Target practice with the rifle paid off for Winters, who soon made expert marksman, along with Meredith and one other. But she had the advantage, she was used to firing a weapon. She soared through training with Winters and Trent. The three of them were at the top of the class for almost everything. Scarily, Meredith was exceptionally good at bayonet training. For being such a calm person, it was interesting to watch her stick a blade so fiercely into a dummy. Among training, the trio formed a very tight friendship. Winters, Trent, and Meredith spent every moment of the day together. So, it wasn't surprising when they decided to take a weekend pass out of town and head for Ashville, in North Carolina.
A little argument took place when they arrived in the city. Trent and Meredith were bickering on where they should spend the night. She had her eyes on a hotel, while he wanted to try his luck with Southern hospitality and see if the locals would let them crash. The argument was soon resolved when Winters located a YMCA. It would save them money. Checking in, they were given a room with three bedrooms on the top floor. It used to be an attic, but the owners transformed it into a large room. Putting her bag down on a bed she claimed, Meredith asked if they could put the pot-bellied stove on. It was November, nights were colder now.
"It's two in the afternoon". Trent said, "plenty of time to start a fire".
She sent him a tiny glare;
"you're just disagreeing with everything I say today, eh?"
"It's funny".
"For who?"
Trent smirked;
"me, mostly".
There was a knock at the door. Winters walked over and opened it, leaving his two friends to bicker once again. A man in his early thirties was standing on the other side of the door, holding a plate of homemade brownies. With a tiny but confused smile, Winters greeted him;
"hello".
"I'm Hazard". He introduced, "couple of Red Cross Girls baked a batch of brownies and told me to find some soldiers".
The bickering behind Winters stopped.
"Brownies?" Trent questioned.
Following Trent's eyes, Meredith soon jumped over her bed and raced towards the door. Taking the plate off Hazards hands with a grin, she thanked him;
"cheers…these look brilliant".
"Don't thank me, thank the two lovely girls who made 'em". Hazard smiled, "did you all just arrive?"
"Yeah". Winters replied, "not too long ago".
"You've got a nice city". Trent complimented, "lovely place".
"We think so too". Hazard said, "I run the Red Cross centre, if you ever need anything. I'll be there".
"We'd like to thank the girls for making these brownies". Winters said, "perhaps, we could write them a letter?"
"You could". Hazard nodded, "or, you could meet them tonight. We're having a meal and dance at the centre. It's only two bucks a head".
With a mouthful of chocolate goodness in her mouth, Meredith asked;
"what's for eating?"
Hazard chuckled;
"friend chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn".
Meredith agreed to go on her friends' behalf. She wasn't keen on dancing, but the meal was only two dollars. When Hazard left, Meredith sat on her bed with the plate of brownies and ate her second one. Winters and Trent took one for themselves.
"Wow, these are good". Trent said, "did angels make these?"
"I'm thinking, aye". She mumbled, "these are so fucking heavenly".
"We could drink". Trent pointed out, "Meri, do you drink?"
She shook her head;
"don't need it".
"I don't drink either". Winters said, "I like having a clear head".
"Dad told me never to drink". Meredith told them, "so, I've never touched the stuff".
"Have one with me tonight?" Trent asked, "just one".
She snorted;
"you can't pressure me, Trent. I'm too stubborn. Just like my dad".
He sighed;
"so, I'll be drinking alone? That ain't fun".
"You're a sorry sack of shite, eh?" Meredith smirked, "cheer up, you can chat up the lassies".
"I'm married". Trent reminded her.
"We're not 'gonna say anything".
Winters shook his head with a smile;
"Meri, don't put Trent down the wrong path, and Trent, don't pressure Meri into drinking".
After finishing her second brownie, Meredith thought about taking another.
Pursing her lips together, she decided to save a space for supper.
"You dance, Meri?" Winters asked her curiously.
Shaking her head, Meredith looked up at him;
"do I look the type, Dick?"
He chuckled quietly and shrugged;
"maybe…maybe not".
Reaching towards her face, he gently wiped a piece of chocolate off the corner of her mouth with his thumb. She stilled during the soft touch and felt her heart race behind her chest. When Winters pulled back, there was a tiny blush on his cheeks. Gently biting down on her lower lip, Meredith whispered;
"thanks".
"It's – uh – it's fine". He mumbled, "sorry, I-"
"it's okay". She cut him off quietly, "it's fine".
Standing in front of a cracked full-length mirror, Trent checked his hair;
"maybe I should shower".
Breaking eye contact with Meredith, Winters looked over at Trent and smirked;
"yeah, you should. You stink".
Trent snorted;
"thanks, man".
Still staring at his reflection, he said;
"someone put that stove on? It's freezing".
Meredith huffed out a laugh;
"you're a prick".
…
Like magnets, they were pulled together. She was everything he looked for in a woman. With red hair, green eyes, and a beautiful smile. An older woman, Annie DeEtta Almon was Winters's, perfect woman. And her friend, Frannie Johnson, caught the attention of Trent. Hazard introduced the trio to the two women, the same women who baked them brownies. Meredith regretted agreeing to attend the meal and dance at the Red Cross centre. While the four of them got to know each other, Meredith was left standing at the back, with a bitter feeling in her stomach.
Winters laughed at something Annie had said.
And Meredith felt jealous.
The meal had ended, and couples flooded to the dancefloor, while a live band played music. Eventually, Winters and Annie flocked to the floor hand in hand for a dance. Meredith thought of drinking her troubles away. But even though her father wasn't around, she couldn't break that promise to him. Leaning against the wall, she watched the "perfect" couple. Annie was smiling up at Winters and he was smiling back at her. Up until that point, Meredith hadn't thought of having feelings other than friendship towards Winters. And now that Annie was in the way, she'd never get the chance to explore those feelings towards her friend.
Not even Meredith could deny how good Annie and Winters looked together. Annie was the complete opposite of Meredith, in every sense. Meredith was crude and she swore a lot. Annie was polite, gentle, and feminine. Annie was the type of woman Winters could bring back to his parents and parade her around the city proudly.
"Can't take you anywhere, huh?" Meredith remembered Winters telling her.
She felt like an idiot, feeling sad about something that never happened. But if Winters had asked her to dance, Meredith would have accepted the offer, despite not being able to dance. Pulling out a chair, she sat at their table and sipped on a bottle of coke. After sitting by herself for almost an hour, Meredith got up and entered the bathroom. Annie was there. She was standing in front of a mirror, fixing her make-up. Looking a little startled at first, Annie soon smirked;
"I thought you were a fella".
That comment didn't make Meredith feel any better.
Shaking her head, Meredith replied quietly;
"no…just me".
Snorting, Annie faced her reflection I again;
"I like your friend". She said, "and I think he likes me".
"Yeah, he probably does".
Annie looked at Meredith through the mirror;
"no offence, Meri…but you two ain't exactly compatible".
"It's Meredith". She mumbled, "and I 'dunno what you're talking about".
Annie huffed;
"it's obvious to me, that you like him…I can tell you're jealous of me".
Meredith shook her head;
"I'm not jealous of you".
"You keep staring at us dancing". Annie said, "it's creepy".
"I'm not jealous of you". Meredith repeated, "he's my friend, I see him all the time".
Annie sent her a tiny glare;
"don't go trying anything…he'll reject you, and you'll only get hurt".
Clearing her throat, Meredith walked into a stall and remarked;
"fix your make-up and shut the fuck up".
Annie blinked a few times;
"this is exactly why he won't go for you, Meri…you ain't exactly lady-like".
Locking the stall door, Meredith ignored that comment and corrected Annie again;
"it's Meredith…".
"You'll never get him, Meri". Annie said, "never…that man needs someone older and more mature. Someone like me. He deserves the best".
Meredith sighed;
"I can't piss when you're talking to me".
"You're vile". Annie muttered, "and disgusting".
"Aye, cheers".
When Annie left the bathroom, Meredith yelled;
"and it's Meredith, you fanny!"
Of course, Annie went crying to Winters about Meredith's "hostile" and "threatening" behavior. She even put on the waterworks and squeezed out a few tears for dramatic effect. It only angered Meredith further. She thought Annie was insane. Sitting back down at the table, Meredith watched Winters frown with concern at Annie, who was sniffling and dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Eventually, he left Annie and marched over to Meredith.
"Here we go…". She mumbled under her breath.
"What the hell, Meri?" Winters asked quietly, "you made her cry? Why would you do that?"
Meredith gestured towards Annie;
"she's fucked, Dick. I'd forget about her".
"What are you talking about?" He frowned, "Annie's a sweet girl, Meri".
"Right…". She remarked, "I'll give it to her, Dick, she'd make a fine actress".
"You should apologise". Winters said, "you hurt her feelings".
Shaking her head, Meredith mumbled;
"I'm not apologising, Dick. I did nothing wrong".
He looked pissed off;
"Meri, you made her cry". Winters stressed, "you obviously did something".
"Alright, take her side". Meredith shrugged, "I've known you for three months, you've known her for three hours. I see how it is".
"You're acting like a child". He muttered, "I thought you were better than this, Meri".
"Aye, well – you obviously don't know me, eh?" Meredith bit back, feeling bubbles of rage in the pit of her stomach. But her rage was directed more at Annie, who had caused this fight. She never wanted to fight with Winters, it didn't feel right arguing with him. "Maybe I don't know you either, eh? Thought we were friends, Dick. But you're just 'gonna sit and listen to some random cry and spread lies about me".
"She's not random-"
"oh, I forgot. Yous are married with kids, eh?" Meredith muttered, "my fucking mistake, Dick. I must've missed that one".
Shaking his head, Winters and huffed;
"this is ridiculous. You're being ridiculous".
"Nah, I'm not – I'm fucking off". Meredith mumbled as she got up. "This was a stupid idea, coming here. Should have just stayed at Croft. In fact, shouldn't have even left fucking Russia – stupid, eh?"
Winters pulled a face;
"what-"
"tell you what, I'll get myself another room, eh? Cause we're not 'gonna be friends after this, are we? Annie's pretending to cry…and I'm just here, sticking up for myself". Shoving on her jacket roughly, she added, "no one's on my fucking side…can't do fucking anything right…should just sew my mouth up or something-"
"Meri-"
"she's pretty, I get it, eh? You want to take her to bed or something…but she's fucked in the head, Dick. Imagine pretending to cry and painting yourself the victim, when you were the one saying mad shit in the toilets – that's fucked up-"
"Meri!"
"What?" Meredith looked up at him.
He didn't look angry anymore.
With a tiny frown, Winters took a step towards her;
"I'm sorry".
Nodding, she mumbled;
"yeah…yeah, you should be".
A sad smile met his lips;
"do you forgive me?"
Again, she nodded;
"aye, I forgive you".
"You 'gonna take your jacket off and sit down?"
Meredith took off her jacket and sat down obediently. Pulling out the chair next to her, Winters sat himself down. Head tilting to the side, he asked her;
"Russia?"
Meredith groaned;
"ah, shit…spilled the beans there, eh?"
"Yeah, you did". Winters was caught between amusement and concern, "what were you doing in Russia?"
Rubbing the back of her neck, her hand soon fell on the table.
Staring up at him, a heavy look reached her eyes;
"I'm not ready to say…sorry I let it slip-"
"it's okay". Winters cut her off softly, "it's okay, Meri".
With a sigh, she then added;
"sorry for getting all angry".
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you". Winters mumbled, "so…Annie said things to you?"
Meredith snorted;
"aye, she did…she's crazy, Dick". She said, "they make good brownies, but they're no angels".
He smiled, fully amused now.
Meredith chuckled quietly;
"listen, we're friends still?"
Winters nodded;
"of course, Meri". He assured her, "glad I've got you looking out for me".
Smiling softly, Meredith said;
"glad I've got you on my side, Dick".
To break whatever tension was left, Meredith faked seriousness;
"just wish I had you by my side when a seal tried to fucking stab me".
Winters laughed;
"oh, come on, Meri…".
She grinned;
"I had you for a second there, eh?"
"No!"
"Nah, come on…you believed me for a second. I know you did".
Shaking his head, Winters grinned;
"not even for a millisecond, Meri".