Melinda’s Story

After the basketball game, I stood in one of the front seats of the bus while Clarissa stood in the seat across the aisle. As I called each girl to collect her candy, Clarissa would also hand her a boxed supper. As usual, I went through the entire roster, from the lowest-scoring player to the highest.

“And finally, Erica. You scored two three-pointers and only got two fouls. With your other baskets, you earned eight chocolate bars.”

The entire bus cheered, and Erica took a bow. After I took a few chocolates for myself, I traded Clarissa the bag for the last boxed meal and went to sit by my roommate.

Sarah pointed at me with an apple slice. “So, what should we do tonight?”

I shrugged. “I want to spend some time with Pat.”

“I think we should go see the movie playing at the chapel theater.”

“What’s the movie?”

Sarah shrugged. “No idea. Does it matter?”

Yes, it did. But before I could explain why, Erica turned around.

“Hey, Sarah. If you could dye your hair any color, what would you pick?”

I texted Pat periodically during the drive, but he was hanging out with the guys and didn’t really have any suggestions about how to spend our evening. The girls wanted to grab quick showers before doing anything else, so we went straight to our dorms when the bus returned to campus.

Since the boys were playing pool at the MAC, Erica agreed to meet us there, reaching the front steps about the same time as me and Sarah. We entered together in search of our boyfriends.

On the main level of the activities center, the right side had couches and televisions while left wall was banked with video games, with two pool tables in the center. The guys had commandeered one of them. I could tell Walter was unhappy. Judging by Pat’s smug expression, Walter was most likely losing.

Erica snuck up behind him. “Oh. This looks fun.”

Sarah went straight into Larry’s arms. “I want to go to movie night. Who’s coming with me?”

Pat immediately shook his head. “Not it.”

I had a feeling he already knew what movie was playing. Walter must have too, because he smirked at his brother. “What’s the movie?”

“Mighty Max.”

Walter laughed. “Sorry, Sarah. Can’t do it.”

Sarah rolled her eyes, but I understood. Pat rarely watched his own movies, and Walter only watched them if they did not involve his mother. Mighty Max had starred, Patrick and Meghan McGregor, as well as their mother. I wasn’t really sure I wanted to watch it either.

I turned to Walter. “We could watch NeoGenesis.”

Pat pulled me close. “Yes. I vote that.”

Sarah made a sour face. “Ugh. No.” She turned to Larry. “Movie night?”

Larry gave her a squeeze. “Sure.”

“Make sure you’re back by curfew,” Walter reminded them as they left. Larry responded with a rude hand gesture behind his back.

As we tried to figure out where to watch the show, Walter suggested his laptop. When I immediately pointed out that neither his room nor his common room were ideal locations, Erica suggested the fishbowl lounge.

I nodded. “Yes. That’s perfect.”

Walter took Erica’s hand. “Come get my computer with me?”

She smiled. “Of course.”

Pat gestured toward the front of the building. “We’ll go evacuate the lounge.”

The four of us made our way outside, Walter and Erica turning left to follow the path to Stanton while Pat and I walked along the road toward the VAPAC. After a few steps, I remembered my encounter before lunch.

“So, I saw Chloe today, and she was talking really weird. Something like you helped her and needed someone to talk to about it.” I rolled my eyes. “I told her to leave me alone, but I thought you might want to know what she’s saying about you.”

To my surprise, Pat squeezed my hand with a sigh. “I ran into her Monday night. She was really out of it so I kind of tricked her into following me to the infirmary. I pretended to be sick and when I got into the exam room, I told the nurse what was going on. They found her and I guess they helped her because today she said she was doing better.”

I wanted to be angry that Pat hadn’t shared this information with me earlier. But I could tell from the sadness in his voice that Chloe had been right. Pat needed to talk about it.

I gave his hand a squeeze. “So, are you two friends again?”

Pat shrugged. “I don’t know. She apologized, and I realized that was all I was looking for. Well, that and her to stop acting the way she’s been acting. So I don’t know.”

“Are you sure she’s changed, though?” I tried to keep the accusation out of my tone.

Pat sighed. “Chloe has problems. Like, the kind that can get her kicked out of school. I only talked to her for like, five minutes, but I got the impression she’s trying to take care of some of those problems. If she does, then she might go back to being the old Chloe. I’m not keeping my fingers crossed or anything.”

I put my arm around Pat’s waist, leaning my head on his shoulder as we walked. “You miss her, don’t you?”

Pat nodded. “Sometimes. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love being with you. And I have fun hanging out with my brother and Larry. I enjoy talking about cars with Brody. And Bethany? She’s trying to become my new bff like only Bethany can.”

I traced a finger along his arm. “But they’re not Chloe.”

Pat shook his head. “I’ve known Chloe a long time and losing her really hurt. So, yeah. Sometimes I miss her.” He pulled me tighter, kissing the top of my head. “But now I have you again, so it doesn’t matter.”

We entered the empty science center lounge and Pat led me to a chair. Without another word, he pulled me into his lap, kissing me so intensely that my heart stopped beating.

I hadn’t realized how much I had missed him until that moment. I was filled with an urgency I hadn’t felt in a while. For the first time in weeks, kissing him wasn’t quite enough. I laced my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.

The lights in the room turned off. I jumped away from Pat, looking around with wide eyes. “What happened?”

Pat laughed, waving an arm until the lights turned back on. “I guess we were sitting still for too long.”

I gave a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. I thought we were in trouble.”

Pat pulled me in for another kiss, but Walter interrupted from the doorway. “Rule number two. No making out during NeoGenesis. It’s just wrong.”

I giggled, remembering the rules Pat had created during our marathon last month.

Pat, meanwhile, smirked at his brother. “I don’t see the show on yet.”

Walter gave his brother a rude hand gesture as Erica sank into a neighboring chair. He set up the laptop on the coffee table before squeezing in beside her.

After the recap of the previous episode, a new character came onto the screen. The boys swore as they recognized the actor.

Erica started wiggling in her seat. “Ohmigod! I can’t believe they got Jarrod Handy.”

Pat growled. “I know. Why is he even on the show? He just completely ruined it for me. I’m not sure I can even watch this.”

Walter glared at the table. “I want to punch my computer.”

Erica looked between the two boys. “I don’t get it. He’s so cute. He’s a pretty excellent actor, too.”

“Yeah. So excellent no one realizes he’s slime.”

Erica frowned at him. “That’s not very nice to say.”

“He cheated on my sister.”

“With my girlfriend.” Pat looked nearly as angry as his brother.

I rubbed him arm gently. “Can we try to forget about it for one hour? Just watch the show? Maybe Jarrod gets blown up.”

Walter grinned mischievously. “He deserves more than that. He should get ejected out of an airlock then blown up.”

Pat pointed at his brother. “After being eaten alive.”

“You guys are disgusting.” With an annoyed huff, Erica went to the computer and reset the video to where Jarrod had first appeared on the screen. “I don’t get why you guys are being so mean. And you broke your own no talking rule. I totally missed everything that just happened.” She sat in her own chair as the scene restarted.

By the time the camera switched to another part of the spaceship, I was squirming in my chair.

Pat sent me a look of concern. “What is it?”

I shook my head. “Oh, they wouldn’t.”

Walter paused the video. “Who wouldn’t what?”

“Well, Jarrod is the source of the parasite.”

Erica sat up straighter. “Wait, what?”

Walter raised his eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”

I gave an exasperated sigh. It was so obvious. “When they were all talking about it, he was like, Oh yeah. I’ve heard about it. And he had that tone in his voice. It wasn’t all casual, like he’d heard about it in passing or from a friend. And it wasn’t all dramatic, like he’d heard about it because everyone on his last ship had the parasite. It was kind of a superior Oh yeah, like he knew about it because he created it. Or discovered it or whatever.” I shrugged. “I don’t really know how parasites start.”

Pat just shook his head. “Okay. Let’s pretend you’re right. You’re not, but we’ll pretend for a minute. That’s not why you were wiggling in my lap a minute ago, was it?”

Walter gave a quick snort and even Erica smiled. I ignored them as I explained my latest theory. “I can see this going two ways and I’m on the fence about which one they—the tv people—are going to pick. Either they kill Jarrod and then Molly gives out the antidote—”

Erica sent me a skeptical look. “You still think Molly is going to give out the antidote? She’s infected.”

“No, she’s not. She’s still pretending.”

Erica rolled her eyes in a way that clearly indicated she didn’t believe me.

I didn’t care. I seemed to understand the space drama better than anyone else. “Anyway, one way would be to kill Jarrod first. But I could also see them not killing off Jarrod. And then, after Molly gives out the antidote, he goes and infects everyone again. But next season.”

Pat squeezed me. “You’re losing it.”

“Well, I agree. It’s a stupid choice. But I still think they might do it because I’m losing faith in the scriptwriters.”

Walter shook his head as he resumed the show. “I think we should just watch what happens.”

---

The episode ended with Jarrod dumping a vial into the ship’s water supply. I pointed to the screen. “There’s the parasite. He’s going to infect the rest of the ship.”

Erica shook her head. “No way. It’s the antidote. He said so.”

“He was lying. It’s the parasite.”

She pursed her lips. “How can it be the parasite? A single parasite is larger than that vial. We would see it.”

Pat played with my hair. “Besides. Even if you’re right, it’s only one parasite. It can only infect one person.”

I shook my head. “It’s the eggs. Didn’t you see them under the microscope?”

“What microscope?” demanded Erica.

I gave an exasperated sigh. “Weren’t you paying attention? When Jarrod was in the lab, there was a screen on the wall, right beside a microscope. On the screen were these little circles, like bubbles, and inside each one was a little parasite. It was actually almost cute.”

She rolled her eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I didn’t like the fact that Erica’s tone was turning a little aggressive. I tried to explain. “It was a quick scene. Anyway, that was when Jarrod was talking about making the antidote. He pointed to the microscope at one point. That’s how I knew he put that into the vial instead.”

Walter smiled. “Well, it’s a little farfetched, but Melinda hasn’t been wrong yet.”

Erica rounded on him, her tone a little bitter. “Well then, she’s due, isn’t she? Wanna go for a walk?”

“Yeah.” Walter packed up his computer and followed Erica out of the room. A moment later, I could see them heading up the path to the language building.

Pat played with my hair. “Well, I liked your theory, even if it is crazy.” He pulled me in for a kiss. “Now, where were we before my brother so rudely interrupted us?”

I put my hands on his chest, pushing him away ever so slightly. “Well, we could do this. Or I could give you your birthday present.”

Pat smiled. “I think you know which one I’m going to pick.”

“Yup.” I climbed out of the chair and reached for his hand. “It’s in my room. Let’s go to the rotunda.”

---

“Happy belated birthday.” I handed him a package wrapped in slate gray paper. “I hope you like it. My brother helped me pick it out.”

Pat turned it over a few times with his eyebrows raised. “I have absolutely no idea what it can be.” He shook it, hearing lots of small pieces rattling around inside. “You got me a jigsaw puzzle.”

I smiled. “You can keep guessing, or you can just open it.”

Pat tore off the paper, staring at the box a moment before turning to me. “It’s an airplane.”

“Joey has been building models for a while now. He said that’s the best brand for beginners. And he told me to tell you that nail polish remover is great for when you glue your fingers together.”

Pat laughed and examined the box more carefully. “This is Dad’s plane.”

I nodded. “Yup. I know how much you love flying.”

“Did I tell you what my parents got me for my birthday?”

When I shook my head, Pat smiled. “They scheduled my exam for my license. I have to wait until after finals, but at least I don’t have to wait until next year, like they originally said.”

I pointed to the box in Pat’s hand. “If you don’t like it, I can always return it and go buy you a jigsaw puzzle instead.”

Pat pulled me close, kissing the top of my head. “I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you.”

Pat’s Story

I was hoping to see Melinda at supper, but when I returned to campus after Mass, she wasn’t in the dining hall. None of my friends were. Our usual table was empty.

I sat there anyway, pulling out my phone to text Larry. He was waiting for Sarah, then having a late meal at the MAC attack. Walter was just getting on a bus. Melinda had no clue where she was but was pretty sure she was still a good two hours away.

“May we join you?”

I looked up as Bethany placed her tray near me. Will sat beside her.

I smiled, welcoming the company. “Of course you may. How were your games?”

Will shrugged. “We lost. Four to two. But I saved at least twice that many, so coach wasn’t nearly as upset as I thought he’d be.”

“Nice. What about you?” I inclined my head toward Bethany.

“We won. Forty-four to twenty-three.”

“Fantastic.”

“Yeah. It’s our first win in a while, so we were thrilled.” She pointed at me with her fork. “So, where have you been? You’re skipping classes again and you didn’t come to Ichthys last night.”

“Oh. That reminds me.” I folded my hands together, almost as if in prayer. “May I please borrow your notes?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why were you skipping classes?”

I let out a sigh of frustration. “I wasn’t skipping class. I’ve been in the infirmary.”

Will made a face of disgust. “Strep or flu?”

“Strep. How’d you know?”

“Those are the big two going around right now.”

Bethany smiled. “You’re in luck. We didn’t have class today because Mr. Smith is sick. Yesterday, we had a sub for the lab. I’ll send you my notes tomorrow night. I don’t intend on doing any work before study hours.”

“I completely understand. Thank you.”

The conversation died as we finished the last of our meals. Bethany grabbed the sheet of paper in the center of the table, scanning the list of activities for the day. “Hey. It’s movie night!”

Will put his arm around Bethany’s chair as he looked over her shoulder. “I am so there. I don’t even care what it is.”

Bethany looked at me. “You and Melinda should join us. I’ll bring extra popcorn.”

I eyed her warily. “What’s the movie?”

“Mighty Max.”

I cringed. “I think I’ll pass.”

Will laughed, but Bethany seemed annoyed. “Pat, I keep telling you. You need to stop avoiding social situations. You just missed a few days of classes. If you don’t come out of your room, the rumors are going to start again.”

I did my best to remain calm. “Bethany, I am not avoiding social situations. I ate lunch here. Spent some time watching tv at the MAC. I’m here right now, aren’t I?”

“Then why won’t you come to movie night?”

I shook my head. “Bethany, I was Mighty Max. I don’t need to watch the movie again.”

She giggled. “I’m sorry. I forgot.”

---

When Walter returned to campus, he invited me to a game of pool at the MAC. Larry cheered us on. I was about to beat my brother when Melinda finally texted me that the girls had returned to campus. I told her where to find us before taking my final shots.

The girls took their sweet time getting from the TRAC to the MAC. When they finally arrived, I caught a floral scent in Melinda’s hair. I suspected they had stopped at their dorms before finding us.

As soon as she entered, Sarah immediately tried to convince everyone to join her for movie night. When I mentioned it was Mighty Max, Walter immediately voted against the idea. My amazing girlfriend suggested NeoGenesis as an alternative.

Sarah, however, was adamant about movie night. As she and Larry left, the rest of us tried to figure out where to watch our show. There were two televisions in the MAC. I could see both from where I was standing. One was tuned to a basketball game. The other was playing a movie. I could see my mother and sister on the screen. I quickly looked away.

“We could watch it on my laptop,” Walter offered.

Melinda raised her eyebrows. “Where? I don’t think all four of us could fit in your room. And I don’t think I want to watch it in the common room.”

“What about the science center lounge?” suggested Erica.

Melinda nodded. “Yesh. That’s perfect.”

While Erica went to help Walter retrieve his computer, Melinda and I went to claim the lounge for our little viewing party. On the way, she mentioned running into Chloe at lunchtime. “She was talking really weird. Something like you helped her and needed someone to talk to about it. I told her to leave me alone, but I thought you might want to know what she’s saying about you.”

Monday night felt like so long ago. It wasn’t my place to tell Melinda about what had happened on the wall, but I gave her a quick summary, including Chloe’s apology.

Melinda seemed less than convinced. “Are you sure she’s changed, though?”

Without getting too specific, I did my best to explain that Chloe had some problems that she was addressing. If she could change back into the old Chloe, there was a chance we could be friends again, but I wasn’t holding my breath.

Thankfully, the science center was empty. I went straight to one of the leather chairs, pulling Melinda close and kissing her. Holding her in my arms, my lips against hers, I realized just how much I had missed her. My heart raced, and I wanted more of her. I pulled her closer. There was an urgency in her kiss that made me realize she was on the edge of losing control. It made me want her even more.

But it didn’t last. When the lights in the room went out, Melinda jumped away from me with a squeak. “What happened?”

She was so adorable, I had to laugh. I pulled her closer with one arm while I waved the other around until I caught one of the motion sensors. “I guess we were sitting still too long.”

Melinda relaxed back into me. “Oh, good. I thought we were in trouble.”

I was about to kiss her again when I heard my brother’s voice. “Rule number two. No making out during NeoGenesis. It’s just wrong.”

Sure. Throw my own rules in my face. I tried to glare at him, but I was laughing on the inside. “I don’t see the show on yet.”

I was a little annoyed that he felt the need to respond with a rude hand gesture as he set up his computer and found the show. He settled himself into his girlfriend’s chair and we watched the recap from the previous episodes.

Then a new character walked onto the screen. I could feel Melinda cringe as Walter and I both swore.

Erica, on the other hand, started wiggling in her seat. “Ohmigod! I can’t believe they got Jarrod Handy.”

I made a noise of discontent. “I know. Why is he even on the show? He just completely ruined it for me. I’m not sure I can even watch this.”

Walter glared at the table. “I want to punch my computer.”

Erica looked between me and my brother. “I don’t get it. He’s so cute. He’s a pretty excellent actor, too.”

“Yeah. So excellent no one realizes he’s slime.”

Erica frowned at him. “That’s not very nice to say.”

Walter and I did our best to explain how Jarrod had cheated on our sister with my girlfriend last year, but Erica was more upset that we had broken rule number one: no talking during NeoGenesis. After restarting the scene, she flounced into her own chair.

Within a few minutes, Melinda was wiggling in my lap. She seemed uncomfortable.

I tried to give her a little more room. “What is it?”

She shook her head. “They wouldn’t?”

Walter paused the show. “Who wouldn’t what?”

“Well, Jarrod is the source of the parasite.”

Erica, who looked annoyed at the interruption, sat up straighter. “Wait, what?”

Walter raised his eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”

Melinda went into a long-winded theory that Jarrod was the source of the parasite that had been plaguing everyone all season.

I shook my head. “Okay. Let’s pretend you’re right. You’re not, but we’ll pretend for a minute. That’s not why you were wiggling in my lap a minute ago, was it?”

Erica smirked while Walter gave a quick snort. I sneered at him. I knew what he was thinking. Thankfully, my wonderful girlfriend ignored them as she provided us with two ways the show might resolve the situation. The problem was, her theory was completely out there.

I pulled her close to me. “You’re losing it.”

Walter agreed as he resumed the show. There were no more interruptions until the last scene. Jarrod turned out to be one of the good guys, creating an antidote and pouring it into the ship’s water supply just before the screen went black.

Melinda pointed at the screen. “There’s the parasite. He’s going to infect the rest of the ship.”

Had we been watching the same show?

Erica must have felt the same as me. She shook her head at Melinda. “No way. It’s the antidote. He said so.”

Melinda explained her reasoning. During an earlier scene, she had seen an image in the background with baby parasites in eggs. Her theory was that Jarrod dumped the eggs into the water supply to infect everyone on the ship. I had to admit, as strange as it sounded, her logic seemed solid.

Walter smiled. “Well, it’s a little farfetched, but Melinda hasn’t been wrong yet.”

Erica turned to face him. “Well then, she’s due, isn’t she?”

Why was she so angry? We were just discussing a television show.

Erica glared at my brother. “Wanna go for a walk?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

Erica stalked out of the room while Walter packed up the computer. He hurried to catch up to her, and I glanced out the window. They were heading toward her upper campus dorm.

Melinda and I were alone again. I pulled her closer. “Well, I liked your theory, even if it is crazy.” I leaned in for a kiss. “Now, where were we before my brother so rudely interrupted us?”

She gently pushed me away, giving me the most adorable smile. “Well, we could do this. Or I could give you your birthday present.”

I smirked. “I think you know which one I’m going to pick.”

“Yup.” She got to her feet. She was right, of course. I was dying to know what she was so excited about getting me.

We took our time heading back to her dorm. I waited outside while she ran in to grab a box wrapped in gray paper. Because she knew that was my favorite color. She wouldn’t hand it to me until we got to the Rotunda.

“I hope you like it. My brother helped me pick it out.”

Her brother was eleven, maybe twelve, years old. What could he possibly pick out for me? I figured I would just smile and tell her I liked it, even if it was a baby gift.

I turned it over, shaking it gently. Something rattled inside. I smiled at her, remembering the day I spent at her house over Thanksgiving. “You got me a jigsaw puzzle.”

When Melinda smiled at me, I was suddenly unsure if I was right. “You can keep guessing, or you can just open it.”

With a shrug, I ripped the paper. The box was about the size of a puzzle box and it had a picture of an airplane. But it wasn’t a puzzle. It was a model.

I looked at Melinda. “It’s an airplane.”

She nodded. “Joey has been building models for a while now. He said that’s the best brand for beginners. And he told me to tell you that nail polish remover is great for when you glue your fingers together.”

I examined the box more carefully, laughing when I realized what she had bought. “This is Dad’s plane.”

Melinda was beaming. “Yup. I know how much you love flying.”

After telling Melinda about my parents’ gift, I gave her a kiss that showed her exactly how much I loved her gift. I was so appreciative, we almost missed curfew.

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.