Chapter 37: Ease Back

What are you doing here?" Spinner whispered

"What are you doing here, do you have a death wish or something," Jay whispered even lower.

"What about you, why are you here, " Spinner whispered back.

"I was looking for you."

"Did anyone see you?"

"No, although I almost ran into Kujo again. What about you, did anyone see you and why are you here?"

"No, no one saw me and I was just trying to.." Spinner didn't get a chance to answer because he heard someone coming closer the kitchen door. Spinner pulled Jay into the pantry with him and quietly but quickly closed the door.

"What's going-"

"Ssh." Spinner whispered to Jay.

Jimmy slowly crept into the kitchen, well, as best as he could since he was in a wheel chair and could only be as imperceptible as the chair would allow. He knew he heard voices more like whispers and now after observing the kitchen he was surprised at the outcome, there was no one in here. He couldn't understand it, he thought for sure there would be someone waiting behind the kitchen door and if the kitchen hadn't looked the way it did, a total mess complete with pots and pans and dirty towels on the floor he would've thought a living soul hadn't visited the room at all.

"Might as we'll get some breakfast while I'm here." Jimmy mumbled to himself.

He opened up the fridge, which was full since Jenny ordered the groceries on-line and it was hand delivered to them every other day. He grabbed an apple and a carton of orange juice which was nearly empty so he didn't have to go to the trouble of getting a clean cup out of the dishwasher since he couldn't reach the cupboard on the top shelf.

Creak.

"Who's there," Jimmy said. Now he was sure there was someone or something in the kitchen with him. "Whoever it is, come out now." But nothing happened. Maybe it was just his nerves he paid more attention to things he would've never noticed before, well, before the incident. It was similar to when his great uncle Patrick became blind from complication with his diabetes, he could hear a person he knew a block away even before they arrived. It was as if his other senses became stronger and more alert since one was out for the count.

"It's nothing, probably the wind." Jimmy thought.

Spinner couldn't hold his breath any longer he didn't want Jimmy to find him and Jay his uninvited clandestine guests hiding in the pantry. The pantry was officially cramped unlike before he had room to breath but with Jay and him in the there it became small and compact, not to mention the pantry was so hot he was sweating bullets and he didn't know if it was because of the stuffiness in there or because his former best friend was only a couple of feet away from him.

Spinner took one step closer and before he knew it the floor was making a weird creaking noise. "Who's there?" He heard Jimmy say he knew it was only a matter of time before Jay and him were dead men. "Whoever it is come out now." Spinner didn't move he was so scared he even held his breath and realized Jay was doing the same because his face was turning a bright beet red.

"It was only a matter of time before they were doomed." Spinner thought. But for whatever reason Jimmy didn't investigate the noise any further they were safe, but for how long?

"A party...tonight?...I'll love too...Okay, see you then." Emma hung up her phone and tossed it on the bed. She looked around the room to make sure Hazel or anyone else wasn't watching and as soon as she was sure the coast was clear she did a happy dance all around the room. "I'm going out. Uh huh" Emma chanted adding her own music to her celebration dance. "I'm gonna see famous people uh huh...my date's a hottie...uh huh."

"Now I know I've seen everything." Manny giggled.

Emma halted in mid dance and chant. Her expression transformed from ecstatic to anger. "What do you want?"

"Whoa," Manny said. "Calm down, I was only looking for my shampoo, I think I left it in the bathroom when I had too.." Manny paused she didn't want her big mouth to get her into anymore trouble then she already was in with Emma.

"You had to what," Emma asked angrily she didn't know if she was angry because Manny interrupted her celebration dance or because Manny just barged into a room that wasn't hers anymore without even knocking. "Of all the nerve." Emma thought.

"Never mind, I'll just get my shampoo and be out of your way." Manny rushed into the bathroom. She picked up her shampoo, which was mysteriously in the trash can. She took it out of the trash, brushed it off and then scurried as fast as she could trying to leave the war zone that use to be Manny's and Emma's room unscathed.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish." Emma said out loud to herself before chuckling because she was sounding like her mom when she had to throw an unruly unsatisfied customer out of her salon.

Manny had completely spoiled her good mood J had just asked her out to give her a farewell date he promised she wouldn't forget. He was so sad when she told him she had to leave he even tried to convince her to stay with the guys another week and even stated he would pay for a first class ticket back home if that was what it would take to keep her there with him. At first it sounded silly but now it was sounding better and better it wasn't like she had to go back with the girls, her mom, Snake and Jack weren't set to come back until next Saturday and unlike the girls she didn't have to rush home, she didn't have to lie to her mom about spending a week or so at the University for a tour that didn't exist.

Why couldn't she stay another week she could enjoy the rest of her vacation with J and she wouldn't have to ride in a car with Hazel, Paige and worse of all Manny she could shoot the breeze with J in his car, play on the beach, go to parties, and spend the night in a room all by herself and not have to hang out with Manny she would just have to hang out Jimmy, Craig and Sea... Oh she almost forgot she couldn't stay here either Sean would stalk her every chance he could get and she would have to see him sometime the house was big but it wasn't a castle they were bound to meet once in a while. She was defiantly in a predicament either she would go back with the girls and have to spend ten to God knows how many hours with Manny or spend so many days with Sean there had to be a way out, there just had to be?

"When is he going to leave," Jay whispered in a voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"I don't know," Spinner whispered back. "We just have to wait it out."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one having beads of sweat fall on your back."

"I said, I was sorry."

"We'll you know what," Jay turned around. "At least try to wipe your face with your shirt." He moved a little closer to Spinner and before it was too late to stop it the floor creaked again.

Creak.

"This time that was defiantly not my imagination." Jimmy thought.

He slammed the empty carton of OJ on the table along with his half eaten apple. He was defiantly going to search the kitchen high and low until he discovered who or what was making that sound and where it was coming from. He turned the wheels on the wheel chair gradually picking up the pace until he had circled the kitchen thoroughly but had come up with nothing.

"Maybe it was just the wind." Jimmy thought. But then he noticed he had missed one spot in the kitchen, the pantry, it was the only place he hadn't searched top to bottom he even looked in the bathroom by the kitchen which seriously needed some cleaning. He turned the wheels on his chair slowly and halted by the door and listen carefully for sounds but heard nothing, he had to turn the door in order to see if there was anything or anyone behind it and just as he was going to twist the knob and finally solve the mystery Jimmy heard someone rushing into the kitchen talking so rapidly it almost sounded like another language.

"I can't believe it!Ashley turned her cell off." Craig rushed into the kitchen after attempting to dial Ashley's cell numerous amounts of times before he realized it was no use, not to mention he was probably wasting money dialing long distance. "I'm sorry, Jimmy I called soooo many times, I swear I'll pay you back, I have a little cash saved up in the bank, I'll pay you back as soon as we get home, unless there's a First Bank of Toronto near by." Craig chuckled. "Yeah, I know bad joke. Jimmy..." Craig realized Jimmy was staring at the pantry door. "Jimmy, what are you doing?"

"Nothing." Jimmy cleared his throat. He carefully backed up from the pantry door and turned his chair around so he was facing Craig. "What's this all about long distance calls?"

"I tried to call Ashley, I swear I thought I heard her voice in fact I'm sure she said hello and before I got a chance to respond her phone went dead. I tried calling her back but it always went straight to her voice mail."

"We'll, did you leave her a message?"

"No, I should've but I thought it would be too indifferent plus I've been leaving her messages all summer, her voice box is probably full."

"But, she didn't return any of your calls all those times but she did today, so it will be different." Jimmy picked up the phone nearest him. "Call her back and this time leave a message."

Craig reached for the phone and carefully took it from him but slowly put the phone back into it's cradle. "You know what, I'm not going to call her back."

"Okay," Jimmy gave Craig a puzzled look. "But can you tell me why you changed your mind?"

"Because, I've been leaving Ashley messages all summer, I'm sure she heard every one by now, but yet she manages to never return any of my calls, until now. Maybe it was meant to be, that I wasn't there to pick up the phone when she called, maybe she'll finally realize that I've given up and it will make her think."

"Whoa, that's kinda harsh."

"Yeah, I know but it's not that important that it can't wait. I think it's better that me and Ash speak to each other face to face besides school starts in another week so it's not like it can't wait."

I guess you're right."

"Now, can you tell me why you were staring at that pantry door, is someone in there?"

Jimmy looked at the door before turning around. "No I doubt it, lets go see what the girls are doing."

"Okay," Craig waited for Jimmy before leaving the room and allowing him to pass. "You lead the way."

"Is the close clear," Jay whispered.

"Ssshhhh," Spinner shushed him.

They had waited, cramped in the pantry, a couple of minutes longer just to make sure the coast was clear.But, the more they waited the more the pantry became even stuffier with the guys terrified breaths and before Spinner knew it a bead of sweat had trickled off his nose onto Jay's back.

"That's it." Jay opened the door. "I'm out of here." Jay ran out of the kitchen and back to the pool house with Spinner trailing behind.