Biker Class (3 page)

Melanie gazed at the slowly moving clouds, smiling as the warm sun hit
her arms, legs, and face. Lucky seemed to enjoy it too, turning on his back
with his tongue hanging out, making Melanie laugh. There were pluses with
California, sure, but nothing would ever replace home in her heart, that she
was positive of. She lied there for hours, thinking about things and humming,
watching as the clouds turned to stars, twinkling and winking at her. She was
careful to make sure she didn't fall into a slumber, her mother most likely to
turn hysterical if she didn't come inside for a while.

She awoke the sleeping Lucky, carrying him as she carefully backed
down the ladder. Running as fast as she could in her shoes across the healthy,
soft grass, Melanie rushed to the house, putting down Lucky along the way and
letting him run by her side. She shoved open the door and let her puppy in with
her, breathing heavily. Her mother looked up, alarmed.

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly. Melanie answered through
breaths.

"Just trying to get inside before it got too dark, relax,
Mom," she laughed slightly, taking a seat at the small kitchen table.
"What's for dinner?"

"Not sure, maybe some
California
rolls?" she joked,
turning to her daughter and sticking out her tongue. Melanie laughed and
nodded. She rose from her seat and walked over the counter.

"Here, I'll help you," she smiled, taking the knife from her
mother's hands. She got some veggies out of the fridge and began to cut them
up. They worked on dinner together, laughing and listening as they told each
other about their day. Well, Melanie listened as
her mother
talked about
her day. She tried not to say much.

The next day would be different
,
she could feel it
.

Melanie awoke the next morning tired, but chipper. She pulled on a red
skirt, matching red top, black heels, and a black pullover sweater with a
couple of buttons lining the top. She looked in the mirror and was happy with
the way she looked, her hair wavy and her eyes shining. She skipped down the
stairs (well, as much as she could in her shoes, anyway) and grabbed a Pop Tart
and hopped in the car with her sleepy and distraught mother.

"Have fun at school," Ms. Hart yawned when they arrived,
slowly pulling away when Melanie stepped out. While walking towards the school
doors, she noticed that she was receiving more stares than the day before. Word
had probably gotten around the school that there was a new girl, and who knew
what they were saying about her. She walked by a couple making out behind the
edge of lockers, wrinkling her nose as she walked down the hallway a few more
steps and opening her locker to retrieve her books. She ran her hand through
her hair and sighed, looking forward to the end of the day when she would get
to help someone become a better student.

Her first four periods went by quickly, making her happy. She couldn't
wait until lunch. That was when Melanie would be able to pull out her inner
Talker. The natural world knew that she had it inside of her; there was no way
that it shouldn't come out soon. It was
lunch time
,
and she was determined to sit with someone that looked welcoming and make a new
friend. Melanie Hart was a person who
always
made friends, who always
had someone to talk to and help. She didn't do the whole 'being alone' thing.
It didn't feel right.

"Can I have potatoes with chicken, please?" Melanie asked
politely, holding out her tray for the lunch lady to fill. The large woman just
looked at her, scooped a spoonful of each (how she got a spoonful of
chicken
,
she'd never know) and plopped them on her plate. Melanie kept a persevering
smile on her face as she stared at the gush, looking back up at the woman who
was looking at her, as if daring her to disagree with it. Melanie kept smiling
until she turned around to where the woman couldn't see her, her smile fading
immediately as she looked for a table that looked welcoming.
As
in, a table with
people
.
Her eyes scanned the cafeteria, trying
to judge whether or not sitting here or there would be a good idea.

Table of people (guys or girls) wearing tons of make up and black.
Nope. They wouldn't like her much.

Table of pretty girls in bright red cheerleading
outfits.
She watched to see how they looked at the table of girls beside them
who were
not
wearing cheer uniforms: daggers. No, most of them looked
mean. Next.

A lot of guys wearing baggy clothes and laughing loudly, beside them
girls wearing flashy and revealing clothes were at another table. No, she was
not
the pimp-type. Not to stereotype anyone, but… next table!

Rowdy class clowns.

Rambunctious football players.

Emos.

WHERE?

She was starting to look a little strange just standing there staring
at everyone, so she quickly sat down at the table nearest her. Self-conscious,
she looked around to make sure no one was really staring at her. Jealously, Melanie
watched the table of cheerleaders laughing loudly at something one of the
football players had come over to tell them. Suddenly, she heard a throat
clear.

"Oh, hi!" she said quickly to the girl sitting across from
her, whom she hadn't even noticed. She looked around to make sure that she
didn't miss anyone else. She hadn't. In fact, they were the only ones at the
table. "Do you, um, mind if I sit with you?"

"
You
want to sit with… me?" the girl repeated
incredulously, pointing from Melanie to herself.

"Um, yeah," Melanie laughed, smiling her 100-watt smile. The
girl seemed momentarily dumbfounded. She tucked her short brown hair behind her
ear.

"Okay," she said skeptically, looking back down to her food
and taking a bite of her sandwich.

"What?" Melanie asked.

"You just… you're that new girl, right?" her new tablemate
asked, her brows raising.

"I guess," Melanie shrugged.

"Are you or aren't you?"

"I am," she said, a little shocked at the girls
straight-forwardness.

"You just seemed more like the cheerleading type. Why aren't you
sitting over there with them?" the girl asked, assertive.

Melanie gaped for a moment. "I… just… don't think I'd fit in over
there."

The mystery girl's eyes searched hers for a moment, as if scrutinizing
for
truth,
then lessened. Melanie let out a breath she
didn't know she was holding as the odd feeling went away.

"Okay," the freckled girl shrugged her shoulders, taking
another bite of her food.

Melanie reminded herself before she became shy again that she was here
to
make friends
. Well,
a
friend. She instantly struck up
conversation.

"So, uh, I'm Melanie!" she said a little loudly, making the
girl jump and Melanie blush embarrassedly. The girl glared at her for a moment
before mumbling.

"Rachel," she muttered. The girl's annoyance seemed to
radiate, making Melanie frown and unhappy. Suddenly, Melanie froze, biting her
lip. Her mind seemed to momentarily switch to another time.

"
So… did you make any friends today?"

"…
Um, yeah."

"
Well? What were they like?"

"
She was really nice. We didn't talk much, but um… she did
help me find some of my classes. She had short brown hair and lots of
freckles."

"
What was her name?"

"
R-Rachel."

"What are you laughing at?" the girl demanded, snapping Melanie
back to the present. She shook her head.

"Nothing," Melanie said feebly, snorting to herself.

"You think my name is funny?" Rachel's brows raised as she
leaned forward, making Melanie stopped immediately.

"No, no, no, no," she said quickly. What was she doing? She
was supposed to be making friends, not enemies.

This was not going well.

"What then?"

"It's nothing, I am so sorry if I upset you in any way, I just
want to make friends here and–"

"You're a pansy."

"- I am not trying to… Wait, excuse me?"

"You're a pansy," she repeated as-a-matter-of-factly.
"A flower. A, for the lack of a better term,
wimp
."

Melanie's mouth was open and her brows were creased, her mouth forming
incoherent words but no sound coming out. What… was going on? She barely knew
this girl and she was calling her names?

"See?" she continued, chewing her sandwich casually.
"Right about now is supposed to be the part when you stand up for yourself
instead of sitting there looking like a retarded fish with your mouth
open." Melanie pouted, offended. "Think I'm mean?" Rachel almost
laughed. Melanie could barely nod before she kept talking. "No, no, not
compared to some other people here. I'm actually doing you a favor." Melanie
almost opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted again. "You need to
toughen up if you are going to survive here without being eaten alive. You're
lucky I told you."

"Is this why people don't sit with you? Because you are so
rude?" Melanie crossed her arms. The girl looked at her for a moment, as
if she was about to retaliate, but stopped herself with a smile.

"There we go. That's what I'm talkin' about."

Melanie looked utterly confused, so Rachel cleared things up for her
with a roll of the eyes.

"We just bonded in some weird form or fashion, so you know,"
she said nonchalantly, making Melanie laugh, not completely getting it. This
was going to be a weird friendship, she could just tell.

***

"So… are you doing anything after school?" Rachel asked her
when the final bell sounded, standing beside Melanie at her locker.

"Yeah," Melanie nodded, giddy with excitement, making her
new friend watch her quizzically. "I signed up to help tutor people in
that tutoring program they just got! I'm so excited! I get to help the school
on my second day!"

Rachel groaned loudly, shocking Melanie. Well, to be truthful, she was
starting to get used to an outspoken, lazy friend. "You are one of those
academic freaks? Oh, I should have known."

"I'm not a freak," Melanie said defensively, "I just
love to help society! Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nerd," Rachel coughed into her hand. Melanie gaped.

"For your information, I am going to get an extra credit for this
if I do it for a certain amount of time!" she lied, her voice going an
octave higher.

"What did your voice just do?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"It just did it again."

"No, it didn't!"

"It did it
again
! Ha ha, is that what happens when you
lie? Oh, that's hilarious!" she chortled, laughing a laugh that was loud.

"If you
must
know," she muttered, "
yes
, that's what I do when I lie. I can't help it."

"Well, I know that you will always be truthful," she smiled.
"If you're not, I'll know."

"Shut up," Melanie laughed. "I've got to go. Guess I'll
see you later?"

"Why not," Rachel responded, turning to leave. But she soon
turned back to Melanie. "Be careful in there."

"… Seriously?" Melanie asked, eyes wide. Maybe her mom
did
know what she was talking about.

"Yeah," she nodded, face completely solemn. "Some
people in there need help with school, some people in there need help with
life
choices
and everything else." With that, she walked out of the door. Melanie
sighed, uttering a quick prayer before walking to the room known as
D6, that
maybe didn't seem as cheery as before.

"Hi, are you a Miss Melanie Hart?" the man at the desk
asked, eager. She looked around the empty room, confused.

"Uh, yes, sir," she nodded, looking around again.
"Where is everyone? Weren't we all supposed to meet here? Am I in the
right room?"

"Yes, ma'am, you are," he nodded, his voice restrained. The
man seemed as if he was withholding something. "We, uh, actually had to
cancel meeting in here… or technically meeting at all. One of the, uh,
athletic
clubs
had to meet suddenly and the, um, board said that they could have
this room. So…" he grabbed a sheet of paper and handed it to her "…
this is your person, and he is supposedly waiting outside. Sorry about the mix
up."

"It's fine," Melanie managed to say before bolting out of
the door. He? So it was a guy, huh? She couldn't wait to meet the person she
would be helping to improve their life– at least inside of school. This
was what she had been looking forward to all day long, and she could only hope
that this person having trouble in school
wasn't
trouble. Melanie
skipped down the hallway, towards the school's entrance, ready to be of
service. But a loud roaring made her stop in her tracks.

Where have a heard that before?
Melanie wondered,
placing a hand on the clean glass of the door and slowly pushing it open. She
peered around the door and to the stretch of road beside the sidewalk and saw
the source of the noise. She gulped.

A large, gleaming, black and chrome motorcycle was there in front of
her,
it's
noise only getting louder the closer she
walked. Every fabric of Melanie's being told her to back away slowly before she
was spotted, but for some unknown reason her legs propelled her towards the
bike and it's rider. This was what her mother had warned her about
;
this
exact kind of thing. Most of the kids who have
trouble
are
trouble, and she couldn't believe that she had been naïve
enough to hope for anything more.

The person sitting
atop
the bike was
who
she knew she would have to face, and so far it was not encouraging. The boy (if
you could call him that) was tall, slender, but still sturdy. He was coolly
chewing what she could only hope was gum, clad in a long-sleeve black leather
jacket. His large, dark sunglasses covered his eyes and added to the reasons
why she wanted to immediately back into the school. He sighed heavily,
impatiently, while scratching his blonde hair. He revved the engine loudly,
making it roar and Melanie flinch, clearly ready to leave and sparking his
temper.
Yet another reason for her to retreat.
But she
couldn't.

For some, horrible, unfair reason, her legs wouldn't let her leave.
Stupid responsibility.

To Melanie's dismay, he finally realized that someone was approaching.
At hearing footsteps, he turned his head and looked peeved, but when he caught
sight of Melanie, his smile made her heart thump.
And not in
the good way.
She could almost feel his eyes rake her body behind those
shades, making her terribly uncomfortable and a little frightened. She stopped
a
quite
reasonable distance from him and the motorcycle, smiling
hesitantly.