Melody

Buffalo cauliflower. Creamy mashed potatoes. Steak corn. Another dinner with a family only held together by the tape and staples of an unfortunate marriage. I watched at Leslie served everyone their plates. Margot turned her attention to me as I sat down.

"So, where have you been off to? Don't think I haven't noticed you missing from around the house."

"Oh, I was invited to a party on the weekend, and then I went to watch movies with some friends on Tuesday," I explained, stabbing a cauliflower with my fork.

"OMG! You have friends? Like with an 's'.... plural?" Mia asked incredulously. I shot her a glare but before I could respond, my father spoke.

"That's wonderful Melody," he smiled, his tired blue eyes crinkling at the edges. I smiled back at him genuinely. I hadn't seen him, much less spoken to him in a week.

"We watched scary movies to celebrate Halloween," I added. "The–"

Mia bumped my arm slightly, making me drop one of the sauce-covered cauliflower onto the white tablecloth.

"Oh my God Melody, can't you be careful? That stain won't come out and money doesn't grow on trees you know!" Margot jumped in. I sighed and picked it up off of the table.

"You didn't see–"

"You drop it? I did. Enough already," Mia sneered. "Anyways, my day was really fun..."

I glared down at my food as Mia continued to speak, remembering a time when she wasn't in my life.

***

"Higher!" I laughed as my dad pushed me on the swing attached to our oak tree in the backyard. My hair blew wildly around me, my high-pitched giggles ringing across the large space.

"Not too high," my mother warned from her lounge chair on the deck. She had on a big brimmed hat and sunglasses. Though it was warm, she had on a light long-sleeved shirt. She was protecting herself from the sun, though I didn't get what there was to protect from.

"Higher anyways!" I yelled. The swing moved back and forth.

"Pump your legs Mel," my dad laughed, making me smile. I swung my legs back and forth, propelling myself harder.

The breeze tickled my face, and my voice danced in the air.

I felt like I was flying.

Like part of the clouds.

I felt weightless.

***

I had another audition in New York on Friday, so I was taking the day off from school. I sent Carson a message to tell him I had an appointment, which made him call me immediately.

"Will you come for half the day?"

"Hello to you too," I laughed into the receiver.

"Hey Mellie," Carson replied. "So, will you?"

"No, it's an all-day kind of thing, but I can see you after if you like."

I hated lying to him, but I couldn't have a repeat of the past.

***

"Your mom was a model, right?" A girl came up to me on my lunch break. Her name was Elaine. She along with her friends took pride in picking on me. They teased me, gossiped about me, spread rumours.

"Um, yeah," I mumbled looking up from my sketchbook. This school went from elementary school to high school, so it wasn't a surprise that people knew about my mother. It was populated with kids who had wealthy and sometimes famous parents. They might not have been A-listers, but people who were well known in certain circles.

"That's what I thought..." she smiled. Elaine was one of the nicer girls out of her friends, but I wasn't sure what she was getting at. "And you're doing those model audition things right?"

"Umm... kind of," I said.

"Cool," Elaine nodded. She smiled and then left me sitting there in confusion. By the end of the day everyone seemed to know that I was trying to be a model and had some kind of expectation.

"Maybe she's going to actually do it?" A girl whispered to her friend.

"Are you kidding? Yeah, she's tall, but she's not all that pretty," the friend replied. They turned away from me as I walked down the hallway.

"I don't know... models have a little less... meat on their bones," another girl whispered to a guy she was standing with.

I stopped at my locker, grabbing my books, trying to hurry. Trying not to hear. Wishing I could block out their voices and be anywhere but Connecticut.

"This is an underwhelming amount of support isn't it?" A girl's voice said next to me. Aubrey Lewis. She was tall and thin with long brown hair so light it was almost blonde. She had smooth skin, a perfect little nose and shining blue eyes. I'd say that shine was a glint of evil if anyone asked me, but that was beside the point. She was near perfect and knew it as she ruled the school with a perfectly manicured iron fist.

"I guess..." I mumbled, closing my locker. When I looked up at Aubrey, I noticed her friends gathered around her. Elaine floated behind with an expression on her face that I could have sworn had guilt on it. But I didn't feel the least sorry for her. She was a part of this, wrapped around Aubrey's finger.

"Most people think you should just quit while you're ahead. I mean look at you. If anyone could go into modelling it'd be me. But like, I get it. You want to be like your mother. Totally makes sense. So, good luck." With that Aubrey brushed past me, with her group of friends trailing behind her.

And any day I missed school for an audition, the whole school seemed to know. Their eyes followed me the next day, asking if I got the gig. When I said no, it was worse than disappointing everyone. It was like I confirmed their expectations – I was going to fail. The odd time I said yes, they thought I was lying or wondered why on earth someone would pick me. I was dammed if I did and dammed if I didn't.

So, I left.

***

"Yeah Mel, I'll see you after," Carson said through the phone. I smiled. Things were better this way. 

____________

Author's Note: Hello my friends! This is a short chapter and sorry about the wait, but I do hope you like it! A little snippet into the past... now we know why Melody won't tell anyone about her modelling endeavours! Do you think she'll ever tell Carson? What do you think might happen next? Don't we hate Mia?  Comment your thoughts! And don't forget to vote!