The Rise and Falls of Melody Wilson

Part 19

 

 

I awoke the next morning to the amazing smell of food being cooked. But it took me a moment to realize that it wasn't coming from my own kitchen, but Mariah's. It took another moment for me to remember it was Monday.

I scrambled out of Mariah's bed and into the kitchen in record time, only to find Mariah cheerfully standing at the stove sizzling something in a pan. Her purse and a stack of papers, instead of her small school backpack,  were resting on the granite breakfast bar counter.

"Mariah!" I screeched loudly and she spun around in utter shock at my loud and unexpected outburst. "Its almost eleven! We're beyond late for school!"

Mariah's flabbergasted expression relaxed into an uneasy look of amusement as she realized it was just me standing there. "Calm down, Crazy. It’s teacher work day- no school. " She shook her head and turned back to tend to her pan on the stove. "You should know this, you're on student council and principal advisory."

I placed a hand over my heart and skimmed the other through my hair. The last thing I needed was my scholarship to Jackson being revoked because of one missed school day.

"Here," Mariah smiled as she placed a plate of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon in front of me. "Before you pass out, eat this. And Jackson wouldn't take away their best students scholarship because she was late one day." She said as if she knew what I was thinking.

I slid onto the high bar stool with a huge sigh of relief. Jackson was one of the best schools in this area, and it came at a price. A high price. One that at the time I'd applied in ninth grade, I couldn't afford. A scholarship was the only way I had been able to get in and attend. Of course my dad was around then, but we still didn't have enough to pay the high fee for Jackson Hall.

"Hey, you never know with of the people they have on the school board." I told her, picking up the fork and taking a nice chunk out of the pancake stack that was doused in a healthy layer of syrup. Just the way I liked it. "You're up early for an off day.'" I commented and took a chomp out of the crispy bacon.

She shrugged setting her own plate down on the counter. "Yeah, well I had some things on my mind and some things to do. So sleeping wasn't that big on my radar."

"How long have you been up?" I swirled my bacon in some syrup. Okay, it sounds gross, but it isn't. Honest.

Mariah picked up a pancake, folded it in half and dunked it in a small bowl of syrup beside her plate. "A couple hours."

"What have you been doing?" I asked, taking a sip of the chocolate milk she set out for me.

"Research." She said quickly.

I glanced at the stack of papers that sat next to her bag on the counter. "Is that your research?" I asked as I reached for it. "For what?"

"No! Uh, I'm not ready to share." She quickly slapped her hand over it and pulled it down to the counter next to her.

I slowly pulled my hand back and looked at her skeptically. "Okay, fine." I grabbed my fork and took another bite of chocolately pancake goodness.

I heard her Mariah let out a huge breath as she picked at the ends of the paper. "Okay, I can't lie to you, Mel."

I looked up at her. "Actually, I can. But I won't." She revised.

"Mariah," I said slowly. "What did you do?"

She looked down at the papers again, "I might have made a few calls to the local realtor's."

I dropped my fork on the plate. "And why would you do something like that?"