I Melt With You

Chapter Nine

Harvey wasn't at school the next day. Apparently, he wanted to recuperate from his sprained ankle, which was already mostly healed. To be honest, I was pretty sure he just wanted an excuse to stay home from school. Since I wouldn't be able to see him during the school day, we had planned to meet up at his mansion that evening. The biggest downside to him not coming to school was that the annual talent show was taking place during the last hour of the school day. Every year, Principal Clark arranged a talent show which he and two guests would judge. I never participated, but this year that was going to change.

I wasn't one to hog the spotlight, but Harvey had been making me especially brazen recently. It sucked that he wouldn't be there to see it, but I was determined to blow everyone in the audience away. The problem was, I wasn't entirely sure what to do for my act. I asked Alia if she would help me, but she had already planned her own act. It was probably some stupid ploy to impress boys. I imagined she'd have some competition from whatever Tiffany Titsworth was performing, though.

I took my seat in Mr. Hamlin's class like I did every morning, but it all seemed more dreary without Harvey there. He'd always sit next to me and try to make me laugh, much to Mr. Hamlin's disgruntlement. The class seemed to go by slower than usual. We were handed worksheets to fill out and told to read a few chapters in our textbook. I found my eyelids drooping by the time the bell rang for lunch. I traipsed to the lunchroom and grabbed some food, sitting down next to Alia with a plunk.

"You look like crap." she said.

I noticed she was wearing a tight top and short shorts. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"So, you're gonna try to impress some boys?" I asked her.

"Not just any boys," she said determinedly "I'm gonna try to get Eli Harrington to go out with me!"

"But why?" I asked, scrunching up my face in disgust "He's so average."

Alia's jaw dropped in exaggerated shock.

"Average?" she said "He's so much better than that! His beautiful eyes, his luscious blonde hair, his chiseled abs. I mean, how can you think that hunk is average?"

"Well," I said, shrugging "He's nothing compared to Harvey, that's all I'm saying."

Alia rolled her eyes.

"It's always Harvey this and Harvey that," she said "Why are you so obsessed with him all of a sudden?"

"Can we not talk about this now?" I snapped.

Alia doubled back. I usually didn't snap at her like that. I guess I was feeling extra irritable. Alia nodded, giving me a look of concern. At least she cared about me. Sometimes I felt like hardly anyone did.

An hour before the end of school, Mr. Hamlin escorted our class to the auditorium to take our seats for the talent show. On one side of the stage sat three judges--Principal Clark, an austere-looking woman who I recognized to be a teacher, and a man with dark hair and a large mustache who I didn't recognize. Once everyone had gathered in their seats, Principal Clark stood up and tapped his microphone, the feedback screeching across the room.

"Jesus Christ!" I heard Mr. Hamlin mutter "Can't that fuckhead just raise his voice or something? Fucking microphones give me flashbacks to the war."

Before I had time to wonder about whatever Mr. Hamlin was talking about, Principal Clark began speaking.

"Welcome, students," he said, grinning "To my favorite part of the school year--the talent show! We've had eleven students sign up to show off their wonderful skills. I will be judging alongside Mrs. Jones, our lovely German teacher, and Mr. Balik, a friend of mine who I recruited just this morning."