Melody Five

 After finishing writing my lyrics, I looked at the clock. Only 10:00? Wow, time flies.
 But just as I was about to hop in the shower, my tummy disagreed. I'm soooo hungry, I could hear it shouting. Feed me!
 I grabbed my key (which I was going to have to decorate and put on a bracelet or something; I had almost lost it twice in 10 hours) and stepped out the room. Rina wasn't back yet, and I doubt she would care if I wasn't there if she returned early.
 As I made my way to the cafeteria, I started to feel self-conscious. Before, with Kam, no one seemed to care that I still had my street clothes (shorts, All-Stars, and side crop top) on. But now, it seemed they were all staring at me.
 I could feel my cheeks burning as I stepped into the lush cafeteria. Of course, the tile was pink. But at least that was something familiar.
 There wasn't many people, about 25 or so, but that was enough for me to feel nervous. I walked up to the salad bar and and grabbed one of the pre-packed salads. Earlier, people were serving, but because I guess it's late, they just just throw these out.
 I scanned the room, starting to feel nauseous. There was no doubt about it now; they were staring at me. Not rudely, but not nicely, either.
 I saw a familiar face (even though I met them all, some faces just stick with you, some don't) and tried to place a name on it. Ah! Now, I remember; Noa.
 I took a mental deep breath and approached Noa's table. All of the faces looked up at me, and I realized something. They weren't being rude; they just wanted to get a better look at me. Probably my eyes that confused them. I almost laughed at myself for being so paranoid.
 "Hi, Noa," I said. "Mind if I sit here?"
 She smiled at me. "Mind if I check you out while you sit?"
 The table erupted in laughter, so I thought it would be rude if I didn't. But Noa must have sensed my uneasiness. "Don't worry, darling. I have a girlfriend."
 Smiling gratefully at her, I sat down. "So, I guess I'm not the only one with the late night munchies?"
 "Nope," said Noa, while the rest of the table went back into their conversations. "Usually, everyone's out at this time, and it's just me. I guess everyone was hoping you would come back here later once Kam let you go."
 I giggled. "They certainly are...energetic."
 She giggled with me. "That's one way of putting it. So, how do you like it here so far?"
 I took a bite of my salad, which wasn't half bad. "I guess it's fine, but my roommate is a little, um, pushy."
 She rolled her eyes. "Oh, you have Emi Sato? She is so uptight! Once, I-"
 "I have Rina Mint."
 "Oh."
 "Heard she was a b***h. She lives up to her legend."
 She smiled sadly. "It's not so much she was born that way. More like she was raised into it."
 This perked my interest. "Raised into it? You all have only know each other for a week!"
 Noa laughed. "Most of us went to the performing art's middle school, Hoshi Academy, together."
 So that explains why they're all so friendly! "But how was she raised into it?"
 She cleared her throat. "I don't like telling other people's family issues."
 I understood that. Families can be messy sometimes. "Well, whatever happened with her family, didn't she have friends to help her?"
 "Yeah, she had friends. And she still does," Noa said. "But Spade, sometimes friends just can't help you with certain things."
 I wondered what she meant. Was it wrong of me to judge her so quickly? I looked at the clock. What time did we have to be back? Eleven something. It's 11:05 now.
 "Well, thanks Noa," I said. "It was nice talking to you."
 She blushed. "About the girlfriend thing...I lied so you wouldn't be freaked out. You're really pretty, you know."
 I laughed. "That's the second time I've been told that today. Thank you." And then I made my way to my room.





 I walked in the room. The first f*****g thing I saw was Rina naked, walking out the bathroom.
 "What the hell, girl! Put some clothes on!" I screamed, while closing the door and shielding my eyes.
 "You act like you've never seen a p***y or tits," she grumbled. "God."
 She walked into the closet to get her pajamas. As she turned, I saw her back. And suddenly, I knew, those were her family issues.
 Imagine someone getting a pencil on a vertical half-sheet of paper. They draw a slender 'S', filling the whole paper. Then imagine them getting the pencil and just scratching at the rest of the empty space. Then, take that design and tattoo it on her back.
 That's what it looked like. I wonder if it was her Father? Maybe an Uncle. This makes me almost feel sorry I called her a b***h.
 She came out the closet wearing a bra and shorts, her hair in a wet bun. Before I could allow myself to stare, I ran into the bathroom.
 What is wrong with me? I've never felt this way about girls before. I'm 14. Shouldn't this be happening when I'm, like, 17 or something? I splashed some cold water on my face. I needed a shower to clear my thoughts.
 I quickly stripped and cut on the water. Stepping in the shower, I rinsed my face and then grabbed the loofah.
 Washing myself, I suddenly felt sad. I don't know why, and to this day I still don't.
 Before I knew it, I was crying. Again. I stepped out the shower and wrapped a towel around me, my dripping wet hair now touching the floor. I stepped in front of the mirror.
 I studied myself. Mint- and sea- colored orbs stared back. My skin, I hated it. It was the color of shiny peanut butter, but on me it looked like s**t. And I'm on the short side with chubby cheeks. I looked like a Japanese Umpa Lumpa.
 I heard someone sobbing before I realized it was me. I started crying even more as Rina burst in the door asking what was wrong. And my throat soon had a mind of it's own when she hugged me, whispering everything was going to be okay.
 Her hugging me was like the kiss; I don't know how long it lasted. This is the first time in a long time I've cried wishing I wasn't so ugly. I thought I'd finally gotten used to it. I guess I was wrong.
 When she finally let go, I dried off and put on my jersey sleepwear-dress in the closet, also tying my hair into a high ponytail.
 "You know, I saw you staring at my scars." Rina stated when I walked out. "I assume you've heard the stories?"
 "Actually, I haven't," I said. I climbed on her bed and stared out the window with her. It was a lovely view, nothing but pine trees. When you looked up, you could see billions of little stars, something uncommon in Japan. I could stargaze for hours. "Care to tell me?"
 She smirked. "My story may make you cry."
 "What makes you think that?"
 She laughed. "You've cried twice already, and it's only the first day."
 I blushed. "I can handle it."
 She twirled a curl of my pony. "You're cute when you blush." But then she turned serious and looked me in they eye. "When I was young, my father died. I can't say I'm too sad about it, because I didn't know him. But him and my Mother were inseparable. So she took his death seriously." She paused. "She started taking it out on me when I was about five. Maybe she ran out of others to blame, who knows. I just know one day she pushed me down the stairs and said none of this would've happened if I wasn't born."
 I gasped. My mother may not care, but she isn't evil. "Rina, that's horrible!"
 She laughed without humor. "It's pretty decent compared to what she said for the next eight years. Along with the insults, as I got older she started abusing me worse. A kick here, a punch there, but one day she was drunk and she got a knife and iron. The things you see on the back are her painting.
 "And the sad part was nobody noticed until I said something. She went to work, supported me, so everything was fine to everyone else. Nobody could see what I was really feeling inside. But when I told a friend what happened, she told the principal. You pretty much know what happens next."
 "They told the police?" I asked.
 "Yes, and then my mother got taken away. The did some evaluations on her, and found out she was a sociopath. I haven't seen here since." I thought about the first time I had heard of Rina and instantly felt bad. Didn't I think she was one of those?
 "Some papers were signed, and I was sent off to live with my wealthy aunt, who is never around. She thought this school would be a good way to get me out of her hair. So here I am."
 What amazed me was the fact that she seemed so unaffected by all of this. But before I could ask how she felt, she interrupted my thoughts. 
 "Why were you crying earlier?" Wasn't expecting that.
 I fidgeted. "I, well, was a little upset."
 "No s**t. Why, though?"
 Honestly, I was scared she would judge me as a shallow person. So that's why I asked, "Do you promise not to judge me?"
 She nodded.
 I took a deep breath. "Okay, so I was upset because I don't like the way I look."
 Surprisingly, she didn't laugh. She didn't even smirk or roll her eyes. She just tilted her head slightly and replied, "But you're beautiful. Why would you not like how you look?" It sounded like she genuinely wanted to know.
 I could feel my blush going down my neck. "My skin...my eyes...my nose...I'm a puzzle with none of the right pieces."
 "That's what makes you stunning." She smiled again. "So, about earlier...that was your first kiss?"
 I pouted. "Yes, but I was hoping to have it with a boy."
 "What does a boy have that I don't?"
 "The ability to give me a baby." I raised an eyebrow.
 She leaned in close. "I can give you a lot of things." Rina laughed. "You should see the look on your face! I'm not about to kiss you again, even though you want me to."
 I was dumbstruck. "What in God's name makes you think that?"
 She poked my nose. "The first time, you could play off. The second? No way."
 "I was proving to you I wasn't a bad kisser."
 "I bet you were."
 We stared at each other for a second then burst out laughing. Then it was silent again.
 "Well, it's late," said Rina. She looked at the clock. "We should go to bed."
 I hopped off of her bed and walked slowly to mine. I know this might sound far fetched, but I can't sleep by myself in a new bedroom for the first few nights. It's a phobia; everything is just so strange and new it keeps me awake. I usually invited Mel or Zo to sleep with me.
 But sometimes they couldn't and I had to take sleeping pills, something I forgot to bring with me.
 I turned to face Rina. "Um, d-d-do you have any sleeping pills?" Please don't ask why, please don't ask why.
 "No, why would I?" S**t!
 "Um, I, to sleep, dummy."
 "What would you need them for?"
 I reluctantly told her my fear.
 She sighed. "Well, if it's that serious, sleep in this bed, with me."
 Normally, given what has happened with her in the past, I would've declined. But this was serious.
 "Hold on," I said. "I need to get something."
 I ran in the closet and grabbed my teddy, Posh. I never slept without him.
 I got on the bed with Rina. She looked amused when she saw Posh, but said nothing. The bed was made for one person, with a baby added at most, so we were super close. Kissing close. She must have sensed the same thing.
 "I know you still want to kiss me." she whispered as she shut off the light.
 I stayed silent, not trusting myself to speak. Because like it or not, that kiss was wonderful.
 "Are you going to kiss me goodnight?" I asked, my lips getting a brain of their own.
 She laughed softly and kissed me on the cheek. "Good night, Spade. Sweet dreams."

Reviews

[Blue Moon Ice Cream]

I love how the relationship between Rina and Spade is developing! They're both well-rounded characters, and I feel so bad for Rina. There was one sentence that didn't make sense to me, though--when Spade was crying in the bathroom:
"Washing myself, I suddenly felt sad. I don't know why, and to this day I still don't." Up to this point, there haven't been any indications that an older Spade is telling the story, reflecting on her life. It seems like it's been happening in the present tense. The "to this day" part just puzzled me.

[Suzy Q]

Oh my goodness! The chapters are getting so much better, I don't even really want to review anymore, I just want to read!

[Daytonight]

I thought Rina had a deeper side and sure enough you have now revealed her as totally human. Well done. Keep up the amazing writing. Can't wait to read what is next.

[brenda]

ohhh !