“Melanie,” he said, scratching his head. “What exactly are you doing here?”
“I just came to see what you were up to, Malcolm,” said Melanie. “That’s not a crime, is it? It’s not like I broke in or anything. I was getting ready to leave when you got back. Did I mention that I was waiting for a while? It’s kind of rude to keep a girl waiting, you know…”
“Not when they show up unannounced, it isn’t,” said Malcolm. He sniffed, smelling vodka on her breath. “Have you been drinking?”
Melanie’s cheeks flushed a little bit. Malcolm felt the beginning of a headache pressing into his temples.
“Are you going to invite me inside, Malcolm?” asked Melanie, slurring the pronunciation of his name. “Or do you want to talk in my car?”
“It’s Tapestry’s car,” said Malcolm. “And I’m honestly shocked that she let you borrow it.”
He scowled, feeling annoyed at having a drunk girl dumped in his lap when he’d been expecting Tapestry.
“Well, Malcolm?” asked Melanie. “Or, we could just talk out here, in the street…?”
She took a step closer to him. Melanie was 18, but still in high school. Malcolm wasn’t sure whether she was lacking when it came to maturity or if he’d just grown up fast, but he found Melanie’s naïve enthusiasm more than a little off putting.
“Whatever,” said Malcolm. “You can come inside, Melanie. But I’m calling Tapestry to let her know that you’re here. For your sake and mine, please don’t try anything.”
“I hear you.” Melanie winked at him. “We won’t do anything at all.”
“I know you’re probably too drunk to tell, but I’m being serious.”
Malcolm walked up the steps and down the hallway, not bothering to wait for her to follow. He unlocked the door to his apartment and went inside, leaving the door open for Melanie.
He had his phone out to call Tapestry before he’d even taken his shoes off. Part of him wondered what would happen if he couldn’t get in touch with her, and Melanie had to stay the night.
Just thinking about it makes me feel like a creep. A drunk high school girl… That’s the stuff bad ideas are made of.
“Maaaalcooollllm,” called Melanie. She came up behind him and forcefully pulled him down onto the couch. Malcolm scowled, but heard Tapestry pick up on the other side of the line.
“Hello?”
“Tapestry, hey,” he said. “I have your great granddaughter here, in case you were wondering.”
It was hard for Malcolm to both talk on the phone and simultaneously fend off Melanie’s advances. She was kissing his free hand and trying to pull him closer to her. Malcolm wasn’t sure what he’d done originally to enamor her to him, but he suddenly almost wished he could take it back.
Wait… I saved her from a school shooter, didn’t I? That might explain some of this.
“Melanie is at your apartment?” asked Tapestry, in a very annoyed voice. “Malcolm…”
“I wouldn’t have called you if I was the one who invited her over,” said Malcolm. “That would be stupid. I would be doing other things.”
“You’d be doing other things, huh?” said Melanie. She grinned, and then playfully tackled Malcolm, straddling him as she pushed him down on the couch.
“Can you tell her to come home?” asked Tapestry.
“She’s drunk,” said Malcolm. Melanie started kissing his neck, as though to prove his point. He felt an odd mixture of emotions at the sensation. “And she took your car. It’s parked outside, safe and sound.”
Tapestry made a frustrated noise on the other end of the line. Melanie was doing her best to physically seduce Malcolm, grinding herself against and pushing her breasts into his face. In his opinion, she wasn’t doing a half bad job at it.
“Well then, can you drive her home?” asked Tapestry. “I’ll make you a batch of cookies as a reward.”
“That sounds tempting,” said Malcolm, as Melanie slowly started pulling her shirt up and over her head. Despite himself, he was getting drawn in.
“Malcolm?” asked Tapestry. “Are you still there?”
“Right!” Malcolm reached up and gently lifted Melanie off him. “We’re leaving now.”
He said goodbye to Tapestry, and then took a couple of seconds to think safe thoughts before standing up and turning to face Melanie.
“Melanie,” he said, in his best adult voice. “This isn’t going to happen. I need the keys to your grandmother’s car.”
“Great grandmother’s,” corrected Melanie. “And I’m not giving them to you.”
Malcolm ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep his frustration in check.
“What are you, five?” he asked. “Come on, hand them over.”
Melanie smiled at him. She turned toward the couch and set her hands on it, bending over slightly and pushing out her butt.
“You can always pat me down for them,” she said. “I’m a creative girl, though. They could be hidden almost anywhere, Malcolm. You should be very thorough and check everywhere. Who knows… it could be fun.”
“Melanie, what the hell has gotten into you?” Malcolm frowned at her, honestly wondering if she’d taken something along with the alcohol. “This is just getting weird.”
At the sound of the last word, Melanie stiffened. Her head sagged slightly, and Malcolm could see her emotions shift, just from her body language.
“Weird…” she repeated. “I’ve heard that one before. That girl’s weird… Or… she just goes on and on about everything. Like somehow the fact I have a lot to say means that nobody should ever take the chance to listen.”
“Hey, hold on,” said Malcolm. “Easy there, slugger. That’s not what I meant. I think you’re getting a case of the vodka blues.”
Melanie blinked open her eyes at him, and sure enough, he saw the beginnings of a few salty drops. He walked over and set a hand on her shoulder.
“Do you know why I talk so much, Malcolm?” she asked.
“I always figured that you were secretly one of the gifted, and that was your power.”
Melanie chuckled, but then grew serious and sad again.
“I had a brother before any of this started happening,” she said, quietly. “He… died. Along with my parents. I used to be really quiet, you know? I could just listen whenever I was home, and they’d make me smile and laugh and share so much. And then… afterward… it was just so quiet all the time. I couldn’t let myself be the quiet one, not anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” whispered Malcolm. “I know… how it is. To lose people you care about.”
He put an arm around her. Melanie immediately started trying to lean in for another kiss. Malcolm was so impressed by her tenacity that he almost let her have it.
“I know you’ve lost people, too,” she whispered. “Tapestry told me all about it. You’re like me, Malcolm. We could…”
“Be friends,” finished Malcolm. “We could be good friends. And talk about how much we miss the people we’ve lost.”
He squeezed her hand and tried not to feel too responsible for the crushed look he saw in her eyes. Melanie nodded slowly.
“Right…” she said. “That’s… actually why I came over here. I was just testing you, you know. Just wanted to see if you’d take advantage of a poor, teenage drunk girl. You passed… but only just barely.”
“Of course,” said Malcolm. “That makes perfect sense without being the slightest bit convoluted. Come on, slugger, let’s get you home.”
CHAPTER 9
The ride back to Tapestry’s house was mercifully uneventful. Malcolm enjoyed driving Tapestry’s car, and managed to find a radio station that played 90s alt rock.
“Tapestry said that this type of music is your focus power?” asked Melanie.