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her arm and leg across me, I was at peace and fell swiftly into
happy, soothing dreams.
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M.L. RICE
v
For Valentine s Day our school held an informal costume ball.
Everyone knew it was the precursor to the senior prom, except
that all students were invited to attend instead of just members
of the senior class and their dates. Melanie and I debated about
whether or not to go. She, of course, wanted to go as a couple
and parade me around on her arm as the dashing young knight
to her regal princess, whereas I wanted to go out to a movie
and then order a pizza at home. We ended up compromising and
bypassed the ball but went to a production of As You Like It
performed by the all-female cast of the Los Angeles Women s
Shakespeare Company and then to dinner at a late-night diner
where our friends met us after they left the dance.
At the end of the evening we went back to Melanie s empty
house. Esmerelda had taken a rare trip down to San Diego to visit
her cousin, and Melanie s parents were at a Valentine s Day fund-
raiser for some local orphanage and were sure to be gone until the
wee hours of the morning. If history proved anything, they would
come home drunk and sleep until well beyond noon the next day.
This happened so often, I had no idea how they were able to work
and make money at all.
As we entered Melanie s dark house through the garage, she
told me to wait for her in the kitchen. Confused, I did as I was
told and soon Melanie returned. She carried a lit candle in an old-
fashioned candleholder and said nothing as she drew me along
behind her up the stairs. However, as we reached her door she
turned to the right to face the door to the bathroom instead. She
remained silent, just looking at me. I felt the faintest tremble in
her hand just before she turned the doorknob.
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WHO I AM
My first thought was that the room had somehow caught on
fire. Then I noticed tiny candles in small glass holders burning
softly on every surface in the room. Melanie s bathroom was
about the size of my whole bedroom and included a large Jacuzzi
tub as well as a separate shower. The majority of the candles
flickered lazily around the tub. Shadows danced on the walls, a
sweet and relaxing fragrance hung in the air, and in the dim light
I could tell that the bathtub was full of steaming water topped
with a mound of bath bubbles. A bottle of champagne sat chilling
in a bucket next to the tub alongside two glasses, and Brandi
Carlile s voice drifted dreamily from an iPod connected to a set
of portable speakers near the sink.
I realized that my jaw was hanging open stupidly and I
snapped it shut, looking at her with wide-eyed amazement.
Well? What do you think? she asked, an uncharacteristic
waver in her voice.
Mel, this is& this is beautiful! I don t know how you think
of these things. I haven t done one special thing for you, and here
you are just& just blowing my mind over and over again.
Melanie smiled shyly and said simply, You re worth it.
I pulled her into a tight hug and she said quietly in my ear,
You don t have to& you know& get in with me& if it makes you
uncomfortable.
Although baring my body completely and soaking in a
bubble bath with Melanie would definitely take our physical
relationship to the next level, I could think of nothing else in the
world that I wanted more. I pulled away from the hug to plant a
trail of kisses down the side of her neck and was rewarded with
a soft moan from her parted lips. A foreign feeling of boldness
overtook me and I pulled her soft, form-fitting sweater over her
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M.L. RICE
head. Melanie gasped as the chilly air from the hallway made
contact with her body. I dropped the sweater to the floor, eager
to free her from her remaining clothing. When everything was
discarded I took my time in tracing every inch of her back and
stomach with the tips of my fingers, the effects of the chill
obvious on her skin.
Melanie shivered and whispered, I ll take this as
approval?
I answered without words, putting my lips to use elsewhere
as I kicked the door closed behind me.
We heard Melanie s parents come home at around two a.m.
while we were in bed continuing the adventure we had begun
in the bathtub. We remained as quiet as possible, obviously not
wanting them to come up and check on us, but soon the house
grew quiet. We both exhaled relief and smiled in the darkness,
feeling naughty and sneaky.
If I had imagined myself baring myself completely to
Melanie only a month before I would ve been a self-conscious
wreck. However, the romantic environment Melanie created made
me feel completely safe, and I knew that I would do anything in
the world to please her. Instead of dwelling on the doubts I had
about my physique, I was able to revel in the smoothness and
intriguing reactions of her body while at the same time enjoying
the surprising responses of my own. Melanie obviously had
no problems with the way I looked and, in fact, seemed just as
entranced with my body as I was with hers. Despite our clumsy
lack of experience, every second was bliss and every touch was
new, stunning, and beautiful.
We tired ourselves out by four a.m. and lay in a sweaty tangle
of sheets, breathing quickly and still latched onto one another. I
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WHO I AM
suddenly laughed out loud. Melanie seemed to understand and
began to giggle herself. Soon we were laughing uncontrollably
until our stomachs hurt. When the fit subsided, we drifted into an
exhausted but satisfied sleep and didn t wake until the afternoon
of the next day.
" 127 "
" 128 "
WHO I AM
CHAPTER EIGHT
ebruary turned into March and our relationship was as
Fpassionate as ever. How we got any homework done,
I ll never know. The other chapters of the S.A.E.P. had gotten off
the ground so quickly that a countywide committee had formed
to work on new projects. This gave Melanie time to take a step
back and just oversee the groups without having to do all of the
work herself. Concert band didn t take up too much of our time
because, unlike marching season, we didn t have after-school
rehearsals or football games to attend and only had to practice at
home every once in a while. This left more free time than usual to
spend alone with each other and we made every second count.
At the end of March we got to go on spring break, and for
the band students that meant it was time for the annual band trip.
I d never been on one with my base schools, so I didn t know
what to expect. I was amazed to learn that every year, most high
school bands took a trip to a music festival somewhere in the
U.S.: Disney World or Disneyland, New York, or even skiing
in Colorado. While there they would attend music clinics and
perform for tourists or even band judges and composers.
Our band director decided on San Diego, where we would
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M.L. RICE
perform at and get to run around in Sea World. Many of the students
were extremely disappointed with this choice, considering we
lived so nearby. Most of them had already visited both the city
and Sea World. But it was new for me and, because we didn t
have to fly down, we were free to drive instead of having to cram
onto another smelly band bus. The only catch was that the band
needed more parents to fill in as chaperones since several of the
adults who had planned on going decided that they had better
things to do. The idea hit me that Mom would probably enjoy
a little vacation, even if it included having to watch over wild
high school kids. When I asked her if she would be interested she
positively lit up.
Mom, Melanie, and I piled into my Corolla for the drive
down a day early so that we could make more of a holiday out
of it. Our first stop was in Long Beach so that I could tour the
Aquarium of the Pacific and stay for one night aboard the famous
ocean liner turned hotel / tourist attraction, the RMS Queen Mary.
Mom and Mel both knew of my love of all things nautical, but
not until they saw my glazed eyes and my giddy excitement as
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