Pippi's Diner

Chapter 2

Here is another chapter, though I'm not sure you deserve it :( I don't want to sound mean or anything, but until I get 5 votes and 5 comments I'm not uploading.  I feel like you guys don't like my story because I'm getting so many reads but no votes or comments.

First to vote/comment gets a dedication in the next chapter if/when it goes up.  Anyone else who leaves me a good comment gets a later dedication :)

And sorry if you don't like romance but that will also be a major catagory for this story.  Don't worry, there will be plenty of mystery and suspense later on though, I promise.

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Chapter 2

“Zane is back!”  I screamed at Ted, although it sounded more like a statement than a question.

“Ouch, you really shouldn’t screech like that.  It’s bad for your vocals.”  He grumbled at me.  Then his eyes shot down to the table again and he mumbled more softly, “Yes.”

I didn’t know what to say.  Out of all the people that have ever come into my life, Zane definitely hurt me the most.  Being Ted’s older brother by two years, I used to look up to him, as if he were my big brother too.  Then I turned fifteen, and I started seeing him as more than just my best friend’s brother.  I had a crush on Zane.

Whenever he brought girls back to Ted’s house and I was over, I couldn’t help but feel jealous.  They probably thought I was crazy, giving them death glares the whole time they were over.  He went through girls fairly quickly, and I was never sure if that was good or not but I was happy that he didn’t seem to care about any of them too much.  I wanted Zane all to myself.

It was about half a year after my sudden realization that Zane had started to date this girl named Ashley.  They had been together for a month now and I was feeling completely rejected, even though we weren’t a real couple.  It was two weeks before the junior/senior winter break formal.  He was, of course, going with Ashley.

I was only a freshman at the time, so I wasn’t planning on going to the dance at all.  When I heard that Ashley and Zane were going together, I couldn’t stay away.  Trevor, a junior and friend of Zane’s kept checking me out whenever he came over to hang with him.  So being the crazy person I am, I flirted with Trevor and eventually he asked me to the dance.

I acted all excited to go with Trevor, but really I was hoping to make Zane jealous.  After hours of shopping with Missy – who was still my friend at the time – and visiting hundreds of boutiques and shops, I settled on wearing a long orange gown that set off my skin tone and had beautiful beaded straps that tied around my neck.

Finally, the big night had come.  I felt more nervous than I thought I would.  I planned to spend most of the night shadowing Zane and Ashley, but I had a feeling that something would go wrong and things would end badly.

The night started off well, with Trevor picking me up in a nice suit and a light pink corsage in hand.  My mom took pictures and my dad gave Trevor a stern look and a brief talking to.  Embarrassed and flushed, I made my way out to Trevor’s car, one of my hands firmly in his.

The car ride to the dance was in a slightly awkward silence for me, but Trevor didn’t seem to think so.  When we got to the ballroom the dance was meant to be held in, I couldn’t help but be in awe.  The high ceilinged room had row upon row of tables, a large dancing space, live music, dimmed lights with paper lanterns and strings of lights set out around the room.  There was even a balcony, among other amazing activities and decorations.

I wanted to go find Zane right away, but Trevor had other plans.  He dragged me over to some of his friends – Zane wasn’t there – and introduced me to them.  If I was paying closer attention, I might have caught on to Trevor’s plans, but I was too busy looking for Zane.

And so, Trevor carted me around the room as I followed, still not listening to much of what he said; only offering a “hello” or occasional word here and there in the conversations. 

Eventually, Trevor dragged me onto the dance floor and I was obliged to dance and chat with him.  It was then that I began to realize just how much I disliked him.  Trevor was a conceited idiot and player on the school football team.  This should have been my second clue to his real reason for asking me out.

I had finally escaped Trevor and was hiding behind a tall plant in the corner of the dance floor.  The crowed of teenagers was dimming and I found Zane and Ashley talking at a table.  A pang went straight to my heart, but I tried to ignore it.

It was midnight and my parents were probably getting worried.  I was just about to find my cell phone to call home and tell them that everything was fine and they didn’t have to worry when an arm snaked around my waist.

“Where are you going?”  That voice that I had come to dread over the night asked.  Trevor sounded much different now than he did earlier in the night.  I even felt a bit scared of him.

“Trevor, I think it’s time for me to go home.”  I said as calmly as I could, trying to sound authoritative. But he kept inching closer, backing me further into the corner.  “Really,” I tried again.  “My parents are getting worried.”

“Oh, don’t worry.”  He sneered at me.  “You don’t have to tell them anything.”

Just remembering what happened that night makes me feel sick, but to sum everything up, Zane… helped me get away from Trevor and I eventually confessed that I liked him.  Zane wouldn’t talk to me at first.  I thought he was ignoring me, but after a few weeks he told me that he wanted to be with me, he just didn’t want to have a new girlfriend so soon after dumping Ashley.

Yeah, biggest lie I ever heard.  We dated for almost a year when one day, Zane said he was leaving.

“Where are you going?”  I asked him.  I felt confused and hurt that he wanted to leave before he finished his senior year, but I still held the smallest hope that he would try and bring me with him.

“I’m joining the army.”

That’s all he said.  There was no explanation, no, “I’ll miss you” or, “It’s my duty.”  All he did was say those few words and leave a kiss on my head before turning around and getting in his car.  I didn’t even know if we were still together.  Hell, I didn’t know if I even understood what just happened, let alone where our relationship stood.

Zane never sent me letters, e-mails, or called.  It was as if he dropped off the face of the Earth.  After months of waiting, I decided to forget that we ever had anything together.  Actually, up until this moment I had completely forgot all about Zane.  Ted never talked about him and neither did his parents.  I guess Zane’s decision didn’t sit well with his family either.

“Yo, Ray,” Ted’s quiet and caring voice brought me back to the present.  “Are you okay?”

Yeah Ted, I thought, I’m absolutely fine after hearing that my ex-boyfriend who broke my heart and took half away to a military base is coming back in – when is he coming back?

“When is Zane coming back?”  I spoke strongly, but I’m sure my best friend didn’t miss the slight quiver in my voice.

“Oh, don’t worry about it Rach, he’s nothing.  Just forget about h- “

“When is he coming back, Ted?”  I nearly growled at him.  But hey, he should know by now not to drop any f-bomb worthy facts on me before I’ve had my coffee.

“Rachel,” he sighed.  “Zane is-“

And before he could finish, Ted was interrupted by the bell over the doorway ringing out and an all too familiar voice calling out his name.

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DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN...

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