Chapter 1
The sounds of laughter and shouts spilled out of the high school as soon as Mel Ryder opened the front doors, and she couldn't help but sigh. Hearing all of those familiar sounds just drove home the fact that summer was over, taking all of the fun with it.
Adjusting the straps of her purple backpack that had been a gift from her older brother, Mel marched inside with determination. She wasn't going to let this year be like the last. No longer would she allow people to push her around and tell her what to do. Feeling uplifted, she headed to her locker in high spirits. This was going to be her year. She could feel it.
Unfortunately, those feelings all vanished as she was shoved roughly from behind. Mel pitched forward into the bank of lockers to her right with a cry, knocked off balance. She managed to catch herself before she hit the floor face first, and she turned to see who had pushed her.
Maryse Ouellet stood there, her hands planted on her slender hips. The French-Canadian beauty laughed loudly as Mel scrambled for balance, tossing her long platinum hair back over her shoulder. "I'm surprised you even bothered to show your face here, vous fille stupide. Especially when no one wants you here."
Tears stung Mel's hazel eyes, but she angrily blinked them away. She wasn't going to let this stupid bitch bully her like she did the first two years of high school. "That may be so," she said, straightening up. "But this is my school too, and I have a right to attend."
Maryse's brown eyes narrowed, and her mouth twisted into an ugly scowl. She took a menacing step forward and shoved Mel back again. "Who do you think you are, chienne?"
Mel opened her mouth to respond, but before any words slipped past her lips a male voice said, "Maryse, leave her alone."
Mel looked up, startled to see Mike "The Miz" Mizanin standing next to her. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, and anger simmered in his clear blue eyes as he looked at the French-Canadian girl.
"La chienne stupide parlé de nouveau à moi!" Maryse shrieked at him. Her words went right over Mel's head, but she definitely did not sound pleased.
"Peut-être parce que vous étiez son intimidation," Mike replied coolly. Mel looked at him in shock. He was a senior whereas she was a junior, so she had only known him for two years, but she hadn't known that he spoke French. The fact that she couldn't understand what they were saying made her a little uneasy, but from the sounds of it Mike was defending her.
"Vous êtes mon ami, pas le sien!"
"Un fait que je viens à la question."
Maryse looked like she'd just been slapped in the face. She furiously tossed her hair and stomped her foot, then snapped, "Fine, avoir la fille laide." She then shot a nasty look at Mel and spun on her heel, stalking off down the hallway toward a large group of her friends.
"Um..." Mel said, utterly confused. She had never wished that she knew French more at that moment.
"Are you okay?" Mike asked, clearly not wanting to talk about he and his girlfriend's argument.
"Yes," Mel replied, suddenly feeling nervous. Mike was so handsome, and she felt very ugly in comparison to the beautiful Maryse. To top it off, Maryse was foreign.
Mike's eyes seemed to soften, and he said, "Good. I'm glad. If she gives you anymore trouble, let me know, okay?"
"Okay," Mel answered shyly. She felt very safe with Mike, but she was too embarrassed to tell him.
Mike gave her a warm smile. "I have to get to class. Have a good first day, Melly."
Mel watched him go, her heart fluttering in her chest and her stomach doing backflips.
Maybe today hadn't started off too bad after all.