EarthBound: The Perpetual Adventures (Copyright -- Michael DePalma)
Interlude -- Part Two
By James
Someone at a pool party just made a big splash, and someone sitting nearby just got all wet. That second someone was Ness Franklin, who�d found that sometimes, no matter how much you try to avoid the water�
�Oh, Neeess�� her voice called out.
�The water might still come to you.
Ness sighed and stood up, wiping down his chest and drying his hands on his trunks. He began walking. There was a reason he hadn�t gotten in the pool like so many others in attendance: he wasn�t in the mood to, because he wasn�t enjoying himself�because he didn�t want to be where he was. Maybe those were actually three reasons, but in any case, none of them mattered. These days, what he wanted didn�t matter, and what she wanted did. Unfortunately, it had gotten that simple.
Slowly, Ness took a look at the she he was thinking of.
Lauren Pierce was spread out on a pool chair, lying on her back. She was wearing a bikini -- two-piece, of course -- and nothing else.
Someone passed Ness along the way. �Dude, your girlfriend�s hot.�
Ness rolled his eyes, thinking to himself. Yeah, she is�only she�s not here.
Lauren tossed up a bottle of suntan lotion, which Ness clumsily caught. �Time for your hot girlfriend to get a rubdown,� she winked.
Ness sighed again. �Lauren--�
�I�m waiting.�
Slowly, he knelt beside the chair and began pouring some of the lotion into his free hand. He saw right through this. He knew the time had once again come for her to try tempting him, to see if he could honestly say no to the questions she was about to ask.
��You like how that feels?� Lauren smirked as Ness�s hands ran over her legs.
He didn�t respond.
�I asked you something, Ness,� said Lauren as his palms reached her feet.
�Can�t we just keep this on a strictly-business level?� he frowned.
�So, that�s not necessarily a �no,� is it?� She thought of the first pool party.
�No, okay? My answer is no.�
She giggled. �Too late. Doesn�t count if I put words in your mouth. Hurry and come up here.�
Ness grabbed the bottle and moved upward. Soon he was rubbing Lauren�s stomach.
�Why just leave it at business?� she continued.
Ness began to fight the urge to glance at certain hard-to-miss parts of Lauren�s upper torso.
It was a fight she knew he was losing. She took his hand, beginning to guide it upward. �Why not make it about pleasure?�
At the last second, Ness stopped her, pulling his hand away. ��Because I don�t want to.�
Lauren began frowning -- angrily. �I sure hope you�re not forgetting that people who see a certain picture on the Internet won�t find that so easy to believe. For them, seeing is believing. I�m sure you�ve been over a dozen excuses and explanations you could give Michelle, and if you thought any of them would work, you wouldn�t be here right now.�
Ness lowered his head.
Lauren smiled. �So then,� she arched one of her knees and flexed her toes, �where were we?�
Ness was about to pour more of the lotion into his hand�when something caught his eye, or rather, someone.
Standing in the street, right outside of the backyard, was Tracy -- who�d been passing by. And in quite an uncomfortable realization, Ness could tell that she hadn�t heard anything, but she�d seen quite a lot.
Tracy�s expression was one of disbelief and disappointment.
Ness suddenly stood. �Tracy!�
She ran off.
�Tracy! Wait!�
* * * *
He was knocking on her door.
�Go away.�
�I need to talk to you.�
�You need to talk to your girlfriend. Or maybe I do.�
�Tracy�it�s not what you think.�
�Click�
Her door swung partly open. �Tell me what it is, then? You�re screwing around with that worthless whore?�
�No. No, I�m not.�
�Then WHAT?�
�There�s�look, there�s more to it than it looks like. I can�t go into it because�because I�m not so sure about the rest myself--�
� �In the world are you talking about?�
�I don�t entirely remember everything else that there is to this, so�I don�t know for sure that I�m innocent. I mean I am, I just--�
�You�re not making sense! If you�ve got some excuse then just tell me.�
��Okay. So, I go over to Lauren�s place, and I�m just there to help her old boyfriend out with some healing. But I find out it was all a setup and someone zapped me with this electrical thing and they took off my clothes and--�
�I don�t want to hear this. It sounds very much like I don�t want to hear this. �They?� Ness, I--�
�No, no it�s not what you think,� he rolled his eyes.
�You keep saying that. Ness, go tell this gross story to someone who�ll believe it.� She slammed the door.
Seconds passed.
��Trace�� he called.
* * * *
Later that night, Ness was in his room on the phone.
�So,� said Michelle Walker, �where�d you run off to earlier?�
��What?�
�I called and your mom said she saw you sneak out. She said it looked like you had swimming trunks in your bag. She thought you were with me.�
�I, um�swimming trunks? Heh, she must have mistaken that sight for something else. No I just, went somewhere, is all��
�Where?�
��Heh, why is it that when I ask you about your dad, you tell me to back off, but now it�s cool for you to give me the third degree?�
�I�m not giving you any third degree. I just wondered where you went. Sor-ree. Man, I didn�t know you were in a bad mood.�
�I�m not in a bad mood, okay? I just�look, I�m sorry, can we finish this, like, later?�
�Yeah, okay. No problem.�
�All right, then.�
�Ness?�
�Yeah?� he quickly took his thumb off the button.
��Love you.�
��Yeah. Me too.�
She frowned. � �Me t--� �
Her voice faded on his end. Lying back, Ness closed his eyes and brought an arm over them�still holding the phone.
* * * *
The last bell rang, and as usual, everyone who heard it didn�t waste any time grabbing their stuff and getting on with the rest of their day.
As the boy named Ness Franklin was throwing on his backpack, however, he felt an annoying tug on his wrist. It didn�t matter where it came from; happening at this particular moment of the day made it annoying no matter what.
�Ness�� said Lauren Pierce.
And it just got extra annoying�
She continued. �I want you to do something for me.�
Eventually, everyone else had made their way out of the room -- including the teacher for a moment.
Lauren spoke again. �Mrs. Garcia keeps the cheat sheet in the bottom drawer, doesn�t she?�
��I don�t know.�
�Yes you do; everyone knows.�
�Then why are you asking me?� he said with more annoyance.
�I want you to get it.�
�You�re crazy.�
�Take it upstairs, make me a copy, then return the original so there�s no suspicion.�
He spoke under his breath, �I�m not, doin� that!�
Lauren lifted her eyebrows. �Now, Ness.�
He let out an angry sigh.
�If I don�t have that copy today, well, let�s just say that certain other copies will be out there for the whole wide world to see come nightfall -- including this particular part of it.�
He stared at her resentfully.
�I�m not kidding.�
She walked away, leaving him alone in the classroom. Ness glanced around, soon peeking out in the hall to see if anyone was coming. Once he felt comfortable enough in his discomfort, he quickly made his way back inside and slid that bottom drawer open, finding the sheet full of answers that Lauren had requested.
Pretty soon, Ness was holding his backpack in one hand and hiding the sheet behind it in the other, making his way upstairs as fast as he could without drawing too much attention to himself. He reached the small, office-like room above -- with its white walls, florescent lights, and carpeted floor -- and activated the copier.
As the machine booted up, he made the usual �C�mon, c�mon,� mumbling that people in a hurry seem to believe will make a difference. When the machine �finally� finished, Ness grabbed both pieces of paper, turned�and saw he wasn�t alone.
�AH!� he closed his eyes and brought a hand over his chest.
Lauren took the copy. �Thank you. Now just go take that back.� She left.
Ness ran downstairs.
When he walked back in the classroom, his eyes were momentarily on the paper, so it came as another shock when he looked up and saw Mrs. Garcia kneeling by a drawer. Ness froze.
She glanced at him, finding what she was looking for in his hands.
�Ness sighed, soon stating words that were becoming a little too familiar. �It�s not what you think.�
* * * *
Those words were becoming a little too futile, too.
�How could you do this?� asked his mother in the living room.
�I keep telling you--�
�If there�s more to it than there seems to be, explain it to me.�
�I�� Ness was at a crossroads: tell his mother the racy details of his situation, or�
�You what?�
�I�I�m sorry. I messed up.�
In the past, when Ness had said words to that effect, his mother would often counter with something like, �Turn that frown upside down, little man.� But he wasn�t so little anymore, and there were certain things about being bigger, older, that Ness just didn�t want to discuss with good ol� mom, even if she�d believe him.
She stared.
�I�m sorry,� he whispered, looking away.
* * * *
On the day following the end of his suspension, Ness began to speed up a little outside when he thought he heard his name being called. Eventually, however, he had to slow down when he knew he couldn�t fake not hearing her any further.
Lauren giggled as she caught up. �Don�t try to pretend you can�t hear me when you can.�
�What is it?� Ness mumbled.
�Your dad works for a pretty profitable business��
Ness knew it was only a matter of time before this.
She continued. �You must have a trust set up with all the money he�s thrown your way.�
Ness suddenly became aware of something that could pose a problem.
�This is where you ask, �What do you want for starters, Lauren?� �
�Look, I can�t withdraw anything from that without his direct consent. He has to be there with me when it happens, or send permission over in writing.�
She ignored him. �And what I want for starters is�oh, how �bout $1000?�
�Wha�� Ness gasped. �Lauren, I can�t--�
�I don�t want to hear, �I can�t.� You can. You will. Otherwise�� there seemed to be anger in her voice for a moment�but she slowly went back to her usual self and winked at him. �Just bring it over before 10 tonight, �K?� She walked off again.
Looking at her from behind, in one dangerously angry moment, Ness really wanted to send a flurry of PSI Rockin� at the girl named Lauren Pierce�but he calmed down, knowing that wouldn�t help things. If she survived, she�d eventually retaliate with what she was holding over him. If she didn�t, he�d be going to jail, seeing as certain people had seen what he was capable of with Chester.
Instead, Ness used a different power -- teleporting.
* * * *
�I�m sorry, Mr. Franklin,� said an executive at the bank a little later, �but we�re not allowed to let you make withdrawals from that particular account without your father�s permission.�
�Yeah�I know,� said a quiet Ness. He held something up. �That�s why I�ve got the signature right here.�
The man looked the form over.
Ever since his younger childhood, one of Ness�s hobbies had been studying and trying to match his father�s signature -- just for fun. Eventually, with age and patience, he�d gotten pretty good at it.
�Oh,� said the man again, ��I didn�t know you had this with you. Yeah, let me go match it up with one of his others and you�re all set.�
For Ness Franklin, guilt didn�t go much deeper than this.
* * * *
�Why�d you make that withdrawal yesterday?� asked Ness�s dad, calling long-distance.
�Um��
* * * *
At the site of a quiet meeting on a quiet street, a not-so-quiet bus pulled away, and Jeff Andonuts came into view as it passed. He was wearing a long black trench coat, hands in both pockets.
Ness spoke up as he approached. �Tell me you�ve got something.�
�Well, I--�
�See that�s just what I was hoping not to hear. I figured if you just said yes, then I�d have a reason to cheer up. But when you say something like �Well, I�� then that means there�s gotta be a problem.� Ness rolled his eyes.
A voice came from above. �Patience. You haven�t heard him out yet.�
Ness and Jeff glanced upwards, and saw Poo perched in a nearby tree, gazing out at the city. With very little effort, he hopped down and landed gracefully.
�I�ve run out of patience,� said Ness. �Lauren Pierce is screwing up my life.�
Jeff pulled out a sheet of paper, which displayed a copy of the picture Ness had taken from Lauren�s apartment, and scanned on his computer before she made him give it back. �I�ve been able to at least identify who these other people are.�
The three friends gathered.
�That girl with Lauren is her sister, Meredith Pierce. The two behind them, as you can probably guess�� Jeff nodded.
�Their parents?� asked Poo. �So, where are they these days?�
Jeff continued. �That�s what I�m still working on finding out. I�m not sure why Lauren�s living alone.�
Ness sighed. �Well, thanks for that much at least. We�ve gotta find a way to stop this, either by digging up something on her as a counter, or by getting in touch with these people and asking them to call her off. If not, she�ll just keep it up until I finally refuse her and then, those pictures�� Ness held his head.
Jeff adjusted his glasses. �Do you have a copy of one of these pics she�s using against you, Ness?�
�No.�
��Anyplace I can still find one online right now?�
�Why?�
�I�d just like to have a look at it.�
Ness frowned a little. �Why?�
Jeff shrugged. �I just would, that�s all.� He looked away.
After a moment, Ness chuckled, and he didn�t sound very amused. �I see. The truth I told you doesn�t matter; you want to judge for yourself.�
�Ness--�
�Part of you thinks maybe I really did cheat on Michelle with Lauren.�
Jeff faced him. �As I recall, part of you thinks that as well.�
�Unbelievable, Jeff. Just plain unbelievable.�
Poo stepped in. �Ness, settle down.�
�No, no you know what?� his gaze swung toward Poo. �You know what? Unbelievable is the key word here. I mean, Andonuts over there has a point, and Lauren reminds me of it all the time. All someone has to do is take one look at her, then see the pictures of the two of us in bed and, well, put 2 and 2 together -- figuratively speaking.�
�Ness��
�My sister won�t believe me; my friends apparently don�t believe me, and I guess I really don�t want to risk letting my girlfriend find out.�
Jeff cut in.�I never said I didn�t believe you.�
Ness shook his head. �Fine, just�let me know if you get anything else. Thanks for the help.�
Poo and Jeff watched Ness teleport.
* * * *
Ness was nearly stomping his way to the site of another meeting. This was getting quite frustrating, in more ways than one. He wondered how it was that someone like him could go up against a cosmic entity and triumph, but was getting jerked around by someone like Lauren Pierce. He eventually saw her approaching, and made little effort to hide his resentment.
Lauren didn�t look all that cheery either.
�So, what is it this time?� he asked. �Money? Cheat sheets? Wait a minute, maybe it�s a new car or something. That�s gotta be it.�
�I want you to break up with Michelle.�
And Ness�s world suddenly got a lot less sarcastic.
Lauren eyed him, not switching to her usual smirk.
Ness almost wished that she would, though�anything to make her a little less serious. �Wha�what?�
�I want you to break up, with, Michelle.�
The worst-case scenario had finally arrived. �Wait. No,� he looked annoyed and shook his head. �First of all, no. I can�t. I�Lauren, wait.�
She had pulled out her cell phone and hit speed-dial.
�I�m not trying to make you mad here,� said Ness. �I mean, I�I��
�Hey, Cindy? Lauren. I wanted to ask if fanwritings.com still has that forum open.�
�Don�t.�
�They do?� she stepped back from Ness�s reach. �No matter what happens, once you hang up I want you to send a Private Message to Michelle Walker. You remember her user name, right? Include our little gift, then tell the others to start posting theirs elsewhere.�
�Don�t!�
�I�ll talk to you later.�
�No! Don�t!�
�Cindy? Hold on��
Ness looked very tense and surprised at the same time, his extended arm twitching.
�Hey, Cindy? Never mind�hold off on that plan for now.�
Ness still looked nervous.
�Yeah. Later.� Lauren hung up, still looking at the phone. �Here�s how it works, Ness: One way or another, you�re going to split with Michelle. You can have her see those pics of the two of us in bed, and let her be the one who does the breaking up�or, you can spare yourself a lot of embarrassment, and her a lot of anger, and just make it nice and simple, without the pics even being brought in. Up to you.�
�WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?�
�And don�t think that after you do it, you�ll be off the hook. If you really love her, you won�t ever want her to see that image -- whether you�re together or not. And I can still post it to your parents, and your friends, and anyone else out there who knows you.�
�Lauren, don�t make me do this. Please. Not Michelle.�
�Calm down�� she stared.
Ness paused, eyeing her with a pleading expression.
�Break it off with her, Ness�or I�ll do it for you,� she whispered, and walked away.
Ness spun in place, nervously staring at the sky, feeling like a sweat was about to break.
* * * *
Jeff and Poo had met up once again. The former spoke. �I�ve got a location -- one you can teleport to.�
�What about Ness?�
�I haven�t been able to get in touch with him.�
�All right, then, so where to?�
�Summers. Her whole family -- from the picture anyway -- lives out there.� Jeff handed Poo a piece of paper. �There�s the address for Meredith and her mother. I haven�t been able to locate her father just yet. If you�re going to bring one of them here to visit Lauren, you might want to take some extra cash, credit cards, whatever, to pay for the return trip. I don�t think they�ll be too comfortable with teleporting.�
�Wait, you�re not coming along?�
Jeff continued. �This�ll only take one of us. While you�re handling that, I�m going to work on Plan B -- trying the less-friendly approach�seeing if I can find any dirt to use against Lauren if this whole thing doesn�t work out.�
Poo eyed the address again. �Okay, I�ll�see if I can talk one of them into talking to her.�
Jeff patted Poo�s arm as he moved away. �Take care.�
�Right,� Poo patted Jeff back while looking at the paper, �you too.�
* * * *
Ness was walking Michelle through her favorite park. His hands were in his pockets and his gaze was towards the ground.
�So,� she broke the silence, �what are we doing?�
��I wanted to be here, the site of so many card matches. One of the places where you earned your reputation. A comforting place for you.�
She glanced at him.
Ness was still looking away.
�I�ll ask again: What are we doing? What�s going on? Why are you acting so weird lately?�
�Michelle, I�I need some space,� he mumbled.
She stopped. �What did you say?� The back of her hand was on his chest, slowing him down.
Ness spoke up. �I need some space.�
She stared.
�I think we should stop going steady for a while.�
�If this is about my dad again--�
�No, no it�s not about that��
�Did I do something? Say something?�
�No.�
��Is this about anyone else?�
�No.�
�Not even that girl from the dance? Laur--�
�No,� Ness shot Michelle a quick look.
�Why are you getting all agitated when I say that?�
��Michelle��
�I mean, it�s not the most absurd notion. You admitted you find her attractive.�
Ness was now wishing he�d never done that. This was the last thing he needed, Michelle becoming suspicious about Lauren. This certainly wouldn�t help his case if the pictures ever did get out. Ness quietly denied it again.
�Then what?� she asked, getting a bit teary.
�I can�t really say, Michelle. I just know I�ll need to sort it out alone.�
Michelle turned away.
Ness hated himself. �It�s not forever, it�s just for��
�How long?�
��I don�t know how long.�
�Then I don�t know for sure I�ll be waiting.� Michelle didn�t enjoy saying that.
Ness stared at the ground, kicking aside some dirt. �Do you remember what I said to you, the day we talked about your dad?� Ness felt tears beginning to take up too much space in his eyes.
She was still facing in the other direction.
Ness found it difficult to look at her anyway.
�Yeah, Ness�I remember,� she closed her eyes. �But I guess you don�t.�
Michelle Walker opened her eyes and walked away.
Slowly, Ness Franklin knelt down and covered his face, breathing heavily while determined not to let a single tear out.
As time moved on, birds soared by overhead and people began glancing at him as they passed.
* * * *
Meredith Pierce was surprised to find a handsome young man waiting near the porch upon coming home. �Can I�help you?�
Poo spoke very politely. �Are you Lauren�s sister, Meredith?�
Another surprise. �You know my sister?� she began visualizing the girl she hadn�t seen in person for so long.
�I�m a friend of�someone she knows.�
�Did something happen? Is she okay?�
�No, no she�s fine.�
�Who are you?�
�My name�s Poo.� He produced a picture of himself and a few friends. �That guy there is the one who knows Lauren. That�s Ness.�
Her gaze slowed down.
�Look, Meredith. I�m not here for very long, and I know we don�t even know each other, but is there a public place around here where you could meet me later? I need to talk to you about Lauren. Is there someplace by the beach where we could just have a chat? It doesn�t have to take long. Promise.�
Meredith was still looking at the photo. ��Okay.�
* * * *
Ness was sitting on a swing, barely using it at all. He felt a few fingers brush through his hair.
�So did you do it?� she asked as she appeared from behind.
He didn�t face her. �Yeah, I did. But not because I was afraid of how it�d feel if she left me.� He interlocked his fingers while staring at them. �Only because I didn�t want her to go through the pain you�d cause if she saw that picture. I did it because I care enough about her to spare her any of that�even if it meant letting go.�
Lauren sat on the swing beside Ness�s, facing the other direction. �That�s very sweet, Ness.� She looked off in the distance. �Maybe someday you�ll feel that way about me.�
Ness glanced at her, then looked away again. ��You�re just screwed up, Lauren.� He whispered, �You actually are.�
�No�but I�m about to be.�
�I�m not even going to try to figure out what that means.� He began swinging.
Lauren stared at her hands�then looked over at him.
��� Ness slowed down. His eyes began to steadily lock onto hers.
She just kept looking, a tiny grin coming over her face.
��No,� said Ness quietly.
She nodded, beginning to smirk.
�Lauren, I am not going to sleep with you.� Ness stood up and moved away.
�Ah, but you already �have.� Remember? And right now it�s still a secret.�
Ness turned back. �I�m not going to do it.�
�Then I guess your friends, family and ex-girlfriend will find out our little secret -- along with a lot of other people -- and your attempt to spare her that pain you mentioned will have been for nothing. Now she�ll have an idea of why you �really� broke up with her, soon as she sees it.�
Ness stared at her.
�Shall I get out my phone now, then?�
Ness shook his head in disbelief.
She looked away for a moment. �Haven�t you figured it out by now? You�re going to do whatever I want. You�re not finding any way to �win� this one. This isn�t a game.�
�Then what is it? What is this about? Why are you screwing me like this? What did I ever really do to you?�
�You took�� Lauren paused, then looked over at the boy before her. She blinked. �Heh, I bet you deeply regret that day at the pool party now, huh? The first one, I mean. You grabbed the wrong skank, didn�t you?� she smirked.
Ness sure looked like he felt that way.
�And who are you kidding, Ness? You�ve wanted me since then. Now you can finally get what you want.�
�If there was a time I felt that way about you, Lauren, I know it�s passed. Looking at you right now, I�m more sure of that than ever,� he frowned, almost in disgust. �Looking at you right now, I�m painfully aware of the differences between love and lust, and I know which one comes first in my book.�
She hopped off the swing. �Yeah? Well, I�m gonna rewrite that book of yours. Guaranteed.�
Ness frowned and looked away.
�And by the time we�re done, you�ll start wanting me to rewrite it again�and again�� she approached him.
Ness stepped away.
�We can either go down this road, and keep our relations private�or they can be posted all over the Internet. Your choice.�
Ness folded his arms.
�That�s what I thought,� she winked. �I�ll let you know the time. Meanwhile, go rent something and learn a thing or two. I don�t want to be disappointed. I promise you won�t,� she chuckled while walking. �No, no, Ness. Once we�ve taken this step�you�ll be mine for keeps.�
She left the park.
A quiet Ness Franklin began thinking of better days.
* * * *
Ness was sitting at a table at Down Home Burgers -- alone, of course. He heard a familiar voice.
�Ness?�
He looked up.
�What�s wrong?�
�Heh. Nothing, I��
A girl named Paula sat down.
Ness began to blush.
She stared across the table, waiting to see if he�d move past the automatic denial phase.
�You sensed me telepathically or something?� he asked.
Her eyes blinked.
�That way you could tell that something was bothering me?�
�More like I just looked at your face,� she replied. �You should try it with mine.�
��� Ness glanced up.
�There you go. Well, for a second or two, anyway.�
He wanted to chuckle.
�Something�s gotta be wrong if you�re being so shy. What is it?�
He shook his head. ��Just feels like my life isn�t even mine anymore. Just feels like things have gone crazy.�
�That�s a start. You want to be a little more specific?�
�Yes and no,� he mumbled.
�And you want to expand a little on that? C�mon, I might just have a future in therapy here if I get motivated today,� she grinned.
��I�ve gotta go,� he slowly stood up.
Paula reached for his hand while he passed�but stopped just short of touching it.
�See you later, okay?�
�Yeah, Ness.� She heard him walking away behind her. �Whatever��
* * * *
Lauren was cuddled up in her chair, staring at the picture of the four people again.
A tear began to roll down her cheek, her signature smirk nowhere to be found.
�I�m only doing what should be done,� she mumbled.
The picture began shaking.
�I�m only doing what should�ve been done,� she explained to no one, perhaps not even hearing herself say it.
* * * *
Ness Franklin was lying on his bed, arms spread out, looking at the ceiling. He didn�t even know if he was ready for sexual intimacy.
The phone rang.
Ness Franklin closed his eyes, again reminded that his feelings in the matter weren�t going to make a difference.
The phone rang again.
Ness picked up.
Lauren announced that the day had come.
Ness soon hung up, pausing to stare at the ceiling a little longer.
There was a reluctant knock on the door moments later. �Ness�you okay?� asked Tracy, wondering why, besides the phone, his room seemed so quiet lately.
��Yeah, Trace,� he called back to her.
* * * *
He was sitting downstairs on her couch, until he finally heard the call.
�Neeess? You can come up now.�
Ness tightened his fists and let out a deep breath. He stood up straight and slowly, made his way up the stairs. Along the way, he reminded himself of why he was doing this, reminding himself that he didn�t want to.
Then he saw Lauren. She was lying on her bed under the dull orange light, her back propped against a pillow, and her body in nothing but black lingerie. One of her knees was arched, and her head slowly turned in his direction, revealing an I�ll-bet-you�re-impressed kind of look.
Ness found it hard to look away, and began thinking, for some reason, about when he�d first met this girl.
She spoke up. �I know you like what you see.�
Ness shook his head. �I just want this to be over with.�
�Take your shirt off. And don�t stop there.�
�Lauren��
�Come on.�
Ness stared at her.
She stared back.
Ness looked at the carpet, staying quiet for a while.
�I�m starting to get out of the mood, here,� she said. �I�m not liking that.�
A voice came from the hall. �Is that what you said to him, too?�
Ness moved away in a tense state of surprise.
Lauren�s eyes slowly widened as someone in a long coat slowly entered the room. ��Meredith?�
Ness was staring at the girl from the photo in confused awe.
Lauren�s sister spoke again. �Answer me. Is that one of the things you said to him as well?�
Lauren was still shocked.
�What was the first thing you said back then?� Meredith continued. �Wasn�t it, �I know you like what you see,� or something like that? That�s what he told us you said.�
Lauren got up. �What are you doing here? How�d you get in?�
Meredith jingled a few keys she�d copied long ago, not taking her eyes off her sister. �You realize what you�re doing is wrong, don�t you, Lauren? You realize everything you�ve done since you met this guy has been wrong, correct?�
�Meredith��
�Cause this isn�t Summers, and this isn�t the old house�� she glanced at Ness, �and this isn�t Rick, Lauren. It�s not him.�
�Don�t. Meredith, don�t--�
�Don�t what? Don�t say what needs to be said?� she took a few steps. �Don�t make you face the truth?�
�Meredith�� Lauren�s eyes were getting teary now.
�You cannot cling to this hate forever, Lauren,� Meredith held her sister�s arms. �You can�t keep trying to punish Rick for what happened, and you certainly can�t punish him through someone else. Lauren,� she forced her to look at Ness, �open your eyes.�
Those eyes were beginning to overflow.
�This is not him. This is a boy. This is a boy who doesn�t deserve what you�re putting him through.�
Ness saw a side of Lauren he�d never seen before -- the human side. She tried to hide it, looking away and wiping off her tears.
Meredith pulled something from one of her pockets. �Remember this picture?� It was another copy of the one Lauren had -- the one of the girls and their parents together.
She quietly nodded.
�Well, you�re going to have to face it, Lauren. Those days are over.� Meredith held her sister�s chin up. �But just because we�re not all together anymore doesn�t mean we�re not still a family.�
Lauren sniffed.
�The rest of us knew that, but you refused to accept it. You decided to embrace your anger, and this is where it got you.� She tugged on Lauren�s outfit. �And right here is where it continues to take you. And you�ve gotten so comfortable with it�so careless�that you don�t even worry about what you do or who you hurt -- including yourself.�
Lauren looked away from Meredith.
�Lauren�it doesn�t have to stay that way. Let this all go. Let go of that boy, let go of the past, let go of the attitude it�s given you�let go of the hate�� she directed Lauren�s eyes to hers again, �and embrace the love you have in your life.�
With tears still rolling down her cheeks, Lauren�s arms reached up, and she slowly started the first hug she and her sister had shared in a long time. Meredith returned it, and the two soon fell to their knees in the embrace, one girl sobbing into the other�s shoulder.
Quietly, Ness let himself out.
Outside, he found Poo waiting. �You�re here?� said the prince.
�Yeah I�m, I�m leaving now. Thanks for bringing her. What are you still doin� here, though?�
�I was waiting for Meredith. She�s supposed to let me know if she�s going to be staying here or at a hotel for the night -- depending on how those two get along.�
��She�s gonna be staying here,� said Ness. �Let�s go.�
They walked.
�What happened when you found her?� Ness wondered.
�Well, I showed her your picture and explained everything Lauren was doing to you. Because that was the plan, right? Seeing if we could get someone to pay Lauren a visit, someone she�d listen to.�
�Yeah,� Ness mumbled, thinking about the words from inside.
�Well, you know that picture of the Pierce family? It was taken shortly before Lauren and Meredith�s parents split up.�
�Really? How�d that happen?�
�Lauren�s mother. She had an affair with a man named�ah��
��Rick?�
�That�s it. So, the father moves out and this Rick guy eventually moves in. The girls� dad stayed close to them, but Lauren�she never forgave her mother for what happened. Meredith said she was too angry for that.� Poo paused. �One night, the mother was away and Rick came into the bedroom and found Lauren there. In lingerie. Trying to seduce him. Apparently, her plan was, if her mother was going to cost Lauren a father, then this was going to be a way of getting her and Rick back -- ruining things between them.�
Ness frowned.
�From there, things just got worse. Rick left the room and told Lauren�s mother what she�d tried to do. Lauren was eventually sent down here for �punishment.� Her mother and father -- her actual father -- send money that pays for her apartment, helps her out with other things, etc. But, see here�s the thing. This is why Meredith told me so much. When I showed her the picture�she said that the resemblance was striking: Rick looks kind of like you -- except grown-up, of course.�
Ness closed his eyes for a moment.
Poo was quiet as he watched him.
�So that�s it,� Ness spoke again. �Everything. The whole time I�ve known her. Tempting me to touch her at that first pool party�taunting me about �wanting� her since�and now all this.�
�Meredith says you must remind her too much of this other guy�this guy who broke up her family, rejected her advances, and essentially got her kicked out of the house.�
Ness thought of something. �My coming onto her at that old party, for her, it must�ve been the moment where she�d suddenly �succeeded� where she�d previously failed. That was what triggered everything that�s happened since.�
�You can�t blame yourself,� said Poo.
�I don�t. I mean, I��
�You made a mistake.�
��What happened to this Rick?�
�He and Lauren�s mom broke up, but her mom still wasn�t ready for her to come back when that happened.�
Ness�s cell phone rang.
�Hello?�
�Ness, it�s Jeff.�
�Hey.�
�I think I�ve come up with something we can use against Lauren. We�re just gonna have to fight blackmail with blackmail.�
Ness was quiet.
�You there?�
�Yeah. I�m here.�
�Okay, then. Apple Kid spent a while putting these together. They�re essentially false, X-rated pictures of her that we can threaten to put out online ourselves. Come by and we�ll talk further.�
Ness hung up with a plain look on his face.
* * * *
A couple of days later, Ness and Jeff were walking up a hill. A dull orange light from the sun decorated the area.
Lauren Pierce was standing on the top of this hill; her back was turned to both boys.
�Remember,� said Jeff, �before she even gets the chance to give you a new order, pull out our little pictures there.� He referred to the altered photos in the long brown envelope Ness held; photos featuring Lauren�s head on a different body -- only it was very hard to tell that.
She turned.
Ness slowly came to a stop. Jeff stood a few yards behind him on his right.
There was a moment of silence that seemed pretty long to everybody. Jeff grew tenser with every few seconds, wondering why Ness hadn�t just played his hand yet.
Ness held the envelope firmly between two fingers, and finally said, �Yes?� letting Lauren have the first move after all.
Jeff frowned, wanting to complain suddenly.
But in the next moment, Lauren didn�t say anything -- she did something. Slowly, she extended a small white envelope of her own.
Ness took it. �What�s this?�
�Open it.�
He did. Ness frowned. In the envelope, he found every picture of himself and Lauren in bed from the day he�d been unconscious in her apartment. He looked up.
�I�ve been to visit each of my friends,� she began, �and I�ve made sure that they�ve deleted the pictures from their computers. Those are all of the originals; there aren�t any other copies.�
Ness�s eyes blinked as he looked at her plainly.
She extended another envelope.
In it, Ness found the money he�d given her. �Lauren,� he said with eyes on the envelope, �why are you doing this?�
She smiled -- not smirked, but smiled a little. �Seems you ask me that question a lot, don�t you?�
Jeff was listening in.
She looked off as she continued. �The answer to it in the past is�something I�m not entirely proud of right now.�
Ness was wondering just what else her sister had said over the past couple of days.
She stroked her blonde locks, �And the answer right now is��
He waited.
�Let�s just say I�m following some good advice I�ve gotten.�
Ness closed the envelopes.
�And by the way, Ness, what I said at first was true: nothing happened between us while you were asleep. Those pictures -- that was the extent of it.� She began walking down the other side of the hill.
�Wait,� said Ness, �where are you going now?�
�Home,� she replied flatly.
�And where exactly is that? Onett, or Summers?�
She paused. ��I don�t know just yet.�
Jeff spoke up. �They say home is where the heart is.�
Lauren stood for a moment. �Yeah�they�re probably right.�
And with that, Lauren Pierce walked away, leaving the two friends in peace.
Ness stared after her for a little while, then handed the brown envelope back to Jeff.
* * * *
Michelle Walker was surprised to find a handsome young man waiting near the porch upon coming home. �Hmph�can I help you?�
Ness stood up. �Yes, you can -- by forgetting all the stupid things I said the other day and listening to what I�m saying now.�
�It�s not going to be this easy, Ness.�
�I know it�s not. I know, but--�
�You broke up with me. Now you�re here talking about how you want me to just ignore that so we can go back to the way things were?�
�Michelle, I was going through some stuff I�m not going through anymore.�
�That so? And it had nothing to do with any other girl?�
��All right. I�m not gonna lie to you. To an extent, it did. But it�s not what you were thinking. You know I�d never cheat on you.�
�Well, I remember hearing something about a problem or an issue you needed to work out.�
�It�s worked out now.�
She was quiet.
�Michelle, I want to be with you again,� he reached out and took her by the waist.
�And the next time you�ve got an issue like whatever this one was? What then?�
�Then we�ll deal with it together. Just like I�d want to be there if you�re going through one.�
She stared again.
�I�m sorry. I really am.� His forehead touched hers. �I love you, and if you believe that, then, I�m asking for a chance to start over.�
She looked down at his shirt for a while. ��You could�ve helped yourself out by bringing flowers.�
�What, those weren�t enough?�
�What �those�?�
Ness backed Michelle up a few steps, and along the side of the house, she saw more bouquets than she could probably find places for in it.
�Ness.� She looked at him again. �You are just�so romantic sometimes.�
�I know,� he grinned.
�No, this is where you were supposed to deny it, you jerk,� she elbowed him.
Ness laughed.
After a few more minutes of talking and giggling, the two seemed to have gotten the happy back in happy couple. But after one more minute, Michelle came to another conclusion.
�Ness�if there is another girl on your mind�and it�s not Lauren�then my next closest guess would be�� she stared at him.
A few seconds of silence passed, and Ness chuckled�almost as though he could read Michelle�s thoughts.