The Grabber's Daughter (A TBP Fanfic)

Chapter Two: A Few New Faces

Melinda felt giddy almost; she made a friend! She knew she wasn't supposed to, especially not with any boy, but the joy of finding someone that wanted to be her friend overshadowed that.

'I'll just not let my dad know about it,' she decided.

The walk to school was nice, new but nice. Finney wasn't super talkative, which suited her just fine. Just having company and not feeling totally alone was enough for her. The walk lasted another 10 minutes, and the school finally came into view. Finney and Melinda quickly walked into the building, exchanging goodbyes before going their separate directions. Melinda headed to her first class of the day: math. She slipped into the room quietly and sat in the back like she always did.

Math dragged by as it always did, it was definitely not one of her favorite classes. But she was a good student and sat attentive to the lesson like she always did. It was a bit difficult to concentrate given the boy who was snoring two desks down from her. His long curly blonde hair was strewn everywhere on the desk; he had no care in the world and it was obvious. She thought his name was Vance... something. She had overheard people talking about him, what a violent kid he was. But Melinda kept her head down and stayed out of the way, so she ran into no issues with him. Part of her wondered if there was a reason for his violence, like there was a reason for her extreme quietness; she'd never have the bravery to talk to him though. So it was left as a thought in the back of her head as most things were.

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Soon enough it was lunch time. Her father had given her no money or anything for lunch; his punishments lasting much longer than just at home. Instead of going to the cafeteria she went to the library. She saw no point in going to a huge room with food if she wasn't even able to have any. Her stomach clenched painfully in hunger, but she ignored it like she always does. Melinda walked into the library, walking to the back where there was a little alcove tucked away from everything else. It was her favorite spot in the school. It was secluded and quiet, no one ever bothered her here. She sat down, pulling a book out of her backpack. She curled her legs underneath her, fixing her skirt so it sat well and began to read her book. She got lost in her own little world for a while, and it seemed like everything was okay and normal for once.

"You like to read then, huh?" A voice startled her out of her own head. She looked up, seeing Finney leaning against one of the bookshelves. She relaxed a bit when she realized it was him.

"Oh um, yeah I guess I do..." she replied quietly. She didn't know what else to say to that statement.

"Why weren't you at lunch?" Finney asked her, curiousness in his gaze.

"I just wasn't that hungry today," was her automatic reply. Lying was second nature to Melinda, someone has to be good at it to hide the ugly truth of what was actually going on. Finney seemed to accept and believe her answer, not saying anything else for a moment.

"That makes sense," he said after a beat of silence. " Hey, if you wanted you could always meet my other friends. Obviously not right now, but yeah if you wanted to...' He trailed off awkwardly. Melinda appreciated the extended olive branch though, awkward delivery or not.

"Sure, that seems nice," she agreed quickly. Even though she was used to being by herself and not talking to others, deep down she was desperate for some human contact. Something to make life maybe a little more bearable. So if Finney wanted to introduce her to his friends, who was she to say no?

Finney looked happy with her response.
"Maybe you can join us all for lunch tomorrow?" He suggests. Melinda really didn't want to go to the lunch room, the food a huge unbearable temptation. But the opportunity of some decent people to talk to overrides the dislike for the cafeteria, and she nods her head in agreement.