Cheer captain
Around basketball season the elementary school had their version of sports as Paula had just joined the cheerleading team and she tried to convince Melina to be a cheerleader and quit acting like a boy and hanging out with only boys as it was weird she had no female friends except April. Paula didn't like April much because April had a smart mouth and her older brother Aaron didn't pay her no attention at all. Aaron had red hair like his sister and he played football and was a senior as Paula was a middle schooler . Since all the grades coinsided with each other lunch time and gym type was where the grades mingled and the older guys got a good look at the younger girls but Aaron was different he was a good guy not into slutty attention seeking girls. He had a steady girlfriend and was loyal and honest. Not the type Paula could persuade to the dark side with seduction or lies. Paula used her looks and body to get what she wanted and in fact she spent more time scheming on how to steal other people's boyfriends for no rhyme or reason at all other than she just could. Melina personally had low expectations for her sister Paula being anything more than a desperate little girl thinking she was doing something other than ruining her reputation. When she become a cheerleader she became friends with a sister who was also a cheerleader named Jerry whose she was named after her dad and her little brother that was in a grade above me names Jim. Paula and Jerry thought it would be absolutely adorable to set Melina up with Jim and they start dating . Melina honestly didn't have feelings for boys at all. She only began to like Korey before they ended things a month later. Paula was always embarrassed that Melina dressed in baggy clothes and wanted her to be more girl like than tomboyish . She started talking Melina into becoming a cheerleader like her and to start fixing herself up. As Paula and Jerry were often skipping classes claiming they were doing errands for the cheerleading squad when in face they were just skipping and walking around the school until one day they pulled Melina out of math class to talk. Melina stood in the hallway.as she didn't like missing too much of class because she would easily get lost in class. Melina stood there as Paula acted like an airhead as she knew her sister was up to no good as she was in her uniform as they had a pep rally that evening. Melina felt like Paula was wasting her time in this action and wanted to go back to class if all Paula was going to do was look at her and use her as an excuse to skip class.
Just when Melina was done with her sister being a waste of her time Paula yelled as loud as she could. " Oh my God you have boobs!" As the entire class turned to look in the hallway at this embarrassing announcement as Paula and Jerry began to fill up her boobs as Melina slapped her sisters hands away in embarrassment . She went back to class as every guy turned around and looked at her as she had always wore baggie shirts and now they were looking at her like she was a fifth grade version of a woman .
Melina ignored the boys knowing this would make her life difficult and different now it was out in the open she was a girl with actual boobs. When Melina went to gym the boys refused to play with her and told her to play with girls despite the fact they had been playing ball with her since she arrived. Melina didn't want to play with the girls. They were mean and judgemental and Melina had enough of that at the group home already.
If the group home taught her anything it taught her she couldn't trust females as the would be nice and pleasant in front of people and drag you off and torture you with your own past. In the group home everyone knew why you were in there and unlike the laws that required discretion against time served is still considered time serve on a don't ask don't tell basis which prevented certain inf from being exposed to the public in the home you were just another messed up story waiting to be exploited .
Your secrets had power there and it was how you either survived or paid for your safety in between a room that felt like a cell. Each room there had a roommate which had two beds and a conjoined bathroom to another room to two other roommates. After nine at night you were on your own and if you snitched you payed for it. If you made someone mad that day at any point no matter what you paid for it. There were no rules of survival just counting your days down to a release date you never was sure was coming.
At least in prison you knew how much time you had to serve . Here you served until age eighteen and since Melina was here Melina had seven years left here unless she was allowed to go home and she would rather be here living in fear then home trying to live. She knew her mother had no business raising children as she never got past her own childish thoughts and it showed.
Melina loved her mother until she was old enough to realize her version of love was messed up and she made up the rules as it came . When Melina was socialized she learned to stay silent. To stay still. To keep her eyes open at night. To keep her distance. Like a starving street animal on the verge of becoming ferrel.
That is what Melina's life taught her and her sister Paula telling her to make friends when she sawany times Paula was one of the problems of her being able to make friends because she would either sleep with them or take them from Melina she had gotten used to not wanting to make friends if she was going to lose them anyways. In Melina's mind she was just existing in a war of her own making.
She was just watching. Waiting. And anticipating for the war to come for her. Melina wasn't an average messed up system kid she had abilities that she could use to help and harm and if push came to shove she had no problem harming before helping. Her heart was hardening and it was close to damn near closed off. She watched her sister jump girls as soon as they stepped off the bus on the ranch lands over petty things that happened that morning. She stalked her prey. Waiting for the opportunity when they were alone and vulnerable.
Paula's power wasn't her alliegence or her alliances built. It was the ability to get people to trust her enough to follow her right into a trap she set up for them. Melina being Paula's sister it also made a vengeful scheme if they couldn't get to Paula they would get to Melina and she knew she was on her own in her own war her sister caused being her.
So when Paula introduced her little sister Melina to Jim her best friends little brother she already knew he was a tainted vessel . She already knew Paula never did anything without a motive behind it. She already knew there was things going on that Melina couldn't see but it was coming .
Paula was just too damn insisted on Jim liking her little sister and Melina went along as she kept him at an arms distance knowing any associatation with Paula was a disassociation with Melina. That was the relationship that her and her sister would have her entire lives .