Here - Chapter 33
Wednesday, 23-Aug-00 08:40:59

152.163.207.189 writes:
Here - Chapter 33


As usual, Carly walks into her accounting class early and with her head down, absolutely certain that her classmates are staring at her. She takes her seat in the third row from the front and spreads out her possessions, as she knows from experience that no one will sit beside her.

She pulls out a pen and chews on the end as she flips through her notebook. Her head snaps up when a female voice asks, "Is anybody sitting here?"

Carly shrugs, says "no," moves her things from the desk next to her, and avoids looking at the questioner too closely. Then Carly turns her attention to her notebook again.

"Thank you," the voice says gratefully, out of breath. After some noisy adjustment, the voice says to Carly, "I thought I was going to be late! I hear this guy's a jerk when you're late..."

Carly's eyes immediately flash to her newly-situated neighbor, sure that the woman's statement is a personal jab, a reference to Carly's first day of class. But what Carly finds instead is a pair of open, hopeful light brown eyes.

The young woman is smiling at Carly, nodding. She extends a hand, "I'm Mayda."

"Caroline," Carly provides, automatically using her given name. She is slow to take Mayda's hand, not because she feels that Mayda is insincere, but because the sight of Mayda would be enough to give anyone pause.

Mayda is very pretty, with wide chocolate eyes, a cute button nose, and a full set of shapely lips. Her face is thin and a tad over-long, making her features look as if they are smashed a little too far to the center of her face. Her hair is light brownish-blonde and wavy, pulled back into a barely-controlled ponytail of squiggly curls.

Carly finally shakes the woman's hand, thinking, Gee, if it weren't for the rings in her eyebrows, nostrils, lip, and cheek, she'd be gorgeous!

Mayda sighs, "So, is this guy as bad as I've heard or what??"

Carly nods, exerting extreme effort not to let her eyes rest too long on any of the young woman's gold, unnatural extremities. Carly does look closely enough to note how strange it is that Mayda seems to have practically every available place above her neck pierced -- except her ears. Carly replies, "He's pretty bad."

Nodding her head, Mayda glances around the crowded auditorium, "Big class, eh?"

It is then that Carly notices the mild accent in her classmate's quick, staccato speech. Carly can not place it, but it is there.

Mayda elbows Carly gently, "Lots of kids!" She continues her examination of their fellow students, "Babies, really..."

Carly narrows her eyes at her new acquaintance, evaluating her anew. Behind the pierced skin, Carly now detects tiny wrinkles around the brown eyes, smile lines etched lightly from her nose to her lips.

Mayda looks at Carly again, "I thought it would be wierd, you know, being around all of these young kids."

Carly allows herself a chuckle and says doubtfully, "You don't think it is?"

Mayda shrugs, her bird's nest of a ponytail bouncing, "I don't know. The kids don't seem so bad."

Carly lifts a brow, but does not comment. Carly finds the students at PCU plenty bad. She sees them all as stuck-up prudes, dressed and scented in Tommy. A thousand annoying Lizzards and Lizzettes.

Mayda lifts her hips from her seat, pushing the desk out of the way, and pulls a pack of gum from the front pocket of her jeans. She offers Carly a piece, which Carly silently refuses. With a frown, Mayda unwraps and stuffs three pieces into her mouth and chews. She puts the gum back into her pocket, then points to her mouth and says by way of explanation, "I only chew till the flavor's gone."

Carly looks at Mayda and wonders with trepidation what the woman plans to do with that wad once the flavor has been chewed out.

Mayda looks at the large, plain-faced clock on the wall and sighs, "It took me so long to get here..."

"What? You live outside of Port Charles or something?" Carly asks absently.

Mayda stares at Carly for a beat, then laughs, "No, no. I was talking, you know, figuratively." Then she looks as if she is rethinking her words, "I think I mean figuratively..."

Carly has little interest in someone else's problems, as she has so many of her own. But her new neighbor is talkative and not snubbing her, so Carly asks, "What took you so long??"

Mayda's eyes light up and she looks at Carly as if she has been waiting for that question her entire life. She lifts an arm proudly, displaying a tattoo of what, to Carly, looks like some sort of military insignia. Mayda points to the image, "Spent a few years in the Army. That's how I'm paying for my classes..."

Carly lifts her brows in surprise. She can not help but wonder, given Mayda's appearance now, which of the organizations that held them did the most damage: Ferncliff or the United States Army.

Mayda continues talking, "I mean, it wasn't really for me, but it got me away from home...I'm from Florida. Miami. And I needed the money, you know? And it wasn't that bad. I learned a lot of skills." She gives Carly a sly smile, "Met a lot of guys too! Talk about muscles!" She sighs then, as if recalling, "There were definitely some plusses to military life, let me tell you!"

Carly smiles a bit and attempts to participate in the conversation, "I'm from Florida too...Pensacola..."

Mayda's smile deepens and she nods, "Another Florida girl!!!"

Strangely, Carly finds herself enjoying Mayda's company. It is truly a novelty for Carly to actually be on speaking, friendly terms with a female who is not her mother or her child's nanny.

Of course, this girl doesn't know me yet...

Carly feels an odd sympatico with Mayda. She feels as if both of them are strangers in a strange land, aliens in a hostile foreign country. Carly looks around and notes that, instead of Carly being the focus of intense, tentative stares, Mayda is the new target.

She almost feels badly, until she realizes that Mayda could not care less.

Carly clears her throat and offers, almost shyly, "You know, if you ever want to get together and study or anything...you know..."

Mayda, chomping loudly on her gum, nods her head enthusiastically, "Great! That would be great!"

Carly feels a rush in her chest. Did this really just happen??, she asks herself in awe. She wonders if she actually just took the first step to making a friend, her first female friend since Carly Roberts.

Carly certainly hopes so. She likes how it feels.

******

Bobbie is absolutely stunned when Luke shows up at the hospital to see her. Naturally, she assumes disaster. Her eyes widen and she questions anxiously, "What's wrong???"

Luke pulls her away from the nurse's station and over to the lounge area, out of Amy's curious earshot. He whispers, "What the hell did you do??"

Bobbie is confused and insulted by his tone. She lifts her head and jerks her arm out of his grip, "What are you ranting about now??"

Luke stares at her for a moment, then he fills her in, "You told Carly that I told you some things...??"

A week of Carly giving him the cold shoulder has actually worn on Luke. He can not tease or insult her with any sense of fun anymore.

And Luke does not even want to dwell on the pitiful way Claude is staring at him lately.

Bobbie's mouth forms a small 'o' and her shoulders sag a little when the light bulb goes off. "Oh...that..."

"Yeah. That," Luke repeats, looking at his sister for an explanation. He says, "I figure you must have done something really bad to sell me down the river like that, Barbara..."

Bobbie lets out a breath, then sits down on one of the couches.

Luke sits next to her and waits.

She looks at him, "I'm sorry, Luke...it's just that, well, I couldn't tell her how I really found out what she was doing with her time..."

He gives her a suspicious, yet deliciously curious look, "And why not?"

She looks into her brother's eyes, pleading silently for him to drop it.

He lets her know, in Spencer-sibling-eye-language, that he has no intention of dropping anything.

She bitterly confesses, "I went through her room, Luke. Okay?"

His face first expresses disappointment and he shakes his head in sad astonishment, "Barbara!!! You didn't!" Then, after a few seconds, he beams.

She nods, not returning the smile, "I did, Luke. And I'm not proud of it."

"Please," he replies dubiously, his grin widening, "don't pretend you're sorry! You found out everything you wanted to know! What's not to be proud of??"

She shrugs and places a hand on her brother's shoulder, "I'm not proud of blaming you." Then she allows, "Well, not really."

His smile fades, "Yeah. That was low, Barbara."

"It's not like I had much of a choice, Luke!" she says defensively. She goes on, her hands in the air as she tries to explain, "She threw your name out and I just, I don't know, I just caught it..."

He blinks slowly, shaking his his head, "Well, now she doesn't trust me."

Bobbie narrows her eyes, surprised at what she sees on her brother's face. She says softly, "God, Luke. I had no idea this would bother you. I didn't think you cared that much...?"

He looks at her, a bit angrily. He mutters without conviction, "I don't care that much."

She purses her lips and leans toward him, "Do you want me to tell her the truth?" Then she offers without enthusiasm, "I'll tell her everything if that's what you want..." She pauses, then says, "It's just that things have been going so well between Carly and me lately. I don't want to ruin it if I don't have to..."

He looks at the ceiling, the flourescent light fixtures nearly blinding him when he does. Then he turns his eyes to his sister, "Nah...it's all right." He clears his throat and shrugs, "I guess she'll get over it. Eventually."

Bobbie pouts, "Thanks, Luke." Then she tries to make him feel better about his decision, "I mean, Carly's going through a lot right now, what with Sonny and everything...I don't want to add what I did on top of that."

He looks at her sharply, ignoring the fact that his sister had no qualms about adding what he allegedly did on top of whatever Carly's current problems are. He asks pointedly, "What Sonny stuff??"

Bobbie can not help the smug look that slips quickly onto her face. She boasts gently, "So, I actually know something about my daughter that you don't know??"

He looks at her narrowly.

She waves her hand at him, "All right, all right. Carly and I saw Sonny out with another woman last week." Then she adds nonchalantly, "And then I had to pull one of Lucas's water guns on him to get him to leave Carly alone."

Luke is incredulous - not at the water gun incident, as he would expect nothing less from his sister - but at Sonny being out with another woman. For as long and as well as he has known Sonny Corinthos, Luke is aware that the mobster can barely handle one woman at a time in his life. And when Sonny did have more than one -- Luke remembers Lily and Brenda with a pained expression -- it was a certified mess.

Luke scoffs in disbelief, "What other woman??"

Bobbie shrugs, "Never seen her before."

"Huh..." Luke says thoughtfully, evaluating this new information. Finally, Luke thinks he's got it and a large smile plays across his face. He did it, Luke thinks with more than a little satisfaction. He actually did what I wanted and dumped Caroline...I'll be damned!

Bobbie watches her brother curiously, "Luke?"

"What?" Luke asks, still smiling.

"What is it? Why are you smiling?"

He shakes his head and waves her off, turning serious to placate her, "Nothing. Nothing's funny, Barbara."

Bobbie is too accustomed to Luke to be troubled for long by her brother's strange reaction. She sighs at last, "Well, do you want me to tell her the truth or not?"

He shakes his head again, knowing he is guilty, but that now, no one may ever know of what. He says with faux-selflessness, "No, no, Barbara. Your relationship with your daughter is more important...it's all right..."

Bobbie eyes him suspiciously, the words ringing false as a three-dollar bill. She utters slowly, "Okayyy..."

He suddenly pops up from the couch and announces curtly, "Gotta go."

Then he strolls to the elevator, whistling and giving Amy a flirty wink on the way.

Bobbie remains seated, and, with a wary eye, watches him board the elevator and disappear.

******

"It feels good to be flush again!" Benny enthuses, lifting his drink to Sonny.

Sonny nods, his mind not occupied with business at the moment, "Yeah." Sonny glances listlessly around Jake's, where he and Benny have met for drinks.

The third transfer of cash from Pfizer has arrived on schedule, just ten days after the agreement was finalized.

Benny takes a long swallow of his gin and tonic, "And that Coroza move? Turned out to be pure genius, Sonny! Genius!!"

Sonny looks at his business manager expectantly.

Benny puts his glass down on the table and leans toward Sonny, "I haven't heard people this quiet for a long time, Sonny. A long time." He studies his employer with satisfaction, "You are back, Sonny. You're back. And everyone knows it."

Sonny says flatly, looking away from Benny now, "I never left, Benny."

Benny's smile frays a bit around the edges, realizing the implication of his last statement. "Well," he hurries, "I knew that. And the people who really know you knew that. But the regulars?" He shakes his head in response to his own question, "They didn't know, Sonny. Now they do."

Sonny takes a deep breath, then lets it out. He is happy to be back, to have at least a portion of the respect he used to have before Hannah. But, as if on its own volition, his mind keeps wandering to Carly.

Despite his best efforts to resist the impulse, he has called Carly and left messages for her. But she has not returned any of them. He thought that she was just playing some kind of game with him, a variation of 'hard-to-get.' He thought that she was trying to make him do a little work to get back into her good graces.

Now, after days of silence, he wonders if he has misread Carly's intentions.

Maybe she really doesn't want to see me, he thinks in wonderment.

Sonny never expected this standoff between Carly and him to last very long. Not really.

Now he is beginning to doubt that it's a standoff at all.

*****

Mike walks into Jake's. His eyes are searching for the blonde proprietress when they land on Sonny. He thinks for a minute, then decides to approach Sonny's table.

Mike walks over and Benny notices him first. He nods to the business manager.

"Hey, Mike," Benny says, unable to completely hide the joy and relief he is feeling over successfully handling their latest business crisis.

Sonny turns his head and sees his father. He greets him quietly, "Mike."

Mike stands at the table, thrusting his hands into his pockets, and says to his son, "I was just stopping by to visit Jake. Didn't expect to see you here."

Benny backs his chair away from the table, "Listen, I'm going to head on home, Sonny. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Sonny barely nods at Benny in dismissal, then the older associate leaves. Sonny touches his ear, then motions to the empty seat, "Take a seat."

"Sure," Mike says carefully, slowly taking over Benny's chair and noting the mood his son appears to be in. He offers, "Sorry if I interrupted something."

Sonny sits back in the wooden chair, spinning his nearly full glass slowly around on the table. He says softly, "You didn't interrupt anything."

Mike studies Sonny with concern. The last time he'd seen his son, Sonny seemed to be on top of the world, heading out of the penthouse with flowers and wine. With a tug on his ear, Mike broaches the subject delicately, "Everything okay??"

Sonny looks at Mike briefly, then looks away again with a shrug, his eyes squinting slightly.

"What's wrong, Sonny?" Mike asks with a touch of soft concern in his voice, folding his arms on the table. He narrows his eyes, "Is it...is it Carly?"

Sonny shoots him a suspicious 'how-did-you-know?' look.

Mike shrugs, "If it wasn't business, I just guessed it was Carly..." He waits for a few seconds, then poses the question again, "So, is it Carly?"

Sonny frowns and sniffs. He pounds his glass solidly on the table surface and says flatly, "We're done."

Mike lifts his head slowly and watches Sonny's face, "I see..."

Sonny appears to be lost in his own thoughts, so Mike presses gently, "What happened?"

Sonny shrugs and tries to sound offhanded, "She freaked out. She won't talk to me, won't answer my messages." He adds defiantly, "But, you know, if she wants to find me, she knows where I am. I'm not going there anymore."

Mike considers carefully before admitting, "I'm not going to say I'm surprised or disappointed."

Sonny looks at him.

Mike uses his hands as he tries to explain, "I just never saw what it was you saw in her...I mean, she was Jason's girlfriend..."

Sonny snaps, "She was never Jason's girlfriend."

Mike puts up his hands, "Okay, okay. Sorry. But she was 'involved' with Jason...right?"

Sonny tilts his head and concedes the point silently.

"I just never got it, Sonny..."

Sonny closes his eyes, then looks at his father's questioning face. He says simply, "She was there."

Sonny is referring to his breakdown after the Hannah fiasco, when Carly stayed with him and tried to convince him he wasn't worthless. When she stayed even after he threatened her and broke glass. When she lied in bed with him and told him about her nightmares. When she yelled out of his car window. When she asked him about why he treated her so horribly. When she kissed him goodbye for the last time.

Mike ventures, ignorant, "So...what? You were lonely and she was there? Was that it?"

Sonny smiles slightly at Mike's innocent misinterpretation of his words. Then he takes a sip from his drink and shakes his head thoughtfully. His throat burns as he says softly, "She just, she gave me," he puts his hand on his chest, "she just gave me freedom."

When he sees the blank look in his father's eyes, Sonny shakes his head, "I can't really explain it. She just made me feel good." He shrugs and finishes in a quiet voice, "It was just nice..."

Mike sees the earnestness on his son's face and, suddenly, the pain that Sonny is in is almost palpable. Mike sets his lips into a thin line, then supplies, "I'm not going to pretend I understand..."

Sonny nods in resignation.

Then Mike advises, against his better judgment, "...but if Carly makes you feel something, something good, then you should go after her, Sonny." He urges with soft intensity, "You know better than anybody how it feels to let somebody go and regret it later..."

Mike reaches across the table and places a hand on his son's forearm, "Don't do it to yourself again, Sonny. Just don't."