TMI (2014 Collector's Dream Winner)

TMI - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: 

Bailey bounced down the porch steps and hurried down the street to Meg's house just in time to see the fireworks.

"Megan! Megan, wait!" Chase was — well, chasing Meg from her house down the street. She ignored him and kept stalking. Uh oh. Bailey had seen that walk before —a lot. She called it the Meg March. It rattled the dishes in Gran's cabinets. It could mean only one thing.

Meg was seriously pissed.

Bailey shrugged. It didn't take much to piss Meg off and whatever it was, she was sure she would quickly get over it because for Meg, anger was a lot like a sugar high – it peaked fast, burned off, and then she'd crash. If she needed to talk, she'd text, but right now, she'd focus on her work because Meg always gave things a hundred percent. Bailey, however, was between jobs. For her, jobs were like boys. She couldn't seem to hold on to either for very long.

With a mental kick, Bailey snapped herself out of her pity party and slowed up her steps when Chase grabbed Meg's elbow and spun her around. Wow. That was so romantic and Meg didn't have a clue. She waited — neither of them had noticed her yet and she wouldn't have said a word, not one peep, if she hadn't seen Meg's face.

Meg was on the edge of a complete blurt.

Oh God! What should she do? Meg hated the Blurt—she called it verbal diarrhea —with the same level of intensity she usually saved for a bad grade. But this was Chase, the boy next door with the fairy tale eyes who adored her and needed just one opportunity to show how her much. She could duck between cars, or maybe dive behind those shrubs, or — damn it! She could see Meg take a deep breath. Blurt was imminent so Bailey did what friendship demanded.

"Meg! Chase! Hey, guys!" she shouted and hoped nobody noticed how shrill her voice was.

They spun around; she heard Chase curse but saw the relief that flashed across Meg's face and then she was gone, practically running down the street. You're welcome, Bailey thought.

Bailey turned to Chase with an over-bright smile. She'd really wanted to see him, not Meg. Her smile faded when she got a good look at his face. "Hey. You okay?"

Chase worried green eyes rolled skyward and he shook his head once. "Not even close."

"What did she do now?" Bailey asked, already aching on his behalf. He was a good guy and Meg needed to start appreciating that instead of pushing him away.

Chase raked both hands through his hair. "Bailey. What the hell did her dad do to her?"

Bailey's eyes popped. Meg didn't talk about her dad, not with anybody and that included her.

Bailey twisted a curl and considered Chase for a moment. She decided it was best to stick to the obvious. "Um. He died."

Chase spun around, muttered something she didn't catch, and then spun back. "Yeah. I got that part. Why the hell is she mad enough to stab pictures of him?"

Her mouth fell open. Stabbing pictures? There were no pictures of Meg's dad in her house that she had ever seen so she didn't know anything about why Meg would be stabbing them.

Chase made a choking sound and bent over to grab his knees. Bailey stepped closer, patted him on the back because it was the only thing she could think to do. Then again, she didn't really know why he was so upset.

"Oh, God. Oh, my God, Bailey. Did he — did he — you know — hurt Meg?"

Of course he'd hurt Meg. She was only six or seven years old when he died and Meg missed him. Bailey looked closer at the sick expression on Chase's face and her eyes popped in understanding. "Oh! You mean — no. Eww. No." She shook her head. "No. It was nothing like that. She's just mad at him for dying, you know?"