Cedrik and Melody met a week later, this time on purpose, to go for a run together. When they started, Cedrik handed Melody a piece of paper. “See, I wrote rules and everything. It’s our own little sport.” He smiled and watched as she stifled a laugh.
Mel tucked it into her coat pocket and started to gaze around the town. She had grown up loving its beauty that was commanded in an old fashioned manor. There were tall stone buildings that towered over a large green with authority, and quaint little houses occasionally dotting the sides of the winding roads. Trees lined the sides of the green, and at one end stood a large library with a giant clock implanted upon it. The grass of the green was rich and well-nourished from several recent rainstorms.
“It looks like it might rain. How many miles do you want to do, five?” Cedrik kept pace easily beside Melody’s long strides as they ran away from the green and through a street of beautiful old houses.
“I was actually thinking ten. That would be just about adequate to show you the highlights of this town.” Melody turned around to face him and started to run backwards.
“But what if it rains? I could slip and pull a muscle or-“ Melody gave Cedrik a disbelieving stare and shook her head.
“You’re not made of sugar; you won’t melt!” Melody spun back around and faced the oncoming traffic. “Race you to the forest!”
Cedrik gave her a puzzled stare but followed her as she hared away into the distance. In minutes they were breaking through the entrance to a forest that had large trees on either side of the trail and beautiful vines twisting over the path. Melody slowed to a jog and listened to Cedrik wheeze as he followed her. She remained silent but occasionally had to choke back a laugh or cover a smile. They kept jogging through the woods as the sky got darker and the sun disappeared altogether.
Melody bit her lip as Cedrik broke the ice. “Hate to break it to you Melon, but I don’t think we should run in this.” He looked at her slowly as if he expected to be bitten.
“But we’ve only done seven miles!” Melody’s complaint made Cedrik peel over in laughter. He laughed so hard that when the rumble of thunder got him to stop, he was gasping for breath again.
“Is there anywhere we could shelter until the storm is over?” Cedrik recollected himself and stood hallway behind Mel as they watched the coming storm quickly advance towards them.
“The school is about half a mile away, or the grocery store is about three quarters. My teacher’s is a mile back and one of my brother’s friends live right across-“ Cedrik grabbed her arm to stop her from rambling on. “Alright, the school it is.”
The two went sprinting into the storm as torrents of rain fell upon them from above and lighting struck down in the near distance. Quickly they dashed across the deserted highway and through other foresty trails. They reached the high school only several minutes after the storm had begun. A red truck pulled up behind them as they walked under the overhang of the school. Their clothes were soaking wet and clung to their bodies, and Melody’s dark hair hung in a wet ponytail above her shoulders.
Four people exited the truck and greeted Melody with fake smiles. “Everything changed that fateful day, huh, sweetheart?” One of them, obviously the leader, teased as he came closer. Cedrik shrank back as he watched the boys approach. The one that had spoken leaned up against the wall in front of Mel. “We could get back together and pretend that it never happened.”
Mel took a deep breath before she spoke to try and calm her nerves. “Look, Drake, I broke up with you for a reason. You were foul to everyone and acted like you owned the school. Do you think I really want to be back to walking around with a person that I’m embarrassed to even be seen with?”
“Oh, I get it. You’re just nervous that you won’t be popular this time as you were last time, right baby?” Drake took a step closer and Mel laughed nervously.
“I know you really enjoyed watching me get drunk at that party, but hey, you can verbalize it this way too.” Mel took a step back and bumped into one of Drake’s friends. She jumped into the air when she did, obviously scared of these people.
Cedrik stepped out of the corner and shouldered two boys aside to stand beside Mel. “Alright, man, I’ve seen enough. I don’t care if you bother people who like it, and hell, bother people who don’t as much as you want. But not when I’m around. So why don’t you take your pretty wheels and do a doughnut as you leave, cause I don’t ever want to see you act that way again.” Drake laughed and a quirky grin spread onto his face.
Slowly, he stepped up to Cedrik. They were about the same height and Drake tried to stare him down but he kept the gaze. Finally Drake gave up, gathered his boys, and started to leave. “You’re going to regret you ever said that when school starts, newbie!” The red truck spun away and Mel sloucked down onto the pavement when it was gone. The storm still rocked the skies, but that didn’t worry her. The light mist and soft patter of raindrops soothed her as she put her own pieces back together again.
“So, that was the Drake you were talking about?” At Melody’s nod, Cedrik started talking again, “I can’t believe a girl like you ever dated a guy like him.” Melody smiled and the beginnings of a laugh escaped her lips.
“It’s complicated. He winds himself up in such a web that you don’t realize who he really is until he’s dumped you. Normally he doesn’t speak with you much or even acknowledge your presence after the dumpage, but I wasn’t his usual. He didn’t get to break up with me- I broke up with him.” Mel sighed and Cedrik watched, not wanting to cross the line between ‘just friends’, and ‘something more.’
“So, you really got drunk once?” Cedrik prodded Mel in the side and she giggled. “Or was that just my imagination?”
“Yeah, I was at some birthday party and someone brought in something, and I drank it, and…yeah. I don’t remember much of that night.” She smiled and threw her head back against the wall from where she was seated.
“So, was an eventful night, if you know what I mean?” Cedrik asked with a smug look on his face.
“Not that I can remember. The only thing that really stands out about it was getting home by my curfew-“
“Who’d you do that?” A look of admiration overcame Cedrik’s face.
Mel ignored him and continued on like she had never been interrupted. “And kissing Drake’s best friend under the mistletoe.”
“So it was around Christmas?”
“Yes. But surprisingly, Drake knew I was so drunk that he didn’t even care. The next day he said that he wished it had been him. But I mean, it was mistletoe, right? We had to kiss!”
Cedrik smiled mockingly. “Yeah. It was nothing more than a kiss, right?”
Mel glanced at him with hurt in her eyes. “Stop making fun of me.” For a moment he sat like he was thinking of what should be said next, but then he sealed his lips completely. Slowly he stood until he had reached his full height, towering over Mel.
“Race you back to the green?” Cedrik provided his hand for her to get up with but she rose to her feet with her own strength.
“You’re on.” Mel went sprinting off around the corner of the school and left Cedrik standing alone under the overhang. He sighed and rose his eyebrows before dashing off to follow Mel through the winding hallways outside of the school.
The worst of the storm was over, but it was still rainging hard enough to wash away Mel’s footprints. Cedrik could barely manage to follow her as she remained a dot it his far vision. He chased her through woodlots where people were chopping down trees, navigated behind her in forests, and finally landed an exhausted foot on the pavement. The green wasn’t far away at all from where he was, but it took Cedrik’s last drop of energy to land on the rich grass. People waved to Mel and nodded to Cedrik, but he didn’t notice and was too busy catching his breath to return a greeting. Mel was stretching on the turf beside him, being thourough about it. When he had finally caught his breath, Cedrik joined her in the stretching ritual.
“You know, the cross country running team at your high school would be very lucky to have you.” His words came out shorter and choppier than he had intended as a case of the hiccups came on.
“I wish they wanted me. I don’t really fit in with that crowd.” Mel grabbed her other foot to stretch it and leaned back. “They aren’t very nice to me.”
“What kind of crowd do you fit in with?” Cedrik asked, hiccups cutting him short as he spoke. “You obviously don’t go with jocks, and there’s not a chance in the world that you hang out with cheerleaders. Do you spend any time with the nerd curb?”
“Not usually. I had two really good friends that moved a county away not long ago. They were about the only people I ever spent lengthy amounts of time with, if you know what I mean.” Mel, finished stretching finally, spread out on her back in the grass and took a deep breath.
“There has to be a crew that you’d spend a weekend in Hawaii with.”
“Seriously, if someone asked me to go to Hawaii, I’d go. Even if it was Drake.”
“You would? Then you must really love Hawaii.” Mel smiled but didn’t respond. They both sat there, staring up into the sky as raindrops misted down on them, listening to the sounds around the town. First it was the bakery and the man that ran it enjoying the precious cold by filling people with their warmth. Next came the trees edging the common and the chirping families of birds that resided inside the branches. Then, lastly, it was the group of teenage boys playing football on the far end of the common. Teddy was among them, and when his phone rang he called his sister’s name.
Mel jumped up and was about to leave when Cedrik’s almost sleeping form caught her attention. “Hey, are you up for a run tomorrow morning at seven?” After several seconds of not garnering a response, Mel kicked Cedrik in the arm.
He glanced up at her wearily. “What?”
“Talk to you later.” Mel turned and walked away towards where her brother was waiting. Teddy gave her an inquiring glance before starting at a light jog behind her. They ran the way from the common to their house slowly, reaching home in half an hour.
Their mother was setting the table outside when they arrived, cranking up the umbrella and laying down the plates with silverware. “You’re just in time for dinner. We’re having poulet et de riz.”
“What?” Teddy threw his sweatshirt inside the house and sat down at the glass table.
“It’s chicken and rice.” Mel walked inside to grab the rice and soy sauce. “Teddy, come grab the butter and milk.” Her brother groaned as he walked by her, opening the fridge to bring out what had been asked of him.
When they sat down at the dinner table, they noticed five places set at the table. For a moment the two siblings wondered who the extra guest could be before their father walked out with his boss in tow. Mel gagged and jumped out of her seat, Teddy following closely behind her.
“Where are your children, Evans?” His boss asked challengingly as he sat down at the empty head of the table opposite Daniel Evans.
Lila picked up her napkin and unfolded it into her lap. “They had both gone out running before dinner and went in to wash up. You must have seen the horrible rainstorm on your drive over.”
“Of course I did! But I don’t want to start dinner without them here, Evans. Why aren’t your children on time? My son Drake never misses dinner.” Daniel bit his lip to keep himself from making any sort of snappy response. Before anyone could say another word, Mel and Teddy walked out onto the patio. They had both redressed themselves in jeans and t-shirts, but at least they were dry.
Mel let out an exasperated breath at the sight of her previous boyfriend’s father. She sat down slowly in her regular seat which was next to where Mr. Devons was sitting and pulled out her napkin. “I’ll say,” My Devons began as the quiet family started to send the food circulating around the table, “this family certainly has a handy set of manners.” Lila Evans smiled as she handed the rice to Devons and glanced at the rest of her family. Mel was one stony look away from dropping him dead with her eyes. Teddy was eating to his heart’s content while his father, nervous of how to impress his boss, elbowed his son occasionally as a reminder to close his mouth while he chewed.
“Melody, I feel terrible about my son dumping you this spring. Is there anything that I can do to make you feel better?” Devons broke the stony silence once again with his own suicidal words.
Lila and Daniel exchanged panicked looks before their daughter started to speak. Daniel’s face fell into his hands as he prepared to bid his job farewell. “Hang on a moment, Mr. Devons, your story is just a little off. Your son didn’t dump me, I dumped him! He went cruising around the halls like he owned the school. There were down when the lousy son of a-“ Melody cringed in pain and leaned over to grab her foot as she was cut short by Teddy’s kick.
“Mel, could you pass the milk please?” Both Lila and Daniel breathed a sigh of relief as Mel obediantly passed the milk over to her brother. Lila rose and took away the empty plates and dishes into the kitchen, appearing several minutes later with a cherry pie and a pint of ice cream. Mel walked away into the kitchen to retrieve new plates and forks, as well as an ice cream scoop. When she returned, there was a large piece of pie in front of her seat at the table. She handed out the forks with a set jaw and handed her mother the ice cream scoop while she listened to Teddy tell a story about a classroom disaster that she’d never heard before.
“The teacher was holding our pet iguana when someone hit her in the side of the face with a spitball. She dropped it and the next week the janitor found it in his closet.” Everyone laughed at Teddy’s story, and Mel laughed with them as she assumed there was a lot more to it than she’d heard.
She was beginning to eat her pie and ice cream when Lila’s head snapped up to look out the driveway. “Hello! I don’t think I’ve met you before, but you must be here to see Melody.”
Mel swung around in her seat and gaped at the boy. It was Cedrik, but he wasn’t sweaty or covered in dirt and grass. Slowly he got off his bike and set it on its side in the driveway. “Yeah, Mel, I was just wondering if you wanted to go see Silver Dollar with me tonight. But if you’re busy, I can just go alone.” Cedrik stood on the lawn and looked at Mel evenly.
“Um, I don’t know if my mom’ll let me-“
“Oh, honey! Who are you kidding? Of course you can go to the movies with this adorable boy!” Lila smiled at her daughter.
“Mom!” Mel whispered urgently motioning incredulously to Cedrik.
“Well, go on sweetie, don’t be shy. Introduce us to your cute little friend here.” Cedrik walked up the patio steps and stood awkwardly in the entrance. Mel nodded and was halfway between a stand and a sit.
“Everyone, this is Cedrik. Cedrik, this is my brother Teddy, my mother Lila, my father Daniel, and my father’s boss, Drake’s dad, Mr. Devons.” At the mention of Drake’s name, Mel had to grab Cedrik’s arm to keep him from attacking Drake’s father.
Lila smiled and motioned for him to seat himself at an empty chair next to Mr. Devons, but instead he pulled a chair up aside Mel. “So, what do you say? Go for it?” Cedrik gently elbowed Mel and gave her a puppy dog face.
“Fine, I’ll go!” Mel jumped up and grabbed her wallet from an empty chair on the patio. She rushed off the steps and fell into Cedrik’s arms.
“Hang on you two! Cedrik, would you like a piece of pie? Oh, and Mel, you haven’t finished yours.” Lila Evans smiled sweetly without realizing that her daughter wanted to depart straight away.
Cedrik nodded politely and glanced over at Mel, whose jaw was set with frustration. “You know I’d love one, but we really need to be leaving if we’re going to catch the movie.”
“You can take my car. Now come sit and enjoy a slice of my wife’s wonderful cherry pie.” Daniel held his wife’s hand as he welcomed Cedrik to the table. Cedrik pulled Mel along behind him as she hesitated to walk up the steps.
Cedrik sat at the table and flashed a smile at Mrs. Evans but stopped her as she began to scoop out another piece of pie. “I think I’ll just finish Mel’s.” Mel gladly handed over her plate and fork for Cedrik to finish her desert. It only took him several minutes to finish the half slice and he stole Mel’s napkin to wipe off his mouth before tossing it back at her. She laughed and took the keys from her father’s outstretched hand.
“Young man, you had better have my daughter back by-“
“Midnight. Believe me, I am the King of curfews.”
“Actually, I was going to say two. Have a good time!”
Both of the seventeen year olds rose to leave and said their goodbyes before walking out to the car. Cedrik stole the keys and shoved Mel towards the passenger side gently. She abided to his will and slipped into the front seat. Cedrik stuck the keys into the ignition and turned the car on, swinging out of the driveway as soon as Mel was buckled.
They reached the movie theater on time, making it in for the show that they had wanted.

Both Melody and Cedrik left the theater laughing. “I had no clue when I saw the previews that it was meant to be a comedy!”
“It wasn’t. Silver dollar is a tragedy!” An older man scolded as he walked by them with his weeping wife in tow. After they’d disappeared into the dark, both teenagers began to laugh hysterically.
“Oops!” Mel shrugged her shoulders and smiled as she strolled down the sidewalk beside Cedrik. It was raining lightly as they passed a man selling hot pink umbrellas. Mel was staring at the man awkwardly until she ran into the light post in front of her.
“Oh, Melody! Your senses are about as sharp as an ancient cheese grater!” Cedrik grabbed her arm to guide her away from the scene of the accident and towards her father’s car.
Once she had jumped in the passenger side, Mel buckled her seatbelt and leaned back into the seat. Her eyes were closing as the engine started, and when Cedrik glanced over at her next she was half asleep. A small grin spread slowly over his face as he realized that not all girls like late curfews, wear a million layers of makeup, or wear clothes that show more of them than their pajamas. One of the rare handful that preferred to see the world as it truly was was resting in the seat beside him. With one hand, Cedrik tuned the radio in at a dull roar, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.
It only took several minutes to navigate back to Melody’s house from the theater when Cedrik took the direct routes instead of scenic byways. At the time he pulled into her driveway and turned off the engine, Melody awoke. She opened the car door and popped out, rubbing her eyes with closed fists and yawning lazily. Cedrik pulled the keys from the ignition and slipped from the driver’s side.
The headlights slowly flickered off and the two teenagers walked up the steps until they reached the first ray of light that was streaming from inside the house. Another yawn escaped from Melody’s mouth as she sluggishly reached for the keys from Cedrik’s outstretched hand. The moment their hands brushed, he pulled his into a fist and wrenched it away. Mel gave him a puzzled, wordless look but only rolled her eyes when Cedrik spread his arms for a hug. Mel obliged and couldn’t help smelling him when her face was in his chest. She couldn’t help but note the fact that he smelled deliciously of…something. That smelled good.
When they pulled away from their embrace, Cedrik handed her the keys and started off the porch towards his bike. “Do you want a ride home?” Mel stood at the top of the steps and glanced down at him.
“I’ll be alright, thanks. Good night.” Cedrik picked up his helmet and started to strap it onto his head.
“Goodnight.” Mel waited until she couldn’t see his bike anymore to turn away and walk into the house. Her thoughts returned fully to her head as she ducked an empty beer bottle that came hurtling towards her and listened to the glass smash against the wall. Another followed and she hurried forward to avoid it. Her glance darted to the man in the chair that had thrown them at her. “Dad, what’s wrong?”
“You are three minutes late for your curfew!”
Mel glanced at the clock and knew that she was on time, but quickly she darted out of the room and towards the stairs to avoid future flying beer bottles. One last bottle came hurling towards her and went smashing down against the bathroom door. Her mother stormed out with a very angry look on her face while Mel slunk away, not even hanging up the keys.
She met her brother at the top of the stairs to listen to the fight. Her mother began with several choice words before the real argument commenced. “Daniel! Where you trying to hit my daughter with a beer bottle?”
“What did it look like? She was late for her curfew- it’s what she deserved!” His breath reeked of alcohol as he rose to face his wife. Their faces were furious as their argument continued.
“If you ever throw another beer bottle at one of my children again, I will take them from this house and make sure that you never saw them again.” Lila wasn’t angry. No, she was furious, worse than angry.
“You couldn’t do that, Lila darling. There’s not a-“ The copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed finally took its toll on Daniel Evans as he passed out cold onto the floor. Lila shook her head and walked away, still in a smoldering mood.
“What happened to dad?” Mel whispered to Teddy from their perch on the second floor where they could see through the bars of a railing down into the living room below.
Teddy adjusted himself to a position that made him more prepared to get up quickly. At another inquiring glance from Mel, he answered with a shaky voice. “Mr. Devons conducted an interview with him after dinner. He didn’t like his answers and, well….Mr. Devons fired him.” Mel gaped at Teddy as he walked away, but the words rang out in disbelief in her head: Dad got fired.