Meghan Ross: Con Artist in Training

Pilot (Part 1)

Arrangements had been made permitting her to stay overnight at the nursing home with their grandmother on occasion. Meghan's older brother did a lot, but not everything, to keep her away from his habits. Such efforts were for not on the nights she stayed with him and his best friend since he now had custody of her. For the past five years, she was his responsibility.

The age difference was notably abnormal as it wasn't the average two to three years between siblings. There was almost twelve years between them. Because of that age difference, Mike Ross was the closest thing she had to a father that Dad slipped out sometimes.

With the knowledge that her brother was illegally taking tests for people all day, and probably getting high after, Meghan left her school on her bike an hour into her classes and headed for the home as she did every day. Like her brother, she also had the eidetic memory. It just took her a little longer to recall anything.

"Meghan? You're early?" her grandmother commented.

"Uhhh... I may have gotten suspended..."

"What happened?"

Meghan sighed before telling her grandmother of the week's previous strikes against her, all leading up to the eventual result of being banished from school grounds for the next two weeks. "I swear, it wasn't my fault this time, Grammy. The principal agreed, but I was one strike from suspension, and participated in the fight, so he gave it to me anyway..."

"Does Michael know?" Edith asked.

"Not yet. He doesn't check his messages that often. Unless one of us tells him, I might be back at school by the time he hears about it."

Meghan pulled a textbook from her backpack. She decided to work on a few of her many past-due and incomplete assignments before her brother read about those in his emails as well.

Edith let out a heavy sigh. Due to the respect her grandchildren had for her, she could dole out Meghan's punishment and Meghan's brothers wouldn't have batted an eye at their grandmother doing Mike's job for him. To Edith, her choice was fair. She grounded Meghan for the duration of the teen's suspension. Though the promise that it would be extended if she let someone else tell her brother loomed over her head.

"I'll have to wait until tomorrow. He's got work and then plans with Trevor later. Could I stay here tonight? I can't go to Neal's, and Mike doesn't trust me to be alone."

"Can you blame him? You don't exactly have the best track record."

Meghan let a moment of silence pass before expressing something she only ever thought and never said aloud.

"I wish I knew them. I know Mike and Neal never felt like orphans, but I can't say the same," Meghan said. Her head was down as if ashamed for having such a thought after fifteen years.

She spent the rest of the day completing as many assignments as she could before a nurse came through for the midnight rounds to turn the light off. Meghan packed her books away, got ready for bed, then made herself as comfortable as she could on the tile floor.

Before she could close her eyes for the night, she checked her cell phone to see several messages and missed calls from her brother. Her already souring mood grew.

· Why do I have an email from every one of your teachers asking me where your assignments are and why they're five weeks late?

· Suspended?! An hour into the day? Did you pull the fire alarm again?!

· I swear, if Grammy hasn't already grounded you for at least two weeks, I'll do it myself.

· You can't be drawing attention to yourself! What if the Marshalls heard about it?