Friends, Stalkers and A Mess

(Takes place at dinner. 2nd night)

Unknown to Melissa, Doug had walked past the music room while Melissa and Dante were talking. First the Ice Cream Social and her sitting with people he had told her not to. Now, Dante. While he hadn't specifically said, "Don't talk to Dante." He also hadn't known the two even knew each other.

Still, the young man thought back to the conversion he had had with her at lunch. He had gotten a picnic lunch for the two of them and taken it out by the open field near the sports fields. It was a common place for couples to picnic and they were able to get picnic lunches if they contacted the cafeteria by the end of breakfast that day and paid extra.

He had gotten them some sandwiches, salads, drinks and chocolate cupcakes for dessert. It was never anything fancy but it was good. The two had sat there eating and talking about various things before the subject of the Ice Cream Social had been brought up.

"You know I went back to the Ice Cream Social after we talked?" He said, trying to gauge her response.

"You did?" Melissa was a little surprised and not sure what to think about that. "Oh."

"I had forgotten something." It was a lie but he couldn't exactly say he had been checking up on her which was the truth. "I saw you sitting with that group." The words 'that group' was said with disdain. "I thought I told you I didn't want you hanging out with them."

"You did but didn't you also say it was up to me," Melissa responded.

"I figured you would get it but apparently I need to spell it out more for you." Doug paused and regrouped. "I'm sorry. I just know that hanging out with people like that won't be good for you. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"What is so bad about them, anyway?" Melissa asked.

"They will tell you lies about me and the popular kids. You've out with my crowd; do they seem like terrible people? "

"No." Melissa shook her head. Doug's friends had been nice to her and she hadn't been exposed to their darker side with the teasing, yet. "They were nice to me."

Doug nodded. "Well, do you want to hang out with people that judge my friends?" The truth was Doug's friends were the ones that were really judging of others but Doug wanted to play the sympathy card while he could. "Anyway, lunch is almost over. Let's clean up." They did that and went back to the school building. He was planting seeds in her mind; he just needed them to take root.

So, between the social, lunch, and now Doug made up his mind to test Melissa and see how much work he still needed to do. He texted her.

I won't be at dinner. I'll talk to you later. If she texted back, he wouldn't respond. Now, just for the waiting.

Melissa saw the text right after she left the music room. She went back to her dorm room; got changed and cleaned up and headed to dinner not exactly sure where she was going to sit.

Sitting at a table with JD and Courtney and others at dinner. Conner saw Melissa standing. He leaned over to Courtney "I have a favor and will explain later invite Melissa to sit with us." asked Conner. JD looked over to Conner with a weird question look on his face but said nothing taking a bite of his lasagna.

Courtney glanced towards Melissa, shrugged, and said. "Sure." She then got up from the table went over to Melissa. "Hey, do you need a place to sit? You're welcome to sit with us."

Melissa and Courtney had met at the Ice Cream Social. Melissa nodded. "Thanks."
She followed Courtney back to the table and sat down opposite Courtney and Conner. "Hey," she said in general to the others at the table as she took her seat.

JD smiled and said "Hey, Melissa"

Conner smiled after taking a bite of his food he swallowed it followed by a drink of his soda "hello," he said to Melissa. "So, how were classes today what do you think of this school?" he asked her. JD shot a glance over to Conner but went back to eating.

"Classes are OK. They are tougher than my last school but not bad. " She took a sip of her drink. "The school is pretty nice. I'm just having to get used to how small it is. It seems like everyone knows each other." They obviously didn't all like each other but they all knew each other; at least the ones who had been here previously.

Conner smiled, "No not everyone, JD is new. Just met him this summer. Courtney and I have been here longer. but I grew up in this area, and JD has been on and off in the state. It might look like we been here a long time." Conner said reassuringly. "We are all here to help if you need something,"

"Thanks," Melissa replied with a smile.

Courtney nodded "Yeah, I surely remember what it was like to be new here. I felt like I had landed on 'nother planet. " She paused before asking Melissa. "Where ya from?"

"Seattle." Melissa answered."How about you?"

"Cool. I'm from a small town in Tennessee."

Melissa then said. "Well, the weather is better here than in Seattle."

Courtney knew Conner didn't usually act like this around girls unless he really liked them but that wasn't the case here. So, she just figured there must be a reason for it and went along with it. Besides, Melissa seemed OK.

Conner thought for a moment "Seattle? Does it really rain all the time there?" he asked Melissa.

"Not all the time but a lot of the time. It's usually overcast with some kind of rain falling from the sky. I heard it's about 1/2 the year that it's raining there." Melissa responded

"Cool just wondering have not been up there much my dad and our family have gone up there for a few trips business slash vacation time in the past mostly during the summer," Conner added.

"The summer is the best time to be there. Its never too hot ." Melissa didn't mind talking about Seattle but she did miss her family. "So, is it true that it's always sunny here?"

Conner and JD laugh some with others

"I wish. But most of the time the sun is out. We can get a week of rain or get storms that come off the ocean that can be nasty." said Conner.

JD then added, "And it only gets as low as 30's most of the time and that is rare,"

Melissa nodded at the information. She wasn't though being as flirty as she has been the first time she has met Conner and JD. Actually, if anything, she was more guarded not unfriendly just different.

" So, what do you do around here besides school? I mean in town." Melissa knew what was at the school; she was curious about what else was around.

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Unknown to Melissa, though, she was being watched. Doug had gotten a few people, that would be at the rich kids’ table, to keep an eye on her. Text him what she was doing, who she was sitting with, things like that.
.
Doug himself didn't show at dinner as his urge has gotten the better of him when he was invited to a poker game. The buy-in at $5000 made it too tempting to pass up.

He got the text about where Melissa was sitting and a pic of her talking to Conner but Doug, being the jealous type, interpreted it as more than it was. "All in" he called out as he pushed all his chips to the middle of the table.

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" A lot there is the beach and parks, The Funhouse with food, bumper boats, old video games race cars, bumper cars, batting cages, and more. Movie theaters everything a big city has. on the more cultural side, we do have some galleries and museums concert halls. really nice boardwalk by the beach and a line of stores there and restaurants." said Conner.

JD looked at Melissa, "We also have horse stables about an hour from here and snow skying slash snowboarding and more about two and a half-hour away from here. there are some charter boat services." JD paused, "This is the only place I know you can go surfing in the morning horseback riding in the afternoon, and snow skiing in the evening."

Melissa listened to all of it. It was a little overwhelming; if she was honest. "The Funhouse sounds like a lot of fun. The rest sounds great, as well. I tried surfing once when my family went on vacation to Hawaii. I wasn't that good at it. I've never been horseback riding but I like to ski."

Courtney then said, "Oh, we should get a group together to go to the Funhouse; that place is great."

Heath, Kyle, Sam, and Rose had sat at the other end of the table because that was where there was room. Rose got up and headed to where Conner, Courtney, Melissa, and JD were sitting.

"Hi," Rose said to the four of them but then focused her attention on the two other girls. "You're both going shopping tomorrow?"

"Yes," Melissa and Courtney said almost at the same time.

Rose smiled. "We're leaving right before gym."

Courtney said, "Oh. We'll have to get office notes then."

Rose nodded but then said to Melissa. "You'll have to get a note from the office to give to Callahan so you don't get in trouble for skipping. Just go tomorrow morning and let the office know that you're going on the shopping trip. They'll give you a note."

"Thanks," Melissa said.

Courtney then asked, "Why are we leaving so early?"

"Oh, because Ms. Lopez is chaperoning and she wants to go to Towne Center." Rose shrugged
"Oh. OK." Courtney nodded.

"I just wanted to let you both know. I'll talk to all of you later." With a smile, she was off to sit back down at the other end of the table.

Courtney shook her head. "Only Ms. Lopez would insist on going shopping an hour away.' She then turned to Melissa. "It’s a nice shopping center, though, and it'll be fun."

Melissa nodded the asked, "Are the girls that are going nice?"

Courtney nodded. "Yes. Well, Rose and Sam are nice." Courtney gave a glance to the end of the table to see Heath say something to Sam which made Sam smile. She then looked back towards Melissa and added, "Dawn and the rest seem nice, as well but I don’t know them, as well."

"Speaking of shopping tomorrow," said Conner looking at JD, "When do the guys leave can't be too late the shops close at 8,"

JD looked at Heath thinking then back at Conner then back at heath "Heath, we are leaving after dinner you going to be ready?"

Turning to Rose JD seem to pause looking for words to say and his demeanor changed some. "Rose, I hear that you are on the gymnast team. My offer still stands you need help working out, I can." After he said it he wondered how that sounded and how people would take it.

Heath nodded. "Yeah, all good "

Rose wasn't sure if JD has seen her glancing his way. Then he talked, offering to help her work out, or more like reminding her of an offer he had previously made.

"Um..yeah that would be great." Did she sound too willing or just dumb? She felt Sam's elbow lightly touch her side. Turning she saw Sam biting her lip trying to hold back a smile.

"What?" Rose said just loud enough for Sam to hear.

"Oh ..nothing." Sam quietly responded
Rose took a deep breath, still quietly speaking. "Stop it. Not a word."

"I didn't say anything." Sam grinned

Rose rolled her eyes.

Kyle looked at Rose and Sam and asked, "Are you sure you two weren't separated at birth or something? I mean I've seen siblings who don't do as good of a job at communicating with each other by barely saying, to each other, as well as you two do."

That got Sam, Rose, and Heath to all laugh along with a few other people at the table who knew them well enough to know that was the truth.

Melissa has never had a best friend. She really had never had friends at all. She had her siblings who she loved but that wasn't the same thing and she wondered what having that kind of friendship must be like.

Well, that was not rejection thought JD, or was she just being nice to him. Conner looked over at JD and wondered what was going on with him offering to help was not out of place but how and the way JD talked with Melissa had been different than with Rose. Conner was starting to wonder.

Courtney noticed Melissa looking lost in thought. She gently tapped Conner's leg with her hand and nodded towards Melissa. After all, Melissa seemed to be someone Conner was trying to be friends with or whatever he was doing.

Conner looked back at Courtney then Melissa then seems to come back to focus. "Melissa is everything OK? Hello?"

"Huh?." Melissa regrouped her thoughts. "Yeah. " She said. "Everything's good."

Conner smiled, "See Courtney she will fit right in with us as friends." He said trying to drop a hint to Courtney. He knew, in the end, he would owe her big time for this one. He just hoped it was not going to be too big, he thought to himself.

Courtney went along with it but knew she'd be getting answers later. "Sure enough."

Melissa was surprised and touched at the same time. She smiled at Conner and Courtney. Then her mind went back to Doug and his words earlier. Would this make him mad? Would he stop talking to her? How could she date him and be friends with people he disliked so much? She glanced over to the rich kids’ table who were looking in her direction and talking to each other. She knew it was about her. One was texting. Melissa suddenly felt sick.

" You OK?" Courtney asked her

"Yeah, it's just... I think I need some air. I'll be right back." With that, she got up and headed to the doors that went outside.

Once outside she leaned against one of the walls. Her head swimming with what Doug will think or say to her about all of this.

Conner looked over to the rich kid's table some of them looking where Melissa had gone. When they saw Conner looking at them some looked away. Conner knew this was going to be harder than he thought. He was not sure what to do now. He really wanted to go kick some people's asses but that would not go well and play right into Doug's hands. For the first time, he realized he was in over his head.

Courtney got up. "I'm going to check on her. " She then nodded towards the rich kid’s table. "Like I've ever let them stop me from doing anything. Besides, it won't look like anything if I go."

Courtney found Melissa propped up against the wall. Melissa looked like she wanted to cry.

The two stood there for a moment before Courtney spoke up. "You know when I first met Conner..." And she proceeded to tell Melissa about how when she arrived at the school, as a Freshman, feeling completely out of her element but she and Conner met, bonded over cars and that they grew to be really good friends. "He's a good guy to have in your corner."

Melissa said. " I kind of figured that. I just... I just can't be friends with you...well especially Conner."

"Says who?" Courtney was confused by that comment.

"I can't tell you." Melissa's voice cracked. Her cell went off, looking at the text. She closed her eyes for a moment. Doug had messaged her with the picture of her talking with Conner. That was it but more wasn't needed.

"Tell Conner thanks and I'm sorry. I just can't." Then Melissa walked off towards the main entrance of the dorms

Courtney took a breath and headed back into the cafeteria. She walked over to Conner; I need to talk to you." Indicating she meant alone. Once they were out of earshot of everyone else Courtney spoke up again. "Melissa went back to the dorms. She said to tell you thanks and she's sorry, she just can't be friends with us or more like you." Courtney barely paused before adding. " She's scared of something or maybe someone."

Conner got real quiet,t something he normally did not do. He seems to struggle with something. He opens his mouth to say something and nothing came, he just closes it and looks down. "I can just say a name and don't ask why I know. You just have to trust me, Doug, that all I can say, Courtney maybe I can't be seen with her but you can help her don't let Doug use her," asked Conner sincerely.

"Doug?" Courtney's mouth couldn't find the words for a moment. "Oh. Damn. Of course, I'll help but his hooks seem to go deep into the girls he dates. She's going to need more friends than just me to get past this."

"I think we just have to be nice to counter anything bad Doug says about us. We have to be careful. I don't care what he says about me but I do worry about everyone else," said Conner.

Courtney nodded. "I'll do what I can." This wasn't going to be easy as it was only the second day of school and Melissa was already scared of Doug. "We should go back in." Once they were back in; it was noticeable that dinner was almost over and people were starting to leave. Courtney saw Heath taking to Sam and said. "I've got a bunch of homework so I'm gonna go. Night" The last part to the table in general. With that, she took care of her tray before leaving.

Conner smiled, "See ya later Courtney" He replied.

JD looked at Conner as he got up from the table. "Conner, what was that all about?" He asked.

Conner downed his coke. "Ho.. trying to make friends. and what's up with you and..." he whispered "Rose?" Conner asked with a grin.

JD looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Nothing yet. Don't know."

"Hmm.. well JD if you get approval from the guard," JD knew he meant Sam. "You might stand a chance," Conner pointed out.

JD let out a light laugh, "Who says I haven't" JD walked away to put his tray and trash away.

Conner looked surprised. "Wait? What?"

"Later Conner, got to get some homework done," said JD.

Conner shook his head, "Wait that's it. You’re not telling me anything?" H asked.

"I will explain things later, Conner," replied JD.

Conner walked with JD out of the cafeteria. "You had better. I thought we were best friends?"

"Oh, the best friends card really. Yeah, I will let you know when I know" said JD.

The two of them walked to the dorms.