Scales

Chapter Fourteen

"Okay, you've definitely been keeping a secret." Melanie had been wearing her suspicious face since she first saw me chickening out in the hallway as I picked through my locker. I'd stuck out like a broken claw because my legs had hurt from the extra bulk they now had – which resulted in a crazy fret of discreet leg massage.

So not only were my legs scaly, they were changing internally as well.

"I just...can't tell you," I plainly told Melanie as we sat quietly in the corner of the cafeteria. It was better this way, with no one caring about our presence. "My leg muscles are just feeling sore and..thick."

"Thick?" Melanie exclaimed, her eyes wide. "How do your legs get thick? Did you take steroids or something?"

I sighed in defeat – she was blocking every possible verbal escape route. But I was still worried that the scared Melanie – the cowardice-filled Melanie who pushed Jack's buttons real hard out in the forest – was still lurking deep inside my girlfriend.

And if it was released, the experience wouldn't be a pleasant one. So I held her close and looked straight into her eyes.

"Let's sneak to the bathroom," I said. "It's the only way I'll be able to tell you. But you have to promise that you will not scream out, yelp, or faint. Otherwise, I'm a dead ringer for chaos in the whole city. Deal?"

"Deal," Melanie said firmly, her deep eyes looking straight back into mine.

Melanie headed for the bathroom while I made a locker excuse. As soon as the teachers looked away, I sprinted for the bathroom and locked myself and Melanie in.

"God, I feel like I'm in one of those scary creep videos my dad is always concerned about me watching on Tumblr," Melanie said in an anxious voice.

"Shhh," I whispered. Making sure my underwear was kept on, I turned to face her and slid my pants down, revealing my muscular, lizard-like legs.

"What the..." was all she could manage before staggering backwards, her face paling as she gasped in shock. I lunged forward and grabbed her just in time, then carefully sat her on the ground.

"You okay?" I asked, gently caressing her beautifully soft black hair.

"I...I..." was all she could utter.

"Pull it together!" I hissed, raising my voice slightly. "Wake up! It's me. I'm still me, the Maverick you splashed mud on in sixth grade. The Mav you climbed the mountain with. The Mav who always longed for you for three weeks straight in the hospital."

After a brief, tense moment, Melanie's eyes readjusted and she looked back at me, slowly glancing a few times at my scaly legs.

"Your body's definitely changing," she whispered.

I pulled my pants back up and we both slipped out of the bathroom and ran back into the cafeteria. Miraculously, no one saw us come out of the same stall.

We finished up our lunch and ran back to our next classes, with Melanie still having a slightly pale face.

"And so, the variable is then used in place for the unknown value to be found..."

I droned on about the uniqueness of algebra as the whole English class just stared at me with half-closed eyes and flat lips, as if they were watching a film showing a whale swimming across the plain, deserted ocean. However, after I'd covered the good parts with some well-mixed humor, they all clapped and cheered.

"Thank you, thank you...thanks," I said, trying not to show the sheepish feeling that was building up inside of me. Now that Melanie knew, she'd most likely tell Cody – precisely the type of guy who'd freak out and chatter nonstop like a newscaster on fast-forward.