Chapter Text
7th September 1994, 12.30am, Grey Residence
Meredith blinked, rubbed her eyes and then blinked again. But, no matter how many times she repeated this ritual, the facts were clear as day on her wrist- her soulmate was a girl. She'd never liked a girl, not that there was anything wrong with it, but she already had a boyfriend. Albeit, a very stupid jock of one, but a boyfriend nonetheless.
She ran her fingers over the neat black cursive on the inside of her wrist and bit her lip. Cristina Yang. She didn't know anyone with that name. Maybe she went to a different school? Maybe she liked girls too. Whoever she was, she might be very disappointed to find that her soulmate didn't like girls. Yet, Meredith was glad to find that her soulmate wasn't Allen, or anyone that she knew. Not that it would be problematic, just that they were very boring people to spend all your life with. And they all interdated, which was disgusting, but what can you do? It's a small group.
Broken out of her trance, Meredith looked at the clock and groaned. 1am? On a school night? She was so fucked, especially with the AP Calculus test that she hadn't studied for because Allen had wanted to play hooky. The things she did for that boy. She pulled herself out of bed and sat at her desk, pulling out her calc textbook, a calculator and tying back her fading pink hair.
Time for a long night.
7th September 1994, 8.40am, O'dea High School
She was late. Again. Because her mom had worked late, again, and didn't come home to take Meredith to school, forgetting she existed as usual. Sometimes she could hitch a ride with her neighbour's daughter, who was a senior, but she'd had an early careers class to get to. Meaning, Mer had had to take the school bus that was always late, running on no hours of sleep and an insanely sweet double espresso.
As she walked into school, the receptionist, Ms. Slough took it upon herself to remind her that she would have to come in after school to discuss a detention AND that they’d have to speak to her mom.
Psh. Like Ellis would ever take time off work to discuss her lateness when she couldn’t even be bothered to take her to school in the morning.
Whatever. She nodded at Ms. Slough before hightailing it to her class.
7th September 1994, 12.47pm, O’ Dea High School
“There’s my girl! Meredith, get over here, doll!”
Ugh, it was Allen. She plastered a bright smile onto her face and made her way over to where he was standing with a few of the cheerleaders and the entirety of the football team, even the dunces he swore he hated.
“Allen! Christopher, Kristie, Cheryl-Lee, Matt, Kirsty, Emmett, James,” she greeted each person in attendance and kissed Allen on the cheek, letting him wrap a muscular arm around her shoulders and draw her into his side.
They all chorused their greetings and she felt the atmosphere shift around them, before Cheryl-Lee leaned forward flashing her gums at her.
“So, Mer,” and she tensed, knowing something bad would follow like it usually did when someone other than Bones called her that, “Allen was just telling us about your aversion to school dances, and so the girls and I were thinking that we could get you ready for this week’s coming dance!”
She’d not even started to make excuses and pull away before Allen pulled her back to him, his grip on her shoulder almost bruising.
“Come on, doll, the girls just want to include you in their little games. Maybe even sort out this hair of yours, right, ladies?” He tugged particularly hard on her hair and she winced.
“Sure, why not, girls? You’ll take care of me, I hope?” Inwardly, she rolled her eyes, wishing she’d not been picked out by Allen Gray of all the girls in this school. Dating him was a piece of work.
Cheryl-Lee shrieked and practically elbowed Allen out of the way, crushing her in a true cheerleader hug, apparently overcome with joy, “You’ll see, Mer, it’ll be so much fun!”
“I don’t doubt that for a second, Cheryl. I’ve got Calc, see you all later.” She tried to stick on a smile to hide the dry sarcasm and leave, but Allen dragged her back, fingers pushing heavily into her skin again.
“Gimme a kiss, babe.”
She was hoping he’d forget.
Another one of his stupid rules. She leaned in and kissed him, shutting her eyes against his wet tongue pushing through her lips, the loud cooing the girls were doing and the jokes of the boys. It seemed like an eternity passed before he pulled away, grinning triumphantly, and when he turned, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
You’d think dating what was considered the hottest guy in school would make her any more inclined to kisses, but she just didn’t see the appeal in it. Plus Allen was just gross to begin with.
Meredith hated that she even had to, but she looked to him for approval and he nodded, which meant that she could go and find Bones, who would at least make her laugh for the last 30 minutes of lunch hour.
“Don’t forget I’m driving you home, Meredith!” He called after her, and she groaned under her breath, already feeling sick to the stomach at the noises the boys were making behind her.
7th September 1994, 1.02pm, O’Dea High School
“Mer! Where have you been? You missed Tracy Marcinko taking a face plant right in front of John S. It was crazy, her food landed all over him and it started a fight between him and John T, which is crazy because Tracy did it and- Mer?” Sadie took one look at Meredith, sighed and pulled her down to sit on the bench, opening a bottle of pressed apple juice and handing it to her.
“You’ve really gotta break up with him, Death, he’s practically abusive. And a total Douche, capital D.”
There was no point in saying things she already knew BUT Bones liked to act as though she knew all, and Mer wasn’t going to tell her to stop anytime soon. It filled the silence, no matter how annoying it was.
She sipped at her apple juice, closed it and looked up at the sun. “Last few days of sunlight this weekend, Bones, and I’m spending them with Cheryl-Lee instead of in my bed with a tub of Chunky Monkey.”
Bones gaped and Meredith nearly straightened up with the thought that Sadie might actually be concerned for her. “You’re spending the weekend with Cheryl-Lee? You HAVE to invite me along. Maybe then they’d consider me good enough for the group and the cheer team and you wouldn’t have to lie to come talk to me! Plus it would be so great to know what being popular feels like. I might actually die. Please ask her, Mer! “
Oh.
It was another Thing. Meredith mentioned going out with someone from the so-called popular group and Sadie was on it, often coming up with some bullshit excuse to justify why Mer should ‘absolutely, pretty please with a carrot on top’ invite her to come with, neglecting why Meredith even had to go in the first place.
For all her airs and graces about it, Sadie really wanted to be popular, and that was a fine thing to want to be, but not at the expense of your best friend and her feelings. However, she couldn’t just shake Sadie and find new friends because she’d been there since forever (i.e. her parents' divorce) and because she was the only one on Allen’s approved list of friends.
So Meredith sucked it up, shook off the thoughts and her frustration, and smiled broadly. “I’ll ask, Bones, but you know how Cheryl is. Fickle and confused.” Cheryl was neither of those things, she just hated Sadie specifically out of all the nameless faces at O’Dea and Mer had never bothered asking why. She wouldn’t start now.
7th September 1994, 4.48pm, O’Dea High School
“Babe, you’re here! You’re lucky Slough told me you had detention or there would’ve been a misunderstanding. And we don’t want one of those again, do we?” Allen steered her to his car as he spoke, teeth clenched and head bent down low.
“No. It won’t happen again, Al. Was late this morning, my mom was on the early shift.” She prayed to God that he wouldn’t make a scene in the parking lot or in the car and would just move on.
Seemed like God was listening because he huffed and opened the car door for her, nudging her in. “Next time you need a ride, just call me, Meredith. That is why you have a phone, is it not? Or do I need to start checking for numbers?”
Not that again. She waited until he got in the car and leaned over, kissing him softly. Hopefully that would placate him until he dropped her off at home and she could cry about her horrible relationship in the comfort of her room with some Alanis Morissette playing over her headphones.
Thankfully, today, Allen didn’t want to play hooky, which was a blessing in disguise, but also meant that he was planning something else. They drove home with some horrible band playing in the background and she waited, holding her breath.
7th September 1994, 5.18pm, Grey Residence
Shit.
Her mother was home since her car was in the driveway, meaning there was an incoming lecture about being better in school (which she was) and actually helping around the house (which she did), concluding with a sentence along the lines of ‘And, for God’s sake, Meredith Elizabeth, get that pink mess off your head now!’
She hastily got out of the car, once again praying Allen wouldn’t make a scene and would just let her get inside the house.
“Meredith. Kiss.”
Was he serious? A repeat of lunch occurred, Meredith desperately trying to block out the feeling of his tongue against hers until she heard an airy, “Meredith!”
Ellis.
Her mother was currently standing outside, watching her make out with her boyfriend in her dark blue scrubs.
She could practically picture her now, glaring, arms crossed, ready to tear into her for disgracing her reputation. But when she whipped around, Ellis was smiling, hands on her hips.
“Won’t you invite your gentleman friend in? It’s not nice to kiss a guy and not let him in, sweetheart.”
This was exactly what she was trying to avoid. Her two biggest problems, interacting with each other like friends.
“Sure, Ms. Grey, I’d love to come in.” Allen unfolded his 6’0 body out of his car, shutting the door, smiling.
As he passed her, he whispered out of the side of his mouth, “Relax, doll. It’ll all go smoothly, I’m a hit with the ladies, especially older ones,” followed by a treacherous wink, “You’re still my girl though.”
It seemed like everything was going well until Ellis put her foot where it always seemed to be recently- in her mouth.
“Honestly, Meredith, darling, I had no clue we were so alike! I used to have all the boys trailing after me in high school. Even had three boyfriends at one point!” She laughed- well- she made a high-pitched noise that could only ever be described as a titter.
“Seems like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! You're a straight charmer, that's my girl. Remember Derek? Gosh, you two were so cute!”
Not for the first time today, Meredith winced as she felt Allen’s gaze bore through her head, almost searing.
Shit. Derek was her older best friend's boyfriend and he had winked at Meredith once when he'd covered for her so she could sneak out. Allen was going to take this the wrong way and make a mountain out of an anthill.
Why couldn't Ellis ever keep her mouth shut?
“I’ll go get more drinks, shall I?” She needed to get out, immediately. Any longer and Allen would’ve just jumped across the table to strangle her.
“No need, babe. I’m going home. I’ve got early morning practice tomorrow. Thanks for having me, Ms. Grey.” He stood and stalked towards the hall, and she begged he wouldn’t ask for a kiss again.
“Goodbye, Allen, it was wonderful having you!”
Never again.
The door shut, and Mer let out a breath she’d been holding in for far too long. She headed for the stairs, assuming Ellis was getting ready for another shift, but paused when she heard a sigh.
“Next time you want to act like a hooker, Meredith Elizabeth, do it somewhere away from the house. I have a reputation to uphold, and you kissing every Tom, Dick and Harry right on our lawn will not preserve it.”
There it was. She should’ve known better.
“Do better, Meredith. You’re disappointing me, as always. And, for the love of God, get that pink trash out of your hair, or I will shave it!”
She thought better of opening her mouth to speak and instead nodded, taking two steps at a time to her room.