* Chapter 33 *

After everyone else had gotten their food, Jane and I were the only ones left to get ours. I picked up a bowl and filled it with green salad and then headed to where the grilled chicken was. After slicing one of the perfectly cooked breasts into thin strips, I set them on top of my salad and then poured ranch dressing over the entire thing. I was rather amused at how the guys and even the kids had gone nuts over the steaks. There was only one left and it was reserved with Jane’s name on it.

"This looks soooo good," Jane said as she picked up the last steak and put it on her plate.

"Mmm...Chicken is for me. I never really was a steak person," I replied before I went outside to find a place to sit.

"My compliments to the chef," AJ said to Jane with a smile as she followed me out.

"Yeah mom...I didn’t know you knew how to cook steaks like this," Nick said.

Brian couldn’t hold it anymore. He burst out laughing at Nick’s comment.

"I don’t," Jane replied happily.

"Who cooked ‘em then?" AJ asked curiously.

"That would be me," I said with a smile as I walked past them all and didn’t stop until I got to the stairs that led to the beach.

"Whoa...she cooked these?" Kev asked. "Are you sure?" he asked Jane.

Jane laughed a little as she nodded her head.

"I saw it with my own eyes," Brian burst out with laughter.

"You guys are weirdo’s...she’s always been a good cook," Mel said before she took a bite of food.

"Yeah Mel’s right. I remember one time when she came to visit for Thanksgiving...remember that Mel?" Cynth asked.

Mel nodded her head in agreement.

"Well, she insisted on giving our mom a break so she cooked the entire meal herself, complete with the fresh baked rolls. It was great! She says that cooking takes her mind off of her problems momentarily," Cynth explained.

"Yep...the guys that work with her at the station have been enjoying the last few months while she was ya know, wallowing in her pain...she made cookies and junk everyday for them," Mel said nonchalantly.

The guys all exchanged worried looks at what Mel had just said. Meg, Mel, Cynth, and Arti all exchanged glances of their own. The younger kids were totally oblivious as to what was going on.

"You guys aren’t talking about me are you?" I asked sarcastically as I made my way over to the nearest garbage can.

"Uh...no," Kev said almost too quickly.

I looked at him disbelieving for a few minutes before I shrugged it off.

"That’s ok...I don’t mind people talking about me. I’m sort of used to it," I said sadly before heading into the house to clean up some of the food mess.

I picked up the soiled dishes from the table and set them in the kitchen sink gently. ‘What in the heck is wrong with me?’ I asked myself as I leaned over the sink like I was going to throw up. I didn’t need to throw up...I just needed a few seconds to clear my head.

"Liz? You ok?" I heard Howie call from the kitchen door.

I stood up too quickly and then whirled around too far.

"Crap," I said as I banged my head into one of the overheard cupboards. "Geez monkey that hurt like a mother!"

I fell to the ground so that I was sitting with my legs spread out on the floor while my head was propped up against the cupboard behind me.

"Howie! You scared the freakin’ crap out of me!" I yelled.

He walked over to where I was and crouched down in front of me.

"You ok?" he asked gently.

"I think I’ll be ok," I replied as I stood up. "Ouch...I feel a massive headache coming on," I whined as I held my hand up to my forehead.

"Hang on...I’ll be right back," Howie said before he left the room.

I sat back down on the floor and closed my eyes. He was only gone for a few minutes and when he came back, he brought AJ and Jane with him.

"Liz?" AJ asked when he got to where I was sitting. "Are you alright?"

"No," I said with a small whimper before I opened my eyes slowly to see AJ crouching so he was at me eye level.

"Here take these," Jane said as she gave me two pills and a small glass of water.

After I took the pills and gave Jane the cup, AJ helped me up to my feet and into the living room to one of the couches. The pills made me a little tired so I just sat on the couch with my eyes closed until someone sat down next to me and put their hand on my leg just above my knee.

"You want me to take you back to the hotel?" AJ asked in a hushed whisper.

"Would you?"

"Of course," he replied as he stood up and then helped me to the door.

"You can take our car," Jane said as she walked in the door and tossed AJ the keys.

"Thanks Jane," he replied.

"He’ll be back," I insisted as we walked out the door and headed to the dark metal flake green Suburban (author’s note ~ I have no idea what kind of car they have) that was parked in front of the garage.

I was pretty much out of it the whole way to the hotel because whenever I take pills (any type of Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or Aspirin) for a headache, I get drowsy for no reason.

"Don’t pass out on me," AJ said as he drove down the road. "We’re almost there."

"I won’t pass out," I replied with a little laugh.

When we drove up to the hotel pull-in, AJ turned the car off and walked with me up to my room. I lay down on the bed almost instantly after we turned the light on and walked in the room.

"Are you going to be ok here? I don’t want to leave you by yourself," he said as he sat on the bed next to me.

"AJ...I’m almost twenty years old. I think I can handle being alone for a few hours while I’m asleep," I told him with my eyes already shut.

"Ok...ok," he gave in. "Just thought I’d make sure."

He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he was out the door. It didn’t take long before I was asleep and off wandering dreamland. I slept for a few hours before waking up feeling much better than before. My head didn’t hurt anymore, so that was a good sign. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes until I moved my head to look at the alarm clock on top of the dresser by the bathroom that Arti had plugged in. The lamp next to my bed was still on, so I could see across the room.

"Feeling better?" asked a voice from the opposite side of my bed.

I jumped a little in surprise and then turned to face the wall where the door was. There, sitting in the chair that was about 10 feet from my bed was Kevin. He looked up momentarily from my Mary Higgins Clark book that was in his hand.

"Geez Kev! You scared me," I exclaimed as I sat up.

"Sorry," he said apologetically before returning his attention to my book.

"Where’s everyone else?" I asked while I swung my feet off the bed.

"AJ, D, Bri and the girls are taking a dip in the pool," he replied without looking up.

"Oh."

I stood up, walked over to the dresser and picked up a scrunchy that was sitting next to the clock radio. After I pulled my hair up into a messy bun, I went back over to my bed and sat facing Kev while he read. He looked so serious and concentrating deeply.

"Kev?"

I looked at my hands nervously.

"Hmmm," he replied, still reading.

I kept my eyes on my hands for a few seconds before looking up to meet his gaze.

"I...uh...I just wanted to say that I’m...I’m sorry for what I said to you last night," I said softly. "I am so sorry."

My gaze was lost in his green eyes as I waited for a response. When he didn’t say anything, I moved my eyes back to look at my lap.

"I was being a total idiot last night. I’ll understand if you...ya know...never want to see my face again after I leave and go back home," I said sadly while I stood up and walked over to the dresser with the elegant mirror hanging on the wall above it.

He didn’t say anything as I stood there looking at myself in the mirror, even though I could feel his eyes watching me. My eyes welled with tears as I turned around, grabbed my jacket from the chair sitting next to the dresser, and headed for the door.

"I truly am sorry," I said before I walked out the door and down the hallway to the elevator with my eyes on the ground.

"Hi Liz," Howie said as he walked towards me from the elevator doors. "I was just coming to check on you."

"Hi Howie," I replied while I looked up to find him dripping wet with a towel around himself.

I couldn’t help but to laugh a little at that site. It’s not that he looked funny or anything, it’s just that I never really pictured seeing him like that. I mean, he’s Meg’s boyfriend...that and the fact that I would never EVER like him besides being friends.

"Am I that repulsive?" he asked with a weird look.

"Oh Howie...you know that you need to work out some more..." I joked with a straight face.

He gave me a frown and followed me to the little lounge by the elevator.

"Geez! I was only kidding," I told him while I sat down in one of the large chairs with really comfy cushions.

I watched as he stood in front of me a few feet. He stared at me while I looked off down the hall as if I was waiting for someone to come and rescue me from his gaze.

"Ya know...Meg told me about what happened yesterday...I want you to know that I don’t hate you," he said sincerely as I sat there staring off into space.

A small smile crept up on my face when I heard him say that.

"Thanks Howie..." I said before the smile faded from my face. "These last couple of months have been really hard on me, as I’m sure you’ve heard from Meg."

"Yeah. I feel really bad that I didn’t keep in touch. Meg would always gave me updates as to what you were up to, but I really wasn’t expecting to see you here," he replied.

"I wanted it that way."

"Oh."

"Howie...thanks for being a great friend. I know that Meg really cares aboutcha and I’m happy for you guys. Y’all are so cute together," I said with a small smile while I stood up.

"Did you just say *y’all*?" he joked with a silly grin.

"Yeah well...ya know...I’ve been around my oldest sister and brother-in-law too long," I replied. "They’re true cowboys at heart...Wrangler’s, hats, horses, boots, and all."

"Tell me about it...I have to be stuck with two of them too," he said sarcastically while I headed to the elevator.

"Thanks Howie!" I called out to him after I walked onto the empty elevator.

He gave me a smile before the doors closed and he disappeared out of view. I rode up to the top level and got out so I could walk up the last flight of steps to the roof. It was 8:35 already, so I just decided to go relax a little and enjoy the fresh air. When I opened one of the doors at the top of the elegant marble steps to the roof, I was amazed at the site. There were trees and flowers everywhere with a few strategically placed street-lamp type lights and benches here and there. The lights were only bright enough so you could see where you were going. It looked as if someone took a picture of a quaint little park and transported it to the top of the majestic hotel. The scene was absolutely beautiful. There were little paths weaving in and out of the ‘botanical garden’ and there were a few vine-covered archways over a couple of the paths.

I walked out onto the marble stone path and wandered around, taking in the beautiful surroundings. I stopped every once in a while to smell flowers and look out over the edge at the ocean water churning in the distance. After exploring nearly every different path that I could find, I finally sat down on one of the benches that was close to the marble pillared railing on the edge. I was lost in the moment and didn’t notice when someone walked up behind me. I was startled when I saw Nick walk past me over to the railing. He stared out at the ocean for a few minutes before turning to where I was sitting on the bench with my legs crossed.

"You decided to come..." was all he said as he stared off into space.

He didn’t even look at me as I watched him shift uncomfortably. He leaned backwards against the railing and folded his arms across his chest. He acted more mad than anything else.

"Mmmm. I guess I couldn’t bear to hurt you anymore than I already have," I said sadly while I turned my eyes to look at the stars that were shining brightly in the sky, hoping with all my might that I wouldn’t start crying again. "I can’t believe I said those things to you last night..."

There was silence as he thought about what I had said.

"Ya know...I didn’t really realize how upset you were about us not keeping in touch until today at my parent’s house during lunch. I just figured that I did something stupid, but now I understand how much it hurts..."

I didn’t move.

"I felt the same pain that you did when you gave the ring back to me last night."

"I feel so horrible about doing that to you," I said in a hushed voice as he stood up and walked over to the bench where I was sitting. "I hurt inside so much for hurting everyone else like that. I feel so foolish. It hurts so much," I said quietly as I closed my eyes and brought my head down in shame.

He sat down next to me and pulled me into a friendly hug as tears welled up in my eyes and threatened to fall.

"It’s ok to cry," he whispered when he heard me sniffle a little.

‘Haven’t I heard you say that before?’ I asked myself as tears fell down my cheeks. ‘Freaky! He said that in the dream on the plane ride home...woah...déjà vu...’

I was all cried out after a few minutes. I wiped my eyes and sat there for a few more minutes, listening to his steady breath as we sat in silence.

"So where did you go today? I didn’t see you after lunch was over."

"Well...I kinda hit my head on the cabinet in your mom’s kitchen so I had a major headache. I came back here and slept while everyone else was still there," I replied as I sat up and looked him in the eye.

"Oh..."

"I feel much better now. My head’s still a little tender on the spot where I hit it, but other than that, I’m fine."

"Sounds like you had as much luck as I did today. I fell into the pool...and then I had to search in the attic for some old ugly clothes to wear. I was too tall for the attic ceiling so whenever I took a step I had to stoop over...I forgot to duck a few times and ran smack into the beams. We should be more careful," he said with a little laugh and a smile.

"I guess," I replied with a smile in return.

There was a small pause.

"Liz...please don’t ever tell me that we can’t be friends...I don’t think I’d be able to handle it again," he said while he grabbed my right hand and playfully fingered the silver ring that was on my index finger.

"I won’t," I promised.

"Good," he said with one of his famous million dollar smiles in return before he stood up.

I stood up too and followed him over to the railing where he was standing before. We turned our eyes to the black ocean water below and stood there in silence. He pulled me into a loose hug for a few seconds before he pulled back.

"It’s getting a little cold out here...I’m gonna head inside now," I said while he gave me a smile. "Thanks for talking...I needed it."

"You’re welcome."

I gave him a quick friendly peck on the lips before leaving him standing there by himself. I hurriedly made my way to my room and opened the door cautiously, hoping that Kev had already gone to his own room. I opened the door and walked in to find the room empty. I turned the light on before I took my jacket off by the door.

"Els?" I heard before I reached out to shut the door.

I turned around and found Kev standing down the hall a little, watching me getting ready to close the door.

"Hi Kev," I said solemnly as I turned back around and walked away from the door, leaving it open.

He approached the open door and watched me sit down on my bed in exhaustion.

"I thought about what you said earlier," he said in a gentle voice. "I want you to know that I don’t think of you any less now than when I met you. I was just a little surprised at how you were acting last night is all...and I understand that you were only trying to ease the hurt that was in your heart," he continued while he walked in and sat down in the same chair as before. "I think you surprised AJ more than the rest of us."

"Yeah...I know," I replied sadly while I stared off into space.

I thought about the conversation that AJ and I had earlier. ‘I already forgave you’ were the words that stuck out the most.

"I can’t believe I’ve been given these opportunities. Why are you all so good to me? I don’t deserve any of this..." I trailed off as AJ’s words replayed in my mind.

"Stop...don’t say that," Kev said. "You can’t put yourself down like that. You deserve all the happiness that life has to offer you. And we’re so good to you because you are special to us."

I snapped my gaze into space and looked him in the eye. He gave me a comforting smile before he stood up and left. I sat there on my bed for a few minutes thinking about what he said until someone broke into my thoughts.

"Hey...I missed ya," AJ said while he sat next to me on the bed. "Whatcha thinking ‘bout?"

"Wondering why a millionaire super star such as yourself is interested in a boring blah kind of nobody like me," I told him honestly.

"You’re not a ‘boring blah kind of nobody’ to me...and I’m interested because I want to be," he replied while he gave my hand a little squeeze. "Does that answer your question?"

"Somewhat," I answered with a small smile in return. "So...what now?"

"I dunno...I’m happy with just sitting here next to you," he said flirtatiously.

"Oh really?" I asked slyly.

"Mmm hmm."

"I’m hungry...what’d you guys eat for dinner?"

"I haven’t had anything yet...I think the others went out to eat a little bit ago," he replied. "I’m rather hungry myself...want me to go pick something up for the both of us?"

"Sure...that would be nice," I said with a smile as he got up and headed for the door. "No fish...and no tomatoes..."

"Ok. I think I can remember that," he called out before he walked out into the hallway.

I was left with the perfect opportunity to get online and check my e-mail, so I pulled out my old trusty laptop and hooked it up. I hadn’t really checked my e-mail for the last two or three months due to the immense workload at the station. They had assigned someone else to handle the e-mails from the station’s website, but now I was the one who made all of the updates on the site so I didn’t need to check my e-mail as often, if at all. I plugged in my modem and waited patiently while it dialed up and connected to a local server.

‘Your mailbox has hit maximum capacity’ an error message said when I opened the program that I use for my e-mail. I clicked on ‘Ok’ and waited while my pooter downloaded my messages from my mail server. It took about 10 minutes to download all of my messages because there were so dang many. While I waited, I got up and flipped on the TV to find ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ playing on the local movie station. I slowly sifted through the large load of newsletter lists, SPAM, work-related e-mails that were way out of date, and other miscellaneous forms of e-mail. After I had read...deleted, read...deleted, read...deleted, and so on for about 10 minutes, I was left with about 10 e-mails from various recipients. 4 of the ten were from ‘bsbphantom@sprocket.com’, 3 were from ‘airboyunlmtd@ACinc.com’ (AKA Airboy), 1 was from ‘Pknholder@myname.com’ (Court), 1 was from DaBaSiC1@aol.com (Tina), and the last one was from ‘genethediver@myworld.com’. (author’s note ~ NONE of these e~mail addies are real so DON’T try to e~mail them...you won’t get very far if you do. The names are merely a figment of my wild imagination...LOL)

I opened the message from Tina first.

‘Hey...It’s been a while since I’ve talked to ya so I decided to drop you a line...here’s your line: _______________ Ok, ok...J/K I saw you on the tuberator the other night...Call me girlie! By the way, how are Cynthanie and Mellia? Anywho, I’ve got to be going now...Kameron calls...he’s so fine! Call me or consider yourself dead! See ya, Batina’

‘I guess I better give her a call when I get done here’ I thought to myself as I opened Court’s e-mail and began reading.

‘Hey Ellz! Congrats on the nomination...’

"Oops! I guess these are a little outdated..."

‘I haven’t talked to you in what seems like ages. How’s the new job title treatin’ ya? I hope everything is in the up and up for ya. Oh, by the way...Have you talked to Tina lately? Just wonderin’ cause she said she needs to talk to ya for some unknown reason. Call me when you get a chance...I’ll most likely be home any time... Punkin’

I made a mental note to call her too before moving to the next message. It was from airboyunlmtd@ACinc.com also known as Airboy.

‘Hey Liz. It’s been a little while since I’ve talked to you so I decided to write you an e-mail from my so-called ‘official’ e-mail address. *grins* We’re pretty much packed up and ready to move out to LA soon. I can’t wait to see what living on the other side of the country is like. Well, mom wants me to go to bed now, so I guess I gotta go. Talk to you soon! AC’

‘Liz!!!! I can’t wait until we get to see each other again...no one around here ever wants to play videogames since Nick and the other guys are gone so I’m really bored. We finally got all our stuff into our new house and I got to pick which room I wanted before BJ, Leslie, and Angel did! Anyway, I have to go cause I have rehearsals today to go over some new music and blah stuff. Hope to talk to ya soon! AC’

‘Liz! I saw you on MTV tonight! You were absolutely awesome! Can’t wait to show you the new house. AC’

"Oops! I guess I should check my e-mail more often from now on," I said out loud to myself as I continued on.

I opened the one from ‘genethediver@myworld.com’ next.

‘Hey Els. It’s been a while, I know. Everything is so busy and hectic and well...down right chaotic! Maybe that’s cause I’m here. *grins* Naw...the other guys are off doing who knows what while we have a little break...little as in like 30 minutes. Oh well. That’s what I get I guess for being in the music business. I sure hope that I get to talk to you soon! Gotta go...we have a sound check in a few. Forever friends, Nilo’

I hit the reply button.

‘Nilo, I’m sort of relieved that we got through this little ‘storm on our picnic’ so to speak cause it was really tearing me up inside. I just want you to know that I’ll always be grateful that we were and still are friends. It means the world to me that you didn’t give up on me during the time that I was being emotionally retarded...*laughs a little* I hope you understand that you are very special to me and everyone who knows you! Forever friends, Els’

I read over what I wrote a few times before I hit the send button and then moved on to the next message. It was from ‘bsbphantom@sprocket.com’.

‘Hey chica! What’s up? I just wanted to tell you how wonderful you look! I can’t wait to see you again. I love to run my fingers through that long blond hair of yours...it always smells so good! Your eyes put me in a trance where my heart takes over my mind and I lose all control. Mmm...I hope we can meet again soon cause I don’t think I can stand being away from you for too much longer. Laterz, Phantom’

"Woah...this is too weird," I said to myself before I opened the next message.

‘To my girl, Every time I look at the sky above and see the stars at night, I think of you. It gives me strength thinking that you could be somewhere else on the planet looking at the same exact stars shining brightly in the heavens. I wish you knew how much I think of you each day that we are apart on our different courses in life at this very moment. You are my angel in disguise and I always hope to know that you’ll be there for me. Much Love, Phantom’

‘My girl, Straight from the words of my favorite poet...’I wish I may, I wish I might...be that certain someone you wish for every night.’ I know that I wish we would meet again and I can only hope that you feel the same way. You haven’t written back, but I know that you read these messages, so I’ll keep writing them as long as I need to let you know how much I miss you. ‘7 A.M....thinkin’ ‘bout you. Wondering if the thoughts I’m feeling you’re feeling too. Like a newborn child, soft to the touch. Baby is it possible to love someone so much?’ Another one of my favorites. Phantom’

"This is like waaaaaay psycho!" I said out loud as I opened the last message that was dated with today’s date. "No one has ever written things like those to me before...it’s probably just a joke."

‘Ellz, I can’t hold back anymore. I have decided that I need to tell you how I feel in person. Come to the dock on the beach by the hotel that Meggie D is staying in...meet me there at midnight, no sooner, no later. I’ll be waiting with open arms, Phantom’

"Holy crap! This psycho person wants me to meet him/her/it tonight at the dock on the beach?!? That is insane!"

I picked up my cell and dialed the number to Tina’s private phone line. ‘I hope she’s home’ I thought to myself as I waited while it rang. She finally picked up after about 5 rings.

"What do you want?" she asked quickly.

"Caller ID comes in quite handy doesn’t it..." I responded.

"Yeah...So, how’s LA?"

"Oh, ya know...good shops, great food, and psychos running loose...nothing unusual," I replied.

"How do you mean?" she asked, totally confused.

"Some weird person keeps sending me these really weird e-mails and he or she or whoever talks like they know me and all this junk," I explained as I heard the door open and AJ walked in with his arms full. "Hey AJ...took ya long enough."

"AJ!?!"

"Uh....yeah..."

"Who’re ya talking to?" AJ asked in the background as he put the food down on one of the dressers.

"One of my sisters...hang on..." I said to him before I turned my attention back to Tina.

She was freaking out and I couldn’t tell what she was saying.

"Hello? Are you still there?!? Let me talk to ‘em," she said.

"Oh...you wanna talk to him?" I barely had a chance to say before AJ stole my phone from my hand.

"Bone speaking..." he said as he jumped on the bed to get away from me.

"Give me my phone back!!!" I hollered as AJ jumped up and down on my bed.

"I suggest that you run like the wind," Tina said seriously to AJ on the other end.

AJ took Tina’s advice and ran out the door and down the hall with me screaming behind him. When I reached the elevators, I was too late to catch the one that AJ was on, so I went up the stairs instead. By the time I made it to the next floor, he walked calmly out of the elevator as if nothing was wrong. When he realized that I was almost right behind him, he dashed in the first door in sight. I figured it was his room, but I couldn’t be sure since I hadn’t been up to this floor yet. I ran in after him and there was Kev laying on the bed with his eyes glued to MY Mary Higgins Clark book. My book?!? Suddenly I saw my purple phone sailing across the room.

"Noooo!!" I screamed while it was in the air.

Kev looked up just in time to catch the phone in midair. He suddenly realized what was going on and bolted for the bathroom before I could reach him. I was too shocked that AJ would give KEV...Kev of all people...MY phone. I rushed over to the bed and snatched up my book before I headed to the bathroom door.

"KEV!!!! Give me my phone back!! I’m not kidding!" I hollered through the locked door. "KEVIN!"

"Ya know...it’s no use. He’s not going to come out until he wants to," AJ pointed out as I pounded on the bathroom door.

"That’s what I’m afraid of," I said in return. "I have to pay that bill ya know...he is sooo gonna get it! You...YOU are sooo gonna get it," I said pointing to AJ with an accusing finger.

I lunged at him and tackled him so he was laying on the bed face down. He yelled in surprise when I started tickling him with no mercy. I tickled him for a few minutes until he suddenly rolled over and pushed me off the bed.

"Umph," I whined as I fell to the floor with a loud thump. "What in the...Oh no...NO!" I screamed as AJ pounced on me and began to tickle me out of revenge.

He didn’t ease up at all so I started screaming louder.

"KEV!!! KEV HELP ME!" I screamed between bursts of laughter and gasps of air. "KEVIN!"

"Ssshhh," AJ said as he held my wrists to the floor.

I tried with all my strength to wriggle out of grasp, but he’s obviously stronger than I am. I gave up my fight and lay there motionless with my eyes closed for a few seconds. After a few seconds I felt something on my lips so I opened my eyes to find his finger against my lips to keep me quiet. He leaned down as if he wanted to kiss me, but he didn’t get the chance. When he was least expecting it, I sat up a little on my elbows and kissed him first. He was totally oblivious to my plan. As he tried to deepen the kiss, I rolled over on him and pinned him to the floor.

"I gotcha...I gotcha," I taunted him happily.

I leaned over and gave him another little kiss before I sat up again.

"I know I’m good," I boasted playfully while wiping my nails on my shirt like I was some hotshot.

"Can I get up already?" AJ whined from underneath me.

"Not until I get my phone back," I said with a pout as I folded my arms across my chest.

"Kev...give me the phone back already," AJ hollered out.

Kev opened the bathroom door and walked over to where I was sitting on top of AJ. I gave him the evil eye as he talked to Tina on the other end.

"I have a hostage," I said to him as he listened to something Tina was saying.

"Hey Tina...Liz wants her phone back. Maybe I’ll talk to you again sometime," he told Tina.

He listened to something that Tina was saying to him and laughed before he said his goodbye and handed me the phone.

"Tina...hang on. I have to free AJ," I said as I put the phone of the bed and stood up slowly.

Before AJ or Kev could do anything else, I grabbed my book and my phone before rushing out the door. I practically ran down the stairs to my room and hurriedly told Tina that I had to go so I could eat my dinner.

"Dinner at 10:45 at night?!?" she asked in an unbelieving voice.

"Hey...I would’ve eaten sooner, but someone had to steal my phone...so a certain someone could talk to Kev...ya know," I pointed out to her.

"Yeah...yeah..." she replied.

We said our good-byes and hung up before I turned my whole attention to the salad that AJ had gotten for me from Mickey D’s. I munched on my salad as if nothing was wrong when AJ burst through the door suddenly.

"I see that you found the food," he said playfully.

"Yep."

"Is the salad ok? I didn’t know what kind of burger or anything to getcha and I figured ya liked salad cause you had one for lunch."

"It’s great," I replied as I took another bite.

I was just finishing my food when he started working on eating his. I turned my thoughts back to those weird e-mails that I had read earlier.

"Ya know what?" I asked to make conversation while he ate.

"What?"

"I’ve been getting these really weird e-mails for a couple of months...they’re kinda freaky. This person acts as if they know me and have gone out with me and weird crap like that," I replied.

He gave me a comforting smile and then went about finishing his food.

"Well, what do these e-mails say?" he asked as he threw his garbage in a trash can.

"Hang on...I’ll read one for ya," I said while I opened the lid to my laptop.

I opened the first e-mail that I came to from this ‘bsbphantom’ person and began reading out loud.

"To my girl, Every time I look at the sky above and see the stars at night, I think of you. It gives me strength thinking that you could be somewhere else on the planet looking at the same exact stars shining brightly in the heavens. I wish you knew how much I think of you each day that we are apart on our different courses in life at this very moment. You are my angel in disguise and I always hope to know that you’ll be there for me. Much Love, Phantom," I read out loud. "It’s just so freaky! No one has EVER written anything like that for me before...I don’t know whether to be really flattered or extremely scared. And he or she or whoever is sending them to me wants me to meet them at midnight...I seriously don’t want to go...what if it’s some psycho serial killer?"

"Liz...calm down! I’m sure everything will be fine," AJ said while he walked over to where I was sitting on a chair by the bed with my pooter in my lap.

"If it’s not ok then I’ll make sure they come after you when I’m dead somewhere," I joked with him and he put his arms around me in a loose hug.

I looked at the alarm clock on the dresser that said 10:52 in bright red numbers.

"I’m going to go see what the other guys are doing and then I’m going to head to my room," he said as he held me in his arms.

"Ok."

He kissed my neck lightly and went on his way. I turned the TV on after he left and counted the minutes passing by until it was finally 11:55. The girls had told me that they were going to go clubbing tonight so I shouldn’t wait up for them. I put my jacket on before heading out to the steps from the lobby that led to the beach below. I walked lazily through the warm sand and headed to the dock that was dark with only the light of the moon providing light. I walked to the edge of the empty dock and leaned against one of the posts holding the dock up that was sticking about 5 feet straight up in the water.