29…
30!
Grace spat out her mouthful of mouthwash, her mouth simply on fire.
She was an average girl, leading an average life.
Grace lived in England at Wammy's House. She wasn't ranked very high, only number four. Right behind her best friends, Matt and Mello.
The three had met on the first day Grace had arrived, May 22nd, 2011.
Flashback
Grace, with her thick glasses, large brown eyes, half-full lips, medium sized nose, and frizzfall (like a waterfall, only of frizzy hair) must have looked a sight to Matt Jeevas.
She wore a sleeveless blue and white top with her black zebra print soled sneakers, and a pair of skinny jeans. Skinny jeans that showed off her lean form. (Hey, if you want to make a mark, make one in style.)
Grace had found Matt wearing a red and black striped shirt with skinny jeans, orange goggles, and socks. He had brown hair with forest green eyes, and a goofy grin that made Grace smile too. Matt had been in the main hang-out area of Wammy's when Grace had walked in, duffel bag full of crap slung carelessly over her shoulder.
Really, nothing was in the duffel bag. The fire had left her with nothing to her name but a few spare changes of clothes and her glasses. But L had promised her new clothing at Wammy's. A promise the girl had always dreamed of.
Matt had been playing a video game when Grace walked behind him, headed to Roger to see where her dorm was.
But instead, Grace set down her duffel bag and looked over Matt's shoulder. Matt was to into his game to see Grace's smirk and almost didn't hear her squeal.
"Oh my God! Super Mario Bro's!?"
"U-Uh…Yeah," Matt managed to stutter out, and he closed his GBA, "Pretty lame, I know.."
Matt looked sheepishly down at the ground and Grace grinned.
"No! Man, that's wicked! I used to have that game before…" She trailed off, thinking against telling this boy her story.
Matt didn't press on the subject, and grinned, "Y'know, you're the first girl who hasn't run away screaming and crying because of how nerdy I am."
Grace rolled her eyes and flung herself over the back of the couch so she was seated next to Matt.
"Well, I'm not like most girls," she said, and winked at Matt who blushed.
The girl burst into laughter, "I'm sorry, your face just looks so…"
Before she could finish, a blonde sauntered into the room, icy blue eyes meeting everyone else's eyes, and everyone else looking away.
"Hey Matt!" The blonde called enthusiastically, then saw Grace and glared.
He probably expected her to look away, to bow down in his glory, but Grace just stared on back.
"Melody," she said coldly.
Grace had been told by L that people here used what L had referred to as "pen names" or "alias's".
"Mello," the boy responded back just as coldly, "Matt, what are you doing around this girl?"
"Oh, how embarrassing this must be for you Mello. This girl is right here," Grace retorted sarcastically.
"Maybe you didn't hear, but I could pound you in faster than you could scream," Mello taunted.
"Yeah, and maybe you didn't hear," Grace said, rising off the couch, "But I grew up with idiots like you who walked all over everyone else, and I," Grace paused, taking a step towards Mello, "Don't," Grace continued, taking another step closer, "Like you."
By now a crowd had gathered around the pair, a bunch of kids chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"And I have news for you…Mello," Grace snipped, "You better not pick a fight with me. Because I pound you in faster than you could scream."
She turned away from Mello and turned to the other boy, who she suspected was Matt, "See ya round, Matt."
With that, Grace picked up her duffle bag and marched up to Rogers office.
"Who the hell does Mello think he is?" Grace grumbled, "Walking all over me like I'm some little piece of scum!"
By now her American accent was rising through her British one, and she looked mad.
Her mud colored eyes were glaring at the floor beneath her as she walked to Rogers office, her speed quickening with every step she took.
Grace drew in a deep breath as she got to Rogers office, pushed her bangs out of her face, and marched in the room.
Grace looked Roger dead in the eye, holding back tears, "W-What do you mean no girls want to room with me?"
"Just that. No girls want to be caught dead with the new girl. I'm afraid we have to send you somewhere else," Roger said softly.
"B-But…I…Roger you can't do this!" Grace shot upright, tears streaming down her face, "R-Roger you just can't! W-What would L-L say? W-Would he let you do this?"
A knock interrupted her from going any further, and Matt came in the room.
Oh crap. Grace thought.
Now someone was going to see her crying. How wonderful.
Grace drew in a shuddery breath and smiled the best she could.
"Hey M-Matt," she stuttered through her remaining tears.
Matt seemed to forget what he came to Roger for, "Roger, what did you tell her!?"
He seemed almost protective over the girl he'd just met. Almost like a brother.
"I just told her no girls want to room with her."
"Roger! That's impossible! Shove her in an empty dorm!" Matt offered.
"There are none, Mail, and I'm sorry for Grace but…She's going to have to go somewhere else."
"Then let her room with me and Mello!" Matt cried.
"But…Matt," Grace said, ignoring the fact his name was Mail.
"No! I promise its okay! Mello'll have to live with her! He knows what it's like to be alone! Please, Roger, just give her a chance. One week. Try it for one week and if she hates it then send her somewhere else…"
"But Mail…"
"Please Roger! There's an empty bed in my room! Melody can have that! She can sleep where Near used to be! Please Roger, just one week," Matt seemed near tears, and Grace couldn't help but smile.
"Fine," Roger agreed, "But one week. That's all you get. One. Week. And I promise you Mail, you're responsible for this girls health. If anything happens to her, it won't only be Grace leaving Wammy's," Roger threatened.
Matt gulped audibly, nodded, and walked out of the room, leaving Grace to follow behind, dazed and confused.
"What is she doing here?" Mello screeched.
"Oh, yeah, how pleasant to see you too Mello," Grace said pleasantly.
"Mello, listen," Matt tried.
"I will not listen, Matt! I want her out of our room! She's a girl for starters, and second, she's…She's…Annoying Matt!"
"Just because one person finally says how everyone feels about you doesn't make her annoying," Grace snarled, then turned to the empty bed to unpack.
But that didn't go well. Every time she'd unpack something, Mello would put it back inside her duffel bag.
"Mello!" Matt cried, "Stop being a jealous twit!"
This left both Grace and Mello silent, until Grace burst out into giggles.
"M-Matt….Twit? What?" Grace was in hysterics now, laughing so hard she had fallen onto her back onto the floor.
"Oh shut up, Melody!" Matt cried.
"I am done listening to you two fight! So Melody, Mello, suck it the hell up and deal with each other!" Matt snarled, glaring at both of them.
Melody stood straight up in silence and continued to unpack.
"Didn't have to put it like that, Matt," Mello grumbled.
"Oh shut it Mello, it was cool. I have a feeling Matt's more of a…Silent person who never really speaks up for himself. I also get a feel you're a good friend of his….And you guys have each other's backs," Grace passed Mello her first smile at him.
Mello looked startled by her sudden change of mood.
"It's that time of the month, deal with me."
End Flashback
As Grace raced down the flights of stairs to her first class (Math) Mello caught up with her.
Since arriving the two had gotten close, and now they were nearly as inseparable as Matt and his video games.
"Hey shorty," Mello greeted.
It was true, Grace was pretty short. A lot shorter than Matt and Mello who had hit their growth-spurts a year ago. Grace having yet to hit hers, even though she was fourteen now.
"Oh shut up," Grace teased.
"You know it's true Mels, you're pretty short," Matt offered who had come up behind them, grinning.
Grace ruffled the Matts hair and rolled her eyes as he fixed it, "Same for you, game-freak."
"Oh who's the biggest game freak in all of Wammy's!?" Matt cried and Grace face-palmed.
"Oi, shut up, Matt," Mello snarled, now that the attention was being focused on the trio.
The three still roomed together, that week experiment having gone extremely well and Roger having nowhere else to board Grace.
Grace smiled, remembering all the good times they'd had together, blacking out from the conversation Matt and Mello were having (though she'd break them up if she had to).
Like that one time…
Flashback
Grace had been fairly new to Wammy's still. It was around her third or fourth week there, and Mello had just gotten used to the idea of Grace being his friend, let alone a girl being his roommate.
"Wanna play truth-or-dare?" Mello had asked.
"Sure!" Grace had said, bolting straight up from her bed, where she'd been reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, her teacher having loaned her the series.
"Mello…Melody," Matt began, "Just don't kill yourselves."
Grace huffed and rolled her eyes, her newfound bangs fluttering in the air, "You're such a butt, Matt."
Grace rarely cussed, unlike Mello, having only cussed when she was really mad at someone.
"The feeling's mutual Mels," Matt said, winking.
Grace rolled her eyes again, a popular action from the girl.
"Shut up! You sound like an old married couple!" Mello cried, laughing as Matt and Grace began to blush.
"So, Melody, truth or dare?" Mello asked.
"Urm," Melody paused.
Knowing Mello, either choice was going to embarrass her. So she went with the easiest one.
"Dare."
"Oooh, wasn't expecting that one Mels."
Grace rolled her eyes and cursed, "Just give me the God-damn dare, Mello."
By now, Matt had inched off of his bed and joined Mello and Melody on the floor.
"I dare you to run naked down the hallway?" Mello blurted, obviously coming up with the dare off the top of his head.
Grace winked to the boys, and stood up, "Lame…"
With that said, Grace walked into the hall, stripped, and ran down in a speedy little blur. Her hair whipped her back, boys wolf-whistled, and her face deepened in crimson the farther down the hallway she got.
As she put her clothes on back in the dorm, she found Mello and Matt sniggering, "Not so lame now Mels, is it?"
Grace kicked them both in the shins, blushing feverently.
"I quit this stupid game."
End Flashback
Yeah, Wammy's had been a pretty wild ride…But now it didn't matter. Because Grace had Matt and Mello through it all, and that was all that mattered.