The Blonde, the Brunette, and the Redhead | Teen Ink

The Blonde, the Brunette, and the Redhead MAG

January 24, 2011
By foreverever008 BRONZE, Portland, Oregon
foreverever008 BRONZE, Portland, Oregon
1 article 0 photos 35 comments

The brunette and the redhead are sitting on the bench outside. They take up all the room, forcing me to stand awkwardly behind them. I don't know where the blonde went. She only whispered it to the redhead, who, of course, told the brunette but not me.

The two talk, and I vaguely overhear their conversation as my legs start to cramp from my awkward position. Finally, the redhead, the leader, stands and begins walking away. In a flash, the brunette follows her. I'm left all alone.

Halfway down the sidewalk, the brunette turns, realizing their little hanger-on isn't there.

“Melissa,” she calls. It's always the brunette who calls back, not the blonde, and never the redhead. “You can come with us if you like.”

If I like. I shrug, trying to look nonchalant, and start toward them. The redhead says something to the brunette that makes her cheeks turn pink, and she giggles.

*
*
*
School. The blonde, the brunette, the redhead, and I are seated in the back of the classroom, in the farthest desks, in the darkest corner. The substitute calls our names, mine last, always last.

“Here,” they call, the words inflected with giggles and snide whisper

“Here,” I call, a tad too late, and the blonde gives another of her signature giggles. “Too slow,” she whispers.

“Melissa,” the sub says, disapproving. “Come up and talk to me.”

As I stand, I hear the redhead's snort of laughter.

*
*
*
The brunette and the redhead are sitting on the bench outside. They take up all the room, forcing me to stand awkwardly behind them. I don't know where the blonde went. She only whispered it to the redhead, who, of course, told the brunette – but not me.

*
*
*
Youth group. I open the door to the room. The leader is there, a few others, and the brunette. I look around for a place to sit. There's a spot next to someone I don't know, who ignores me as I slide into place. The brunette gives me a lopsided grin. “Melissa!” she cries, her voice filled with faux enthusiasm. “Glad you could come!”

She isn't, really. They aren't ever glad about anything. But I give a small smile and return the greetings.

The door opens, and the redhead walks in. All conversation stops, and she gives a full-on movie-star smile. “Hello!” she cries, flopping down next to the brunette, who immediately makes room for her. Smiles for everyone. Perfection, gloss, shininess for everyone. She nods at me. “Oh, it's little Melissa.” A wink.

Later in the class, all of a sudden, we need four-person groups. By now, the blonde's back. The three immediately bond together.

“You, too, Melissa,” the brunette calls. “You're in our group!”

The redhead squeals and grabs my arm, pulling me into their group, a tad too forcefully. She leans in and whispers to me, just loud enough so the blonde can hear, “It's so cute that you always hang around us, Melissa.” She gives me a slight pinch. Just enough so that it hurts.

*
*
*
The two talk, and I vaguely overhear their conversation as my legs start to cramp from my awkward position. Finally, the redhead, the leader, stands and begins walking away. In a flash, the brunette follows her. I'm left all alone.

*
*
*
The play. My mother, a chaperone, is standing by, watching as the brunette and the redhead tear up the stage. I'm standing off to the side. They get all the fame, and here I am, a set painter, not good enough to perform, just good enough to watch. My mom smiles during a particularly engaging piece the redhead's singing.

“Isn't she good? I wish you could've been up there, Melissa,” she says, eyes fixated on the redhead as she twirls, sings, and flies across the stage.

A few minutes later, the redhead comes down from the stage, acknowledging her little fan club of freshmen with a few sappy smiles. She heads right toward me – and passes without even a glance.

“Mrs. King!” she cries, tackling my mom with a hug. “You came!”

“I did,” she responds, smiling. “Call me Sydney.”

My brain starts to fume. No one else is allowed to call her Sydney. Just the redhead.

*
*
*
Later, my mother laughs. “She's so hilarious, Melissa, isn't she?”

I nod.

“I can't believe she'd hang out with you! Such a nice girl!”

I nod. If only she knew.

*
*
*
Halfway down the sidewalk, the brunette turns, realizing their little hanger-on isn't there.

“Melissa,” she calls. It's always the brunette who calls back, not the blonde, and never the redhead. “You can come with us if you like.”

*
*
*
Camp. We're waiting before the counselor hunt. The blonde, the brunette, and the redhead stand off to the side, giggling and acting like idiots as everyone else, including me, listens intently to the head counselors telling us what to do. A short girl with pink streaks in her hair elbows me. “Where are you hiding?”

“I don't know,” I whisper back. “Maybe with them.” I motion toward the blonde, who's whispering something to the redhead.

Her nose wrinkles. “Oh.” She pauses. “They're your friends?”

“Something like that.”

The pink-haired girl turns away.

At the hunt, nobody wants to hide with me.

*
*
*
If I like.

*
*
*
After church. The redhead approaches my mom and me, and ignoring me, hugs my mom. They start talking like old friends, not including me at all. I walk away. They don't need me.

*
*
*
“No,” I say.

The redhead's eyebrows furrow. “What did you say?”

“No.”

The brunette laughs. “You're kidding, right?”

“No,” I reply. “I'm not coming with you.”


The author's comments:
This is actually based on my life & experiences, but I changed my name and some details.

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This article has 16 comments.


on Feb. 17 2014 at 10:30 pm
Potterhead_Is_amazing GOLD, Arvada, Colorado
10 articles 3 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, so long as one remembers to turn on the light.

 I enjoyed how instead of referring to them with names you referred to them with their hair color. Very nicely written.

on Feb. 6 2013 at 11:35 pm
A-Happy-Headache, Arvada, Colorado
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
Wow.  Amazing.  I love how in the middle you repeated the same scene again with them on the bench, and how you went back and forth from one scene to that scene, and then you brought it all together at the end.  True talent!

zee11 said...
on Sep. 26 2012 at 6:37 am
zee11, Kandy, Other
0 articles 0 photos 16 comments
WOW!!!awesome piece...love your writing...thumbs up!!!

Boota BRONZE said...
on Sep. 14 2012 at 4:02 pm
Boota BRONZE, N/A, South Carolina
3 articles 0 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
Bowties are cool!

i loved this

on Jul. 21 2012 at 9:59 pm
ShadowAngel2468 SILVER, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
7 articles 3 photos 70 comments

i luv the way she stands up at the end and how dramatic and tantalizing just using hair color was

pls rate and comment my post


on Jul. 21 2012 at 9:59 pm
ShadowAngel2468 SILVER, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
7 articles 3 photos 70 comments

i luv the way she stands up at the end and how dramatic and tantalizing just using hair color was

pls rate and comment my post


on Jul. 5 2012 at 5:03 pm
albinotiger GOLD, Gloucester, Massachusetts
13 articles 0 photos 186 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win&quot;- Stephen King<br /> &ldquo;In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate&rdquo;- Isaac Asimov

I love the way the story is told very powerful and clear! :D

on Mar. 14 2012 at 4:21 pm
IfYoureMad-KillWithKindness GOLD, West Grove, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life is like a roller coaster,when you&#039;re at the top you fear of falling, when you&#039;re at the bottom you want to get to the top.&quot;

I love that especially the ending and I can see the real life expierience, I've been there too.

peapod416 said...
on Nov. 20 2011 at 6:32 pm
I like how you described them by their hair color and nothing else.  Very interesting :)

on Sep. 18 2011 at 3:29 pm
JoPepper PLATINUM, Annandale, Virginia
35 articles 0 photos 782 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Freedom is the ability to not care what the other person thinks.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Not all those who wander are lost&quot; --JRR Tolkien<br /> <br /> &quot;When you are listening to music it is better to cover your eyes than your ears.&quot; --Jose&#039; Bergamin

I love the show of strength at the end!!!! :D

on Sep. 13 2011 at 12:23 pm
Rocinante SILVER, Wexford, Pennsylvania
7 articles 1 photo 386 comments
Agreed. Awesome story!

Harebelle GOLD said...
on Sep. 11 2011 at 1:00 pm
Harebelle GOLD, Vancouver, Other
14 articles 1 photo 118 comments
Wow...this is really well written. Great job!

on Sep. 5 2011 at 7:15 pm
BrownEyedGirl GOLD, San Antonio, Texas
11 articles 2 photos 80 comments

Favorite Quote:
If life were easy, where is the adventure?<br /> If you never leap, you will never know what it is like to fly.

I really like it!  that is so how school life can be!

on Sep. 1 2011 at 11:49 am
CupcakeSaffy PLATINUM, Cochrane, Other
20 articles 0 photos 28 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.&quot;

I was thinking that the whole way through! Mousy brown maybe, or deep dark black? Hm...

storm lily said...
on Sep. 1 2011 at 8:00 am

wow! amazing, but I'm dying to know (for some odd reason) what color Melissa's hair is.

 


on Aug. 31 2011 at 6:56 pm
Inkslinger BRONZE, Chattanooga, Oklahoma
2 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.&#039; We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There&#039;s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won&#039;t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It&#039;s not just in some of us; it&#039;s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we&#039;re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.&quot;--Marianne Williamson

Amazing. Completely amazing.