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ELEVEN
Melanie
M
elanie!” A familiar voice reached my ear as I rummaged through things in my locker to find my notebook. I closed the grayish metal door of my locker to see Scarlett resting against the neighboring one, her arms crossed.
“Are you for fucking real, girl?” she whisper-yelled at me, narrowing her eyes. “I’ve been trying to reach you the whole weekend. Where have you been? You got me worried sick!”
“I’m sorry, Scar,” I replied, not knowing what to say or where to start.
“As you should!” She acted offended, but I knew it was just her teasing me. “Now tell me what the hell happened at your engagement party. Suddenly, you disappeared into thin air, and every station was telling the news about your kidnapping, and then they twisted it, saying that you allegedly ran away with your lover. I don’t understand anything.”
“Theo has been cheating on me,” I said, and to my surprise, those words didn’t even hurt anymore.
“What?!” She gave me the most puzzled gaze I’d ever seen, dropping her backpack to the ground.
“With Audrey,” I added, my voice indifferent.
Scar stood there speechless, watching me with confusion. Her red curtain bangs slightly covering her befuddled eyes.
“Holy shit.” Suddenly, her eyes grew wider with shock as she set them on something behind me. Or rather, someone. “You’ve got to be shitting me,” she whispered, articulating the words slowly, stunned.
I turned back, leaning my body weight against the cold locker behind me, squeezing my notebook against my chest, watching Theo entering the hallway with Audrey by his side, holding her hand in his. People around us started gossiping, ping-ponging their gazes between Theo, his new girlfriend, and me. I hated being in the spotlight. And I deeply despised being the talk of everyone. I took a deep breath, wishing I could sink through the floor. Theo, in contrast, seemed to enjoy his little performance. His friends gathered around him and Audrey, and they started flirting with each other so obnoxiously it made me sick. I rolled my eyes, turning back to my friend, who was utterly dumbfounded.
“Are we going yet?” I asked her, sighing, slightly annoyed.
Scarlett shook her head, mouth open. “You don’t care, Melanie? You were supposed to get engaged. How can you be so calm?”
“I met someone,” I said, drowning in the memories of Shane’s touch on my skin.
“The guy you left your engagement party with?” Scar’s eyes darted between mine, but I found no judgment in her gaze.
“Yes, Shane.” I smiled softly. “And for the first time in my life, I felt something…” I paused, searching for the right words but failed. “Something so rare, I cannot verbalize it.”
My friend nodded, squeezing my arm reassuringly. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Mel.”
I hope so too.
But the truth was, I had no idea what I was doing. I just let things happen and went with the flow.
I SAT AT THE DESK where I always sat and searched through my notes to remind myself of the previous lecture. I tried not to pay attention to other students staring at me and enjoyed the gossip from the Saturday night until Audrey came into the classroom and headed straight toward me, taking a seat by the same desk.
“Are you serious?” I asked her, trying to keep my cool even though the audacity of this woman had me fuming.
“What’s the problem, Mel?” she mocked, and I rolled my eyes, collecting my things from the desk. “After all, your relationship with Theo was fake, wasn’t it?” She said it clearly and loudly, making sure everyone in the classroom could hear her.
“Fake?” I heard some whispers, but I didn’t bother to comment. I wasn’t going to play her wicked games.
I hung my bag on my arm and trotted toward the only empty seat next to Xavier, a guy I’d never spoken to but knew because he was extraordinarily clever and always gave comprehensive answers to the lecturer’s questions. “Mind if I sit here, Xavier?”
He pulled the chair for me. “Not at all, Melanie.” He smiled at me comfortingly, which I was thankful for.
“Thanks.” I smiled back before sliding onto the chair. I searched for my phone in my bag and started a new conversation.
To: Theo :*
We need to talk.
