Salem High halls, right before lunch period.
''Hey Belle,'' Phillip called as he pushed through the crowd. He needed to find out from Belle what lunch Chloe had. After their time on the deck, they had studied for another half hour before Mr. Wesley had come back down, telling Phillip it was time for him to go home. He hadn't said a word to dispute the man who'd seemed very intent on making him leave.
Though he and Chloe had gotten a lot done in that short time span, there were still a few things he was shaky on. He had lunch next, thankfully followed by a study hall, then Calculus. If he could just find out which lunch Chloe would be in, he could meet up with her and ask her a few last minute questions.
Upon hearing her name, Belle and Mimi stopped, looking through the crowded hall for whomever had called. ''I think it was Phillip,'' Mimi said, pointing to him as he made his way through the hall.
''Hey Mimi, Belle,'' he greeted the girls. Turning towards Belle, he asked her if she knew what lunch Chloe had today.
''I think she has second,'' Belle responded. ''She has second most days, which really bites because I have first most days, but then some days we both have third, so we sit together and---''
''I don't need the details,'' Phillip interrupted. ''Do you think Pendel would let me skip study hall today,'' he asked her since she was in the same one as him.
''I don't know,'' Belle said, shaking her head. ''Why? Is something wrong, Phillip? Are you all right,'' she asked, always concerned about her friends.
''I will be once I find Chloe,'' Phillip muttered.
The two girls looked at each other, but said nothing. ''Chloe and I only get to have lunch together a few times a week, mostly on Mondays and Fridays, some random Wednesdays. I most likely won't see her today.''
''Well I really need to meet up with her,'' Phillip said. ''Unless, you understand the new functions Farris taught yesterday,'' he asked Belle, remembering she was in his class.
Belle's eyes widened at his question. ''The test,'' she whispered, having forgotten about it during Design class. ''Gee, I guess we should both ask Mr. Pendel if he'll let us out of study hall. I need help too.''
''I have to split,'' Mimi said after glancing at her watch. ''If I'm late for Biology again, I'll probably get detention.''
''Okay Mimi. I'll see you after school,'' she said, waving her friend off. ''Okay Phillip. I think we should go ask Mr. Pendel now if we can stay through second lunch so we can talk to Chloe.''
Phillip nodded, though he was a little disappointed that Belle would be joining him now. He had also wanted to talk to Chloe about what happened last night, or more so, what almost happened that didn't happen. He had no doubt in his mind that he would have kissed her, but something had held him back.
Maybe it was because she was Chloe, the school's outcast, and being seen with her would damage his reputation.
Maybe it was because they were two totally different people and they had nothing in common for them to start a relationship with each other.
Maybe it was because he was just terrified at the feelings he had whenever he was around her.
Belle watched as Phillip seemed to be in a world of his own. ''Are you coming,'' she asked for the second time.
''Yeah,'' Phillip answered, snapping out of his thoughts, as he followed Belle to Mr. Pendel's room.
Salem High cafeteria, lunch period.
''Since we had finished this week's homework, we started working on next week's assignments,'' Stewart laughed, finishing one of his boring stories about one of the boring clubs he was the President of.
Chloe simply smiled as she sipped from her soda can. Even with the flack she had taken for Stewart's 'rejection' of her as a date for Homecoming, she hadn't seen it as any reason to start treating him the way everyone else at SHS treated her. If there was one thing she hated, it was the way others had choosen to accept her, or rather not accept her as was the case.
''...but next week, we're planning on getting together to attend the Salem Art Insitute exhibit on World Wars...''
Chloe smiled and nodded, moving her eyes to take a quick look around the cafeteria. It was then that she spotted Belle making her way towards her. In her excitement to see a familiar, friendly face, Chloe didn't even notice Phillip until she heard the chair next to her being pulled back.
Looking over at him with owl eyes, she asked, ''What are you doing here?''
Phillip smiled as he took the seat, dumping his Calculus book, notes, and pencil on the table. ''Getting some help before the killer test.''
''Yeah,'' Belle said, draiwing Chloe's attention to her other side where her friend had taken a seat. ''Phillip totally reminded me that we have that horrible Calculus test later. He actually wanted me to help with the lessons Farris taught yesterday. Can you believe that?''
Chloe felt flustered at having so much sudden attention.
''Um, am I interrupting,'' Stewart's voice cut in.
''Actually, Stew, you are,'' Phillip said, opening up his notes.
''Phillip,'' both Belle and Chloe admonished.
''You're not interrupting Stewart. In fact, I think we're encroaching on yours and Chloe's lunch. I hope you don't mind,'' Belle finished, giving her thousand watt smile.
''Not at all Belle,'' Stewart answered too eagerly with a smile of his own.
Looking between the two, Chloe spoke, ''I guess you two know each other. And I'm sure you at least know of Phillip.''
Stewart nodded, his eyes barely dancing on Phillip before moving thier questioning gaze onto Chloe. ''If you're too busy Chloe, we can eat lunch another day.''
Phillip opened his mouth to say something smart and rude, but thought better of it. The girls wouldn't be too keen on that and he seriously needed Chloe's help. So instead, he asked Stuart if he didn't mind that he and Belle stayed. He almost laughed at the wide-eyed reaction he received. ''Belle and I were just asking Chloe for help with some calculus problems, but if you want to stay that's fine. No sweat off my back.''
Turning to look at the two girls, he could easily read their astonishment at his olive branch to Stewart. His mouth quirked up in a small grin. ''What? I can't be nice sometimes?''
''No,'' Belle said jokingly. Slowly turning her gaze to Stewart, she too invited him to stay. ''You're in Calculus too, aren't you Stewart?'' Belle asked as she pulled out the chair beside her.
Chloe watched silently as Stewart moved to take the offered seat, all smiles and nods to Belle's questions. She would have thought the whole scene a dream if she didn't actually know it was a reality. Deciding to put aside her questions to the behavior of both males at the table, Chloe pulled Phillip's notebook close and began to help her friends prepare for the test.
Outside Salem High, end of the day
Chloe stood outside the main building. She didn't even know why she was waiting for Phillip to come out, but she was. She would have liked to think it was because she wanted to know how he had done on the test having found it difficult herself. But another part of her knew that wasn't the true reason. There were a lot of things left unsaid between her and Phillip. First was his family situation, which he wasn't so eager to talk about. Then, there were the events that had taken place last night.
She could still remember watching and knowing, just knowing that he was going to kiss her. She had begun to feel anxious, then nervous, then lightheaded, before reverting back to nervousness. She didn't know why she had flinched, but the action had just happened, instantly killing the moment. Phillip had probably thought it as sign that she didn't want to be kissed by him when that was probably farthest from the truth. She didn't know when or how or why, but a comraderie of sorts had grown between the two of them.
Prior to this stint tutoring, Phillip Kiriakis had been a one-dimensional person to her. He was only a popular kid who couldn't spare enough time to activities other than sports and girls. But with helping him with his Calculus for the past week, Chloe had seen the other sides to him that his friends probably didn't see. She had seen Phillip worry about his grades not only because of football, but because of getting into college too. She had seen Phillip be a great guy to her little brother, often having words with Nigel whenever the little guy was around. And she'd seen the Phillip that had been, if only for even just one second, interested in her. The Phillip that had wanted to kiss her.
Stepping aside as more kids made their way out of the school building, Chloe realized that she wanted that kiss too. As out of the realm as it seemed, she had felt some sort of connection between them last night. It was only her nervousness to the situation that had caused him to retreat. If she hadn't practically jumped away, he would have kissed her. Her first kiss. The memory of the whole scene caused strange stirrings in her. She had never felt these things before and wondered what they meant.
Chloe looked up as the main doors to Salem High swung open. She almost turned and left when she caught sight of Jan and Jason. But the couple that walked out right behind them held her attention. There Phillip was, with his arm thrown over the shoulder of some tall, beautiful blonde. He was so caught in the girl that he didn't even notice Chloe's presence. As she watched the four of them walk towards the parking lot, Chloe let the disappointment wash over her in waves. To think that anything could develop between her and Phillip had been ludicrous. She chalked it up to a temporary brain freeze caused by the Calculus test. As much as they had shared over the past week, Phillip and her still remained at opposite ends of the spectrum. Chloe would be better off just remembering that tidbit. Turning around, she made her way home.
Wesley home, that same evening.
Phillip knocked on the door excited to share his news with Chloe. He had been the last one out of Farris' room, so he hadn't even been able to thank her for helping him cram, as much good as it did him. He had left the test feeling like a complete failure, especially with Farris' words to come by later so they could discuss his grade and the next steps to take. So, he'd snuck out of practice to get his grade and now wanted to share the good news with the person who had helped him to achieve it.
Knocking on the door once again, Phillip stepped back to look at the house. Though all the lights were out, signaling that the home's inhabitants were not there, it was Wednesday night. Checking his watch to see that it was only a little past seven, he wondered where the whole family could have trudged off to. His once exicted mood turned to disappointment as he realized that he would have to share the news of his B minus with Chloe tomorrow.
Turning, he made his way down the few stairs before a noise drifted towards him, catching his attention. He turned, looking around the both quiet and empty yard for the source. Then, it came to him again. The soft sounds of a guitar accompanied by a signing voice. Making his way around the house, Phillip was relieved to hear Dave Matthews singing ''Crash'' and not some weirdo guy belting out a tune in a stranger's backyard.
It was then that his attention was caught by the sight of two bare, long legs. He let his gaze travel over them until the reached the edge of a pair of very short boxers. The contrast between the darkness of the shorts and the pale creaminess of the legs left him without breath. As his gaze continued to travel, he saw the same smooth skin before a light colored shirt covered the rest of the gorgeous body. Whomever was laying in the Wesley's hammock had their attention riveted by something on the opposite side. Though he had been able to see the body just fine, the face eluded him.
Just then, it hit him that it was a not stranger he was ogling in the backyard of the Wesley's. It was Chloe! As the realization hit him, he became utterly without words. He'd seen Chloe today and she had looked nothing like that. He watched as she picked her head up, focusing her attention on something that was in the hammock. She didn't know he was here and wouldn't know if he just turned around and left. Yet, as much as he wanted to run, he wanted to walk over to her.
Taking a few cautious steps forward, Phillip cleared his throat gently. Instantly, her head whirled around to seek out the noise. At seeing him, she didn't get up or even say hello, but rather returned her attention to whatever it was she was reading.
''Uh, hey Chloe,'' Phillip finally managed, stepping closer to where she lay. It was hard to keep his attention off her skin when so much of it was showing. How come she never dressed like this to school, he wondered to himself before being relieved that she didn't. ''I ah...I wanted to tell you about my Calculus test.'' At receiving no response, he continued. ''I went to see Farris after football practice and he gave me my grade. I got a B minus.''
He waited for her to say something, anything, to acknowledge the hard work they had both put into the grade. Chloe's gaze didn't even move from where it had been captivated for the past minute. ''You reading something good there,'' he asked, stepping closer. With a speed that amazed him, she was out of the hammock and staring at him as if he had done something wrong.
''I really don't have time for this, Phillip,'' she spoke briskly, keeping her eyes locked to his. ''I'm busy. So if that's the only reason you came by, I'm real happy for you. Congrats. Now go,'' she pointed over his shoulder in the direction he had just came from.
''Whoa, chill out Chloe. What's wrong? What did I do?'' He watched as she shook her head, mumbling something about guys being dense.
''It's not what you did do Phillip, it's what you didn't do. You didn't try and make friends with me when I got here. You didn't want me to tutor you even though you needed the help. You didn't see me this afternoon when you were all over that...that girl. And you didn't kiss me yesterday even though you wanted to.'' At ending her tirade, Chloe picked up her book from the hammock and made her way towards the deck.
Astouded by the words he had just heard, it took a few seconds for Phillip to move into action. ''Wait a minute Chloe,'' he said, trailing behind her. When he caught up, he reached out to take her arm, but she yanked it from him at the slightest touch of his fingers. He let his hand fall away as she stopped above him on the stairs.
Turning around, Chloe yelled, ''Don't touch me! I can't believe I even began to like you. Of all the ridiculous things I've ever done, that has probably been the most stupid. You're just like every other guy out there. You want the blonde bombshell with the long legs and no brain so you can feel better about yourself. And I actually started to think that maybe you were different. Boy,'' she spat angrily, looking down at him as if he was less than nothing, ''was I wrong.''
''You know Chloe, I don't know what exactly it is I did wrong, but I am sorry. I...I didn't try to make friends with you but I'm tyring now. And I know I was difficult about the tutoring situation, and I apologized...twice I think.'' Seeing a tear fall down her face, Phillip felt less than nothing himself. ''God Chloe, if I had seen you this afternoon, I would have said something and...'' he let the sentence trail, not sure if she would be angered by his next words or not.
''And what,'' she asked.
Phillip was exasperated. A series of words ran through his head - the good thing to say, the right thing to say, the words that wouldn't get him in any further trouble. He opened his mouth and spoke the truth. ''And you have nice legs and I wanted to kiss you, but you seemed frightened and the last thing I needed was your dad coming out to pummel me 'cause he looked like he already wanted to and... You have great legs.'' He couldn't help but get a glance at them before he was thrown out for leering. He quickly moved his gaze to catch a small smile on Chloe's face. Relief came swiftly followed by a warmth he couldn't describe but knew was from that smile. Jesus, he was feeling warmth from her smile and leering at her legs! What had gotten into him?
Feeling a little shamed by her theatrics, Chloe looked down. He had wanted to kiss her but she had scared him away. But what about now? Did he still want to kiss her? She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she wanted that kiss. She'd agonized over it all afternoon until coming to the conlcusion that all men, save Craig and Nigel, were scum. But then, she'd had to allow room for the other males she knew that weren't scum like Shawn and Stewart and Belle's dad. The whole thing had gotten too confusing before she'd altered her mind to say Phillip Kiriakis was scum. But now...
''Do you still want to kiss me or was that just yesterday,'' she asked with unsure eyes.
''Did you cut your hair?'' He was absolutely losing it. She'd just asked him if he wanted to kiss her and he'd returned it with a question about her hair. But he'd seen the once long, dark locks in a short style and had been immediately disappointed that she would change her hair length, as if it was any of his business anyway.
Reaching a hand up to the curls that stuck to her neck, Chloe shook her head slowly. ''No, I... I put it up. What do you care about my hair, anyway?''
''That's a good question Chloe, and if I had the answer I'd share it with you. I can't even think right now. It's like everytime I look at you, I notice something new or different, but then I realize it's always been that way. I just didn't see it. I mean, I was watching you lay in that hammock and... You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.'' The words simply flowed out of his mouth, there was no stopping them. He'd probably regret it later, but he had to let her know that she was all the things she had said and more.
''Look Chloe,'' he began only to be interrupted by soft feel of her lips on his. As quickly as the kiss had come, it was gone. The two stood staring at each other, Phillip in amazement while Chloe looked for a reaction.
''Was it that bad,'' she asked quietly. Here she was, seventeen, and she had never kissed a boy before. From the look on his face and the words that didn't escape his mouth, it had been really bad. She turned, ready to just call it a night, when she felt his hand clamp over her arm, gently pulling her back.
''It wasn't bad Chloe, but this will be much better,'' Phillip spoke softly before showing her what a real kiss was all about.