They'll Never Hear a Word We Say: Part Eleven by sytra
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They'll Never Hear a Word We Say
A couple of weeks had passed since Mel hadn't gone with
Krystal and Sam to the mall. Sam was over it, though, and everything was back
to normal. Mel had gotten enough alone time, and she was now hanging out with
her friends constantly again. Whether it was going to the mall or watching Ice
Skating Championships, she, Sam, and Krystal went everywhere together.
Unfortunately, Sam had caught a nasty case of Neomonia,
so she hadn't been at school all week. Krystal asked Mel if she wanted to go
shopping for a get well present for the ill Uni, so they went to the mall together.
"You should hear some of the things Sam says about
you, Mel," Krystal said. They were in a clothing store, as they had already
purchased a nice card and teddy bear for Sam. The red Krawk was searching for
a shirt she had seen the other day, but forgotten to buy. Mel looked up curiously
at Krystal.
"What do you mean all the things she says about me?"
"Well, she tells me all sorts of things. Like what
she really thinks of you, and stuff like that. And she tells me what you really
do when you say you can't come out with us, like you did a couple weeks ago."
Mel didn't reply at first. How did Krystal know all
of this? And how did Sam find out in the first place?
"Yeah. She was so mad when she found out that
you went to the Ice Arena with Mikey, and Chad, and... Garret that one
day. I couldn't get her to calm down. It was real bad, Mel. You should be ashamed,
ditching your best friend for dumb Garret." Krystal nodded. "I mean, he's so
stupid it's funny. Do you think he does it on purpose, Mel? Because I do. And
he's awfully shy. I mean, shy around you. His face gets as red as a tomato whenever
he talks to you. He can't even talk right whenever he's around you. It's
quite funny. And this is all what Sam thinks, mind you. I think it's
adorable. I mean, you two."
"What!?" Mel shouted. "Garret's not stupid, not one
bit. And what do you mean, us two?!"
"Oh, come on, Mel, you're acting as dim-witted
as he is. And of course, everyone just wants to know why you're sweet on him,
since he's so... well, since he's Garret. Sam is awfully confused with you lately,
Mel."
"What else does Sam think about me, then, huh?"
"Well... she told me that you're a hermit. You've
been backing out on everything we want you to do with us lately. It's like you're...
unsocial or something crazy like that." Krystal smiled as she grabbed a shirt
from the rack and put it up to herself to see how it looked.
"A hermit...?"
"Yeah. It's bad, the way she gossips about you all
the time. So that's why I think you should know. That's why I'm telling you,
Mel. Because you are a true friend to me, and I want to make sure you never
get hurt. Though you may not like it, you need to know about these things. Sam
isn't who she used to be, believe it or not."
"Yeah... I guess she isn't," Mel mumbled.
"So, listen," Krystal began, taking a deep breath.
"How would you feel if I told you how I thought about Sam? And everyone
else, like Mikey? It feels good to talk about other people, you know. Sometimes
sharing your feelings is a good thing."
"What? I... I don't think so." Mel looked around the
store. What was Krystal getting at? Had Sam really said all of those things
about her? She wanted to get away, far away... Right then she just felt like
curling up into a ball and crying herself to sleep.
"Oh, come on. I mean, they'll never hear a word we
say. It'll just be our little secret. That's the fun of it. The only people
who will know that this conversation has ever happened, is us."
Mel thought about this, long and hard. She knew that
it wasn't right to talk about her friends, make that her best friend,
and behind her back, but she was so confused at that time that she didn't know
what else to do but agree with Krystal. "All right," she said, a bit hesitant.
"Good. Now, let us buy these things and then we'll
continue our conversation somewhere... a little more private, okay?" Krystal
suggested, and she and Mel brought their items to the checkout line. Once they
had purchased them, they found a quiet hallway in the mall where hardly anyone
was around.
"Okay, you go first," Krystal instructed. "What is
it that you just want to shout on top of a mountain about Sam? It's all right;
just remember what I said before. Nothing leaves this mall."
"Well..." Mel really didn't want to say it, but something
inside of her made her spit it out. "Sam... She's... well, lately she's been
acting like she's better than everyone else. I kind of feel bad about saying
it, but--"
"I know! Precisely!" Krystal agreed. "That's
exactly how I feel. She just prances around with her big fat faerie wings, like
she's the Queen of everything, and then there's us, her servants or something.
It's, like, so annoying."
"Well, I guess..."
"And she acts like she's so smart, too. But really,
she's stupider than Garret is. And believe me, that's pretty hard to beat."
"Err..."
"She wears so much makeup now. It's kind of
annoying. It makes her look like a cheap Usuki Doll. Puh-lease,
spare us all and hold the eyeliner!"
"I..."
"And OH. MY. GOSH. All she cares about is being popular!
Have you seen the mob of pets, like, stalking her everywhere she goes?!
She can't even go in the bathroom alone! They're little munchkin followers,
groveling at her hooves," Krystal complained.
"Uhhhh..."
"What about you?" the red Krawk inquired, smiling.
"I... uh, wow, look at the time," Mel said hastily.
"I have to get going! Bye."
Best Friends Since First Grade
The next day at school, Sam didn't say a word to Mel.
She didn't even look at her. Mel was okay with it, though, since she was still
confused about everything Krystal had said about what Sam really thought about
her. At lunch, Sam and Krystal sat by each other the whole time, looking like
they were talking about something very serious.
She couldn't have, Mel thought. No, she
didn't. She wouldn't.
Mel glanced over at Sam and Krystal. Krystal had her
arm over Sam, who was bawling.
No... She would.
Mel couldn't believe it. Actually, she could
believe it. What she couldn't believe was why she had trusted Krystal. Why she
let that awful Krawk talk her into letting her listen to her. It made perfect
sense, however. Krystal never really changed. She just acted like it. This
was her plan all along, Mel thought. Yeah, this was her plan all along.
To befriend me, and then tell me all of the things that Sam said about me...
and then to tell me all of the things SHE doesn't like about Sam, and then tell
Sam that I said those things.
Yes. Mel now realized that Krystal had told Sam that
Mel thought that she wore too much makeup. Krystal was telling Sam that Mel
thought that she looked like a cheap Usuki Doll. That she was obsessed with
being popular. That she was actually dim-witted. And that she thought she was
better than everyone else. Though those were all of the things Krystal
thought about Sam. Krystal was just doing it all to tear Sam and Mel apart.
It was what she wanted all along.
"Hey, what's going on with them?"
Mel turned around to see that it was Garret. She sighed,
but didn't answer him. Garret didn't say anything either. He just sat down next
to Mel on the bench. Out of the corner of her eye, Mel saw him watching Sam
cry in Krystal's arms.
Mel couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't hold it
in any longer. This was the final straw. She wanted to explode. She wanted to
rip her fur out and scream until she lost her voice. The lump in her throat
was getting so big she couldn't even swallow. She couldn't see anything. Everything
was a big blur. Her whole life was a blur. All those years, it had been slowly
falling apart, and now it was nearly gone.
"Krystal told me some things, these awful, horrible
things, and, and, and then, then, now... she's told Sam that I said them
but I didn't! It was all her! She said everything! She said all
these things, and she's so jealous of Sam, but now she's telling her that I
am! She's so evil! I hate her!" Mel screamed, messing her face up. Tears
were streaming rapidly from her eyes. Garret just sat there, not knowing what
to say, while Mel ran away.
The yellow Usul ran down the halls, looking for a
place to hide. She decided that the bathroom was the best place, so she locked
herself in one of the stalls, and stood there, crying her eyes out. The bell
would be ringing soon, but she didn't want to go to class. She didn't want to
go anywhere. She just wanted to stay there and cry as silently as she could.
Mel suddenly heard sniffling noises coming from outside
in the halls, getting louder and louder. Someone was coming into the bathroom.
Whoever it was, they were crying too. She saw through the crack of her stall
door that it was Sam. Mel held her breath, not wanting to give away the fact
that she was hiding in the bathroom, too. She heard Sam go into the stall right
next to hers.
Mel was still holding her breath, but after listening
to her best friend crying so badly, she couldn't help but start to cry loudly
as well.
"Mel...?" came Sam's quiet voice.
"Sam?"
"Why'd you do it? Why'd you say all of those things
about me? After all these years... I never thought you'd betray me like that.
I mean, we've been best friends since first grade."
"Well, first answer me this. Why did you say all of
those things about me?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Mel."
"What do you mean you have no idea what I'm talking
about?!" Mel demanded. Could it be? she thought. Could it be that
those things that Krystal told me that Sam said aren't true? After all... she
seems to have no idea what I'm talking about...
"Just... be quiet. I don't want to talk to you anymore,
okay? I don't want to EVER talk to you again!"
Mel heard Sam's stall door swing open, then the sound
of it being slammed closed, and then the sound of Sam's hooves stomping the
bathroom floor. When Mel was sure that Sam was gone, she sighed loudly, staring
ahead of her at the bathroom stall door.
To be continued...
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