What follows
is the true diary of Melanie Jane, presumed run-away in May of 2012.
November
12
Dear Diary,
You will not
believe what happened today. I was in the cafeteria and Cindy Hadlam
was being herself—or should I say, she who-snubs-everyone because
they’re-the-scum-on-the-bottom of her shoe. Today her
three-year-old antics included throwing French fries at me.
Seriously. French fries. Because she’d never eat something like
that and ruin her prom-queen figure. I think deep down she’s
jealous. I mean, who doesn’t want to eat pizza and marshmallows?
You have to be crazy to pick salad over that.
Ignoring her
(because that’s what you do with temper-tantruming toddlers), I got
up to leave at the same instant a sophomore walked past my table.
Collision.
Chocolate milk
spewed from its smashed carton like a garden fountain, pizza crust
flew through the air like a trapeze monkey, and apple slices twirled
like ballerinas onto the trays and tables around me. If I wasn’t
humiliated by how much of it stained my flannel button-up, I might
have calculated the likelihood of making the accident happen again,
but aimed at Cindy’s table.
Wanting to book
it out of there, I remembered Gran’s words: “When life gives you
lemons…”
I took a bow,
dropped my empty tray on the table, and walked straight for the exit,
chin held high. A couple kids applauded. Most laughed, but that’s
not the amazing part.
Todd Waters.
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He stood in the
doorway, him and those dreamy green eyes. He gave me a salute as if
to say, “One solider to another, way to take a blow.” The best
part, he was actually looking at me.
Yes, I’m
talking about untouchable Todd—the guy who could be the head of the
basketball team, the quarterback, and the student body president all
in one—except he sticks to his books, quiet corners, and lets the
entire female populace drool.
Granted, he might
have been looking at the milk dribbling down my shirt, but staying
positive here…
So all in all,
not a bad day. Lesson learned? Be confident—even in bad
situations.
December
12
Dear Diary,
I saw Todd in the
office today while bringing in a teacher’s note. He was wearing an
army jacket and his khaki pants were crinkled, but he was still as
hot as lava. He pounded a fist on the receptionist’s desk, dark
hair hanging shaggy in his eyes and his teeth bared.
I didn’t think
Todd got angry. In fact, I don’t think anyone has ever seen him do
more than crack a smile, but tension wafted off him like gas fumes.
(Not that he could ever smell bad in any way. Gas fumes can be
pleasant, you know?)
Anyhow, so he
whirled around and stomped toward me. I thought about moving out of
the doorway, but I didn’t. Todd stopped right in front of me. He
reached around me for the door handle, then, like coming out of a
trance, he blinked twice and stopped, looking right into my eyes.
I want to say my
knees didn’t go shaky, but they did. He smelled like a sea breeze.
I felt dazed and a little dizzy—because that’s what happens when
you stare into a gorgeous guy’s eyes—and then he touched me.
Physical contact.
He put his hand
on my arm and gently shifted me away from the door.
I dropped my note
at the desk and hurried after him. He was halfway out the front doors
when I caught up and asked, “Todd, are you okay?”
“Just a really
bad day.” He turned away like he was going to leave, then glanced
back over his shoulder and asked, “Wanna go for a ride?”
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Did I? DUH!
We hopped in his
car and drove for the beach. And we talked. He said his parents
wanted him to come home, permanently, and he’s not ready for that.
He likes living in John’s Island. He wouldn’t say where home is
or who he lives with now—some kind of relative—but he took off
because his parents were putting way too much pressure on him. I told
him about my cousin Lindsey whose parents expect her to be perfect,
and how she ended up in therapy with a nervous twitch when she got
her first B. Talk about pressure! I told him to be brave and stand up
for what’s important to him. I hope he’ll get to stay. After that
we talked and talked, and he even smiled a couple times. It was a
good day.
Lesson learned?
Take time for people. You never know how much you’re needed.
January
1
Dear Dairy,
Reason to
celebrate today. Todd gets to stay! His parents agreed. Isn’t that
awesome? He called to thank me for encouraging him to fight. I’m so
glad.
Lesson learned?
Doing a good thing gets you a call back!
February
22
Dear Diary,
Things are a blur
since Todd and I became friends, but I had to write today. Todd and I
talk all the time. He probably knows me better than anyone, but it’s
hard to get him to talk about himself. I think he’s having a hard
time with anything related to home or his parents. I don’t blame
him. They’re still putting pressure on him. When he needs a break
from them, he calls me and we take a drive to the beach. I love the
beach. The sunsets are amazing, and chatting with Todd? Well, it
doesn’t get better than that. He’s like my best friend. And maybe
something more.
But that’s not
why I had to write! Todd asked me to Prom. Me! Can you believe that?
Lesson learned?
Patience always pays out.
March
5
Dear Diary,
Prom was epic.
Todd looked totally amazing in his tux, and he took me to the beach
afterwards. Just the two of us.
He asked if I’d
ever thought about running away from home. I told him I thought about
leaving all the time, but not like abandoning my family. I’m a
Junior. One more year and I’ll be out on my own, going to Berkley,
rooming with a stranger, and living it up. He graduates in a month.
When I asked what he’s planning, he shrugged and said he’d
probably go into the family business.
And no, I don’t
know what the family business is.
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| Source |
But that’s not
the amazing part. He kissed me. K-I-S-S-E-D ME! And it was
amazing—the epitome of every girl’s dream kiss. I’m pretty sure
I’m in love with him.
Especially since
he asked me to be his girlfriend. (Because
the kiss wasn’t awesome enough.)
Oh, and he asked
if I wanted to meet his parents. HIS PARENTS! I don’t know how we
got so serious all of a sudden, but I told him yes (to both), and he
said he’d arrange the meeting. This is crazy!
Todd Waters is my
boyfriend!
Lesson learned?
Anything is possible.
May
23
Dear Diary,
I’m a little
angry. Okay, a lot angry. I shouldn’t even have this stupid diary
right now!
Todd took me to
meet his parents alright. On the beach. He had a basket full of stuff
that I assumed was a picnic. Never
assume things. He seemed really
nervous, which completely makes sense, but I figured he was worried
that I wouldn’t get along with Mommy and Daddy.
He dragged me out
to this sandbar and started wading into the water.
For a minute I
thought he was totally crazy. He reached for me and said, “Come on,
this way.” And then he smiled a winning smile that could make any
girl melt. So I took his hand.
Worst. Mistake.
Ever!
He pulled me into
the water and it instantly swallowed me. Like a giant mouth—but not
quite as stinky, and without teeth. Oh, and I could breathe. It’s
like a bubble formed around us as we sank down into the depths of the
ocean until everything around us was black. Pitch black.
“Melanie,”
Todd whispered, “meet my parents.”
And I did. His
mom’s a freakin’ nixie! Water spirit. Yeah, and she trapped his
dad under water ages ago, and the poor guy is really pale and sickly,
but she doesn’t care because she got the son she wanted out of him.
So the basket
Todd packed? Yeah, it had my journal, an old T-shirt I usually sleep
in, and my brush—all things he STOLE out of my room. And now I’m
supposed to become his wife or some junk like that. And have his
baby.
Oh and FYI, there
is no cell coverage at the bottom of the ocean, even though Todd is
nice enough to recharge my cell once a week when he
goes up for sunshine.
Jerk.
So this is pretty
much it. My life sucks. I’m prisoner to a mythical creature. I’ll
never go to college or see the sun again or tell my parents I didn’t
run away (like the note Todd left suggested). I officially hate the
ocean. And nixies. Why
couldn't Todd have smiled at Cindy that day in the cafeteria?
Lesson learned?
Never trust a cute guy. Not that I’ll get the chance ever
again…unless I can figure out how to sneak out of here. Todd’s
dad hasn’t figured a way out and he’s been searching for decades.
Maybe we’ll succeed someday together, but if we do, I will not be
taking this embarrassing monologue of gushing blather.
That’s it. All
she wrote. The end.
Diary recovered on Pockoy Island
beach, South Carolina, May 5th, 2015. No record of Todd Waters exists
in school or county records. Due to the dubious nature of this
account, it is inadmissible as evidence of abduction.
Crystal
Collier is a young adult author who pens everything from dark fantasy,
historical, and romance tales, to inspirational stories. She has lived
from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative
husband, four littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her
closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless
supply of cheese.
Check out her published works for more amazing reads.
Check out her published works for more amazing reads.
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