Lost In Purple

Chapter 46: Confessions

Melanie's POV

Laying low has been fine. It's really just been Johnny and I going to class and then racing home so we can sleep some more. If we had no energy to even walk anymore, we would just go to my room and spend the rest of the day there, but if we were able to walk those couple extra steps, we'd go to Johnny's. With every day that's passed, I find it to be more difficult to fall asleep without him draped over me like a cloak. One of these days, I won't be able to function correctly without him around and that honestly scares me. Aside from my lethargy, life has become somewhat polarizing as well because everyone on Frat Row has become divided on the topic of me scaring those security guards at Fear Tech last week. I've been hiding from everyone since then because I don't want to deal with anyone over exaggerating the situation. If I were that poor security guard, I would've ran off screaming as well. It's not like monsters are conditioned to not be scared either, so I don't see why people like Johnny make it out to be one of the greatest achievements ever. I don't know, maybe I just don't understand the magnitude of the situation and what it means to unironically scare a monster. Monsters like the HSS and PNK have put on me some sort of pedestal that I don't want to be on, and then there's Gamma Roar Roar and Chi Phi Argma who think the entire experience was fabricated and unlikely. However, I'm glad that the JOX don't know anything and they pretend like it nothing even happened. They deny that they asked the Fear Tech frats to vandalize the houses too, which is just all around suspicious considering that they're the only ones who did they affected by that.

Anyways, it's another day of normality. Johnny and I took our walk to the Scaring School and we parted ways so that we could attend our classes. I sit there bored out of my mind because I find the material easy, but everyone else seems to think otherwise. I'm also starting to feel the chronic pains of being a basic college student that attempt to keep you from waking up in the morning and walking or traveling to class. All I want to do is be happy with Johnny, but of course, life has to come in and MESS ALL OF THAT UP! With every passing day, it's also been more difficult to not come clean and talk about what happened. I never wanted to do something illegal, and keeping it a secret feels like a disease that is slowly eating away at me. All these feelings remain within me up until everyone's dismissed, leaving me exhausted and wanting to go back home.

"Miss Everett, I would like to talk with you before you go," Professor King announces as everyone begins talking and taking the short trek out of the lecture hall.

I secretly start panicking because whenever Professor King needs to 'talk after class' it's always something bad. Like seriously for the past few weeks, the people who had to talk to him end up never coming back to class. God damn it, I really don't want to go through all of this for a second time! I pack up all my things and take a stand, feeling my legs quake after they fell asleep several times this class period. I can feel my back ache as well because of how bad my posture has been lately. If I could just get a job already, and live without all this stress, I would do that. With a slow walk over to the Professors desk, I slightly cower in fear, hoping I don't share a similar fate as the others.

"I'm just going to cut to the chase, Miss Everett, and say that I've been…worried about you," Professor King sighs while putting together a few stack of paperwork, "I've been hearing some things in my other classes that are concerning... and not just about you but also Mr. Worthington, Miss Williams, and Mr. Rios."

I can just tell that Carrie's gaze hits the back of my skull, and my heart feels like it's about to implode and I feel a little nauseous. "W-what did they say?" I ask.

The Professor takes a pen and starts writing on one of the pages that lay on his desk. "Well, I just want to know if all of this talk about you is affecting you. I can see that you're acting different, you're increasingly apathetic and noticeably more irritable. I've noticed that you also didn't aced your last two assignments, which is odd."

"Oh, no, I'm doing fine, just... tired," I counter while putting my hand on my elbow.

The Professor doesn't say anything and just stares at me, only to look behind me and study Carrie's expression. "Yeah…I don't believe that Miss Everett. Someone like you doesn't just become the most talked about monster on campus that quickly. Especially when they're as timid as you," Professor King explains, "If I had to guess, you did something very unlike yourself and coincidentally did something impressive."

It seems that the cat is out of the bag because I'm horrible at hiding how I feel. I never was able to keep secrets from my family either. They could figure out all the unsolved murders of the world in an instant if they wanted to.

"I-uhm…Yeah. I kind of wish nobody knew about it," I admit.

"And what exactly is 'it?' I've only heard a couple of things and have made an assumption, but I would like to know what's going on from you, not from the rumor spreading mouths that infect the airwaves," He asks with a raised eyebrow.

I look back, noticing that there are still a couple of students around, including Carrie who's still listening intently. She looks a little worried as well, and leaves the seat at the front of the class to join in. "Do you two need me to ask the others to leave?" She questions.

Professor King looks up and narrows his eyes, probably debating on whether he can trust these students or not to unintentionally listen in. "No need. They're all leaving anyways. Is it possibly something that don't want Carrie to hear?"

"She…already knows," I respond with a nervous smile.

Carrie places her hands on my shoulder. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to you know."

I immediately get the hint that she doesn't want me ratting everyone out, but it's probably for the best that Professor King knows the truth. I also feel like there's a weight upon my shoulders considering we answered their somewhat harmless prank with several felonies. Damn, I hate it when I'm faced with an ultimatum.

"…I can't go into detail, but let's just say I ended up finding something out about myself that I don't understand while doing something I'm not proud of, and that bothers me," I answer with a hint of frustration.

Within an instant, Professor King says, "Oh so you were the ghost that those security guards saw at Fear Tech."

Carrie and I both have this mental breakdown, knowing that we're in some big trouble. I literally just told the Professor that she knows, and the fact that he knows about all the destruction that Johnny caused can only mean that he's going to have some authoritative response.

"What?! Professor, you can't…hehe, you can't be seriously saying that she did that," Carrie laughs nervously.

Professor King leans back in his chair after setting his pen down. The golden flames in his throat rage more intensely and he furrows his brows while crossing his arms and legs. He's become some sort of shadow you see within your nightmares as a child. "Don't underestimate me Miss Williams. Ghosts aren't real; There's no evidence that they're real. You and I both know this, they're nothing but cultural beliefs that are subjectively chained together from generation to generation. There's also no record of a monster or organism of fauna kind that was able to attain a ghostly appearance, except for you, Miss Everett. It's nothing but simple deduction that lead me to that conclusion."

All I want to do is run out of the classroom because I'm afraid of the implications of him knowing. He could report me to the authorities or notify the campus deans, and effectively ruin my career in less than a day. I would then not only disappoint my family, but make them think I'm some psychopathic criminal, capable of terrifying people that claim to be fearless. The regret I feel for being a part of the entire Fear Tech operation is immeasurable, and I want nothing more than to wish that it never happened.

"But Professor, Melody isn't the kind of person to do those kinds of things. She's…shy and considerate and…you know," Carrie defends.

"Miss Williams, both of your body languages say that I'm right. The restlessness is noticeable, and I'm not even going to mention your acting. Although, I think your getting the wrong message here. I really couldn't care less about what happened and I will not be acting upon it," Professor King explains, "So stop your shivering Miss Everett."

The rising tension finally plateaus, and I can feel my ability to breathe return. I'm able to meekly say, "Y-you're not?"

"No. The Fear Institute of Technology has always gone against my ethical and moral stances, while actively proving to the world that they cultivate the worst personalities that the monster world has to offer. They charge extortionate prices for tuition, force their students to live under isolating schedules and procedures, brainwash their students into thinking they're superior to others for personal gain, muddy their fingers in political manners, and put up the façade that their striving for environmental and social progressivism among other things. If you want my personal opinion, they deserved everything you did and more...Well maybe the security guards didn't deserve that, but still," Professor King rants.

"Um…Professor, do you…not like them either?" Carrie asks.

"No. I could tell you hundreds of stories about how their work has affected my own, and how blatantly entitled their graduates are. They're also the reason that I haven't been able to enact any positive changes within the Scaring profession, and simply make all of your lives easier as Scarers," He replies seriously.

I don't know what to say, not only because I'm petrified, but because I'm beyond confused right now. Any other teacher would say that they would report this, but it's the exact opposite in this case.

"Regardless of my personal opinions, I'm sorry to stick my nose into something that I shouldn't have. I can't tell you what you can or can't do, or stop you from doing anything. However, I can influence what you do. So, I will tell you to never do something like that again. Mostly, because I will have to report it then," Professor King adds.

"Professor, it wasn't just Melody, it was everyone on Frat Row. They graffitied our houses and we wanted to prank them back," Carrie sighs. She must feel comfortable enough to confess everything.

"Was it now? Now that's interesting. Was it I who made you all think that you're not to be trifled with? That you should hold your ground and prove to yourselves that you're the ones who are better than them?" He questions.

Carrie puts her hand on her head. "No. They just called us cute, and we retaliated like emotionally driven idiots."

"Then I'm going to assume it was Mr. Worthington who did the actually illegal portion of this 'prank,'" Professor King assumes.

The both of us nod while looking down at the ground. We don't want to rat Johnny out, but it seems like nothing gets by the Professor.

"Ok...I'm going to have to talk with him considering that destructive tendencies are coping mechanisms…Hmmm," He ponders, "Well anyways, I'm sorry that you all have had to hold onto such a secret. Just know that you all will be fine simply because I'm a good person. I'll just treat this like a psychiatry session and keep this all confidential. As for you Miss Everett, I would like to know what it was exactly that was bothering you."

"Oh, u-um, I-It was the fact that…I was described to be someone completely different when I was caught," I answer.

Professor King takes out a notepad and grabs his fountain pen, ready to scribble whatever he needs on it. "Yes, he said that you were transparent, and that your proportions were mutilated and abnormally stretched correct?"

"Y-yeah. Johnny was even pleasantly surprised when he heard that on the news as well, and I couldn't explain to him what I did. It just felt unnatural for me to scare…a monster," I confess.

After he's done writing, he pulls out a couple more pieces of paper that look super complex and official. I can't tell if they're medical records or not. "Hmmm…I have a theory but it would require some tests that I don't want to put you through."

"Was it maybe bad lighting or hallucination based on stressful stimuli?" Carrie asks, jumping in on the hypothesizing as if she were some sort of scientist herself.

Professor King shakes his head. "No, it's physically impossible for that to happen. Reality would have to literally bend for her entire physique to change. There's something else going on here… Miss Everett, has your family had any elemental abilities or camouflage or something of the sort that you know of?"

Abilities? Elemental? Camouflage? Is something like that even possible? Oh wait, yeah it is. Randall has something like that, where he can just entirely disappear. Although, he has a chameleon bloodline and has scientific reasoning behind that. My family is of wolven and lizard ancestry. What Professor King is implying sounds alien and fantastical.

"No…I don't really think that's possible considering that my family is just…normal," I mumble.

The papers are then put away and Professor King put both of his arms on the desk and putting his hands together. "Alright…well I'm thinking this has something to do with your 'blue glow.' It might be fire related, draconic even. Again, I don't want to put you through all these tests, so all I can do is say don't worry about anything. We'll just have to learn as we go."

"S-so there's nothing wrong?" I ask.

The Professor then shakes his head in disagreement. "Now, go home, you both look exhausted. Oh, and be sure to stay at home this time, cause again, I'm not going to save you the next time this happens."

"Yes sir, thank you," I reply.

And with that, Carrie and I turn around to exit the lecture hall.

"There you are, I've been texting you for ten minutes!" Johnny laughs, approaching me with his arms wide open.

The Scaring School hallways are as quiet as always, so I don't feel embarrassed to basically run into him and exert several pounds of force against him. I somehow don't come close to even knocking him over. "Sorry! Professor King wanted to talk to me."

"Oh? About what? Ooo, don't tell me. You were being a nuisance in class?" He teases.

I stomp on his foot, causing him to wince and regret his decision to say that, even though he's still laughing. Not only was it rude, but it was incorrect and I will not stand for him slandering me like this. "Say that again and I swear to god I'll break your foot," I threaten.

"Yeah, no," He trembles tensely while keeping that smile on his face, "I'm good."

"You'd better be, cause I'm not in the mood for all your fun and games today Worthington," I say putting my finger in the air and then pushing it into his forehead.

Johnny grasps onto my forearm and pulls it under his arm, forcing me to hug him for longer. Although I'm already irritated with him, I can't pass on having more time to be close with him. School has been getting in the way of our relationship recently, and it feels like we haven't been having as much fun as we usually do. It's not like we haven't been expecting that though, all of our classes have been leaving us basically paralyzed at the end of the day.

"You can mess with me once we go home, I'm too tired to be beaten up right now," Johnny smiles.

My muscles relax further once I feel his body heat increase, and my face gets pushed into his chest. "Well your pushing your luck horns! Be patient with me!" I say muffled beyond belief.

"Ok, sure thing," Johnny chuckles.

I sigh and decide that I should tell him the truth about what happened. I also haven't given him a solid answer to his question, so that might be something he'll appreciate. "Anyways, Professor King was able to piece together that I was the one at Fear Tech that scared the security guards."

"Wait what?!" Johnny says intentionally lowering his voice.

"Calm down, he said he won't say anything. It's just been bothering me how I was able to scare those that are supposedly fearless, and I wanted to know why I looked like a ghost after being caught. I didn't do anything different than I usually do, so I'm kind fo freaking out about it," I explain.

After looking up at him, I can see him staring at me with wide eyes. "…Really? He doesn't care about anything else that happened?"

"No. At least in my case. I had to tell him that you were the one who did the classroom destroying, so he's going to have to talk to you about that one," I answer while scratching his back.

"Damn…thought we just got off scot free," He grunts.

"We'll be fine. I'm just glad someone knows now because I don't think I could have lived the rest of my life without telling someone," I reply with no energy left.

The worst amount of drowsiness begins to set in. It feels like everything below me is pulling me down, bending my joints in ways that I don't want them to bend in. Johnny can tell that I've had enough and picks me up before giving me a sensual kiss on the lips. "Getting comfortable there, princess?" He asks.

I become hilariously emotional, holding back the tears of exhaustion and praying that all the soreness I feel would just vanish. "Yeah…I missed you today," I pout.

Johnny turns around and keeps his eyes on me as we traverse through the hallways for a lengthy journey back to the house. "Oh really? Based off of the past few seconds, I would have guessed you were glad to be rid of me."

"Noooo, why would you think that?" I whine as Johnny pushes the entrance door open and bringing me into the existence of sunlight.

"I didn't actually, I was just being dramatic," He says.

That figures. He always has to find a way to make me feel guilty for being frustrated with him...wait that makes him sound like a bad person. What I meant was, he always finds a way to tease me over the littlest things, and make my sensitive side come out. He wants to get a response out of me, and I always let that happen because I'm weak! After looking at him descend the staircase, it seems like his claim was actually true because he has that rich boy smirk plastered across his face. With every person that passes by, he studies them and indirectly tries to garner some sort attention from them, whether it's a simple greeting or they turn to a friend and spill some sort of gossip they've heard. I can't help but feel like he won't ever get tired of all the attention, because I'm already tired of all the attention he gets.

The light of day keeps me awake for a little while longer until I doze off here and there. I can hear Johnny's voice fade in and out a couple of times, which funnily enough acts as some sort of lullaby for me. The bold yet calming voice of his reminds me of all the faint memories I have when my Dad would read me bedtime stories as a kid, enacting a complete feeling of safety. Before I know it, the comforting embrace of Johnny's bed engulfs one half of my body, and I wait patiently for the other half to be covered by the fluffiness of his blanket, but nothing ever happens. My eyelids crack open slightly and show me Johnny taking off his ROR sweater, and draping it over his desk chair, before sauntering over to me so he can cover me with his mighty form. With a big 'whumpf,' we find ourselves trapped in each other's arms, wanting to be nowhere else but here.

"I still wish I could have done this with you last weekend," Johnny mumbles as his hands move up and down my body, making me drowsier than a lion.

I feel my breathing get a little slower as my eyelids become heavier. Being smothered by this purple teddy bear is something that I never would have thought to make me sleepy, but here I am, about to fall into yet another deep slumber. "…Me too," I yawn.

Johnny's claws scratch every little bit of my body when my muscles begin relaxing. The tingly sensation that lingers afterwards sends shivers through my spine, leaving my arms and legs motionless when they rest upon his large figure. The air around me stays tranquil, and the mattress I lay upon only gets more cozy after every second blurs by. My memory fades, and my senses go numb. Only the fantasies within my head remain.

I notice the light bounce into my eyes, bouncing off my retinas and flowing into my visual pathway. It's to my right, where Johnny usually sleeps, so I steadily turn myself over and open my eyes. Johnny's sitting with the blankets over his lap, reading a thick book that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. There's no bookshelves or anything in here, so he must have went downstairs and got one. Even though he seemed enthralled by the contents of it, his attention drifts over to me. "Evening princess. Feeling alright?" He asks delicately.

I shimmy closer to him, placing my head and shoulder atop his chest, and looking at what he's reading. To me, it looks like some complicated hieroglyphics, but it's probably some highly sophisticated analysis on Scaring to him since the only word I can understand is 'scare.' Not only is he elegant, but the information he digests is elegant.

"I'm guessing that's a yes?" He inquired further.

I wiggle my nose when the scent of lavender hits it, and I take a deep breath before drowsily saying, "Yeah…That's probably the first time I've had a nap since winter break."

"Good. I myself got a good hour or two. That was only possible because of you though," He discloses.

His hand travels around my head and is placed on my side. He pulls me closer to him, and I gladly cuddle up to him, feeling his cloud-like fur brush against me.

"So you wake up and decide to read. Why is that?" I ask quietly.

"Meh, never hurts to gain another perspective on Scaring. Maybe one day you'll take after me and do the same," Johnny answers.

"God no, you're insane," I state as a matter of fact.

Johnny finishes reading his sentence, places his pinky and thumb on both sides of the book, and shuts it. The thump it creates when the pages collide wakes me up but doesn't scare me, making me thankful because I didn't really want my heart to explode immediately after waking up. "You like insane though, otherwise you wouldn't like me back now would you?" Johnny advances.

He makes a solid point. He's vastly different from me, and he's the only one I've actually developed feelings for. Not only does he have completely different interests to me (for the most part), he also grew up in a different environment from me, yet he's the one that interested me. Usually people say opposites attract, but I think the both of us brought on an entirely new meaning to that idiom.

"Yeah…" I blush, "It's kind of hard not to like you," I divulge.

Johnny chuckles. "Hehe, I appreciate it. It's kind of nice to have someone not be fed up with me."

He places his book on the nightstand to his right, and basks in his contented mess when I swirl his chest fur with my hand. It's comforting when he starts purring because my head that's placed against his chest shudders with each vocalization. You know, Johnny was right, we really should have been able to do this last weekend. Existing would have felt a lot better if we were given the chance, but of course, life had to pull us away from that. Well…I guess it was Johnny's life that did that, I would have just forgotten about it.

"Hey, the guys have been feeling bored tonight and asked if I wanted to do anything. So, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe go see a movie?" Johnny offers.

"A movie?" I ask.

He nods. "Yeah. There hasn't been anything really interesting recently, but the guys wanted to go see that new 'Mankind Eternal' Movie."

"You mean that horror movie?" I question while trying to hide my nervousness. I hate horror movies, but maybe it'll be different this time around.

"Yeah. You don't have to go, but I kind of want to see it. Who knows, there might be something funny about it. There always is," Johnny admits.