Lost In Purple

Chapter 24: Bad News With A Hint Of Hopelessness

Melanie's POV

"Melanie!" Mike yells from the bottom of the Scaring School steps while waving his arm violently.

"Huh? Oh hey Mike!" I respond while waving back.

He lunges up the stairs with his backpack slamming against his back that make audible thuds with each stride. I'm actually surprised that his beat up MU hat hasn't been pushed off of his perfectly rounded head onto the ground. "I just want to thank you for studying with Randy and I the other day. It was nice to study with someone new for a change," Mike says with a smile and looking at me with that big eye of his.

"Oh, sure…no problem. If anything I should be thanking you though. You weren't lying when you said you mastered all of the scare techniques. I desperately needed that practice for the final," I respond.

Mike laughs softly and his eyes drift to his left. "Well I am somewhat of a Scaring genius, so I'll gladly accept that thanks and cherish it eternally," Mike retorts boastfully.

I laugh back at that comment as we enter the Scaring School. While I do know he's an academic prodigy, I don't really know much about the reason why he's decided to study so diligently, so I ask him about it. "Have you always wanted to be a Scarer? I've come to notice that the best Scarers chose to become professional Scarers after a school trip or something like that."

"You guessed correctly! I ended up meeting the legendary Frank McCay…under unfortunate circumstances…b-but he's the sole reason why I wanted to scare, and I'll do whatever it takes to become one honorably and honestly to be just like him!" Mike replies.

We find ourselves in front of our lecture hall and open the doors to Knights amphitheater classroom. Mike scrambles to help hold the door open for me which is very nice of him. "Thank you," I say.

Mike puts his free hand on his hip and smiles at me before I stand next to him within the classroom. "By the way Melanie, the techniques you practiced weren't how they were taught in class. Where did you learn to perform them like that?" Mike questions.

"Oh…I got some pointers from some of my friends in higher level scaring classes. They told me that there are many ways to perform scares, where some are less…awkward to perform if you tweak them in ways like I did," I explain feeling embarrassed.

Mike puts an index finger and thumb under his chin and looks to the ground as if he was deep in thought. "Hmm. Cool. Just be careful, I've heard that the grading for this final is one of the strictest. I wouldn't want you getting in trouble for scaring effectively but in an unorthodox way," He mentions.

"Yeah, I've heard that as well," I respond.

"Alright, well, maybe I'll see you at the library again soon. If you also need anymore help, all you have to do is ask the future best Scarer ever," Mike offers.

I chuckle and stroll down the aisle to take my seat next to Bruiser. I like his enthusiasm. "Thanks Mike," I say while waving goodbye.

I take my seat next to Bruiser like I usually do, but think about what Johnny said the morning I studied at the RORs. I remember he referred to Mike (supposedly) as a green beach ball, and I wonder if they have some sort of rivalry with each other as well. I hate how I'm getting caught up in all this drama recently, it's really making me feel exhausted. After coming back to my senses and conversing with Bruiser a little, Professor Knight receives all our attention and begins class. "Good morning students! It is with great pleasure, to tell you all, that we will not be learning anything more for the remainder of the semester. For the next few weeks, you will all be practicing and studying for your final exam or catching up with any material you may be shaky on or missed."

We have a couple weeks to study? I'll gladly take that considering that I've had almost no confidence this last week in passing the exam. Pretty much my entire life is dependent on me passing, so it's probably for the better that I use this time to become a satisfactory Scarer.

"We will also be having our normal floor instructions at least twice a week, so you'd better show up for all of them if you wish to pass," Professor Knight continues.

Many of the monsters in class start talking amongst themselves quietly like they did at the beginning of the semester when Dean Hardscrabble introduced herself. I still get creeped out just envisioning what she looks like in my head. The fact that she's a centipede mixed with a bat is really unsettling. "While we still might be a couple of weeks away from the final exam, do remember that we have a cumulative written test just beforehand, so I suggest studying for that today. It's also my pleasure to introduce Dean Hardscrabble back into the class today. We will be individually meeting with a few of you to discuss your performance in class and whether or not we believe you'll move on," Professor Knight announces.

Oh god, that figures. Why do I feel like they're going to talk with me? If they do, I would bet it's because they haven't been seeing good results in my actual scaring. This past month has proven that I'm book smart but not…'scare' smart or street smart. Professor Knight let's us all study with each other and he starts calling people up to his desk placed right in the center of the stone floor. About half the time, the monsters who are called up come back with smiles on their face, and I can occasionally pick up sentences that refer to the monster being an advanced Scarer and are given opportunities to take their careers further. The other half come back with depressed looks, probably because they're told they most likely won't be moving on in the Scaring Program.

Bruiser and I study together diligently up until the last few minutes of class when I hear my name get called by Professor Knight.

Bruiser pats my arm. "It'll be ok Miss Melanie, just know that we'll be there to help you if things aren't looking good," Bruiser consoles.

I smile lightly as I stand up and shimmy my way to the nearest aisle that I can walk down. I keep my head down, but can feel the stares hit the sides and back of my head when I reach the cement floor. When I finally reach Professor Knights desk, Dean Hardscrabble crawls close to the both of us which sends shivers down my spine. "Now… Miss Everett," Professor Knight sighs while adjusting his glasses, "I've been struggling to decide what to do with you."

"What Professor Knight means to say, is that we do not believe you'll move on in the Scaring Program," Dean Hardscrabble bluntly interrupts.

I feel my heart drop and I feel myself start to shake uncontrollably out of fear. "Miss Everett you've done very well at learning the material, what it means, and how to use it. However, I don't know if I can confidently say that you'll be able to succeed on an actual scare floor," Professor Knight explains.

Dean Hardscrabble stands tall and takes a short breath in. "Normally I would recommend monsters like you to drop out of the program as soon as possible, but Professor Knight still wants to give you a chance. While I believe we shouldn't waste any more time on you, it is thought that there might still be some potential yet to show itself," she says monotonously.

"S-so you want me to take the final exam?" I ask.

"Simply because your grades say that you can do it. I would like to guess that your nerves were getting the best of you when I was observing you, so I'm hoping that an actual proctored scare will prove us wrong about your abilities," Professor Knight responds.

Before I'm able to depressingly say thank you and move on to studying and practicing at a more intense pace, Hardscrabble interrupts once more. "Miss Everett, do keep in mind that this program is only for those who are able to elicit fright amongst some of the most dangerous beings the monster world has come across, not for those who are timid. It has become very apparent over the past few months that you are nothing short of timid and incapable of thinking on your feet. So, do think hard about what you're going to do these next few weeks. If I were you, I would take this chance to drop out before you disappoint those you know. "

I look down at the ground and nod my head. Professor Knight dismisses me and I head back up to Bruiser, only to hear the dismissal bell ring.

"Is everything ok?" Bruiser asks as I take all my notes and place them in my backpack.

"No."

Johnny's POV

"No. I'm…I'm done. If he can't out scare that little green beach ball, then I don't want him. If he's that upset about that green know-it-all being better than him, then he should have taken scaring seriously," I storm.

"I'm with you all the way Señor. He's not the same person he was at the beginning of the semester," Javier replies while reading his book.

"But Johnny, he's a Sullivan. We can't kick him out just like that. He has to completely bomb his final for this to be justifiable," Chip counters.

"Chip…dude…seriously? You can't be possibly siding with him right now," I grunt after placing my fingers between my eyes.

Chip shakes his head before saying, "I'm not Johnny. What I'm saying is, if we just drop him, we'll lose all credibility and we'll be seen as the fraternity who kicked out the son of a legend. Our perspective on what 'failing' is has to change for this certain case."

Javier sighs and looks up to me while uncrossing his legs. The fireplace shines brightly next to him and his pink eyes glow in the dim light. "Chip, mi amigo, there's no credibility to lose. He's lazier than a baby, has awful grades, can't even perform more than one kind of scare, barely shows his face to his fraternity brothers, only focuses on hooking up with young women, shows no amount of respect or care when talking to people. Do I need to continue?"

Chip stays silent for a couple seconds before inhaling sharply. "Ok, you got me there, but do you really think people won't talk about this? Do you really think this is the only option we have?"

"Yes! Chip, he's UNBEARABLE! Not to mention, he's an atrociously disappointing Scarer! If anything he's the one ruining our credibility!" I bark.

"Ok, fine, I trust you," Chip says throwing his hands up in the air and backing away from the two of us.

I sigh, still feeling a hint of regret. However, I'm certain things will be better with him gone. Before I can say anything else I hear the front door open and see Bruiser and Melanie enter. I don't get to see Melanie for more than five seconds as she heads up the stairs and leaves bathing in my own confusion. Bruiser lightly jogs over to the three of us and twitches violently after the small amount of exertion he underwent. "Miss Melanie's a little upset today so I told her to go to your room Johnny," Bruiser pants.

"What?! What happened?" I interrogate.

"…Uuuuuuhhhhh…I don't know if she would want me to say," Bruiser says with a dumb look on his face.

"Wh- what does that mean?!" I growl in frustration. My rage keeps building because I don't ever want Melanie to feel upset for any reason, ever. She doesn't deserve to feel this way, and the fact that it's happening so often infuriates me.

"I-uh, I just don't want to embarrass her," Bruiser panics, "I told her that I would send you up to talk with her."

I take a deep breath and exhale audibly. "Alright. Thanks Bruiser. I'm sorry for getting angry, I'll buy you lunch some other day to make it up to you." Bruiser gets visibly excited when I take my strides over to the staircases and climb them. I turn left and head then right in order to go down the left hallway, and arrive at my room.

Before I open the door I hear sniffling and slight whimpering which sends me into a protective overdrive. "Mel…" I whisper while running to the bedside.

I see a teardrop run down her face as she turns her her head to me. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to make you worry again," Melanie sniffles.

I grab her legs, lift her up into my lap, and say, "What happened Mel?"

"…Hardscrabble and Professor Knight don't think I'll move on in the Scaring Program. They recommend that I drop out," Melanie replies while holding back her tears.

A wave of fear and confusion crashes into me. She has perfect grades and a passionate desire to become a Scarer, she was even accepted with open arms into the program. How is it that they've lost all hope for her before the final? "It's that bad?!" I ask with wide eyes.

Melanie nods and shrivels up into a ball. I take my hand and wipe her tears away which makes her look up at me. "Everything's going to be alright Mel, I promise you. I'll drop everything just so you and I can practice together. It'll be priority number one," I affirm.

Melanie puts her palm against her eyes and tilts her head back in distress. "Please don't…don't waste your t-time on me John. It's my fault that I can't do it," she sobs. There she goes putting my well-being over herself.

"How could I be wasting my time on you?" I question softly.

Melanie inhales very sharply and painfully and speaks. "Y-you're the best Scarer on campus. I'm just…some dumb freshman who can't reach your level. How would that be productive?"

Her father's words replay in my mind. She'll also put everyone's needs above hers and hurt herself in order for them to succeed…it's fatal in her situation. I feel a mixture of fear and anger clash within my head, but I'm able to instantly construct a firm thought within my head. "Melanie, stop!" I berate while grabbing her right hand. She recoils slightly and finally calms down enough to breathe steadily. "When will you understand that your best is far better than you imagine? That you're worthy of being the best."

Melanie looks away and tries her best to suppress her sorrows. She trembles every few seconds and lets out semi-shaky exhales that nearly start her crying all over again. "Melanie you've told me countless times that you have nothing to offer anyone. That you're living in a world where you feel like you're drowning under the fear of being shut down by others. That nobody will come to save you when you fall victim to the endless pain from what others expect or say of you."

She puts her hands on my chest and rests her head against like when we were under Troll Bridge a little while ago. "This is your chance to change all of that. To change how people see you, but more importantly how you see yourself. Why would you give up on yourself, especially now?" I ask.

Melanie stays silent and tries her best not to move, clearly staring into nothingness. While I do want her to realize that she's worthy of a scaring position, I don't want to push her too far at this moment. She obviously needs some time to think things through more seriously, because I want her to follow closely behind me for our careers' entirety.

"Listen, I know it doesn't seem like anything's going to change, but I'm willing to work with you for as long as you need me to. I would hate to see you walk out of this house knowing that your fears got the better of you. For now, I'll leave you be and think things over. If you need me, I'll be downstairs," I conclude. I move her onto my bed and throw my blankets over her. She shoves her head into my pillow and curls up into a ball once again. I slowly walk to my door and keep my eyes on her until I close it completely. With an empty mind, I find my way downstairs and crash onto one of our red velvet couches and rest my elbow on the right arm, and put my head on my fist to look at the fireplace and angrily ponder. Her nervousness must have been the cause of all this. She self conscious about how she looks when scaring, she's mortified of letting all of us down, and she's scared of finding out what will happen if she doesn't become a Scarer. I wish there was a way to make things easier for her.

"Señor? Is Miss Everett alright?" Javier asks.

"No. Hardscrabble told her that she most likely won't make it further in the Scaring Program, and she feels like giving up," I sigh.

"What? Even though I knew she needed some help, I thought she was doing fine," Javier spouts.

"That's what I thought too, but she's been hiding it from us in order to not disappoint us. I'm trying to convince her to let us teach her everyday after school…she deserves it after everything she done for us," I reply.

Javier refrains from speaking and stares at the floor intensely. "…I'll help if you need me to Señor. Things have been better around her since we all met her."

I take my head off my fist and stand up from the couch. "Do you think we should encourage her to use her paranormal scares? That might be the only way to change Hardscrabble's mind," I ask.

"Mmmmm, Yes and no. While it might help her in certain situations, it's possible that they will fail her amigo. We both know that they need to be able to confidently say that she can perform all the basic scares," Javier answers monotonously.

"Grrrr… why did this have to happen to Melanie. Of all the people in her class, it had to be her," I growl.

Javier interrupts my rage induced thinking with a terrifyingly calm demeanor. "Johnny, I suggest staying strong and staying calm at a time like this. Not only do you have your own exams to worry about, you also cant afford to feel hopeless along with her. Nothing will change if you act this way,"

"Damn it Jav, you know that's going to be difficult for me, I mean she's literally crying in my room right now," I counter while throwing my arms in the direction of my room out of frustration.

"I'd recommend getting used to it amigo, she doesn't have an easy life like you do. In fact nobody does," Javier replies.

Why do I feel like Javier is trying to imply that I don't have hardships of my own? "Ok Jav, being me isn't all sunshine and lollipops you know," I respond defensively.

"I know. I'm just saying that there are some things that can't be fixed with money or promises, especially in Miss Everett's case," Javier mentions.

I groan somewhat loudly. "Never did I think I would be worrying about a freshman during my senior year of college."

"Yeah that's your own fault. Whether you like it or not, you've made it clear that you love her more than anything else in the world, so you had better pull through for her sake," Javier retorts.

The door bell rings just before I'm able to say anything else in regards to this conversation. Javier turns around and says, "I'll get it for you Señor."

I thank him and watch as he saunters over to the door. I'm shocked that he doesn't feel rushed considering the doorbell gets rung aggressively for the last five seconds because the door hasn't been opened. When the door swings open, Javier gets pushed to the side by a large red monster with horns who I consider to be my father.

"You should really be quicker answering that door bug boy, some people have important things to talk about," Dad growls while stomping towards me.

I see Javier scowl after regaining his balance. He straightens out his ROR jersey and then reaches for the door to close it.

"Can you not degrade my best friend please," I interject.

Dad keeps stomping towards me with his hands behind his back. The fires glow makes him look like he's ascended from the darkest circle of hell, which forces me to feel even more afraid than usual. "I can call him whatever I want Jonathan. He not even close to being the kind of Scarer you are anyways so I don't know why you care," He growls.

He's clearly prepared to argue with me about his 'hierarchical' philosophy, which I despise with every inch of being, so I try to change the subject. "Are you here just to be an ass or are you here for something else?"

"Don't give me attitude boy, you know I won't tolerate it for even a second," Dad says pointing his finger at me.

"Then why are you barging into the house like you own it?" I ask.

"I basically do considering it's my money that pays for the electricity, gas, and water. It's starting to seem like you need to learn a lesson about money. Perhaps, I should take away your inheritance," He threatens.

"Ugh… not this again," I sigh while putting my fingers in between my eyes.

A creepy smile runs across his face as he begins speaking. "Then how about you listen to what I have to say? I swore I taught you better than to just sweep people under the rug like they're trash." Yeah, that's definitely not hypocritical. He totally didn't just sweep Javier under the rug like as if he were some sort of servant or slave. I just look at him in the eyes and let him continue as he sits down on the couch opposite of me and puts his feet up on the coffee table. I really can't believe people think I'm like this because I'm way better than this.

"I came to see if you're planning on applying for some internships next semester. There's some positions opening up at both Fear Co and Monsters Inc," Dad wonders.

"You know… I'm really preoccupied with the fraternity, of which you expected me to join, along with my Scaring Thesis and Scaring 401 classes. Top that off with the normal process of applying for jobs, and soon the Scare Games, so I think you'll find your answer to that quite easily," I explain in frustration. I really wish my Dad would just let me live my life the way I want to, but I guess that's wrong in his eyes.

He growls at my response and glares deeply into my soul. "I wasn't joking when I last spoke to you. You had better start thinking about your future as a Worthington. I will not tolerate you if you become nothing more than an insignificant Scarer at some small energy provider."

"That's not going to happen, but thanks for proving to me that I'm still not enough for you," I mutter.

Dad takes his feet off of the coffee table and stands up. He points his claw at me and bares his teeth while saying, "What did I say about giving me attitude!"

I sigh once again and look at him in the eye while crossing my arms. "Sorry sir."

"I'm serious Jonathan, I will not hire you if you're just another mediocre Scarer on the scare floors! We have enough of those already! Not to mention that many scream factories are hiring Scarers as door technicians because of how absolutely terrible they are at scaring," He hisses. My mind immediately goes to Melanie's dad and I nearly go berserk. However, I'm able to subdue my hostile feelings and pretend that I never heard that leave my father's mouth. I would bet my life that Ronan's a tremendous Scarer, nothing more nothing less.

I return to reality and see Javier and Chip out of the corner of my left eye. Their eavesdropping on our conversation over by the stairs with their brows furrowed. "I'm done babying you Jonathan, so you had better shape up or you'll lose everything I've graciously set up for you," Dad lectures further. I grit my teeth when that comment processes through my mind. He says he's been 'babying' me, but out of the 23 years of my life, he's barely been a father at all. Everyone else has told me about their happy memories with their parents, and more specifically memories with their fathers, but I don't have any since he's more worried about the state of his scaring factories than me.

"Yes sir," I say defeated.

"Good, I see you're thinking like an adult now. Like I've told you since your were little, the Worthington reputation means everything and you will not let anyone be better than you no matter the cost. even if it means giving up on this fraternity," He continues.

"Yes sir," I repeat.

Dad smiles slightly as he puts his hands behind his back. "Now that we're on the same page, I should also ask, are you still dating that diva of a reptile?"

"…No, I broke up with her a few days after Halloween," I lie.

"Thank god, we don't need you ruining the family bloodline," He mumbles, "I should set you up with Hank Knapps' daughter, or maybe even Carl Johnson's daughter. They both have class don't you think?" He suggests.

"Not interested," I say with no hesitation.

"Well you had better start thinking about it. I'm tired of hearing that you're dating some random broad every few months," He nags.

"Yeah yeah, I know," I reply waving my hand with disinterest.

"Hmph, moody today aren't we?" He growls.

Man, we're only noticing that now? Just how much does he not care about me to not pick that up after the first few sentences he said to me? "Yep, instead of being productive I had to listen to you criticize my life for the thousandth time. I'm honestly tired of it and wish you wouldn't bother me," I growl back.

His eyebrows furrow and he turns towards the front door. "Then I guess I'll wait even longer for you to give me your respect."

He stomps to the front door, opens it, and slams it shut, leaving Javier and Chip staring at the door. I stand up and power walk to the staircase which gives them both the golden opportunity to speak up. "You broke up with Melanie?" Chip asks as I find myself on the second floor.

"Nope, I lied," I respond.

"You're not actually going to leave ROR are you?" Javier follows up.

"No, I lied about that as well," I reassure.

I find myself walking down the hallway to my room once again and open my door. When look inside, I see Melanie sleeping, and my frustration turn into calmness. I'll prove to him that she's worthy of being mine. He won't ever take her away from me, because my life's ends if that happens.