Well you haven't met Melody yet, but in a way…you have.
I'm really excited to introduce her. :) Just please make sure to read the note at the end of this chapter okay? Thanks :) much looove.
………
Each breeze that came through got steadily chillier, as then sun made its way lower and lower into the horizon, off to shine on another part of the planet. In Pickford, they were lucky; it never got too cold in summertime, even at night.
Two silhouettes formed by the evening shadows sat on a spread out blanket, a backyard fence hiding them away form the rest of the world.
"Yesthhh!" Keely exclaimed, the orange jellybean she had just caught on her tongue impairing her speech. "I caught it!"
"Yes you did. So that's Keely, four; Phil…how many?" Phil leaned towards Keely, challenging her. A smile flickered across her face, despite trying to hide it by looking everywhere around Phil's backyard except at him.
"How many jellybeans have I caught, Keel?" he challenged again, grinning widely.
"Sevenjellybeans." She clumped the phrase together into one word.
"Seven, you said?" He faked bewilderment.
"Yes, seven! Seven seven seven seven seven SEVEN!" Keely yelled louder than intended, chucking another jellybean at his face. It took him by surprise as he pretended to bask in his glory, smacking him just below the eye.
"What the?" he exclaimed, touching his face in the spot it had hit. Keely burst out laughing, covering her face with her hands.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" she giggled. "Even though you're being a huge dork about beating me at jellybean tossing...I still am."
He just smiled at her, watching her hair fall across her face. The lighting couldn't have been more perfect right then, the sunshine reduced to a few dim orange rays that came from the pink and orange glow of the clouds above the horizon. He wished he had a picture of her just like that.
Half of Keely's hair was pulled back and tied with a red ribbon, which the breeze lifted gently every once and awhile and tossed around. Her eyes were bright, and the corners of her mouth were lifted in a lingering smile. Right in that moment, she looked so incredibly happy.
"You know I'm joking," Phil assured her. "Jellybeans aren't nearly as important to me as my component is, anyway. No matter how much of my dust she's eating." He beamed.
Keely just smiled in response and scooted in closer, leaning her face nearer to his. Just when she was a mere inch away from him, he whispered something.
"Dork, huh?"
Taking into deliberation how close she was to him, he took her gently by the waist, and began to tickle her into oblivion.
"Oh my gosh! Phil! PHILIP!" Keely gasped, laughing hysterically. The sound echoed around the yard, fluttering off into the breeze just as easily as it had escaped from her.
She had toppled over on her side when he finally stopped tickling her. She looked up at him, sore from laughter.
"Yes, Phil," she said finally. "You're a dork."
He just nodded. "I can live with that," he said casually. "Could you um, sit up though, Keel? I might have issues leaning down that far to kiss you."
She pretended to think it over. "I guess…" She pushed herself up. "Are you sure? 'Cause my mouth tastes like a rainbow of jellybeans right now."
"And mine?"
She smiled girlishly. "Okay then."
So Phil leaned in…but Keely leaned in faster, and met her lips with his first. They kissed as the last rays of light melted away, leaving them with dusk.
Approximately eleven seconds later, she broke away gently, and smirked at him. "I seem to have beaten you to that one," she concluded.
He grinned, satisfied. "Fine." He held up his hands in a gesture of forfeit.
She smiled, nestling herself against Phil. Her eyes wandered across the sky. She was happy; very happy. She felt like all her cares were up in the air… and then, down one came.
"Tomorrow's the day they come," she said suddenly, almost as if she were talking to herself. "Tonight is my last night as the only kid in the house."
Phil just took her hand. Interlocked, both their hands rested on Keely's lap. "For a little bit, at least," he added.
It was Thursday evening, and just as Keely's mom had predicted, Melody and her Uncle Bob would be getting in on Friday, just one day away. The week had basically been lots of preparation and mixed feelings. Keely had seen her mother ecstatic over the impending arrival of their family one day, and the next, stressed out over making sure everything was just right for when they got there. Her own emotions had been pretty similar.
As she sat on a blanket on the grass with Phil, she was thoughtful.
"I just can't stop wondering how it's going to be," she told him. "This past week, I've thought about it every day. It doesn't even seem like that big of a deal…that's why I feel so weird. I don't know if I'm worried or excited."
"Well, maybe it doesn't have as much to do with your family moving in as you think," Phil answered, suggesting that for the first time. "Maybe it's just…other stuff. Maybe you're stressed out over Via's party, or…"
Keely nodded. "My dad."
"Right." Phil wasn't sure how comfortable she was with people just bringing it up. He himself, although he couldn't say it to Keely, had also spent quite a bit of time thinking about her father. He, too, was meeting him for the first time. This man was half of Keely, a half he'd never known, but partially responsible for her very existence. Phil was "the boyfriend."
He tried not to think too much about it. He was the one who was supposed to make Keely feel better, after all. It wasn't just that he felt obligated to; he wanted it for her so badly.
"I dunno," Keely said, interrupting his bizarre thoughts. "You could be right." She held their clasped hands against her chest.
"I could?" he asked.
"Yeah. Via's party is supposed to be fun, but it's gonna take a lot of planning. She really wants to go all out. You know how much I love that kind of stuff, but…"
"I know," Phil replied.
"And then, well, you know the whole thing about my dad. It's kinda hard to explain..." She trailed off.
"I know it is, Keel." He hugged her tighter. "You don't have to."
She just took a deep breath. "Maybe the family moving in won't be as weird as I've thought," she decided. "To be honest, it's probably the least stressful event out of everything. Should I be excited, Phil?"
He nodded. "Yes, Keel," he confirmed. "Be excited." He smiled and nuzzled her hair with his nose.
"Excited," Keely repeated. "Yeah. I mean, hey, my cousin is a teenage girl. Heck, it should be awesome to have another one of those around in the house! I've never had a sister before…" Her heart fluttered with anticipation suddenly. Phil must think I'm crazy, she thought. One minute I'm worried, the next I'm thrilled…
However, she soon realized that she should know him better than that. "She's fourteen," Phil added positively, "and…you're sixteen. Okay, it's a couple of years' difference, but a teenage girl is a teenage girl…am I right, or am I just sounding stupid?"
Keely shook her head slowly. "No," she said finally. "No, you aren't. I think you've probably just made me feel a whole lot better." She turned to look at him. "Starting with how you devoted half your day to me today…" She grinned at the memories from just earlier that same day; the two of them swinging at the park, Phil picking her a dandelion bouquet, a few rounds of tennis at the courts, lounging outside as Phil listened intently to Keely playing her guitar, and of course, their goofy jellybean toss game. All of it was completely simple, something than any plain old 21st century-er could accomplish on their own, but as far as Keely was concerned, it was out of this world.
"…And I know you did it because you wanted to help me," she added. "Because you know me. You just…understand." She shrugged.
Phil smiled tenderly, wanting to explain to her how much she meant to him, knowing that with all of his super-futuristic education, he wouldn't be able to find exactly the right words.
"And I didn't think I was helping that much," he answered jokingly. He kissed her forehead. "You know why I did it," he whispered. She felt his breath against her brow.
The back porch light flicked on then, flooding Keely's face with light as he pulled away. Both of them turned abruptly, and saw Phil's mom through the glass of the back door. Seeing that she had their attention, she opened the door and leaned out.
"Are you two getting cold?" she asked.
Phil looked at Keely, then back at his mom. "A little," he admitted, realizing how dark it had gotten outside. Somehow, they hadn't noticed.
"Well, we made popcorn, and we're all going to watch a movie on TV," Barb said. "You can both come in and join us if you'd like." She smiled kindly.
"That sounds fun." Keely smiled. "You want to, Phil?"
"We shall." He stood up, grabbing her hand. Keely grabbed the blanket.
"You are ridiculous," she laughed. She leaned in close and added, "I love it." (A/N: So dorky, but such a classic.)
The movie was nice, enough so to get Keely's mind on one track for a little bit…until her cell phone buzzed in her pocket, and she removed it to find a text message waiting from Via.
"Oh, great," Phil heard her whisper.
"What?" he asked her quietly, examining her face.
She sighed. "Just Via," she said, smiling at little.
"The party?"
"Yeah." She began punching the buttons on her phone in response to Via. "I love her to death, Phil, don't get me wrong…" She just blew out a breath, which lifted her bangs off her forehead. Phil laughed and put his arm around her, pulling her closer.
"Laughter not permitted during the film, sir," Pim quipped, never removing her eyes from the screen.
Phil rolled his eyes, and Keely giggled. "Pim not permitted in this household," Phil retorted. "Oh, scraps. I forgot I don't have that authority." His mom threw a pillow at him. "Ow," he jumped. Barb just smiled.
"Be nice," she reminded him. "You too," she added to Pim, ruffling her hair.
"Everyone be nice, it's getting to the good part!" Lloyd jumped in.
Phil just rolled his eyes and sat back on the couch. He wasn't as focused on the movie as he was on Keely. Sure, during the past two and a half years he had spent a lot of time focused on her anyway, but he always paid a little more attention when he sensed something about her that she wasn't making obvious. He could practically see stress lines in her forehead now, even though every time she looked up at him, she smiled. He began playing gently with her hair, twisting it around his finger and running his fingers through it. He knew she liked that; she had told him before how she always loved when her mom had brushed through her hair when she was little. She relaxed noticeably after a moment.
Finally, she flipped her phone shut. "Well," she whispered, "at least Via has decided on the beach."
Phil nodded. "Well, then," he said brightly. "That cuts down decorations. What is she planning on decorating on a beach?"
Keely smiled. "You're so right," she said. "Phil…you're incredible." She beamed at him, leaning in to kiss his cheek without thinking. When she pulled away, both of their blissful expressions ceased for a second when they saw Pim, sitting on the other couch with her parents, fighting back a smile as hard as she could. And the movie wasn't funny.
They sat in silence, except for the other couch of Diffys' comments on the movie every so often.
Several minutes later, Keely's phone rang. "Oh," she said, pulling it out of her pocket. "It's my mom. Sorry, guys."
"That's all right." Barb smiled, and everyone continued to watch the movie as Keely took her call.
"Hey Mom," she greeted Mandy.
"Hi, jellybean. How are you?"
"I'm great. We're all watching a movie."
"Oooh, fun! I'm sorry to interrupt, but nugget, could you please be home by ten? Your uncle and cousin will be here tomorrow morning, so we need to be up and at 'em early!"
"Oh, right. Sure, I will." Keely traced the pattern on the couch cushion below her absentmindedly.
"Okay, sweetie. Do you need me to come and get you?"
"No, that's okay. I can walk. Nothing ever happens in Pickford." She and Phil exchanged a smile.
"Okay, only if you're sure, muffin. Tell the Diffys I say hi! I'll see you at ten o'clock!"
"I will. See ya then. Bye, Mom." She hung up, and back into her pocket went her phone.
"Mom says hi," she told everyone. She turned to Phil. "She also said I have to be home by ten. Have to be up early tomorrow." She shrugged. Phil understood.
"Okay," he said. "We have about a half an hour yet." He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Do you think you can stand the movie until then?"
She laughed. "Yes, I can. Now hush. It's getting to the good part." She smiled at him, and softly put her head down on his shoulder.
Ten o'clock came faster than they'd anticipated. Phil walked Keely to the front door.
"I can walk you home, Keel," he offered.
"Okay." She smiled. "Thank you, Phil."
"No problem. Hey, Mom, Dad, I'm gonna walk Keely home, okay?"
"Okay," Lloyd called back from the living room. He waved. "Thanks for coming over and watching the movie with us, kiddo." He smiled at Keely.
"Thank you for having me, Mr. Diffy," she replied. "You too, Mrs. Diffy."
"Sweetie, you know you can call us Barb and Lloyd, right?" Barb asked with a grin.
"Oh…um, okay," Keely said brightly, glancing at Phil. He just smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets. It was obviously something Keely would have to get used to, even having known the Diffys for nearly three years. "Well…goodnight, everyone," she said again, waving. "Goodnight, Pim." She smiled as Pim came back into the room.
"Later, Keely," Pim responded, picking up the empty popcorn bowl.
Keely looked impressed at Pim's usage of her actual name, which seemed to be happening a lot more since the last year. She turned to see Phil holding open the door for her, and she smiled. "Thank you," she said, as stepped out into the breezy summer evening.
The first half of the walk to Keely's was filled with happy conversation, even the slightest silence totally comfortable, as it was and always had been with the two of them. As they headed down Keely's street, Phil watched her face in the glow of the streetlights.
"What are you thinking?" he asked her gently.
She looked up at him, and he watched her bangs fall across her eye. He reached out and tucked them behind her ear.
"Change is good, right?" Keely asked him.
Phil just reached out and took her hand. He sometimes forgot that he could do that now, even after two months; he'd walked her home so many times during the years they were just best friends, and now, that was one of the few reminders that they were anything more.
(A/N- As in…they're still best, best friends and have the same great relationship they always did…they just kiss a lot more now. Lol.)
"Well, Keel," he responded. "About two years ago, my family got stranded in a century that was almost totally foreign to us, and we had no idea how long we'd have to stay." He paused for a moment, watching Keely think it over. "And now, here we are." He squeezed her hand. "What do you think?"
The smile on Keely's face grew until she was beaming, and she stopped right at the end of her front walk, turning to Phil.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," she told him, shaking her head. She looked as if there was something more she wanted to say,yet she couldn't do anything except smile. She finally threw her arms around his neck, holding him closely.
"This was meant to be."
Her voice was barely a whisper, but Phil heard. He rubbed her back, his hands finally coming to rest on the lower part.
"I couldn't see it happening any other way," he told her.
They pulled apart then, slowly, only because they had to. Mandy had the front porch light on, waiting for her daughter, and although she always allowed them a little leeway on time, it was already after ten.
Phil took her hand and walked her the rest of the way to her porch. He knew it wasn't necessary, but it was pleasant, saying goodnight under the glow of the porch light, like it was a first date all over again.
"Phil," Keely began as they stood outside her door, "why don't you come over tomorrow? You can, you know, meet the family." She grinned.
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Phil replied cheerfully. "I'll be here. Say, noon-ish?"
"All right." Keely nodded. "Well, then…goodnight, Phil. I'll see you tomorrow." She gave his hand a squeeze.
"Bye, Keel." He kissed her cheek, then her lips, softly and sweetly. He hugged her. Then, he was gone.
She stood on the porch for a moment, watching him go. When he turned around briefly, she blew him a kiss and waved. He waved back. "Go to bed!" he called to her, smiling.
……………..
Her arm numb and fatigued, Keely paused to give it a rest. Shaking it out, she sighed, then reached up to pull her golden waves of hair back into a ponytail.
The vacuum cleaner sat roaring in front of her, sucking up every last shard of dust or any other possible particles left in the carpet underneath it. Keely gazed around the guest room, looking for any last minute imperfection she may need to fix.
She checked her wrist watch. "Only ten?" she muttered. "I'd still be sleeping now." She sighed, shaking her head. Shutting off the vacuum cleaner, she pulled the plug from the wall.
Keep your head up, Keely, she told herself. If there was any time to abandon her bubbly personality, now was not it.
"Jellybean!" Her mother's voice came from the hallway, and there she was in the doorway. "Oh, the room looks wonderful, honey. You're quite the little housekeeper." She put her arm on Keely's shoulder, patting it.
"Thanks, Mom."
Mandy smiled. "Just so you know, we have less than an hour until they get here." She held her daughter's hand firmly in both of hers, giving it a shake. "Exciting, isn't it?"
"Yeah, less than an hour. Wow." Keely nodded. "Except…there's no way I can welcome them into our house looking like this." With mild disgust, she looked down at the polka dotted pajama pants and pink tank top she'd slept in, tugging at her loose ponytail.
Her mom, who was already freshened up for the day, smiled at her warmly. "You look beautiful in anything, nugget." She pinched her daughter's cheeks. Keely just giggled.
"Thanks, but 'anything' can wait for another day. I'm gonna go get ready."
After a shower and carefully considering her outfit, Keely was almost, maybe, sort of ready. In a breezy light blue sundress over jeans, she frantically did her hair, settling on braiding it to the side. At the last moment, she added a white sequin-covered scarf to it. Then there was makeup. She fumbled with her eyeliner, trying to apply it.
Why are my hands shaking? She wondered. Oh, Keely, get ahold of yourself. It's your family!
She finished her makeup, trying to ignore the increased flurries of butterflies in her stomach. Finally, she just sat there, looking around, thinking…
Change is good. Change is good. Change is good.
"Maybe it's not even your cousin moving in that you're worried about…"
She took a deep breath and nodded at her reflection. "This will be fun," she told it, smiling brightly. "It will. I promise."
She paused, a weirded-out expression forming on her face. "I'm talking to my reflection," she realized. Shaking her head, she stood up and left the room.
When she met her mom down in the living room, Mandy was on the phone. Keely looked around at their nearly impeccable house, realizing how funny it was that she and her mother had put so much into cleaning and preparing it. It was just the family, right? Would they care that much how it looked?
Keely, unsure of what else to do, sat down on the couch and began channel surfing as she listened to her mom's conversation.
"Have you passed the Pickford sign yet? You know, the one with the big tomato?" Mandy asked. "When you get past that, you know where to go, don't you?"
Keely looked at the clock on front of her cell phone, extremely tempted to call Phil right then.
"Okay! We'll see you in a few minutes!" Mandy chirped excitedly. She hung up the phone. "Oh, muffin, they're almost here!" She scurried around, dusting everything in sight, arranging all the pictures and knick knacks. Keely chuckled to herself. Finally, she stood.
"Anything else I can help you with, Mom?"
"No, no. I think everything looks good, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Anything look dusty to you? Out of order?"
"Nope."
"What about your school picture over there? Does the frame look crooked to you?"
"Mom, relax." Keely grabbed her mother by the shoulders. "It's Uncle Bob. Not the President."
Mandy smiled. "You're right," she said, sighing. "Thank you, sweetie. I'm losing my head here. Kind of silly, isn't it?"
Keely smiled. "Don't worry about it," she assured her. "I was, uh, kind of doing the same thing."
"You were?" Mandy asked her.
Keely shrugged, sheepishly. "Maybe," she said. "But it's okay now. I'm good. It's just that…"
Outside, the blaring of a horn cut Keely's sentence short. Mandy scurried over to the window, looking outside.
"They're here!" she announced.
Keely raced over behind her mother, peering outside to see a black SUV in the driveway. Her heart leapt.
She and Mandy hurried over to the front door, stopping just short of it. They faced one another.
"How do I look?" Mandy asked, running her hands over her hair and blouse.
"Great, Mom. Me?" Keely prompted, mirroring her mother.
"Beautiful. Now," Mandy announced, "let's go!" She grinned, instilling a new confidence and excitement in Keely. She threw open the front door, and with an arm around her daughter's back, the two of them stepped outside.
"Howdy ho, sis-in-law!" bellowed a warm, deep voice. It was as familiar to Keely as if she'd heard it for the last time just yesterday.
Mandy smiled excitedly, waving as she ran up to the source of the voice. "Robert!" she exclaimed, giving him a hug. Keely giggled as she watched her uncle tower at least several inches above her mom. He returned the hug warmly, nevertheless.
"How have you been?" he asked her. Keely stood back a little, smiling. Her Uncle Bob stood tall as he always had, except now that she herself was taller, he didn't seem like such a giant as she remembered. He had the same sandy colored hair, and as he removed his sunglasses, the same friendly blue eyes. Now, he just had more a little more stubble on his face, tanned from the dry Arizona sun. Behind him, another car door shut.
Mandy pulled away from her brother-in-law, still grinning. "Oh, we've been great. We're so glad you're here, Robert," she said. "How was your trip?"
"Oh, just fine. I have to say, though, people don't seem to be in any hurry around here." He chuckled. Then, he looked up to see Keely.
"Hi, Uncle Bob!" she said cheerfully, holding out her arms for a hug.
"Oh, my. Who is this?" he asked, seeming bewildered. "Mandy…she can't be yours, can she?"
Mandy just giggled. "That's my little Poptart, all right," she replied.
"Well, I'll be. Keely…the little girl with the blonde pigtails and the teddy bear she'd never part with? Look at you!" He pulled Keely into a hug, laughing. "I would hardly call her a 'little' Poptart, Mandy! Golly, she's a woman now!"
Keely felt herself blushing a bit. Her mother patted her arm. "She certainly is," she agreed.
"It's so nice to see you, Uncle Bob," Keely told him. "You… haven't gotten any shorter, that's for sure." She giggled.
"But I haven't gotten any taller, either," he remarked, tapping Keely on the nose. Just like her mother did, just like Phil did. He kissed her cheek. "Nice to see you, little woman. You're beautiful." He smiled. "And speaking of our little women…"
He stepped out of the way, turning to face the car. "Hey, Mellie," he called.
Keely suddenly remembered the car's other occupant, and the second door she had heard shut behind her uncle. She saw a movement behind the vehicle, and then, the back hood closed.
From around the back of the car stepped a teenage girl, weighted down by a large duffel bag. The first thing Keely noticed about her was her long, blonde hair, spilling down around her shoulders in waves, like a golden waterfall. It was pulled halfway back, leaving a couple of tendrils curling down around her face.
And she was very pretty; Keely noticed this next. Her heart-shaped face framed gorgeous, bright green eyes lined in brown eye pencil and long, curled lashes, the perfect button nose, and rosy lips. There was something very simple and all-American about her, but something striking all the same. She stood nearly as tall as Keely herself, and shared her petite figure, dressed in denim cutoff shorts and brown and white layered tank tops, the color setting off her summer tan.
She was definitely someone different from the little blonde-haired marshmallow thief Keely recalled from so many years ago…the one unchanged factor being the blonde hair.
"Here she is," Uncle Bob announced to Mandy and Keely. "My not-so-little Melody Amanda." He put an arm around his daughter, smiling proudly. She rolled her eyes.
"Thanks, Dad," she muttered, the smallest traces of a smile on her lips.
Mandy smiled, placing her hands on Melody's upper arms. "Oh, I can't believe this. It's so wonderful to see you again, sweetheart. Oh my, look how pretty you are!" She hugged her niece tightly after the exclamation similar to Robert's. "How do they grow up so fast?" she muttered.
Uncle Bob just laughed. "Can't figure it out myself, Mandy."
When Mandy and Melody separated, Mandy stepped out of the way, looking over at Keely. She put a hand on Keely's arm.
"Can you believe it's your cousin?" she asked excitedly.
Keely looked at Melody, and Melody looked at Keely. Both smiled, shyly at first. Something registered on Melody's face which Keely quickly tried to decipher.
She looked kind of…afraid. Maybe. Just for a second.
Keely grinned, as warmly as she could. "Hey, Melody," she said brightly. "It's awesome to see you again." She hoped she wasn't wearing out the phrase.
"Hey, Keely." Melody grinned, tucking some hair behind her ear. "You, too. It's been awhile."
Uncle Bob put his arm around Melody's shoulder, smiling. "It has," he agreed. "Too long. Luckily, we've got ourselves a while to catch up now." He chuckled. "Once again, Mandy, I can't thank you enough for doing this for us…it means the world…"
"Oh, Robert, don't worry a bit about it. You know we're more than excited to have you both here." She smiled. "Why don't we all head inside? It's getting awful hot out here…"
Keely turned to her cousin and uncle. "Do you need any help carrying in bags?"
"Sure, Keely. Thanks very much," her uncle responded.
"No problem." Keely walked around to the back of the car, opening the hood. Her mom followed. The interior was stuffed with bags and belongings, and she guessed that the rest had yet to come.
Looking at all of it, she felt a pang of sadness for Bob and Melody. But everything should work out now, she reminded herself quickly.
Change is good.
Inside the cool, air-conditioned house, Keely and Mandy set instantly to getting their family settled in. Keely helped carry their bags to the guest room, while Mandy got glasses of lemonade for everyone.
After a couple more trips outside, Keely noticed the bags piling up to quite a large amount within the room. At this rate, there was hardly walking space.
"You're well prepared, aren't you?" Mandy commented to her brother-in-law, gazing at all of their belongings.
"Yeah, I guess we did a good job of that, didn't we?" Uncle Bob smiled. He accepted the glass of lemonade from Mandy, quickly downing half of it. Melody thanked Mandy for hers, taking a few sips. Both she and her father looked tired from the drive…and on top of everything else, they seemed to be handling it quite well.
Keely took another look at all of their bags.
"Hey, Melody," she began. "Since you guys have so much stuff…you could take yours and stay in my room, if you wanted to."
Melody wiped her upper lip with her hand, then looked quickly from her father to Keely, as if surprised.
"Oh…really?" she responded. "O-okay. Thanks." Her face lit up in a smile that was part shy, part polite. It was funny; Keely never remembered her as being very shy. Then again, a lot had changed since then.
"No problem," Keely told her. "I'll help you move up there." She took a couple of the bags. "Right this way," she said cheerfully, leading her cousin towards the stairs.
Once upstairs, Keely kicked open her bedroom doorway, leading the way inside. Gently, she placed the bags down at the foot of her bed, then stood up, brushing her hands together. She turned to her cousin.
"So, uh," she began, motioning around with her hands. "My bedroom." She laughed. Melody did the same.
"It's cute," she told Keely. She began to gaze around. "Lots of pictures."
"Oh, yeah," Keely nodded. "I guess I'm into that."
Melody nodded, tugging at her necklace. "I had a lot of pictures back in my room in Tuscon, too," she said, her jade eyes trailing the walls. "Pictures of friends and stuff…"
Keely nodded, as a silence grew between them. She bit her lip, glancing at the far-off expression on Melody's face.
Oh, no, Keely thought. She must feel awful about that… What if that happened to me? What if…I had to leave Phil? What if I never knew when I'd see him again?
Oh, wait. That did almost happen.
Keely took a deep breath, suddenly very tempted to see him …but for right now, she was determined to make her cousin more comfortable in any way she could.
Her eyes fell onto the necklace that Melody was gently playing with. At the end of a delicate chain around her neck hung a glistening silver half-heart. Just a half. Perhaps subconsciously, Melody held onto it tightly as her eyes wandered.
"That's a neat necklace," Keely piped up. "Is that…half of a heart?"
Melody snapped out of it, looking at Keely, then down at her neck. "Oh, yeah," she replied, nodding. She looked down at it, giving it a tug. "I got it on my fourteenth birthday…from my mom. She has the other half. I don't ever take it off."
Keely swallowed hard. She remembered again, amidst all the excitement, why her uncle and cousin were here.
She pushed any thoughts that would dampen the mood out of her mind. "That's really cool," she told her cousin, genuinely.
Finally, Melody nodded. "Yeah," she said, her voice coming louder, more confidently. She tossed some bouncy hair back over her shoulder.
"So…you uh, wanna take a break from luggage carrying?" Keely suggested. "I could show you around the house, and then we could just…chill." She smiled.
Melody nodded. "Cool. Let's do it."
"Cool." Keely nodded. Silently, both of them left the cheery bedroom.
About forty-five minutes later, all four Teslows relaxed on the living room couches, lemonade in hand. Melody and Uncle Bob sat on the loveseat, and Keely and her mom took the couch. As Mandy and Bob discussed Pickford's bustling tomato industry, Keely and Melody sat quietly, listening in, at least halfway. For the better part of the discussion, Melody looked puzzled.
Trying to bite back her laughter, Keely suddenly felt a buzzing against her leg. She jumped, but quickly recognized the sensation as the vibrating of her cell phone. Quietly, she took it out of her pocket, and discovered a text message waiting from Phil. Her heart fluttered.
She discreetly flipped open her phone and read the message. 'Good morning, sunshine!' he'd written. 'Is the family there yet?'
She smiled, texting back quickly. As she did, she noticed the conversation turning over to the school subject.
"So Melody, you'll be starting at H.G. Wells Jr./Sr. High with Keely next month," Uncle Bob told his daughter.
"Junior-senior?" she asked. "Does that mean, like, little kids and older kids all mixed in with each other?"
"Kind of," Mandy explained. "The 'little kids' aren't really that little…seventh grade at youngest." She smiled. "It's just like a junior high and a high school all in one. Right, muffin?" she nudged Keely.
"Oh, yeah. Yep." Keely looked up quickly, smiling and nodding.
Melody nodded. "I see," she said indifferently. "Interesting." She twisted some hair around her finger contemplatively.
There was a short pause in the conversation, which Keely noticed as she hung up her phone. In less than ten minutes, she would get to see Phil again. She prayed for time to fly.
"Ooh!" Mandy said suddenly, as if she'd just remembered. "Is anyone hungry? I could make sandwiches, salad, anything you want."
"You know, a turkey sandwich does sound great right about now," Uncle Bob commented. "You hungry, Mellie?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, I could eat something," she replied.
"Oh, wonderful. I'll go and make us something. Muffin, what about you?" Mandy asked Keely, standing up.
"Sure, a sandwich sounds good. Thanks, Mom." She smiled.
Uncle Robert followed Mandy into the kitchen. As they left, Melody stood up. "I think I'm gonna go upstairs and unpack some of my stuff, if that's okay," she told Keely.
Keely smiled. "Oh, sure," she replied. "Go ahead."
Melody turned and made her exit. Keely sat back on the couch, sighing. After about a second of silence, her mom called to her from the kitchen. "Keely, sweetie, what do you want on your sandwich?" she asked.
Keely stood up. "I'll come and help you, Mom," she called.
Several minutes later, as Keely andher motherwere up to their elbows in lettuce and tomatoes and Uncle Bob inhaled his turkey sandwich, Melody came back into the kitchen.
"Hey, honey. Want a sandwich?" her dad asked her.
"Sure," she responded. "Do you have peanut butter and jelly?"
"Of course," Mandy grinned. "What's an American household without those?"
Amidst the buzz of the kitchen during lunchtime rush, the sound of the doorbell could all of a sudden be heard.
"I'll get— " Keely and Mandy began to say at the same time, stopping themselves when they realized that their hands were preoccupied with sandwich condiments. They looked at each other, then in towards the living room. Uncle Bob spoke up.
"Melody," he told his daughter through a half mouthful of sandwich, "since you're closest right now, sweetie, do you think you could get the door for your aunt and cousin…?"
Melodypaused for a beat, then shrugged. "Okay," she replied, smiling politely. Keely watched her walk into the living room, then glanced at her mother. Grabbing a dishtowel, she wiped down her hands.
In the entryway, Melody glanced out through the side window, but couldn't tell who was outside. Shrugging, she swung the door open.
Phil looked up as it opened, and his face broke into a smile. "Hey, Kee—" He stopped himself mid-sentence.
The blonde in the doorway gazed back at him, just as clueless as he was. After a moment, though, a small grin formed on her lips. "Hello," she greeted him, her smile growing. She crossed her arms over her chest.
Phil raised an eyebrow, his mouth hanging halfway open. "Um…" He shook his head, examining the girl who was grinning at him from Keely's front door.
Suddenly, it clicked.
"Ah!" he replied. "You must be the cousin. Keely's cousin. Right?"
She nodded. "That's me. And you…?" She smiled, leaning against the doorframe.
"I'm, uh—"
"Phil!" Keely's more familiar face appeared behind her cousin, and she smiled broadly. She looked back and forth from Melody to Phil, then laughed to herself.
"So, you've met my cousin Melody," she commented. "Come on in, Phil. Melody, this is…well, Phil." She smiled.
"I know," Melody replied, grinning at him.
"Nice to meet you, Melody," Phil told her, smiling and holding out his hand courteously.
Melody giggled, shaking it. "You too, Phil."
Keely saw the expression on her cousin's face, and glanced up at Phil, who raised his eyebrows discreetly. She cleared her throat.
"Phil…Phil's my boyfriend," she added, casually. "Slash best friend." Phil nodded in agreement.
Melody looked back and forth between the Phil and Keely. "Ohhhh." She nodded. "I get it." She smiled again. For the first time, Keely saw her cousin's full-out grin, which flashed two rows of perfectly straight white teeth. It was cute and very genuine, but now, Keely had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the situation.
"Aha," Melody said, snapping her fingers. "So you must be the guy in all the pictures in her room." She lightly jabbed her thumb towards Keely.
Phil looked over at Keely, then smiled, nodding. Keely nodded along with him.
"That'd be Phil."
Melody shrugged. "Well, that makes sense, 'cause she has more pictures of you than, like, anything." She laughed. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Phil. If you'll excuse me though, gotta go fill up on PB&J." She waved, then turned abruptly and made her exit, blonde waves bouncing behind her.
Keely and Phil exchanged a glance. Phil's eyes were wide, his eyebrows raised. Keely laughed, giving him a hug.
"She's…friendly," he concluded.
Keely grabbed him by the hand, smiling. "Well, no one said that was a bad thing," she told him.
"That must have been before 'no one' met my sister," Phil remarked.
Keely laughed. "Uh-oh," she replied. "Comparing my cousin to Pim?"
He paused. "Okay, you're right…that's not fair to her," he decided.
Keely hit him lightly in the stomach. "C'mon, goofball. Come meet her other half. And have a sandwich while you're at it."
……………….
Well, guys. This is sort of a difficult thing to do without explaining, since it's just in story form and not actually playing out on a screen, so that's what I'll do.
You've met Melody now, and like I've said before – first off, this is my idea of how a third season of Phil could end up working out so everyone is satisfied and nothing else has to get in the way of POTF being continued, and second, you'd "met" this character before you even read the chapter. How's that though, you wonder?
Take into consideration everything written about Melody Amanda Teslow. Some of you may get it now, but if you're still confused, go back and read some of the chapterover, and that might help.
The person I believe Melody to be is someone you know pretty well. 'Cuz if you know Alyson Michalka, you must know AJ:)
Got it?
Now, wouldn't it be nice if they could just do it like this?
Yeah, I thought so too, taking into consideration what they WANT to do.
Soooo, tell me what you think! I'm on a four day weekend now, so besides Easter, there's a little more time to write. Yayyyy yeahhh! Stick with me, guys! (As if you weren't already…I LOVE YOU FOR IT!)
Love,
ME