Melody's Melodies

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They stand up and Devin picks up Melody’s backpack and slides it on. He grabs his Red Bull and Snickers, handing the Snickers bar to Melody and pulling another out of his front pocket.

“Thank you,” Melody says softly.

Devin nods and they quietly walk towards the woods and once they’re between trees, Melody sees the trail and they begin to walk along the dirt trail.

As they walk, Melody quietly opens the candy bar and bites into it while Devin creates small talk.

“So, Melody, do you talk to many people at school?”

She swallows the candy, “no, unless teachers, or someone asks me a question.”

Melody is looking straightforward, but she can feel Devin’s eyes on her, she shifts her head just enough so that the hair that she left out of the ponytail for a bang creates a small curtain between them.

“Why?” he asks quietly.

“I- I don’t know,” she stammers, she didn’t like talking about things that were about her.

“I’m sure, you’d have a lot of friends, if you just talked, you can’t really get far if you only speak when spoken to, because if that’s the case, no one will talk to you if you don’t take initiative.”

“Well, thanks for the uplifting pep talk Dr. Devin,” Melody says, a little annoyed, rolling her brown eyes.

Devin sighs again and they continue walking in silence, until Melody grows the courage to question him.

“Do you go to school?” she asks.

She looks over to see him, dart his dark green eyes around the woods.

“Uh yeah, well. I’m supposed to be going to school, I’m registered and all of that, but I just don’t go. My first day to Ridgeway was last Monday.”

“Why didn’t you go?”

“I don’t know, I was going to today later in the school day, but when I saw you and started speaking to you, I knew that I would only become a puppy dog following you around, because I don’t know anyone at that school. Then you’d be annoyed, because you would want to hang out with your friends and I’d be a pest.”

“But, now you know that I don’t have friends.”

“Yeah.”

“So, you can come to school tomorrow,” Melody says more to herself, she’s surprised she has said that out loud.

She hears him chuckle, “yeah, I guess so.”

She smiles, she notes that she likes his little laugh, it’s cute.

They continue walking, and Melody sees they soon will no longer be in the woods, but in an open field with large broccoli looking trees decorating sporadically across the green grassy field. She notices Devin walking quicker, so she falls a step behind and quietly follows him to one of the broccoli trees and finishing the candy.

The sun is bright, but the air is still chilly; Devin sits down in the shade of the tree, places Melody’s backpack down next to his left side, along with his Red Bull can and pats the right side of him, for Melody to go sit next to him.

Melody, wanting to smell his scent of mint again and look into his deep green eyes again, she runs her tongue over her teeth to make sure there’s no chocolate to be found, that would be embarrassing and goes to sit next to him. When she sits down, she takes a deep breath, feeling her nose with the smell of freshly cut grass and mint. Melody looks at him from the corner of her eye; she still doesn’t know why he’s taking the time to be around her. She knows that she’s nothing special, so why is he wasting his time? This guy is something to figure out.

Melody looks across the open field, she doesn’t see many people only about five, and they’re all far away from where Melody and Devin sit.

“So, um. Your parents aren’t mad that you don’t go to school?” she asks softly.

Devin is quiet and Melody looks at him and sees that Devin has gotten antsy, he starts playing with his beanie again, pulling it off, playing with his hair, and then tossing his beanie around, but not meeting Melody’s eyes.

“Well, no it’s really complicated actually, but um no they don’t mind actually I guess,” he says quickly.
Melody doesn’t understand his reaction and she watches as he stands up and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a little box and then sitting back down next her, she notices that he’s farther away.

“Do you smoke?” he asks and it surprises her.

“Um, no.”

She looks to see that the white and green box is a cigarette carton with the word ‘Newport’ written across the front.

“Do you mind if I do?”

She’s quiet for a second and shakes her head, “no, it’s your body.”

That makes him let out a nervous laugh, but he shrugs, takes out a cigarette and a clear lighter, puts the cigarette between his lips and lights it.

Melody watches as he inhales and exhales the smoke. She wonders what about her question made his attitude change so abruptly, all she asked is if his parents were upset about him not going to school . . .

She just shrugs and leans against the tree, not daring to say anything else, unless he initiates the conversation.

They’re quiet as Devin goes through three more cigarettes back to back all the while as he smokes; he glances at Melody as she quietly plucks at her gray leggings absentmindedly. He then finally sighs, puts the lighter into the carton again and tucks the carton away into his front pocket. He clears his throat, shifts his body to face Melody and she glances up, meeting his gaze.

“I guess it’s my turn to question you huh, since we seem to be taking turns with that?”

Melody suddenly gets nervous again, looking away from his beautiful eyes.

He takes in a breath, “well, what’s something that you like to do?”

Her eyes brighten, “I like dancing,” she says softly.

“I thought so, is it ballet?”

She looks at him and nods.

“You have a gracefulness about the way you walk and, stand. You glide like you barely touch the ground when you walk.”

Melody only bites her bottom lip, turning her lip from pink to white.

“How long have you been dancing?” he asks, pulling at some grass.

Her eyes grow glassy, “I started when I was about ten years old all the way up until just a few months ago.”

“Why’d you quit?” he asks, as if he’s really interested.

“I, it’s, it’s my dad. He made me quit.”

“Why?” his brows knit together.

Melody just shrugs, being filled with sadness again.

“Well, that’s fucked up,” Devin responds and he lays back in the grass, staring up at the sky.
Melody takes that time to rake her eyes over him and study his body. Devin looks as if he works out, his shirt is up just a bit, and Melody can see his belly. The little that she can see, she knows that he has a sculpted stomach, no doubt about it. His pants are a little bit below his waistline and she can see his checkered red boxers she adverts her eyes, when he sits and she smiles, blushing red again.

“What are you laughing about,” he asks, smiling.

She just shakes her head and asks the time.

“It is, 5:45pm at this very moment. Would you like to get going?”

She sighs, and nods, dreading the moment that she has to walk into the hell called home.

He takes in her reaction, stands up and takes her hands in his. The touch makes Melody flinch, but that only causes Devin to hold her hands more securely. He crouches to get at her level and looks deeply into her eyes.

“Can I ask, why you’re so skittish and jumpy?” his voice is soft, as if he knows deep down what’s wrong.

At least that’s what Melody wants to believe, she wants to tell him. She wants to tell him that with every touch from anyone she’s expecting a blow to the face, a pull of the hair, a shove into a sturdy unmoving object, a scratch to the neck, or anything.

But, she dismisses it, “I don’t know I get like that sometimes.”

He’s still holding her hands in his, she loves the way his large hands hold her small ones, the warmth it brings them. Then Melody’s fear kicks back in and she slips her hands out of his, and he lets her, like water slipping through fingers.

Devin rises to his feet, grabs her bag for her and slips it onto his back like before. He grabs his Red Bull, Melody stands up when Devin’s back is to her and she softly rubs her side, it starts hurting like she bumped into it again after the incident. When Devin faces her again, she lets her hand go limp just so that she isn’t questioned.

The walk side by side, little distance between them and they follow the trail back to where they met. Then Melody takes the lead walking to her house as he follows behind, drinking his drink. When they’re standing on her porch, Devin slips her backpack off and passes it over to her.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to carry it for me.”

“I wanted to,” he smiles, showing his teeth again.

She loves that smile, it’s adorable.

“Shall I see you tomorrow?” he asks her, holding her eyes with his.

She grows excited, “does that mean you’re going to school tomorrow?”

He lets out a full laugh that’s contagious, because it makes Melody let out a light laugh as well.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll see what the old Ridgeway is like.”

Melody smiles with excitement and Devin steps closer to her. Melody gathers that he seems to like her, just as much as she likes him, but he still makes her nervous.

“Can I have a hug goodbye?” he asks sweetly.

Melody doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t move either, so Devin slowly, while watching her face the whole time, her wraps his arms around her, hugging her lightly. Melody’s heart pounds and races and she’s sure that he can hear it, but he doesn’t comment on it, he just stays where is, holding her to his chest.

Melody unconsciously wraps her arms around him lightly hugging him back, and when they’re separate she smiles and gives him a little wave, he waves back and walks away, down the sidewalk.
Melody takes a deep breath an steps inside, hurrying to her room, look at nothing other than where she’s going.

Once in her room, she quietly shuts her room door and for a second she feels that everything’s okay and that she can get through the pain she’ll suffer tonight, the next night, and many more nights to come just as long as she has Devin to keep her warm, because hell has frozen over.