Daddy Dearest

Chapter Forty

Charlie

I always thought Melody would be there waiting for me once I was ready to face my feelings for her, but I guess I waited too long.

Growing up, I just believed Melody was mine. I’d known her since we were babies. We took naps in the same crib together. My mother bathed us together. Her mother bathed us together. There was a time when I felt Melody was my other half and Charlotte was the superfluous one.

I can’t remember an important event in my life that didn’t have Melody in it. I can’t remember any mundane day in my life that didn’t have Melody in it. She was my constant companion, confidant, life coach, cheerleader, quasi-girlfriend, sister, and fellow geek. I never imagined a day would come when we wouldn’t be friends anymore.

It wasn’t that long ago when I overheard Lottie telling Mel in the bathroom that Alex Chambers was planning on asking her to the dance, so Mel should prepare herself for a “no-holds barred assault” since Chambers was determined to make Melody his girlfriend for once and for all because apparently, she’s the only girl he’d ever wanted and failed to get.

I just never believed she would go for Chambers. He plays rugby and she hates all forms of violent contact sports. Rugby season starts in three weeks and my dad says Chambers is the best fly half he’s ever seen who didn’t play professionally.

My father is a huge fan of rugby and nearly unbearable during the Six Nations Championship. Though he is Mr. Literature, he loves watching footie, cricket, basketball, and rugby. He played rugby in uni. We have all the sports channels, though he doesn’t really care too much about “Yankee” football, baseball, or golf. He played tennis, too, and almost went pro. Honestly, he and Chambers have a lot more in common than he and I do. Chambers should have been his kid.

Maybe that’s why Melody likes him so much. I always knew she had some kind of hero-worship of my dad because her dad died when she was eleven. He also went over to her house all the time when Harry was still alive because Harry was his agent and editor. They also got drunk together a lot.

Kids at school used to tease us about our dads being gay together and I would get really mad. My dad just laughed it off and one time he said, “They wish!” It stuck in my head because it really confused me at the time. Why would anyone wish for my dad to be gay with Melody’s dad?

After Harry died, Melody started staying at our house a lot until Nancy decided that it was time the two of them made a go at it on their own. But she still slept over on weekends.

Maybe Chambers reminded Melody of my dad and that’s why she fell in love with him.

Well, I’m not all the way convinced she’s in love with him. She’s under a lot of stress with this stalker stuff and she and I haven’t been getting along, so she’s been hanging out with Lottie more.

Melody and I would never run out of things to talk about and we could talk about anything from comic books to movies to theoretical physics. That all changed one day while we were eating Taco Bell during lunch at school and I was trying to tell Melody she had a piece of lettuce stuck in her hair and when she turned around to look over her shoulder, the sun’s rays highlighted her profile in such a way that I was just dumbstruck for a minute.

I was in love with my best friend.

When she turned back to look at me, she raised one eyebrow and frowned. “You’re looking a little green. Maybe you should stop stuffing your face, Legolas.”

The kids at school call me Legolas sometimes. They say I resemble Orlando Bloom’s character from “The Lord of the Rings” because of the light blond hair and green eyes. I think it’s stupid.