Chapter 7 - A Special Fan
"Phil?" Keely said as she walked slowly out of the bathroom. "I'm ready to go."
Phil looked up from the laptop that was placed on his lap and turned his head towards Keely. His jaw dropped.
She looked absolutely beautiful. She had on a pair of black gouchos, black flip-flops, a red long-sleeved shirt, and a sparkly green tank top with gold sparkles over the long-sleeved top.
"Wow, Keel, you look..." he gulped. "Wow."
Keely laughed and walked over to the laptop and closed the monitor while Phil continued to look at her in awe. She looked at him weirdly.
"Phil? Earth to Phil?" she said, waving her hand in front of Phil's face. He didn't budge.
"Sorry, Keel," he said with a small laugh. "You just look..."
"Yeah, I know. Wow," she said, turning off his TV set. "Ready to go?" she asked, grabbing her purse off his bed.
"Yep, let's go," he said, walking with Keely downstairs.
"Mom, we're leaving!" he shouted when they arrived in the living room.
"Okay, you two have fun!" she said, never looking up from the dishes that she was washing.
"Mrs. Diffy? Why don't you just use the Wizard to do that?" Keely asked, furrowing her brow.
"Oh, I'm trying to get used to doing things like they did it back then... or is it nowadays?" she said, staring into space with a blank look on her face, lost in thought. She snapped back into the world after a few seconds, shrugging it off. "Well, anyway, you two have fun."
Keely and Phil smiled and walked out the front door and to the car. "So," Phil said, "Who's driving?"
Keely looked at him confusedly. "Uh, Phil... you don't have your license yet. You can't drive, remember?"
"I think I could rearrange that," he said, looking around slowly and pulling the Wizard out of his pocket a little ways. Keely smirked.
"Oh you're good," she teased.
"I know," Phil said, getting into the driver's seat with a somewhat evil smile on his face. Keely smirked again and gently elbowed him in the rib. He did nothing and then started the car and turned on the radio.
"And now," the radio announcer said, "It's time for the US' newest addition to the circle of stars, Ms. Keely Teslow!" Keely's face lit up and she instantly looked at the radio as he continued to speak. "Ms. Teslow was born and raised in Pickford, California, which is where she currently is right now shooting a music video that is due out December 14th. Her Christmas CD will be a great holiday present for the kids, so parents, get to your nearest Wal-Mart store! And now here she is with her hot new single, Silly Little Christmas Love, Keely Teslow!" He stopped talking and then the song finally started.
We were always friends
There for each other, come what may
Christmas was already ordinary
But my life changed today
Opened the small package
From you under the tree
A locket, a picture of me and you
Then you told me you loved me
(Chorus)
Thought that love was complicated
But with you, it's easy
With you, I'm not afraid
To be who I want to be
I can scream, I can shout
Doesn't matter what about
Cuz no one could complicate
Our silly little Christmas love
Silly little Christmas love
I wanna be with you forever
Till the day I die
I don't think I could live my life
Without you by my side
All those lonely holidays
Christmas was the worst
Nobody to share my love with
But now, you come first
Hurt too many times before
Thought my heart was beat
But now you're here when I need you
My life is now complete
(Chorus)
Thought that love was complicated
But with you, it's easy
With you, I'm not scared
To be who I wanna be
I can scream, I can shout
Doesn't matter what about
Cuz no one could complicate
Our silly little Christmas love
Silly little Christmas love
"There we go, guys! Keely Teslow with "Silly Little Christmas Love!" Her Christmas CD is due out December 14th," the radio announcer said.
Phil and Keely began talking about the song soon after he said those words.
"Wow, Keel... that was..."
Keely cut him off. "Wow?"
Phil laughed and took her left hand and gently stroked it.
"Thanks, Phil," she said, looking at him dreamily.
"You're welcome, Keel. But why did you write that? What was it based off of?"
"Well it was actually based off of a dream I had."
"About what?"
"What Christmas morning would have been like if you would have given me the ultimate Christmas present."
"And what would that have been?"
"Your love. But you already gave it to me early. And I like early Christmas presents."
Phil smiled and kissed her hand. "Doesn't everybody?"
Keely smiled and laid her head on the window as they pulled up to the mall parking lot.
"So, are you ready to see Tia and Via?" Phil asked enthusiastically.
"You bet!" Keely yelled, opening the door of the van and jumping out onto the pavement. Phil watched her jump out with a huge smile across his face. She was just like a little kid ready to go to an arcade to win a stuffed animal.
They walked in together, their hands clasped in each others'. Each of them were wondering what Tia, Via, and Owen would say.
Keely was somewhat scared. What if Tia thought it was absurd that they were together? What if Via was mad at her for it? And what if Owen... wait... why was she worried about Owen?
They both shrugged their thoughts and walked through the sliding doors where Via, Tia, Owen, Bruno, and Bruno's crew were waiting for them.
Tia and Via instantly ran up to Keely and they all jumped up and down in a circle, shrieking, screaming, and hugging. Keely started crying. Phil walked over to Bruno and they did their boyish handshake that no one understood but them. The girls paid no attention... they were too busy catching up with each other.
"Oh my God! Keely! I can't believe it's you! Why are you crying?" Tia asked.
"Because I've missed you so much! You too, Via!" she said, giving them another huge bear hug each. Then Via started getting teary-eyed too.
"Aww, Via!" Keely said, giving her another huge hug. Tia joined in. Then Phil, Bruno, Bruno's crew, and Owen walked over to Keely.
Owen smiled at Keely and hugged her. Then he pulled a bouquet of poinsettias out of his shopping bag and gave them to her. Keely took them gratefully and gave him another hug. Phil's eyes flashed and his ears felt like they were steaming. Then Bruno and his crew came over and they each gave her a hug too, and Bruno pulled out a stuffed white bear for her and she gave him a hug, too. Phil felt like punching him square in the nose, but luckily he held it back and walked over to the group and put his arm around Keely. Tia and Via gasped while Bruno, his crew, and Owen furrowed their brows in confusion.
Tia and Via's gasps soon turned into excited smiles. They shrieked as Keely slid her hand up to meet his and held onto it with a huge grin as if to say, "Yes, it's true."
"Oh my gosh! You two are together, aren't you?" Via asked. Keely nodded with a defeated smile. Then Tia and Via looked at each other and they grinned.
"It's about time!" Tia said loudly, drawing a little bit of attention towards the group. Keely looked around, but one person in particular caught her eye.
It was a little girl in a wheelchair that looked to be about 5 or 6 years old. Keely looked at her and gave her a weak, sympathetic smile, as if to say "Come over here."
And the little girl did just that. She started wheeling herself over to Keely slowly, the veins in her forehead popping out trying to push the heavy wheels forward. Keely felt tears spring to her eyes, but they didn't fall. Her mother followed closely behind.
Then, with a tiny, weak voice, she said, "H-h-hi. My name is Keeli, too, but it's spelled with an I instead of with a Y at the end!"
Keely smiled and knelt down so that her face was level with the little one's. "Really? Well that is so cool!"
"Yeah, especially since I really love you a lot! D-d-do you think that I could have your... um... autograph, please?" she asked politely, pulling out a tiny piece of paper and a pen. Keely smiled widely and took the paper and pen from the little girl. Keeli's mother looked at the two, a tear falling down her face.
"Of course you can! I'll do anything for my fans!" Keely said, signing the autograph and giving it to Keeli, along with the pen.
"Gee, thanks so much, Keely!" Keeli said. Then she turned to her mom, who was slightly behind her to the right. "Mommy, can you frame this and put it over my hospital bed?" she asked, her big smile seeming to light up the whole first floor of the mall. Keely struggled to hold back her tears.
Her mother nodded and rubbed her head lightly. Keeli smiled.
"You're welcome, Keeli!" Keely said with a comforting smile.
"Thanks so much," her mother said, grinning. Keely nodded her head in a "no problem" gesture.
As her mother rolled her away, Keely looked after her, thinking of something else to say. Then she thought of just the thing.
"Uh, Keeli! Wait up a minute!" Keely yelled after them. Keeli's mom turned her around as Keely ran up to meet them.
Keely took out a piece of paper and wrote down a phone number and gave it to Keeli. "Here," she said, giving it to her. She looked at it for a minute, unsure of what it was at first. "It's my cell phone number. Call me anytime you wanna talk!" she said.
Keeli's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she looked up at Keely with a huge, toothy grin and big, overjoyed eyes. Keely knelt down again to meet her and Keeli grabbed her for a huge hug. Keely wrapped her arms around the little one and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. A tear fell from the both of their faces.
"Thank you so much!" Keeli said, her lip quivering as the tears fell from her face.
Keely smiled as the tears flowed. "You're welcome, sweetie. Now don't hesitate to call me if you wanna talk of if you need me, okay? I don't care if it's the middle of the night... if you need me, call me."
"I won't hesitate for even one second!" Keeli said, looking at the number that was in her lap. A tear fell onto it. "I bet that I can memorize this in one full day!"
Keely smiled and gave her a hug. Keeli gratefully gave in.
"It was great meeting you, sweetie!" Keely said. Keeli's eyes lit up.
"It was greater meeting you! You're the important one!" Keeli said happily.
"No I'm not. We're both equally important. You remember that, okay?"
"Okay... I guess."
Keeli's mother smiled and gave Keely a hug. "Thank you so much, Keely. It meant a lot to her."
"You're very welcome. And don't hesitate to call me."
"Okay, we won't. Thank you again!"
"You're welcome again!" she said as Keeli's mother wheeled her towards the exit. Keeli turned around in her chair.
"Bye, Keely!" she yelled, waving to her. Keely smiled and waved back to her. They then turned around the corner and were out of sight.
Keely instantly broke down crying in Phil's arms. He held on to her tight and they sat down on one of the couches nearest them.
Phil sat there, stroking her hair, trying to soothe her. Tia sat beside her patting her back, and Via sat beside Tia, saying nothing. Owen, Bruno, and his crew just sat there, looking at Keely crying in Phil's arms.
"I wonder what was wrong with her?" Keely asked Phil, looking into his eyes, her vision slightly blurred from her wet tears.
"I don't know. But she looked perfectly healthy!" Owen said, trying his best to comfort her.
"Owen, she didn't have any hair!" Keely lashed out at him, laying her head on Phil's shoulder as more tears ran down her face. Owen looked at Bruno and shrugged sadly. Bruno patted his shoulder as if to say, "Try harder."
Phil sat there comforting Keely the best he could. It took her a while to calm down.
End of Chapter 7
There's a noce long one for ya! Review, please!