Chapter 8
By: blues-lover
A/N: Well I'm updating on account of my bribery in Protoman's little Kitten. This chapter you have Kawazoe Kazuma to thank for.
Mel stared up at the school building; her eyes were shifting about nervously. "What if they all look at me funny because I missed school?" she asked her navi.
"Mel, no one is going to look at you funny cause you missed a day of school. If it was a week then possibly but for a day you're being paranoid," Flow said rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.
"I know your right," Mel said sighing. "It's just how I think. I'm cautious."
"Mhm," Flow said quirking an eyebrow at her operator sarcastically.
Just then out of nowhere came Netto and his group of friends. "Hey Mel, we missed you yesterday. Where were you?" Meiru asked patting Mel on the shoulder.
"Umm, well I got um sick?" Mel's response sounded more like a question then an answer and she hoped Netto wouldn't say anything.
"Well were glad to see you're feeling better," Netto said smiling.
Mel gave Netto a grateful glance right before the bell rang. "Time for class," Yaito stated.
The group filed into the building hurriedly, they entered the classroom right before the late bell sounded. They all took their seats and awaited the arrival of their teacher. "Mariko-sensei is late?" Several children asked.
The door swung open revealing a disgruntled Mariko. "I'm sorry I'm late class, there was umm a umm…problem at the DMV I had to take care of."
The class stared at her as she hurriedly gathered her notes up into a neat pile, "So, umm," she noticed Mel at that point. "Oh good you're here today. I trust you have an admit excusing your absence?"
Mel turned a bright shade of red at the sudden attention, "Well, no actually."
Mariko frowned, "That's to bad, I hate to do this but I'm going to have to give you a detention."
Mel's eyes widened and she bit her lip, "Please don't give me a detention Mariko-sensei! Please, please, please!" Mel pleaded desperately.
Flow face palmed in her PET, "Mel now everyone is staring."
Mel blinked and noticed that everyone in the classroom had his or her eyes fixated on her. She turned an even darker shade of red and she slunk down as far in her seat as possible with out completely falling off. A few kids laughed at her and Mariko shook her head. "Pay attention class," Mariko said sternly, "The lesson is about to begin."
The class turned to there teacher alertly, "Hai, Mariko-sensei."
With that the teacher began her lesson, but when she turned to the black board the class broke out in whispered conversation about Mel's antics. "Mabey she's on drugs?" One pair suggested. "Or skipped class?" Another suggested.
Netto frowned as he watched Mel bury her head in her arms, "Or mabey she actually was sick and you all need to shut up!" He blurted, more loudly then intended.
Mariko turned around to face the class, "Netto you will be joining Mel in detention today."
"What!?" Netto said his face morphing in disbelief. "Didn't you hear what they were saying about her!?"
"No and since you are the only one who was caught then you will be the only one punished for speaking well I was conducting a lesson," Mariko said pulling out two pink sheets. She handed them to Netto and Mel, "Fill these out and report to this room after school."
Netto mumbled angrily, "Cranky witch."
Mel gave Netto a guilty look, her eyes were sad and Netto instantly knew that Mel thought it was her fault. He would have said something but at the moment he didn't want to tick off the grumpy teacher.
When the lunch bell rang Mel got up from her seat and left the classroom quickly before anyone could catch her. Meiru walked over to Netto who was currently trying to figure out which direction Mel went, "Netto, what was up with Mariko-sensei?"
"I don't know," Netto said taking attention to his pink haired friend. "She did say there was problems at the DMV. Have you ever been to the DMV?"
"No," the girl replied shaking her head.
"I went there once with Papa, it's pure hell Meiru-chan, pure hell. I can imagine why Mariko-sensei would be in a bad mood."
"Oh," Meiru said as the rest of the group formed.
"Are we going to lunch or what?" Dekao asked.
"I guess so," Meiru replied following the group as they headed down the hallway.
As they walked away Netto hesitated to follow, when he did start walking he managed to catch a small bit of a conversation being held by two of his fellow classmates, "Did you see that new girl?" one of them asked.
"Yeah she ran into me," the other said rubbing his shoulder.
"I wonder what her problem is. She's really freaky," the other replied.
"Who knows who cares, she's just some random weirdo. If you haven't noticed she barley knows any Japanese she's got everyone speaking in English."
"Pft. What ever lets just get to lunch before the lines are to long."
Netto stared after them in disbelief, Is this why Mel is so shy? Netto thought, Does this happen to her a lot? He shook his head and chased after the pair. He grabbed one of them by the shoulder and whirled him around, "Hey, which way did Mel go?"
The boy blinked and pointed down the hall. Netto then ran down the hall in that direction. He came to a large door. It looked much older then the rest of the school, it had a thin layer of dust on it and it's rustic wooden design was astonishingly different from the blue metal doors of the rest of the school. He pulled the door handle and it creaked open. The room inside was equally old looking. It resembled an old style classroom, it was extremely rundown and the light coming in through the windows revealed the dust floating in the air. He watched the particles float and mix for a moment and then his glance broke away as he ventured further into the room. "This must be an old room from before the renovations of the cyber age," he said to himself.
He heard a small thud and his ear twitched straining to find the source of the sound. The creaking of wood and the soft pad of footsteps came and was growing louder. Netto turned and saw a door on the other side of the room that he hadn't noticed before. He walked over and opened the door, he was greeted by Mel who had her hand where the doorknob had been seconds earlier. She had her other hand poised near her eye. "Mel?" he asked quietly, he mentally cursed his voice for coming out so weak.
Mel's eyes widened in horror and she quickly grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door shut. She made sure to lock it. Netto pounded on the door, "Hey come on! Mel it's just me."
"I'm sorry Netto," Mel said quietly.
"Oh come on just let me in," Netto whined.
"Aren't you mad at me?" Mel asked questioningly.
"Of course not, why would I be mad at you?" he asked stopping his consistent pounding of the door.
"You tried to stick up for me and it got you a detention," Mel said, her words filled with regret.
"No, Mel that wasn't you fault. My own mouth got me in trouble," Netto explained.
"But if I had remembered to get an admit then no one would have made fun of me and you wouldn't have had to stick up for me and you wouldn't have gotten a detention," Mel said trying to make it seem like her fault.
"Mel, no matter what you tell your self it isn't your fault and besides I don't mind getting a detention if it's for helping a friend," Netto said smiling. "Now will you please come out?"
The door clicked, signifying that the lock had been undone. Netto turned the knob and opened the door slowly. Mel stood on the other side of the doorframe. Her head was down and her bangs concealed her eyes. It was quiet for what seemed like an eternity but was actually only a few minutes, "You probably think I'm a little baby now?" Mel asked breaking the silence.
"No I don't," Netto said shaking his head, "But trying to put everything on your shoulders like you did now, you shouldn't do that."
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be," Netto said.
Mel looked up into Netto's eyes, his look was sincere and she couldn't understand it, "Why are you even trying with me? Sure we had fun this weekend I guess, but I don't see why you would want to be my friend. I'm weird, I can never tell if I am reacting the right way, people avoid me and make fun of me as you noticed today."
"It's just one bad day," Netto said quirking an eyebrow.
"No it's not. It happens every where I go. You know how I told you that I thought my mom was lying about the whole relatives' thing. I think she's lying because, this isn't the first time I've moved because of people issues. I move from place to place to get away from it. I think she left the country cause she thought that it would be different, but it isn't going to be and I know it," Mel said choking on her words as she spoke.
"Mel I," Netto sputtered.
"Please, Netto don't try to be my friend anymore. We can still work together as Netsavers, which is if I can even last at that, but just let me be alone. You probably think I'm over reacting but of course what would I know." Mel said, Netto could hear the hurt in her voice.
"Why do you feel like you need to distance yourself?" he asked, not willing to go down with out a fight.
The end-lunch bell rang out, sending an eerie echo through the room. The two stood across from each other, Netto waited for an answer. Mel breathed heavily, "Because I don't want to be happy."
With that she rushed past Netto bumping his shoulder as she went. He grunted and watched her run out of the dusty room, his eyes followed her until she was out of sight, he sighed sadly. Any other person would have given up and settled on resentment toward Mel but Netto wasn't any other person he was good hearted down to the core and seeing some one actually want to be miserable didn't deter him from his quest to help her. He exited the room deep in thought but not with out speed, he didn't want to be late for class.
The rest of the day went by in a haze and soon he found him self sitting in detention, Mel only feet away. He sighed and tried to concentrate on his work sheet Mariko had assigned. Once it was completed he would be allowed to leave. Next to him Mel arose from her seat and handed the sheet to Mariko who was sitting at her desk correcting assignments. The teacher took it and excused Mel from the room. Netto noticed this and scrambled hurriedly to finish his sheet. He filled in random answers and practically threw the worksheet at Mariko. He then flew out of the room at top speed trying to catch up with Mel. When he finally found her she was sitting under a shady tree talking with her navi. He crept up close and tried to hear what they were saying.
"Mel why did you do that to Netto!? Your one chance at real friendship and what do you do!? You tell him basically to bugger off!" Flow practically screamed at her operator.
"Leave me alone Flow!" Mel yelled back at the navi.
"No not till you give me an answer!" The navi cried stubbornly.
"Because I've decided to give up okay! I give up, on school, on friends, on everything. I don't want to try anymore, it's not worth it, haven't you learned that yet!? Everywhere I go, they don't want me so I'm not going to try anymore," Mel yelled at her navi, before Flow could respond she pressed the off button on the PET and the screen went blank.
"Mel," Netto said hesitantly approaching the shaking girl.
Mel whipped her head around toward Netto and glared at him, "What do you want?"
Her words were bitter and icy. They stung on Netto's ears but he continued to advance on her, "I heard what you said. You shouldn't give up."
"What do you know?" Mel shot back.
"More then you know," Netto said sitting beside Mel. "I felt the same way when I lost Rockman."
Mel's eyes widened and her intense sense of empathy took over, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"It's okay," Netto said reassuringly. "When I lost him, I heavily considered giving up as well and from what you've told me you've been through quite a bit your self, but giving up is never the answer. You have to understand that if you give up you've let the world beat you. You don't want to say they've beat you, you want to say that you beat the odds and came out on top."
Mel starred at Netto for a moment. She watched the cool breeze blow his hair around his face and she smiled. "Will you forgive me Netto? For everything I said? Can we start over?" She asked.
"Of course, what are friends for?" Netto said giving Mel a cocky grin.
"Yeah."
A/N: Hey what do you know I'm actually taking this story somewhere. Amazing eh? I'm not sure if there is a plot line but in my mind there is if you can't see it though I don't blame ya. So if you like it review please. I might be discontinuing this story for my own reasons. If I get some reviews I might keep this story up but don't hold your breath.