she said hurriedly, turning around quickly and leading the way out of the restaurant.
They walked through the mall slowly, each taking in everything that they passed. They eventually stopped walking. Piper turned around and stared at the girl, "Sorry, did you say your name was Zoe?"
Zoe nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid that my parents named me after their great auntie, Zoe Halsey. Do you remember her? You must have been a baby."
"Yeah," Piper said shakily. She remembered Zoe quite well, but she had long forgotten exactly what she had done or said in response. But now that she had a vague recollection of the events that had taken place, it didn't appear as though they should have been called embarrassing. On the contrary, they were rather funny in hindsight, especially considering she had been a total brat. Not the best example of a young person.
"My mother used to tell me stories about her," Zoe continued.
Piper sighed, wishing that there was some way she could change the subject, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow night. Thanks for stopping by. Have a safe trip back home."
Before Zoe could reply, Piper walked away. She had to force herself not to run. Her mind kept spinning as she walked aimlessly throughout the mall. How had she ended up here? How had this happened? Did everyone in New York suddenly lose interest in her once she began acting like this? If only it were that simple, but it was far from that. Her mind still wandered over to all the possibilities.
Maybe she'd finally grown up. Maybe her mother was right and it was finally time for her to grow up. Maybe there was no longer anything holding her back from getting what she wanted from life. Whatever that was. She certainly hoped so. It would be nice to finally have something that truly mattered to her.
When the door to the shop finally closed behind her, Piper slumped against it in relief. She didn't have to pretend anymore. All she had to do was wait until her mother went home later that evening.
The rest of the day flew by in a blur. After she got home, she spent several hours staring blankly out the window, completely unable to tear her eyes away. As it turned out, she'd actually gotten pretty tired by the end of the afternoon. It had taken all of her remaining energy to make it all the way to work and to make it through the afternoon without falling asleep. She'd barely managed to stumble upstairs after leaving her shift and collapsed on top of her bed within seconds of entering the apartment. There was no point pretending anymore. She knew that this wasn't normal. There was no reason for her to act this way. Things had changed for the worse. She could no longer stay hidden. People would find out sooner or later. She needed to stop running from who she really was. At least her mother and father would understand, she hoped. They loved her no matter what. She would never hurt them intentionally. Right?
She woke up the next morning much later than usual. She was exhausted, which was strange given how little sleep she'd gotten over the last few weeks. She'd always liked sleeping in. It gave her plenty of opportunities to dream and forget about everything that she'd experienced the previous night, although admittedly, the latter part didn't always turn out the way that she'd planned. Still, she couldn't complain. She wouldn't trade her dream experience for anything. She would do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant that she could wake up each and every morning knowing that there was still one more day where she didn't have to hide from her own reflection.
Her mom had already gone out the night before, so it was up to her to cook dinner. When she finished her shower and wrapped herself tightly in a towel, she padded into the kitchen to pull a package of pasta from the refrigerator. She grabbed a pair of scissors, opened the package, and stuck the blades in the top of the box. She lifted the container to pour the pasta into the water when she noticed the small black card lying near the bottom. She picked it up and read it carefully. She didn't recognize the handwriting; her name was clearly handwritten. She frowned slightly and opened the card, thinking that perhaps she had made a mistake by leaving it there. Perhaps it was a wrong number. Or perhaps her mother had slipped a note inside. But the first line was written neatly and clearly:
Please don't let your parents find this message. Don't tell them yet. Don't tell them at all. Please.
A chill crept down her spine. What in the world was going on? Who could possibly know that she had a phone? Could her parents have gotten hold of it somehow? But surely they would have told her if they had known. Would they really have kept a note in her phone just in case? A sudden memory flashed before her: her mother sitting beside her on a couch, telling her that they would figure out a better way to communicate with each other. Of course her mother would have figured out a way to contact her. She always managed to come up with some clever solution. No, something was definitely wrong. And if her family had figured out a way to get in touch with her, she had no doubt that the police had as well. Her parents must be desperate. They needed her help. That was what they had promised.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of terror wash over her. Her breathing quickened as her thoughts raced wildly through her mind. What if she hadn't been able to keep the phone from her mother? She thought back to what Zoe had said about her friends. Had any of them known that she had a phone? Had they even bothered to check? Was it possible that some of her other friends were involved somehow in this mess? No, none of them would want to harm her. Even though she had been so horrible. Maybe she should go to someone else first. Her parents? No, she had no desire to involve them. Besides they might try to keep the phone from her for fear that it would be traced to them. The police? Surely that was out of the question.
Then she caught sight of her watch. She groaned inwardly. She'd almost forgotten about her promise to Luke. He was supposed to take her out for coffee at seven thirty. It had gotten late. She glanced at the clock on the stove. It was only eleven o'clock. She doubted he would be waiting too long. Still, she had to leave the house soon. Just as she finished her breakfast and had finished wiping down the counter, the doorbell rang.
With a sigh, she stood up to get the door. It occurred to her that this entire situation seemed kind of surreal now that she actually looked at it. She'd expected it to end up being a prank call or something similar. But instead, she had found herself standing outside the door, opening it and talking to the very same person who had been waiting in front of her store only a few days earlier. The same person who she had left hanging for nearly a week after meeting her at the diner for the first time. The same girl who she had been so sure that she wouldn't ever talk to again. The girl whom she had spent her whole life avoiding. The same girl who looked so different now that she was dressed as though she were going out of town for the weekend.
Piper felt herself break out into uncontrollable laughter.
"What's so funny?"
Piper shook her head, trying to collect herself. She had to put on a good face if she wanted to look normal enough to approach this girl properly.
"Nothing. Never mind, it isn't funny, it's stupid," she tried to reassure herself, "Where are you headed anyway?" She was hoping to steer the conversation towards something less awkward.
"I'm meeting my cousin," Zoe replied, "He's from Chicago. Apparently