Melinda’s Journal

Sunday, January 14

When I was in sixth grade, I had a classmate named Christina Bishop. One day, she just stopped coming to school. She never told anyone that she was going on vacation and no one knew what had happened to her.

That Sunday at church, the deacon announced her name on the prayer list for the recently deceased.

The next morning, my friend Brittany started telling anyone who would listen about Christina’s unfortunate demise. By the time lunch came around, the details had become so gruesome, I lost my appetite. By the final bell, a collection was being taken in her memory.

Wednesday morning, I walked into homeroom to find Christina sitting in her regular seat beside me. She spent the rest of the morning telling me about the passing of her grandmother, after whom she had been named.

I tried to stop paying attention to rumors after that incident.

Melinda’s Story

“Where’ve you been?” Walter asked as we walked to church on Sunday morning. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

I bumped my shoulder against his. “I’m not the one who skipped Latin yesterday.”

“We had to leave at eleven. Did you know it takes three hours to get to Iverson? They gave us boxed lunches on the bus.” Walter’s tone made it clear he was not a fan of the lunch. “But, seriously. What happened to you Friday?”

“When I got to the study room, you and Zayne were in the comfy chairs. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Sorry. You should have just interrupted us.”

“Are you guys together yet?”

“Yeah, we are. I was gonna tell you when you came to study with us.”

Melinda smiled. “I’m happy for you. But, I just . . . seeing you made me miss Pat. And I skipped NeoGenesis because I didn’t want to see him.”

“Pat missed it, too. I’m gonna check in with him later and figure out why.”

“How’s he doing? Have you talked to him since Thursday?”

“Only during our morning runs. He’s pushing himself pretty hard, and I don’t think he’s eating. The only time I’ve seen him in the dining hall has been when he grabs a sandwich and sneaks out the back door.”

“Have you talked to him about it?”

Walter shook his head. “I already told Zayne I would meet her for brunch, but I need to invite Pat to a meal. I want to make sure he eats. Can he join us for supper? Or is that too weird?”

I shook my head as we entered the church. “He can join us. I miss having him around, too.”

---

I was sitting on my bed, reading ahead for English class, when Larry and Walter entered. Walter sat beside me while Larry sat on Sarah’s bed. I closed my book and eyed them suspiciously.

“Um, you do realize this is the girls’ dorm, right?”

Larry shrugged. “Sarah’s finding an advisor.”

Walter looked angry. I turned to him. “You okay?”

Sarah bounded in and closed the door until she could just barely fit her fist in the opening. She sat on her bed and faced me.

“Did you tell her yet?”

“Tell me what?”

“We were waiting for you,” Larry responded.

“Tell me what?”

Walter sighed. “We were in the MAC watching football. There are a ton of rumors going around.”

“I don’t like gossip.”

“They’re about Pat.”

Sarah shook her head. “There are like three different stories floating around about why you dumped him. Most involve him cheating on you.”

“And they’re saying he skipped classes,” Larry added.

I raised my eyebrows. “Well, he did.”

Walter glared at my floor. “Yeah, but not for the reasons they’re saying.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

Sarah sent me a cautious look. “Because some of the rumors involve you. It’s why people have been looking at you funny all weekend.”

“They have?”

Walter snorted. “That’s one of the things Pat loves most about you. You don’t notice the stares and murmuring.”

I cringed a little at Walter’s words, but he seemed too distressed to seem to notice. Sarah didn’t. She glared at him.

“What’d you have to say that for?”

“What?” Walter looked around.

I sighed. “Sarah, it’s fine. I’m fine. Look, can we just go get dinner and forget about this?”

Apparently, we couldn’t. I took my time in the servery. Nothing sounded appetizing. Finally, I decided on spaghetti and meatballs. After grabbing a water, I headed towards my usual table.

Just in time to see Sarah and Larry leaving. I followed them to the smaller section, but I still had to pass my other friends. I heard what they were saying about me and it upset me. But the things they were saying about Pat? It broke my heart, because I knew none of it was true. I placed my tray between Sarah and Walter.

“Why are we over here?”

Larry nodded in Walter’s direction. He looked ready to hurt someone. I had only seen him that angry once before, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Before I could figure it out, Pat sat across from me. He still looked like he could use a hug. It brought tears to my eyes.

Pat looked around. “What’re you guys doing over here?”

Walter glared at him. “There’re a lot of rumors floating around about you.” He sounded ready to hurt someone. Possibly his brother.

Pat smiled, although I saw it didn’t reach his eyes. “Which one was your favorite?”

Walter looked at his brother. “What?”

I mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Pat’s comment seemed to have calmed Walter, at least slightly.

Pat shrugged. “Personally, I liked the one about me and Hana in my car. Bethany liked the one that I spent break in rehab.”

Larry smirked. “I haven’t even heard that one yet.”

Walter examined his brother. “You’re okay?”

Pat shook his head. “No. I’m angry. I’ve been eating in my room all week. I don’t care what people are saying about me. I just don’t really like all the looks. And the whispers are pretty annoying.”

“So, what’re you going to do about it?”

“I haven’t decided. I could start the rumor that Zach and Chloe were making out during Sunday D.”

“Patrick!” I couldn’t believe he would stoop to their level.

“I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I meant to say I could inform people of the true story that Zach and Chloe were making out during Sunday D.”

Somehow, I didn’t seem to mind the story as long as it was true. I tried to hide my smile by taking a sip of my water.

“Or I could just let one of the other people in detention spread the story. There’s also an honor board meeting—this afternoon, I think—regarding a couple of my classmates that were caught cheating on a test. I forgot which one.”

Walter stared wide-eyed at his brother. “Is your form losing their minds?”

Pat shook his head. “There’s always lots of stuff going on. Just give it a few days and the rumors will change.” He turned to Sarah. “Hey, I have a question for you.”

When Sarah responded with a glare, Pat looked at Larry for an explanation.

He shrugged a shoulder. “She’s still mad about you guys breaking up.” He was trying to hide a smile.

Pat shrugged and signed something to Sarah. Apparently, it surprised her because her eyes widened and she exclaimed, “What? How?”

“Oh. Are you speaking to me again?” Pat smiled. “When I was in LA last week, I mentioned your sister to Matt King. He thinks he remembers her and was wondering if I could arrange a visit. I haven’t worked out the details yet. I have to find out when he’s coming to town.”

“She would die!” Sarah exclaimed.

“So . . . is that a no?”

Sarah rolled her eyes at me in a gesture that clearly said boys are so clueless. I giggled. Pat hated eye rolls because he couldn’t understand them, so I took pity on him and spelled it out for him.

“Crystal would love to meet him.”

“Sick. I’ll find out when he’s coming to town.” He gazed right into my eyes. I looked back and, even though we were sitting on opposite sides of the table, my heart stopped beating. Did his?

Pat’s Story

Sunday detention had been designed to be boring. There were two lecture halls on campus. The one in the science center had comfortable executive chairs. The one in the math building had hard wooden chairs. Needless to say, that was where detention was held. My dean was this weekend’s dean on duty and he monitored the detention. We could do homework or just sit there. No food. No talking. No phones. No electronics. No sleeping.

I had already gone for my morning run, so I was way more awake than anyone else in the room. I looked around, counting about twenty of us. In the back corner were Zach and Chloe. Somehow, it didn’t surprise me to see them, although I didn’t expect them to start making out halfway through the three-hour detention. Mr. Caswell was working at the desk in the front of the room with his head down.

I tried to focus on my physics homework, but soon the room was buzzing with whispers. At first, I thought everyone was talking about me, but then I realized everyone was staring in the corner. The whispering was enough to get Mr. Caswell’s attention.

“Mr. Fields! Miss Striker! Hallway! Now!”

I couldn’t help smirking into my physics book as they sheepishly made their way to the front of the room.

Unfortunately, after that, detention became so boring, I was pretty sure my eyes were bleeding by the time Caswell dismissed us at noon. I followed everyone to the dining hall, grabbed a sandwich, and headed to my room. I still didn’t want to be near people yet.

I spent the afternoon as I had all week. I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, when there was a knock on my door.

I was pretty sure I hadn’t locked it. I called out half-heartedly. “Come in.”

“Pop quiz,” someone said as the door opened. “What was CAVEmen’s first song to top the charts?”

My reply was unenthusiastic. “Hazel. What’re you doing here, Uncle Vinny?”

My uncle sat at the foot of my bed. I didn’t move. I didn’t even look at him as he sighed wistfully.

“Hazel Weinstein. Sometimes I wonder if she ever realized the song was about her.”

I said nothing, so my uncle kept babbling. “It was my fourth form year. We had been going out for six months and I was madly in love with her. You know the story, right? It’s all in the song. She cheated on me, broke my heart, et cetera. But you probably don’t know what wasn’t in the song.”

“Why are you here?”

Uncle Vinny ignored my question. “After Hazel broke my heart, I brooded in my room for a few weeks. Got put on restriction for skipping classes. Got put on academic probation for failing a couple of them. Your grandparents were livid. But, I didn’t care. I didn’t want to be here anymore. Everything seemed to remind me of Hazel.”

“So, you know how I’m feeling. Big whoop.”

“After about two weeks, your dad barged in, pretty much like I’m doing now. Gave me this guitar.” Uncle Vinny reached onto the floor and held up a guitar I hadn’t seen him bring in. “Told me to do something creative instead of brooding. That’s when I wrote Hazel.”

“So, you want me to write a hit single?” I didn’t bother to hide my sarcasm.

“I want you to stop moping before you end up in bigger trouble.” He clapped my ankle as he stood up. “I’m off.”

“That’s it?” I sat up. “You just popped in to tell me a stupid story?”

“For your information, I’m on my way home from Boston. Your father told me what was going on, and I thought I’d pop in. You’re my godson. I’ve got to make sure you don’t get kicked out of school.”

I started playing with the guitar in my hands. “This was Dad’s?”

“If memory serves, it’s the one he used to serenade your mother after one of their many fights.”

I smiled weakly as Uncle Vinny headed to the door. I was having a hard time envisioning my parents at my age.

“Uncle Vinny? Why do you keep going to Boston?”

 His smile faltered, but he never answered me. Instead, he nodded towards the guitar. “Take care of Hazel.”

I fingered the strings slowly. It had been a while since I picked up a guitar. I could play before I could read, but I couldn’t remember the last time I had one in my hands. I closed my eyes and started playing some chords at random. Before I knew it, I had a melody in my head. The words started falling into place without me realizing it.

---

My phone signaled a text from Walter. I was surprised to see the afternoon had disappeared. It was nearly time for supper. Walter was inviting me to join him.

I decided to take him up on his offer. I hadn’t had an actual meal in a while. Actually, I realized as I walked to the dining hall, I had been stealing sandwiches, including breakfast sandwiches, ever since I had come back from break. I was in the mood for a good burger, although they never served those for supper.

But they did have meatballs with spaghetti. Good enough. After grabbing a couple of waters, I headed towards Walter’s regular table. He wasn’t there. I quickly detoured to the smaller area and found him sitting in a corner with Melinda, Sarah, and Larry. I scanned the table as I put my tray near my brother.

“What’re you guys doing over here?”

Sarah glared at me. Melinda looked like she wanted to cry. Walter looked livid. Even Larry, who was usually fairly stalwart, seemed upset. My brother glared in my direction.

“There are a lot of rumors floating around about you.”

Walter’s voice screamed danger. He didn’t get like this often, but I had seen it before. I knew he was liable to punch something. The last time he was like this, he had left several holes in his bedroom wall. I knew I needed to calm him before anything else. I tried to make my voice as lighthearted as possible.

“Which one was your favorite?”

Walter’s bafflement was just enough to diffuse his anger. “What?”

“Personally, I liked the one about me and Hana in my car. Bethany liked the one that I spent break in rehab.”

Larry shook his head. “I haven’t even heard that one yet.”

Walter looked curiously at me. “You’re okay?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m angry. I’ve been eating in my room all week. I don’t care what people are saying about me. I just don’t really like all the looks. And the whispers are pretty annoying, too.”

“So, what’re you going to do about it?”

“I haven’t decided. I could start the rumor that Zach and Chloe were making out during Sunday D.”

“Patrick!” Melinda chastised. I actually found it kinda cute.

“I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I meant to say I could inform people of the true story that Zach and Chloe were making out during Sunday D.”

Melinda tried not to smile by taking a drink of her water, but I saw it anyway. Walter’s jaw just dropped.

“Or I could just let one of the other people in detention tell everyone. There’s also an honor board meeting—this afternoon, I think—regarding a couple of my classmates that were caught cheating on a test. I forgot which one.”

“Is your class losing their minds?”

I shook my head. “There’s always lots of stuff going on. Just give it a few days and the rumors will change.”

Since the mood seemed to lighten slightly, I turned to Sarah. “Hey, I have a question for you.”

She glared at me again. I looked at Larry.

He shrugged a shoulder. “She’s still mad about you guys breaking up.” He was trying to hide a smile. I glanced at Melinda, who was turning red.

With a shrug, I turned back to Sarah, signing silently so only she could understand me. “It’s fine. You don’t have to talk to me. But, I have a favor to ask. Can you ask your sister if she wants to meet Matt King?”

Sarah’s eyes grew wide as she spoke aloud. “What? How?”

“Oh. Are you speaking to me again?” I smiled.

Everyone at the table was watching us, but I simply continued the conversation aloud.

“When I was in LA last week, I mentioned your sister to Matt King. He thinks he remembers her and was wondering if I could arrange a visit. I haven’t worked out the details yet. I have to find out when he’s coming to town.”

“She would die!” Sarah exclaimed.

“So . . . is that a no?”

Sarah rolled her eyes at Melinda, who didn’t suppress her giggle. Thankfully, Melinda interpreted the eye roll for me.

“Crystal would love to meet him.”

“Sick. I’ll find out when he’s coming to town.” I held Melinda’s gaze and smile for a moment too long. She looked down quickly and became interested in her salad. Walter glared at me. I understood that easily enough. Stop messing with my best friend’s feelings.

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.