Melinda’s Story
The next morning, I raced through a nasty rainstorm to get to the dining hall for breakfast. Despite my jacket, I was drenched. I needed comfort food. Pancakes and hot chocolate. I grabbed two mugs and headed towards the tables.
Walter and Pat were the only people in the entire dining hall. They were already playing Weddas. Judging by the number of tiles laid out, they were nearly finished with the game.
I shook my head as I sat. “How long have you been sitting here?”
Walter shrugged. “Half an hour?” He looked to his brother.
“Sounds right. Bauxite. And be.” Pat flashed that famous smile in my direction. “That gives me nineteen points.”
Walter grumbled something incomprehensible as he wrote the score and fiddled with his tiles. Pat turned to me.
“So, what are your plans for this gorgeous day?”
I giggled, taking a long sip from one of my mugs before answering. “I don’t know. I was kind of in the mood to watch television.”
Pat winked. “One of my movies?”
“Doofus! It’s your turn.” Walter sounded irritable, a sure sigh he was losing. Pat placed a few letters on the table and turned back to me.
“What were you thinking of watching?”
I shrugged. “I’m kind of in the mood for a NeoGenesis marathon.”
Walter placed the word movie on the table. “I am so in!
After breakfast, I ran back to my dorm. If possible, I think it was raining even harder than it had been on the way there. I was about to change my socks and pants when I received a text from Walter. His advisor had agreed to let us have a NeoGenesis marathon in his apartment.
I wasn’t surprised. Mr. Peters was one of the teachers who had founded their NG viewing club. The other was my advisor’s husband, Mr. Price.
If we were going to have a marathon, I would probably be in Stanton for several hours. And I would get soaked getting there. As miserable as I was, I decided not to change. I packed my dry clothes into my backpack, putting it on under my jacket. Bracing myself for the wet weather, I ran to the neighboring dorm.
I shook myself like a wet dog as soon as I entered the common room, but I still left a very wet trail all the way down the hall. Shivering, I knocked on the open apartment door.
Mr. Peters could see me from his living room chair. “Come in. Oh, you’re soaked!”
I nodded, shivering slightly as I peeled off my jacket. “Where’s your restroom?”
He pointed down the hall and I dripped my way there. Pat opened the door before I could knock. “Oh, hey. You’re drenched, too.”
He held his wet clothes away from me as he gestured me inside. I quickly removed my wet things, dropping them into the sink before drying off with the towel I had thrown in my bag. After putting on my dry things, I wrapped the wet stuff in the towel and threw it all back into my bag.
Walter was sitting on the couch. Pat was sitting on the floor in front of him. I sat on the floor in front of the opposite end. Pat clapped his hands.
“Everyone’s here. Let the party begin.”
Mr. Peters sat in his chair, calling up the episode list on the on demand menu. “When I was watching the opening clips the other day, I realized I’ve missed a few things. Since this is a marathon, I thought we could start at the beginning of the season.”
Walter nodded. “Definitely. I feel like there’s a ton of stuff I missed.
Mr. Peters started the show. Just before the first commercial break, I pointed to the screen. “See! There’s the parasite.”
Walter swore. “How do you see this stuff?”
Pat looked at me. “Well, you’ve seen this before, right?”
Walter nodded. “Yeah, but she catches this stuff the first time around.
I caught the skeptical look Pat sent his brother, but I shrugged it off. A few minutes later, I pointed to the screen again. “This is where what’s-his-face gets infected. The new guy whose name I can’t remember.”
Walter shook his head. “He doesn’t get infected until—” He swore when he saw it.
After a couple of episodes, the boys started complaining they were hungry.
Walter frowned as Mr. Peters cued up the next show. “Should we take a break for lunch?”
I frowned. “I don’t want to get soaked again.”
Pat looked out the window. “Ugh. I think it’s raining worse than this morning. I wish we could get pizza delivered.”
Mr. Peters smiled. “That’s a really good idea. I think I have some take out menus.” He disappeared into the kitchen. When he returned, he passed a menu to Pat.
“What sounds good?”
I shrugged. “I always like cheese.”
Walter scoffed. “Boring.” He peered over his brother’s shoulder as the two of them scanned the menu.
I turned to Mr. Peters. “How ‘bout you? What kind of pizza do you want?”
He nodded his head towards the menu. “They make an amazing vegetable pie. Mushrooms, spinach, sliced tomatoes, onion, broccoli, olives, roasted garlic. I get it with fresh mozzarella.”
Walter pointed over Pat’s shoulder. “Buffalo chicken. Hot.”
Pat shook his head. “Mild.”
“Medium.”
“Deal.”
I shook my head. “That is not pizza.”
Pat began to enter the number into his phone. “How do I get them to deliver?”
Mr. Peters frowned. “I’m not allowed to tell you. When he asks for the address, give me the phone.”
Pat shrugged and made the call. He ordered medium pies for me and Mr. Peters and an extra large for himself and Walter. He added a couple of bottles of soda to the order as Walter passed him a debit card. After Pat read the number, he passed the phone to Mr. Peters, who took the phone to the kitchen.
I turned to Walter. “How much do I owe you for my pizza?”
Walter waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it.”
I frowned. I didn’t like when people paid for me. “Are you sure?”
He smiled. “You can buy me a snack the next time we go to the MAC Attack.”
Pat winked at me. “I’d hardly call that a fair exchange.”
Walter kicked his brother as Mr. Peters returned to the room.
The pizzas arrived in the middle of the next episode. The delivery person brought them right to the kitchen door. Mr. Peters paused the movie while he and Pat went to retrieve them.
Walter and Mr. Peters both offered me slices but, even though both pies smelled delicious, plain old cheese was always my favorite. I ate a few slices while we finished the episode. As the afternoon wore on, I kept going back to my pizza for one more slice. By the time we finished our marathon, I had eaten the entire pie.
Iwas too full for dinner. Walter and Pat had finished off the veggie pie, so they weren’t that hungry either. I turned to them as Mr. Peters switched off the television.
“So, now what should we do?”
Walter shrugged. “We could go watch a movie in my room. Or the common room.”
Pat turned to Mr. Peters. “Don’t you have some board games we could borrow?”
He nodded, gesturing towards a cabinet. “You remember where they are?”
Pat frowned as he examined the contents. He held out towards his brother.
Walter groaned. “Absolutely not. I hate that game.”
“Only cuz you lose. Every single time.” Pat angled the game towards me. “Melinda?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know how to play.”
Pat’s eyes lit up. “Great. I’ll teach you. Mr. Peters. Want to join us?”
“I’ll pass. But, you’re welcome to take that to the common room. I think the tables there would work best.”
Pat nodded, grabbing his bundle of clothes before heading to the door. I turned to Mr. Peters. “Thanks for the marathon.”
He smiled. “Thanks of pointing everything out for me.”
While Walter set up the board games, Pat explained the rules. They didn’t make a lot of sense, but I figured I would catch on. He pointed to the pawns Walter had separated into piles. “What color do you want?”
“Purple.”
He passed me the purple pieces, taking the red ones for himself. After selecting the blue ones, Walter placed the green pieces back in the box.
The board was octagonal, covered with circles the size of our pawns. Each circle contained a random number of dots, from one to four. Each circle was connected to its neighbor by a series of overlapping lines.
We took turns placing our pieces along the outer rim of the board. The boys looked like they had some sort of strategy in mind. I just placed my pawns randomly.
When all the outer circles were covered, Pat said I could go first. I picked up one of my pieces and looked at the circle beneath it. There were two dots. I could move two spaces along any of the lines touching my circle. With a shrug, I moved closer to the center. A few turns later, my piece landed in a hole.
I turned to Pat. “Now what?”
He smiled at me. “You’re locked into the next round.”
When all sixteen holes had been filled, Pat picked up the board. The pieces in the holes stayed where they were, on the board for the next round. The rest of our pawns were lifted away with the board. Pat dumped them into the box.
Walter did not look happy. Pat and I each had six pawns while Walter only had four. When it was time to lift the board again, Walter had only made it to one hole.
He didn’t make it to the final round, where Pat and I each had two pawns vying for the center circle. When I won, Pat winked at me.
“Beginner’s luck.”
I shook my head. “No way. Rematch.”
As we played board games for the rest of the night, I started to see a side of Walter I had never noticed before. For the first time, I realized that he had been wearing a mask to disguise the fact that his family was famous.
But, this weekend, he had shed that mask. The real Walter was playful and funny and extremely competitive. Pat had a very similar personality. Neither seemed to mind if I won a game, but they detested losing to each other.
I loved the dynamic between the two brothers, but I also loved how comfortable I felt with them. By the time I decided to go to bed, I felt like I was the younger sister they never had. And, I was pretty sure they felt the same about me.
Melinda’s Journal
Tuesday, October 24
I had a lot of fun with Walter and Pat this weekend. I loved seeing this new side to Walter. After breakfast yesterday, we watched a couple of action movies in the MAC.
However, by lunchtime, people started returning to campus. I could see Walter put his mask back on. He was still the same Walter, but more guarded. Quieter. Like he had to think about every word before it left his mouth.
When we went to lunch, Pat disappeared and so did the Walter I had seen this weekend. I can still see pieces of him shining through his mask, but he’s not the same.
Don’t get me wrong. I love this Walter just as much. I just wish he could relax a little more. I hope someday, everyone else will get to see the Walter I met this weekend.
Pat’s Story
I was still too jet-lagged to wake up at dawn, but Walter didn’t mind waiting a couple of hours to go on our morning run Monday morning. I met up with him outside my dorm.
“Okay. Show me the changes you made to my route.”
I followed his lead, impressed that he make the difficult inclines look effortless. Either I was out of shape or he was better conditioned. Either way, he was pretty far ahead of me when we turned back into the driveway at the end of our run.
We didn’t get a chance to stretch. During our run, a morning mist turned into a light drizzle. As soon as we reached my dorm, the drops began to fall with force. Walter kept running straight to his own dorm and I went inside to shower.
Walter brought Weddas to breakfast. We had the entire place to ourselves. Near the end of the game, long after we had finished eating, Melinda arrived looking like a wet rat. I felt bad for her, wishing I could warm her. But, her two mugs of hot chocolate seemed to be enough.
She looked a little annoyed as she sat across the table. “How long have to you been sitting here?”
Walter shrugged. “Half an hour?” He glanced at me for confirmation. “Sounds right.” I placed all my tiles on the board. “Bauxite. And be. That gives me nineteen points.” I smiled at Melinda.
She returned my smile as Walter whined about my score. While I waited for him to make his next move, I refilled my tray and turned my attention back to Melinda.
“So, what are your plans for this gorgeous day?”
She giggled into her hot chocolate. “I don’t know. I was kind of in the mood to watch television.”
“One of my movies?”
“Doofus! It’s your turn.”
I shook my head as I turned back to my brother. That annoyed attitude meant he was losing. I took my turn before trying to talk to Melinda again.
“What were you thinking of watching?”
She shrugged. “I’m kind of in the mood for a NeoGenesis marathon.”
I had forgotten she was an NGer. That sounded like a fantastic idea. Before I could respond, Walter enthusiastically placed his tiles on the board.
“I am so in!”
I followed Walter to his dorm. The rain had grown more intense during breakfast and we were drenched. While he went upstairs to change, I went to the faculty apartment at the end of the hall and knocked on the open door.
My physics teacher appeared from his kitchen. “Patrick. Is everything alright?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Walter told me about your NG viewing club and we were thinking a marathon would be great for this rainy day.”
Peters smiled. “And you were hoping to watch it here?”
I nodded.
“I happen to like that idea. I feel I’ve missed a lot this season.”
“Great.” I pointed at the ceiling. “I’ll go tell Walter. Oh, his friend Melinda is going to join us, too.”
Peters nodded. “Even better.”
I jogged up the stairs. Walter had told me his room number, but I didn’t remember it. Didn’t matter. There were name tags on the door. His was ajar. I knocked as I entered.
He had changed into dry clothes. I was suddenly jealous. And really cold. I frowned at him.
“You know, that’s really not fair.”
“What? Did Peters say no?”
I shook my head. “No, we can watch it there. It’s not fair that you’re nice and warm and I’m soaking wet.”
He smirked. “Well, you could always go back to your place and get changed.”
“Yeah, and get soaked again on the way back.” I squinted at him. He was almost as tall as me. And a lot more muscular. I bet we were close to the same size now.
Too bad I didn’t dress anything like him. While I preferred jeans and polo shirts, maybe a sweater on a day like today, Walter preferred cargo pants and tees. But, warmth trumped style.
“Doofus. Can I borrow some clothes? Warm up a little?”
He shrugged and went to his wardrobe. I watched him rummage through the drawer before pulling out some fleece pants and a plain black tee shirt. He tossed them on the bed between us.
“Get changed at Peters’s. I texted Melinda. She’s on her way.”
I was a little surprised to find that Walters clothes fit me so well. I was more surprised find Melinda standing at the bathroom door as I emerged. She looked cold and miserable. I wanted to give her a warm hug. But, that would have gotten me soaked all over again. Instead, I ushered her inside, hoping she had brought some dry clothes of her own.
She had. When she returned to the living room, she looked much more comfortable. I was sitting on the floor in front of my brother on the couch. I figured Melinda would sit with him, but she chose to sit on the floor opposite me instead.
I clapped my hands together, a little louder than I intended. “Everyone’s here. Let the party begin.”
Peters wanted to start our marathon at the beginning of this season. After a few minutes, Melinda pointed to the television.
“See! There’s the parasite.”
Walter swore. “How do you see this stuff?”
I looked at her. The answer seemed obvious. “Well, you’ve seen this before, right?”
Walter nodded. “Yeah, but she catches this stuff the first time around.”
I doubted it. No one caught this stuff the first time around. Melinda continued to point things out for the rest of the episode. I had already watched this and I still missed a few things. She must have watched it a few times or read some fan reports or something.
After the second episode, my stomach started growling. Walter’s must have as well. He started whining.
“I’m starving. Should we take a break for lunch?”
Melinda pouted. “I don’t want to get soaked again.”
I glanced out the window. “Ugh. I think it’s raining worse than this morning. I wish we could get pizza delivered.” Unfortunately, delivery was not allowed on campus.
Peters smiled. “That’s a really good idea. I think I have some take out menus.” He disappeared into the kitchen. When he returned, he passed me a menu.
“What sounds good?”
Melinda voted for cheese.
Walter scoffed. “Boring.” I could feel him reading the menu over my shoulder while Melinda asked Peters his choice.
Walter pointed to the menu. “Buffalo chicken. Hot.”
That sounded good. Except, I didn’t like it too spicy. I shook my head. “Mild.”
“Medium.”
“Deal.”
That was what I had wanted anyway. I glanced at Peters as I entered the number in my phone.
“How do I get them to deliver?”
Peters frowned. “I’m not allowed to tell you. When he asks for the address, give me the phone.”
I ordered two medium pizzas—a cheese for Melinda and an ultimate veggie for Peters—and a large buffalo chicken for me and my brother. I wanted soda, so I got a couple of diet colas. Growing up with a diabetic sister, I had grown pretty used to the stuff.
I felt Walter tapping my shoulder, noticing a debit card out of the corner of my eye. If he wanted to pay, that worked for me. After I read the number, the person on the other end asked for the delivery address.
“Um, hang on.” When I passed the the phone to Peters, he took it into the kitchen.
Melinda asked how much she for the pizza. My brother waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it.”
She had the most adorable little pout. It wasn’t that fake, practiced kind I was used to seeing on girls. This was genuine and so much cuter because of it.
“Are you sure?”
“You can buy me a snack the next time we go to the MAC Attack.”
Walter ate like a goat. I winked at Melinda. “I’d hardly call that a fair exchange.”
He kicked me as Mr. Peters returned to the room. About twenty minutes later, a doorbell buzzed. I hadn’t even realized the apartments had doorbells. Peters paused the episode and went to the kitchen door. I went to help him.
We took a few minutes to get settled before resuming our marathon. By the final episode, the pizzas had been devoured. Melinda had eaten her entire pie. Walter and I had helped Peters with his.
Melinda turned to Walter and I as Peters switched off the television.
“So, now what should we do?”
Walter shrugged. “We could go watch a movie in my room. Or the common room.”
I was sick of television. I looked over at Peters. “Don’t you have some board games we could borrow?”
He nodded, gesturing towards a cabinet. “You remember where they are?”
Yup. He had been my advisor a couple of years ago. I crossed the room to his game cabinet and examined its contents. I found one I was pretty good at and showed it to Walter.
He groaned. “Absolutely not. I hate that game.”
“Only cuz you lose. Every single time.” I angled it towards the opposite end of the couch. “Melinda?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know how to play.”
“Great. I’ll teach you. Mr. Peters. Want to join us?”
“I’ll pass. But you’re welcome to take that to the common room. I think the tables there would work best.”
I grabbed my pile of wet clothes that were sitting beside my soaked shoes and brought everything to the common room. Walter and Melinda followed me a moment later. While Walter set up the board game, I did my best to explain the rules. Melinda’s eyes glazed over. I had a feeling I had lost her.
I pointed to the pieces Walter had sorted. “What color do you want?”
“Purple.”
I wasn’t surprised. Her coat and bag were both purple. I had a feeling it was one of her favorite colors. Unfortunately, there were no black pawns, so I opted for red. Walter took the blue ones, as usual, returning the green ones to the box.
We took turns placing our pieces on the outer rim of the octagonal game board. Each one fit neatly inside a circle. I tried to place my pawns in locations that would allow me to move them into the holes within a few turns. Walter looked like he had a strategy as well. Melinda seemed to just be tossing them wherever.
I let Melinda move first. She picked up her pawn, revealing two dots on the circle. She moved two spaces forward. We took turns until we had filled all the holes on the board with our pawns. I lifted the game board to reveal the next layer. All the pieces in the holes remained on the new board. I dumped the rest into the box with the upper layer.
There were four layers. Melinda and I were the only ones to make it to the end. We each had two pawns vying for the center circle. I tried to plan my moves. I have no idea if Melinda had a strategy, but she managed to win. I couldn’t believe it.
“Beginners luck.”
She shook her head adamantly. “No way. Rematch.”
Walter had been telling me about Melinda since the first week of school. Despite his insistence to the contrary, I had always assumed he had a crush on her and was her friend in the hopes that someday they would be something more. But, watching them during the long weekend, I realized they would never be more than friends. They had a bond similar to the one between me and my sister.
She and I had developed a bond as well. She was so easy to talk to and was one of the few people I knew who could treat me as a regular person and not a celebrity. I was completely at ease around her.
Tuesday morning, the three of us decided to watch action movies at the MAC after breakfast. By lunchtime, people had begun returning to campus. When we got to the dining hall, Walter and Melinda were absorbed by some of their friends. I sat with Frank on the opposite side of the room.
He told me about all the colleges he had visited over the past few days and where they ranked in his top choices. I only paid him partial attention. My mind kept wandering back to this weekend.
It had been the perfect way to ease back into school.
Hartfield Chronicles 