Stall stall STALL!

"Well... can I have that hug before I tell you?" you ask as you put on another shirt, stalling for time

Melody just stares at you with a fierce look, then it softens

"sigh Alright then, get your ass over here." she says opening her arms

You both laugh as you share a hug. When you pull away you brush your right hand on the counter "Shit! That hurt!" you look at your hand and see your knuckles have a redish purple tint already.

"Damn Jack that guy really pissed you off huh?" Melody asks and grabs your hand to examine it.

"Yeah well, asshole deserved it." you say through clenched teeth. Melody is pushing down pretty hard on your bruised knuckles.

"Well come to the kitchen Rocky so I can look at it in better light and we'll put some ice on it." You chuckle as she pulls you to the kitchen. It's cute when she tries to be Nurse Melody.

You plop into a chair and Melody puts on her glasses, which are sexy secretary glasses, and massages your hand paying attention to the bones. She has a serious expression on her face as she stares at your Ass Kicking Hand with an intense gaze.

"It's not broken as far as I can tell, but then again I'm not Alicia." She says with a serious tone looking up at you over her sexy glasses.

God she's so beautiful when she's serious looking.

"Well Melody, I'd rather have a broken hand misdiagnosed by a pretty nurse in sexy glasses who looks good while being so intense about helping me," Melody blushes. "than to be diagnosed by HER, who would rather me be in pain because she thinks I'm trying to get in the previously mentioned girl's pants" refering to the many arguments Alicia has caused ever since you and Melody moved in together. Usually Melody doesn't say her name because of the last argument you had with her, but she's so focused on your injury she's forgotten.

"God! I love that girl, but she's getting to be a real bitch. Remember the last time you guy's went at it? When I walked into the dorm and you guys were yelling? I knew she was on your case again and I was about to lay her out until you left. After you left, I tore her a new one though. God I hate the way she treats you Jack... I'm so sorry." she says with a look of sadness and tears filling her eyes.

"Woah, Melody, it's okay! Really! It's not your fault! It doesn't bothe-"

"It's not that Jack." she says her tears falling along with your heart.

"Then what's wrong?" you say already knowing the answer. Keith...

"It's just that... I remembered that you guys were fighting about... Keith" she says averting her eyes from yours

You have to think for a second to remember that day...

Let's see... I wanted to get into Melody's pants as usual... Oh yeah!

You had been in the dorm watching a movie for class when there was a knock at the door. It was Alicia.

"What?" you ask ready for the bullshit to roll in.

"Where's Melody? I need to talk to her." she stares you down

"Store. Back in half hour. See you then." you say and begin to close the door when the feminist bitch saunters in and plops onto your couch.

Now you have no problems with feminists. You have a few feminist friends, and none of them have a problem with you. Just Alicia.

"OR. You can wait for her. That's swell too." you slam the door and sit in the chair across from her, meeting her evileye stare full ****, seldom blinking.

You both sit in silence for a few minutes when Alicia breaks the silence.

"So... Melody's got a new man." she says with a stupid ass grin on her face

"No shit Sherlock? Haden't noticed. What with that Keith guy coming over every other day and taking her on those date things." you roll your eyes, then lock eyes with her again.

"He's great isn't he? I think he's perfect for Melody." You snort a laugh

"What's that about? Jealous?" she asks cocking her head. You hear a click. You hope it was her neck breaking

"From what I've heard, The Prince Charming Also Known As Keith is exactly the asshole you think I am! That Melody is just on his list of conquests waiting to happen. And pretty soon I'm going to have to pick up the pieces like I have since highschool." you says as a whirlwind of painful memories of Melody at your door or on the phone, crying.

"Oh at the ready with your pants half off huh?" she says with a smirk

You jump to your feet, knocking your chair over.

"You know Alicia? I'm getting pretty fucking sick of your shit! I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!" (You were still with Gia at the time) "And even if I didn't, don't you think I would have given up trying to fuck Melody and move out after the first two years of living with her? Did you forget that Melody and I have been friends since freshmen year of highschool??"

Alicia jumps to her feet as well

"So your a patient asshole! I've seen it hundres of times and I refuse to let you get into Melody's pants and I-" She looks at the door and she goes silent

Without looking at what shut her up, you launch a counterattack. "You've seen it hundreds of times?? It must not have happened to you because your too busy putting your fucking nose in everyone elses relationships! I don't know why Melody even puts up with you! all you do is dog her about her living with me and all either of us want is for you to SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GO TO HELL!!"

She jerks her head at you, fire in her eyes you've pissed her off. Mission acomplished!

"YOU LISTEN TO ME ASSHOL-"

"NO YOU LISTEN TO ME! YOU GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY DORM ROOM BEFORE Melody GETS BAC-" your eyes finally wandered to where Alicia's had and you see Melody at the doorway looking at you with an angry look on her face

Alicia takes your pause and throws another volley at you.

"Well, it looks like Melody has seen you for what you are finally and is pissed at you for-"

"ALICIA! IT'S YOU I"M PISSED AT!! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS FUCK WITH Jack?!? HE'S HASN'T DONE ANYTHING TO YOU AND HAS NEVER! EVER! DONE ANYTHING TO HURT ME!" She starts walking to her "YOUR GONNA TREAT MY BESTFRIEND WITH RESPECT FROM NOW ON! NOW TELL HIM YOUR SORRY AND BEG FOR FORGIVENESS AND IF YOUR LUCKY HE MIGHT JUST FORGIVE YOU!" Melody screams at Alicia

Alicia starts to say something negative but you cut her off.

"No Melody." you try to sound calmly and not blow up any more in front of Melody. "I don't want her to treat me with respect or say she's sorry." you say with your head turned to Melody but your eyes never leave Alicia's.

"But Jack I don't want her to trea-"

"I don't want her to do that because, like her saying sorry to me, her respect is worth less than nothing to me." You finally bring your eyes to the direction of Melody and look her in her shocked eyes.

"She's a bottom feeder. A loser. She's pitiful. She's no longer a person to me. I'll never call her by her name again. And from now on..." Melody's eyes are filling with tears and she looks more scared and angry than sad. "From now on, if she's here, I won't be."and with that you walk by Melody, not breaking the gaze you both were sharing until you were behind her at the door. And at that moment, you saw the tears fall down her cheeks and her face snap into anger and she shot daggers at Alicia. You open the door.

"Call me when she leaves. If I'm calm by then, I'll come back." You whisper you send one last dagger at Alicia and take pride in the shocked face she's wearing then slam the door with considerable ****.

As you walk down the hall, you hear Melody screaming at Alicia, and while you can't hear what she's saying, you can tell she's crying.

"But you walked in at the end of it how could you...?" Wait! The click! It was the door! "You walked in when I was talking about..." You voice fails you at the end but quickly comes back in a frantic rush.

"Melody I'm so sorry I didn't tell you! I wanted to but I was afraid that I might have been wrong or that you would get mad at me and I was hoping I was wrong-"

"It's okay Jack." she says softly, removing her glasses and wiping her eyes. "I know you just wanted to protect me." She says

"God, I remember the look on your face after I told you why I didn't want her respect. You were scared of me! I've always hated myself for that." you say, brushing a tear of her cheek.

She giggles

"I wasn't scared of you... I was in shock. I had just seen you do something you haden't done in the 7 years I've known you. You stuck up for yourself. Then when you said she was worth less than nothing I saw something in you, something that made me feel... attracted... to you. It was your wrath... it sounds weird I know, but... I've known you seven years and I have never seen you say or do anything like that. Ever. At that moment, it was like, in your anger, you saying it made it so. And," She turns a deep shade of pink and looks away from you. "It was a huge turn-on to see you like that."

"Man... all this time I've been beating myself up for what I did in front of you that day... I was so pissed at myself for losing control of my emotions. And what made it worse was... you had seen it... and I... I..." your voice breaks and soon your mouth is moving but no words will come out and your starting to cry as you realize that you've lost control of your emotions tonight as well.

"Jack? You What? What's wrong? Melody says with a concerned face and tone.

Your voice has returned and you've gotten ahold of yourself as you preare yourself to tell her what you've done.

"Tonight... I... lost control... again..." you look her in the eyes and continue "the blood... on the shirt... It's... Keith's." you look away from her face before you see her reaction. "I'm sorry Melody! It'd just I was so mad at him for what he did to you I... I just... wnet to his apartment... I hadn't gone there to fight... but that girl was there and he started talking shit about you and... and I kicked his ass..." You don't look at her as you wait for her reaction.

"But Jack, I've had lots of boyfriends cheat on me before and you've never gotten that mad before..." she tries to figure out why you did it, She doesn't seem mad at you so you look at her and find her staring at you with deep concern.

"That's true Melody, but those guys never hurt you as bad as Keith did... Today, when you asked me all those questions, I realized he had gotten to you... to the point that you wanted to change your appearance... the one thing you had never been concerned about in the seven years I've known you..." She averts her gaze from you, ashamed. "Melody," she returns to looking you in the eye "he had broken your confidence... the one thing I thought could weather any storm... and.. it made me so mad... I couldn't just sit there... I had to do something... I couldn't..." You finally give up not able to form words into what you wanted to say.

Melody's eyes widen slightly in realization.

"When I was in the tub... you got really mad and left... I thought it because me but... You left to go to his apartment!" She finally finishes the puzzle.

"Yes..." You put your head in your hands.

"Jack..." she says quietly as she moves her chair next to yours and puts one hand on your shoulder and rubs your right arm with the other, you realize for the first time that you no loger feel pain in your hand. "Jack... Look at me... please?"

You give in to her pleading and look at her just barely making eye contact.

"Did you mean what you said when you said I was beautiful? And the whole "pretty nurse" thing?" Melody asks quietly

"Yes." you say without a thought. It's the first thing you had been sure of all night.

"Thank you Jack. Really. Those were the first compliments I've gotten from one of the men in my life that didn't consist of "Nice ass" or "Your a great lay"." she bumps your shoulder with hers.

You laugh and bump her back. Then Melody leans into you lays her head on your shoulder. You lay wour head on hers and the two of you stay like that for a while and you think that Melody has fallen asleep when she speaks up.

"You were right you know." she says in a voice a few decibels over a whisper.

"About what?" you say in a whisper.

"I DO wanna burn that shirt now!" she says in a normal voice, she then laughs and you join her.

"Let's get some sleep and burn that shirt up tomorrow with all of Keith's shit." she says in a dead serious voice.

As the two of you make your way to your respective beds you say: "Let's hawk the jewelry and electronics though. Then we can make some money off that pussy. But I'm keeping the damn TV he got you." you say in just as seroius a voice.

"Okay Billy Badass! I kinda like the tougher you, Jack." She jokes, but then her expression changes to sadness. "But... will you promise me something?"

Sensing the change in atmosphere you walk over to her. "Sure." Anything to get that expression off of her face

"Promise me... promise me won't fight anymore." she whispers. Her eyes go unfocused and her face gets a painful exression, as if she's imaging something bad happening to you, and tears form in her eyes again.

You pull her into a hug and she cries into your shirt and without another thought, whisper into her ear : "I promise Melody. I'll never throw another punch."

You hold this embrace for what feels like an hour when Melody finally breaks it.

"Thank you, Jack. Now let's get some sleep. We have things to burn and hawk tomorrow.

You both fall into your beds and quickly fall asleep.