Lost In Purple
Chapter 50: Set Up
Melanie's POV
My grandparents ended up taking me away from everyone for the whole hour after the second Scare Games event, sitting with me on the couches in front of the fireplace at the ROR house. I'm extremely elated to see them since they usually have their hands full with my aunts, uncles, and cousins, so I don't really get to see them as much as I want to. I was kind of embarrassed though because I just had an emotional breakdown and I don't know if they know the reasoning behind it yet, nor do I want them to know. I unfortunately have a feeling that they do because they seemed to be a lot more bubbly than they usually are. My grandpa wouldn't let me go and kept scratching my head the whole hour as my grandma talked all about my cousins. He used to do that to me when I was a kid but only recently stopped because I was 'all grown up,' but I don't think he could help himself this time. My Dad just sits on the couch with us while my grandma tells me that everyone is doing alright out in rural Monstropolis, and that everyone seems to be happy. I usually worry that they get too bored out there, and would frequently offer to drive out there to give them some company, but they sound like they're managing.
Apparently Axel has gone a whole two months without being called to the principals office, Leif got recognized for his perfect grades in school, and Valdis got to play piano live in front of everyone during a school play. The other few have been getting by fine so far aside from them getting sick here and there, but it's always good to hear about all of them regardless of their situations. I wish I could be around them more but I'm weird and antisocial so that never goes the way I want it too.
"May I ask how Juno is?" Johnny asks.
Grandma gives Johnny a sweet smile as she sits like a princess, with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. "Oh she's fine. She just caught the flu a little bit ago so she had to be taken out of school again, but she's back to being her usual self. Why do you ask?"
"I told her I would see her again soon, but that…didn't really happen," Johnny responds.
Grandpa chuckles cheerfully. "You don't have to worry about that Jonathan. She'll always remember you and love you for as long as she lives, that's just how both she and Melody work. They'll wait for you for as long as it takes."
I can tell that Johnny's heart aches after hearing that. There's a tinge of flattery along with a visible wholesome desire written across his face, showing us all that he wishes to see her again. He must have really loved her if he's acting like this when speaking about her. It's understandable though because Juno is the living embodiment of lovely canine stereotypes. She waits at the front window of her house for my aunt and uncle to come back from work or some errand they went to do, and she'll follow those she loves around because she genuinely doesn't want to be without them.
"I'm sure you'll see her during your Spring Break as well," Grandma adds.
"Oh, is everyone planning by to come to the city again?" Johnny asks.
Grandma nods her head and shakes in slight excitement, wishing it was spring already. "Uh huh! We always come to pick up Melody and her parents for some sort of trip or day long activity if that doesn't happen. We're thinking about a camping trip this year, although we're not sure where we'll be going exactly."
A camping trip?! It's been ages since I've last done that. I'm sure Johnny is excited as well since I know he used to do things like that with his grandfather…who I have yet to meet still.
"Oh you're all campers as well?" Johnny questions, "My family used to always take me when I was a kid."
"My my, do you like fishing Jonathan?" Grandpa asks while halting the scratching of my head.
"I basically grew up fishing. That would be all my grandfather and I would do sometimes out in the wilderness. My grandmother would even try to keep us from doing so since she would start feeling lonely out in the middle of nowhere," Johnny responds with a chuckle.
Grandpa starts fist pumping as if he just achieved something great. "It seems I've got myself a new fishing buddy. You had better be prepared Jonathan, not only will we be planning on bringing you with us, but we'll end up emptying out every lake we find!"
Even though I would love to bring Johnny with us, I really hope they don't do that. Not only would that cause drastic chain reactions across the environment, there would also be the problem of finding out how we would store and transfer all that fish. My Mom would definitely enjoy finding out various ways to cook all that fish, but still, that's not ideal.
Johnny laughs before crossing his arms and saying, "I look forward to it."
My grandparents continue talking about many random things afterwards, bombarding Johnny with a plethora of questions and even asking all about Javier and Chip when they eventually join in on the conversations. There's even a point where my grandpa begins asking about Scaring again and we're taken into the hallway of trophies and awards that lays untouched in the house. I'm hoping they haven't gotten all dusty again because Johnny and I dust all those displays at least twice a week and it just comes back. Then again, monsters don't really care about dust so I don't know why I'm freaking out about that. It's always weird going in here though. The many pictures of past ROR members line the hallways, staring grimly into my misunderstood soul as we walk through it. The trophies also add to the impressiveness of the fraternity, and Johnny explains the many histories of how they achieved these awards. I space out when he explains that though because the golden shines that emit off the surfaces of the trophies encapsulate me and put me into a trance.
After a little while, my grandparents decide that it's time to leave which causes me to feel a bit of sorrow.
"Oh don't worry Melody, we'll see you again soon," Grandma says while grabbing my cheeks and squeezing them. She then does the same to Johnny and pulls his head down to give him a kiss. That's probably the first time I've every seen him as flustered as he was; I could see his skin turn red underneath his dark purple fur.
"Be sure to tell me more about your Scaring endeavors next time Jonathan," Grandpa states while patting his shoulder.
My Dad pulls me in for a hug and squeezes with just the right amount of force for it to be a hug I won't ever forget. He then walks over to Johnny and says, "Sorry, he can't ever get enough of Scaring. He's always talking about it with me even though I'm not actually a Scarer."
It still hurts to hear him talk the way he does about that. I don't know if anyone else can hear it, but there's a noticeable hint of hopelessness in his voice. I really wish Dad could be the person he's always dreamt of being, because all he needs is a chance. It feels really unfair considering that I might have a better chance than he does at this point because of Professor King's consistent interest in me. It pains me even more to see him wave goodbye to me, promising me that I'll see him again as he leaves the trophy room.
"I'll be sure to bring your mother next time, Moondrop. She nearly cried when she found out she couldn't come today," Dad chuckles empathetically.
I wish she could have. She rarely sees either me or my Dad anymore, so I get why that was upsetting. It doesn't help that she serves some of the rudest people in Monstropolis at that stupid, run down diner. My Dad and I must be her saving grace from a life of negativity.
"Ok. Tell her I love her," I say waving goodbye, watching him exit the house with my grandparents in front of him, gently shutting the door and disappearing into the night.
I motionlessly stare at door, wishing that they could come back and spend more time with me, but I know that wouldn't happen in a million years. Seeing my family leave me always leaves some sort of hypothetical scar within my heart, but that's unfortunately a part of life. Johnny senses my pain and takes my hand, having me follow him out into the main living room where the rest of the RORs are setting a bunch of things up. All the furniture is moved out as well, making me realize that a party is about to ensue. "What is it about your grandfather that makes him so cool?" Johnny asks before putting his hands on his hips as he stands in the archway to the living room.
"Um… I don't know…He's just one of those kinds of people that loves anyone for who they are and takes interest in them. Aside from my Dad, I've always wanted to be like him, so I guess he's just a generally good person regardless of what situation he's in," I respond, "Now why has everyone cleared the room out? Are you throwing another party"
Johnny takes my hand again, dragging me into the kitchen. There's hundreds of what looks like pizza boxes stacked on top on the counters that are sweating with grease, basking in the heat they're generating and creating dark spots along the creases of the boxes. There's red solo cups that are still in their packages right next to a large glass drink dispenser. I'm guessing the drinks dispenser is supposed to be filled with alcohol and the pizza that looks absolutely sickening is supposed to be for a party. After last semester, I've come to hate college parties, mostly because everyone tends to be under the influence or unable to think about the consequences of their reckless actions. The food is also absolutely atrocious, and it pisses me off knowing that Johnny is a athletic bodybuilder that could provide food that miles better than this. Like how do you decide to eat the most poorly put together pizza for your parties after making something like a bacon wrapped turkey over the holidays. I know that it isn't the most healthy thing either, but at least that would taste lightyears better than a pancake full of chemicals and oily byproducts.
I open one of the pizza boxes and see the sad, soggy circle of cheese that sits there sloppily. "There's no way you people eat this regularly," I groan in disgust.
Johnny laughs and says, "We're college students, we don't have time to make actual food, nor do we care about what we eat... or well, most of us are like that"
"My mom would literally murder you if she saw you boys ingesting this," I reply after closing the box.
"Well she's not here right now, so we can pig out like everyone else. Now, I need you to set up everything here. Take a couple of the pizzas, open them, and set them along the counter for everyone to take. Be sure to fill of the dispenser full of vodka, I'll put a couple of bottles up here for you in just a minute," Johnny explicates.
I think I understand why we dragged me over here. He thought it would be better to keep me busy and focus on other things instead of focusing on my family. I'm kind of at a loss though because I have no idea how to handle alcohol. I'm only 19. "But John, I don't kn-"
"Be sure to make it look organized yeah," He interrupts before rubbing my head and turning back towards the living room.
"But what is it for?!" I ask while raising my voice.
"The Scare Games Mixer," Johnny chuckles, "We throw it every year for the ones who make it through the first two events. Can't disappoint them now can we."
Great. Now I have to prove myself even here at home…if I can even call it that right now. For all I know, this home will become nothing but a trash heap tonight.
"Oh and Chet will be returning early tonight. His mother has apparently recovered very fast and can function on her own now, so be sure to have some fun with him tonight."
Johnny's POV
"Did they make it through?" I ask as I walk up to Javier, hoping that we can be rid of Oozma Kappa.
He's setting up a bunch of the audio equipment for our DJ, cautiously positioning speakers and connecting wires that I would not know what to do with.
"Uh…yes…they did," He subtlety growls.
I feel the rush of suspenseful excitement within my veins dissipate and be replaced with pure frustration. "You're joking right?" I ask.
"Nope. Somehow, the slowest and most unqualified of us all, were able to find a loophole in the rules and cause absolute chaos in the library so that they could walk away victorious," Javier answers while turning towards me with a malicious demeanor.
"Hold on…," I say while putting my fingers in between my eyes and putting my other hand up in the air, "So you're telling me that Slugma Slugma Kappa lost to the fraternity who hasn't even taken a sneaking class?"
Javier looks down at the ground while crossing his arms as if he's ashamed to be telling me this. "Sí. They made an unholy amount of noise and distracted the librarian to the point where she got overwhelmed. She never even had the chance to touch them."
Rage is all I feel. How in the hell is that even legal? You can't do something like that in class, nor can you do it in the human world because you'll always go in by yourself. Once again, they've proven to the school that they're incapable of actually Scaring, yet nobody can see that. It's just us who can see them for what they actually are, incapable.
I quickly growl and return to my usual calm existence. "Alright, I guess we should follow through with my plan. They've forced us to put them in their place."
Javier places a malignant grin on his face, showing his stubby teeth and narrowing his eyes in an ominous manner. I can't tell if it's because he's sadistic or if he's trying to please me with his reaction. "Glitter or stuffed animals?" He asks.
"Hmmm…why not both?" I chuckle malevolently, "Just be quiet about this. I can't have Melanie find out, she'll literally kill me."
Javier bows to me as he says, "Don't worry amigo, all of us know what will happen if she does," and then dashes upstairs to a closet where we've stored our master plan.
The only thing we really have to worry about is figuring out if they'll actually be coming to the mixer. I have a feeling that they'll be too afraid to even be around us because of how different we are to them, but it won't matter in the end. If they do show up, we'll be ready. If they don't, we'll end up beating them fair and square.
Sonic waves ripple through the air as everybody gathers on the dance floor, refusing to think about tomorrow and only about what's happening right now. The crowd is all smiles as they throw their elbows in various directions and move their feet randomly. The lights fashionably flash, drowning everybody's eyes in a sea of color after each blast of the drums and each strike of a synthesizer. All of the frats and sororities have arrived at this point except for Oozma Kappa, which I don't really mind. I would rather have fun and be with people who actually belong in the Scaring Program than those who don't have a well defined reason to be. It's not like they have a purpose being here either. I've also banned Faust from any event that we throw since he's one of the biggest trouble makers I've ever come across. Red is one hell of a character but he at least doesn't try to kill us and does appropriate pranks that won't result in legal action. Faust simply tried to hurt Melanie both physically and psychologically through the means of a 50 foot behemoth, which is completely inexcusable, so I'm hoping he won't try to sneak in and antagonize her some more. He's the type of monster who's sly, conniving even, and shouldn't belong at a party like this.
"Hey Johnny!" screams the Omega Howl president from behind me on the dance floor.
I turn around and put on the best charismatic face and demeanor that I can. "Hey! How are you liking everything?!"
He seems to lose his balance a little bit, but catches himself before he eats the floor. He's getting close to becoming drunker than drunk. "Dude, it's killer! You guys always know how to throw the best parties! Not even those Fear Tech fleas could fathom a party like this!" He responds with a slight slur of his words.
"What can I say?! We try our best to spoil you all, you all deserve it!" I reply proudly.
His arm is thrown around my back as he takes another sip out from his red solo cup, which reminds me that the last time I saw Melanie was in the kitchen before everyone showed up. "And we wouldn't have it any other way! You RORs have always been good to us Howls. Hey, quick question for ya! Where's little Miss Melody?! Isn't she the woman of the hour?!"
"Yes she technically is, but I haven't seen her since before the mixer started. I'm assuming she's having fun around here somewhere!" I respond.
I would like to think that she's hanging out with one of the PNKs or HSSs since she knows them pretty well at this point. She could be in the kitchen, the library…anywhere at this point.
"Well if you see her, send her our way! We want to tell her how insane her performance was today!" The Omega Howl president requests.
I give him a "Sure thing," and move on with chaperoning the party, making sure nobody's destroying our house like psychopaths.
Speaking of the house, it's packed full of monsters to the point where they're nearly grinding against each other as the music blasts through the building. The upstairs hallways are even crammed full, filled with monsters chugging down their cups of alcohol and having as much fun as they can. Unfortunately my assumption that Melanie is with either the PNKs or HSSs is incorrect because they're all dancing together with Melanie nowhere to be found. Obviously Omega Howl is here along with Gamma Roar Roar and Argma Slugma Argma. Slugma Slugma Kappa isn't here, which is to be expected since they just lost this last event; They're probably crying themselves to sleep right now since they somehow got beaten in a scaring event by people who have no idea how to even scare.
"Johnny!" screams all the PNKs as I walk past them.
Just like for the Omega Howl president, I turn to them and greet them with as much charisma as I can muster putting my hands out to my sides. "Ladies! How is everything?!"
"Oh my gosh, we're having so much fun! This has definitely been the best mixer you've thrown so far!" Carrie screams back while still dancing violently.
I'm glad that everyone's enjoying the party. We really shouldn't spend so much time and effort to put them on, but that just shows how good we are to everyone on campus. Fun simply wouldn't exist without us.
"Great," I exclaim while chuckling, "Is the music good?! How about the drinks? Are they strong enough for you all?!
All the girls scream "Yeah," before Carrie continues conversing with me. "Hey, where's Melody! Shouldn't she be having fun with us all after that glorious win she pulled off for you all?!"
Wow, people are really curious about Melanie today. Usually people aren't really paying attention to her, but it's whatever, I'm just happy she's getting some well deserved limelight.
"I have no idea, I figured she would be with either you girls or HSS but she's not!" I respond.
"Then can you please find her?! We want to congratulate her for being the coolest Scarer on campus along with you and Javier!" Carrie asks as the music goes under a smooth transition to a booming house track.
"Sure, I can send her your way," I answer loudly.
The girls go back to partying relentlessly while I turn my back towards them, finding my way through the crowd and towards Javier and Chip. They're talking about god knows what, swaying side to side with the beat of the music, enjoying themselves to the fullest. I'm honestly surprised that they're not trying to land some dates since they're always going on about wanting to get in some sort of relationship.
"Hey Johnny, where's Melanie?!" Chip asks after noticing that I'm walking up to them.
I shake my head while smiling. "Dude you're the third person who has asked me that in two minutes…I have no idea! The last time I saw her was in the kitchen before everyone showed up!"
Chip furrows is brow, but in a satirical manner. "What?! How have we lost her?! She's…you know… Melanie! She turns heads every where she goes!"
Javier growls at himself. "I can't believe we've neglected her this fast."
"Woah, I wouldn't say neglected. Maybe distracted is a better word," I chime in.
"But this party should be for her! We finished almost 10 minutes before the HSS and nearly a half an hour before Oozma Kappa because of her!" Chip counters, "She an integral part of the team and we should be celebrating with her!"
I don't really get why people are assuming that I don't care about her. All I'm doing is trying to make sure that this annual party is running smoothly. "I get that, but we have to find her firs-"
"Yo Johnny, Oozma Kappa is here," the Omega Howl president shouts from the dance floor.
I turn my head to the front of the house, stare at the front door, and see the 6…or 7, members standing in front of the enormous crowd with their mouths wide open. It's funny because some random monster just accidentally unplugged one of the DJs wires, causing the music to slow down and stop entirely. It's comical as to how that coincidentally happened right as these embarrassments showed up.
"Then let's give a warm welcome," I say to break the silence while putting on a malicious grin.
Melanie's POV
I hear the music die down which concerns me since the few parties I've been to, or have heard happen next door, always play music until they end at around two in the morning. It's only 7:30, so my curiosity is piqued. Something clearly went wrong and killed the general vibe of the place, which was made apparent by the few groans that came from out here in the backyard.
Filling all those cups of alcohol only made me hate it even more than I already do, and nobody wanted to leave me alone because they want popularity over sincerity. Now that everyone has seen me in action, they see me as someone I'm not. They see me as this…ghost, and not as me, the person I've delicately built up ever since I was born. I'm not a Scarer, I'm not tough and quick on my toes. I'm emotional and sensitive and weird and stupid, and most importantly I'm not scary. Nobody really cares though, so there's nothing I can really do to change it now.
While I enjoyed hiding behind the backyards' bushes like I did back at the beginning of the year, and watching the moon shine brilliantly in the sky, I know that I should go and check on everything. For all I know, someone might be dying or someone broke the entire sound system that we'll have to replace. There's really a multitudinous amount of things that could have happened that leave me more paranoid than I usually am.
I push myself off the ground and take the arduous journey back towards the party. With a sluggish feeling, I take each step calmly and carefully so that I don't collapse under the exhaustion that I'm feeling as well. I think that every time I end up becoming ghost-like, I use up lots of energy, and I'm feeling the consequences of that energy usage. I seriously feel like I've walked 10 kilometers without any break, because my legs are killing me and my back aches, sending pulses of pain down my spine.
I climb the patio steps and reach for the doorknob. When I twist it I hear the music slowly speed back up, letting the party go back into full swing once again. The music keeps building and building, and then the drop hits, causing the entire house to go wild. I enter the house and close the door behind me, pushing my way into the kitchen where people start turning their heads towards me and cheering me on for some reason. They all start yelling about how amazing I was tonight, keeping me from getting through them, so I desperately thank them in an attempt to make them go away. With each word spoken to me, I only continue to get more swarmed. I'm asked a lot about how I do what I do, and about all my hopes and dreams about becoming a Scarer. I decide that all of those requests are confidential so I politely avoid answering them the best I can in a very awkward an nervous manner. They all try their best to comfort me, but I know they don't really care. They all were talking behind my back as if I were some floozy nitwit who shouldn't be here just a few months ago, and was only in it to be in a relationship with Johnny. They're not slick, I know that I'm just a stepping stone for them; They don't want to know the real me.
I finally get the opportunity to slide past everyone and take it immediately. I excuse myself and they all let me go without much resistance, but I can tell that they're not happy with my answers, so I leave swiftly in hopes that nobody will stop me with any hint of malice. When I finally reach the archway into the main living room that's now turned into dance floor, I see the RORs climb up to the brown platform in front of the fireplace.
Johnny whistles and then raises his voice to speak to everyone. "Hey, quiet, quiet! Quiet down you can-wranglers!"
The flashing lights suddenly disappear and the entire room is drowned in the usual dim orange light that lights the night for us. Everyone here turns their attention up to Johnny, and actually listens to him, becoming absolutely silent. I guess everyone here really does think of him as a god, because only he can get what he wants that quickly. I end up standing behind two tall and lanky monsters who are blocking me from moving any closer forward, so I have to listen from way back here in the corner.
"All right," Johnny chuckles, "On behalf of the RORs, we'd like to congratulate all the teams that have made it this far."
Chet throws out an excited 'yeah' as Johnny says that which is then followed by loud cheering.
Johnny then points over to Carrie saying, "All right let's hear it for the PNKs!"
The six girls all synchronously hiss at Johnny, lean forward and show off their vibrant red eyes as they bare their teeth.
"I love that trick, never gets old," Johnny smiles, "HSS!"
The six HSS girls stay still and say absolutely nothing. However, it's Rosie who sticks her tongue out as if she were an incredibly aggressive lizard and, you guessed it, hisses at Johnny.
"Very creepy," Johnny chuckles further, "And finally…the surprise team of the Scare Games…Oozma Kappa!"
The crowd finally gives them props by cheering for them, making me feel really happy that their finally getting something that they deserve. I know that they aren't the best team, and that they're actually incredibly lucky to have even made it this far, but a little motivation and love never hurts anybody for any reason. I really hope they'll be able to ride out this moment for as long as they can.
The crowd then parts as Johnny tells them to come forward, letting them stand right in front of him ans he speaks a little more. "Now, I got to admit, fellas, I thought you were a bunch of nobodies," he says with a seemingly arrogant look on his face, "But boy was I wrong. Let's hear it for Oozma Kappa!"
The crowd cheers even more again, screaming "Oozma Kappa" in sync and clapping all together.
Everything seems to be happy and alright again, but a huge amount of various colored paint pours in from above them, completely covering them from head to toe. They all wipe their eyes and look at themselves before raising their heads up to Johnny.
"The most adorable monsters on campus," Johnny says with an expressionless face and a slight movement of his left hand.
I feel a sinking feeling within the pit of my stomach as shock envelopes my entire being. It's an agonizing ache that fluctuates from bearable to unbearable, making me want to vomit at the sight of what Johnny just said and what just happened. He just humiliated them as if he was some sort of king, punishing them like jesters.
I see Javier swing his arm out beside Johnny and press a button that blasts glitter into their faces, blinding them with the force and pressure of the particles that stick to them like super glue. Bruiser then trots in and flings a baskets of yellow flowers onto them, making them look like some sort of artsy princess doll you find in the toy aisles of some supermarket. Everybody's shock turns into laughter, and they all point at them as their deafening vocalizations soar into their eardrums, causing some visible psychological trauma. I can feel tears begin to form behind my eyes when I imagine what it's like to begin their shoes, and I notice that my body starts to tremble in both terror and sorrow for them all. They're all standing there in shock…completely helpless and vulnerable to everyone.
Just when I think it can't get any worse, my incredibly good hearing picks up Johnny saying, "Release the stuffed animals," in such a malevolent manner as he raises both of his hands into the air.
I see Randall suddenly appear from invisibility, holding onto a thick rope and releasing it, letting all sorts of fluffy stuffed animals gracefully fall onto them as Chet takes a camera, yelling "Faced," and snaps a photo of them.
I'm frozen in place and watch as the humiliation continues for a whole minute before Mike pulls all the Oozma Kappa members of the dance floor and out of the house. Everyone reminisces about what just happened replaying ever detail vividly within their head while I just stand there horrified. I can envision every sight that they just saw, seeing every finger pointed at them as everyone's jaws bounced up and down like they were the villains of their own story arc. I can feel the excruciating feeling of not knowing what to do resonate through my body, and not understanding why everyone hates them so much for being who they are. It's obvious that if everyone knew the real me, they would treat me the same. That if they knew I was scared and unwilling to be who they think I am, then I would be the next one to be doused in paint and made out to be a joke.
I somehow regain the ability to move and I make a break for my room. I feel my hands shake uncontrollably as as I search for my room key within my cradigans pockets, stomping up the stairs and nearly knocking over several monsters who are so far gone and drunk that you can't even comprehend what their truly doing anymore. I can tell that some people who are still conscious notice my distress, attempting to stop me but I don't let them. I reach for my door, shove my key in the lock, and twist the door open only to close it and lock it. Tears have been slowly flowing out of my eye sockets, but now it's an entire waterfall.
I'm trapped. There's no where left for me to go, literally and figuratively. I'm going to have to put up this façade for the rest of my life, because I never want to go through what I went through in high school again, nor do I want to go through what Oozma Kappa just did. I'll lose all my friends again, and lose my passion for Scaring. But I'll most notably lose Johnny since I'll cease to belong within the same social circle as him.
I can't help but begin to sob as the music picks up again, causing the whole house to rumble. It's going to be a rough night, because now I know that nothing is alright anymore, no matter what happens.