Of Confidence

Melanie's breathing became hushed as she sat with the boy. He stared at her, intensity shining in his eyes. His smile grew as a smirk became apprent on her lips. She tried to shake away the jello feeling he made her body feel when he lightly touched her hand, but she was stuck under his spell.

He opened his mouth to speak, but was silent. She stared into his eyes, just as quiet as he was, not daring to say a word. They sat in the tree house together, her and John's tree house, a game of scrabble sitting between them. The words on that he had just placed on the board made her heart feel as if it were running a race, trying to catch his heart in her hands at the end.

I love you, is what the tiles spelled out. She felt her skin heating up as he cupped her cheek with his hand, moving his face closer to hers. His lips gave her a small smile before he closed the small gap between their lips. He kissed her so softly, like she was made of glass and was sure to break at any second. "I love you, Melanie."

"I love you too, John," she whispered. But as she looked into his green eyes she realize what she had done.

She sat and listened to the tearing sound of Kennedy's heart.

Melanie shook her head, forcing herself to wake up from the nightmare her mind had just created in her sleep. She tried to force her guilt away, telling herself it was just a dream, but the look of hurt in Kennedy's eyes burned in her thoughts; she broke him.

She heard a knock on her door, as she told them to come in, lightly rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her mom excitedly entered the room a big smile on her face and Melanie knew why. Tonight was her Senior prom. Tonight she would have to see John.

"You haven't eaten yet?" Her mom asked, sounding astonished.

Melanie didn't understand, of course she hadn't eaten, she hadn't been down stairs yet. She turned to her mom, confusion in her eyes, but when she saw her mom's smile and eyes facing her computer desk she followed them.

Pancakes, fruit, syrup, orange juice, bacon, and sausage all sat on the desk, with an envelope. Her heart dropped when she saw the envelope: Was he really not coming?

She walked over to the table biting down on her lips; she still had hope in him. "Please show, John. Please," she whispered to herself, tearing open the envelope and unfolding the note quietly.

"Good morning beautiful,"it read. "I hope you like your breakfast. You, your mom, and Haley need to take a showers, get ready and be downstairs by twelve. Their will be a limo downstairs waiting for you."

Melanie couldn't help the huge grin that appeared on her lips, or the exhilerated feeling she got in her chest; this was John's way of saying sorry.

She told her sister and her mom what John had planned, and they were even more excited than Melanie was. This was probably because to them this was a simple gift, and to Melanie it was begging for forgiveness.

The limo drove the three down the road, after he blindfolded Melanie, telling her it was his orders. With each and every slight curve of the road Melanie pictured the curves of John's smile, and the way the car moved against the road reminded her of the way her and John moved against each other.

When the car stopped she removed the blindfold over her eyes, as she gasped. They were at a Hillshore Hotel and Spa; a five star hotel.

The limo driver handed her a white envelope, and told her he would be back to pick her up at six thirty, and then pick her and her date up at seven thirty. Melanie graciously thanked him before she opened the envelope. "Get a massage, Lord knows you need one. Calm down, go to the sauna. Get your nails and hair done, and be back at your house by seven! I'll see you then. Have a great day of relaxtion, hun. I'll see you tonight<3"

The three girls ran inside, smiles never leaving their lips.

The receptionist grinned at them as she lead them to a room where there were three pure white, silk robes waiting for their bodies.

Melanie stripped off her jeans and shirt, and her and her family exited the room and walked down the hall to the sauna.

Haley smiled as she sat down, "Thank God that Mr. O'Callaghan is a doctor," she laughed. "I needed this!'

Melanie chuckled, and inwardly agreed with her sister. "You excited to go to prom tonight Hales?"

Her sister smiled. "I'm the only sophomore who got asked."

She grinned as she remembered being that girl John's Junior year of high school. Mrs. Hendricks excused herself to go to the pool, and left her daughters alone in the steamed room.

Melanie wiped sweat from the back of her neck as she let the steam fill her pores once again.

"I think I'm going to sleep with Justin tonight," Haley said quietly.

Melanie felt sick at the words she had spoken. Her sister was fifteen years old, sex needed to be the last thing on her mind. She felt guilty at the thought that her sister had seen her the other night after sleeping with John, and she felt like a hypocrite. "Haley, sex is a big deal."

"I know it is, but I think I'm ready," Haley smiled. "And besides, he loves me."

Melanie wanted nothing more than to go find Justin and shove a pen down his throat. He "loved" her. They had been dating for two months. That boy was only playing a game; a game that Haley was going to lose. "You've only been together for two months, Haley. You don't know what love is."

"And you do?" she sneered.

Melanie sighed when she thought of that way she felt for John, she was more than positive it was love. "Yes, yes I do."

"What is it then, Melanie? If you're so wise."

She felt her pain of John's disappearance wash over her again, every bone in her body fighting to to forgive him. "Love is when no matter the wrong someone can do to you, you always feel a tie to them. You always know what the other one means, you can finish each others sentences. You can feel so much...hate for them, but you know that somehow they'll make it okay. Love is when someone completes you. They make you need to be a better person, and no matter what you want or how bad it hurts...you want the best for that person. Sometimes you have to hurt someone to love them properly."

Melanie realized the truth in the words she had just spoken. Maybe John left to help her; not because he never wanted to see her again, because he was obviously here today. In her mind she knew that this could be a possible reason, but her heart for some reason wouldn't let her believe it. Her heart kept preparing her for more pain, and she couldn't understand why.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Love doesn't have to be as dramatic as you and John make it. It can be easy."

"It's not though, Haley. Without pain, there is no love," Melanie said, harshly, trying to convince her that Justin did not love her, he was trying to steal her sister's virtue. "Without pain, you don't know what the good's value is. If you never got sick you wouldn't ever realize how great feeling healthy is. It's like that. It's anything but simple. And if you had been with Justin for more than two months you might know that. Of course everything is perfect right now, Haley. You two just started dating. You haven't hit the stage where the excitement of your relationship is over, and you have to learn to love the person they are, and not just who you think they are after a mere sixty days."

Haley stayed silent.

"Imagine giving everything you have to someone you 'love', and them not being there in the morning," Melanie began, feeling hurt wash back in her body. "Imagine giving the most vulnerable parts, and your deepest insecurities to someone who has shared his with twenty other girls. Now, imagine him comparing you to those girls...it doesn't feel good, Haley. And, I don't want you to go through that."

Haley looked at her sister, "Is that how you felt after...?"

She sighed. "I still haven't forgiven him, but I'm really trying."

"Why haven't you tried calling out to him?" Haley asked, questioning Melanie's decision to not call John.

Melanie sighed as she fought back tears in her eyes, "Because I've already given him everything I have, and now I have nothing left. He has all of me, and he knows it. I guess, I'm just waiting to see what he does with it."

Mrs. Hendricks entered the steamed room, stealing the two girls from their benches and pushing them into the nail parlor.

_______________________________________________________________

Melanie stared at the French tips on her nails, being careful not to scratch them as she opened the door to her closet. She pulled her blue prom dress out of the bag it was kept in in her closet. She unzipped the fabric and she was met with the deep royal blue silk.

She walked over to her dresser and pulled out the Victoria Secret bag John had purchased her not too long ago, the day they went prom dress shopping.

She didn't know why she slipped the lingerie onto her body, or why she felt her skin begin burning as she thought of John touching her while she was in it.

Somewhere between the manicure, the deep tissue massage, and the styling of her hair Melanie had found the will to forgive John. He had gone through a lot of trouble for her today, booking a five star spa, and making her breakfast, renting her a limo; the least she could do was give him a second chance.

She stared at the way the black lace his her hips, making her hour glass shape and her smoky eyeshaowed blue eyes shine like she was a model. Her long blonde curls hung into her bust covering exposed parts of her cleavage. She laughed as she realized it was a push up bra.

Melanie grabbed the silk, floor length dress off her bed and slipped it over her small frame, bringing out her eyes even more than thought was possible. She zipped up her dress and slid on her silver shoes. She put some silver earings on and sprayed her neck and hair with purfume before giving herself another look in the mirror; she knew she looked beautiful and John wouldn't be able to resist her, and in a weird way that was exactly what she was hoping for.

"Melanie, he's here!" Her mom screamed happily from down stairs.

Suddenly Melanie felt nervous again, all of her confidence had seemed to wash away like her makeup would tonight after the prom. She didn't know if she could really face John yet; even though she had forgiven him he had still hurt her so badly.

"Tell him to come up here!" She yelled back. The last thing she wanted was her parents to witness their awkwardness that she was positive would be there.

She suddenly felt somewhat excited as she heard his feet coming up the stairs like they had for so many years now.

She kept her back to the door as he opened it. She could hear his presence in the room and her heart began pounding harder than it ever could, and when she turned around she felt as if it had stopped.

He was dressed in a tight black tux that perfectly fit his body. His blue tie accented his green eyes that were watching her every move like a hawk.

She felt her knees go week as she fell back onto her bed. She stared at the frown that came on the boys lips as he saw her disappointment. "Hey, Melanie," he whispered quietly, the daisies in his hand being put on to her desk.

He stepped closer to her as she looked up at him, with tears in her eyes. "Kennedy, where's John?"