Educated Hearts

Chapter Twenty                  

(The Next Morning)

Mimi was the last one downstairs that morning, and it was still very early when she came down to the kitchen. She was surprised to find that Eddie and his girlfriend were already out at the beach, while Rory, Nick and Jason were sitting around the table eating cereal. She quickly grabbed a glass and a bowl and poured herself some orange juice, making herself comfortable in the cozy breakfast nook.

She looked towards Rory and Nick curiously. "You guys went to sleep early last night... It was so quiet when we got in last night."

Rory grinned wickedly through a mouthful of Lucky Charms. "Who said we were asleep? We went to BED... we didn't sleep though."

Mimi rolled her eyes and began pouring herself a bowl of cereal. "Rory... Must you share that information with everyone?"

"Hey... You brought it up. And besides, what else are we supposed to do on a rainy night?"

"Do whatever you want... Just don't tell me about it."

Nick interjected, attempting to divert attention from his sex life. "Soooooo... Josh will probably get out of the hospital today, right?"

Jason nodded happily. "Probably. They said they only wanted to keep him because of his concussion. He'll be hobbling around here for awhile, but besides the arm and his ribs, he's just fine."

"It kind of sucks that he won't be able to do a lot of the things the rest of us can."

"Yes, but it's much better than the alternative. I'm just glad he's okay."

Mimi nodded and took a sip of her orange juice. "Besides, Josh goes to school in Gainesville, he can drive to the ocean any time he wants to. And, he probably does. So, what do you two have planned today?"

Nick shrugged and pushed his bowl aside. "I think Rory wants to crash the MTV Spring Break show."

"But... Rory... You don't even *watch* MTV. Why would you want to be on it?"

Rory smiled and picked out a stray marshmallow that was floating in her bowl of milk. "I don't. I just want to go down there so I can laugh and mock all the idiots who are down there. People will do some pretty idiotic things just to get on TV or to meet Carson Daly, and I want to go make fun of them."

Jason grinned at her and nodded. "Ahhh... There's the Rory we know and love. Always ready for some not so good-hearted mocking of those she deems unworthy."

Nick nodded in agreement and leaned across the table to kiss Rory on the cheek. "As long as she directs her insults towards them, it really takes the heat off of me."

The phone on the kitchen counter rang loudly and everyone jumped in surprise as Jason reached over to answer it. "Hello...."

"Jase, it's me, Josh. Get to the hospital, NOW."

Jason's eyes went wide as everyone around the table looked at him curiously. "Why? Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Josh was talking low, and at a hurried pace, as if he was trying to prevent someone from hearing him. "I'm fine. I feel like a million bucks... But, uhm... Mom and Dad are here."

"WHAT? Why?"

"Eddie called them last night, they got on the first plane down here... They woke me up at the crack of dawn to see if I was okay. I need you to come over here now, help me get rid of them."

Jason exhaled slowly and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, okay... I'm on my way."

Jason hung up the phone and looked back at three anxious faces. "It was Josh. My parents are here. At the hospital."

Rory wrinkled up her nose in disgust. "Oh geez, if that doesn't kill your spring break buzz, then nothing will."

"Yeah, no kidding... I've got to get over there before my brother knocks himself unconscious on purpose. Come on, Meems."

Mimi's eyes were as wide was saucers and she shook her head. "Oh, no, no, no... I can NOT see your parents. That would be a BAD idea. Bad for them, bad for me, just bad bad bad."

Jason stood and grabbed her hand. "You have to. Please, Mimi... Do it for Josh. Do it for me."

Mimi groaned loudly and nodded; pushing her self out of the chair and up from the table. "If only you damn Masters brothers weren't so irresistible, I could stay here eating Lucky Charms all day."

Nick waved them off and smirked as he did. "Good luck you two... We'll catch up with you later."

Mimi nodded as Jason dragged her off towards the living room, then shouted back at Rory and Nick. "If they don't arrest me for murder first!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(At the Hospital)

Jason and Mimi walked towards the elevators in the lobby and Jason quickly pressed the up button. Mimi tried to keep her nerves calm by rubbing her hands together as they waited. She had not seen his parents since their disastrous dinner in December, and she really didn't want to see them now.

While they were waiting, a girl about Mimi's height with light brown hair and shining blonde highlights walked over to them and looked Jason up and down curiously. At first Mimi though the girl was checking her boyfriend out, and she was prepared to scratch the girl's bright blue eyes out of her head if she needed to.

Mimi raised her eyebrows and stared at the girl intently, as if to say 'Nobody undresses Jason with their eyes and lives to tell about it.' She couldn't keep herself from saying something, as hard as she was trying. "Excuse me... Is there something I can help you with?"

The girl smiled politely and pointed at Jason. "Jason... Right?"

Jason took a step back in surprise. "Do I -- Do I know you?"

"No, but I know you. I mean, you look so much like your brother... I figured it must be you." She kept smiling and acknowledged Mimi as well. "And you must be Mimi... Nice to finally meet you both."

"Well, we haven't officially met *you* yet... You're a friend of my brother?"

She laughed softly and shook her head. "Not exactly. I'm Mariana... Your brother's girlfriend."

Mimi began laughing hysterically and clapping her hands together childishly. Both of them stared at her like she was nuts and she tried to regain her composure and explain. "Here I thought you were trying to hit on my man... and you've already got one of your own. I'm sorry..."

Jason looked completely lost, realizing that his brother had kept a secret from them. "You're Josh's girlfriend? He's never told me about you..."

Mariana nodded and smiled. "I know... He was planning on it though. I was down in Miami for my friend's engagement party last night, and I was supposed to come back this evening. But, Eddie called me, so I hurried back early this morning."

"Wow... How long has this been going on? Why didn't he tell us?"

"We've been friends for over three years, but we didn't start dating until about seven months ago. He's been keeping it a secret, trying to spare me from having to meet your parents too soon."

Another laugh erupted from Mimi's throat and she tried to cover it up with her hand. "Oh my... This is going to be FUN."

Mariana raised one well-shaped eyebrow and looked between them in fear. "Oh no. They're not HERE, in Daytona... Are they?"

The elevator door opened with a ding and Mimi stepped inside, grinning like a fool. "Oh Mariana... You have no idea what you're in for today."

"Oh... Uhm... Well... Maybe I should go. You know, this is a family thing... I shouldn't intrude."

Jason put his hand on her back and gently guided her into the elevator. "Oh no, you should definitely stay. I'm sure Josh wants to see you."

As Jason was pressing the button for Josh's floor, Mimi laid a comforting hand on Mariana's shoulder and grinned wickedly. "Don't worry... At least I'm here, so you'll only receive fifty percent of their scorn and hatred. I'll get the other fifty percent for sure."

Mariana leaned against the back wall of the elevator with a sigh. "So... I should be afraid? Very very afraid?"

Jason looked back at her and shrugged. "Only if you have a weak stomach or you cry easily."

"Oh. Well... I think I'm good at handling lots of pressure. I hope..."

The door slid open at Josh's floor and Mimi smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. If you get lost, just look at one of us and we'll do our best to throw out a life preserver and bring you back in."

Mariana nodded and took a deep breath in before the three of them pushed through the door. Rachel and Douglas Masters were sitting on the sofa in the corner, and Josh was sitting upright in bed. He looked healthy, but miserable, surely from having to sit around a hospital with his parents all morning. But, as soon as he saw Mariana enter, his face lit up and he smiled brightly at her.

She jogged over to him and gently wrapped her arms around him, kissing him briefly. "You know, if I wasn't so happy that you're okay, I'd be lecturing you right now."

"I know, baby... I know. But, I've already got plenty of lectures... from Jason, from my mom and dad..."

"Yeah, I heard they were here..."

Mariana turned and smiled politely at his parents, walking over to briefly shake the hands of both Douglas and Rachel. "Hi, nice to meet you... I'm Mariana... and..."

Rachel Masters acted like Mariana wasn't even there, looking past her to glare at her oldest son. "Joshua... Who is this?"

Mariana backed away in disgust and returned to Josh's side. Josh sighed loudly and began to explain to his parents. "Mom, Dad... This is Mariana... She's my girlfriend."

Rachel's face twisted up like she had just eaten something sour. "Well. I guess it's a pleasure to meet you, Mariana. Especially considering that we've never heard of you until just now."

Mimi suppressed a giggle and muttered under her breath. "I wonder why..."

Rachel either didn't hear Mimi or ignored her and continued staring at Josh. "So, Joshua... How long has this been going on?"

Josh was completely non-plussed by his mother's attitude. He reached over the bed and grabbed Mariana's hand, lifting it up so he could kiss the top of it. "I've known her since I moved to Gainesville, but we didn't start dating until about seven months ago."

Douglas cleared his throat and nodded. "So, I guess we should ask you all about yourself, young lady."

Mariana was nervously chewing on her lower lip and nodded slightly. "Okay... I'm a..."

Josh waved a hand to stop her and glared at his father. "Stop, Dad. Just stop. You two don't care about her, where she's from, what she studies at school, what her interests are... None of that. You only care about whether she's 'good enough' for your son."

Douglas replied as if the way he and Rachel acted was perfectly normal and acceptable. "Well, son, we just want to make sure you're spending your time with someone who is good for you."

Mimi had planned on keeping her mouth shut, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Yeah, you wouldn't want Josh dating someone like me, for example..."

Rachel's head whipped around and she looked at Mimi in surprise. "Miss Lockhart, this has *nothing* to do with you."

"It has *everything* to do with me and Jason, Josh, Mariana... All of us. Because NOTHING will ever be good enough for you two. I heard what you said that night at dinner. You called me trash."

"I did no such thing..."

Mimi laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's okay... You don't have to lie. I have been called much worse before. My point is, nothing Jason does is ever good enough for you... The way you've treated him has hurt him more than you will ever know. And then, he begins to fix his life, change things for the better... he falls in love... And still, nothing is good enough for you."

Douglas interrupted her. "We love Jason and..."

"Then act like it, for God's sake. Stop treating him like you think he's less important than Josh, or less special. Because, I know that Jason *is* important and special, and amazing. He deserves your love every bit as much as Josh does."

Rachel Masters had fire in her eyes as she replied angrily. "Miriam Lockhart... Are you trying to say that we don't love our sons equally?"

Mimi nodded, her jaw clenching with anger. "That's *exactly* what I'm trying to say. You treat Josh like he can't do anything wrong, and you treat Jason like being wrong is all he'll ever be. And, even still... Josh was afraid to tell you he had a girlfriend because he knew how you would react. And just maybe he wanted to enjoy his relationship with her before you two scared her off like you tried to do to me. Lucky for Jason, I don't scare easily, Mr. and Mrs. Masters."

"Well, you seem to know everything. Don't you?"

"I only know what I see... And what I see is that you have two amazing sons who you barely even know. Neither of them enjoy spending time with you, and I would wager a guess that you know hardly nothing about who they are, what they like... who they want to be. And, that is truly sad. Because you're missing out... you really are."

Rachel was about to speak again, but Douglas put his hand on her knee and spoke instead. "I think that's quite enough, Miss Lockhart. You have no right to tell my wife or me how to treat our sons. You are not a member of this family, and it would be for the best if you keep your nose out of our family business."

Mimi nodded in understanding. She knew that, technically, she was being disrespectful, but not a single molecule in her body really cared about that. They deserved every single one of her words, and about a thousand more that she wouldn't say.

"Fine... You're right. I'm not a member of your family, and I have no business telling you how to behave. But, I will say one more thing, and then I will leave and go back to my vacation. You have two sons who are amazing in every possible way. Mariana is a very lucky girl to have snagged Josh. And I... am the luckiest girl in the world... because I have Jason. And somehow, despite your worst efforts, despite all of the pain you have caused both of your children, and despite the way that the two of you behave... you have somehow managed to have two of the best sons in the world. And, I pray that you will see that for yourself someday... Because, you have no idea what you've lost by not knowing them better than you do."

Mimi felt energized, charged up by finally being able to tell Douglas and Rachel exactly what was on her mind. She glanced at Josh and Mariana and then back to Jason. They all were staring at her in surprise, and Josh had what she would have interpreted as a smile of admiration on his face.

She briefly squeezed Jason's hand and decided that maybe she should leave the room before she said something even worse. "I'm sorry... I'm going to go now... I think I'll just go back to the house and look for Rory."

Mimi turned to walk away, but stopped in her tracks when she heard Josh's voice. "Mimi, wait... Don't go."

She turned back and looked at Josh in surprise. "Don't go?"

Josh shook his head and looked at his parents. "No, don't. I think if anyone needs to leave, it's my mother and father."

Rachel rose from her chair angrily and Douglas followed. She stared at her eldest son in shock. "You're telling us to leave? But, Joshua... We flew all the way from Salem to take care of you."

"I know, but I don't need you to take care of me. I have three other people in this room who are quite willing to help me, I'm sure. Besides, I'm fine... Please, leave. You've hurt Jason a lot more than you've ever hurt me, but still, Mimi is right. And, until you're ready to admit that she is... I don't think we need either of you around."

Douglas glared angrily at him and then turned to Jason. "Jason... Do you agree with your brother?"

Jason, who had been silent through all of this, nodded in the affirmative. "I agree. In fact, I never asked you to come down here in the first place."

Rachel's face pinched up with anger as Douglas led her to the door. "After all we have done for you two, and this is how you treat us."

Jason took a deep breath in and opened the door for them, ushering them out with a swoop of his hand. "You haven't done anything for us. So, goodbye... We'll see you back in Salem."

He shut the door tightly and turned back to the others in the room, as Mimi breathed a loud sigh of relief. She stared at Jason with surprise. "Oh my God... I can't believe I did that."

Mimi's hands were trembling and she looked over at Josh and Mariana. "I don't even know where that came from..."

Josh gazed at her proudly. "It's been bottled up inside ever since you had dinner at the house, I'm sure. Jase... You seemed pretty quiet through all of that."

Jason wrapped his arm around Mimi's shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. "I thought Mimi was doing pretty damn good on her own. I would have hated to interrupt that."

Mimi looked at Mariana sympathetically. "I'm sorry you had to be introduced to me like this. I'm not usually such a... shrew."

Mariana smiled back at her and tried to reassure her with a wave of her hand. "No, don't be sorry. I thought it was pretty enjoyable actually. Mimi... you have... guts. I don't know if I could have told them off like that."

"Heck, I didn't know I could do that either. But, it feels good... Like, I feel like all energized and ready to run a marathon or something. It's like a really great adrenaline rush."

Jason smiled at her happily. "Wait until you tell Rory... She's going to be pissed that we didn't get it on video tape."

Mimi giggled and nodded in agreement. "Well, I'll never forget it... that's for sure. Sooooo... Josh... When do you get out of this place?"

"The nurse said in a couple of hours. They just need to get the doctor to sign off my paperwork, and I'm free to go."

Jason grinned at his brother. "Oh good, because after your car accident and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral we just had... I'm ready to have a NICE vacation. Aren't you?"

Josh nodded in agreement and held tightly to his girlfriend's hand. "As good as a vacation with a broken arm and two cracked ribs can be. Besides, I'm anxious for the two of you to get to know my girl over here."

"We are too... But, why don't we give you two a few minutes alone. I think Mimi's about to bounce off the walls from her adrenaline high. She needs air."

Josh nodded and Jason dragged Mimi out into the hallway by her hand. Mimi was grinning like a fool and she threw her arms around his neck. "So you're not mad because I completely told off your parents, are you?"

Jason laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm really proud of you, Mimi. You told them things that should have been said a long time ago... You're really... pretty damn amazing."

"I just couldn't let them keep treating you the way they do. I couldn't let them hurt you anymore. And you... you can't let them get to you."

"I won't. They don't have the power to hurt me anymore, Mimi. I won't let them."

Mimi smiled and leaned up to give him a brief kiss. "Good... You don't know how happy that makes me."

Jason nodded and wrapped his arms around her, holding her closely. She had really thrown a curve ball today, surprising all of them with how she stood up to his parents. He was proud of her. Proud that she was showing how strong she was, a quality that others rarely got to see in her.

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