The favorite child
After Dana moved back home with her memaw as the child was literally allowed to do as she pleased. Melina was now looking to get away from her mother as her first paycheck she made her mom take her shopping with melina's money. The thing about Lara McNally was she liked nice things but only if she wasn't going to pay for them. As long as you paid for her she thought you were the best. The relationship was only as mutual as your pockets.
Melina worked hard with her money and wasn't going to squander it. She had plans to give her family a big Christmas as she had been saving up for months. Around this time Melina was all about the dead bolt locks she had caught her sisters stealing the clothes she bought herself and her mother was infamous for taking any clothes she bought Melina back as a punishment.
Which was really fucked up . A parents entire job was to feed, clothe and shelter then until eighteen which gave Lara McNally the advantage to use basic needs as punishment tools.
Melina's was at school then work all day as she came home to open her closet to hang up her clothes as her mother didn't like giving clothes back when she washed. She opened the door to see her closet standing right open.
Immediately she went to ask David where the hell was all of her clothes. He said mia came over and said she was told she can borrow a shirt. She had cleared it with Melina . In truth Melina never said that and mia opened her room window and threw out all the clothes and took the one shirt to show David she only got one item.
All her shirts from express, the body shop, sears,Macy's , and rainbow was gone. All her jeans were taken and only her work close and a few outfits remained. Melina was livid and demanded her stuff back. The bickering got so out of hand that mia knowingly stole Melina's clothes and their mother forever the wrong doer asked mia why she did it and mia simply said you buy Melina new clothes all the time and she is your favorite. Lara being the misguided mother saw this as a viable excuse to let mia have the clothes she took knowing damn well Melina bought those clothes with her own money.
Lara never wanted to pick sides and cause trouble so she did a great injustice to Melina since she refused to allow her to go shopping with her when she bought her clothes. The selfishness of Melina buying her own clothes to prevent Lara from using it as punishment against her was self evident the sabatoge she created allowing mia to keep the stolen goods over thinking Melina was the favorite child. Melina didn't know why doing to her mother would solve any of her problems as she would always take everyone's side except Melina's .
Even Melina knew it was partially because mia had tried to reunite her with her biological father now he was out of prison . The last Christmas Melina just took her food to go and sat in the car refusing to be ignored one more year mia pulled up with a gift for Melina. Melina was confused when mia pulled up with gifts as she never got gifts during her visits . Mia was all excited as she gave her the gift then popped the trunk of her car to show three more gifts when Melina reached for the other gifts mia blocked her attempts.
" This is just a starter gift. If you want the other gift you have to come to Dad's house for Christmas. I can take you over to his house if you want the gifts." Stated Melina as she realized what was going on. Melina hadn't had contact with her father since the time she was at the restaurant a year ago and he walked in on her during her busting tables for her mom. Melina knew it was a set up too as Melina was the only one who had no interest in reuniting with her biological father . Not after what he did to her. Did to her family.
Melina handed mia back the gift in her hand and stepped back." I'm good. I don't want any gifts I have enough things already." Said Melina as mia looked confused at her refusal to accept their father or anything he offered. This would be an on going issue with Melina and her siblings her entire life. Tricking her into seeing their father.
" Don't be so selfish. It was a gift . Don't you like gifts." Mia said in disappointed thinking Melina was like Paula and her live could be bought . Melina would have accepted the gift of it wasn't from him. Accepting a gift from him was like inviting the enemy back in her home after he showed her his plans.
" Not from him. If this is the price of Christmas than I don't want it or need it." Said Melina standing her ground. Mia upset Melina didn't fall for her tricks slammed the trunk in anger . She didn't even say another word as she went into the house ignoring Melina since she didn't play her games. Then Melina was back to being ignored but at least there was food.
Mia stealing her clothes and refusing to be her mother's piggy bank was the results of them two doing horrible things to her and justifying their actions with pettiness. Melina shook her head at her mother lack or moral and took a mental note if she wanted justice she would have to find it on her own terms. Lara would never side with Melina over mia and Paula and it was beginning to show . This was all because she was rejecting the person that ruined her life and made it where she was unable to have children and normal periods.
Melina hated how her family treated her and her clear rejection of her biological father. She didn't make this choice to be spiteful but to protect herself from the fire she had reserved for him if they ever did cross paths on her terms.
She knew her sisters thought she was breaking up a happy family. Making what he did forgivable and water under the bridge.
Because of him the simple act of someone touching her made her shut down completely and hide inside of herself scared of what would happen if she lost control of herself and acted on her feelings.
Melina remembered cheerleading tryouts as she almost lost her pad again so she looked at the tampon and didn't really know how to use one. She knew what they were for but didn't have a clue on how to use them as she read the back of the box as she was confused when she realized where it needed to be . She tried to administer it but froze up as she felt it touching her area she was petrified of. Melina asked her mother to help her or teach her to put one in so she wouldn't keep losing her pads while running. Melina had no idea they sold pads with wings she wasn't allowed to shop for herself so she only knew what her mother gave her.
Melina grew frustrated and instead of her mother helping her she called her sister Jamie over to deal with Melina. When Jamie showed up she didn't even help her and the entire family laughed and made fun of her stupidity to follow instructions. They all laughed about how she wanted them to help her . In the end Melina figured it out on her own as her family was only useful when they were making her feel bad about herself. She couldn't even ask them how to be a girl because it's was a point of ridicule and a set up for another roasting session for Melina.
Melina was standing in the school cafeteria as she was waiting for brandy as joey was absent this day and she felt someone walk behind her as she turned to see Chad as he stood behind her. He rocked on his feet as Melina ignored him and turned around waiting in line for her food tray.
" I didn't know she was your sister honestly." He said in a soft tone not to be seen talking to her.
" Well do you make it a habit of accepting ass when it's offered or was Dana just special." Retorted Melina as the line moved forward.
" No. I knew her from when I dated Tiffany . I thought she was cool and it just happened." He explained as Melina rolled her eyes at his response.
" I highly doubt it just happened. Dana knew I liked you and she did it anyways." Melina said as a silence passed between the two .
" You liked me. Like liked me ?" He said surprised at her confession.
" Past tense ,Chad. I don't like sloppy seconds." Said Melina as she moved to get her food tray as the conversation ended. Then she sat down and chad sat behind her as he watched her . Melina saw brandy as a kid named wade sat down with Chad as he hated Melina for the stupidest reason ever. Because of her race.
" Oh my god why are we sitting by the immigrant table. Hey Melina why don't you go back from where you came from." He yelled like a trueborn entitled jerk. Melina stood up as she she looked at wade as she knew he was clearly dumb at that comment.
"You must have failed U.S. history?" Melina remarked as Chad stared at her comment.
" What did you say wet back. Isn't there a river you need to cross somewhere?" He yelled as the group laughed.
" My family came from Hawaii you moron it's part of the United States . " Said Melina as Chad broke out in laughter.
" And. So!" Wade yelled looking lost.
" Hawaii is the fiftieth state of the United States of america ." Melina said it slower for him to register the words.
" So . You still need to go back where you came from." He said like an idiot .
" I really wish I could. At least they know their states and their country ." Said Melina as she knew fighting with him was pointless because he was a different kind of stupid and it showed.
Melina knew why Chad was so drawn to her. It was partially because of her siren abilities as she learned to use her voice calculating as singing a time invoked things she didn't understand . She didn't see him as a conquest or a test run. She saw the true him. The one he hid behind the sleezy three gods persona. He wasn't like Eric where it was all for the glory and the game. Or like Nathaniel it was all about the status and the notches. He was actually nice. He was the guy you would lose your heart too. But when Dana slept with him. His odds of ever deserving a love like hers was slim now. She could have overlooked his miscalculation or his lack of knowledge of the situation but what she couldn't get past was the comparison. The who did it better. The need to compete with her own step sister. The need to be worse than her to beat her. Melina was never going to make herself competition for anyone because she was never going to compete for attention. She was fine in the shadows as she found comfort in knowing and seeing the world as she saw it. The thin lines that were made and the scissors that cut them. She was comfortable being taken for granted and underestimated because they didn't know what she was capable of. They didn't know how dangerous she really could be and it was safer that way. Chad was only interested because she wasn't begging for his attention or acceptance like his usual groopies .child had his pick of female companionship and he treated them better than the other two gods of middle school . When he grew bored with girls they always had nice things to say about him. He had girls thrown at him and he knew it. His sexual history was vast and when Dana said he was a bad fuck it was she was being bitter about melina's dismissal of her and her friends knowing Melina was her way into the skating rink since her memaw didn't trust her with money. At the end of the school year the left over yearbook proofs could be sold for a dollar. So for an entire golden dollar some random student could own a proof from your yearbook photos. This would be the gateway to stalking in the future. But the schools need to be economical playing on teenagers emotional mental state of mind . Melina stood at the counter as she made her order as she didn't want to be seen buying chads pictures as she snagged Joey's as well. Brandi looked at her selection as she teased Melina. What she didn't realize Chad stood behind her as he saw her with his picture as he smiled looking pleased at himself . Melina turned around as Chad held her picture as joey came through looking for her pictures too. They had made a plan to buy each other's pics to make it where no one drew on their faces . Joey was in gym so getting there Melina was supposed to secure her pictures but couldn't find it. Melina looked down at his hands as he looked at her hand. Melina looked to see her face along with all his ex girlfriends he had in middle school so there was a stack. Melina felt flattered he had her picture but confused at the same time why. She wasn't an ex girlfriend. " I'll trade. I need my photo for Joey." Said Melina breaking the tension. Chads face once hopeful dropped at the words spoken. " You can buy it for a dollar like I did ." He said as he looked severe in his negotiations. Melina rolled her eyes and produced a dollar and held out her hand." Fucking oppertunist." She remarked as chad's eyes narrowed at her comment. " On second thought I decided to keep it after all." He said as Melina glared at him. " For what? " Demanded Melina . " Personal uses." He said stiffly. " Ummm. That's kinda gross. Don't you have any good porn to watch . Like normal guys do." Melina stated assuming he was using her picture for nasty things. " What you like to watch porn ?" He said with a smirk as Melina didn't like this conversation . When mia lived at home with her she would invite her down just to play mean jokes knowing how uncomfortable Melina was they watched porn in a group of friends. She would asked Melina to get them snacks giving her orders like a porn cafe. Then bust out laughing at the uncomfortable feeling of Melina seeing them watching porn. One day Paula and Mia had a brilliant idea as such of their guy friends were over as they called her to take their snack orders but then grabbed her and held her down making Melina endure the porn on VHS they rented from the video store. Melina tried to fight but there was too many of them to get away from . This traumatized experience made her hate porn with a passion. She stared at Chad and rolled her eyes to walk away . She had to tell Joey what happened. Chad followed thinking he went to far then he saw Melina toss her purchased picture of him to the ground as he stop .