You Drive Me Crazy || Sam Evans

01. Pilot

"You can do this," Melanie whispered to herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was hard enough being a freshman, transitioning from middle schooler to high schooler. But moving to a new school in a new state on top of that? Melanie was more than a little nervous, her already anxious energy cranked up to 10.

"Mel, let's go, you don't want to be late on your first day," she heard her mom call from downstairs.

Melanie took a deep breath, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly. "You can do this," she whispered, opening her eyes and looking at her reflection one more time. She grabbed her book bag off one of the many boxes littered across her room, having not had the time to fully move in. She made her way downstairs to her mom, who was waiting by the door with keys in hand. "You got everything?" her mom asked. Melanie nodded. "Alright, let's go."

The two sat in the car, Melanie gazing out the window silently. Alyssa stole glances at her daughter, noticing the tension in her posture and the worried furrow in her brow.

"You okay, honey?" Alyssa asked.

Melanie forced a small smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm just... nervous," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alyssa reached out and gave Melanie's hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's normal to feel that way, especially on your first day at a new school. But you're going to do great. I know it. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend."

"Thanks, Mom," Melanie thanked, smiling slightly, though just as tense as before.

As they approached the school, Melanie's anxiety intensified. The sight of unfamiliar faces and bustling crowds sent a shiver down her spine.

"You know, high school seems like a big deal right now, but in the grand scheme of things, it's just a small chapter in your life story. Sure, you'll make memories and friendships along the way, but there's so much more to life than what happens within these walls," Alyssa added, sensing her daughter's unease.

Melanie nodded, her thoughts still clouded with apprehension. "But what if I don't fit in? What if no one likes me?"

Alyssa turned to face her daughter, her expression soft but determined. "Listen, sweetheart, you are unique and special in your own way. Don't ever doubt that. And besides, most people are too busy worrying about themselves to pay much attention to others. Just be yourself, and everything will fall into place."

Melanie managed a weak smile, her mother's words providing a semblance of comfort amidst the chaos of her mind. She stepped out of the car, her heart pounding in her chest. She exchanged a final glance with her mother, silently conveying her gratitude for the unwavering support. As her mom drove off, she took a deep breath and turned towards the imposing school building.

Melanie walked towards the school, clutching her book bag nervously. She stopped in her tracks, seeing a group of boys throw another into a dumpster and walk off laughing, while his book bag and blue jacket landed on the pavement. She looked around, noticing everyone going about their day as if this were a normal occurrence. She already wanted to go back to her old school; sure, she had no friends, but at least people weren't getting thrown into dumpsters.

Approaching the dumpster, Melanie saw the boy struggling to get out. She reached her hand out to him, and he grabbed it as she helped pull him out. "Thanks," he said, brushing off his shirt as Melanie picked a piece of lettuce off his shoulder and threw it to the ground. They both grimaced. "Is that a usual occurrence?" Melanie asked.

"Unfortunately, but knowing that one day they'll work for me helps me get through it," he added. Melanie chuckled, and Kurt looked at her. "I've never seen you before. Are you new?"

"Yeah, um, me and my mom just moved here from Austin," she nodded.

"Huh, Texas. Nice and not too shabby in the fashion department," he said, eyeing her up and down. "Thanks," she laughed nervously. "I really like your jacket."

"Thanks, I'm Kurt, by the way," he said.

"Nice to meet you, Kurt," she replied, smiling. They both smiled awkwardly until Kurt broke the silence. "This is the part where you tell me your name," Kurt said.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm Melanie," she replied.

"Well, Melanie, since you helped me out, allow me to show you around," Kurt suggested, linking arms with her and leading her towards the school.

After Kurt took her to the office to grab her schedule, he led Melanie through the halls, showing her where her classes were and explaining how things worked around McKinley.

"So our cheer team is called the Cheerios. They run the school along with the football team. The only difference is the cheer team actually wins," Kurt explained as they walked by a trio of girls in uniform talking by the lockers. "Honestly, I've only known you for about 30 minutes, but this whole time you've looked like Bambi after they shot his mother, so try to avoid the football players if you don't want to get slushied," Melanie scrunched her brows first in offense, though she felt like throwing up ever since stepping off the school grounds, so he probably wasn't far off when describing her face, but then in confusion at the term "slushied."

"Oh, and avoid the hockey team; they're even bigger neanderthals than the football players, if you can believe that," Kurt continued. "Wait, what do you mean slushied?" the doe-eyed girl questioned.

Before he could explain, he halted and stopped her with his arm. Across from them, a brunette girl standing by the bulletin board had a slushie thrown on her by a football player. Melanie gasped. "So what, they just throw a slushie on anyone they don't like?"

"Pretty much," he answered monotonously. "What do the teachers do about it?" she asked, looking up at Kurt, who just shook his head and shrugged. Melanie gaped at him. "They do nothing." What kind of school was this, she thought to herself? The two approached the now-stained bulletin board, the slushie-covered girl long gone, Melanie assuming she had left to clean herself up.

"I'm guessing Glee Club isn't very cool?" Melanie asked, looking at the audition list on the board and noticing Kurt's name on the list.

"Glee Club is the absolute bottom of the barrel," Kurt answered. "Then why do you wanna in it?" Melanie asked.

"I'm already getting thrown in dumpsters; I might as well take the chance to let my star shine," he stated. Melanie smiled at the boy, wishing she had that kind of confidence. The two moved away from the board and continued the tour.

The rest of her week dragged on, but on the bright side, none of her teachers had asked her to introduce herself to the rest of the class on the first day. She had managed to go unnoticed in the back of the class, with most kids probably not even realizing they had a new student among them. It was a bittersweet feeling for Melanie; on one hand, she liked being invisible. Invisible was safe. Invisible was familiar. Invisible was where Melanie thrived. But a part of her wanted to be seen, to be acknowledged for more than just her ability to fade into the scenery. She fantasized about standing in the center of a crowded room, her voice ringing out with confidence as she yelled, 'I'm Melanie, I'm here.' But she couldn't. It was like her brain chemistry was against her. So she sat in the back of the class, hiding, unseen by those around her.