Chapter 1
Melody
“Who knew we would all make it this far?” Melody watched Renae ask as she took the microphone off the stand and paced the stage. Other speakers from the night stayed behind the podium, but her over-the-top need to perform even just a speech stayed true to who she had always been in high school - the annoyance, especially to Melody.
All the graduates were told this was supposed to be a joyous time, one where emotions would run high and hearts would be so full they could hardly stand it, but this was more of Melody’s version of hell. Having to listen to her least favorite person drone on about the future in a high-pitched, impassioned tone had to be some form of torture she had just unlocked. The petite know-it-all didn’t stop at corny jokes and near Broadway-esque performances to transition talking points. She wanted to talk about something Melody dreaded the thought of.
“I would like to talk a little bit about success. To do that, I have a story for each letter,” she said, beaming at the crowd with a bright smile. She only received groans in response, but she powered through. Renae had a way of ignoring negative or even constructive feedback. Melody slumped in her seat, looking up at the ceiling as the first story began, losing herself in thought.
Her attention weaved in and out of the speech, latching onto every other sentence, but it caused her to think about her successes. She lacked the confidence to believe she did anything noteworthy for herself. Sure, there were accolades a mile long, but she didn’t have any accomplishments she could say were unique to her desires.
“What will be the mark you make next in the world? And how will you use those moments of past success to propel you forward in your next stage in life?” Renae asked the crowd.
Melody had to hand it to her. Those questions were good, and she had no clue how to answer them for herself. Once a person turned eighteen, they were entrusted with a huge decision of what to do next. Melody had been eighteen since December, and it was now late May and the question was still unanswered. Every time the future was discussed, her chest tightened and her heart raced.
Her parents had laid out life plans for her, and her best friend, Kenny, even perfectly curated their next steps. But they weren’t her plans. Her desires for the future were like shouting into the void of space, while everyone else had the benefit of atoms and molecules to carry the sound wave.
Clapping jarred Melody out of her reverie, signaling the start of the main attraction. The reason they were all gathered, the well-practiced ceremonial walk across the stage when each name was called. Relief washed over her after the short walk across the stage and the handshake with the principal. Melody Jackson was officially a high school graduate. Moving their tassels from one side to the next, she and her classmates symbolically closed the door on the last chapter of their childhood at Rowandale Creek High. This was half the battle, the spine-chilling second half was figuring out what to do next.
Melody expected elation to course through her as cheers from the crowd erupted. Triumphant laughter and joy reverberated off the green and gold, streamer-draped walls, echoing up and down the aisles as people gathered to hug, take pictures, or exit. As she hurried behind the exiting few, not in the mood to reminisce over days long gone, not even the sweet messages of congratulations and luck infused excitement in her. Her immediate goal was to gather her belongings stashed away in the library. She was desperate to finally read the letter that had arrived at the school for her a few mornings ago. There wasn’t a chance she would have it sent to her home.
When she made it to the library, there was no one in the room, so she had the solace of being alone. Only the computers lining the back wall, big and bulky, sitting there like relics of their time, kept her company. As much money as the wealthier families dumped into this school, this place was more of a museum than anywhere else.
Everyone had left their belongings strewn haphazardly over the floor, chairs, and other surfaces, making it difficult for Melody to find her things. She scanned the room, locating her sparkly purple backpack next to the middle table.
Unzipping the bag, the letter she was itching to read stuck out. The envelope was thick. The kind of letter that would welcome her rather than reject her. Even suspecting good news, it took her several days to work up the nerve to open it. Ripping into the envelope, she read the bold print excitedly welcoming her to Rowandale Creek Community College. She let out a squeal and shimmied and shook her hips to the music in her head.
A voice cleared behind her as she heard someone shuffling forward. Melody almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to see who was in the room with her and wondered how much of her little dance break they witnessed. The smile slid from her face and the cheer from her heart as she caught sight of RCH’s underdog. Steven Shaye was the feel-good story everyone rooted for on the football field and in his personal life.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just looking for my stuff,” he said, with a voice like honey. That drawl had all the girls in school, except Melody, falling all over themselves for him.
“How much of that did you see?” she asked, trying to decide how mortified she should be, and if he had videoed it and planned to use it as blackmail.
His hands raised in surrender, lips upturned in an amused smile. “I didn’t see anything, Mel. Just looking for my bag.”
Even as his ocean-blue eyes turned away from her, his lips still rose at the corners, grinning. Melody knew he would never tell her and the knowledge that she could wake up in the middle of the night years from now wondering how embarrassing she was would feed his soul. The price was her irritation and embarrassment.
“You saw nothing,” she reiterated, getting more annoyed by the second as his smile grew wider.
His eyes locked with hers like he was about to admit something. “Found it.” Steven nodded toward his well-traveled duffle bag next to her feet. It was green and gold, like their school colors, with his name monogrammed on it and the words “QB 2”. Why anyone would want to announce being second best was beyond her.
Melody stepped back to allow him the space to get his bag, but her heel caught in his strap, sending her and her envelope flying backward. She could hear the light thump of the envelope somewhere behind her, and fully expected herself and her thick thighs and ample ass to have a resounding thud to follow. To her surprise, Steven rushed forward, catching her with his arm around her waist like he was Peter Parker and she was Mary Jane in the first Spiderman movie.
This was as close as they had been since elementary school, and his eyes were alight with merriment and mischief as they met hers. “Damn, Mel. This is the second time I’ve caught you slipping today.”
Melody stood, straightening her dress and graduation gown. Her gaze was as chilly as old coffee. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have caught myself.”
“Really? Do tell the plan to catch yourself. I’m all ears,” Steven said, walking over to pick up the envelope she dropped.
Melody didn’t have a retort as she realized he would see what she had been hiding from everyone. “Mind your business, Steven.” She could practically see the question in his eyes as he recognized the sender. “It’s illegal to read other people’s mail.”
“Lock me up then, Mel.” She hated the stupid ‘I Got the Best of Her’ grin he was wearing. His eyes moved back down to the envelope. “And don’t call me Steven. It’s Shaye.”
“I’m not one of your little football friends. In second grade, the teacher said, this is…who? Steven Shaye. So to me, you’re Steven.” Annoyance flooded her when he didn’t give her the mail back.
“Fine. Here, Melly.” He outstretched the envelope and every time she reached for it, he withdrew it.
Steven knew she hated being called Melly. It was Renae’s name for her - a name she had told Renae to stop calling her ever since elementary school. She snatched the envelope out of his hand and lightly smacked him on the arm. “Can you leave? I was trying to have a moment to myself to read my mail.”
“I can, but now I don’t want to. You got into LFU weeks ago. It was all everyone was talking about. Y’all going to the dream school.” Steven left out the question she knew he wanted to ask, but his words gave way to something more curious.
“What do you mean “y’all”? You’re not going?” The plan was for everyone in the friend group to go together. Even the ones on the outskirts of it, like Steven.
“The way you’re holding onto that envelope, I’m assuming you’re not going either.”
Her grip loosened, and she put the important papers back in her backpack. So many questions ran through her mind, but she thought of the person who would be hurt by Steven’s news. Melody’s news would be bad too, but they weren’t discussing her right this second.
“Does she know?” Melody asked, already figuring out the answer. Kira was his girlfriend and one of Melody’s best friends. She would have heard it by now if Kira knew.
“Does Kenny know?” he countered.
“Why do you have to answer a question with a question? At this point, find your way out of my business.” Because Kenny, Kira, nor her parents knew.
Steven leaned against one of the tables like he was about to get the juiciest gossip. He looked like one of those television jock cliches with his blond hair smoothed back, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. In his dress shirt and tie, he could walk a runway. “Come on, Melly. You hate me, I can’t stand you. What’s a little secret between frienemies? You share, I’ll share.”
Curiosity got the better of Melody, wanting to know what his plans were. There was also a little bit of desire to speak her plans out loud to someone else to get it off her chest. This felt a lot like some kind of mutually assured destruction.
“I’m not going to everyone’s damn dream school. Not this year, at least. I just…need to breathe and do something for me,” she said, sighing as if some of the heaviness had lifted from her chest.
“So the welcome letter for Rowandale Creek CC is legitimately where you’re going? After all that celebrating and planning you and Kenny did?” He sat on the desk, eyeing her in disbelief.
“Kenny, Ahra, my parents, and Kira wanted this for me. I don’t know what I want.” Her three best friends had a way of being just as persuasive as her parents. “Anyway, where are you going? So I know how to prepare when I have to call you every name in the book with Kira.”
“I knew you two talked shit about me together.” He scowled in Melody’s direction.
“Where are you going to college? Back on track, Steven. I’m not trying to talk about your ten breakups right now.”
“Fourteen breakups. And I’m going to the same school you are if the letter at home is also an acceptance.”
“Might be one more breakup if you can’t remember how many.” How could he not even remember how many times he broke Kira’s heart?
Steven rolled his eyes and a wave of disappointment rolled over Melody as she realized she would not have a clean slate to be who she wanted to be with him at the same college. “Of all the schools you could go to,” she started, but heard the irrationality in her tone.
“It’s a big enough campus. I’m sure we’ll never see each other. Unless you’re planning to have your parents buy it for you.” There was a bite to his words, a bitterness that was almost hidden.
Money was a sensitive subject to him after the whole town watched his family’s business fail when they were younger.
“Steven, I didn’t mean it like that.” Her voice softened when she saw hurt in the warm sea of his eyes. Sometimes, her privilege of having wealthy parents left her with blind spots and foot-in-mouth syndrome. “Why didn’t you tell anyone about your college choice?”
“And make you all feel like assholes because I’m poor?”
“Steven,” she said, her voice even softer than before. He was right. They would feel awful that they assumed everyone could afford to attend the university. “So, what are you planning to tell Kira?” she asked, moving past the blunder.
“Now you’re in my business,” he said, smirking in her direction. “I’m going to tell her the truth. Football is the plan, getting scouted for a full ride to LFU next fall. I’m sure you’ll hear it all later. Should I say nothing to Kenny?”
“Kenny is my best friend and he should hear it from me.” Even if the pressure in her chest built with every passing moment, preparing to tell him.
“Then it’s settled? We each tell our folks, and after the graduation party tonight, we never have to see each other again.” Steven hopped off the desk, outstretching a hand to shake on it.
“Deal.” She placed her hand in his, surprised by how smooth it was, and how easily hers fell into it. “I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but I’d be lying.”
“Save us both the fake niceties and let it be,” Steven said, his tone blunt.
Their hands lingered in each other’s hold before they realized they were still touching. Maybe it was the shared secrets that forged this contentment with one another, but to Melody, it felt nice. She would never admit it. She pulled away first, awkwardly nodding and grabbing her bags to leave.
She had bigger fish to fry than Steven Shaye attending the same college this fall. Even though his shit would inevitably end up on her doorstep when Kira found out, Melody still had to focus on herself and the people she was disappointing with her decisions.
