Lost In Purple
Chapter 15: New Friends, New Memories
Johnnys POV
"Señor her midterms are today. You only have a few more days to ask so I'd hurry up if I were you," Javier says while reading a book on the couch.
I pace back and forth in front of the fireplace with my hands behind my back. With every passing second I can feel my sanity slowly slipping away from me.
"But what if she says no Jav? If she says no I'm going to lose it," I growl.
"Welcome to every other guys life," Javier responds condescendingly.
I turn my head in surprise. Javier's lifeless eyes are focusing relentlessly to the words on the pages. "What?" I say.
Javier looks up to me with a cold stare and closes his book in frustration. "Tenía razón, eres un niño rico," Javier mumbles rapidly, "Unlike you, every other guy has had to go through this since high school. So suck it up."
I growl to myself. How could such a small little freshman make me feel this way? At first I thought she'd be another one of those stupid flings, but now I feel differently.
"Jesuchristo! Go tell her now before someone like Sullivan beats you to it. Seriously Señor, it's been weeks since you said you would do this!" Javier hisses before getting from the couch and shoving me towards the front door.
"Alright, alright, I'm going. I just… can you please go with me Jav? I can't do this alone," I beg.
Javier sighs in disappointment but then shows me a genuine smile. "Fine Johnny, you know I'll always be there for you. Just promise me you'll treat her right. She's sensitive and pure of heart. Many guys would kill for someone like her."
"Thank you," I groan in relief. I would probably find a way to forget for the third time if he wasn't there. I was supposed to ask when she and I took that walk around campus, and I was supposed to ask that day when we talked to Professor King about her headaches. I just couldn't find the opportunity or courage to ask.
"Come on Señor. She should be getting ready for class, so we'll have to run," Javier predicts.
I nod and sprint out the door with Javier. The sky is clear and the air is warm for a late October day. I hope everything will go smoothly and I that I won't embarrass myself. God, I can't believe people go through this all the time because I've never felt like this in my life. It feels dreadful.
The run through campus feels refreshing, considering the amount of stress I've felt this month. The leaves on the trees have all become incredibly loose and the roads are lined in orange. With every movement, Javier and I sweep a trail of orange into the air with the addition of satisfying crunches beneath our feet. I wish it could be like this forever. Before I know it Javier and I arrive at the Dormitory panting heavily. I remember the days we spent in this building dreaming about our careers as Scarers and wanting to join the RORs. I think we only ended up spending 3 months in the dorms before moving out and never looking back.
"You ready Señor?" Javier asks before taking me out of my daydream.
"Y-yeah. I'm sorry that I'm bothering you with this," I say.
Javier puts his hands behind his back and stands tall like the prince he is. "Señor, you couldn't possibly bother me with this. If anything, I'm a little surprised to see you like this since you have never felt this way about someone before, but I know you'll be happier once you get this over with."
Just before I open the doors, they swing open and reveal Melanie who stops dead in her tracks. Her hair is beautifully straightened and she's wearing a black dress that drops down to just above her knees. She's also wearing that cropped black cardigan she loves so much along with her black converse. God she looks amazing.
"Hey horns. Hey Javier. What are you two doing over here?" She asks, still a little upset about last week. I hated it when she called me that by that nickname too, but now I couldn't care less if she did.
I freeze up and feel my heart rate rise. I suddenly have a hard time breathing and have that thought in the back of my mind to just run away. Luckily I'm able to think about what I should say fast enough.
"Sorry I didn't want to keep you from going to class but… uh…" I hesitate trying to keep my cool.
I look over to Javier and discreetly shoo him away. He sees my signal without breaking eye contact with me, and walks down the steps and towards one of the grassy fields in front of the Scaring School. I clear my throat before continuing.
"I was wondering if you'd like to… go to the Fall Formal with me?" I ask putting my hand to the back of my head.
Melanie looks at me with wide eyes and surprise. "O-oh. I…I don't really… I mean," she stutters in embarrassment.
"Look Mel, I just wanted to ask because I've loved spending time with you recently. I feel like I can be myself around you which isn't the case for any ol' monster. But before you answer, I also want you to think about what you want. I don't want you to say yes just so that I'll be happy, I want you to be happy with your decision," I admit.
Melanie looks down to the ground and holds onto the straps of her backpack in embarrassment. "I… normally wouldn't, but I… I think I'll give it a shot," Melanie blushes.
"You will?" I ask feeling a weight be lifted off my shoulders.
"Yeah. Just don't be surprised if it turns out to be a boring night, I haven't been to these kinds of events before so I can't say you'll have a whole lot of fun when going with me," She answers.
Little does she know that I'm absolutely ecstatic right now.
"You going with me is enough freshman," I say with a huge smile that I can't suppress. "Oh and I'm sure you're going to be needing this," I add while taking out my credit card from inside my sweater, "Feel free to buy a dress of your choice. It's on me."
Melanie grabs my credit card and looks over it. "You trust me with this?" She asks.
"I'd trust you with anything," I respond with a wink. I mean that sincerely. I know she's the kind of person who I can rely on.
"Ok… I'll try not to disappoint you," Melanie replies with an embarrassed smile.
"Don't worry about it freshman, I'll make sure we have a good time regardless."
Melanie's POV
Johnny puffs out his chest as he says that. His eyes are closed and he's wearing that dumb, cocky grin of his. There's this tingling sensation that I feel within my stomach as I put his credit card within my handbag for safe keeping. I didn't think I would be asked to go to a dance again, let alone be asked by Johnny. I figured he would be going with one of the more richer, and scarier girls on campus. My guess would have been one of the PNK girls or some random girl from one of his super advanced, senior classes.
I feel a couple of tears begin to develop within my eyes when I look back up to see Johnny smiling confidently at me. I don't know why someone like him would even bother with me. I couldn't imagine someone who's rich, confident, and strong would choose a small, timid, and weak wolf like me. I catch Johnny off-guard once again by embracing him. I dig my head into his chest and hear his heartbeat that increases with every second. He hugs me back and sets his well defined jaw atop my head. He holds me tightly, and I couldn't feel happier.
We stay like that for a minute until Johnny loosens his grip and looks down to me. "Alright go to class princess. Can't have you being late for your midterm. I expect an A+ from you ok."
"Ok," I sniffle.
"Come on now, there's no crying in scaring. There's only room for a beautifully strong and smart lady like yourself," Johnny soothes.
I wipe my eyes as Johnny pushes me lightly down the steps. I wave goodbye to him and run through the empty grass fields towards class remembering that this midterm I'm about to take is 40% of my grade. I open my phone to see that I have five more minutes until class starts. Nice. As much as I want to be excited for the Fall Formal, I have to focus on this midterm for now.
I climb the steps and throw myself into the classroom where almost everyone has taken their seats. I see Bruiser twitching in his seat a lot more than usual, so I can only assume he's a little nervous. He's going to be joining the RORs officially at the end of the semester so I think he's trying to keep his grades as high as possible.
I sit down next to him and hug his right arm. "You'll do fine Bruiser, I know you will."
"Hehehe, thanks Miss Melanie," he responds by hugging me back.
Right as he lets go, Professor Knight starts class and explains the basic rules for test taking at MU. All eyes are to stay on our own papers, no phones or textbooks may be used, and cheating of any kind will give us an F and a report to the MU Ethics Center within the University Hall. Pretty standard if you ask me.
Once Professor Knight is done explaining everything he can, we're able to begin.
First question, Child Toxicity can cause major damage to various organs which can lead to the lethality of the entire body. Name this syndrome. That's obviously the first answer which is Acute Dermal Exposure, of which is measured in mg/kg of the monsters body weight. The other two answers aren't even real things.
Second Question, When confronted with an adolescent human new dangers arise within the attainment of Scream Energy. What is a Scarers best response to the above situation? That's the third answer which is to abandon the scare and return to the Scare Floor. It would be suicide to do literally anything else.
Third question, All scare techniques are based on the various primal fears of humans. What is the basis of the Zombie Slouch? That would be the first answer which is the fear of the living dead. I almost laugh out loud when I read the third answer. Sharks? Who would answer that.
Fourth Question, A child that is afraid of thunder but not lightning will respond to a scare tailored toward tonitrophobia. What scare technique should be used on a child afraid of Thunder and Clowns? Oof, trick question. Many students might say a Seasonal Creep and Crawl since you could get away with a thunderous roar with it, but the third answer is correct. An Oleaginous Roar with a Howling Sad Face.
Fifth Question, True or False. Human Toxicity is Treatable. Easy. That's true, and thank god for that.
Sixth Question, If a combination of scares fails to produce the desired level of scream from a child a Scarer should…? The first two answers just sound dumb. So I choose the third answer which is to 'Note the child's response and research scare techniques.'
Cool that's the first page done. Seventh Question, A scarer enters a door, and a human child is already awake and visibly scared. What is the reason for this? I choose the second answer, Noctiphobia/Nyctophobia.
Eighth Question, How might a Scarer generate more Scream Energy from human children? I choose the third answer, Ambience, since we talked about these at the beginning of the semester. These could range from thumps and bumps, scratching, or interacting with various objects that can generate some noise.
The test continues for another 40 questions and I turn it in. I see a majority of the class is still working and realize that the midterm might have been too easy for me. Bruiser, Mike, and Randall also finish at the same time and turn their tests in with me. We all must have studied enough for it to be that fast, like I don't even think it's been a half an hour. Since we've been given the permission to leave class for the day, we all silently escape the harrowing environment and congregate at the top of the stairs. Mike and Randall compose themselves for a couple seconds until Mike opens his mouth to speak.
"Hey Melanie! We should study together for the final exam soon," Mike offers.
I think I forgot to mention that I studied with Mike in the library a couple days ago and we had a really good time. For a monster who seems like he spends most of his time staring at books, he's very charming and entertaining. Also, did he just say three? Is he ignoring Bruiser, who just so happened to finish just as quickly?
"Oh sure, I'll see what my schedule looks like next month and we'll find a time," I respond.
"Is there anything in particular you might be having trouble with?" Mike asks.
Well I have been having struggles performing some scare techniques. I'm lucky that all of the technique practices we've had in class were participation points because I wouldn't have an A in the class if they weren't. "I'm not very good at some of the scare techniques, so I guess that's a good place to start," I answer.
"Oh? I can say that I've become a master at every technique we've learned about this semester, so are there any specific ones you need help with?" Mike boasts.
"It's the Primal scares. The Ogre Slump, Zombie Snarl, the Dominant Silverback Gorilla, all of those really weird ones nobody really wants to use," I sigh.
"Oh that's perfect then! I've been trying to perfect those for our practice session next month, so I'll make sure we work on those," Mike says as a matter fact.
"Ok! I'll try to make some time a little later then. There's a lot of things on my plate as of recently, so I'll deal with all of those first," I agree.
Mike makes sure he has all of his belongings and starts jogging away with Randall. "Sounds good! See ya around Melanie!"
"Bye!" I yell.
I look over to Bruiser. He's emotionlessly watching Mike and Randall jog back to the Dormitory. It looks like they're studying again, which is just insane considering the next big test (a.k.a the Final Exam) is not until early December so I don't know why they're worried about it right now.
"They're crazy," Bruiser mumbles.
"If they want to scare, they can scare. Don't know what else to tell you Bruisy," I add.
"Meh, you're right. Don't care. Anyways, do you want to go over to the RORs with me? Javier is making lunch today, and I'll tell you right now, he's suuuuuch a good cook," Bruiser drools.
"Really? What's he making?" I ask while crossing my arms.
Bruisers eyes go wide. "Uuuuuh… I don't remember what it's called. But please trust me Miss Melanie, it's sooooo good!" He begs.
"Hmm. Ok I'm interested," I reply.
Bruiser cheerfully laughs and grabs my wrist. We soar through the campus and towards Frat Row which makes me think that I'll be going down there a lot more often. It's awesome seeing Bruiser waddle through campus like a little child who's just been called in for dinner. He happily pants as we serpentine through the sidewalks and into Frat Row, but I slow down once the ROR house is within 20 feet and watch as Bruiser rings the doorbell.
Javier answers and lets us inside. Bruiser joyfully hops over to the dining table where Chet and Chip are already waiting, while I walk with Javier into the kitchen.
"Bruiser said you're making lunch today?" I inquire.
"Sí. I occasionally do when I'm not feeling stressed," Javier answers.
I guess this shouldn't be startling since Javier has this butler vibe. He has control over everything that happens in this house whether there's a party or not, and he makes sure to display royal etiquette when conversing with people. "What are you planning on making?" I question.
"Alambre de Res, dama de la Luna, It's a recipe I learned to make from my mother when I was a boy," Javier reveals.
"What is it? I've never heard of it," I admit while watching him take out a skillet from one of the counter cabinets and setting it on the oventop.
"It's a popular dish my mother learned from her family down in Hexico. It's a mixture of grilled beef, bacon, bell peppers, onions, and cheese. You then put it on tortillas, with the addition of rice or beans. I personally prefer rice so we're going to do that," Javier explains.
"Bruiser was right that does sound good," I giggle.
"Oh Señor Jacobs talked about it?" Javier asks.
"Yeah, he was basically drooling onto the Scaring Schools staircase. I wouldn't be surprised if he drooled on me when running over here as well," I reply laughing.
"Well at least that's two more people who appreciate my art," Javier beams.
"I'm just glad your not serving spoiled food," I add.
"Yes, Johnny told me you are Spoiled Food Intolerant. Almost all of us don't really enjoy spoiled food though, so you're safe with us. The only one who really tolerates it is Bruiser," Javier explains. He takes out a couple knifes and two chopping boards. Lunch is definitely about to be made professionally!
I take my position next to Javier. He has me chop up a couple medium-sized sirloin steaks into half inch cubes along with cutting strips of bacon into half inch strips. I throw them onto the skillet and cook both for around 7 minutes on high heat. Javier takes a sharp knife and carefully dices the onions and bell peppers while the meats are cooking. Once all the ingredients are ready, we throw them into a large bowl and mix them with salt, pepper, and melted mozzarella cheese.
"I'll just add some lime juice over it all, and we're done," Javier mentions.
I take a deep whiff of the Alambre. I've never had it before and I can tell it's going to be heavenly. I made sure to cook the beef and bacon a little bit more so that's it's a bit more tender. So here's to hoping that I didn't ruin the dish. I take out a bunch of tortillas and throw them onto some intricately designed porcelain plates that could only be described as expensive. Javier and I make everyone their fair shares of the meal and prepare to take them out to everyone. I hear everyone talking in the dining room before Javier stops me.
"Here, start with Johnny, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you," he whispers.
I give him a big smile and walk out to the dining room. There's a large, thick ebony wood table with matching chairs. They all have swirly carvings etched on the legs and back rests. A red and yellow rug is placed underneath all of it along with red and yellow curtains that droop over the windows. There's a colossal chandelier overhanging the table and two red tulips within a glass flower vase right in the center of the table.
I walk up behind Johnny, who's seated at the end of the table facing away from the kitchen, and reach around him to set down the food.
"Thank y-, Melanie?" He gasps. He twists his body and has trouble deciding whether or not he should stand up.
"Hi," I say with a wave.
"When did you- p-please don't tell me you made lunch?" He says with a worried look.
"I did with Javier. You know I can't believe you force him to do that all by himself," I jest.
Javier walks around me with two servings of Alambre in his hands. He sets both of them down, one going to Chip and the other going to Chet. "I wouldn't say forced. If I weren't here feeding these babies, they would be either starving or fat off of ramen noodles and chips," He elucidates.
"Oop, you've been exposed," I joke while putting a hand over my mouth and shift my body weight to my side.
Everyone starts laughing while Johnny stares at me while smiling. "Whatever, I just want to know what you're doing here," He says while crossing his arms and legs.
"Bruiser said Javier was making lunch and that his cooking is incredible. It intrigued me, so I came over and wanted to help him make lunch for you boys," I clarify seriously.
Javier comes out of the kitchen once more and places down two more servings of Alambre for Bruiser and I. "She cooked pretty much everything Señor. I'm confident she'll out perform me since she's quite the impressive chef."
"Oh we'll see about that! Nobody's been able to beat Javier, ever!" Johnny teases.
"Mmmmmm, I'd be careful saying that horns. One thing you rich kids haven't been able to experience is food that's cooked lovingly by a poverty stricken monster. I've been learning how to cook since I was born, from a mother who's known throughout the neighborhood as 'The Gourmet Goddess,'" I brag while putting a hand up to my chest.
Chip and Chet look at me with excitement while Bruiser looks entranced.
"It's true Señor. Homemade traditional cooks are almost always better," Javier critiques with a grin on his face and a bite taken out of a tortilla.
"That can't be true," Johnny interposes with a cocky smile. He's such a smartass.
I take a spoon, scoop the Alambre into a tortilla, and shove it into Johnny's jaw. He grumbles angrily for a second before freezing. His pupils expand almost like a cats and probably goes through this whole dreamlike sequence wondering where this food was his whole life. Bruiser, Chet, and Chip all rush to take a bite and the same thing happens to them.
"Miss Melanieeee… can you make food for us every day?" Bruiser asks innocently while chewing slowly.
I let out a weak laugh. "Sure if you want me to. All I'll need are ingredients and I'll come up with something," I respond.
Everyone starts enjoying their meal. I take a bite out of my own supervised creation and feel the meat squish smoothly within my mouth. The bell peppers provide a slight spice and the lime juice creates a lovely sweetness. The cheese also provides a wondrous amount of flavor. Yeah Bruiser was right, this is pretty good.
It only takes all of us ten minutes to finish and the boys are all talking about various things. Johnny chooses to ignore them and talks to me instead.
"I'll admit Mel, that was probably the best meal I've ever had. I've eaten at some of the best rated restaurants in the world, and they had nothing on your cooking," Johnny evaluates.
"Thank you. I've never really cooked for anyone before, aside from my parents, so that means a lot," I smile.
"Seriously, you would have done very well in the culinary program," Johnny says putting his arms on the table and leaning forward.
"Yeah, unfortunately I wouldn't have met you guys if I did so, I'm glad that didn't happen," I reply while taking out a strip of mint gum from my handbag and tossing it into my mouth.
"Mmm, good point," Johnny mumbles with his smile vanishing.
Chip, Chet, and Bruiser all stand up to leave the dining room. Javier gently gathers their plates and takes them into the kitchen, leaving Johnny and I alone.
"Have you been doing ok Mel? I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries this morning, or make you feel overwhelmed," Johnny questions.
I feel myself get a little stressed. I really never thought I would lose Faust as a friend but ever since that happened, I've been starting to feel like I belong somewhere. That somewhere being here at the ROR house with Johnny and Javier. I just know I'll have to keep that a secret because I don't want everyone to worry about me. All this fraternity stuff is also a big change foe me, so it's probably for the best not to rush into it.
"Not really. I've been feeling kind of hopeless and helpless ever since last week," I reveal. My ears lower as I grab my tail and start playing with it to cope with my sadness. "As for this morning, I don't really mind. I've never really been to a dance before so I'm kind of excited to see what it's like."
Johnny growls to himself. "It'll get better, I'll make sure of it," he adds.
Javier comes back into the dining room and reminds Johnny that his classes starts in a couple hours. He thanks Javier, who then bows to me. "Gracias Miss Everett, for your hospitality. I hope to cook with you again soon."
I smile at him and watch as he disappears into the house. "I think I should head back to my dorm," I sigh.
"Are you sure? You can stay around here as long as you'd like," Johnny offers.
"It's ok. I need to prepare myself for the Fall Formal anyways," I respond wrapping my arms around Johnny's neck.