Chapter Twenty-Four
(A month later. Back in Salem.)
Mimi watched nervously as Rory stared intently at the computer screen in front of her. She chewed on the edge of the fingernail on her pinky as she waited for Rory to finish reading. Mimi knew one of the girls on the campus newspaper staff from high school, and had been asked to write an article about campus safety and security. Back in high school, Mimi had written for the newspaper staff, but was forced to abandon it in her senior year as part of her punishment for the OperaGirl scandal.
Rory nodded and then turned to Mimi with a smile. "Wow, Meems... Really good."
Mimi's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Really? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, if you can make something as mundane as campus safety this exciting, I'd love to see what you could do with a real story."
"I -- I thought I'd be rusty. I mean, I haven't had to write a newspaper article since I was a junior in high school. Do you REALLY think it's okay? Please be honest with me, Ror."
Rory laughed softly and nodded. "Yes, I REALLY do. I mean, Mimi... You've totally been holding back on me. I had no idea you could write this well. You should *definitely* stick with this. Trust my opinion, please."
Mimi smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I DO trust your opinion... Thank you."
"You're welcome. You've been holding out on me, girl. I didn't know you were such a good writer..."
"Well, I -- I'm not *that* good."
Rory was about to disagree with her when a knock sounded at the door of their room. Both girls stared at each other in confusion, and Mimi stood to answer it. She turned the knob and came face to face with Rachel Masters. If she hadn't of been so filled with shocked, she might have thought to slam the door shut in the blonde woman's face. But, instead, she took a step backwards and stammered out an uneasy greeting.
"Uhhh -- Mrs. -- Mrs. Masters... I --"
"Mimi, Good afternoon..."
Mimi regained her composure and hooked a finger towards the hallway. "I think you have the wrong room number. Jason is down the hall, 224."
Rachel shook her head and locked eyes with Mimi. "No, I don't. I came here to speak with you. Please, just for a minute."
Mimi ran her tongue along the roof of her mouth and frowned. *What in the world could Rachel Masters possibly want to talk to me about?* She thought to herself. Mimi stepped back and allowed Rachel entrance to her dorm room.
"Uhm -- Mrs. Masters, this is Rory Bennett. My roommate."
Rory's brown eyes were wide with surprise and she stood to shake hands with Jason's mother. "Mrs. Masters... It's good - uhm, nice -- a pleasure to meet you."
Mimi tried not to laugh at Rory, but it wasn't easy. She had heard so much about Jason's parents, that it was hard for Rory to act composed now that she was face to face with Rachel. But, Rachel just shook her hand and smiled sweetly at her, in fact, she seemed much softer in her demeanor than on Mimi's previous experiences with her.
"A pleasure to meet you too. And please, both of you, call me Rachel. I've heard a lot about you, Rory."
Rory laughed and let go of her hand. "And I assure you that *NONE* of it is true. Unless you've only heard the good stuff... Then it's *ALL* true."
Rory looked to Mimi and started to walk out the door. "Meems, I'm gonna go find Nick, wherever he is. And be where he is... I'll uhh... see you later."
Mimi grinned and waved Rory off, who shut the door behind her. She was now left alone with Rachel, wondering what the purpose of her visit was.
"Can I offer you something? I think we have some bottled water in our fridge... It's not much... I know."
"No, no, thank you. I -- I came here to apologize."
Mimi felt the sudden need to sit down and was quite grateful that the edge of her bed was underneath her. Her jaw had dropped in shock and she sat on the bed staring up into Rachel's face, a definite look of sincere apology written all over it. Rachel sat on Rory's bed directly across from Mimi and waited for a response.
"You're apologizing? To me?"
"I -- I may have misjudged you, Mimi... And I'm sorry."
Mimi grinned slightly, still not sure that this was even real. "MAY have misjudged me? You never even gave me a chance..."
Rachel smoothed down her conservative beige skirt and nodded. "You're right. I didn't. But the important thing is that I know you love my son."
"Right... So, it's no longer important how much money my family has, or what I'm studying at school, how I got here, what I did in the past, who my friends were... It doesn't matter that I am, as you said, trash?"
"No -- no, it doesn't matter."
Mimi crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "Somehow... I'm having a hard time believing you. Especially after the hell that you have put me and your sons through. I just -- What made you change your mind?"
Rachel sighed and sadly turned her gaze away from Mimi. "Mimi... My oldest son is getting married in the fall, and I'm afraid that he won't even let me be there. And -- my youngest son hasn't spoken to me in a month. And, I really can't say that I blame either of them."
"Me either..."
"Douglas and I -- we were terrible parents. We were hardly even parents at all; the nanny was more of a parent to them than we were. And, I could offer up a hundred excuses as to why we're such terrible parents. But, that's neither here nor there... I'm not here to make excuses."
Mimi nodded in understanding and replied. "Good, because I don't really care about excuses or what you did in the past. I only care about Jason and his future."
Rachel turned her gaze back to Mimi and smiled. "I know you do. I can tell. The way you stood up to us in Florida... It takes a lot to guts to do something like that."
"Or a lot of stupidity. I -- I figured if you didn't hate me enough already, you'd really hate me after that."
"I'll admit... We were quite angry when we left Daytona... But -- you were right. And, I am ashamed at the way I have treated you, and so is Jason's father. If you have it in your heart to give us another chance, I'd really like to get to know you... You make my son happy, so you have to be pretty special. I'm really sorry, Mimi."
Mimi put her hands on the bed beside her and leaned back in surprise. Not only was she practically begging for a second chance, she actually seemed completely sincere. Something had changed Rachel for the better, a combination of Mimi's harsh words towards them a month before, Jason's silent treatment and even Josh's recent shunning of his parents.
"I really do love Jason. And, all I want is for him to be happy. Even though he says that what you and your husband think isn't important anymore, I know that it still is. So, I don't really care what you think of me... As long as you allow Jason to be an adult and make his own decisions. Please, try to love him as best as you can, and to let him know that you trust him to handle his own life. He really has changed so much this year... and he deserves your trust and your respect. Give him what he needs from you, and I will be than willing to accept your apology."
Rachel smiled at her in appreciation. "You know, Mimi Lockhart... You're a very intelligent young woman."
Mimi shook her head and smiled bashfully. "I'm not that intelligent. I'm just in love. And once you get to know the Jason that I know, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the kind of man that he's become."
"Well, I just hope he'll allow me into his life... I've got so many years to make up for..."
Mimi stood from the bed and walked towards the door. "He will. But, you better start now. Go across the hallway, I know he's there... Tell him you're sorry, tell him what's in your heart."
Rachel stood and walked towards the door, but paused to look at Mimi nervously. "Do you think he'll even talk to me? After everything I've done..."
Mimi grinned widely and nodded. "Just tell him I sent you and he'll listen."
Rachel smiled and laid her hand on Mimi's arm before exiting. "Thank you, Mimi... Thank you..."
Mimi nodded and watched her walk away before closing the door to her room. She pressed her back against the door with a sigh and began pinching the skin of her forearm. "Am I dreaming? Was that a dream? Holy Crap..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(A while later.)
Mimi heard her door creaking open slowly and she softly muttered to herself. "Gotta get those hinges oiled... Sheesh."
"Did I hear something about oiling hinges?"
She looked up from her computer and saw Jason's head peeking around the door. Mimi's face lit up and she motioned for him to walk in. "Hey there... Are you handy around hinges and stuff?"
Jason walked all the way in and shrugged. "Not really, but I can try."
Mimi stood from her chair and instantly threw her arms around him. She gave him a sweet kiss and then smiled at him. "It's so good to see you... Especially, after I've been staring at my computer all day."
"So... My mom came and paid you a visit, did she?"
Mimi let go of him and walked a few steps away to sit on her bed. "Yes, she did. And it went very well. No screaming or physical violence of any kind. She's like... I don't know, did somebody put her on Prozac or Paxil or one of those uppers? Because she's like a whole different woman now..."
Jason laughed and shook his head as he sat down beside her. "I don't think so... I just think that she got a big slap in the face. Both of them did. And, they want to make things better..."
"So... What did you say? Are you going to try and fix things with them?"
"Of course. I mean, who am I to deny someone a second chance? A second chance is what got me where I am today. It got me the life I have now... Besides, as much as I hate them, I do love them."
Mimi smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad, I really am... It just amazes me how things can get so screwed up between people who are supposed to love each other."
Jason shrugged slightly and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Most families are screwed up, Meems."
"Yeah, I know..."
"And that is why those of us with screwed up families find our family somewhere else."
Mimi lifted her head and looked up at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
Jason smiled and brushed her cheek with his fingers. "I mean... I never really felt like I had a place to belong before. I know what you're going to say, that I was popular and surrounded by people in high school. But none of those people ever cared about me, and I never cared about them... It was all about image. Not until I came here did I find a place where I belonged."
Mimi smiled proudly, her green eyes twinkling happy. "You mean... With me?"
Jason chuckled softly and nodded. "Well, yes... With you. But, not just you, as important as you are to me. But, also... to have friends like Rory and Nick. And, even the people who I should have been a lot nicer to in the past. Belle, Shawn, Chloe, Brady... They've all been really accepting of me. I finally feel like part of something... a group... a second family. And sometimes second families are much better than biological families."
A feminine voice came through the doorway surprising them both. "Especially yours, Jase."
Mimi and Jason turned to see Rory and Nick walk in and sit on Rory's bed across from them. Rory was winked at Jason and spoke again. "Just kidding... So what happened after I left? Do I have to help Mimi dump your mother's body into the river? Cause, I can do that..."
Mimi laughed loudly and shook her head. "No, no, you don't. But, I appreciate the offer. Everything is fine, just fine... She came to apologize to me, and she came to ask her son for a second chance."
Nick nodded in understanding. "It's about damn time. I guess Mimi telling her off was the right thing to do after all."
"Maybe... But, that's not just it... She's doing it for the love of her children. That's the most important thing."
Jason nodded and interjected. "Speaking of my mother's children... Josh called earlier. They're having an October wedding, and they want all of you to be there."
Rory leaned back in surprise. "Us? As in me and Nick and Mimi us?"
"Well, yeah, that's who I am referring to. Josh and Mariana had so much fun with all of you that they want to make sure you're there for the wedding. So clear your calendars, it's going to be on a Saturday. And, *I* am the best man..."
"How come they call it the 'best man' anyway? If the best man is really the best, then why doesn't the bride marry *him*? I just don't get it..."
Nick looked at Rory with a look of exasperation. He kissed her briefly on the lips and locked eyes with her. "Rory... Shut up."
Mimi laughed at both of them and rolled her eyes. "I swear... I think the phrase 'shut up' means 'I love you' with you two."
"It kind of does. It's a term of affection with us. A really strange way to express it... but, it is out of love. It really is..."
Jason grinned at his friend and shrugged. "Weird... And here Mimi and I have just been saying 'I love you' for all these months. Boy, do I feel stupid now or what."
Mimi chuckled and winked at him. "But, we used 'shut up' for many years before this. I guess we just didn't know we were in love then."
Rory stood up and ran a hand through her hair. "So... anyway... I'm hungry."
"What else is new?"
Rory continued on, ignoring Mimi's sarcastic remark. "Let's go eat. It's cream of chicken soup night at the Brady Pub."
Rory began to walk out of the room and everyone followed. When Rory made up her mind that it was dinnertime, there was no holding her back. Mimi lagged behind slightly and admired the pack of people that was ahead of her. Jason was right; they really were like a family. And those three combined with her absent friends made one very happy family. They kind that fought like cats and dogs sometime, but always found love in their hearts for each other.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(A month later. Back in Salem.)
Mimi watched nervously as Rory stared intently at the computer screen in front of her. She chewed on the edge of the fingernail on her pinky as she waited for Rory to finish reading. Mimi knew one of the girls on the campus newspaper staff from high school, and had been asked to write an article about campus safety and security. Back in high school, Mimi had written for the newspaper staff, but was forced to abandon it in her senior year as part of her punishment for the OperaGirl scandal.
Rory nodded and then turned to Mimi with a smile. "Wow, Meems... Really good."
Mimi's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Really? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, if you can make something as mundane as campus safety this exciting, I'd love to see what you could do with a real story."
"I -- I thought I'd be rusty. I mean, I haven't had to write a newspaper article since I was a junior in high school. Do you REALLY think it's okay? Please be honest with me, Ror."
Rory laughed softly and nodded. "Yes, I REALLY do. I mean, Mimi... You've totally been holding back on me. I had no idea you could write this well. You should *definitely* stick with this. Trust my opinion, please."
Mimi smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I DO trust your opinion... Thank you."
"You're welcome. You've been holding out on me, girl. I didn't know you were such a good writer..."
"Well, I -- I'm not *that* good."
Rory was about to disagree with her when a knock sounded at the door of their room. Both girls stared at each other in confusion, and Mimi stood to answer it. She turned the knob and came face to face with Rachel Masters. If she hadn't of been so filled with shocked, she might have thought to slam the door shut in the blonde woman's face. But, instead, she took a step backwards and stammered out an uneasy greeting.
"Uhhh -- Mrs. -- Mrs. Masters... I --"
"Mimi, Good afternoon..."
Mimi regained her composure and hooked a finger towards the hallway. "I think you have the wrong room number. Jason is down the hall, 224."
Rachel shook her head and locked eyes with Mimi. "No, I don't. I came here to speak with you. Please, just for a minute."
Mimi ran her tongue along the roof of her mouth and frowned. *What in the world could Rachel Masters possibly want to talk to me about?* She thought to herself. Mimi stepped back and allowed Rachel entrance to her dorm room.
"Uhm -- Mrs. Masters, this is Rory Bennett. My roommate."
Rory's brown eyes were wide with surprise and she stood to shake hands with Jason's mother. "Mrs. Masters... It's good - uhm, nice -- a pleasure to meet you."
Mimi tried not to laugh at Rory, but it wasn't easy. She had heard so much about Jason's parents, that it was hard for Rory to act composed now that she was face to face with Rachel. But, Rachel just shook her hand and smiled sweetly at her, in fact, she seemed much softer in her demeanor than on Mimi's previous experiences with her.
"A pleasure to meet you too. And please, both of you, call me Rachel. I've heard a lot about you, Rory."
Rory laughed and let go of her hand. "And I assure you that *NONE* of it is true. Unless you've only heard the good stuff... Then it's *ALL* true."
Rory looked to Mimi and started to walk out the door. "Meems, I'm gonna go find Nick, wherever he is. And be where he is... I'll uhh... see you later."
Mimi grinned and waved Rory off, who shut the door behind her. She was now left alone with Rachel, wondering what the purpose of her visit was.
"Can I offer you something? I think we have some bottled water in our fridge... It's not much... I know."
"No, no, thank you. I -- I came here to apologize."
Mimi felt the sudden need to sit down and was quite grateful that the edge of her bed was underneath her. Her jaw had dropped in shock and she sat on the bed staring up into Rachel's face, a definite look of sincere apology written all over it. Rachel sat on Rory's bed directly across from Mimi and waited for a response.
"You're apologizing? To me?"
"I -- I may have misjudged you, Mimi... And I'm sorry."
Mimi grinned slightly, still not sure that this was even real. "MAY have misjudged me? You never even gave me a chance..."
Rachel smoothed down her conservative beige skirt and nodded. "You're right. I didn't. But the important thing is that I know you love my son."
"Right... So, it's no longer important how much money my family has, or what I'm studying at school, how I got here, what I did in the past, who my friends were... It doesn't matter that I am, as you said, trash?"
"No -- no, it doesn't matter."
Mimi crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "Somehow... I'm having a hard time believing you. Especially after the hell that you have put me and your sons through. I just -- What made you change your mind?"
Rachel sighed and sadly turned her gaze away from Mimi. "Mimi... My oldest son is getting married in the fall, and I'm afraid that he won't even let me be there. And -- my youngest son hasn't spoken to me in a month. And, I really can't say that I blame either of them."
"Me either..."
"Douglas and I -- we were terrible parents. We were hardly even parents at all; the nanny was more of a parent to them than we were. And, I could offer up a hundred excuses as to why we're such terrible parents. But, that's neither here nor there... I'm not here to make excuses."
Mimi nodded in understanding and replied. "Good, because I don't really care about excuses or what you did in the past. I only care about Jason and his future."
Rachel turned her gaze back to Mimi and smiled. "I know you do. I can tell. The way you stood up to us in Florida... It takes a lot to guts to do something like that."
"Or a lot of stupidity. I -- I figured if you didn't hate me enough already, you'd really hate me after that."
"I'll admit... We were quite angry when we left Daytona... But -- you were right. And, I am ashamed at the way I have treated you, and so is Jason's father. If you have it in your heart to give us another chance, I'd really like to get to know you... You make my son happy, so you have to be pretty special. I'm really sorry, Mimi."
Mimi put her hands on the bed beside her and leaned back in surprise. Not only was she practically begging for a second chance, she actually seemed completely sincere. Something had changed Rachel for the better, a combination of Mimi's harsh words towards them a month before, Jason's silent treatment and even Josh's recent shunning of his parents.
"I really do love Jason. And, all I want is for him to be happy. Even though he says that what you and your husband think isn't important anymore, I know that it still is. So, I don't really care what you think of me... As long as you allow Jason to be an adult and make his own decisions. Please, try to love him as best as you can, and to let him know that you trust him to handle his own life. He really has changed so much this year... and he deserves your trust and your respect. Give him what he needs from you, and I will be than willing to accept your apology."
Rachel smiled at her in appreciation. "You know, Mimi Lockhart... You're a very intelligent young woman."
Mimi shook her head and smiled bashfully. "I'm not that intelligent. I'm just in love. And once you get to know the Jason that I know, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the kind of man that he's become."
"Well, I just hope he'll allow me into his life... I've got so many years to make up for..."
Mimi stood from the bed and walked towards the door. "He will. But, you better start now. Go across the hallway, I know he's there... Tell him you're sorry, tell him what's in your heart."
Rachel stood and walked towards the door, but paused to look at Mimi nervously. "Do you think he'll even talk to me? After everything I've done..."
Mimi grinned widely and nodded. "Just tell him I sent you and he'll listen."
Rachel smiled and laid her hand on Mimi's arm before exiting. "Thank you, Mimi... Thank you..."
Mimi nodded and watched her walk away before closing the door to her room. She pressed her back against the door with a sigh and began pinching the skin of her forearm. "Am I dreaming? Was that a dream? Holy Crap..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(A while later.)
Mimi heard her door creaking open slowly and she softly muttered to herself. "Gotta get those hinges oiled... Sheesh."
"Did I hear something about oiling hinges?"
She looked up from her computer and saw Jason's head peeking around the door. Mimi's face lit up and she motioned for him to walk in. "Hey there... Are you handy around hinges and stuff?"
Jason walked all the way in and shrugged. "Not really, but I can try."
Mimi stood from her chair and instantly threw her arms around him. She gave him a sweet kiss and then smiled at him. "It's so good to see you... Especially, after I've been staring at my computer all day."
"So... My mom came and paid you a visit, did she?"
Mimi let go of him and walked a few steps away to sit on her bed. "Yes, she did. And it went very well. No screaming or physical violence of any kind. She's like... I don't know, did somebody put her on Prozac or Paxil or one of those uppers? Because she's like a whole different woman now..."
Jason laughed and shook his head as he sat down beside her. "I don't think so... I just think that she got a big slap in the face. Both of them did. And, they want to make things better..."
"So... What did you say? Are you going to try and fix things with them?"
"Of course. I mean, who am I to deny someone a second chance? A second chance is what got me where I am today. It got me the life I have now... Besides, as much as I hate them, I do love them."
Mimi smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad, I really am... It just amazes me how things can get so screwed up between people who are supposed to love each other."
Jason shrugged slightly and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Most families are screwed up, Meems."
"Yeah, I know..."
"And that is why those of us with screwed up families find our family somewhere else."
Mimi lifted her head and looked up at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
Jason smiled and brushed her cheek with his fingers. "I mean... I never really felt like I had a place to belong before. I know what you're going to say, that I was popular and surrounded by people in high school. But none of those people ever cared about me, and I never cared about them... It was all about image. Not until I came here did I find a place where I belonged."
Mimi smiled proudly, her green eyes twinkling happy. "You mean... With me?"
Jason chuckled softly and nodded. "Well, yes... With you. But, not just you, as important as you are to me. But, also... to have friends like Rory and Nick. And, even the people who I should have been a lot nicer to in the past. Belle, Shawn, Chloe, Brady... They've all been really accepting of me. I finally feel like part of something... a group... a second family. And sometimes second families are much better than biological families."
A feminine voice came through the doorway surprising them both. "Especially yours, Jase."
Mimi and Jason turned to see Rory and Nick walk in and sit on Rory's bed across from them. Rory was winked at Jason and spoke again. "Just kidding... So what happened after I left? Do I have to help Mimi dump your mother's body into the river? Cause, I can do that..."
Mimi laughed loudly and shook her head. "No, no, you don't. But, I appreciate the offer. Everything is fine, just fine... She came to apologize to me, and she came to ask her son for a second chance."
Nick nodded in understanding. "It's about damn time. I guess Mimi telling her off was the right thing to do after all."
"Maybe... But, that's not just it... She's doing it for the love of her children. That's the most important thing."
Jason nodded and interjected. "Speaking of my mother's children... Josh called earlier. They're having an October wedding, and they want all of you to be there."
Rory leaned back in surprise. "Us? As in me and Nick and Mimi us?"
"Well, yeah, that's who I am referring to. Josh and Mariana had so much fun with all of you that they want to make sure you're there for the wedding. So clear your calendars, it's going to be on a Saturday. And, *I* am the best man..."
"How come they call it the 'best man' anyway? If the best man is really the best, then why doesn't the bride marry *him*? I just don't get it..."
Nick looked at Rory with a look of exasperation. He kissed her briefly on the lips and locked eyes with her. "Rory... Shut up."
Mimi laughed at both of them and rolled her eyes. "I swear... I think the phrase 'shut up' means 'I love you' with you two."
"It kind of does. It's a term of affection with us. A really strange way to express it... but, it is out of love. It really is..."
Jason grinned at his friend and shrugged. "Weird... And here Mimi and I have just been saying 'I love you' for all these months. Boy, do I feel stupid now or what."
Mimi chuckled and winked at him. "But, we used 'shut up' for many years before this. I guess we just didn't know we were in love then."
Rory stood up and ran a hand through her hair. "So... anyway... I'm hungry."
"What else is new?"
Rory continued on, ignoring Mimi's sarcastic remark. "Let's go eat. It's cream of chicken soup night at the Brady Pub."
Rory began to walk out of the room and everyone followed. When Rory made up her mind that it was dinnertime, there was no holding her back. Mimi lagged behind slightly and admired the pack of people that was ahead of her. Jason was right; they really were like a family. And those three combined with her absent friends made one very happy family. They kind that fought like cats and dogs sometime, but always found love in their hearts for each other.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~