z

Young Writers Society


To Love or Not To Love: A Romeo and Juliet Parody



User avatar
108 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 3342
Reviews: 108
Mon Jun 01, 2015 2:49 am
bluewaterlily says...



“Keep telling yourself that, player,” she retorted weakly. Kelley’s words flashed through her mind. “But feel free to tell Kelley that I have a black belt in karate; it’s just a little something she should know in case she gets handsy.”

The smirk melted off Eric’s face as a look of astonishment settled onto his face, rounding his mouth into an ‘O.’ She had succeeded in rendering him speechless. He looked torn between snickering and reprimanding her for her lack of trust.

A soft groan of admonishment escaped his lips, and he smiled appealingly at her like a convict making his final appeal to an unyielding judge. Melody stared back at him trying not to let his puppy dog eyes crack her titanium exterior, no matter how big and blue his eyes were when they were widened innocently for dramatic effect.

“C’mon, Mel, you already said you trust me.”

“It’s not you I don’t trust. It’s her. I still don’t believe she will be teaching you math. I don’t trust hormonal cheerleaders not to get handsy.”

Eric barked a laugh. He gave Melody an appraising look, eyes tracing the contours of her body. “You were a cheerleader.”

Melody folded her arms, coking her hip to the side defiantly. Though she couldn’t fight off the smile that conquered her blank expression. “Exactly.”

“Speaking from experience?” he quipped. He wagged his eyebrows suggestively. Underneath the teasing tone was a layer of uncertainty…and jealously? “Why don’t you tutor me instead?”

“Be good, Romeo. I am sure there’s a teacher watching somewhere.” Melody rolled her eyes. But Eric caught the flash of mischief dancing across her face as she forcefully shoved his shoulder, sending him backwards until his back connected with the nearest locker. Eric stared at her in shock like he was surprised by her strength. She stared at him, eyes wide and startled, as if remembering he was still recovering from the accident.

She wanted to ask if he was alright , but instead all she could choke out was, “Is that handsy enough for you?” Despite her harsh words, her tone was soft, almost concerned. A tense moment hardened the air between them, before Eric broke it.

“No,” Eric deadpanned. “I expected more from you.”

Melody’s heart quivered in relief and she let out at shaky laugh. “Well too bad. Hate to disappoint, Casanova, but that is all you get. I didn’t mean to push you that hard. Sorry.”

Eric shrugged. “I’m fine, Mel. I’m okay, really. But feel free to make it up to me.” He winked.

She laughed and shook her head. “Okay this one time only. Can’t have you spoiled, now can we?”

Eric clucked his tongue. “And you say it like it’s a bad thing-”

Melody did not hesitate to wrap her arms around his waist pulling her close. The words dissolved on Eric’s lips as Melody’s soft, supple lips brushed against his. Like a thief, she made off with the breath from his lungs. Eric’s blood sped through his veins like lava rushing from a volcano, sending a warmth throughout his stomach that spread to his limbs. Instinctively, his hands snaked around Melody’s neck only for one hand to climb up to Melody’s hair, tousling her curls. The kiss ended too soon as Melody abruptly pulled away.

“Damn,” he breathed.

It was Melody’s turn to smirk. “How was that for a lesson?”

“Not bad,” he replied. “You’re a fast teacher, and I am a faster learner. Think you have time for another session?”

Melody laughed her voice tinkling in the almost empty hall. She tried to disentangle herself from Eric’s embrace. “You know we have to get to class. I already have enough detentions so tardiness won’t help either of us.”

Eric refused to relent, pulling his arms around her a little tighter. Melody did not bother resisting Just when they were inches apart, a voice yelled ,“No public displays of affection in the hallway! Get to class!”

Melody wrenched away, roses of blossoming in her cheeks. She whipped around to confront the person who separated them. She found herself staring at a hall monitor, arms folded stoically. Melody waved sardonically, bringing her arm to her forehead in a mock salute. From them corner of her eye, Melody noticed Eric smirking with flash of pride of her impudence. He grinned idiotically and proudly like a father taking credit for his child’s accomplishments.

“I will see you around, Mel.” Eric winked. Bending close to her he gave her quick, chaste hug,whispering in her ear, “I had fun.”

“Me too,” Melody assured. “See you around, Casanova. Try not to break any hearts until tomorrow, unless it’s Kelley’s.”

Before he could reply, she sauntered away, a confidence giving a bounce to her steps Eric had never seen.

8)
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden





User avatar
130 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 24514
Reviews: 130
Mon Nov 09, 2015 9:46 pm
*coco says...



Eric Van Holden

Just as Eric stepped inside the house the damn baby started bawling again. Heaving an annoyed sigh he made a mental note to start carrying ear plugs with him so he could drown out the noise.

“What in God's name is that?” spat his dad as Eric entered the lounge, searching round the living room with his beady eyes trying to work out where the crying was coming from.

“Your new granddaughter,” Eric replied dryly.

That comment caused his step-mom to splutter into her tea. “Excuse me?” She looked completely horrified.

“Relax, I was kidding,” he assured her, pulling out the doll from his back-pack and placing it on the coffee table for proof. “It’s part of a stupid project for Health class.”

His step-mom shook her head in dismay, clearly unimpressed but relieved at the same time. “Oh, Eric, you know better than to joke about such things!”

“That’s the problem, Janet, he doesn’t,” commented Eric’s dad with distaste. “That boy never takes anything seriously. Everything is always just a great big joke to him...”

Here we go again. Eric resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Dolly!” shrieked Marcus’s daughter suddenly, her chubby little hands grabbing hold of the baby doll to give it a squeeze. “Uncle Eric, can I play?”

Hmm, dumping the doll with the kid that likes to play with it... Eric looked down at his little niece and had a sudden brainwave. What an awesome plan! That way, not only would the doll get looked after properly, but Eric could get a break from all the ridiculous crying. A total win-win situation, why the heck didn’t I think of it before? Could’ve saved me a few headaches...

With a wicked smirk on his face, Eric bent down to his niece’s level and gave her a grateful peck on the cheek. “Sure you can, Rose, play with it as long as you like...” The four-year-old gave a shriek of delight and ran away with the doll to the play area.

“Dolls are icky,” commented Marcus’s son, Trip, who’d been watching all this with a grossed out look on his face.

“Tell me about it,” Eric agreed. Just as he was about to head upstairs for a much needed power nap, Marcus stormed into the lounge, causing just about everyone to jump out of their skins.

“Dad, we need to talk.”

“Easy, Marcus, no need to break the doors down,” Eric joked. Marcus met his gaze, looking more surprised than annoyed by his snarky comment. He obviously had no idea Eric was in the room in the first place.

“What is it?” their dad asked, rising up from the couch. “Has something happened?”

Marcus’ eyes went back to Eric before replying, “Nothing, I … I just need a quick word, that’s all.”

Liar. Eric knew his brothers well, specifically he knew Marcus well, and by the look on his oldest brother’s face a few seconds ago when he stormed into lounge, it was clear that something is up. Something big. The question is what.

Eric watched as their dad headed for the study where they could talk in private.

“Everything okay, Marcus?” he asked, before Marcus could follow him out.

He just threw Eric a reassuring wink. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

Another lie.

Eric watched as Marcus followed on after their dad. He thought about going after them and maybe listening in through the door just out of curiosity, but then he remembered Kelley would be coming over soon, and he decided not to.

Whatever had happened to get Marcus so obviously wound up, if he said that it wasn’t anything for Eric to worry about, he wasn’t going to. Images starting flashing in his head, of the car crash, the Duqaines, being benched by Coach Clancy, Ruby, Kelley …

I’ve got enough to worry about already …
"Do you know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen any King would kill for." - Prince Francis ♕





User avatar
108 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 3342
Reviews: 108
Thu Nov 12, 2015 5:39 am
bluewaterlily says...



Melody disinterestedly stared at the baby doll in her lap as it sucked on its bottle. A rhythmic clicking sound reverberated in the room, only to be interrupted by Melody wasn’t surprised when her phone. The rock ringtone startled the doll and it wailed. Melody’s ear drums were already calloused. It’s not like Jeffery is useful, After he had admitted to leaving the doll inside its locker, Melody had made sure to have a majority of the custody. Not that Jeffery protested she thought darkly as she rocked the doll, replacing the bottle once its screams had subsided.
Without looking at her phone, Melody knew it would be Lauren since Lauren was the only person who called.

Pressing the phone to her ear, she said, “What’s up?”

There was a pause and Melody could imagine Lauren biting her lip, the way she did when she was preoccupied. “Well as you know, Eric’s birthday is in a week-“

“His birthday?” Melody felt a pang of betrayal, making her chest feel tight. It quickly ignited to anger as she realized Kelly was going to his house to “tutor him.” She was probably getting cozy with him at this very moment.

Why didn’t it bother me earlier? Maybe she could feel confident when she was around Eric because he seemed to have the magical ability to rob her of all reason. Or was Melody deluding herself? Eric looked her dead in the eye and even offered to sacrifice tutoring just to make her feel better. And his expression had been open and gentle with a sincere tone that he rarely used.

“He didn’t tell you!” Lauren’s voice sounded equally reproachful and shocked. She sighed in resignation, with an undertone of sympathy, as if she understood Melody’s concerns. “He didn’t mean anything by it, Mel. He was just being an idiot. He’s also been preoccupied with the play, getting back to football for that scholarship. Honestly, I think he forgot.”

“Right,” Melody murmured feeling abashed as her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

“So what’s the plan for his birthday?”

“Way ahead of you.” A tone of self-satisfaction crept into Lauren’s voice. “I was thinking we could throw a surprise party for him.”

Melody’s enthusiasm deflated. “Oh, well that’s…nice.” Eric was a people person, so it would make since he would expect a large, lavish party. All of Verona Academy would be there probably-which meant she would have alone time with him. And then there was the issue of Kelley.

“It’s going to be a small party. Just me, you, and Eric’s closest friends.”

Melody had to withhold a sigh of relief.

“So,” Lauren continued, “ I thought you’d be interested in helping out.”

“Of course!” Melody answered. A thought dawned on her. “I’m not going to have to bake anything am I?”

Lauren laughed. “No, I’ve got that covered. My family is a regular customer of the local bakery anyway. Unless you want to bake something. Why? Do you?”

“Absolutely not. Unless you consider burnt a new cake flavor.”

Lauren snickered. “Eric would still eat it. Not just because it’s you. He will eat almost anything. One time, when were four at playing at the park…he tried to eat dirt.”

Melody’s eyebrows shot up. “Dirt?”

“Yeah…my older brothers were with us and they dared Eric to do it.”

Melody shook her head in astonishment. She could picture a young Eric doing it. He even proudly identified as a daredevil.

“So what made him do it?”

“Well there was a girl our age on the swing set…and Eric had a crush on her. My brothers convinced him that it would impress her. It didn’t. We got a good laugh out of it though. Well…not the nanny. That was her breaking point.”

“How many did Eric run off?”

“Why don’t you take a guess.”

“Five?”

Lauren snorted. “I actually don’t know. We lost count after ten.”

Yep, classic Eric.

“It wasn’t just Eric’s fault though. My older brothers were worse. Needless to say, I was the good one. Not that it was too hard with four brothers.”


Melody smiled, shaking her head. “I can imagine.”

“Oh wait until you see the pictures.”

“You have pictures?!”
Of course! How else do you think I’ve kept Eric in line all these years. So, Melody, can you keep a secret?

“About the party or the pictures?”

She could imagine the Eric-like smirk fighting its way to Lauren’s lips as she boldly stated, “Both.”

"Lauren, wen is Kelly coming over?"

Lauren sighed. "Blonde bimbo hour starts at five."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"If Kelley tries anything-"

"Melody," Lauren interrupted, tone blunt. "Do you trust Eric?"

"Yes!"

"Mhmm." Melody could imagine her hands on her hips , eyebrows raised challengingly in disbelief.

"Yes. No." Melody let out a deep exhale of frustration. "I don't know. I know that I want to. And I do when I am around him but when he's not gone. Or around herthen it's just hard."

"Oh come on, Melody. Don't be stupid. That's Kelley and Ruby's job. You know Eric cares about you. I don't know if you can tell, but he's changed. He's different. And it's all because of you. A bimbo like Kelely isn't gonna change that unless you let it."

"I know," Melody said. "But just keep an eye on her. Please? I know how girls like her work." Because I was one a long time ago...

"What do you want me to do?"

"Anything necessary."

"Is that legal?" Even as she said it, Melody could detect the laughter in her voice.

"Well I could say the same thing about her existence."

"If she gets too close to Eric, looks at him for too long, or even breathes too close to him,..."

"She's going down."
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden





User avatar
130 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 24514
Reviews: 130
Fri Nov 13, 2015 6:20 pm
View Likes
*coco says...



An hour later, after a good nap and a shower, Eric jogged down the stairs and headed for the kitchen to find his step-mom clattering through the cupboards.

“Eric, your pill bottles …” she exclaimed with an exasperated tone. “They’re everywhere!” Gathering the orange tubes together, she handed them over to Eric with a stern but soft expression on her face, the kind she’d always have whenever she wanted to discipline him. “I hope you haven’t stopped taking your daily doses. You’ll never recover properly if you start getting lazy.”

Eric avoided eye-contact. She knows me too well. The truth is he had been getting lazy with his pills, and it’d led to him having his ass handed to him at practice, not to mention being benched! He needed to fix up, soon, or else everything he’d been working towards, a scholarship, his father’s approval … would fall apart. Not an option. Making a mental note to start keeping up on his doses from now on, he pocketed the orange tubes and checked his phone for the time.

“It’s 5:10,” he said out loud. “Where the hell's Kelley?”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s on her way,” his step-mom answered. Her tone of voice was lighter this time. She even had a smile on her face. “You know, Eric, I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’ve finally decided to bring a friend round.”

Eric threw her an incredulous look. “I always bring friends round.”

“I meant one that isn’t a boy.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said immediately, feeling the need to clarify that, just in case his step-mom had the wrong idea.

To his annoyance, she just smiled wider and pretended like she hadn't heard him. “I had the maids set up a few snacks –”

“Great, I’m starving –”

“For Kelley,” she finished, tapping away his prying fingers from the tray of cakes.

“But she’s a cheerleader, Janet, she’s not allowed snacks otherwise she’ll get fat and no one will be able to throw her into the air.”

His step-mom threw him a disapproving look. “Eric, don’t be so mean –”

“He’s not being mean, he’s telling the truth,” Lauren cut in. The alien had just come into the kitchen holding a stack of notebooks in her hands. “If cheerleaders get fat they get kicked out of the squad. It happened to a girl named Daisy.”

“I thought Daisy was kicked out because she got herself knocked up,” said Eric.

Lauren shook her head. “She got knocked up after she was kicked out.”

Their step-mom, who had been listening to all this with an appalled look on her face, swallowed and muttered something under her breath about the dangers of underage pregnancy. Eric didn’t hear, he was too busy staring at Lauren.

“What are you doing with all those books?” he asked.

Well ...” she smiled brightly, “I heard Kelley was coming over to tutor you for Math so, seeing as how I have a test next week, I thought I should join you both.”

At that moment the doorbell rang.

“Speak of the devil,” Lauren’s smile widened. “I’m gonna go set up.”

Eric watched her go, knowing she was up to something. He left the kitchen and walked down the long, wide hallway that led to the front door.

“You’re late,” he said by way of greeting.

Kelley pursed her lips. “And you’re an ass,” she retorted as she stepped inside, “be grateful that I even agreed to help you.”

“I’ll be grateful when I get my B-,” said Eric, leading her towards the Study. “So I was thinking we could start with –”

“Is that a new shirt?” she asked suddenly.

Eric frowned, confused at the randomness of her question, “Yeah, why?”

“It looks good on you.”

His confusion only grew. “Have you been drinking?”

Kelley rolled her eyes. “It was a compliment, Eric. You’re supposed to say thank you and give me a compliment in return.”

“I’d rather get a B-.”

She shook her head. “You’re ridiculous –” Kelley stopped suddenly as she came face to face with Lauren.

The alien was all teeth with her smile now, “Hi, Kelley,” she waved.

The blond suddenly looked very, very uncomfortable.
"Do you know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen any King would kill for." - Prince Francis ♕





User avatar
108 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 3342
Reviews: 108
Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:13 pm
bluewaterlily says...



The phone was pressed to her ear, and she could hear the idle ringtone. Come on Bobby, pick up. She heard rowdy laughter on the other end of the line and the sound of clacking like pool balls colliding.

“Hello?” the voice asked, seemingly bemused. It occurred to Melody Bobby didn’t have her number.

“Hey, Bobby, it’s Melody.”

“Melody?” the voice trailed off. If Melody wasn’t crazy, she could have sworn she heard a note of panic.

“Yeah, Eric’s girlfriend.”

“What did Eric do?”

“Nothing,” Melody said. “Unless you know something that I don’t…Do you?” The last statement was said lightly but she could hear the fear in his voice. Did Eric ever tell Bobby she had a black belt in karate?

“I’m calling because Lauren is planning a birthday party for Eric and I was wondering…well I need help with getting a gift for Eric. And seeing as you’re his best friend, I thought maybe you could help. Lauren must’ve had the same idea because she’s the one who gave me your number.”

“Yeah sure,” Bobby answered. “I have this one store in mind. It’s a local shop but they have unique gifts. It’s one of Eric’s stepmom’s favorite places to shop. ”

“Could we go…today?”

“I’m not doing anything at the moment,” Bobby offered. “Do you need a ride?”

Melody shifted uncomfortably. Bobby was Eric’s best friend and seemed to look out for him, so he was probably trustworthy but her uncle was adamant about her keeping her family ties to the Duquaines a secret. Besides, it felt weird…even wrong riding around in another guy’s car without Eric knowing. Then again, she thought bitterly Kelley could be giving him a lap dance. The thought caused her chest to constrict, making her heart twist unpleasantly like a wrung out dish rag.

“No, it’s okay. Thanks. If you give me the address I can meet you there in half an hour.”

“If you down the street that Verona High is on and make a left turn you will see the Plaza with all the small stores and Verona’s Mall.”

“Will you be okay getting there?”

“Yeah, I know where it is..” Melody recalled that she was dragged to Verona Mall by Mary to buy the dress for the opening of the Duquaine Hotel at the boutique inside the mall.

Grabbing her keys, Melody slipped into car. As she zipped along the streets of Verona, her mind spun in circles thinking of the best birthday gift. But she had never shopped for Grant before. But a small part of Melody was relieved Bobby would be there to help her. Aside from Lauren, who knew him better?
**

Although Melody had been to the Plaza once, she was overwhelmed by the size and grandeur of the mall. Instantly, Melody felt out of place. The mall sprawled the parking lot like a mansion. The sun glinted off the sleek metal and glass exterior, outlining the building’s contours in an orange glow as the sun sunk lower in the sky. A sea of luxury cars dominated the parking lot.

Melody bit back a sigh. Classic Verona. She was sure some of those vehicles were worth more than her old home. She circled the lot, trying to find an isolated parking spot for her 1998 Toyota Tacoma, or else someone would accuse her of parking too close to for comfort to an automobile that probably had more momentary value than herself as person.

Her phone beeped and a message from Bobby flashed across the screen. Meet u at food court. When Melody stepped inside the mall, she was overwhelmed by the startling whiteness of the interior. The blinding white of the tiles, walls, and even arching ceiling reminded her of the hospital. The sleek modern As people rushed past her and the cacophony of voices reverberated in the cavernous space, reminding Melody of the frenzied shouts of doctors.

For a minute she froze as memories of her parents, a labyrinth of wires tubes, screeching heart monitors, her parents just lying their, catatonic and comatose, bodies afflicted with lacerations and discolored bruises, faces swollen beyond recognition, distend veins around the temples, a gray sickly pallor. Her heart started performing a marathon as a panic attack threatened to break lose, and when Melody stared down at her boots, she saw her feet shaking. Her breaths came out in short gasps. And then Eric…Eric. it was like a manifested nightmare. And it was her fault. If they hadn’t gone to the concert, he wouldn’t have almost died and wouldn’t be in second string. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real…

She gripped her phone so tightly, she was sure it would splinter. Melody’s panic shattered when she felt her phone vibrate. Bobby texted her again asking, Where r u? U still coming?

Slowly, reality gripped again, and she let out a shaky breath. I thought it was getting better. It’s been almost a year since that happened. A year, right after the one year anniversary of the car accident. Sickness roiled in Melody’s stomach when she realized it was almost two years she had lived without them. God, it’s November. The anniversary would be coming up in a few weeks.

Hands trembling, Melody stared vacantly at the phone. Her fingertips trembled with the urge to type no but she had to do this. She had move past the fear, the pain, and live. Even when existing felt much easier. And she owed Eric for the concert. At the very least, maybe shopping could provide a distraction.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes she responded.

Ok.


**

Melody didn’t have time to pull herself together. She wasted a few minutes navigating the food court and didn’t want to keep Bobby waiting any longer. Melody spotted Bobby sitting at a front table. He smiled when he saw her until he noticed her frazzled appearance. Surprised rippled through her when he automatically pulled a seat for her to take.

“Melody, are you okay? You’re not sick or something?”

“No,” Melody shook her head, cheeks flaming. “I’m fine, Bobby.”

“Are you sure?” My favorite question. He quirked an eyebrow incredulously. Dammit, he’s good.

“Yeah.” She nodded vigorously. “Just a rough day, I guess.”

“Did…something happen between you and Eric?”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Well is there anything I can do to help?” He stared at her in concern and he genuinely sounded like he wanted to help her.

Melody’s lips twitched as she tried to muster the energy to fabricate a smile. “Thanks,
Bobby, but there’s really nothing you can do.”

“Okay.” Bobby nodded, resigned, like he expected the answer. “Can I at least buy you something?”

Melody shook her head, politely declining.

“At least let me buy you a drink. You look like you could use it.”

He pinned her with a big brotherly stare and she didn’t have the energy to protest.

“I’ll be right back,” he announced, glancing back at her like he was afraid she was a flight risk. She felt a deer fleeing and had the urge to bolt, so his fears weren’t entirely unfounded.

A few minutes later, Bobby returned with a large smoothie for Melody. He wordlessly stared at her expectantly. Suddenly, Melody felt like a little kid at her grandparent’s house staring at her plate of vegetables and not allowed to leave the table until she finished her meal.
Reluctantly, she took a few sips.


Trying to dispel the tension between them, Melody asked, “So where is this party supposed to be? Eric’s house?”

Eric shook his head.

Melody’s nerves were so frayed that her filter was not working. Before she could regret it, she blurted, “I guess I am never go to his house or meet his family.” Suddenly realizing how petty she sounded, she looked down at the table and focused on her drink.

Bobby looked at her with pity. “It’s not that, Mel.” Her gaze flashed to his, and they both seemed equally surprised by the use of her nickname.

“A lot of stuff is going on in his family.”

“I know; I just wish he would talk to me more.”

Bobby smiled ruefully. “Yeah, that’s Eric for you. He’ll come around.”

Melody was glad that she wasn’t the only one who noticed. She tried to steer the conversation away from current issues. If she could get Bobby talk more about Eric, it might help her figure what to get him. And, it could be a distraction from the past and present. “So how did you meet Eric?”

Bobby looked relieved at the conversation change. “Well our dads are business partners, so we were always around each other. We would be left with the nanny or maids outside to play football together. And then my parents got divorced so I would go back and forth between my parents. I mostly live with my dad so I spent a lot of time at Eric’s house.”
Melody nodded, sympathizing “I know how hard going back and forth is.”

“It was hard at first when I was young, but I guess got used to it. After the divorce, I was always at Eric’s place. His step-mom kind of took me in and I guess made me an unofficial part of the family. I guess he is like the annoying brother I never had but always wanted. ”

Bobby shrugged. “Did your parents divorce, too?”

“No.”

“Did you move around a lot or foster homes?”

Melody smiled bitterly. “Something like that. My parents died two years ago, so I kind of got shuffled around between relatives. No one really wanted me. This…this is my last chance.”

A tight, uncomfortable look settled on Bobby’s face that Melody was too familiar with. Sympathy with a sprinkle of awkward discomfort. She tried to smile to ward off the thickening atmosphere of tension, but the edge of her lip only lifted in the parody of grin.

“You know, Mel, Eric’s mom died from cancer when he was eight. It really hard on him too.”

Melody’s face slackened with shock and her lips parted in astonishment. “He never told me.”

Bobby, bless his intuitiveness, assured her, “He doesn’t like to talk about his private life, but it’s nothing personal. I think the hardest part of it was Lauren and Eric were so young and got the least amount of time with her. You wouldn’t know this at a glance, but Eric is really close to Lauren. ” Bobby smirked. “A fact he probably will deny to his dying breath. Lauren kind of took the burden of looking out for Eric. I don’t either one of them realizes how protective she is of him, but I guess it makes sense with them being twins and all.”

“I think,” Melody, the hardest thing about losing someone, is how important the pictures of them become afterward.”

Bobby noticed thoughtfully. “Eric’s old man took her death pretty hard. HE became tougher on Eric, more distant with Lauren. Sure he remarried, and Eric’s step mom really loves Eric like her own son, but it’s not the same for him. And after her death, Eric’s dad tried to erase her memory. Al the family portraits were taken down, probably moved to his office or bedroom. And of course, he’s the only one with the key.” Bobby paused, looking disturbed.

“I don’t know if Eric even has a picture of her.”

That cut Melody to the core. At she had twice as long with her parents than Eric had, and she still had the pictures. Even her uncle wasn’t so gone by grief that he would hide or destroy all traces of her mother’s legacy.

“Bobby,” Melody murmured, “Can Eric get a picture of her?”

“I don’t know. His dad and brothers are the ones with the pictures and probably won’t want to give it to him.”

Melody shook her head in disgust, but an idea dawned on her. “I think have an idea for a gift. But it’s kind of…girly.”

Bobby looked bemused, unable to follow the sudden change in the conversation. But he played along, which was all that mattered to Melody. “What is it?”

“You can’t laugh.”

“Or else?” Bobby challenged with an Eric-like morbid-curiosity.

Melody laughed, feeling the first natural smile curl her lips.

“I have a black belt in karate. Fill in the blank.”

Bobby gulped dramatically. “Never mind.”

“Alright, here’s my plan. What if we got him a picture frame. A really big one and we used it for a collage for pictures of Eric with his friends, at some of his football games, and with his family. What if we talked to Lauren and she was able to talk to their step-mom or brothers and maybe get a few pictures of her?” Melody trailed off, looking away. “I don’t know…just a suggestion. I know it isn’t much, but how do I shop for someone who already has everything?”

“Bobby stared with an unreadable expression. “Melody, that is a great idea.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am; he is lucky to have a girl like you.”

Melody laughed, half in awe, half incredulous. “Did Eric put you up to this?”

Bobby looked scandalized and shook his head. “Nope. I’m completely serious. Besides I’m a straight shooter. No lying, even for Eric. I’ll have you know I’m his conscience.”

Melody raised an eyebrow.

“Well, when you’re not around.”

“Some job we’re doing.”

Bobby raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, I never said he listened to me. You on the other hand…”

“What about me?”

“You’re all he talks about.”

“Melody blinked, heart lurching and performing somersaults.

“In fact,” Bobby continued, “we were at this party a few months ago and he ignored every girl that came up to him. We thought he was sick. I mean, Eric not chasing girls, right?
Unheard of. But he told me, very proudly, there was another girl, a girl more gorgeous than the rest, and he had his sights on her. He told me this girl was special. Of course, as his conscience, I made him promise to leave this poor girl alone. Not that he listened. But I am glad this time he didn’t. This girl has been really good for him. I’ve never seen him so grounded or even happy since before his mother’s death…”

“I know this place that sells antiques.”

“Now,” Bobby said, standing up, “Let’s go get that picture frame.”
Last edited by bluewaterlily on Thu Nov 19, 2015 3:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden





User avatar
130 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 24514
Reviews: 130
Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:28 pm
View Likes
*coco says...



A spell of silence fell before Kelley turned to Eric, her face now deadly.

“Can I have a word?” Before he could reply with a ‘no’, she grabbed his elbow and dragged him to one side before whisper shouting, “Lauren wasn’t supposed to be here!”

“Relax,” he calmed her, “she just wants your help on a Math test she has coming up.” A flash of annoyance crossed Kelley’s face mixed with something that looked suspiciously like disappointment. Weird. “Is that a problem?”

“Of course it is!” she exclaimed. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re sister hates me!”

Eric hadn’t forgotten nor did he really care. Lauren hated almost everyone. “What’s your point?”

“My point,” Kelley pressed annoyingly, “is that it’s a bit suspicious for someone like her to want my help all of a sudden, don’t you think?”

“What I think is we should get started.” Before the blonde could argue some more, Eric entered the Study, giving his phone a quick glance to check for the time. The sooner this is over the better. He might even be able to join the boys at Casey’s if he was lucky. Slumping himself down into one of the empty chairs by the desk, he opened up his books and looked up at Kelley expectedly, “Algebra first?”

*

Eric didn’t know what he’d expected from this tutoring session, he knew he’d struggle, of course he did, Math was never really his strongest subject, but even he hadn’t expected to take fifteen minutes to understand one question. Kelley had brought him a paper from last year to work on and he hadn’t even made it past the first page yet.
Before he could vent at something, there came a sudden knock on the door, followed by his step-mom coming in, the maids bringing in trays of cakes. Marcus’ daughter, Rose, trailed behind them.

“I hope you’re all hungry …” his step-mom smiled.

“Good evening Mrs Van Holden,” Kelley greeted.

“Good evening, dear,” she smiled warmly. “Has Eric been giving you any trouble?”

“No more than usual,” she joked, making his step-mom chuckle. Eric threw them both a frown as he shoved a brownie into his mouth.

The sound of the house phone ringing interrupted their laughter.

“Phone for you, Mrs Van Holden!” called one of the house maids from outside.

“Excuse me,” Eric’s step mom turned to leave the room. “Kelley, please help yourself to some snacks,” she added over her shoulder before putting a hand out for Rose to take. “Come along, sweetheart. Let’s leave them to their work.”

“Can I give Kimmy my special cupcake first?” she asked with that cute little voice of hers that made Eric want to grab her and smother her with kisses.

“Kelley,” his step-mom corrected before nodding her permission, “Come straight to me when you’re done.”

Rose nodded back and waited until Janet left the room before selecting a distinct looking cupcake from the tray.

“For you,” she said, handing it to Kelley.

It was obvious that Kelley wasn’t a kid lover, her demeanour said it all. She was stiff and awkward as she smiled at Rose in thanks before taking the cupcake. She didn’t even put it in her mouth and poor Rose just stood there in front of her, waiting.

“I’d eat it if I were you,” Eric advised, wolfing down two macarons. “She won’t leave until you do.”

Reluctantly, Kelley took a bite out of the cupcake.

“Do you like it?” Rose asked eagerly, on her tippy toes.

Kelley nodded, “Very yummy.”

Rose put a finger in her mouth shyly. “I stuck the Smarties on with my spit.”

Both Kelley and Eric choked – Eric out of hilarity and Kelley out of disgust – as Rose happily skipped out of the room.

Lauren watched her go like a proud parent. “Isn’t she adorable?”
"Do you know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen any King would kill for." - Prince Francis ♕





User avatar
130 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 24514
Reviews: 130
Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:48 pm
*coco says...



*

Another fifteen minutes passed before they were interrupted again, Eric’s step mom poking her head through the door this time.

“Sorry to disturb you all, but Lauren I need you outside.”

There was a pause as Lauren looked at Kelley, then Eric, then back at Kelly again. “But, Janet, I can’t.”

“Lauren, darling, I wouldn’t ask unless it was urgent. Outside please.”

“But –”

Before Lauren could finish her sentence, Janet was gone. It took the alien almost five minutes to get to her feet, she seemed very determined not to go. But in the end she realised she had no choice.

Eric watched her go, wondering if something had happened and if it had anything to do with the phone call or Marcus’ mini meltdown earlier.

“So …” Kelley said, breaking his thoughts. She seemed chirpier all of a sudden as she removed her bomber jacket to reveal the khaki vest underneath which exposed her bare arms. “Let’s carry on, shall we?”

And carry on they did. After half an hour of Eric testing each one of his brain cells to the limit, the time had come for Kelley to mark his paper. He couldn’t help but watch nervously as she flipped from page to page with her marker in hand. He needed to get this B-. So much was riding on it. My life being one, he thought grimly as his dad’s face came to mind.

Finally, Kelley looked up from his paper. Eric looked back, his heart pounding with anticipation.

“C.”

“Fu –!” Eric would’ve kicked something if it hadn’t been for the fact that everything in the room belonged to his old man.

Kelley rolled her eyes. “Relax, Eric, you were only two marks away,” If that was her trying to make him feel better, it wasn’t working.

Eric rubbed his temples in frustration.

“Let’s just go over the questions you got wrong, and try again tomorrow.”

“Again?” Now Eric had his head in his hands. He couldn’t do this all again tomorrow.

His brain wouldn’t be able to handle it. It was already half fried.

Kelley folded her arms, un-impressed. “Shall I leave you alone to cry?”

Eric lifted his head up and threw her a look before sighing. There was no way he could give up now. Rolling his shoulders, he sat up straight and Kelley joined him on the couch with his paper.

“Let’s start with this question,” she began, leaning over to show him.

Eric tried to pay attention to what she was saying, really he did, but he was distracted by the sudden smell of strawberries. It wasn’t until Kelley leaned in closer to scribble down a calculation that Eric realised the smell was coming from her. It occurred to him then that she was probably sitting too close. He could even smell the shampoo from her hair.

“Any closer, Kellz, and you’ll be sitting on my lap,” he pointed out, to which she laughed.

“You wish.” She absent-mindedly gathered her hair to one side, exposing her neck and added, “If I’m making you feel uncomfortable, Eric, you can just say so.”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” he retorted. “I’m just not down with people taking up my personal space.”

She looked up at that, her big blue eyes meeting his. “You’re not comfortable, or your girlfriend?”

Before Eric could even answer that there came a loud gasp followed by a flying book that smacked Kelley square in the face.

They both turned to see Lauren standing by the doorway looking absolutely livid.

“Lauren!” Kelley’s mouth gaped wide open. “What the hell was that for?!”

“My bad, I thought I saw a mosquito.”

“A mosquito?!” Kelley echoed, rubbing her forehead. “It’s the middle of November!”

“Like I said, my bad,” Lauren re-entered the room, but not before throwing Eric an icy glare.


Something tells me I’m in trouble …
Last edited by *coco on Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Do you know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen any King would kill for." - Prince Francis ♕





User avatar
108 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 3342
Reviews: 108
Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:20 am
bluewaterlily says...



When Melody pulled into the driveway, the sun had completely set. When she looked at the time on her phone, 6:30 flashed across the screen in glowing numbers. Her family would be in the middle of dinner or she may have completely missed the family meal. When she considered the ritual glower she would receive from Mary from across the table, missing dinner would be alright with her but her uncle’s vacant and disappointed stare would made her feel a stab of guilt.

Drawing a deep breath for fortification, Melody trudged to the dining room. Unsurprisingly, Mary and Jack were seated together, and a plate sat on the table in front of Melody’s vacant seat. Mary glowered while Jack shook his head in disappointed resignation. Somehow his betrayed look was worse.

“You’re late.”

The accustation hung heavy like a patch of storm clouds.

Melody didn’t bother responding to the truth. Instead she pulled her chair, wincing internally as it scraped against the floor.

“Where were you and why were you out so late again?”

Melody pointedly ignored Mary, digging her fork viciously into the cold beans. When she raised the fork to her mouth and swallowed, the cold mush slithered down her throat.
“Answer me,” Mary commanded. “Do you have it so bad around here that you have to defy us in everything you do? Is it your life goal? Skipping classes, sneaking around with some boy. I swear, you’re just like your mother.”

Melody bristled but smiled challengingly. “I don’t see that as a bad thing.”
Mary smiled joylessly. “Of course you wouldn’t. You’re going to be just like her and throw your future away for some boy.”

Melody knew how the Duquaines were bitter at her mother for giving up her father’s plans of attending the prestigious local university, Dunstiane University, to pursue a degree in business and help carry on the successful but shady legacy of the multimillion Duquaine Hotel corporation. She was going to be the CEO until she met my dad. The Duquaines had never forgiven their own daughter for choosing to marry an aspiring but poor musician.

“I believe the correct terminology is disownment.”

“Your mother knew what she was doing. She was always a rebel; it is no surprise you’re going down the same slippery slope. And for what future? At this rate, Melody, you’ll be a delinquent by the end of the year.”

Melody cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowed. “Wouldn’t that be exactly what you want? Then I wouldn’t have to be a burden.”

Mary’s face soured. “You wouldn’t be a burden if you knew how to behave.”

A jagged smile twisted Melody’s lips. “So I’m just a charity case.”

Mary stared impassively, arms folded. The air thickened with tension until it was shattered by Jack slamming his glass against the table.

He gave Mary a stern look. “Mary, you’re not helping. We’ve been going about this the wrong way for months. Accusations aren't going to make this better. Melody is my niece, so let me handle it.”

When Mary stormed out, Jack sighed. It was the bone-weary kind of sigh, a sigh of resignation. A sigh Melody had heard too many times in the past two years. There was something hovering around her like a morbid curse. It was as if she carried the right amount of death inside her to poison others. As she took in his haggard appearance and shadowed eyes, Melody couldn’t help but wonder how long before it got to Eric or even Lauren. Lauren’s bold and Eric’s carefree attitudes didn’t seem to be enough to ward off the curse of Melody Grey.

Uncle Jack took a swig of his water for fortification.

“This was the third time you were late for dinner this week.” He raised an assertive eyebrow.
“That’s extreme, even for you Melody.”

“What,” he continued, “are you doing with your life, Melody?” Jack shook his head in astonishment and maybe…disgust. “You’re young with so many opportunities. You’ve been given the opportunity of a quality private education. You will have the opportunity to attend Dustinane University or any college of your choosing. You can be a part of the family business if you choose. You have so much of a future, and so many resources at your disposal. Why can’t you see that?”

The unspoken question of “Why is it not enough?” filled the room.

Melody stared down at her plate, pushing the food around. Her fingertips gripped the utensil handle so much, they were bone white. It’s hard to focus on the future when you can’t even move past the past.

“Come on, Melody,” he pleaded. “Say something, anything. Just show me you’re trying. Prove to me you care. I know you were close to her. And I know you’re still grieving.”

He paused, staring behind her at the wall, face softening with sorrow. “I miss Elizabeth, too.” His voice was a ghost whisper.

Ocean waves of shock crashed against the rocky shores of Melody’s mind. He said her name. He said her name. He said her name…

“It’s been almost two years, Melody. You have to find closure. It’s the only way or you will never move on and you’ll never reach the potential I know you have.”

“What do you want from me?”

“What do I want from you?” he parroted incredulously, his voice tinging with fury.

Uncle Jack had to be the most patient person Melody knew, especially with her, but even she managed to finally push the limits. “I want what’s best for you, Melody, even when it’s not what you want for yourself. Especially when it’s not what you want for yourself! I want you to be healthy again.”

The fork dropped from her hand, clanking against the plate.

“What?” she croaked.

“I want you to be healthy, Melody. All your…habits you’ve picked up are unhealthy. The goth style, the challenging authority, sneaking out, skipping classes. You’re so fixated on her death you can’t even move on. And the music you listen to is just downright scary.”
Melody glowered. “How do you know what I listen to?”

“When Mary confiscated your iPod, she noticed all your music was metal with dark themes of death, despair, rage-“ He said the last word pointedly.

“She had no right!” Melody’s hands slammed against the table.

Jack stared unsympathetically and unremorseful. “Mary and I are your guardians, and we have both the right and duty, to discipline and guide you when your wellbeing is at jeopardy.”

“It’s just music, Uncle Jack.”

His face darkened. “No it’s not. It’s a troublesome reflection of what is going on in your mind.”

Melody’s jaw threatened to unhinge. “Are you calling me crazy? Just because I don’t listen to dumb pop music?”

Jack held her gaze. “Melody,” he interjected more gently. “Of course not. But I am saying you’re spiraling downward. I’m not saying you’re crazy. I’m saying you’re hurt and confused. There’s a difference.”

“What?” Melody laughed. “You want me to go to therapy for my ‘problems?’”

The mocking smile melted off Melody’s face when Jack only stared at her soberly in confirming silence.

“You’re not serious.”

“Of course I am, Melody! This isn’t a joke. I don’t know what I to do with you anymore. I don’t know how to help you move on so you will stop dishonoring Elizabeth’s memory-“

“What?” Melody said softly in a lethal tone.

“The behavior is dishonorable to your mother, Melody. She wouldn’t want you to be so…”

“To be so what?” Her voice sounded bitter and brittle, probably not testifying to her mental stability at the moment.

“I’m not the whole dishonoring her memory. At least, I try and keep her memory alive. And I didn’t have my spouse remove my own sister’s family portraits. And I actually went to the funeral! Where were you? Oh, right. The family business. I’d rather ‘fixate’ than pretend she didn’t exist. If anyone has dishonored her memory, it was you.”

Jack stared at Melody with a raw expression. For the first time, his eyes weren’t vacant. They were vivid,penetrating and full of depth, like two wells of grief that Melody had fallen at the bottom of.

Jack drew a deep breath, and he appeared like hand blown glass. “Melody, you’re not the only one who lost her. I miss her too.”

She nodded weakly. She didn’t trust herself to speak and not make matters worse. Melody didn’t pretend she was eating. She didn’t even have to pretend to not be hungry; her stomach was unbearably full with guilt. Silently, Melody walked briskly out of the dining room without looking back.

“Your first appointment is next Thursday at three,” Jack called to her. She dashed up the stairs. When she was in her room, she reached for her guitar. Fingers shaking, Melody began to strum, just to chase the haunting silence away.
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden





User avatar
130 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 24514
Reviews: 130
Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:33 pm
View Likes
*coco says...



Kelley left soon after the book incident and her departure was followed by a very loud and very awkward silence – courtesy of Lauren.

“Well …,” Eric said, in an attempt to break it. “That went well.”

Before the alien could say anything otherwise, he turned to head up the stairs, until her voice stopped him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The iciness in her glare seemed more intense. Eric decided to avoid her eyes.

“I have things to do … a girlfriend to call –”

“I’m surprised you remember her,” Lauren cut in, “considering the fact that you forgot to tell her your birthday’s coming up.”

Eric blinked. “Crap.”

“I can think of a better word: stupid, for example.” Lauren’s eyes were dangerous now. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“Obviously, I wasn’t,” he admitted. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve had a lot going on this past month ...”

“I know that!” Lauren snapped. “I told Mel the same thing and she understood.”

Eric was confused. “Then what’s the problem?”

“It was still a bad move,” she cut in. “You can’t forget things like that, Eric, not if you’re in a relationship –.”

“Cut me some slack, will you? This whole ‘girlfriend’ thing is still new to me.”

Lauren threw him her best unimpressed look. “I’m sorry, Eric, you’re right. Having a girlfriend for longer than two weeks is new to you –”

One week,” Eric corrected.

Lauren appeared confused, so he elaborated.

“The longest I’ve had a girlfriend is one week, not two.”

“Are you kidding me?!” she practically shrieked in a way that made Eric wonder if maybe he should’ve kept his mouth shut. “That doesn’t even count as a girlfriend!”

Eric opened his mouth to speak, but Lauren clearly wasn’t interested.

“You need to fix up, Eric. Fast.”

“Why are you coming down on me so hard about this?” he asked, more than fed up now.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she growled. “Because I actually like this girl, she’s perfect for you, and I don’t want you to screw it up!”

“You think me forgetting to mention my birthday is gonna screw it up –?”

“I don’t think, I know. And this isn’t just about you forgetting your birthday. It’s about how on earth you could be so oblivious about Kelley’s intentions towards you.”

“What are you talking about –?”

That’s the problem, right there!” Lauren boomed. “You don’t even see it!”

Eric rolled his eyes. “Because there’s nothing to see –”

“Not from where I was standing,” Lauren retorted, “She was all over you back there! I nearly had a heart attack when I came in.”

Eric found himself recalling the smell of strawberries and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

“Look, I’m not saying she wasn’t being touchy feely,” he finally admitted, “What I am saying is you and Mel … you’re both reading way too much into it –”

“Are we?”

He nodded. “Kelley’s harmless.”

“Bullshit,” she scoffed. “I don’t trust her.”

“Then trust me.”

Lauren threw him a frown. “This isn’t about trusting you, Eric. This is about trusting your judgement. And right now, I don’t think I can.”

There was a tone of disappointment to her voice, and before Eric could even respond to her, she walked out.
Last edited by *coco on Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Do you know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen any King would kill for." - Prince Francis ♕





User avatar
108 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 3342
Reviews: 108
Wed Nov 25, 2015 3:31 pm
bluewaterlily says...



Even though she was expecting the call from Lauren, Melody’s nerves were on pins and needles. Her mind was like a record play revolving around the same track, Eric, thoughts spinning around the thought of the tutoring sessions but also how he would react to the picture frame. She and Bobby had gone across the street to Verona Antiques and purchased an art gallery sized vintage wooden picture frame with rugged charm she knew suited Eric’s personality.

The anticipation peaked when the phone rang, Lauren’s number flashing across the screen.

A swarm of butterflies created a dust storm in Melody’s stomach as she asked, “How did it go?”

“Oh it was fine,” Lauren answered with almost a feigned air of nonchalance, but Melody detected a hint of wariness.

“Are you sure?”

“Oh yeah,” Lauren answered more confidently. “I kept in line.” A tone of smugness crept into her voice.

Keeping Kelley “in line” was like trying to stop a charging hippo.

But still, Melody was intrigued. “What did you do?”

“Well I can’t take all the credit. I had a little helper.”

“A little helper?” Melody questioned. “What did you do? Kidnap one of Santa’s elves.”

“No, even better. I’ve been training my four year old niece, Rose. It was time to put her to the test.” She wanted to give Kelley a cupcake?”

“Was it laced with rat poison?”

“No, just smarties that my brilliant little niece stuck onto the top of the cupcake with spit.”

Melody felt the first genuine laughter spilling from her lips as she imagined Kelley’s plastic face twisting with horror and disgust.

“You should have seen the look on her face, Mel. I thought she was going to throw up on Eric. I think she would have preferred the rat poison. “
“I like this kid.”

“Well she has a pretty cool aunt for a role model.”

“Is that all that happened?”

“Pretty much. It wasn’t too hard to keep Kelley in line after that. Honestly, I think she is afraid of me. I guess she still the incident. It was a long time ago.”

“Lauren, what did you do to her?”

“Well there was that one time in kindergarten when she may or may not have made fun of me constantly so one day in class when it was nap time, I may or may not have painted her hair.”

“Lauren!” Melody shook her head between gasps of laughter.

“Oh that’s not all,” Lauren continued cryptically, “I may or may not have cut her pigtails off. Yeah if my dad hadn’t known the principal, I probably would have been kicked out of kindergarten. Not that it would’ve been a bad thing.”

“You really are Eric’s sister.”

“Just don’t forget I am the smart one.”

“Then what does that make him?”

“Isn’t obvious? The brother of the smart one.”

“Of course,” Melody laughed. “How could I forget?”

“So,” Lauren said, “That is pretty much all that happened. Anything interesting
happened to you today?”

“Well, Bobby and I went shopping for a birthday gift for Eric.”

“You did? What did you get him?” Lauren sounded like an eager kid anxious for a bedtime story.

“Well, Bobby told me about your mom and how he really doesn’t have pictures. So I thought maybe if we got a picture frame we could make a collage, and maybe you could talk your stepmom into including pictures of your mother.”

Silence hung heavy on the other line.

“If it’s a bad idea, you can just tell me…”

“You want to know what I am thinking?”

“Yeah,” Melody answered, with a tinge of nervousness.

“I think,” Lauren said, “that you are seriously too good for him and that is the perfect gift.”

Relief rippled through like a tidal wave. No one knew Eric better than Lauren or Bobby, and if they approved, then hopefully Eric would too.

“I was wondering,” Melody said, “if you would be on board with maybe decorating the frame. Bobby and I bought this vintage wooden frame and nearly the size of an art gallery frame. It was a good price but it needs some work and if I know anyone could turn it into a work of art, it’s you.”

“Yes! Absolutely!” Lauren cried excitably, like she had hit the jackpot. Though, Melody guessed, this was an art jackpot for her.

“Have you started thinking about your winter formal dress?”

“No, I guess I’m not going.”

Lauren sputtered. “What? Why not?”

The butterflies that had migrated from her stomach returned with a full scale tornado of anxiety. As Melody realized all the girls she had seen in the hall getting asked to the dance. What if Kelley…NO she wouldn’t. She totally would. “Well…Eric hasn’t asked me yet.”

There was a sound on the other end of the line that Melody could only guess as Lauren smacking her on forehead in resignation. She growled in frustration. “Gosh, do I have to do everything myself? See, what I put up with, Mel? If this doesn’t prove that the smart one, I don’t know what will. Gosh, he’s got to step up his game.”

“Maybe’s he just waiting for the right moment.” Even Melody’s voice sounded uncertain.

“Well that moment has come. “

“What about you?” Melody asked, trying to shift the conversation away from Eric.

“Are you going?”

“Well I’m still waiting to be asked by this guy.”

Melody perked up. “Who is he?”

“Well…” Lauren sounded sheepish. “He is actually one of Eric’s friends. Do you remember the house we went to? That was him. His name is Casey.”

Melody couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Lauren actually liking someone. The wheels in her mind started spinning furiously, devising a way to get the two of them together. He could probably help her and Lauren plan the party. Melody smirked.

“I have a feeling he’ll ask you soon.”

Lauren wasn’t the only one who could play Matchmaker.
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden





User avatar
130 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 24514
Reviews: 130
Thu Nov 26, 2015 7:35 pm
View Likes
*coco says...



By the time Eric got to Casey’s it was way past his curfew. On a normal day he would’ve never been able to sneak out of the house at such a time, after all, it was a school night. But after the day Eric had had, he needed a release, and lucky for him Janet had seemed way too pre-occupied to keep tabs on his whereabouts.

It was Bobby who opened the door when he knocked. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

Before Eric could respond, a waft of pepperoni greeted his nostrils and he felt his stomach rumble. “I smell food.”

Eric followed the smell into the kitchen to find the boys sat around the worktops, Reese laughing about something that apparently Casey didn’t find too funny.

“E!” Reese boomed. “You missed one hell of a game. I almost made Case cry like a girl.”

“No, you didn’t –”

“Yes, he did,” Bobby confirmed, to which Casey held his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, I admit my pool playing skills aren’t all that great. Call of Duty on the other hand ...”

Reese laughed out loud. “I could wipe the floor with you on Call of Duty.”

Casey lifted a challenging brow. “Why don’t I set up the console and we’ll find out?”

“Do that,” nodded Reese, “I’m gonna go take a piss.”

Eric watched the two of them go with a chuckle before helping himself to a slice of pizza. Really, he shouldn’t have been so hungry (not after the four macarons he’d already eaten at home), but Eric had always had a fast metabolism, so it wasn’t all that surprising he still had room for more. In fact, he was so preoccupied with eating that he didn’t even notice Bobby watching him.

“So …”

Eric looked up to meet Bobby’s thoughtful stare. With his mouth still full he asked, “So what …?”

“How’re things with you and Mel?”

He noted Bobby’s use of his girlfriend’s nickname and couldn’t help the smirk on his face.

“What’s so funny?”

“You called her ‘Mel,’” he pointed out. “That means you like her.”

“I’ve always liked her,” Bobby retorted, “which is why I wanted you as far away from her as possible.”

Eric threw him a mock look of offence. “Harsh, Bobby, real harsh …”

“Seriously though,” he said, returning to the subject matter at hand. “How are things?”

“Things are fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” for some reason, Bobby didn’t seem to look too convinced. “Why?”

For a few seconds Bobby looked a little weary, like he wasn’t sure how to approach the subject. “I, uh … bumped into her at the mall today, and –”

Eric almost choked on his pizza, horrified. “You were at the mall –?”

Bobby gave him a blank look. “Not the point, idiot. Anyway, she seemed a little … off.”

That surprised Eric a little. “What do you mean ‘off’? She was fine the last time I saw her.”

“How fine, like on a scale of one to ten?” asked Bobby.

Eric recalled their rather enjoyable make out session earlier on in the day.

“Ten out of ten, Bobby.”

Bobby paused thoughtfully. “I hate to break it to you, E, but it looked like she had a lot on her mind.”

“Like what? The Kelley stuff?” Eric suddenly felt very annoyed.

“Well, can you blame her? You’ve been dating for almost a month and you still haven’t invited her over yet.”

Eric threw him a look. “You know why. My family are crazy.”

Bobby shook his head. “That excuse isn’t gonna cut it, E, not when you’ve already invited Kelley over. If it was okay for her, then why not Mel –?”

“Because she’s my girlfriend, Bobby, there’s a difference. I don’t want her anywhere near my family.” He said that last part with a firm tone of finality, and to Bobby’s credit he decided to drop the subject.

“It wasn’t just about Kelley,” he admitted, taking the seat opposite. “It was family stuff as well. She started talking about her parents and how they died.”

There was an uncomfortable silence as Eric recalled the few times she’d mentioned the car crash that killed her parents. There was always a sadness in her eyes every time she’d spoken about it. And then it dawned on Eric: She’s still grieving.

“You know what it’s like to lose a parent,” came Bobby’s voice, breaking his train of thought. “Why don’t you try and talk to her about it?”

But Eric couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t. Because he knew that if he pushed Mel to talk about her parents, it would mean that he would have to talk about his mom, and that was something he wasn’t ready to do. Not for anyone.

“Eric, you listening to me?”

He was listening. He wished he didn’t have to but he was, and he knew that whether he liked it or not, he needed to do something to make her feel like she wasn’t alone, that she had someone to talk to …

“What should I do?” he asked Bobby.

His friend let out a sigh. “I don’t know, E, but what I do know is that you like this girl … you’ll figure something out.”

Eric nodded in agreement.

“If you don’t I’ll kick your ass,” Bobby added for good measure.
"Do you know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen any King would kill for." - Prince Francis ♕





User avatar
108 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 3342
Reviews: 108
Thu Nov 26, 2015 10:59 pm
bluewaterlily says...



“How can you see into my eyes like open doors/ Leading you down into my core where I’ve become so numb/ Without a soul, my spirit’s sleeping somewhere cold/ Until you find and lead it back home/.”


Melody jolted awake as the melodious, ethereal voice of Amy Lee jolted her awake. She groped for phone, groping blindly. If Mary heard her phone going off and playing her “devil music no less…well she was already skating on thin ice. When she looked at the screen, she saw Eric’s number.

Her heart hammered in the cage of ribs like a captive bird, wondering if something was wrong. Eric never called her.

"Hey," she answered quietly, so her aunt and uncle wouldn't hear. Slipping out of bed, she made her way to the balcony so she could talk to Eric without them hearing.

"Why are you whispering? I'm not calling too late, am I?"

She rolled her eyes, annoyance and relief battling each other for the upper hand. Relief won
out, masked by her trademark sarcasm. "No of course not, 2 a.m. is the perfect time to call your girlfriend."
"
No way, it's 2am?” Eric, bless him, sounded both incredulous and confused. “I seriously need to buy a clock."

"Or look at the time on your phone." Even as she said it with a huff of annoyance, she couldn't help but laugh. Maybe the watch she saw at the mall would have been a close second.

"Where would the fun be in that? Seriously, I didn't wake you, did I?" A sheepish note crept into Eric’s voice.

"Yeah,” Melody replied bluntly, “but I'm up, so we might as well talk."

"Oh, crap. I'm really bad at this, aren't I? I mean, what kind of boyfriend wakes his girlfriend up from sleep just to talk?"

"You do," Melody reminded him. "So what are you doing up so late?"

"Well, I thought I'd be sweet and give you a call since it just occurred to me that we haven't talked on the phone yet, but now I'm starting to wonder why I left it this late -"

“Eric, did you take your medication?” a distant female voice called. It didn’t sound like Lauren.

"Eric, who's that? Is everything okay?"
Eric scoffed in an attempt to play cool. "Yeah, everything's fine -"

“Eric! Eric! Can you hear me?”

"Be honest, Eric, is this a bad time?"

Eric shook off her question. "Hold on, Mel, give me one second." The awkward pause that ensued was shattered by the slamming of a door, "There,” Eric said with satisfaction, “that's better --"

“Eric, I'm coming up!” Melody could faintly make out the thudding of footsteps on stairs.

“Janet, he's on the phone,” a male voice explained, like Eric’s but deeper. Melody could only guess it was one of his brothers.

“He's on the phone? With whom? It’s two o'clock in the morning!” Eric’s step mom gasped.

“Good question,” as he knocked on Eric’s door. "Yo, who you on the phone with?"

Eric growled with frustration. “Do you think if I ignore them, they’ll go away?”

"Maybe I should call another time..."

"No, don't hang up!” Eric pleaded and commanded in equal measure. “Just ignore them!"

Don't worry, Janet. It's his girlfriend ,” Lauren bragged.

"Oh, crap."

“Girlfriend?” the voice scoffed with an Eric-like incredulity as Melody heard the door being forced open. Impossible!”

“Whoa! So you weren't lying, were you, Lauren?”

“I never lie, River.”

"Can I just get five minutes --?" Eric snarled.

"Of course you can."

"Thank you --"

"After you've had your medicine."

"Janet," Eric whined.

His step mother was merciless as she shook the contents of some container in response, and Melody realized it was a pill bottle. Unfazed, Janet continued, “Does this girlfriend of yours know you've been missing your doses? Because if she doesn't I'd be happy to inform her.”

"You're not taking your medicine?" Melody snapped. "Seriously, Eric?"

"I have been ... kinda -"

“He hasn't been, I can assure you,” Janet called over Eric’s voice.

"Janet, stop-"

"Not until you've taken your pills."

"Eric, just take the freakin pills."

"Mel-" he dragged out her name like a kid who didn’t want to go to bed, no matter how tired.

"Don't Mel me,” she responded. “Take your medicine."

Eric sighed.

"There, I took it. Happy?"

"Did you really?"

"Janet, can you please tell her that I took my pills?"

“He took his pills,” Janet confirmed with a motherly matter-of-fact attitude. Melody instantly liked her.

"Yes, now I'm happy,” Melody answered. “Really, was that so hard?"

"I think I'm on the verge of dying of embarrassment," he grumbled.

It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Eric,” Janet assured him gently, “We all just want you to get better.”

"Yes, thank you, Janet. Can I be left alone now?"

“Aren't you going to tell me who she is?”

Lauren piped up, “Her name is –“

"Lauren, I swear to God!"

"Calm down, Eric, I'm going,” Janet patiently placated him. “Just be sure to make it a quick conversation, it is a school night in case you've forgotten.”

Melody laughed teasingly. "Eric, be a gentleman and say hi to Lauren and the stepmom you refuse to introduce me to?”

"Are you kidding me? If I do that she'll never leave. Goodbye, Janet!"

“Yes, yes, I'm going, “Janet sighed before Melody heard the retreating of footsteps.

"Oh, come on, Eric, be nicer to your stepmom," Melody laughed.

"I'm always nice to her,” Eric deadpanned. “But sometimes I gotta put my foot down."
Melody rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, tough guy. “I guess I'm never going to officially meet her, am I?"

"Trust me, I'm doing you a favor ..."

"Why?" Melody challenged. "Your stepmom seems so nice."

"You haven't seen her angry."

Melody smiled. "She seems to be pretty patient with you."

"You say that like I'm such a difficult person."

"Well…" Melody tailed off playfully.

Eric laughed. "So I called for a reason, by the way, not just to be humiliated in front of you ..."

"What was the reason?" Melody asked curiously.

"I had an interesting conversation with Bobby a few hours ago."

The breath was expelled from her lungs as she gasped in shock before trying to recover.

"About what?" This time her voice was more steely and guarded.

"A lot of things," he answered, "but mostly about how you've been remembering your parents a lot lately."

Melody’s heart collided against her ribcage like a fatal collision. "Eric…" Melody hated how brittle her voice sounded like she was a small child lost in a store without her mother. But then again, that was exactly what she was.” The familiar lump was obstructing her throat, causing it to constrict and she started to wonder if she would have to hang up before the impending panic attack took over. A strangled gasp crawled up her throat and out of her lips.

"Mel?” he asked tentatively.

She shook her head, biting her lip to contain her gasps.

“Mel, Mel, Mel".

"Mel, he repeated, firmly. " It's okay,” he reassured her. She liked the way he said her name repeatedly like a lullaby, anchoring her and slowly reeling her back into reality.
“I just want you to know that I'm here if you ever wanna talk about it. I want you to talk to me about it."
Melody was quiet for a few moments. She knew how he felt about sharing feelings but he cared enough to let her know that. She realized he was the first person to tell her it was okay to talk about it, oaky to still grieve in her own way, at her own pace. "Thanks, Eric. It's just...I realized it's been almost two years, and I thought it was getting better, but today proved that wrong. Sometimes...sometimes, I just feel like… I don’t know. I just know that it should have been me." The last statement was spoken barely above a whisper and part of Melody, the part that was terrified she would push him away, hoped he hadn't heard.

"Mel!” Eric sputtered in outraged shock. “y- ... you shouldn't say things like that."

The disturbed, concerned rattle in Eric's voice slipped under her skin like a scalpel. She wanted to say "And who would miss me?" But this time she opted for silence, not trusting herself to speak. It hadn't ended well with her last conversation with Uncle Jack.

"I suppose seeing me in the hospital didn't exactly help either ..."

"No," Melody admitted softly. "It's hard when I think about them, not to mention seeing you in that hospital bed again...I'm just so glad that you're doing okay. I don't know what I'd do otherwise, especially since it was my fault."

"You are kidding me, aren't you?! How the heck was it your fault a drunk-ass driver decided to get behind a wheel and slam into me?!"

"No, I'm not kidding, Eric!” Melody snapped. “If I hadn't said yes to go to the concert with you, if I hadn't agreed to sneak out, then you wouldn't be in this mess."

"What mess?" he asked incredulously. "Last time I checked, Mel, I'm still breathing."

"I know, Eric I know. The words came out her mouth rough, scraping against her throat like she was swallowing gravel. "But do you have any idea what it was like to watch you go through that and be so helpless and useless. I had to relive watching someone, someone I care about suffer. And that's the worst feeling in the world. I honestly don't know if I can go through that, watch that happen again. I just won't be able to take it a third time."

"Hey, I'm still here," he gently reminded her. "Not going anywhere ..."

"You promise?" she tried to make her tone sound lighter, but it still came out uncertain and needy like she was Rapunzel and her prince was leaving her.

"Promise."

Melody managed to work up a small smile as a feathery sensation built up inside her chest. Hope. She let out a small, breathy laugh. For some reason, around Eric, it was real easy, alarmingly easy to feel. “ They both had had too much sentiment in one day. She tried to steer the conversation into a lighter topic.

“Are you so sure about that? I don't think you realize what you're getting yourself into. Ask anyone who knows me and they can tell you that I'm a mess and that I'll be stuck around you for good."

"Believe me, it's the other way round."

"Well then, I guess we're stuck with each other." Melody tried for an air of nonchalance.

"Sounds good to me."

"So, I don't know if you know this, but I need a new math tutor ..."

This day was getting better and it was only 2 a.m. "Oh really?" Melody asked innocently, not trying to sound too gleeful. "Why is that? Kelley doesn't know what 2 +2 is?"

"What she knows is how to cause me stress."

"What did she do?" Melody hoped she didn't sound too jealous but apparently "jealous girlfriend mode" was slowly activating. What if Lauren had been wrong...

"All I'm saying is she got a book thrown at her face."

"Great, so she has an excuse for more plastic surgery."

Eric laughed out loud.

“Do that again while I'm trying to sleep and I swear to God ...”

Another of Eric’s brothers. "Eric, should I call you later?"

"No, that's just my brother." "Anyway, as I was saying, I need a new math tutor, and I think I might have someone in mind ..."

Let me guess, another cheerleader... "Who?"

"Glad you asked, I think you might like her."

"That depends. Is she a cheerleader?" Melody asked with a challenging tone to her voice.
"Well, she used to be ..."

Melody's jaw nearly dropped.

"And I heard she's dating a pretty handsome quarterback."

Melody decided to roll with it. "Well he cleans up nicely."

"I heard he's kind of a bad-ass, too."

"Hmmm," Melody stalled thoughtfully. "That seems to be true. But I've heard that he's dating a girl who is even more badass than him. She even has a black belt in karate."

"I heard she mentions it every chance she gets. Then again, that makes me want to hire her even more. What do you think?"

"I think she is up to the challenge. And I hear she happens to pretty good at math."

"Well, in that case all that's left for me to do is ask her ..."

"Well then what are you waiting for, Casanova?"

"No idea, I think I'm going to ask her now, actually. Night, Mel."

"Eric!" But the phone line went dead. Melody shook her head.

Five minutes later, she received a text saying, "Will you be my math tutor?"

Melody laughed, forgetting her irritation. "Sure thing," she wrote back. "But just remember I have a black belt in karate."

How could I forget? he replied. Goodnight, Mel. I'll see you tomorrow."
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden





User avatar
130 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 24514
Reviews: 130
Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:25 am
View Likes
*coco says...



The next morning, Eric was sat in the auditorium for the latest round of Romeo and Juliet rehearsals. As he and the other of the English classes awaited Mrs Bing, Eric let out a restless sigh. There were so many more important things he could be doing with his time right now and he knew it. Like working on my fitness and getting back on the first team … Looking around at all the props and costumes, he wondered what on earth had possessed him to put himself through all this in the first place ... and then his eyes fell on Melody sat next to him. Oh yeah, that’s what.

“What are you smirking about?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he winked, draping an arm around the back of her chair. It was only a few months ago he’d made the exact same gesture in Room 3264 during detention. Back then she had swatted his hand away like a fly, now however, she hardly seemed to mind.

Funny how things can change …

But Melody's curiosity had piqued. Playfully she bumped her shoulder with his. "Come on, Casanova, fess up."

"I was just thinking about our first detention together," he told her. "We were sat just like this, my arm over your chair ... The only difference is back then you wanted to kick my ass."

"Oh, let me assure you," she cut in. "I could still kick your ass if I wanted to."

"Believe me, I know," Eric smirked.

"Good," she smirked back. "Try not to forget."

Eric shook his head in amusement. "Impossible. Not when you keep reminding me of that black belt of yours every chance you get."

"Did you just say black belt?" cut in Reese, who had been sitting with the rest of Eric's friends in the row behind him. "E, are you telling me your dating a karate ninja?" Reese looked completely stupefied.

"He is," Bobby nodded in confirmation.

"Whoa," Reese sat back in his seat, processing the information he'd just been given. "I've never met a girl with a black belt in karate before ..."

"Well to be fair," Melody interjected, "with the exception of Lauren, Verona seems to be full of divas and cheerleaders.."

"What's wrong with that?" asked Reese, a little defensively.

"Reese, here, is currently dating a cheerleader," Bobby explained to Melody.

"Her name's Eva," Eric added, "and she makes Ruby look like a saint."

"And there's my point," Melody commented, arousing laughter from everyone but Reese.

"What's your problem with cheerleaders, anyway?" he asked her. "I mean I'm not saying you'e not entitled to your own opinion or anything," he quickly added, clearly remembering the black belt, "it just sounds like you've got a special kinda grudge against them."

Melody scoffed."Next question. A relevant one, please --"

"That sounded like a pretty relevant question to me," Eric cut in, a mischievous look on his face, as he turned to face his friends. "You boys don't know this but ..."

Melody, clearly realising where this was going, tried to silence him. "Eric, don't --!"

But the oppertunity was too good to resist. "Mel, here, used to be a cheerleader herself," he finished.

The look on each of the boys' faces was priceless. Eric was sure that if they'd been drinking something, they would've probably choked on it.

"I can explain that," Melody cut in, throwing Eric an unimpressed glare. "My ex-boyfriend was a football player, and being the ditzy little girlfriend that I was back then I decided to join the cheer squad."

Eric couldn't help the smirk that crept up on his mouth as he pictured Mel in a cheerleading outfit. An thought suddenly came to him, until his girlfriend shut it down.

"Don't get any ideas, Eric."

She was obviously mad at him for telling everyone about her cheerleading days. Truthfully, Eric didn't think it would have bothered her that much otherwise he would've never told the boys about it. Trying to break the tension the only way he knew how, Eric turned on his charm.

"Come on, Mel, you know you'd look ten times better in the uniform than the other girls."

"Not Eva," Reese piped up.

"Especially, Eva," Eric challenged.

"Lauren wouldn't look too bad in the uniform."

That particular comment had come from Casey. Clearly, his friend had meant to say it quietly, but unfortunately for Eric, he had heard him loud and clear.

"Way to kill the mood, Case," he grumbled, throwing him a glare over his shoulder for good measure. "You think I want those kinds of thoughts in my head?" Hearing how his sister would look in a cheerleading outfit almost made him want to throw up.

And Melody only made it worse.

"So, Casey," she began conversationally, "do have a date yet for the winter formal?"

This time Eric turned his entire body to face Casey, just so he could see the dangerous look on his face. Eric wasn't stupid. He knew where this was going, and the protective brother in him didn't like it. Not one bit.

To Casey's credit, he gulped. "N-no, I don't," he stammered. "I probably won't even go."

Good boy. Satisfied, Eric turned back round in his seat just in time to see Mrs Bing finally walk in.

As she began with some announcements about dates and volunteers, Melody took the oppertunity to let Eric know exactly how she felt about his treatment of Casey.

"You did that on purpose," she whisper hissed, clearly unimpressed.

Eric decided to play dumb. "Do what on purpose?"

"Scare him so he wouldn't ask Lauren to the dance!"

"Honestly, Mel, I have no idea what you're talking about ..."

Before Melody could argue any further, Mrs Bing's voice cut through. "Today we will be working on one of the most important scenes of the play: the dance scene."

Eric blinked. Surely he'd misheard her ...

"Romeo and Juliet share their first dance together at the Capulet ball, and ..."

The rest of Mrs Bing's words were drowned out by the sound of Eric's heart hammering in his chest. He snapped his head over to Bobby, hoping this was all a bad dream, but Bobby was already crying with laughter and Reese had fallen off his chair in a fit.

This isn't happening.
"Do you know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen any King would kill for." - Prince Francis ♕





User avatar
108 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 3342
Reviews: 108
Sun Nov 29, 2015 2:18 am
bluewaterlily says...



"Eric, you look like a man condemned!" exclaimed Mrs. Bing.

"I might as well be."

"Come now, don't be such a drama queen. It's just one dance."

"Mrs. Bing, I don't think you understand. I have a reputation to think about --"

Mrs. Bing raised an eyebrow. "With as many girls as you've chased, you're going to tell me you've never had one single dance with any of them? Where is your romance, son?"

"Romance?" he echoed. "Is that even a word?"

"It is," Casey confirmed stupidly, "I remember seeing it in the dictionary."
Eric threw him an annoyed look. "It was a joke, Case."

"Hold on," Reese cut in, looking slightly concerned. "What were you doing looking up that word in the first place?"

Casey pretended like he hadn't heard him.

"Eric, this dance is one of the most pivotal scenes in the play," Mrs. Bing continued. "I won't remove it just because it makes you feel uncomfortable."

Eric let out an irritated sigh, crossed his arms and sunk deeper into his chair. To say that he was unhappy with the whole situation would be an understatement. His friends on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing.

Melody squeezed his hand and said, "Come on, Casanova. It'll just be a few minutes."

She just had to make the situation worse by adding, "You can't be as bad at dancing as you're making it out to be."

Eric suddenly recalled being forced to help Lauren practice for her junior cotillion ... The memory was almost enough to make him want to bury his face in a paper bag.

"I'm not doing it," he ground out stubbornly.

"You will if you want the part of Romeo. Unless of course you'd like me to hand it over to Jeffer --"

Eric shot up from his seat before Mrs. Bing could even finish her sentence. There was no way in hell he was going to let Jeffery weasel his way back to Melody. Even if it meant subjecting himself to humiliation. Grabbing Melody's hand, he dragged her to the stage.

Mrs. Bing smirked. "Perfect. Was that really so hard, Eric? Now let's get this show on the road."

There was more laughter coming from where his friends were sitting, and it took all of Eric's willpower to ignore it.

"You're going to have to lead," he told Melody quietly as they reached the stage.

Melody looked at him in understanding, like she knew how hard this was for his ego. "I can do that."

He gave her a small nod of appreciation, before turning his head to Mrs. Bing, awaiting her instructions.

"Okay," Mrs. Bing said, "I’m going to have you do a waltz. It's a simple and classic dance. I think even you can handle it, Eric."

Eric threw her a blank expression. "I doubt it."

Mrs. Bing stared back unimpressed, "There is no easier dance than a waltz. Why, even my grandparents can still do it."

If Mrs. Bing thought that comparing Eric to her grandparents would get him to feel better about himself, she was wrong. He wanted the ground to swallow him up, not that his drama teacher noticed.

"Let's start with the positioning. Eric, you must put your right hand on Melody's waist."

He couldn't help but perk up at that. Grabbing hold of Melody's waist, he pulled her close with a smirk, "Now that I can do."

Mrs. Bing rolled her eyes, and Melody shook her head in amusement, cheeks flaming as Eric's friends continued howling with laughter.

"Yes, Eric," Mrs. Bing commented dryly, "Your talent is astounding."

Eric ignored her sarcasm. "Why thank you." Suddenly he remembered the last time he pulled something like this with Melody during rehearsals. "You're not gonna kick me, are you?" he asked her, looking a little concerned.

Melody gave him her sweetest smile, which probably did nothing to abate his fears.

Teasingly, and said, "Why? Is Verona High's star quarterback afraid of his own girlfriend?"

"No." He realized his hands were still firmly on her waist. "Okay, maybe a little ..."

Melody gave him a smirk like the ones he usually gave to her. "That's not a bad thing."

"I guess not," he agreed, smirking back. "It keeps me on my toes."

"Well I'm glad to hear you're up to the challenge."

"I'm always up for a challenge. You should know that by now."

"Yes, every challenge apart from dancing..."

Eric shook his head at her in mock disapproval. "You just had to ruin the mood, didn't you?"

"What mood?" she questioned, playing dumb.

Eric leaned forward for a kiss. He couldn't help himself.

"This mood -"

Mrs. Bing cleared her throat. Eric's lips brushed against empty air as Melody jerked in surprise, pulling away. Eric shot Mrs. Bing an annoyed look as she appraised them, arms folded.

"Let's get back to the dance. You two can continue this little rendez vous on your own time." But even as she said it, a pleased smile pushed itself onto her lips. "But do keep up the mood. Eric, my boy, this is the definition of romance."

"Well, Mrs. Bing, I happen to be a fast learner."

"Glad to hear it," she said, before returning to the task at hand. "Now if you'd be so kind as to loosen your grip on Melody's waist, so we can continue."

Eric reluctantly let go. "Now what?"

"Now, take Melody's right hand in your left. And right hand on Melody's left shoulder blade. Elbows at shoulder height, Eric."

Eric silently did what he was told, boredom starting to creep in. He heard Reese in the background urging Bobby to take a picture on his cell phone, and wondered if it would be worth getting in trouble for punching his friend in the face.

"Eyes on Melody, not the audience," Mrs. Bing chastised.

"Do we have to have an audience?" he asked.

Mrs. Bing stared at him blankly. "It's a play, Eric, of course we do."

Eric was seriously starting to think about quitting until he spotted Jeremy glaring at him from the corner of his eye, the stupid doll baby he shared with Melody in his hands. Eric threw the little weasel his best smug look before returning to the task at hand.
Melody bent her head, leaning in close, he thought to kiss him, but she whispered, "Just ignore them. And if you can't, then imagine them all in their underwear, unless it's Kelley. Feel free to imagine her in your grandma's clothes."

Eric laughed out loud.

"That wasn't a joke, Casanova."

"Let's return to the dance. shall we?" Mrs. Bing interrupted. "Eric, be a dear and bring Melody a little closer."

"Gladly." He slipped his his hand off Melody's shoulder, and the other pulling free out of her hand to snake around her waist as they were almost nose to nose. He turned his head to give Mrs. Bing a cheeky wink. "How's that?"

"It's a start. Now, arms back in their original position."

The cocky smile fell off Eric's face as he forgot the starting pose. Melody quickly arranged his arms, placing one hand on her right shoulder, and clasping his left hand in her right. She hoped that Mrs. Bing wouldn't call her out for changing their roles.
Mrs. Bing gave Melody a shrew glance but to Melody's relief, she let it slide. Melody honestly didn't know if Eric's ego could take another blow.

"Alright, good. Now, Eric, stand up a little taller. Excellent. Now we are finally getting down to meat of the subject. To learn how to waltz, we use a technique called visualizing the box. I want you to imagine the floor is a box."

Melody could see Eric's eyes were already becoming glazed.

"Your feet will stop at the edges and move diagonally across the center. Very simple. Now, you will also keep beat by counting 1-2-3, 1-2-3. The waltz is a 3 beat dance, and 6 beats completes the box. Now, Melody, dear, start with your feet together. Step forward with your left foot. Eric, this will be where you step backward with your right foot. Then, Melody you will step diagonally with your right foot. Eric, you'll do the same thing but with your left foot. Then you'll both bring your feet together once more. Now, Melody step back with your right and Eric will step forward with his left foot. Then, Melody, you will take a diagonally step with your left foot while Eric does this with right foot. Then both of you will step together again, and there you have it, a waltz." Mrs. Bing smiled pleased with herself. "It's very easy, Eric. You should have no trouble with this."

"I am going to put on the music. Remember to keep that 1-2-3, 1-2-3 beat. Now, Melody, dear, why don't you start us off?"

Melody brought her feet together and in a daze, Eric followed suit. As Melody stepped forward, so did Eric, causing his feet to bump into hers. Eric's foot landed on top hers, and she was thankful for her boots.

She could hear the background laughter of Eric's friends.

"Backwards, Eric, not forwards," Mrs. Bing called out.

Melody tried to step diagonally to the right as Eric did the same, causing them to stumble into each other.

"Left, Eric, left! No, your other left!"

But it was too late. Melody lost her balance, and she and Eric toppled to the floor, Eric on top of her.

Mrs. Bing sighed as Eric's friends roared with laughter. Melody could hear the click of a camera phone.

"Back to your positions!"

"Aww, come on, Mrs. Bing," Eric pouted. "I like this position much better."

A wildfire of embarrassment raged in Melody's cheeks. Weakly, she tried to shove him of but his strong arms prevented Melody from standing up and he brought his face even closer, so they were almost nose to nose.

"I'm sure you do," Melody replied. Her face was redder than Mrs. Bing's blouse.A teasing smile hovered on his lips. Eric tried to steal a kiss until Mrs. Bing shut him down.

"Eric..." Mrs. Bing warned.

Melody sighed, gently pushing Eric off her. "Come on, up and at 'em Casanova. If you behave, you can get a kiss later."

Eric winked. "That shouldn't be too hard."

"Alright," Mrs. Bing sighed. "Let's try that again. Melody takes a step to the right and you will step to the left. You do know which left is yours, am I correct?"

Eric scoffed. "Of course, I do."

She nodded skeptically. "Just follow Melody's lead and even you can't mess this up."

"I'm going to put the music on, Brace yourselves." As she spoke the words, she stared only at Eric. He frowned. Mrs. Bing hardly ever criticized Melody.

"Eric," Melody whispered, making him snap to attention. "I'm going to keep beat for us. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2,3..."

They fell into something resembling a rhythm as Melody kept count of the steps for him. She patiently led him through the steps, ignoring whenever he would stumble. She would quietly whisper the directions. Mrs. Bing watched impassively. They went through the dance steps five times before Mrs. Bing told them to stop.

"Stop. That's enough for now. Now, I want to add a flourish to our dance. Eric, I want you at the end to twirl Melody and dip her. Do you think you can manage that?"
Eric played it off, shrugging and rolling his shoulders with feigned confidence. "Sure, Mrs. Bing."

Mrs. Bing gave him "the look." "It's not as easy as it looks, and you still haven't mastered the steps yet. But we have to move on to the most crucial part of the dance where Romeo twirls Juliet and Romeo realizes the chemistry he shares with Juliet."

Eric smirked. "Easy."

"Let me explain how to do it so we don't have an accident. I want you to go through all the steps you've been practicing, but as soon as you complete the box, I want you and Melody to pull apart, but your hands will still be together. You'll open up your arms as Melody will twirl clockwise in two revolutions. Then as she dips, you'll catch her around the waist. Are you up for the challenge, Eric?"

"Always."

"Good. Let's begin."

The music filled the room, and Melody led Eric through the steps. She had to hand it to him, after practicing for six times, he only fumbled every other step. His movements were a little more fluid.
"Get ready, Eric."

Spinning as they completed the box, Melody unwound from Eric, their hands still joined. Twirling twice, she spun into his arms and lowered herself, waiting for Eric to wrap his arms around her waist. But it never happened. Eric stared at her with startled eyes as he realized he had missed her. He clumsily reached for her, but Melody collided with the floor. She winced as her back slammed into the wooden floor, a solid thud reverberating in the empty auditorium.

"Mel!"

Quickly, Eric bent down to help her up.

"Mel, can you hear me?"

"Of course I can hear you," she replied, rubbing her sore spot. "I fell on my back, not my ear drums." Her joke was an attempt to try and calm him down, but Eric was too far gone in his panic to realize.

"Do you need me to pick you up? I promise I won't drop you again," he rambled.

"It's fine, Eric. I'm fine, I can pick myself up --"

"How many fingers am I holding up --?"

"Eric, really-" He knelt next to her, one hand on her shoulder to prevent her from standing up.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" he repeated frantically.

Melody rolled her eyes. "Three, Dr. Eric. Now can I please stand up?"

"Only if I help you.”

Melody sighed, knowing it was the only way she'd ever get up from the floor without him carrying her off the stage, like a prince carrying his princess off into the sunset.
Eric didn't wait for her consent. He already had a firm arm locked around her waist protectively. Slowly, he pulled Melody to her feet. But even as she stood, he kept his arm snaked around her waist. He still had that tight, worried look on his face.

"You can let go, Casanova."

"Not a chance, Mel."

Mrs. Bing watched tiredly. "That is more than enough for today. We will try this again
tomorrow. Don't forget your script or your helmet. I have a feeling Melody will need it."

Melody snorted with laughter, and Eric's frown deepened. She squeezed his hand as they climbed off the stage.

Before they could make their way back to Eric's friends, they were obstructed by Jeffery. He clasped the doll tightly in his hands, almost like a weapon. He glowered at Eric, and the smile melted off Melody's face.

"What the hell do you want?" Eric snapped.

Ignoring him, Jeffery turned to Melody, stating, "Mel, it's-"

"What did you call me?" Melody snapped, a scowl darkening her features until she looked like a vengeful goddess. It was the look of disgust and loathing she had given Eric the first time they met, and he was glad it was directed at the weasel.

"Nothing." Jeffery gulped. "All I said was that it was your turn to watch Luke."

Eric decided to distract Melody. "You know, Mel, you still owe that kiss."

As Melody's focus shifted to Eric, the scowl dissolved from her face, instantly softening into the smile she reserved only for him.

"I guess you're right, Casanova."

"Well then, it's time you pay up."

"So then what are you waiting for?"

But before she had a chance to respond, Eric swept her into an embrace. As his lips came closer to hers, she was wrenched apart from Eric. Jeffery stepped between them and held up the doll, all but shoving it into Melody's arms. Eric expression darkened, and Melody could see his muscles tensing like he was going to pound Jeffery into a puddle.

Trying to dispel the tension, she leaned over Jeffery, craning her neck so she could kiss Eric. Of course he tried to thwart her when he realized what she was going to do, but with her free arm, Melody shoved him hard. Triumph settled around Melody as her lips molded to Eric's. Not even Jeffery could stand in between them, literally or metaphorically.

As Melody pulled away, she didn't miss the smug expression Eric tossed to Jeffery. It was going to make him hate Eric more, but she let it slide.

"Am I debt free now?"

"No," Eric smirked. "But you'll get there eventually."

"Hey, E!" Reese called. "If you're done with your chemistry, it's time for history class!"
Melody blushed.
"
I'm a little busy, Reese. Chemistry is always more important than history."

He tried to pull Melody close again, but she stepped aside.

"You better get to class, Casanova. I'll see you later today for math tutoring."

Eric smirked, clearly enjoying the way Jeffery's expression mutated in fury.

"I look forward to it, Mel. Think you could tutor me in chemistry too?"

Melody laughed. "Something tells me you're doing perfectly fine in that subject on your own."

"There's always room for improvement."

“Not when you’re already an expert,” she quipped. “Well it seems like you should be the one who should be teaching me instead.”

As Melody sauntered away, Eric called out, “I can do that.”
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden





User avatar
130 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 24514
Reviews: 130
Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:27 pm
View Likes
*coco says...



Eric’s friends continued laughing on the way to History class.

“E, I think you should come with a sign,” Reese gasped between laughs, “it should say: Two left feet.”

“Funny.”

They stopped by the lockers to pick up some books on the way to class. When Reese was finally able to contain himself, he took a long hard swig from his water bottle. Clearly all that laughter had tried up his throat.

“I honestly haven’t laughed this much in a long time ...”

Eric felt a sudden urge to empty the water bottle onto his head. “Casey didn’t laugh,” he pointed out.

Bobby smirked. “That’s because he’s trying to get in your good books so you’ll let him ask Lauren to the ball.”

“Pfft,” Casey scoffed, artfully avoiding any eye contact. “Am not.”

The boys were interrupted by the click-clacking of heeled boots and a strong smell of strawberries. Eric didn’t need to look up from his locker to know who it was.

“Nice dancing back there,” Kelley commented with a smirk, leaning against his locker the way Eric normally did with Mel’s. “Personally, I’ve seen more grace in a baby hippo.”

“Anyone tell you you’re lookin’ a little chubby lately?” Eric retorted. The look of horror on Kelley’s face resulted in another round of laughter from his friends. Even Casey couldn’t help himself.

“E, stop it,” he gasped, clutching his belly, “Seriously, if I laugh any more my stomach will burst.”

“We should get to class,” said Bobby, directing a suspicious look at Kelley. “Miss Vines will be pissed if we’re late again.”

“You boys go ahead,” Eric told him. “I’ll catch up.”

Reese and Casey shut their lockers and already headed down the hall. Bobby stood there for a few seconds, giving Eric a warning look which he knew had everything to do with the cheerleader in front of them. Eric gave him a reassuring look, and Bobby finally followed the boys down the hall to class.

“So now that we’ve finished trading the usual insults, I was thinking we could work on algorithms for today’s session. I found a bunch of old papers –”

“Yeah, about that …,” Eric began, rummaging around his locker. “I won’t be needing you to tutor me anymore.”

Kelley raised a perfectly plucked brow. “What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been fired.”

What?”

“I’ve decided to go for Melody instead.”

Eric didn’t look to see the reaction on Kelley’s face. After finding the book he’d been looking for, he shoved it into his backpack and slammed the door shut. The sound caused the stupid doll baby that had been sticking out of Eric’s backpack to burst out screaming. Luckily, it was Kelley’s turn to keep it.

An idea popped into his head, one that he knew would make Kelley scream. This should teach her to laugh at my dancing skills.

“I’m gonna go long and you’re gonna catch it,” he smirked, jogging backwards a few steps before putting the doll up like it was a football. “Ready?”

Kelley’s eyes widened. “You will not throw our child, Eric –!”

“Too late. “

*

Eric got home from school a little later than usual that day. He had met with Mel before leaving, and the two of them had gone over some of the topics Eric struggled on in his last test. They decided to meet at the pizza place where they had their first lunch date. Eric knew the owners well, so he knew it wouldn’t be a problem.

Once he got home, he dropped his things and entered the kitchen to see Marcus’ wife, Kate, sat around the breakfast table, the morning’s newspaper in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other.

“Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?” he said, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.

Kate shook her head. “Oh, honey, it’s never too early if you do what I do for a living.”

Eric smirked at that. Kate worked in the crisis management team at Van Holden Corp. Enough said.

“What are you doing back, anyway?” he asked. “I thought you were supposed to be on business in Sweden for another week.” It was why Tripp and Rose had been staying with Janet for the past two weeks.

His sister-in-law released a tired sigh. “That was the plan … until your dad called me back.”

“Has something happened?” Eric asked. On an impulse he remembered Marcus’ mini-meltdown, the mysterious phone call Janet had gotten …

“Nothing for you to worry about, honey.”

Eric frowned. “That’s the same thing Marcus said – minus the ‘honey’ part.”

Kate smiled and artfully changed the subject. “How was school?”

“Awful, I’m guessing,” came Lauren’s voice. She’d just entered the house through the kitchen door before giving their sister-in-law a welcome home hug.

“Why awful?” Kate questioned.

“He had to practise a dance for the play and … well … you can guess the rest.”

Kate threw him a look of genuine sympathy. “Oh, Eric, you poor thing …”

He just bit uninterestedly into his apple.
Last edited by *coco on Mon Aug 08, 2016 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Do you know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen any King would kill for." - Prince Francis ♕








Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.
— Carl Sandburg