~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Two
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jason stood at the entrance to Dot.Com for the first time in almost ten years. He watched as customers milled about perusing the merchandise, or finding booths to sip their drinks at. Suddenly, he felt very very old. Sure, he was only twenty-eight, but the place was filled with high school students, all of them ten to twelve years younger than him. If he didn't know better he would have said that teenagers were getting smaller and more young looking the older he got.
He sighed loudly and walked further in, stopping to look at a rack of CD's for a moment. He chuckled softly when he saw a small display on the shelf for Salem's very own superstar, Chloe Lane. Jason picked up the CD and looked at it for a moment, admiring the photographs on the front and back with a smile. He was just putting it back down when he felt fingers tapping at his shoulder.
"Jason Masters... I can't believe it's you."
Jason whirled around and came face to face with the diva herself, almost as if she had magically materialized out of nowhere. He grinned at her and held her CD in front of him, tapping at the sexy picture of her on the front. "And I... can't believe THIS is you, Chloe Lane."
Chloe grinned and crossed her arms over her chest as he put the CD back on the shelf. "Didn't think I'd ever amount to anything, did you, Jase? Coming from you that is no surprise..."
"I never said that. I just don't remember you being THIS hot when we were in high school... I mean, wow, Lane... You're really working it in this picture."
Chloe growled and grabbed the CD out of his hand, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You pig. You never change, do you?"
Jason shook his head and frowned at her. "Actually -- I've changed a lot."
"Uh-huh. So is that why you've *finally* come home? To show everybody at Salem High how you've changed?"
"No, I could care less what those people think of me... If any of them have ever thought of me at all in the past 10 years..."
Chloe wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion and continued her questioning. "Alright... Then why are you here?"
Jason laughed softly and smirked at her. "I don't think that's any of your business, Lane."
"It's Black now, by the way."
"Right, I remember. I read your article in Rolling Stone. The girl who made opera sexy and cool... I think that's what they called you."
Chloe rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Rolling Stone tends to exaggerate. So, what have you been doing all these years? Or... is that none of my business too?"
Jason hesitated for a moment, and finally gave up just a little information. "I'm a sports agent out in Los Angeles."
"Like Jerry Maguire?"
"Right... *Exactly* like that."
Chloe could sense the sarcasm in his voice and grinned at him slightly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... So, how's that working out for you?"
Jason stared at her curiously, wondering if she was really interested or just making idle chit-chat. "Great, I'm one of the top junior agents in my field. It's very... fulfilling."
"That's good. That's great." Chloe looked at her watch and then looked back at Jason with a deadly serious gaze. "Listen, Jase... You won't tell me why you're back, but I assume it's for the reunion. However, if for some reason you came back here because of Mimi... Back off. If you hurt her again, I will tear your eyeballs out with my freshly manicured ballerina pink fingernails. You got that?"
Jason looked somewhat stunned by her threat, but he didn't doubt for a second that it was one she would follow through with. "I -- I never meant to hurt her. It's -- it's complicated, Chloe."
"Don't tell me that... She's the one you need to explain yourself to. And, if by any chance you can get a time machine and travel back to 2002 to do that -- it would be *really* helpful."
"I never thought I'd see the day when Chloe Lane would be protecting Mimi Lockhart."
Chloe's eyes narrowed as she replied softly. "Things change, right? Mimi was there for me through a lot of hard times... She became like a sister to me, and I will do anything to protect her heart, because it's a really amazing heart..."
Jason looked at the ground, a hint of sadness and regret filling his eyes. "Is -- is she going? To the reunion?"
"No, she's not. She refuses to go, even though Belle is trying to drag her there."
"Then -- maybe that's for the best. I wouldn't want there to be awkwardness because of me... because of us."
Jason stifled a soft laugh of regret. There was no 'us' when it came to him and Mimi Lockhart. There never had been, and thanks to his mistakes, there never would be. He looked back up into Chloe's eyes and instantly knew that she could sense the regret that was filling his heart.
"Listen -- if you don't want there to be any 'awkwardness', you better get out of here. She's meeting me here in about five minutes."
"Are you going to tell her that I'm in town?"
Chloe stared at him suspiciously and raised both eyebrows. "If you mean, am I going to lie to one of my best friends and say that I didn't see you? The answer is NO."
Jason nodded in understanding and gave her a polite smile. "Nice to see you again, Chloe... I guess I'll see you at the reunion."
"I guess so... Nice to see you too, Jason."
She smiled at him and watched him as he walked away, shaking her head sadly as she headed towards an empty table. It was obvious that he was regretful about hurting Mimi, but still not very forthcoming with wanting to explain his actions. Or, in this particular case, complete and total inaction.
Mimi was just walking up to the entrance of Dot.Com when a blur of a human being rushed past her. A blur that looked an awful lot like Jason. She watched the back of him rush off towards the parking lot, her stomach suddenly doing flip-flops as she realized she could recognize him anywhere. It didn't matter how many years it had been since she had last seen him, he had always been in her mind, and so he was easily recognizable.
She put her hands over her face and shook her head in denial. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was the truth. After all this time, he had finally come home.
****** FLASHBACK ******
Mimi stood at the rack of scarves in Ballistix, running her fingers lightly over the material of each one. She paused to stare at the price tags on each one until she found one that was in her budget.
"That one's nice..." Mimi looked up curiously to find herself staring at the face behind the voice interrupting her shopping. Jason was smiling at her as he picked up one of the more expensive scarves. "But, this one is a lot nicer."
Mimi rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Then you buy it... It's a little out of my range."
"Are you buying for yourself or doing Christmas shopping?"
"Christmas shopping... You?"
Jason laughed and gave a brief glance to the store full of women's clothing. "Very funny, Lockhart. I am shopping for my mother."
Mimi chuckled and began walking towards the cash register, the cheaper scarf still in her hand. "Yeah, me too..."
Jason followed her, holding on to the other scarf, intending to purchase it for his mother. He stood behind Mimi as she waited in line and leaned over shoulder, smelling the faint scent of vanilla emanating from her skin. "So, Lockhart... You want to go out and get a cup of coffee with me? I'm buying..."
Mimi whipped her head around to stare at him in shock, two pairs of bright green eyes locking with each other. "What? You're asking me to go out for coffee? Are you coming down with something? Perhaps a case of seasonal delirium? I hear those winters in California can really drive a person nuts... Must be all the sunshine burning your brain."
"No, I'm serious... I want to buy you a cup of coffee. Catch up on all the latest about my former classmates. I haven't been home since August, Mimi... I just..."
Mimi turned back around to face forward and shook her head. "Then call Hawk, or Cynthia or one of your *actual* friends."
Jason stared at the back of her head in surprise, gasping softly as he muttered under his breath. "Wow... She has teeth AND she bites."
Mimi refused to turn around, keeping her eyes glued forward as she replied to him. "Shut up, Jason."
Jason did as instructed and they remained quiet as they paid for their purchases. He couldn't resist following her outside, catching up to her quickly as she headed across the mall. "Mimi -- WAIT!"
Mimi stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What? What now?"
"Why are you so mean?"
"Do you have short term memory loss or something? I'd say I'm actually being pretty gentle considering the way you've treated me and my friends."
Jason paused to think about it and then nodded in agreement. "Okay, I understand... I get that, I do. And you're right... But, maybe -- just maybe -- I want to make it up to you. I want to actually try to be nice to you... to be sincere..."
Mimi pursed her eyebrows together and frowned at him. "Why? Do you have some sort of community service commitment to fulfill and I'm your project?"
"No, Mimi... I know I've been a jerk in the past, but after almost four months in California, where I am nobody important, I've realized that I should have been a lot nicer to a lot of people. And you are one of them."
Mimi was still eyeing him suspiciously as a freezing wind began to blow past her. She brushed her hair out of her face and decided she better give in or he might just follow her around all day. "Fine, okay... And I'm only saying okay because it's freezing and I would really love a cup of coffee. But, this doesn't mean I trust you and this doesn't make us friends."
Jason grinned at her and nodded in agreement. "Alright, we are not friends, and you don't trust me. This is just a hot cup of non-committal, non-friendly, non-trustworthy coffee between two ex-classmates. Still my treat though..."
Mimi grinned back at him slightly. "Well, if you insist..."
Jason instinctively threw his arm around her shoulder and began walking her towards the Java Cafe. It wasn't a normal or expected gesture coming from him, but for some reason, Mimi found it oddly comforting. Not to mention, his arm seemed to fit perfectly around her shoulder, as he held her close to him.
****** END FLASHBACK ******
Mimi tucked her hair behind her ears with a loud sigh. She had to stop living in her memories, especially before she got to the part that had hurt her most. Seeing Jason had only stirred up those old memories, and she shook them off before she headed inside to meet Chloe.
She sat in the booth across from her brunette friend, a frown plastered on her normally smiling face. "Hey Chloe..."
"Wow... That was the most unenthusiastic greeting I think I have ever heard."
"I just -- I think I --"
Chloe grinned at her and finished her sentence. "Saw Jason Masters? Yeah, I know... What a shock. I never expected to see him here, especially because his name was on that list of lost alumni."
Mimi nodded slightly, still lost in her thoughts, wondering why he had decided to come back after so long. "Yeah... I can't -- I can't believe it either... Did you -- did you talk to him?"
"Briefly. He didn't really say why he came home if that's what you were curious about."
Mimi broke her reverie and played it off like it was no big deal. She smiled at her friend and nodded. "Oh, well, no big deal. I guess he's just coming back for the reunion... So... Did you get a dress picked out to wear to the reunion or do Belle and I have to go shopping with you?"
Chloe looked at her curiously, wondering why she so quickly glossed over the subject of Jason. She smiled back at Mimi and went along with Mimi's rapid change of subject. "I've got something already, but I do need a pair of shoes. I left the ones that match the dress at home in New York."
Mimi nodded and continued conversing with Chloe about everything she could think of that had nothing to do with Jason. Although her words and actions were about other things, her mind was continuously thinking of him. She had imagined him seeing him again so many times over the years, but now that he was here, she wasn't sure if she wanted to see him at all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thanks for the continued feedback. :) :) :) :)
Chapter Two
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jason stood at the entrance to Dot.Com for the first time in almost ten years. He watched as customers milled about perusing the merchandise, or finding booths to sip their drinks at. Suddenly, he felt very very old. Sure, he was only twenty-eight, but the place was filled with high school students, all of them ten to twelve years younger than him. If he didn't know better he would have said that teenagers were getting smaller and more young looking the older he got.
He sighed loudly and walked further in, stopping to look at a rack of CD's for a moment. He chuckled softly when he saw a small display on the shelf for Salem's very own superstar, Chloe Lane. Jason picked up the CD and looked at it for a moment, admiring the photographs on the front and back with a smile. He was just putting it back down when he felt fingers tapping at his shoulder.
"Jason Masters... I can't believe it's you."
Jason whirled around and came face to face with the diva herself, almost as if she had magically materialized out of nowhere. He grinned at her and held her CD in front of him, tapping at the sexy picture of her on the front. "And I... can't believe THIS is you, Chloe Lane."
Chloe grinned and crossed her arms over her chest as he put the CD back on the shelf. "Didn't think I'd ever amount to anything, did you, Jase? Coming from you that is no surprise..."
"I never said that. I just don't remember you being THIS hot when we were in high school... I mean, wow, Lane... You're really working it in this picture."
Chloe growled and grabbed the CD out of his hand, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You pig. You never change, do you?"
Jason shook his head and frowned at her. "Actually -- I've changed a lot."
"Uh-huh. So is that why you've *finally* come home? To show everybody at Salem High how you've changed?"
"No, I could care less what those people think of me... If any of them have ever thought of me at all in the past 10 years..."
Chloe wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion and continued her questioning. "Alright... Then why are you here?"
Jason laughed softly and smirked at her. "I don't think that's any of your business, Lane."
"It's Black now, by the way."
"Right, I remember. I read your article in Rolling Stone. The girl who made opera sexy and cool... I think that's what they called you."
Chloe rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Rolling Stone tends to exaggerate. So, what have you been doing all these years? Or... is that none of my business too?"
Jason hesitated for a moment, and finally gave up just a little information. "I'm a sports agent out in Los Angeles."
"Like Jerry Maguire?"
"Right... *Exactly* like that."
Chloe could sense the sarcasm in his voice and grinned at him slightly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... So, how's that working out for you?"
Jason stared at her curiously, wondering if she was really interested or just making idle chit-chat. "Great, I'm one of the top junior agents in my field. It's very... fulfilling."
"That's good. That's great." Chloe looked at her watch and then looked back at Jason with a deadly serious gaze. "Listen, Jase... You won't tell me why you're back, but I assume it's for the reunion. However, if for some reason you came back here because of Mimi... Back off. If you hurt her again, I will tear your eyeballs out with my freshly manicured ballerina pink fingernails. You got that?"
Jason looked somewhat stunned by her threat, but he didn't doubt for a second that it was one she would follow through with. "I -- I never meant to hurt her. It's -- it's complicated, Chloe."
"Don't tell me that... She's the one you need to explain yourself to. And, if by any chance you can get a time machine and travel back to 2002 to do that -- it would be *really* helpful."
"I never thought I'd see the day when Chloe Lane would be protecting Mimi Lockhart."
Chloe's eyes narrowed as she replied softly. "Things change, right? Mimi was there for me through a lot of hard times... She became like a sister to me, and I will do anything to protect her heart, because it's a really amazing heart..."
Jason looked at the ground, a hint of sadness and regret filling his eyes. "Is -- is she going? To the reunion?"
"No, she's not. She refuses to go, even though Belle is trying to drag her there."
"Then -- maybe that's for the best. I wouldn't want there to be awkwardness because of me... because of us."
Jason stifled a soft laugh of regret. There was no 'us' when it came to him and Mimi Lockhart. There never had been, and thanks to his mistakes, there never would be. He looked back up into Chloe's eyes and instantly knew that she could sense the regret that was filling his heart.
"Listen -- if you don't want there to be any 'awkwardness', you better get out of here. She's meeting me here in about five minutes."
"Are you going to tell her that I'm in town?"
Chloe stared at him suspiciously and raised both eyebrows. "If you mean, am I going to lie to one of my best friends and say that I didn't see you? The answer is NO."
Jason nodded in understanding and gave her a polite smile. "Nice to see you again, Chloe... I guess I'll see you at the reunion."
"I guess so... Nice to see you too, Jason."
She smiled at him and watched him as he walked away, shaking her head sadly as she headed towards an empty table. It was obvious that he was regretful about hurting Mimi, but still not very forthcoming with wanting to explain his actions. Or, in this particular case, complete and total inaction.
Mimi was just walking up to the entrance of Dot.Com when a blur of a human being rushed past her. A blur that looked an awful lot like Jason. She watched the back of him rush off towards the parking lot, her stomach suddenly doing flip-flops as she realized she could recognize him anywhere. It didn't matter how many years it had been since she had last seen him, he had always been in her mind, and so he was easily recognizable.
She put her hands over her face and shook her head in denial. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was the truth. After all this time, he had finally come home.
****** FLASHBACK ******
Mimi stood at the rack of scarves in Ballistix, running her fingers lightly over the material of each one. She paused to stare at the price tags on each one until she found one that was in her budget.
"That one's nice..." Mimi looked up curiously to find herself staring at the face behind the voice interrupting her shopping. Jason was smiling at her as he picked up one of the more expensive scarves. "But, this one is a lot nicer."
Mimi rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Then you buy it... It's a little out of my range."
"Are you buying for yourself or doing Christmas shopping?"
"Christmas shopping... You?"
Jason laughed and gave a brief glance to the store full of women's clothing. "Very funny, Lockhart. I am shopping for my mother."
Mimi chuckled and began walking towards the cash register, the cheaper scarf still in her hand. "Yeah, me too..."
Jason followed her, holding on to the other scarf, intending to purchase it for his mother. He stood behind Mimi as she waited in line and leaned over shoulder, smelling the faint scent of vanilla emanating from her skin. "So, Lockhart... You want to go out and get a cup of coffee with me? I'm buying..."
Mimi whipped her head around to stare at him in shock, two pairs of bright green eyes locking with each other. "What? You're asking me to go out for coffee? Are you coming down with something? Perhaps a case of seasonal delirium? I hear those winters in California can really drive a person nuts... Must be all the sunshine burning your brain."
"No, I'm serious... I want to buy you a cup of coffee. Catch up on all the latest about my former classmates. I haven't been home since August, Mimi... I just..."
Mimi turned back around to face forward and shook her head. "Then call Hawk, or Cynthia or one of your *actual* friends."
Jason stared at the back of her head in surprise, gasping softly as he muttered under his breath. "Wow... She has teeth AND she bites."
Mimi refused to turn around, keeping her eyes glued forward as she replied to him. "Shut up, Jason."
Jason did as instructed and they remained quiet as they paid for their purchases. He couldn't resist following her outside, catching up to her quickly as she headed across the mall. "Mimi -- WAIT!"
Mimi stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What? What now?"
"Why are you so mean?"
"Do you have short term memory loss or something? I'd say I'm actually being pretty gentle considering the way you've treated me and my friends."
Jason paused to think about it and then nodded in agreement. "Okay, I understand... I get that, I do. And you're right... But, maybe -- just maybe -- I want to make it up to you. I want to actually try to be nice to you... to be sincere..."
Mimi pursed her eyebrows together and frowned at him. "Why? Do you have some sort of community service commitment to fulfill and I'm your project?"
"No, Mimi... I know I've been a jerk in the past, but after almost four months in California, where I am nobody important, I've realized that I should have been a lot nicer to a lot of people. And you are one of them."
Mimi was still eyeing him suspiciously as a freezing wind began to blow past her. She brushed her hair out of her face and decided she better give in or he might just follow her around all day. "Fine, okay... And I'm only saying okay because it's freezing and I would really love a cup of coffee. But, this doesn't mean I trust you and this doesn't make us friends."
Jason grinned at her and nodded in agreement. "Alright, we are not friends, and you don't trust me. This is just a hot cup of non-committal, non-friendly, non-trustworthy coffee between two ex-classmates. Still my treat though..."
Mimi grinned back at him slightly. "Well, if you insist..."
Jason instinctively threw his arm around her shoulder and began walking her towards the Java Cafe. It wasn't a normal or expected gesture coming from him, but for some reason, Mimi found it oddly comforting. Not to mention, his arm seemed to fit perfectly around her shoulder, as he held her close to him.
****** END FLASHBACK ******
Mimi tucked her hair behind her ears with a loud sigh. She had to stop living in her memories, especially before she got to the part that had hurt her most. Seeing Jason had only stirred up those old memories, and she shook them off before she headed inside to meet Chloe.
She sat in the booth across from her brunette friend, a frown plastered on her normally smiling face. "Hey Chloe..."
"Wow... That was the most unenthusiastic greeting I think I have ever heard."
"I just -- I think I --"
Chloe grinned at her and finished her sentence. "Saw Jason Masters? Yeah, I know... What a shock. I never expected to see him here, especially because his name was on that list of lost alumni."
Mimi nodded slightly, still lost in her thoughts, wondering why he had decided to come back after so long. "Yeah... I can't -- I can't believe it either... Did you -- did you talk to him?"
"Briefly. He didn't really say why he came home if that's what you were curious about."
Mimi broke her reverie and played it off like it was no big deal. She smiled at her friend and nodded. "Oh, well, no big deal. I guess he's just coming back for the reunion... So... Did you get a dress picked out to wear to the reunion or do Belle and I have to go shopping with you?"
Chloe looked at her curiously, wondering why she so quickly glossed over the subject of Jason. She smiled back at Mimi and went along with Mimi's rapid change of subject. "I've got something already, but I do need a pair of shoes. I left the ones that match the dress at home in New York."
Mimi nodded and continued conversing with Chloe about everything she could think of that had nothing to do with Jason. Although her words and actions were about other things, her mind was continuously thinking of him. She had imagined him seeing him again so many times over the years, but now that he was here, she wasn't sure if she wanted to see him at all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thanks for the continued feedback. :) :) :) :)