fifteen: searched

BROCK
Aaron M., 147 E Stewart St.,148-3660
Arthur, 2109 Constantia, Apt. 3,143-4116
Bryan A., 90 Brown Ave.,138-1517
Caroline T., 3134 Baldwin Dr.,249-8483
Christopher, 801 Rolling Hills,414-0125
C.J., 777 Lutz Circle,149-6000
Emily R., 9126 Rathbone Dr.,242-2179
Garrett, 68 Marshall Rd.,243-9641
Hayley N., 709 Franklin Blvd.,429-5930
Henry W., 1224 South Haven Ave.,419-7711
Holly B., 15 Reed Rd., Apt 9,245-1204
John A., 249 Greene Blvd.,417-2168
John M., 411 Facinelli Tr.,242-1001
John S., 5767 Reaser Dr.,417-1995
Julia, 11 Corey St.,142-6914
Keenan, 1491 Kilcher Ln., Apt 31,416-9547

Leah kept one finger right next to the name and searched frantically with her other hand through the junk drawer in her kitchen for a pen. She finally surfaced with one, and scribbled a star next to that name. She had the number. Now it was up to her to work up the nerve to call it.

With shaking hands, Leah picked up her house phone. Carefully, she typed in seven numbers, seconds passing in between each pressed button—4-1-6-9-5-4-7. She stared at the black numbers flashing against the backlit fluorescent orange screen. The colors clashed uncomfortably, and Leah didn't like looking at it. Her thumb hovered over the talk button, but she couldn't bring herself to press it.

"Come on, Leah," she urged herself. A small part of her wondered if she should be concerned that she was talking to herself. She ignored it. "C'mon, press the button. Just press the button. Press. The. Button."

And then she did. A low beep came from the speaker on the phone, and Leah slowly put the phone to her ear. A dial tone rang out, then another, then two more, before the answering machine picked up. The second her subconscious realized Keenan was speaking, the perpetual pain in her sides dissolved, no matter how temporary. "Hey, you've reached Keenan and Tori. We're either not here or busy. So leave a message after the beep!"

Beep.

"Keenan," Leah began, then stopped. She didn't know what to say. So she just hung up. She stared at the strangely colored orange screen, infuriation seeping into her. "Ah, dammit!" she cried. She felt like hurling the phone at the wall, but quickly decided against that. She wished she could just press the redial button and try again, but she knew she wasn't that strong, and it wasn't that easy.

-----

The flashing light was apparent even in the darkness, a red glow that flicked on and off. Keenan flipped the light switch as he and Tori stepped back into the apartment that they once again were sharing. The flashing light was the answering machine, and Keenan went to check their messages. He wondered if Tori had changed the voice mail from "Hey, you've reached Keenan and Tori," to "Hey, you've reached Tori," but he decided he hadn't been gone long enough.

Lazily, Keenan reached for the phone and pressed the voice mail button. "You have one new message. First message sent today at 12:24 PM." And then a new voice, a breathy voice, was there, one that Keenan had not seen coming. All Leah said was, "Keenan." But it was enough. Oh, it was definitely enough. Enough for him to momentarily forget why he was back with Tori. Enough to make his senses tingle and for every hair on the back of his neck to stand up. And he hated himself for it. He watched Tori as she kicked off her shoes and tossed them into the bedroom, chanting in his head, I love Tori. I love Tori. He made himself believe, however temporarily.

Once Tori was out of sight—gone to the bathroom—Keenan slammed the phone back in the cradle and sank in an uncoordinated mess to the floor. What was his deal? He'd been with Tori since he was seventeen, longer than he'd been with any other girlfriend. Every single girl he'd ever dated before had been just a fling, a one-night stand, a distraction from the broken home he'd tried to forget about. But Tori was more to him. Or she had been more to him. What was it about this Leah that made his heart turn around so fast? It was like she'd put the world in fast-forward. Real love didn't happen that quickly, did it?

The toilet flushed, and the knob turned. Quickly, mechanically, Keenan pulled himself to his feet, smiling awkwardly for Tori's benefit. She gave him a once-over, a what-the-hell look in her eyes, and Keenan tried to smile more naturally. Remember, Keen, you love her. He loved her.

sorry it's a little short. and in case anyone didn't get the beginning it was supposed to be a phone book. like Leah was looking up Keenan. and yes, it probably would be under Tori because it's Tori's apartment, but neither Leah or i know her last name, and for the sake of the story, just let it go. review then check out my other fics!

oh, and about the pen name...detailed explanation on my profile.