Chapter 1
I'm pretty sure I'm going to regret this but... hey look I started another fic. It's inspired by the movie Peggy Sue Got Married.
"It wasn't Beth that I loved..."
Hazel eyes narrowed at the moving picture in the reflection of the mirror, a tv playing reruns of an old show, the familiar form limping down the hallway of the fort, a woman behind a wire grate calling out his name. Of course he had chosen a role that shared his name. Less acting. Something about military experiments and clones...whatever... "Can you please turn the television off." Delphine rubbed her temples, feeling a migraine coming on. She already felt sick to her stomach and the tv was making it worse.
"Come on, Aunt Delphine. Uncle Paul was awesome on this show? It was fantastic." The young woman with dark hair frowned as she hit the power button, an uncomfortable silence descending upon the room. "This was his best episode..."
Gazing at herself in the mirror, Delphine barely recognized herself anymore, wrinkles marring the once perfectly smooth skin and her once perfect curls manipulated and tortured into straight blonde locks. Too much alcohol, too many cigarettes, and not enough pills, she decided with a sigh. "Best... episode..." she whispered, remembering the small satisfaction she'd felt watching his character get shot then blown up.
Leaning forward, she slowly applied her eyeshadow, willing her hands to stop shaking. Why on Earth had she agreed to this? Yes, she had enjoyed high school, but there were so many memories, and now that she was getting a divorce… Marrying your high school sweetheart meant that when your marriage didn't work out, you'd have to explain it to everyone. You'd have to explain how the perfect couple, the one that everyone admired and looked up to, could possibly fail.
Twenty years is what happened to them, and they had both failed, but no one would see that. Everyone loved Paul. They would blame her.
Sometimes she blamed herself. Why didn't she do enough? What was it about herself that wasn't good enough?
But most of the time she blamed that cheating asshole.
"When are you going to stop hating uncle Paul?" Retrieving the dress from the closet, her niece gave her a brief smile. "I mean he's not going to the reunion because you asked him. You know he's dying to go."
"I'm sorry Charlotte...My therapist says it's because I have unresolved feelings towards my failed marriage…" as if even her therapist was saying it was her fault her husband was unfaithful. As if it was her fault that he was incredibly cliché and decided to sleep with his nutritionist...and his yoga instructor...and a woman in the acting workshop he'd led… maybe she had so many unresolved feelings because resolving them would put her behind bars.
Catching Charlotte's gaze in the mirror, she realized she had been silent too long. "..and I hate that show." Delphine growled, applying her lipstick. "The first season was great even despite Paul's robot personality, but the writing went to shit. It was just fighting and violence… everybody dies…"
"Well I like it." Charlotte laid the dress on the bed and slipped out the bedroom door, giving her a small measure of privacy.
Delphine sighed softly as she stood, slipping out of her robe and into the dress they had agreed on, pulling the zipper as far up as she could before looking in the mirror.
She didn't look anything like she did in high school, when she still had hope and the illusion of all the possible things she could do with her life. She looked tainted and weathered by life. She looked like a bitch. If she could go back in time…
"You look amazing." Charlotte grinned as she stepped up behind her aunt, pulling the zipper up completely.
"I look like a middle aged divorcée whose life has been defined by her Hollywood husband and now has nothing to look forward to." Reaching for the dark orange bottle, she shook out a small peach-colored pill, washing it back with a glass of water and not even wincing at the bitter taste it left on her tongue. She was used to it. Find enough bitterness in the world and you can get used to anything. "I don't know about this."
"You're gonna have a great time tonight."
The words echoed in her mind as she stepped out of the car, blowing out a long breath as she looked up the stairs to the bustling crowd, regret washing over her in waves, muddling with the anxiety that pills couldn't combat. "I can't do this."
Wrapping her arm around her aunt's, Charlotte smiled. "Yes you can." How Paul's family ever produced such a ray of sunshine, Delphine could never figure out.
"Delphine?"
Looking up as her name was called out, Delphine couldn't help but smile, the woman who approached very obviously looking like the housewife she had become, dragging her husband Donnie with her, just another set of high school couples sticking together. "Alison… you look beautiful." They were happy at least, their two children doing them proud in a suburban neighborhood where they had three different colored trash cans and perfectly manicured lawns. Leaning forward, she ghosted a kiss against the cheek chilled by the night air. "It's good to see you."
The woman gave her a sympathetic look. "How are you doing?"
Thanks to the woman's persistence and affinity for French wine, the short brunette had been one of the people she'd kept in contact with. She was thankfully one of the people Delphine wouldn't have to explain any of the recent events to. "I'm good." She lied, putting on a smile.
And people said Paul was the actor between them. She was the one who'd been pretending to be happy for so long. He just happened to be the one that got paid for it.
"Have you met my niece, Charlotte?" Delphine took the attention off herself by making introductions. "The most beautiful of the Dierden's family line." She smiled at the young woman. "Thankfully she's nothing like my husband."
There was an uncomfortable silence that dropped over them before they moved together into the hall, the noise hitting her like a wall. There were so many people and she could feel her own heart beginning to race faster than it had already been going. So many people she would have to talk about her failure of a marriage to.
Looking up, she took a breath, watching as mylar balloons reflected the pinpoints of light coming from the disco ball spinning above the crowd. Why was there even such a device there? They hadn't graduated in the 60,s. Their class grew up with the songs of grunge and the emergence of alternative music, not disco.
"Here you go." Charlotte appeared in front of her with a name tag, labeling her as a failure.
Delphine "Cormier" Dierden may as well read Delphine "not enough to keep her husband faithful" Dierden.
Delphine "nothing without her cheating husband" Dierden.
"Oh my god, look at that picture."
Delphine's eyes were drawn to the wall sized photo and the bile rose in her throat, her 18 year old self adorned with the crown of prom queen set on her perfectly groomed curls, Paul standing behind her with his own crown. She might have been a little drunk that night and it reflected in her distracted eyes, Paul's own predatory gaze sending a chill down her back. That was the night that had ruined everything.
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage… unless you're a stupid teenager, then the lines transpose. Unfortunately they had gotten married before nature had seen to eliminating the need for a baby carriage and in her depression, she had stuck with a marriage she should have ended 20 years ago.
"You two look great! Oh my god look at that hair." Charlotte gushed, oblivious to the shadow of reminiscence that had come over her aunt.
Her life was defined by the moments captured in photos, poor decisions made in her youth that had directed the course her life would take. She couldn't bear to look at it...
Turning away, she was greeted by another photo of herself cheering, the silly uniform more revealing than she probably should have been wearing at that age. She remembered allowing herself to be pressured into skillfully shortening the skirt, purposely distracting the football team until the principal threatened suspension.
"Look at uncle Paul."
Of course there would be that photo of him in a football uniform, arm cocked back as he searched for a receiver. What a sham. There was no game. The picture was posed just like their marriage. Just the image of something that could have been, but never quite lived to it's potential.
How pretentious.
"How about you find us a table." Alison broke the impossible silence that had descended on them, her arm on Delphine's elbow dragging her out of her melancholy.
Yeah a table. Delphine nodded. She needed to sit down. When they finally found one that was reasonably empty, Charlotte left to get drinks.
"Delphine?"
Looking up, she was surprised to see the suited man standing before her, a slight stubble and styled hair giving him a youthful look that he lacked even in high school. Gone were his glasses and he'd lost some weight, his shoulders no longer slouching as he'd obviously gained a confidence she'd never seen on him.
Well not never. She'd seen a picture of him on a magazine when she's been at the bookstore a year back. Some sort of gene therapy that had cured a once incurable disease. "Scott." She was genuinely glad to see him as much as his success. He had stepped above the toxic cloud that teen years brought and shined in the light of the sun. "Look at you." She gave him a genuine hug.
"Wow, your hair." No suit or hair gel could hide that dopey smile he directed her way.
"I know." Delphine fought the urge to run her hand through it as had become her nervous tick when she was frequently pacing back and forth in her kitchen. "It's so good to see you."
"You too. This is my wife, Sarah." He introduced a woman that had to be 9 months pregnant judging by the swell of her belly. "Sarah, this is Delphine Dierden. She was one of the few people who was always nice to me."
His wife smiled a full smile that spoke of a happiness Delphine had never experienced. "He's told me all about you, Delphine."
"Where's… Paul." Scott looked around nervously and above all, Delphine instantly regretted not being able to change that part about Paul, the part that thought he was better than everyone else, especially the lowly population that didn't revolve around the football field. "It's really weird, turning on the tv and seeing him on it." He chuckled.
"He's not coming." She smiled weakly, accepting a glass from Charlotte. "We're...actually getting a divorce...so it will be back to Cormier soon."
"Oh." Scott gave her a surprised look. "Sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. Paul is an ass." She spoke into her glass of scotch, pulling over the pamphlet that was in front of every seat. Flipping through the pages, she found memories flooding back to her, her senior year coming back to her one snapshot at a time. "Wow… look at Antoinette…" Her hand lingered on the softball captain, one of the few people she respected for her ability to stand up to Paul when he was being a douche.
"It's just Tony now." Scott corrected her, pointing across the room.
"Really?" Delphine rose her eyebrows, glancing a man dressed in a suit, nervously scratching the stubble on his chin as he talked with one of their classmates. There was a familiarity in his face, but soft curves had sharpened to angular planes, softness gave way to a muscular frame. "Wow… Good for him." She returned to the pamphlet, stopping on one page. She couldn't help but laugh. "Oh God, Scott look at you."
Taking the pamphlet, Sarah's eyes doubled. "Oh my god you were adorable." She gushed over the photo, ignoring his blush and playfully slapping away his hands as he tried to take it away. "Look at you in your plaid shirt and glasses...Who's this?"
When Scott didn't respond, Delphine looked over at the photo, the woman's finger resting on a picture of Scott sitting on a stair beside a girl.
Dark glasses, dreads Delphine remembered being laced with colors, head tilted down towards the acoustic guitar she was playing, but eyes looking up at the camera just as the picture was taken, a small smile barely detectable because of the angle.
"Cosima." Despite not knowing her well, Delphine felt her throat tightening. Cosima who wouldn't be coming to the reunion. Cosima who would never attend a reunion.
"Cosima Niehaus." Scott confirmed. "She died when she was in college." He frowned.
"Oh no." Sarah gave him an empathetic look. "What happened?"
"Ignorance." Delphine shook her head at the wasted life. "She got sick and never went to the doctor… I heard she tried to self medicate with magic juices and herbs…" Delphine had meant to go to the same college, UC Berkley, but one little plus on a white plastic stick had changed that path for her.
"It was that girl she was dating…Shay something.... holistic healing only goes so far." Scott shook his head before reaching over, turning the page to escape the memories.
Delphine sighed heavily, looking around. There were so many faces that were just bordering on familiar, tugging on a memory that wanted to block out everything. She shouldn't have come. There were too many memories. Too many people that…
Her eyes fell on a sudden commotion, a small crowd that began to gather by the door when a familiar sight greeted her, causing the ball if anxiety in her gut to blossom. "Paul…"
There he was, in all his glory, a tailored suit draped over the body of a God, his hair no doubt professionally done by Janice, his stylist that he had no doubt screwed at some point. He walked with the confidence of an arrogant slimeball, slapping a classmate on the back in a manly hug. Of course he'd lied when saying he wouldn't come.
God how she hated him.
"Well…If I never…" Alison sat down in a huff. "I can't believe he has the nerve to show up."
Delphine was about to speak when her words were cut off by the screech of feedback.
"Alright everyone!" As if they had been waiting for Paul's arrival to start things, the music died down and a spotlight appeared on stage, highlighting a slim man with a British accent, gelled hair and a cocky smile. "If you all would kindly shut up and pay attention…"
The crowd laughed.
Delphine tore her eyes away from her husband, her attention drawn to the stage. Felix had been the best friend of Cosima's twin sister, Sarah. As she looked around, she noticed the woman was missing, no doubt not wanting the relive the memories.
"Alright then. While you lot were enjoying the free booze the school is paying for and pretending to remember each other, we had a secret committee of folks judging each and every one of you."
"You can't judge perfection!" A man yelled from the crowd.
"Which is why I wasn't judging myself." He commented with a grin. "Anyway… we decided to make you feel as hopeless as we all did in high school and we decided to find a king and queen of the reunion."
There was a cheer from the crowd again and he waved everyone quiet. "Yes yes… cheer me… but shut up." He accepted the envelope from a woman, tearing it open with disregard. "Well… that's not surprising… apparently we've decided that the king should be the one who progressed the most since high school ended… he's on the cover of magazines of course he'd be on our little card… Scott Smith!"
Delphine couldn't help but smile at him as a blush overcame his features. She reached out and pat him on the shoulder as he stood.
"Is he really on magazines?" Charlotte asked, leaning closer to Delphine.
"Yes." Delphine nodded, trying to not watch Paul as he walked around the edge of the room. He was distracting, the way he stopped at every table, no doubt rallying supporters for his side of the story. What was he telling them? Were they talking about her? Were they talking about how her depression ruined the marriage? How she was addicted to alcohol and pills? An addict disguised in high fashion? What other lies had she heard him tell?
She was so busy watching him, that she missed Scott's small speech. The next thing she knew was that Felix had stepped up to the microphone, opening a second envelope.
"Well, this is a surprise… not." He smirked. "The legions have spoken and our queen has remained the same as it's always been…"
The world seemed to slow down and Delphine felt the room begin to spin. It couldn't be. She hadn't achieved anything in life beyond straightening her hair.
"Delphine Cormier Dierden." Felix read off, each syllable twisting in her gut.
"Merde." The word slipped from her mouth as the spotlight found her in the crowd and she tried to shy away. "I can't…"
"Yes you can." Charlotte gave her an encouraging hug. "You deserve this…"
She was standing as if someone else had taken over her body, moving her forward. It was the last thing she wanted to do, to stand up in front of everyone and be the center of attention when all she wanted to do was run away… away from the reunion… away from Paul and the mountain of lies that erupted from those lips.
Instead her body moved her up to the stage, somehow not stumbling on the steps when the room kept spinning. It took everything in her to not vomit, the feeling of her heart hammering in her chest as Felix plopped a plastic crown on her head and she was suddenly standing at the mic, her mouth open with nothing to say.
The cheering crowd seemed to warp in and out, voices merging into a cacophony of ghoulish sounds. It was impossible to breathe, and suddenly the world was tilting all in one direction and Delphine was feeling her knees buckle as everything went black.
Even in darkness, she could feel the world spinning, the sound of the crowd fading away until she just heard her name being called out.
"Delphine?"
She felt a hand shaking her shoulder and she blinked her eyes open. She still felt dizzy, the spinning slowing as her eyes focused on the man leaning over her.
"Are you ok?"
Sitting up slowly, Delphine blinked in confusion, recognizing the man as the football coach from high school. She could have sworn he'd died a few years ago. She'd read something on facebook about it. Maybe it had been a hoax.
"Shit, Babe, are you ok?"
She jumped as Paul knelt beside her, dressed in his football uniform. "Paul?"
"You guys shouldn't be moving her. She hit her head when the pyramid collapsed." Alison was pushing people aside, kneeling beside her. "Are you ok, Delphine?"
"Alison… your hair." Delphine reached out a hand, touching the bangs that hadn't been there just a few minutes ago. "You look so young."
"What are you on?" Paul laughed.
"It's not funny." Alison pushed him away, the sudden gathering of football players laughing as he fell backwards. "Are you feeling any pain?"
Delphine shook her head, feeling the nausea beginning to subside. "No…" Looking down, she noticed her bare knees. Tracing the revealed expanse of flesh, the sight of a bright red skirt shorter than she'd worn in years set a panic in her and she tried to pull the material down to cover her thighs, realizing her arms were bare as well, her torso covered in a sleeveless top. "What am I wearing?"
"I think you girls should take her home." The coach gave Delphine a sympathetic look.
Hands were on Delphine, helping her to stand, holding her up when her knees got unsteady. Looking around, she couldn't believe where she was, standing on the sidelines of the football field, everyone's eyes on her. Her eyes fell on a sign that was tied to the low fence in front of the bleachers
HOME OF THE CARDINALS
Future Champs of 2000
The air left her lungs as she took everything in - her uniform, Paul's jersey, Alison's hair, a coach that had died years ago… and the sign. It wasn't possible. None of it was. It couldn't be. Looking up into Paul's eyes, the hints of light blue being drawn out by the clear sky, she saw the concern there, something she hadn't seen in years, and she realized that whatever was going on, it was real.
"Merde…"