The Hidden Life

The Hidden Life Chapter three

Chapter 3 Nice RingAll week it was nice, I aced three tests and four pop quizzes. I even had a test in Health, What was Views thinking? (last time I checked, health class hasn't changed since sixth grade.) For two nights in a row, Klaus barked at the moon wanting to hang out with it, instead of using the backyard for a bathroom. Poor Jesse hasn't gotten any sleep at all because of Klaus and his love of the moon. (He should have named Klaus Fester from the Addams family.) I told him I'll take him out every now and then so he can sleep. By Friday, Dad found me asleep on the table with Klaus next to me asleep as well. He woke Klaus up and then me. I was late for school that day. It happens sometimes. I told the school that Maddie tried to lock herself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out until her hair was perfect. They bought it, so it goes to show how smart my school is. (Considering that they gave my brother a diploma.) When I get home I hang out in the kitchen eating chip crumbs cause Jesse ate most of them in his sleep. (We should just buy stock in chips. Might make money.) Mom and dad have a dinner date tonight so we kids have to fend for ourselves tonight. I'm planning to order a pizza from Rossi Family-Style Eats. I might even get Maddie a salad or something. While eating, I get a text from Angel. "Hey Mere' you want to hang out Saturday at the mall or something? I'll meet you there at noon. Text me to say yes or no." I roll my eyes at Angel's text. She has had a thing for my brother since daycare. I text her back saying sure I'll pick up J.G and we can hang out for a while. Daddy's little girl comes into the kitchen in a pink dress and pearls. It looks like she might go to a club of rich snobs or something. "Have you seen dad, devil child? I need to ask him something." I stuff a thing of chips in my mouth. "Have you tried his study Stepford sister?" I said with my mouth full. Just then, dad walked in wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and socks. He almost looks human this way. (So unlike Dad the baker.) Like he isn't the man who used to yell at me for doing things that aren't 'the Rosemen way.'"You want something Maddie honey? Can you not call your sister a devil child? It's mean to the devil.'' I smirk at dad's comment. "I was wondering if I can have a sleepover tonight here with Carrie Anne Webber and Stella Wills?" My dad grabbed the cookies that were hidden under the sink. (Dang it, I forgot to look there for junk food, then again I'm surprised dad knew about them.) He threw one in his mouth. "Ask Meredith, I'm not going to be home tonight, your mom and I have a date tonight. And we are planning to have some alone time afterwards so I don't want to hear anything from you kids." Maddie gives a shocked look at our father. Like she didn't know that our parents did that. I guess she thought that we just appeared or something. Or at least I did, I look nothing like my mom or dad. "Fine, just no trying to test your makeup on me or the dog. (I don't feel like picking up colorful dog crap from the backyard if Klaus eats her lipstick.) I'll order food around 6:30 for everyone. Salads for the three of you?" Maddie smiled. "Yes, thanks, Meredith. They'll be over here around five." I jump down from the stool I'm sitting on. "So what are the three of you going to talk about? What boy you should go to prom with? Or who has the best way to get rid of the stash you have?" Maddie ran off to her room with Klaus following her. "Get this dog away from me!!" Around five the doorbell rang, I saw through the peephole that it was my sister's colons with two bags in between them. I open the door to greet them. "Hello, Maddie look-alikes. My sister is in the bathroom taking a crap." My sister was on the top of the stairs looking very angry with me. "You know that I don't do that Meredith." I roll my eyes at her. "News flash, everyone does Maddie.'' The three of them went to Maddie's room. I shut the door of the house and head to my room with my soda. Klaus followed me up the stairs and was at the door of my room. "Hey Klausy, you want to visit Maddie and her friends?" I open the door of her room and Klaus ran in and pissed on them. "Get your furry little ass out of here Klaus!!" She shooed him out of her room. I did some homework and talked on the phone for a while. I called Rossi's Family-Style Eats to order dinner for me and the divas. Jesse was hanging out with J.G tonight. They have been fast friends for some odd reason but I'm happy that Jesse has friends other than the family and Jack. I go over to my sister's room. I knocked on the door and they told me to come in. I walk into the room. "Dinner will be here in 30 minutes. Don't worry, I told them no dressing on the salads for you guys." I was headed for the door when Maddie stood up. "Hold on sis we need your help with something. Don't worry, it's not make-up or anything like that. It's Starla." I close the door and walk back into the room. "What about Scrubbs?" Stella came closer to me. "She wants me to play a prank on someone before Tuesday or I can kiss being a cheerleader goodbye. She is just doing this cause I'm best friends with Maddie." That is lame of Scrubbs because she thinks she can take out what happened two years ago on my sister. (But then again it is Scrubbs so she does this kind of crap all the time. Which is dumb and kind of stupid trying to get to me by hurting Maddie's friend.) It's been two years since Jack and I met in detention hall. Football players usually don't get detention but some teachers don't hold them above the rest of us. I'm happy that they don't. It's not fair to the rest of us. "Here is what you do Wills, on Monday when Scrubbs isn't around you go to a nerd any of them will do. Face it, if a girl even talks to them they can't talk back really. They get a boner even if you look their way. You tell them you'll pay them ten bucks to play a prank on them. That way they don't get hurt and you can stay on the cheerleading team." Just then Stella hugs me. "Thank you, thank you, and thank you. You are an evil mastermind. How do you know how to deal with Starla?" Stella let go of me and sat in a chair. I folded my arms across my chest. "Easy, Scrubbs is a bitch." My sister came over and put her arm around me. "And if anyone knows bitches it's my sister Meredith."{And here I thought we were having a good sister moment. Oh well.} That night went well and so did the rest of the weekend. (In spite of needing headphones when I went to bed that night. Don't ask.) On Monday Stella did what I told her to do. But she made one mistake: she fell for the nerd she was playing a prank on. His name is David Overwood. He only gets A+'s on his report card. But without the glasses he is cute. He has green eyes and longish brown hair. He is no Jack but I know he is a good guy. We had to do something for bio once and he was a gentleman the whole time.On Wednesday, Jack found me coming out of the detention hall. "Hey, why were you on our first date without me?'' Jack asked me, wrapping one arm around me. "Sorry hon' I had a date with Blaste. I got caught with my smokes on school grounds at lunch. It was a block away and Blaste was there with his smokes but I get in trouble.'' Jack gives me a little smirk."I knew you had a thing for Blaste why else would you stare at him during class other than he is a teacher?" I look at him with a weird look. "Fine, you got me I'm hot for Blaste's 260-pound body. Oh, Blaste, I need you, I want you." Jack and I laughed our butts off. My phone went off saying I had a text from J.G. "Hey where are you? I got the movie for tonight. I'm on my way with Angel. See you in ten."I got on my tiptoes and kissed Jack. "You are coming to my place for movie night?" I asked, putting my arms around his neck. "Sure Mere' J.G always picks good movies. Unlike you when you had us watching an old black and white movie from the 1960s." (It was a classic movie. Psycho) We got to the house and see J.G sitting on the steps with Angel trying to peek through the window. My brother must be in there watching tv. J.G has a big bag of sour cream and cheddar cheese chips and a two-liter of some random soda in one hand and in the other a movie we must have watched a thousand of times. (I'll be surprised that the DVD player doesn't reject the movie and jump out the window.) "Oh shit damn dog!!!! I really hate that little monster!!" Angel yelled. Klaus must have jumped in the window and barked at her. "That is what you get for looking at a dingbat. Klaus taught you a lesson on not to peep on someone." Jack said laughing. We went into the house and kicked Matt Jr out of the living room, but Angel said he could join us if he wishes. He said no nicely to her then went outside to wash his car. Matt Jr knows that Angel has a thing for him. Her brother Robby read her diary and told my brother all about it. I'm just happy that he is being nice about it. Most guys would tease her or something. (Truth be told, I'm surprised that my brother is nice about it. He used to tease me a lot until I kicked him.)I sat next to Jack and next to him was Angel then J.G. We asked Jesse if he wanted to join. Angel was giving Klaus an evil look. He just stood there smiling at her. Jesse took Klaus to the park for a while. We were in the middle of the movie when Jack got up to go to the bathroom. He didn't come back until the movie was done. "Did you get lost in the crapper or something Jack?" J.G asked. Jack shakes his head no. "I got lost in talking to Meredith's dad and mom. Sorry dude." Jack didn't say much after that.When Angel and J.G went home the two of us went to my room. We kissed for a while. Or at least that is what I did. Jack didn't do much kissing. It was like he wasn't into it. I stopped to run my hands through his hair. "Don't you want to kiss me Jack?" He sighed then took me off his lap and put me down on my bed. "I do Mere' I just have a lot on my mind. You know I would jump at the chance to be alone with you but I can't right now. I gotta go, I told my old man I'll fix his piece crap of a van yet again." Jack said standing up then bending down to kiss the top of my head. I sat there shocked for a minute or two. "Love you babe," I yelled to the door. He didn't say it back, he must have been out the door or something.All night long I couldn't sleep at all. Whatever was bugging Jack got me worried about him. The next day I went to his job to make sure he was okay but he wasn't there. I didn't see him until study hall in third hour. Jack didn't say anything to me or even see me until I walked up to him. "Hey you." I said, getting on my tiptoes to kiss him. But he turned his head and I got a mouth full of ear. I sat down and started doing my homework for the morning classes. I was on the second math problem when I thought about something. I grabbed a piece of paper and started writing a note."Hey Jack, is something wrong? I was just wondering is all. More like worried about you. You seemed freaked out after you talked to my dad and mom yesterday. I thought about calling you but after how you left I wasn't sure you wanted to talk to me. We can hang out after school if you want. I have to be home early because the 'rents has called a family meeting. Yawn. I got to run before Mr. Lamberg catches me writing this. Love, Meredith." I got up and walked over to Jack and dropped the note on his notebook then headed to the bathroom. I was in there for five minutes. I walked back into study hall and was handed the note back. I sat down in my seat to read Jack's note."Hi baby I have no work today but I'm still working on dad's van. It's a piece of crap. L.O.L The news your parents want to tell you guys is that all of you plus myself are going to dinner tomorrow night at a fancy place. I'll be there in a coat and tie. I'll even shave my face. I'll talk to you later Mr.L is giving me the evil eye.Love, JackPs. I really am fine so don't worry." We passed notes and texts back and forth all day long. It was like we were trying to get to know one another all over again.When dad came home from the bank he got a drink then headed to his office until dinner. We had pancakes and toast for dinner. It is one of mom's favorites. It means less work for her in the kitchen. Plus when dad tries to help he can't screw it up too bad.(But he did burn the toast to nothing.) He told everyone that we are going to a fancy French place tomorrow night. Klaus was jumping from one chair to the next trying to get any table food he can get. I drop some toast on the floor for him. The rest of the night plus the next day seemed like a blur to me up until we went to dinner.It's the first Friday of October and the family plus Jack is going to dinner. It's some fancy place where mom and dad go to get away from us kids for a while. You get all lovey-dovey and all that stuff. It's some French place where everyone talks like they are French or something but they are from Brooklyn or down the street. Man, I hate that I have to dress up for dinner, which means a skirt and heels. I'd rather have jeans and a black shirt on but whatever. If dad wants to spend a lot of cash on us, fine. I get ready within an hour of leaving. Which means washing my hair and curling it and digging through my closet to find the nicest thing I have. It's in the back of my closet. I even put makeup on. I rarely do that. I don't even wear makeup when I go out on a date with Jack. Only because I know it's useless. It gets all messed up at the end of the night.I start to head down the stairs when I see Jesse's door wide open. Klaus was clawing at the bathroom door trying to get in. "Jesse you alive in there Klaus is trying to knock the door down!'' Klaus started barking at the door trying to get his owner to talk. Jesse came out with a magazine in hand trying to hide it behind his back. "I was just doing something okay." Jesse said putting the magazine down on the table. "Oh gross Jesse were you...? And with my magazine? I get them half off thanks to Jack and you ruined it by doing that!!'' Just then Jesse got all red as his tie. (Which is red as red crimson blood.) It's the first time I've seen a guy blush. It's kind of fun to make them blush. Jack didn't even blush when I told him he has beautiful green eyes. "Why don't you use the net like every other horny teenage boy on the planet?" Jesse sat on his bed and patted Klaus's head. "Because Uncle Matt has it blocked and I don't know the code to use the net." I looked at him. "Try the word Cornbread it was his dog's name, and if that isn't it then ask my brother. He would know. I'm sure he cracked the code a long time ago.'' Jesse laughed nervously at the fact that my brother is just like him. "Trust me, he has, I even caught him looking at it when he was 13. I went into his room to tell him that dinner was done. I haven't gone in his room since.'' Jesse laughed yet again. "Thanks for the tip Mere'." We headed downstairs to get ready to leave. "Next time you need a fix try my dad's sock drawer he might have some car magazines with girls on the cover, not my magazine." Jesse went and put Klaus in his cage so he won't tear up the house while we are gone.I walk in the living room and see everyone ready to leave. Jack is talking to my brother about work. Dad looked around and asked: "Is everyone ready?" We all nodded and headed for the door. Everyone was piling in the van to go to the fancy French place. It was time for Jack and myself to get in the van. Dad threw the keys to his car to me. (Which fell to the floor. On the count I can't catch anything but a cold.) "Why don't you guys take my car for the night? Just be careful with it honey, it's like new." Jack and I got in my dad's car and followed dad in the van. Twenty minutes later we were waiting to be seated. I see that the people have a table already with the name Rosemen on the table. The host is away for a minute from her post. She came up to the post and looked at the book. "Next Please." She said trying to sound French. It's Starla Scrubbs. (Should have known she would work somewhere like this. Fake just like her hair and smile.) Dad walks up and tells her he has a table of five for the name Rosemen. I look at Jack wondering why we aren't going to be seated with the rest of the family. Five minutes later Jack goes up to Scrubbs so we can get seated."Table for two please under the name McKinney." She looks up and sees Jack there. "Oh hi Jack, are you on a date with a new girl or are you just waiting for me to get off work so we can have dinner together?" Starla starts flirting with Jack rubbing his arm up and down. "Have you been working out?" Right then I get up and walk over to Jack. I try to be sexy when I walk without tripping over my two left feet. "Is our table ready yet honeybee?" I try to sound sweet and innocent. I put my hand in his and rested my head on his shoulder. Starla looked at me with an evil glare. She showed us our table and threw us our menus. Then she stormed off. "Nice to see you too Scrubbs." I yelled after her. Jack chuckled and gently pulled my chair out for me.We had our dinner and drunk cokes out of wine glasses. Nice right?, I had to slip the guy a five to put the cokes in the glasses. (ok, it was a ten-dollar bill.) An hour later, we were done with our dinners and ready for a cake or New York cheesecakes "I think it's time for something sweet huh Mere?" I nod my head drinking my second coke. Jack got up and went to found something sweet for us to share. He was back in two minutes with chocolate cake with cherries on top of it. I hope you like it hon." I look down and see a ring on a cherry. "How much is this cake Jack? I just found a ring on it.'' The ring was simple but also perfect with a small diamond in it. I read the inside of the ring. It read: my sweet loving Meredith Anne Rosemen. He took the ring and got down on one knee. "Will you Meredith Anne Rosemen marry me Jackson Anthony McKinney?'' I nodded, afraid to use my voice, thinking it might break if I even tried to. He put the ring on me. We kissed and did the "I love you" thing. You know what I'm talking about. You've seen it all before. After that everything went so fast. Like a movie on fast forward. Before I knew it I was in my room in my p.js looking at the ring on my left hand. "Is it odd that I don't feel a thing but freaked out right now?'' I asked Klaus who was lying on my bed. He looked at me with a sideways look that looks cute on dogs and boys. I think about the question I asked him for a minute. "What should I do? I love Jack and all, but I'm only 18 and I have plans for the future and this is going to cause more problems when I go off to college next year. What should I do Klaus?'' I guess I frightened the dog 'cause he ran off to Jesse. "Fine but you're not going to get anymore table scraps from me anymore!'' I looked at the clock and saw it was after 12:30 am. I shut off my light and took off my ring and put it on the table. I go to sleep not wanting to think about the future anymore. I get up around ten a.m not wanting to open my eyes. I'm hoping that last night was just a dream. The fancy fake French place, Scrubbs being hostess hitting on Jack right in front of me. The wine glasses full of coke. Then came the chocolate cake with cherries on it. After that it is a blur. I don't remember anything from then until I got home.(I'm hoping that I got drunk and everything was the cause of a hangover.) I open my eyes and see a beautiful ring on my table next to my cell phone. I close my eyes once again thinking if I open them again the ring will be gone and it would be just another Saturday like last weekend. But when I open them again the ring is there still looking at me reminding me that soon I'm going to have to do one of two things. One will be to follow through and plan a wedding that will make my sister jealous and have a bunch of little McKinney babies with Jack. Two is telling Jack I change my mind and call it all off which will mean breaking his heart. I do love Jack I really do. Well I did when I was 18. Life at that age is nothing but perfect or as perfect as you can get for having the family I do anyway.I get out of bed and head for the bathroom, on my way out the door I turn on my computer. I get to the bathroom and the door is wide open with my brother in there peeing. I slam the door shut. You would think from living in a house where the girls outnumber boys most of his life would make him want to shut the door. The first time I caught him in there with the door open like that I put it on the net. Plus he forgot to put the seat down after. I go to Jesse's room to use his bathroom. I knock on the door to make sure I'm not walking in on something gross like last night. "Come in." Jesse says behind the door. "You don't have my magazine still, do you?" The door opens with Klaus trying to get out of the room. I walked in the room and looked around. It seems to me that Jesse has been keeping this room as clean as you can get."How is it going, soon-to-be Mrs. McKinney?'' I put my hands over my face not wanting to face that someday I'll be Jack's wife. "Is that why Jack was freaking out the past few days?" I'm standing there trying to figure out how not to freak out. "I'm happy Jesse, and as for why Jack was freaking out I don't know." Jesse came closer to me then backed away. "If you are so happy then why does it look like you might puke everywhere?" I sat down on the bed again then fell back on to it. "I love Jack but I don't know why I feel like that. It might be because we are eighteen years old. People don't get married at eighteen they only do when they have to or because they are from the old country. Last time I checked I'm neither of them. What if this is a ploy just to get laid? What was Jack thinking last night?" I feel like everything is coming out in clumps instead of speech. If I'm not careful I can say the wrong thing. Jesse shook his head at me. "One, some eighteen year olds get married for the fact that they love one another they did on Boy Meets World. 2. If this is a ploy to get laid why would Jack ask for your parents blessing for it or spend that kind of cash on it? And 3, Jack really does love you and wants to spend the rest of his life with you Meredith." Jesse was right about all of it. Even comparing Jack and me to Cory and Topanga he is right. I know that two real people are like two fake ones that ABC thought of."Can I use your bathroom now please?" I do what I need to do then head for the door. "Hum thanks and if you want to go to the mall with me later be ready by eleven-thirty. I'm sure Maddie would love to dog sit or sit on the dog." Klaus must have heard me cause he buried himself in Jesse's covers trying to hide from my sister. Jesse and I laughed. You can always count on Klaus for a good laugh when you need one. He is just so damn cute. "Don't worry Klausy, I'm sure dad or mom will take care of you instead of that mean Maddie." He poked his head out from the covers with a sad look on his face. Jesse and I went to the mall for the day.We hung out with Angel and J.G until dinner. All day long my mind played what if. There were too many of them going on in my head to remember them all. I remember a few of them. One was what would happen if Jack and I did get married young? Or what if we can't make it as a married couple? To be truthful those were the only ones that mattered to me.Angel kept talking about how we should look for wedding dresses now and maid of honor dresses as well before Jack gets cold feet on me. It wasn't Jack I was worried about for the moment. "You can wear white right Meredith?" I was lost for a second. "Yeah sure whatever." I was walking the wrong way. I was walking toward the bookstore of the mall. "Meredith, hello? we are going this way, do you guys remember?'' Angel yelled at me. I turn around trying to keep track of what is going on but I feel so lost. Just then I got a text from Jack."Hey I can't wait to see you soon. Maybe tonight we can think of a good place to get married and when? Love you." I can't breathe when I read his text."Not tonight honey, I just need to chill out tonight, besides I have church tomorrow. Love you 2." We go home around five and have dinner with the family. I tried to keep up with the dinner conversation and didn't even use a smart ass comment on what Maddie said about being the maid of honor at my soon-to-be wedding. It seems that my family is planning my life with Jack for me without my say.(I'm sure that they are planning how many kids I'm going to pop out too.) I don't even know if I'm going to go through it or not. Later that night the last thing that was on my mind was how am I to break someone's heart that way.I get a text from Jack telling me good night and I love you.I don't send anything back, afraid I might send how I really feel. You know what they say: it is best not to say anything when you don't have anything to say. That could save me a lot of time out of the detention hall. Or spending time with Lamberg in her office. Or dealing with school cop officer Franklin. I call him Frankie and he gets all pissy and says that is Officer Richard Franklin not Frankie. He should know that he is one step up from a dog park cop telling people to pick up their dog's shit. And if he doesn't know that, I'm more than happy to tell him. I kept my ring off for a few days to see if it felt different. But I still had to have it on me somehow. I found an old chain for a necklace and put the ring on it. (The chain was from an old cross necklace from my Sunday school teacher.) I go to school hoping no one notices that I don't have the ring on. (But we know my hope of anything is worth crap with my life.) I get to Jack's job in the morning to get a coffee and smokes. I grab the largest cup they have for coffee and head over to the machine. I start pressing buttons when I feel arms around my waist. I put my left hand on the arms around me. "Mmm this is nice. What made you do this?" I ask the man attached to the arms. "The fact that you said that you would be my amazing wife someday." Jack looks at my hand flips my hand over and the other. "What are you looking for?""The ring Meredith. Where is it?" Jack keeps looking at my hands thinking that the ring went poof. I pull the chain from my neck out to show Jack the ring. "See, it is safe and sound here." I tell him reassuring him that the ring isn't in my junk box in my room. (Yes I have a junk box like everyone else in the U.S. For my mother it's her car plus every drawer in our house.) "Why don't you have it on your finger?" Jack asked kind of wounded. I look at his green eyes trying not to hurt him. "My fingers are kind of swollen today. I will wear it tomorrow, ok?" I tell him, testing it out to see if he will buy it. "Okay babe just making sure that you didn't give to Klaus to play with or something." I roll my eyes at him like ok I would really give the dog my ring. I didn't even give it to Maddie when she wanted to see if she could tell the price on it. We got to Brickfield early and saw Scrubbs by her car. "I'm just happy that I don't have Jack anymore because I saw the ring he gave the tramp and it is small. I don't go for anything under six carots. And that wasn't even a carot. I'm sure that it is fake. But it does go with her,fake girl fake ring." Scrubbs is saying to her cheerleading squad. They nodded their head. Saying: "I always knew Jack was cheap. Look how he dresses. And that hair, who does he think he is?" Jack and I go to our lockers trying not to double back and yell at Scrubbs. It is odd for someone who flirted with him not long before he asked me to marry him. (And I'm fake ok?) "Don't you hate when she does that? Flirts with you and bags on you that Monday?" I ask Jack. He opens his locker to throw his jacket in. "It does make me mad that she does bag on me, but oh well. She is just mad that I'm not with her anymore. That I found someone better." With that, he kisses my forehead and heads to math class. I watch him as he walks off enjoying the view. (I'm allowed to look at his butt, I'm going to marry the man some day maybe.)