Paper Thin

• 87: A Mess •

Melody

The Reese-Allen household was a mess.

Understatement of the century.

My dad was away for the weekend on business but didn't take Margot, which left her shopping bitterly with her book club friends all afternoon, until they came back to down a couple bottles of wine.

I spent my Saturday morning doing homework and then decided to work out in the afternoon. Little did I know that Margot would be getting home as I finished my rigorous workout.

As I came up to the first floor, Margot, Amelia, and Grace were walking through the door. Their hands were filled with shopping bags and they were all laughing at something said before they got inside. Margot's demeanour changed the moment she saw me. Cold air hit me through my baggy t-shirt, and I had to remind myself that it was coming in from outside and not from Margot's icy stares. As everyone took off their wet boots and hung up their coats, Margot's eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed as she looked at my sweaty attire.

"Melody, why do you look like that?" Her voice was harsh and cold.

"I-I was working out," I mumbled.

"Well, go shower and change. You look sloppy and we have guests dear," she said, catching her cold tone mid-sentence.

"Right okay. Sorry," I said quietly. I went upstairs to my bathroom and got into the shower, despite wanting to scream at my stepmother. I let the hot water melt the frustration away and soon got out of the shower and into a robe.

I stared into the closet, unsure what to wear. I didn't want to upset Margot, especially in front of her friends. I sighed and pulled on a simple black, sweater dress, and paired it with a nice necklace. I brushed my hair back into a ponytail and put on a pair of black panty hose, so that I wouldn't need shoes.

When I arrived downstairs, Margot and her friends all had glasses of wine in their hands. Marot's eyes traced my figure as she stood up and walked over to me. She pulled me towards her and whispered loudly.

"Your dress makes you look frumpy. But I guess you're at home so it's comfortable enough. Be a dear and get us that cheese platter. It's Leslie's day off," she said.

I suppressed a sigh and went into the kitchen to get the cheese platter that Leslie probably made yesterday. I took a minute in there to compose myself before I grabbed the platter out of my fridge and brought it out to the ladies who were in the early stages of being wine drunk. I made sure not to roll my eyes as I placed it on the table.

"Melody! Sit with us for a while," Grace said.

"Oh, um that's okay. I don't want to intrude," I said as politely as possible.

"Don't be rude. Sit," Margot said, pouring herself another glass of wine. I sat down obediently and smiled politely as they continued to talk about the competitive nature of the entertainment field.

I sat there for about an hour, watching the wine bottle empty and a second one open up. I listened as the laughter got louder and the gossip got meaner. I eventually excused myself, telling everyone I had homework and headed towards my room.

As I walked up the stairs, I could hear Margot whispering to her friends.

"You know, that girl could do better in life if she perked up a little more," she said. "She better keep working out, because I don't know about that personality."

I sucked in a breath as I retreated to my room.

Keep working out.

I closed my bedroom door and sat on my bed. I felt so tired. Nothing I ever did was good enough. I sighed as a tear slid down my cheek.

I pulled on a thick jacket and my winter boots, before I could think about it too much, grabbed my wallet and shoved it into my pocket. I opened up the doors to my balcony and stepped out into the snow, knowing what I was going to do.

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Author's Note: This is soo short and long over due! I'm so sorry! These weeks have been insane! I've been working, volunteering, taking artsy pictures for instagram (brittany.p.w if you want to follow lol), and preparing for the puppy we are getting! I am getting surgery tomorrow as well, so I wanted to quickly get this out before it happened! I'll try to post again soon, and hopefully get back to my weekly schedule, but no promises right away! 

Shoutout's this chapter go to: shanay_byng, HayleyHendricks03, chocolatyFantasies, KaeTheFriendlyGhost and trauma_surgeon for voting and/or commenting! But of course, thank you all for your amazing support, and for voting and commenting!