Chapter 41

"Hey, guys!"

Digital warriors frozen in their mid-air battle, Shawn and Jason paused their game to look up at Belle, Mimi, and Chloe, who'd just arrived from their shopping excursion. Belle leaned in to give Shawn's cheek a kiss, before he pulled her into his lap.

"Wait a minute," Shawn said, as his eyes scrutinized her empty hands, "Not one shopping bag? Ok," he began, leaning back and narrowing his eyes, "Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?"

The feisty blonde gave him a good smack on the chest. "I told you that we were just going to look."

"Uh-huh. Right." He turned to raise his brows expectantly to her partners in crime.

Chloe smiled, "She's got an average of three dresses on hold at four stores."

"Ah," he grinned knowingly, "And accessories?"

"All picked out," supplied Mimi, who laughed at Belle's slightly indignant sniff, "And on hold with each matching dress."

"That's my girl," winked Shawn to Belle, who now pouted just a bit.

"So, where's Philip?" asked Chloe, looking around .Com.

"Waiting in line for the john," replied Jason and hitched his thumb behind him. "What?" He raised his palms in question, when Mimi rolled her eyes at him.

"Restroom. Bathroom. Lavatory. Washroom," she counted each word on her fingers, "Little boy's room, even. Take your pick. Anything but 'the john.'"

Jason quirked his brows. "Ok… He went to the restroom to take a leak."

Mimi shook her head. Unbelievable. Shakespeare to this. "I think I'm gonna get a shake."

"Ooo." Momentary pout forgotten, Belle hopped off her boyfriend's lap. "Wait for me, Meems."

"I could use a snack, too," said Shawn, "Want anything, Chloe?" After she shook her head, he turned to his buddy, "Jase?"

"Naw, I'm cool."

"Be right back, guys," Shawn said, as he stood to follow the girls. "Hey, Chloe, make sure he doesn't cheat, will ya?"

Chloe chuckled, as Jason threw a balled-up paper napkin at his smart-ass buddy. She scooted onto Shawn's vacated seat and looked at the frozen image on the monitor. She tilted her head. "So, this is how it all started, huh?"

Jason's forehead creased in confusion at first. Then, his expression fell a bit, when he got her meaning. "Yeah. I guess."

She reached for the controls and unpaused the game, so that the characters fell back to the ground in neutral stance. "What do you say, Jase?" She smiled, when his eyes widened at her use of his nickname. "You think, you can take me on?"

At the counter, waiting for their order, Mimi laughed, when Shawn blew a straw wrapper into Belle's hair. Of course, the obligatory squeals and smacks ensued. Mimi shook her head in amusement. Some things never changed. She turned, when she heard Jason bellow from his console.

"I can't believe it!" His voice almost squeaked in surprise. "You sucker-punched me!"

Mimi watched, as Chloe laughed and mashed the keys some more.

"What the… Ah, man!" complained Jason, obviously defeated, and proceeded to fire a paper napkin at her. Then, Chloe and he exchanged goofy grins, before they broke into laughter.

"Rematch?" challenged Chloe, taking up the controls again.

"Hell yeah!" he answered, eyes lighting at the challenge. No chick was going to take him down.

The monitors flashed a new battle scene, and fingers instantly went into a flying frenzy.

"Mimi, our shakes are ready," announced Belle, bringing her attention back to the counter. Belle noticed her friend's slight frown. "Are you alright, Meems?"

Mimi drew her lips into a smile. "Yeah, sure." She purposefully plucked up a straw, smashed it against the counter, and unwrapped the straw. Then, shoved it into the opening of the lid. And sipped. Beside her, Shawn and Belle were chatting about the ideal mode of transportation to the Last Blast.

He lobbied for a helicopter. "Just think, we'll beat all the traffic for sure."

Belle scrunched her face at the idea. "Uh, I think I've had enough helicopters to last me for a long time. How about a horse-drawn carriage?"

Her boyfriend shuddered.

Meanwhile, Mimi's eyes drifted back over to the intense but jolly video game across the room.

Chloe wiggled her thumb. "I think my finger's numb."

Reaching to downshift, Philip chuckled. "Serves you right. That's what mashing gets you. Sure, you get your lucky shots-"

"Victories," she corrected, exercising her well-earned right to gloat.

He gave her a sidelong smirk and then continued, "But you get one very sore digit."

She raised a lovely brow. "This from the guy, who lives and dies by the words, 'Winning isn't everything… It's the only thing I'm capable of.'"

His dimples deepened. "It got me you, didn't it?"

"As I recall, Philip Kiriakis," she pointed out, while she massaged her well-worn thumb, "You lost that little bet."

When the car came to a smooth halt before a stop sign, he caught her hand in his and brought her abused thumb to his lips. "And hit jackpot." He kissed her knuckle. "If only all losers could be so lucky."

Her smile softened.

With the car in motion again, he released her hand to shift gears. "So, did you see anything special at the mall today?"

Chloe sighed and shrugged. "It was more for Belle than anything else. She found some really cute dresses I'm sure Shawn'll like. And she also got Mimi to try on this amazing silk dress. But I swear, she was trying to turn me into Jessica Rabbit."

Her boyfriend took an indulgent visual sweep over her body and grinned. "Yeah?"

Shaking her head, she laughed. "Of course, you'd find that appealing."

Grinning outrageously, he ran a hand through his windblown hair. Hell. For a cartoon, that chick was hot. And although he knew virtually every inch by memory, he took another appreciative glance at Chloe's curvaceous figure and her endless hair flowing in the wind. Yep. She could more than pull it off. She'd put Mrs. Rabbit to shame. "So, I guess this means we're going to the dance."

She shrugged. "Belle seems to think so. Went into this whole thing about it being the last high school dance of our lives, etc., etc." She lifted her face to the wind and closed her eyes. It almost felt, like she was flying. Then, she realized that she was smiling. For no apparent reason. Just smiling. How wondrous was that? "Plus, I do have the hottest guy in school as my escort."

Dimples flashed. "Her words or yours?"

In reply, she leaned across the console and gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek. "So, do you wanna go?"

"Chloe Lane," he said, cocking a sexy Kiriakis brow, "Are you asking me to the prom?"

She laughed. "Maybe. Actually, I wanted your opinion first. Honestly, do you want to go?"

After a moment of thought, he gave a shrug. "Tough chance it'll beat last year's. The music. The dress. The chicken blood. You." Smiling, he leaned into her touch, when she reached over to stroke his cheek. "I don't know. It is kinda like our anniversary."

"Oh," she uttered softly, "I guess it is." She rested back against her seat. "A whole year."

He nodded, remembering then, as she did, about their unforgettable year together. The magical kiss on the porch. The truth about the bet. The serenade under the stars. Brady. J.T. That crazy costume party. The night in the stables. New York. Andrew. All beginning with the Last Blast Dance. A year filled with the saddest of tears, yes, but also overflowing with the purest of joys. Together they'd been through it all and somehow they were stronger than they ever were before. As individuals and as a unit. A team. Now, they approached the event - the catalyst - that had started it all.

Slowing as he always did, when he neared the Wesley house, Philip thought about the dance nearly a year ago. It'd been one of the most incredible nights of his life. He looked over at Chloe, who craned her neck to look up at the moon, and sighed. It could be again. The lights. The music. Her. Him.

And everyone else that would be there.

The car glided up to the curb in front of Chloe's house. After cutting off the ignition, he turned to her. "Hey," he said, waiting for her eyes to meet his, "You think, it would be alright with you, if we just-"

She leaned in to kiss him. "My thoughts exactly."

He smiled, settling his hand against her neck. No doubt about it. It would be one of the most incredible nights of their lives. He stroked her collarbone then ran a finger down the dip of her blouse. "Now, about that Jessica Rabbit idea…"

"I'd definitely go with the gold off-the-shoulder, Meems," smiled Belle the next day, pedaling along with one hand on the handlebar and the other gesturing conversationally. "It's so gorgeous and classy, so Veronica Lake, you know, from those old black and white movies?"

Behind her sunglasses, Mimi huffed a bit, thinking she had really been slacking in the physical activity department. She ran the back of her hand over her damp brow. Overhead, the sun shone brightly in the deep blue sky. The morning air was quickly heating. Of course, Miss Peppy Cheerleader, a.k.a. sugar-high-incarnate, was hardly breaking a sweat. "Yeah," she managed, somewhat winded, "It was definitely gorgeous. It was also like way more than I can afford. So, that means adios to that idea. Hey, Chloe," she said, turning to look to her friend, riding beside her. "Could I bum some water? I finished mine a couple of blocks ago."

Her friend laughed and handed over her waterbottle. "Mimi, we've only gone six blocks."

"Hey," she asserted, before squirting a stream of water into her mouth, "We're going up a hill."

Giggling, Chloe and Belle exchanged a look, after taking a comical glance at the level pavement before them. They'd met up at Mimi's house this morning with their bicycles, since only Belle had an idea of where Jason lived. The boys were starting their little auto repair project today. So, naturally, the girls were headed over for what was sure to be entertaining, if not downright hilarious.

"Oh, Mimi," encouraged Belle, "I've got some money saved up. I could help you out with the dress."

"No way, Belle," said her friend, shaking her head, "You bought me that dress for last year's dance, remember? I'm paying for my own dress this time. End of discussion." She took one last squirt of water and handed the bottle back to Chloe.

"Well," began Chloe, readjusting the strap of her tank, which had the annoying tendency to slip off her shoulder. "You could always have the dress made." They paused at an intersection, when the streetlight changed to red. Chloe took a healthy squirt of water and slipped it back in its holder. "Like you could just buy the fabric you need and tell the seamstress what the dress looks like."

"I dunno," said Mimi, "That could end up being even more expensive than trying to buy it from the store."

"No, wait!" Belle clapped her hands together. "Shawn's gram knows how to make dresses, and she'd probably know exactly what kind of dress we're talking about. And if Mrs. Horton doesn't know how to make the dress, she'll know where to go for sure. That's it! Oh, you'll look so beautiful, Meems." She went on to talk about possible hairdos and accessories that would make the perfect ensemble.

Mimi could only shake her head. Leave it to Belle to get more excited about Mimi's night at the dance than she was. She was just stuck on one itty-bitty detail missing from this little fantasy. A date. She sighed in self-pity. Once again Mimi Lockhart just couldn't seem to get it right. A dress without a date. Sex without love.

The traffic light changed back to green. The three pedaled off again. Considering the distance from Shawn's to Jason's house, Belle had told them that Jason's house couldn't be too far from Mimi's. After all, the mysteriously learned jock walked her home all the time, so how long could it possibly take? After the fifteenth block, the girls had to admit that this would be quite a walk.

As they finally spotted Philip's red convertible, gleaming in the sun, a couple of blocks down the road, there came honking from across the street, accompanied by whistles and howls. The girls looked up to see an unfamiliar black coupe, decked with outrageous silver trims and lowered almost flush with the asphalt. Meanwhile, teenage boys hung out the window with tongues dangling, calling out to them. "Hellooooo, ladies! Damn, you looking fine!"

Bored, Chloe didn't given them a second glance, Mimi rolled her eyes, and Belle shrugged guilelessly and continued to gab away about Last Blast plans. And pedaled on.

A moment later, the car made a u-turn and slowed to come up beside them. "Hey, sweet thangs! Need a ride?" The boys chortled at one another with this crude little joke, before they turned back to ogle at amazing female anatomy.

Having little patience for uncouth, moronic advances, Chloe didn't even grant them a sideways look. "I think we're doing fine on our own. Thanks," she said in a clipped tone. And concentrated on the comforting lines of the bright red convertible a block down.

"Ooo…" laughed the other boys at this frigid shutdown.

Unscathed, the original boy grasped his chest dramatically. "You're breaking my heart here!"

"You'll get over it," retorted Chloe dryly. Nothing like weighing hackneyed lines to gauge the intelligence. Or lack thereof.

His companions broke out in laughter at their pal's efforts. Rejected.

"Hey, blondie!" hollered another boy, "Can I have your number?"

Always polite, no matter the circumstance, Belle turned and simply said, "Sorry. I already have a boyfriend."

"I won't tell him, if you won't," he called out, which sent his buddies hooting in amusement.

Philip tossed one then another chilled can of soda to his buddies. They each caught it single-handed and turned back to the engine before them. Jase's truck was parked beneath the overhang in the driveway, but that did little to fend off the fast approaching noon heat. Their shorts hung low on their hips, as they guzzled their soda and decided on the next target. They'd tossed aside their grease-stained shirts an hour ago, when Jase and Shawn finished replacing the carburetor. It'd taken another hour to reassemble the connecting engine parts, while cleaning off the accumulated dirt and grime, as they went.

Meanwhile, Philip was in charge of detailing. So, he vacuumed the interior and then coated the dash, console, and vinyl with Turtlewax. It took some ingenuity, but he got the seat covers to go on somewhat correctly. By the end, he had to give Sebastian and the staff props.

After downing half his soda in one parched gulp, Philip pressed the cool aluminum to his forehead. His shoulders were already freckling from the random intervals in the sun. He'd have to think about some sunblock soon, before he burned.

Just then a car stopped by the driveway. "Hey, dudes!" called out the driver with a chipped tooth, who they often played pick-up games with.

Philip waved, while Jase and Shawn looked from under the hood. "Hey, man! What's up?"

"Me and the guys are gonna play some b-ball in the park later," explained their friend, "You dudes up for it?"

Philip shook his head. He had finals coming up and needed to hunker down. Good grades would help appease his father, if he didn't get into any of the Ivies that he'd applied to. Columbia had already turned him down, which was one less shot at being near Chloe. He took a nervous breath at the thought. Don't panic, Kiriakis. Can't panic.

"Can't," replied Shawn, "Working at the Pub tonight," and wiped his hands on a rag.

Squinting against the blinding sun, their friend turned to Jason, who was always up for some action. "So, see ya later on the courts then, Jase?"

"Gotta see," he answered to his friend's disappointment.

"Okay, then," shrugged the boy, "Later, dudes," and waved, before he sped off.

"Jase," said Shawn, using a steel clamp, as he prepared to loosen an old spark plug, "You're not gonna be working on her," indicating to the car, "All day, are you?"

"Naw." Jason fiddled with the new plugs in his wide pockets and shrugged. "Might help Mimi study later."

"'Study,' huh?" grinned Shawn. "You guys sure've been doing plenty of 'studying' lately."

Jason merely shrugged, before working to dislodge his own spark plug.

With a knowing smile, Philip came up behind his buddies to swing an arm on each set of shoulders. "It's not the how much, but what you're studying that's important here," Phil insinuated slyly, "You sure it's Shakespeare, buddy?" wiggling his eyebrows.

Jason cocked a brow, exterior as cool as a cucumber. "You talking from experience here, Phil?"

Philip's smile only widened. "Hey, I enjoy 'studying' as much as the next guy."

Shawn snorted, "Heck, I've never seen you more studious."

"Not sure, if it's got anything to do with books, though," muttered Jason, the corners of his mouth starting to twitch.

"Oh, yeah, Jase," grinned Phil, "You're just running over there every night for the pretty colored ink."

Jason shrugged once more but couldn't keep the smile from his face. "I'm just trying to help her out."

"Damn noble of you, buddy," chuckled Shawn and gave his friend a hardy thump on the back. "May we all learn from your fine example, Sir Welles - the Chickenheart."

"Whoa!" Phil jumped back, as Jason lunged after laughing Shawn.

They ran across the lawn with Shawn shouting in jest, "Should we curtsey, Sir Chicken?" He promptly got a greasy rag thrown at his head. "What'd I say, huh, Jase?" Grinning all the way, Shawn weaved this way and that, jumping over shrubs with his friend in hot pursuit. "Just cuz you got the hots for Mimi Lockhart and are too chicken to admit it!"

Laughing, Philip stepped out onto the middle of the driveway, watching as Salem High's star linebacker tried to catch Salem's High star point guard. Weighing their individual stats, Captain Phil figured they were about even. He was about to pick up the hose to cool them off, when he heard wolf calls and whistles from the street. Turning, he saw Chloe, Belle, and Mimi ride up on their bikes with a dark car following alongside them. "Hey, Brown Eyes," he heard someone shout, "Whatcha doing later?"

Chloe was the first to dismount, by all appearances completely unaware of the scene behind her. She swung her leg gracefully over the bar, bringing her feet to ground, so she could walk up the driveway to meet her boyfriend. "Hey you," she smiled, admiring his bare chest.

"Hey, beautiful," he met her halfway and caught her bike by the handlebars. He let her hug him in greeting. All the while, he shot a hard stare in the direction of the car.

Jason looked up from giving Shawn a wild nuggie. Instantly, they broke off their playful wrestling to close the distance between them and the girls. Message received. The hollering and whistles stopped, as the intruders took in the situation. Three pretty girls with three very intent and very muscular boyfriends. The hot red imported sports car parked out front was the final indication. No way could they compete. The black car grudgingly rumbled away.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Belle along with Mimi, who seemed oblivious to what essentially transpired in less than a moment and required no words.

"Hi there, ladies," grinned Shawn, gradually unpuffing his chest. His expression nonetheless was as easy as ever, when he walked over to hug Belle, though perhaps with a little more gusto than usual. With a clean pinky, he tugged lightly on a bouncy blond spiral. "What's up?"

Belle smiled sweetly, as images of a truck scattered across the yard flashed in her mind. "Just came by to see what you fellows were up to."

Jason caught Mimi's bike by the center bar, when she rode toward the truck to get a better look. "Hey, Meems." With one hand, he pulled the bike along, while she grasped the handlebar, to keep from toppling. Her grip had grown mysteriously slippery. Of course, it had nothing to do with his sinewy arm, which brushed hers once in a while, as he led her atop her bike to his truck. Nothing at all, she told herself.

"Cool," said Mimi, tilting her head, when they reached the truck. "It's still in one piece."

"Hey," grinned Shawn, who followed with his arm on Belle's shoulders, "What're you trying to say?"

Meanwhile, Philip and Chloe slowly made their way up the driveway toward the gang. She ran gentle fingertips over his shoulder. "Philip, you're already turning red. We'd better get you out of the sun."

"I'll be alright." He paused in his step. "Were those guys bothering you?"

She sighed and set down the kickstand on her bike, so that she could slip her arms around his neck and press her lips to his. She smiled. "What guys?"

His brows furrowed. "Chloe-"

She kissed him again, this time running her hands through his hair and pulling him close, until his arms came to bind tightly around her and his tongue swept over hers. Breathless, they broke apart, when Jason called from their makeshift garage.

"Hey, K-Man! You done studying yet?"

Shawn chuckled, while the girls exchanged clueless glances.

"There you go," said Chloe, snapping closed the bottle of sunblock that she'd found in the Welles medicine cabinet. "Now, you can go back and play with your friends."

Seated between her legs on the shaded grass, Philip chuckled, before turning to steal a quick kiss. Nothing made a man more at peace with the world than having his girlfriend's hands all over him. "Thanks, beautiful." Glistening in SPF 45, he stood and sauntered back over to see what damage he could do.

The screen door creaked closed behind them, as Belle and Mimi emerged from the house with chilled sodas. No one was home but for Jason this late Sunday afternoon and he didn't volunteer why. So, his friends simply shrugged and helped themselves.

They settled on the cool grass next to Chloe. The thick branches of the elm tree shielded them from the oppressive afternoon sun. Summer was coming and it was coming with a vengeance.

"So, Mimi," said Chloe, smiling in thanks, when Belle handed her an ice-cold ginger ale. "How's the play coming along?"

Her friend sipped her cherry coke. "Last week of rehearsals. I'm still kinda nervous about opening night. But now that I've got some clue of what I'm saying, thinking about opening night doesn't make me wanna heave anymore."

"We know you'll do great, Meems," assured Belle, "You and Brian look so great together on stage. I know I'll need a box of kleenex by the end of it."

"You'd better not," smiled Mimi, "Or Mr. Branagh's gonna bust a gut. It's supposed to be funny."

Chloe listened, while she watched Philip scrub away the rust, sending his muscles rippling. She inwardly sighed. Oh, the benefits of athletics. "Have you kissed him yet?"

"What?" blushed Mimi, catching herself looking at the tight rear end poking out from under the hood.

"Brian," elaborated Chloe absently, still watching, as Philip stood upright to wipe the sweat from his brow. "You know, Signior Benedick?" Looking up, her boyfriend caught her staring at him and sent her a wicked wink. Butterfly wings fluttering in her belly, she smiled and gave a little wave. Smitten.

"Wow, Mimi," commented Belle with a sly grin, "Your first stage kiss. So, how is it? I mean, is it any different from the real thing?"

"Uh, yeah," replied Mimi smartly, "Watching a stage kiss is a whole lot better than watching a real kiss. Ever see some other couple make out? I mean, euuu."

Belle giggled. "Not to the couple. If they're doing it right."

Mimi leaned in, conspiratorially. "And does a certain Shawn Brady do it right?"

"Mimi!" Belle blushed and gave her gossip-hungry friend a shove.

"Hey," she grinned, "You brought it up. Besides, we already know that Chloe can't keep her lips off Philly boy."

"Mmm-hmm," replied Chloe, having paid not even the slightest bit of attention to the shift in conversation. He'd walked over to take a peek at what his pals were up to. He said something to Jason, before he jabbed Shawn jokingly in the ribs. When Belle and Mimi began to laugh beside her, she turned to look at them, confused. "What's so funny?"

Belle continued to laugh and said, "Come on, ladies. Let's go see what those Mr. Fix-It's are doing to that poor truck now."

"Hey, guys," babbled a girl from history class the next day in school, "Did you hear? Mr. Woods is gonna be back tomorrow."

"Oh, that's so great!" piped Belle, before waving goodbye to their classmate, who sprinted off through the thick of students to spread the good news about Salem High's most popular teacher. Mr. Woods had been wounded in the shooting and had been out on medical leave for nearly two weeks.

Shawn, who'd arrived only moments before with Philip, drew an arm around her and gave Belle an encouraging squeeze. "That's so awesome."

"Guess that means, we go back to studying," smiled Philip, spotting the distinctive long hair reaching her locker. "We got a big time test to make up. Plus, the final. Guess, we'd better get a move on. See you guys, later, k?" With that, he headed off to intersect Chloe.

Shawn chuckled. If one didn't know better, and in fact after this weekend he did, Phil was actually excited about the upcoming exams. Or more specifically, the "studying" for them. Nothing like the right incentive to get a guy motivated. Speaking of which… "So, Belle," he said, as he walked her toward her first period class, "Wanna study together for history?"

In the meantime, Mimi pulled her morning books out of her locker. Just four and a half weeks until graduation. She had the play this week and the next. Then, the Last Blast. Then, the pomp and circumstance. And then, she was officially a high school graduate. On her way to college. Though she still didn't know, which one yet, considering response from NYU was still MIA. She sighed. How come it seemed, as if it was all speeding by so fast, but she was trekking through tar at the same time? She slammed her locker door shut. Life was supposed to get easier, as you got older, right? Would it ever get easier? she wondered.

She slung her heavy bookbag over her shoulder and started the lazy walk toward first period, when she spotted a small crowd of jocks and the usual desperate hoochie mamas that clung to them like superchewy bubblegum. "Oh, Jasey…"

Grinding her teeth, Mimi began to walk away.

"Hey, Mimi!"

She turned to see a cute classmate from Chem. walk up to her. "Hey, Damien. What's up?"

"Nothing much… Uh, listen…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, are you… I mean, have you got a date for the Last Blast yet?"

Mimi's eyes widened.