his feet and was trying to help Chloe, but she continually refused to take his hand. Shawn had a really bad feeling that Philip wasn't the only one she was mad at. And, if there was one thing Shawn feared, it was the wrath of a woman scorned - or doused in punch because two guys she trusted chose to act like a pair of idiots.
Yelling loudly enough for everyone to hear him, Shawn announced, "Alright, the party's over. Time for everyone to go home."
As the rest of the crowd left the pub grumbling, Jeremy asked, "Hey, do you need some help here?"
"Nah, you know what my mom always says . . . if you make a mess, you've got to clean it up yourself. And, this is definitely my mess."
Behind the curtain, Shawn saw the light flash, and he took that as his cue to give Philip and Chloe their ten. He might not agree that they deserved it, but Shawn had made a promise to Philip, and he fully intended to keep it. But, even Shawn could not have foreseen the twists and turns of the evening, and their adverse effect on the grand scheme he had devised with his friends.
Breaking eye contact with Brady, Chloe nervously glanced at the scale after hearing the surrounding crowd's applause and carefree yells. Her eyes started at the bottom of the scale, but did not come to a rest until they reached the top where the light had gone to a ten.
Chloe found that she could only stare at the light in disbelief as Brady moved out of his chair. She wondered just how it was possible that she and Brady had scored a ten. It was impossible. It had to be. Otherwise, fate would be working in the same direction as Chloe's heart, and her mind has some serious objections to that.
Leaning over to Chloe before he left, Brady daringly brushing his lips against her cheek for all to see and whispered, "I didn't need a light to tell me that we're perfect for each other."
Chloe watched in awe as Brady stepped away from the machine and floated out the front door of the pub, never looking back. Forcing herself to overcome her preoccupation with the mysterious Brady Black, Chloe listlessly moved away from the machine.
Before Chloe had the time to analyze Brady's flirtatious behavior, Philip appeared at her side. Forcing down the anger caused by knowing that half the people he went to school with would be joking about Chloe's scores with him and Brady and the kiss that his uncle had planted on her cheek, Philip tenderly placed a hand on the small of his girlfriend's back. In a hushed tone, he said, "I'm honestly going to kill Shawn when this is all over. Until then, let's just finish this stupid plan of his."
As though luck decided to work in his favor for the first time that night, Philip had to take no more than three steps away from Chloe before he bumped into Mimi herself. He startled his friend by grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the crowd and toward a machine he now hated.
"Meems, I think it's time you tried the love machine."
Taking a quick peek over her shoulder only to see that Jason was glaring at her from the back of the room while Jeremy was following her, Mimi remarked, "I don't think so. I should probably just get home."
Philip knew that if he didn't find some way to get Mimi into one of the chairs, he would be heckled for a lifetime by Chloe and Shawn for losing his legendary charm. Deciding to skip the puppy-dog face and go straight to the dimples, Philip smoothly replied, "Come on, Mimi. Just take a spin or two in the chair. With a girl as pretty as you, I'm sure we'll have a ton of guys lining up."
"Yeah . . . I'm just a regular babe," sarcastically agreed Mimi as she gave Philip her most suspicious glare. She'd known Philip Kiriakis practically her entire life, and she knew that if he was using those fervent dimples on her, he must have a good reason.
"Meems, you know you're pretty, so just come with me and get in that chair." Ignoring Mimi's protests, Philip dragged her to the chair, giving her his most charming smile as he gently pushed her into the cushioned seat. "Stay."
Chloe quickly scanned the crowd as she watched Philip drag Mimi to the dreaded love machine. Pushing aside her recent memories of that very machine and Brady's chaste kiss, Chloe searched for a guy that she felt Shawn would agree qualified as 'hot'.
Just when she was preparing to give up hope of finding a beautiful stranger lurking in the crowd, Chloe noticed a handsome guy making his way to the front, weaving through the immense group of teenagers. Brazenly, Chloe reached out and grabbed his wrist. She purposely ignored the perplexed look that he sent her. She was definitely not in the mood to have her sanity judged by a complete stranger.
Tossing Philip a quick wink as she pulled Jeremy behind her, Chloe loudly announced, "We have another volunteer for the love machine!"
Leading Jeremy to the seat beside Mimi, Chloe curiously wondered just why Mimi was blushing like some junior high student getting introduced to her lifelong crush. Little did Chloe know that the very guy she sat beside Mimi was the same one that they were trying to make her forget about.
With the couple securely in the seats, Philip hurriedly walked Chloe back to the curtain. Just before they entered, Philip asked, "Do you really think that guy is hot?"
Chloe sneaked a quick glance at the blonde man and his tan, athletic body before answering, "Oh, yeah."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Craig groaned and rubbed his tired face with his right hand, clasping the cordless phone in his left. Despite his obvious displeasure with the conversation he was having, Craig continued to try his best to be patient with the person on the other end of the line.
As the other person finished an incredibly long lecture, Craig protested, "Ma, I'm telling you, it's not a good idea."
Craig was silenced by his mother beginning yet another lecture. This time it covered Craig's inexcusable behavior as a son. His mother used that speech to point out that it would far from kill Craig to do his own mother one tiny favor that would benefit the entire family.
After another ten minutes of enduring the one-sided conversation, Craig finally surrendered to his mother's demands. He had learned long ago that it was futile to try and argue with his mother when her mind was made up on such an important matter.
Telling his mother that it was getting late and he needed his rest, Craig managed to end the phone call. Collapsing on the couch, Craig pondered just how he would tell Nancy about their impromptu houseguest. Even more importantly, how he would survive her reaction.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Philip and Chloe came through the curtain just as the cue light blinked on the wall, indicating that there was a waiting couple in the chairs.
Pushing the lever nearly to the floor, Shawn faked a smile and remarked, "I hope Mimi appreciates everything we do for her."
Wanting a moment to let Shawn know just how unhappy he was with the plan to save Mimi self-respect, Philip turned to Chloe and questioned, "Don't you need to be out there finding the next guy for Meems?"
"Sure," Chloe hesitantly answered as she forced herself back out the curtains. She had the distinct impression that Shawn was going to be even less pleased after Philip finished his tantrum
Stepping into view of the chairs, Chloe caught herself smiling as Mimi looked timidly at the handsome young man sitting across from her. Chloe wished that she could have seen the look on Mimi's face when the light soared to a nine.
Chloe paused mid-stride as she had a sudden, uncomforting realization. She was actually rooting for Mimi. Now, that was a scary thought. Tossing aside the idea of being on friendly terms with Mimi, Chloe continued across the pub, determined to keep Mimi in the chair and find another guy that could sit with her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Clenching and unclenching his fist in an almost rhythmic pattern, Jason watched Mimi and Jeremy. In his mind, those two scoring a nine proved just how fake the childish machine was.
Jason couldn't quite define the emotion that was taking control of his entire body. He knew that he was still angry at Mimi for just walking away from him when he needed to speak to her. But, anger wasn't all that he was feeling.
At the front of the room, Jason saw Jeremy lean in close to Mimi and whisper something into her ear. Watching Mimi laugh at the quiet comment, Jason made the quick decision to do whatever it took to get Mimi to listen to what he had to say. Jason Masters refused to be ignored.
As he was pushing his way through the rambunctious teenagers, Jason felt a hand grasp in arm. When he turned to verbally assault his attacker, his cruel words died on his lips. Instead, he merely stated, "Not now, Belle."
Belle stood stunned as she watched Jason walk away from her without another word. She was beginning to wonder if rudeness was a contagious disease, because it seemed as if all her friends were suffering from it.
First, she'd been trying to talk to Chloe, but never seemed to be able to track her down for longer than thirty seconds. Then, when she'd tried to corner Philip to ask if something was wrong with Chloe, he'd sent her off on some silly errand and disappeared while she was gone. Then, there had been Shawn. After scoring a nine on the love machine with her, he'd completely vanished and she hadn't seen him since.
Then, when Belle had felt certain that she'd suffered from all the abandonment she could possibly handle for one evening, she had tried to approach Jeremy after he spoke to Mimi. He had been making his way to the front of the room when she called out his name. He'd merely waved a hand in her direction before continuing his mission to cross the room. Then, to top the evening off, Jason had practically ignored her as he also headed to the front of the room.
What was going on with her friends?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Mimi began to rise from the seat, a light blush still gracing her cheeks from Jeremy's presence, when she was pushed right back down by none other than Chloe Lane.
"Stay."
"Gee, where have I heard that before," muttered Mimi as she watched Chloe quickly walk away. Despite the feeling of giddiness that resulted from scoring such a high score with such a hunky guy, Mimi still wanted to go home. She'd always thought that she would love basking in the spotlight, but when she was finally there, she learned that having nearly every set of eyes in a room glued to you was not the greatest feeling after all.
Several feet away, she could hear Chloe talking to someone, probably the next victim of the love machine. However, Mimi was too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the world surrounding her. That is, until a figure appeared in front of her, leering over her.
Mimi peered up in abject horror at the person taking the seat across from her. She silently cursed the fates for their sick desire to make her the most miserable person alive. Why else would she be subjected to not only having her compatibility measured with Jeremy, but Jason as well.
"I said I wanted to talk to you," lowly barked Jason as he took the seat across from Mimi.
Using the last of her willpower, Mimi stood to go. She had barely rose to her feet when Jason grabbed her wrist and commanded, "Stay."
Throwing herself back in the chair, Mimi questioned unhappily, "What? Is that the magic word tonight?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Shawn, we need to talk."
Keeping his attention focused on the light that he was waiting to blink, Shawn asked, "About what?"
"The three that you gave me and Chloe."
Shawn turned his attention away from the light and stared at Philip, trying to figure out just what his uncle was talking about. "Three? I gave you guys a ten."
"No, you gave us a three. You gave Chloe and Brady a ten," countered Philip as he took a menacing step toward Shawn. "Joey and Sandy didn't show, and you were too absorbed in your crush on Belle to notice. Because of you, my girlfriend scored a ten with Brady - who took that as his cue to kiss her."
"Whoa . . . was this kiss on the lips?"
"No, but it's only a matter of time. I know guys like Brady. He's just going to keep pushing until he's pushed me completely out of Chloe's life. And, you've somehow managed to make things even worse."
Shawn refused to back down from Philip. He knew that his friend was a great person, and part of that was due to Chloe. However, Shawn also knew that Philip's love for Chloe was hurting both of them. They each expected things from the other that simply weren't possible.
"Philip, you're screwed up relationship isn't my fault, and you know it. You can't blame me for your mistakes."
"My mistakes? What exactly would those be Shawn? Do I love her too much? Do I worry too much about her safety? Come on, Shawn, you seem to think you know everything so why don't you tell me just how I've screwed everything up?"
Taking a single step that put him toe-to-toe with Philip, Shawn replied, "I never said I knew everything, but everyone knows that you and Chloe just aren't cutting it as a couple."
"Oh, and I suppose you're just the king of love, aren't you? When was the last time you even kissed a girl? You can't even get up the courage to ask Belle out, but you expect me to listen to you analyze my love for Chloe?"
"Look, Philip, I'm not saying any of this to be mean. I know that you and Chloe care about each other. That much is obvious. I'm just afraid that the longer you two lie to yourselves, the more it's going to hurt when it's over."
Giving Shawn a rough push, Philip warned, "Stay out of it, Shawn. I'm warning you."
Shawn moved back closer to Philip and dared, "Oh, yeah? You're warning me? What exactly are you going to do?"
"What is your problem, Shawn?" Philip asked as he turned to look away from his pal. Shawn was acting stranger than usual, and Philip knew that he was about a remark away from decking his precious nephew. "Why don't you just back off?"
"Why don't you just make me?"
"Shawn, seriously, what is your deal? If you don't shut your mouth, I'm going to shut it for you."
"Yeah, why do I doubt that?"
Before Shawn could utter one more sarcastic question, Philip was knocking him to the floor, both temporarily forgetting that they should be watching the light.
As the scuffle continued, both young men began to yell things that were neither appropriate or a true reflection of their feeling. Lost in the angry moment, Philip and Shawn both just wanted to hurt the other with both words and violence.
"I swear to God, Shawn, if you're wanting Chloe for yourself, you're going to be sorry," vowed Philip as he used his right fist to punch Shawn in the stomach, ignoring the fact that they had pulled the curtain open slightly during their fight and a small crowd was gathering, including Belle and Chloe.
Wanting to do anything to make Philip mad, Shawn remarked, "Oh, yeah? Just what would you do if I said I was going after Chloe? Throw a fit and have your rich father try to bribe her into staying with you? It wouldn't work, Philip - unlike you, Chloe has morals." The very moment the words left his mouth, Shawn knew he didn't mean them. He had never been interested in Chloe, and never would be. Shawn only had eyes for one girl - Belle Black. And, he knew that that Philip was a decent person, but Shawn just couldn't resist the opportunity to provoke Philip even more.
However, that was the final insult that Shawn would utter before Philip knocked him halfway across the room, causing him to fall over the lever, pushing it all the way to the floor.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Unaware of just what was going on behind the machine, Jason and Mimi gave each other one long stare before they each squeezed the handle. Both sat in a state of shock when the light flew straight to the top, granting them a ten.
However, before either could comment, Belle's screams roused them from the state of surprise. Forgetting that he had wanted to talk to Mimi, Jason jumped from his chair to see just what was wrong. As he came around the corner, he saw the Philip and Shawn were throwing punches as they made their way out of the curtains.
While Belle had stepped away from them while continuing to scream, Chloe refused to back away as she tried to convince them to break it up. She'd overheard a good portion of what the boys had been fighting about. It physically sickened Chloe to think that she'd caused two fights in one night.
For the first time since she'd met him, Chloe was relieved to see Jason walking in her direction. She noticed that he was looking just over her shoulder at the guy that had been in the love machine with Mimi before him. Later, when there was no fighting, no love machine, and no interruptions, Chloe knew that she'd have to give Jason and Mimi's behavior together some consideration. Because, if she did not know better, she would think that there might be something going on between the two of them.
Catching Jeremy's gaze, Jason nodded toward the battling duo, a sign that they would each grab one of the guys and hope to not get punched in the process. Deciding that he was still Philip's friend despite all the arguing over the past year, Jason chose to try and grab him. That worked great for Jeremy, who was left with his cousin.
Throwing both his arms around Philip, Jason tried to pull him off Shawn as Jeremy attempted to cool Shawn down. Just when Jeremy thought that he had Shawn under control, his relative pushed him away. Of course, Shawn was far too absorbed with attacking Philip to notice just who had been holding him back. At the same time, Philip loosened himself from Jason's grasp and lunged at Shawn.
With a violent collision, the young men met. Shawn attempted to spin Philip around and make him lose his grip, but it proved to be yet another plan of his destined to fail. At the very moment Shawn began to spin Philip, Chloe stepped forward, begging them to stop.
Before anyone could prevent the accident, Philip, Shawn, and Chloe all fell backwards against the table set up with the food and drinks for the evening. Chloe released a high-pitch scream as she w fell over with the guys and they landed as a group beside the punch bowl, causing it to flip over on top of them.
Glancing down at her often troublesome friends, Belle forced back her tears and meekly asked, "Are you guys alright?" When all three nodded, Belle quickly turned from them and fled the pub. The evening had proven itself a disaster, and she wanted as far away from the destruction as possible.
Looming over the trio, Jason laughed heartily and remarked, "Man, you guys have done it now. Not only do you all three look like drowned rats, but you've also ticked Belle off. Good going."
Directing her own anger at Jason, Mimi asked, "Why don't you just leave them alone? It doesn't even concern you. Then again, you seem to be making it a habit to butt into everyone else's business." Her short rant complete, Mimi turned away from the entire group and walked out of the pub. Like her friend, she wanted away from the mess caused by Shawn, Chloe, and Philip.
Tossing his punch covered friends one last glance, Jason muttered, "I'm out of here."
When Shawn saw a hand reach down for him, he looked up and saw his very own second cousin. With an expression that displayed just how stunned he was, Shawn asked, "Jeremy, when did you get back in Salem?"
Chuckling just a little, Jeremy helped Shawn to his feet before answering, "It's a long story Shawn. And, I'll tell it to you sometime when you're not covered in red punch."
Glancing over his shoulder, Shawn saw that Philip had also gotten to his feet and was trying to help Chloe, but she continually refused to take his hand. Shawn had a really bad feeling that Philip wasn't the only one she was mad at. And, if there was one thing Shawn feared, it was the wrath of a woman scorned - or doused in punch because two guys she trusted chose to act like a pair of idiots.
Yelling loudly enough for everyone to hear him, Shawn announced, "Alright, the party's over. Time for everyone to go home."
As the rest of the crowd left the pub grumbling, Jeremy asked, "Hey, do you need some help here?"
"Nah, you know what my mom always says . . . if you make a mess, you've got to clean it up yourself. And, this is definitely my mess."