Fallout
Chapter Eight
Shawn stood at the phone in
his kitchen, and just stared. He
knew he couldn't wait any longer, even though he had put it off all morning.
He had made a promise to Belle that he would straighten Phillip out.
Or at least attempt to. That
boy's head was as hard as a rock sometimes.
"It's now or never,
Shawn Brady." He muttered underneath his breath.
Shawn picked up the phone and
dialed the number to the Kiriakis house. Surprisingly,
Nicole and not Henderson, picked it up after two rings.
"Kiriakis
residence…"
"Nicole?"
"Mmm-hmmm…. Who is
this?"
"Oh.
It's Shawn Brady… Is Phil around?"
"Nope, sorry Shawn.
He said he was going out to play basketball a little bit ago.
And that's all he said."
"Okay, uhm, thanks
Nicole… I know where to find him…"
"Shawn…hold on a sec.
I have to know. Brady didn't
set that slideshow up, did he?"
"No, Brady had nothing
to do with it. Chloe didn't even
pose for those pictures. It was all
a set-up. Jan Spears and Mimi
Lockhart did it to get back at Chloe, for …. Well, for being Chloe."
"Geez.
I didn't know that being yourself was a crime all of a sudden.
Wait, is that the same Mimi that went to Paris for the coronation?"
"Yup."
Nicole grinned slyly,
"Wow, I didn't know she had it in her."
"Neither did I.
Anyway, thanks Nicole, I'm gonna see if I can catch up with Phillip at
the courts."
"No problem.
Later."
Nicole hung up the phone and
continued grinning, < Wow, even meek little Mimi has a naughty streak.
There must be something in the Salem water. >
*****
Shawn spotted Phillip
immediately. He wasn't hard to miss
seeing as he was the only one playing basketball at lunchtime on a Saturday.
"Hey!
Kiriakis!"
Phillip stopped dribbling the
ball, and turned around to face Shawn.
"Shawn…what are you
doing here?"
"I called your house,
Nicole said you were out playing basketball.
Here I am."
"Okaaaay, more
specifically. Why are you here?
Come to laugh at me like everyone else?"
Shawn rolled his eyes at him.
"No, of course not. You're
my friend, heck, you're family, Phillip. I
came here to talk to you. That's
all."
"Alright, talk."
"Phillip.
You have to know that Chloe had nothing to do with what happened last
night."
Phillip looked at him with a
skeptical glance, "Yeah right. And how should I *know* that she didn't?
I was just her ticket to popularity, man.
That's all. She never loved
me."
"Geez, Phillip.
You are so dense. I can't
believe you. You claim to love
Chloe, and yet you didn't have enough trust in her to know that she would NEVER
pose for naked pictures, or sell them on the internet.
God, Phillip, Chloe would never want to hurt you. "
"No way, Shawn.
Forget it. I thought I loved
her, but I was wrong. She never
loved me. She couldn't even say the
words, so she must not have loved me after all.
She used me."
Shawn sighed deeply,
"Phillip. I know you're
hurting right now, but you have to open up your eyes. You are so wrapped up in yourself and how YOU look that you
can't even see how hurt other people are. How
can you care for Chloe, when all you care about is what people think about YOU?
Chloe is hurting right now too, but you only care about how it affects
you. Stop acting like a spoiled
selfish little rich-boy."
"Shut up, Shawn.
I'm not buying any of it."
"Fine, Phillip.
But, let me tell you a few things because I can tell that you're too
blind to see them for yourself. Chloe
had NOTHING to do with those pictures or the slides.
Brady & Victor had nothing to do with it either.
Mimi confessed to everything. Jan
planned it and Mimi helped. Just so
they could humiliate Chloe and make sure that the two of you broke up.
They set up a camera in the Girl's Locker Room to get the video, the
website, the whole thing. And knowing Chloe's mom, they're probably going to go to jail
for it too. You've really made a
bad judgement, Phil. Chloe never
did anything to hurt you, but you automatically assumed that she had."
Phillip was stunned into
silence. He had to lean one hand
against the bench to keep from toppling to the floor.
The shame of what he had put Chloe through last night had hit him like a
brick.
"Oh God.
Shawn. I can't believe it. I…
I've been such an idiot. I've lost
Chloe, and I'm not going to get her back. Ever."
Shawn nodded and looked at
Phillip with pity, "No, you probably won't.
I don't know, Phillip. No
matter what, you have to apologize to her.
The way you treated her was wrong. Nobody
deserves that."
"She's the best thing
that ever happened to me, Shawn, and I just threw it away.
She'll never forgive me for it. And,
I don't even deserve her forgiveness. I
don't deserve her."
Shawn stood in silent
agreement.
"Shawn, I'm sorry for
the way I acted."
"Don't apologize to me.
Apologize to Chloe."
Phillip nodded, "I'm
going to. I just hope she'll let me
talk to her. And, Shawn - thanks
for being here to keep my head on straight for me."
Shawn put a friendly hand on
Phillip's shoulder, "No problem, man.
Somebody has got keep a clear head around here, because God knows the
rest of you are totally insane. Just
think of me, as your conscience…"
Phillip and Shawn began to
walk towards the parking lot, continuing their conversation.
"Like Jiminy Cricket or
something?"
Shawn laughed, "Right,
except without the hat. I look
terrible in hats."
"Well, it's because your
head is just…so big."
"Hey!
You should talk, Kiriakis! It
must run in the family, Uncle Phillip."
"Ouch.
Definitely ouch."
The two friends laughed once more and then parted ways.