TMI-Deleted Scenes

TMI Deleted Scene - Chase Cannot Miss Practice

This is the first of many deleted scenes from TMI told from Chase Gallagher's point of view. In this scene, which originally was placed after the big public break up in the cafeteria, we see how much Chase adores Megan -- enough to endure more rejection. Tell me what you think! 

Chase strode down the hall and opened his locker, pumped about his not-a-date date with Megan. Shit. He froze with his Physics text halfway out of his locker. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he keep doing this - keep pushing his way into her plans with Bailey? He leaned his head on the metal frame and shut his eyes. He was a masochist. Yeah, yeah. Some kind of sick twisted mental patient who got off on repeated rejection. “Yeah, baby! Hurt me again!” He knew Megan didn’t want him to come; he could see it in her eyes.

Her eyes.

He straightened up, ran a hand through the brown hair always in his face. Her eyes got to him. They were just ordinary brown eyes, like the ones a hundred other girls had. But they called to him like the siren’s song in that lame epic poem his English Lit class had to read back in freshman year. There was something in them that was sad and haunted. Until they caught sight of him. And then, they brightened with the mega-smile she never gave anyone else — not even Bailey. And that was why he kept asking — just to know he’d made her happy even for a second or —

His phone buzzed.

He flipped it open, read the text message from his mother and sighed. She wanted him to pick up Dylan after school. He quickly texted back, reminding her that he had Lacrosse practice. “That’s fine,” she’d texted again. “Pick Dylan up after from his friend Jimmy’s house. He’s having a birthday party after school.”

Like he cared.

He sent her another text. “I don’t have the car. I’d have to take the bus home, pick up the car, pick Dylan up and miss Lacrosse practice.”

The phone buzzed once more. “Chase, I don’t have time for this. Dad’s alone at the store today and I have to take the twins to the doctor and Connor to his music lesson. You can miss a Lacrosse practice, can’t you?”

He slammed his locker door, managing to resist the urge to hurl his phone down the corridor and groaned. Of course he could miss a Lacrosse practice. It wasn’t like there was any scholarship money riding on it or anything important like that. He kicked the locker and texted back.

“Fine. Make sure you leave me the car keys.” He’d thought the twins had practice and Connor had a doctor’s appointment, but whatever. It amazed him that his parents kept anything straight.

The first bell rang so Chase headed to Physics class.

“Hey, man.” He nodded once to Eric, a team mate.

Eric took out a sheet of paper from his notebook. “Check this out. Sean found it. You interested?”

Chase read the print-out and his eyes went wide. “You found a place in Manhattan? Do you know how hard that is?” Two bedrooms, one bath, in a building near the Village. Not the best of neighborhoods, but he didn’t care. He’d take a place that overlooked Riker’s Island if it meant escaping the chaos of his family. The rent was eye-popping — even just a third of it — but possible, as long as he found a job nearby.

“It’s not available until August, which is perfect. We can split the rent - you, me, and Sean. It’ll be a tight squeeze, but better than some dorm room.”

“I am definitely interested.” Chase grinned. Two roommates? That would be an improvement over two parents and four brothers. He copied the URL in his notebook.

“Hey, did you hear about the scout from Manhattan coming to practice today?”

Chase’s head whipped to Eric’s. “Scouts don’t come to practices.”

“They do today. Right here. Coach Freeman is like, college buddies with this guy or something.”

Chase rubbed his chin and cursed. “I told my mother I’d pick up my brother today. I have to skip practice.”

Eric’s eyes widened. “Dude, are you sick? You can’t bail today. This guy’s coming all the way from Manhattan College. You have to play.”

“Wait. Is this coach from Manhattan or Manhattan College?”

“Uh, the college. Why?”

Chase rolled his eyes. “Because the college isn’t in Manhattan. It’s in the Bronx.”

“So what?”

“If we take this place in the city, we’re gonna need a car to get to school.”

Eric smirked. “What - you’re afraid of the subway?”

Chase’s face heated. “Um. I forgot about the subway.”

“Moron.”

Chase took out his phone, texted his mother again. There was no way he was missing practice now.