Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 10:26:14 -0700 (PDT) From: Kirk Landers <ilj4ever44@yahoo.com> Subject: Luke- part 9 Copyright and Disclaimer: 1. This is a fictional story with fictional characters. 2. No one is to steal this story under any circumstances. 3. This story deals with relationships and not sex, so if you're looking for a story with a lot of sex in it, this isn't the story for you. Hey everyone. This is the second to last chapter for this first season batch. After chapter 10 I am going to take about a month off and then come back for the next set of ten chapters. Hope you all like these last two chapters, there's a lot of fun and a lot of drama that I hope you enjoy. Here is part 9 titled, "The Bitch is Back." "THE BITCH IS BACK" ****FORD**** "Chandler, what are you doing here?" I asked trying to play it cool as he gave me a hug. "Didn't you get my messages?" Chandler asked. "I told you I would stop by since I didn't hear from you." "Oh sorry I never returned your calls. I've just been really busy lately," I lied. "Wow, that's a change," Chandler said. "Last time I saw you-" "Let's not talk about the last time we were together. I'd rather forget it," I said. "I know you're still upset and I'm sorry about that. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I came back. I wanted to make it up to you," Chandler said. "It's not necessary," I said trying to get out of it. "No, I insist," Chandler said. "What are you doing now?" "I can't. I have plans with Patrick," I replied. I was thankful that Patrick was able to rescue me from spending time with him tonight. I don't know why, but Chandler always had a way to talk me into things. "He told me that you two were dating," Chandler said. "So you're actually dating him, huh?" "Yeah, why?" I asked. "Well, he's a great guy, but lets face it, he isn't exactly in our rank," Chandler replied. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "Did I ever tell you that he used to clean my family's pool at our home?" Chandler asked with a laugh. "I don't care how much money he has," I replied. "I'm dating him because I actually like him." "Well that's cute. Just get ready to start paying for everything," Chandler said. "Anyway, I have to go," I said getting pissed off at the way Chandler talked about Patrick. "Okay, well drinks tomorrow. No excuses," Chandler said. "I might not be able to," I said trying to quickly think of a good excuse. "No excuses!" Chandler called out as he walked away. "I'll see you tomorrow." "But-" I began, but Chandler cut me off. "See you tomorrow Ford!" Chandler called out and walked away. I stood there shaking my head, I wanted nothing to do with him, but somehow he found a way to get back into my life. ****LUKE**** The next day, I was at breakfast with Shane and Ford. I was going to talk to them about my kiss with Morgan, but Ford had bigger news. His old friend, Chandler, is back. "So now I'm stuck having drinks with him tonight," Ford complained. "What do I do?" "Don't go," I replied. "Just avoid him." "It's not as simple as that when it comes to Chandler. He'll find a way to get back into my life," Ford said. "He always has some ulterior motive. He wants something from me." "What do you think it is?" I asked. "I don't know," Ford replied. "But if I keep avoiding him he'll just make things more difficult for me." I looked over at Shane and noticed that it didn't even seem like he was paying attention. He was looking down and picking at his food, he was barely eating. "You okay?" I asked getting his attention. "Huh?" Shane asked looking up at us. "What's wrong?" Ford asked. "It's nothing," Shane replied. "I'm just thinking about some stuff." "Talk to us," I encouraged. "Is it Brenda?" By Shane's silence I took it as a `yes.' "What's going on?" "Did she decide to keep the baby?" Ford asked. "Actually, she already got rid of it," Shane replied quietly. Ford and I both looked at one another; we didn't know what to say. By the way Shane was acting, it was obvious that he was pretty upset about it. "Is there anything we can do?" Ford asked. "No, thanks. I'll be fine," Shane replied. "Let's move on to something else." "Yes, please, I don't want to talk about my problem either," Ford said. "That leaves you Luke," Shane said turning to me. "You have any good news?" Ford asked. "Well, I don't know if it qualifies for good news, but Morgan kissed me last night," I replied. "What?" Shane asked shocked. "He did?" Ford asked smiling. "How did it happen?" "We were just hanging out and joking around, then suddenly, we kissed," I explained. "That is so romantic!" Ford gushed. "You two kissed?" Shane asked. He looked concerned, which really wasn't a reaction I was expecting. "Yeah," Luke replied. "Crazy, right?" "No, it's perfect!" Ford replied. "You two belong together!" "You don't know that," Shane said. He then turned to me. "I thought you two were just friends." "That's what I thought," I replied honestly, "But after that kiss, I'm not so sure." "I think you should keep things as friends," Shane said. "No! That's crazy. You should date him!" Ford enthused. ****SHANE**** When I heard Ford tell Luke to date Morgan I kicked him underneath the table and gave him a look to be quiet! Ford looked at me confused at first, but then he looked over at Luke and back at me and he seemed to understand what I was getting at. "Or maybe not," Ford quickly added. "What?" Luke asked confused. "I'm just saying, there might be a better guy out there," Ford replied. "I just don't want to see you with the wrong guy." "Wait a second, weren't you just encouraging me to date him two seconds ago?" Luke asked. "Yeah, but..." Ford began. He looked to me for help. He didn't know what else to say. "I'm sure we both are thinking the same thing," I said. "You need more time to yourself." "I do?" Luke asked. "Yes," Shane and I said in unison. "Okay," Luke replied skeptically before looking at his watch, "I would like to stay here and deconstruct your guys' weird behavior, but I have to get to work." "Already?" I asked. "Yeah. I am starting my first blog today for the newspaper's website," Luke replied. "So I'm going to go over some last minute details with Farrah." "Starting a blog, huh? How very Perez Hilton of you," Ford joked. "It will be nothing like Perez Hilton," Luke replied. "It will be about stuff that actually matters. See you guys." "Wait, before you go I wanted to invite you to the Red Ball," Ford mentioned. "The Red Ball?" Luke asked confused. "It's this big function that his parents throw every year to raise money for cancer reasearch," I explained. "Oh yeah?" Luke asked. "That's so nice." "Yeah it's a cancer research fund that my parents started," Ford answered. "My grandma died of breast cancer so my parents started this fund in honor of her. It's the `Beverly Ohara Cancer Foundation.'" "That's really nice," Luke said. "When is it?" "It's next week," Ford replied. "How much are tickets?" Luke asked. "You don't have to buy one," Ford replied. "I already bought a table and just need my friends to fill it up." "Why is it called The Red Ball?" Luke asked. "Everyone has to wear red," I answered. "I guess that's better than having a Blue Ball," Luke joked. "It's so amazing seeing everyone dressed head to toe in red," Ford gushed. "You have no idea how hard it is to find a complete red outfit," I groaned. "But it's fun," Ford said. "Well count me in," Luke smiled. "This can actually be a good function to write about in my blog. I'll see you guys." "Bye," Ford smiled. "I'll be in, in about an hour," I said to him. "Okay. See you then," Luke replied as he left some money on the table for his food and took off. Once look walked out the door to the restaurant, Ford turned to me with wide eyes. "You like him! I knew it!" Ford said. "Why did you lie before when I asked you that night at the club?" "Because I didn't want you to make it a big deal like you're making it now!" I replied. "It's just a little crush. It'll go away." "How long have you had this little crush?" "A month...or two," I replied. "For two months?" Ford asked. "Shane, this is huge!" "No, it's not," I said. "He will not find out." "You're not going to tell him?" Ford asked. "No, if I tell him, I risk ruining our friendship and I don't want that to happen," I replied. "True," Ford nodded, understanding my point of view. "But it would be so sweet if you two got together. You two would be a great couple." "You think?" I asked. I imagine often times what it would be like if him and I got together and I like that someone else also agrees that we would be good together. "I do," Ford smiled. "You have to make some risks in order to be happy. I think this is a risk worth taking." "What if it ruins our friendship?" I asked. "I think that you two are good enough friends that nothing can ruin it," Ford replied. "Go for it." "I don't know," I shook my head. Did I really want to risk it? "I'll think about it." "Good," Ford smiled. "Now let's go back to my problem." ****BENJI**** I woke up for my last day in New York and looked out my hotel room window to see how beautiful the city is. It was in that moment that I decided what to do. I had been debating all night over the idea of moving to New York and I realized that it was something I needed to do. I decided to move that I was going to move to New York. Now all I have to do is tell my friends. I'll be back home in San Diego later today and I will tell them then. ****SHANE**** On the way to work, all I could think about was the baby that could have been. I couldn't help but be a angry at Brenda for getting an abortion without talking to me first. I know it's ultimately her decision, but I would have liked her to talk it out with me before she just went and did it. I wonder what the baby would have looked like, how I would feel holding the baby in my arms, now I'll never know. I think what kills me the most about the situation is that it might have been my only chance of having a baby that shares my blood. I know adoption is always possible for me, but to have a baby that is truly my own is something that could possibly never happen for me again. I'm grateful that breakfast this morning focused mostly on Ford and I was even okay with talking about my feelings for Luke because it provided me a small break of not thinking about this baby. I never thought I wanted a kid up until now. It was never something I thought about. A part of me just thought that it wasn't an option for me because I'm gay. Now that I had the possibility for a brief period of time, it's suddenly an idea I can't get out of my head. Now all I think about is what I might be like as a father. I know I just have to let it go and move on, but I can't get that baby's face out of my mind. I can't get that dream out of my mind. ****LUKE**** I was writing my first blog for the newspaper's website. Farrah wants me to try and connect with the younger demographic so a lot of thought was put into the look and the subjects of this blog. At least four times a week I was required to write in it about anything that teenagers and young adults could relate to. So mostly my blog was to be about music, entertainment, sex, fashion, love and I decided to also through in some politics to hopefully get younger minds more into what's going on in our world. MY first blog though was important because it needed to be fun and catch the attention of people who read the news from our website. I decided to write about relationships as a tribute to my last boyfriend, Nick, who was an advice columnist for people in relationships. As I was writing, Shane came in and sat down at his desk next to mine. "How's the blog going?" Shane asked. "Pretty good," I replied. "So how was the rest of breakfast?" "Oh you know, it was just Ford complaining some more about his problem," Shane shrugged. "He's really worried about this Chandler guy, huh?" I asked. I've known what it's like to have a bad person in your life. And if he's anything like the man who killed Nick then I completely understandable why he's so scared. "Apparently," Shane replied. "But you know Ford, sometimes he can be a little over-dramatic." "You don't know much about this guy?" I asked. "Ford's mentioned him a couple times to me, but he never talked about him much," Shane replied. "I wonder why he's back," I said. Taking my experience to heart, if someone bad is back in your life it can only lead to bad things. "I don't know, but hopefully he'll be okay," Shane said. Shane was quiet for a bit before he said anything again, "So you're really thinking of dating Morgan?" "Yeah," I replied. "He's a really nice guy, he's good looking, he has a good job. There really isn't a reason why I shouldn't date him, is there?" "Well..." Shane began, but then he quieted down, "I guess not." "Why were you and Ford so down on the idea of me dating him at breakfast?" I asked. "We just don't want you to date before you're ready to date," Shane replied. "You're not ready." "What makes you think I'm not ready?" I asked. "Have I been depressed and moping lately?" "No," Shane replied. "Have I been talking constantly about Nick?" I asked. "No," Shane answered. "Then why do you guys think I'm not ready to date?" I asked confused. "Honestly?" Shane asked hesitantly. "Yes, please," I replied. I really wanted to know why they think I shouldn't date Morgan. "Do you guys not like him?" "It's not that," Shane replied. "We hardly know the guy." "Well maybe that's the problem," I suggested. "Maybe once you guys get a chance to hang out with him you'll see what a great guy he is. Do you think I can bring him to The Red Ball?" "Oh, I don't know," Shane said. "I bet Ford doesn't have enough seats at the table." "Well let me call and find out," I said taking out my cell phone and calling Ford. I talked with him briefly, but he said there was room at the table so I told him I would be bringing Morgan. He sounded a little surprised, but said it was fine. After I got off the phone with him I turned my attention back to Shane, "Ford said it was fine. So you guys will get a good chance to get to know him." "Great," Shane replied, although he seemed a little resistant to the idea. ****FORD**** Wanting to keep my mind off of Chandler I focused my attention on the upcoming Red Ball. I was having this awesome red and black pinstripe suit made for me and just picked it up. It looked great. It was cool and fun, but still classic, which is my personal style. After I picked it up I went to the mall to look at some things for Patrick. I didn't ask him yet, but I'm sure he'll be more than happy to come as my date. "Hey Ford," Cherise, one of the sales managers at the Bloomingdales at Fashion Valley that I often frequent. "Hey Cherise," I smiled. "Shopping for The Red Ball?" Cherise asked. "Yup," I replied. "It's that time of the year again." "Your parents came in earlier today," Cherise said. "Your mom bought a beautiful Marc Jacobs dress." "Good," I smiled. "They mentioned you would be bringing a date this year," Cherise said. "They both seem very excited to meet him." "I hope so," I said. "Hopefully he'll enjoy the ball." "Why wouldn't it? It sounds like it pretty gorgeous," Cherise said. "I don't know if he's really comfortable with this type of event and the type of people who will be there," I said. "To be honest, I don't know if he's even stepped foot inside a Bloomingdales before." "Well he should consider himself lucky," Cherise said. "Not many people get to go to events like that and meet the top socialites of San Diego." "That's not really the kind of stuff that impresses him," I said. "Well it should," Cherise said. Cherise is a sweet woman, but I can tell that she is more concerned with climbing the social ladder than being anything close to a decent human being. Every year she tried to hint her way to getting an invitation to the Red Ball, but my parents and I never fell for it. We all know that she would turn into a complete monster if she got her hands on one of the wealthy men at an event like this. She would often drop hints to us about wanting to come to the Red Ball and I had a feeling one of those hints was about to come up and sure enough, "If I had the opportunity to go to a ball like that, I would appreciate every second of it." "That's sweet," I replied. "Well I should talk to my date. It was good seeing you." "But you didn't get anything," Cherise noted. "Oh, well just pick me out a good red outfit. My date has the same measurements as me," I said. "Okay, great," Cherise smiled. "I'll see you later." "Thanks Cherise," I replied as I walked away and got out my cell phone and called Patrick, who by now, should be on his lunch break. "Hey cutie," Patrick said picking up the phone. "Hi you," I smiled. I loved hearing his voice. "How's your day going?" "It's fine," Patrick replied. "Pretty slow day at the beach. You should stop by and get some sun, it would make my view at my watch tower a lot better." "I'll keep that in mind," I laughed. "It's nice to hear you laugh. You've been so worried about Chandler lately that I haven't heard it in a while," Patrick said. "I'm trying to not worry about it," I said. "I'm just going to have drinks with him tonight and then afterwards I'm going to do everything I can to avoid him." "Sounds like a good plan," Patrick said. "So to talk of better things," I began, "I have a favor to ask." "Ask away," Patrick replied. "My parents have this big event every year called the Red Ball and I have a table reserved and I'm hoping to take you as my date," I said. "The Red Ball?" Patrick asked. "What is it?" "It's to raise money for cancer research," I replied. "So I'm guessing a lot of your rich friends will be there?" Patrick asked. "Some of them," I replied. "But my close group of friends are going and I would like them to know you better." "I don't know," Patrick replied to my surprise, "You know I'm not very comfortable around those kind of people." "Those kind of people?" I asked. "You know, rich people. They're so pretentious," Patrick replied. "Not everyone is," I said. "I'm not talking about you. I think you're amazing. But the rest of them are all so self-involved and arrogant," Patrick said. "Those are my parents you're talking about," I sighed, disappointed by his reaction. "I'm sorry, but I just don't think it's a good idea for me to go," Patrick said. "But you haven't met any of the people there," I said. "Some of them are great and they're all generous and giving." "Yeah, they're generous because they can afford to be and it makes them seem like better people then they really are," Patrick scoffed. "Why are you being like this?" I asked. "It's nothing," Patrick replied. "Look, I should get going. My lunch break is almost over." "Yeah. Fine," I answered. "Bye." "I'm sorry," Patrick said. "It's fine," I gritted my teeth before I hung up. I thought he would be more than happy to go with me. I knew he was uncomfortable around money, but I didn't think he would be like this. ****SHANE**** The workday was tough for me. It was hard to sit next to Luke when all these feelings for him were becoming more and more intense. I never felt like this about someone before and I hate that it has to be with someone I consider to be my best friend. Every so often he would lean across his desk to talk to me and I did my best to mask my attraction to him and act normal, like nothing was out of the ordinary. I hated that I got so jealous when he spoke of Morgan and I hated that I didn't like Morgan, even though I didn't even know the guy. This was just a very difficult day overall. To distract myself from thinking about the baby I think about Like instead and then when I think about Luke too much, I think about the baby. My head was filled with impossible dreams that I can't have right now. I definitely need a good drink after this day is through because all this stuff is too much for me. I'm glad Benji is coming home tonight, I'll go over and talk with him. He can always make me laugh and I'm sure he has enough good stories about New York to distract me for the night. ****FORD**** That night on the way to Starlite to meet Chandler for drinks Patrick tried calling me. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to him since our conversation earlier in the day. Instead I concentrated on the battle ahead of me...drinks with Chandler. Hopefully this will be the only time I have to deal with him. I'll just be nice and act cool and then that will be it. I know the possibility of this being the last time I have to worry about him is slim, but it's a nice hope to have. I finally arrived and as I headed inside I spotted Chandler sitting at the bar with an open seat next to him waiting for me. He looked over and shot me a smile. Only Chandler was able to have a smile that had a hint of evil behind it. He is never a genuinely happy person, he always has some ulterior motive behind everything he does and I'm worried about what is intentions are with me. Not wanting to let on my hatred towards him I put on my fake smile and gave him a hug, "How are you?" "I'm great now," Chandler said. "I just ordered us a couple cucumber martinis. You still drink those, right?" "Of course," I replied. Truth is, I hate cucumber martini's, but back when I was friends with Chandler I drank anything that contained alcohol. "So I want to start things off by just apologizing for the last time we saw each other," Chandler said. "I hate that things got so messed up that night." "Things just didn't get messed up," I said. "We could have gotten into a lot of trouble." "Yeah, but we covered everything up," Chandler replied. "I took care of everything." "Which I still don't know how you did," I said. "It doesn't matter how I did it," Chandler replied. "All that matters is that we didn't get in trouble. So let's just move on." "Fine," I smiled even though it's something that I never will get over. "Tell me, how are things with Patrick?" Chandler asked. "Fine," I shrugged. It isn't exactly the best time to be asking me how things are going with Patrick. "Trouble in the low-rent paradise?" Chandler joked. He could never resist taking jabs at people who aren't as financially set as him. "It's just a little something," I replied. "It'll be fine." "Talk to me about it," Chandler said taking a sip of his drink. I didn't want to spill my problems about Patrick with him, but truth of the matter is that he knows Patrick pretty well. They were friends once, which means that he might have some insight to Patrick that I don't know about. "He just has a lot of pride," I said. "Let me guess, it has to do with money," Chandler guessed. "Yeah," I replied. "I invited him to the Red Ball, but he doesn't want to go because of the type of people who will be there." "Sounds very typical of him," Chandler laughed. "You knew him in college better than I did, why is he so uncomfortable around people with money?" I asked taking a sip of my drink. "You don't know?" Chandler asked. He seemed amused that I wasn't aware of Patrick's situation. "No, what is it?" I asked. I hated that Chandler seemed to know more about Patrick then I did. "The reason why him and I were friends at all is because his mom used to be my family's maid," Chandler said. "Really?" I asked amazed I didn't know this. "For how long?" "We had her for about seven years," Chandler replied. "There was a time when she and Patrick lived in my home. I would be nice and give them our family's hand-me-down clothes that were no longer in style." "So that's why he doesn't like people with money?" I asked. Something didn't seem to add up. "No. The reason why he probably is like that, is because my family had to fire her," Chandler said. "Why?" I asked. "She stole a diamond necklace from my mother," Chandler replied. "It was a horrible incident and she claims she didn't do it, but we all know she did. After that, Patrick and I had our fall out because he accused me of being the one who stole the necklace. He's such low class." "He's not low class," I defended. "Well he's not in our rank," Chandler smiled as he clinked his glass against mine. He paused for a moment then spoke again, "I'm so glad to be hanging out with you again. It's been too long." "Not nearly long enough," I said quietly under my breath. I then spoke up to him, "You know, it's getting late. I should get going." "What are you talking about? It's only ten," Chandler replied looking at his Piaget watch. "We used to stay out until five in the morning." "Well, I've changed a lot since then," I said getting up. "It was good catching up with you." "I guess I'll see you at the Red Ball then," Chandler said. "The Red Ball? You're going? I thought you were only visiting for a couple days," I said. My stomach tied into a knot when I heard him. "I decided to extend my stay for a bit," Chandler replied. "My family is going to the ball and I thought it would be fun to go. I always loved that event." "Great," I said trying to mask my distain for him going. "Be sure to tell Patrick I said hello," Chandler smiled smugly. "See you both next week." I just smiled politely before I turned to walk away. As I left the bar I had the sinking feeling that Chandler was up to something and wasn't going to leave until he gets whatever it is he wants. ****BENJI**** When I got home from the airport I unpacked and walked around my apartment. Pretty soon I would be leaving here. It was sad, but at the same time incredibly exciting. As I was walking around, Shane called me. "I'm in hell," were the first words he said when I answered. "Does this have to do with Luke?" I asked. "Partially," Shane replied. "He's going to start dating Morgan." "Wow, a lot went on while I was in New York," I said surprised by the news. "And now I feel so uncomfortable around him," Shane said. "I don't know how to act." "See, this is why I don't fall for guys. It causes so much unnecessary stress," I replied. "Well I can't just turn off my feelings for him," Shane said. "Help me." "What do you want me to say?" I asked. "If you tell him you risk ruining your friendship with him." "I know," Shane replied. "Listen, I had a crap day, are you too busy to go out?" "Honey, I'm never too busy to go out," I smiled. "Great, because there is a lot I need to catch you up on and there is a lot of alcohol that needs to be consumed in order for me to have a good night," Shane said. "Well you turned to the right person for that," I said. "Get dressed and I'll pick you up in twenty minutes." "Thanks Benji," Shane said. "I'm glad you're home. It wasn't the same with out you." "No problem," I replied. I guess tonight wouldn't be the best time to tell him that I was planning to move to New York. "I'll see you soon." I hung up the phone and took a moment to re-think my decision. I am making the right decision to move, right? ****FORD**** When I got back to my place I was surprised to see Patrick sitting outside of my front door waiting for me. "Hi," Patrick said standing up. "Hi," I replied. I didn't know how really act with him since our conversation earlier today. "Can I come in so we can talk?" Patrick asked. "Uh, yeah, sure," I replied unlocking my front door to let us in. When we walked inside, we both wet and sat down on my living room sofa. "How were drinks with Chandler?" Patrick asked breaking the ice. "It was whatever," I replied. "He told me about the fallout you two had." "He told you about my mom?" Patrick asked. "Yeah," I nodded. "It also explains why you don't like rich people." "It's not that I don't like them," Patrick began to explain, "It's just humiliating sometimes." "Why is it humiliating?" I asked. "Because I would be around the people my mom works for," Patrick replied. "I feel like I don't belong around them." "You shouldn't think that way," I said. "It's hard when your whole life you were constantly reminded that you're not in the same class as them," Patrick said. "Patrick, you know I don't care or think about stuff like that," I said. "I know," Patrick nodded. "You're caring and genuine and I love that about you. My pride just gets in the way sometimes." "So can I ask you about the situation with Chandler's family and your mom?" I asked. "They said that she stole some necklace of his mom's," Patrick replied. "But she didn't. I know she didn't. She would never do something like that. But they fired her and it was tough for a while, but luckily she was able to find a new job working for another family that made me feel inferior." "And that's why you and him had the fall out?" I asked. "Yeah," Patrick nodded. "He was the one who accused my mom of stealing the necklace. I think he was lying though. I'm pretty sure he was the one who stole the necklace." "Why?" I asked. "You know Chandler," Patrick replied. "He always was buying drugs or gambling. I think he got in over his head and sold his mom's necklace to cover his debts. When I accused him of that he went off on me and that's how we stopped talking." "I didn't realize," I said. "Well, I understand if you don't want to go to the Red Ball now." "No," Patrick said. "That's why I came here. I want to go." "You do?" I asked. "Yes," Patrick replied. "I like you a lot and I know this means a lot to you. I want to meet your friends." "Really?" I asked. "Yeah," Patrick smiled. "So do you forgive me for being a jerk?" "You're not a jerk," I replied giving him a kiss and wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you." "I wouldn't do this for anyone other than you," Patrick said. I held Patrick tightly, I never liked a guy more than him before and every day makes me realize how much he means to me. We sat together on the couch for most of the night just talking and kissing. It was a perfect night. ****LUKE**** The next morning, I pulled out my cell phone to give Morgan a call so we could go shopping for The Red Ball. Even though Shane and suddenly Ford, were giving me advice to the contrary, I decided that it might be time for me to give it a try and date again and I think Morgan may be the perfect person for it. When I flipped my phone open, I saw that I had a new voicemail. I didn't even hear my phone ring. I checked it and was surprised to hear Kurt's voice, Nick's friend. "Nick, hey it's me," Kurt began, his voice sounded hesitant, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to let you know that finally, it's over. The police have Wayne in custody. I'm sure you'll hear about it on the news, but I wanted to call and tell you. I understand if you don't want to call me back, but I just thought you should know. I hope you're doing well. Take care Luke." I hung up my phone and stared blankly at the white wall in front of me in my apartment. I was in total shock. All those old feelings; the hurt, the anger, the sadness, the feelings that I worked so hard to get past all came rushing back to me. I kept hearing Kurt's words over in my head, it's over, but is it really? ************************************************************************** To Be Continued... With any comments, questions, or feedback, please e-mail me at ilj4ever44@yahoo.com. Thank you for reading!