Anti-Romantics

Ashes, Ashes, We all Fall Down!

Derek's day started off somewhat peculiar. For starters Meredith was home in her ratty little Dartmouth tee doing yoga. Addison was also in the living room with her coffee  watching his crush do a back bend. For the life of him, she needed to stop what she was doing. Addison and Meredith were 'friends' but there was a weird tension between them.  "Didn't know you did yoga."

She got up from her back bend.  "Cristina says it's good cardio, you should join us sometime."

Derek held in his dirty comment before laughing. "Yeah right."

"Okay, die at fifty." She went back to her yoga as Addison watched how he looked at her body. Shit, he needed to take a cold shower before this escalated. Once he exited the shower he found Meredith and Addison making fun of old pictures of him. "You didn't tell me you were a band geek!" She teased. This is so not how Derek wanted her to remember him. "We so wouldn't have been friends."

"Okay tell me what you were like if you're so high and mighty."

"Pink hair, wore all black, wouldn't be seen at the prom. What about you Addie?"

"Straight A's, popular, played volleyball. I was the shit."

"Yeah, I think we all would've hated each other." She said causing all of them to laugh. "I need to go, Josh wants me to meet him somewhere.'

"Do you want me to come with?" He eagerly jumped up.

Addison and Meredith both stared at him. "I can handle a date, thanks."

He watched as he hopped in her jeep and drove off from the window. "So nothing is going on with you two?" 

"No." He explained. "Her boyfriend is just a piece of shit."

"Why do you care so much?"

"She's my best friend." 

She huffed. 

Meredith arrived to her date at a mediocre restaurant which of course Joshua ordered dinner for her. She was wearing a bland black dress with lacy heels. "You look stunning today."

"I look boring, you only like it because it shows my tits."

"Is that so wrong?'

"Yes." She let out a hollow laugh. Their food came and they barely talked to each other. Meredith begrudgingly ate her salad. 

"We should visit the Pike Place Market after this."

"Why it smells like fish?" She dropped her fork

"We've never been."

"We've never been to the Space Needle, shall we go there?" Sarcasm rolling off the tongue.

"Hey now that's not a bad idea."

"I'm messing with you. My point is we don't have to do something else today, dinner is fine."

"So, I'm an overachiever."

"Fine we can go to the market." She paused in thought. "What did you and Derek do yesterday?"

"I gave it to him straight." He lied.

 Meredith straightened. "You did what!?"

"He said he'd lay off, took it like a champ."

Meredith sat their pissed and guilty for the rest of their dinner. He didn't deserve that, he didn't do anything but care. She was becoming a bitch, well the jury was still out on that. The two walked down into Pikes Market when suddenly a bunch of people began dancing. Meredith stared in confusion which soon turned to disgust. 'I'm Yours' was playing and she soon realized what was happening. She looked green. Cristina watched from her hiding place with Alex and Derek absolutely losing it.  She screamed when she was picked up.  She hated this. To top it all of there Josh was on one knee. He opened the box to what she could only describe as a 'horrid' wedding ring. "Meredith Elizabeth Grey, will you do the honor of marrying me?"

Derek prayed to whatever God there was for her to say no. He was also varying shades of green. Cristina was in tears laughing and Alex was soon to join her. Except Derek just watched in horror as she said

"Yes." 

This meant one of two things. 

One: She was being held at gunpoint 

or 

Two: Nah, she was definitely being held at gunpoint.

She did not like happy at all, he could see it in her eyes. They didn't have that sparkle he loved.  She didn't smile with her teeth. She was quiet, mousy, meek. Which was the exact opposite of her near ones she truly loved. She would yell at Alex for throwing a blue shell at her in MarioKart, she would fight Cristina on any given day, she would do shitty karaoke with Isobel, she would go back and forth with the Miranda Bailey, and for him? She'd laugh like nobody in the world existed, until she was banging her hands to the floor sobbing. She was not quiet. She was not her, everyone could see it and no one could say it. Cristina shook him out of his thoughts. "She's gonna hurl."

"Twenty bucks she does." Alex pitched in.

"Fifty she doesn't!" He defended her. 

After the crowd cleared up Meredith found a corner and vomited. This was a horrible day, and now he was down fifty bucks.