Lost In Purple

Chapter 69: Reconnect

Johnny's POV

Traveling all the way over to this wasteland always gives me the creeps. Everything looks like it about to collapse after one simple push, but that's obviously an over exaggeration. Everyone around here also seems like they're one step away from starting something which means it was a good idea to not wear my ROR sweater today and go with a normal black hoodie. I'm sure that they would have seen me wearing that and targeted me after taking our reputation into consideration. I probably shouldn't be thinking so poorly of these less fortunate people down here in Cormeadow though. I learned at a very young age that people aren't able to define who they are as easily as society makes them believe, and that Cormeadow is one of those places that monsters can almost never escape from. Melanie reinforced that concept in my head even more after going down the wrong path. I guess that's one thing I love about her. She's always selflessly caring for people no matter who they are and understand if they're situations. If I'm going to keep seeing her, I'm going to have to think the same way.

It's been a few days since Melanie and I last saw each other which has personally caused me some pain. I told her that we would run into each other again but I didn't really think about how going to school on the other side of the city would keep us from each other. So, I've had this bright idea to skip class today and drive over here just for her. There's likely going to be a lot of opposition coming from Melanie about that, but at this point in my life, her happiness and mental well-being is more important to me. Working at this run down diner must be exhausting and extremely degrading considering that they require her to look like some 1950's servant. There's probably been a bunch of perverted old guys flirting with her too. It's not like she's hotter than a runway model or anything.

I finally find the diner and turn into the parking lot that has several potholes waiting for their next victims. I swerve around them in the Roar Rover and notice that the place is absolutely packed as there's basically no parking spots available for me to take aside from the one farthest away from the building. Whatever, I could use the exercise. I whip the car into place, turn it off, and step outside onto the cooking blacktop. The sky lacks clouds and the sun shines brilliantly, making today feel like an average summer day. There's this sour smell in the air too, but that might be because this is an area that the government doesn't care about and is slowly poisoning the air.

Aside from the desolation, I'm hoping that I'll be able to be seated in Melanie's section, because if I'm not, then my entire plan will be thwarted. It takes a minute or two of walking before I open the door and find the entire diner filled to the brim with monsters. There are a couple of families in the booths chowing down along with a few businessmen and businesswomen who look exhausted. It doesn't compare to the amount of sketchy grown men at the bar eating giant servings of various breakfast items. It seems that they're all friends too since they're making a ludicrous amount of noise amongst a sea of action. It's best to blend in right now so I basically become one of them, yet another sketchy behemoth that nobody should feel comfortable talking to. After pulling up my hood, and wrapping it around my horns to secure it, I wait patiently for someone to come and possibly seat me. Nobody seems to have the time yet, so I'm left standing at the front for a little while, observing everyone's unique personalities from afar. There's a part of me that thinks it's ridiculous to stand here for as long as I have, but that's my fathers personality rubbing off on me. If I've learned how to not be like him, then the reason behind all of this is because there isn't enough staff for such a busy morning.

A stressed out blue-scaled monster with one eye comes out and asks if it's just me dining today with a surprisingly deep and raspy voice. She tries her best to look me in the eyes and scribbles a couple of things down on her notepad. She must have just taken someone's order and rushed over here.

"Yes ma'am, but before you do anything I'd like to know if it's possible to be seated with Melanie today. If that's not possible, I can wait," I request.

"Actually the only seat we have available is a bar seat in Melanie's section, so it's your lucky day young man," The waitress sighs.

I watch as the waitress scrambled to grab me a menu and gestures for me to follow her. Before I begin following her I say, "Oh, perfect. Thank you."

We take a couple steps across the black and white checkered floor over to the very left end of the building where there's a subjectively tiny blue leather bar stool now reserved for me.

"Melanie should be with you in a few minutes," The waitress states.

"Should?" I ask in genuine confusion.

The waitress sighs again, but this time with a more melancholic tone. "We have many issues with rude customers here and she had a man flip out on her. He also ended up throwing a bunch of food on her, so she's been in the back cleaning up for a while. I'm sorry, but I don't know when she'll be ready for you."

My blood boils a bit, but I make sure not to take it out on this woman since she did nothing wrong. She is trying her best anyways since it looks like there's only two people serving 20 to 30 parties. I reach into my hoodie and grab a crisp 50 dollar bill and give it to the waitress. "Ok. Thanks for your help ma'am."

"Oh sweetie, you don't have to do that," The waitress chuckles nervously, waving her hands dismissively.

I give her a slight smile and respond with, "I am though. If anything, I wish I could do more for you."

The waitress caves and calmly accepts the tip before wishing me well and returning to her work. I grab the menu and give it a careful read, noticing how all of this food sounds stupidly bland and boring. I would bet that most of this doesn't even come close to Evelyn and Melanie's cooking either since these kinds of places usually just freeze their food for days on end. Their drink selection is kind of wonky too, like why do they serve alcohol all day everyday? Mimosas? Espresso Martinis? A Tequila with orange juice called a Tequila Sunrise? No wonder they have issues with customers. Everyone comes in here to get an early morning buzz since they can't get through the unbearable stresses of life.

The door to the kitchen that's in front of me opens, and it's Melanie that makes her appearance. She's wearing one of those blue uniforms with a large skirt, making her look like she's come straight out of the 1950's. It also doesn't seem like she notices me.

"Hehehey! There she is! How about another round for the boys!" One of the men says along the bar counter.

They all cheer and raise their glasses but Melanie despondently interrupts them. "I'll be with you in a minute."

"No worries beautiful, we've got all morning anyways," Another man says while giving her a wink. They all then return to their conversations about their troubled lives at home and work.

A part of me thinks that he might be lying about that just because Melanie is beautiful, but there's no way to know for certain what he's thinking. I keep myself from growling out of jealousy and watch as Melanie swipes her mane to the side which looks like it's been been cut. It's no longer down her back and instead only reaches her shoulders now. She also looks like she's been crying as her face doesn't seem to of completely dried yet. It doesn't matter what's happened to her though, because she acts like nothings happened and takes out her notepad and pen to take my order.

"Doing alright, Princess?" I ask with a smile before she says anything.

Melanie's eyes leave her notepad and land on me which finally gets her to smile. "John?"

"Rough couple of days huh?" I assume.

Melanie nods her head before her mouth quivers a little. She dashes around the counter and lunges into me, wrapping her arms around my torso and pushing her head under my arm, nearly knocking me off the stool. I'm able to balance myself and put my arm around her as well. I can hear a couple of whines leave her, confirming that she definitely has had a miserable few days.

"It's alright, you can get through this. I know you can," I comfort, rubbing her back.

She sniffles a little before releasing me and standing tall, wiping her eyes with her fingers. "I'm sorry. It's just felt like so long…" She whimpers while trying to act like nothings wrong.

I immediately pick up on this, remembering how awful she felt by simply trying to meet everyone's expectations. "No no no, no more trying to act like everything's alright. Just take a deep breath and relax for a few seconds."

Melanie listens to me and returns to her post behind the counter. She leans onto the other counter behind her and takes a few deep breaths. She also lowers her head out of embarrassment and holds both her hands in front of her as if she were some sort of princess.

"No matter what it may feel like, you're doing your best…and that's more than enough in my eyes," I add.

Melanie's smile grows wider as she blushes uncontrollably. She's at an emotional crossroad and froze up completely. I can tell she feels better knowing that there's at least one monster in the world that's supporting her through a time where things feel desperate. Of course, I wouldn't be able to say all this without her supporting me.

"Thanks, John…," Melanie chuckles while wiping her tears away once more.

"Everything will turn out alright. There's always going to be few rotten people here and there right? I'm sure you learned that after spending the entire year with a rotten Scarer like myself," I quip.

"Tch… John you're not rotten," Melanie sniffles.

"Oh shush, you know I'm right after what I did and said, but it's not like your going to fail to persevere against all these people pulling you down," I respond with an understanding smile, "And if you can't, then I'll be here for you."

Melanie is met with a new and undying sense of motivation, and grabs her notepad and pen that lay on the back counter before turning to me. "What would you like to eat? You must have skipped breakfast to drive all the way down here," She inquires.

I suddenly remember that I'm supposed to order food here and skim the menu once more. Honestly none of the items on the menu look a single bit appetizing, and that's because nothing beats food from an Everett chef, but I just choose something at random.

"I'm feeling a Belgian Waffle. Maybe add some strawberries on top and some whipped cream if you have it," I order, "Oh, and I'd like a Hot Chocolate too. Haven't had one of those since I was a kid."

Melanie scribbles an everything down while giving me that heart-throbbing giggle she would always give me those few short months ago. "Is that because you've been too busy partying these couple of years?"

I hand her my menu while smirking. "Guilty as charged. By the way, what's with this place serving alcohol at ten in the morning?"

My order is clipped onto on of those old timey ticket holders that hangs in the middle of the window of the kitchen. An arm reaches out and takes it immediately before disappearing into the noisy kitchen.

"This place was originally a bar, but then the owners wife wanted to sell breakfast and lunch. I…I kind of agree that the alcohol is kind of weird," Melanie answers.

"Jesus…" I exhale aggressively, "I'm going to have to figure out what to do with you, because there's no way I'll allow you to work as a barista that's being disrespected all the time."

Melanie's ears droop and she looks down to the floor remembering what happened to her a little while ago. It's possible that she's feeling guilty about her family's outcome as well.

My blood boils once again. and this time I can't help but say something about it. "…That guy doesn't know how lucky he is to get away alive," I mumble.

"John, stop," Melanie scoffs after shaking her head, "Can't you just... solve things without using your fists for once?"

"Ok listen. I promise that I'll be better about that, but it's for your sake then I won't hesitate to rip and tear," I reply.

Melanie sighs in frustration. She crosses her arms and leans against the back counter while giving me an unamused glare. A good ol' wink can fix everything, so I decide to give her one and receive a smile back. I can tell that she genuinely appreciates that I'll legitimately do anything for her, which is nothing short of a relief to me. It totally didn't feel like I was spiraling down into nothingness without her or anything, and for some reason it feels like everything's returning back to way things were. I can't take Melanie for granted ever again because if I lose her on that scale ever again, then it's not possible for us to mend our relationship like this.

"Hey! Little Miss! Our drinks!" The sketchy customer shouts out from my right.

Melanie attempts stands up tall, ready to speak up but I interrupt her before a single syllable leaves her mouth. "I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to flag down another waitress."

The whole group of men go silent and are likely burning holes through my hood with their stares.

"Hehe…and why is that?" The man questions.

"Monstropolitan law states that servers must be 21 years of age to serve alcoholic beverages, and she…," I respond while pointing to Melanie, "Is not 21 yet. Once again, flag down the other waitress once you see here."

The old man scrunches his face. "Wh-why would I do that when she's right here? My buddies and I would also rather be served by someone who can give us a good view."

I make sure to gesture to all the families sitting in the booth seats around us, all of which have children under the age of ten. "Oh? I'm sorry, try saying that louder for all the children around you to hear. I'm sure their parents wouldn't be absolutely furious to have a sexual deviant like you in their presence."

The old man sneakily looks around, secretly hoping nobody was paying attention. Nobody actually is, but it would be quite the hellscape if they did.

"Hey uh, we are all married. We're too old to be doing stuff like that," One of the old man's buddies murmurs in an almost disgusted tone.

Just then, Melanie's blue-scaled coworker appears from the other side of the building with a tray of food atop her shoulder, and a serious tone in her voice. "Alright boys, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Aww whaaaat?! Why?" The old man complains as if he's a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.

"Well for starters, I'm not deaf. I will absolutely not tolerate you talking to my coworkers like they're prostitutes. As for the rest, you've clearly had enough to drink, you're starting to forget that you're all happily married, and you're disturbing this nice young man with your words. I suggest you leave now before I get my manager to come throw you all out," The waitress berates.

The old man's buddies all groan in frustration, slamming their glasses down to the point where they almost shatter. "God damnit, why do you always ruin our fun?"

"D-don't act like you guys…weren't thinking the same thing," He says with slurred speech.

The creepy group of men all pile out of the diner one by one, some of them seeming like they're sober while others stumble out like they're about to pass out. Melanie's coworker watches out the window in order to make sure that they all leave without any trouble. It does make me happy that Melanie has a few people here watching out for her, but I still think that Melanie should never have to step foot in here ever again.

After a few short seconds, Melanie's coworker turns her head and directs Melanie. "I unfortunately can't keep serving the entire place by myself, so I'm going to need you to check on your section here."

"Yes ma'am," Melanie sighs before walking around the counter and giving me another big hug.

I have to encourage her to finish what she's started; I don't know what else would be the correct thing to do after getting assaulted and harassed in one day. "Just keep smiling, Mel. I'll be right here if you need anything."

The diner cleared out a little bit after a few minutes, giving me many opportunities to watch Melanie work. I know that sounds creepy but it's just heartwarming watching her interact with people as if she's known and cared for them their entire life. She occasionally stops by the few tables with children and acts so motherly towards them. One could even say that she's a full fledged adult and not a teenager after taking one quick glance. Regardless of what people think, that is one of the exact reasons I love Melanie. She knows how to make everyone feel good no matter who they are. There's a few times I take a look at my phone too. Waiting for food can sometimes be a little boring for me, so I have to embrace that annoying stereotype that us young monsters are always on our phones. It's been an abnormally long wait though. This stuff would usually only take around 10 to 20 minutes, but it's been almost an hour. However, I'm not on it for very long though, because Melanie heads into the kitchen for a minute and then exits, strutting over to me with a simple plate with one giant waffle garnished with strawberries and whipped cream.

"I'm sorry you had to wait so long. My manager has been having troubles in the back recently," Melanie mumbles.

"Your manager?" I question.

With a nod of the head, Melanie takes a maple syrup dispenser and glazes my waffle with a perfect amount of sugary goodness. "Our cooks quit last week."

"Ugh…So it's just you, your mother, your co worker, and your manager?" I groan.

"Yeah, except my Mom can't work for a while because of my Dad," Melanie responds after placing a steaming cup of Hot Chocolate next to my food.

"Mmm…how is he by the way?" I ask.

"He's depressed…," Melanie sighs, "He's pretty much recovered from his heart attack…but he almost never gets up from bed in the morning."

I don't say anything because I can envision Ronan laying in bed and staring at his bedroom ceiling wondering where everything went wrong. After going through an episode myself, I can only imagine how much worse his experience is after feeling that way for longer than I have. I couldn't bear that feeling of hopelessness, and it hurts knowing that someone so brilliant, and responsible, and inspiring is going through that unnecessarily.

"He's just…upset. He didn't want my Mom and I to have to work like he did. He did everything right too. He went to college and worked strenuous hours his whole life, but couldn't ever get past that last step of finding a reliable, well paying job," Melanie exhales melancholically.

Yeah, makes sense. Why wouldn't you feel like the whole world is against you when nothing goes the way you've told it would. Ronan's also a family man, so I understand him never wanting Melanie to feel the amount of stress he did daily.

"…Just hang in there a little longer. I promise you that once I get my degree, everything will get better for you and I," I declare.

Thinking about Ronan has also got me thinking about Ambrose. I haven't got an update regarding his situation, and I sincerely hope that everything turned out alright for him, so I ask, "Did your grandfather get any better?"

Melanie looks down at the counter, tapping her claws against the marble with a frown. "He…um…passed away a few weeks ago."

Normal monsters would probably have some sort of sinking feeling in their stomachs or some rush of guilt raid their brains, but I develop this odd feeling of emptiness within me after hearing that. He meant a lot to many people and now he's just… no longer there. It's almost as if he was part of some dream and the world finally awoke to a reality where he's never really existed in the first place. I don't really know how else to explain it, but it's incredibly bizarre knowing that Melanie won't ever feel the same without him.

With a gloomy tone I say, "I'm sorry, Mel," and watch her as she goes through the motions.

"It's alright… I'm happier knowing that he doesn't have to worry about us anymore," Melanie mumbles.

"He worried about you guys often?" I question.

"Mm-Hmm. It was mostly about my Dad. He always asked me in high school if my Dad seemed a little…'off.' I'm guessing my Dad's always struggled with depression, and so my grandpa wanted to find a way for him to feel better. He never did though," Melanie responds.

"…Well I promise you that I'll I do my best to help you and your father," I state.

Melanie gives me another smile before pointing to my food. "Your waffle is going cold."

"Meh, it can go cold. I only came all the way here for you anyways," I wink.

"Oh my god John... we're in public," Melanie blushes, putting her hands over her snout and looking off to the side.

"You really think I care about that? I would let the whole world know how much I love you if you would only let me," I tease.

Melanie stomps away in the direction of the few tables she's still serving. "Can you please just stuff your face."

It's difficult to not laugh as she runs away from from me, but she's right, I am pretty hungry. I don't normally leave the house without eating something, and I hate that lingering ache you get when starvation hits, so this bland ol' Belgian Waffle will have to do. It's like any other waffle; It was just bread, nothing more nothing less, and the strawberries definitely made it more edible. I would still take anything Melanie or her mother cooks over anything else though. If only all the monsters that came here knew what they were missing, then maybe Evelyn and Melanie could start their own diner or something similar.

The diner has become dead silent as everyone has finished their own food and left to go on about their days. Melanie swings on by and takes my plate and mug that had its' contents consumed. Only a few seconds pass by before she rounds the counter and takes a seat next to me. Her uniform swings from side to side and she, once again, places her hands on her lap as if she's royalty…and to me she really is.

"Are you slacking? Don't tell me the amazing Melanie is slacking!" I tease.

"Noooo," She groans, "There's just nothing to do right now. After breakfast, nobody ever comes in until around three o' clock."

"Whaaat? You're telling me people refuse to drive all the way here and ask to see you? That's messed up," I continue.

It probably wouldn't be wrong to assume that Melanie considered just walking away from me out of embarrassment. She blushes more and says, "Oh my god, John, can you please just stop?"

"But I like seeing you like this! It lets me know that my advances are working and that you really do like me too," I respond while leaning over and wrapping my arms around her.

She returns my embrace and I can feel her weight press against me as she relaxes. Knowing that she isn't wishing me to disappear makes me feel ecstatic, and if I could, I would stay here for as long as she wants. I love hugging her in general too. There's this weird enchanting rush I get whenever we're close like this, and I hope I never have to go very long without this feeling ever again. It's almost impossible to describe what it's like being around her now.

While I'm hugging her, my attention turns back towards her mane. It's definitely a lot shorter than what it used to be, and it's odd seeing her look like this. Curiosity gets the better of me and I have to ask her about it "Hey, why did you cut your hair?"

Melanie doesn't move from my grasp, but I can feel her jaw move up and down on my chest while see says, "Oh... I did it for Juno. The hospital started giving her chemotherapy one day out of nowhere and her fur started falling out. So I, uh, cut it so that she didn't look like she had Mange."

"Oh…well good. At least I know that you guys received the money without any issue now," I reply.

Melanie pushes herself away from me so that she can give me an astonished glare. "Huh?!" She exclaims.

Seems like she needs some sort of explanation. "Yeah. The next morning after I dropped you off at your house, I went to see my mother and asked if there was a way for me to help pay for all of your families medical bills. She basically said to use money from ehr bank account and told me that her money is basically yours at this point. She said she would also beat the life out of my father if he got mad at us for spending all of it on you, because let's be honest, you're more important than my fathers financial hoarding habits."

"But John…that was so expensive," Melanie whimpers.

"No it wasn't," I laugh, "I think you're underestimating how rich my family is. We were able to even pay off your father and grandfathers bills too."

"But…but…," Melanie whispers as her mouth starts to quiver.

I'm able to look Melanie in the eyes for quite a while. Those entrancing magenta eyes of her are so beautiful that I don't want to look away, but she's getting emotional right now and can't possibly ignore how she feels right now. I smile like I always have, hoping to make her feel like everything actually is ok now. The tears between the two of us seem to never end, because even more are shed by Melanie.

"I mean it when I say that I don't want you and your mother working here anymore. The two of you, your father, and the rest of your family deserve so much more," I add.

There's more silence between us before I finally break it. "Look...I...um...I want to apologize for taking so long to see you again. I just wanted everything to be fixed before I did see you again. I also know you're probably tired of listening to me make excuses, but I just wanted to make sure that you knew that I'm not the kind of person everyone thinks I am."

"It's ok, John..." Melanie whimpers, "As long as... as long as you're not hurting people anymore... then I don't care. You can be vain...you can be arrogant... you can be you... as long as you let others be who they want and do what they want."

At this very moment, it feels like that I've finally found that piece that I've been missing. I figured out a way for someone to know that I'm not some power that can't be trifled with. That I'm compassionate, that I've redeemed myself in the eyes of most people that are important to me. While I don't know what's going on in Melanie's case, I'm sure she found a way to feel independent and ambitious considering that she took on all this work for the sake of others. She also seems to have gained of bit of 'extrovertedness' because she's been able to effortlessly speak to people she doesn't know while working here. We seem to have navigated our way through that sea of purple that the Professor was talking about with me, and I can tell that I've figured out that I belong with Melanie. Without her, all I am is that monster that everyone should stay away from.

I notice that I have a huge, and probably dumb-looking smile on my face. I dial it all back and grab Melanie's left hand before she smiles at me again. "Promise me that you'll apologize to Oozma Kappa someday ok?"

"...I promise," I reply.

Melanie raises her hands and places them underneath my jaw. Her eyes are wide and her smile is as giant as mine is. Choked up, she lets out five more words. "I'm glad to hear that."

Melanie and I enjoy each other's presence for a little while longer. She asks about how everything unfolded after I last saw her, and I explain how everyone's still kind of spooked about everything. Everyone was scared of me anyways so I don't really see or feel a difference, but everyone's definitely been keeping their distance. Everyone on Frat Row has actually been more supportive of usual though. They all know Faust was the one who started it, and was behind all of the confrontations this year. Professor King had to bring it up with Dean Hardscrabble and the rest of the heads of MU, but Javier saved me by keeping track of every little thing Faust did this year. Apparently Faust was the one who was behind the fight that Melanie, Javier, and Chip were in at the start of the year. Faust made Baboso and Percy think that we were running our mouths when we weren't so they both acted out of 'principal.' Javier also secretly knew that Faust led the Fear Tech students into Frat Row and was the catalyst for that whole adventure. Javier even caught Faust breaking and entering into Melanie's Room to steal her laptop, and took photos of it. After adding all of that on top of the entire school knowing that he started the fight, it was ruled that I would cut all ties with the JOX and get a slap on the wrist.

As for Faust, Red ended up kicking him out of JOX and now he has to pass his Scaring Final otherwise he might lose his chance at becoming a Scarer. I tell Melanie that he will likely fail because he was deciding to cause chaos instead of studying, but she didn't really seem to care. He did make her life a living nightmare from the shadows so i don't blame her. I also tell her that my final is coming up and that if she wanted to see me do my last Scare test then she could totally do so.

"I'll see what's going on... everything is kind of messed up right now," Melanie answers.

"I won't force you. It would just make me happy for you to be there when I technically get my degree," I respond.

Melanie stands up from the blue bar seat and adjusts my hoodie before pulling my hood down. "Regardless of what happens, I'll always be proud of you."

"Good. I can't have my number one fan being disappointed in me," I wink.

Melanie laughs a little. "you should probably go home a rest before your final. I'm sure everyone's worrying about you too."

"Aww but I want to stay with you," I pout.

With a loud exhale, Melanie grabs my hands and pulls me to my feet before pushing me towards the exit. "NOPE. You are going back whether you like it or not. I'm not letting you make any more excuses as to why you, a ROR, is not spending the rest of your day studying!"

"UGGGGHHHH, fiiiiiinnne," I groan while letting the weight of body fall for Melanie to push.

"Get...your...fat...butt...out of here!" Melanie jokes while out of breath. For such a small monster she really is strong.

I then stand tall and confidently so I can turn around, grab her waist with one arm, and give her the first kiss we've had in months. She jerks when are lips touch but she immediately pushes herself into me lustfully. When I lean back I say, "I'll see you later Princess."

Melanie waves at me as I open the door. "Bye Horns."

And just like that, everything's back to normal... and by that I mean that I'm back outside in this desolate wasteland that Melanie calls home.