Chapter Text
Chapter One - The Red-Haired Girl
Jake was sitting by himself in the empty classroom, exhausted. More exhausted than he'd been after practicing for the music competition or even after doing sports.
Jake had lost everything in the course of a single day. Everything that kept him going throughout the day, everything that kept him motivated, the faces of the people he couldn't wait to see again.
Gone. as if it never happened.
Yet it did happen. And it left him so…
saddened, lonely, and desolate.
Those were perfect words to describe him, right?
Jake's eyes burned and his chest clenched, like if his insides were on fire. Even after school, the events were still fresh in his thoughts. Their pained expressions as he entered the classroom, Milly's palm making a devastating connection to the side of his face, his own miserable and cruel remarks being replayed for him.
It all happened so quickly that his mind was still processing what had happened a few hours prior.
It was really over; The music club, the competition, his friendships.
He won't be allowed to hang out with Hailey, or bother Zander simply by standing around him, or crack jokes with Milly. He'll never listen to Sean play music on his prized laptop or tease Luke about his profound love for Zander. And that hurt.
And as these new revelations swirled around his mind, he realized that one of the five people in Drew's room with him—someone he trusted—had betrayed him.
That realization burned.
It reaffirmed that there was no one else he could turn to. He burned down the bridge leading to the music club, and the road he left behind collapsed before he could turn around.
He felt his phone vibrate inside his jacket and reached inside to retrieve it. He felt his lips pull into an unintentional scowl the moment his eyes scanned the caller ID.
‘Incoming Call - Henry 🥬 ’
Jake turned off his phone and tossed it behind him without hesitation. One word came to mind:
Audacity.
The audacity to call him after what they've done, either pretending to be unaware or knowing and sincerely believing they've done nothing wrong. And Jake, knowing his closest friends, was convinced of the latter.
“D...Damn it.” Jake rubbed his eyes furiously, his fists catching the endlessly flowing tears. “Just... damnit!”
He just wanted to scream his frustration. If he couldn't turn to anyone else for comfort, perhaps the air around him would suffice.
Tap-tap.
“Hey… are you-”
When he felt a finger tap his shoulder, Jake nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around on the floor, nearly knocking the intruder off balance.
“Woaaaah, easy...” They muttered. Jake looked at the person's face. Cherry-red hair and cerulean eyes. He didn't recognize them, despite the fact that he'd seen almost every student at Rosemeadow.
“W-Who are you?” Jake questioned cautiously. He was still on school grounds after the final bell. He hoped he wouldn’t be in trouble for ‘trespassing’ or anything like that.
“Me? Well, that is an excellent question!” They laughed much to Jake’s bewilderment. “I’ve been called “Annabelle”, “Abigail”, “Lady Macbeth” and even “Iago”, you know!”
Jake cocked his head, bewildered. Who…? What exactly was this person saying to him? “Lady Macbeth”? “Iago”? Weren’t those the names of… Shakespeare characters?
“However, my given name is Melanie Jane. “Mel” some days and “M.J.” on Wednesdays!” The redhead laughed meekly to herself. She reached out her hand to him. Jake gave it a quick glance before returning his gaze to hers.
“You seem upset; nobody stays after school unless it's extremely important.” Melanie Jane states the obvious.
Jake bit his lower lip and looked down. Sure, she was right. He was obviously not okay, and to be honest, he didn't want to go home just yet.
“Y…Yeah, sorry. It’s just…” Jake sighed. “I had a pretty rough day, for the most part.”
Melanie Jane gave a nod. “Let me guess; A story of love and betrayal? Where in our lead hero is caught between 'Good' and 'Evil,' possibly doomed to fail?”
Jake blinked. “I-Uh… I guess?”
Melanie Jane sat down beside Jake, smoothing out her dress. Jake looked at her tentatively.
“In other words, did it have anything to do with fighting your friends?” Melanie Jane asked him timidly, but it still caught Jake off guard.
Jake blinked a few times before responding. “How did you know?” He leaned back slightly. “You weren't... eavesdropping on me, were you?”
Melanie Jane lightly pushed against his shoulder. “Oh, my goodness, no! A good actor must be able to read their fellow man's thoughts and emotions! How else can we deliver the best performance?”
Now Jake was really lost. What was she even talking about? Shakespeare references? Heroes, good and evil-
Wait…
Wait… oh!
She’s in the Drama Club!
“O-Oh! You must be a member of the Drama Club, right?” Jake finally understood. Melanie Jane smiled, nodded, and jumped to her feet.
“Yup-yup, you’re looking at the current President of Rosemeadow High’s Drama Club, Melanie Catherine Jane Valentine. Pleased to meet you.” She bowed.
‘The president of the drama club? Honestly, I almost forgot this school had a drama club…’ Jake thought to himself. He did, however, recall considering joining the club during his first year. Jake, nevertheless, introduced himself.
“I’m Jake, Jake Sterling.” He said, wiping his eye with the sleeve of his jacket.
“Jake, huh?” Melanie Jane hummed. She slowly paced around in a circle, fingers tapping her chin as if she were trying to think of something.
Jake looked at her, confused. “Uh, is something wrong?”
Just then, Melanie Jane snapped her fingers with an ‘Oh’. She pointed at the melancholic boy. “I recognize the title of this tune~! You’re friends with Daisy, right? The Head Girl?”
Jake flushed a bit before nodding. “Yeah- Uh I mean- sort of- kind of? It’s complicated- I mean not like dating complicated, just-” Melanie Jane cut off his rambling with a hard laugh.
“Calm thine self, weary traveler. I understand what you mean.” She eased him, to which he graciously sighed.
Sorry, I just... I didn't expect Daisy would be the one to make you recognize me. I mean, I haven’t exactly hung out with her before…” Jake sheepishly admitted. A few occasions, both inside and outside of school, he had spoken to her. But unlike when he was with Drew, he never just hung around with Daisy. If he sat next to her for more than 10 minutes, he would probably get red himself.
“Oh, I'm sorry then. I just assumed anyone who hangs with the Head Girl is automatically her friend.” Melanie Jane leans in closer. “To be honest though, I apply that reasoning to all of the well-known and popular kids, if you get what I mean.”
Jake cringes at the adjective. Popular. Was that what people considered him to be? He wasn’t exactly popular, he just hung out with people who were. Jake sunk further into his knees.
When Melanie Jane notices this, she retracts her prior judgment. “Sorry, habit took over. Many of us in the drama club think that anyone who hangs out with the kids who are, quote-unquote, “cool but only because they aren't in any lame clubs” is already popular.”
Jake did not look at her but instead nodded slowly in agreement. He would, after all, have experienced both the giving and receiving of both, acting as one of the “popular” kids while actually being an outcast. It was therefore strangely satisfying that Melanie Jane could articulate it for him.
“But enough with this Guess Who game. Why were you sobbing on the floor of my homeroom class? I'm more curious about that.”
Ah. Now that was something that would be hard to explain. Where would he even start? From the beginning, or the part where he crushed the people cared about most? How in the hell could he possibly defend what he said? Yeah, he was primarily at fault... but he said all of that in the heat of the moment, none of it was true… except the part where he joined just for Daisy. But after the time he spent with the Music club, he’d practically forgotten why he wanted to join in the first place. His initial justification of joining them was entirely defeated just by being with them.
“-But, you know, only if you want to. To be honest, it really seemed as though you had something to vent.” As Jake began to drift off, Melanie Jane continued. Jake shook his head before turning to face her.
“It’s kind of a long story…”
“So is Othello.”
Jake sighed, looking up. “Alright, well… it all started with a dream I had one night…”
From the first to the last day, Melanie Jane remained silent while Jake let all of his emotions out. She listened as he identified each friend, foe, and episode that took place. As he spoke of the Music club, she never would have imagined that he could be friends with them. How his lips quirked into the tiniest of smiles as he talked of brighter times, but how they slowly faltered and disappeared when he mentioned another set of “friends” he knew.
According to what Melanie Jane could make out, Jake and the Music Club seem to have a lot of trouble with this other bunch of “friends.” They sounded to be the typical juvenile types—bullies—so to speak. Most of their operations appeared to have the Music Club as their main target.
And, while Jake appeared to be friends with them, she couldn't help but note how all of his “Jomies” (as one of his pals appropriately dubbed them) seemed to have dramatically different interests than his Music Club friends. He never seemed to embrace his buddies' spiteful actions as he explained his relationships. It appeared almost as though he was merely appeasing them to maintain some sort of social standing. She didn't, however, question about her observation. But, if she was correct, she knew quite a few people who would understand Jake's feelings.
She was astonished, though, when Jake told her about his connections to the Music Club. Now, Melanie Jane was familiar with all of the clubs at Rosemeadow High. The Art Club would occasionally assist with set and costume design, and they would also speak with the Gardening Club about plants to add to the Theater room. The Foreign Language Club assisted with the pronunciation of older and foreign plays, while the Literature Club occasionally recommended works on which to base plays.
That being said, Melanie Jane was also familiar with all of the leaders.
And someone she had no short of her fair share of irritable interactions with was Rosemeadow’s very own Music Club leader Miss Hailey Austin.
Melanie Jane's eyes twitched every time the Music Club was mentioned. Hearing how the musicians ejected Jake seemed to confirm her negative feelings toward them.
“... And that’s the jist of it. Sorry if it was long, I just… didn’t know a shorter way to explain it.” Jake apologizes. Melanie Jane shook her head and clasped his shoulder.
“I'll tell you what, Mr. Sterling. You are welcome to visit the Theater Club tomorrow during lunch. It’s hard to explain now… but I believe you'll feel better if you come, alright?” Melanie Jane gave Jake a thumbs up. Jake cocked his head slightly, a puzzled expression on his face. Why, of all places, would she want him to go to the Theater Club? Was she attempting to get him to join or something?
“But let me just say I know a few folks who can make even the brightest stars appear dull simply by standing next to them.” Melanie Jane made a wink.
Jake's phone buzzed once more. He looked down to double-check:
‘New Message - Mom 🤍 ’
Oh, he forgot he told his mother he was walking home that day, and she was undoubtedly anxious about where he was.
“Sorry, my mom texted me, I think she’s wondering where I am.” Jake said, finally standing up from his spot on the floor. “But… I-I’ll think about it… okay?”
Melanie Jane jumped up, and strangely, she was approximately an inch taller than him.
“I guess I shouldn't keep you waiting. Ciao-ciao!” Melanie Jane waved goodbye as she exited the classroom.
Jake paused for a moment after she walked away. That had to be the strangest encounter he'd ever had... ever. He'd managed to express nearly every emotion he'd been feeling for the past few hours in thirty minutes. And to a total stranger at that. It felt strange, but almost in a good way. He finally told someone about his problems... and they actually listened. They listened to him out and (almost comfortingly) did not pass judgment on him, as he had expected.
Jake’s phone buzzed once again. Oh, right… his mom. He finally checked the messages he’d received earlier.
(Mom 🤍) “Hey”
(Mom 🤍) “I know you said you’d rather walk home like usual but”
(Mom 🤍) “It’s been 2 hours since school ended... You didn’t mention any after school activities, did you?”
[ Sent Now ]
(Mom 🤍) “I’m outside, are you okay? Should I come in?”
Jake felt a small pang of guilt for worrying his mom and quickly texted her back.
(Me) “Sorry, had a study hall”
(Me) “I’m coming”
[ Sent Now ]
(Mom 🤍) “Thank goodness 🙂”
(Mom 🤍) “Don’t scare me like that, Jakey!”
(Mom 🤍) “Just give me a heads up next time OK?”
Jake sighed and placed his phone back into his pocket. ‘Well, guess it’s time to head home…’ he thought to himself. Only this time, his heart wasn’t entirely heavy in his chest. Like a small bit of that weight had somehow dissolved. Jake felt like his talk with Melanie Jane had something to do with that.
He’d have to thank her tomorrow.