Temporaryism
Pairings: Just wait and see!! (Het)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Tenth grade was supposed to be the year, right? So why is it that tenth grade seems to be the worst year in school yet? Terri's life changes, Craig confronts a few decisions, and Paige learns a valuable lesson from someone she least expected. Romantic interludes…expect all couples.
Disclaimer: It's ridiculous to believe that I own any of the characters, because I don't. This fan fiction is for entertainment purposes only. Don't sue, unless you want a few pennies and a piece of gum.
Author's Note: Okay, so I may not be the best writer, or I may not have a Beta, but god dangit I do use my grammar and spelling common sense. Other than that, Terri is awesome. And if you don't like her, then this may or may not be the fic for you. Judge for yourself.
It was a rather chilly day- considering autumn had only started. As the radiant sun peeked over the high tree tops and the sunlight filtered onto the opposing buildings, Terri wished nothing more than to receive some of the heat from the tantalizing sphere in the sky. A chill ran down her spine as a cold breeze swept past. She hated mornings like this—lonely, cold mornings in which there was nothing eventful; it gave her too much time to look over every single one of her flaws. For mornings like this, she thought, she was very unthankful for.
This year wasn't going to be all that different…at least not for her. Year after year, it was all the same. Same friends. Same clothing. Terri looked down at what she was wearing. Definitely same clothes. It was no secret that what Terri most hated about herself was her weight. She always held her extra 35 pounds against herself, and wearing scandalous clothing wasn't going to boost her self-esteem. She sighed. Her destiny, it seemed, was to wear large shirts and baggy sweatpants for the rest of her life.
She was content, however, with the fact that she had lost 10 pounds over the course of the summer. Exercising rigorously everyday had somewhat paid off, considering the fact that she could now fit into clothes that she couldn't have 3 months ago. This thought brought a warm sensation inside her she had thought she would never feel again: Confidence. Straightening her posture and holding her head up high, she quickened her pace along the curved sidewalk. What if people noticed? She smiled to herself as she imagined her friends' expressions. Blushing, she thought, what if Spinner noticed? How would he react? A giggle escaped her lips. What if he-
Then she stopped herself. Don't be ridiculous Terri- get REAL. What would Spinner want to do with a fat cow like me, when he has Paige-Miss-Perfect-Body-Michalchuk? Besides, after that disastrous dance…
Her shoulders sagged back down.
Despite all of this doom and gloom, there was still some light in her gray mind: Terri couldn't wait to see her companions after a long summer. Ashley had gone off to California to stay with her relatives, and Paige went off to Ukraine to catch up with her grandparents. She never really kept in contact with the boys, but she heard Spinner had gone off to Quebec and Jimmy was just…unavailable. So throughout her summer, she fed herself with large doses of television. Roswell had been her favorite show, mainly because of the delicious eye-candy it provided: Michael. And because of this, she had found friendship in an unexpected place.
During the early days of July, a Roswell convention had been held in a town that was pretty faraway. Obviously Terri went. What was better than some reunion of fans, along with cast appearances? After much begging to her Dad, he allowed Terri to attend. Under one condition, he said. No boys. After much laughing, she assured her father that he should have no worries about the XY species whatsoever. A week later they left for the anticipated convention weekend.
When they got there, Terri wasn't all surprised. Since the cast was there, it was blatant that cameras were to follow. And because of this, she should've known that a certain aspiring photographer would attend. Yep, out of all the people she could've seen, she bumped into none other than Craig. Not that it was a bad thing, oh no. Quite the contrary, because of his company, the whole convention was a more enjoyable experience than she expected.
The first night of the convention they found each other. Both felt slightly uncomfortable; the last time they had seen each other was shortly after Craig's breakdown at the dance. The following minutes was spent in meaningless small talk…"how's your summer?" and all that jazz. Then Terri got right to the point…
**flashback**
"Look Craig, about the dance…"
"Oh, you mean the dance where I performed the Funky-Chinese-Chicken dance? "
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Terri giggled. It was incredible, how could he crack jokes about such a serious situation? "Craig, no. I mean, yes, that dance. Where did you think of that name? Uh-no, forget I asked that." She was stuttering like a lunatic. What was wrong with her? Craig was looking at her with furrowed eyebrows. "What I meant to ask was: how are you doing? How are you really doing?"
Craig looked surreptitiously at his surroundings, and then nodded at the exit. "Let's talk about this outside okay?" With a quick nod, Terri followed Craig through the masses of people. In about 2 hours, the convention location had gotten packed. No one looked at them; they were too busy trying to cast glances at the cast to care about two teenagers walking out. A woman did though, and she winked at Terri. Urgh…not like that!
They stepped through the backdoor, which seemed too expensive to be one. The night was cool; the sky a rich dark blue, littered with hundreds of twinkling lights. The grass in front of the building had recently been watered, reflecting the moonlight like waves on the pavement. There were no annoying street lamps to disguise the beauty of the night. Because of this, Terri felt like they had stepped in through the wrong door. This seemed like a parallel universe- no technology, just you and Mother Nature.
Craig looked at her. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"
She sighed. "No…" She shook her head and looked up at the stars. "It's breathtaking." She smiled to herself. It felt good to take a break from the busy world once in a while. Suddenly, a bright white light flashed in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to find Craig with his camera in hand.
"Eh…" he laughed weakly, "cheese?" His voice sounded as if her were just caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Terri laughed in spite herself.
"Thanks, but we're not out here to take pictures." She sighed and looked into his eyes. "I don't whether to be worried about you or-"
"No. Don't be." Craig tore his gaze away and sat on the curb. Terri followed suit. "Really, I'm fine."
"Craig…"
"No. I'm being serious. I already made the mistake of denying my feelings in the beginning…I'm not gonna commit the same mistake again." He looked down at his feet.
"Are you sure?" She took Craig's word, but she was human. She was still worried about him.
"Yeah." And that was his final answer.
"She put a hand on his arm and gently squeezed. "I'll be here if you ever have a change of heart." Craig looked into her face with astonishment, but graciously nodded and grinned at her. He turned his head to look at the stars, and stayed quiet for a long time.
"Thank you." He whispered.
"Ain't no thing but a chicken wing."
"Mmm…speaking of chicken…" He rubbed his stomach. "I'm starving." He stood up and held out a hand to Terri. She shook her head at his kind gesture and stood up on her own. The last thing she needed right now was to embarrass herself with her heaviness. Craig looked at his dejected hand but put on a smile nonetheless.
"I know a place around here with some great food. We can go there after the convention finishes in about an hour." She said, eager to break the tension in the air.
"Sure." And with that, they went inside.
**end flashback**
The rest of the night passed by in a flash. She remembered fries being thrown into the air, the burping rendition of the ABCs, and lots of playful pushing and shoving. And the laughs, oh the laughs. Neither of them could finish a sentence without bursting into a fit of laughter.
"You've got ketchup on your chin!"
"Eww! You have hamburger breath!"
Terri shook her head. To strangers they must've seemed like a pair of total spazzes. She didn't give a rat's ass though, because that memory was as special to her as the memories of her mother. This memory wasn't as depressing though, because that night was the first time she hung out with her new best friend.
A best friend her father didn't approve of.
After Craig and Terri had spent the night joking around, they had realized that time had flowed by like water. With disastrous timing, Terri got to her respective hotel room around 2:40 in the morning. And her father was wide awake. Recalling the argument was too painful for her, because it was the first time she had received a verbal scold. The 'discussion', however, was short. And simple. And not possible. He forbid Terri to ever see Craig again.
"But Dad…"
"No buts Terri, my words are final. Didn't I tell you no boys?"
"Yes, b-but I didn't know Craig was going to c-come!! Besides, we didn't d-do anything!"
"Terri, I may be old, but I'm not stupid. I was young once too, and that excuse isn't going to work on me. Get to bed. This conversation is over."
And that was that. But Terri saw Craig anyways. They hung out during the afternoons when her father went off to work, and talked on the phone on the weekends.
Biting her lip with excitement, Terri wondered.
How will this year turn out to be?
Okay, that was the first chapter. Sorry it was so much recalling, but you know, it's all necessary. I'm already writing the second chapter, but with school coming, I don't think I'll have much time to be writing. I'll update as much as I can J. A feedback/review is appreciated. Constructive criticism is as well.