Hm… I'm gonna just see what happens as I write this chapter…
"So, Phil," Keely said to Phil on the other line, "did you ever figure out what your conversation with yourself was all about?"
"Actually, yes," Phil replied, "but… don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Keely… I've got it all fixed up… and speaking of fixed up… you seem to be pretty… hooked on those pills."
"What do you mean?" Keely asked.
"It's just, you seem a little… dependent on them."
"Of course I am!" Keely said. "I need them to function!"
"That's what I'm saying…"
"If I don't take them, I'll experience severe pain, Phil. Besides, it's not like… an addiction, or anything. It's medical."
"I dunno, Keely… you seem a little… different lately. Like, your personality."
"No, really? I hadn't noticed," Keely said sarcastically.
"You know what I mean…"
"Well, first of all, George has his ass-kicking coming to him… I think he'll be lucky if he escapes with his life."
Phil sighed. "I don't know, I just… you seem… changed."
"Yeah. Losing mobility in one of your legs could do that to you, Phil. Of course you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
Phil sighed. She was getting argumentative, and for Phil, that was a sign to get out before he was seriously injured. Even though they were only talking on the phone… maybe the medicine would make her do some bad things… And he didn't want to get on the wrong end of that cane…
"I guess I wouldn't, Keely… but I gotta go now…"
"Why? Gotta date with Via?"
"Maybe… I'll ask her."
Keely sighed. She hated when she gave Phil ideas. "Whatever… Okay, bye." She hung up, and looked at her ceiling.
After a moment of silence, she said aloud, "I'm not addicted."
Ashley, who happened to be walking by, thought she was speaking to her. "Beg pardon?"
"Huh?"
"Did you say something?"
"Did you hear me say something?"
"Are you going to answer my question?"
"Well.. I was just saying that I wasn't addicted to the narcotics…"
"Oh…"
"Phil had this crazy idea that I was hooked on them. Can you believe that?" Keely said, forcing a laugh.
"Hm…" Ashley muttered.
"You don't think that's funny?" Keely asked.
"I don't think you do."
"Wha- bu- I- I- I- wa- ju- bu-"
"What's wrong? Afraid that he's right?"
"No… that's just ridiculous."
"Oh… okay, then. But why were you pretending it was funny?"
"I don't know!" Keely exploded. "Maybe it was the way he said it- maybe it was because he thought I had a problem… which I don't… but he said that I was different… changed."
"And your point?"
"My point is that maybe these drugs are affecting me… changing who I really am…"
"I would think that they would change you… not many people get to experience muscle death… I mean, you must have thought you were dying…"
"I wished I was dying," Keely said, and the two fell silent.
"But that's what I told him… it's strictly medical…" Keely eventually continued.
"So what's wrong? I mean, it's medical… so you shouldn't think anything of it…"
"But I do! It's just… it bothers me to know that he's always right… and he says that I might have a problem…"
"Well… what do you propose you do? Go into a time machine and fix it so you don't get any muscle death?"
"No, that's ridiculous; Phil would've gone back, and I wouldn't have had this muscle death in the first place." Ashley raised an eyebrow. "But I suppose that we all reveal deep secrets, right?"
"I… I think you just did," Ashley said.
Keely sighed. "No, I didn't," she replied, and patted Ashley on the back, and walked out of the room, still worried that Phil had some sort of point to his reasoning… but even if she had a problem… there was a perfectly legitimate reason… wasn't there? She wasn't sure… all she knew is that the next day was going to be very fun…