Melody

An all too familiar bell rang, and I double-checked my appearance in the mirror. It was the bell for family dinner, and I was less than excited. It was a routine that Margot created for any time my father actually came home for dinner. I thought it was stupid that she forced us to change into something nice to wear for dinner in the house, but whatever Margot said was law here.

I sort of felt like hiding this evening, so I didn't wear a dress like usual. I wore white high-waisted jeans, with a black baggy but cropped sweater and dressed it up with a big gold chunky necklace. I sighed at my reflection in the mirror and hoped no one would criticize my attire.

I got downstairs quickly and took my seat at the table. Mia was already there in her seat beside me and gave me a once over. She said nothing, which meant she actually approved of my outfit, which happened once in a blue moon.

Mia and I actually used to get along when we were younger. When she moved in, it seemed perfect, she was a year older than me and we could hang out together. But one day she woke up and decided she wanted nothing to do with me. I guess she wasn't really my sister, so she didn't have to like or care about me. I wished she did. It would have been nice to have someone on my side, but she didn't like me anymore and I didn't know why.

Margot sat down across from Mia, and soon my father entered the room. He really didn't look very much like me except for the fact that we both had green eyes. Otherwise, I looked like I was adopted into the family I was sitting with. My father and Mia both had blonde hair, as did Margot, thanks to a bottle of hair bleach. Her and her daughter were both in nice dresses, and my dad was in a suit and tie from his day at the office. They all began talking as we waited for Leslie to serve us dinner.

"... then I told him that if he didn't, I'd take my business and all of his clients with me elsewhere," Margot finished, looking around expectantly. I just zoned into the conversation and had no clue what was going on, so I sipped on my water quietly. Mia grinned at her mother and my father smiled.

"That's my woman!" He encouraged. I glared down at my water. "Melody!" My dad suddenly exclaimed, making me jump slightly. "How's school been?"

"Great!" I replied with the brightest smile I could put on. My father smiled and nodded.

"Have you made any friends?" He asked. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was better to lie or not. Not that lying is the best thing to do, but sometimes it's easier than having my family make fun of me. However, it's the second day, so...

"Um, not quite yet, but there are a few people that I get along with well," I told him. So, I embellished a little, but Alani and Carson were the only two people who I knew didn't hate me... I think.

"Figures," Mia muttered under her breath. My face went pink, but I didn't reply. Next time, I know I'm going to lie.

"Well, it's only the second day, so don't worry," my father said. I nodded and was very happy that Leslie brought our dinner in at that moment. The salad came first, which I was grateful for as I filled up on it so much that it left little room for carbs or anything else. I took another large sip of my water and began eating my salad. I took tiny bites and chewed slowly, remembering all the stupid rules that had been taught to us when we were younger.

A lady takes small bites... Demure women don't wolf down their food... Sit up tall and push out your chest slightly; pretty girls need good posture... Margot ingrained them in my head since I was eleven.

A heavy sigh broke me out of my thoughts and I glanced up from my food. Everyone was waiting for me to finish my salad, so they could move on to their next plate.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

***

When dinner was finally over, I got away from the table as fast as I could. I always felt really uncomfortable with my "family" and adding food to the mix did not help. Though I got smaller portions to avoid wasting food I wouldn't eat, the passive aggressive comments Margot and Mia made about wolfing down food, or how I was sitting, always made it feel like it was too much. It was so hard to sit and watch my dad pretend we were the happy little family.

I threw on a pair of colourful leggings and an oversized black shirt before slipping on a pair of running shoes, and out the front door. It was almost nightfall and I knew I needed to jog off my dinner.

My feet slapped against the concrete sidewalks and I pushed myself faster despite the pain I felt in my legs. The hurtful words that Serena said were swirling around in my mind and fuelled my run.

Get your fat ass off of me!

It replayed over and over again.

Fat ass... Fat ass... Fat... fat... fat... My feet moved faster.

Were you trying to slim down your thighs or that little... pouch? Margot's voice entered my head.

Slim down your thighs...

Fat.

Little pouch.

Fat.

Fat... thighs... fat... little pouch...

Fat ass...

I pushed past the dizziness and kept sprinting until I found a park. The streetlights had just come on, but I had barely noticed them as I couldn't see straight, but I kept running. Suddenly, I collapsed on all fours, onto a patch of grass. My body shook, and I shivered from the sweat that covered it. I took a deep breath and rolled onto my back before doing sit-ups until my abdomen burned.

It was a frenzy that I wasn't sure I could stop. I rotated through different exercises, though I knew I was ignoring all my body's safety barriers and I would regret it. Then the voices left my mind and I stopped moving. My arms and legs stopped moving and all I could focus on was breathing.

After a few minutes, I tried to stand, but my legs wobbled. I knew I wouldn't be able to run home. I felt a pang of regret for running outside, but I just needed to get away from the house.

***

The next morning, I felt too tired to go to school. My arms and legs burned with every movement and my body felt heavy. I was so exhausted last night I didn't pick anything out to wear for today either. However, I knew that if I didn't show up in class, the school would call my father and I didn't want to cause any issues for him while he was at work.

Slowly, I dragged myself out of bed and pulled on a sage green, cropped sweater. I then put on a pair of leggings and stood in front of the mirror. As I raked my eyes over my body I frowned deeply. My legs looked too big and my hips looked too wide.

I took off the leggings and pulled on a pair of boyfriend jeans. It hid the parts of me that was glaring at me in the mirror this morning and I liked the colours of the clothing together, so it would do. I pulled on a pair of strappy brown high heels, brushed my teeth, and did my makeup before leaving the house.

As I walked to school, I put my dark hair in a high ponytail, despite the burning sensation in my arms. As sluggish as I was this morning, I still managed to make it into class with a little more than five minutes to spare. I stepped into the school hallway and walked straight to English class then flopped down into my chair. I placed my head on my desk, feeling heavy and regretting my decision to come. If I weren't so tired, I probably would have gotten up and left.

I heard my classmates begin filing into the room and then shortly after, the warning bell rang. I lifted my head and propped it up with my hand in time to see Carson putting his things down on desk. I held in a sigh, knowing that Rose wanted my head on a platter for talking to him.

After the morning announcements, Mr. Garcia told everyone to open their books to the next scene of Hamlet, and we began reading. After analysing it as a class, Mr. Garcia told everyone to go work in their groups again.

Now, I wasn't antisocial or anything, but I wasn't a fan of group work. On the bright side, my group wasn't too bad, and they were willing to work. Having Carson White in my group was the biggest challenge as Rose wanted me as far away from him as possible. I didn't really care what her problem was; I just knew that I was too exhausted to deal with her today.

"Did you get the Bristol board?" Jeff asked Lily running a hand through his sandy blonde hair. She nodded and pulled it out from under her chair. We had spent the last class brainstorming on collage ideas and now had to put pieces together based on the theme and we had chosen Appearance vs. Reality. Yesterday, it made me itch with discomfort and made me want to leave the room as soon as possible, but today I was just focused on sitting upright and not dropping the scissors as I cut out pictures.

I tried to hide my fatigue by nodding along with the conversation my group was having and I smiling as much as I could. I even attempted to move without wincing, but I felt Carson's curious glances on me every so often.

"So, you guys watch any good TV shows lately?" Carson asked, launching Jeff and Lily into a discussion of the Big Bang Theory. Carson's eyes stayed on me as they spoke. I didn't add to it, because I didn't watch TV shows that often. When I did watch it, I liked watching fashion related shows such as Project Runway and America's Next Top Model. I had a deep connection with fashion, though I knew I probably wouldn't have much success in the field – I squeezed the thought out of my head.

"What about you Melody?" Lily smiled. My heart pounded in my chest, not wanting her to make fun of the shows I did watch.

"Oh, um, I don't watch very much television," I stated with a small shrug. Everyone nodded and went back to their own conversations. I let out a small sigh and placed the scissors on the desk. I picked up a few pictures and tried to place them around seeing what they would look like.

"Oh, that looks good," Carson said, leaning over my desk. My heart rate picked up though I willed it not to. "Hey guys, check this out." Lily and Jeff looked over at my desk and grinned.

"Whoa! That's really good!" Lily exclaimed, playing with her soft brown hair. Jeff nodded in agreement.

"Oh, thanks," I mumbled shyly in response. The bell rang making me breathe a sigh of relief. My more enthusiastic group members shot out of their seats and began packing up their things. I watched as Carson coolly moved out of his seat. I packed my bag slowly before taking a wobbly stand.

"Are you okay?" Carson asked suddenly, making me freeze for a moment. I carefully rearranged my facial features into a soft smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I quickly turned around and left the classroom.

***

At lunch, I ignored the cafeteria and headed straight to the art room. Ms. Foster was inside the room painting on a canvas. Her dark brown ringlets were pinned up and she wore a smock to cover her clothes. I knocked on the door and gave Ms. Foster a small smile as she turned around.

"Melody! Come on in!" She beamed at me.

"Are – are you sure? I was just going to ask to work on my project but, if you're busy, I can just go to the l–"

Ms. Foster interrupted my sentence. "Nonsense! Come in and work. Would you like to listen to some music while you work?"

"Oh, um, if you want. I don't want to be a bother," I mumbled. She shook her head and motioned for me to come. I stepped into the room and put my bag down at my seat.

Ms. Foster put some soft indie music on, and then began painting again. I sat at the table and drew slowly. I focused on the preciseness of the lines, but soon found myself focusing on keeping my eyelids open. I think Ms. Foster noticed, because she changed the music to something slightly more upbeat.

"Break time for me!" Ms. Foster sang, before washing her hands. She then began eating her lunch from a container. I could smell chicken and green peppers and it made my stomach growl. I blushed and quickly concentrated on drawing again. It didn't work, as my stomach growled again. "Hungry?" Ms. Foster laughed. I laughed too but it didn't sound as happy or carefree as hers did. It sounded almost as forced as it was.

"No, big breakfast," I lied. She nodded and let me continue drawing. I began breathing through my mouth, so I could no longer smell her food. When the feeling of hunger finally passed, a smile played on the corner of my lips. I went back to my drawing feeling relieved.

***

The rest of the week at school was uneventful. I stayed under the radar and avoided the cafeteria at all costs. Luckily, Ms. Foster bought the half-assed excuses I made for not eating lunch and I forced myself to avoid smelling her delicious food when she ate. There were no family dinners for the rest of the week either, which I was more than happy for.

For the most part, everything was going well enough until Saturday morning. Margot stormed into my room, waking me up at nine o'clock sharp. Groggily, I sat up in confusion.

"Get up! I have friends coming over for lunch, and you need to get ready."

"What time are they coming?" I asked, my voice thick with sleep. Margot rolled her eyes.

"Noon, but you need all the time in the world," She smirked. "Don't dress sloppy like you usually do." I nodded and started getting up. Margot eyed me and then looked around. "And clean your room. All the fashion junk... it's looking like a pigsty." Margot added, her eyes resting on the picture on my desk. The picture of my mother. I frowned as she marched out of the room. 

_______________

WHAT? AN UPLOAD SO SOON? SNAP!

Hehe I had a writing frenzy and here is this!! I'm probably going to be focused on school for the next week or two but I'm still going to try to write! Tell me what you think and vote vote vote! :D

Happy Easter if you celebrate!

Melody's dinner outfit:

Melody's second outfit: