Educated Hearts
Chapter
One
Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a Mason fic! I apologize in advance
if I just can't do justice to Mimi and Jason. (I'm so used to writing Broe, that
this is a very scary proposition to have to write a new couple.) So, please
don't throw tomatoes at me if this is really terrible.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter One
Mimi pulled the last book she needed off of the shelf in front of her. She
glanced at it curiously, but instead of placing it into the basket hanging from
her other arm, she opened it up to look over the table of contents. Mimi knew
that almost every college student took Psychology 101 at some point, but this
was the one class on her schedule that she was the most interested in. Not that
she wanted to be a psychologist in the future; she just wanted a little more
insight into life. A subject that always seemed to confuse her.
She moved down the aisle between the two shelves without looking in front of
her. Mimi was still engrossed in her psychology book when she turned the corner
and ran straight into something the consistency of a brick wall. She fell to the
floor with a loud thud, and cried out with a mixture of pain and surprise.
"Mi-mi Lock-hart." He pronounced each syllable with emphasis,
accentuating his surprise at seeing her there.
Mimi lifted her head and followed his form up from his feet to the familiar
glint of his green eyes. She rolled her eyes in frustration, knowing that this
must be a bad omen, an unhappy accident. A portent of the horrors of her
freshman year that were sure to come now.
Mimi matched his tone of voice with her own. "Ja-son Mas-ters."
"You know, Meems, you really need to learn how to watch where you're
going."
"Jason, my friends call me Meems. *You* are not my friend."
Jason nodded, a wicked grin plastered on his face. "Yeah, I got that. Nice
seeing you, Miss Lockhart."
Jason turned to walk away and Mimi gasped loudly. "Jason... Wait. Where are
you going?"
He turned back and looked at her with his eyebrows raised. "Well, you said
we're not friends. Why should I stick around here?"
"Because, you knocked me down, so you should help me pick all this stuff
up." She motioned around her referring to all of her books that had fallen
out of her shopping basket.
"*I* knocked *you* down? You knocked yourself down, Lockhart. I just
happened to be the one that was in your way."
"Okay, then, fine. I'll do it myself. Don't even attempt to be polite or
anything. It doesn't make a difference to me."
Mimi began picking up her books and throwing them into the basket as Jason
stared at her intently. She threw the last book in with a groan, and tried to
prop herself up with her left hand. A shooting pain went through her wrist and
she sat back down with a quiet cry of pain.
Jason broke his stoic manner and looked at her with genuine concern.
"Mimi... Are you alright?"
Mimi winced and shook her head. "I... I must have sprained my wrist when I
hit the ground."
Without a second thought, Jason swooped down and picked up her shopping basket
from the ground, placing it on a nearby counter. He bent over and carefully
pulled Mimi up from the ground, wrapping his arms around her as he helped her to
her feet. A strange feeling shot through her veins as he held on to her, perhaps
out of surprise at his sudden concern for her.
He let go of her and tenderly examined her left wrist. "It already looks a
little swollen. Stay right here. I'll be right back."
Mimi looked perplexed as she watched him run out the door of the bookstore. It
was almost as if a switch had been flipped on to change his personality. One
second, he was the same Jason he had always been, and the next he was being
sensitive and helpful. She waited patiently for his return, the pain in her
wrist steadily worsening as she stood there.
A few minutes later, he returned with a cup in his hand. She looked at him
strangely, not understanding what he was doing. "A cup? What is that
for?"
He carefully placed it on her wrist, and the cold made her shiver slightly.
"It's ice, and it's the best I could do in an emergency. I thought it would
be a good idea to keep the swelling down."
Mimi nodded and smiled in appreciation. "Uhm... Thank you."
Jason smiled back and gently held her hand as he applied the ice to it.
"You're welcome."
His smile showed her something different, something she had rarely seen on his
face before. Sincerity and caring. It wasn't his usual lopsided grin of sarcasm,
or even the smile he used to pour on the phony charm to attractive girls. He
actually looked like he cared about her pain, and for just a moment, Mimi saw a
flash of the Jason she used to be friends with in much younger days.
She made an awkward attempt at small talk, anything so that she wouldn't have to
keep thinking about the way his eyes glowed when he looked at her and the way
his smile was beginning to melt her insides. "So... uhm... how was your
summer? I didn't see you around Salem much."
"Pretty good. Traveled a lot."
*Great. Just fantastic.* She thought to herself. *God forbid he make an effort
to be wordy in his responses to keep my mind off of how perfectly comfortable I
feel with his hand holding on to mine.*
"Traveled? With your parents?"
"No, actually. Just me and my brother."
Mimi nodded, and looked at him with interest. The Masters family usually took
huge vacations together every year, but apparently this year it had only been
Jason and his older brother Josh. Josh was three years older than Jason, and
went to school in Florida. He was, without a doubt, his parents' "golden
boy". Although Jason surely resented the fact that he lived his life in
Josh's shadow, he was still very close with his big brother.
"So, just you and Josh? Where did you two go?"
Jason shrugged slightly. "Everywhere. We hit the open road, drove all over
the country; saw a little bit of everything. Our parents thought it would be a
good idea to experience life from all sides. They said that we've been too
spoiled and we needed to learn about life, and learn about ourselves. Who we
are, who we want to be... blah blah blah. I think my mom has been reading too
many books or something."
Mimi laughed softly, but her eyes were wide with curiosity. "Actually, that
makes a lot of sense. So, did you learn what you were supposed to learn?"
"I guess we did. Sometimes you don't realize how sheltered you are living
in this town, until you get out of it."
"Yes... and now you're back. Why are you back? I thought for sure you'd go
out of state for school."
Jason shook his head. "There's no place like home, Auntie Em."
Mimi rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Uh-huh... I guess that makes us part of
the few, the proud and the brave. The small percentage of Salem High graduates
to stick around after graduation."
"That's right, all of your friends ran off and ditched you."
"I wouldn't exactly say that. If I had opportunities like that, I would
have gone too. But, I didn't... And, now I am..."
Jason raised one eyebrow and grinned slyly at her. "Stuck with me?"
Mimi shook her head in denial. "Oh, no, no, no. Don't think just because
you're being nice right now, and taking care of my wrist that we're going to be
the best of friends. I still hate you, and you still hate me. Remember?"
"Oh, I remember. But, you never know, Lockhart... You might actually learn
something if you hang around me."
"Somehow... I seriously doubt that. But, thanks for the offer anyway."
She refused his offer, but part of her secretly wondered what Jason Masters
could possibly teach her.
Jason nodded in understanding. "Alright, fine... But remember, the offer
still stands.
He delicately turned her wrist over in his hand and smiled. "Looks like
it's not too bad. How does it feel?"
"A little sore, but I think I'll survive."
"Do you need help back to your... wherever you're going?"
Mimi flexed her wrist; it really didn't feel that bad anymore, and the ice had
been a huge help. "Noooo, I think I can make it. Thanks."
Jason nodded and let go of her hand, as Mimi took the cup of ice from him.
"Alright then... I guess I'll be seeing you around, Lockhart."
"Yeah. I'll be... around."
He winked at her and grinned, then quickly left her, walking out of the
bookstore, leaving her alone. Mimi couldn't help but wondering what had caused
Jason's sudden shift in attitudes. If she hadn't known better, she would have
thought he was almost flirting with her.
*Don't be ridiculous.* She thought to herself. Mimi had known Jason since
kindergarten, and it seemed highly unlikely that he would actually be attracted
to her. They could barely stand the sight of each other most of the time, and as
Mimi had told him -- she hated him, and he hated her.
But, that wasn't the truth. Hate was too strong a word for what she had felt
about Jason Masters. Through the past few years, ever since they started high
school together, she alternated between despising him and being strangely
curious about his behavior. Curious because, while most of the time he was just
a pain, the thorn in the side of many, there were rare times when he showed a
sensitivity that was surprising. And, that was what made her curious.
Mimi shook it off and tried to put him out of her mind. *It's not worth your
time to even think about it, Mimi. A guy like Jason never changes. They just
become boorish frat boys when they get to college. Just like high school, but
with more beer.*
She grabbed her basket of books and headed to the next available checkout lane.
And, as much as she tried to deny it, she was unable to get his caring smile and
gentle touch out of her head.