First of all, can I say I'm really sorry that I'm so far behind schedule!
Unfortunately certain big things have been going on with my life that I
couldn't fit writing in around. Also, there might be some mistakes in this
chapter so feel free to tell me about them. And lastly, as there is no
title for this chapter can you please help me by thinking of one? To fit
the others I'd like it to come from a line from one of the two Huey Lewis
songs from the first movie...thanks! :-)
Jamie McFly and Susan: Thanks for your reviews.
Blind Spot and Stoko: Good guess about the date! It may be relevant later...
Disclaimer: I do not own Back To The Future or its characters. Characters from the films are copyright Universal Studios and U-Drive Productions. All other characters are my own creation and may not be used without permission.
~*~*~*~*~
Saturday October 14th 1985, 3:15 PM John F Kennedy Drive, Hill Valley, California
I glanced around warily, trying to figure out what was different. People were driving down the road below me with looks of confusion on their faces. I felt like a rare animal on display in the zoo. My ears caught a snatch of a traffic report on the radio from one guy's truck: "...looks like we got a little incident over on Kennedy Drive, where I'm told a DeLorean is actually flying above the highway..."
Wait a second...driving BELOW me? I looked down again to check I wasn't seeing things. No, there were definitely no other flying cars. I felt like such an idiot; this was way embarrassing. Better at least try and look normal sooner rather than later. I turned off onto a side street and put the car into descend mode. It floated down to the ground with a hiss just as I hit the fly-to-drive conversion button that I'd installed in case of situations like this. Clearly the skyway wasn't going to be invented for a good few years yet. I backed the DeLorean onto the road and set off into town.
Courthouse Square sure looked different. I watched as a truck with a black Toyota pickup just like Jake's on the back of it pulled up outside the Statler dealership. Part of me was curious to investigate it. I got out of the DeLorean and approached cautiously as the car was backed off the truck. The license number was exactly the same as Jake's! I remembered him telling me his grandfather had given him the hover-converted car for his seventeenth birthday. This must have been when it was brand new. I could see a proud-looking mother and father standing behind their son, smiling as a guy got out of the pickup and handed the keys to the teenager. These must have been Jake's grandfather and great-grandparents. I felt a pang of jealousy as the family drove away – partly because for a second I thought I was looking at Jake himself, and partly because I wished I could be part of a family like that.
"Yeah, I know. Life's cruel sometimes, isn't it?"
I looked round to see a fairly short guy with short brown hair, dark eyes, a slightly turned-up nose and boyish features standing behind me. He was wearing jeans and a denim jacket with an 'Art in Revolution' button on it, and carried a couple of skateboards. I nodded in response, smiling awkwardly. "Some day," the guy said, looking wistfully at the pickup, "some day." I was about to mention that I knew someone with one of those cars, but decided not to say anything. An uneasy silence hovered on the air as his gaze went to the DeLorean.
"Cool car," he said. I nodded in response as he gave me a confident but not arrogant smile. "Is it yours?"
"Kinda," I said, trying to sound vague. "A friend of mine lent it to me." It wasn't a lie. I was trying to avoid looking at him in case I did something stupid. Already I could feel myself blushing. Why was I so nervous? It wasn't like I had any kind of attraction to this guy...
"Oh, so you can talk!" He laughed and the very street seemed to sing. "So, how long have you been in Hill Valley? I don't think I've ever seen you around before."
"You haven't," I said, a little too quickly, "but I've been here all my life." The instant the words were out of my mouth I kicked myself mentally. Remember, Megan, you won't exist for another forty-three years! "I mean," I added, "it feels like I've lived here for years."
"I know the feeling." He held out a hand. "My name's Marty."
"Meg," I replied, shaking his hand warmly. "I'm staying with the friend who loaned me the DeLorean, just for a few weeks while my parents are in Aruba. It's my first day in town."
"I'll show you around if you like," Marty said. "Do you know how to skateboard?"
As we cruised around town, I picked up on little things that had changed. The sight of people working out in what would be Café Eighties was a total shock to me. And the lake in front of the courthouse (it wouldn't be a mall until twenty years later) was now a parking lot! Marty seemed to find my disbelief that Texaco only had one level hilarious. I tried not to give too much away, but it all just seemed so different. I wondered what he'd make of 2045 if I took him back there in the DeLorean.
Suddenly Marty stopped behind a truck and crouched down. I copied him, looking around to see what he was watching. A gang of girls was sitting on the parking lot benches, laughing and giggling. His gaze was fixed on one in particular. She had long brown wavy hair and wore a blue jacket over a white shirt, pink trousers and white trainers. Even though her style was a little weird by the standards of where I came from, I thought she looked cool. "Who's she?" I whispered to Marty.
"Sssh!" he hissed, not looking at me. Then he said, "Her name's Jennifer Parker." I noticed his whole face soften as he said it, and couldn't help smiling. Part of me wanted to act all girly and start giggling, but it would be too mean. Clearly he was crazy about her. There was a little feeling of sadness within me, but it faded almost instantly. I looked at Jennifer as she laughed with her friends, tossing back her hair. She seemed so sure of herself and positive. Why she wasn't interested in somebody as cool as Marty was totally confusing; I'd only been hanging out with him for a day and already I thought he was a great person.
Suddenly I noticed a hand on Marty's shoulder and glanced up. A girl with short spiky black hair, shot through with pink streaks, and dressed in typical punk clothing was standing behind him. "What are you looking at, buttface?" she said spitefully. I was taken aback – it was Jessica's voice coming out of her mouth! She turned away from me with a sneer and turned Marty's face towards her. As her fingers slid under his chin and lifted his head up, he unwittingly rose from the ground.
"Hey, McFly," she said, rolling the words round her mouth. "Stop wasting your time on that goody-two-shoes Jennifer Parker. You know you want it." Her green eyes glittered with malice. "The generous offer I made you at the start of the semester still stands, you know." She tilted her head down and glanced up at him, twisting a lock of hair idly around her finger. "Ditch the dork and get with me. I'll make it worth your while." Her tongue crept out from between her bright red lips and she ran it over her teeth. I shuddered as she cast another chilling glance in my direction.
"The answer's no, Tiffany." Anger flickered in the girl's eyes as Marty spoke. I couldn't tell whether it was because of what he said or because he used her full name. "I don't know or care who put that idea in your weird little mind, but I never liked you and I never will. Why don't you crawl back to your scuzzball boyfriend?"
"Needles and I broke up." Tiff's voice grew whiny as she widened her eyes, trying to look devastated. I snorted disdainfully in response; she didn't fool me with that old routine. Jess pulled that on Jake all the time. "I told him we weren't right for each other, but he keeps calling me and coming by my house. I need a real man to protect me." She ran her tongue over her teeth and stared Marty in the eye. "Come on, McFly, be realistic. I don't have a date for the dance and neither do you. It's not like she's gonna say anything to you in the next few days. Of course, if you want to play hard to get, fine. Just call me when you're not so stubborn." She strode across the square, the heels of her black buckled boots clicking menacingly.
"Who's she?" I asked, but Marty didn't reply. He just glared at her retreating back for a long time, then glanced back at Jennifer. I could tell this girl had majorly upset him. My blood was boiling with an overwhelming desire to lash out – just the way I felt when I was around Jess.
"She's called Tiff Tannen," said Marty with a sigh. "And she's right." He turned away and looked me straight in the eye. "Come on, Meg, be honest. What chance has a guy like me got with a girl like that? Jennifer's way too good for me." I was surprised to hear him talking like this; he'd seemed so confident earlier. "Besides, she's obviously going to the dance with someone else."
"Who?" In response, Marty gestured towards the group of teenagers on the parking lot bench. A heavy-set guy with platinum blonde spiked hair was forcing his way through the crowd. His features looked familiar, but I couldn't quite match them. Marty and I watched as the guy wrapped his arms around Jennifer's waist and playfully pressed his thumbs into her back. She jumped up with the shock and span round. I was surprised she didn't slap him instantly. As he dragged her towards him, she struggled to escape his clutches. Finally pulling away, she ran down the street. I could hear him shouting after her, but the words were inaudible.
"That's Tom Tannen," Marty said flatly. Now I realised why he was so familiar! A Hill Valley with one teenage Tannen was bad enough, but two of them would make the place a living nightmare. No wonder everyone seemed so afraid of those two. I watched as Jennifer disappeared out of sight and wondered what was going on with her and Tom. If I had the time... What was I talking about? Of course I had the time! I glanced at my old digital watch and my eyes almost popped out of my head. It was almost 5:30 PM; Jules and Verne had told me I needed to be at their dad's place by quarter past.
"Look, I'm really sorry but I gotta go," I said. "Are you going to be around here tomorrow?"
Marty nodded. "Tell you what," he said, pulling a gum wrapper and a pen out of his jacket pocket, "here's my number. Give me a call later." He scribbled something hastily and I stuffed it into my trouser pocket. I nodded my thanks and almost ran to the DeLorean, got in and set off for Riverside Drive. My head was spinning as an eerie feeling settled over me. There was something not quite right about this...
Marty watched as the car pulled out of Courthouse Square. This girl was great – smart, funny and just a little mysterious. Forget Jennifer Parker; he had to get to know Meg a lot better. "I gotta tell Doc," he muttered as he set his skateboard down on the pavement. "This is heavy."
~*~*~*~*~
Saturday October 14th 1985, 5:45 PM 1646 John F Kennedy Drive, Hill Valley, California
I was in such a rush to get back to the Browns' house that I almost bypassed it. The place seemed a lot bigger than it was back in the future. I crept warily up the path, filled with a sense of awe that I was about to meet the inventor of the time machine I'd been driving. Just as I reached the garage, the door swung open and an old guy in his mid-sixties with a shock of long white hair peered round it. I did a double take. "Jules? Verne?"
The scientist's face broke into a wide smile. "Unfortunately not, Megan," he said with a chuckle. "I'm Doctor Emmett L Brown, but please feel free to call me Doc. The boys already dropped by in the train to let me know you'd be visiting." I must have looked confused as he quickly added, "I had an old steam train converted into a time travel vehicle back in the 1880s. It's a long story; I'm sure your grandfather told me all about it."
I didn't reply. Doc showed me into the house, indicating his array of inventions. I was particularly drawn to what looked like half of a giant model molecule and an enormous amplifier. "Marty'll be dropping by in the morning to practise for the dance auditions," Doc explained. "I've been letting him use that amp for a while now." I wasn't really listening; the scattered diagrams and half-finished projects fascinated me. I was definitely going to try way harder in science class from now on. There was a huge object under a sheet at the back of the garage that caught my eye. I walked over to it and was just about to lift the cover when Doc's brown- paper hand closed around my wrist. "Don't touch that!" he said, trying to hide his obvious panic. "It's very sensitive equipment."
I rolled my eyes. "Doc, you forget who I'm related to. It doesn't take a genius to work out what this is." I lifted the cover and glanced across the DeLorean. It looked so much better than Jules and Verne's attempt to fix it. Part of me wondered whether Doc knew how much trouble his invention was going to cause in the future – or did I mean the past? I wasn't sure I understood.
A dog that was the spitting image of Franklin scampered over and I bent down to stroke him. He barked loudly as there was a tapping sound on the door. Doc walked over to it and peered through a crack in the planks. "It's your grandfather!" he muttered and opened the door. Marty stepped inside, his cheeks pink and his hair even messier than usual. In one hand he held the guitar I'd found in the attic only a few days before. I tried to look nonchalant as I glimpsed the tiny carved heart.
"Hey, Doc," he said. "Is it OK if I stop by and..." His gaze fell on me and there was a long pause. "Oh, hi, Meg." I detected a note of surprise but not shock in his voice. "I didn't know you were staying with Doc. Are you guys related or something?"
I opened my mouth but Doc jumped in. "Meg's grandmother is a cousin of mine," he said. "She's staying with me for a week or two while her parents are away. Of course you can come in and practise, Marty, any time you like." He winked at me and headed towards the far end of the garage. I followed Marty as he headed for the amplifier. Part of me felt a little jealous of him getting to play at a school dance, but I shrugged it off.
As he plugged in the guitar and began to tune the amp, I watched from behind one of Doc's bookcases. Marty pulled a pair of sunglasses from his jacket pocket and slipped them on. For a moment I caught a glimpse of the world-famous musician he would become. The silver plectrum I'd salvaged after the crash flashed in the late evening light. I held my breath as his long shadow adjusted its fingers to find the right chord. Beside me Einstein whimpered. "It's OK, boy," I whispered, my voice shaking a little. But it wasn't, and it never would be.
~*~*~*~*~
Sunday October 28th 2035, 03:07 AM Hill County General Hospital, Hill Valley, California
I slowly opened one bleary eye. The pain made me wince and for a moment I felt as though I was going to fall backwards. I could see anxious faces surrounding me, but before I spoke the taste of vomit rose in my mouth. My attempt to swallow just made me throw up into the hastily-placed bucket in front of me. The dull ache in my leg and ribs were unbearable, and I couldn't move my neck. I tried to croak the words but it was impossible. For once Aunt Marlene looked terrified. I was a little shocked; she'd always seemed so calm under pressure. But the reaction from my father was expected.
"Oh, thank God!" he whispered and threw his arms around me. I flinched with the pressure on my bruised torso and tried to wriggle away. "I thought I'd lost you too." At first I was confused – too? Then I realised he must have been talking about Mom. Maybe he did love me, even though he never showed it. I couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged me like that. The smile I forced my face into was so painful I could barely sustain it. I noticed a tear at the corner of his eye, and my aunt's. There was something wrong. They wouldn't cry like that for me; I might have only been seven, but I wasn't stupid enough for this to end like some bad TV movie.
"Where's Grandpa Marty?" I asked, innocently enough. "Is he OK?" Instantly their attitudes changed. Aunt Marlene shifted in her hard orange plastic chair, focussed on the pitch darkness outside the window. My father looked straight into my eyes, his head tilted downwards as he fingered my horrible mint green blanket. Ever since then I've hated mint green and orange. I didn't connect their behaviour to my question. "Can I see him?" I pressed.
"Are you going to tell her or should I?" Marlene asked. Her voice seemed softer than usual. I grew tense inside, feeling the iron fist of fear squeeze my stomach. Suddenly I thought I was going to throw up again. I didn't need either of them to say anything; I'd watched enough soap operas to know what had happened. My father reached out and held my tiny white hand in his huge paws. He didn't look at me. I wanted to slap his face towards me, forcing him to stare me in the eye. By now I was fighting the tears.
"Honey, I'm so sorry," he said. "But there were...complications. Your grandpa needed to have an operation. And then his heart stopped working...the doctors tried everything, but I'm afraid they couldn't save him. He died a couple of hours ago."
"NO!" I pushed my father away weakly. "It's not true! You're all liars! I HATE YOU!" I yanked the covers roughly towards me and buried myself under them, feeling bitter and guilty. At that moment the tears erupted like a damp volcano. I poured all my energy into them, letting the sheets become sodden. There was an emptiness inside me that I knew I'd never fill...an emptiness I was to blame for. It was my fault he was dead. I must have fixed the car wrong, that was why the brakes hadn't worked. My fingers clutched the silver plectrum I'd pulled from his jacket pocket before I passed out. I'd killed my own grandpa, and I'd never get away from that. That was the reality I'd have to live with for the rest of my life.
~*~*~*~*~ Saturday October 14th 1985, 5:55 PM 1646 Riverside Drive, Hill Valley, California
I was shaken from my waking nightmare as Marty struck the guitar string and a powerful note blasted from the speaker. He keeled over backwards with the force, landing with a painful-sounding thud. Einstein yelped loudly as several doorstep-like volumes crashed to the floor around him. I ducked the Columbia University School of Medicine Encyclopaedia of Health and dived to avoid The Compiled Hill Valley Telegraph 1880-1950. Doc didn't seem bothered at all; I guessed he was used to it, since he'd known my grandpa for three years now. As Marty got to his feet and shook his head, I ran over to him.
"Are you OK?" I asked. He nodded dazedly and lifted the shades to survey the devastation. Then his eyes met mine and we exploded with simultaneous laughter. It seemed like forever since I'd let myself do that. I wiped my eyes and reached into my jeans pocket, rubbing the plectrum between my thumb and forefinger. I've always done that, even when I was a kid; it's sort of like my comfort blanket. Marty gripped my wrist and leaned against the empty bookcase, breathing heavily. I tried not to hiccup as I avoided his eyes.
"Hey," he said, as though he'd just remembered something. "I guess you must be pretty hungry." I was about to reply when my stomach answered for me, rumbling so loudly the people in the next block probably heard it. Already I could feel my cheeks starting to burn. Marty smiled, obviously stifling the urge to giggle. "You wanna head over to Burger King and grab something to eat?" he asked. Before I could open my mouth we were heading out the door. I caught Doc's eye just before we disappeared into the night and he gave me the thumbs-up. Instantly my nervousness vanished. Maybe this was going to turn out all right. But of course, real life is never that simple.
~*~*~*~*~ Saturday October 14th 1985, 6:15 PM Burger King, Riverside Drive, Hill Valley, California
"So how long are you going to be in town?" Marty asked as he reached for his Diet Pepsi and took a sip. I pretended to be thinking, slowly chewing my burger as my brain tried to form a credible answer. This was the first awkward silence in the conversation.
"I guess as long as I need to," I replied. "It's a second honeymoon and believe me, my parents have a LOT to resolve. Sometimes I wonder if I'm living with the real-life Keatons." Marty laughed and punched me playfully on the arm. I wasn't sure how to respond; it wasn't meant to be that funny. Suddenly the dirty glass and chrome door swung back and a guy in his early twenties walked in. He grinned at Marty, who waved back. It was pretty obvious they knew each other.
"Hey, Dave," said Marty as the guy approached. "What are you doing hanging around your old haunt?"
"Anything's better than Mom's idea of cooking," Dave replied. "Her idea of culinary skills is dialling the number for Pizza Hut." They both laughed and I grinned tentatively. "Say, who's this?" Dave asked, turning to look at me.
"Meg, this is my older brother Dave," Marty said before I could speak. This whole thing of people doing all my talking for me was starting to drive me crazy. "Dave, this is Meg..." He paused as though trying to remember something. "What did you say your last name was again?"
"I didn't," I said, sounding a bit too nervous. "But it's Flaherty." That sounded OK – not too weird, but not too regular either. I'd got it from the lead character on this old TV show I always watched. "Excuse me for a second," I said, slipping from my stool and heading towards the bathrooms. My head was spinning was confusion. The lies were going to catch up with me sooner or later, but I hated not being able to tell Marty the truth. For the first time I wished we'd never managed to fix the DeLorean.
I splashed my face with cold water and tried to control my deep breathing. Time to bite the bullet. As I approached the door back into the restaurant, I could hear the sound of voices. My hearing seemed to grow more accurate as I crept closer to the door, listening in on every word.
"So, tell me about this girl." I watched through a minuscule gap in the door as Dave leaned forward on his stool. "What's the deal with you guys?"
"Aw, come on, Dave." Marty turned away from his brother. "I only met her today. She's just some niece of Doc's who's in town for a few days. You know I'm still crazy about Jennifer." I suppressed a giggle; the tips of his ears were turning red, just like mine do when I lie or I'm nervous.
"Don't try to kid me, Marty. I'm not as dumb as you think I am," Dave replied. "I know you too well. Besides, I saw the way you were looking at her. Quit fooling around and tell me what's really going on."
Marty sighed. "Well, I don't know, and that's the truth," he said after a pause, his whole face softening. "Meg's...incredible. She's just so different from all the other girls I've dated. I mean, we're so alike it's weird – she skateboards, she likes Van Halen and Huey Lewis – call me crazy, but it feels like there's some kind of a connection between us, you know?" His voice trailed off. "But she's only a friend. She has to be. Once her parents come back from the Caribbean I'll probably never see her again." He looked almost as though he might cry.
Dave nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, but I guess if you don't try you'll never know. If you like her, then personally I'd go for it. Face it, little bro, Tom Tannen's all over Jennifer – it isn't worth the risk. The worst that can happen is that Meg turns you down."
Suddenly the realisation hit me. "Great Scott!" I muttered. This was heavy. I had to get out of here fast. Frantically I shoved the door open, intending to head back to Doc's place. Marty and Dave twisted round at the bang of the door against the wall to see a blue and red blur collide with the opening exit. I winced as my head hit the floor, then everything went out of focus, fading into black.
Jamie McFly and Susan: Thanks for your reviews.
Blind Spot and Stoko: Good guess about the date! It may be relevant later...
Disclaimer: I do not own Back To The Future or its characters. Characters from the films are copyright Universal Studios and U-Drive Productions. All other characters are my own creation and may not be used without permission.
~*~*~*~*~
Saturday October 14th 1985, 3:15 PM John F Kennedy Drive, Hill Valley, California
I glanced around warily, trying to figure out what was different. People were driving down the road below me with looks of confusion on their faces. I felt like a rare animal on display in the zoo. My ears caught a snatch of a traffic report on the radio from one guy's truck: "...looks like we got a little incident over on Kennedy Drive, where I'm told a DeLorean is actually flying above the highway..."
Wait a second...driving BELOW me? I looked down again to check I wasn't seeing things. No, there were definitely no other flying cars. I felt like such an idiot; this was way embarrassing. Better at least try and look normal sooner rather than later. I turned off onto a side street and put the car into descend mode. It floated down to the ground with a hiss just as I hit the fly-to-drive conversion button that I'd installed in case of situations like this. Clearly the skyway wasn't going to be invented for a good few years yet. I backed the DeLorean onto the road and set off into town.
Courthouse Square sure looked different. I watched as a truck with a black Toyota pickup just like Jake's on the back of it pulled up outside the Statler dealership. Part of me was curious to investigate it. I got out of the DeLorean and approached cautiously as the car was backed off the truck. The license number was exactly the same as Jake's! I remembered him telling me his grandfather had given him the hover-converted car for his seventeenth birthday. This must have been when it was brand new. I could see a proud-looking mother and father standing behind their son, smiling as a guy got out of the pickup and handed the keys to the teenager. These must have been Jake's grandfather and great-grandparents. I felt a pang of jealousy as the family drove away – partly because for a second I thought I was looking at Jake himself, and partly because I wished I could be part of a family like that.
"Yeah, I know. Life's cruel sometimes, isn't it?"
I looked round to see a fairly short guy with short brown hair, dark eyes, a slightly turned-up nose and boyish features standing behind me. He was wearing jeans and a denim jacket with an 'Art in Revolution' button on it, and carried a couple of skateboards. I nodded in response, smiling awkwardly. "Some day," the guy said, looking wistfully at the pickup, "some day." I was about to mention that I knew someone with one of those cars, but decided not to say anything. An uneasy silence hovered on the air as his gaze went to the DeLorean.
"Cool car," he said. I nodded in response as he gave me a confident but not arrogant smile. "Is it yours?"
"Kinda," I said, trying to sound vague. "A friend of mine lent it to me." It wasn't a lie. I was trying to avoid looking at him in case I did something stupid. Already I could feel myself blushing. Why was I so nervous? It wasn't like I had any kind of attraction to this guy...
"Oh, so you can talk!" He laughed and the very street seemed to sing. "So, how long have you been in Hill Valley? I don't think I've ever seen you around before."
"You haven't," I said, a little too quickly, "but I've been here all my life." The instant the words were out of my mouth I kicked myself mentally. Remember, Megan, you won't exist for another forty-three years! "I mean," I added, "it feels like I've lived here for years."
"I know the feeling." He held out a hand. "My name's Marty."
"Meg," I replied, shaking his hand warmly. "I'm staying with the friend who loaned me the DeLorean, just for a few weeks while my parents are in Aruba. It's my first day in town."
"I'll show you around if you like," Marty said. "Do you know how to skateboard?"
As we cruised around town, I picked up on little things that had changed. The sight of people working out in what would be Café Eighties was a total shock to me. And the lake in front of the courthouse (it wouldn't be a mall until twenty years later) was now a parking lot! Marty seemed to find my disbelief that Texaco only had one level hilarious. I tried not to give too much away, but it all just seemed so different. I wondered what he'd make of 2045 if I took him back there in the DeLorean.
Suddenly Marty stopped behind a truck and crouched down. I copied him, looking around to see what he was watching. A gang of girls was sitting on the parking lot benches, laughing and giggling. His gaze was fixed on one in particular. She had long brown wavy hair and wore a blue jacket over a white shirt, pink trousers and white trainers. Even though her style was a little weird by the standards of where I came from, I thought she looked cool. "Who's she?" I whispered to Marty.
"Sssh!" he hissed, not looking at me. Then he said, "Her name's Jennifer Parker." I noticed his whole face soften as he said it, and couldn't help smiling. Part of me wanted to act all girly and start giggling, but it would be too mean. Clearly he was crazy about her. There was a little feeling of sadness within me, but it faded almost instantly. I looked at Jennifer as she laughed with her friends, tossing back her hair. She seemed so sure of herself and positive. Why she wasn't interested in somebody as cool as Marty was totally confusing; I'd only been hanging out with him for a day and already I thought he was a great person.
Suddenly I noticed a hand on Marty's shoulder and glanced up. A girl with short spiky black hair, shot through with pink streaks, and dressed in typical punk clothing was standing behind him. "What are you looking at, buttface?" she said spitefully. I was taken aback – it was Jessica's voice coming out of her mouth! She turned away from me with a sneer and turned Marty's face towards her. As her fingers slid under his chin and lifted his head up, he unwittingly rose from the ground.
"Hey, McFly," she said, rolling the words round her mouth. "Stop wasting your time on that goody-two-shoes Jennifer Parker. You know you want it." Her green eyes glittered with malice. "The generous offer I made you at the start of the semester still stands, you know." She tilted her head down and glanced up at him, twisting a lock of hair idly around her finger. "Ditch the dork and get with me. I'll make it worth your while." Her tongue crept out from between her bright red lips and she ran it over her teeth. I shuddered as she cast another chilling glance in my direction.
"The answer's no, Tiffany." Anger flickered in the girl's eyes as Marty spoke. I couldn't tell whether it was because of what he said or because he used her full name. "I don't know or care who put that idea in your weird little mind, but I never liked you and I never will. Why don't you crawl back to your scuzzball boyfriend?"
"Needles and I broke up." Tiff's voice grew whiny as she widened her eyes, trying to look devastated. I snorted disdainfully in response; she didn't fool me with that old routine. Jess pulled that on Jake all the time. "I told him we weren't right for each other, but he keeps calling me and coming by my house. I need a real man to protect me." She ran her tongue over her teeth and stared Marty in the eye. "Come on, McFly, be realistic. I don't have a date for the dance and neither do you. It's not like she's gonna say anything to you in the next few days. Of course, if you want to play hard to get, fine. Just call me when you're not so stubborn." She strode across the square, the heels of her black buckled boots clicking menacingly.
"Who's she?" I asked, but Marty didn't reply. He just glared at her retreating back for a long time, then glanced back at Jennifer. I could tell this girl had majorly upset him. My blood was boiling with an overwhelming desire to lash out – just the way I felt when I was around Jess.
"She's called Tiff Tannen," said Marty with a sigh. "And she's right." He turned away and looked me straight in the eye. "Come on, Meg, be honest. What chance has a guy like me got with a girl like that? Jennifer's way too good for me." I was surprised to hear him talking like this; he'd seemed so confident earlier. "Besides, she's obviously going to the dance with someone else."
"Who?" In response, Marty gestured towards the group of teenagers on the parking lot bench. A heavy-set guy with platinum blonde spiked hair was forcing his way through the crowd. His features looked familiar, but I couldn't quite match them. Marty and I watched as the guy wrapped his arms around Jennifer's waist and playfully pressed his thumbs into her back. She jumped up with the shock and span round. I was surprised she didn't slap him instantly. As he dragged her towards him, she struggled to escape his clutches. Finally pulling away, she ran down the street. I could hear him shouting after her, but the words were inaudible.
"That's Tom Tannen," Marty said flatly. Now I realised why he was so familiar! A Hill Valley with one teenage Tannen was bad enough, but two of them would make the place a living nightmare. No wonder everyone seemed so afraid of those two. I watched as Jennifer disappeared out of sight and wondered what was going on with her and Tom. If I had the time... What was I talking about? Of course I had the time! I glanced at my old digital watch and my eyes almost popped out of my head. It was almost 5:30 PM; Jules and Verne had told me I needed to be at their dad's place by quarter past.
"Look, I'm really sorry but I gotta go," I said. "Are you going to be around here tomorrow?"
Marty nodded. "Tell you what," he said, pulling a gum wrapper and a pen out of his jacket pocket, "here's my number. Give me a call later." He scribbled something hastily and I stuffed it into my trouser pocket. I nodded my thanks and almost ran to the DeLorean, got in and set off for Riverside Drive. My head was spinning as an eerie feeling settled over me. There was something not quite right about this...
Marty watched as the car pulled out of Courthouse Square. This girl was great – smart, funny and just a little mysterious. Forget Jennifer Parker; he had to get to know Meg a lot better. "I gotta tell Doc," he muttered as he set his skateboard down on the pavement. "This is heavy."
~*~*~*~*~
Saturday October 14th 1985, 5:45 PM 1646 John F Kennedy Drive, Hill Valley, California
I was in such a rush to get back to the Browns' house that I almost bypassed it. The place seemed a lot bigger than it was back in the future. I crept warily up the path, filled with a sense of awe that I was about to meet the inventor of the time machine I'd been driving. Just as I reached the garage, the door swung open and an old guy in his mid-sixties with a shock of long white hair peered round it. I did a double take. "Jules? Verne?"
The scientist's face broke into a wide smile. "Unfortunately not, Megan," he said with a chuckle. "I'm Doctor Emmett L Brown, but please feel free to call me Doc. The boys already dropped by in the train to let me know you'd be visiting." I must have looked confused as he quickly added, "I had an old steam train converted into a time travel vehicle back in the 1880s. It's a long story; I'm sure your grandfather told me all about it."
I didn't reply. Doc showed me into the house, indicating his array of inventions. I was particularly drawn to what looked like half of a giant model molecule and an enormous amplifier. "Marty'll be dropping by in the morning to practise for the dance auditions," Doc explained. "I've been letting him use that amp for a while now." I wasn't really listening; the scattered diagrams and half-finished projects fascinated me. I was definitely going to try way harder in science class from now on. There was a huge object under a sheet at the back of the garage that caught my eye. I walked over to it and was just about to lift the cover when Doc's brown- paper hand closed around my wrist. "Don't touch that!" he said, trying to hide his obvious panic. "It's very sensitive equipment."
I rolled my eyes. "Doc, you forget who I'm related to. It doesn't take a genius to work out what this is." I lifted the cover and glanced across the DeLorean. It looked so much better than Jules and Verne's attempt to fix it. Part of me wondered whether Doc knew how much trouble his invention was going to cause in the future – or did I mean the past? I wasn't sure I understood.
A dog that was the spitting image of Franklin scampered over and I bent down to stroke him. He barked loudly as there was a tapping sound on the door. Doc walked over to it and peered through a crack in the planks. "It's your grandfather!" he muttered and opened the door. Marty stepped inside, his cheeks pink and his hair even messier than usual. In one hand he held the guitar I'd found in the attic only a few days before. I tried to look nonchalant as I glimpsed the tiny carved heart.
"Hey, Doc," he said. "Is it OK if I stop by and..." His gaze fell on me and there was a long pause. "Oh, hi, Meg." I detected a note of surprise but not shock in his voice. "I didn't know you were staying with Doc. Are you guys related or something?"
I opened my mouth but Doc jumped in. "Meg's grandmother is a cousin of mine," he said. "She's staying with me for a week or two while her parents are away. Of course you can come in and practise, Marty, any time you like." He winked at me and headed towards the far end of the garage. I followed Marty as he headed for the amplifier. Part of me felt a little jealous of him getting to play at a school dance, but I shrugged it off.
As he plugged in the guitar and began to tune the amp, I watched from behind one of Doc's bookcases. Marty pulled a pair of sunglasses from his jacket pocket and slipped them on. For a moment I caught a glimpse of the world-famous musician he would become. The silver plectrum I'd salvaged after the crash flashed in the late evening light. I held my breath as his long shadow adjusted its fingers to find the right chord. Beside me Einstein whimpered. "It's OK, boy," I whispered, my voice shaking a little. But it wasn't, and it never would be.
~*~*~*~*~
Sunday October 28th 2035, 03:07 AM Hill County General Hospital, Hill Valley, California
I slowly opened one bleary eye. The pain made me wince and for a moment I felt as though I was going to fall backwards. I could see anxious faces surrounding me, but before I spoke the taste of vomit rose in my mouth. My attempt to swallow just made me throw up into the hastily-placed bucket in front of me. The dull ache in my leg and ribs were unbearable, and I couldn't move my neck. I tried to croak the words but it was impossible. For once Aunt Marlene looked terrified. I was a little shocked; she'd always seemed so calm under pressure. But the reaction from my father was expected.
"Oh, thank God!" he whispered and threw his arms around me. I flinched with the pressure on my bruised torso and tried to wriggle away. "I thought I'd lost you too." At first I was confused – too? Then I realised he must have been talking about Mom. Maybe he did love me, even though he never showed it. I couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged me like that. The smile I forced my face into was so painful I could barely sustain it. I noticed a tear at the corner of his eye, and my aunt's. There was something wrong. They wouldn't cry like that for me; I might have only been seven, but I wasn't stupid enough for this to end like some bad TV movie.
"Where's Grandpa Marty?" I asked, innocently enough. "Is he OK?" Instantly their attitudes changed. Aunt Marlene shifted in her hard orange plastic chair, focussed on the pitch darkness outside the window. My father looked straight into my eyes, his head tilted downwards as he fingered my horrible mint green blanket. Ever since then I've hated mint green and orange. I didn't connect their behaviour to my question. "Can I see him?" I pressed.
"Are you going to tell her or should I?" Marlene asked. Her voice seemed softer than usual. I grew tense inside, feeling the iron fist of fear squeeze my stomach. Suddenly I thought I was going to throw up again. I didn't need either of them to say anything; I'd watched enough soap operas to know what had happened. My father reached out and held my tiny white hand in his huge paws. He didn't look at me. I wanted to slap his face towards me, forcing him to stare me in the eye. By now I was fighting the tears.
"Honey, I'm so sorry," he said. "But there were...complications. Your grandpa needed to have an operation. And then his heart stopped working...the doctors tried everything, but I'm afraid they couldn't save him. He died a couple of hours ago."
"NO!" I pushed my father away weakly. "It's not true! You're all liars! I HATE YOU!" I yanked the covers roughly towards me and buried myself under them, feeling bitter and guilty. At that moment the tears erupted like a damp volcano. I poured all my energy into them, letting the sheets become sodden. There was an emptiness inside me that I knew I'd never fill...an emptiness I was to blame for. It was my fault he was dead. I must have fixed the car wrong, that was why the brakes hadn't worked. My fingers clutched the silver plectrum I'd pulled from his jacket pocket before I passed out. I'd killed my own grandpa, and I'd never get away from that. That was the reality I'd have to live with for the rest of my life.
~*~*~*~*~ Saturday October 14th 1985, 5:55 PM 1646 Riverside Drive, Hill Valley, California
I was shaken from my waking nightmare as Marty struck the guitar string and a powerful note blasted from the speaker. He keeled over backwards with the force, landing with a painful-sounding thud. Einstein yelped loudly as several doorstep-like volumes crashed to the floor around him. I ducked the Columbia University School of Medicine Encyclopaedia of Health and dived to avoid The Compiled Hill Valley Telegraph 1880-1950. Doc didn't seem bothered at all; I guessed he was used to it, since he'd known my grandpa for three years now. As Marty got to his feet and shook his head, I ran over to him.
"Are you OK?" I asked. He nodded dazedly and lifted the shades to survey the devastation. Then his eyes met mine and we exploded with simultaneous laughter. It seemed like forever since I'd let myself do that. I wiped my eyes and reached into my jeans pocket, rubbing the plectrum between my thumb and forefinger. I've always done that, even when I was a kid; it's sort of like my comfort blanket. Marty gripped my wrist and leaned against the empty bookcase, breathing heavily. I tried not to hiccup as I avoided his eyes.
"Hey," he said, as though he'd just remembered something. "I guess you must be pretty hungry." I was about to reply when my stomach answered for me, rumbling so loudly the people in the next block probably heard it. Already I could feel my cheeks starting to burn. Marty smiled, obviously stifling the urge to giggle. "You wanna head over to Burger King and grab something to eat?" he asked. Before I could open my mouth we were heading out the door. I caught Doc's eye just before we disappeared into the night and he gave me the thumbs-up. Instantly my nervousness vanished. Maybe this was going to turn out all right. But of course, real life is never that simple.
~*~*~*~*~ Saturday October 14th 1985, 6:15 PM Burger King, Riverside Drive, Hill Valley, California
"So how long are you going to be in town?" Marty asked as he reached for his Diet Pepsi and took a sip. I pretended to be thinking, slowly chewing my burger as my brain tried to form a credible answer. This was the first awkward silence in the conversation.
"I guess as long as I need to," I replied. "It's a second honeymoon and believe me, my parents have a LOT to resolve. Sometimes I wonder if I'm living with the real-life Keatons." Marty laughed and punched me playfully on the arm. I wasn't sure how to respond; it wasn't meant to be that funny. Suddenly the dirty glass and chrome door swung back and a guy in his early twenties walked in. He grinned at Marty, who waved back. It was pretty obvious they knew each other.
"Hey, Dave," said Marty as the guy approached. "What are you doing hanging around your old haunt?"
"Anything's better than Mom's idea of cooking," Dave replied. "Her idea of culinary skills is dialling the number for Pizza Hut." They both laughed and I grinned tentatively. "Say, who's this?" Dave asked, turning to look at me.
"Meg, this is my older brother Dave," Marty said before I could speak. This whole thing of people doing all my talking for me was starting to drive me crazy. "Dave, this is Meg..." He paused as though trying to remember something. "What did you say your last name was again?"
"I didn't," I said, sounding a bit too nervous. "But it's Flaherty." That sounded OK – not too weird, but not too regular either. I'd got it from the lead character on this old TV show I always watched. "Excuse me for a second," I said, slipping from my stool and heading towards the bathrooms. My head was spinning was confusion. The lies were going to catch up with me sooner or later, but I hated not being able to tell Marty the truth. For the first time I wished we'd never managed to fix the DeLorean.
I splashed my face with cold water and tried to control my deep breathing. Time to bite the bullet. As I approached the door back into the restaurant, I could hear the sound of voices. My hearing seemed to grow more accurate as I crept closer to the door, listening in on every word.
"So, tell me about this girl." I watched through a minuscule gap in the door as Dave leaned forward on his stool. "What's the deal with you guys?"
"Aw, come on, Dave." Marty turned away from his brother. "I only met her today. She's just some niece of Doc's who's in town for a few days. You know I'm still crazy about Jennifer." I suppressed a giggle; the tips of his ears were turning red, just like mine do when I lie or I'm nervous.
"Don't try to kid me, Marty. I'm not as dumb as you think I am," Dave replied. "I know you too well. Besides, I saw the way you were looking at her. Quit fooling around and tell me what's really going on."
Marty sighed. "Well, I don't know, and that's the truth," he said after a pause, his whole face softening. "Meg's...incredible. She's just so different from all the other girls I've dated. I mean, we're so alike it's weird – she skateboards, she likes Van Halen and Huey Lewis – call me crazy, but it feels like there's some kind of a connection between us, you know?" His voice trailed off. "But she's only a friend. She has to be. Once her parents come back from the Caribbean I'll probably never see her again." He looked almost as though he might cry.
Dave nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, but I guess if you don't try you'll never know. If you like her, then personally I'd go for it. Face it, little bro, Tom Tannen's all over Jennifer – it isn't worth the risk. The worst that can happen is that Meg turns you down."
Suddenly the realisation hit me. "Great Scott!" I muttered. This was heavy. I had to get out of here fast. Frantically I shoved the door open, intending to head back to Doc's place. Marty and Dave twisted round at the bang of the door against the wall to see a blue and red blur collide with the opening exit. I winced as my head hit the floor, then everything went out of focus, fading into black.