The New Melissa

Melissa pulled on an orange tank top that exposed her navel and sheened on some Starburst rasberry lip gloss.  Perfect.  Her jeans stretched tightly around her tiny thighs.  Everybody was going to be so surprized.  But they would have to get used to the new  Melissa.1

Last year, Melissa was a loely tenth grader.  A midget sophmore.  Now, she was a junior.  Things had to change.  No more glasses.  SHe had contacts now.  She lost the overalls and french braids to stylish low riders and a hair cut resmbling Jessica Simpson's.2

Over the summer, students got tans, haircuts, boyfriends, and cars.  But Melissa got in shape.  She got a makeover.  She was sure to be popular this year.  Nobody could ignore her, now.  Now that she was beautiful.3

A couple mouths dropped open when Melissa marched through the front doors on September first.  She thought she heard a whistle, but forced herself to keep walking.  She needed to make everyone know she was confident.  Even if she wasn't.4

The girl she tutored last year in English caught her eye, but looked down immediately.  Was she really that terrifying?  Melissa smiled.5

Another whistle.  This time she saw the culpret.  She sauntered over and put her face real close to his.  Her heavily made-up eyes surveyed his body as he stood, rigid, against the lockers.6

"Call me,"  She said, and walked on as though she was saying it to her best friend before rushing home after school.7

The boy, called Nathan, let out a sigh of relief.  He smiled nervously, with a fleck of triumph.  Then frowned, obviously realizing he didn't have her number.8

Melissa smiled with pride.  This was going to be a great year.9

She sat with the cheerleaders at lunch, and had gotten hit one at least a dozen times, just in the afternoon.  Even the teachers looked at her differently.  10

She liked this feeling.  This feeling of power...control.  It seemed just for showing a bit of cleavage, the whole world was now bowing down to her.  She was queen!11

"Hey, Melissa."  A quiet voice sqeaked.  Melissa turned.  It was Teryn.  Her best friend from last year.12

"Hi.  ...Teryn."  She sounded awkward, and looked it too, forcing a half-smile.13

"H-how was your summer?"  Teryn stuttered.14

"Fine.  Uh, Teryn?  Can we talk later.  The girls and I were just going to get some low fat smoothies."  Melissa said hurriedly.15

"Um, yeah.  I guess.  I just wanted to say 'hi' anyway."  Whispered Teryn, dejected.16

"Oh great!  Well, buh bye!"  Melissa said, pompously, and scurried of in her pink flats.  17

Teryn suddenly had an enormus hatred growing inside her for those shoes.  She had been starring at them, just the other day, through a store window.  She would've bought them, but was three dollars short.18

The next day, they were all out of her size: 8 1/2.19

Coincidentally, Melissa wore size 8 1/2, too.20

"I'm glad I was three dollars short!"  Teryn thought indignantly.  "Now, I won't have the same shoes as that shallow....!!!  I can't believe she used to be my friend!  I can't believe she's changed so much!  It was only two months!"21

"Hello?"  Said an unfamiliar voice behind her.  Teryn turned.  She didn't recognize the person it came from, either.22

"Hi...?"  Teryn said, sound more fierce than she meant to.  She thought she saw the stranger flinch at her harsh tone.23

"I'm...Penelope.  I'm new here."  The girls smiled strangely, showing off braces with bright yellow elastics.  Her hair was a dull brown in a old perm that made it stick out and frizz badly.  Her long kilt was deep red and navy blue.  Teryn assumed she was wearing her old school uniform, because paired with it she had a white dress shirt under a knit sweater vest the same shade as the red on her kilt and white socks that were pulled up under the hem of her skirt.  She looked very out of place in a sea of teenagers sporting the latest trends such as guys in fitted pants, like in the seventies, and girls wearing cropped off shirts and tight trousers.24

"Come with me,"  Teryn said, pulling Penelope off into the girls bathroom.  Penelope, surprized by Teryn's sudden grasp on her arm, almost dropped the ratty text books piled up in her hands.25

Once inside the bathroom, Teryn snatched the books from Penelope's hands and plopped them on the counter.  She pulled a brush out of her bag and handed it to the new girl in a flourish.  26

"Brush you hair.  Then I'll give you some mousse that will help it stay flat."  Teryn leaned back against a stall door that was out of order.  Penelope blinked confoundedly.  "Oh, yeah.  I'm Teryn."27

Penelope still stood silently, not moving.28

"Brush!"  Teryn squaked and immediately Penelope started ripping through the tangled mat of curls.29

"Why are you doing this?"  Penelope asked a while later, seeing to it that she didn't move.  She could feel Teryn's minty breath as she carefully applied a thin layer of mascara.30

"Because, I figure you need a friend, and I am filling that order."  Explained Teryn, "First thing I had to do, as your new friend, was save you from any harrasment.  That meant, no offence, that the hair had to go.  You'll have to talk to your parents about getting contacts; those glasses won't do.  And only grade tens get away without any make-up."31

"Wow.  There are alot of rules here."  Penelope said, blinking heavily.  Mascara felt weird.  She had never even thought about wearing make-up before.32

"You'd be surprized."  Teryn laughed a little.  "Okay, last but not least..."  She said, shoving the tube of mascara back into her knapsack and stepping closer to Penelope.  She unbuttoned the top four buttons of her blouse and rolled the sleeves up past her elbows.  Then, she untucked the shirt and rolled up the skirt so the hem ended above her knee.  33

"There!"  Teryn said, truimphantly.34

Penelope stepped up to the large mirror attached to the wall and starred at her refelction in wonder.  "Whoa!  I look so..."35

"Hot!"  Teryn said with a grin.36

"I was actually going to say 'different', but okay."37

"What school did you come from?"38

"A private school, just west of the city."39

"Oh.  Did you like it there."40

"I suppose so.  But this is the only other school I have been to."41

"Really?  Private school all your life?  Harsh.  Your parents must be filthy rich then?"42

"Not filthy!  But they do have a large bank account, I guess."43

"Well, we'll have to borrow some and buy you some real clothes!"44

"Um..."  Penelope said nervously, "Shouldn't we be gettiing to class now?"45

"Oh.  Yeah."  Teryn looked at her watch, heading for the door.  "Did anybody at the private school ever give you a nickname?"46

"It was full of pompous rich kids.  The spoiled kind.  What do you think?"47

"Okay, okay.  I'll just have to give you one.  No offense, b--"48

"I know.  The name Penelope is rediculous.  I've tried getting my parents to change it.  They won't budge.  I'm stuck Penelope forever!"49

"No your not!  I'm gonna give you a nickname.  Howa 'bout...  Richie?  That's a cool name!"50

"Sure.  I like it."51

"And it suits you."52

"Haha.  I guess."53

The two new friends hurried off to class, but Teryn wasn't as thrilled as she tried to be.  Sure she had a new friend, but she had lost her best friend to the slutty cheerleaders who looked down on everybody.  And there was only one grade eleven class that year.  There was no avoiding Melissa's judgemental eyes.54

Melissa casually waltzed into class fifteen minutes late with a large smoothie clutched in her perfect hands.  She had had a manicure only two days ago.55

Teryn scowled at her friend.  Ex-friend.  Melissa was a traitor to all that they had stood up for last year.  Sure, sometimes they had shown some skin, but they had always done it in a classy way.  The hadn't waved their bodies around like candy.  Melissa and the other Shallows seemed to think that they could even woo the male teachers into anything.56

And sadly, they could.57

"Melissa, girls..."  Mr. Bartty said sternly, but Melissa gave him a pouty look and his brows unfurrowed.  His frown dissapeared making room for a smile, "Welcome to class.  Please open you text books to page three fourty-three.  Paige, can you please start at 'Physics is a beautiful...'"  Some of the boys scoffed at the statement.  Physics?  Beautiful?58

At the end of class, Mr. Bartty began to hand out a worksheet labelled 'Physics: What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned Today'  Everyone moaned.59

"Homework?  It's the first day of school!!"  Last year class clown Bugs Elaven whined.  60

Melissa stood up in protest.61

"Mr. Bartty!"  Her bottom lip protruded, "It's the first day of school!  Please can you wait?  We can alway do the assignment tomorrow in class...when your enormus brain is around to help us."62

Teryn gagged.  Could anybody else see through her?  She was like a window!63

"Oh...Alright!"  Mr. Bartty sighed, collecting the papers.  Everyone cheered.  But not for Mr. Bartty like he thought.  All the boys congratulated Melissa on their way out.  Teryn was forced to roll her eyes once again.64

The rest of the day was much the same.  By the time the bell rang at three thirty, Teryn was ready to rip Melissa apart.  65

Actually, the rest of the school year would be like that.  And Teryn knew it.  She had to expose Melissa for what she was:  a traitior!!  A slut!!  An nerd!!  Everyone popular had forgotten her old self.66

But soon, they would remember.  They would half to, right?67

I mean, not one single person remembered the nerdy Melissa with french braids and overalls?  The artsy freak everyone mocked?  Teryn remembered her.  She wanted her back!  All those times she had sacrificed her own chance to be popular to stand up for Melissa, and then she had gone and JOINED them!!!68

The next day at lunch, Richie and Teryn were eating peacefully at Teryn and Melissa's regular spot from last year.  Teryn was explaining Melissa's transformation when --speak of the devil-- she marched up.  The Shallows close behind.69

"We need this table,"  She said flatly.70

"What?  Why?"  Teryn stammered, "You've got your own, haven't you?"71

"Well, we would sit there, but it's by the window, and that isn't cool anymore."72

"And sitting near the trash can is?"  Teryn said viciously jabbing a finger at the dark green bucket behind her overflowing with garbage.73

"Well.  Things can be arranged."  Angel Whippburn announced, "Marcus!  Move that trash can, I don't want it in my sight!"  Suddenly, a scrawny tenth grader hopped up and pulled the garbage can into the hall.  "Good boy."  She said meanly.74

"There.  No trash.  Move."  Melissa seethed.75

"We're not moving."  Said Teryn.  She wasn't afraid of Melissa.  She knew how helpless she really was.76

"Oh, really?"  Another Shallow said as she stepped aside with the others, revealing the biggest and dumbest four players on the school football team.  They trotted around the table and picked up the girls with little to no effort, then carried them out into the hall.  The jocks dropped them on the bottoms and dissapeared back into the cafeteria.77

Suddenly, Teryn froze.  It was only the second day of school, but she knew it already.  Everybody was on the Shallows' side.  She knew she couldn't win.  She could never beat Melissa.  And as this fateful though swam across her mind, a vision of Melissa's spiteful, seething grin landed.78