Hello everyone! I apologize profusely for how long it took me to update this story. I had the other idea for the story Imagine that I just started writing. The need to write that story kept nagging me until I had to put it out. I didn't expect Imagine to take off like it did, although people really liking it has made me a very happy writer. So the success of that made me neglect this story. I feel totally guilty about that because I feel like I abandoned one of my babies. I am now back on track. And I will now have two stories that I am actively working on. I will update as soon as humanly possible on both. Again, I apologize, and I Thank You for your patience and for your desire to want me to update this. I hope you guys enjoy. Happy reading! And reviews are hugs. :)
Lacey was taking her punishment in stride. Of course she hated every minute of it, but truth be told, she got off easy. Not seeing Danny everyday was the worst part of it. She hated not seeing him when she wanted to. But at least she was still able to talk to him. Him surprising her the day before really made her happy. She wished that he could do that again, but he had to go to school. Sure she wasn't that upset about missing school, but having a suspension on her record made her uneasy. What if it looked bad to the colleges she applied to? Jeopardizing her future over a fight, seemed like a pretty stupid thing to do. But it's over now. What's done is done.
She had spent another uneventful day at home. She cooked breakfast for everyone, and did laundry to get it out-of-the-way. She really didn't have that much to clean because their house remained tidy. She was bored and going stir crazy from being cooped up in the house. Sure she could watch tv and movies, or get on the internet, but she wanted to go outside. She wanted to spend time with Danny. She missed him.
Lacey prepared a dinner for herself, mom and sister. She cooked spaghetti, which they all loved, and then retreated back to her room. She was sitting at her desk on her laptop when her window opened and scared the hell out of her. Danny climbed through with an amused expression on his face. Lacey was still clutching her chest, but was nonetheless happy to see him. She turned her tv on a little louder than necessary to muffle their talking.
"You scared the hell out of me." Lacey says as she tries to keep her voice low. Judy hearing her and coming to find Danny in her room would not end well.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Danny says as he walks over to sit on the foot of her bed.
"What are you doing here, Danny? You know my mom is home."
"I know she's home, I saw her car parked in the drive way. And I'm here to see you. I missed you." Danny says.
"I missed you too. But you're gonna get me in more trouble if my mom catches you in here."
"Stop worrying, she's not gonna catch me in here. I'm not gonna stay long anyway. And if she comes, I'll just hide." Danny says as he smirks.
Even though Lacey is nowhere near crazy enough to want to get caught by Judy, she is still glad to see him. "So, how was your day?" Lacey asks.
"Good, considering you weren't at school. Joe is still acting weird. He has no idea that I'm on to him. Things are going good for Cole though. I had a talk with the guys, so him staying on the team is not a problem. He said he wants to thank you in person for what you did." Danny says.
"He doesn't have to thank me. She deserved it and I'd do it again. I just hope it doesn't mess up my friendship with Rico." Lacey says.
"I don't think that will be a problem. Rico is ok with you and what you did. Don't worry."
"Good. So what else are you up to?" Lacey asks.
"Just getting ready for the championship game and you being off punishment." Danny says.
"Yeah, I can't wait for either of those things. This sucks." Lacey says.
"Well, you only have four more days. And then Tuesday, we'll celebrate." Danny says as he stands up to leave. He leans down to give her a kiss.
"You're leaving already?" Lacey asks in surprise.
"I told you I wasn't staying long. I just needed to see your face. I love you." Danny says as he walks over to her window.
Lacey stands and walks over to the window with him. "I love you too." Lacey says as they kiss again before he disappears from view.
Regina and Joe were in her bedroom fooling around like they usually do. Regina and Joe have both been pretty much walking around on eggshells, but for different reasons. Regina is anxious about Joe making their relationship official. Joe is worrying about what Danny will do to him once he finds out the truth. Regina decides to bring up the subject because there's no time like the present and she's sick of Joe dragging his feet.
"Joe, we need to talk." Regina says.
Joe already looks frustrated and uninterested in whatever Regina has to say. He knows what she's going to ask him. "About what?" Joe asks.
"About us." Regina says.
"What about us?" Joe asks while playing dumb and trying to prolong the conversation she wants to have as long as possible.
"You're not with Phoebe anymore. Don't you think it's time we put a label to this?"
"Put a label to what? We're friends with benefits." Joe responds.
Regina frowns. "Well, I want to be more than friends with benefits." Regina says.
"Come on Regina. Don't start this." Joe says.
"Start what? You said we couldn't be together because of Phoebe. You're not with her anymore, so what's the deal?" Regina asks.
Joe really doesn't have time for this. "Regina, I really don't have time for this shit right now. I'm dealing with a lot."
Regina frowns again. "Dealing with what? This isn't that big of a deal, Joe. Either you want me to be your girlfriend or not." Regina says.
Joe just looks at her and doesn't say anything. Maybe him not answering will be his answer.
"So you don't? I'm good enough to sleep with, but I'm not good enough to be your girlfriend?" Regina asks.
"I just need more time. Phoebe just broke up with me. Do you really want to be my rebound girlfriend?" Joe asks. He doesn't care about that. He's only thinking of himself right now.
"You know what Jo? I know shit when I hear it. So until you're ready to make up your mind, this little set up we have here is over." Regina says.
"What?" Joe asks.
"You heard me Joe. I'm not letting you use me any more." Regina says. "Take your ass back to Phoebe."
"Phoebe doesn't want me any more." Joe says.
"I don't care! Get the fuck out of my house." Regina says.
"Alright, alright. I'll be your boyfriend." Joe says. He doesn't really want to be her boyfriend, but he doesn't want to end their sexual relationship. He has needs.
Regina starts to grin profusely. "Really?" Regina asks.
"Yeah." Joe says without enthusiasm.
"And we can tell everyone that we're official?" Regina asks.
"Yeah, sure." Joe says. He figures being Regina's boyfriend is a small price to to pay, to continue having sex with her. That's all he's in it for.
Sarita was still reeling from the beating she received from Lacey. She was totally embarrassed. She wondered how she would show her face at school again. As it stood, she's happy that she was suspended. She knew she'd be the laughing-stock of the entire school when she returned. She needed someone to talk to, and it seemed everyone was mad at her. Even her own mother. She knew one true friend she had to talk to that never judged her or let her down. Her diary. She went to the shoebox she hid it in. And to her horror, it wasn't there. She distinctly remembers putting it back. She ALWAYS put it back. She didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands. She thought, and thought, and thought about where it could be. And then it hit her. Rico. She left her room in a rush and banged on his bedroom door hard enough to knock it down.
"Open this door, Rico!" Sarita yells.
Rico finally answers the door. "What is it , Rita?" Rico asks.
She shoves him hard and goes into his room. She's surprised that Cole isn't there. He's always there. She starts looking through the books on his book shelf. "Where is it! I know you have it." Sarita says as she frantically searches for her lost diary.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Rita." Rico says. He knows exactly what she's talking about.
"I know you took it! How could you take my diary? Why would you do that to me?' Sarita asks.
"Why did you do what you did to Cole? And to Danny and Lacey?" Rico asks.
"That's not important right now! All of them are ok. I'm not, Rico. I'm your sister." Sarita says.
"Did you think of that when you outed my boyfriend?" Rico asks. "Did you think of how we'd feel about that?" Rico asks.
"Rico, please!" Sarita yells.
"Don't Rico, please me. You should have thought about that before you did what you did." Rico says.
"Are you really going to let that get out? You can't!" Sarita yells some more.
"Like I said before, I don't know what you're talking about. Now get out of my room." Rico says.
Sarita just looks at him. she gives up and leaves Rico's room and returns to hers. She just sat on her bed and thought. She felt stupid for even keeping a diary. She now feared that her deepest and darkest secrets would come to light, and that was not a good thing. That wasn't a good thing at all.
The next day at school, Phoebe was in the stall in the bathroom getting ready to leave out when she heard people enter. She was going to continue with trying to leave the stall until she heard a recognizable voice. It was Regina. Phoebe didn't exactly know who she was talking to, but she thought it sounded like Katie Allen. Phoebe didn't feel like confronting Regina right now, so she climbed up on the seat quietly.
"So now, we're official." Regina says as she looks into the mirror and applies lipstick to her already colored lips.
"Who? You and Joe?" Katie asks.
Regina stops to check to make sure there's no one else in the bathroom before she continues." Yeah. We've been doing it for awhile now. Phoebe wouldn't put out, and I would. She did sleep with him for the first time when they went to Hawaii with Danny and Lacey." Regina says.
"How do you know that, Regina?" Katie asks.
"Because she told me. And it was a really big deal to her to her. I had to sit there and listen to her describe her first time with the guy I love and have been banging for more than a year. It was awful. I don't get why it was such a big deal to her. I barely even remember my first time. I don't even remember who my first was." Regina says. Her words felt like a kick to Phoebe's chest. She thought Regina was her friend.
"You don't feel bad about what you guys did? Wasn't Phoebe your friend?" Katie asks. She's full of questions.
"No, not really. Phoebe will get over it." Regina says.
"I don't know Regina. Does she know you two were sleeping together?" Katie asks.
"She found out the night of my party. I'm glad it came out. I'm tired of sneaking around. I didn't mean to hurt Phoebe, but she is to blame for this. Maybe if she would have put out sooner he wouldn't have had to come to me. She wouldn't even blow him." Regina says.
"How do you know?" Katie asks.
"Joe told me. He said she just wanted to kiss and give him hand jobs. It's not my fault she didn't understand that Joe needed more than that." Regina says.
"I still think it's kinda bitchy for you to sleep with him behind her back, though." Katie says.
"I know, but it's not my problem." Regina says as she and Katie finally walk out of the bathroom. Phoebe finally leaves the stall in tears. She wished she had Lacey there to talk to. But Phoebe realized that she had to do something to get back and Regina and Joe.
Phoebe quickly figured out how she would get back at Joe and Regina. All she needed was her acting skills and the person in school with the biggest mouth. And everybody knows that that person is Lizzie Parker. Lizzie is the go to person for anything and everything. So Phoebe knew that when she told Lizzie what she was going to tell her, everybody would know. Doing what she was about to do was totally out of character for Phoebe, but in her defense, she's hurting. She can't believe that her friend said those things about her. And Joe discussed what went on with them. He didn't have to go that far.
So Phoebe put on her best actress face and sat in the library and started to cry. She knew that Lizzie came there everyday because she's the editor of the school's newspaper, The G. The newspaper editing room was located inside the library and Lizzie would have to pass Phoebe to enter the room. Phoebe knew that Lizzie would never pass up somebody crying. That meant a juicy story. Lizzie stops dead in her tracks when she sees Phoebe crying. She cares more about the reason that Phoebe is crying than the actual fact that Phoebe is crying.
"Phoebe? Are you alright?" Lizzie asks.
Phoebe starts to cry louder, Lizzie is really interested now. She knows this will be a hot story. She knows Phoebe hangs with the popular clique because she dates Joe, and is friends with Danny and Lacey. She hopes it's dirt on one of them. Even if she can't put it in the paper, she still needs to know what has Phoebe so upset.
Lizzie takes the time to pull out a chair and sit down. She hopes that will cause Phoebe to open up and spill the beans. "Come on Phoebe. You can tell me. I see how upset you are. Just tell me what's wrong." Lizzie says.
"Ok. But you have to promise not to put it in the paper." Phoebe says through fake sobs.
Lizzie holds up her hand. "I promise." Lizzie says. She won't put it in the paper, but she will tell people.
"Joe and I broke up. I found out he was cheating on me with Regina." Phoebe says as she starts to cry again.
Lizzie smiles internally. "Oh my god, Phoebe. I'm so sorry! I thought Regina was your friend?" Lizzie says as she rubs Phoebe's arm.
"I thought she was my friend too. But apparently she and Jo have been sleeping together for over a year. He slept with her because I won't put out." Phoebe starts to cry again and hope she sounds convincing.
"That sucks, Phoebe. They're both jerks." Lizzie says as she tries to coax more out of Phoebe.
"And that's not even the worst part!" Phoebe practically yells.
Lizzie's ears perk up. "Go on. Get it out. You'll feel better." Lizzie says. She wants the rest of the story now.
"I was getting ready to go all the way with Joe, when I found this letter in his room. He and Regina have a bunch of STD'S. Some are so bad, I can't even pronounce some of them. Some you can't even get rid of! How could he do that to me?" Phoebe asks Lizzie.
Lizzie feels like she hit the jackpot! "Did you talk to him? How did you find out it was Regina?" Lizzie asks.
"Well, I confronted him! And he confessed everything. I'm just glad that I didn't have sex with him, or I would be contagious too." Phoebe sobs some more. She knows her job is done. She knows that Lizzie will spread this like wild-fire.
"Yes, Phoebe. It is a good thing you didn't sleep with him. Just move on. He's not worth it." Lizzie says as she tries to hurry Phoebe along so she can get to talking about this juicy secret.
Phoebe lets out some more fake sobs. "You're right. I should just be glad it's her and not me. Thank you so much for talking to me, Lizzie. You are awesome." Phoebe says as she gives her a hug.
"Oh, it's no problem. If you ever need to talk again, you know where to find me." Lizzie says as she stands and heads to the newspaper editing room.
Phoebe had to pat herself on the back for her performance. She knew it was just a matter of time before it got out. She knew that Lizzie never revealed her sources though, so she didn't have to worry about anyone knowing she was the one that started it. She really didn't care if she did get found out though. Phoebe got up to leave the library the same time Lizzie sent out her first text about Regina and Joe.
Cole felt really bad about reading Sarita's diary. But then he remembered what Sarita did to him. And to Lacey and Danny. He had to care about what she did to them because they were really good friends to him. He couldn't believe the shit that went through Sarita's head. It was hard to read. She is truly disturbed. When he got to the part Rico told him about, he wished he had never read it. He wanted to unread the stuff he read. He knew that was an impossible thing to do though. He couldn't believe she did what she did. Rico gave him the diary for safe keeping. They weren't going to distribute the parts of her diary while she wasn't at school. Rico and Cole wanted her to hurt the way she hurt people. She did it without a conscious or abandon. She had truly hurt people. It was time she really understood what pain truly is.
Sarita blamed Joe for the predicament she was currently in. Had it not been for him, she wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't be sitting at home, with a black eye, and busted nose and lip. She really thought she would never get caught. But Cole betrayed her. She had already paid him back by outing him. Now she had to pay Joe back. She was not fucking with Lacey anymore though. Or Danny. She was going to let to Danny know that Joe is the responsible party for that video. She had the original stored on her computer. The one where you can clearly see that Joe is the one that set up the recording device. And she was going to send it to Danny. But not until she felt the timing was right. She wanted to let Joe stew just a little longer. She wanted him to think he was in the clear.
Friday morning, Regina walked into school like she owned the place. Joe was finally her boyfriend, and she was happy that she no longer had to sneak around with him. She figured she would no longer have a friendship with Phoebe, but she was still happy about her and Joe making it official. As Regina walked through the halls, she heard people whispering and pointing. She had no idea what that was about. She made her way to her locker, and she heard three girls a few lockers away talking. They were talking about her.
"Ew, there she is." Marla says.
The other two girls turned to look and frowned their faces before turning back around.
"She's a skank. She was sleeping with her friend's boyfriend." Shelly says.
"I know. I heard. Phoebe is so nice. How could she do that?" Kimmie asks.
"Well, now her slutty ass is a walking disease. I don't even want to be near her." Marla says.
"That's what she gets for being a skank." Kimmie says.
"Let's go before we catch what she has." Shelly says as all three girls walk away.
Regina heard everything they said. She couldn't believe the names they called her and didn't even care that she heard them. Regina figured people would hear about her and Joe, but what's the deal with them saying she's a walking disease and they're afraid they might catch something? Joe then walks into the school and he gets the same reaction. He walks up to Regina's locker.
"Why are people whispering and pointing at us?" Joe asks.
"They know about us." Regina says almost happily.
"I get that but why are people saying we're nasty and they might catch something?" Joe asks.
"I don't know. Don't worry about it." Regina says as she goes in to hug Joe and kiss him.
People are still looking at them. Two girls walk by and frown their faces. One makes a gesture like she's puking and they both laugh and keep walking. Two guys on the football team walk by.
"Dude, there's Joe and Regina. I know you heard." Billy says.
"Yeah man. I don't even wanna use the same shower he uses. We might catch it too." Mark says.
"His cock is gonna fall off." Billy says.
"Dude, I did not need that visual." Mark says as they continue to walk down the hall. Normally, they would have talked to Joe. They just completely ignored him.
Phoebe walks by with one of her drama classmates, Tina. They're just laughing and talking. Phoebe doesn't even have to put on an act because she hears what's being said about Regina and Joe. She's absolutely proud of herself. She notices that Joe and Regina are embracing, and doesn't let it bother her too much. Until Regina says something to her.
"Hey Phoebe." Regina says hopefully. Phoebe looks at her with disgust.
Regina is a little hurt by Phoebe's reaction and then she hears Tina say something to Phoebe.
"Did that tramp really just try to speak to you? She stole your boyfriend!" Tina says to Phoebe.
"It's ok. She can have him." Phoebe says as a small smile forms on her face. People avoiding and talking about her former boyfriend and friend gives her much reason to smile.
The rest of Lacey's punishment seemed to zoom by. She attributed that to Danny. They kept in constant contact and he snuck in her room every chance he got. That made it a little more bearable. She was now ready to return to school. She couldn't get a ride with Danny that Monday morning because her mother had to return to school with her. Lacey was glad to return to school though. But she didn't know how people would react to her. Lacey was happy to put real clothes on and was happy to finally leave the house. She got to spend time with Danny without sneaking. She could leave the house! She dressed and hurriedly ran downstairs to fix breakfast. Lacey, Clara, and Judy had breakfast and left the house together. They all left the house together. Judy dropped Clara off first, because she had to go to Lacey's school with her which in turn would make her late for work. Judy didn't really care though because she's the boss and can make her own hours if she wants to. She's just happy to get Lacey back in school and learning. She hopes that Lacey never gets herself into that situation ever again.
Judy is driving along when she glances over at her first-born. "So, are you nervous about returning to school?" Judy asks.
"A little. I don't know how people will react to me." Lacey says as she looks over at her mother.
"Well, you should be ok. That's my guess. But we're not going through this any more, right?" Judy asks.
"Nope. I've learned my lesson. Being suspended and grounded is no fun. And I don't want to compromise getting into a good college." Lacey says.
"I'm glad you really had time to think about it." Judy says.
"Yes, I did. From now on, I'm ignoring people and walking away. I am sorry though, Mom." Lacey says.
"I know you are. I know most of it is because you couldn't see Danny. But you get to see him today. You're still grounded until tomorrow though." Judy says.
"I know. I really missed him. And Phoebe." Lacey says.
Judy continues to drive to Lacey's school and pulls into the parking lot. Lacey and Judy get out and walk into the school and head for the office. They have their little meeting with Mr. Bond and Lacey is allowed back in school. Judy and Lacey leave the office with Judy heading towards the front entrance and Lacey heads toward her locker. People say "Hi" and "Hey Lacey" to her as she arrives at her locker. She noticed that some girls would move out of her way. Lacey knew that that had to do with her beating Sarita up. She didn't want people to fear her. She didn't consider herself a person that people should be afraid of.
Lacey is foraging through her locker when she feels someone come up and hug her from behind. She knows it's Danny just from his smell. She loves the way he smells.
"I'm so glad you're back." Danny says as he continues to hug her from behind and kisses her on the cheek.
"Me too. I was going crazy in the house." Lacey says as she rubs his hands.
"I know. I was going crazy not seeing you." Danny says as he finally lets her go and comes around her to face her.
Lacey giggles. "Tell me about it." Lacey says.
Just then Phoebe runs up and squeals. "You're back!" Phoebe says as she hugs Lacey. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Phoebe." Lacey counters honestly.
"You missed a lot while you were gone." Phoebe says.
"LIke what?" Lacey asks as she finishes grabbing her things so that they all can walk to Psychology together.
"Well, Regina and Joe are a couple. And apparently, they have some sexually transmitted diseases." Phoebe says.
"What?" Lacey asks in surprise.
"Yup." Phoebe says as she smiles.
"Yeah. The team has avoided Joe like he has the black plague." Danny says as he smirks.
"Did he say anything to you about it?" Lacey asks Danny.
"Joe and I don't really talk much." Danny says.
"Still?" Lacey asks. She and Danny had better things to talk about while she was away than Joe Masterson.
"Yeah." Danny says regrettably.
Lacey changes the subject. "How is Cole doing?" Lacey asks in concern.
"Good. He's out and he's happy." Danny says. "He still wants to thank you in person."
"Well, I'm happy for him and I'm happy to help him whenever I can. He got us back together." Lacey says as she smiles at Danny.
"Yeah, he told me about that. I still want to know how Sarita got that video." Phoebe says. Lacey and Danny exchange glances and Phoebe picks up on it. "What was that look for? You guys know how she got it?" Phoebe asks.
"I have a theory." Danny says.
"Ok. How do you think she got it?" Phoebe asks.
"From Joe." Danny says.
Phoebe looks horrified. "Really? You really think Joe would do something like that?" Phoebe asks.
"It had to be him. I just have to prove it." Danny says.
"What are you going to do when you do?" Phoebe asks.
"Don't worry about that Phoebe. Just feel bad for Joe if he did what I think he did." Danny says as they enter their first period class.
The next day, Lacey was finally off of her punishment. After school, she and Danny headed to Johnny Cakes to just hang out and enjoy a meal together. They weren't the only ones with that idea because they ran into Cole and Rico there and they decided on an impromptu double date. They all sat in a booth together.
"I know I already said thank you, but I just wanted to say it again. Thank you for what you did, Lacey. And I'm still sorry about what I did to you and Danny." Cole says.
"It was my pleasure." Lacey says. "And that's water under the bridge. Danny and I are good now. Right, Danny?" Lacey says as she playfully nudges Danny.
"Yup. We're good now." Danny says.
"Even though she's my twin sister, she got what she deserved. I think she needs a little more though." Rico says honestly.
"I just want to know how she got the video." Cole says.
As if on cue, Danny's phone goes off. He looks at it and his face and demeanor starts to change. "I fucking knew it." Danny says.
Lacey, Rico and Cole all look at him in confusion and surprise. "You knew what?" Lacey asks.
Danny just hands his phone to Lacey. She can clearly see Joe's face setting up something in Danny's room. You can make him out perfectly as he looks directly into the lens, and as he moves back and sits down on Danny's bed. Danny finally had his proof that Joe set up that device and recorded him and Lacey.
Rico and Cole look on and wonder what exactly is going on. "What's wrong, Danny?" Rico asks.
Danny is too angry to speak, so Lacey does it for him. "We now know how Sarita got that video." Lacey says.
"How?" Cole asks.
"Joe." Lacey says.
Cole and Rico look at each with worry. And Cole says out loud what everybody is thinking.
"Poor Joe."
P.S. This is chapter 30. It was labeled incorrectly. I didn't want anyone to think that a chapter is missing because it jumps from 29 to 31. The Author's note I wrote was labeled as a chapter and threw the count off.