Speak #3

I'm still reading "Speak" and I've felt so bad for Melinda. She doesn't like school so she's always skipping class. She has to run around hiding in old janitors closets. "I find a light switch. I haven't stumbled into a classroom; it is an old janitors closet that smells like sour sponges." Mr.Neck really is a jerk. I understand you don't trust a student, but literally looking for small things they do wrong and getting them in trouble is too far. She even stole passes from her teacher just so she can have an excuse to get to class late. Heather had made a big decision for them both: to join the pep rally. She planned to skip but she failed miserably. Heather saw we and dragged her to cheer. Since no one knew Melinda, and Melinda knew no one, heather introduced her to everyone. Suddenly someone recognized her as the girl who called the police at a party. Because of her call someone else's brother got in trouble. "My brother got arrested at that party. He got fired because of the arrest. I can't believe you did that." Melinda panicked. She wanted to tell them all the truth but she couldn't. "I can't tell them what really happened. I can't even look at that part of myself." When they finally sat down to cheer for the football players Melinda felt the anger of the people affected because of the call. She got her hair pulled and a guy gave her a dirty look. All she wanted to do was forget that party. 

So many little things are leading up to a big problem. First off, her ex best friend, Rachel, hates her. "This was the girl who suffered through brownies with me, who taught me how to swim, who understood about my parents, who didn't make fun of my bedroom." Rachel doesn't even acknowledge her presence. "Rachelle blows candy cigarette smoke ring at my face. Blows me off." She calls herself Rachelle now because she "took in" her European side. Secondly, her family doesn't really seem to care about her. "At first, mom was pretty good about preparing dinners in the morning and sticking them in the fridge, but I knew it would end." Her dad comes home and she runs up to hide. "I hear Dad turn on the television. Clink, Clink, Clink - he drops ice cubes into a heavy bottomed glass and pours in some booze." She stays in her room for the rest of the night. Thirdly, it seems like something bad happened over summer. Something that might destroy her more than what she did to hide it. "If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened, it's Rachel." It also seems like there were other things she did to hide the truth. "Aren't you the one who called the cops at Kyle Rodgers party at te end of the summer?" This definitely did not give her the best reputation. Now that people knew who she was they made sure to make her feel how they did. "The girl behind me jams her knees into my back." I don't know the clima yet but for sure it will be something explosive.