"Monica hurry up and come over! I've got ten new anime DVDs!" Melanie squealed over the phone in her best friend's ear. Monica took her ear off the phone and sighed, " You know I don't really care for anime." Melanie frowned as she twirled the phone cord and also pulling a strand of hair out of her ponytail, " Don't say that! You love Inu-Yasha, Fushigi Yugi, and Yuyu Hakoshu." Monica rolled her eyes and looked around the room to find something interesting to stare at while Melanie yakked on going down an entire list of anime shows. "And--wait, Monica? Are you even listening? You aren't are you?" Melanie asked squinting at the phone in suspicion. "What if I'm not?" Monica asked picking at her finger nails. " I knew it! You weren't listening!" Melanie scowled. "That's not the point I said all those shows were all right not freakin saint!" Melanie pouted, "Please! I'm beggin' over here." Monica groaned, " Fine, I'll come over, but only if you pop some popcorn not the cheesy kind either. The kind with the extra butter and you also have to let me borrow your new high heels your parent's bought you. Seeing you won't wear them anyway." Monica was right about one thing she never wore heels just tennis shoes and sandals occasionally, but she was planning on wearing them to the prom if she ever got a date which she knew would never happen. "Course!" Melanie smiled bouncing on her bed in anticipation, " See ya then!" She hung up the phone hopped out of her bed and rushed to the kitchen. She always knew Monica didn't care for anime but she wanted to change her mind and make her like it. Nobody understood her passion for it so she at least thought she could get her best friend to.
Melanie put the bag of popcorn in the microwave and watched the bag circle around in awe. " What are you doing?" A voice asked out of nowhere. Melanie spun around only to find her stupid older brother Marcus staring at her. "What do you want?" She asked rolling her eyes. "You're about to eat my popcorn and you have the nerve to ask me what I'm staring at?" He attempted to grab the box of popcorn away from her only to be blocked. He gave her a firm look to warn her she's over stepping her boundaries. "Fine, whatever. I only wanted one anyway." She said letting her guard down. He looked at her like she forgot her ever-lasting mind, " I forget sometimes. Which one of us pays the bills, has a job, owns the house, and puts food on the table." Melanie mumbled, " Mom and dad." He leaned against the counter, " That's when you were living with them. Now you're with me. You know I can never tell the difference from which one of us is Twenty or sixteen. What do you think?" Melanie glowered, " Funny," She shook of her angry and twirled her ponytail in her index finger, " Anyways. The popcorn is for Monica she's coming over to watch my new anime DVDs with me, and she wanted some of your popcorn."
"Next time you tell your little friend to by her own box."
" Don't be like that bro. Besides it's the only way I can get her to come over."
"For that? Isn't like nine thirty? Wait you have school in the morning too."
"So? I don't go to bed till one thirty in the morning anyway."
Marcus shook his head in defeat and sighed, " You and you're cartoons. Shouldn't you be watching music videos or something girlie anyway?"
"No way!" Melanie protested, " Anime is the only thing for me babeh! I wish I could be an anime character so they could understand how I feel. I'd be friends with all of my favorite characters and help them on their adventures and stuff." Marcus folded his arms, " Be careful of what you wish for--" Melanie interrupted, " I know, I know. I just might get it. Well, that's what I'm wishin' for, but you and I both know that will never come true." Marcus shrugged his shoulders, " Alright lil sister." Melanie noticed he kept looking from the microwave to her with a smirk on his face that was starting to tick her off. "What?" She asked in an annoyed tone. "Popcorn burning." He said as he walked past her out of the kitchen. "Crap!" Melanie yelled, rapidly opening the microwave door, "Stupid. He could of told me." She mumbled. Smoked filled the kitchen and she chocked as it filled her lungs. The door bell rung but she was to busy trying to get the smoke out to answer it. "Melanie! Doorbell!" Marcus called from out of his room. "Get it for me please!" She shouted back coughing from the smoke. Monica smiled when she seen her best friend in the kitchen but as soon as she stepped in she covered her mouth, " Is this from the popcorn? Cause if it is I don't want it anymore." She mumbled inside her hands. Melanie motioned for Monica to follow her in the living room. Monica planted herself on the couch while Melanie rummaged around for the DVDs. "Yes, yes! Here they are!" Melanie beamed with delight placing them on the coffee table, " Which one do you want to watch first?" Melanie asked. "Doesn't matter," Monica yawned, "They're all the same." Melanie grimaced, " That's not true." Monica rolled her eyes, " Look. The sooner we watch this the sooner I can get those shows and be on my way home to wear them to school tomorrow."
Melanie looked at her with question, " Monica? You're only doing this for the shoes aren't you?" Monica rolled her eyes again, " Duh. I hate anime the only reason I watch it is because you like it. Everyone in school thinks you're weird. I tell them it's just a phase and that it will pass soon enough with my help. I don't want them to think that I'm weird to you know." Melanie couldn't believe her ears, " No Monica I don't know." Since when did she start caring about what other people think? "Wait, Monica when did you start caring about being popular anyway I thought you were an individualist," she asked. "Since I became popular. You obviously haven't noticed seeing we hardly see each other anyway in school. You can become popular too if you only give up this crazy anime phase. I thought we were past cartoons." Monica said putting her hand on Melanie's shoulder. Melanie removed her hand, " No. I rather be true to myself, and they're not cartoons." Monica snapped, " No one will ever like you , I mean look at you! You're sense of fashion is horrible! How do you ever except to get a boyfriend if you look like a boy yourself all the time!" Melanie had to admit she had a point. Monica was wearing a baby blue pin-stripe shirt a powder blue ruffle skirt and dark blue heels. All Melanie had on was a white tank top and blue jeans that sagged and black Converses. "That may be but best friends shouldn't care." Melanie snapped back. "You're absolutely right Melanie," Monica glared at her, " That's why you have to choose between me or the cartoons." Melanie gasped then thought about what her supposedly best friend said.
How could she choose between too things that are so precious to her. Then again, if Monica really cared about her she wouldn't make her choose she'd love her for who she was. That's what a best friend was, or so she thought. " You know what Monica," Melanie chuckled sadly, " I don't have to choose." Monica fake laughed, " You know what. I think you already did. Good-bye Melanie. From now on we will only know each other as peers." Monica said calmly making her way out of her house. The place they gossiped about school, shared ghost stories, built huts out of pillows and blankets, hardship, and endless sleepovers. Melanie cried as she stared at the thing that broke up her friendship. She put in a Tenchi Muyo DVD and began to watch it. " I wish I could be an anime character." She said to herself as she relaxed on the couch. She suddenly felt herself become drowsy and dozed off into an unknown dream land. Unfortunately she didn't know how much it would impact her life or where it would take it.