Meredith woke up, the sun shining through the window on her face. She looked over at the clock and it read 9:07am. She had stayed up last night watching videos on her laptop. She stretched out and went to her bathroom that she shared with Lexie and looked in the mirror, taking her hair from the bun and fluffing the mess with her hands. She pulled off her pajamas and locked the doors, getting to the shower that she had started. Normally she wouldn't take a shower in the morning but she didn't have one last night so she took one.
After her shower, Meredith went into her room and locked her bedroom door. She searched through the drawers and pulled out shorts and a lilac ruffle shirt. She made her way down stairs after she brushed her wet hair. Susan was drinking coffee alone in the kitchen.
"Morning Meredith, did you sleep well?" She asked looking up from the book she was reading.
"Yes, do you mind if I have a cup of coffee?" Meredith asked, trying to be polite. Even if she had been living there a week, she still felt like she had to be polite. She had learned one amazing thing from her mother, impressions were everything.
"Sure, you don't have to ask if you want anything. This is your house now too. Cereal is in the pantry and bowls are in the cabinet above the sink," Susan said as she sipped her coffee.
"Have you taken Lexie to band practice yet?" Meredith asks as she pours herself some cereal.
"Thatcher just left to take her, did you need to go somewhere?"
"No ma'am, I just remembered how I have to get registered at the high school for my senior year, I guess I can just do it next week," she shrugged, sitting down at the breakfast table. They sat in silence while Meredith are her cereal, soon Molly had joined them, still in her pajamas.
"Meredith," Molly said with a mouth full of cereal.
"Yes?" She replied, rinsing out her bowl and putting it in the dish washer.
"Can you take me to the park again?" She asked sweetly. The past two days, Meredith had been taking Molly to the park across the street. Molly and Meredith had been bonding very well the past few days, Meredith was glad but also upset. She missed her sister.
"You have to ask your mom," Meredith replied, taking her last sip of coffee before pouring her a little more.
"Mommy, can Meredith take me to the park? Pleaseeee," she begged.
"You have to be on your best behavior and you have to listen to Meredith," Susan warned.
"Mommy, I'm always good," she flips her hair back in a sassy way which causes Meredith and Susan to laugh.
"Alright, well go get a shower and get dressed," Susan says and Molly bolts up the stairs. After a few minutes, Thatcher walks through the door, coming in and kissing Susan.
"Hey honey," Thatcher greets as he goes over, pouring him the last bit of coffee.
"Hi dear, can you sit down for a moment," Susan gives him a look, he sits down next to her.
"Meredith, we have to talk to you about some things," Susan clears her throat, signaling Thatcher to speak up.
"What do you need to talk about?" Meredith asked worried.
"Well, we didn't really talk about these because we didn't know which applies to you and which shouldn't," Thatcher begins. Meredith still confused.
"Ok, Lexie has certain boundaries and we understand that Ellis may have had certain rules and ours may be different but we still ask you follow them," Susan added. Meredith stared and nodded, she didn't know what to think. Her mother never really set rules for her but she did have things she was suppose to do and not do.
"Well for starters, we have a set curfew which is 10pm during the week and 11:30pm on the weekends," Thatcher said, watching Meredith's reaction.
"That's completely reasonable, anything else?" She tries nod along with these.
"Well no drugs, alcohol, or any type of tobacco," Susan says and Meredith just nods. Meredith use to drink when she would go out with her friends, hell she's gotten use to the taste of tequila.
"What about the car? I am almost 18 in three months and I have my drivers licensee, am I allowed to drive the car?" She asks, hoping they would say yes.
"Well we have talked about it and..." Susan looks over at Thatcher.
"We've decided we want to buy you a car, not a new one but a decent car but with that comes responsibility. We will not give you gas money, therefore you should find a job so you can afford gas," Thatcher continues, Meredith still in shock.
"I'm sorry but I can't let you buy me a car," Meredith interrupts.
"Meredith, this is our gift to you, showing you how much we trust you. Now this car, if you break any of the rules then you will have the car taken away," Susan states.
"I still can't let you do that, I'm basically a stranger and I just can't," Meredith refuses.
"Meredith, you aren't a stranger. You are my child and just see it this way, when you have this car, you can drive up to Boston anytime you want to see your sister," Thatcher says, making Meredith upset.
'How in the hell is he my father? He's never even been there for me!' She thinks to herself.
"Alright that's ok, any other rules?" Meredith asked, taking the last sip of her coffee.
"Well this in't really a rule, we just really want you to try and get comfortable, we know you are going to be going off to college soon but we want you to feel like you are apart of this family, so we will discipline you as if you had grew up here your whole life," Susan adds. Meredith resist the urge to say anything or be rude.
'They have no right! They were not once a part of my upbringing so why in the hell should they be able to discipline me over something I had done all my life!' Meredith thought to herself, although not saying anything aloud.
"Alright, if you don't need anything else, I have got to get ready," She offers them a slight smile, standing up and taking her cup to the sink and hurrying upstairs. She gets into her bathroom, closing both doors. She removes her hair from the bun, it is now a hot mess. She plugs up her curling iron, returning to her room. She grabs her phone, it's only 7:00am in Seattle, but her mother is probably awake and she dials the number. She needs to speak with her mother. After four rings, the phone answers and a voice comes across.
Ellis; Hello?
Mer: Mom! I've been trying to call you for a week.
Meredith says, her voice cracks as she misses her mother terribly.
Ellis: I'm sorry Meredith, I just gave you time to cope with what the letter said, assuming you read it.
Mer: Of course I read it! Mom why didn't you tell me? I could have been there to help you
Ellis: Meredith, there is nothing you could have done to help me. This brain tumor is growing at a rapid pace and Richard has decided that it's best to move tomorrow instead of waiting another week.
Mer: Richard didn't decide nothing, I know you. You are pushing him away and you refuse to let anyone help you!
Ellis: That is because no one can help me.
Mer: So that's it? You are just giving up?
Meredith feels tears rushing down her cheeks. The line is silent for a moment before Meredith says something.
Mer: I want to come visit you, say a real goodbye.
Ellis: No Meredith! I sent you to your father's because I didn't want you to see me like this.
Mer; I don't care! I want to hug you one last time. You never game me that as a child and I think you owe me that.
Ellis: Alright, but you are not coming here. I will come visit you in a few weeks. I am extremely busy at the moment.
Mer: Why can't I come there?
Ellis: Because, you just can't. I have to go now, I will speak to you later. Goodbye.
Before Meredith had the chance to say anything, Ellis had hung up the phone. Meredith wiped her tears, returning to the bathroom. She curled her hair, allowing it to fall around her shoulders. She put a light powder on her face and lip gloss. She went to her room, grabbing her phone and purse before going back downstairs. Molly was at the foyer, putting her shoes on as Meredith came down.
"You almost ready?" She asked Molly. The little girl looked up and nodded happily.
"We will be back before dinner time," Meredith said to Susan before her and Molly walked out the door. Molly held on to Meredith's hand tightly as they walked across the street. The park was filled with kids from the neighborhood. Most of them were around Molly's age, some were about 10.
Most of the day had been spent at the park, except when Meredith took Molly down the street to the ice cream shop and each of them got an ice cream cone, Meredith got strawberry and Molly got chocolate. They went back home after they saw Thatcher pull up to the house and Lexie got out.
"Did you girls have fun?" Susan asks as we went back into the kitchen.
"Yes, we had a blast," I answered and Molly nodded along.
"I like having a new big sister," Molly smiled up at Meredith, hugging her waist.
"Well I like having new little sister's too," Mereidth smiled down at her, ruffling her hair.
"That's sweet, dinner is almost ready if you two want to wash up," Susan smiled, Molly hurried into the bathroom to wash her hands, Meredith just washed hers in the sink at the kitchen.
"What are we having for dinner?" Lexie asked, coming into the kitchen with sweatpants and a t-shirt on, her hair in a pony tail.
"Grilled Chicken, Oven-Baked Potatos, and broccoli," Susan said, pouring the steamed broccoli out of the water. Meredith looked suprised, she has eaten more home-cooked meals this week than she had all year.
"Something wrong Meredith?" Susan asked, pulling plates from the cabinet.
"No ma'am, just not use to eating this much homemade food," Meredith smiled, remember having to order pizza most nights because either Richard was working or her mother forgot to order in anything.
"Oh well you better get use to it, we barely eat out," Susan winked, motioning for everyone to grab a plate. They all quickly grabbed their food, Susan fixing Molly a plate. They all sat in the same place at the dinner table. Everyone talked about their day in between bites.
"By the way guys, this Saturday we are going to have a barbecue with The Shepherd's, Carolyn invited me earlier when we were talking," Susan spoke up.
"Me and Amelia were suppose to have movie night Saturday," Lexie pouted.
"You can still have movie night, just after the barbecue," Susan said, Lexie rolled her eyes.
"Um, I have a question," Meredith said, trying to not be rude.
"What is it?" Susan said, her brows furrowed.
"Well, I am basically a stranger to these people, why would they just let me into their home?"
Susan laughed, "Oh Meredith, I told Carolyn about you coming a few weeks ago, she's so excited to meet you."
"Oh..." Meredith said, feeling embarrassed. They finished dinner and went their seperate ways. After a few hours, she had already talked to her sister and something her mom said earlier was really bothering her. She dialed the number and waited for her to answer.
Ellis: Hello?
Mer: Hey Mom.
Ellis: Meredith, I told you I would call you.
Mer: I'm sorry mom. I just wanted to talk to you.
Ellis: Well can you make it quick, I'm busy.
Meredith rolled her eyes at this, she knew her mother would be busy.
Mer: I just, I remember you saying earlier that you said that you called Thatcher to take me, He didn't call and ask for me to come stay?
Ellis: Of course not. He was the only person who I knew to turn to because well I assumed it would be better for you to be far away.
Mer: So he didn't want me?
She was hurt by this.
'Why the hell would he accept for me living here if he didn't love me enough to make an effort to see me my entire life!' She said to herself.
Ellis: I have no idea. Could you talk to your father about this. I'm extremely busy. I will call you later.
Then the phone line went dead. Meredith was furious. She needed to get out, to get away from here. Why was she living with someone who didnt even want her?
She got up, not even caring if anyone was awake. She made her way downstairs, trying to be quiet just incase someone was awake, opening the door and walking out. She looked around the dead streets, no one was driving and the only light was of the street light. She didn't know where she wanted to go so she just went to the park. She saw a place in the grass, she walked over and sat down, looking up at the sky. The stars looked gorgous, even if you couldn't hardly see them because of the light from the city.
"May I ask why you are out this late at night?" A male voice came from behind Meredith, causing her to jump.
"Why does it concer..." She stopped as she turned around, their eyes met and she could tell those were the same eyes she saw the first day she got here. His mouth turned into a grin as he saw her emerald orbs staring back at him.
"Holy shit, it's you," she finally said, her smile got wider as she heard him laugh slightly at his remark.
"Now why would much a beautiful young woman use such vulgar language," he smirked, causing her cheeks to turn red.
"Because, I can. Now why does this bother you?" She smiled, not understanding why this man made her feel this way.
"Oh it doesn't, I find it charming," he smirked, "May I sit?" he asked and she nodded. He sat down on the ground next to her, watching her closely as she looked up at the sky.
"How is that?" Her brows furrowed as she looked down and studied his face.
"Well, it shows that you don't care what other's think of you, you are strong, I can tell," His eyes never left hers as they spoke. She felt her stomach do flips and hang on to every word, waiting for the next.
"You don't even know me," she rolled her eyes at his amused look.
"And you don't know me, but you should get to know me," he hard this charming smile.
'Why me? What is so special about me?' she thought to herself, quickly shaking the thought.
"Oh? Why is that?" she squints her eyes.
"Because, I'm someone you get to know to love," he pulled his dreamy smile out, making my stomach do flips.
"So if I know you, I'll love you," She raised her eyebrow.
"Oh yes," he smirked, she giggled at his self confidence. He seemed so assured that he could win her over, and he was right.
"So, What is your story?" He asked, gazing up at the stars.
"I don't know what you are talking about," She looked at his neck, his eyes fasinated by the sky.
"Why are you in the middle of the park at midnight?" he asked, returning his gaze to hers.
"I could ask you the same thing," she shot back at him, trying to hid just how much she was falling for him.
"Well, I came here because I felt like I needed some fresh air. I haven't been out here this late since high school, I'm a junior in college," he replied, she gulped.
"I came out here because I had to get away from everything and this seemed like a good spot. I'm a senior," she lied. She didn't want to loose him right yet.
"Ah," he nodded. They sat in silence, looking up at the stars. She wanted him, she told herself she was going to change but it didn't matter. She would probably never see this guy again and she needed what always made her feel better. Sex. She turned her head to look at him, his eyes met hers. They stared into each others eyes, his gaze moving between her eyes and her mouth as he got closer to her face.
"Fuck it," she whispered, putting her hands on his face and pushing her lips to his. She felt sparks fly from them as their lips met. She ignored it as she moved on to his lap, intensifying the kiss.
He found his hands traveling up her shirt, running his hands over her spine. He felt her body shiver under his touch as his tongue ventured into her mouth. Her hips grind against his as he moved his hands around to cup the fabric covering her breast. He laided her back, moving himself between her legs and continuing to kiss her. He realized what he was doing, pulling away from her. Her face was shocked when this happened.
'I can't," he whispered.
"Oh my god, you have a girlfriend, don't you?" Her eyes terrified, she couldn't have sex with a guy who is nearly 3 years older than her especially if he had a girlfriend. She quickly moved out from under him.
"God No, It's just that I don't even know your name and I couldn't just have sex with a girl whom I just met. I'm not that kind of man," he says, grabbing her arm which shoots electic shocks though her whole body and she froze.
"Meredith," she muttered her name. She wanted him so badly, she would do anything for his mouth against hers.
"Meredith?" he questioned, her named rolling off his tongue made her want him even worse.
"That's my name," she spoke up. watching his eyes.
"I'm Derek," he replies, still breathing heavily.
"So now we know each other's names, are we going to have sex?" She asks bluntly.
"How about this, if I ever see you again I'll ask you on a date then we see where we go from there," he says, watching as her eyes get disappointed.
"Ok, I guess see you again maybe," she says quietly before hurrying off through the park. She finally reaches the house, out of breath as she comes in the door. She makes her way upstairs, everyone is sleeping as she slips through the hallways. She throws her self down on the bed.
"I wish he would have said yes," she mumbles into her pillow. She slowly falls asleep, thinking about Derek.
Authors Note: How different do you think things will be now she knows that her father didn't ask for her to come and stay? Now I have also given you a little insight on how Meredith dealt with her problems in Seattle, will she stick to her old ways or will Derek have something to do with that?
I am really thankful for each and every one of you guys who have followed/favorite this story! Things may get worse before they get better and everyone is still having trouble adjusting to the new lifestyle.