the year was 1994, the mid 90s approached meaning a shift from hair metal and axel rose, nirvana and the grunge scene crept in like wildfire especially since the 1991 hit album 'nevermind' everything smelled of teen spirit, cigarettes and alcohol. the evolution of young minds continued, tapes and cds dominating the bedrooms of teens. posters of their ideal woman or man, bands and celebrities.

but that was only half the case for the protagonist of our story, the anti hero in fact. the girl with so many flaws, there was nothing clean about her. she smelled like stale cigarettes and a scent of lavender, her skin pale of course and break outs. her eyes a beautiful grey but dull with the ever present trauma and life she had, her hair a straw like blonde, unkempt and curled.

her eyeliner smudged, her hands clad in rings she had either stolen or found lying around. her accent was strong and that of her native land of Ireland. you're probably wondering the name of this girl, well her name is Melanie Carson.

a seventeen year old recluse, some would say troubled but only she knew truly who she was. melanie embraced all what was said. a teenage girl with no real sense of direction, she was doomed to fail so to speak. she often wondered why she attended the school hartley high. deep down she craved some sense of normality. in all honesty she feared to be alone, with the voices in her head she heard so loud and clear at night.

the flashes of what was once her home, bombs and guns along with the horrors of dublin she saw. melanie bore witness to history, 'the troubles' but that wasn't at the core of her troubles. melanie was an abandoned baby, no trace of her parents or reason for it. right from her first breath on earth she was unwanted, dumped like an old toy.

as a baby she would cry, a lot. and now as a teenager she masked the cries, the tightness in her throat throbbed most days. her heartbreak was seeing how everyone else had someone to go home to, a mother, father even a grandparent. but she went home to an empty flat, accompanied by the growing mould and mildew. To her friends she was a powerhouse, fun even. Melanie would put on a mask at school, the mysterious yet cool bad girl.

and of course that caught the eyes of many, especially a boy she met not shortly after she moved to the australian suburb in sydney. nick polous, a greek/australian heartthrob or some would say a class clown but a popular boy. nick would tell you he fell at first sight, the irish girl was the very person he longed for most days. there was something intoxicating about the girl that drew him in, nick was infatuated.

he was good looking, he had tanned skin and dark hair nick polous was your typical tall, dark and handsome. he had a cheeky charm about him. his eyes were a dark brown, usually he was clad in a sports shirt, maybe a flannel here and there. his scent was a mixture of sandalwood and vanilla with a hint of cinnamon. nick loved himself that was no lie, he had no shame in saying it. he was vain, confident and loud. his personality was kind, loyal and sometimes he could be selfish and self absorbed but wasn't everyone?

nick was the exact opposite of melanie, he had a loving home. a mother who doted and cared for him, a father that wanted only the very best for his eldest child but at times the two would clash, more often than once. nick also shared a birthday with a twin sister, anastasia who was of course similar to her brother but the pair couldn't be more different in some aspects.

anastasia kept her brother grounded most times, made him see what a clown he was when it was too much. reminded him of basic stuff he usually would forget, she looked after him and vice versa. they would argue like any other siblings would but at heart they both had a bond that was unbreakable especially since she had came out to her brother as bisexual first. she trusted nick with her deepest secrets. they were best friends more than they were siblings.

to top it off they both shared a little sister named Effie, their pride and joy. equally protective over her but they refused to deny her the cruel truths of the world sometimes, much to their parents disagreement with it. the pair felt that effie should be exposed to some truths, but most they shielded her from as they wanted her to keep most of her innocence.

melanie was of course attracted to him but she wanted him to wait a little or in this case a few years, but that didn't stop him. nick would spend hours with her most nights, talking and getting to know the girl underneath the leather jacket and cigarettes. but he was yet to get there, melanie had her guard well and truly up. In her head it was a giant concrete wall engulfed in chains, a lifetime of hurt meant she trusted no one.

christmas 1993 had just finished and whilst everyone she knew was celebrating with their families and friends, melanie enjoyed the silent company of the walls of her run down flat. she would get calls from her friends especially her best friend peter rivers who has a similar life to her only his mother was an alcoholic and his father was in jail along with his brothers.

peter understood her struggles and always kept her grounded, he feared the worst for her that's why he was so protective since he knew how destructive she could get if she let her mind takeover.

Peter Rivers was the only friend she had, melanie never trusted anyone but him. Known to everyone else as a high school bully, rivers wasn't so bad when it came to his best friend. melanie often would go to his house making him feel like he had a witness to what he had to endure with his mother, a comfort in a way.

but when it came to christmas melanie distanced herself away from her best friend, Peter understood why but deep down he was hurting for his best friend.

melanie cried herself to sleep christmas night, she wondered why she was always all alone. the loneliness made her feel worthless as if no one cared but that was the unfortunate reality of her story, she had no one. no shred of family anywhere, she hated whoever they were.

her parents were people but they didn't have a face in her mind, they were just two figures. there faces a pink blur, she didn't imagine what they'd look like now. she did when she was a child, she'd imagine her mothers warmth and her fathers love. she pictured a perfect family living in a house that was well cared for, her mother would be beautiful and her father would be handsome but as melanie got older and the hope that they would find her faded away and so did their faces.

they were just figures without a face, non existent.

but our story is about how her life will change, melanie is now rebuilding the ruins of her life. she wanted to have some normality and that came with going to hartley high, a place where she could somehow be herself and maybe not feel so lonely.

and melanie was definitely not alone especially since nick polous would follow her around like a lost puppy, she liked that someone saw good in her but that didn't stop her from causing the teachers a hard time.

so, if this story is for you. please, continue to read all about the ever complicated and beautiful melanie carson.