When We Meet Again

“It’s exactly like that girlfriend. You know it, I know it…Dean probably knows it. He did you a favor ignoring you today. That way your castles in the air can’t get any higher. Knock ‘em down sis. Knock. Them. Down.”

Meaghan smiled ruefully, “Yes Uncle Bain.”

Bain reached out and patted her hand then passed her a copy of the Trials of Hercules, “Here, try to conquer these trials first before you take Dean on.”

Meaghan appreciated what Bain was trying to do but it wasn’t really helping.

*****

She was waiting for transportation at the bus stop when a familiar blue Lamborghini Aventador slid to a stop in front of her. She stared at it and then at its driver. He lifted his eyebrows at her in inquiry.

“You need a lift?” he asked.

She stared at him, totally confused and perplexed; weren’t they ignoring each other now?

“Er, I don’t think we’re going in the same direction,” she said.

“Oh I think we are. See my car requires a second coat of paint and I believe you work in the garage where I’m going?” he said.

Meaghan hesitated and then shrugged internally. What the hell, it wasn’t like he wasn’t right. If he was headed to Mr. Henley’s they were going to the same place.

She stepped forward and opened the door and as soon as she was in the car he peeled off like he was O.J and the police were after him.

“Whoa slow down. Where’s the fire?” she asked.

“What?” he replied as if he had no clue what she was talking about. His leg pressed down harder on the accelerator and Meaghan decided to just shut up and pray that they arrived alive. She thought about asking him why he’d ignored her in class and now he was giving her a lift but she couldn’t think how to phrase it without sounding like a lovesick puppy. So instead she fished out a book and opened it; trying her level best to concentrate on the words.

“What is it you’re reading today?” he asked much to her surprise.

“Lord of the Rings,” she replied and waited to see what he would make of that. Dean opened his mouth and recited:

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.”

“Whoa; it’s one thing to have read the book but you have the poem memorized?” Meaghan squeaked in shock.

“What, you think you’re the only one allowed to be a geek?” Dean challenged. Meaghan opened her mouth and then found she had exactly nothing to say.

“I…just meant…” she began and then ran out of words.

“You just meant that I’m a jock who drives a Lamborghini therefore I can’t possibly care about Aragorn son of Arathorn can I?”

Meaghan just stared at him. She literally had no words.

*****

Meaghan was kind of in a daze the next day as she walked slowly to her locker. She needed to find Bain so he could knock some sense into her head again. She couldn’t hide it from herself anymore. She was building castles in the air; many turreted tall castles with moats and knights in shining armor. It was embarrassing and she knew it but she couldn’t seem to stop.

“I am sapio-sexually attracted to Dean Wesson,” she told herself sotto voce. She ran the words through her mind again, tasting them like they were so much honey; filled with sweetness and so much goodness. “I am also screwed,” she finished the thought just as she reached her locker.

As she put in the combination to open it, she felt a shadow, no various shadows standing behind her. She paused and then turned her head to find herself staring into Samantha Crawford’s angry eyes. She was flanked by three other girls all looking at Meaghan like she was the scum of the earth.

“A little birdie told me that they saw you get into my boyfriend’s car yesterday,” she whispered menacingly.

Meaghan opened her mouth to protest but all that came out was a dry click.

“Let me do you a favor you skanky little gold digger and just let you know that even if you let him in your pants and he takes you up on that offer out of some twisted curiosity…that’s all you’ll ever have of him. Don’t go filling your head with fairy tales. Dean Wesson is mine and he’s going to stay mine.”

Meaghan wanted to ask her why, if she was so sure of this, she felt it necessary to come and stake her claim on her so called property. But then again, maybe Samantha really was doing her a favor. Maybe she needed to hear this; to really know it was true. Somehow though she didn’t quite believe it. She watched Samantha and her posse walk away, occasionally glancing back at her to let her know that she was the bubblegum on the heel of their Jimmy Choos they were going to scrape off with no hesitation whatsoever. Meaghan went the other direction kind of turned around so that she wasn’t sure for a moment where her first class was. It happened to be Biological Science and she walked in late to see that Dean and his posse were already in class huddled together at the back as usual, talking and laughing with each other while the rest of the class cast envious glances at them; wanting to be one of the cool kids.

Meaghan sat down but couldn’t resist turning around to look at Dean. Of course he didn’t so much as look at her and she turned back to her books.

Mr. Harrison walked in already talking a mile a minute asking for the assignment given to them the previous day. Meaghan hastily extracted hers from her file folder and handed it to the teacher.

“Very good Meaghan. I knew I could count on you,” he said with an approving nod.

Someone at the back coughed although it sounded something like “kiss ass”. There was laughter from the general vicinity of Dean’s seat and Meaghan didn’t dare turn around to look. Mr. Harrison glared at the room in general but didn’t say anything. Meaghan put her head down and tried to concentrate on her work although her heart was beating painfully in her chest. It was like dealing with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Dean.