A/N: Thanks for the love everyone! I really appreciate it. I'm actually really happy to be back. Ths story will be very 'Strong Steph' and Morelli won't be around long - at least not in the boyfriend capacity. It will get sad soon and stay sad for a while. This won't be a Morelli-bashing story and no odd plotline where Morelli goes ballistics.
I hated reunions – as simple as that. It didn't matter whether it was as in my case a high school reunion, a family reunion or simply the meeting of long lost friends. At best these kind of things were mostly awkward all the times and often enough anything fun.
With high school reunions it was often enough about 'who made it?' or 'who was where in his life?' There hardly ever were plenty of winners and mostly people spent time upping each other in commenting on their achievements. My list of achievements was rather short so I'd probably not be announced the winner of tonight's show. Not that I cared too much. I didn't even want to be here. The few people from high school who I actually liked I was still in touch with and for everyone else I didn't really care. I only was here since Mary Lou more or less threatened me to come and I had almost no other choice. Being certain the only acceptable reason for not showing up would have been me being dead or at least unconscious at the ER, I had very little leverage other than falling out with Mary Lou.
My best friend had been a lot more popular during school and I wasn't entirely sure what she needed me around for here, but stopped complaining long ago. Worst case scenario I'd spent a few hours getting drunk on whatever cheap booze they choose to serve.
It took exactly an hour before I figured whether death or being unconscious in some ER wasn't actually that bad of a choice. So far I had managed to speak to a handful of people who mostly approached me rather than the other way around and I wasn't really feeling too good right now. It seemed that I was the only one who didn't make it big in the worlds of finance, law or retail. Almost every one of the few people I spoke to was a manager or in some superior position at his job and made 'it'. Of course there was no way for me to verify and quite honestly I didn't really care. If they were, good for them, if not I felt sorry that apparently, they felt the need to prove something to someone like me, who they really didn't need to impress. It wasn't like I was going to see any of them after tonight again.
After another hour I felt the need to actually call it a night and go home. Two hours here were more than enough, weren't they? I had spoken to enough managers and big shots to fill my need for a lifetime and didn't see what speaking to several more would accomplish. After all, the winner who made it the furthest had pretty much been set right from the start without anyone really needing to try.
Marilyn Swanston had been what the press liked to call the 'golden girl'. She was in the media more often than me and for entirely different reasons as well. Marilyn was Hollywood's shining star that was beautiful, talented, kind and humble. Everyone loved her and she stared in some of the biggest Blockbusters that had hit screens in the past few years. There had been stories about possible love interests that were some of the biggest male actors the industry had to offer, but it was just that - a story. No one ever confirmed anything and she led an otherwise rather quiet life.
During school we hadn't really had much contact. Marilyn had not really been a loner but for the usual Burg crowd she was too odd. Not that anything had been wrong with her. She just didn't fit in with the Italo-Americans and Hungarian-Americans and whatever else we all were half of. It didn't help that most people in school were the ones with the issue and not she herself. She just wasn't what people around here were or grew up to be. She was an outsider that no one bothered talking to during high school and now seemingly everyone seemed dying to change that. Now that she was someone she seemed worth talking to.
Like everyone else I hadn't have much contact with her either during school - leave it to hormonal normal teenage crap and the power of belonging and following 'mainstream'. I was never hostile to her or anything, but I didn't give her the time of day either. It was technically speaking the stereotypical Hollywood story and everyone's dream. Outcast during high school and biggest success once graduated.
After watching everyone and their mother trying to suck up to her, to maybe have the chance of a glimpse of her, a photo with her or even better, closer contact I decided I needed another drink and maybe find MaryLou to slowly start heading home. Two hours were really better than what I had assumed I'd make. So my best friend couldn't really complain now, could she? And then I heard a voice behind me.
"It's funny how everyone looks the same and no one has really changed."
Turning around I was surprised to see Marilyn standing in front of me. "And how everyone still seems to play by the same rules they did follow back in High School."
"Isn't it always like that?" I asked, smiling at her.
"I guess so. The purpose of High School reunions has therefore been fulfilled I guess."
"I thought the purpose is to see long lost classmates that you weren't able to reconnect with until now."
"Is it?" she asked amused, taking a sip of whatever was in her glass. "I guess things really never do change. I am pretty certain everyone is just here to find out whether others failed more at life and have more success than yourself. A reunion in the end is probably just a farce to make one feel better about themselves."
"Well, no one probably has you beat in regards of success."
For a short moment she just smiled awkwardly as if the fact that she gets paid obscene amounts of money to star in a movie just escaped her mind.
"I guess that is one reason why all of a sudden everyone wants to talk to me. People who wouldn't even know my name in High School. Because they want a piece of the cake. You think if I was some sales clerk at Macy's anyone here would give me the time of day? They all hope to profit from me one way or another. I have received more cards for their services as interior Designers or other things than i would ever need in a lifetime."
Since I wasn't entirely sure how to reply to her statement I just laughed for a while. It was true and I wasn't really surprised about what I had heard.
"Can you blame them wanting to talk to you? You are probably the closest they will ever get to a real celebrity. And enlisting you as one of their clients probably catapults them into a whole new stratosphere business-wise."
"What about you? As far as I know you are very well known as well and a celebrity all by yourself too."
"Me? Hardly," I said, almost snorting at her comment.
"Well I read up about you in the papers. You seem to be in there just as often…" Marilyn said in an almost admiring fashion. Usually when people commented on that fact it was less in admiration and more in amusement and embarrassment about myself.
"Yes, but for less noble and far more embarrassing reasons."
"I'd say putting guys behind bars is as noble as reasons can get," she smiled, looking out at the crowd. "And definitely more in regards of a story of success that most people here can or would like to claim for themselves."
"Catching bad guys is usually not why I make the papers though," I remarked almost ruefully.
"At least it is for more than just looking hot or talking about your current could-be boyfriend. Not that I complain about this, but sometimes I wonder who actually cares about what dress I wear or who I might currently date. You present something of value at least, something of value to society."
"Well if it helps, I actually do like what dress you have been wearing and the Burg certainly cares who you have been dating."
At that Marilyn laughed for a solid minute. I guess she knew what I was talking about. She might not have been from the Burg but she knew what it was all about. Out of all the people here, she had managed to get the furthest away from it all geographically speaking. Putting an entire country between yourself and everything that once was, it didn't get any better than that. Well, if you had nothing that kept you here, of course. I tried thinking about her parents and whether I actually knew them or read about them, but my thoughts were interrupted all of a sudden when I heard her speaking once more.
"Can I ask you something?" she inquired and I just nodded.
"Of course," I smiled at her softly.
"How come everyone here seems to be dying to speak to me and ask me all these ridiculous questions, pretending like we always had been best friends and yet here you are, not caring about it one bit. And then there are you, who …isn't really. How is that? I know it sounds odd or obnoxious but at least with you I had some sort of… a connection."
"Honestly? I have no real reason to approach you and pretend like we had been super best friends until now. And it isn't like I don't care, I just assume you encounter enough people on a daily basis that act like you had always been tight and use you for whatever reasons. But that being said, it isn't like I'm not curious in regards of you and how life has been for you. And out of all the people gathered here tonight I'm happy that you are the one who made it the furthest. You deserve your success seeing how hard you had it during school, never fitting in with the Burg crowd as such and taking a lot of shit for it. Not that I did a lot in making it better or improving your social status…"
Marylyn looked at me for a long moment as if gauging my statement and my seriousness that came with said statement. "But it also wasn't like you added to the drama," she finally laughed softly. "And if I remember correctly there was that one instance where you actually stood up for me."
It took me a moment to remember what she meant and needed to laugh shortly after. "If I remember correctly it was about something really not worth talking about like a hairstyle or something that everyone felt the need on telling you you couldn't or shouldn't wear. So I don't think that should count for much."
"Well. I think it does. Out of everything you were pretty much the only one who ever spoke up for me."
"Glad I could at least do that for you," I said, smiling ruefully.
There was silence for a moment, with both of us looking out at the crowd. Most of them seemed already slightly tipsy, if not drunk and I found it odd that no one actually decided on bothering us or coming up to Marylin right now.
"My turn to ask you a question, if you don't mind. Why… why are you here?" I asked and waited.
She looked at me curious for a moment.
"I mean… you probably don't miss anyone around here much and I can see that neither of them approaching you and commenting on how amazing you are all of a sudden means much to you other than the usual flattery. So you didn't come here for people falling all over you and admiring you. I'm certain back in L.A. or wherever you live you find high quality entertainment, which is better than a high school reunion in Trenton. Also, with probably prettier and more charming people."
At my last comment Marilyn laughed long, nodding. "I guess you are right again. But… I just wanted to reminisce in the past and just come back to Trenton. I haven't been back since… years. And also maybe a small part of me wanted to see Jeanne Michaelson's face when she spots me and has to realize I finally have her beat at something."
I couldn't blame her, I really couldn't. Jeanne had been everyone's worst nightmare back in school. The typical leader of the popular girls – Captain of the cheerleader squad, dating the quarterback, she was pretty and mean. If she didn't like you it wouldn't take long for you to know. And she never let go or eased up. Marilyn had been her most favorite victim at certain days and endured a lot. Think of the worst stunts pulled in the classical High School teen movies and you had a rough idea what Marilyn had to go through.
I wasn't entirely sure what Jeanne was up to now but she didn't look much like the girl back from school. She had aged and looked about twenty years older then what she actually was. She still had her small crowd of minions summoned around her, but neither looked like they had a lot of power these days, mainly looking like the typical Burg wives that lead less than exciting lives.
"How did it feel?" I asked envious. While I wasn't as much of a victim as Marilyn was, I had my fair share of encounters with Michaelson.
"So good," she laughed happily. "Almost worth all these years of hell she put me through."
"I know it isn't much consolidation, but you know what they say…. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."
"Yeah, something like that," she smiled and out of the corner of my eye I caught MaryLou heading for us. I was praying she was ready to go.
Which she was. After MaryLou had a quick chat with Marilyn, gushing how much she loved her latest movie that earned her a shot at the Oscar's we were off. But not before Marilyn pulled me back for a small second.
"If you're ever in L.A. hit me up," she smiled and I actually felt like she meant it and didn't just say it as a gesture of politeness.
So I smiled back and replied "I will" knowing for sure I'd never make it to L.A.
And then MaryLou and me were gone.