"Mom? What are we doing here?" She asked as she got out of the car.
"We're taking a boat ride and having dinner, Meredith." Ellis answered as Richard helped her down from the car.
"We rented the whole boat." Carol said with excitement evident in her voice.
"The whole boat?" Derek echoed.
"Enough questions." Ellis said before making her way down the hair with her arm looped through her husbands.
Jane looped her arm with her husbands as Larry allowed his wife to loop through one of his arms and Nina through the other. With at the seven adults headed down the pier.
Meredith fell back on her heel with a sigh. Grabbing her purse, she pushed the car door shut mumbling something about stupid boat rides with stupid people before walking down the pier. Mark, Preston, and Derek looked at each other before sighing and heading don the pier after her.
They stepped on the boat as she looked around. It was a pretty large boat with a huge indoor and outdoor restaurant.
"Ah, yes, our private party has arrived." A man with a heavy French accent said with a large smile. "Follow me, follow me." He said ushering the party into the indoor area. She looked around. A large crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the classy decorated room. Round tables were scattered around with deep red tablecloths covering them and a floral centerpiece with a flickering candle in the middle. The room was lit dimly and soft music played. "Please, have a seat."
Richard, Ellis, and Nina took a table. Carol, Larry, Steven, and Jane took another. Mark, Derek, and Preston quickly sat at another. Letting out a sigh, Meredith made her way to her parents table.
"Mer, you should sit with the boys. You'll have more to talk about." Nina smiled.
"I doubt that." Meredith mumbled.
"Meredith, go sit with them." Ellis said more sternly than Nina.
Meredith gave her a deadly glare before slowly walked towards their table. Falling back into the seat, she crossed her arms and glared at the guys. They glared back equally fierce as she had given them. The waiter came back with wine for the adults and sparkling cider for the teenagers. Silence fell between the four teenagers. Meredith kept her eyes away from meeting theirs. After a few seconds Derek and Preston went off to the bathroom leaving Meredith and Mark alone at the table. Meredith stared over at the parents as they smiled and laughed.
They were so happy. Ellis had changed so much since they married from what she remembered from when she and Thatcher were married. She watched as Richard stood up, extended a hand, and smiled at her. Ellis gave him a soft smile before taking his hand standing up as well. They walked out to the middle of the dance floor and started dancing to the light music. Larry and Carol and Jane and Steven soon followed. They all looked happy swaying from side to side.
She stood up at walked over to the table that Nina was sitting at. She looked lost in a blank stare.
Nina had grown up dancing. That had always been Charles and her retreat from the world. It was hard to see her look so sad.
"Hey." Meredith smiled.
"Hey." Nina gave her a soft smile. "Isn't this place beautiful?"
"It is."
"It suites you, Mer. You're such a beautiful young woman. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be dancing." She stood up abruptly. Meredith watched her curiously before following her back to her own table. "Mark, would you please dance with Meredith?"
Mark looked up nearly choking on his drink. "What?"
"I want to see you dance both dancing. Now, go."
"I'm not much of a dancer, Nina." Meredith tried to explain.
Mark chuckled. She knew that he was laughing about the dancing she was doing in the kitchen a few mornings before. Giving him a brief glare, she rolled her eyes.
"Please, Meredith. I never seen you dance, and you've always been a daughter to me."
Meredith looked at her and slowly nodded letting out a sigh. Nina smiled happily as Meredith stood up.
"I did not agree to this." Mark protested.
"You'll do it, Marcus." Carol said sternly coming up behind her son.
Mark looked at his mother and glared at her. "Fine." He growled as he hastily rose.
A new song was starting as Meredith walked into the middle on the dance floor which had cleared away of the adults who were now watching them.
Mark stared at her as she stood in front of him. Hesitantly, she held out her hand. He rolled his eyes as he wrapped on arm around her back and took her hand in the other.
"You could at least to pretend to be a little pleased… I mean at least make it look convincing." She said in a low voice.
"Harder said than done." He said harshly in the same volume.
"Back to being a jackass I see."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Well, just a couple days ago you were asking for my friendship."
"Like you said, your friend doesn't like me and my friends don't like you."
Meredith glanced over his shoulder at the adults watching them and gave them a small smile. "Hmm, I really thought one of you three had actually grown up since the last time I saw you."
"I could say the same about you…" He looked down at her with a hard glare. "But obviously you're the same spoiled brat."
"You know, you can hardly say that about me."
"Why is that?"
"Because you don't know me."
Derek and Burke's arrival back in the room caught his eye. He rolled his eyes at them. "And you know me?"
"It isn't hard to figure you out."
"Is that right?"
"Oh please, Sloan. I've known you since I was born…"
"Sadly, I know that."
"You're the same person you were when you were eight years old." The song ended and she stepped away from him. "I'm a different person." She smiled at the seven adults that clapped before making her way back to the tables. "I'm going to go get some air." She whispered to her mother and father before making her way outside.