Chapter 2

Outcast: I’d rather not talk about it on the net, if you don’t mind

Cowboy: Well, honestly, I do mind. I mean, every time we try to talk, either on the phone or face to face, we end up fighting. I’d like to avoid that.

Outcast: you know why we end up fighting, Lucky. Or have you forgotten, again?

Cowboy: Hi, Denise. Welcome to our little chat. Is it your first time here?

Denise: No, it isn’t. I’ve met Lacy and Toukie the other night. Hi Cowboy.  Are you THE Cowboy, the chat room founder?

Cowboy: Yes, that’s me. I see that my reputation precedes me. I’m almost scared to ask what the girls said about me!

Outcast: Hi, Denise. I’m Elizabeth and this dufus over there is Lorenzo.

Denise: Hi, Elizabeth. Nice to meet you. Are you the Elizabeth, Lorenzo’s girlfriend?

Cowboy: Former girlfriend, but yes, that’s her, always oh so nice to me :P

Denise: I’m sorry to hear that

Outcast: I’m always nice, Lorenzo. It’s not my fault you can’t take the heat. And keep that ugly thing in your mouth, please (_!_)

Cowboy: don’t be sorry, Denise. We parted as friends.

Outcast: we did?

Cowboy: Don’t make Denise nervous on purpose, Elizabeth LOL

Outcast: You know me, Lorenzo, I always love to make people nervous on purpose LOL

Denise: Well, I can see that!

Outcast: But don’t worry, Lorenzo and I are fine with each other, if we weren’t, I wouldn’t be here :)

Cowboy: Yeah, I’d kick her hairy little butt out of here

Outcast: HEY!

Cowboy: I told you I’d say it.

Denise: You know, Toukie told me you guys were weird, so why am I surprised?

Cowboy: If you know Toukie, how can you call ME weird after that?

Outcast: Hey, Lorenzo, you love her and you know it

Cowboy: I guess....

Cowboy: ANOTHER new comer? My, did Toukie put an add in the paper or something?

DorkyPal: I’m not new, you just don’t know my nick

Outcast: Lorenzo tends to be a little confused when someone comes in with a new nick.

Cowboy: Well, I don’t whois when people come in, you know, so how am I suppose to know who’s who?

DorkyPal: (_!_)

Outcast: MOON!

Cowboy: Moon?

DorkyPal: Yeah, moon. I’m hurt that you couldn’t guess it was me, Lorenzo!

Cowboy: well, it’s not my fault you took off your clown mask

Denise: I take it you know this Dorky person?

Outcast: Yes, she’s one of Lorenzo’s best Internet friend. They’ve known each other for quite some time.

Cowboy: Yeah, what she said.

DorkyPal: Oh, you told her I’m your best Internet friend? How sweet..... NOT! I’m sure he lied to you, Elizabeth

Cowboy: I don’t lie

Outcast: So you say

DorkyPal: Uh oh, trouble in paradise?

Denise: It seems to me they have that love/hate thing going on

DorkyPal: they always do. I’m the one who cyber-married them, did you know?

Cowboy: Yeah, I bet she knows. She met Toukie

DorkyPal: The blabbermouth?

Outcast: Don’t badmouth Toukie, she’s a pearl

Cowboy: Yeah, 1.99$ at any junk store :P

DorkyPal: See, Denise, this is the kind of love we get for being his best Internet friends

Denise: Actually, I don’t think he is that bad. I mean, what Toukie and Lacy said weren’t too flattering, either.

Outcast: Suck up LOL

Cowboy: Thank you, Denise. At least someone’s nice in this chatroom

DorkyPal: Cry me a bucket!

Cowboy: Denise, wanna start a new chatroom with me? Private so we don’t have to endure those people?

Outcast: Careful, Denise. He just wants to cyber with ya ;)

Denise: And the bad thing would be....

Cowboy: LOL nice comeback!

Denise: LOL, thanks. I’m used to that kind of abuse with my friend Jackie. I mean, they tease you, but admit it, you would miss it if they stopped.

Cowboy: How would I know, they never do LOL

Outcast: Well, I’m your cyber-ex-wife, I’m supposed to be a pain, aren’t I?

Cowboy: Moon, what are you?

DorkyPal: I’m an angel. See my hallow? 0:-)

Cowboy: Yeah, I also see your horns hidden under that aluminum circle

DorkyPal: (_!_)

DorkyPal: *imitating Cowboy* I DON’T WANNA SEE YOUR HAIRY BUTT

Cowboy: I DON’T WANNA SEE YOUR HAIRY BUTT

Denise: LOL, she knows him well, doesn’t she?

Outcast: They’ve been chatting for a few years. I’ve only known both of them for a few months, but you’ll see, if you come back regularly, that they always say the same things, so you’ll get used to it.

Cowboy: are you saying we’ve become predictable?

Outcast: That’s exactly what I am saying!

DorkyPal: We have to take care of that, don’t we, Cowboy?

Outcast: Is your weird mood still there, Lorenzo? Do you feel all weird when someone says your name like that?

Cowboy: That was OUR secret, Elizabeth

DorkyPal: no it wasn’t. You said it in front of everyone when you first started your cyber-life together, that when she called you Cowboy, you got a cyber-erec....

Cowboy: MOON! I can’t believe you said that!

DorkyPal: Well, I can’t believe it’s not butter, either!

Denise: LMAO

Outcast: BRB, guys, phone’s ringing!

Elizabeth ran to the phone, smiling as she did so. She really missed the gang when she didn’t have a computer.

After a fight she had with her grandmother, Elizabeth had moved out, rented a room above Kelly’s where she worked, and she didn’t have the Internet for a while. She didn’t even have a computer until days ago, when Jamie, a guy she went to school with, sold her his old one. He had just bought a new, top of the line computer, and he thought she needed one, too. Not only for her homework, but also for the amount of information she could gather by surfing the net. The first thing she did, though, when her Internet line was paid, was to get into the old chatroom. She didn’t think she would run into Lucky there, on her first night. It had been a shock. "Hello?" she answered her phone breathlessly from her run.

"Hey, it’s me," she heard on the other end of the line, a voice she knew too well, a voice she missed too much. "Since we got interrupted by Denise and Moon, so we won’t be able to talk for a while, can I ask you a favor? Would it be possible for you not to air our dirty laundry in the chat for the world to see? What happened happened between us. They know it’s over, they don’t need to know all the details."

"My, Lucky, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were scared that your friends would find out how you really are," Elizabeth answered bitterly. Their parting had been less than friendly, and she still hadn’t come to term with what had happened between them that led to their breaking up.

"See? This is exactly why I didn’t want to discuss what happened over the phone. Because I KNEW you would still bring it up and we would end up fighting again. I should’ve just IM’ed you and gotten it over with."

"Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, Cowboy," Elizabeth said into the phone, her heart softening up to him again. "Ok, so I will stop making these little cracks about what happened and how I really feel about you. Happy now?"

"Yeah, thanks." Lucky said before he hung up without saying another word. Elizabeth looked at the phone in her hand, confused. How had she gone to being the wounded party to being the bad guy in all of this? She shook her head and walked back to her computer. Sometimes, Lucky Spencer was too hard to follow to even try.

DorkyPal: Hello? Anybody there?

Cowboy: I’m here. Sorry, I had to use the Johns

Denise: you could’ve warned us, here we were, chatting to you and you weren’t even there.

DorkyPal: How rude!

Cowboy: I’m sorry, it couldn’t wait! I almost made a big mess in my pants.

Denise: Ok, I’ll be a good girl and won’t comment that one

Outcast: Where’s the fun in that? LOL

Denise: I guess you’re right. But trust me, the comment I was thinking about was not a PG13 one LOL

DorkyPal: well, next time, don’t stop on our account!

Cowboy: I admit I let myself be open for that one, it won’t happen again!

DorkyPal: Better not. But, in a way, I wouldn’t have been to one to think sexual with you on the receiving end.... eeewww, eeewww, eeewww, that’s just nasty!

Denise: I’m just a nasty girl, I guess ;)

Cowboy: ok, where do you live? ;)

Denise: Arizona

Cowboy: Ok, BRB, checking out the flight schedules ;)

end of chapter