Disclaimer: I own nothing IaHB related.
Note: Sorry it took so long to get this part out. School was really stressful for a while there. I also had a little trouble with getting Melanie and Hank to do anything worthwhile. Please don't forget to review.

Here we go:

"So, you, uh, ......... had a crush on me?" Hank asked, trying to act smooth and failing miserably.

Melanie smiled brightly. This was, of course, how she had hoped her reunion with Hank would go.

In high school, she had admired him greatly. He was the football star, the EMT, and the all-around good guy. Hank had been friends with everyone. He was sweet. He was kind. And he had always made her heart stop when he had come near her.

It was quite a letdown that he had never looked at her as more than a possible pain in the behind. She hadn't realized at the time that the reason he had run away from her all of those times was to keep her from asking him to homecoming. She had finally caught Hank, though, and he had not wanted to disappoint her. Of course, in the end, she had wished that he had just said no to her invitation.

It was obvious that he had not wanted to go to the Homecoming dance with her. Hank hadn't even danced with her. Melanie had tried to keep her chin up throughout the dance and tell herself that it could be worse. But, could it? Her date had not wanted to come with her. And finally she had confronted him about it. He had seemed concerned about her being mad at him. But, he was mistaken. She wasn't mad, just hurt.

After that night, she had kept her feelings a secret. She tried to act the same around Hank, but she knew that things were not the same. And if he noticed any difference in her behavior, he didn't mention it. Of course, he was so busy with his own life that Melanie highly doubted that he had noticed anything about her at all. She never told anyone how she felt about Hank, even after she had graduated. But, that didn't mean that those feelings were not there. She had never forgotten him.

And then one day, Melanie was perusing through the newspaper and had come upon the article about Hank. Everything- all of the feelings and emotions had come flooding back to her and she had felt as if it were only yesterday that she had seen him last. But, in reality, it had been years. That was when she knew that someday she would have to see him again and finally tell him the way she had felt about him all those years. She had loved the look of surprise that had graced Hank's face when he had finally recognized her.

"Yes Hank," she answered. "I admired you a lot. Still do."

Hank smiled, feeling pleased with himself. She had thought about him. And she admired him. A lot. Could it get any better, he wondered?

Hank glanced over Melanie's shoulder, his eyes coming to rest on Jamie and Caitie. Oh boy, he thought, they're doing that staring thing again. Hank smiled, thinking how crazy those two were. Nothing like that would ever happen to him, Hank knew. No, he'd never act so silly where love was concerned. He would be smooth. Very smooth.

And then Hank made the mistake of looking into Melanie's eyes. His legs turned to Jello again.

He laughed nervously, not exactly sure what he should say. He could say that she was beautiful, but he imagined that fact hadn't escaped her attention. He could say that he had thought about her over the years, but that would be a lie. Melanie might have crossed his mind a time or two, but nothing concrete that had stuck in his mind like her face now inevitably would. He had left her behind in high school with the other numerous classmates that he had never truly been close to.

And yet, as Hank thought back, Melanie had never really been that bad. She might have been a bit annoying in high school, but she had not been too bad. And she had always been nice to him, even after he had treated her so shabbily at the homecoming dance that one night. He did remember, however, that she had been a bit standoffish towards him after that night. Of course, he was too busy being everybody else's friend to truly pay attention to it, though.

Now, Hank regretted not giving Melanie the time she deserved in high school. It wasn't just because she had seemed to turn into a Goddess over time. It was just the simple fact that she was a person with feelings and Hank had not cared at all in high school.

"Melanie, I-," Hank started, wanting to apologize for his past behavior. But, he didn't have a chance as she cut him off.

"Are you here with someone?" She asked, lowering her eyes a bit. A lock of dark hair fell into her eyes, making her look even more exotic than before. She laughed slightly at her own bluntness. "I mean, I didn't even ask you. I don't want to keep you from them."

"Um, no. I came alone," Hank answered. "You?"

"I am alone too," Melanie said, raising her eyes to meet Hank's once more.

Hank was being sucked in. He could feel it in every ounce of his being. Her eyes were just too enticing, and they were pulling at him, making him their prisoner. Suddenly, Hank knew how Jamie felt when he looked into Caitie's eyes. And he knew how Tyler felt when he looked into Val's eyes.

This one encounter with Melanie would not be enough, Hank knew. He had to see her more, talk to her more. Give her the chance that he had not given her in high school. Although, would he be giving her a chance? Or would she be giving him one?

A scream ripped through the gym, pulling Hank and Melanie out of their trance. The female noise went up several octaves and everyone looked around to see where and who it was coming from. Somewhere in the back of Hank's mind he realized that someone had turned off the music that they had had playing softly in the background.

Hank turned around, looking around for the person who had screamed. The crowd over by the refreshments table tittered with laughter and then opened up as Heather charged out from their midst. She stopped right outside of the group and looked around at everyone in the gym who was staring at her. A large pink stain marred the side of her dress and her face had the look of absolute horror as she glanced down at it.

"Oh my gosh!" She screeched and then rushed out of the gym as fast as her feet could carry her.

Everywhere in the gym, people were laughing and pointing to the refreshments table, where the punch had made a puddle on the floor. It was evident to everyone in the room that Heather had been standing too close to the table. Now her dress showed it.

After a few minutes, the music was turned back on and people went back to their conversations. The din of voices that had been strangely silent during the Heather episode, picked up again.

Hank turned back towards Melanie and found her looking thoughtfully at the door in which Heather had just made her dramatic exit. "You know," she started slowly, "when we were in school, I wanted so badly to be a part of her crowd."

Melanie turned back to look at hank, her eyes dark with an emotion that Hank was not sure he liked. "To be cool," she added, "like you."

Hank froze, waiting for her to go on.

"I truly did like you in high school, Hank. But, after a while I realized that you didn't care. So, I kind of stepped back and got to see how the popular crowd really acts. Then I understood that I really didn't want to be a part of Heather's group."

Melanie lowered her head. She had just told Hank way more than she had ever expected to. It was never her intention to tell him how she had wanted so badly to be popular. And how, people like Heather had laughed at her for years. She had called them friends, even when she knew they made fun of her behind her back.

Sure, she had been different in high school. She had experimented with the colors and fabrics of clothing. People had just thought she dressed weird, but look where she was now. A model. People tended to look at her 'strange' dressings a bit differently now. Now they took her seriously.

And why was she telling Hank this? After all these years? It was simple. Out of everyone in that room, Melanie wanted Hank to finally understand. She wanted to explain to him what it was like to be outside of the popular group. To always see them, but never be near them.

"What made you think of that?" Hank asked quietly, feeling bad all over again for everything he had never said in high school.

Melanie raised her head and shot a bleak look towards the door that Heather had rushed out of. "If that had happened to me.......If I was still the same 'annoying' Melanie that everyone knew me as, and if that had happened to me, they would have laughed harder. It was nothing for Heather."

"Melanie-," Hank started, trying to correct her.

"No Hank, think about it. Look around you. Everybody here has already forgotten all about what happened just a few minutes ago. But if it had been me, they'd still be talking and laughing about it. And you'd be laughing too."

Hank flinched as if she had slapped him across the cheek. Was it true? Would he have laughed? Hank tried to assure himself that he would not have. He would have not found it funny. And yet.....and yet, if she had been the same Melanie from high school, wouldn't he have thought it funny that something like that had happened to such an annoying person?

In that second of time, Hank realized how much he must have hurt Melanie at the homecoming dance so many years ago. He had been so worried about being seen with Melanie that he hadn't really considered how he might have hurt her. I can't believe I acted that way, Hank thought, berating himself.

"But you got the last laugh," Hank said, trying to make her feel better. "No one would ever make fun of you now."

Melanie smiled bitterly and turned her gaze back at the crowd around the refreshments table. "There's more to me than just a pretty face, Hank."

Hank nodded, his eyes going wide in agreement. "I know," he replied. "So much more."

And he truly was beginning to see that that was the truth.


Val bade good-bye to Dean and watched as he walked away in search of other classmates to reminisce with. It had been good talking to him after all, Val decided. He was a nice guy. And it had kept her mind off other matters like Tyler and Heather.

Val placed her elbow on the table in front of her and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. She sighed as she glanced around the gym, looking for a friendly face. Everyone seemed so busy talking with other people.........except her.

Her eyes grazed over Hank and Melanie, who stood smiling shyly at each other like a couple of sixth graders. She smiled. Of course, she recognized Melanie from different magazine covers. And Hank...... Well, Val thought, breaking into a full-fledged grin, he'll never know what hit him.


Please, please review. After the week I just had, it would be wonderful to hear nice things from you guys. Thanks lots.