A/N: Who's ready for some MaDi, some LoVe, a party, and some drama? If its you, then you need to keep on reading!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 23
Mac knew she could be a little paranoid sometimes, but people really were staring, and she knew it. It didn't bother her too much, after all it was to be expected. Besides all through High School she'd had to deal with the pointing and giggling of 09er girls, most of them referring to her as the nerd girl or Ghostworld or something similar, mocking her choice of clothes, her beloved hobbies, or the bright coloured streaks in her hair. This was somewhat different. You kind of hoped when you hit college everyone was a little more mature and open-minded, but unfortunately that wasn't always the case. Mac had hoped for too much, it seemed, as she was whispered about behind hands that couldn't possibly cover mouths so big!
"Hey" Veronica smiled as she stepped out of the lecture hall to find her friend waiting for her, "Ooh, not a happy expression" she noted from the look on Mac's face as they began walking to lunch together.
"Apparently being knocked up gets you more staring and pointing than even walking through the halls naked might" she said with a fake cheerfulness that made Veronica wince.
"Naked you say?" the blonde echoed, hoping for a joke, "I'm sure Dick would be willing to test that theory for you" she considered, "Actually, didn't he do that already?"
Mac did crack a smile at that. As much as she loved her boyfriend and was pleased he had grown up a lot these past weeks, not least in the last month since they'd properly gotten together, she was highly aware that he was still somewhat crazy and even dumb at times. That wasn't going to change completely and neither should it. Dick was what he was, and to change him too much would be wrong. Mac loved him just the way he was, even if that was difficult for some people to grasp, including Veronica.
Of course, some might say that Veronica's own taste in men was somewhat lacking, given that she was now back to dating Logan Echolls after what might seem like a few too many ups and downs to any given bystander. In truth, it was indeed their last chance at this relationship, and so far, after one month, it wasn't going so badly.
"Hey, babe!" Dick called as the girls walked into the cafeteria, waving his arm like a crazy windmill, as if they wouldn't've spotted him anyway, "How's my best girl?" he asked as they walked over to the table where he and Logan sat waiting.
"Really, Dick" Veronica mock scolded the blond, "You shouldn't say stuff like that to me in front of these two" she rolled her eyes.
"Not happenin', Ronnie" he told her as he pulled Mac into his lap before she could protest, "You totally missed your chance with this hunk of burning love"
"And I've lost my appetite completely" Veronica teased, before turning her attention to her own man and greeting him with a kiss, "Hey, you"
"Hey, yourself" he smiled back at her as they shared a moment.
It was as the two couples were getting friendly that Wallace put in an appearance and almost wished he hadn't bothered.
"Seriously, guys!" he rolled his eyes as he approached the table and dumped his bag down on the fifth chair, "Y'all gotta be getting familiar where people have to eat? Bad for the digestion" he teased them.
"Like you wouldn't be just the same if your snuggle-bunny Leticia was here?" Mac teased right back as she slid off Dick's lap and onto an actual chair beside him.
Here with all her friends and her boyfriend too, she really didn't care so much about the attention she got for being pregnant. Honestly, she almost forgot she was from time to time, when they all got chatting about other things, from school work to movies to whatever else.
Of course there were still important things to think about, and not all specifically to do with the baby. Today was a different kind of big day as Mac and Dick finished moving into their apartment tonight. It wasn't a fancy place, but it wasn't exactly a shoebox either. Mac had insisted on paying her way, though she accepted a little help from her family. She was not going to let Dick pay for everything simply because he was rich and could do it. This place would be her home as much as it was his and their childs. Okay, so he did put a little more cash in than she had, and made her a gift of various things when it came to furniture and appliances. She had to accept it, she didn't have much choice, and she was doing so gracefully, she thought.
"You gonna need any help with the party tonight?" asked Logan then, munching on his fries and offering Veronica a share too.
"Dude, I don't think we have enough beer" Dick replied, proving that no matter how much of a grown up he was becoming, he was still Dick deep down.
"It's going to be a small party" Mac reminded him with a look, "We don't need a whole lot of beer, and I really don't want anyone getting so wasted they throw up on our new carpets"
"Babe, that's totally what the ugly ass vases are for" he rolled his eyes as if his point should have been obvious to her long before he explained.
Veronica was laughing along at the 'lover's tiff' for a while as it continued only to have the smile was wiped off her face almost instantly when Piz came into view. They'd seen each other twice since they got back to school. He was still sharing a dorm room with Wallace so it was bound to happen, but it wasn't any the less awkward now than it had been the first time. In fact, this occasion might be worse since she was sat with Logan, the man who was a not small part of the reason for Veronica and Piz's own relationship being doomed from Day One.
"Hey, Piz" said Wallace with a wave that invited him over, "You okay, man?" he asked, as his friend wandered over but continued to scan the food court the entire time.
"Yeah, I was... looking for someone" he explained absently before his eyes shifted to actually look at Wallace, and then to the rest of the people at the table.
It was evident he would not have come over if he'd been paying more attention to who was there. Awkward didn't even begin to cover it and it showed on everyone's face, except maybe for Dick's face, because he honestly didn't seem to understand why it mattered. In is head, Logan and Veronica were a couple, and no matter how good a guy Piz was, he was just in the way of what was meant to be. The dude had no right to be pissed or anything.
"Ooh, that pie looks good" Mac said suddenly as she got up, "Hey, Veronica, wanna come get some pie?" she asked her, none too subtly.
It didn't matter a bit to her friend who was only too happy to run away on this occasion. Yes, it was cowardly and wrong, but right now she just needed the easy option, and she was going to take it when it was offered to her. That left four very awkward guys all looking at each other not knowing what to say as the girls hurried away to buy dessert they didn't really need or even particularly want.
"So, Piznarski" said Dick in the silence, making Logan and Wallace react as much as Piz himself, "You up for a party tonight? Me and Mac are totally having a house warming thing at our new apartment, if you wanna swing by, grab a beer?" he offered.
Logan watched his friend and his girlfriends ex as they looked at each other. This was a bizarre turn of events, and he honestly couldn't figure out why it was happening or what would happen next. Dick could be attempting to be friendly, or maybe he was lining Piz up for a nasty trick, it was hard to tell which. He fully expected the guy to say no to the invitation anyway and so got quite the surprise when Piz took the paper Dick was holding out to him with the address on it and nodded his head.
"Sure, thanks" he agreed, "I'll try and come by"
Logan was staring wide-eyed at Dick as Piz walked away, and Wallace's expression wasn't exactly dissimilar.
"What the hell just happened here?" he asked Dick, "Hey, if you pullin' some crap on my room-mate..."
"Relax, I was trying to be nice is all" the blond assured him, "We got single chicks coming to the party, maybe he can get hooked up" he explained with a shrug, "Get some fresh meat under him, to help him get over Veronica?"
As crass as his way of saying it was, complete with obscene hand gestures, neither Logan or Wallace could really find a way to argue. They were only glad that Veronica and Mac were still over by the counter fetching their dessert and hadn't heard any of what was said. The line wasn't so long, they probably would have made it back to the table already, if Weevil hadn't shown up and taken their attention.
"Well, you know I ain't no fan of the rich white boys in this town" he told them, casting a not so pleasant look at the table where Logan and Dick were sat with Wallace still, "but you girls look happy and that's good enough for me" he told his friends who were grateful for the sentiment.
"I'll admit this isn't exactly how I expected things to turn out" Mac told him, "but it's not so bad" she added, before breaking into a yawn and immediately apologising for it.
"Are you sure you're up to a party tonight?" asked Veronica worriedly, "Because if you wanna cancel..."
"No, I'm fine" her friend assured her, "I might have to fit in a nap between my last lecture and then, but I'm fine" she promised, "Speaking of the party, you should come, Weevil"
He looked a little bemused by the offer, not that he expected Mac to be anything but polite and kind, but since she was about to move in with an 09er and all, well, old habits died hard. He had a tendency to think that no matter what, he'd be cut out of the social circle these two friends moved in before long.
"I don't know, chica" he shook his head, "Your guy prob'ly don't want no Mexican crashin' his 'gnarly kegger'" he joked, complete with fake surfer dude accent.
"It's not just Dick's party, Weevil" Veronica reminded him, "It's Mac's too, and anybody she wants to invite is welcome, including you"
"Well then how is a guy supposed to refuse two beautiful women when they're being so charming and persuasive?" he smiled, accepting the piece of paper Mac wanted to hand him with her new address on it, before he thanked her and walked away.
Mac was surprised to find herself at a party where she was actually enjoying herself. It hadn't happened in years, if ever. She had some vague recollections of children's Birthday parties that were kind of fun when she was still in the early part of grade school, but later in High School, she was much happier at home with her computer than being hugely social. She had friends, and some of them were here tonight, though they looked shockingly pale and oddly dressed next to the sun-kissed beautiful people that Dick called friends. It was perhaps the oddest collection of people ever to be in a room together, and yet they all seemed to be getting along pretty well. Mac had a glass of soda in her hand and the smile on her face remained. This was a happy place, and if living in her own apartment with Dick and her baby was going to feel like this, then she was very glad they made this choice.
Of course, for every up there is a down, and just when things are looking rosy is usually the very moment when they go wrong. This Mac remembered with shocking clarity when the next guest arrived, a friend of Dick and Logan who had brought along his new girlfriend apparently. Nobody had expected her and nobody was pleased to see her either, such was usually the way when it came to Madison Sinclair.
"Hey, ladies" said Weevil as he appeared between Mac and Veronica who was also headed over, his eyes on the same track as theirs right now, "I don't exactly condone violence against women but, er, you want me to toss out the garbage? I ain't exactly gonna argue" he told them.
He knew V had a big problem with Madison, not least because she slept with Logan that one time. Plus he knew the blonde prissy bitch was Dick's ex and her presence probably wasn't going to sit well with Mac. The fact Madison had looked down her nose at him all through High School and got him in trouble with the Principal for no good reason didn't exactly help his opinion of the Queen Bee either.
"It's fine, I'm fine" said Mac, sounding anything but as she put down her glass on the side table and looked around for Dick, "I can handle this, I totally can" she told both Weevil and Veronica with the fakest smile they'd ever seen on her face.
"Is this a bigger deal than I think it is?" the former biker asked his friend the moment Mac was gone.
"Oh yeah" the blonde nodded but clearly wasn't willing to explain as she spotted Dick herself and hurried over, "Hey, Mac is looking for you" she told him, gesturing in the direction her friend had gone, "Um, did you know your buddy was bringing your ex to this charming soiree?" she checked, hoping even Dick Casablancas wasn't so very dumb as to let such a thing happen on purpose.
"What? No way!" he exploded sufficiently to assure Veronica she was right to hope as she had, "Dude, that is not cool"
On that note, he stormed away, presumably to throw either his friend, Madison, or both out of the door head-first. That at least had Veronica respecting him within a second. Of course, she might've liked Dick better if he hadn't invited her ex to the party on purpose. Seeing Piz awkwardly hit on another girl across the room felt strange, but Veronica had to admit it was nice to think of him moving on, it eased her guilt some if nothing else.
Shifting her eyes back to Madison, she saw Dick arrive at his ex's side and trusted him to do the right thing where she was concerned. On this one occasion, she was right to do so, it seemed.
"Hey, Madison" Dick greeted his ex coolly, "What're you even doing here? I didn't invite you" he pointed out, though she barely flinched.
"Carl didn't tell you?" she asked with faux-sweetness as she glanced up from the table full of snacks she wasn't eating to wave to her boyfriend, "We've been going out a while now"
"Didn't ask, don't care" Dick emphasised as he stepped into her line of sight and made sure she paid attention, "Get. Out." he said firmly.
There was no way he wanted her here, not after the way she treated him, and then what she did to Ronnie and Logan. It was clear to him now more than ever that Madison Sinclair was poison of the worst kind. Mac had mentioned on occasion that she had always been cruel to her in High School and that wasn't helping his opinion of his ex either, even though he was just as guilty in that sense at least.
"What's the matter, Dick?" Madison fluttered her eyelashes at him, "Afraid that having your ex-girlfriend in your new love nest will complicate things?" she giggled, "Come on, you can't really love that..."
"You say one bad thing about Mac, Mad, and I swear to God..." he started to threaten her, but she still only laughed at him.
"Would I say something bad about her?" she asked with a hand over her heart, acting the picture of innocent which no-one was buying, "Of course not. Although, people do talk Dick, about the poor girl moving in on the rich guy" she told him, moving in close, "I mean, are you even sure that baby is really yours?"
Dick was so mad, he was actually coming close to one thing he swore never to do - hit a girl. It was Mac that saved him the trouble of breaking one of the few personal rules he vowed to always keep.
"Y'know, Madison, just because some people lie at any given opportunity, doesn't mean we all do" she told her, causing the blonde to spin around fast.
She was surprised, but recovered quickly, as all around the rest of the party goers fell into silence, eager to see and hear what happened next.
"Well, I wouldn't blame you if you did" Madison smiled almost evilly, "Dick can be pretty good in the sack when he puts his mind to it, and y'know the money has to be useful to someone like you" she sneered.
Veronica went for her purse then and Logan was sure she was in a mind to take the bitch down with Mr Sparky's help. For the sake of not having his girlfriend arrested for assault, he pulled her back and told her she shouldn't.
"I'm not ashamed of having less money than you, Madison" said Mac coolly, "Some of us don't have rich families to buy us everything we don't deserve"
Wallace smiled at that, proud of his friend for standing up to a bitch that took delight in making all their lives difficult in High School. Of course, he didn't know how close to the nerve all this was for poor Mac.
"It's true, my Daddy does love me a lot, and he is very successful" Madison grinned, "I'm sorry, what does your father do?"
"You should know" Mac snapped, surprising every one but Veronica who knew just exactly what was likely to come out soon.
Madison was as oblivious as anyone, but then that was nothing new.
"I'm sorry, does he work for my father?" she asked in earnest, "So many people do that I..."
"Get out, Madison!" yelled Mac then, practically apoplectic as her last nerve failed and she majorly lost it, "Just get out of my home! You're not welcome here and you never will be!" she told her, just shy of screaming at her.
"Ooh" Madison had the good sense to back up but didn't look in the least be scared or sorry, "I'm guessing she's a little hormonal" she said sideways to Dick, a truly stupid move since he was quite ready to knock her teeth down her throat already, and would have done ten minutes ago if she were a guy.
"C'mon, man" Logan urged his friend to come away, leaving Veronica free to dive into the fray before Mac could speak again.
"Time to go, Madison" she said with a fake smile as she grabbed her by the arm and started pulling.
"Yeah, let me help you to your car, Miss" added Weevil as he helped steer her none to gently to the door and out.
Some watched Madison being escorted out, others were staring at Mac waiting for her to move. She just stood there visibly shaking, no tears or words coming anymore, just a blank expression and the never ending shivers of frustration and anger bubbling just under the surface.
"Mac?" Wallace approached her carefully, but no sooner had he reached out to her than she was gone, storming off to the bedroom and slamming the door behind her.
Dick slipped away from Logan immediately and followed her, leaving all the party guests to their own devices. Right now, nobody else mattered.
When he walked into the room, Mac was sat on the end of the bed, her face in her hands, sobbing like a child.
"Are you okay?" asked Dick carefully, sitting down beside her.
"I'm fine" she snapped, getting up the moment he was next to her and turning away.
Dick recoiled from the outburst, not understanding why she was quite so upset and apparently taking it out on him now.
"Hey, I know Mad can be a bitch" he told her, "but it's not..."
"I said I'm fine, Dick!" she yelled at him, barely glancing over her shoulder, and immediately feeling bad about her behaviour, "It's just... I'm tired" she sighed, knowing there was no way she was in a fit state to explain herself properly right now, "Could you please ask everyone to leave now?" she asked in a much more reasonable tone then as she turned to face him.
Dick wanted to ask what was really going on here. As dumb as he could be, he was sure this wasn't as simple as Madison being a bitch. Mac was way too upset, but then pregnant lady hormones did cause fierce reactions, that's what the Doc said that time. All he knew for sure was that Mac was hurting and he wanted to help. If clearing out the party would do that, then he was all for it.
"Sure" he nodded once, considering offering a hug or something before he left but deciding against it when Mac turned away to the window again.
Sometimes people just wanted to be alone, he knew that, so he'd let her have her time. He left then to ask everyone to go, and to assure Veronica that her BFF would be just fine. Not that she was fine and she wasn't ever going to be where Madison was concerned. One day she really ought to tell Dick why, but now didn't feel like the right time, and so the secret would be kept a little longer.
To Be Continued...