Chat Freak

by Terry Brown

  It was only as she lay down in the welcome dark that she remembered. Jared and Ty! They’d been waiting for her at the library again that afternoon! Even if they’d tried to call and remind her, she’d kept the Gnosh’s phone line tied up, then was online after she came home.

  Morgan pounded her pillow with her fist. No matter how she tried, lately her life was one long string of broken promises.

  chapter. 6

  Morgan, I’ve called you three times.” Morgan felt the . swoosh of cold air as her covers were ripped off her. “Come on!”

  “Maya!” Morgan reached to pull back the blankets.

  “We both told Amber we’d go to Palm Sunday services with her. You have half an hour. Move your carcass.”

  Morgan thought about Amber for a minute. She had promised her, but she was so beat.

  “I can’t, Maya. Tell Amber I’m too tired.”

  “Fine, but if you’re going to dog Amber and stay home, get off your duff and do your chores. It’s a total pit in here.”

  “Sure. Whatever,” she added under her breath. Morgan burrowed her head under her pillow until Maya left, and then stayed in bed till she heard the chugging motor of Mr. Beep pulling out of the drive. Yawning, she dragged herself out of bed and headed down the hall to Maya’s room.

  She immediately spotted the note taped to the computer monitor. A deep anger welled up inside as Morgan read, “Don’t you dare stop this downloading or unhook our line. I have to take this stuff to NYC with me. Maya.”

  Morgan checked the volume of material that Maya was downloading and knew it would take forever. She wouldn’t be able to use that phone line for ages. Fuming, she stormed down to the kitchen and grabbed a box of Frosted Flakes left sitting on the counter. She munched her way through a handful, tempted to interrupt Maya’s download. Maya would kill her, but what else could Morgan do? She was forbidden to tie up the other phone line so Mom’s gallery call could get through.

  While crunching through her second handful, the family phone rang. “Hello.” Morgan choked on her dry cereal.

  “Well someone woke up with a frog in her throat,” Dad said. “Anything wrong, sweetie?”

  “Hi, Daddy. Nothing. I just had my mouth full.” She paused. “Well, actually, Maya’s being a pain. She downloaded like two tons of college stuff. It’s gonna be printing out until my seventeenth birthday.” She paused. “She didn’t even ask or anything. And now the phone line is tied up. Again.”

  “Honey, tell me the truth, were you on the computer last night?”

  “Well, yes.”

  “For hours?”

  “Well, yeah, but—”

  “So it’s not really as unfair as you think, is it? And we do need that information for the college visits, so don’t stop the download.”

  Then her mom took the phone. “Honey, remember to leave this line open in case the gallery calls. The call has to come today because the owner said I’d hear from him this weekend.”

  “Why don’t you just call him from your hotel?” Morgan asked. “It wouldn’t even be long distance.”

  “Because he said not to, that he’d be in and out all weekend. ”

  “OK, Mom.” Morgan felt her frustration build. Everyone got to use the phone lines except her, and she was the one being left behind! Her mom wasn’t even in town and she’d called dibs on the family line.

  “Oh, and tell Maya that Amber is to make the night deposits with the restaurant money each evening. Also, since Amber can’t work late the Saturday before Easter, Dad will let you know where to keep the money overnight. Then he’ll deposit it Easter evening when we get home. OK?”

  “Yeah, I got it. I’ll tell Maya.”

  “OK. Love you.”

  Morgan hung up the phone and stared at the receiver. She wanted to stop Maya’s download. It was true that she got to surf sometimes. But Maya always decided when, and for how long. Maya used it for every TodaysGirls chat. For homework. College research. And now she’d have it all morning, even though she was at church. If Morgan interrupted the download, she’d get caught for sure. And it wasn’t like Morgan could use the other line.

  Or could she?

  All she wanted to do was check for important messages. There could be some news about last_wish’s money. ANNA needed support, too. What if someone was waiting for her to write? Checking her e-mail wouldn’t take more than a minute or two. Anyway, what gallery owner would call so early on a Sunday morning?

  Morgan ran to her room for her laptop, then came back and unplugged the phone. The first message she read when she logged on was from ANNA, and she sounded desperate.

  Jellybean: I found my mom reading my diary today! She’s actually spying on me now! How can I convince her to lay off? How can I prove I don’t have an eating disorder? I’m just naturally petite. If something doesn’t improve SOON, I’m leaving home. Enuf is enuf! Help me!! --ANNA

  Morgan twirled a chunk of hair around her finger as she studied ANNA’s note. How could ANNA prove she didn’t have an eating disorder? Were there actual symptoms? Or blood tests she could take? Morgan clicked over to her favorite search engine, Ask Jeeves.com, and wrote: “Where can I learn about eating disorders?”

  In just seconds, Morgan had a list of more than two dozen sites. At the first one, she learned from Overeaters Anonymous that they felt the problem should be turned over to a Higher Power for help, whatever the heck that meant.

  Three sites later, though, Morgan found what she was looking for at eating-disorders.com. “Do you have an eating disorder?” was the title of the questionnaire. Morgan grabbed a pencil and paper to make notes. Then she could direct ANNA—and her mom, if she’d be willing to learn about it— to this site for more information. Surely, then ANNA’s mom would realize she needed to cool it and not push her daughter over the edge.

  Pencil poised, Morgan read through the list of questions. Do you worry about gaining weight? Are you preoccupied with losing weight? Do you frequently diet? Those questions sounded straightforward, Morgan thought, and easy to answer. However, when she read the rest of the list, a few questions made her squirm for some reason, almost as if they applied to her! But that couldn’t be, Morgan rationalized. She’d never wanted to diet. Still, the questions bothered her for some reason. Do you use food to comfort yourself ? At times do you feel as if you have lost control? Do you spend a significant amount of time thinking about when you will get to eat next? Do you try to hide how much you eat?

  When she finished making notes, she e-mailed ANNA and told her about the eating disorder Web sites:

  OK, ANNA, from what you’ve told me, you wouldn’t answer “yes” to hardly any of these questions. Show your mom the list and your score--if you take their test. Then whether she agrees or not, just try to tune her out and live your life. As time passes, she’ll see that she had absolutely nothing to worry about. Hope these web sites are useful! --jellybean J

  Morgan poured herself a glass of milk, and then quickly checked the rest of her e-mail. She had seven new messages already from people writing about last_wish! So Morgan dived into responding to the e-mails, thanking those who’d written. Two people suggested other sites where Morgan could post messages, like TeensHelpingTeens.com, where she found a dozen more links to similar sites.

  The last e-mail was from ANNA, a quick “thank you” for the web site information:

  J’BEAN: I checked it out and you were l00% right! I just KNEW I didn’t have a problem. You’re a life saver! -- ANNA

  Morgan grinned. Suddenly it didn’t matter so much that her parents were in New York and her brother in Florida and Alex in Texas. She had friends! They really cared about her and appreciated her help. And if need be, she could take them with her if she ended up moving to the Big Apple.

  Without warning, Morgan heard the chugging sound of Mr. Beep in the drive. Panicky, Morgan glanced at the kitchen clock. She was back from church already! Maya would squeal on her for sure. Morgan hurriedly unplugged the laptop and hid her comp
uter in the den, then raced back to try to reconnect the answering machine—just as Maya walked in the kitchen door.

  “You’re still in your pajamas?” Maya waved a palm branch as she entered the kitchen.

  Morgan inched around to block her sister’s view of the unattached cord. “How was church? Are you hungry? I can get you something. Do you need help packing?”

  “Why are you being so nice? Did you halt my download?”

  “No, I didn’t. I promise. I just figured you’d be in a hurry to pack. Do you need to put in some last-minute laundry?” Morgan pointed Maya toward the basement stairs.

  “No. I’m all set. What’s with you?” Morgan stared suspiciously at her little sister.

  “Nothing.” She leaned casually against the counter, crossing one leg over the other, continuing to block Maya’s view of the answering machine. “Oh, Mom and Dad called about the money at the restaurant. They said—”

  She was interrupted as the family phone behind her rang. Morgan turned around to answer it, but Maya yelled, “Don’t!”

  “Why not?”

  “I just know it’s Darryl, and I don’t want to talk to him. He’s probably been trying our teen line all morning. Just let the answering machine get it.” Maya left the kitchen in a huff.

  Morgan held her breath as the phone rang twice, then three times. In another ring, when the disconnected answering machine didn’t click on, Maya would know she’d been online that morning. At the beginning of the fourth ring, Morgan grabbed the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, again. Long time no chitchat,” said her mom. “Is Maya home yet?”

  “Yes. She just got home. We’ll probably eat lunch soon, then she’s going to pack . . .” While talking, Morgan quietly plugged the answering machine back in.

  “Did the gallery call, sweetie? Were there any messages?”

  “Um, no. No calls. I’m sorry.” Thank goodness her mom hadn’t tried to call home ten minutes ago!

  “I don’t understand it.” The disappointment was thick in her mother’s voice. “The owner sounded so interested when we talked last week. Maybe I should have called him anyway. I don’t know . . .”

  Morgan’s stomach lurched as if she might be sick, and she wanted off the phone. “Let me get Maya,” she said.

  chapter. 7

  Morgan jerked awake Monday morning when Maya .plopped down on her bed. “You going to be OK this week? Will it be weird staying at Jamie’s?”

  “Wh—What?” Morgan groaned when she saw the clock. She’d only gotten to bed four hours before. “I guess it’ll be OK.” Morgan struggled to sit up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “What time is Coach coming?”

  “In half an hour, so I can get to the airport an hour before the flight.”

  “Are you scared flying alone?”

  Maya shrugged. “I might have been if I had to change planes in Chicago, but it’s just three hours nonstop to La Guardia.” She pulled out Morgan’s already loose hair band. “Better get dressed. He’s dropping you and Jamie off at the Gnosh after taking me.” Maya got up and headed for the door. “I’m sorry you’ll be working this week while I tour New York. I know that wasn’t the plan.”

  “It’s not your fault, and I’ll earn some extra cash. I know you guys will call.”

  Maya stopped abruptly. “Speaking of which, did Mom ever get that call from the gallery? I never took a message.”

  “Me either.” Morgan looked away. Well, that was true. She threw back the sheets and stretched her legs.

  “Hmm. Well, I’m going to finish getting ready.” And with that, Maya disappeared.

  Maya’s awfully friendly this morning, Morgan thought. Must be excited about leaving today. Morgan got a move on because she needed to quickly check her e-mail. What if ANNA or last_wish was trying to reach her?

  She pulled on her clothes, washed her face, and brushed her teeth, then stuffed her midsized suitcase with enough clothes to last a week. Morgan was heading to the kitchen with her laptop when a horn honked.

  “There’s Coach,” Maya called. “You ready?”

  Oh, shoot!Morgan half groaned. She was just getting ready to check her e-mail.

  “Yes! I’m coming!” answered Morgan.

  She ran back upstairs and packed her computer into her backpack. There could be messages about the money for last_wish. Hopefully Alex had written, too. She’d been strangely quiet during the chat the other night. Was she mad at Morgan, or were her parents having trouble like before? It was their problems that had forced Alex to Edgewood to live with her grandparents in the first place.

  Morgan grabbed her suitcase with one hand and her backpack with the other, then headed downstairs and out to Coach’s waiting van.

  An hour later, they had dropped Maya at the TWA entrance for her 7:00 A.M. flight. Morgan hugged her hard before watching her stroll into the terminal, her luggage rolling along behind her. On the way back to Edgewood, Jamie turned to face Morgan in the backseat while pulling her hair into a ponytail.

  “How busy do you think we’ll be today?”

  “Monday mornings are usually light, Dad said.”

  “But this is the first day of spring break. You think tons of kids will come in?”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Panic suddenly rose in Morgan. What if they were swamped with kids on break? Then she’d never get a chance to check her mail! Morgan decided that she couldn’t stand it any longer. She had to get online. “Coach, could you drop me off at Jamie’s house? I’ve got my clothes for the week with me. You can take Jamie to the Gnosh—I’ll give her my key to get in—and I’ll just walk over.”

  “Sure, I’ll stop at Jamie’s, but we can wait while you unload your stuff.”

  “No. It’s not a long walk at all.”

  “Nonsense. We’ll wait for you.”

  Morgan frowned a moment, then she brightened. She could use her dad’s office phone to get online! “On second thought, go directly to the Gnosh. I’ll stash my stuff in Dad’s office and take it home after work.”

  Amber was waiting out front when they pulled up, and Morgan quickly unlocked the front door and flipped on the overhead lights. She waited till Jamie and Amber followed her inside, and then relocked the door. Benny would have been there an hour already, prepping food for the day. Morgan could hear him banging around and slamming cupboard doors in the kitchen. They always stayed out of Benny’s way in the morning. With just twenty minutes before the breakfast crowd descended at eight, Amber and Jamie grabbed silverware and began setting tables.

  “I’ll be right back,” Morgan called after them. “I’m sticking my suitcases in Dad’s office.”

  A moment later, she closed the office door, unzipped her backpack, pulled out her laptop, and hooked it into the restaurant’s phone jack—all in one fluid motion. In just two minutes, she was online and watching eighteen e-mails load!

  Morgan’s excitement grew as the numbers climbed. If only she had time to go through all the messages right then. She scrolled down; fourteen of them said “Re: last_wish donation” in the subject line. Excellent! She quickly e-mailed last_wish to say “hi” and that she was busy working that morning, but would get back to him later that day. How she wished she could tell him about her secret plan and the results coming in already. Oh well, the time would come for that soon.

  She clicked over to her TodaysGirls.com in-box and spotted an e-mail from Alex with SUPER PRIVATE!!!! in the subject line. What in the world . . .?

  Morgan’s heart went out to Alex when she read the e-mail. No wonder she’d been quiet in the chat room the other night. She’d written:

  Morgan--

  Don’t even hint to anyone, including Maya, what’s really going on. My dad and mom had this huge knock-down fight cuz my dad lost his job again. He didn’t show up for work three days in a row. We aren’t going to Padre Island, but DON’T TELL ANYONE! Meet me in TG.com to private chat this morning at ten. i’m logging on at the library. Lightning didn�
��t fry our computer--our phone got cut off. Please be there!

  --Alex

  Morgan hit Reply and said:

  Alex--

  I’m so sorry what’s going on down there. I’m at the Gnosh right now, but ten should be OK. Breakfast rush will be over. Hang in there! See you later. Hugs to you.

  --Morgan

  “Morgan, time to roll! It’s eight o’clock,” Jamie called. “I’m opening up!”

  “Coming!” Morgan shut things down momentarily and reconnected the Gnosh phone line.

  The next two hours passed in a dizzy blur. Besides the regular people for breakfast—like the retired folks and the people who didn’t have to be at the office until nine—they did have an overflow crowd of students on vacation. Morgan shook her head in disbelief as they jammed all ten booths. If she didn’t have to work, she’d be home in bed asleep. She shook her head to clear away the fog, forced herself to smile, then took more orders.

  At nine-thirty a group of girls two grades ahead of Morgan came in. Morgan seated them in booth number five by the window. She knew they were in the popular group, but they hadn’t a clue who she was.

  Morgan brought three ice waters and set them in the middle of the table, then flipped her order pad to a clean page. She waited, but it was like she was invisible.

  “Brunch is just what we need to kick off our shopping day!” gushed the blonde with freckles.

  “Don’t you just love spring sidewalk sales?” a girl named Misty said. “I mean, American Eagle and the Gap have stuff 75 percent off ! And I need some new sandals, too.”

  “Hey,” said the third girl, glancing up from her menu. “Let’s go to that new Matt Damon movie when we’re shopped out, OK? It’s playing at the mall, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is—let’s go while we’re there. I just got my paycheck, so I’ve got money to blow! I saw that preview! Isn’t he so cute?” the blonde asked, a longing look in her eyes.

  Morgan cleared her throat. “Are you ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?” she asked, trying to hide her jealousy. Instead of spending money and having a blast during her own vacation, she was stuck working, without even a license or car to attempt having some fun after hours.