Unless there was a problem—that was the only reason for a response, if one of them couldn’t make it.
She checked her phone. No messages.
At 12:35 she finally gave up, realizing Amy wasn’t going to show.
• • •
She had the whole evening to herself, sort of a nice change from recent events. And sort of not. Chloe did some desultory straightening of her room and read a little of The Scarlet Letter for class. She went to the computer and surfed for a while, downloading MP3s and seeing what her favorite celebrities were up to. Then on a whim she searched on AIM for Alyec Ilychovich … and there he was. Under Alyec Ilychovich. He sure does have a lot to learn about hiding your real identity and other American things. Chloe smiled and added him to her buddy list. His account was private— such a popular guy! —so she sent him an invite from oldclothesKing, one of her more common aliases. Then she went on surfing.
There was an e-mail from Brian on her Hotmail account:
Chloe,
I really enjoyed our playdate the other night. But I never gave you the pattern!
Do you like ska? Downtime hosts Kabaret Saturdays, no cover. No penguins, but it should be a cool night otherwise. If not, maybe you have an idea … ?
—Brian 415-555-0554
She smiled. He was just so … perfect. It was almost like he could sense she was lonely and sent this. She called him but got his answering machine.
“Hi, this is Whit Rezza—if you’re looking for Peter Rezza, you can reach him on his cell, 415-555-1412. Leave a message, thanks!”
“Hey, Brian, it’s Chloe. I’d love to go out on Saturday—not a huge fan of ska, but I like it enough. Just going to have to figure out what to tell my mom first; she’s not big on me and guys. So this is a possible ’yes,’ and …”
The electronic sound of a door opening came from her computer. She looked over; Alyec was online. A second later there was a beep as he accepted her invite.
“And I’ll call you or e-mail you later, okay? Bye!”
She would have to remember to call before her mom came home; on the home phone bill it would only appear as a local call, but on her cell phone the bill listed every number. And her mom went through the bill very carefully each month, demanding to know what unrecognizable phone numbers were. She said it was for budget reasons … ha!
Chloe spun back in her chair so she was facing the computer. There was already a message from Alyec.
Alyec:
Miss me yet?
She giggled.
Chloe:
Only your lips. The rest of you—well, whatever.
Alyec:
Shallow girl! I have a brain, too, you know.
Chloe:
Yeah?
Alyec :
And more …
Chloe flushed. She had felt a lot of his body—fully clothed—in the closet. She wished it was summer so they could go to the beach and she could rub oil all over his broad shoulders. Or that they could date like normal people. Too bad I’m not normal, she thought for the second time in a week.
The phone rang.
Chloe:
Hang on, brb.
“King residence,” she answered.
“Hey—uh—Chloe—was that you who called?” Brian’s voice came from the other end. “My dad has caller ID and callback on this thing.”
“Yeah, it was me.” She was still flushed, thinking about Alyec and his body and the closet, and suddenly found herself thinking about Brian. More specifically, her on top of Brian, holding him down while she kissed him. I’ll bet I could do that with my new strength, too. …
He must have heard something funny in her voice.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
“Oh. You just sounded—never mind. So, you still want that pattern?”
No, I want you, you dillhole.
There was a beep from the computer:
Alyec:
I’m waiting. …
Or Alyec. I want Alyec, too. It was funny right this moment, the two guys on two different means of communication. But soon, if her life was anything like TV—or even real life—it would all get very complicated without a decision. But not yet. Not just yet!
“Yeah. Should we try for
She checked her phone. No messages.
At 12:35 she finally gave up, realizing Amy wasn’t going to show.
• • •
She had the whole evening to herself, sort of a nice change from recent events. And sort of not. Chloe did some desultory straightening of her room and read a little of The Scarlet Letter for class. She went to the computer and surfed for a while, downloading MP3s and seeing what her favorite celebrities were up to. Then on a whim she searched on AIM for Alyec Ilychovich … and there he was. Under Alyec Ilychovich. He sure does have a lot to learn about hiding your real identity and other American things. Chloe smiled and added him to her buddy list. His account was private— such a popular guy! —so she sent him an invite from oldclothesKing, one of her more common aliases. Then she went on surfing.
There was an e-mail from Brian on her Hotmail account:
Chloe,
I really enjoyed our playdate the other night. But I never gave you the pattern!
Do you like ska? Downtime hosts Kabaret Saturdays, no cover. No penguins, but it should be a cool night otherwise. If not, maybe you have an idea … ?
—Brian 415-555-0554
She smiled. He was just so … perfect. It was almost like he could sense she was lonely and sent this. She called him but got his answering machine.
“Hi, this is Whit Rezza—if you’re looking for Peter Rezza, you can reach him on his cell, 415-555-1412. Leave a message, thanks!”
“Hey, Brian, it’s Chloe. I’d love to go out on Saturday—not a huge fan of ska, but I like it enough. Just going to have to figure out what to tell my mom first; she’s not big on me and guys. So this is a possible ’yes,’ and …”
The electronic sound of a door opening came from her computer. She looked over; Alyec was online. A second later there was a beep as he accepted her invite.
“And I’ll call you or e-mail you later, okay? Bye!”
She would have to remember to call before her mom came home; on the home phone bill it would only appear as a local call, but on her cell phone the bill listed every number. And her mom went through the bill very carefully each month, demanding to know what unrecognizable phone numbers were. She said it was for budget reasons … ha!
Chloe spun back in her chair so she was facing the computer. There was already a message from Alyec.
Alyec:
Miss me yet?
She giggled.
Chloe:
Only your lips. The rest of you—well, whatever.
Alyec:
Shallow girl! I have a brain, too, you know.
Chloe:
Yeah?
Alyec :
And more …
Chloe flushed. She had felt a lot of his body—fully clothed—in the closet. She wished it was summer so they could go to the beach and she could rub oil all over his broad shoulders. Or that they could date like normal people. Too bad I’m not normal, she thought for the second time in a week.
The phone rang.
Chloe:
Hang on, brb.
“King residence,” she answered.
“Hey—uh—Chloe—was that you who called?” Brian’s voice came from the other end. “My dad has caller ID and callback on this thing.”
“Yeah, it was me.” She was still flushed, thinking about Alyec and his body and the closet, and suddenly found herself thinking about Brian. More specifically, her on top of Brian, holding him down while she kissed him. I’ll bet I could do that with my new strength, too. …
He must have heard something funny in her voice.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
“Oh. You just sounded—never mind. So, you still want that pattern?”
No, I want you, you dillhole.
There was a beep from the computer:
Alyec:
I’m waiting. …
Or Alyec. I want Alyec, too. It was funny right this moment, the two guys on two different means of communication. But soon, if her life was anything like TV—or even real life—it would all get very complicated without a decision. But not yet. Not just yet!
“Yeah. Should we try for
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