iGet Heartsick

Mercifully, the Puckett sisters had survived another week of school without incident. Sam hadn't looked happy that morning, but she'd let it pass, after much cajoling from Carly.

Ashley slammed her locker door a bit harder than necessary. Something had clearly crawled under her skin and died. It took her quiet, slightly nerdy sister to put her back on an even keel.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… What's wrong?"

Ashley gritted her teeth and slammed her fist into the locker door, causing her sister to jump slightly. Melanie knew better than to ask questions. She instinctually had the answers anyhow. She answered her own questions instead.

"Ah. Girlfriend issues, okay…"

Ashley wanted to cry, but knew that she couldn't. She knew that her sister's heart was in the right place. It was always in the right place.

"Shut up, don't wanna talk about it…"

With no one seeing, Melanie Puckett took her sister's hand, just as she did when they were little girls. She would comfort her sister regardless of what Ashley wanted. She knew her sister to be like Mama – too proud for her own damn good. Neither of them would ask for help, no matter how badly they needed it.

"Look… come on out with Bridget and me after school…"

Ashley was hurting. She didn't mean to snap at her sister. There wasn't a hurtful bone in her body – not towards her twin sister – but the words simply came out of her mouth. She hadn't meant to. It was just word vomit.

"Yeah, like I wanna be the weird third wheel in your girly little love parade…."

Melanie sniffled ever so slightly, recoiling in irrational fear. That was all it took for Ashley Puckett to realize what a selfish little girl she was being. She knew exactly how her behavior had come across. She spoke barely above a whisper. She knew that her peers wouldn't – couldn't – understand.

"Sweety, look… I… I didn't mean that…"

Melanie knew. She decided to play the part of a Mean Girl too, no matter that she could never be one.

"Yeah, just like all those things you say in your sleep… You keep me up all night with that…"

Ashley went white as a sheet. Melanie grinned.

"Just swallow your goddamned pride and be seen with me in public for once in your life…"

Ashley relented. She loved her sister and she knew that Mel wanted what was best for her.

"Fine, I'll come out with you and the little egg roll…"

Melanie popped her sister hard upside the head.

"Stop it… How many times have I got to tell you? She's Korean, dammit, not Chinese…"

Ashley smirked. That hadn't hurt. Not really…

"What's the difference?" she asked, as Melanie led her away from the lockers and towards the ladies' room.

"The difference…" Melanie began, through gritted teeth, "…is roughly two hundred and thirty point seven miles… and besides that, you sound like a racist, and I know you're not…"

Ashley turned red.

"Jeez, kid, just teasin'… I just… besides…"

Melanie knew exactly besides what. She leaned in and whispered quietly in her sister's ear.

"I know, but you sound like that idiot farmgirl from Mom's show…"

Ashley chuckled. Maybe she did, but her sister got the point, in the only way she knew how to make it. The little Korean girl was nice and sweet, everything her sister deserved. She'd never say it out loud or in public, but she loved the girl as much as her sister did, albeit differently.

LATER, ACROSS TOWN…

The three girls sat in a secluded booth at Melanie and Bridget's favorite restaurant. The tiny girl spoke Korean to the older woman who had just left in the direction of the kitchen. Ashley Puckett began to grumble. She still felt like pouting.

"This is so stupid… We could've gone anywhere…"

Bridget looked hurt. Melanie dropped the pretty girl's hand and slapped her sister's across the table instead.

"Oh, would you just stop it and tell us what happened already?"

Ashley swallowed hard. Her brain just wasn't working right, she was just all whipped up. She looked hard in Bridget's direction, locking her blue eyes on the pretty Asian girl's dark ones.

"Look, I didn't mean any offense, I'm just in a bit of…"

Bridget chimed in.

"You're in a mood. None taken… You do realize I'm not going to judge you, right?"

Ashley smiled. She liked this girl, despite having given her and Melanie such a hard time. She also had no idea how the girl's grandparents could run this restaurant all by themselves.

Ashley's mouth hung open slightly. Bridget smirked and spoke.

"Eat your soup. It'll get cold…"

Melanie chuckled quietly to herself.

"Sweety…"

"What?"

Ashley swallowed a spoonful of soup. She was coming undone inside. She was thankful for everything her sister had done. She locked eyes with Melanie.

"I love you, you know…"

Melanie Puckett patted her sister's hand across the table.

"Naturally. Now what's really going on with you and What's-Her-Name?"

Everything finally became clear. Her sister and the little Korean girl were here to help.

A SHORT TIME LATER…

Ashley dabbed her eyes with a napkin. Bridget fussed at her.

"Oh goodness! Did you stop and consider that just maybe you're over-thinking this just a little bit?"

Ashley sniffled.

"But… but…"

Melanie chimed in.

"She's right, Cupcake…"

Ashley couldn't help but chuckle. As whipped up as she was, tears wouldn't help the situation any, and her sister clearly wanted her to relax, even though that seemed impossible now. She simply talked to Melanie – spoke from the heart – and let that be that.

"Alright… alright… whatever… Look, her title defense is coming up and…"

"… And you don't want her to get hurt… We get that…"

For being the quiet one, her sister was developing a very loud personality, so far as Ashley was concerned. She didn't really give a goddamn, anyway, though. The little nerd was prying into her personal business because she cared.

"Do you have to do that? Must you always interrupt? I thought I was talking…"

A chopstick clattered to Melanie's plate.

"Sorry…"

"It's fine… whatever… Anyways, yeah, so I'm… I'm…"

Ashley tossed her own chopsticks down in frustration. Bridget interrupted one final time, thinking she had the answer to the problem.

"You're scared for her, aren't you? Well that makes sense, especially considering what she does… It'd be weird if you weren't scared for her. I mean, heck, I get scared at school, just knowing that people know we're together…"

Bridget squeezed Melanie's hand gently. The other Puckett twin blushed. Ashley went with sarcasm. It seemed to fit the occasion.

"Well, isn't that just ducky?"

Bridget giggled.

"No… Technically, that's pickled squid…"

Ashley chewed much slower now. The little Asian girl could be a pain in the ass, but, on the other hand, she was sweet, in her own way. Bridget turned away from the group, yelling toward the kitchen. Melanie had learned enough Korean to know what was going on and blushed furiously. Moments later, a tall young man, whom Melanie recognized as Bridget's cousin, exited the kitchen, clearly leading someone who was following closely behind him. Ashley was still having a hard time, having only recently learned exactly what she'd spent the last twenty minutes eating. She'd shut her eyes tight, hoping that not having to look at her food would make it taste better. Melanie laughed. Her big, strong sister could be such a girl sometimes.

"Oh, for goodness sakes… Would you just open your eyes already? It isn't going to bite you…"

Ashley Puckett felt stupid and opened her eyes. She thought she was going to go insane.

"That stuff won't bite you, but I might…"

Megan Marx had sidled her way into the booth, separated from her partner by fractions of an inch. She had missed her immensely.

"Look, next time you want to fight with me about something, at least let me know what we're fighting about before you get all whipped up, go all girly, and stomp off in a huff with these two… Your sister called and told me what she figured was going on… and… what can I say? I missed you…"

Ashley felt near tears as she looked from Bridget to her sister.

"You… did… for me?"

Melanie nodded, immensely proud of herself.

"Yeah-huh… because, as hard a time as you give me, you belong with her. You do weird things for each other, just like…"

Bridget smirked and patted Melanie's hand.

"They get it, Sweety…"