Disclaimer: American Dreams rocks, but I don't own it.
A/N: Here's an update. Happy Turkey Day!
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"You're back," a rough voice said as Meg leaned against the counter in her father's new store. It was opening in a few days, and most of the workers had finished up and were done with their jobs.
Meg turned and found just the face she had been praying it wouldn't be: Kyle. "Well, it's my dad's store," she replied with no emotion.
Kyle also leaned against the counter, so Meg pushed herself off and took a few steps away, crossing her arms over her chest. He was looking at her.
"Is there something you want?" Meg asked snippily.
"Yeah," Kyle said, taking a big step closer to her. "I'd like to hang out with you." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Tomorrow's the fourth of July."
"I know."
"Well, maybe you and me could watch the fireworks from my place."
"No, thanks."
Meg had slowly backed up so now she was in the middle of the store, still edging towards the door. She wished she hadn't decided to come after visiting Beth.
Kyle shook his head with a short chuckle and glanced at Meg again. "Why not?"
"Because," Meg began, not actually knowing how to continue. She stumbled on her words. "I don't even know you, and you don't know me. I mean you don't even know if I'm dating someone."
"Are you?" Kyle asked with interest, taking a step forward as Meg took one back. "Dating someone, I mean?"
"Actually," she started, but the door opened right behind her. Surprised, Meg whipped around to come face-to-face with her father and Henry. Sam was following behind them, and when he saw Kyle across the store, he looked at Meg with concern.
"Hey dad," Meg said quickly. "I had just come to see if you had wanted any help, because the store is opening in two days, but you were out, so I was leaving…"
Jack was looking at his daughter, but then glanced at Kyle. "I see you met my daughter," he said to the younger man who had taken a few steps towards the small group.
"Yeah," Kyle replied, except his voice now held something that could be called respect. Meg knew it was a joke. "I was seeing if she needed something."
"Well, uh, thanks," Jack said as he and Henry moved to the counters in the back.
"Well, thanks for the job, Mr. Pryor," Kyle said, and Meg wanted to laugh at how fake he sounded. "I'm glad I'm going to get to help work at your stores."
"You're uh, working at both of them?" Meg asked slowly. "Doing what?"
"Well, we needed extra help since we've got two stores now, so I hired him full-time," Jack informed her, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Oh."
Sam had been quiet the whole time, still standing by the door. Kyle smirked at Meg when he passed by her and exited. She glanced at Sam.
"Sam, I thought you were gonna go to the other store to pick up those papers," Henry said.
"Right, yeah," Sam nodded.
"Mind if I go with you?" Meg asked, and Sam nodded again.
The two left, but Meg still caught her father's disapproving head-shake and Henry's confused glance.
XXX
The two had taken the Pryor's TV and Radio truck to get across town, and now Meg sat in the passengers seat, her window all the way down, her hair being blown crazily by the wind.
"So, uh, you guys aren't usually around this time of year," Sam pointed out, looking for conversation. Neither had brought up Kyle.
"Yeah, well with the store opening in two days, my parents decided to skip the trip to the shore. I'm okay with it, since I just got home and everything."
Sam glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he drove. "I'm uh, glad you guys are gonna be around."
Meg smiled shyly, but averted her eyes. She played with the hem of the short skirt she was wearing. "Me too."
Roxanne's words came back to Meg at that moment: 'Spend more time with him. See how being with him makes you feel.' She decided to try.
"Are you busy tomorrow night?" she asked casually.
Sam kept his eyes on the road. "Not really, I'll probably just watch the fireworks."
She took a deep breath. "Well, uh, would you want to watch the fireworks with me?" Meg was blushing again, so she tried to cover. "I mean, I know this perfect spot where we could see them really well, I mean you really see all of them, even the really low ones that are sometimes hard to see, and-"
"Sure," Sam said, interrupting Meg's rambling. He turned his head her way, grinning. "Sounds good."
"Good," Meg nodded, trying not to sound too anxious.
Suddenly, she wondered: does this count as a date? She was sure she'd never asked a guy out on a date before, that she could remember. If it was a date, she'd need to go through her closet to find the perfect thing to wear, and make sure her hair looked good even with the summer heat, and her makeup…
They reached the store, and Meg decided to stop debating for the moment.
She had all day tomorrow to do that.
XXX
It was such a beautiful evening out that Meg could hardly believe it. The temperature was just right so that it was warm, but not humid and hot, the sky was completely clear, and bugs were scarce. She thought that it might be a sign, considering later that evening she and Sam were have their first (sort-of) date.
Helen had decided that the family would have dinner outside that night, so she, Meg, Jack, Patty, and Will were all seated in the yard at their picnic bench.
Meg checked her watch. 6:52. Sam was meeting her at the end of the street at seven-thirty.
"Meg, why do you keep checking your watch?" Patty asked innocently, scooping some more potato salad onto her plate.
"None of your business," Meg replied as she took a sip of iced tea. She may have been old enough to have alcohol legally, but she still didn't feel comfortable drinking in front of her parents.
Helen glanced between her daughters, then spoke to the whole family. "So, after this we'll clean up and head over to the park for the fireworks?"
"I'm meeting Shelly and Grant there," Patty said, then looked at her father. "Is that okay?"
Jack shrugged as he chewed on a bite of a roll. "Sure."
Will turned to his dad. "If Patty can watch with her friends, then can I too?"
"Well…" Helen began, but Jack once again waved it off.
"Fine."
Meg knew this was when she was supposed to mention her own plans. "I'm gonna be watching from somewhere else, so I'm not going with you guys."
"Oh?" Helen asked, interested. "Who are you watching them with?"
Quick-thinking wasn't working with Meg. She had lost contact with all of her friends except Roxanne and Sam when she had left for California. She knew that if she told her dad she was watching them with Sam, he'd lecture her. Again. And honestly, Meg was in too nervous a mood already for an argument.
"Roxanne and I were going to watch from the top of her building," she covered smoothly. Lying like this made her feel like she was in high school again.
"Looks like it's just you and me," Helen said to her husband. They shared a smile that didn't go unnoticed by Meg. She was glad her parents still enjoyed spending time together; it was reassuring for some reason.
They finished dinner, and at seven-eighteen, Meg begged out of cleaning up by saying she had to meet Roxanne. Her mother waved her off, telling her to have a good time, and to call if she'd be home later than midnight.
Meg rushed upstairs to check her clothes and makeup, and after only a few minutes of scrutinizing, felt satisfied with how she looked. She began to leave when Patty stuck her head out of her room.
"Primping for Roxanne?" her sister questioned with a knowing look.
Rolling her eyes, Meg kept going. "Bye, Patty."
Sam was waiting at the end of the street when Meg got there. He greeted her with a shy smile and hello. It was the first time Meg had seen him really revert back to his old self since she had gotten home.
"So where are we going?" Sam asked as they began down the street. The sun had started to set.
"You'll see," Meg replied, glancing at her friend. It looked as if he had also taken a little more time with his appearance than normal. "Hope you don't mind walking for awhile, though."
"Not at all."
People were sitting on their porches, or taking walks in the neighborhood, and Meg ignored all the curious stares she and Sam were receiving. She could hardly believe how ignorant people still were.
"It's a nice night," Sam commented as they walked along the sidewalk and past some stores.
Meg had to agree. "We're almost there," she promised as they turned into an alley. She was glad the park where the fireworks went off was only two miles from her home.
Locating the right building, Meg grabbed hold of the fire escape attached to it's outside wall. She looked back at Sam.
He seemed confused. "Are we going up?"
Nodding, Meg smiled. "Roxanne and I came up here one time. You get a perfect view of the park."
"Alright," Sam agreed, sounding slightly unsure. He trusted her anyways, however, and followed Meg up the fire escape until they were on top of the building.
He looked out at what lay before them. "Wow, you can really see a lot from up here."
Meg stood beside him. "Yeah, well, I told you it was the perfect spot."
The two stood in silence, watching the sun slowly set in the west. Meg checked her watch. "It's almost eight-thirty. We've still got fifteen minutes."
They spent the fifteen minutes discussing the new store; how, as much as he liked college, Sam was glad it was summer vacation; and how Meg was coming along with her application to Penn, which she was hoping would be accepted for January semester, despite the fact that it was too late to send it in.
Color filled the sky and Meg stopped in the middle of her sentence to look out at the fireworks, which had finally started. She moved to the edge of the roof, Sam following and taking his spot beside her.
"Wow," she said as a rainbow of colors appeared in front of her. Meg rested her hands on the tall ledge that went up to her waist.
Sam nodded in the semi-darkness. Their faces were illuminated with each snap and crackle of a firework going off in the air. Clapping could be heard from below in the park, but Meg and Sam both kept their eyes on the sky.
When his larger right hand covered her smaller left, Meg knew she was no longer just smiling for the fireworks.
XXX