Chapter 23

Jason flipped over in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. His parents' angry voices resonated from downstairs. Same old, same old. You suck. I do more than you. I can't take you anymore. Bitch, bitch, bitch. Sometimes Jason wished that they'd just get it the hell over with and divorce. Then, he'd get scared and tried not to think at all.

Whatever, he sniffed. Like it matters.

A soft knock came to his door and then a pretty redhead with pigtails poked her head in.

"Jason?"

He quickly rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. "Hey, baby sister. Can't sleep?"

Katie shyly stepped into her big brother's room, looking so little in her oversized pajamas. "No… Mom and Dad are fighting again."

"Yeah." He'd given up, trying to explain it into something it wasn't. Oh, they're just playing around, like on tv. They don't really mean it, he used to say. Now, his eleven-year-old sister was beyond the sugarcoating and looked at him with all-too-knowing green eyes. "Come here," he said.

Relieved, she climbed into bed next to him and sighed, when his big comforting arms came around her. He was her rock. Sometimes, when the fighting got really bad, her big brother would let her sleep in his bed, telling her silly stories, which were probably mixed-up fairy tales. But she didn't care, if the dwarf wore glass slippers or kissed frogs. He was there, and he took care of her.

Her emerald eyes met his then shimmered in concern. Her little hand touched his cheek. "You look sad, Jason."

He looked away from those big innocent eyes. "I'm ok. Why don't you go to sleep? School's tomorrow."

"Why are you sad?" she asked, accustomed to things being more than it seemed.

He shut his eyes, so close to breaking down then. But he had to be strong. For his little sister. He was all she had. "I'm just tired, that's all. Come on, munchkin. Beddy-bye." He reached over and clicked off the light.

Cuddling close, she sighed and quickly drifted off into a child's slumber.

Jason tucked the blanket tighter around her, then stared back up at the ceiling.

Chloe reached into her locker for her morning books. She smelled the familiar fresh scented cologne, before his arms circled her waist from behind and he kissed her neck. She smiled.

"Morning, beautiful."

She turned and found her lips captured in a hot kiss. Breathless, she pulled away, feeling her cheeks pinken. "Philip..." Her eyes darted about looking for an adult to come at them with a chaste meter stick.

"Just making up for lost time," he grinned. He ran a thumb over her cheekbone. "So, how was the sleepover at Mimi's?"

"Educational," she smiled secretly, "But I think Mimi's doing better. How about Jason?"

He sighed, pleasing himself by playing with a loose tress. "He didn't say much this weekend. I'd say he's taking it pretty hard."

"I guess he's not the player that everyone makes him out to be."

"I don't know. He's definitely had his share of women, but this has never happened to him before, you know? I don't know how I'd react, if I'd slept with a girl, who's a friend and probably something more, but was too drunk to really remember." Then, he thought about when Chloe was sick from that punch and how easy it would've been to take advantage of that. "I guess I'd probably think that I'm slime and now she hates my guts."

Moved by his empathy and compassion for his friend, Chloe caressed his cheek then kissed it. Who said jocks weren't sensitive? "He's lucky to have you."

He flashed a disarming pair of dimples. "Just him?"

She blushed, "Well-"

"Hey, guys," greeted Belle, with Shawn's arm slung over her shoulder.

"Hi," answered Philip and Chloe.

"Have you guys seen Mimi or Jason yet?" asked Belle.

"No. Not yet."

They all turned then to see that indeed Mimi had just reached her locker and a mop of menacing curls making a beeline for her.

"What do you want, Jan?" snapped Mimi, who had enough on her emotional plate, coming into school today to face her schoolmates, many of whom were at the party that night. Plus, Jan was never up to any good.

"Just wanted to drop by and ask how'd you like the party," she grinned wickedly, like a hyena licking her chops.

Mimi paled. So, word got around fast. Stay strong, girl. Stay strong, she told herself. "That's really nice of you, but I've got to get to class. So, if you'll excuse me-"

"Or maybe this is a better question. How'd you like Jason?" Those dark brown eyes gleamed in delight, as always when she could make someone squirm and cry. Someone had to put everyone in their place. "From what I hear, you guys were pretty hot and heavy. Hey, maybe we could compare notes, you know, girl to girl. Or should I say, woman to woman?"

Her fingers curled into infuriated claws. "Why you-"

Then, an arm came around her shoulder. "Beat it, Jan."

"Aw, isn't this cute?" sneered Jan. "Little Jason trying to play the gentleman. Give it up. Everyone knows you deflowered Meems here, but she was too wasted to remember."

Mimi's eyes burned. She wanted so badly to just run and hide under some rock, but his arm tightened around her.

"I said, beat it, Jan. Or I'm gonna leak that little Mardi Gras stunt. Wouldn't everyone and your parents love to hear about you and your group events?"

Her eyes shot fiery darts. "You wouldn't… you'd look like a fool-"

"That's not really the point, is it?" he said, his voice turning deadly.

Incensed, Jan looked from Jason down to Mimi, growled, and retreated.

Mimi stood speechless, not entirely believing what just happened.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Belle, approaching the still frozen Mimi.

"What happened, dude?" asked a grinning Shawn.

"Yeah. What'd you do? Spit holy water at her or something?" joked Philip, giving his unusually quiet buddy a playful punch in the shoulder.

The bell rang.

"Uh, I gotta go," muttered Jason, before he withdrew his arm.

Mimi blinked in confusion and watched him disappear into the flood of rushing students.

The last bell rang. The students took a collected breath in relief and filed out of the classrooms to the hallways in excited chatter. Among them, Mimi was the most grateful for the end of the day. Thank God, she thought. She'd kept her chin up, as girls in their gossip huddles threw her knowing looks and giggled to each other. Random boys, meanwhile, looked her up and down and grinned. Thank God, the day was over and this was her week off from the newspaper. She switched off with another gossip columnist every other week, so that she could spend time at the drama club, as well. But she'd skip out and just go home and take a very long bath. She'd never felt so dirty in her life.

"Hey, Meems," greeted Belle. She took one look at her friend and hugged her. "Feel like a latte? My treat?"

Mimi smiled. "Yeah, thanks." She closed her locker and walked with Belle toward the exit. "How come you're not with Shawn?"

"I think he's hanging out with the guys today. Besides, I wanted to spend time with my best friend." She drew a supportive arm around Mimi's shoulders.

Mimi's heart lightened. "So, where's Chloe? We could make the Three Musketeers at this rate."

"I think she still has choir. They're getting ready for some competition in New York."

Mimi took in the soft breeze. The fresh air was definitely doing her some good. "Chloe and her music. I wish I'd find something that I'm that good at and loved to do."

Belle gave her an admonishing jab in the ribs. "What are you talking about? You ever read your own articles for the paper? They're hysterical. You're really good at making gossip fun and easy. Not vindictive or anything. Just a lot of fun. That's your talent, Mimi. You make people laugh at life. And boy, do we need that sometimes."

Mimi sighed. "Yeah, boy, do we need that…"

Belle paused, before she said, "That was pretty cool, what Jason did this morning."

Mimi stared down at her moving feet. How different things appeared, when one looked from a different perspective. "Yeah. I guess he must feel pretty bad… about what happened."

"Maybe. Maybe because he really cares about you."

Mimi rolled her eyes, mocking herself and this entire fiasco. "Let's not even go there. I definitely don't need to start romanticizing all of this. All I want to do is get through this and move on."

After choir rehearsal, Chloe bundled up against the evening chill. She was glad that the days were beginning to grow longer, so it wouldn't be dark by the time that rehearsal was over. She smiled. Maybe Philip was still around after that baseball meeting. If not, she'd simply shrug and head back home to start on her latest paper.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she slammed her locker shut and headed toward the physical education department. She looked around. She even dropped in on the weight room, just in case. Tons of muscles. No Philip. She sighed in disappointment. Oh, well. She tried.

So, she shrugged and headed out the door, crossing the now empty field. She stopped in the center and looked about. She was reminded of the Coliseum and stories of gladiators and the most gruesome battles before a heckling and bloodthirsty crowd. How could anyone stand being on display, their struggles under this much scrutiny? How could anyone consider suffering entertainment?

Shivering from the falling temperatures, she pulled her coat tighter against her and started to tread off the field. Then, she happened to notice a lone figure, hunched high in the bleachers. After a bit, he raised a hesitant hand in greeting. Her eyes narrowed trying to make out who it was. Slowly, she walked up the bleachers to meet him. Huffing from the effort, she plopped down beside him and followed his gaze to the blank scoreboard.

So, they sat there for a while, in silence. Their respective breaths came out in visible white puffs. He huddled in his thick jacket, his ears, nose, and cheeks red from prolonged exposure to the cold. But he said nothing.

She recognized that eerie feeling - that desolate chill in the heart, when you felt utterly alone. She recognized it, because it had dominated her life, until she came to Salem and found hope. Finally, she spoke. "That was an honorable thing you did today for Mimi."

His eyes blinked, and he managed a broken shrug.

"You know, she's doing much better. Even dressed up her dog for fun."

His green eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I know. Poor dog, right? But what I'm saying is Mimi's a strong person. She'll be fine."

His expression revealed nothing, as he returned to staring at the scoreboard.

"How about you, Jason? Will you be alright?"

His jaw clenched, as he fought a tremor, running through him.

"I didn't know this, when I first met you. In fact, I pegged you for a hopeless asshole."

He grunted in dark sarcasm.

"But you're a decent person, Jason. You're actually one of the good guys."

He bit down on his bottom lip, his composure crumbling.

She slowly reached over to cover his hand with hers. "You're a good person."

His eyes welled with tears, as he tried to snatch his hand away. But she held on, not letting him crawl back into that impenetrable fort of solitude.

"You're a good person, Jason. You deserve forgiveness, especially from yourself."

He choked on a sob, still trying his best to be a man. The pillar of strength. Made of steel. Invulnerable. Empty.

Like a patient mother, Chloe wrapped her arms around him and soothed. "It'll be alright."

He broke then, crying for Mimi, his sister, his parents, and himself.

"Uh, I don't know about this…" Jason rubbed his hands on his jeans and looked nervously at the Wesley porch and front steps.

"Come on, Jason," coaxed Chloe, "My mother can be a pain, but she's a pretty good cook." She held out a hand, as she would to a wary stray puppy. She had a feeling that he wasn't ready to go home. God knew what was going on there. From what Philip told her, Jason spent a lot of time at the mansion or at Shawn's house on a regular basis. It was, as if he tried his best to avoid home as much as possible.

Back at the bleachers, Jason had finally let himself cry for everything that had happened to him. Foremost on his mind was that night with Mimi. He spoke of how bad he felt for Mimi and wished he hadn't taken advantage of her like that.

"You weren't in control at the time," she'd assured him, "I saw you, remember? You were in no state to make logical decisions. Neither was Mimi. All you can do now is learn from this experience and move forward."

When they finally decided it was getting late, she quite naturally asked him to come to her house for dinner. He seemed too vulnerable at that point to be left alone. His eyes had bulged at the invitation. When he saw that the offer was indeed genuine, he ultimately agreed. They walked back to the Wesley house in companionable silence, once in a while swapping stories about Philip.

"We got so bored one summer," smiled Jason in memory, "That we went through the house pulling on all the candlesticks and books to see, if we could find a secret passage or something. Henderson almost whooped both our butts for that one."

Chloe laughed. "Back when I first got here, I was talking to the music teacher at .Com. Mr. Too Cool Kiriakis was leaning so far in to eavesdrop, he fell on top of a CD rack. CDs flew everywhere. But he still tried to play it off, like it was because of some faulty screw or something."

"He never told me about that," chuckled Jason.

"Would you admit to your best friend that you tripped all over yourself because of 'Ghoul Girl'?" grinned Chloe.

Jason's easy expression faded. "Listen… I never apologized for that 'Ghoul Girl' thing…and everything… I'm really sorry."

She smiled. "That's behind us now. And now that I look back on all of it, I wouldn't change a thing, because everything turned out alright in the end. I have good friends and I have Philip."

"Yeah," he agreed with a grim smile, "I guess you're right."

Who would have guessed that "Ghoul Girl" would ever offer her hand in friendship to her once mortal enemy? Jason certainly hadn't. So, now he looked at that outstretched hand and then back to her face with uncertainty.

"Come on, Jason. You'd be helping me out here. I'm kind of easing my parents into having Philip over some time. Shawn's come over a couple times. Now, you're Philip's other best friend. They might actually start to like him by proxy, you know?"

Jason grinned, inwardly amused at the notion that the crown prince of Salem High was not the perfect guy to bring home to the Wesleys. "They're not over the bet thing, huh?"

"They're just way overprotective." She offered her hand again and smiled, when he took it.

Two hours later, Jason thought his stomach might just pop. Mrs. Wesley, after giving him the mom-scan from head to toe, became a bubbly and exuberant hostess. She was so happy that Chloe had another friend, proving that her daughter was really becoming a typical teenager. So, when any part of his plate was eaten clear, Mrs. Wesley piled on another heaping portion of mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, or duck with stuffing. He barely had time to breathe, before she shuffled out of the kitchen with a massive pie, of which he must've downed a third. Automatically, he offered to help with the dishes, which earned him extra mom points.

"Nonsense. That's what the dishwasher's for. You kids run along to the living room and let the food settle," Nancy chirped, virtually shoving Chloe, Jason, and Craig out of the dining room.

Craig shrugged and settled down on the recliner to talk about the latest football and baseball stats. Chloe rolled her eyes at the males and interjected her own comments about recent trades and injuries. Finally, her parents retired to their own quarters to finish work for the hospital.

Chloe walked Jason to the door.

"Thanks for dinner, Chloe. I think your mom could give Cook a run for his money, as far as stuffing teenagers goes."

She laughed. "My mother loves to play hostess. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow, then."

"Yeah. And Jason," she said, before he walked out the door, "Remember what we talked about today."

He gave a humbled smile and headed out. Shortly afterwards, the door closed softly behind him. Standing in the middle of the walkway, he looked up at the stars and sighed. His heart felt eased. What would he ever do without his friends? Now, he had one more that he could count on and that felt good.

A strange sound drew his attention to the side of the house. Clack. Clack. Clack.

What the hell was that? he wondered.

He slowly walked toward the giant tree that grew high above the house. His eyes widened to find his buddy Philip flinging pebbles at a second story window.

"What the hell are you doing, K-Man?"

Philip jumped. "Jeez, man. You almost gave me a heart attack." He rubbed a knuckle over his chest.

"Sorry, dude," chuckled Jason, "Why are you throwing rocks at Chloe's house?"

"Uh…" His friend looked uncertainly up at the window.

Jason saw his buddy's abashed expression and broke down into laughter. "Oh, my God. That's Chloe's window, isn't it?" His eyes teared. "Damn, this is better than knocking down the CDs at .Com."

"What?" Philip's eyes narrowed in confusion then widened in understanding. "How the hell do you know about that?"

Jason couldn't stop laughing. And he thought ole Phil was whipped before… "Chloe told me," he managed with tears in his eyes. "If you're looking for her, dude, she's probably on her way up."

Philip's brows furrowed in suspicion. "How do you know that?"

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Jason chuckled, "Don't worry, man. I'm not stepping in on your time. Chloe just invited me to dinner. That's all."

Philip's mouth dropped open. If someone had told him that Chloe danced naked under a full moon, he'd be less surprised. "She invited you to dinner? With the Wesleys?"

Jason's sides hurt from all the laughing. K-Man's face was just priceless. "Yeah, she told me that she wanted her parents to get used to your friends first, before she tried the idea of inviting you."

"Oh." Philip couldn't think of anything else to say. He'd never imagined Chloe and Jason spending more than a couple of minutes together, much less a whole meal at her home with her parents. Talk about Twilight Zone.

"Why don't you just ring the freaking doorbell, man? You know, like normal people?"

Philip scratched his head. "It's kind of a long story…"

"Oh, that's right. Her parents don't like you yet. I get it." Jason shook his head in amusement. "Well, good luck, buddy. I guess I'd better get home." He gave his friend a pat on the shoulder, before he turned to walk toward home.

Philip grimaced, when he heard more laughter echoing off the street. Chloe had some explaining to do.