Melinda’s Journal
Saturday, February 24
Pat and I have had a rough past few weeks. I really let his friendship with Brody get between us. I’m not proud of how I’ve acted, but I think we’ve figured things out and that this test has strengthened our relationship.
Since Pat and I never got the chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we are going on a real date this weekend. Technically, there’s no rule that we have to remain on campus while we wait for a call. Technically, if we’re both on duty, Pat is allowed to have me in his car. Technically, if we’re between calls, we can grab something to eat as long as we’re willing to drop everything if we someone does call.
Normally, I don’t let Pat stretch those technicalities. But tonight is one of those rare times I don’t mind. I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with Pat. Our relationship will be better for it.
I just really wish he would tell me where we were going.
Melinda’s Story
I stood in front of the MAC watching my classmates pass. Sarah and Larry had gone into town for dinner to celebrate the fact that they were no longer on restriction. Walter was hanging out with a few of his wrestling teammates to celebrate the fact that he pinned all fifteen of his opponents to have a completely undefeated season, the first third former ever to do so.
I watched a car drive toward me from the TRAC, pulling into a nearby space. Recognizing it, I smiled and went to greet Pat as he rolled down his window.
“Hop in. I have an amazing surprise planned, and I’m really hoping no one needs a ride home. It’s so sick!”
“How can I resist?” I scurried to the passenger side and climbed into the car. “Where are we going?”
Pat smiled as he headed off campus. “Well, I wanted it to be special. I ran a few ideas past Brody and Walter.”
“No fair. Walter told me he didn’t know what you were planning.”
Pat shrugged. “He lied. This place is amazing.”
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
Pat smirked. “Nope.”
We pulled into a shopping plaza on the edge of town. I examined the names on the sign as Pat searched for a parking space. None of them sounded like a restaurant.
I frowned at him. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” Pat turned off the engine and turned to me. “And just in case I forget to say it later, I love you.”
He hopped out of the car and ran around to open my door. I took the hand he proffered, and he pulled me close. When he kissed me, my heart stopped and a warmth extended from my belly to the tips of my fingers and toes.
I smiled when he rested his forehead against mine. “I love you, too.”
He reached behind me to shut the car door. “Hungry?” Still holding my hand, he led me toward a door in the center of the building. There was no sign, but white letters on the glass informed me we were entering VR Spot.
The room was dark and loud. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. I looked in all directions as Pat led me to a counter. In the center of the room, two people were standing with their backs to each other, goggles covering their eyes as they pointed plastic guns at an imaginary enemy. Above them, a screen showed two animated people shooting hearts to fend off some sort of alien creature. Beyond that were some arcade-type games and some sort of obstacle course. Every person I saw was wearing strange-looking goggles.
When Pat tugged my hair, I turned back to the counter. “What?”
“I was asking what you wanted to eat.”
“They have food here?”
Pat pointed to the screens above the cashier with a smile. The selection was surprisingly similar to the MAC Attack.
I answered almost immediately. “I’ll have a grilled cheese combo with a chocolate milkshake.”
The guy behind the counter grimaced. “Congratulations.”
“On what?”
He pointed to a sign in front of the register. February Special: Guess your partner’s order correctly and get a free upgrade to the deluxe package.
I turned to Pat. “Am I that predictable?”
He kissed the top of my head as he passed his debit card to the cashier. “Not at all. I just know you very well. Just like you probably know what I ordered.”
I considered the menu for a moment. “A bacon cheeseburger and a cookies-and-cream milkshake. But no fries. You’ll just steal mine.”
The cashier returned Pat’s card. “You two are nauseating. Here is your access card.” He handed Pat a blue card that looked a lot like a debit card, although it had the company’s logo on one side. He then handed Pat a metal stand with a plastic number 82 sticking out the top. “Place this on your table and someone will deliver your food when it’s ready.”
Even though it was a Saturday night, the place wasn’t extremely crowded. We had no problem finding a table, but Pat didn’t sit. He grabbed my hand, leading me toward the video games.
“There are a lot of things to do here, but I want to do this one first. You’re going to love it.”
I had seen racing games like this at other arcades, with a steering wheel and pedals. But there was something wrong. I pointed to it with a frown. “Where’s the video screen?”
Pat smiled. “I’ll show you. Sit down.”
When I did as instructed, Pat reached behind me to pull down a set of goggles, placing them over my eyes. Suddenly, I was in the driver’s seat of a fancy sports car. I looked to my left and right to see cars on either side. “This is so cool!”
I could hear Pat on my right. “Knew you’d love it. Ready?”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“There’re two pedals near your right foot, just like a car. Right is gas; left is brake. Ignore the clutch by your left foot.”
I tested each pedal a few times. “Okay. All set.”
“Sick. I’m going to start the game. Turn the wheel left and right to customize your car. Press the gas to select it. Go ahead and try.”
I turned the wheel. On the windshield in front of me, the car’s statistics became visible. I turned the wheel again, customizing the body and tires to give me a little more speed and acceleration before hitting the gas.
A voice sounded behind me. “Player one, ready. Player two, ready. On your marks, get set, go!”
A green flag waved in front of me and I pressed the gas. I quickly had to turn left, then right, to avoid obstacles on the track. When I finished the first lap, I noticed a shortcut on my right. I veered off the track to follow the unpaved path.
When I reemerged onto the track, I could see the lap line. I took my shortcut one more time and won the race. It took Pat nearly a minute to finish in second place ahead of the computer-generated opponents.
When I removed my goggles, he was sending me a wary look. “How on earth did you beat me?”
I shrugged. “I took the shortcut. Twice.”
“What shortcut? I’ve played this game before and never seen a shortcut.”
I pointed toward the blank screen. “It’s just next to the starting line. Can we play again?”
Pat shook his head. “Later. I’m hungry. Think the food’s done?”
“No idea.” Holding hands, we went back to the table to check.
After dinner, we still had plenty of time before curfew. I convinced Pat to race me one more time. He purposely chose a harder track so I couldn’t take my shortcut. It didn’t matter, since I found a one on the final lap, quickly sliding into first a moment before Pat crossed the finish line.
I removed my goggles with a smile. “Again?”
“No. I want to try something else.”
He led me to the game where two people were brandishing toy guns while standing with their backs to each other. I watched the screen, where two animated characters were shooting red hearts at street thugs.
Pat pointed at a nearby sign using our joined hands. “Which one do you want to play?”
I read through the options. We could be police officers fighting a gang. We could be space explorers battling aliens. We could be hunters in the jungle. Or we could be penguins throwing snowballs at seals. I knew immediately I wanted to be a penguin.
The two guys in front of us finished their game, exchanged fist bumps, and headed off to another area. Pat helped me into my goggles and the weird vest that went over my arms, handed me a gun, and set up the game. A moment later, I was standing in the middle of a cartoon iceberg.
There was movement to my left. I aimed my gun as I spun around. Before I could pull the trigger, I realized it was another penguin.
“Pat?”
He laughed. “Don’t shoot me. Look!” He pointed to my right. “Seal!”
He aimed his gun and fired a snowball. Except a red heart came out instead. It hit the seal on its side and the seal toppled over. The animal faded as a second seal took its place.
I fired a pink heart at its belly. Another seal appeared before the last had even disappeared. Soon, the seals were coming faster than we could fend them off. Pat and I stood back-to-back as seals came from all directions.
The game seemed to last forever, but it was over all too soon. Eventually, everything in front of me went black. I removed the goggles and looked at the screen above us. Together, we had defeated over a hundred seals, although Pat had scored more than twice as many as me.
He pulled me into a quick hug as we headed toward the next game. “That was fun.”
“You’re just happy you beat me.”
He kissed the top of my head. “True. Now what?”
“Um . . . ” I looked around, then pointed to the obstacle course. “That one?”
Unlike every other game, a bored-looking attendant was manning this activity. When she saw customers approaching, she put down her phone, although she didn’t bother rising from her stool.
She pointed to the chart beside her. “Which course?”
I ignored the spiritless tone and examined my options, which sounded a lot like the ones for the game we had just finished.
Pat pointed to penguins. “Want to try the arctic again?”
Before I could answer, the attendant responded in that same lackluster drone. “You don’t both have to do the same game.”
I gave her a quick look of disgust before switching to a smile. “Of course we do. We’ll do the penguins.”
“Okay.” She swiped Pat’s card and programmed the game into the computer before handing us each a set of goggles, a vest, some strange gloves, and some sort of boots.
She finished the instructions as we put on all the gear.
“You’re going to the other side, grab the flag, and bring it back. You’ll be in different lanes, but it will seem like you’re next to each other. If the course is too challenging or you need to quit for whatever reason, take off your goggles and make your way out here. If you get injured or feel ill, take off your goggles and call me for help.”
I sent Pat a concerned glance. “This isn’t dangerous, is it?”
He gave me a reassuring smile. “Nah. They have to say that stuff. Ready?”
He lowered his goggles over his eyes and stood in the ready position. I did the same. Suddenly, I was standing on the arctic tundra, a cool breeze blowing in my face. I looked to my left to see a blue penguin, much closer than Pat had just been. A penguin in a green shirt stood in front of us. He held up a green flag in each hand.
“Players ready? On your mark. Get set. Go!” He brought down both flags, and I began running.
A giant snowball came at me from nowhere. I jumped to the right to dodge it. Another came. I went left. After dodging nearly a dozen, I caught sight of an igloo blocking my path. I crawled through it, finding water on the other side.
Now what? I looked around. A nearby penguin was holding a sign that pointed toward the water. With a shrug, I belly flopped. As I crawled through the water, I was surprised to feel like I was really swimming. When I reached the iceberg, I saw a flag hanging on a pole. Racing to it, I jumped up to grab it.
I looked around for Pat. I didn’t see him, but his flag was missing. He was probably already back in the water. I raced back to the start, swimming, crawling, and dodging giant snowballs until I crossed the finish line. I was panting as I removed the goggles and gear.
Pat was smiling at me. “That was fun.”
I turned to the attendant. “How did it feel like we were swimming?”
She didn’t even look up from her phone as she waved toward the course. I could see round bolsters that had been the giant snowballs. Just beyond a foam tunnel was a pit with large foam blocks.
I turned back to Pat. “That was amazing. We should do it again.”
Pat’s phone honked like a semi-truck a moment before it began playing Brody’s ringtone.
I sighed. “I guess that means it’s time to leave.”
Pat nodded and took my hand. “We will definitely come back here.”
“What does Brody want?”
“No clue. DMH first. This address sounds familiar. Is that the high school?” I watched him enter the address into the map app as we climbed into the car. He shook his head. “Nope. It’s some random neighborhood. What did Brody want?”
“Oh.” I quickly checked the texts on Pat’s phone, giggling as I turned it back to the maps. “What’s the address of that parking lot you took me to? That make out spot?”
“What did he want?”
“He wants to know where he and Nicholas can go talk, since they can’t hang out at their houses.”
“Bunker Hill Road.”
I used my phone to text the information to Brody, then looked out the window. Some of the houses looked familiar. We had definitely been here before.
We pulled into a driveway to find two guys arguing in the front yard. Although I could hear their angry voices, I couldn’t quite make out their words.
I looked nervously toward Pat. “Should we, I don’t know. Do something?”
Pat pressed the horn, two short quick beeps. It was enough to have the guys turn in our direction. A moment later, the front door opened and a girl with green hair emerged. She strode between the two of them and hopped into the car. Pat immediately pulled out of the driveway, leaving the two guys staring dumbfoundedly at us.
The girl sighed as she sank into the backseat. “Thank you. Oh, can you bring me to Ten Maple Street?”
I entered the address into Pat’s phone, then propped it onto the dash mount before turning to the backseat.
“So, I’d ask about your night, but—”
The girl smiled. “I told Ethan I’d hang out with him tonight. But then Jacob showed up out of the blue. I didn’t even invite him in. But Ethan went outside and the two of them just started fighting. My parents are at the movies, so I couldn’t ask them to help me. So, I texted you guys.”
Pat pulled into a driveway, sending a curious glance in the rearview mirror. “If that was your house, where are we taking you?”
The girl hopped out of the car. “My best friend Bella. Thanks so much!”
We watched as she waltzed right through the front door as if she lived there. With a shrug, Pat pulled out of the driveway and drove a short distance before parking on the side of the road and turning to me.
“Do you want to go back to the arcade?”
I shook my head. “I had fun, but I think I’d like to just spend some time with you.”
“We can go to the commuter lot.”
“Absolutely not!”
Pat frowned. “Why not?”
“I am not going to make out with you when Brody’s in the next car. That’s just weird. Not to mention the fact that he would interrupt us. You know he would.”
Pat laughed. “I forgot I sent him there.”
I was about to suggest going to the rotunda when Pat’s phone played the NeoGenesis theme song. My phone was also vibrating. I assumed Walter was texting both of us, so I didn’t bother to check it.
I nodded toward Pat’s phone in his hand. “What does Walter want?”
“He’s heading to the coffee shop with Chloe. Wants us to join them.”
“I kind of like that idea.”
Pat flashed me his famous smile. “Good. So do I.”
We found Walter and Chloe sitting on some couches in the back corner of the room. Sarah and Larry were with them. Everyone was celebrating the end of the semester. Sure, we still had a week of studying and finals ahead of us, but for the moment, classes were over and there was a sense of freedom in the air.
While I ordered a hot chocolate, Pat ordered a coffee. I sent him a perplexed look while we waited for our drinks. “I didn’t realize you drink coffee.”
He shrugged. “Not often. But every once it in a while. Sounded good for tonight.”
When our drinks were ready, we brought them over to our friends, squeezing into an over-sized armchair.
Sarah glanced around at all of us. “So, what’s everyone doing over break? My sister and I are staying with our grandparents while my parents go to a business seminar.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “I mean, how much can they possibly be learning if they’re on a cruise ship?”
While everyone else laughed, Larry groaned. “I wish I were staying with grandparents. My parents are fighting over me. I told my dad I wanted to go to Rhode Island so I could see Kenzie and my old friends. He claims I’m picking my mother over him.”
Sarah took a sip of her drink. “Aren’t you?”
Larry shook his head. “No. If I had my way, I’d kidnap my sister, and we’d go hang out at your place for two weeks.” He gestured toward Walter with his cup.
Walter smiled. “Well, you’re always welcome, but it’ll be just you guys and the housekeeper. We’re going to LA to see Mom. How about you, Chlo?”
Chloe shrugged. “Meghan said I could stay with her so I don’t have to be alone during the break. She threatened to cook for me.”
Pat pointed to her. “Stay away from the meatloaf if you want to live.”
I looked around. “I am so jealous. You guys are going to have so much fun and I’m going to be twiddling my thumbs.”
Pat squeezed my shoulders. “I’ll buy you a jigsaw puzzle. I’m thinking like ten thousand pieces. That should last you a week.”
“Can we join you guys?”
I looked up, surprised to see Brody standing above me. “Hey. What’re you doing here?” Sarah and Larry moved into the other over-sized chair so Brody could sit on the couch. I waved to the guy that sat beside him. “Hi. I’m Melinda.”
“Nicholas. I haven’t seen you around school.”
Pat took a sip from his cup. “We’re Hammerheads.”
“Oh.”
Sarah looked at Pat. “We’re what?”
Chloe laughed. “Hammerheads. Fielders. AKA, not Townies.”
Walter looked pained. “There’s got to be a better term.”
As we all tried to think of better nicknames for both the Hartfield students and the locals, I thought about the people sitting and laughing with me at that moment. Not everyone here was my friend. I barely knew Chloe, and I had just met Nicholas. But they were both friends with my friends and I was enjoying their company no less than anyone else’s.
Taking another sip of my hot chocolate, my mind quickly reviewed the last several months. I had learned a lot about friendship. The winter term had been a very trying time for me, but I had survived.
Thanks to the encouragement and love of my friends.
Pat’s Story
Melinda had agreed to some alone time off campus Saturday night. The problem was, I had absolutely no idea where to go. I didn’t want to just take her to a restaurant. We were on duty for DMH, so I could drive anywhere in town. I wanted to take her someplace special.
I texted Brody, but the best he came up with was some diner where apparently all his classmates liked to hang out.
Walter offered his two cents during our Saturday morning run. “You know what would be really cool? That VR place we went to in LA.”
I swore. “That place was sick. Melinda would love it.”
“There’s got to be a place like that here.”
I doubted it. But as I walked to my math class that morning, I did a quick search. I was beyond surprised to discover one on the other side of town.
I refused to tell Melinda where we were going on our special date. As I pulled into the shopping plaza, I wondered if we were in the right place. I drove slowly in front of all the stores, reading the names on the doors, since this plaza did not believe in hanging signs on the top of the building. I found the place, but Melinda didn’t seem to notice.
She gave me a puzzled look as I parked the car. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. And just in case I forget to say it later, I love you.”
I didn’t even wait for a response. I hopped out of the car and went around to open her door for her. She took my hand and, as I helped her out of the car, I pulled her in for a kiss.
My heart stopped. I had half a mind to skip dinner and spend some time in the backseat.
But she rested her forehead against mine. “I love you, too.”
Her hand was still in mine. I led her toward the door marked VR Spot, surprised to find it very similar to the place my brother and I had found the last time we were in LA. The place was the size of a small department store, with games along all the walls. From every game hung goggles. In the center of the room, two people wearing VR goggles were standing back-to-back, shooting plastic guns at unseen enemies. A screen above them showed the animated scene in which they were currently battling.
I led Melinda to the counter in front of us, but she was too busy looking in all directions to really notice.
“Welcome to the VR Spot.” The cashier sounded annoyed that we were making him do his job. “How can I help you?”
I had already thoroughly researched this place and didn’t need to look at the menu above the guy’s head. “We’ll take the dine and play package.”
After I ordered food for each of us, I noticed a sign on the counter. February Special: Guess your partner’s order correctly and get a free upgrade to the deluxe package. Smiling, I wiggled my eyebrows at the cashier.
After getting Melinda’s attention, I asked her what she wanted to eat. Not only did I get her order right, she also knew what I had gotten for myself. The cashier found us less than amusing as he handed me our access card and a stand to place on our table.
We claimed an empty table, then I brought Melinda to a racing game I had played in LA. It was similar enough to the video game she liked to play at my house that I knew she would love it.
Even though this was her first time playing this game, she beat me. Leave it to her to find a shortcut. She wanted to play again, but our food was ready.
After we ate, she challenged me to another race. I purposely chose a harder course so she couldn’t take that stupid shortcut. She found a different one and beat me at the last second.
Since she was obviously cheating, I decided we should play a different game. We pretended to be penguins and shot snowballs at animated seals. Except, since the game was still rigged for valentine’s day, we ended up shooting pink and red hearts at them, which I found slightly disturbing.
After I beat her, we tried the obstacle course. Melinda was still in a penguin mood, so we pretended to be penguins in the arctic. We dodged snowballs, crawled through an igloo and swam through the water to retrieve a flag, then did all the obstacles again to race back to the start. I won, of course, but not by much.
We were deciding which game to play next when my phone honked a second before playing Grease Monkey.
Melinda sighed. “I guess that means it’s time to leave?”
I took her hand and led her toward the door. “We will definitely come back here.”
“What does Brody want?”
I shrugged and glanced at my phone. “No clue. DMH first. This address sounds familiar. Is that the high school?” I plugged the address into the map as we climbed in the car. “Nope. It’s some random neighborhood.”
As I pulled out onto the main road, I glanced at Melinda. “What did Brody want?”
“Oh.” Melinda fiddled with my phone and giggled. “What’s the address of that parking lot you took me to? That make out spot?”
“What did he want?”
“He wants to know where he and Nicholas can go talk, since they can’t hang out at their houses.”
“Bunker Hill Road.”
Melinda used her phone to reply to Brody so I could follow the GPS. She had just sent her reply when I pulled into a driveway. There were two guys arguing in the front yard. I was worried they might come to blows.
Melinda looked at me. “Should we, I don’t know. Do something?”
She wasn’t suggesting I try to break it up, was she? I pressed the horn. Two short beeps. The guys startled, and both turned to me.
Before I could ask if one of them needed a ride, the front door opened and a girl with green hair emerged. I recognized her. We had given her a ride once before. She pushed right between the two guys and jumped into my car before I could get out to open the door for her.
I pulled out of the driveway, assuming she wanted to get as far away from the guys as I did. She sighed and gave me an address, which Melinda plugged into the phone.
As we drove, the girl told us about how she was with one guy when the other showed up, so she called us for a ride to bring her to her friend’s house. I wanted to explain to her that wasn’t quite in the spirit of the program, but she hopped out of the car and went right into the house without even knocking, so I never got a chance.
I pulled onto the next street before pulling over in front of a random house. We still had some time before curfew.
I played with Melinda’s hair. “Do you want to go back to the arcade?”
She shook her head. “I had fun, but I think I’d like to just spend some time with you.”
“We can go to the commuter lot.”
“Absolutely not.”
The vehemence of her tone surprised me. “Why not?”
“I am not going to make out with you when Brody’s in the next car. That’s just weird. Not to mention the fact that he would interrupt us. You know he would.”
I laughed. “I forgot I sent him there.”
As I thought of where else we could go, my brother texted both of us. I quickly checked the display.
Melinda gestured to my phone. “What does Walter want?”
“He’s heading to the coffee shop with Chloe. Wants us to join them.”
“I kind of like that idea.”
So did I. With a smile, I pulled away from the curb.
When we arrived at the coffee shop, Melinda ordered a hot chocolate, but I got a coffee instead. It wasn’t something I usually drank, but it smelled so good, I decided it couldn’t hurt. Since I had bought our dinner, I let Melinda pay for the drinks while I scanned the room.
There was a section of the coffee shop with two couches and two chairs arranged conversationally. Walter and Chloe had commandeered one couch. Larry and Sarah were on the other. I pointed them out to Melinda, and we squeezed into one of the over-sized chairs.
We were discussing our upcoming breaks when someone asked to join us. I looked up to see Brody with some guy I assumed was his date. Larry and Sarah moved into the empty chair so Brody and his boyfriend could sit on the couch.
I glanced at Melinda. Did she think I invited him or something?
But she didn’t seem upset by the intrusion. She smiled at the new guy. “Hi. I’m Melinda.”
He nodded at her. “Nicholas. I haven’t seen you around school.”
I took a sip of coffee. “We’re Hammerheads.”
Nicholas knew what I meant, and I knew Chloe did, too. But all the third formers were staring at me. Even Melinda craned her neck to send me a puzzled expression.
Sarah was the one who voiced what they were obviously all thinking. “We’re what?”
Chloe laughed. “Hammerheads. Fielders. AKA, not Townies.”
Walter didn’t seem to like the nickname. “There’s got to be a better term.”
As everyone tried to brainstorm, I sat back in my chair. This was the perfect way to celebrate the end of the semester. Sitting around, drinking coffee with my friends. At the moment, I was a normal guy. And I couldn’t be happier.
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 