It was getting late, and Taylor hadn't come home yet. Neither has Davey or Zac. Where could they be? Davey has been spending a lot of time here, and I'm starting to think its so December knows that Zac belongs to her. Or not, I don't know. December was worn out, she went to bed at 11:00 PM. It's nearly 2:00 AM now, and as I sit, listening to the silence that roared through out the empty house, I wondered if they were together. "God guys, where are you?" I spoke aloud, shaking as I stood up and walked over to my computer. It almost brought tears to my eyes, seeing the fact that my entire life was ripped from beneath me. The first thing my eyes lingered upon was the orange gemstone symbol that was proclaimed as my secret writings. It wasn't accessible without the disk, however, and it was a waste to even sit here wishing to open it and write a new chapter. Instead, knowing it might wake up December who was slumbering in the few rooms over, I signed on- line. My buddy list was loaded with familiar screen names, but one stood out to me. NYbaseballchik14, that's Davey! I quickly clicked on her name and sent her an IM.
- -
NYbaseballchik14: who are you?
GemstoneWrtr017: it's mandy. is Zac with you?
NYbaseballchik14: Zac is suppose to be with me?
GemstoneWrtr017: neither Tay or Zac are home, and I'm getting worried.
NYbaseballchik14: i'm not dating zac, remember?
GemstoneWrtr017: are you okay Dave?
- -
I didn't get a response, but another IM popped up onto my orange screen. It was from Blader214314. That's Tay! When did he get on? Where is he?
- -
Blader214314: where are you? why are you up so late?
GemstoneWrtr017: Tay? I'm waiting for you guys, where are you?
GemstoneWrtr017: are you talking to Davey.
Blader214314: we're all here, at Dave's house. I'm trying to fix her system, I left a message on the door, didn't you see it?
- -
I sighed, that's what the paper said! Gosh, if only I hadn't dropped it in the sink! I laughed to myself, smiling at him.
- -
GemstoneWrtr017: your at Davey's?
Blader214314: yea, something's wrong with her system. her computer wont connect to her name.
GemstoneWrtr017: of course not! if she's already on, you can't sign her on again!
Blader214314: she's not on
GemstoneWrtr017: yes she is, NYbaseballchik14 is on my Buddy List and we're talking.
- -
A high toned beep hit the speakers, and I clicked onto Davey's IM.
- -
NYbaseballchik14: i'm fine....just tired
GemstoneWrtr017: is tay or zac with you?
NYbaseballchik14: i don't know a zac or tay....who?
NYbaseballchik14: oh, thats right! i'm a liar
- -
GOODBYE! the voice from the computer made me just as she signed off. What is up with that? I clicked back to Taylor, my body numb momentarily.
- -
Blader214314: someone's on her sn?
GemstoneWrtr017: not anymore, that was weird.
Blader214314: what happened?
GemstoneWrtr017: Itz too weird to explain, I'll send you the IM!
- -
Taylor turned around, "Hey, Davey, I found your problem! C'mere!"
"How'd you fix it?" Davey asked, stepping into the room, along with Zac.
"Mandy's on-line, so we're you. There was someone under your-"
- -
YOU'VE GOT MAIL!
"Tay," Zac pointed at the mailbox on the screen, not knowing if Tay heard the voice or not.
"Read this! This just happened, Mandy sent it to me." Taylor said, opening up his mailbox and then the mail. Silently, they all read the IM, wondering who it could be.
"Ohmigod!" Davey shrieked, knowing right then who it was. "Shit! Zac! That's that chick who IMed me earlier, about dating you? Remember?"
"No shit." Zac mumbled, rereading the parts I wrote to the girl. "IM Mandy, tell her to sign off, and change her Password before she does."
"Why?"
"She just got us screwed!"
- - - -
She turned, facing her giggling friends. "See, I told you she was a liar."
"I know! Can you believe they, of all people, would lie to us?" another girl, her name is Sydney, smiled, leaning back against the couch. Her grey eyes were a mere sparkle in the dim lighting of the room, and yet her bleach colored hair added alittle hint of shine as well.
"Yeah, but still. Taylor did tell us about Amanda." A different girl, and straight-black haired girl noted.
"Oh please, Dae shut up." The girl by the computer said.
"Seriously, Gemmy, I swear! It's not the end of the world." Gem looked at her friend, shocked by her outburst.
"I thought you were with us!" she accused, standing up and walking over to Dae. "I thought you were going to follow through!"
"I am!" Dae said, getting up as well.
"Guys!" Sydney shrieked, uncrossing her smooth, tan legs and running to stand between her bickering best friends. "Just stop! That wasn't even Davey you were talking to. It was Amanda, remember?"
"Duh! Syd, but Mandy just helped us prove that Zac and Davey are together! Isn't that enough?" Gem replied, her violet eyes piercing at the crystal blue ones that belonged to Dae.
"No! Gem! Don't you understand, it could be their baby-sitter or even cousin! You don't know!" Dae spoke, her voice raising slightly. She backed away from Sydney, not wanting to look at Gem anymore.
"Yes I do! I was in the movies with them! I saw them! It's not his baby-sitter, its not his cousin! Its his girlfriend! I know! He betrayed me."
"How do you figure?" Dae said, rolling her eyes. She and Sydney knew very well that Gem had become over possessive within the past six years. Since 1997 she's been knocking down every Zachary fan so she could prove she had power and ability over everyone. Everyone but Sydney and Dae, however.
"Guys! Stop!" Sydney said, looking back and forth between her two friends. "You guys can't fight over this! It's absurd!"
"No it's not! You guys know how much I love him! You guys can understand!" she breathed, her misty colored lips trembling as she continued to speak, "Don't you remember when you thought you were going to marry Taylor, Dae? Don't you remember?"
"Of course I remember, but then I found out and Amanda and knew he loved her! Plus I met Angel! He was so real! He loves me, and I knew then that Taylor and I would never be together!" Dae said, reaching for her jacket and keys that lay upon the coffee-table.
"Ohmigod!" Gem shrieked, stepping away from Sydney, "Your walking away? Just like that!"
"Gem," Sydney said calmly, "please."
"She's giving up! Like she always does! She's not as strong as us!"
"Yes, I am," Dae said, blinking back tears, "but I'm just stupid enough to report Hanson and follow through with your stupid plan! It's not right! We could get arrested." and without a good-bye, Dae lingered slowly through the door, walking away from her two best friends.
- - - -
The phone rang, and I almost cried because it scared me. My body was shaking, it had been ever since Taylor sent me an IM saying we were screwed. What does that mean, though? I didn't know it wasn't Davey, did I? No! I tried to explain, but Taylor said Davey wanted him off-line and he said he'd be home soon. I got off the computer shortly after that, I couldn't stand to be bored on a computer, because I would have the urge to write, but I couldn't! Gosh, why are these people out to get us? What did we ever do wrong? The phone rang a third time, shaking me from my thoughts. I leaned over from my comfy spot on the couch and grabbed the phone.
"Hello?" I asked, wondering who could be calling this late at night. Silence lingered for a moment but a husky cough broke the silence.
"She knows your secret. Quit the job, you could be ruined."
"What? My editing job? Who is this?" I asked, not again. Its too much for me to handle right now!
"You don't know me, but I know you. I watch you everyday, the way you work, the way the sweat forms on your tender lips when you are nervous and tense.-" I cut him off,
"Who are you? Why are you watching me?"
"I'm not watching you."
"You just said you were." I said back, confused.
"No, I said I watch you everyday, it's night time love, and I only see you when you come to the office." I was getting confused, how does he know me?
"I haven't been in days," I corrected him, wondering if he noticed my absence, "I took off."
"I know. She's trying to get you fired because she has things on you that you don't even know about. Like your novel, the one about your troubles, the one about how much you hated falling in love and..," OHMIGOD, I almost screamed,
"The one where I said I wished Taylor hadn't fallen in love with me?"
"Yes."
"Ohmigod, how do you know? Do you have it?"
"No. I've seen it. She walks around muttering to herself about how much she hates you and wants you fired. The manager wants to keep her happy, they're having an affair, he's married, so he knows if he doesn't keep her happy she'll submit him."
"No," I was shocked, an affair? Why with her? "What does she want me to do?"
"Quit."
"I don't want to quit, why should I have to? It's not fair."
"Listen, you off all people should know life's not fair, I've read your work, I know," he paused, almost wondering what to say next, "You love him, don't you?"
"Taylor? Of course." I told him, duh!
"Then quit. If those novels get out, he'd never know they were written when you guys were sixteen."
"How did you know?"
"When she wanted me to copy them to my computer I checked the statistics and she changed them to nineteen years old, you see Amanda, you need to quit." The phone was silent, and I knew he had hung up.
"Jesus!" I sighed, turning the phone off.
"What?" Taylor asked, stepping into the dim light of the living room.
"Geez, you scared me." I said, my heart skipping a beat, my breath gone for a moment, "I didn't hear you come in."
"Was that Zac?"
"No, I thought he was coming home with you?"
"Nope, he's staying over Davey's house, she's on ultra-paranoia mode." Tay said, and I laughed at him. He sat down, leaning against my legs. "Who was it?"
"I don't know. Someone from my office."
"And you don't know who it was?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
"No, he called about the novels, she has them. I was right, it's December's mother," I laughed remembering the affair, "Did you know she's having an affair with my boss?"
"And she still wants you fired? Why?"
"How'd you know?"
"Easy," he said, yawning, "It was pretty easy to figure it out. I was thinking about it tonight, she's going to black mail you." I looked at him, my gaze avoiding his, should I tell him about the novel? I tilted my head down, my gaze in front of me, staring at the floor. "What's the matter? Did the messenger carry bad news?"
"Mm, I'm just tired, let's just go to bed, okay?" I got up, taking his hands and wrapping them around my waist as we both sludged sleepily toward the bedroom. There's always tomorrow.
FoLLoW tHeSe FooTSTePs
