The fic is back >:) But updates may be slower cause I'm also working on The Grave Below The Flowers, but I finish what I start, like always.
Gregory's POV: "And if we meet at lunch tomorrow, we can get most of this finished."
I looked up from the project to see if Melanie would say something, but per usual, she didn't show the slightest of interest and fiddled with Zoie's hair. "Melanie, do you want to pass this class or not?".
She didn't bother answering and turned their back to me.
Of course.
"Melanie, normally I wouldn't say anything if this was your grade. If you want to fail, you could have gone ahead and done it. But if you don't do your part, I fail. Do you get that?".
She still wasn't saying anything.
I let out a long and dragged out sigh and rattled my fingers around for some coins, "You want a snack? I heard some people can't work on an empty stomach...". They better work after this.
She nodded her head and got up, leaving Zoie lying on her side. I clenched my fist, seeing her stare up at me, and I opened the dorm door for Melanie to walk out. She walked out with me, holding something in her pocket.
We made it to the vending machine. Okay, what snacks does she like? They like just about every food, never saw Melanie be picky...
Melanie walked up to the glass cover to the vending machine and pointed to the fruit snacks.
Oh, that was easy.
I inserted the coins into the vending machine and pushed the buttons to get Melanie's snack and mine. I watched my snack come out the vending machine, but Melanie's was yet to come.
I started eating my snack while Melanie stood there waiting for her snack, but by the time it was finally falling, it got stuck.
"Damnit!" Melanie shouted, not wasting a moment to throw herself on her knees and digging her arm in the slot. It looked like her arm was gonna get cut off if she went deeper. Eventually, they gave up and got their arm out, but they weren't finished.
Melanie summoned her strength from fighting this year and violently shook the vending machine, east west north south, you name it. I took a step back to let her get her snack, but the more frustrated she got that her snack wasn't coming out the more violent and chaotic they shook "Melanie, I can help you-".
Before I even finished speaking, Melanie's fingers slipped, and the vending machine started tipping forward, just when Melanie's snack slipped out. Melanie was able to make a quick save for her snack before the vending machine fell before us.
"Hey! You kids are in big trouble!" A raspy voice belonging to one of the staff members at this school screamed, speed walking towards us looking like she was on drugs based on how mad she was.
The scene screamed a nasty fine, but Melanie wasn't gonna take the fall, and she was making a run for it.
There is no way they are leaving me to take the fall for this... Just like that, I was sprinting behind Melanie. "Melanie, what the hell?!"I tried shouting at her from behind, but she just kept running.
I got so focused on chasing Melanie and losing that lady. Melanie was sliding their upper body against the entrance door of the school, and she rolled on her back once it opened, I suffered the latter as well.
Melanie slammed into the pavement path that led people into the school, and I got the lucky route of landing in the grass, Melanie groaned while rubbing their sore arm and didn't bother helping me up.
Okay, getting her that snack was a bad idea...
"God damnit, Melanie! Your parents are going to have a heart attack when they see the fine, and I might get the blame. My mom is going to kill me! She probably hates me already for not being there when Teddy went missing!".
Melanie's POV:This fucking asshole... "Why would you get in trouble!? You didn't make the vending machine fall with your string bean arms! Stop making everything about you!". "You heard the woman, she said you 'kids' she clearly meant the both of us! If you just got off your ass and helped with the assignment I wouldn't have had to convince you to work by getting you a snack, you wouldn't have broke that vending machine and we wouldn't be in this fucking mess!".
Zoie's POV:Damn, looks bad out there. Never really thought Melanie would have the strength to tip over that vending machine, then again, I've watched them get into countless fights this year. Just think of the fights she'll get into next year if she lives long enough to get stronger.
I dount they'll come back any time soon so I could explore and visit Silvia's guns again. But it's after school, Henrietta is with Aaron and doesn't even know they left me in here by myself. I doubt I'll be able to go into many dorms, I'll just have to wait everything out.
Melanie's POV:I rolled my eyes at Gregory's mini meltdown, I wasn't in the mood to work damnit, I probably wouldn't have worked either way. I wanted to punch him, but I was in enough trouble already. I knew that lady'll get my name and get the principal to contact my parents about the damage and come up with a punishment for me.
I lightly kicked the stone path and digged in my uniform pocket for my lighter and my box of cigarettes. Just when I was going to put one in my mouth, Gregory came forward. "Give me one too". With little hesitation, I handed him one, I lighted both our cigarettes and started walking. We couldn't smoke near here, no doubt staff was looking for us. We couldn't get in trouble for two things.
Gregory's POV: I was surprised I was still walking with her, yet I already have one of their cigarettes, and I wasn't getting suspended for smoking. "So where are we gonna go?". Melanie shrugged and inhaled the tobacco, "Dunno, let's just stay on the path".
Why...Why is she like this? First, she's hung up on some friends that left her awhile ago, now she has gotten me in trouble all cause I wanted them to work.
Oh well, there's nothing to do now, just walk this path and take a good smoke. There was no school we could return to until way later, and smoking was more of an excuse to not go back.
Just me and this aggressive bitch, just us. Huh.
Maybe this'll teach me something, something I never knew I'd bother needing. Guess Melanie won't be getting any snacks as a form of bribery from me ever again, it's only our first year here yet Melanie is making it hell for everyone without a second thought.
"Why are you like this...?"
"Like what?"
"You know what I mean, Melanie!"
"If I knew I wouldn't be asking!"
"How do I know you're not trying to fuck with me? Answer my question"
I coughed some smoke through my breath as Melanie continued to smoke hers, she stayed quiet and looked off to side.
Oh, must be personal, I guess.
Melanie's POV:Who the hell does this guy think he is? Just cause we have one project together doesn't mean he can be a nosy bastard with me, I'm sure he's hiding something to. He doesn't deserve to know about my parents or my adoptive family.
Oh that reminds me, wonder how long I'll be grounded for this. They had to spend enough money trying to replace some of the stuff destroyed in my room, honestly it's their own fault. If they hadn't send me here I wouldn't have gotten so damn mad.
We continued walking, we got well past the park and towards the baseball field. The hitting of the bats filled our ears besides Gregory's light coughing. I don't even know why he asked me for a second one once his was finished. Must not want to go back to Octiflame.
All of a sudden, as I walked, feeling high as a kite, I heard a voice call my name.
Wow, I must have stolen the good stuff.
Or maybe I accidentally stole actual weed instead of cigarettes.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, "Those 3 are calling your name y'know, aren't you going to say something?".
I let my ears pop and finally I heard the voices a lot better than I actually did.
And they sounded familar...
"Melanie!"
I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulders from behind and that person's body jumped up like a kangaroo.
I spun my head backwards and was met with faces I hadn't seen in years.
Ashley
Simon
And Mateó
Stared back at me.
Ashley held a baseball bat in her hand and Mateó did the job of holding the ball.
It was clear they had just gotten done with baseball and paused the game after seeing me. Was I dreaming?
"Melanie, who are these people?"
"We're Melanie's friends! Melanie, who is this guy?"Mateó was the first to speak up. "He's just a guy...But the real question should be, how are you guys here?".
Simon smiled smuggly and dug in his pocket for a box of cigarettes "Well, why don't you light our cigarettes and we'll tell you anything you want".
I did exactly what they wanted and me and Gregory let them talk.
Ashley was visiting family and Mateó and Simon were on vacation, unsurprisingly they weren't here to stay...
"Is this guy your boyfriend or something? You guys are wearing matching outfits..."Simon was first to speak, talking through the smoke, Gregory just finished his so I had to speak. "Uh no actually...We go to Octiflame together".
"Octiflame? What the hell is that?"Ashley turned her nose up almost laughing, "Why is it even named that...?"Mateó finished his cigarette and stomped it out under his shoe.
"Dunno, it's a stupid name for a stupid school...."I shrugged. I didn't even notice when Gregory finally stopped coughing from his last cigarette "Actually, I know why. The Octi part comes from how the founder was born in October and the Flame part is because he was secretly a pyromanic...". Gregory, you underdeveloped monkey that was a rhetorical question.
"You guys are enrolled in a pyromanic's school, cool..."Ashley spoke with a chuckle."Well, not for long..."I corrected her out of embarrassment. "Ohhh, what happened?".
I explained what happened and why we were even walking here in the first place, Mateo was convinced Gregory shouldn't be in trouble cause he never tipped the vending machine. But he was with me when it happened and I'm 12 and he's 15, a lot more mature and older so people would know who would know better if we were put in a situation with just the two of us. So, no doubt they'll pull something from their ass just to get Gregory in trouble, I heard his family has been real bitchy towards him about Teddy still so she won't stick up for him if they ever contact his mother about what happened. "He's older, so he should have stopped her" That's probably what someone will say. Depending on the teacher, the term 'Her' won't be said much. I just know it.
"Ah, that sucks...If you guys have security cameras at your school, maybe Gregory can lie and say he just arrived when the vending machine was knock down" Gregory ignores Ashley's suggestion, I didn't know why, it was a good one.
We barely had any security cameras in our school. How can a school be so fancy yet so poor. The school food is unsurprisingly a hit or miss. Before Gabriel died, I heard him complain the roof of his dorm was leaking when it was raining. A part of me wants my friends back for good and be with me in Octiflame, but this school isn't the best in my eyes, and I want the best for them.
Sooner or later, my friends had to go. I gave them the rest of my cigarettes and left. From behind me, I could see Simon and Mateó throwing the baseball to each other, and Ashley testing different positions to hold her bat when she played.
"Melanie, come on, it's getting cold".
Gregory's POV:Now for the part me and Melanie dreaded the most, heading back to the school. Now it was time for the hot air of coffee breath from the teachers that'll yell at us. It better be mostly Melanie cause they tipped the damn thing and broke it. God, while we were running some kids must have stolen some snacks, with a fall like that the glass cover must have been shattered, guess we'll have to be prepared to see half the kids with cut up hands and an a suspicious amount of snacks.
Thank you to @honey__skull for the characters, Ashley, Mateo and Simon. They'll be relevant I swear.