Will slipped his ATM card in between the door and frame looking for the resistance of the bar lock. He wiggled the card slightly and then felt the lock give in. "Presto" He whispered to Scout. Will held the door and let Scout walk through first
.
"So what are we looking for?" Scout whispered back.
Will just shrugged his shoulders. "No idea...but according to Bella we'll know when we find it." Will replied.
"A single..." Scout said looking around the room and only viewing one single bed. "Some potential roommate doesn't know how lucky she is." Scout said sarcastically.
Will chuckled. He headed toward the closet door and opened it. "Oh my God!" He said.
"What...what is it, what did you find?" Scout said rushing to Will's side.
"Look at the wardrobe this chick has." Will said astounded. Scout shook his head. "I'd say she is defiantly high maintenance."
Scout sighed and returned to looked over the contents of Melanie's desk. The usual books and papers lay scattered. A copy of Othello sat on the top, its binding looking very much intact. "I guess she doesn't plan much on reading this." Scout said.
Will looked at him questioningly, "Read it? She's living it" He said.
Scout moved to the standard issue set of drawers. "Undies...socks....more undies....she seems pretty typical so far. Isn't there a possibility that she's NOT hiding anyting? Maybe she's just a generic bitch." Scout said.
"Shhhh...keep you voice down." Will said grinning broadly. Scout pulled open the next drawer and carefully perused her jewelry box and an abundance of accessories. He pulled open the bottom drawer and looked through a pile containing an address book, stationary and a few photo albums.
"Not much here...I'm starting to feel a little creeped out by all this." Scout started to close the drawer when something inside caught his eye. "Hey..." He said to Will in a whispered voice. "This looks like...us?" Scout held up a photograph of the crew team. Will left the closet, leaving it open, and joined Scout at the drawers.
"Why would she have a picture of us?" Will said looking over Scout's shoulder.
"Maybe she's our biggest fan?" Scout smirked.
"Would you be serious." Will said as he reached into the drawer and extracted the address book. Will flipped through it randomly starting to feel a little guilty too about searching through Melanie's things. "Maybe we should get out of here." Will suggested. As he put the address book back in the drawer he decided to take a quick glance through the photo album on the top of the pile before they exited. The first few pages looked like anybody's typical family memories. Pictures of what he supposed were Melanie and her family. A little girl wading in a kiddie pool, a few pictures of the beach, a birthday party. The next few pages astounded him "Oh...wow." He said as his mouth fell open. Will carefully turned the pages. There were pictures of a young boy playing with his golden retriever puppies. The pages that followed were both familiar and disturbing. The same young man adorned each of the remaining pages. Scout and Will turned each one carefully easily recognizing the piercing blue eyed stare of Hamilton Fleming. The door knob clicked as if it were about to be opened startling them into reality. Will dropped the album and shut the drawer with his foot. He pushed Scout into the open closet and followed him in shutting the door.
"Sure, Fleming hides in a closet and gets to be up close and personal with his girlfriend. I get to be in here with you." Scout whispered in the darkness.
"Shut up. " Will said and they each held their breath as the door creaked open.
Will slowly exhaled allowing the air escape from his lungs. He could feel Scout's warm breath on his cheek in the confines of the small stuffy closet. He heard the sounds of paper shuffling on the desk. He could hear her opening her drawers. He silently hoped that he and Scout had left no evidence of their visit. Rummaging sounds of papers and plastic bags were audible as Will and Scout patiently waited. Seconds felt like hours and nervous sweat began to form on Will's brow. He could hear the sound of squeaky sneakered footsteps and he felt her presence as she neared the closet door. Will reached for the handle of the door and pulled it in as hard as he could. It was only a moment before he felt the knob being turned from the other side. Will held firmly as she tugged against his grip.
"Damn it." She said as she kicked the bottom of the door.
Will's eyes opened in sudden recognition and he smiled to himself. His hand dropped from the door knob and he let it slowly ease open. The door was quickly pulled open from the other side and a female voice gasped in sudden surprise.
"Oh!" she inhaled, as her hand covered her mouth.
"Bella?" Scout said with astonishment.
"Bella!! What are you doing here?" Will said with concern, bordering on anger.
"Hey, I could ask you two the same thing, Don't you have a closet in your room you could hang out in?" She chuckled as the two emerged from the cramped space. "Did you guys find anything?" She asked knowing full well why they were there.
"Yeah...come on, we'd better get out of here...or all three of us could end up in that closet." Will said heading toward the door.
"And...so what's the hurry?" Scout whispered as he followed the other two.
He shut the door quietly and ran to catch up.
"How did you get in?" Will turned back to ask Bella.
"I just picked the lock with a nail file." She said extracting it from her pocket to show him.
Scout shrugged his shoulders. "I wonder why they bother to put locks on the doors around here." He said
.
"Shhhh" Will responded with a smile.
******************************
The evening was warm and the colors of the sunset sparkled over the lake. Jake and Hamilton sat stretched out together in the privacy of the empty picnic area.
Jake was quiet. Her thoughts drifted aimlessly. "Jake, come on. It's going to be all right." Hamilton said attempting to console her.
"No, it isn't." She shook her head as she answered him. "I've gotta go. I have no choice." She said.
"You can't leave." He said.
"Why not?" She replied looking up at him.
"Because..." He hesitated. "I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave...Rawley."
"You don't want me to leave school?" She smiled slightly.
"Ok...I don't want you to leave...me." He admitted. "You know I love you."
"I won't be leaving you...exactly. I just need to get away from here until all this blows over. Ryder's going to be Ok and that's good. Maybe if I'm not here...then he'll let the whole thing drop. Trust me Hamilton it will end up being better this way." She explained.
"Where would you go?" He asked.
"I don't know...home I guess. I'll go back to New York for a little while and I can think about which school I want to go to next." She tried to look convincingly happy but it wasn't really working.
Hamilton reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. He pulled her against him and kissed the top of her head. "I wish you didn't feel this way. I wish you didn't feel like you had to leave." He whispered. "Would you ever consider maybe telling the truth?" He suggested.
"What? Do you mean about being a girl?" She sat up straighter and looked at him. "Hamilton I could get in trouble. I'd get kicked out of school." She said.
"So what's the difference. You're leaving now anyway." He replied. Jake was silent again. She thought about what he was saying. It might be better in the long run to admit to her gender. If she did Hamilton's reputation, as well as her own, would be restored and maybe she could visit him from time to time and they could openly admit to being a couple.
"Maybe...we'll see." She said.
"When are you leaving?" He asked assuming that she had already made the decision.
"Can't wait to get rid of me?" She smiled.
"Of course not. It's just that...well...if this is our last night together..." He reached across and held her face in his hand. He gently kissed her.
"Hamilton..." She whispered as a small teardrop dangled from her eye. "I love you too."
"I don't want to go home tonight...I don't want to leave you." He easily pushed her backward onto the grass and moved to lay beside her. She rested her head on his arm and he lovingly held her close to him.
*******************************
"There's still no answer." Scout said as he clicked off his cellular phone and put it back in his pocket. "Jake must have hers turned off.
"Try Hamilton's house again." Bella suggested.
"Bella, we've called Ham's house twice already. His mother said she'd have him call when he gets in. We don't want her to think anything's wrong." Will said.
They sat in their booth at Friendly's, each of them merely picking at the food on the plates that sat in front of them.
"So what's that stuff you found in Melanie's waste basket?" Will asked Bella. Bella shifted in her seat and pulled a small brown bottle from her pocket. Syrup of Ipecac..." She read aloud.
"Sounds gross." Scout added.
"It is...it's only purpose is to make you throw up." She commented as she read the side of the bottle. I found two other bottles in her underwear drawer."
"I only noticed underwear in her underwear drawer." Scout smiled.
"I didn't take those...they looked like pill bottles." She said.
"Like vitamins or something?" Will asked.
"No...more like perscriptions. One was called Stelazine and the other was something like Risperadal" Bella said.
"What are those for?" Scout asked.
Bella shrugged "I have no idea but I suppose we could find out. So, why do you think Melanie had all those pictures of Hamilton in her room?" Bella asked.
"I don't know, an unhealthy obsession I guess." Scout said.
"So, if they did know each other...why didn't Hamilton tell us that?" Bella said.
"Bella...I don't know. We've got to find Hamilton and ask him. If we don't see him tonight then we'll see him at the crew meet tomorrow." Will answered.
"Oh man. I almost forgot about that. What time is it anyway?" Scout asked.
"Almost 11:00 p.m.." Will said looking at his watch.
"Maybe we should call it a night and collect the rest of the puzzle pieces tomorrow. He said as he put his hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn.
Bella stood up. "This whole thing is making me crazy." She said.
"I'll walk you home Bella." Scout said as he stood beside her. Bella smiled.
"It's OK Scout...but if it makes you feel better...you can watch me from the window."
Will and Scout walked home slowly. "It really freaked me out to see all those pictures of Hamilton in that album." Will said.
"Yeah...well it could have been worse." Scout suggested.
"How?" Will asked.
"She could have drawn bullseyes' on them all." He smiled making Will laugh.
Scout walked through the Common Room. There were still a few scattered students watching TV. "Hey..." Will said to them in acknowledgment.
"Hey Will." One young boy replied with a wave. The front door swung open quickly and then slammed shut.
"Someone's heading out after curfew." Scout said. Will thought he heard the familiar sound of clicking high heels but assuming he was wrong he ignored it and headed upstairs with Scout in tow.
******************************
"It's late Hamilton. We really should be getting back." Hamilton tightened his grasp on her waist.
"Couldn't we just stay here all night?" He said.
"We could...but then we'd be late for crew tomorrow." She answered.
"No....we wouldn't be late.....we'd be really early" He smiled. "We'd be the first one's here. Wouldn't that freak Finn out?" Hamilton smiled.
"You on time...now that would freak anyone out." Jake laughed.
"Just a little while longer Jake...please?" He pouted.
"Just a little while longer." She smiled back at him and found his mouth with hers. They wrapped themselves up in each other and blocked out the rest of world.
******************************
"I'll see you tomorrow Hamilton, OK?" She whispered.
"I just want to make sure that you get in all right." He said.
"You'll hear me scream." She said smiling. "Look, I'll be fine. Your house is two minutes in that direction. " She pointed as she spoke. "I have to walk five minutes in that direction." She spun around still pointing. "Save you're strength for the race. We're gonna need it, Carson is a tough team.
"All right...all right. I'll see you in the morning at the lake." He said. He leaned forward giving her a long, passionate, goodnight kiss.
"Good-bye Hamilton." She said. "I love you." Hamilton walked backwards a few steps.
"I love you too." He had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something in the way she said good-bye made him feel as though he wouldn't see her again. His instinct told him to run after her and insist on spending the night as he had before. But, he chalked this feeling up to all the talking they had done about her leaving Rawley and he continued on the path for home.
******************************
Jake quietly stumbled in through the kitchen door as Hamilton had suggested. She maneuvered through the darkened Common Room and found her way to the staircase. She briefly thought about packing her stuff and leaving before the sun came up. But, Rawley felt so much like home to her now, so much better than home. She had good friends, a great boyfriend, she was part of a team now and she didn't feel like she could let her teammates down. If she was going to go, she would plan to leave after the race. Out of habit Jake reached up and slid her hand over the top of the door. She remembered Hamilton's worried lecture and reached into the pocket of her jeans to find her key. She unlocked the door and let herself in closing and locking it behind her. She left the light off and undressed herself by the light of the moon streaming in through her opened window. Jake collapsed on the bed and tried to forget about the headaches of the day. She thought about Hamilton and it wasn't long before she was sound asleep.
Hamilton was met by the familiar sounds of panting and wagging. "Hi girls." He said as he petted each dog in turn. He found his way to the kitchen and guided his hand by the light inside the refrigerator. He grabbed the carton of milk and a handful of cookies and headed upstairs to bed. He played the events of the last two days over and over again in his head. He tried to think of a solution to Jake's problem but he came up empty handed. He undressed to his boxer shorts and lay down on the bed. He lulled himself to sleep as he always did...thinking about Jake.
Jake awoke a few hours later to the sound of music from her alarm clock. "Damn..." She said out loud, still not wanting to open her eyes. Jake inhaled and exhaled loudly. Jake was used to getting up earlier than everyone else at Rawley so that she could leisurely shower in private. Jake threw back the covers on the bed and hesitated again about leaving the warmth and comfort of her bed. She imagined that she could still smell Hamilton's scent on her sheets from the night before and that made her smile. Finally Jake took the plunge and put her warm feet on the cold floor. She rubbed her eyes, stretched and yawned. As she stood up Jake saw the envelope lying on her bedroom floor. She bent over and picked it up.
I have a big surprise for you.
Meet me at the groundskeepers shed
as soon as you get this.
I'll be waiting for you.
Jake smiled instantly. She wondered what Hamilton was up to now. She slipped into her jeans from the night before. She encased herself in her corset, on the off chance anyone else was awake, and threw on a heavy sweatshirt. On went her sneakers with no time for socks and she was out the door leaving it slightly ajar.
Jake left the school building quietly. The early morning dew on the grass dampened her sneakers. She headed down the grassy hill and past the lake. The morning felt crisp and cool and the fresh air cleared her head. She finally reached the door of the shed. "Hamilton?" She called out. Jake reached for the spring latch that held the door shut and opened it. She hesitated at first and then stepped into what appeared to be a deserted building. The musty smell immediately assaulted her nose. Landscaping equipment littered the floor and the walls were lined with multiple sizes of trimming shears and gardening tools. "Hamilton?" She called out again. She could smell the oil from the leaky mowers nearby. She heard the footsteps behind her but it was too late. Without warning Jake felt a sudden and shocking pain in her head. Before she could turn around her eyesight slowly faded into darkness and she was unable to feel herself fall to the ground.
"Hamilton!" His father called from the bottom step. "Let's go! We have meet today a very important meet."
"What's with the 'We'" Hamilton thought. He couldn't remember ever seeing his father in a boat. "I'll be right down." He answered.
Hamilton climbed out of bed and extracted his Rawley crew tank top from a pile of clean folded clothes his mother had left on his dresser. He pulled on shorts and looked around for his sneakers. The one bright spot to getting up this early was that he would see Jake again. That thought alone made Hamilton hurry.
Kate and Stephen Fleming stood waiting patiently at the bottom of the stairs. "Come on, Son. Get a move on." Stephen said.
"I'm here..." Hamilton ran down the stairs.
"Here you go Munchie." Kate said as she handed him a granola bar and an orange juice box.
"Breakfast of champions. Thanks Mom." He said.
"Scout Calhoun called here last night honey. " Kate said.
"Did he say what he wanted?" Hamilton asked.
"No...he said he was anxious to talk to you. Actually he called a couple of times." She replied.
"Let's go...you can talk to your friends after the race." Stephen said ushering them all out the door.
Will and Scout stood on the dock with a few other rowers. Finn awaited the arrival of the rest of his team. The Carson crew team was already here and engaged in stretching exercises on the bank of the lake. Bella sat alone in the stands until Kate Fleming joined her.
"Morning Mrs. Fleming" Bella said.
"Good morning Bella."
"Where's Mr. Pratt?" Finn asked.
"He'll be here...any second." Hamilton said as he looked around. It was unusual for Jake to be late.
The Rawley team looked ready. All they needed now was their coxswain. The Carson team boarded their boat and the coach bent down on the dock to give them one last pep talk.
"Where's Jake?" Will whispered to Hamilton.
"I don't know" He answered.
"Can someone wake up our coxswain please." Finn requested. He was looking slightly frazzled already and now had the added pleasure of the Dean reminding him of how important this race this was.
Will ran up to the stands. "Bella, can you go see if Jake's still sleeping?" He asked.
Without answering Bella jumped up and ran toward the school's dormitory building.
Melanie walked down the length of the bank in white shorts and a tight red halter top. She had finally invested in more appropriate footwear. She took a seat in the stands and crossed on tanned leg over the other showing off her pretty painted toe nails through her open toes sandals.
"Good morning Mrs. Fleming." Melanie said.
"Hi Melanie. How are you enjoying Rawley Girls?" She asked.
"It's great. I love it here. I want to thank you." Melanie said.
Thank me honey? For what?" Kate asked.
"Thank you for Hamilton. He's wonderful. I don't know what I would do without him. I don't know if he's told you or not....but he and I....well...."
"You and he are....what? Dating?" Kate asked. Melanie nodded her head and gave her a big smile. "No...he didn't mention that. That's very nice Melanie." Kate could feel the heat in her face. She was embarrassed that Hamilton hadn't mentioned anything to her. Stephen Fleming had overheard the conversation. He stood back and said nothing.
Bella came running back over the hill slightly winded. She shook her head side to side and raised her hands as if to say "I have no idea where Jake is."
"Where could she be Ham?" Scout asked.
"I don't know." Hamilton looked down. It suddenly hit him that Jake had lied to him last night. She probably packed up her stuff and took off last night or early this morning. He had sensed that her "good-bye" was for real and now his suspicions were confirmed.
"Mr. Calhoun..." Finn said, "You will serve as our coxswain today. Gentleman...to the boat."
The rowers climbed in. Motivation was running high this morning as the competition was good. This would be a big win for Rawley and could place them in the quarterfinals.
Will poked Hamilton in the back. "Any ideas, Ham?" Hamilton shook his head. He just wasn't going to concentrate on it right now. After all, there was very little he could do.
******************************
The enthusiasm in the boys locker room was overbearing. Hamilton sat on the bench in front of his locker still wrapped in a towel. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He already felt lonely and Jake had only been gone a matter of hours.
"Buddy...what's up?" Scout said seeming to feel his pain.
"Nothing." Hamilton said. Will joined them.
"Where were you last night?" Will asked. "We were looking for you."
"I was with Jake." Hamilton answered.
"Where is Jake today?" Will questioned.
"Did you two join the Spanish inquisition or something?" Hamilton responded. "Look if you have to know...." Hamilton lowered his voice. "I think Jake might have left Rawley. I don't think she's coming back."
"What?" Will questioned.
"You never called us back last night Hamilton." Scout said "We were worried." Hamilton slid farther away from Scout on the bench.
"Why?" He asked.
"Look we found out some stuff about Melanie." Will said.
"Melanie who?" Hamilton wrinkled his nose as he asked. Scout and Will looked at each other.
"Manos...Melanie Manos...the president of the Hamilton Fleming fan club.
Hamilton stood up. "What are you talking about?" He looked back at Scout as he opened his locker.
"Melanie Manos...the psycho paparazzi" Scout added. Hamilton looked at him even more confused.
An envelope fell out of his locker and onto the floor at his feet. Hamilton bent over and picked it up.
"Be careful man...that could be from HER!" Scout yelled as he slapped the envelope from his hand and back onto the floor.
"What is your problem Calhoun? Are you losing it?" Hamilton bent over a second time and picked up the envelope. He tore it open and read the note inside leaving him looking even more perplexed.
"Is it from her?" Scout asked.
"Who?" Said Hamilton.
"Melanie the psycho stalker..." Scout replied.
Hamilton handed the note to Will.
My dearest Hamilton,
I'm sorry that I have to leave Rawley....and you. You've been really great to me but I think that I'm just really confused about everything and I need to go and get my head together. I should confess that there is someone else in my life right now and I think it would be better if I try to make things work with her. In time, I hope you'll understand.
"J"
Will looked up and met Hamilton's eyes. He handed the note to Scout and waited a moment while he read it.
"Oh my God...you mean Jake's a lesbian?" Scout exclaimed.
Will rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Not exactly Sherlock." Hamilton said. "Jake didn't write that note. Someone who thinks that she's really a HE wrote that note."
"And that would be everybody except us." Will said.
***************************************************
Jake slowly opened her eyes. Her sudden consciousness brought with it blurred vision and a throbbing headache. She groaned both from the pain and the nausea in her stomach. As she regained wakefulness she became aware of the tingling sensations in her hands. It was only then that Jake realized she had been tied tightly to the chair. Her panic helped her temporarily forget about the pain in her head as she struggled against her restraints. "Help!" She screamed. "Hamilton! Help!"
"He's not coming." The whispered voice from behind both startled and silenced her. She tried to turn her head but the pain prevented it. "He thinks you're gone." The shadowy figure came to stand beside her and bent down to whisper menacingly in her ear. Jake turned her head slightly and was face to face with Melanie Manos. Jake's mouth fell open.
"Melanie? What the hell are you doing?" Jake squinted at her.
"Eliminating obstacles." Melanie replied. Jake looked at her with obvious confusion in her eyes. "You have something...you took something that is already mine. And, I'm taking him back." She said.
The word "him" hit Jake like a fist. "Hamilton?" Jake questioned quietly.
"Of course. He's mine...he's always been mine. " Melanie paced back and forth in front of her. Jake moved her eyes left to right in an attempt to keep up. The movement increased the pain in her head and now caused her to feel dizzy. Finally Jake gave up, lowering her chin to her chest, shutting her eyes and just listening.
"I came back to New Rawley to be with him. He's been waiting for me. He wanted me to come back. He asked me to come back here." Jake tried to focus on the still moving Melanie. "I love him. I've always loved him He loves me, he told me. We're so much alike. I remember the first day I saw him at the town picnic. All the other kids were playing together and laughing and swimming and having fun." Jake was grateful that Melanie had finally stopped pacing. "I was sitting on the edge of the lake...watching them. Hamilton was walking along the edge of the water and he had two puppies on a leash. They were so cute. He looked right at me and smiled as he walked by." Melanie smiled broadly as she relived the distant memory. "I knew...I knew that second that we were kindred spirits...soul mates. We would always be together."
Jake opened her mouth meekly. "Hamilton smiled at you once...eight years ago...and that's why..." Jake's thought was immediately interrupted by and another blow to the side of her head.
"Shut up! You're confusing him. Hamilton is not gay. Hamilton is very much in love with me. I can see it in the way he looks at me...the way he smiles at me." Jake felt a warm trickle of what she assumed was blood run into her ear. "He doesn't look at you like that. I did everything to make him happy. He likes the way I look now. I changed for him. I changed my hair for him. I changed the way I dress just for him. He told me that I was the one. He told me he loved me...he tells me that every night. He doesn't love you!" Jake looked up at her unable to rationally process her own thoughts. "I need to eliminate the obstacles." Melanie's voice lowered to a drone as she repeated the sentence. "Eliminate the obstacles, eliminate the obstacles, eliminate the obstacles...."
"Melanie...please..." Jake whispered with a ragged breath before the darkness came.
*******************************
Bella, Scout, Will and Hamilton stood outside of Jake's room. Hamilton reached above the door frame and felt for the key. "Damn it!" He said in frustration. "I'm the one that told her not to leave the key up there anymore." Hamilton reached into his pocket pulling out his set of keys...at the same time Bella produced her nail file and Will extracted his ATM card. The three looked at each other.
"I got this one." Scout said reaching through the threesome, turning the knob and pushing the door open. "It's unlocked." He smiled smugly.
The four looked around the room for signs of Jake's sudden departure from Rawley Academy. Bella opened Jake's closet. "Her leather jacket is still here." Bella said.
Will bent down and looked under Jake's desk. "Her backpack is still here." He said.
"She has some really wild underwear." Scout said as he slowly closed Jake's dresser drawer. He glanced at the befuddled faces that stared back at him.
"There..." Hamilton said lifting Jake's copy of Othello which remained on her desk. "The keys to her bike. Now we know she didn't leave." Hamilton was starting to look worried.
Bella met his eyes with her own. "So where is she?"
******************************
The light painfully pierced through Jake's eyelids. She squinted to open them. "Hamilton?" She whispered as her head uncontrollably fell forward.
"You got in the way." Melanie's voice again brought Jake in to the reality of her situation. "You got in my way. Phoebe got in my way. I have to do it for him. He loves me." Melanie continued to talk to herself. "Eliminate the obstacles." She said in a singsong voice. Jake was feeling nauseous again. There was an overpowering odor in the stuffy shed. It took Jake a minute to recognize the distinctive smell of gasoline. Melanie danced around as she slowly and gracefully emptied the contents of the red tin can...drenching everything in her path. Jake began to panic again. She mustered what little strength she had and again struggled with her constraints but they seemed only to tighten with each movement she made. Jake coughed as the fumes caught in her throat.
"Melanie..." She gagged. "Look...Melanie...you're right. Hamilton doesn't love me. He loves you...he told me that last night. He broke up with me...so that he can be with you." Jake attempted to play along. "I was going to pack and leave Rawley today. You can have him. He's all yours."
Melanie turned and bent down to look directly into Jake's eyes. Jake could feel her breath on her face. "You can't GIVE him back to me. He was mine to begin with. He's all I ever wanted and you're in the way." She said.
"Ok..I'm in the way. I'll leave. I'll leave right now." Jake said in a somewhat pleading voice.
"Leave?" Melanie laughed evilly. "You should never have come." Jake watched in horror as Melanie took a book of matches from her pocket. She slowly walked to the door, hesitated slightly and then struck the match and tossed it down on the floor.
"No! Wait! Melanie!" Jake's adrenaline allowed her to produce a blood curdling scream. "Help!" She continued to yell as she watched a small pile of rags blaze.
******************************
The four exited the front door to the school like they had been shot through a cannon. "Where do we start?" Bella asked.
"I don't know...just look. We have to find her." Hamilton said quickly descending the steps.
"Wait! Calm down! Look, I know we're all scared...and worried...." Will tried to slow his own breathing down. "But we'll get more accomplished if we're calm."
"Call the police?" Scout suggested. Will, Bella and Scout looked at Hamilton.
Hamilton hesitated briefly before he spoke. "Jake didn't want the police involved. That's why she was running in the first place...she was afraid that she'd be found out...but...this is bigger than us. Yeah...call the police."
As Scout took out his cell phone he glanced across the lake. "What the hell....?" Hamilton followed Scout's eyes. Billowing clouds of dark smoke ascended into the air through the trees. Hamilton just knew.
"Jake!" He screamed as he ran in the direction of the fire. Scout dialed 911 on the phone and then ran to catch up with the others.
Hamilton was unstoppable. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and the rush carried him like the wind with Will at his side.
As they approached the groundskeepers shed they found it engulfed in leaping flames. "Jake!" Hamilton screamed. He ran up to side of the building continuing to scream her name. "Jake!" The heat from the inside of the shed smashed the window sending shards of glass flying into the air.
"Hamilton!" Bella screamed. "Are you Ok?"
Hamilton had no concern for himself anymore. He knew instinctively that Jake was in trouble and no amount of pain or fear could stop him now. He raced to the shattered window. Flames leapt out around the remaining jagged glass. Smoke poured from the opening preventing Hamilton from getting close enough to see inside. He ran around the side of the house and directly into his father.
"Dad!! Help me! Jake's inside!" Soot stained tears streamed down his face as his father reached out and held him.
"Hamilton...she's Ok." He tried to yell above the crackle of the fire.
Hamilton struggled in his fathers grasp. "Dad...please help me!! We have to get Jake out of there!"
"Hamilton! His father slapped his cheek to gain his attention. "She's Ok! She's not in there anymore.
The sounds of the fire engines approaching were reminiscent of the previous evening.
The blaring horns were deafening as the brakes screeched to a halt in front of the shed.
"She's out! She's Ok!" Stephen yelled again. It was only then that Hamilton heard his father's words.
Hamilton was breathing in gasps. "What? Where?" He searched his father's eyes.
"Come on." Stephen lead his son quickly away from the blazing fire and back toward the wooded path. Will, Scout and Bella appeared at Hamilton's side but he was unaware of their presence.
Ahead of them, in viewing distance, was an ambulance with red lights flashing and a police cruiser. Hamilton could see the paramedics loading the stretcher inside. Hamilton ran shortening the gap as quickly as he could.
Jake's eyes were closed. Her face was blackened with dirt and ashes and dried streaks lined her face. She was covered to her neck with a white sheet and the belted strap kept her from moving.
"Jake?" Hamilton said as he reached out and grabbed the side of the stretcher. "Jake?" She remained still. Hamilton looked at the medic. "She's going to be Ok? Isn't she?" He said pleadingly.
"She has a concussion and she probably inhaled a lot of smoke." He said. "We need to get her to the hospital." The two paramedics squatted and lifted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. They rolled her out of his view and locked the wheels in place. One medic climbed into the back while the other slammed the door shut from the outside. He ran around to the drivers door and climbed in. The ambulance siren sounded as it sped away.
Hamilton dropped to his knees on the ground. "Oh my God!" He screamed as he pounded the dirt with his fist. He felt a sturdy hand on his shoulder. Hamilton looked up to see his disheveled father standing over him. He reached his arm under Hamilton's and helped him to his feet.
"Dad...?" Hamilton cried out.
"It's Ok son...it's going to be Ok." Stephen guided Hamilton back toward his friends. As they walked past the cruiser Hamilton saw Melanie in the back seat. He slowed his pace slightly and looked at her confused.
Melanie bent her head closer to the window. She smiled broadly at Hamilton and put her hand up to her mouth...and blew him a kiss.
******************************
Kate Fleming flew around the corner of the hospital emergency room. She ran the last few steps toward the waiting area where Stephen, Hamilton, Bella, Scout and Will were sitting.
"What happened?" She asked interrupting Stephen's tale.
Stephen continued to speak to the kids. "It seems as though Melanie spent the last year in the Wakefield Adolescent Treatment Center. She was being treated for schizophrenia which is an imbalance in the brain. It can affect a persons thoughts and makes it difficult for them to distinguish what is real and what is imagined. Melanie must have felt like she was living in an alternate reality. The day you kids broke into my office to use the computer..." All four heads dropped to stare at the floor. "...some of Melanie's medical information appeared on the screen. I wasn't sure...and I, of course, had to wait for some indication that she was...well...unhealthy. I called her parents and they filled me in on the rest. Melanie has had difficulty hearing voices in her head since she was a child. Somewhere along the way she latched onto Hamilton and had created a life for herself that included him. I heard her tell Kate that she and Hamilton were dating and that, quite frankly, puzzled me a little...because I was under the impression that my son was a homosexual and completely in love with another boy from this school." Hamilton's face flushed bright maroon as his father spoke. "So...I watched...and I waited for Ms. Manos to make her move. When Jake left so early in the morning to go to the groundskeepers shed...I thought she was going to meet you, Hamilton. It wasn't until Jake didn't show up for the crew meet that I went looking for her. I'm sorry son...I had no idea what Melanie was capable of. I wished I could have gotten to her sooner." Stephen shook his head in dismay.
Hamilton looked at his father. "Her?" He said quietly.
"Her." Stephen said.
"So, you know..." He said.
"Not at first...but I do now. Jacqueline told me herself." Stephen answered. Hamilton's eyes widened.
"She did?" Stephen nodded his head. "We didn't really have the time to get into all the details of why and how...that's something that will be better handled when she's feeling better and you're packing her up and helping her move into Rawley Girls."
Will and Scout smiled. Hamilton extended his arms and hugged his father tightly.
"Thank you Dad. She means everything to me." Hamilton said.
"I know." He answered and then glanced over at his wife.
"What's going to happen to Melanie now?" Bella asked.
"I imagine she'll be taken back to the treatment center and they'll decide if she's competent enough to understand the charges that she faces." Stephen said.
For the first time...Bella actually felt sorry for Melanie
The nurse came out of Jake's room and approached the group. "Hamilton?" Hamilton stood up. "Jacqueline's awake and she's asking to see you." She pointed to the door and Hamilton walked in.
Jake lay on the hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. A bulky white dressing surrounded her head. Her face was cleaner and her eyes followed him to the bedside. He could see her smile under the mask.
"Hi." She whispered with a scratchy voice.
"Hi." He said.
Hamilton reached under the sheet to find her hand and hold it in his.
"I'm glad you're Ok." He nodded with a voice full of emotion. A tear fell from Jake's eye and Hamilton reached up and brushed it away.
"Thank you." She whispered in a barely audible voice.
Hamilton bent over the bed and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.
"Ah hem..." The sound of a clearing throat came from the open door as Will peaked his head into the room. "Is Jake up for more visitors?" He asked.
"Nah..." Hamilton said, "Two's company...three's a crowd." He smiled as he nodded and waved his hand motioning Will and the rest of the gang to come in.
THE END
AUTHOR'S NOTE #1:
I couldn't decide between two endings for this story...if you weren't pleased with this one, or if you're just curious...read on!!
.
"So what are we looking for?" Scout whispered back.
Will just shrugged his shoulders. "No idea...but according to Bella we'll know when we find it." Will replied.
"A single..." Scout said looking around the room and only viewing one single bed. "Some potential roommate doesn't know how lucky she is." Scout said sarcastically.
Will chuckled. He headed toward the closet door and opened it. "Oh my God!" He said.
"What...what is it, what did you find?" Scout said rushing to Will's side.
"Look at the wardrobe this chick has." Will said astounded. Scout shook his head. "I'd say she is defiantly high maintenance."
Scout sighed and returned to looked over the contents of Melanie's desk. The usual books and papers lay scattered. A copy of Othello sat on the top, its binding looking very much intact. "I guess she doesn't plan much on reading this." Scout said.
Will looked at him questioningly, "Read it? She's living it" He said.
Scout moved to the standard issue set of drawers. "Undies...socks....more undies....she seems pretty typical so far. Isn't there a possibility that she's NOT hiding anyting? Maybe she's just a generic bitch." Scout said.
"Shhhh...keep you voice down." Will said grinning broadly. Scout pulled open the next drawer and carefully perused her jewelry box and an abundance of accessories. He pulled open the bottom drawer and looked through a pile containing an address book, stationary and a few photo albums.
"Not much here...I'm starting to feel a little creeped out by all this." Scout started to close the drawer when something inside caught his eye. "Hey..." He said to Will in a whispered voice. "This looks like...us?" Scout held up a photograph of the crew team. Will left the closet, leaving it open, and joined Scout at the drawers.
"Why would she have a picture of us?" Will said looking over Scout's shoulder.
"Maybe she's our biggest fan?" Scout smirked.
"Would you be serious." Will said as he reached into the drawer and extracted the address book. Will flipped through it randomly starting to feel a little guilty too about searching through Melanie's things. "Maybe we should get out of here." Will suggested. As he put the address book back in the drawer he decided to take a quick glance through the photo album on the top of the pile before they exited. The first few pages looked like anybody's typical family memories. Pictures of what he supposed were Melanie and her family. A little girl wading in a kiddie pool, a few pictures of the beach, a birthday party. The next few pages astounded him "Oh...wow." He said as his mouth fell open. Will carefully turned the pages. There were pictures of a young boy playing with his golden retriever puppies. The pages that followed were both familiar and disturbing. The same young man adorned each of the remaining pages. Scout and Will turned each one carefully easily recognizing the piercing blue eyed stare of Hamilton Fleming. The door knob clicked as if it were about to be opened startling them into reality. Will dropped the album and shut the drawer with his foot. He pushed Scout into the open closet and followed him in shutting the door.
"Sure, Fleming hides in a closet and gets to be up close and personal with his girlfriend. I get to be in here with you." Scout whispered in the darkness.
"Shut up. " Will said and they each held their breath as the door creaked open.
Will slowly exhaled allowing the air escape from his lungs. He could feel Scout's warm breath on his cheek in the confines of the small stuffy closet. He heard the sounds of paper shuffling on the desk. He could hear her opening her drawers. He silently hoped that he and Scout had left no evidence of their visit. Rummaging sounds of papers and plastic bags were audible as Will and Scout patiently waited. Seconds felt like hours and nervous sweat began to form on Will's brow. He could hear the sound of squeaky sneakered footsteps and he felt her presence as she neared the closet door. Will reached for the handle of the door and pulled it in as hard as he could. It was only a moment before he felt the knob being turned from the other side. Will held firmly as she tugged against his grip.
"Damn it." She said as she kicked the bottom of the door.
Will's eyes opened in sudden recognition and he smiled to himself. His hand dropped from the door knob and he let it slowly ease open. The door was quickly pulled open from the other side and a female voice gasped in sudden surprise.
"Oh!" she inhaled, as her hand covered her mouth.
"Bella?" Scout said with astonishment.
"Bella!! What are you doing here?" Will said with concern, bordering on anger.
"Hey, I could ask you two the same thing, Don't you have a closet in your room you could hang out in?" She chuckled as the two emerged from the cramped space. "Did you guys find anything?" She asked knowing full well why they were there.
"Yeah...come on, we'd better get out of here...or all three of us could end up in that closet." Will said heading toward the door.
"And...so what's the hurry?" Scout whispered as he followed the other two.
He shut the door quietly and ran to catch up.
"How did you get in?" Will turned back to ask Bella.
"I just picked the lock with a nail file." She said extracting it from her pocket to show him.
Scout shrugged his shoulders. "I wonder why they bother to put locks on the doors around here." He said
.
"Shhhh" Will responded with a smile.
******************************
The evening was warm and the colors of the sunset sparkled over the lake. Jake and Hamilton sat stretched out together in the privacy of the empty picnic area.
Jake was quiet. Her thoughts drifted aimlessly. "Jake, come on. It's going to be all right." Hamilton said attempting to console her.
"No, it isn't." She shook her head as she answered him. "I've gotta go. I have no choice." She said.
"You can't leave." He said.
"Why not?" She replied looking up at him.
"Because..." He hesitated. "I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave...Rawley."
"You don't want me to leave school?" She smiled slightly.
"Ok...I don't want you to leave...me." He admitted. "You know I love you."
"I won't be leaving you...exactly. I just need to get away from here until all this blows over. Ryder's going to be Ok and that's good. Maybe if I'm not here...then he'll let the whole thing drop. Trust me Hamilton it will end up being better this way." She explained.
"Where would you go?" He asked.
"I don't know...home I guess. I'll go back to New York for a little while and I can think about which school I want to go to next." She tried to look convincingly happy but it wasn't really working.
Hamilton reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. He pulled her against him and kissed the top of her head. "I wish you didn't feel this way. I wish you didn't feel like you had to leave." He whispered. "Would you ever consider maybe telling the truth?" He suggested.
"What? Do you mean about being a girl?" She sat up straighter and looked at him. "Hamilton I could get in trouble. I'd get kicked out of school." She said.
"So what's the difference. You're leaving now anyway." He replied. Jake was silent again. She thought about what he was saying. It might be better in the long run to admit to her gender. If she did Hamilton's reputation, as well as her own, would be restored and maybe she could visit him from time to time and they could openly admit to being a couple.
"Maybe...we'll see." She said.
"When are you leaving?" He asked assuming that she had already made the decision.
"Can't wait to get rid of me?" She smiled.
"Of course not. It's just that...well...if this is our last night together..." He reached across and held her face in his hand. He gently kissed her.
"Hamilton..." She whispered as a small teardrop dangled from her eye. "I love you too."
"I don't want to go home tonight...I don't want to leave you." He easily pushed her backward onto the grass and moved to lay beside her. She rested her head on his arm and he lovingly held her close to him.
*******************************
"There's still no answer." Scout said as he clicked off his cellular phone and put it back in his pocket. "Jake must have hers turned off.
"Try Hamilton's house again." Bella suggested.
"Bella, we've called Ham's house twice already. His mother said she'd have him call when he gets in. We don't want her to think anything's wrong." Will said.
They sat in their booth at Friendly's, each of them merely picking at the food on the plates that sat in front of them.
"So what's that stuff you found in Melanie's waste basket?" Will asked Bella. Bella shifted in her seat and pulled a small brown bottle from her pocket. Syrup of Ipecac..." She read aloud.
"Sounds gross." Scout added.
"It is...it's only purpose is to make you throw up." She commented as she read the side of the bottle. I found two other bottles in her underwear drawer."
"I only noticed underwear in her underwear drawer." Scout smiled.
"I didn't take those...they looked like pill bottles." She said.
"Like vitamins or something?" Will asked.
"No...more like perscriptions. One was called Stelazine and the other was something like Risperadal" Bella said.
"What are those for?" Scout asked.
Bella shrugged "I have no idea but I suppose we could find out. So, why do you think Melanie had all those pictures of Hamilton in her room?" Bella asked.
"I don't know, an unhealthy obsession I guess." Scout said.
"So, if they did know each other...why didn't Hamilton tell us that?" Bella said.
"Bella...I don't know. We've got to find Hamilton and ask him. If we don't see him tonight then we'll see him at the crew meet tomorrow." Will answered.
"Oh man. I almost forgot about that. What time is it anyway?" Scout asked.
"Almost 11:00 p.m.." Will said looking at his watch.
"Maybe we should call it a night and collect the rest of the puzzle pieces tomorrow. He said as he put his hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn.
Bella stood up. "This whole thing is making me crazy." She said.
"I'll walk you home Bella." Scout said as he stood beside her. Bella smiled.
"It's OK Scout...but if it makes you feel better...you can watch me from the window."
Will and Scout walked home slowly. "It really freaked me out to see all those pictures of Hamilton in that album." Will said.
"Yeah...well it could have been worse." Scout suggested.
"How?" Will asked.
"She could have drawn bullseyes' on them all." He smiled making Will laugh.
Scout walked through the Common Room. There were still a few scattered students watching TV. "Hey..." Will said to them in acknowledgment.
"Hey Will." One young boy replied with a wave. The front door swung open quickly and then slammed shut.
"Someone's heading out after curfew." Scout said. Will thought he heard the familiar sound of clicking high heels but assuming he was wrong he ignored it and headed upstairs with Scout in tow.
******************************
"It's late Hamilton. We really should be getting back." Hamilton tightened his grasp on her waist.
"Couldn't we just stay here all night?" He said.
"We could...but then we'd be late for crew tomorrow." She answered.
"No....we wouldn't be late.....we'd be really early" He smiled. "We'd be the first one's here. Wouldn't that freak Finn out?" Hamilton smiled.
"You on time...now that would freak anyone out." Jake laughed.
"Just a little while longer Jake...please?" He pouted.
"Just a little while longer." She smiled back at him and found his mouth with hers. They wrapped themselves up in each other and blocked out the rest of world.
******************************
"I'll see you tomorrow Hamilton, OK?" She whispered.
"I just want to make sure that you get in all right." He said.
"You'll hear me scream." She said smiling. "Look, I'll be fine. Your house is two minutes in that direction. " She pointed as she spoke. "I have to walk five minutes in that direction." She spun around still pointing. "Save you're strength for the race. We're gonna need it, Carson is a tough team.
"All right...all right. I'll see you in the morning at the lake." He said. He leaned forward giving her a long, passionate, goodnight kiss.
"Good-bye Hamilton." She said. "I love you." Hamilton walked backwards a few steps.
"I love you too." He had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something in the way she said good-bye made him feel as though he wouldn't see her again. His instinct told him to run after her and insist on spending the night as he had before. But, he chalked this feeling up to all the talking they had done about her leaving Rawley and he continued on the path for home.
******************************
Jake quietly stumbled in through the kitchen door as Hamilton had suggested. She maneuvered through the darkened Common Room and found her way to the staircase. She briefly thought about packing her stuff and leaving before the sun came up. But, Rawley felt so much like home to her now, so much better than home. She had good friends, a great boyfriend, she was part of a team now and she didn't feel like she could let her teammates down. If she was going to go, she would plan to leave after the race. Out of habit Jake reached up and slid her hand over the top of the door. She remembered Hamilton's worried lecture and reached into the pocket of her jeans to find her key. She unlocked the door and let herself in closing and locking it behind her. She left the light off and undressed herself by the light of the moon streaming in through her opened window. Jake collapsed on the bed and tried to forget about the headaches of the day. She thought about Hamilton and it wasn't long before she was sound asleep.
Hamilton was met by the familiar sounds of panting and wagging. "Hi girls." He said as he petted each dog in turn. He found his way to the kitchen and guided his hand by the light inside the refrigerator. He grabbed the carton of milk and a handful of cookies and headed upstairs to bed. He played the events of the last two days over and over again in his head. He tried to think of a solution to Jake's problem but he came up empty handed. He undressed to his boxer shorts and lay down on the bed. He lulled himself to sleep as he always did...thinking about Jake.
Jake awoke a few hours later to the sound of music from her alarm clock. "Damn..." She said out loud, still not wanting to open her eyes. Jake inhaled and exhaled loudly. Jake was used to getting up earlier than everyone else at Rawley so that she could leisurely shower in private. Jake threw back the covers on the bed and hesitated again about leaving the warmth and comfort of her bed. She imagined that she could still smell Hamilton's scent on her sheets from the night before and that made her smile. Finally Jake took the plunge and put her warm feet on the cold floor. She rubbed her eyes, stretched and yawned. As she stood up Jake saw the envelope lying on her bedroom floor. She bent over and picked it up.
I have a big surprise for you.
Meet me at the groundskeepers shed
as soon as you get this.
I'll be waiting for you.
Jake smiled instantly. She wondered what Hamilton was up to now. She slipped into her jeans from the night before. She encased herself in her corset, on the off chance anyone else was awake, and threw on a heavy sweatshirt. On went her sneakers with no time for socks and she was out the door leaving it slightly ajar.
Jake left the school building quietly. The early morning dew on the grass dampened her sneakers. She headed down the grassy hill and past the lake. The morning felt crisp and cool and the fresh air cleared her head. She finally reached the door of the shed. "Hamilton?" She called out. Jake reached for the spring latch that held the door shut and opened it. She hesitated at first and then stepped into what appeared to be a deserted building. The musty smell immediately assaulted her nose. Landscaping equipment littered the floor and the walls were lined with multiple sizes of trimming shears and gardening tools. "Hamilton?" She called out again. She could smell the oil from the leaky mowers nearby. She heard the footsteps behind her but it was too late. Without warning Jake felt a sudden and shocking pain in her head. Before she could turn around her eyesight slowly faded into darkness and she was unable to feel herself fall to the ground.
"Hamilton!" His father called from the bottom step. "Let's go! We have meet today a very important meet."
"What's with the 'We'" Hamilton thought. He couldn't remember ever seeing his father in a boat. "I'll be right down." He answered.
Hamilton climbed out of bed and extracted his Rawley crew tank top from a pile of clean folded clothes his mother had left on his dresser. He pulled on shorts and looked around for his sneakers. The one bright spot to getting up this early was that he would see Jake again. That thought alone made Hamilton hurry.
Kate and Stephen Fleming stood waiting patiently at the bottom of the stairs. "Come on, Son. Get a move on." Stephen said.
"I'm here..." Hamilton ran down the stairs.
"Here you go Munchie." Kate said as she handed him a granola bar and an orange juice box.
"Breakfast of champions. Thanks Mom." He said.
"Scout Calhoun called here last night honey. " Kate said.
"Did he say what he wanted?" Hamilton asked.
"No...he said he was anxious to talk to you. Actually he called a couple of times." She replied.
"Let's go...you can talk to your friends after the race." Stephen said ushering them all out the door.
Will and Scout stood on the dock with a few other rowers. Finn awaited the arrival of the rest of his team. The Carson crew team was already here and engaged in stretching exercises on the bank of the lake. Bella sat alone in the stands until Kate Fleming joined her.
"Morning Mrs. Fleming" Bella said.
"Good morning Bella."
"Where's Mr. Pratt?" Finn asked.
"He'll be here...any second." Hamilton said as he looked around. It was unusual for Jake to be late.
The Rawley team looked ready. All they needed now was their coxswain. The Carson team boarded their boat and the coach bent down on the dock to give them one last pep talk.
"Where's Jake?" Will whispered to Hamilton.
"I don't know" He answered.
"Can someone wake up our coxswain please." Finn requested. He was looking slightly frazzled already and now had the added pleasure of the Dean reminding him of how important this race this was.
Will ran up to the stands. "Bella, can you go see if Jake's still sleeping?" He asked.
Without answering Bella jumped up and ran toward the school's dormitory building.
Melanie walked down the length of the bank in white shorts and a tight red halter top. She had finally invested in more appropriate footwear. She took a seat in the stands and crossed on tanned leg over the other showing off her pretty painted toe nails through her open toes sandals.
"Good morning Mrs. Fleming." Melanie said.
"Hi Melanie. How are you enjoying Rawley Girls?" She asked.
"It's great. I love it here. I want to thank you." Melanie said.
Thank me honey? For what?" Kate asked.
"Thank you for Hamilton. He's wonderful. I don't know what I would do without him. I don't know if he's told you or not....but he and I....well...."
"You and he are....what? Dating?" Kate asked. Melanie nodded her head and gave her a big smile. "No...he didn't mention that. That's very nice Melanie." Kate could feel the heat in her face. She was embarrassed that Hamilton hadn't mentioned anything to her. Stephen Fleming had overheard the conversation. He stood back and said nothing.
Bella came running back over the hill slightly winded. She shook her head side to side and raised her hands as if to say "I have no idea where Jake is."
"Where could she be Ham?" Scout asked.
"I don't know." Hamilton looked down. It suddenly hit him that Jake had lied to him last night. She probably packed up her stuff and took off last night or early this morning. He had sensed that her "good-bye" was for real and now his suspicions were confirmed.
"Mr. Calhoun..." Finn said, "You will serve as our coxswain today. Gentleman...to the boat."
The rowers climbed in. Motivation was running high this morning as the competition was good. This would be a big win for Rawley and could place them in the quarterfinals.
Will poked Hamilton in the back. "Any ideas, Ham?" Hamilton shook his head. He just wasn't going to concentrate on it right now. After all, there was very little he could do.
******************************
The enthusiasm in the boys locker room was overbearing. Hamilton sat on the bench in front of his locker still wrapped in a towel. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He already felt lonely and Jake had only been gone a matter of hours.
"Buddy...what's up?" Scout said seeming to feel his pain.
"Nothing." Hamilton said. Will joined them.
"Where were you last night?" Will asked. "We were looking for you."
"I was with Jake." Hamilton answered.
"Where is Jake today?" Will questioned.
"Did you two join the Spanish inquisition or something?" Hamilton responded. "Look if you have to know...." Hamilton lowered his voice. "I think Jake might have left Rawley. I don't think she's coming back."
"What?" Will questioned.
"You never called us back last night Hamilton." Scout said "We were worried." Hamilton slid farther away from Scout on the bench.
"Why?" He asked.
"Look we found out some stuff about Melanie." Will said.
"Melanie who?" Hamilton wrinkled his nose as he asked. Scout and Will looked at each other.
"Manos...Melanie Manos...the president of the Hamilton Fleming fan club.
Hamilton stood up. "What are you talking about?" He looked back at Scout as he opened his locker.
"Melanie Manos...the psycho paparazzi" Scout added. Hamilton looked at him even more confused.
An envelope fell out of his locker and onto the floor at his feet. Hamilton bent over and picked it up.
"Be careful man...that could be from HER!" Scout yelled as he slapped the envelope from his hand and back onto the floor.
"What is your problem Calhoun? Are you losing it?" Hamilton bent over a second time and picked up the envelope. He tore it open and read the note inside leaving him looking even more perplexed.
"Is it from her?" Scout asked.
"Who?" Said Hamilton.
"Melanie the psycho stalker..." Scout replied.
Hamilton handed the note to Will.
My dearest Hamilton,
I'm sorry that I have to leave Rawley....and you. You've been really great to me but I think that I'm just really confused about everything and I need to go and get my head together. I should confess that there is someone else in my life right now and I think it would be better if I try to make things work with her. In time, I hope you'll understand.
"J"
Will looked up and met Hamilton's eyes. He handed the note to Scout and waited a moment while he read it.
"Oh my God...you mean Jake's a lesbian?" Scout exclaimed.
Will rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Not exactly Sherlock." Hamilton said. "Jake didn't write that note. Someone who thinks that she's really a HE wrote that note."
"And that would be everybody except us." Will said.
***************************************************
Jake slowly opened her eyes. Her sudden consciousness brought with it blurred vision and a throbbing headache. She groaned both from the pain and the nausea in her stomach. As she regained wakefulness she became aware of the tingling sensations in her hands. It was only then that Jake realized she had been tied tightly to the chair. Her panic helped her temporarily forget about the pain in her head as she struggled against her restraints. "Help!" She screamed. "Hamilton! Help!"
"He's not coming." The whispered voice from behind both startled and silenced her. She tried to turn her head but the pain prevented it. "He thinks you're gone." The shadowy figure came to stand beside her and bent down to whisper menacingly in her ear. Jake turned her head slightly and was face to face with Melanie Manos. Jake's mouth fell open.
"Melanie? What the hell are you doing?" Jake squinted at her.
"Eliminating obstacles." Melanie replied. Jake looked at her with obvious confusion in her eyes. "You have something...you took something that is already mine. And, I'm taking him back." She said.
The word "him" hit Jake like a fist. "Hamilton?" Jake questioned quietly.
"Of course. He's mine...he's always been mine. " Melanie paced back and forth in front of her. Jake moved her eyes left to right in an attempt to keep up. The movement increased the pain in her head and now caused her to feel dizzy. Finally Jake gave up, lowering her chin to her chest, shutting her eyes and just listening.
"I came back to New Rawley to be with him. He's been waiting for me. He wanted me to come back. He asked me to come back here." Jake tried to focus on the still moving Melanie. "I love him. I've always loved him He loves me, he told me. We're so much alike. I remember the first day I saw him at the town picnic. All the other kids were playing together and laughing and swimming and having fun." Jake was grateful that Melanie had finally stopped pacing. "I was sitting on the edge of the lake...watching them. Hamilton was walking along the edge of the water and he had two puppies on a leash. They were so cute. He looked right at me and smiled as he walked by." Melanie smiled broadly as she relived the distant memory. "I knew...I knew that second that we were kindred spirits...soul mates. We would always be together."
Jake opened her mouth meekly. "Hamilton smiled at you once...eight years ago...and that's why..." Jake's thought was immediately interrupted by and another blow to the side of her head.
"Shut up! You're confusing him. Hamilton is not gay. Hamilton is very much in love with me. I can see it in the way he looks at me...the way he smiles at me." Jake felt a warm trickle of what she assumed was blood run into her ear. "He doesn't look at you like that. I did everything to make him happy. He likes the way I look now. I changed for him. I changed my hair for him. I changed the way I dress just for him. He told me that I was the one. He told me he loved me...he tells me that every night. He doesn't love you!" Jake looked up at her unable to rationally process her own thoughts. "I need to eliminate the obstacles." Melanie's voice lowered to a drone as she repeated the sentence. "Eliminate the obstacles, eliminate the obstacles, eliminate the obstacles...."
"Melanie...please..." Jake whispered with a ragged breath before the darkness came.
*******************************
Bella, Scout, Will and Hamilton stood outside of Jake's room. Hamilton reached above the door frame and felt for the key. "Damn it!" He said in frustration. "I'm the one that told her not to leave the key up there anymore." Hamilton reached into his pocket pulling out his set of keys...at the same time Bella produced her nail file and Will extracted his ATM card. The three looked at each other.
"I got this one." Scout said reaching through the threesome, turning the knob and pushing the door open. "It's unlocked." He smiled smugly.
The four looked around the room for signs of Jake's sudden departure from Rawley Academy. Bella opened Jake's closet. "Her leather jacket is still here." Bella said.
Will bent down and looked under Jake's desk. "Her backpack is still here." He said.
"She has some really wild underwear." Scout said as he slowly closed Jake's dresser drawer. He glanced at the befuddled faces that stared back at him.
"There..." Hamilton said lifting Jake's copy of Othello which remained on her desk. "The keys to her bike. Now we know she didn't leave." Hamilton was starting to look worried.
Bella met his eyes with her own. "So where is she?"
******************************
The light painfully pierced through Jake's eyelids. She squinted to open them. "Hamilton?" She whispered as her head uncontrollably fell forward.
"You got in the way." Melanie's voice again brought Jake in to the reality of her situation. "You got in my way. Phoebe got in my way. I have to do it for him. He loves me." Melanie continued to talk to herself. "Eliminate the obstacles." She said in a singsong voice. Jake was feeling nauseous again. There was an overpowering odor in the stuffy shed. It took Jake a minute to recognize the distinctive smell of gasoline. Melanie danced around as she slowly and gracefully emptied the contents of the red tin can...drenching everything in her path. Jake began to panic again. She mustered what little strength she had and again struggled with her constraints but they seemed only to tighten with each movement she made. Jake coughed as the fumes caught in her throat.
"Melanie..." She gagged. "Look...Melanie...you're right. Hamilton doesn't love me. He loves you...he told me that last night. He broke up with me...so that he can be with you." Jake attempted to play along. "I was going to pack and leave Rawley today. You can have him. He's all yours."
Melanie turned and bent down to look directly into Jake's eyes. Jake could feel her breath on her face. "You can't GIVE him back to me. He was mine to begin with. He's all I ever wanted and you're in the way." She said.
"Ok..I'm in the way. I'll leave. I'll leave right now." Jake said in a somewhat pleading voice.
"Leave?" Melanie laughed evilly. "You should never have come." Jake watched in horror as Melanie took a book of matches from her pocket. She slowly walked to the door, hesitated slightly and then struck the match and tossed it down on the floor.
"No! Wait! Melanie!" Jake's adrenaline allowed her to produce a blood curdling scream. "Help!" She continued to yell as she watched a small pile of rags blaze.
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The four exited the front door to the school like they had been shot through a cannon. "Where do we start?" Bella asked.
"I don't know...just look. We have to find her." Hamilton said quickly descending the steps.
"Wait! Calm down! Look, I know we're all scared...and worried...." Will tried to slow his own breathing down. "But we'll get more accomplished if we're calm."
"Call the police?" Scout suggested. Will, Bella and Scout looked at Hamilton.
Hamilton hesitated briefly before he spoke. "Jake didn't want the police involved. That's why she was running in the first place...she was afraid that she'd be found out...but...this is bigger than us. Yeah...call the police."
As Scout took out his cell phone he glanced across the lake. "What the hell....?" Hamilton followed Scout's eyes. Billowing clouds of dark smoke ascended into the air through the trees. Hamilton just knew.
"Jake!" He screamed as he ran in the direction of the fire. Scout dialed 911 on the phone and then ran to catch up with the others.
Hamilton was unstoppable. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and the rush carried him like the wind with Will at his side.
As they approached the groundskeepers shed they found it engulfed in leaping flames. "Jake!" Hamilton screamed. He ran up to side of the building continuing to scream her name. "Jake!" The heat from the inside of the shed smashed the window sending shards of glass flying into the air.
"Hamilton!" Bella screamed. "Are you Ok?"
Hamilton had no concern for himself anymore. He knew instinctively that Jake was in trouble and no amount of pain or fear could stop him now. He raced to the shattered window. Flames leapt out around the remaining jagged glass. Smoke poured from the opening preventing Hamilton from getting close enough to see inside. He ran around the side of the house and directly into his father.
"Dad!! Help me! Jake's inside!" Soot stained tears streamed down his face as his father reached out and held him.
"Hamilton...she's Ok." He tried to yell above the crackle of the fire.
Hamilton struggled in his fathers grasp. "Dad...please help me!! We have to get Jake out of there!"
"Hamilton! His father slapped his cheek to gain his attention. "She's Ok! She's not in there anymore.
The sounds of the fire engines approaching were reminiscent of the previous evening.
The blaring horns were deafening as the brakes screeched to a halt in front of the shed.
"She's out! She's Ok!" Stephen yelled again. It was only then that Hamilton heard his father's words.
Hamilton was breathing in gasps. "What? Where?" He searched his father's eyes.
"Come on." Stephen lead his son quickly away from the blazing fire and back toward the wooded path. Will, Scout and Bella appeared at Hamilton's side but he was unaware of their presence.
Ahead of them, in viewing distance, was an ambulance with red lights flashing and a police cruiser. Hamilton could see the paramedics loading the stretcher inside. Hamilton ran shortening the gap as quickly as he could.
Jake's eyes were closed. Her face was blackened with dirt and ashes and dried streaks lined her face. She was covered to her neck with a white sheet and the belted strap kept her from moving.
"Jake?" Hamilton said as he reached out and grabbed the side of the stretcher. "Jake?" She remained still. Hamilton looked at the medic. "She's going to be Ok? Isn't she?" He said pleadingly.
"She has a concussion and she probably inhaled a lot of smoke." He said. "We need to get her to the hospital." The two paramedics squatted and lifted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. They rolled her out of his view and locked the wheels in place. One medic climbed into the back while the other slammed the door shut from the outside. He ran around to the drivers door and climbed in. The ambulance siren sounded as it sped away.
Hamilton dropped to his knees on the ground. "Oh my God!" He screamed as he pounded the dirt with his fist. He felt a sturdy hand on his shoulder. Hamilton looked up to see his disheveled father standing over him. He reached his arm under Hamilton's and helped him to his feet.
"Dad...?" Hamilton cried out.
"It's Ok son...it's going to be Ok." Stephen guided Hamilton back toward his friends. As they walked past the cruiser Hamilton saw Melanie in the back seat. He slowed his pace slightly and looked at her confused.
Melanie bent her head closer to the window. She smiled broadly at Hamilton and put her hand up to her mouth...and blew him a kiss.
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Kate Fleming flew around the corner of the hospital emergency room. She ran the last few steps toward the waiting area where Stephen, Hamilton, Bella, Scout and Will were sitting.
"What happened?" She asked interrupting Stephen's tale.
Stephen continued to speak to the kids. "It seems as though Melanie spent the last year in the Wakefield Adolescent Treatment Center. She was being treated for schizophrenia which is an imbalance in the brain. It can affect a persons thoughts and makes it difficult for them to distinguish what is real and what is imagined. Melanie must have felt like she was living in an alternate reality. The day you kids broke into my office to use the computer..." All four heads dropped to stare at the floor. "...some of Melanie's medical information appeared on the screen. I wasn't sure...and I, of course, had to wait for some indication that she was...well...unhealthy. I called her parents and they filled me in on the rest. Melanie has had difficulty hearing voices in her head since she was a child. Somewhere along the way she latched onto Hamilton and had created a life for herself that included him. I heard her tell Kate that she and Hamilton were dating and that, quite frankly, puzzled me a little...because I was under the impression that my son was a homosexual and completely in love with another boy from this school." Hamilton's face flushed bright maroon as his father spoke. "So...I watched...and I waited for Ms. Manos to make her move. When Jake left so early in the morning to go to the groundskeepers shed...I thought she was going to meet you, Hamilton. It wasn't until Jake didn't show up for the crew meet that I went looking for her. I'm sorry son...I had no idea what Melanie was capable of. I wished I could have gotten to her sooner." Stephen shook his head in dismay.
Hamilton looked at his father. "Her?" He said quietly.
"Her." Stephen said.
"So, you know..." He said.
"Not at first...but I do now. Jacqueline told me herself." Stephen answered. Hamilton's eyes widened.
"She did?" Stephen nodded his head. "We didn't really have the time to get into all the details of why and how...that's something that will be better handled when she's feeling better and you're packing her up and helping her move into Rawley Girls."
Will and Scout smiled. Hamilton extended his arms and hugged his father tightly.
"Thank you Dad. She means everything to me." Hamilton said.
"I know." He answered and then glanced over at his wife.
"What's going to happen to Melanie now?" Bella asked.
"I imagine she'll be taken back to the treatment center and they'll decide if she's competent enough to understand the charges that she faces." Stephen said.
For the first time...Bella actually felt sorry for Melanie
The nurse came out of Jake's room and approached the group. "Hamilton?" Hamilton stood up. "Jacqueline's awake and she's asking to see you." She pointed to the door and Hamilton walked in.
Jake lay on the hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. A bulky white dressing surrounded her head. Her face was cleaner and her eyes followed him to the bedside. He could see her smile under the mask.
"Hi." She whispered with a scratchy voice.
"Hi." He said.
Hamilton reached under the sheet to find her hand and hold it in his.
"I'm glad you're Ok." He nodded with a voice full of emotion. A tear fell from Jake's eye and Hamilton reached up and brushed it away.
"Thank you." She whispered in a barely audible voice.
Hamilton bent over the bed and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.
"Ah hem..." The sound of a clearing throat came from the open door as Will peaked his head into the room. "Is Jake up for more visitors?" He asked.
"Nah..." Hamilton said, "Two's company...three's a crowd." He smiled as he nodded and waved his hand motioning Will and the rest of the gang to come in.
THE END
AUTHOR'S NOTE #1:
I couldn't decide between two endings for this story...if you weren't pleased with this one, or if you're just curious...read on!!