A Portrait of Whyte

15. Shattered Glass

Her father left, her best friend gone and her younger brother was inconsolable.

She had finished college for the year and there was little to distract her from the ever growing emptiness that was consuming her life.

Even Jackson 'MagicBoy' Hughes-Taylor was distant recently. And Melanie just didn't know why.

Until one Tuesday afternoon when she made her way to Spark's Centre, their local shopping mall. Melanie had a distaste for shopping, and every time she had to set foot in Sparks she made sure she could get directly where she was going so she could get in and leave as quick as she could.

She'd gone to buy her aunt a birthday card, nothing exceptional.

To get to the exit from the card shop she had to pass the food court, a place full of wonders and delights from all four corners of the globe (yum!). Through the crowds Melanie thought she caught a glimpse of someone familiar but she thought 'it couldn't be' and thus proceded to the exit.

And that is when she saw them.

Jackson Hughes-Taylor and some Barbie-girl-blonde were locked in an embrace in the queue for sushi. The painted portrait that had built itself up over the past few months finally crumbled, like the glass on a mirror shattering.

Melanie stepped forward as if she was about to put a stop to the horror she was witnessing, but she stopped and began to turn. As she was about to spin around, he looked up from the Barbie. Their eyes locked. The world around them paused.

Melanie's heart was pounding against her rib cage, her palms were sweaty, her breathing was rigid.

Jackson took a step forward and raised his hand as if to grab her but he froze.

Melanie turned on her heal swiftly and when she was sure she was out of sight, she began to run and run and run. As she ran tears spilled from her eyes and down her face, the last glimmer of colour had left her life plunging her life into darkness.

Numbness had taken over her thoughts.

Had everything been too good to be true?

There was no way on God's green Earth that she had interpreted it wrong. His actions were as black and white as they got.

First Beatrice, then Max, her dad ("dad") and now-

She couldn't bring herself to say his name, to think his name.

She was back at square one. She had lost everyone. She, Melanie. It must be my fault. You are to blame. YOU!

Her tear-stained reflection glared back at her as she made her way into her room, filled with self-loathing and sadness she pulled it off her wall and smashed it, shattering each piece so the 'thing' in the mirror could no longer look at her.

*

Melanie stopped eating, she couldn't sleep, and she couldn't smile.

She was struggling to believe what had happened, she couldn't grasp it. She loved him. And she was sure the feeling was mutual. They both could sense the other had a past to hide. They gave one another strength and now this.

*

They saw one another a few days later. Max had gone to Ben's house so Melanie took the opportunity to go for a walk. She dragged her feet along the pavement. She felt that the sunny day was mocking her.

"Oi, Melanie!" she recognised the voice but carried on walking with a quicker pace. She had no interest in talking to him. "Will you slow down a minute" he called. An arm reached out and grabbed hers, spinning her around.

"What?" she asked rashly. "What the heck do you want? Just let me GO! Don't you think you've done enough? Was I not good enough for you?" Her voice was steadily rising "Was I not fun enough? Pretty enough?"

He stood his arm still holding onto hers, his grasp was tightening, he was letting the words fly out of her mouth, but he let them bounce back at her.

"Did I really mean that little to you that you were quickly on with Miss. Barbie Blond?! What the heck is wrong with you?"

In that moment he exploded.

"Do you want to know why I picked you? I picked you because I saw that look. I knew you'd be easy, you'd want an escape, so I picked you out. Poor, quiet, hurt, little you. Pathetic" he spat. "I've had my fun, you've had yours. Get over it."

He turned and walked away.

Taking with him the most precious thing.

Melanie's heart.