Finally she got up. She had decided that she was going to the grocery store to get enough supplies that she’d be able to stay in her room at Crestview until she absolutely had to come out again. She walked briskly, ignoring everyone around her.
When she was in the grocery store, she happened to catch a conversation going on between a pretty woman with blonde hair and a busty redhead with buck teeth. They were talking about Molli. She started to walk away, until she realized that they weren’t talking about her being pregnant with Ricky’s child or even Jude’s child, though she did hear Jude’s name mentioned. The redhead seemed to want to have sex with Jude, though it looked like she was in her thirties. Mellenda made a face and took a step closer. The two women were talking about Molli being pregnant with some guy named Eduardo’s child. A man that they said had a wife and children that he didn’t bother to take care of.
Mellenda stifled a laugh as she moved towards the checkout stand. How funny was that? Molli boning a married guy. And stupid Ricky stepping right into the pile of shit and wanting to marry that stupid slut and raise another man’s kid. Damn, she thought as she walked outside with her purchases after she had checked out. She wondered if Jude knew about it. She was sure that he’d hear it sooner or later, but with the way she felt right now and the way that Jude had undressed her with his eyes every time she’d seen him in town, she felt like spreading a little misery.
A girl who looked about her age was standing against the side of the building, wearing a vest like the employees of the grocery store wore. She was smoking a cigarette and texting on her cell phone. Mellenda walked over to her.
“Excuse me.”
The girl looked up at her, giving her a look of total disinterest. “Yeah?”
“Do you know Jude? Goes to Brentwood high, drives an old piece of shit truck? Likes to date girls from Crestview Academy.”
“I go to school with that asshole. Why?”
Mellenda hid a smile. “Do you have his phone number?”
“Girl, if you’re looking for a piece of ass, I’m pretty sure you can find one better than Jude. He sucks in bed and he’s a prick. I know this from a very disappointing personal experience.”
“The last thing I want to do is hook up with a moron like Jude. I need to talk to him about something. It’s important. Do you have his phone number or not?”
The girl sighed. “I do. I figured that if I got desperate enough I might give him a call.”
Mellenda wondered why the girl would want to have sex with Jude again if she’d thought it was so terrible in the first place, but she kept the thought to herself. “Will you give it me please?”
“Yeah. Just a sec. Let me send this message to my boyfriend. He’s an asshole too.”
“They all seem to be.”
“Yeah.” The girl finished typing out her message, and then pushed buttons on her phone. She lit another cigarette. “I’ve got it. You ready?”
Mellenda dug her cell phone out of her purse. “Go ahead.”
The girl rattled off the digits. “If you’re looking for an easy lay, you should try Tony Wilson. He’s fine and I heard that he’s good in bed at least.”
“Uh thanks.” She thought that she might give Tony a call later actually, or just show up on his doorstep, but that could wait. She was hardly horny with what Ricky had done to her.
“No problem. See ya later. Hey, you go to Crestview don’t you? What’s that place like?”
“It sucks.”
The girl laughed. “I figured. Have a happy new year.”
“You too.” Mellenda turned away. She figured she’d be spending New Year’s alone in her room. She had planned on seeing the New Year in making love to Ricky, but he had written his own prison sentence, wanting to marry a girl like Molli.
She walked to the park that was a few blocks away from the grocery store and pushed the button to dial Jude’s number. He picked up on the second ring.
“Hello.”
“Is this Jude?” Now that she had him on the phone she wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him.
“Sure is.” A flirtatious note entered his voice. “Who does this sexy voice belong to?”
Mellenda rolled her eyes and took a sip of water from one of the bottles she’d purchased at the grocery store. “This is Mellenda.”
“Like Crestview Academy Mellenda? Molli’s roommate Mellenda? No wonder your voice sounds so sexy. You sure as hell have the face and the body to go along with it.”
Mellenda shook her head. What in the hell had Tory ever seen in Jude she wondered? “Shut up Jude. I didn’t call you so that you could hit on me. I called you because there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Okay. What is it sexy?”
“Shut the hell up. I don’t want to hear anymore bullshit come out of a man’s mouth today. If you don’t stop coming on to me, I will punch you in the face next time I see you.”
“Damn girl. It sounds like you’re having a really bad day.”
“You could say that. Have you heard any rumors going around town lately?”
Jude laughed. “There’s always rumors going around Brentwood babe.”
Mellenda groaned. “My name is not babe or sexy. My name is Mellenda. Not Mel, or Lin or any other stupid nickname you can come up with. I’m doing you a favor by calling you at all you stupid asshole. Do you want to hear this or not?”
“I’m sorry. I act like an idiot when I talk to beautiful women. It’s a guy thing. What is it Mellenda?”
“Molli is pregnant. There’s talk around town that the baby belongs to this older married guy named Eduardo. But my stupid ex-boyfriend is marrying her because he thinks he loves her. They’ve been screwing around under both of our noses for who knows how long.”
“The only Eduardo I know is a Hispanic guy. He’s around thirty and has a hot wife and two kids but he lives with this nasty crack head in a shithole apartment over on Fifth Street. There’s no way Molli would sleep with that guy.”
“Why not? She’s a whore.”
“I know that she pissed you off, but there’s no need to talk like that.”
“You’re defending her too? What in the hell is wrong with men? I know that you all walk around with constant hard ons and your brains usually reside in the region of your penis, but give me a break. When you see a whore, you should at least admit that she’s a damned whore.”
“Honey, I think you need a cigarette. Where are you? I’ll pick you up. We’ll smoke a couple cigarettes, and then maybe smoke a joint. We can talk all about it baby. I can make you feel so much better.”
“Fuck you. I just told you your girlfriend has been fucking my boyfriend and you’re still trying to get down my pants. Did that bitch even bother to tell you that she’s pregnant?”
“No.”
“What the hell Jude? You’re an even bigger moron than I thought you were.”
“You’re a bitch Mellenda. But I don’t mind. I think it’s kinda sexy. I’ll let you hit me to take out your anger as long as you promise not to hit me too hard.”
Mellenda closed her eyes. She wanted to throw her phone at Jude’s head. “I told you what I needed to tell you. I’m hanging up now.”
“I’m sorry Mellenda. You’re so hot that you make me say crazy things. If you want to talk, we can talk. This really sucks huh?”
She sighed. “Yes Jude, it does. I have to go. I’m sorry I was such a bitch to you.”
“I really would like to take you out sometime. You’re so beautiful and so smart. I’ve had fantasies about you since the first time I saw you in town. I could have sworn that a model was walking the streets of Brentwood.”
Mellenda snorted. “Give it up Jude. I don’t need to go out with another guy that’s going to cheat on me and lie to me. And I’m definitely not going to let you get my panties off without dating you. I’m not like Molli. If acting like Molli is what it takes to keep a guy, I don’t need one.”
“You’re talking to the
guy that Molli cheated on.”
“Like you didn’t mess around on her. I’ve seen you in town with other girls. I’ve seen the way you look at me too. This sucks, but there is no way in hell that I’m going to cry on your shoulder. It’s probably not even big enough.”
“You really are a bitch. I’m not that skinny. Your boyfriend wasn’t that big either was he?”
“He’s taller than you and has at least some muscle. He looks like a man and not a little boy. Molli told me that your voice still cracks. She laughed about it too. I guess we’re both somebody’s punch line.”
“My voice does not crack. And a lot of girls think I’m hot.”
“They’re stupid.”
“Damn.”
“I’m sorry. If we don’t get off of the phone, I’m probably going to insult you until you hate me like everyone else seems to. I’m in such a bad mood right now.”
“You can talk to me. I grew up in a town full of stupid gossip so you probably can’t call me anything I haven’t already heard before.”
“No. You don’t deserve it. This situation already sucks enough as it is. I don’t need to make you my punching bag, although I wouldn’t mind punching something right now.” Mellenda made the decision that she was going to go to the community center and work out as long as she could stand. “Goodbye Jude.”
She hung up her phone and erased his number. There was no way in hell that she wanted anyone to find out that she’d called him. Then she’d really be a laughingstock.
She walked briskly to the community center. She changed into her workout clothes and went through her usual workout routine. She felt a little better when she had finished. A good looking guy who looked like he was probably in college headed her way as she walked towards the women’s locker room.
He looked her up and down. “Hello beautiful. What’s your name?”
She almost gave him a dirty look and told him to go fuck himself, but she paused. He was cute and she could use an ego boost. She turned on a smile that she hoped didn’t appear as fake as it felt.
“I’m Mellenda. And you are?”
“Scott. Nice to meet you. Do you come here often?”
She laughed. “Probably not as often as I should.”
“You have a spectacular body. Just the right combination of toned muscles and womanly curves. Pardon me for drooling.”
Mellenda batted her eyelashes at him, while feeling like an idiot inside. “Thank you. Your arms are so big. You must look so good without your shirt on.”
“Baby, I look even better naked.”
Mellenda fought an eye roll. “I’d better get showered.”
“Wish I could join you.” He winked at her.
His attractiveness to her was fading fast. “I’ll see you around.”
“Can I get your number? I’d love to take you out sometime.”
“My last boyfriend tore my heart out and stomped on it. I don’t think I’m ready yet.” She gave him a pouty look.
“You need to get right back up on that horse. I’ll prove to you that not all men are fools. A man would have to be a fool to break your heart.”
“Thanks. I’m sorry but I don’t think a man is what I need right now. Even one who is as good looking as you are. You did make me feel better though, so I do have to thank you again for that.”
She turned and walked into the locker room before he could say another word. She took a long shower, hoping that Scott would be gone by the time she had finished. She was tempted to peek out to see if he was there when she left, but she didn’t.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he wasn’t around. There were only two people in the gym and neither paid attention to her as she slipped outside.
The walk back to Crestview seemed to take forever. There was a guard outside smoking a cigarette. He gave her a look of concern.
“Back already honey?”
Mellenda felt color rise to her face. “It’s kind of a long story. It’s okay for me to be here isn’t it?”
He nodded. “Sure is. We just don’t normally see girls come back so soon on winter vacation. If you need someone to talk to, I have a good ear.”
Mellenda gave him what felt like a weak smile. “Thank you. I’m fine.”
“If you’re sure.” He moved to hold the door open for her.
Mellenda went inside and walked down the empty halls. Crestview Academy was truly empty. The place felt like a mausoleum it was so quiet. She felt a sudden urge to scream at the top of her lungs just to hear the echo in the halls, but she knew that that would make the guard come running. She certainly didn’t want to have to explain to him why she had screamed.
Mellenda opened the door to her room. She glanced at Molli’s bed and felt a juvenile urge to pee in the middle of it. She shook her head at herself and started to put her stuff away. With the thoughts she had been having lately, she was beginning to wonder if the stress of the last five years of her life had finally caused her to lose her mind.
She sat down on the bed and made herself a makeshift lunch. It was whole wheat crackers with cheese and a granola bar and certainly wasn’t filling, but Mellenda didn’t care. The only two guys she had ever really cared about had both dumped her for skinny girls, so she saw even less of a problem with trying to become one of them.
The thought made her shake her head again. She knew that she was never going to be a skinny girl, no matter how much weight she lost. She had an ample bottom and breasts and her hips were proportioned in a way that she had to admit probably would have been called child bearing hips in her grandma’s day.
She finished her snack and then lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. It hit her that she hadn’t blocked her number before she’d called Jude. She wondered if she was going to have to deal with him harassing her. But it wasn’t as if she was going to go back into town and find the girl and ask for his number again just so she could tell him not to call her she thought.
She let out a huge sigh and wondered if she was tired enough to fall asleep. She felt worn out from her workout and her walk, but most of all she felt exhausted emotionally. She couldn’t believe that Ricky was marrying Molli. She closed her eyes and tried to shut everything out. Luckily it worked and she fell into a dreamless sleep.
When she awoke, it was dark outside. Tears had dried on her cheeks. It disgusted her that she was letting this get to her so much. She had lived with emotionless parents for five years she thought, she could deal with some stupid guy dumping her.
But unfortunately, Ricky hadn’t been just some guy to her. She had an almost full scholarship to the university and now she wondered if she would use it. She certainly didn’t want to run into him on campus. She was going to have a hard enough time dealing with Molli flashing her engagement ring and bragging about how she had stolen someone’s boyfriend yet again in the halls. There was no way she wanted to run into Ricky and see a wedding band on his finger and probably be subjected to seeing pictures of Molli’s child.
She couldn’t think of it as Ricky’s child. She flashed back to the night that Molli had teased her about sleeping with Ricky on her bed. She remembered that her bubble headed hopefully soon to be ex roommate had said that she had slept with Ricky without protection. Well so what Mellenda thought? If she was doing it with Ricky without protection, she had probably done it with both Jude and that Eduardo guy without protection too. The only thing that would prove who the real father was would be a blood test.
Then again, she couldn’t see Jude caring that another guy was raising his child. And she certainly saw no reason to believe that a man who didn’t bother to take care of the children he already had with his wife would either. Damn you Ricky she thought. If you had to cheat on me why in the hell did it have to be with a stupid slut that happens to be my roommate?
She was tempted to trash all of Molli’s stuff but instead she deleted all of the pictures of Ricky she had in her phone. Then she took the pictures they had taken together at a mall
photo booth and tore them to shreds. She wished she could burn them but she didn’t have any reason to carry a lighter, so she opened her window and let them fly off and disappear into the blustery December wind.
She used the restroom, not bothering to look at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t care what she looked like anymore, though she figured she’d have to go back to putting makeup on and pasting a fake smile on her face by the time school started again.
The rest of winter vacation passed in a blur of tears and boredom. Her parents didn’t call her to find out where she was or to wish her a happy new year. She spent most of her time in her room, only leaving to wander around in the woods so she felt like she was getting at least some exercise and to shower and do her laundry.
Chapter 6
By the time school had begun again, there was talk that there was a new headmaster of Crestview Academy and that he was both young and good looking. Marcune was said to have run off with a bartender and be headed to California. Mellenda had put in a request for a new roommate with the secretary, but Molli didn’t show up by the time classes were back in session.
A few days later, the new headmaster announced that Molli had been reported missing by her parents. Mellenda soon saw it on the news. Molli was said to be unstable and in need of medication. Her pregnancy wasn’t mentioned though. She wondered if Molli had bothered to tell her parents she was pregnant before she had taken off with Ricky. Mellenda knew she had run away with Ricky.
By the end of her first week back at school, she had come to the decision that she was going to try to hook back up with Tony. Even if he was into Tory, she figured that he would still have sex with her. So that Friday after school, she dressed carefully, did her hair and applied makeup and then headed out to Tony’s house.
She took the bus, but she had to back track because it took her what seemed to be so far past Tony’s house that she figured she might as well have walked from Crestview.
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