Like a Train Wreck - 45. Chapter 45: Secret Sarah

Jaemin sat on a bench inside the auto garage below Damien's apartment. "Oh, I'm inside Miracle's head."

Damien rolled out from under one of the cars and looked at Jaemin. "What? How do you do that?"

"When you bond with someone long enough, learn so much about them, sometimes you can predict certain things."

"Nice super power." Damien grinned and rolled back under the car.

"Senior year was so important to him because of prom." Jaemin grinned. "If he is getting together with Aiden and they go...he will get as nervous as Carrie, I'll bet you a hundred dollars that he will anticipate something horrible will happen."

"Go on." Damien said from underneath the car.

Jaemin grinned. "All that has to happen is that they have to be separated...and then something bad has to happen but then I have to swoop in, point out all the reasons why I am the only one that is right for him."

"And...how exactly do you do that?"

"He has to feel betrayed. Our connection is still strong, you don't take a years worth of love and then just make it disappear, no matter how quick you fall in love with someone else, that new love is so delicate." Jaemin stood up and grabbed his beer. "I'll fill you in on all the details, you will love it. I just need to go and set this thing up while the field is clear." Jaemin then paused and started laughing. "This...will be...well I don't even have words for it." He then walked out of the garage.

"Are you going to need my help?" Damien slid out from under the car.

Jaemin stopped walking. "Most definitely, in fact the job will be quicker if you had some buddies, since they love their jokes. I'll call you in about an hour." He then got inside his car and drove away.

"So what do you want to do now?" Aiden laughed as he walked up the ramp from the beach that lead into the parking lot.

Miracle tied his bag of collected sea shells. "Well since it is the last day of spring break and I'm not at my permenant home, maybe I should take the risk of calling Eric again."

"What is your plan this time?" Aiden asked.

"Well I don't have one, I figured I would play off him, see if he inspired any ideas."

"Yeah but you said Kevin lives in California, what if he think you're staying around here?" Aiden looked concerned.

"Well if he traced the signal from my first phone call, it would of pinged Australia, plus that other guys area code was Florida, now I'm in California? Does he really think I would be hopping around like that? And if he were tracing my Dad's money transfers, they would be coming up as Texas, like near Mexico's border, Texas, so for all he knows from that, we could be jumping the borders. We drove a long way for those and didn't do it often." Miracle walked over to a pay phone.

"And the last shool you were in was West Virginia." Aiden added.

"Yeah, so did we drive to Florida from there? Or Texas? Or did we really go into Mexico? We could be using a program to scramble everything." He picked up the phone. "Got any change?"

Aiden dug into his pocket and handed Miracle some quarters.

Miracle put the quarters in and grabbed his cell phone to look up Eric's number and then punched it into the pay phone. He put his cell phone into his pocket and listened to the ring.

"Hello?" Eric answered, waving the woman away that was giving him a back massage.

"You told me to call back, hope I didn't make you wait to long." Miracle looked around.

Eric grinned. "I didn't think you would. What happened to the other number? Or should I say what happened to the person?"

Miracle grinned. "Well he was a really nice man but he had to be on his way. I would really love to know what happened to Cody's Mom though, that mystery makes me itch every day."

"Then scratch." Eric laughed. "Don't you think it's just possible, her old man died, her son broke all of the bible book rules, that maybe she just ran away in shame?"

"Sure, I could possibly believe that, if she hadn't disappeared the night that her...old man died." Miracle leaned against the pay phone. "Cody didn't even come out until Skylar made him. And don't tell me that his Mom might of saw what happened, if she did, she would of gone to the police."

Miracle then laughed. "Maybe that's it though, maybe she did see? So you made her disappear."

"Must you always talk about that woman?" Eric asked. "Is it because you feel like that is the only straw you can grasp?"

Aiden leaned closer so that he could hear what was being said, wanting to hear and sort of meet this Eric guy for once.

Miracle grasped Aiden's shirt, holding him close. "Can you tell me of any other straws?"

Eric lightly laughed. "I don't think there are any. In fact, the thought of putting whats her name in jail is kind of amusing. What was her name? Oh, Melanie was it? Maybe if I had, she would be alive. Maybe if you all had just shut up, kept your mouths quiet about what I did, I could of just put her in jail for assault and protected her from who ever killed her."

Miracle frowned. "That's a cheap shot, Eric. Do you really think you're going to win any fans that way?"

"I'm just saying if you didn't hate me right off the bat, I could of done some good when you look back on it." Eric grabbed his glass of ice water and took a sip.

"Yeah and if we did, would you have still did what you did to Robin? I get why you hated Martha, I'm not her biggest fan but Robin was an innocent."

Eric sat his glass down. "That was Martha's doings, horrible woman, stealing a child, at least he was able to grow up and live, but then she did what she did and now a Mother and child are dead."

"I get no where with you." Miracle rolled his eyes and slammed the phone down. "See how it goes?"

Aiden took a step back. "I think he's paranoid about being recorded, he's not going to be real with you, not on the phone."

Miracle sighed. "Well now we have to leave, he's probably traced the number..." He paused. "Oh my god, so fucking stupid."

"What?"

"It's a pay phone. If he figures that out, he'll know I was physically here." Miracle ran his hands over his head.

"No he won't, you can clone the number, websites give you the ability to do that. Given they are intended for jokes, they can be handy."

Miracle shook his head. "How did I get the number to clone it? Who do I know in California that he knows? Kevin, he'll assume that I called Kevin and that Kevin might of got the number for me to clone it, if he just doesn't assume that I was just actually really here."

"Well, Kevin could use my phone and call him and let the area code come up as Nevada, maybe throw him off. Then Kevin couldn't give you the number if he's not here." Aiden suggested. "It's spring break too, maybe Kevin really isn't here."

"Crap!" Miracle yanks his cell phone out and scrolls the contacts and taps Kevin and brings the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Kevin answers.

"Where are you at?" Miracle asked.

"I came to The Carribean with some friends. And hello to you too." Kevin laughed slightly.

"Yeah, sorry, that's great. Uh...but you see, I have a problem. You know me and Jaemin went on the run right? Someone has told you, right?"

"Uh, Jasmine did. She bitched and cried for an hour." Kevin said.

"Okay well I made a stupid mistake. I called Eric from Australia from another man's phone, the number comes up as Florida but would trace as Australia because that's where he was, where the signal would be. Okay and my Dad did money transfers in Texas, practically at the border so it looks like it could be possible we were hopping borders for the money." Miracle explained.

"So it looks like you're bunny hopping the world, good strategy." Kevin saw one of his friends dive into the pool with a big splash and laughed. "No one can tan out here."

"Yeah, it works but I was stupid and came to California and called from a pay phone that's planted on the ground, that puts you in danger because he's going to think I am physically here, most likely staying with you or that at least you know where I am. Why? Because either he'll know what I really did, use the pay phone or that you gave me the pay phone number so I could clone it."

"I'm following." Kevin laughed. "Sorry, I'll be serious."

"I need you to call him so your signal will ping from where your at, far away, to far from here to give me the number." Miracle said.

"Well that proves that I didn't give you the pay phone number but it doesn't prove that you're not really there. In fact it will solidify that you are, you had to be there to get the number because I couldn't get it for you because I am here." Kevin explained.

"Is everyone the brains but me?" Miracle looked at Aiden.

"Miracle.." Kevin took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. "Now I'm probably going to have to transfer or be paranoid about that crazy man."

"No...don't go off the deep end yet! I'll..figure out something, just give me..uh..a few hours. Maybe I can find a reason to get the town to rip the phone up and then when he comes, it won't exist." Miracle scratched his head.

"Good luck at that, thanks a lot, really, thank you so much." Kevin hung up.

"How did that go?" Aiden asked.

"Uh...not good, he's going to transfer to a completely different college if I don't fix it and he is not very happy." Miracle nervously tapped his phone against his other hand repetitively.

"I'm at a loss, psychology, I can do, this...no." Aiden shook his head.

"I know me and Jaemin are broke up but he is smart about these things...Maybe if I just call him about the situation."

"You can if you feel the need to. I'm not the jealous type." Aiden said.

"I got it, give me some more quarters." Miracle reached out.

Aiden dug into his pocket and gave Miracle the last of his change. "That's all I got left on me."

Miracle grabbed the pay phone and stuck more quarters in and dialed Eric's number.

"Hello? Is this you again?" Eric grinned.

Miracle shoved his phone in his pocket. "I just wanted to tell you one more thing, don't bother coming, I'm headed to the airport, we might check out South America next, we're thinking of going exotic, good luck."

"Whatever you say...have a great trip." Eric laughed.

"We will, jerk!" Miracle slammed the phone down. "Think that works?"

"Psychologically? If he's smart, that was an obvious attempt in trying to get him not to come, it might make him want to come even more." Aiden frowned. "If I knew you were going to do that, I would not have given you the change."

"So I made it worse?" Miracle's eyes widened.

Aiden sighed and sat on the bench next to the phone. "How sure are you that he's monitoring your Dad's money transfers?"

"Not sure, we just take the extra precaution." Miracle sat down beside him. "But we know a direct phone call is a sure fire risk. We just recently started to trust contacting friends and family, initially we were high paranoid about them being bugged and tapped."

"Well I was going to suggest a money transfer here, you pick it up, buy a ticket to say...Belize with a stop in Nevada and then just skip out on the next boarding and then another money transfer to there, find someone over the internet who could pick it up, let them have the cash, you know, money for a hotel or something for all he knows." Aiden thought it over.

"Hmm...better with a stop in Texas and then I could get a ride back to Nevada." Miracle looked at him. "It's a gamble, we could try it, I'm safe once I leave here, point is that it doesn't guarantee Kevin's safety."

"I don't think anything will. Maybe he'll have to take some time off, let Eric come here, do his digging around and then once that's done, come back. He doesn't have to change schools, that's a bit dramatic." Aiden said.

"I guess that's all we can do." Miracle frowned.

"You have to stop being impulsive." He took Miracle's hand. "It might be hard but try to stop for a minute and tell me whats going through your head. Though, I'll admit my fault, I should have realized what a pay phone would do but I'm not good at...well this James Bond stuff."

"Well I'll call Kevin, tell him to take some time off, not to come back to California, give it a few weeks, tell him to stay away from New York too, go somewhere that Eric doesn't know, other family, friends or something. And I think just driving home is okay, no trail in doing that."

Aiden nodded. "Well lets go get our stuff and we'll be home bound."

May 2009

"Uh...I don't feel right." Miracle stared in the mirror and made a weird face as he looked at the white tux that Aiden had bought for him. "Can't I just go in normal clothes? I mean it's way in the new millenium, I think that's what people do now."

"Miracle, it's not that bad." Aiden laughed as he walked into Miracle's room, wearing a black one. "And no, people don't do that. Let me ask you something, I'm sure you pictured going with Jaemin, how were you two going to go?"

"Just normal, like with anything else." Miracle said. "I feel like a clown except that it's missing all the colors."

"Did you even ask him?"

"Well, technically no but sometimes we can sort of read each other. He wouldn't do that."

"So then, what would make it special? Memorable? It would seem like just a night out at the club, just no alcohol, unless he snuck it in, which he probably would." Aiden looked up thoughtfully.

"It's just like Carrie, she wore what she normally wore every day and then she suddenly changes so when she walks in, everyone suddenly looks at her." Miracle frowned.

"Well that's because everyone is shocked and they make this like..aisle for her and the guy walks her all the way through it. You hardly grab attention at school to get that kind of shock and I would walk you into the door and if it made you feel better, we would snatch the table right near it." Aiden laughed.

Miracle rolled his head around. "Uh...I would rather just make a fake memory." He turned around to look at Aiden. "You're going to have to drag me out." His eyes then narrowed. "And the guy in Carrie is a jack ass to walk her down the aisle of people, didn't he consider that she was probably scared?"

"I think he wanted to prove a point."

"At the expense of her nerves." Miracle rolled his eyes and walked out of the bed room.

Aiden laughed and shook his head and followed Miracle out of the room.

"Oh no, no one leaves without a picture." Linda grinned as they came in the living room.

"No, I don't want physical evidence." Miracle's eyes widened. "See, this is what I mean, everyone makes such a big deal out of it when you just want to be a mouse and hide in the safety of your hole in the wall."

Aiden pointed at Miracle. "Nervous."

Miracle pointed at Aiden. "Proving a point."

Linda smiled and walked over to take Miracle's hand and lead him into the kitchen, waving for Aiden to stay put. "Miracle, it's easy to understand why you're scared."

"Why?" Miracle looked at her.

"Well..I wasn't eavesdropping but I kind of heard you two debating Carrie." Linda grinned briefly. "I don't think you're afraid of a prank. I think it's that you're afraid to be noticed, seen. And given what happened to you, that is natural. The fact that..." Linda made a face. "The fact that David did those things to you was bad enough but that he had to exploit it."

Miracle let out a nervous breath. "I don't understand." He shook his head.

"Well this breaks your comfort zone, it's something special but something that you aren't familiar with and it's something that..someone else wants to do for you but at the same time, so many others will be there to see. And in a way...you feel like you're in a different skin, not the one you feel safe in."

Miracle scratched his head. "Could you just say it? I know you're trying to be nice and skip around certain things but...I don't think I'm going to get your message otherwise."

"Okay, it's like this, David had you how he wanted you, how he needed you to look and be in order to..record you. No clothes, and as you grew up with a better and more suitable family, things became more normal but you were never asked of anything so you found a you that you were comfortable with. So now someone wants to do something for you but it requires you to yet again look and be in order for it to go right. And what's even scarier about this is that while people will see, it's live, people can reach you, react to you. Does that make sense?"

"Maybe but that's not the thoughts that go through my mind. I just think..."

Linda nodded. "You translate it into Carrie, that is how you understand your feelings, that is how you relate them. The stares, the uncomfortable attention, the nervousness, the way you describe that she has a way of being every day and then suddenly she changes and everyone reacts." She smiled. "You have to try and not think about it. Honey, you faced David, that was your biggest challenge believe it or not and you survived that."

Miracle nodded. "Okay, everything will be okay. Thanks, you're the best."

"Just be in your position and keep your phone connected. When it's time, I'll put it on speaker and when that happens, don't make any sound, just listen and wait for the...trigger." Jaemin grinned as he walked through the crowded, decorated gym and sat on the third row of bleachers. "This is a gamble, if what I think will happen doesn't happen, well I'll owe some people, big time." The phone was pulled from his ear and his arm rested on his thigh.

Aiden pushed the door inside and lead Miracle in. "See? Is it so bad?"

Miracle walked in and looked around, people seemed to busy with each other to really notice anyone else. "Not what I pictured. Kind of..like any party."

A girl then suddenly walked up and smiled. "Aiden! You made it!

"Tara!" Aiden looked at Miracle and then smiled at Tara. "Well, hey!"

"Who is she?" Miracle asked.

"Oh, you are one of the..uh, new kids, right?" Tara smiled. "Well, at least you seem presentable. The other one was so...grungy."

Miracle looked at Aiden and then looked at Tara. "Well you know, Tara, some people with a very artistic outlook would see..well.. a certain style within it."

Tara looked at Aiden and then Miracle. "I never claimed to be artistic." She looked at Aiden "Could we get some drinks for just a minute?"

Aiden looked at Miracle and smiled. "Just a minute." He then walked off with Tara to get a couple of drinks.

Jaemin walked up. "What a dreamy memory. You walk in the door and he just ditches you..."

Miracle smiled and talked through clenched teeth. "I want to take her out to the parking lot."

Jaemin laughed. "That would be so fun. You want to know my info?"

Miracle looked at Jaemin. "What info?"

"Well a certain not really friend in lab because I never make friends in school, he showed me last years year book." Jaemin said.

"And?" Miracle shook his head.

"Miss Perky, steal date over there was his girlfriend, if you didn't know, his Secret Sarah." Jaemin laughed.

Miracle frowned. "Funny. Go on."

"Well there was a ton. He was her guitarist at her talent show, she sung a song called 'You Play Our Melody' and he helped her win class president, was there for every step of it, biggest supporter. Shes a cheerleader, no doubt. Voted the couple most likely to flourish from high school." Jaemin grinned. "Didn't that get fucked up? Or did it?" Jaemin looked at them. "Tons of photos, if they wanted to be models, they would have a portfolio."

"How come I never met her? Let alone even see her?" Miracle asked.

"That's because she was taking classes abroad and she just rushed back to try to win." Jaemin nodded.

"To try to win?" Miracle looked around and then saw the stage. "To try to win."

"You might see." Jaemin frowned. "Don't be surprised if..." He trailed off and then headed back towards the bleachers.

Miracle gave Jaemin and weird look and then looked at Aiden when he came back with a drink. He took the cup and looked at it. "What was that about? Who is she?"

Aiden half grinned, awkwardly. "Oh, she is Tara. Shes not a big deal."

"Sure." Miracle said and then looked away. "Carrie luck coming." He mumbled.

"What was that?" Aiden asked.

"Oh nothing, just self chatter." Miracle smiled.

"Do you want to dance?" Aiden asked.

"Oh...no." Miracle shook his head. "I feel silly enough dressed like this. I mean clubbing, totally, but you mesh formal with fun, seems tacky."

"I meant slow dancing." Aiden grinned.

"Never done it before." Miracle looked around. "I don't belong here." He shook his head. "I really don't belong here."

Aiden frowned. "I'm sorry, you feel out of place."

"Maybe you should ask Tara, she seems so perfect for everything." Miracle circled the top of his cup with his finger.

"Miracle, she doesn't matter." Aiden shook his head.

"Yeah." Miracle looked around.

A lady stepped upon the stage and grasped the microphone. "Okay, class of 2009! No need to leave you in suspense another minute! It is time to announce this years king and queen!" She said after the music stopped.

Miracle let out a breath and felt unwilling to take another as he looked around and saw Jaemin on the bleachers who had been watching him the whole time.

The lady smiled and opened the envelope. "This years prom king is Aiden Alexander!"

Miracle looked over at Aiden who walked off and away, through the cheering crowd and headed towards the stage. He walked away and quickly moved towards the bleachers.

"Miracle?" Jaemin stood up.

"Why...how is he voteable? I...I don't care who that bitch was to him, he shouldn't be voteable anymore." Miracle fell down to sit on the second bleacher.

"I don't think the right question is how, it's why. He could of took himself off, he didn't." Jaemin moved closer to Miracle.

"And this years prom queen." The lady smiled and paused for dramatic affect. "Tara Lynn!" The cheers were even louder as Tara headed for the stage.

"She...she stole all of it." Miracle looked at Jaemin.

"No..." Jaemin grabbed Miracle's face in his hands. "Look up, above."

Miracle looked up to see a large net filled with black and white balloons. "So?"

"Give your word and they fall..." Jaemin grinned.

"What happened to the real person?" Miracle asked.

"Oh she got stuffed in the janitors closet, they'll find her." Jaemin shook his head.

"Do it." Miracle said.

Jaemin grinned and grabbed his phone off the bleacher. "You heard it, Damien."

The net then released and the balloons fell and as they collapsed and fell, pigs blood splattered in a mess of gore as they busted, ruining the stage and Aiden and Tara in the process. People gasped and screamed in shock as the whole thing happened and when it was over, there was mostly utter silence.

Miracle's eyes widened as he watched the whole thing. "It happened."

"Go, before they know it was you or you have to act like you care." Jaemin nodded towards the door.

Miracle looked at Jaemin and then got up and ran behind the crowd and ran out the door.

Aiden stared at his blood covered hands, hearing Tara scream as she fell to her knees. He then looked up and around until his eyes narrowed on Jaemin on the bleachers.

Jaemin grinned and finger waved Aiden and then stuck his middle finger up. "You better bounce, Damien, before they start looking." He disconnected the call and got up and simply walked out.

"Trust me, you're better off. I mean first, the guy says you're his first guy? And then his ex shows up and he still wants to do something like that with her, despite the fact that you were his date? He still wants to present her to the crowd? And have a dance with her? A total Brad, even if he can put nice paper and a bow on it." Jaemin sat on the arm rest of the couch.

"I knew it, thats how newbies are. You can never trust them." Miracle frowned. "I fucking knew it."

Jaemin heard a loud knock on the door. "Didn't take him long to figure out we were at your Mom's house."

"He knows I wouldn't go to Damien's after what happened. Besides he doesn't know where that is." Miracle mumbled.

Jaemin walked to the door and pulled it open. "Yeah, what ya want? Aren't you supposed to like...be in the back seat with whats her name right now? That's like the rule."

"No wonder Miracle thinks there are rules." Aiden finished taking his bloody dress shirt off and threw it down along with his dress jacket that was ruined. "Why did you do that?"

"Why did you invite Miracle to something that was all about someone else? I mean you walk him in the door, ditch him, walk back to him to, I would assume to answer his questions and then win a dream planned a year ago that sadly didn't work out but you were determined that it would, for tonight, happen anyway."

"That's our business, not yours. Now get out of the way." Aiden frowned.

"That's Miracle's call." Jaemin grinned.

Miracle stood up and sighed. "Lets get this drama over with, go ahead, let him in."

When Jaemin stepped aside, Aiden walked in and looked at Miracle. "I meant to tell you."

"Well, I'll have my time with the bitch, I plan to. You know, in all honesty, the second I met her, I wanted to take her to the parking lot." Miracle walked around the couch and walked closer to the door.

"Is that what this is really going to be?" Aiden asked.

"Why should you care? Isn't she supposed to be history?" Miracle then laughed. "Shes supposed to be but then you decide that you're going to hook back up for the sake of winning." Miracle lifted his hands and made a gesture of quote when he spoke of winning.

"It was important to her, we broke up, she was gone when I came out, she knew nothing about it, I promised the win to her." Aiden sighed.

"And now she is back." Miracle walked up to Aiden. "Take my advice, you worry about her, shes going to need someone to, like I said, I wanted to take her out to the parking lot tonight. What Jaemin did? That's little boy play, I want business with her."

Aiden stared at Miracle and then looked at Jaemin and shook his head before lifting his hands and turning around only to walk out.

"This should be quite interesting." Jaemin grinned, watching Aiden as he left.

Tara slapped Miracle in the hallway, the crowd had already surrounded to watch on.

Miracle stumbled around from the slap. "You bitch!" He grabbed her arms and spun around with her and then pushed her back to try to shove her into the trash can.

Tara bumped into the trash can and knocked it over and then yanked to the side, causing the two to fall over, she ended up on top and then punched Miracle in the face.

Miracle yelled in pain and then grabbed a handful of her hair and started to pull. Tara screamed in pain and he rolled over ontop of her and pulled until a handful of hair came out of her head. Miracle's eyes widened and he stood up, looking at the hair in his hand and he laughed.

Tara stood up, her hand on her head where the hair was pulled out.

"Oh! Don't feel bad! I'm sure the puppy groom can uh...fix this for you!" Miracle grinned as he held out his hand.

"Yeah?! Like your fake dye job?!" Tara screamed.

Jaemin and Aiden moved through the crowd to come upon the scene.

Miracle laughed. "Sure, like that plastic surgeon across the street, I saw you go in with a B cup and you came out with that C cup! If you want to be really dramatic, go for a D cup! Don't be scared!"

"I don't need one! Maybe the bimbo prostitutes at your trailer park do! You should crawl back there, by the way!" Tara screamed.

"Woah! Tara, calm down!" Aiden walked over to her.

"He's your friend!" Tara screamed.

Miracle laughed. "Oh get a brain, if they are prostitutes, at least they are wanted! Would anyone pay for you?!"

Jaemin grinned.

"I meet nice men!" Tara screamed and shrugged away from Aiden. "Unlike you!"

"Oh you don't even know." Miracle shook his head. "I take being wanted as a compliment! You know why?" He looked at a nerdy guy. "He isn't wanted!" He then looked at a nerdy girl. "Neither is she! They will never be wanted!" He looked at Tara. "But I am! And if I wanted to charge for it, we're not talking twenty dollars an hour, oh no, little girl. You come to the city and try to play the game and see how much of a joke you end up. Anyone with a brain knows you could end up with two thousand dollars a person if you hit up the right client."

"Well you have that money, see if it buys you out of the emptiness! See if it does!" Tara screamed.

"At least I didn't get some guilty guy to win prom king with me!" Miracle laughed and let go of her hair, watching it fall to the floor. "You talk to your king about that." Miracle grabbed Jaemin's hand. "Move!" He then pushed through the crowd.

"Okay, it is time to present your projects." The teacher announced. "Aiden, Miracle. Why don't you two start first?"

Aiden looked at Miracle, who grinned at him, and the two got up and walked to the front of the class, Aiden had a paper but Miracle didn't.

Aiden looked at the class. "Well, I've been close to Miracle for a while, I think we connected and I think that was really the point, the goal. I think it was to connect two people who otherwise would not have ever associated. What I learned about him is that he was very troubled, he needed a true friend, someone to open up to. I think it surprised him because while I found him unusual, I think he is special and doesn't realize his potential."

Aiden looked down at his paper and then continued. "We had our ups and our downs but I always liked the up moments. He was like a double coin. Someone with a childlike wonder, yet at other times, someone who was tragically broken. I can't say why here but I think I really failed him and..I wish I could of made him believe and trust in himself and in the world." Aiden looked up and then laid the paper on his desk.

Miracle frowned, Aiden's words were like a punch to the heart but he wasn't about to let himself appear to be visibly affected by it, he had to keep up that shield of protection, he wasn't about to let Aiden touch him in any way again.

"What I learned is that Aiden is a very skilled psychiatrist, without liscence of course. I'm sure he gets the genes from his Mother." Miracle walked closer to the front row of desks and started pacing. "You better watch out though, those kind of people are so smart, they can suck you in and make you believe anything they want." Miracle grinned.

Aiden slowly shook his head and sighed.

"Let me tell you a story about a psychologist I once saw." Miracle looked at Aiden and then at the class. "Well he slipped into my life, we started having sessions, it was all normal, fine and dandy, little did I know, that dirty old man was obsessed with me. I'll bet he went home at night, got under his silky sheets, fantasized about me. I decided to test it out, I showed him a video I once made and I'm sure you're all smart enough to know what kind of video I speak of."

Miracle grinned and kept pacing. "A professional would of discouraged it but he sat there, watched it all the way through. Then on purpose, I accidently left it there for him, he never bothered to return it." Miracle then looked at Aiden. "So..in the future, watch out for his type."

Miracle then walked over to the teachers desk and leaned back on the edge of it. "What I learned about Aiden is that he is a big bad wolf in sheeps clothing and I was his little red riding hood. Although I'd prefer a wolf to a sheep, I don't like a disguise, be who you are or put the costume on and go trick or treating."

The class looked between Aiden and Miracle, unsure of what to think, especially after the events of the prom, that of which everyone was still reeling from. The teacher cleared his throat uncomfortably. "You two can head back to your seats." The teacher wanted to simmer down the tension.

Miracle grinned and walked back to his seat and sat down.

Aiden follows him and sat down beside him. "Couldn't you have at least faked something nice?"

Miracle looked over at Aiden. "The project was about the truth, I told the truth." Miracle closed his notebook. "Be happy, at least people don't make you a plague for what happened."

"Yeah and you know, that is kind of odd by how you talked so much about Carrie just before the whole thing."

"You think I preplanned it?" Miracle started to laugh. "First of all, I didn't even know you were even voteable, why would you be? You couldn't go up there with me, so why would you be? It never even crossed my mind. And how would I have even known about Tara? Am I psychic?" Miracle's eyebrows lifted.

"Well I know for sure that Jaemin did it." Aiden looked at his desk. "I guess you guys are so bonded that you read each others minds, or at least he can read yours."

"Jaemin knows my mind pretty well, that's fair to say." Miracle opened his notebook again and started to doodle with his blue glitter pen. "At least he was by my side. I mean you walk me in the door, that bitch comes, you go off with her and Jaemin gives me all the information and then you come back and then all the following happened. Shes like a secret Sarah."

"A secret Sarah?" Aiden looked up.

"Brad's girlfriend." Miracle said. "That was her name, and if he had made it to prom and all that bad crap never happened and I kept being his dirty little secret, he would have done the same exact thing, took her up there, presented her to the party and did the big dance with her while I sat in the corner, if I even stayed, just watching on and then some time later, he would of come to me for some more sleazy, meaningless, sex."

Miracle then stopped doodling and looked up. "That is if Melanie never got the black mail I had and that would of depended on if Brad got it and then Brian would of had to get it, that was what had even gotten her access to it to begin with, if all that happened, Melanie would have shown it to Sarah anyway, most of everything was chain reactions." He went back to doodling.

"Miracle, I am sorry. I should of told you, we could of talked about it, I didn't even see her until she got home. I mean she flew in that night, I didn't see her until she literally popped up in front of us, my name was already on the list, coupled with hers, the votes were already in, everything was set. Even if I had pulled out, it would have forced her out and the next couple with the most votes would have been the replacement winners. It would have come down to me choosing between you and her. Do you know how hard it is being in the middle like that?" Aiden asked.

"She didn't have to know, you could of just made out like you lost." Miracle then began to draw spirals. "Which...I could of gave you that idea if you had talked to me." Miracle looked up. "See..I may not be smart with the whole Eric, mafia, gang thing, but when it comes to stuff like that, I can come in handy. It would have been so last minute, no one would have known, they would of just switched envelopes to the couple with the second highest numbers."

Aiden sighed and shook his head. "I hate that." He looked away and then he looked at Miracle. "You reason your way around everything just to stick to how you want to be."

"Well then, maybe you should just let me be." Miracle looked at his notebook again.

"I can't believe we're doing this." Philip looked at Jaemin and then a few of his guys that he brought a long.

"Yeah? Well I want to show you that I can pull a real job." Miracle looked at Philip and then reached out to Jaemin. "Your gun?"

"You're Australian, how hard is it going to be for them to find you?" Philip asked.

"I can pull a southern accent." Miracle narrowed his eyes at Philip and grabbed the gun from Jaemin and grinned. "And besides, I had a little new friend do something for me, I just had to promise her a little something."

"Miracle, what did you do?" Jaemin asked.

"You will find out but it'll take some of this money we're about to get." Miracle pulled the black hood over his head with eye holes and a mouth opening. "I want Philip with me, Jack isn't here so he's boss, I want him to see."

"Really Miracle, what did you do?" Jaemin asked.

"What worked wonders for Jasmine will work again." Miracle grinned as Philip pulled on his mask. "Lets go." Miracle started across the street towards the covenient store that conveniently lacked customers at the moment.

Philip followed after Miracle, walking by the gas pumps as they headed into the store.

"Why hello, sir." Miracle grinned, putting on a thick southern accent, the male store clerk immediately looked frightened just by the masks. Miracle immediately pointed the gun at him. "If there's a little red button under there, I wouldn't push it, red buttons are bad."

Philip looked at Miracle and then tossed a brown paper bag on the table.

Miracle held the gun, his hands covered in black leather gloves as he walked close to the counter. "Toss the cash in there and while your at it, the security tape and while your at it, bring out the VCR and the security monitor." Miracle grinned. "This place is quiet, I wouldn't try to make a call, we'll hear you, leave your cell on the counter."

The man looked at Miracle and then Philip and quickly opened the register and started taking out the cash and stuffed it in the paper bag and then he reached into his pocket and laid his cell phone there. "P...please don't hurt me."

"Play nice and I'll play nice." Miracle grinned and watched the man head off into the back room. Miracle looked over at Philip but kept the accent up. "Should we take the phone?"

"Smash it." Philip spoke quietly.

Miracle grabbed the man's cell phone and then threw it as hard as he could on the floor and then for extra measure, Philip stomped on the phone.

The man came out with the VCR tucked under one arm and the security tape in the other, he tossed the tape in the bag and sat the VCR on the counter. "I just have to go and get the monitor." The man breathed nervously.

"You do that, my friend is going to shoot this VCR and then the cameras." Miracle said and the man nodded and rushed into the back room again.

Philip nodded and when Miracle stepped aside, he shot the VCR and then looked up and took out each camera in the store with a single round.

The man came out with the monitor and sat it ontop of the now destroyed VCR.

Miracle reached into his pocket and took out a phone and took the man's picture and then stepped aside. "Get on the floor." He said to the man.

Once the man was out of harms way, Philip shot the screen to the monitor.

Miracle grinned and walked behind the counter and leaned down. "Now, I have your picture." Miracle pressed the gun to the man's head. "Do you really care if your stupid boss lost his money? So fucking what, he can't fire you for being in danger, is there really a need to report us? We got what we want, you live, you keep your job, it's a win all around except for the mean old boss. In case you decide to be stupid, I have your picture and I can find you. So I suggest you do..." Miracle then heard the safe beep. "Is it time for that to open?"

The man closed his eyes and nodded.

Miracle grinned and Philip came around the counter.

"Open it up." Miracle then leaned down.

The man got up on his hands and knees and crawled to the safe and pushed in the code before opening it. Miracle grabbed the bag from Philip and pushed it towards the man. "Fill it up."

The man started quickly taking the money out of the safe and tossed it in the bag as quickly as he could, wanting it to be over. Once he was done, he shoved it back at Miracle.

Miracle took the bag and handed it to Philip and smiled. "Now, as another incentive, we'll toss a couple of those stacks right at the door, we're destroying the cameras outside, so don't feel guilty in grabbing them when we're gone. If you decide to open that big mouth though, I'll find you, I have your face but by the time I get finished with you, well you won't have a face."

Miracle grinned and stood up and grabbed two stacks of the cash out of the bag and quickly headed to the door, dropping the two stacks by the door as he ran out and ran across the parking lot.

Philip followed after Miracle but spun around and fired a round at each camera outside that he saw and then ran across the street and out of view, by this time, everyone was in the van, he jumped into the back after Miracle and shut the door as the van took off and pulled his mask off and opened the bag.

"You did it?!" One guy said.

"Nah, Miracle did, lead the whole thing, I just handled the stuff." Philip laughed. "Didn't do a bad job, in fact, that whole picture taking, I'll find you bit wasn't a bad idea."

"Wait, you took his picture?" Jaemin's eyes widened.

"No, if the police find the phone.." Miracle took the phone out along with a pink rhinestone cover and attached it. "Tara took the picture." He grinned.

"Oh my god, how did you get it?" Jaemin looked horrified.

"Why are you freakin?" Philip laughed at Jaemin.

"They will know Tara never did it." Jaemin looked at Philip.

"Tara is cheerleading at a basketball game tonight. You know that nerdy girl I insulted? Well she was very forgiving when I promised to turn her life around, I needed her to steal the phone and she stole it from the locker room, shes an alternate cheerleader if one of the pros get injured, like that would happen."

Miracle grinned. "Tonight it did. Clumsy girl spilled juice all over Tara, she had to go and get her uniform washed, cleaned, dried, the works, she probably didn't make it back until the second half. Now I just have to text message Aiden." Miracle pulled up a text box.

"They are going to wonder why an innocent man is going to say it was two men when you're trying to make it look like she did it." Jaemin said.

"Well..maybe it was staged, an inside job. He wanted to rob the store, she posed as the robber and he willingly gave up the money as the supposed victim when really he was a robber too and then he blames it on two males to throw suspicion away from a female suspect but really shes scared of him now." Miracle explained

"Be smart about it." Jaemin said.

"Aiden, I am so scared. This picture is a man I met in the chats while I was taking classes abroad. We met up, he works at the store and he wanted to host a robbery, I robbed the place and we split the money. Now I'm scared I've gotten into something bad." Miracle looked around. "Any objections?"

"Sounds fine to me." Philip said.

"Okay now you were a jealous ex, went to look through Aiden's phone, you were going to put it back until you saw that awful text message and you just knew you had to report it and show the proof, worst case scenario, invasion of privacy but on the flip side, you had to report the crime." Jaemin nodded.

"Alright, well lets at least get there before the game ends." Miracle hits send and the text goes straight to Aiden's phone. The driver of the van speeds down the street.

"Let me call that girl." Miracle pulls out his phone and hits the numbers to set privacy and waits.

Dayna answered the phone. "Hello?"

"It's me, I'm finished, look, you cannot tell a soul, if you want me to make you beautiful. I mean it, if you betray me I will tear you down and make you worse than you are now, understand?"

"Look, I don't care what you do to Tara, I've always hated her." Dayna said.

"Good, keep riding the bandwagon with me. I'm on my way and I'm going to need you to put her phone back right where you got it, exactly where you got it, right down to the position it was in, when I get there, okay?"

"I got it, I'll be here." Dayna said.

"Okay, good." Miracle hung up and shoved his phone in his other pocket. "Shes waiting."

"Looks like she won't be graduating." Miracle grinned. "Not on that stage anyway."

"What is it with you and drama? How do you find it?" Philip asked.

"It finds me." Miracle said.

Miracle hopped out of the van when it pulled up along the street outside the school and he ran over towards Dayna, keeping himself near the wall. "Hey."

Dayna smiled. "I put a rock in the door so it wouldn't lock back."

"Good." Miracle took out Tara's phone and quickly slipped it into Dayna's pocket. "Put it back, uh..find some way to wipe it off so your prints won't be on it, maybe I'm paranoid but better safe than sorry, her prints will go right back all over it the next time she messes with it."

Dayna took the phone. "Got it."

"Jaemin, come with me." Miracle said and the three headed for the door, Dayna grabbed the rock and put it in her pocket as they headed inside, Philip shook his head as he watched them take off.

Miracle looked around, hearing the commotion in the gym. "Oh they sound so close." He cringed.

"Yeah, makes you wonder if someones going to come." Dayna said.

"We're no where around half time, are we?" Jaemin asked.

"No, I kept check on the clock, half time passed, though I did get my friend, he does photography, he kept the squad busy, feeding their ego with a little photoshoot." Dayna headed into the girls locker room.

Jaemin looked around and then followed Miracle into the guys locker room. "How are you even going to know which locker is Aiden's?"

"Easy." Miracle pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contacts and hit Aiden's name and one of the lockers seemed to start ringing. "That one."

Jaemin walked towards the locker. "Okay, shut it up."

Miracle hung up. "Can you get in?"

"They don't even bother to lock them." Jaemin opened the locker and saw the phone laying there. He grabbed it and shut the locker door and looked at it. "There's your text from Tara."

"Give it here." Miracle grabbed the phone and opened the text and looked at it, just as he had made it. "Whoops, there's a crime, I better report it, right?" Miracle grinned and turned around to walk out.

Tara smiled as she slid into the booth with Aiden, another basketball player and cheerleader across from them as their food was quickly delivered.

"I am so glad you guys won! You've kept such a good record!" Tara hugged Aiden's arm.

"Yeah, well I do my best!" Aiden smiled. "Has anyone seen my phone? I swear I couldn't find it."

"I could call it for you." Tara reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone.

Zach and Ciara both shook their heads.

"Yeah, try it." Aiden said.

Tara pressed Aiden's name and placed the phone to her ear as it rang and looked around. "It's not ringing."

Aiden's eyebrows lifted.

"Tara? This is Detective Charlie Blackwell. I assume you are trying to locate Aiden's phone."

Tara's eyes widened. "A detective has it." She whispered to Aiden.

Aiden looked at Tara, confused.

"Uh..how do you have it? I'm confused, how did you obtain it?" Tara asked.

"Why don't you and...Aiden come down to the station so that we can discuss this? I'm afraid to say that this is a very serious matter."

"Uh...okay." Tara pulled her phone away and hung up. "Uh, we gotta go." She stood up and grabbed her bag. "Come on, Aiden." She then headed outside, Aiden following her.

"How did the police get my phone? I put it in my locker." Aiden shook his head and climbed into his jeep and started the engine.

Tara threw her bag into the back and climbed in. "I think a stunt has been pulled and I'm not a happy camper about this." She stared through the window. "Look at my dinner, untouched."

"I'll buy you something, somewhere." Aiden pulled out and drove off.

"I hate to tell you, Aiden, but I know your friend did something and if he did, he is in for a surprise and I got the proof to prove it." Tara crossed her arms and started rapidly tapping her foot against the floor board.

"Tara, can we just be the grown ups here? I am sure we will get there and everything will be straightened out. He probably just took it and turned it in lost to freak us out. Miracle..has had a very tough life. I am not trying to defend him to you but you really and I mean really don't know the things that has happened to him."

"Yeah? And I really, and I mean really don't care." Tara looked away.

Aiden pulled in at the police station and parked and then he climbed out, Tara followed as they headed up the steps and walked in. Aiden headed up to the front desk. "Yeah, I'm here about my phone? Some investigator has it."

"His name was Charlie." Tara said and then she looked to see Miracle and Jaemin sitting on a bench. "What did you do?"

Miracle looked at Tara and grinned briefly. "I didn't think old fat greasy men were your type, it's just shocking. But then you want to go looting. Just ask Charlie, you'll find out." He then looked at Aiden. "You should really check your texts. You could of but once I saw it, well it is my good duty as a citizen to turn it in."

Aiden slightly narrowed his eyes at Jaemin and Miracle as Charlie came out and handed Aiden his phone.

"I'm afraid I have to take Tara to the back." Charlie said.

"What?!" Tara spun around. "What are you talking about?!"

"Come with me and we'll discuss it." Charlie then guided Tara off towards the back.

Aiden grabbed his phone and then checked his texts and looked at the one sent from Tara's phone. He read it and looked up at Jaemin and Miracle. "She didn't do this."

"Well she sure said she did." Miracle nodded.

Jaemin looked at Miracle.

"You did it, or he did." Aiden gestured to Miracle first and then nodded to Jaemin.

"Not possible." Miracle pulled out two movie tickets and flashed them at Aiden. "We were at the movies tonight...and then after that.." He kept digging in his pocket and pulled out a crumbled receipt and tried to straighten it out. "Oh yeah, we went to Ruby Tuesdays." Miracle grinned and slightly waved the items between his fingers.

"And Tara was cheerleading at the game, bright one." Aiden said.

"For the second half, maybe." Miracle said. "I heard that some clumsy girl, Dayna is it? Spilled juice all over her. So maybe while she left the local laundromat, she decided to get her job done." Miracle shrugged. "I really don't know, I expected to see sick love texts like that little song she did, something about your melodies and her love for you?"

Aiden looked away and then crossed his arms on the desk and lowered his head.