The hospital let Mellie go home shortly after Officer Frank left the room. She asked Jax to stay with her, and he happily did so. After she ate, she fell asleep in his arms and slept until Jax woke her early on Saturday morning. He gently asked, "Do you want to go to your track meet, Mellie? Coach says you don't have to."
She moved around, trying to wake up some more, as she thought about what he had just said. Suddenly, she shot up straight in the bed and said, "Yes! I want to go. I need to go."
She threw off the covers and moved to get out of the bed, but Jax remained in the way on the side of the bed. He asked, "Are you sure, Mellie? You feel up to it?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I'm not quite awake yet. It's a huge meet, Jax. We only have one more after this. It's important for my scholarship. I want to do it."
Jax gave her a smile and said, "Okay, Mellie." He backed away slightly and helped her out of bed.
Frank drove both Jax and Mellie to the university where the meet was taking place. It was a regional event being hosted in Atlanta. Jax walked Mellie to the locker room and looked like he didn't want to let her go in alone. She hugged him and said, "There are tons of girls in there, Jax. I'm fine. I promise." He nodded, smiled, and let her go.
Her own team members weren't there yet, so Mellie found a locker and got ready. Her team walked in all together and were obviously shocked to see her. They surrounded her quickly and all began talking at once. Mellie had to tell them to slow down. One girl, Cadence, said, "Coach called us last night, telling us to come to a meeting at school before the meet today. He told us what happened to you yesterday, Melanie. He said you wouldn't be here. Are you okay?"
Mellie nodded and said, "I'm all right. Jake didn't do much before I fought back. So I'm okay." She looked around and asked, "Lauren isn't here, is she?"
Samantha said, "Of course not! Oh my God!"
Mellie was shocked by Samantha's apparent outrage. Those two had been joined at the hip before this. When Mellie just kept looking at her, Samantha said, "Lauren was my best friend, Melanie, but I had no idea she was going to drug you. She's seriously sick in the head."
Mellie nodded slowly.
Cadence said, "She's been kicked off the team for sure. We think she's being expelled."
Mellie nodded again.
Cadence asked, "Are you sure you're okay to run today?"
Mellie said, "Yes, I want to run. I don't want to let Jake interfere with my goals. It's important for my scholarship."
The girls rallied around her, most of them hugging her, all of them telling her how sorry they were for what had happened to her and that they supported her. They swore they would never leave her alone in the locker room again and several of them would walk her out to her car every day. When she walked out with her team to the track, Coach looked shocked to see her. He pulled her aside and questioned whether she was okay to compete. She repeated that she wanted to, needed to, and that she didn't want Jake to take it away from her. He finally agreed but told her she could change her mind at any time and leave.
The stadium was much larger than the high school ones they usually ran at. Mellie searched the stands for several minutes before a high pitched whistle caught her attention. Her gaze followed the direction of the sound, and she smiled to see her father and Jax both standing and waving. She waved back to let them know she had found them, and they sat down. Mellie ran extremely well that day. She went back in her mind to the rage she had felt and let it fuel her with extra energy. She beat her personal best times in every event she participated in, causing her team to cheer louder than she had ever heard, even from her old team, which had always been supportive.
Mellie's friends gathered at Jax's garage that night and talked with her a while. She had to recount what had happened again. She told them she wanted to forget about it as fast as possible and didn't want them looking at her with pity. Keyon guffawed and said, "Pity? I pity any man who tries to put his hands on you without permission, my kickass friend!" Mellie laughed and hugged him.
On Monday morning, Mellie was met at the front of the school by the principal. He asked her to come into the office where they talked about the incident with some other school officials. They told her they wanted to expel both Lauren and Jake, but she requested they be allowed to finish the school year from home and get their diplomas. There was only a month left of school anyway. The officials were extremely surprised. She told them she believed Jake was ill, and he was getting treatment. She didn't want his future completely ruined because of a mental illness. They agreed to her request on the condition that Jake continue to get treated and that Lauren also agree to some kind of counseling and a community service project they would work out with the police. Mellie was happy with that.
When she rejoined her classes, school was a very different place. It seemed the entire school knew exactly what had happened. Everyone was smiling at her. People from every genus said hello to her. Some of Jake's friends approached her at lunch and apologized to her. They said they knew Jake was a bit obsessed with her but didn't know the extent of it or what he had planned to do. They apologized for not recognizing it and stopping it. She told them there was no way they could have known. "No one expects their friends to cross boundaries like that. Jake is ill. He's getting help now." They apparently thought her attitude was extremely mature and cool. Mellie overheard people saying that exact thing later on.
At band practice on Tuesday, Jax stood up and announced, "I think we should all go to prom." The other guys looked at him like he was crazy. He raised his hands and said, "I know. I know. We didn't go last year. We've never been to a school dance. Things have changed. School has changed. The people in school have changed. Haven't you noticed? People are socializing outside their genus. Everyone is nice to us now. It happened even before last weekend because of Mellie's quiet influence. Recent events have snowballed that effect. I think it could be fun." He looked at Mellie and asked, "Did you go to your junior prom last year?"
Mellie nodded and smiled. "Yes. It was fun."
A confused look came to Keyon's face. He asked, "Who was your date?"
"Bryan."
"But you said you didn't date in Florida."
"Well... We went as friends really. He said since he was first in line, it should be him."
"Wait. That was serious? He really wanted to date you for real? I thought that was a joke."
Mellie smiled and glanced at Jax. He did not look happy. She shrugged and looked back at Keyon. "Sometimes he seemed more serious about it than at other times. He knows I'm with Jax now. He knew it before he came to the party. I've been talking to him through Facebook and email all year. He said all that at my party as a joke, to tease Jax."
Frowning a bit, Jax asked, "What do you talk about in these emails?"
Mellie tried to keep from smiling as much as she wanted to and said, "Hmm... Well, it's changed a bit over time you see. In the beginning of the year, I told him about this really cute guy across the street that I was crushing on." Jax grinned. "More recently, it's all about how in love with that guy I am now." She tried to make her face serious as she asked, "You got a problem with that?"
Jax laughed and shook his head. "No, no problem." Mellie grinned and laughter filled the room. Jax got down on one knee in front of Mellie, causing her eyes to widen. He smiled and took her hand before he said, "Melanie Caden, will you be my prom date and go with me as way more than friends?"
A bright smile came to Mellie's face, and she nodded. "Yes, Jax Woods. I'd love to."
Jax leaned in, and they kissed on it. After he pulled back, he looked at his friends and said, "I'd like to go with all my friends and do the whole dinner beforehand thing."
The guys looked at each other, back to Jax, and nodded. They were in and asked the girls to be their dates. Marissa, Rebecca, and Claire were all thrilled. Claire asked Keyon to go to her prom with her the next week as well, and he agreed. The girls went dress shopping together the next evening. The guys rented a huge limo for the night and showed up in black tuxedos, carrying corsages. They went the entire traditional route. They ate dinner at a fancy restaurant and then went on to the hotel ballroom where the prom was being held. The prom committee had really gone all out. The place was decorated like a fancy wedding with flowers and twinkling lights everywhere. A band was playing cover songs from many different decades and types of music but the majority were slow dances. Mellie spent most of the night dancing in Jax's arms, which was just where she wanted to be.
Two hours into the dance, the music stopped and the principal went up on stage. Mellie turned to watch, and Jax put his arms around her from behind. The principal spoke into the microphone. "Grant High has always had a problem with cliques. We've held countless assemblies about it trying to get you people to mix together more. Finally, we just accepted that people were going to be friends with other people with similar interests, but something happened this year. A quiet subtle change took place that has now resulted in the most pleasant prom we have ever had in my tenure as principal of this school." He looked around the crowd and pointed. "Max Carville. You're a Goth or punk or whatever they call it, aren't you?"
A male voice from the crowd called, "Yes, sir!"
The principal nodded and asked, "That your date?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Isn't that Jennifer Roslin? The cheerleader?"
Laughter came from around the room as the guy called, "Sure is!"
The principal nodded again. "See what I mean?" He scanned the crowd, which started clapping and hooting. He smiled and waited for them to quiet down before he said, "I've seen this filtering down to the lower classes as well. I believe this senior class is going to leave a legacy at Grant High that is going to be very good for us. So of course, I had to ask myself, what changed? I didn't really know. As I said, it started off slow and subtle. When I got your votes for prom queen, I finally understood it." A huge smile came to his face before he said, "It gives me immense pleasure to announce that your prom queen is..." A drum roll started. "Melanie Caden!"
Mellie was completely shocked. She twisted in Jax's arms and saw him grinning at her. She asked, "How did this happen?"
Jax chuckled and said, "I told you that you should pay more attention to your surroundings, Mellie."
With a bit of accusation in her tone, she said, "You knew about this, didn't you?"
Jax just grinned as the principal called out, "Melanie! Where's Melanie?"
Jax quickly said, "Yeah, they were afraid you weren't coming. Go! Go on." Mellie wasn't moving, so Jax turned her back around and walked her towards the stage. At the stairs, he gently nudged her to climb them, grinning at her.
She finally went up the stairs. The principal beamed at her and put a crown on her head as Mellie looked around at the smiling faces of her classmates. She smiled back and tried not to think of the movie Carrie as well as hoping they didn't expect her to make a speech.
After crowning her, to much applause, the principal returned to the microphone. The crowd quieted. He smiled and said, "As for your prom king, I was a bit shocked. We've never had a prom king from this clique before, and I say, about time!" The crowd cheered. He waited for the noise to drop before he said, "And your prom king is..." The drum roll started. "Bradley Goshen!" The crowd cheered, and Mellie smiled. She knew who that was. He was from genus nerd. He had dated Rebecca for about a month in the beginning of the year. Things hadn't worked out but not because he wasn't a nice guy. They just hadn't felt a spark. She watched as Bradley made his way up to the stage, being congratulated by all kinds of people. He climbed the stairs, and the principal put a large crown on his head. With Bradley crowned, the principal said, "And now we will have the traditional dance between the king and queen of your prom."
Bradley looked at Jax at the side of the stage and called out, "That okay with you, Jax?"
Jax called back, "As long as you give her back, Bradley!" and the crowd laughed.
Bradley nodded and smiled as he offered his hand to Mellie. She took it, smiling back, and let him lead her back down to the dance floor. The band started a slow rock ballad, and they began dancing. Mellie asked, "Who is your date, Bradley?"
He answered, "Cara North."
Confused, Mellie asked, "Who is she? I don't think I know her."
Bradley grinned and said, "She's a junior, and a Goth girl." As he spun Mellie around slowly, he gazed out and raised his chin indicating a direction.
Mellie glanced that way and saw a girl in a long black dress with black buckles on the bodice, black hair, a black choker around her neck, and pale skin. The girl was smiling as she watched Bradley and Mellie dance. Mellie smiled and told Bradley, "She's really pretty," and she was.
Bradley smiled and said, "Yes, she is, and she's really smart too and fun to be with. I always thought Goths were all depressed, but they're not."
Mellie grinned and said, "Yeah, I know."
"We've been dating for three weeks now, and it's great. I think I might be falling in love."
"That's awesome, Bradley. I'm really happy for you both."
Bradley smiled and said, "Thanks. I don't think it would have happened if you hadn't moved here, Melanie."
Mellie shook her head and honestly said, "I had no idea I was causing anything to change."
Bradley chuckled and said, "Yeah, that's why you're so cool. You don't worry about what other people are thinking or doing. You don't care if other people are happy with your choices or not. That's the attitude that spread, Melanie. We thought, she doesn't care and look how happy she is. She doesn't let anyone stand in the way of her happiness. Maybe she has the right idea. So, some of us thought, heck, I don't care what my friends think. I always wondered what this other person was like. I'm going to talk to them and find out. Then people became friends. Then it was, I think that girl over there is gorgeous, and I'm talking to her. Then it was I'm asking her out, and here we are." He smiled.
Mellie smiled back and said, "That's amazing. I'm glad I noticed before we graduated." Bradley laughed and nodded. She added, "I started looking around for people giving me mean looks after Jake threatened Ryan, but I never looked for people giving me nice looks."
Bradley said, "There were some people who hadn't gotten on board before last weekend. They changed their tune when they found out how sick Jake is."
When the song ended, he brought Mellie back to Jax and returned to his date. Mellie looked around herself as she danced with Jax and noticed several other unique couples along with varied groups of people talking and laughing. After two more songs, Jax brought Mellie to the refreshment table where their group of friends was standing. He told her, "I have to take care of something. I'll be back in a bit."
She nodded, thinking he needed the restroom, but the other guys all went off with him. Turning to the girls, she asked, "What's going on?"
They all shrugged and Marissa said, "Ryan said they had to take care of something."
"Yeah, that's what Jax said. I didn't think guys went to the bathroom in groups." The other girls laughed and nodded.
A minute later, Mellie glanced at the stage and saw the guys taking over the instruments there. The lead singer from the original band stood at the microphone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat for you. The rock band from your very own senior class has a special new song for your prom queen. I give you the Outcasts!" Mellie's jaw dropped, and everyone cheered as that man left the stage.
Jax stepped up to the microphone, found Mellie in the crowd, and smiled. "Mellie, I wrote you a couple of songs before we got together. This one is about how I feel now." He nodded to the guys, and the music started off slow. Jax softly sang:
I bet you didn't know when you moved,
that I was waiting here.
Opening up and feeling so much,
was your greatest fear.
I bided my time, loved you from afar,
and waited as long as I could.
I hoped you'd love me back,
and prayed you always would.
Mellie smiled as she watched Jax in awe. The music sped up considerably, and Jax's voice quickened and rose in volume for the chorus:
And you said yes!
You didn't make me guess!
You gave me a kiss!
And I felt bliss!
Cause you said yeeees!
You said yeeeeees!
Mellie laughed softly and grinned. The music slowed down again and, after a short pause, Jax sang:
When you lost your mom,
she became your guardian angel.
She led you here, brought you to me,
and knew that I'd be forever grateful.
I never knew it was possible,
to love someone this much.
I can hardly believe what I feel,
every time we touch.
You said yes!
You didn't make me guess!
You have to know!
I'll never let you go!
Cause you said yeeees!
You said yeeeeees!
You're the most amazing girl,
beautiful, clever, kind, and real.
I knew I'd make you mine one day,
even if I had to beg, borrow, and steal.
Mellie blushed and smiled as Jax kept eye contact with her.
I'm going to prove how much I care,
if it takes me the rest of my life.
So I hope you don't mind,
I'm going to I make you my wife.
Mellie's jaw dropped as several girls squealed and clapped.
You'd better said yes!
Don't make me guess!
You have to know!
I'll never let you go!
Cause you said yeeees!
You said yeeeeees!
You'd better say yeeeees!
Little laughs erupted from Mellie, and she smiled at her guy. Her eyes were stinging slightly with tears that wanted out, but she quickly blinked them away. She couldn't believe how lucky she was and completely agreed that her mom was watching over her as a guardian angel. Momma had brought her to Jax. Momma had helped her that day with Jake. She knew it, believed it with everything in her. Jax was her soul mate, and she knew they'd both never let anything come between them. As the song came to a close, the entire ballroom roared with applause. The guys stood up and took bows before returning to the girls.
Mellie wrapped Jax in a tight hug and told him, "I love you so much, Jax. That was beautiful."
He spun them around several times, bringing them back out on the dance floor, as the band started playing another song. As they swayed, he kissed her sweetly. She wanted so much more but knew she would have to wait. They danced for another hour before the prom came to a close. During the last dance, Jax told Mellie, "The class has rented out an entire floor of hotel rooms here. I got us a room in case you wanted to go, but we don't have to." He smiled at her, "I actually thought that if you did want to fool around, you'd be more comfortable at home."
She smiled back and said, "I think a hotel room would be nice, Jax. I do want to fool around. I've been dying to kiss you more all night."
He grinned and said, "Your wish is my command, my lady."
The entire group headed up the elevators. Most of the doors on that floor were open. People were drinking alcohol, partying in the hallway, and going into different rooms. Mellie's group spent some time walking around and talking to people. Others in their group accepted drinks, but Mellie didn't want to be drunk or even tipsy tonight. Jax didn't drink either. The eight of them ended up in Keyon's room at about 2AM, talking and laughing. Mellie put her mouth near Jax's ear and whispered, "Take me to bed, Jax."
He grinned at her and stood up. Looking around at their friends, he said, "Thanks for coming with us, guys. It was an awesome night. My girl is getting tired, so we're going to head off."
The guys chuckled, and Keyon said, "Tired. Uh huh. Riiiight. Go on with you!" He waved his arm, shooing them away.
Mellie laughed softly and said, "Yes, I'm stealing Jax away, and I'm going to have my wicked way with him!"
Everyone laughed, including Jax. He put his arm around her waist and walked her from the room as some of their friends made catcalls. He led her down several doors, used a plastic key card, and swept her into their room. All the hotel rooms looked the same, but they were all really nice and clean. Jax turned the deadbolt and put on the slide lock before he turned back around.
Mellie stood by the bed and turned to face him with a smile. He pulled his tuxedo jacket off and laid it on the back of the desk chair. His tie was already undone, but he pulled that off too. His eyes were locked to hers, and he was smiling. He asked, "You okay?"
She nodded and kicked off her heels. When her bare feet pressed into the soft carpet, she curled her toes. "Oh, that's better. I want to take all this stuff off, Jax. Help me?"
His smile grew, and he walked over, wrapping his arms around her. First, he kissed her, and she melted into him. She loved his kisses. His hands found the zipper at the back of her dress, and he slowly dragged it down. She pulled away from him and let the dress fall. He held her hand as she stepped out of it and picked it up. He draped it over his jacket on the back of the chair. While he was turned away, she started shimmying out of her pantyhose. She said, "I hate pantyhose."
Jax chuckled and said, "You could try a garter belt and thigh-highs next time we dress up."
She frowned and asked, "When are we going to dress up again? I don't like it very much." Getting them down her thighs, she sat on the bed.
He grinned and fell to his knees in front of her, helping her to pull off the hose. His head came up to look at her, and he said, "Well... Our wedding for sure."
She smiled and playfully asked, "You sure I'm going to marry you?"
He nodded and said, "Yes."
A little laugh came out of her, but she nodded and said, "Yeah, me too."
He tossed the hose away on the floor and stared at her for a moment, taking her in wearing just her black strapless bra and panties. Her arms extended out to him, and he leaned in, bringing his mouth to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him until they were both breathless. His hands were slowly caressing up and down her back and sides. When she pulled her mouth away, he kissed down her neck.
She complained, "You're wearing too many clothes, Jax."
He chuckled and unbuttoned his shirt as he continued to kiss and nibble on her neck. She helped him push it off. He stood up and put the shirt over her dress before unbuckling his pants. She couldn't take her eyes off him as he pushed his shoes off and took down his pants. Jax in his boxer shorts was a sight to behold, but she wanted to see more. He walked back to her, standing right in front of her as she sat on the bed. She leaned forward and began placing kisses all over his chest. His hands went into her hair and took the pins out.
Mellie's fingers slipped under the waistband of his boxers, and she looked up at him. He smiled and said, "Go on then, love." She smiled back at him and pushed his boxers down his legs. They dropped to the floor, and she pushed on his stomach. She wanted to see. He stepped back and out of the boxers. She drank in the sight of him naked for the first time. After she stared for a while, Jax asked, "You , Mellie?"
Her eyes rose to meet his, and she smiled again. "I'm a lot more than okay, Jax."
He grinned and asked, "Are you going to take your underwear off too?"
She nodded and reached behind her to remove her bra. When that was off, she stood up and pushed her panties down her legs. Now it was Jax's turn to stare, but Mellie didn't mind this time, she just went back to staring at him. They were smiling. Finally, Jax moved slowly towards her and said, "You're so beautiful, Mellie. How did I get so lucky?" He slipped his arms around her, and she brought her hands to his upper arms, feeling his muscles. He poked her in the stomach a bit, and he gasped.
She smiled. "You said it yourself, Jax. There's a guardian angel looking out for us."
He chuckled. "I just hope she isn't watching right this second."
Mellie laughed and nodded before she kissed him and the laughing stopped. They lay down on the bed, kissed, and explored each other's bodies with their hands for a long time. They finally touched each other everywhere. Nothing was off limits. Eventually they gave each other relief and fell asleep tangled together.
Author's Note:
Only two more chapters to go! I'd love to know what you think. The book is complete offline, so I'm looking to edit it. Your questions, complaints, and wishes for the story could really help me out. I appreciate it! :) –V. B.