Melinda’s Story

Miss Kara had given us permission to go to the party tonight. After Shelia fed us dinner, and I again transformed myself into Mae, Pat drove to Lily’s school, where Walter had gone after work. He was waiting for us in the main parking lot. I turned to him as he climbed into the car.

“How was dinner?”

He shrugged. “Fair.”

I rolled my eyes. “I meant, how was spending the afternoon with Lily? What’d you guys do?”

Walter shrugged again. “Just hung out. Watched Friday’s NG. So, what’re we doing tonight?”

I turned to Pat, since he knew the details. He glanced at his brother in the rearview mirror. “Dante Carrington invited us over to watch some show called Music Box. Mom said we could go. We just have to leave when it’s over. You have work tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me.”

I was a little surprised to see Pat get on the highway. I turned to Walter. “Where exactly are we going?”

“Malibu.”

“No. I meant, like, who’s having the party?”

“Oh. Dante Carrington.”

“Like Christopher Carrington?”

“Yeah. That’s his dad. He’s produced a lot of Mom’s movies, so we’ve been to their house a bunch of times.”

About an hour later, Pat pulled into a gated community. A bored-looking guard came out of the house.

“Name?”

“Patrick McGregor. I’m heading to the Seal Shanty.”

The guard checked something on his clipboard before nodding and returning to his hut. A moment later, the gate opened. Pat drove down a long road full of gigantic houses on tiny lots.

Pat pulled up in front of a pink house with all its lights off. I only knew it was pink because a nearby streetlight illuminated it.

I climbed out of the car, sending Pat a curious look. “Are you sure this is the right house? It doesn’t look like anyone’s home.”

Walter climbed out behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me toward the end of the road. “No, that’s the house.”

Pat took my hand, leading me toward a dark house near the next streetlight. It had no front door. Above the double garage door sat a bank of windows with an enormous window box nearly the width of the house. A fence the same color as the house extended on either side of the building, joining with the white fences of the neighbors.

On the right of the garage, Pat opened a gate I hadn’t seen. He again took my hand and led me down a small path to a porch that overlooked the water. Inside, I could see a long couch facing the television on the side wall, with a smaller couch closer to us. I had just enough time to register four heads before Pat knocked on the glass door and slid it open. All heads turned in our direction.

“The McGregors are here,” announced the guy on the smaller couch.

The other guy in the room came to join us. He did a weird handshake with Pat and Walter, then Pat introduced me.

“Mae, this is Dante.”

Dante gestured toward the couches. “Come meet everyone. You know Ari.”

I looked at the actress in one corner of the long couch. Of course, I recognized her. She had been in several of my favorite movies. I gave a small wave as Dante pointed to the smaller couch.

“That’s Tyrone. And his girlfriend, Carrie.”

“Kori!” shouted both girls. I smiled as Dante just shook his head.

“They’ve only been together since, like, Halloween. It’s just this huge mental block.”

“It’s starting,” said Ari.

Dante sat beside her, putting his arm around her in a way that I was sure they were together. I sat in the opposite corner of the large couch and Pat put his arm around me in much the same way.

One disadvantage of boarding school was students couldn’t have televisions. While I probably could stream shows on my computer, I preferred to spend my free time with my friends. I had never even heard of this show and paid close attention as the announcer explained how it worked.

There were six contestants, each in a large, numbered box. After the host introduced each of them, solely by their numbers, seven was called to the stage. The box was illuminated by just a spotlight as the person inside began to sing.

The voice sounded familiar to me. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the voice, not the words. A sitcom danced in front of my eyes. Something my mother liked to watch, but I had seen a few times when I was really bored.

I opened my eyes when the song was over. The audience applauded and a panel of judges took turns asking the contestant a single question. Based on the answers, the judges were supposed to guess the singer’s identity. Around me, Pat’s friends were trying to do the same.

“I think it’s Lil L,” said Kori.

Tyrone shook his head. “Nah. Lil L is a rapper, but he doesn’t have that kind of range. Axel Haber.”

Dante shook his head. “Nah. Axel’s voice isn’t that low. Orlando Ashley-Cooper.”

“But he doesn’t sing,” Pat protested.

Ari scoffed. “So? Last week, Four was a football player. I forgot who.”

I looked across the couch. “In that case, I thought it sounded like Kevin Orenson.”

Dante swore. “Yes! I could hear that.”

Tyrone wasn’t convinced. “No. I mean, it’s a decent guess, but Kevin’s voice is a little deeper. I like Orlando.”

Our conversation died as the next contestant took the stage.

---

The show ended when the audience voted that Nine had the worst performance and should go home. The box was connected to some sort of hook that raised it to the ceiling. In its place stood a famous drag queen who hosted a reality show. Everyone on the television went crazy. Everyone in the living room did as well.

Ari kept shaking her head. “I can’t believe it!” She pointed toward the other couch. “You said you thought it was too deep for a girl.”

Beside her, Dante shook his head. “I was really convinced it was Poppy Sommers.”

“Speaking of, she posted something this weekend that she landed a new movie. Something about a pregnant teen.”

I looked at Pat. “Why’d she audition for In the Running then?”

He shrugged. “Because from her point of view, the movie is about Cat Barrett.”

I considered for a minute and could see what Pat meant. Patrick Barrett’s girlfriend became a widow when she was only nineteen, alone with a new baby. Before I could say something, Tyrone nodded toward Pat.

“You’re not still with that psycho, are you?” When Kori elbowed his ribs, he glared at her. “What?”

Kori rolled her eyes, apologizing for her boyfriend’s cluelessness. The conversation slowly turned to college, and Ari surprised me when she asked what I was going to do. Instead of admitting that I was only a freshman, I vaguely answered that I was still trying to figure out my plans, and the conversation steered away from me. Eventually, the conversation died altogether as people began making out. Pat turned to me.

“I guess talking time is over.” He ran his hand through my hair.

Grabbing it gently, I kissed his palm. “I think that means we should go home.” I looked around the room. “Where’s Wally?”

I couldn’t recall seeing him since we had arrived. I didn’t think he was there while we were watching the show. But I had no idea where he could be.

Pat must have, though. He stood up, extending a hand to help me off the couch. He led me through the kitchen and up a set of stairs. There were two bedrooms at the end of the hall. One was empty. In the other, I could see Walter sitting on the floor with another guy, playing some sort of first-person shooting game on the screen opposite them.

I watched the screen for a moment. Walter had just died. He hit the buttons on the controller, but he quickly died again. That wasn’t like him. Although he rarely played games this violent, he was still pretty good at them.

Walter took a sip from a brown bottle, then went through an arsenal to change his weapon. As he did so, an alien creature began attacking him. Walter quickly selected some sort of laser and began yelling at the screen.

“No! I mus’ nihilate you now. Oh, dink you smart, do you? Well, take dat. And dat.”

Walter definitely had not sounded like himself. It was almost as if he were half asleep. I looked at Pat, who looked more annoyed than concerned.

He called out to his brother. “Doofus! It’s time to go.”

“One more level.” Walter never took his eyes from the screen, taking another sip of his drink while his character ran toward some sort of door. This time, I caught the label on the bottle, instantly recognizing one of my father’s favored beverages.

I gestured to Pat, who had moved closer to the screen. When he joined me in the hallway, I kept my voice low.

“Since when does Walter drink?”

“Since never.”

I pointed toward Walter’s bottle. “My dad drinks that stuff with dinner. It’s an alcoholic root beer. I can’t believe Walter’s even drinking it. It’s gross.”

Pat looked slightly amused. “And you would know this how?”

I rolled my eyes. Pat was completely missing the point. “My dad let me try a sip. Just to show me that it doesn’t taste good.”

Pat shrugged. “You probably saw the label wrong. Walter doesn’t drink.”

I knew what I had seen, but I didn’t fight. Pat turned toward his brother. “Dude, come on. Bus is leaving.”

Walter finished the rest of his bottle in one long gulp and put it beside a pile of others on the floor. He passed his controller to the guy beside him. “Sorry, man. Don’t really want to ambulate home.” He moved his hand slowly up and down a few times. “Hey. My hand feels funny.”

With a shrug, Walter got to his feet, staggering to the door. “Whoa. Everything’s spinning. Cool.”

Pat must have figured out Walter wasn’t completely with it. He put one of Walter’s arms over his shoulder and helped him down the hall. Walter gave a goofy grin. “Whoa. Thanks, man. Where we going?”

“Home. Let’s go.”

Pat looked more annoyed than anything else, but I was glad to see he seemed to know what to do. We went down two flights of stairs and out a side door that opened up just beside the gate. As Pat unlocked the car, he turned to me.

“Can you sit in back? I’m worried about him, you know.”

He didn’t want Walter puking in the back of the car. I didn’t either. I quickly climbed in, but Walter looked confused.

“That’s my seat.”

“We’re switching places.”

Walter’s expression quickly changed. He looked ready to hit someone. “Did you two have another fight? Is that why we had to leave?”

Pat stepped away before Walter could take a swing. “No. Now, get in the car.”

“I want my seat.”

Walter stepped over me to sit behind the driver. Pat sent me a curious look, but I just shrugged it off.

“I’ll sit with him.”

Pat climbed in, opening the roof of the convertible. I wasn’t thrilled, since it was getting chilly, but Walter didn’t smell so hot and I was glad for the fresh air.

As we pulled onto the main road, Walter put an arm around my shoulders.

“So, what did my brother do this time that you’re not sitting with him?”

I tried to use my most patient tone. “Walter? What were you drinking?”

“Oh, man. Logan had this amazing root beer. It was so just piquant. But I’m feeling a little aberrant.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I have no idea what you’re saying.”

Walter’s laugh sounded almost a little crazed. “It’s because your vocabulary is so abecedarian.”

I wasn’t sure, but I thought Walter might have been insulting me. I frowned. “Walter, you know how I feel about big words.”

He pulled me even closer. “You absolutely love them. Because they aggrandize your lexicon, making you sound all adept and well-versed. But it’s okay. I love you despite your abysmal vocabulary. Because you’re, like, the best friend I’ve ever had. Like, ever. I mean, you watch NeoGenesis. And you play Weddas. And you and Pat are great together. And I just love you.”

I patted his leg. “Walter, I love you too, but you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk. I haven’t had any inebriants.”

“That root beer was alcoholic.”

“Oh, man. Logan had this amazing root beer.”

“I know. You told me.”

Walter sent me the most confused look. “I did? When?”

I sighed. This conversation was going in circles. Pat spoke up from the front seat.

“Just ignore him, Sweetheart.”

Walter smirked. “Sweetheart? That’s his new appellation for you?”

I didn’t bother answering. As much as I loved my friend, he was getting on my nerves. I had no idea what he was saying. To make matters worse, he was leaning on me to the point where he was nearly crushing me. I let him babble the rest of the way home. As Pat pulled off the highway, Walter fell asleep right on top of me. I closed my eyes for the rest of the trip.

Pat’s Story

Dante lived in a gated community in Malibu, about an hour away from our house in the Hollywood Hills. Thankfully, he had left my name at the gate, although I had been to the neighborhood enough times the guard would have probably let me in regardless. I knew several people who lived here.

Dante lived at the end of the road. There were a couple of cars in the driveway, so I parked in the street. I took Melinda’s hand and led her through the gate next to the driveway. We walked around the house to the beach and onto the lower porch. Through the glass windows, I could see a small cluster of people in the living room. I knocked on the slider as I let myself in.

Most of the heads turned in our direction.

“The McGregors are here,” announced one guy.

Dante came to greet us. “Patrick! Glad you could make it. Good to see you, Wally.”

I turned to Melinda. “Mae, this is Dante.”

“Come meet everyone. You know Ari.” Dante pointed to the actress sitting in one corner of the long couch. He turned to the other couch, where I instantly recognized the son of a celebrated musician. “That’s Tyrone. And his girlfriend, Carrie.”

“Kori!” corrected both girls.

Dante shook his head. “They’ve only been together since, like, Halloween. It’s just this huge mental block.”

“It’s starting!” Ari announced.

Dante took his seat beside Ari on the long couch facing the television. Melinda and I sat on the opposite end and I rested my arm on the couch behind her. I liked how she was comfortable enough to snuggle into me as the announcer explained the show for people like me who had no clue what was going on.

On the stage were six boxes, numbered seven through twelve, each containing a contestant. After quickly introducing them using aliases, Seven took the stage. The lights went down, a spotlight shone on the box, and the person inside began to sing.

The voice was incredible. I recognized it immediately. I had heard it on the radio and in live performances. This was definitely someone I had met at a party or something. But I had no idea who was under that box.

After the final note, a panel of judges praised the performance and began making guesses. The people around me began guessing as well. We were all naming professional musicians when Dante suggested an actor.

“But he doesn’t sing,” I pointed out.

Ari scoffed. “So? Last week, Four was a football player. I forgot who.”

Melinda turned to face her. “In that case, I thought it sounded like Kevin Orenson.”

Dante swore. “Yes! I could hear that.”

Tyrone made a face. “No. I mean, it’s a decent guess. But Kevin’s voice is a little deeper.”

---

The judges decided that Eleven had the best performance of the evening and was safe from elimination. The audience decided Nine had the poorest performance and would go home. I agreed, but not everyone around me did.

“No way, dude,” Dante shouted at the screen. “Ten was worse.”

“Nine couldn’t stay on key!” argued Tyrone.

Beside him, Kori shook her head. “Yeah, but Twelve couldn’t stay on beat. I was cringing.”

The judges all took one last guess to determine Nine’s celebrity identity. They were split between two older actresses. Finally, the announcer told everyone to count down from five. The living room exploded with sound as everyone shouted at the television.

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One!”

As the box slowly rose to the ceiling, everyone screamed at the drag queen reality show host.

“I can’t believe it!” Ari pointed to Tyrone. “You said you thought it was too deep for a girl.”

Dante shook his head. “I was really convinced it was Poppy Sommers.”

“Speaking of, she posted something today that she landed a new movie. Something about a pregnant teen.”

Melinda turned to me. “Why’s she auditioning for In the Running then?”

I shrugged. “Because from her point of view, the movie is about Cat Barrett.”

Melinda gave a knowing nod, but Tyrone nodded toward me. “You’re not still with that psycho, are you? What?” He rubbed his ribs where Kori had just elbowed him.

She rolled her eyes. I had no idea what she had just said, but it had Melinda giggling. Dante shook his head. “So, where you been, man? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“Filming in Hawaii, then school on the East coast.”

Tyrone put on an affected tone. “Fancy prep school. Too high and mighty for us little people.”

I grabbed a pillow from behind Melinda and threw it at him. “At least my school doesn’t make me wear a coat and tie.”

Tyrone groaned. “Man. Two months. I can’t wait to be out of there.”

“Have you figured out what you’re doing next?”

Tyrone shrugged. “My folks are making me go to college. Still waiting to hear from a couple.”

“SoCal, baby,” Dante pulled Ari closer, his voice turning eerie. “Join us.”

Ari turned to Melinda. “How about you, Mae? What are your plans after school?”

Melinda shrugged. “I’m still trying to figure it out.”

“I hear that,” Kori said. “My parents said they’ll only pay for college if I make Dean’s list. Like a scholarship. But I don’t know if I want to go to school.”

“I’m not,” I said proudly.

Dante looked taken aback. “No?”

I shook my head. “Taking a year to figure out what I want to do. I didn’t want to be trying to do schoolwork while filling out college applications, all in between scenes.”

Ari pouted. “I wish I had thought to do that. My mom wouldn’t let me audition for Romeo and Juliet because I was so busy with applications.”

Tyrone smiled. “Yeah, but then Pat wouldn’t have met Poppy. What?” Kori had again elbowed his ribs.

Melinda giggled. “Tyrone, you realize Patrick and I are together, right?”

The look on Tyrone’s face indicated he did not. I pulled Melinda a little closer to emphasize her point. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her roll her eyes at Kori, although I had no idea what she was saying about me.

Kori turned to Tyrone. “It’s pretty uncouth to discuss an ex in front of the current girlfriend.”

Their voices grew softer as they began a discussion about manners. On the other end of my couch, Dante was seeing how far he could stick his tongue down his girlfriend’s throat. A moment later, Tyrone was playing the same game. I turned back to Melinda, running my hand through her hair and keeping my voice low.

“I guess talking time is over.”

She kissed my hand. “I think that means we should go home. Where’s Wally?”

I looked around. I hadn’t seen my brother since we had arrived. But I had a feeling I knew where he would be.

Shaking my head, I got to my feet. Melinda took my hand, and I led her through the kitchen to the second floor. At the end of the hall were two bedrooms. One was Dante’s. The other belonged to his brother, Logan.

Walter was sitting on the floor beside Logan, the two of them furiously pressing buttons on video game controllers. I couldn’t see the screen, but I assumed they were probably playing some sort of violent game where they had to kill everything in sight. Walter liked those types of games. Logan lived for them.

Logan looked a lot different from the last time I had seen him. Even though he was closer to my age than Dante was, Logan and I had never had much in common. In the year or so since I had last seen him, however, he had started wearing all black, spiked his hair, and gotten several facial piercings. If I had seen him walking around, I probably would have crossed the street to avoid him.

However, Walter seemed unfazed by Logan’s appearance and was yelling at the screen. “No! I mus’ nihilate you now. Oh, dink you smart, do you? Well, take dat. And dat.”

Melinda raised her eyebrows at me. I had heard it, too. Walter’s voice sounded very slurred. I tried to look at his eyes, but they were darting all over the place. I called out to him.

“Doofus! It’s time to go.”

Walter sipped from a dark glass bottle, never taking his eyes from the screen. “One more level.”

I took a few steps into the room and watched the game. I had never seen Walter play a game this violent. But I had also never seen him die so quickly. Swearing, he took another swig while he waited for the character to reanimate.

Melinda’s eyes grew wide. She gestured for me to join her in the hallway. As soon as I did, she spoke in a panicked whisper. “Since when does Walter drink?”

I sent her a confused look. “Since never.”

She pointed toward Walter. “My dad drinks that stuff with dinner. It’s an alcoholic root beer. I can’t believe Walter’s even drinking it. It’s gross.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And you would know this how?”

She rolled her eyes. I had no idea what she was saying about me. “My dad let me try a sip. Just to show me that it doesn’t taste good.”

I shrugged. “You probably saw the label wrong. Walter doesn’t drink.”

Melinda looked less than convinced, but I turned my attention back to Walter. “Dude, come on. Bus is leaving.”

Walter downed the rest of the bottle, putting it beside three others on the floor. “Sorry, man. Don’t really want to ambulate home.” He waved to Logan, then kind of lifted his hand up and down a few times. “Hey. My hand feels funny.”

He got to his feet and staggered toward me. “Whoa. Everything’s spinning. Cool.”

I grabbed one of his arms and threw it around my shoulders. He turned to me.

“Whoa. Thanks, man. Where we going?”

“Home. Let’s go.” I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Melinda was right. Walter was drunk. Mom was going to kill me.

I took Walter down both sets of stairs into the garage, then out the main door. I rarely used that door, but it let us out right near the gate. As we approached the car, I unlocked it and looked at Melinda.

“Can you sit in back? I’m worried about him, you know.”

She nodded quickly and climbed into the back. Walter sent her a confused look. “That’s my seat.”

“We’re switching places.”

Walter narrowed his eyes at me. “Did you two have another fight? Is that why we had to leave?”

I took a step back. He looked ready to hurt me. “No. Now, get in the car.”

“I want my seat.”

Walter climbed into the back, stepping over Melinda to sit behind me. Melinda shrugged as she fastened her belt. “I’ll sit with him.”

I turned on the car, opening the roof. Although I wasn’t too worried about Walter puking in my backseat, I wasn’t about to take any chances. Besides, maybe the cool air would help keep him alert long enough to get him to bed.

As I pulled out of the gated community, I glanced in my rearview mirror. Walter was putting his arm around Melinda’s shoulders.

“So, what did my brother do this time that you’re not sitting with him?”

“Walter? What were you drinking?”

“Oh, man. Logan had this amazing root beer. It was just so piquant. But I’m feeling a little aberrant.”

“I have no idea what you’re saying.”

Walter laughed maniacally. “It’s because your vocabulary is so abecedarian.”

“Walter, you know how I feel about big words.”

I could hear the injury in Melinda’s voice and I wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t understand Walter or because he was insulting her. Well, at least I thought he might be insulting her. I wasn’t sure what abecedarian actually meant.

Walter pulled her even closer. “You absolutely love them. Because they aggrandize your lexicon, making you sound all adept and well-versed. But it’s okay. I love you despite your abysmal vocabulary. Because you’re, like, the best friend I’ve ever had. Like, ever. I mean, you watch NeoGenesis. And you play Weddas. And you and Pat are great together. And I just love you.”

“Walter, I love you too, but you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk. I haven’t had any inebriants.”

“That root beer was alcoholic.”

“Oh, man. Logan had this amazing root beer.”

“I know. You told me.”

“I did? When?”

I shook my head as I headed onto the freeway. “Just ignore him, Sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart?” Walter exclaimed. “That’s his new appellation for you?”

Despite the cool breeze, I could feel my face growing hot. I glanced at Melinda. She looked more annoyed than anything else. I wasn’t sure if it was because of me or because Walter was practically crushing her. Walter continued babbling for the entire ride home. Melinda didn’t interrupt him, but I knew she definitely wasn’t enjoying herself.

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.