Chapter 13
[This chapter may go long, but you'll see why it HAD to.]
(Monday... approx 2:45 p.m.)
Belle and Brady stepped through the front doors to Mickey Horton's law office, and greeted the receptionist at the front desk.
"Hi there. I'm Brady Black, and this is my sister Belle. We were told to be here at 3:00."
The receptionist looked up from her computer and smiled politely, "The Blacks...right...you guys are here for the Lockhart meeting. I was told to direct everyone in that group to the conference room. It's the second door on the left down this hallway. Just go inside, I'm sure the others will be here soon."
Belle smiled at the young woman, "Thank you..."
Brady and Belle turned together and walked down the hallway towards the conference room. They opened the door and stepped inside to find a long table with chairs on each side, and one at the head of the table.
Brady looked around and felt a bit confused, "Hmm. I guess we're the first of the 'others' to get here. So, uhm, how many 'others' do you think are coming?"
Belle shrugged, "I don't really know what's going on, Brady. I know Shawn is coming too, but I haven't heard anything else..."
"Alrighty then...maybe we should just take our seats and wait for the fun to begin."
Brady took a chair on the end of the table, and Belle sat herself in the chair next to him, and leaned forward placing both of her elbows on the table in front of her. Just moments later, Shawn entered from the hallway.
"Hey there..." Shawn looked in Belle's direction and grinned at her, "So, is that seat next to you taken Miss Black?"
"I don't know about that. I was saving it for this really gorgeous guy I've been going out with, but if you promise to be extra nice to me, I'll let you sit there." Belle replied with a wink.
Shawn made his way over and sat in the seat next to her. "Nice? Oh, I can be nice..." He returned her wink from earlier and leaned in to kiss her. The kiss only lasted a moment, until Brady felt he couldn't take it any longer. He leaned forward to get a closer view, and decided to break up the party.
"Hey. You two can stop that at anytime. You see, I just ate a sandwich, and I'd prefer to keep it down. Watching my baby sister get mauled does nothing for my digestive track...Okay?"
The two broke it off, and Belle leaned backward in her chair with an embarrassed look on her face. "Sorry, Brady...next time I'll bring the pepto bismol along for ya."
Brady patted his sister on the head condescendingly, "Awwww, thanks sis. That's so sweet of you."
Shawn spoke up, "Be careful with the hand there Brady, wouldn't want to mess up the hair."
Belle laughed at both of them, but still rolled her eyes and pushed Brady's hand away from her.
Gradually, more people began to seep in. Chloe, Nancy and Craig came in and sat in the three seats across from the Belle, Shawn and Brady. Phillip arrived and sat next to Shawn. Kevin arrived and sat next to Craig Wesley. All of them were greeted with quiet 'Hello's from the rest of the room. Phillip didn't say a word, just moved silently through the room until he reached his seat. He felt too ashamed to even look Chloe in the eyes, and Chloe didn't really feel like even looking in his direction.
The group at the table sat in quiet, not knowing why exactly they were there or what was about to happen. Finally, the door opened again and Mickey Horton entered with Mimi and her mother Maureen in tow. Mickey glanced around the room at the assembled group.
"Well, I'm glad to see that everyone made it here on time. Thank you all for taking the time to come here."
Shawn leaned forward and asked, "And, why *are* we here, Uncle Mickey?"
"Give me a minute, Shawn. I'll explain. First off, I have to let you know the status of the case against Jan. As you may already know, Chloe and her parents felt that dragging this on for too long would only make Chloe feel worse and not better. Making this turn into a long court battle would only keep Ms. Lane from getting the closure she needs. Besides, Jan & Mimi are still minors and the punishment wouldn't be as harsh as if they were adults. So, the Lockharts and the Spears have decided to strike a deal with the D.A. One that the Wesleys, and Ms. Lane could agree to as well."
Belle looked somewhat surprised, "You mean, Jan is actually admitting that she did this? I didn't think she'd ever do that."
Mickey nodded in agreement, "Neither did the DA's office. But, after they convinced her that having Mimi & Kevin testify against her in a court of law and her sentence would be MUCH harsher that way, she agreed to cave in and admit it. Jan is not going to be returning to Salem High next year. She's being sent to Brookpark which is a home for wayward teens and juvenile delinquents. She'll stay there until she turns 18, at which time she must return to this county but will remain on probation for the next 5 years."
Brady shook his head in disbelief, "We get rid of Jan for less than 2 years, that's all?"
Mickey replied, "Well, there's not really much else we could do. She had no prior record before this, and she is only 16. The courts won't try her as an adult for a crime like this. Hopefully, she'll get the help she needs though. Brookpark is a great facility. She'll have to attend private therapy sessions daily, so whatever caused Jan to be the way she is, maybe it can be fixed. Either way, this stays on her permanent record, so if she gets in trouble in the future, she won't get off so easy that time."
Belle sighed softly, "Well, it's better than nothing, I guess."
Mickey continued, "Alright, now let me explain why all of you are here today. Part of Mimi's agreement with my clients, is that she bring all of the people she has wronged together, make her confessions, and make her apologies to you all. You're all here together because the truth needs to be told in front everyone, not just one person at a time. So, now, I'll let Mimi do the talking."
Mimi smiled weakly and took the seat at the head of the table. She took a deep breath, and nervously began. "Okay, first off, the rest of my punishment is that I'm going to be on probation for 2 years. I have to do community service for like the next year, and well, they were going to expel me from Salem High, but since I can't afford private school or anything, I am still going to school there next year. But...I am banned from all events. I can't go to any of the games, or the dances or anything. So, with that kind of record, I can pretty much count out getting into college or getting a scholarship."
Mimi paused and looked towards Belle. Belle was frowning, but nodded for Mimi to continue.
"Anyway...here we go. This is the part where I apologize."
Mimi turned herself to face Brady and looked him squarely in the eye. "Brady, I am very sorry. I'm sorry that you got blamed for this. It's not fair that you had the finger pointed at you. You've been through so much already, Brady, and I am REALLY sorry that this happened. You know, you've always been like an older brother to me, so I can't even begin to tell you how bad I feel for bring you into this."
Brady nodded knowingly, "It's okay, Mimi. I accept your apology, and I guess you kinda owed me one because of that time I told Belle it was you who had knocked her ballerina music box over and broke it."
Mimi cringed in embarrassment, "Oh geez. I guess we are even, Brady. Thanks..." Mimi smiled at him briefly, and looked towards Belle. "Okay, Belle... Uhm, I already told you that night a lot of what I had to say. But, bear with me if I start to repeat myself... Belle, you've always been like a sister to me, and you've always always stood by me no matter what I was going through. Before I apologize, I want to thank you for doing that. Being your friend really meant a lot to me. But, I've been stupid too. Undeserving of your friendship even. I was so blind, and jealous. I thought that you liked Chloe better than me, and that you didn't want to be near me anymore. Instead of paying attention to all of our years of friendship, I let Jan Spears drag me around like her little lapdog. I've been so dumb, Belle. And, I'm very very sorry." By this time, Mimi had a few tears rolling down her face as she spoke.
Belle looked as she was about to cry as well, "Mimi. Thank you for the apology. I just... I just want you to be okay, Meems. That's all."
Mimi took a deep breath, fighting back the tears as she spoke, "I'm trying Belle. I really am. I just hope I can find the old Mimi again."
Belle nodded sadly, "Me too..."
Mimi smiled weakly and turned her attentions towards Shawn, "Shawn...pretty much everything I said to Belle applies here too. But, also...I have something to admit. I have...uhh...kinda had a crush on you ever since you got back from your other school."
Shawn's eyes got wide with shock, and Mimi continued. "But don't worry...It's over now. I'm smart enough to see that you belong with Belle, and not me. It was just a schoolgirl crush. That's all. But, it was enough to probably warrant part of what led me to Jan. In all my blind hatred of Chloe, I thought she would try to steal you away from me, and then I was jealous because Belle was stealing you away from me too. Anyway, that's just another part of me being stupid. Jan put a lot of ideas into my head, and it kinda drove me to all of this. I'm sorry Shawn, for dragging you into this too. And, I'm sorry to both you and Belle for ruining your first date...more than once. And, now that I'm completely embarrassed... I'm gonna move on. You don't have to say *anything* Shawn...really."
Shawn just nodded and blushed, "Thanks Mimi... I appreciate that."
Mimi gave Shawn an embarrassed grin and turned to face Phillip. Mimi took a deep breath, and continued. "Phillip. I... I almost don't even know what to say. I know how badly I've screwed things up for you right now. I was wrong to do what I did, and I was only thinking about how it would affect Chloe, and not how it would affect the rest of my friends. I knew you would be hurt by it...but I didn't know it would be like this...."
Phillip interrupted, "Mimi...thank you."
Mimi looked perplexed, "You're...thanking me? I haven't even finished yet."
"You don't have to Mimi, because I know exactly what you're feeling. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't wish what happened to Chloe on anyone ever, but at least one good thing may have come out of it. I finally opened up my own eyes to see what a selfish bastard I have become. I felt like you, Mimi. I was only worried about how things affect me, and I didn't really care how my actions affected others. I've screwed up big time, so have you. We have a lot in common now, Mimi, and none of it is good. Next week maybe I should borrow this room to make my own apologies."
Mimi looked as if Phillip's words had calmed her just a bit, "Wow. Phillip. Thank you for that. And, I'm really really sorry for what I did to you. And, if you need the number to a good therapist, I'll give you mine."
"Thanks, Mimi. I might take you up on that."
The two smiled at each other, and Mimi turned to Kevin. "Kevin. I am so so so so so sorry that we got you involved in our stupid little games. You're a good person, Kevin, and I'm sorry that we screwed up your good record for our own terrible reasons. I want to make sure that everyone here knows that Jan forced Kevin into making that explosion in chem. class. He had no idea why we were doing it, and he had nothing to do with the camera, the pictures or anything. Kevin, you're a really good person and I'm sorry that I treated you the way I have. Jan and I used you, and you deserve better than that. And, if you talk to Susan, please tell her to call me because I have to apologize to her for the way I've treated her too. I tried to get her here today, but she couldn't make it."
Kevin smiled and nodded, "Apology accepted, Mimi... I'll tell Susan to call you."
Mimi took another deep breath, knowing that this next one was going to be the hardest. She turned and spoke to the Wesley's. "Mr. and Mrs. Wesley... I...I have been so ungrateful. You were so kind to let my family come stay in your home, and Mrs. Wesley, you were so nice to me and I never really thanked you for it. So, I want to thank you now. I want to say that I'm sorry, and I know you'll never forgive me, but I am sorry. I've done a rotten thing by destroying the lives of all the people who have been there for my family in the rough times. I can't ever fix what I've done, or even make it up to you. Just please know that I will spend the rest of my life feeling bad for it. I'm so sorry."
Nancy and Craig nodded silently, and Nancy was tempted to unleash her patented Nancy-wrath, but decided to keep it in check because she could tell that Mimi was very sincere in her guilt.
Mimi then paused for what seemed like an eternity, and wiped the tears from her face. She closed her eyes briefly, and summoned all of her strength to continue.
"Chloe... I...Uhm, geez, there are like no words in the English language to give you the apology you deserve. Just saying, 'I'm sorry' a million times will never cut it. So, I'm just gonna say what's on my mind. I...Well, I was completely wrong about you...from the very beginning. There's nothing wrong with *you* Chloe, and there never has been. It's me. I have something wrong with me. For a long time, it was always Shawn, Belle, me, and Phillip. And, then all of a sudden, you showed up. And, you were different than all of us... you're everything I'm not Chloe, and it killed me. You're talented, smart, mysterious, beautiful. I thought everyone liked you better than they could ever like stupid little Mimi. So, instead of accepting you like they all did, I turned against you and I made it my mission to ruin your life. God, how could I have been so dumb? I don't know Chloe... I don't expect forgiveness, or even understanding from you. I just want you to know that every day until the day I die, I will think about what I've done to you, and feel the pain." Mimi could feel her throat tighten up, and the tears that were already flowing had turned into deep, heavy sobbing.
Chloe looked on her with pity, "Mimi... I... I have nothing to say to that, except that you weren't just wrong about me. You were wrong about yourself. You had nothing to be jealous of. I mean, I was jealous of you."
Mimi looked utterly shocked, "What? You were jealous of me?"
"Of course. I mean, first off Mimi - you sell yourself short. You're really very pretty, and from the way Belle would talk about you - you always seemed like a great person, funny and sweet and fun to be around. And, yes, I was jealous of you. Shawn and Belle have been my best friends, but no matter how close we got, you have *always* been a part of them. They've known you since you were in kindergarten, and I can never have those kind of memories or that kind of connection with them. You have a whole lifetime of friendship that I could never compete with. I wish I had something like that, but I never have. I've never had anything in my life that was lasting. You don't know how lucky you've been, and that's a damn shame."
Mimi sniffled and wiped her nose with her tissue, "God, Chloe. You are so right. I am so sorry to all of you. I took what I had for granted, and threw it all away because of these petty childish reasons. I've let you all down, and I'll never forgive myself for that. I just...was lost...and I didn't know what I was doing...I'm going to change...I really want to now. I mean, I've already lost everything...I want to at least find myself again."
Mimi put her face in her hands and broke down into a flood of tears. "I...am...so...sorry."
Belle was also crying, and Shawn had put one hand on hers to comfort her. Belle looked at Mimi, and smiled weakly, "Mimi, I know you're going to be okay. I know you are. Just let the old Mimi come back to us, please."
Through her tears, Mimi managed to say, "I will Belle... I will..."
Mimi's mom stepped over from the corner and embraced her daughter. "If it's okay with everyone, I think Mimi is kind of emotionally spent now. It's best if I take her home now...I think we're all done here, aren't we?"
The group at the table nodded and murmured agreement among them. Maureen looked to Mickey who nodded his approval. "I think that's alright, Mrs. Lockhart. We appreciate you coming here today. I think we can finally have some closure to this whole mess. Take Mimi home and let her rest. I know that she's starting her sessions with her psychiatrist tomorrow morning, she needs to rest."
Mimi stood up and rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "Thank you, Mr. Horton..." She took one last mournful glance at the group around the table, and exited with her mother's arm wrapped around her.
The group all sat silent, staring at each other... Waiting for someone to say something...anything...
(Sorry to leave ya'll in suspense, I was going to make this one huge chapter but I got distracted by watching Die Hard on DVD, and now I'm too tired to finish. So, tomorrow I'll write the rest of what happens after Mimi leaves Mickey's office. I can almost guarantee there will be some Broe sparkage in the next chapter. Besides, you can only type the word "sorry" so many times in one night before your head explodes. Thanks for reading so far! More coming VERY soon.)
[This chapter may go long, but you'll see why it HAD to.]
(Monday... approx 2:45 p.m.)
Belle and Brady stepped through the front doors to Mickey Horton's law office, and greeted the receptionist at the front desk.
"Hi there. I'm Brady Black, and this is my sister Belle. We were told to be here at 3:00."
The receptionist looked up from her computer and smiled politely, "The Blacks...right...you guys are here for the Lockhart meeting. I was told to direct everyone in that group to the conference room. It's the second door on the left down this hallway. Just go inside, I'm sure the others will be here soon."
Belle smiled at the young woman, "Thank you..."
Brady and Belle turned together and walked down the hallway towards the conference room. They opened the door and stepped inside to find a long table with chairs on each side, and one at the head of the table.
Brady looked around and felt a bit confused, "Hmm. I guess we're the first of the 'others' to get here. So, uhm, how many 'others' do you think are coming?"
Belle shrugged, "I don't really know what's going on, Brady. I know Shawn is coming too, but I haven't heard anything else..."
"Alrighty then...maybe we should just take our seats and wait for the fun to begin."
Brady took a chair on the end of the table, and Belle sat herself in the chair next to him, and leaned forward placing both of her elbows on the table in front of her. Just moments later, Shawn entered from the hallway.
"Hey there..." Shawn looked in Belle's direction and grinned at her, "So, is that seat next to you taken Miss Black?"
"I don't know about that. I was saving it for this really gorgeous guy I've been going out with, but if you promise to be extra nice to me, I'll let you sit there." Belle replied with a wink.
Shawn made his way over and sat in the seat next to her. "Nice? Oh, I can be nice..." He returned her wink from earlier and leaned in to kiss her. The kiss only lasted a moment, until Brady felt he couldn't take it any longer. He leaned forward to get a closer view, and decided to break up the party.
"Hey. You two can stop that at anytime. You see, I just ate a sandwich, and I'd prefer to keep it down. Watching my baby sister get mauled does nothing for my digestive track...Okay?"
The two broke it off, and Belle leaned backward in her chair with an embarrassed look on her face. "Sorry, Brady...next time I'll bring the pepto bismol along for ya."
Brady patted his sister on the head condescendingly, "Awwww, thanks sis. That's so sweet of you."
Shawn spoke up, "Be careful with the hand there Brady, wouldn't want to mess up the hair."
Belle laughed at both of them, but still rolled her eyes and pushed Brady's hand away from her.
Gradually, more people began to seep in. Chloe, Nancy and Craig came in and sat in the three seats across from the Belle, Shawn and Brady. Phillip arrived and sat next to Shawn. Kevin arrived and sat next to Craig Wesley. All of them were greeted with quiet 'Hello's from the rest of the room. Phillip didn't say a word, just moved silently through the room until he reached his seat. He felt too ashamed to even look Chloe in the eyes, and Chloe didn't really feel like even looking in his direction.
The group at the table sat in quiet, not knowing why exactly they were there or what was about to happen. Finally, the door opened again and Mickey Horton entered with Mimi and her mother Maureen in tow. Mickey glanced around the room at the assembled group.
"Well, I'm glad to see that everyone made it here on time. Thank you all for taking the time to come here."
Shawn leaned forward and asked, "And, why *are* we here, Uncle Mickey?"
"Give me a minute, Shawn. I'll explain. First off, I have to let you know the status of the case against Jan. As you may already know, Chloe and her parents felt that dragging this on for too long would only make Chloe feel worse and not better. Making this turn into a long court battle would only keep Ms. Lane from getting the closure she needs. Besides, Jan & Mimi are still minors and the punishment wouldn't be as harsh as if they were adults. So, the Lockharts and the Spears have decided to strike a deal with the D.A. One that the Wesleys, and Ms. Lane could agree to as well."
Belle looked somewhat surprised, "You mean, Jan is actually admitting that she did this? I didn't think she'd ever do that."
Mickey nodded in agreement, "Neither did the DA's office. But, after they convinced her that having Mimi & Kevin testify against her in a court of law and her sentence would be MUCH harsher that way, she agreed to cave in and admit it. Jan is not going to be returning to Salem High next year. She's being sent to Brookpark which is a home for wayward teens and juvenile delinquents. She'll stay there until she turns 18, at which time she must return to this county but will remain on probation for the next 5 years."
Brady shook his head in disbelief, "We get rid of Jan for less than 2 years, that's all?"
Mickey replied, "Well, there's not really much else we could do. She had no prior record before this, and she is only 16. The courts won't try her as an adult for a crime like this. Hopefully, she'll get the help she needs though. Brookpark is a great facility. She'll have to attend private therapy sessions daily, so whatever caused Jan to be the way she is, maybe it can be fixed. Either way, this stays on her permanent record, so if she gets in trouble in the future, she won't get off so easy that time."
Belle sighed softly, "Well, it's better than nothing, I guess."
Mickey continued, "Alright, now let me explain why all of you are here today. Part of Mimi's agreement with my clients, is that she bring all of the people she has wronged together, make her confessions, and make her apologies to you all. You're all here together because the truth needs to be told in front everyone, not just one person at a time. So, now, I'll let Mimi do the talking."
Mimi smiled weakly and took the seat at the head of the table. She took a deep breath, and nervously began. "Okay, first off, the rest of my punishment is that I'm going to be on probation for 2 years. I have to do community service for like the next year, and well, they were going to expel me from Salem High, but since I can't afford private school or anything, I am still going to school there next year. But...I am banned from all events. I can't go to any of the games, or the dances or anything. So, with that kind of record, I can pretty much count out getting into college or getting a scholarship."
Mimi paused and looked towards Belle. Belle was frowning, but nodded for Mimi to continue.
"Anyway...here we go. This is the part where I apologize."
Mimi turned herself to face Brady and looked him squarely in the eye. "Brady, I am very sorry. I'm sorry that you got blamed for this. It's not fair that you had the finger pointed at you. You've been through so much already, Brady, and I am REALLY sorry that this happened. You know, you've always been like an older brother to me, so I can't even begin to tell you how bad I feel for bring you into this."
Brady nodded knowingly, "It's okay, Mimi. I accept your apology, and I guess you kinda owed me one because of that time I told Belle it was you who had knocked her ballerina music box over and broke it."
Mimi cringed in embarrassment, "Oh geez. I guess we are even, Brady. Thanks..." Mimi smiled at him briefly, and looked towards Belle. "Okay, Belle... Uhm, I already told you that night a lot of what I had to say. But, bear with me if I start to repeat myself... Belle, you've always been like a sister to me, and you've always always stood by me no matter what I was going through. Before I apologize, I want to thank you for doing that. Being your friend really meant a lot to me. But, I've been stupid too. Undeserving of your friendship even. I was so blind, and jealous. I thought that you liked Chloe better than me, and that you didn't want to be near me anymore. Instead of paying attention to all of our years of friendship, I let Jan Spears drag me around like her little lapdog. I've been so dumb, Belle. And, I'm very very sorry." By this time, Mimi had a few tears rolling down her face as she spoke.
Belle looked as she was about to cry as well, "Mimi. Thank you for the apology. I just... I just want you to be okay, Meems. That's all."
Mimi took a deep breath, fighting back the tears as she spoke, "I'm trying Belle. I really am. I just hope I can find the old Mimi again."
Belle nodded sadly, "Me too..."
Mimi smiled weakly and turned her attentions towards Shawn, "Shawn...pretty much everything I said to Belle applies here too. But, also...I have something to admit. I have...uhh...kinda had a crush on you ever since you got back from your other school."
Shawn's eyes got wide with shock, and Mimi continued. "But don't worry...It's over now. I'm smart enough to see that you belong with Belle, and not me. It was just a schoolgirl crush. That's all. But, it was enough to probably warrant part of what led me to Jan. In all my blind hatred of Chloe, I thought she would try to steal you away from me, and then I was jealous because Belle was stealing you away from me too. Anyway, that's just another part of me being stupid. Jan put a lot of ideas into my head, and it kinda drove me to all of this. I'm sorry Shawn, for dragging you into this too. And, I'm sorry to both you and Belle for ruining your first date...more than once. And, now that I'm completely embarrassed... I'm gonna move on. You don't have to say *anything* Shawn...really."
Shawn just nodded and blushed, "Thanks Mimi... I appreciate that."
Mimi gave Shawn an embarrassed grin and turned to face Phillip. Mimi took a deep breath, and continued. "Phillip. I... I almost don't even know what to say. I know how badly I've screwed things up for you right now. I was wrong to do what I did, and I was only thinking about how it would affect Chloe, and not how it would affect the rest of my friends. I knew you would be hurt by it...but I didn't know it would be like this...."
Phillip interrupted, "Mimi...thank you."
Mimi looked perplexed, "You're...thanking me? I haven't even finished yet."
"You don't have to Mimi, because I know exactly what you're feeling. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't wish what happened to Chloe on anyone ever, but at least one good thing may have come out of it. I finally opened up my own eyes to see what a selfish bastard I have become. I felt like you, Mimi. I was only worried about how things affect me, and I didn't really care how my actions affected others. I've screwed up big time, so have you. We have a lot in common now, Mimi, and none of it is good. Next week maybe I should borrow this room to make my own apologies."
Mimi looked as if Phillip's words had calmed her just a bit, "Wow. Phillip. Thank you for that. And, I'm really really sorry for what I did to you. And, if you need the number to a good therapist, I'll give you mine."
"Thanks, Mimi. I might take you up on that."
The two smiled at each other, and Mimi turned to Kevin. "Kevin. I am so so so so so sorry that we got you involved in our stupid little games. You're a good person, Kevin, and I'm sorry that we screwed up your good record for our own terrible reasons. I want to make sure that everyone here knows that Jan forced Kevin into making that explosion in chem. class. He had no idea why we were doing it, and he had nothing to do with the camera, the pictures or anything. Kevin, you're a really good person and I'm sorry that I treated you the way I have. Jan and I used you, and you deserve better than that. And, if you talk to Susan, please tell her to call me because I have to apologize to her for the way I've treated her too. I tried to get her here today, but she couldn't make it."
Kevin smiled and nodded, "Apology accepted, Mimi... I'll tell Susan to call you."
Mimi took another deep breath, knowing that this next one was going to be the hardest. She turned and spoke to the Wesley's. "Mr. and Mrs. Wesley... I...I have been so ungrateful. You were so kind to let my family come stay in your home, and Mrs. Wesley, you were so nice to me and I never really thanked you for it. So, I want to thank you now. I want to say that I'm sorry, and I know you'll never forgive me, but I am sorry. I've done a rotten thing by destroying the lives of all the people who have been there for my family in the rough times. I can't ever fix what I've done, or even make it up to you. Just please know that I will spend the rest of my life feeling bad for it. I'm so sorry."
Nancy and Craig nodded silently, and Nancy was tempted to unleash her patented Nancy-wrath, but decided to keep it in check because she could tell that Mimi was very sincere in her guilt.
Mimi then paused for what seemed like an eternity, and wiped the tears from her face. She closed her eyes briefly, and summoned all of her strength to continue.
"Chloe... I...Uhm, geez, there are like no words in the English language to give you the apology you deserve. Just saying, 'I'm sorry' a million times will never cut it. So, I'm just gonna say what's on my mind. I...Well, I was completely wrong about you...from the very beginning. There's nothing wrong with *you* Chloe, and there never has been. It's me. I have something wrong with me. For a long time, it was always Shawn, Belle, me, and Phillip. And, then all of a sudden, you showed up. And, you were different than all of us... you're everything I'm not Chloe, and it killed me. You're talented, smart, mysterious, beautiful. I thought everyone liked you better than they could ever like stupid little Mimi. So, instead of accepting you like they all did, I turned against you and I made it my mission to ruin your life. God, how could I have been so dumb? I don't know Chloe... I don't expect forgiveness, or even understanding from you. I just want you to know that every day until the day I die, I will think about what I've done to you, and feel the pain." Mimi could feel her throat tighten up, and the tears that were already flowing had turned into deep, heavy sobbing.
Chloe looked on her with pity, "Mimi... I... I have nothing to say to that, except that you weren't just wrong about me. You were wrong about yourself. You had nothing to be jealous of. I mean, I was jealous of you."
Mimi looked utterly shocked, "What? You were jealous of me?"
"Of course. I mean, first off Mimi - you sell yourself short. You're really very pretty, and from the way Belle would talk about you - you always seemed like a great person, funny and sweet and fun to be around. And, yes, I was jealous of you. Shawn and Belle have been my best friends, but no matter how close we got, you have *always* been a part of them. They've known you since you were in kindergarten, and I can never have those kind of memories or that kind of connection with them. You have a whole lifetime of friendship that I could never compete with. I wish I had something like that, but I never have. I've never had anything in my life that was lasting. You don't know how lucky you've been, and that's a damn shame."
Mimi sniffled and wiped her nose with her tissue, "God, Chloe. You are so right. I am so sorry to all of you. I took what I had for granted, and threw it all away because of these petty childish reasons. I've let you all down, and I'll never forgive myself for that. I just...was lost...and I didn't know what I was doing...I'm going to change...I really want to now. I mean, I've already lost everything...I want to at least find myself again."
Mimi put her face in her hands and broke down into a flood of tears. "I...am...so...sorry."
Belle was also crying, and Shawn had put one hand on hers to comfort her. Belle looked at Mimi, and smiled weakly, "Mimi, I know you're going to be okay. I know you are. Just let the old Mimi come back to us, please."
Through her tears, Mimi managed to say, "I will Belle... I will..."
Mimi's mom stepped over from the corner and embraced her daughter. "If it's okay with everyone, I think Mimi is kind of emotionally spent now. It's best if I take her home now...I think we're all done here, aren't we?"
The group at the table nodded and murmured agreement among them. Maureen looked to Mickey who nodded his approval. "I think that's alright, Mrs. Lockhart. We appreciate you coming here today. I think we can finally have some closure to this whole mess. Take Mimi home and let her rest. I know that she's starting her sessions with her psychiatrist tomorrow morning, she needs to rest."
Mimi stood up and rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "Thank you, Mr. Horton..." She took one last mournful glance at the group around the table, and exited with her mother's arm wrapped around her.
The group all sat silent, staring at each other... Waiting for someone to say something...anything...
(Sorry to leave ya'll in suspense, I was going to make this one huge chapter but I got distracted by watching Die Hard on DVD, and now I'm too tired to finish. So, tomorrow I'll write the rest of what happens after Mimi leaves Mickey's office. I can almost guarantee there will be some Broe sparkage in the next chapter. Besides, you can only type the word "sorry" so many times in one night before your head explodes. Thanks for reading so far! More coming VERY soon.)