TMI-Deleted Scenes

TMI - Deleted Scene - Chase comforts Meg

Binoculars in hand, Chase dialed Meg’s cell. "Hey. You okay? I saw you leave school before. I tried to follow, but got caught. I’m guessing you and Bailey fought again?"

He could see Meg, her long body stretched out on her bed, a sketch pad propped against her knees. "Yeah. But we straightened things out later."

"Yeah?" Surprise practically dripped from the word. "That's great!" He added. “So that means the museum trip is still on?”

"Yeah, it is."

"So what's wrong? Why do you still sound like you're gonna cry?"

She cut right through him with her tone. "Chase, it's been a really long and really strange day so-"

"Oh, right. I get it. You don't want to talk." He hated that it hurt.

"Not really, no."

"You can, you know. Talk to me, I mean." He knew even as he said the words that she’d never take him up on the offer.

"I know." She whispered after a moment. She tossed away the pad and sat up on her bed, looked out her window and he nearly fumbled the binoculars. “Ryder’s — well, he’s actually pretty cool.”

Chase’s eyebrows shot up. “And what makes you think that?”

“He knows I’m into art so he told me all about the Cooper Union. It’s a school in Manhattan — I can’t believe I never knew about it — and it’s free, Chase. All the students get a scholarship. I don’t know if I can get in, but I’m sure as hell gonna try. I really think I can do better the next time I take the SATs.”

Chase sank slowly to his bed, watching her move — no, bounce — around her room. Megan Farrell bouncing? This— this was huge.

“…and I know it’s going to be really competitive getting in, but there’s a bunch of home tests online I can study to get ideas and I have to do a portfolio, but I have some time for that and…”

She was… God, she was actually happy. His face broke into a huge grin. He wasn’t sure Megan did happy and wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it through eyes magnified 10X.

“I guess Ryder’s pretty cool — I mean, Bailey is a big girl and I have to stop smothering her. I think I want to study art appraisal. I can work in a gallery or in a museum or—”

Chase’s eyes popped out of his head. “Whoa. Back up a minute. So… this Ryder dude is cool because he talked art, but me not so cool, even when I do talk art?”

“No! Chase, I think you’re cool.”

“Yeah?” He could see her. She was tugging her hair. That was one of Megan’s tells.

She was lying.

“Yes. But this whole thing with Ryder… I don’t know, maybe I am over-reacting.”

“You think?”

“Chase, I don’t get it. Why are you so pissed off all of a sudden?”

Chase opened his mouth and immediately closed it. That was a very good question.

One he didn’t know how to answer.