Of Confidence

"Hey Mr Hendricks!" She could hear his voice from downstairs and prepared her bedroom for his next 'grand entry'. Last time he had broken her lamp.

She could hear her dad on the floor below greeting him as his footsteps started making creaks on the staircase.

"Hey Haley!" He yelled, acknowledging her little sister in the room adjacent to hers.She swore she heard her sister's heart fluttering from her spot on her bed. Haley had had a crush on John since she figured out that boys didn't actually have cooties.

"Oh Melanie!" John opened her door as she quickly removed a glass of water from her side table and stuck it on the floor before he broke that too. Next thing she knew he was running at her. He jumped and somehow flipped to where his lanky body was laying on her floor, next to her bed, which was where he had been aiming.

"God, you suck John!" Melanie said unable to control her laughter. John sat up on the floor and began rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's not very nice Melly," He said standing up off the floor and taking a seat on the edge of her bed. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Awe, did I hurt the baby's feelings?" she teased.

"Yes, yes you did," he continued to pout.

"I'm sorry, John."

"Continue," He said as Melanie watched a smile appeared on his face.

She sighed. "You're smart, I'm dumb. You're gorgeous, I'm ugly. You're tall and talented, I'm not." This was always their little apology whenever they "fought." It was John's idea when they were like, nine, and it became the best friend's little joke.

John grinned at her, "All is forgiven."

"Good, so what's on your agenda tonight, Johnny boy?"

"Well, there's this party at Kennedy's tonight, if you want to go..." He gave her a look that said 'please say yes.'

"I don't know John, I have a Calculus test on Monday, and I'm not ready at all," she said, giving him a look that said 'please no'.

"Mel, I'll help you study tomorrow, come on!" He replied.

"Why do you want to go so bad? What's in it for you?" Melanie questioned.

"Nothing.." He said, as she gave him an unbelieving look. "Fine, there's this girl that I really want to talk to and Kennedy invited her for me and..just please Melanie?"

"Why can't you just go without me?"

"My parents said I can't go unless you do," He replied sheepishly. It was ridiculous, Melanie thought to herself. John was 18 but his parents had this rule that as long as he still lived under their roof, he went by their rules--unless of course, Melanie was involved. The O'Callaghan's and her own parents, Jim and Kirsten Hendricks, went to college together and hadbeen neighbors since John was born. Melanie was born only a year later, and was trying to finish her senior year of high school while John tried to get his small pop punk band noticed. The two had been best friends since they understood what the meaning of friends were, and they believed that nothing could ever change that.

"Please Melanie?" He gave her his puupy dog eyes.

"I hate you," she mumbled as she got off her bed and walked over to her closet to find something to wear to Kennedy's.

John smirked, "No you don't."

And he was right, she didn't hate him. She didn't hate him when he pushed her off the slide when they were five. She didn't hate him when he forgot her tenth birthday. She didn't hate him when he was too drunk to drive and she stole her parents car at age fourteen to bail him out of his problem. And she didn't hate him for not loving her the way that she loved him.

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As Melanie walked into Kennedy's house she became aware that his 'party' was nothing more than a small get together of kids from last year's graduating class and a few from her own class this year.

She adjusted the blue Rebecca Minkoff bag on her shoulder and rested her hand on the top of it. She heard her name being yelled from behind her as she and John turned to the person whom it came from.

"Hello, Mr. Brock," Melanie smiled, giving him a hug, and as her head peered over Kennedy's shoulder she realized that he wasn't alone.

A girl stood behind him, dressed in a much too tight pink dress that showed off her every curve. Melanie grimaced at how tacky the girl's hair looked; poorly died blond on the top and brunette on the bottom.

"John, this is Kayla," Kennedy wiggled his eye brows as he spoke to John, and Melanie realized that this was nothing more than a casual one night stand as she watched John undressing the girl with his eyes.

John introduced himself as Melanie felt Kennedy begin pulling her away from the two, and towards the table of alcohol, where Garrett Nickelson was currently standing.

He laughed as they approached the table. "John force you to come again, Mel?"

"Yes," she mumbled as she grabbed a Coke from out of the refridgerator in the kitchen.

He laughed. "Well, try to have some fun kid," he said walking over to a brunette Melanie had recognized from the cheer team last year.

Kennedy grabbed a bottle of beer and began sipping on it. "How are you this evening, Melanie?"

"I'm fine. But, I'm supposed to be at home studying for my Calculus test on Monday, but no. John wanted to fricking come here." Melanie groaned as she pictured the test in her mind, and having only the slightest idea of how to solve any of the problems on the page.

He laughed. "Well, do you have your stuff with you?"

Melanie scoffed at him. "Do you know me at all Kennedy? Of course I do."

He smiled and set his drink on the table. "Well, come on then. I got an A plus in Severson's class last year," he grabbed her hand and began leading her down a hallway. "Let's get our study on.

Melanie set her bag on Kennedy's neatly made bed and pulled out her notebook and text book from it. She laughed as she looked at the perfectly made comforter. "If John even knew how to make a bed I'd have hope for him."

Kennedy chuckled as he sifted through her notebook trying to find her notes from chapter 23. Melanie searched through her text book trying to find the page she was on before John had interrupted her. She stopped when she heard Kennedy gasp.

"A love note!" he exclaimed, pulling out a piece of folded paper. Melanie got butterflies as she realized what he held in his hands.

"Kennedy! Don't read it!" she exclaimed, as he began opening the note.

She lunged for it but he simply raised it above his head to where her five foot five frame could't reach.

"Dear John," he began in a mocking tone. "So, we've been best friends for well, ever and there's never been anything I've ever felt that I couldn't tell you...Well, until now. You see, I have a secret...and I don't know how to tell you, or when to tell you. All I know is that I want to tell you. Even though it's horribly cliche (and you'll probably make fun of me for that) I don't know how else to say it except to write it down." Melanie covered her face in anticipation of what was coming next. "I'm in lo-" Kennedy stopped. "Oh my God... Melanie, I'm so sorry," she could hear the regret in his voice. "I didn't know," he said quietly, letting an awkward silence fall inbetween them. "How long?" He finally asked after a few moments.

"Two years," she whispered as the first tear fell, feeling pathetic, in the honest response. She wasn't sure if she was crying from embarrassment or because she still had hope in the words he had just read aloud.

"Hey now," Kennedy spoke softly. He pulled her face into his hands, and his thumb began working in circles on her cheeks. "It's going to be fine, Melanie."

"No it's not! I'm in love with my best friend who will never, ever feel the same way I do!" She ducked her head, hiding her eyes behind her dark blond locks. She felt Kennedy wrap his arm around her back and pull him into his chest.

"Shh. Mel, everything is going to be okay," He tried to soothe her. "And why would you think John wouldn't feel the same? He loves you, Melanie, and you know that."

"Not the same way I love him," She kept her face hidden in his neck until she felt his hand grab her chin, forcing her to turn her baby blue eyes to him. "If he doesn't love you the same way then he's an idiot. You're smart, funny. beautiful, and so many other things that you don't give yourself credit for. You are amazing Melanie."

She hesitantly looked into his dark pools of brown, "Thank you, Kennedy."

"And if John can't see all those things, I want to you to know that other guys do," He said. He never broke eye contact and she knew he wasn't just saying these things; he meant them. She gave him a faint smile as his bedroom began to open.

"Melanie? Kennedy?" John exclaimed, Kayla standing right behind him. Melanie quickly removed herself from Kennedy's grasp only now aware of the mere two inches seperating their lips.

"This isn't what it looks like, John," Kennedy said quickly.

"Oh really? You guys weren't just about to totally make out?" John questioned.

"No, he was helping me with my Calculus home work, that I should be at home studying right now!" Melanie said trying to change the subject.

"Since when is your math homework in your mouth?" John asked her, rudely.

"God! Nothing happened, John!" Kennedy yelled as Melanie gathered her books.

"Can we just go, John?" she asked. "Please?"

He sighed. "Yeah, fine." He groaned and turned to Kayla. "I'll call you sometime, kay?" She nodded in dissapointment and walked away.

Melanie waved goodbye to Kennedy, before her and John drove in silence to their homes.

When they drove up to their adjacent homes John accompanied Melanie to her room quietly. He turned on the TV as Melanie slipped off her pink gladiator shoes and set her bag on the back of her chair.

She sat down on her fluffy white comforter as John put a movie into her DVD player and she watched as the menu for Mean Girls came up. She couldn't help the soft giggle that came from her lips as she prepared for her favorite movie.

John flipped off her light switch before lowering himself onto Melanie's bed. He laid his body between her legs and had the back of his head resting on her chest while she leaned againt her purple wall. "You are comfortable! I knew it," he laughed softly.

"You are not!" Melanie replied. John chuckled and rolled off of her and onto his side, grabbing her waist to pull her to face him.

"Better?" He asked.

"Much." There was a moment of silence.

"So about tonight, you promise nothing happened?" He asked quietly, in almost a whisper.

"I swear John."

"Good, because if anyone knows that you're my property, Kennedy would know it best."

What was that supposed to mean? Melanie wondered. His property?

"I'm just looking out for your best intentions, Melanie. You're my best friend and I would never let anyone hurt you. That's why I was so pushy earlier, forgive me?" He asked.

"Not until--" He quickly cut her off.

"You're smart, I'm dumb. You're gorgeous, I'm ugly. You're short and talented, I"m not." He said with a grin on his face.

"Forgiven," Melanie smiled.

"Yay!" He cheered quietly, as he remembered that her parents were asleep down the hall. He gave her one more small grin before turning attention back to Lindsay Lohan on the large TV that was on her wall.

Melanie tried to focus on the words coming out of the television but she couldn't. All she could see was the beautiful boy in front of her. All she could hear were his soft inhales and exhales, and the rapid beating of her heart in her ears. And all she could think was that he'd never be hers.