Melinda’s Journal
Monday, December 18
(Author note: I am not sure what this journal entry should be about. Any suggestions? Leave a comment below.)
Melinda’s Story
Lunch on Monday was strange. I had no other word for it. Since the beginning of the school year, I had been eating lunch at my regular table with Sarah, Walter and Larry. Pat had been joining us off and on since long before we were together.
But Sarah was still avoiding Larry. I couldn’t blame her, really. So I didn’t object when she suggested we sit in the smaller section of the dining hall. A few minutes later, Pat emerged from the servery. I saw him send me a confused look before sitting across from his brother.
Sarah must have seen him as well. “What’s with your boyfriend?”
I shrugged. “He’s upset with me.”
“Why?”
“I told Walter something about Pat, and Pat’s upset with me for it. It’s . . . complicated. Not really appropriate lunch conversation.” I glanced around. Although there weren’t many people who ate lunch fourth period, there were enough that someone might overhear my conversation.
Sarah nodded in understanding. “That’s okay. You can tell me later.”
Later didn’t come for a while. We ended up walking to basketball with several of the girls from our dorm. While Sarah went to change, I headed straight to the court. As soon as I settled myself on the bench, Clarissa handed me a clipboard. I glanced at it as she walked away. On a sheet of paper were the names of every girl on the team.
After warm-ups, Clarissa had the girls sit in center court as she explained my observations about their free throws during the last game. Then, she sorted them in two lines. The rest of the practice was a free-throw competition.
I sat on the floor near one basket while Clarissa stood by the other. I watched Erica grab a ball from the rack near the foul line and throw it towards the basket. When she missed, she ran to retrieve it and return it to the ball rack before standing at the back of Clarissa’s line. The next girl in line did the same.
Whenever a girl made a basket, I put a tally beside her name. By the end of practice, I had seen a definite improvement in each of the girls. Clarissa declared Emily the winner, dismissing the girls as JV headed up to the track.
As I shrugged on my coat and bag, I checked my phone. Pat had texted me near the beginning of practice. He wanted me to meet up with him in the library before dinner.
I didn’t respond right away. The last thing I wanted was to show up and have him break up with me. Then again, avoiding him wouldn’t do any good. If he was going to break up with me, why prolong it? With trembling fingers, I told him I had to stop by my dorm and gave him an ETA of about thirty minutes.
Sarah emerged from the locker room with half of the team, and we all traveled back to the dorm together. When we were finally alone in our room, I was able to tell her about what had happened between me and Pat. I ended up telling her pretty much exactly what I had told Walter after church yesterday.
I shook my head as I zipped my backpack closed. “What I don’t get is why he was fine Saturday night, and now he’s avoiding me.”
“Boys are dumb. You should just break up with him. We’ll find some better guys. There’s this guy in my German class who’d be great for you.”
I raised my eyebrows, and Sarah giggled. “Okay, okay. I’m probably not the best person to help you right now. Find me at dinner if you need to talk. I may go sit with some of the girls from the team.”
I could hear the sadness in Sarah’s voice, so I did my best to hug her—how I was starting to hate these crutches—on my way out of the room.
At the top of the stairwell, I nearly ran into Larry. “What’re you doing here?”
“I needed to talk to Sarah.” He looked at the ground, speaking quietly, completely unlike his usual charismatic self.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you gonna hurt her more? Maybe I should referee.”
“I’m just gonna talk to her. Explain why I acted like I did. What are you doing?”
I had sat on the top step, sliding my crutches down the stairway. I peered up at him. “When I was a kid, I read a story about a girl who broke her leg and her grandmother made her go up and down the stairs on her butt. She hated it, but I kinda like it. Makes it a lot easier and doesn’t hurt nearly as much.”
Larry shook his head as he headed for my room. I slid down the staircase, my butt plopping on every step. This was something I only did in my dorm, and only going down the stairs. I would never admit it to anyone, but I actually enjoyed doing it so much, I had to resist saying wee as I slid.
At the bottom of the steps, I retrieved my crutches and made my way to my usual study room. Pat was reading in one of the comfy chairs. He looked unhappy, but I wasn’t sure how to fix things. I tried to close the door behind me silently, but my stupid crutches made any stealthy behavior impossible.
Pat smiled as he placed his open book face down on the small table. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” When I sat on the arm of his chair, he took my crutches and laid them gently on the floor. Turning back to me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into the chair. He held me so close, I wasn’t positive I was getting enough air as he spoke into my hair.
“I’m sorry for avoiding you. I’m sorry for getting mad at you. I’m even sorry about not sitting with you at lunch today, although I think I was already punished for that one and I learned my lesson.”
“Tell me about lunch later. Tell me what’s going on. You were fine when we got back Saturday night.”
“Not really, but I was trying to be. Then, I had a dream that night. About you.”
“A bad dream?” I shifted to face him and was surprised to see he was turning red.
He spoke quietly, not meeting my eye. “No. The kind of dream I can’t tell you about.”
I tried not to smirk, but I wasn’t sure I was entirely successful. “Did it involve the backseat of your car?”
“I just said I can’t tell you about it.” Pat squirmed a little, but I was glad to see his smile reached his eyes.
“And you’ve been embarrassed? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”
“Remember that time I saw you dancing, and you were in that leotard, and I said I didn’t have enough self-control to kiss you?”
I glanced at my broken ankle. “Yeah. I remember.” It was our first night back on campus for the winter term. The last time I had worn my tap shoes before breaking my ankle.
Pat ran his hands through my hair. “Well, it was kind of like that. Every time I looked at you, I kept remembering that dream, and I felt guilty. And really not in control. And I wasn’t really sure who I could talk to about it.”
I ran my hand along his arm. “Walter’s your best friend.”
“He’s also my little brother, and I couldn’t talk to him about it. And Frank and Zach would just tease me. And Chloe’s a girl. She can’t understand.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You think girls don’t have those kind of dreams?”
“Well, I did, until you just asked me that question. Wait. Have you had that kind of dream about me?”
“No. I once had a dream, a very vivid dream, where I was kissing a guy. I’m not telling you who or when.”
“My dream involved more than kissing.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured. And, I know girls who have had those kinds of dreams, too. I figure I don’t because I don’t think about it.”
Pat could not quite hide his surprise. “You don’t think about it? Like, ever?”
I shook my head. “Very rarely. I’m only thirteen. I know I’m not gonna be ready for a long time. I dunno if I agree with you about waiting for marriage, but I certainly know I’m not ready now.”
Pat kissed me gently, then held me tight. “You’re awesome. Do you know one of the things I love most about you? You are so incredibly understanding. I’ve been pretty rude to you the past two days and instead of breaking up with me, you’re still trying to make me feel better. I am so lucky to have you.”
“Are you going to keep avoiding me?”
“Maybe. But not for the moment. So, how was your day?”
I shrugged. “I missed you. My plan was to talk to you at lunch, but Sarah swore off boys forever.”
“Yeah, I heard. Oh, speaking of lunch. We started talking about Walter’s first kiss, but the guys wouldn’t tell me who it was. I figured you would know. I can’t tease him if I don’t know.”
I tried to shift away from Pat, but he just held me tighter. I avoided his eyes, speaking slowly and choosing my words carefully.
“It was at the Victory Ball.”
“Really? I didn’t see him with anyone. Then again, I was mostly just watching you.”
“He was angry and confused. He was jealous and didn’t understand why.”
“You’re scaring me, Daphne. Who’d he kiss?”
I didn’t say a word. I saw the moment realization dawned on Pat’s face. He sat up straighter, nearly knocking me out of the chair.
“He kissed you? But, I kissed you!”
I sighed. “You kissed me. Walter saw and was jealous. He didn’t understand he was jealous of losing his friend. He thought he liked me. So, he kissed me.”
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“Pat, you and I weren’t together yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. He saw me kiss you. That should have made you off limits.”
“Off limits?” I didn’t even bother trying to hide my anger. “Am I some sort of object for you two to fight over?” I started climbing out of the chair.
Pat sighed, pulling me close and speaking gently. “Please. I’m sorry. It caught me off guard. I figured he kissed Sarah or Frank’s new Chinese tutor. I keep forgetting her name. Opal? Ruby?”
“Jade? She’s tutoring Frank? I didn’t realize that.”
“Yeah. They met at dinner last week. I ran into her boyfriend when I went running after church yesterday. He mentioned it in passing.”
“I thought you ran with Walter before church.”
Pat turned red. “Running helps clear my head. I’ve been doing some extra laps.”
I kissed him lightly. “You can always talk to me, you know.”
Pat rested his head on my forehead. “I know. I just forget sometimes.”
When we headed down to the dining hall, Pat helped me carry my tray to the table before returning to the servery for his own meal, which he was planning on eating in the Senior Section with Chloe and Zach. I was a little surprised to see Sarah sitting with Larry at dinner, but said nothing, knowing she would tell me later tonight.
Mr. Williams was out sick today, so he canceled wind orchestra for the night. After dinner, I headed back upstairs to study with Walter. As we settled into our seats, I glanced around. I had grown accustomed to Pat and Zayne joining us, but we were alone. I sent Walter a curious look.
“Where’s Zayne?”
“Meeting with her physics teacher to go over her last test. I tried explaining it to her the other day, but she was still kinda confused, so I suggested she meet with her teacher.”
I nodded, but before I could say anything, there was a knock on the open doorway. Walter and I glanced up to see Larry standing there with no study materials. He was the farthest thing from his usual exuberant self. As he stepped into the room, I hobbled over to give him a hug.
“Hey. You okay?”
He shrugged. “Can I talk to you guys for a few minutes?”
Walter nodded. “Of course.”
I gestured to the door. “Do you want me to leave?”
Larry shook his head as he sat beside Walter. “No. I, um, I talked to Sarah earlier. I wanted to tell you guys what I told her. About why I’ve been acting so crazy.”
As I sat back in my chair, I glimpsed Pat standing in the doorway, obviously uncertain whether he should intrude. “Um, Larry? Is this something you mind me sharing with Pat? Or would you rather I not?”
Larry shrugged. “It’s not a secret or anything.”
“So, he can come in the room?”
Larry and Walter both glanced at the door. Larry laughed and shook his head, although his smile did not reach his eyes.
“Come in, bro. Just, shut the door behind you, will ya?”
Pat closed the door, settling beside me as Larry took a deep breath.
“So, Saturday afternoon, not long before the dance, my mom called. She told me she’s moving back to Rhode Island.”
“That’s great!” I couldn’t understand why Larry wasn’t more enthusiastic about moving back to his home state.
He just shook his head. “Turns out, Kenzie and I are gonna have a new baby brother or sister next summer.”
“Oh, that’s so exciting!”
Larry looked at the table. “My mom’s not the one having the baby.”
No one said anything. He gave us a minute to let the meaning of his words sink in.
Eventually, Walter broke the silence. “Is your dad staying in Pennsylvania, then?”
Larry sighed. “Yeah. He’s already moved in with his girlfriend.”
“How’s your mom handling it?” asked Pat.
“She’s moving in with her girlfriend.”
I tried to look at the bright side. “Well, that’ll be nice. She’ll have some help till she finds her own place.”
“Not that kind of girlfriend.” Larry’s words were slow.
We all stared at him with wide-eyes.
Larry gave a small laugh. “Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction. Apparently, my mom had been seeing this woman for a while and this wasn’t my dad’s first affair. They wanted divorce a long time ago, but then Mom had Kenzie.”
I gasped. “Oh! Poor Kenzie! How’s she handling this? Who’s she gonna live with?”
“She’s staying with my mom. That’s a good thing. She’ll be happier in Rhode Island with her old friends. I didn’t talk to her, but from what my mom said, I think Kenzies doing okay. She’s just really confused and mad about changing kindergartens.”
“Is that why you broke up with Sarah?”
Larry nodded. “I went to the dance with my mom’s phone call bouncing around in my head and then Sarah goes and says she loves me. I just completely freaked out.”
“So, are you less freaked out now?” Pat asked.
“Sarah and I? We talked for a while. I told her I may never be able to tell her I love her.”
Pat winced. “What’d she say to that?”
Larry smiled and this time, it did reach his eyes. “She said I was wrong.”
Walter laughed, nodding his head. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
I put a hand on Larry’s on the table. “Are you okay?”
Larry nodded. “I’m getting there. It’s gonna take some getting used to. My mom isn’t moving back to Rhode Island until after Christmas. So Kenzie and I can spend some time with my dad before we move home. It probably won’t hit me till then.”
“I may not understand what you’re going through,” Walter told his friend, “but you know I’m always around if you need to talk.”
Larry nodded. “Thanks, bro.”
They exchanged fist bumps as Zayne knocked on the door. Larry glanced at his watch.
“I better go study. I have to work on my English essay.”
Things between me and Pat didn’t feel like they were back to normal until after study hours. When Walter walked Zayne back to the dorm, Pat pulled me into his comfy chair and kissed me greedily. I responded with equal fervor. I had missed him more than I had realized. He pulled me closer, and I was filled with a warmth that spread throughout my entire body. When I thought I might burst, I rested my forehead on his and tried to let my heartbeat return to normal. Pat spoke in a low voice.
“I can’t keep kissing you like that. My heart is going to explode.”
I smiled. “I almost finished your Christmas present. Should I give it to you Friday before we leave?”
Pat didn’t answer me immediately. We collected our bags and headed out of the library. Pat waited until we were exiting the elevator before responding.
“I talked to my mom. We’re having the family for Christmas and then we’re traveling. Mom suggested having everyone over Saturday night, then bring everyone without a ride back here Sunday. I was thinking we could exchange gifts then.”
“Sounds fun, but I don’t think my mom’ll let me have a sleepover at your house.”
“You’ve seen my house. It’s got its own zip code. You and I will be nowhere near each other.”
I shrugged. “We’ll see what my mom says.”
Pat’s Story
After spending a night brooding, I realized I was mad at myself, not Melinda. I felt miserable about how I had treated her and I figured I would talk to her about it at lunch.
“You feeling any better?” Walter asked as we walked to the TRAC for our morning run.
“Still not talking about it. But, I did realize I forgot to ask about your date. How was the ball?”
Walter grimaced.
“That bad? But you guys looked like you were getting along great last night.”
Walter changed the subject. “Did Melinda ever tell you about her first boyfriend?”
“The guy who made a bet on whether he could kiss her?”
Walter nodded. “Zayne dated him, too. Made a bet about her, too.”
I called the guy a very insulting name as I held open the door to the TRAC. Walter nodded as he passed me.
“So? She’s sworn off guys?”
“I can’t figure it out. She doesn’t want to be my girlfriend, but she kissed me and said she wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
Walter didn’t wait for my response. We had reached the top of the stairs and he immediately started running. I waited for him to pass me so I could join him.
“So, what now?”
“We’re running.”
I punched his shoulder hard enough to hurt my hand. It didn’t even break his stride. “I meant, what are you going to do about Zayne?”
Walter smiled. “Melinda gave me some pointers. Told me to walk her home at night. Just kinda keep being around like you did when she wouldn’t go out with you.”
After a mile of silence, I decided I could tell my brother at least a little of what was bothering me. “Remember when we gave Melinda a ride home for Thanksgiving? When I kissed her, I kinda lost control a little?”
“I’m guessing it happened again?”
“My hands were under her shirt.” I could feel my face growing red with this admission, but I had no one else to talk to about this.
Walter nearly tripped over himself. It took a few paces before we were back in sync. He swore at me. “What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t thinking. That’s the problem.”
Walter waited another lap before responding. “Did you at least talk about it last night?”
“No. We ended up—not exactly fighting, but definitely not talking.”
Unfortunately, by the time we finished our run, had our turn in the weight room, and headed back to the dorms, I had not figured out any solution. I felt marginally better, but I still didn’t know how I could be near my girlfriend and not lose control.
My plan was to convince Melinda to have lunch alone so we could talk things out. However, when I got my tray and headed towards her usual table, I saw her sitting alone with Sarah in the smaller section of the dining hall. She was probably still mad at me for last night. I knew I should go apologize, but I didn’t want to make Sarah uncomfortable. I went to sit with my brother and Larry instead.
Larry nodded his head towards me and spoke in a funereal tone. “Bro. Did you guys break up, too?”
“Huh? What’re you talking about?”
“Larry and Sarah broke up.” Walter’s mouth was full of a turkey and roast beef sandwich, but I understood him anyway.
I glared at my brother. How could he not think to tell me this important fact earlier? I turned back to Larry. “Oh. Sorry, man. No, we didn’t break up. We’re just . . .” What were we? Were we fighting? I had used that word last night, but I was more or less wallowing in a self-pity party, wasn’t I?
“He’s avoiding Melinda,” Walter supplied between bites.
“I am not.” The denial was automatic. I sighed. “Okay, fine. Maybe I am.”
“Why?” Larry asked, though not unkindly. “What’d you do wrong?”
“Why do you assume I did something wrong?”
I could feel my face grow hot. I started playing with the chicken nuggets on my plate, wondering why I had even gotten them. My appetite was gone.
Larry shrugged. “Didn’t you?”
I nodded, but couldn’t find the words. Walter tried to help me.
“He tried to–”
I glared at him. “Shut up!” I yelled loud enough to have a few heads turn in our direction. I lowered my voice, my face growing even warmer. “It’s not important.”
“You realize Walter’ll just tell me later, right?” Larry smiled.
Walter smirked into his water glass. We all knew Walter wouldn’t say anything, but it was enough to relieve some of the tension. I had felt a little better after talking to Walter this morning. Maybe talking to Larry could be helpful, too. It certainly wouldn’t make things worse.
I took a deep breath. “When Melinda and I first got together, we set some boundaries. Like, we don’t go in each other’s dorm.”
“Is that why you looked so uncomfortable the night she broke her ankle?” Larry waved a chicken nugget at me.
I nodded. “Another rule is nothing more than kissing.”
“Pat tried to break that rule the other night,” Walter added.
Larry nodded knowingly. “Oh. And now she’s mad at you?”
I shook my head. “No. She forgave me right away. Mostly because I was more mad at myself than she was at me.”
“I’m not seeing the problem.”
I sighed. “I’m just . . . I’m worried I’ll lose my self-control again.”
“Where’d you guys go instead of the dance? If you weren’t in the dorms. The MAC?”
“My car. We grabbed some subs and took them someplace we could just hang out.”
Larry stared at me for a few seconds. “Lemme get this straight. You tell your girlfriend you just want to kiss her. Then you take her out in your car. You bring her to some make-out spot, I’m guessing. But you’re only going to kiss. The only thing missing is the backseat.”
My chicken nuggets suddenly became very interesting again. I could feel my face and neck growing hot. “You guys are making it sound a lot worse than it really was.”
“It seems to me all you need to do is avoid your car and stay in public places. You think, if you’re making out in the library, you’re gonna slip again?”
Larry made it sound so simple. Maybe he was right.
Walter pointed his sandwich at me. “You still need to talk to her about it.” Oh yeah. That was the not-so-simple part.
I smirked at Larry. “If you’re such an expert, why’d you break up with Sarah?”
Larry’s face fell. “She scared me. She thinks she’s in love with me because she took some stupid online quiz. She’s not.”
“How do you know?” asked Walter cautiously.
“Because you can’t be in love at fourteen.”
I happened to believe otherwise, but I knew to hold my tongue. I had a feeling there was more going on here than just Sarah. “What makes you say that?”
“Because if adults can’t get it right, how can we?”
Larry’s angry tone surprised me. He was one of the most mellow people I knew. I exchanged a confused look with my brother, who shrugged slightly as he turned back to Larry.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“I really don’t!” Larry sighed. “I’m working through some stuff. I’ll tell you about it later.”
Walter started whining. “At least you two have girls who are crazy about you. I’ve got a girl who wants to make-out without being my girlfriend.”
“Maybe she’s seen you eat?” I suggested as Walter shoved an entire nugget in his mouth. Walter tried to make a face at me, but it was difficult with his cheeks full.
“I’m not seeing the issue,” Larry said.
Walter sighed. “If you’re not together, you’re just kissing. It’s not special. What’s the point?”
“Does it feel special? Or is it like when you kissed . . .” He glanced at me as he trailed off.
Oh. I missed something important here. I had thought Zayne was his first kiss. Had I missed a chance to tease him? “Who? Who’d you kiss?”
Walter glared at Larry. “It’s not important. But, yes. It does feel special, but that’s because I keep hoping she’ll be my girlfriend.”
“Who?”
“Zayne.”
“Not her, doofus. Who was your first kiss?” When Walter said nothing, I shrugged. “Fine. I’ll just ask Melinda.”
“No!”
Larry looked like he had swallowed a lemon as he shook his head. “You shouldn’t.”
I glanced between them. “Why not? Doesn’t she know?”
“Of course she knows.” Larry had a slight smirk. Walter glared at him.
I was still confused. “Then why can’t I ask her?”
Larry looked at his phone too quickly to have actually checked the time. “Oh, look. Time for class. C’mon Walter.”
I just made faces behind their backs as they walked away.
I felt a lot better after lunch. I wasn’t sure if it was because I had talked to the guys or because I had teased my brother. But, whatever the case, I could finally think clearly. And one thing I knew was that I needed to talk to Melinda.
I sent her a text asking if we could meet at the library, but she didn’t respond right away. It wasn’t until she texted me an hour later that I remembered she had been at basketball practice. I made myself as comfortable as I could in the library. I could not wait to be done with this stupid English book.
I heard Melinda clunking her way down the hall before I saw her through the window. But, I didn’t move. How upset was she with me. I was pretty sure she was trying to sneak into the room. As she closed the door, I laid my book on the small table between the chairs, face down, but open to where I had been reading.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Melinda sat on the arm of my chair. I took her crutches from her, laying them on the floor, then took her by the waist and gently pulled her into my lap. I needed to be close to her. I held her tight and spoke into her hair.
“I’m sorry for avoiding you. I’m sorry for getting mad at you. I’m even sorry about not sitting with you at lunch today, although I think I was already punished for that one and I learned my lesson.”
Melinda tried to look at me, but I wouldn’t let go. She ran her hand along the arm I had crossed around her chest. “Tell me about lunch later. Tell me what’s going on. You were fine when we got back Saturday night.”
“Not really, but I was trying to be. Then, I had a dream that night. About you.”
“A bad dream?” This time, Melinda managed to turn around.
I could feel my face grow hot. I knew I had to be honest with her, but I couldn’t look at her. I spoke quietly. “No. The kind of dream I can’t tell you about.”
Melinda smiled. “Did it involve the backseat of your car?”
I tried to get a little more comfortable. But her smile was infectious, and it made me feel a little better. “I just said I can’t tell you about it.”
“And you’ve been embarrassed? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”
“Remember that time I saw you dancing, and you were in that leotard, and I said I didn’t have enough self-control to kiss you?”
“Yeah. I remember.”
I had said something wrong. It was in her tone. I gently ran my fingers through her hair. “Well, it was kind of like that. Every time I looked at you, I kept remembering that dream, and I felt guilty. And really not in control. And I wasn’t really sure who I could talk to about it.”
She stroked my hair. “Walter’s your best friend.”
“He’s also my little brother, and I couldn’t talk to him about it. And Frank and Zach would just tease me. And Chloe’s a girl. She can’t understand.”
“You think girls don’t have those kind of dreams?”
There was something about that smile. I considered her a moment before responding slowly.
“Well, I did, until you just asked me that question.” Realization hit. “Wait. Have you had that kind of dream about me?”
“No. I once had a dream, a very vivid dream, where I was kissing a guy. I’m not telling you who or when.”
I shrank back a little. “My dream involved more than kissing.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured.” Melinda smiled. “And I know girls who have had those kinds of dreams, too. I figure I don’t think about it, so I don’t dream about it.”
She wasn’t serious, was she? “You don’t think about it? Like, ever?”
Melinda was silent for a moment. “Very rarely. I’m only thirteen. I know I’m not gonna be ready for a long time. I dunno if I agree with you about waiting for marriage, but I certainly know I’m not ready now.”
I had the absolute best girlfriend in the world. I kissed her, somehow knowing that even though I loved her so much at that moment, I wouldn’t lose control.
I held her close. “You’re awesome. Do you know one of the things I love most about you? You are so incredibly understanding. I’ve been pretty rude to you the past two days and instead of breaking up with me, you’re still trying to make me feel better. I am so lucky to have you.”
“Are you going to keep avoiding me?”
I smiled. “Maybe. But not for the moment. So, how was your day?”
Melinda shrugged. “I missed you. I wanted to talk to you at lunch, but Sarah swore off boys forever.”
“Yeah, I heard. Oh, speaking of lunch. We started talking about Walter’s first kiss, but the guys wouldn’t tell me who it was. I figured you would know. I can’t tease him if I don’t know.”
“It was at the Victory Ball.” She stiffened slightly, and I started tracing my hand along her spine.
“Really? I didn’t see him with anyone. Then again, I was mostly just watching you.”
“He was angry and confused. He was jealous and didn’t understand why.”
“You’re scaring me, Daphne. Who’d he kiss?”
Melinda said nothing, but after a moment, I could connect the dots. “He kissed you? But, I kissed you!”
Melinda sighed. “You kissed me. Walter saw and was jealous. He didn’t understand he was jealous of losing his friend. He thought he liked me. So, he kissed me.”
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“Pat, you and I weren’t together yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. He saw me kiss you. That should have made you off limits.”
“Off limits? Am I some sort of object for you two to fight over?” I could hear the anger in her voice as she tried to get out of the chair.
I sighed, pulling her close. “Please. I’m sorry. It caught me off guard. I figured he kissed Sarah or Frank’s new Chinese tutor. I keep forgetting her name. Opal? Ruby?”
Melinda scrunched her face in confusion. “Jade? She’s tutoring Frank? I didn’t realize that.”
“Yeah. They met at dinner last week. I ran into her boyfriend when I went running after church yesterday. He mentioned it in passing.”
“I thought you ran with Walter before church.”
I could feel my face growing hot. “Running helps clear my head. I’ve been doing some extra laps.”
Melinda kissed me lovingly. “You can always talk to me, you know.”
I rested my forehead against hers. “I know. I just forget sometimes.”
Even though Melinda was at Orchestra, I decided I would study with Walter Monday night, even if his almost-girlfriend was there. If he wanted, I could always leave.
When I got to the study room, Walter was already there. So were Melinda and Larry. I couldn’t imagine why either one would be there. I stood frozen as I took in the scene.
Melinda glanced at me, then turned back towards Larry. “Um, Larry? Is this something you mind me sharing with Pat? Or would you rather I not?”
Larry shrugged. “It’s not a secret or anything.”
“So, he can come in the room?”
Larry and Walter both glanced at me. Larry laughed and shook his head, although his smile did not reach his eyes.
“Come in, bro. Just, shut the door behind you, will ya?”
I did as instructed and sat beside Melinda, putting an arm around her chair. She leaned into me as Larry explained what had been going on.
Apparently, both his parents had been having affairs with other women and his father’s girlfriend was now pregnant. His father was staying in Philly, where he has already moved in with the girlfriend. His mother was moving back to Rhode Island, where Larry grew up. She and Larry’s five-year-old sister were moving in with the mother’s girlfriend.
How was I supposed to respond to a story like that? I was dumbfounded.
Apparently, he found all this out immediately before the Snowflake Ball, so when Sarah said she loved him, he just flipped out. He was handling it a little better, and I had the feeling he and Sarah were back together.
Larry had just finished his story when Zayne knocked on the door. Larry didn’t linger, and Zayne joined us at the study table.
“How’d it go?” Walter asked her as she sat down.
Zayne smiled. “It was a lot less scary than I thought it would be. Thanks for suggesting I go see her.”
They said no more about the subject, but I had the impression Zayne had been visiting a teacher.
At the end of study hours, Walter offered to walk Zayne back to her dorm again and Melinda came to join me in my chair. I had gone there to read the English version of my Latin book, so I was a little less depressed than if I had been reading for English class.
I pulled Melinda into the chair and kissed her hungrily. I wanted to be as close to her as possible. The more I kissed her, the more I realized how much I had missed her when things were strained between us.
I managed not to lose control, but only just barely. Melinda rested her forehead on mine. I ran my fingers along her back.
“I can’t keep kissing you like that. My heart is going to explode.”
Melinda smiled and changed the subject. “I almost finished your Christmas present. Should I give it to you Friday before we leave?”
We packed up our stuff and headed towards the dorms. I waited until we were outside before I answered her question.
“I talked to Mom. We’re having the family for Christmas and then we’re traveling. She suggested having everyone over Saturday night, then bring everyone without a ride back here Sunday. I was thinking we could exchange gifts then.”
Melinda smiled. “Sounds fun. But I don’t think my mom’ll let me have a sleepover at your house.”
“You’ve seen my house. It’s got its own zip code. You and I will be nowhere near each other.”
“We’ll see what my mom says.”
Attention Hammerheads
Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.
Hartfield Chronicles 