"A Single Yellow Rose" – Chapter Twenty Four
"I'm talking about last Saturday night," Belle said, amazed at the confusion that filled Mimi's face, "up at the lake…the party at Nick's…don't you know?"
"Jason never told her," Shawn said, leaning over her shoulder.
Belle spun around in his arms. "What do you mean he never told her?"
"Well, I guess he tried a couple of times but Mimi wouldn't listen and then when she was talking to him again she just told him she wanted to forget about all that stuff."
"But that doesn't make any sense! Why wouldn't Jason insist on telling her the truth? It was eating him up that she thought he was with Jan!"
"Hello…anyone remember me?" Mimi said, tugging on the sleeve of Belle's jacket, "please stop talking about me like I'm not here and tell me what you two are babbling about!"
Belle turned back around to face her friend. "You should hear all of it from Jason so this is going to be the short version. When Jason left to go talk…and I do mean just talk…with Jan he had a couple of beers with him. Well, somehow Jan got a hold of them, put some sort of drug in it and after Jason drunk it he started getting light headed and dizzy which was the point I guess."
"You're telling me that Jan drugged Jason? But…but why?"
"We figured Jan was setting him up to get back at you…she wanted you to see them together so you would think that despite the fact they weren't officially a couple they were still an item. The kicker is he thought he was with you."
"Me?"
"Don't you remember?" Shawn asked. "When we first saw Jason by the woods…he had just found…umm…well, he was trying to find me because of what happened to-"
"Me!" Belle's sharp voice interrupted him, "because of what happened to me! Geez, Shawn say it out loud."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Shawn asked, surprised at Belle's outburst.
"It means you have to learn to say it," Belle leaned back and looked up at Shawn over her shoulder. "You keep telling me that your feelings haven't changed toward me but it's the act itself you seem to be having a hard time dealing with. You can't even say the words."
"I-I just don't want to upset you by talking about it."
"Well, here's a news flash…I'm already upset about it and I will be for a long time but I'm not going to hide from it and you can't either!"
Reaching out, Mimi grabbed Belle's hand getting her attention again while giving Shawn a quieting stare. "Okay, okay…look, I remember the group of us finding Jason right after he found you. He was leaning against a tree looking like he had one beer too many. Are you saying it was whatever Jan put in his beer that made him act that way?"
"He asked you why you walked away remember?" Shawn said, still stealing glances at Belle. "You accused him of walking away from you at the dance floor but he was talking about from the gazebo. It wasn't until later…at the cabin that Philip and I got him talking and we figured out what had happened. We tried to get you to listen to him that night but you refused."
Mimi could only nod in agreement as the memories flooded her mind. She tried to piece it all together with the astonishing news Belle and Shawn just told her but it was too much to deal with all at once. How could Jan do such a thing? Especially to someone she claimed to still care about?
"But that doesn't explain what you've been doing Meems?" Belle said. "I can understand now why you were so pissed at Jason because of what you thought you saw but the last few days you two have been getting along great! I figured it was because Jase finally got you to listen to him but now…what is going on?"
"I was so hurt but what Jason did…what I thought he did…Oh god…I-I decided that he and Jan shouldn't be having all the fun so…"
"So…"
"So I decided to play the game too."
"Game?" Shawn asked. "What game?"
"Well when Jason agreed to be in the play after pulling that stunt with Scott I saw that Jan wasn't too happy with the fact we would be spending time together…so I decided to get back at her by playing up to Jason."
"What?" Shawn exploded. "What in the hell were you thinking? Jason really cared about you and you screwed with his feelings? You're not better than that b*tch Jan!"
"I didn't know how he really felt Shawn! I thought I had been the butt of some sick joke between the two of them. The night of the homecoming game Jan saw me with Jason's jacket and she all but told me that they were still together…sleeping together! But I kept thinking about all the times we spent together before than night…and then after he laid that kiss on me…I didn't know what to think! So I backed off on the way to the party and gave him back his jacket. The next thing I knew he was walking away with Jan and then I saw the two of them together…oh, what a mess!"
"But your plan backfired didn't it hon?" Belle said as she saw the tears shimmering in Mimi's eyes. "That's what you meant last night at dotcom after Jason kissed you."
Mimi nodded. "That kiss made me realize how I still feel about Jason…no matter what he did…or what I thought he did and that made me think about what I was doing to him. I realized I was...I am no better than Jan."
"That's not true Meems…what you did was uncool but you aren't hateful by nature. You were really hurt by what has turned out to be misunderstanding and you were reacting to that hurt. You need to go to him and talk to him."
"I don't know if I can Belle."
"You owe him that much Mimi," Shawn insisted. "I have no idea what is going to happen when he finds out that you now know the truth but he did figure out what you have been doing the last few days and he's really pissed about it. You owe him an apology…for that if nothing else."
Mimi took a deep breath and slowly released as she looked out over the crowd of kids skating on the pond. "I tried to hurt Jan but in the end the one I really hurt was Jason…and me. I bet Jan is just gloating over this. Does she know that Jason knows the truth?"
"I don't know," Shawn said. "She's been pretty scarce about school this past week when usually she's all over Jase. Philip and I were working on something to get back at her but he vetoed that real quick."
"He did?" Belle and Mimi said in
unison.
"We were surprised too but he
was pretty adamant about it. He said he just wanted to forget it ever
happened."
"Yeah until I pulled the same crap on him that she did. I've really blown it guys."
"It might not be too late," Belle said.
"Keep dreaming girlfriend while I'm drowning here in reality…" Mimi stood up from the bench and slowly headed out across the pond.
"I can't believe she's really going to talk to him. The Mimi I used to know would have just run away." Belle said watching her go.
"I think she knows how serious this is." Shawn said.
"I think she is still crazy about Jason," Belle answered, "and I'm betting that he still feels the same way about her."
Shawn wasn't too sure but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
It took a few minutes of skating through the crowd but Mimi finally found Jason. He was on the far side of the pond talking with Rita and an unsteady Nick who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but on frozen water balancing on skates. Standing with his back to her, Mimi's eyes roamed over Jason's broad shoulders filling out his black sweatshirt and as they traveled down to Levi jeans that hugged his backside and legs she again felt that all too familiar fluttering in her stomach whenever she saw him. His blond hair shone in the afternoon sun and the tan he had worked to hard to achieve while working shirtless this past summer on her house winked at her from his neckline and where he pushed his shirt sleeves up to his elbows.
'Can I really do this?' Mimi thought as she almost slowed to a stop. Her mind was racing with everything she had just learned and she wished she had time to think it all through but Belle and Shawn were right. Jason deserved an apology and the sooner the better.
"Hey, here comes Mimi," Rita said.
Jason felt the smile he'd been forcing since people started showing up slip completely from his face. He had managed to avoid seeing Mimi and he had hoped to quietly sneak away before running into her. Flexing his fingers, he tightened his grip on the end of the hockey stick as seconds later Mimi joined them. Her bright purple jacket drew his eyes to her like a magnet as he took in matching white gloves and scarf. Purple earmuffs held back her long hair that hung in soft curls to her shoulders. The cold air painted her cheeks a rosy color and the sight of her swiping her lips with a quick flick of her tongue slammed a desire to kiss her into him so hard he was grateful for the hockey stick to hold on to.
"Hi guys…what's going on?"
"Just giving Nick here his first skating lesson," Rita answered. "How goes the play rehearsals?"
Mimi shot Jason a quick glance who quickly looked away. "They're going f-fine."
"I heard you're a natural talent there Hillman," Nick said, trying hard not to reach out for his girlfriend every time he felt his feet slipping out from under him. "Rumor has it you look right at home on the stage."
"Hey, he's got a great coach here in Mimi," Rita said. "Drama is her thing."
"Yeah she's great at faking emotions," Jason deadpanned. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Mimi blinked against the sting of his words. He'd meant to hurt her but it was a hollow victory. He was more disappointed than angry with Mimi and what she'd done to him over the last few days. As much as it hurt when he figured out what Jan had done to him it really didn't surprise him. But Mimi…that was different.
"Well…" Rita said easily picking up on the strained silence. "Nicky, we are never going to get you proficient on those skates just standing here. I think we need to get going."
"You mean move?" Nick asked.
"Come on," Rita grabbed his hands and pushed off, skating backwards as Nick stumbled to keep up with her. "How you can be so graceful on the football field and so klutzy on skates is beyond me."
"If God wanted man to skate he would created him with blades on the bottom of his feet." Nick grumbled, secretly proud of the fact he'd managed to remain upright as Rita led him away.
Mimi watched them go and their absence was strongly felt as the silence deepened between her and Jason. Searching for something to say she blurted out the first thing that finally came to her mind. "I can't believe Rita really got him out here on the ice."
"Yeah…well it's amazing what a guy will go through for a girl isn't it?"
Mimi's head snapped around. "Jason…"
"I'm outta here," Jason said, dropping her gaze and turning away.
"Jase…wait" Mimi grabbed for his shirt but he quickly pulled his arm free. "I want to…I think we should…oh boy, I don't even know where to start."
"We've got nothing to say to each other."
"That's not true…" Mimi bit hard on her bottom lip, praying for the strength to continue with this conversation, especially out here in front of everyone. "Can we go somewhere-"
"What's this…more rehearsing?" Skidding to a stop only inches from her, Jan watched with smug satisfaction as Mimi jumped at her words.
Feeling her skates moving out from underneath her, Mimi struggled to stay upright when a strong hand curled around her arm holding her until she regained her balance. "Thanks," she said, breathlessly mindful of the heat radiating through her jacket from Jason's hand.
Jason immediately let her go, trying his best to ignore how good it felt to touch her again and it had only been last night when he'd held her in his arms. "No problem."
"So…is this a private conversation or can anyone join in?" Jan smirked.
"Yes," Mimi said quickly.
"No," Jason said at the same time, as he looked back and forth at the two girls. "In fact, why don't the two of you talk…I'm sure you have lots of notes to compare."
"I know I deserve that Jason," Mimi said, turning her back on Jan, "but please…can't we talk?"
"Here," Jason handed over his hockey stick to Mimi who was so surprised by his actions she took it. "Just in case the two of you are in the mood for more game playing. Just don't expect me to stick around and be your trophy."
Mimi just watched as Jason disappeared into the crowd.
"Oh poor, poor Mimi," Jan sneered. "Is there trouble in paradise? Did Jason finally wise up to what you were trying to do? You know for someone who decided she were going to play with a person's emotions you broke the first and most important rule."
"And what rule is that Jan?" Mimi asked, as she watched Jason reach the edge of the ice and head towards Philip's house shaking off Shawn and not even bothering to stop to take off his skates.
"You need to make sure you don't care about the person you are messing with and for some unknown reason you seem really taken with that hunk of muscles. He's good looking I'll give you that…and as for the muscles…well those are all in perfect working order but other than that there really isn't much there, ya know?"
Mimi turned around and slowly advanced towards Jan. "There is so much more to Jason than what you give him credit for Jan…you don't really know him at all. I mean, you dated for over a year and still you have no idea what makes him click."
"And you do? I was a lot closer to Jason than you will ever be," Jan moved close and poked her index finger in the center of Mimi's chest. "I knew that guy…body and soul…right up to last Saturday night in fact and I know that you know that…which is why you played this little game but you lost because you still care. Jason wants nothing to do with you and I'm sure it will be my phone that rings later tonight…not yours."
Jan turned and started to skate away but she only got a few steps when she felt something at her ankles tugging at her. She had only a second to look down and see the blade of a hockey stick lying across the tops of her boots before she felt her skates being yanked out from under her and she landed hard on the ice. "What the hell!"
Mimi stood over Jan's sprawled form, still holding Jason's stick in her hand. "How the view from the ground Jan? I would prefer to see you ass lying in the dirt but I guess the hard, cold ice is just as appropriate for you. You see Jason knows what you did to him last Saturday night." Mimi leaned in close, enjoying the look of shock that came over Jan's features. "And I do too so if I were you I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that phone to ring. Oh, on second thought…do us all a favor and do hold your breath…for a very…long…time."
"You b*tch!"
Mimi started to skate pass her when Jan reached out and grabbed her by the leg pulling Mimi down to the ice next to her. Mimi managed to roll away before Jan's fists made contact with her but Jan quickly scrambled after her.
"Jan! What in the hell are you doing?" Mimi cried.
"What I should have done back at the Last Blast when you slapped me!"
Their cries quickly drew the attention of everyone and they moved back creating a circle around the girls fumbling around on the ice. Jan tried to sit on Mimi's in order to pin her down and managed to land a hard blow to Mimi's mouth that drew blood.
"Damn you!" Mimi wiped at her mouth and saw the red stain on her gloves. Quickly reversing positions, she now had Jan pinned down and she quickly returned the punch and a few more. Jan pushed hard at her and tried to roll away but Mimi quickly pinned her again before feeling herself being pulled from behind.
"Come on Mimi…that's enough," Brady cried, grabbing her around the waist.
Mimi squirmed to get free as she kicked at Jan, protecting herself from Jan's sharp skates as Brady hauled her up tight against him.
"I'm gonna get you for that!" Jan cried, cradling her face where Mimi's strong right hook had landed. Getting to her feet she lunged for Mimi when she felt herself being held back as well.
"Back off Jan," Shawn said, holding tightly to her arms from behind. "It's over now."
"No, it's not over!" Mimi said, struggling to break free. Feeling his feet slipping out from under him, Brady tried to regain his balance and relaxed his hold on Mimi allowing her to pull free. Reaching for Jan, Mimi grabbed at the first thing she could get to and came up with a fist full of black curls.
"Brady! You're not helping!" Shawn yelled over Jan's screams as they both doubled over with the power of Mimi's pulling.
"God damn it Mimi," Brady shouted, "let her go!"
Jan yanked her head free and Mimi smirked at she held up her gloved fist with a cluster on long black hairs in her fingers. Shawn dug in the blades of his skates to keep Jan from getting any closer to Mimi and Brady had finally found his footing and managed to take a few steps backwards putting some distance between the two girls.
"If you're doing this for Jason's benefit he's not around to see it!" Jan yelled.
"Jason can fight his own battles…this one was all for me!" Mimi shot back. "What's the matter Jan…can't you take on anyone without drugging them first?"
"Come on ladies, it's all over!" Shawn said, "Jan I think you'd better leave."
"Me? Why should I leave?"
"Because if you don't Mimi is going to beat the crap out of you," Shawn said, causing laughter to rippled through the crowd surrounding them.
"You don't think I can take her?" Jan cried, struggling in his arms.
Shawn looked down at her and slowly shook his head. He looked around at the kids and slowly, one by one they started to move across the ice until one by one all of them stood behind Mimi. "Let me go Brady," she whispered and gradually, he released his hold and Mimi just stood there, her chest heaving with deep breaths. She gave Shawn a quick nod and he released his hold on Jan and moved over to stand next to Belle.
Jan gazed around at the crowd of kids, all silently showing their support of Mimi and she realized that she was all alone. Slowly she skated toward Mimi stopping when she stood right next to her. "This isn't over," she said, her gaze still staring straight ahead into the crowd.
"Yes it is," Mimi said turning to face her. "You know it…and I know it."
Jan slowly moved forward as the crowd separated and moved away giving her room to pass through.
"Okay gang the party's over," Shawn said as the crowd started to break up. "Hey Meems, I thought you were coming out here to talk to Jason not to take on Jan WWF style."
"I tried," Mimi said, "but Jason's doesn't want anything to do with me and when Jan started mouthing off…I don't know something snapped. All I could picture was what she did to Jason and what she did to me and…I just lost it."
"Well, I think she has learned her lesson," Brady said, placing his fingers under Mimi's chin and gently wiping at the corner of her mouth. "She got one good punch in huh?"
Mimi winched at Brady's touch. "But only one."
"Let's get you inside for a minute…you need to fix your face," Belle said, pulling Mimi towards the edge of the pond.
"And for a bit of girl talk?" Mimi asked with a smile.
Shawn and Brady watched the two girls skate off the ice. "I wonder if Jason saw all that." Brady asked.
Shawn shook his head. "I don't think so. Last time I saw him he was heading for the house and I bet his car was down the driveway before the first punch was thrown. But you know who else missed all this…Philip and Chloe. I wonder where those two have gone off to?"
to be continued….