CHAPTER NINE
(chapter title – I Should Tell You)
The next few weeks flew by quickly. Sara got more involved with her paintings and decided to enter one she had painted of Angel dancing at the Life in an art contest and won first place.
Mark and Roger were busy planning Collins' memorial service. They had help from Maureen and Joanne who were over everyday. Scott, on the other hand, completely ignored what was going on and spent most of his time on the phone or online. The strange thing was that whenever Scott was over at the Cohen-Davis' place, the anonymous caller didn't call.
"I'm gonna go online." Sara announced after dinner one night.
"Okay. Would you mind taking Scott with you?" Joanne asked.
"Why?" Sara inquired, folding her arms across her chest.
"Sara." Roger warned.
"Fine. C'mon." Sara commanded Scott, stomping up the stairs to her room.
As soon as they entered the room, Scott instantly sat down in Sara's chair, put his feet up and turned on the TV to MTV. Sara rolled her eyes and changed into her painting clothes in the bathroom across the hall.
"Don't. Touch. Anything." Sara warned as she picked up her paintbrush and looked at the photograph on the table – it was a picture of Collins with his arms wrapped around Angel, his head resting on her shoulder. Turning on her CD player, she put in Aida and instantly put it on Fortune Favors the Brave.
"What the hell is that?" Scott asked.
"Music." Sara told him, looking down at the picture on the table.
"I know it's music. But why are you listening to it?"
"Because Scott." Sara said, not looking up from the picture on the table, "I love listening to music when I paint."
"Knock knock." Maureen poked her head in.
"Hey Aunt Maureen." Sara smiled as Maureen came into the room.
"Whatcha doing?" Maureen asked.
"Painting." Sara answered. She was working on Collins first.
"Oh my God! Sara – that's amazing." Maureen praised, standing behind Sara.
"Thanks Aunt Maureen." Sara thanked her, looking at the drawing on the table next to the easel. Maureen smiled and went to sit with Scott just as Sara decided to get on her computer.
"Are you kids okay?" Maureen inquired.
"Yes." Sara and Scott chorused.
"Okay. I'll just go then." Maureen smiled and walked out the door.
"Finally, I thought she would never leave." Scott muttered. Sara looked up from her painting as she put the canvas over it and went to her huge walk-in closet and got a black tank top and black jeans.
"What did you say?" Sara inquired.
"I said that I thought she would never leave." Scott repeated as Sara went to the bathroom to change. How could Scott say something like that?
"Scott, she cares about you. Why are you so mean all the time?"
"That's just the way I am." Scott replied simply.
"I've known you since I was born – are you acting like this to get attention or something?" Sara asked.
"Screw this – I'm outta here." Scott stood up and walked out of the room. What the hell is his problem? I was just trying to…forget it Sara thought as she adjusted the hem of her tank top. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she made her way down the stairs and kissed her family goodbye.
"Where do you think you're going all beautiful like that?" Roger asked as Sara grabbed a light sweater out of the closet.
"Jennifer, Carolyn, Kristen, Tiffany and I are going out to dinner to celebrate Tiffany's birthday and then we're gonna go see a movie." Sara told him as a car pulled up in the driveway.
"What time will you be home?" Roger inquired.
"Roger, remember what we talked about?" Mark asked from the kitchen.
"Yes, babe, I remember." Roger responded through gritted teeth.
"Boys! Let the girl go out and have some fun." Maureen and Joanne piped up as Scott walked down the stairs.
"But…but….but." Roger stammered. Mark, Joanne and Maureen laughed and told Sara to have a great time. Sara smiled and headed out the door.
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"Ugh, that movie was so boring!" Sara announced, yawning.
"You're telling me. I can't believe that the paper gave it excellent reviews! Blah!" Jennifer piped up.
"I know! I fell asleep half-way through." Kristen and Carolyn chorused.
"I'm sorry I made you guys watch that." Tiffany apologized.
"Aww. It's okay girl." Her friends told her, smiling.
"Hey, Sar, isn't that Peter?" Kristen asked, pointing straight ahead.
"Yeah – it is. Hold on girls, I'll be right back." Sara told her friends.
"Take your time." Tiffany told her, taking a long sip of her Diet Coke.
"Let me have some of that!" Carolyn pleaded as Sara walked up to Peter. Jennifer and Kristen watched intently.
"Ignore them." Sara told him, smiling at Peter.
"Okay, I will." Peter said, smiling back at Sara.
"So, what are you doing here?" Sara wanted to know.
"Oh, I'm here with my little cousin and my sister. You?"
"The girls – Jennifer, Kristen, Carolyn, Tiffany and I are here celebrating Tiffany's birthday."
"That's cool. Hey, Sara, could I steal you away from your friends for a few minutes?" Peter asked.
"Um, sure." Sara looked back at her friends and mouthed 'I'll be back'. The four of them smiled at her and motioned for her to go with him.
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Sara and Peter stopped outside a bookstore and sat upon the bench that was there.
"What's up Peter?" Sara asked, running her fingers through her hair nervously.
"Sara, I was wondering." He took a big breath. "If you wanted to be my girlfriend." Sara was speechless.
"Sar? You okay?" Peter asked.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Peter, I would love to be your girlfriend." Sara told him, hugging him around the neck. Peter smiled and kissed her cheek. The two of them stood up and walked hand-in-hand back to where the girls were waiting for Sara.
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"So, what did Peter want?" Tiffany inquired as the five of them drove back home in Tiffany's dad's van. Sara smiled and looked out the window.
"Ooh! Somebody asked someone to be their girlfriend!" Kristen said, poking Sara until Sara screamed with laughter.
"Keep it down!" Mr. Ingalls commanded.
"Sorry dad." Tiffany apologized.
"What did he want?" Jennifer asked, turning around in her seat. Tiffany's sister, Lauren, was in front while the girls spread out in the van. Tiffany and Jennifer sat behind Mr. Ingalls and Lauren while Sara, Kristen and Carolyn were in the backseat.
"Heaskedmetobehisgirlfriendandisaidyes." Sara mumbled.
"English please." Kristen and the others told Sara. Sara just rolled her eyes and leaned over so that her friends could hear her and no one else.
"He asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes." Sara told the others. The four girls screamed and congratulated Sara just as they pulled into the Cohen-Davis' driveway. Sara climbed out of the backseat and walked into the house, waving that it was okay for Mr. Ingalls to drive off.
"Hello?" Sara called.
"In here, sweetie." Mark told her. Sara smiled and walked to where Mark was. He was sitting on the couch, sipping tea and watching a documentary on TV.
"Where's Dad?" Sara asked.
"He went to bed early – he's not feeling good." Mark told her, frowning.
"Aww. Poor Dad."
"He'll be okay, Sar. Don't worry about it." Mark told her, hugging her as she sat down next to him.
"I know he will be." Sara told him, smiling slightly.
"So, how was your outing with the girls?" Mark asked, quickly changing the subject.
"It was fun – we went out to dinner at Theo's and then we went to see a movie." Sara told him, snuggling closer to Mark.
"What movie?" Mark wanted to know.
"It was called Inspector Gadget. Very boring." Sara said.
"That's the one with Matthew Broderick, right?"
"Yeah."
"Anything else exciting happen?" Mark inquired.
"Yeah – we ran into Peter at the movies. He and I talked-"
"Where were the others?"
"They went into American Eagle."
"Oh, okay."
"Anyway, Peter and I went to Page's Bookstore and sat on the bench in front of the store and he asked me to be his girlfriend."
"That's wonderful Sar. What'd you say?"
"She said 'yes' of course." Roger croaked from the balcony of the second floor. Sara craned her neck up at her Dad as he came down the stairs. He had no shirt on and had on a pair of baggy blue sweatpants.
"Hey Dad. How're you feeling?" Sara asked, standing up and walking over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. Roger put his hands on her back and hugged her back.
"Baby, shouldn't you be sleeping?" Mark told his lover.
"Yes Mother." Roger joked hoarsely.
"Then go back to bed. I'll be there soon." Mark said gently. Roger nodded, hugged Sara again and waddled back up the stairs.
"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Mark asked Sara.
"Yeah – the girls and I are gonna go horseback riding." Sara told him, walking up the stairs to her room.
"Sounds like fun." Mark said. Sara nodded – besides painting, the other thing she loved more than anything was horses.
"I'm gonna go to bed, Daddy. Night. I love you."
"I love you, too, sweetheart. Sleep well." Mark smiled as he watched Sara climb the stairs to her room and close the door.
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Sara was now changed into her pajamas – black sweatpants and a pink tank top. She was sitting at her computer working on something for school when an instant message from Peter.
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: hey
MADAMEELPHABA06: hey yourself
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: what's up?
MADAMEELPHABA06: not much, just working on something for skool
MADAMEELPHABA06: school
MADAMEELPHABA06: you?
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: not much here either – just listening to a mixed CD.
MADAMEELPHABA06: that's cool.
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: yup.
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: what are you doing tomorrow?
MADAMEELPHABA06: I'm getting together w/ the girls.
RAZZLEDADDLER09: Whatcha gonna do?
MADAMEELPHABA06: we're gonna go horseback riding.
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: sounds like fun
MADAMEELPHABA06: it should be.
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: have you heard from that anon. caller?
MADAMEELPHABA06: no – not today
MADAMEELPHABA06: you know what I realized?
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: what?
MADAMEELPHABA06: remember how I was telling you about Scott?
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: your aunts kid, right?
MADAMEELPHABA06: well, they came over today 4 something and the anon. caller didn't call.
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: that's weird
MADAMEELPHABA06: yeah, it is.
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: well, I should get going – my little cousin, Jeremy, and I are hanging out tomorrow during the day and then I'm walking a dog for my 'rent's blind friend.
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: the blind friend has two dogs – a Yellow Lab named Clover and a German Shepard named Shaggy.
MADAMEELPHABA06: aww! Which 1 r u walking tomorrow?
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: Clover
MADAMEELPHABA06: how old is he/she?
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: she's 13. shaggy's 4.
MADAMEELPHABA06: aww! Have fun tomorrow
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: u 2
MADAMEELPHABA06: thanx
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: your welcome
MADAMEELPHABA06: nite
RAZZLEDAZZLER09: I love u
MADAMEELPHABA06: love u 2
RAZZLEDAZZLER09 has logged off
Sara smiled and shut down her computer, put in one of her classical CDs and fell asleep, anxiously awaiting the long day ahead of her.
