Chapter Twelve

Warning: there are references to homosexuality and homophobia in this chapter. If this offends you, please stop reading.


Hanover Academy wasn't like most high schools, where students are divided into freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and passed along according to specific ages and grade levels. At Hanover, students learned mostly at their own pace, some leaving for college 'early' due to accelerated study programs. Since it was a small school, teachers were able to give students individualized attention, and some even created their own curriculum of study.

Intermittent thunderstorms put Melody in a foul mood as she woke up on the first day of final exams. When she got to the kitchen to fix her cereal, she saw Sarah there in all her glory, wearing nothing but a green nightgown with clovers all over. "Can I join you?" Melody asked tentatively.
"Sure, why not?" responded Sarah, looking up from her bowl.
Melody sat directly across from Sarah, gazing outward at the puddles that had formed on the asphalt of Bluewater Highway. She couldn't remember when it had ever rained this much in the Village."I can't wait till school ends," Sarah said. "Three months away from this dreary old place."
Melody nodded, but admitted she dreaded returning home. "Why?" asked Sarah.
Shaking her head, Melody droned, "You don't understand. You don't have a clue about my situation, and you're the one who ought to have a clue." She stared blankly at her untouched bowl of whole-grain wheat bran flakes.
"I don't know what it is you're afraid of, Mel."
"Sarah, I'm not like you, okay?"
"Are you saying you're not a lesbian?"
Melody paused. "No, that's not --"
Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "That's what you're saying, isn't it?"
Melody turned her head. "I -- I'm not sure what I'm saying --"
Sarah saw Melody's dreamy, far-off look and had to comment. "You know, Mel, when I first met you, you had that look on your face, like you were off somewhere else. It's what I, when I think about it now, it's what I was attracted to."

Final exams at Hanover were in full swing. The girls, particularly the ones in the honors program, sought to either maintain good standing or improve their standing, especially with colleges breathing down their backs. One more test, and the girls would begin moving out of the dormitory and back home with their families for the next three months.
To celebrate the end of the school year, Miss Hanover arranged for boys from Pleasantview Prep to attend an informal get-together with her girls. Fourteen boys from Pleasantview Prep arrived in all, including Alexander Goth, the heir to the largest fortune in town, and his friend, Jason Barnes, a preppy, tanned athlete. "Smile, will ya?" Sarah whispered to Melody, who stood beside her as Alexander flashed her a grin. "He may be dorky but his friend's kind of cute."
Melody rolled her eyes. "He's a prick," she whispered to Sarah. "You don't even know him."
"And you do?"
Melody sighed. "He just looks like the type. He's a prick."
Alexander and Jason walked toward Melody and Sarah. Straightening her posture, Sarah gave Melody a nudge. "Be cool."
Just then Alecia Charvat, the most popular girl in school, walked past, along with Jill Vance, Andrea Seavey, and Allyson Wade. Alecia put her hand on Jason's shoulder. "What are you doing talking to them?" Alecia asked snottily. "They're losers."
Sarah shot Alecia an angry glare. "Who you callin' a loser?"
"You -- you and your geeky girlfriend over there," Alecia shouted, pointing directly at Melody. "Everybody knows you're a couple. I've seen how you two look at each other."
Melody didn't say anything, but Sarah sure did. "I thought you were my friend, Lecy."
"So, you're a dyke, eh?" shouted Jason in Melody's face as he approached her.
"I'm not a dyke!" Melody screamed meekly and defensively, not sure she herself believed what she said. Meanwhile, Jason proceeded to pelt her with water balloons he had hidden in his pocket for 'times like these.' Melody did not take kindly to the water balloons. Dusting herself off, she proceeded to slap Jason in the face.
"That hurt!" Jason shouted, but one got the feeling that more was hurting than the side of his face.
Melody, however, declined to say anything further, instead choosing to walk away from the scene.

Wanda arrived just after Melody's last exam to pick her up and whisk her away, back to their house on the other side of Bluewater Village. "C'mon, Melody, let's go!" she shouted to the top of her voice.
"I'm coming, Mom, I'm just picking up a few things." In reality, however, Melody was stalling for time. She didn't want to leave and face all the changes that had happened in her life.
After a mostly silent car ride, the Tinkers finally arrived at their home at 32 Eagle Lane on the north side of the Village. The place looks exactly the same, Melody thought, but smelled a lot different. Of course it smelled different. It reeked of the smells and sounds of a new baby in the house.
Stephen had decided to take a leave of absence from work to help his wife care for their new baby daughter. They had no dream that they'd be spending their days with diapers and hourly feedings so close to their golden years. The last time they had done this, of course, they were much younger. It was an alien feeling, but at the same time strangely exhilarating and revitalizing.

"Mom --" Melody called, entering her parents' bedroom.Wanda lay on her bed in a rare moment of respite. Baby Harmony was now fast asleep after a feeding and a changing, so Melody's voice took her by surprise."Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure, sweetie, what's going on?" This is it, Wanda told herself. Lisa was right, she's ready now.
"Well, I kinda need to tell you something."
Wanda saw Melody nervously pacing the room. "You want to sit down?"
Shaking her head no, Melody continued. "This is really hard --"
"What is it, honey? Is something wrong?"
Melody bit her lip. "I -- I met someone at school."
"You met someone? That's great, sweetie. What's his name?"
"Her -- her name is Sarah. She was my roommate. One day we were fooling around and -- I -- I -- I kissed her."
"Melody!" Wanda whispered in disbelief.
"Mom, this is why I didn't want to tell you."
Wanda rose slowly from the bed. "Melody, sweetheart, I -- I don't know what to say."
"This is hard for me, too, mom. You think I went off to school to kiss a girl? It just -- happened. I can't change it, I can't erase it. If I could I would."
"Melody --" Forcing out a nervous laugh, Wanda continued. "Of all the things you could have told me --"
"What were you expecting, mom?" asked Melody. "Just curious."
"I think I might have been better off if you came back pregnant, to be honest. At least I'd get a grandchild out of it." A single solitary tear flowed down Wanda's face when she realized the significance of what Melody had just said. "My daughter -- my beautiful little daughter --" Wanda's tears began to flow freely now. "How could this have happened -- to us?" She reached for Melody, who was now crying herself, and embraced her.