Lost In Purple
Chapter 21: A Dismal Afternoon
Melanie's POV
It's November now. All the Halloween decorations from campus have sadly been taken down and the campus looks super empty and borderline boring now. The trees are still changing to orange and dark reds, and flooding the campus with a sheet of crunchiness that brings us all small shreds of happiness. Speaking of happiness, the weather has been fairly radiant. Everyday has been clear skies and a bright sunrise ever since the Fall Formal that I'm still swooning over.
I've been seeing Johnny everyday at the ROR house, just lounging around, drawing, reading, the whole nine yards. I never would have thought that the house was that fancy and relaxing after the intense partying they do, but I'm glad that I was proved wrong in that regard. For the first two weeks of November, it's really just been Johnny and I enjoying each other's company while keeping up with our scaring studies. I plan on helping them study for their classes later today, which also reminds me that I planned to study with Randall and Mike later this month, so I'm going to be busy touching up on all my scaring techniques. As for now, Bruiser and I are in class ready to participate in the monthly class practice we have. Professor Knight walks up and down the line we've all created, and individually instructs us all how we are to improve our face positioning and standing. He hobbles over to observe Bruiser and his technique progress with narrowed eyes. He carefully watches as Bruiser roars mightily, screeches squeakily, and moves maliciously.
"That's some prodigious progress Reginald. I hope you bring that energy to the final exam next month," Professor Knight applauds.
He then hobbles over to me skeptically and audibly sighs. "Let's try this again Miss Everett."
He instructs me to perform every single technique that I hate with all of my being. I awkwardly growl and snarl, and lose my balance for the ones that force me to bend my body in uncomfortable ways. We eventually get to the scares like the Ogre Slump and the Dominant Silverback Gorilla and I can't help but feel humiliated.
"I suggest spending some more time practicing these with Reginald. You're lacking commitment to perform these techniques and look stiff when enacting them," Professor Knight criticizes. He then leans in and quietly says, "Please see me during office hours if the need arises."
He limps further down the line to instructs the other monsters, leaving me feeling embarrassed to be in front of the class. Everyone keeps their eyes on Professor Knight but I keep my eyes down on the floor mortified.
"It's ok Miss Melanie, we still have some time before the final," Bruiser whispers.
My motivation tanks and I feel like I've lost all sorts of enthusiasm for scaring in general. If I can't do these simple techniques, how will I learn how to do the rest in the harder classes?
My thinking is interrupted by Mike and his flawless performance of all the scaring techniques that I just failed in front of everyone. He's able to make the facial expressions that I feel embarrassed to make, and bends his limbs with ease when performing the techniques. Yeah, it's probably a good idea to study with him sometime so I can catch up with everyone.
"That is some remarkable improvement Michael," says Professor Knight as he moves on to Sullivan who's standing right next to him.
Sullivan growls softly when he puts his claws up in the air. Yeah… you haven't done that the 3 other times we've done this. Even though I just got humiliated, that was more embarrassing.
"One frightening face does not a Scarer make, Mr. Sullivan," says Professor Knight. Yikes, he's even more unimpressed for him than he was for me.
Sullivan puts his arms down with a discouraged look. Mike then brings his hands up and makes finger guns followed with a tongue click. They obviously have some sort of rivalry going on that I don't really want to get involved with so I'm just going to ignore that. The rest of class revolves around Professor Knights individual coaching which drags on, because he spent almost no time with me. I'm hoping that doesn't mean he's given up on me or something, but I try to find that thin amount of confidence that's still within me to continue. We're dismissed and I walk down the stairs feeling inconsolable.
"I promise you that you'll be fine Miss Melanie. You've made it clear that those scares aren't your…uh…forte, but there's always room for other scares," Bruiser consoles.
"I know, I'll figure it out," I respond.
"What will you figure out?"
It's Johnny standing at the bottom of the stairs with his arms crossed and a smile across his face.
I stutter and can't find the words for the life of me. I get the feeling that if he hears I'm not doing well, I'll get some sort of disappointed lecture from him since he's been expecting me to get A's all throughout the semester. I don't want him to lower his expectations or think differently about me.
"Is everything alright Mel?" He adds while his smile disappears.
"Um…not…not really," I reply.
Johnny looks over to Bruiser, leans down to him, and whispers something to him. Bruiser then trots off to the cafeteria like he always does. Johnny takes my hand and we start walking in the direction of the ROR house like the past few days. After the Fall Formal he's been coming to see me after class and take some back to spend time with me before going to his classes. I love that he does that.
"What happened?" He asks with a fatherly tone.
"I-I'm just not doing as well as I'd like to with my scaring techniques," I disclose with a sigh.
"What? I thought you were doing fine in class," Johnny divulges.
"Yeah…I thought so too," I reply.
"Well don't worry, you know 3 of the best Scarers on campus who will stop at nothing to help you catch up. Why don't we all help you after our classes," Johnny suggests.
What Professor Knight said to me finally sets in. My best wasn't enough, and the only way to pass is to become someone I'm not, which I'm physically incapable of doing.
"I guess you can try… I just don't know if anything's going to change," I counter.
Johnny notices my somber expression. He lets go of my hand and puts his arm around me. "I believe in you. We'll also be here to make sure you pass. Please, don't worry about anything Mel, I know you can do it."
I hug him as we take our short hike to Frat Row. I feel his warmth against my side which feels amazing, and his fur also makes a really good cushion or pillow because of how soft it is. I smile when I think about how Johnny is just one giant teddy monster.
"There we go, there's that smile," Johnny says while rubbing my side.
"Thanks John," I mumble after laughing softly.
We continue walking towards the eastern part of campus and enjoy the weather, as well as the scenery. Many monsters pass by us and attempt to start conversation from with Johnny but he cuts them short and keeps walking. I secretly appreciate that because I don't want to stand and listen to whatever these monsters want to talk about; I really couldn't care less about what they have to say. We even walk past Percy down the street of Frat Row, and he gives us both dirty looks when he makes eye contact with us. Johnny just growls and holds me tightly until we're a solid 50 feet apart.
We finally reach the house and enter it. Johnny takes a seat on one of the red couches in front of the fireplace as I place my backpack and handbag down next to the coffee table. He picks up a thick book off of the coffee table and opens it to one of the pages near the middle. Before he can start reading I slide underneath his arms, sit on his lap perpendicular to his body, and rest my head underneath his jaw. I can hear the low and deep purrs generate within his chest when I put my arms around his head and scratch around his horns which makes my heart flutter.
"I know I'm irresistible and everything, but I wasn't expecting this when seeing you today," Johnny quips.
I remain quiet and just close my eyes while sharply exhaling. Johnny leans down and gives me a kiss on the top of my head which makes me smile uncontrollably. He proceeds to reach under my legs and pull me up so that he can cross one of his legs and place me comfortably back into his lap. The last thing I remember before drifting off to sleep was seeing him find his place within his book and dissecting the story within.
I wake up to hear a loud thud and then Johnny growling deeply. The vibrations that usually calm me down cause me to react out of fear. I push myself up off of Johnny and see Javier and Sullivan standing in front of the other red couch.
"God damn it Sulley, I told you to be QUIET!" Johnny growls intensely.
"Why are you mad? You had to get up anyways," Sullivan retorts while taking out his phone.
Johnny looks down to me with a worried look and grabs my hands while Javier scolds Sullivan. "Are you alright Mel?"
"Uh…yeah. I...just...thought somebody shot you," I respond groggily.
"Grrrr…Sulley sat down and caused the couch to tip back and slam back down," Johnny mutters.
"It's fine as long as you're ok," I yawn while still feeling my heart thumping against my ribcage.
Johnny stands up while releasing my hands and adjusting his sweater.
"I have to go to class, so I have to leave you here. You can stay here if you want," Johnny grunts, "As for you big blue, you and I will talk about this later."
"Sure. I'll be there," Sullivan says with a careless smile on his face. Yeah, he literally didn't care that I was sleeping.
"Mel, you can take your stuff up to my room and continue sleeping up there," Johnny directs.
"Or she could stay down here and have some fun. Just saying," Sullivan adds with a shrug and creepy smile.
Johnny snaps back and nearly bares his teeth. "Or you could keep your mouth shut and let her sleep like a normal person."
Sullivan rolls his eyes and leans his head behind the couch. "Man what happened to you guys, you all used to be fun," he groans.
"What happened to being one of the best Scarers on campus? Like seriously, stop trying to coerce Melanie to participate in your idiocy," Johnny growls while stomping off towards the front door with a couple of notebooks. Sullivan clearly wasn't expecting that either since he looks at Johnny like he struck a nerve.
Javier follows him towards the front door and watches Johnny exit. He puts two fingers up to his eyes and points them back at Sullivan, implying that he's watching him. Sullivan's eyebrows furrow as he gets lost in thought for a couple seconds. He then spreads his legs out and throws both of his arms over the couch.
"I don't understand how you like him more than me? How do you deal with him?" He asks.
"I just do," I reply monotonously while rubbing my eyes.
"Come on, you won't even give me a chance," Sullivan remarks.
"Sorry, don't know what to tell you," I reply while standing up and grabbing my stuff.
I walk towards the front door and hear Sullivan speak. "Where you going? I thought we were all studying!"
"We are, when everyone comes back from class," I respond with another yawn.
I hear him groan again but this time it had more power and longevity. It figures that he would act like a child. I'm going to assume that he won't be around when they all get back, and he's going to go to some party somewhere instead. Rather than leaving the house, I look back to Sullivan and turn to the left staircase when he's not paying attention. I sneak up the stairs and stealthily walk down to the end of the hallway to Johnny's room. With a swift opening of the door and soft closing of the door, I throw my belongings onto his desk chair and jump onto his gargantuan bed of red and yellow. I grab his pillow and bury my face into it, only to then inhale deeply and smell the lavender scent of his fur. Even though he's gone for only a couple hours, my canine nature kicks in and it makes me miss him. I close my eyes once more and quickly drift off into sleep.
I feel a hand move up and down my back as I slowly open my eyes that are buried in a pillow. I move my head over the pillow and place it on top of it to show off my drowsiness to the world, but I'm greeted with the sight of Johnny laying in the bed next to me. It's weird to see him not wearing his sweater though.
"J-John?" I whisper while not completely awake.
He growls when he hears his name and turns his head to me. He looks tired too.
"It's not your day either is it?" I ask.
He crawls up closer to me and throws his arm around me. I feel his tail partially twist around my leg and his head presses against mine. "I've never wanted to leave class so badly before," he sighs.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could've been there to make it more fun for you," I sympathize.
"Me too," he yawns.
I look over him to see that it's 4:10 PM which means everyone's back from their classes and are probably getting ready to study like we planned. "Should we get ready to study with everyone?" I question while stretching my legs.
"No. I told them we'll do it later this week. I can't be bothered with any of their bullshit tonight," Johnny responds deeply.
I lay back down with a small smile and start rubbing Johnny's fluffy chest. He starts purring and smiles with me.
"I really wasn't expecting you to be so 'touchy' today. I like it," He chuckles.
"It's the only thing that's made me happy today," I reply while staring off into space.
Johnny closes his eyes and drowsily lays with me. I don't know why but it almost feels like a dream come true seeing him like this. He shifts onto his stomach and wraps his arm around his pillow while facing towards me. He looks so handsome even when he's tired. His back muscles are prominently visible and the spikes that run along the back of his tail make him look fierce.
My phone starts ringing and causes Johnny to furrow his brows. He growls as he pushes the front half of his body upwards.
"Why is nothing going right for us today?" Johnny pouts.
I laugh at him because he sounds like a child about to throw a temper tantrum. He looks at me like he's fed up with the world and wishes he could just be left alone for all eternity.
"That's just how life is…oh boy, it's my Mom," I answer.
Johnny's expression changes from anger to worrisome. I wonder if he thinks it's a bad thing that my Mom is calling me since I know he doesn't have the best relationship with his parents. I hit the green button that's popped up on my phone and hold it up to my ear. "Hello?"
"Melanie! How are you?!" Mom asks.
"Oh, I'm…fine. I just woke up from a nap so I'm a little tired," I chuckle.
"You were taking a nap? Since when do you take naps?" Mom playfully questions.
"Since today I guess. Things have been kind of crazy recently and I just couldn't keep up," I respond while grabbing my hair and pulling it back with one hand.
I hear my moms tone change to a very motherly tone. "Aww, I'm sorry Mel. May I ask what kinds of crazy things have happened? I don't want to have to worry about you."
I look over to Johnny who's just looking at me and paying attention to my conversation with her. "Um… well… we had midterms about two weeks ago so that was stressful."
"Oh yes, your father knows about those all to well," Mom laughs.
"Yeah, I'm sure he'd have some sort of PTSD attack hearing those words," I reply while laughing back.
"What else? Anything fun?" Mom asks.
"Well… Faust and I kind of got into a fight and he's refusing to talk to me now. Or I guess I'm refusing to ta- I don't know it's complicated," I explain.
My mom sounds worried, which is funny since she said she didn't want to worry. I guess that's just how mothers work, they worry for a living. "I thought you two were best friends though. Has he changed, or moved on?" She interrogates.
"I would say both. He joined a fraternity last year and they have this rivalry going on with another fraternity that I got caught up in, and now, he wants nothing to do with me," I clarify.
I can just see my Moms face when she asks, "You got caught up in a fraternity rivalry? Don't tell me you've been drinking or doing drugs or something."
I look over to see Johnny with his signature cocky smile. "No I haven't been drinking or doing drugs." Johnny rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He must be thinking about how corny this conversation is. "I met Faust's fraternity rivals and they happen to be fancy, rich boys that take their scaring seriously unlike Faust's," I reply bittersweetly.
"Ok good. I was worried that I would've had to talk to your father but it doesn't seem like that's necessary. Do you know these boys? Or did they just happen to ruin your friendship?" Mom questions further.
"Oh…no, don't worry, I know them. I actually…um…went to the school's fall formal with one of them," I admit slowly.
My mom gasps and speaks excitedly. "YOU WENT TO A DANCE WITH SOMEONE! MELANIE IM SO PROUD OF YOOOOOOOUUUU!"
Johnny snickers and then starts laughing uncontrollably. I feel my ears lower and my face turn red.
"When can your father and I meet him?!" Mom questions. I just reply by quickly saying, "Um… whenever you want as long we're not in class."
"Then why don't you come over for dinner with him. I know we might not meet his 'fancy' expectations, but your father and I would love to see you again regardless. It feels like it's been so long," Mom suggests.
"Um, sure I'll come by. I'll just have to ask him if he's alright with going all the way back down there." I reply.
Mom seems to finally calm down a little and breathe. "Ok, that's fine. How about you arrive in about an hour?"
"Ok, I'll see you then," I agree.
"Yay! See you then! Love you Mel!" Mom concludes.
"Love you too, bye," I say before hanging up and throwing my phone to the floor. I lay back down onto the bed and use both of my forearms to cover my eyes. That couldn't have been more embarrassing.
"Everything alright princess?" Johnny asks with an eyebrow raised and a large grin.
"Yeah… my Mom wants you and I to go over for dinner." I briefly explain.
"Oh? I love to," Johnny smiles.
To Be Continued…