The Plot Sickens

[mel_kay39]

Nah not gonna break up B and Brendan. They're sweet together. Might have to give Scott and Yasmine a bit of a shake up though. No married couple should be all over each other. It's sickening. LOL

[sam.]

your bf isnt man-ish enough for you?

[bellastar]

[mel_kay39]

[Magpie Girl]

lol, arrested.....
This could get interesting...

[Magpie Girl]

That's what I'm thinking atm.....

[mel_kay39]

Episode 153

A Sticky Situation

Ben picked Court up from the restaurant after work on Friday night. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked, as she peered over the dashboard at the bright lights of the city. ‘Not a footy game, surely!’
‘No’ Ben said. ‘Not exactly’.
‘How about giving me a clue, then’ Courtnie asked.
‘You’ll just have to wait’ Ben said mysteriously. ‘It’s a surprise’.
‘Oh, fine’ Court sighed. ‘What’s the occasion?’
‘I wasn’t aware I needed an occasion to spoil my girlfriend’ Ben answered. He was dressed up too casually for a spiffy restaurant, Court realised, so it can’t be that. What is he up to?
‘Shut your eyes’ Ben ordered, as he pulled into a parking space near the MCG. ‘We’re here’.
‘Ben, I know we’re at the ‘G’ Court argued. ‘Why do I have to close my eyes?’
‘Oh all right. But when we get inside you have to close your eyes. Okay?’
‘Isn’t there a game on tonight?’ Court asked.
‘Nope’ Ben said. ‘It’s at the Dome’.
‘Oh. So how do we get in, then?’
‘We’ll get in’ Ben said. ‘Trust me’.
When they got up to the corporate boxes, Court was amazed. ‘Wow. How did you do that?’ She asked. ‘Who gave you that key?’
‘I bribed a security guard’ Ben admitted. ‘I said it was my first anniversary with my girlfriend – a lie, I know – but I told him how you love the ‘G and would love to see what it’s like up in the corporate seats. Or the coach’s box. It took a bit of this week’s pay, but I managed it. As long as I don’t make a mess, he said it was fine’.
Ben walked over to some vending machines near the bar. ‘Do you want a Can of Coke? Or can I interest you in a coffee?’
They got some food and went to check out the corporate seats. A VFL game was underway on the hallowed MCG turf. ‘Seems funny not to have Friday night footy here’ Courtnie said. ‘I’ve never seen this place so empty’.
‘Yeah the place looks dead with only a couple thousand in the stands’ Ben agreed. ‘But do you know what this means?’
‘What?’
He played with the wisp of hair curling around her ear. ‘It means that we’re all alone up here and no one will be looking at us’ he said. ‘We could do, well, just about anything up here’.
‘You’re not suggesting?’ Court gasped. ‘Ben! I didn’t know you had it in you!’
‘Yes you did’ Ben laughed. ‘I’m just as depraved as you are’.
‘What… You mean right here, on these lovely gold class seats?’
Ben nodded. He put the bag chips he bought on the seat beside him. ‘Climb on’ he said, grinning. Courtnie grinned and straddled his lap. ‘How’s your view?’ She asked, unbuttoning her work blouse.
‘Pretty damn good, actually’ he said, and slipped his hand inside the front of her shirt. While they were getting hot and heavy they didn’t hear the footsteps on the stairs outside the room. They didn’t hear the key in the lock.
And they didn’t hear the door open!
‘And this, esteemed gentlemen, is the corpor… Oh bloody hell’ Raged Andrew Demetriou. Courtnie and Ben stopped what they were doing quick smart! Court pulled her shirt closed and smiled sheepishly at the Japanese business men the AFL CEO was showing around the place. ‘We’re really sorry’ she said, ‘We didn’t know anyone would be up here’.
They were in for a bigger surprise when they got to the club rooms. Eddie was there, talking to Nicky Malady. They appeared to be having a very serious conversation, until Eddie spotted them and called them over. ‘Guys, do you know how much trouble you’re in?’ He asked, looking worried and disgusted. ‘One of the cameras down at the VFL game panned up and caught you in the act! The game is televised! What did you think you were doing?’
Courtnie was mortified. ‘We’re going to be on TV?’ She squeaked. ‘I… I…nearly took my blouse off!’
‘Yes, and for that little stunt, including the breaking in and entering part, the police want to have a talk with you’ Eddie said, grimly. ‘I suggest you get down to the station, ASAP’.
‘But we didn’t break in and enter’ Ben insisted. ‘I had a key’.
‘Obtained by deception, I was told’ Eddie said. ‘You bribed the night guard!’
As they were walking away, shame-faced, they heard Eddie say something to Nicky along the lines of “They’ll be lucky if they’re not arrested! The media is going to looove this’.
‘That’s just what I’m for’ Nicky said. ‘Don’t worry Eddie. Let me handle it’.

*****

Mel scrolled through her phone messages. Nope, not a single SMS from Marty. Did he like to torture her? She supposed it was probably over. As much as it hurt, the vision of Heath kissing that redhead on the boundary hurt more, so she guessed that splitting with Marty was probably the wisest idea, under the circumstances. She couldn’t go on doing this to him. It was unfair. She had feelings for someone else. Who clearly had feelings for another someone else! She had to find out who the redhead was. Then cook up a curse that would make the bitch’s skin erupt into ugly weeping pustules and a red, itchy rash. Yes, all at the same time!
Suddenly her phone beeped. “Big Housewarming party” the new message read. “My place (and the address) Saturday week. BYO drinks and paint brush. Don’t ask!
– from Heath”
Melissa grinned. A wicked plan was brewing. Watch out, Boundary Bogan, she thought. When I’m done with you, Heath will run screaming for the hills!

*****

Ash met Paul at the food court in Highpoint. He smiled as he approached. It was a cold day but he was wearing jeans and a short sleeved black shirt. The jeans were just tight enough that Ash found her eyes creeping down to the crotch area! She hoped he didn’t notice! ‘Hi’ she said. ‘Ready to shop til you drop?’
‘I reckon we should get that coffee first’ Paul said, grinning. ‘I have a feeling I’m gonna need a shot of caffeine before I follow a woman into a clothes shop! Sorry if that sounds sexist’.
‘No’ Ash laughed. ’You’re probably right. Still, I have more fun shopping for my own clothes than I do for my clients. Unless they’re a wickedly gorgeous guy, in which case I try to dress them in as little as possible, anyway’.
Medders laughed. ‘Or undress them, I suppose’.
Ash blushed. ‘Um… Well, no, actually. Not unless I’m dating them’.
Paul bit his lip. ‘I didn’t mean to imply…’
‘Of course. I know. You were just kidding’.
‘We’re not getting off to the best start here, are we?’ Paul asked. ‘So far I’ve insulted women and inferred that you’re a slut. I should just keep my mouth shut’.
Ash laughed. ‘I’ve heard you’ve got a strange sense of humour so I wouldn’t worry about it’.
‘Still… I’m sorry’ Paul said. ‘Buy you a coffee to make up for my severe case of foot-in-mouth?’
Ash shrugged. ‘Sure, why not?’ She thought he was making a little too much of it, but then any other girl probably would have gone off her dial at those comments. She just didn’t take offence very easily.
‘What’s your poison?’ he asked, lining up at Gloria Jean’s.
‘Um… I think I’ll go a Skinny Latte’ said Ash.
‘Why?’ Paul asked, eyeing her appreciatively. ‘You don’t need to lose weight’.
Ash felt herself blushing again. He really had a way of getting right to the point! No sign language needed to interpret this one, she thought!
‘Uh… Thanks’ she said. ‘But I like Skinny Lattes’
He shrugged. ‘Okay. I’m gonna go a cappuccino. Haven’t had one for ages’.
When they were seated in a corner, Ash felt her knees knock against his. God it was so cramped in those booths, but she didn’t really mind! He had the warmest brown eyes and his aftershave was making her want to rip his shirt off and lick it from his skin! God I haven’t had any in far too long, Ash thought. She cleared her throat and struggled to think of something to say. But Paul spoke first. ‘You used to go out with Daisy didn’t you?’
‘Yeah’ Ash admitted. ‘Until a couple of months ago’.
‘Weren’t you guys engaged, or something?’
She shuddered. ‘Don’t remind me’.
‘Why? Did it end badly?’
‘You could say that’ Ash said. ‘I threw the engagement ring at him in the street, if that’s any indication’.
Paul laughed. ‘I’m just surprised a guy like Dale was thinking of getting married! He can be pretty immature at times’.
‘Tell me about it’ Ash said. ‘I don’t know why I said yes. We weren’t together very long’.
‘Ah well… You guys still talk, don’t you?’
‘Yeah. It’s awkward, but we’re civil to each other’ Ash said. ‘It’s no fun, but it’s better than wanting to burn each others’ house down. While we’re still in it’.
Paul cracked up. ‘You sound you’ve had some experience with bad breakups’
‘Well, when I broke up with Cooper Cronk it wasn’t pretty’ Ash started to say. ‘But you don’t want to hear about that! How about you, any dates since you moved from Perth?’
Paul shrugged. ‘Nah. Concentrating on my footy, making sure I don’t get delisted at the end of the year! Collingwood have been good to me. I’d like to repay the favour’.
‘I think you’re doing a pretty good job so far’ Ash said.
He smiled. ‘Thanks’.
‘Well, you won the Anzac Day Medal – if that doesn’t tell you you’ve arrived at Collingwood, nothing will’ Ash said. ‘Apart from winning the Copeland, that is’.
‘Ah, I can’t see myself doing that anytime soon. I’d love to – but considering the calibre of player that’s won it in the past I might be a few years off’ Paul said, rather modestly, Ash thought!
‘Why do you say that?’ She asked. ‘I think you’re right on track for a Best and Fairest, actually’. She watched as he stirred three packets of sugar into his cappuccino. ‘Or diabetes, whichever comes first’.
Paul chuckled. ‘I need all the sugar I can get! Like I said, I haven’t had a date in two years! Not counting this, ‘cause it isn’t a date’.
‘No’ Ash said, feeling slightly let down. The way he’d put it the other day, it sounded like he was angling for a date! Was she a big let down? Maybe it was the talk about the exes that did it. But then, he brought it up!
He met her eyes. ‘Not to get presumptuous, but you sounded disappointed’.
Ash shrugged. ‘I haven’t had a date in a while, either, actually. It was nice to have a guy ask me anywhere, even if it was just to go shopping’.
‘Well, I’m glad to oblige’ Paul said, smiling. ‘But how about we go on a real date? Do you like Adam Sandler?’
She shrugged. ‘He’s okay, I suppose’.
‘Ah… Okay… What about Steve Carrell? Get Smart’s coming out next week. Want to go?’
‘Okay’ Ash said, a little too quickly for her own liking, but the idea of sitting beside Paul Medhurst in a dark cinema, bumping hands when they went for the popcorn at the same time, was just too tempting! (besides, after talking to Danni during the week, she found out something about Medders only his team mates were privy to! Well, his team mates and whatever WAGs they told, anyway!). She recalled staring at his crotch in those jeans, and promptly dumped a packet of sugar in her own coffee!
‘Cool’ Paul said, smiling at her again. ‘Well, let’s go hit the shops’.

*****

Meanwhile, Bella was busy shagging Brendan’s brains out. Chris had taken Mia so they had the house to themselves. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so damn randy! Having the man of your dreams over the other side of the world for three months will do it every time, she thought to herself as they changed positions! So far they’d christened the formal dining table, the kitchen bench and now they’d moved to the spare bedroom. It was a marathon shag of epic proportions! Then Brendan’s mobile rang from the kitchen. ‘Don’t answer it’ Bella panted, not wanting to let him go. ‘Let voicemail get it’.
‘Okay’ he said, with a grin.
Half an hour later, he picked up his phone and listened to the message. ‘I don’t believe it’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Ryan’s gone and done a John Lennon! I knew I couldn’t trust those guys to go on without me!’
‘What’s he done?’ Bella asked. She was wearing his white shirt over her lacy French knickers and not much else! She walked into the kitchen as he stood; texting like mad and frowning in concentration. ‘I’ll tell you in a minute’ he said. ‘It’s not good’.
When he finally put the phone down, he sighed. ‘He was being interviewed by Rolling Stone, of all things, and he opened his mouth and said that our new album was going to outsell Sgt Pepper! I mean, how drunk was he to even think that, let alone say it?!’
‘Yeah’ Bella agreed. ‘That is pretty bad’.
‘Our agent – that’s who called – said he was misquoted but if I know Ryan he probably said it, but in a taking the piss kind of way. You know?’
Bella couldn’t believe that Brendan was even sexier when he was angry! She also couldn’t believe she was thinking of sex at a time like this. They’d just spend the past two hours as the beast with two backs. What was it about him that made her so insatiable?!
‘You know I’m going to have to go back to Europe and fix this’ Brendan said, sadly. He took her chin in his hand, and kissed her lips. ‘I don’t want to, but the team’s in damage control. I could just kill Ryan right now! Honestly’.
‘It’s okay’ Bella said, even though her heart was close to breaking. She’d looked forward to seeing him again, and now he’d have to leave when he’d barely been in the country 48hrs! She knew what her mother would say. “The hazards of dating a rock star” or something like that. Her mother never really understood her attraction to Brendan. Dean she loved, but Brendan she tolerated because he put Bella in a good mood! But her mother was old school and didn’t get the whole circus act with the burlesque dancers and top hats. Or the new theme with the marching band and funny animal masks. Her mother’s idea of a good band was The Seekers.
‘Honey, I can tell when you’re lying’ Brendan was saying. ‘You won’t look me in the eye’.
Bella looked up into those gorgeous, incredibly sexy eyes of his. ‘It is okay’ she said. ‘I’ll get over it. I’ll have to, won’t I? The band is your life! So go and save it’.
He kissed her again, and made her legs weak. ‘Before I go’ he said when he came up for air, ‘I’ll give you something to remember me by’. He dropped to his knees, looked up at her, and grinned, wickedly. ‘I like it when you wear my clothes, by the way’ he said, and started kissing his way up her thigh!

*****

Mel bit her lip. Heath had just entered the shop. What the hell was he doing here? She wondered if he knew she and Marty had, for all intents and purposes, called it a day. Could he be here to profess his undying love? Hardly, she thought, dusting the shelf labelled MISC for miscellaneous items like dove’s feathers and lumps of rose quartz.
They were handy for a variety of spells but didn’t fall into the usual categories of Divinity, Charms or Hexes. She picked up a dove’s feather and blew the dust from it.
‘What’s that for?’
Mel turned sharply and felt her ankle roll. The chair she was standing on rocked, and before she knew it she was falling… right into Heath Shaw’s arms!
‘Good catch’ she breathed, unable to believe she hadn’t hit the floor!
He put her down, grinning. ‘Well, if I didn’t catch you from where I was standing, I’d be worried about my marking ability’.
She realised she still held the dove’s feather. She blew at it again.
‘You didn’t answer my question’ Heath said. ‘What’s that for?’
Mel shrugged. She tried to act nonchalant, but it was hard when he still had his hand on the small of her back. It was giving her butterflies, quite frankly! ‘All kinds of things’ she said. ‘But mainly protection spells; spells to end long-running feuds or keep the peace. Stuff like that’.
‘Makes sense’ he agreed. ‘Did you get my message?’
‘I did’ she said. ‘What’s the paint brush in aid of?’
‘Ah, if I told you that I’d have to kill you’ Heath said grinning. ‘It’s a surprise’.
Mel narrowed her eyes at him. ‘You want us to paint your new house for you, don’t you?’
‘Hey’ he protested. ‘Not the whole thing! One room at a time’.
Mel laughed. ‘Don’t worry, I think it’s a great idea! It’ll be fun! I like renovating. I painted this place, myself, when I bought it’.
Heath looked around at the rich, plum coloured walls of the shop. The colour scheme gave the place a dark, mysterious ambience. Together with the velvet brocade curtains across the entry to the Potion room, and the mahogany and glass shelves, the place looked like something out of a Genie’s bottle. That was probably the idea.
Melissa fit right in. Today she was wearing a figure hugging black wrap around top and a sarong-like skirt. Her shoulder length hair curled around her ears and framed her face. She knew she looked like an exotic Bratz Doll, and she hoped Heath liked what he saw! ‘So what brings you here?’ She asked. ‘I didn’t think you were the spiritual type’.
‘I’m not’ he said. He gave her his most solemn wide-eyed stare. ‘I was wondering if you were coming to the party. You didn’t answer my SMS’.
‘Oh… Well, yeah, of course I’ll come! Count me in’ she said. ‘Why the urgency? There’s still two weeks’.
He was still staring at her. Stop, she thought. Or I might be forced to grab you and kiss you!
‘No reason’ he finally said. ‘I was passing by, and I just thought I’d drop in. You’ve met Lola, right?’
Mel’s mouth went dry in a matter of seconds. ‘Uh… Yeah. You introduced us the other day’. She said. ‘So… That’s still on, is it?’
‘I’m meeting her for lunch’ he said, nodding. ‘I hope you can get to know her at the party. I have a good feeling about this, Mel’.
Mel gulped. ‘That’s great’ she said, clenching her fist behind her back. After Heath left, she looked at her hand. There were half moons of blood carved into her palm. Time to look up that spell, she decided…

*****

‘Bloody hell’ Ben said, as they were being marched through the police station to be booked for engaging in an indecent act in public, ‘I knew Eddie was angry but I didn’t think he’d take it this far’.
‘I can’t believe I’m going to have a record for sex in a public place’ Court said. ‘It’s not as if we were in the middle of the MCG!’
The cop behind her laughed. ‘You might as well have been, love’ he said. ‘I was watching the Willy vs Sandringham game on Foxtel. I saw what you two were up to! Talk about christen the corporate box! Wish I’d thought of it’.
‘Then you would have been arrested’ Court told him.
‘No, I would have done it when no one was around’ the cop said. ‘Like, at midnight or something!’
‘Where’s the fun in that?’ Ben wanted to know.
‘Hey, I’m not an adrenaline junkie like some of you young kids! Nothing’s a thrill if there’s no risk to it, according to you lot! I might like my action outside of the bedroom, but I’m not willing to get arrested for it! Or end up on national TV’.
‘Fair enough’ Ben said. ‘This is a total bum rap though, you know’.
‘No, this is the law’ the cop said. ‘Might teach you to be a bit careful about where you choose to have your public displays of affection!’
‘As long as my mug shot doesn’t appear on Footy Classified, I don’t care’ Ben laughed.
‘Speak for yourself’ Court muttered. ‘If any of the restaurant customers saw me on TV, I’ll never hear the end of it!’
‘They didn’t see your face’ Ben tried to reassure her.
‘No, but they would have seen my uniform! And once they hear it was you, the regulars will put two and two together! Argh! Work’s gonna be a nightmare’ Courtnie moaned.
‘You won’t have to deal with all the shit in the locker room, though’ Ben said. ‘The boys will never let me live this down’.
‘Really? I thought something like this would make you a bit of a hero’ Court laughed, as the cop started pressing her fingers in the black ink pad. ‘Getting caught with your pants down. Literally. At least you were having sex, not having a wank. Now that would be embarrassing’.
‘You wanna hear embarrassing?’ The cop asked. ‘One time I pulled over this car that was weaving all over the road. Turned out she was giving him executive relief, if you know what I mean. I made them get out of the car and do a sobriety test, just for the fun of it. He could barely stand up, but he blew 0.00. He didn’t have a mil of alcohol in him. Must have been a knee-trembler, that BJ’. He laughed so hard his chins wobbled. ‘She was as drunk as a skunk. Lucky he was driving. Or unlucky, as it turned out’.
Ben had turned as pale as a ghost. ‘Not as unlucky as we’re about to be’ he said, and pointed to the TV screen on the wall. Courtnie looked up and saw the footage of the corporate box. It was headline news!

Coming up on The Plot Sickens…

Ash and Paul have an interesting first date
Danni and Nick have a surprise for everybody,
And Heath’s party gets out of control!

[mel_kay39]

Mind you, I have absolutely no idea where this season is going... If anyone has any bright ideas on how to end things, let me know!

[Magpie Girl]

Ohhhhh Dear.....
Haha, I've been a very, very naughty girl.....
Lol, that was an awesome episode!

[mel_kay39]

oh good, cos I'm sort of just churning them out blind at the moment. Not sure what's going to happen to any of the characters. And I have a job now so I'll have less time to write. So there might only be one chapter per week or fortnight. Sorry about that.

[mel_kay39]

LOL true! Okay, point taken! It's just that whenever I try to finish TPS someone is at me to start it up again!

[mel_kay39]

LOL the surprise is in the next episode... but that five years ahead idea is very interesting! might be a goer... anyway, here's the next ep!

Episode 154

Bad Mojo

‘Okay’
Everyone turned and looked at Nick Maxwell, who’d taken the microphone at Heath’s renovating party. He looked around at the crowd. Everyone who was anyone was there, paintbrush in hand and wearing their daggiest trackies in case they got paint on them. Ash and Paul had been painting the charcoal feature wall, and were almost covered from head to toe in paint themselves, prompting Josh Fraser to grab the mike and tell them to “get a room”. Danni was sitting to one side, closest the double French doors where she could get a bit of fresh air and avoid the paint fumes. Nick wanted her to stay home but she refused. She was too excited. She wanted to be there when he told everyone their latest news. Bella and Leelee were getting hammered on cocktails and trying to convince Heath to paint a room of his house chartreuse, for the fun of it. Nick wasn’t even sure he knew what colour chartreuse was, but that it sounded disturbingly like a chick colour!
Melissa was sitting with Strauchanie’s better half, Sharon, and they seemed deep in conversation, which of course stopped as soon as Nick tapped the mike. ‘I think this is working now’ he announced. ‘I’ve got some news I thought you’d all like to hear’.
‘Well, come on then, out with it’ Shane O’Bree called. ‘We haven’t got all night’.
‘I’m trying to build the suspense’ Nick protested. ‘Well, okay… If you must know, Danni and I are pregnant. But that’s not the only news…’ he added. ‘We had an ultrasound yesterday, and the doc tells us we’re having twins’.
Leelee gasped and ran over to hug Danni. ‘Twin girls’ Danni told her. ‘Identical. Isn’t that amazing?’
Leelee nodded. ‘My kids and your kids can hang out together! You’ve got to join the Multiple Birth group I’m in. It’s fantastic’.
Everyone filed around to congratulate Danni and Nick. Here’s my opportunity, thought Melissa. She wandered close to Heath’s date for the night, and plucked a hair straight from the girl’s head!
‘Ow’ Lola yelped. ‘What did you do that for?’
‘Oh. Bug. Big bug. Nasty’ Mel told her. ‘I think it was lice’.
‘You are such a bitch’ Lola snarled. ‘What did I ever do to you?’
‘Nothing’ Melissa said, pretending to look hurt. ‘Gee, you do a favour for someone and they shit all over you’. She walked off, smirking to herself, and found a quiet room. Slipping the bottle of readymade potion out of her bag, she unscrewed the lid, popped the hair inside and closed the lid again. The murky liquid started to boil. Mel shook the bottle and said a quiet chant in case anyone walked past and heard her. Then she put the bottle back in her bag and went to assess the damage.

‘Let’s find a quiet room’ Paul suggested to Ash. ‘It’s getting crowded in here’.
Ash grinned. ‘You have such a dirty mind! But I like it’.
‘Do you know you have paint on your nose?’ Paul asked, laughing. ‘Let’s find the bathroom’.
‘I don’t think Heath would appreciate us having a shower in his new house’ Ash said.
‘I wasn’t talking about having a shower. I was talking about finding a face flannel and cleaning us up a bit’ Paul said. ‘But hey, a shower could be good, too’.
Ash gasped. ‘This is our first date! Steady on, bucko! I’m not quite ready to get so familiar with you just yet’.
‘I was just kidding’ Paul protested, pretending to duck. ‘This has been fun though, hasn’t it? Pretty different for a first date, but fun’.
‘Yeah’ Ash said. ‘Can’t say I’ve ever followed a movie with a painting party’.
‘Me neither. But it’s more interesting than bowling. And less painful than Paintball’.
‘Except just as messy’ Ash laughed. ‘Good thing we brought along some not-so-good clothes!’
‘Here’ Paul said, pulling Ash into the bathroom and shutting the door behind them. ‘Hopefully the paint will come off with a bit of warm, soapy water’.
‘Probably not’ Ash said. ‘We’ll probably need some turps’.
‘Yuck’ Paul said. ‘How am I going to kiss you if you smell like paint thinner?’
Ash grinned. ‘You’re planning on kissing me, are you?’
‘Of course’ Paul said. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’
Ash shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t think the date was over. Normally the first kiss comes at the end of the date doesn’t it?’
‘Yeah well, no one ever accused me of being normal’ Paul joked. ‘Can’t I break the rules just once?’
‘Okay’ Ash said. It was warm in the bathroom and Paul was standing rather close. He rubbed the tip of her nose with the face flannel. ‘There’ he said. ‘All gone’.
They stared at each other for a couple of seconds. Ash took the warm wet face flannel from Paul and wiped his cheek, which had a smear of paint on it. Next thing she knew he was kissing her.

Melissa looked at her watch. Sharon raised her eyebrows. ‘Why do you keep doing that?’ She asked.
‘Doing what?’
‘Watching the clock. Got something more interesting on?’
‘You could say that’ Mel said, narrowing her eyes at Lola and Heath who were sucking face on the other side of the room. ‘I think I’m gonna go. But first I need to fix my hair. Do you know where the bathroom is?’
‘Oh my God’ Sharon breathed. ‘Mel… Um… You might want to find a mirror’.
‘Why?’ Mel asked.
Sharon stared at her. ‘There’s something… uh… creeping up your neck. It’s… It looks like… Scales!’
‘Don’t joke about that’ Melissa said, frowning. ‘That’s not funny!’
‘I’m not joking’ Sharon said. ‘Quick, go and have a look’.
Mel got up and walked down the hall. The bathroom door was closed. She knocked on it, impatiently.
‘We’re in here’ said a breathless voice. ‘We won’t be a minute’.
‘I need to get in there’ Melissa sighed. ‘In this century!’
Finally the door opened and a sheepish looking Ash and Paul Medhurst walked out. Ash’s zip on her tracksuit top was pulled down low enough to see the top of her lacy bra and there was a charcoal grey thumbprint on her collarbone. But she was staring straight at Mel in horror. ‘What’s wrong with your face?’ She asked.
Sharon pushed Mel into the bathroom. ‘You did a spell didn’t you?’ She asked, once the door was closed behind them. Mel was almost too afraid to look in the mirror. ‘Yes, I did’ she admitted. ‘But how could it have backfired?’
She turned to face herself. ‘Oh god’ She moaned. The skin on her cheeks looked like the shiny multicoloured scales on a diamond-head python. ‘How is this happening?’
‘You must have said the wrong incantation’ Sharon suggested. ‘Did you get a personal object from Lola?’
‘How did you know it was Lola?’ Mel asked.
‘Gee, doesn’t take a genius’ Sharon said. ‘You’ve been giving her the evil eye all night’.
‘Okay’ Mel admitted. ‘It was Lola. And yes, I got a hair from her head! So how could this have gone so wrong?’
‘I don’t know’ Sharon said. ‘Maybe one of your hairs fell into the mix when you brewed up the potion. Or maybe the incantation you said blocked the spell from working on Lola. Or maybe both… Who knows?’
There was an almighty scream from the lounge room.
‘I think that answers that question’ Sharon said. ‘What was the spell anyway?’
‘It was a slight skin ailment spell’ Mel muttered. ‘It only lasts twenty four hours. But I thought it would be long enough to put Heath off his little girlfriend! How could this go so wrong?!’ She put her head in her hands. ‘I have to get out of here’.
‘Come on’ Sharon sighed. ‘I’ll slip you out the back door. Heath need never know anything happened’.
Just as they were leaving, though, they were stopped at the back door by Heath himself. ‘Where are you two going?’ he asked. ‘I take it you’re behind Lola turning into a lizard?’ He glanced at Mel, who in the dim light looked like Mystique from the X-Men movies. ‘What happened to you?’
‘Slight misfire’ Sharon said. ‘Oh, but don’t worry, your girlfriend will be fine in 24hrs’.
‘I hope so’ Heath said, frowning. ‘Because I was about to ask her to move in with me. I might have to hold off, though. The neighbours aren’t gonna be too thrilled if they think The Jim Rose Circus has moved in next door’.
‘You… You were going to ask her to move in?’ Mel stammered. ‘It’s that serious?’
‘Well, no, but I do need a roomie’ Heath said. ‘Do you know what the repayments are on this place?’
‘I heard’ Mel said. ‘Are you really looking for a room-mate… Not just wanting to speed things up with Lola?’
Heath shrugged. ‘Why?’
‘Because I know someone who might be looking’ Mel said, mysteriously. ‘My lease is almost up’.
Heath raised an eyebrow. ‘You want to move in with me… Us? There’s Jensen, remember’.
‘I know’ Mel said. ‘And what could be better than having a ready made babysitter right in the same house?’
Heath grinned. ‘Well, if you’re really serious, I’d say yeah… I think it’s a great idea. One thing, though’.
‘Yeah?’
‘Make sure the spell wears off. Jensen will totally freak out if he sees you like that’.
‘Well’ Sharon grinned as she and Mel climbed into her car. ‘That worked out better than expected’. She started the car. ‘By the way, is your lease really almost up?’
‘No’ Mel said. ‘I don’t even have a lease. I live month to month. I can leave whenever I want’.
‘You’ve really got it all figured out, then, haven’t you?’ Sharon laughed. ‘I wonder what Lola’s doing now?’

Inside, Lola was standing at the bathroom mirror, scrubbing at her scales vigorously. ‘I can’t look like this!’ She howled. ‘What am I going to tell my boss at work tomorrow?’
‘It only lasts 24 hours’ Heath reassured her. ‘Chuck a sickie’.
‘I can’t! I’ll be fired! I’ve used up all my sick pay!’ Lola said. ‘Who did this to me? I could kill them’.
‘I think it’s funny’ Heath laughed. ‘We were grossing everyone out back there. Someone must have got sick of seeing us playing tonsil hockey and decided to play a prank’.
‘It was those witches, that’s what’ Lola almost spat. ‘Skanky whores, the lot of them! They’ll pay! If I lose my job…’
‘Hey, it’s not going to last forever’ Heath said. ‘Why can’t you see the funny side of this?’
‘Because there is no funny side!’ Lola yelled. ‘I look like a total freak! How can you laugh?’
‘Because I’ve got a sense of humour’ Heath said. ‘And clearly, you haven’t. Lola… I’m sorry to say this, and I realise it’s not the best time, but this really isn’t working’.
‘This?’
‘This… Us’ Heath said. ‘I have feelings for someone else’.
‘Oh, right! So the minute I look less than flash, you dump me!’ Lola raged. ‘That’s just typical!’
‘It’s not the skin thing’ Heath said. ‘Mel looks just as bad as you, maybe worse. But you don’t see her carrying on like a chook with it’s head cut off’.
‘Mel? You mean, Melissa? The witch?’
‘Yeah’
Lola narrowed her eyes at Heath. ‘Is she who you’ve got feelings for?’
‘Maybe’ Heath admitted. ‘She at least knows how to laugh at herself’.
‘I’m out of here’ Lola said, grabbing her bag and tucking it under her arm. ‘And if you find out which one of those witches is behind this, you can tell them for me that all three of them better leave town. ‘Cause there won’t be much left when I’m finished with them!’

What will Lola do to the Charmless Ones?
The Black and White Ball gets underway
And Leelee stumbles upon Jack’s secret…

[mel_kay39]

Good cos the next ep will be the second last - or should I say, the last, but I've decided to go Choose Your Own Adventure on everybody and post an alternate ending, then poll you guys and find out which you liked better!

[mel_kay39]

Episode 155

The Black and White Show

Leelee gazed at Jack. He was fast asleep beside her, his arm flung over her body and his eyes moving under his lids as though he was dreaming about something. She wondered what racing car drivers dreamed about. Was it the grid-girls, the adrenaline of sitting at the starting line, revving your engine and waiting for the chequered flag to fall, or the exhilaration of speeding over the finish line, the winner at Bathurst? She hoped it was anything other than those grid-girls!
The phone rang. Leelee hesitated. Should she answer it? She never answered his phone when she stayed over. But that was because he tended to screen his calls. “You can’t be too careful” she remembered him saying. “Mark Webber gets prank calls all the time. Mostly from lunatic girl fans, although how they find out his number…”
It kept ringing. Jack didn’t look like stirring. Lee sighed, turned over and picked up the phone. ‘Hello?’

‘Who are you?’ Asked a very annoyed voice. ‘Put Jack on. This is his wife’.

*****

‘Wow’ Sharon said, looking at Mel as she spun around in a circle. ‘That dress is great. And you can’t even see the scales’.
It was a week after Heath’s renovating party and Mel couldn’t believe she still had scales left after the Dragon Curse had eventually worn off. At one point she had even breathed fire and felt wings sprout from her back! Luckily those little side effects didn’t last long. She did, however, figure out why the spell worked on her as well as Lola. She hadn’t tightened the cap on the bottle, and it had leaked all over the inside of her handbag!
Oh well, she thought. Great excuse to buy a new bag! She’d wanted one of those new leather Prada totes for a while now. She was a hardworking businesswoman. She figured she deserved to treat herself!
‘Thanks’ Mel said. ‘I just wish that damn curse would disappear once and for all! I coughed the other day and burnt my toast to a crisp’.
Sharon laughed. ‘I’m sorry’ she said. ‘It’s just funny!’
‘Yeah, whatever you reckon’ Mel said. ‘On the upside the dragon scales were good protection for the baby. I had a bit of a fender bender the other day – I’m getting vaguer by the minute – and my stomach hit the steering wheel. If those rock hard scales hadn’t been there, I think I might have lost the baby’.
‘God’ Sharon said. ‘So how’s the moving going?’
‘Good’ Mel smiled. ‘It’s gonna be so great living with Heath! Just to have someone there when I go into labour – that’s a real load off my mind’.
‘He’s going to be at the birth?’ Sharon asked, raising an eyebrow.
‘Oh no, he’s taking me to hospital but he’s staying outside the delivery room’ Mel laughed. ‘Poor thing, when I asked him if he would take me he thought I meant the whole birth! I said I wouldn’t put him through that! It’s not his baby, and we’re not even a couple’. She sighed. ‘Although, I plan to change that little detail fairly soon’.
Sharon grinned. ‘I bet you do. Oh well, if you’re ready, let’s get out of here. The Ball will have started, already, and I can’t wait to see Bryan in his tux’.
Mel shook her head and laughed. ‘You’re a strange, strange woman, Shaz’.

*****

‘Don’t worry’ Danni said, patting Leelee on the shoulder. ‘It’s probably just a prank call’.
‘I don’t think so’ Leelee sobbed. ‘I asked him what the hell was going on and he was very evasive. He reckons his ex-girlfriend has been stalking him, trying to warn off any girl who gets near me by telling them she’s his wife. But that just getting that information was like pulling teeth. It was as if he had to come up with an explanation and he made it up on the spot’.
‘Do you want me to ask him what’s going on?’ Danni asked.
Leelee shook his head. ‘I don’t think he’ll be any more forthcoming with you than he was with me. He might even accuse me of not believing in him’.
‘But you don’t believe him’ Danni said. ‘Maybe you should check the Births, Deaths and Marriages registry. Find out whether he ever has been married. That sort of information is pretty easy to get’.
‘It would be too much like spying’ Leelee said. ‘I couldn’t do that to him’.
‘Well then you’re stuck, aren’t you?’ Danni said. ‘What else are you going to do? And by the way, why isn’t he here with you?’
‘He’s not a big footy fan’ Leelee said.
‘So? This is your night. You helped arrange this Ball! He should be here as your partner’.
‘I know he should be, but the fact is, I didn’t really feel like his company tonight’ Leelee admitted. ‘He’s the last person I want to talk to at the moment’.
‘Fair enough’ Danni said. ‘Hey, do you like my dress?’ She spun around, her skirt twirling like something out of the sixties.
‘Careful there, you might show the room your undies’ Leelee laughed. ‘It’s amazing that you’re not even showing yet. At three months I was huge with the twins’.
‘Yeah well, my own natural padding hides things a bit’ Danni laughed. ‘Give me time. By five months I’ll probably be the size of a house; and happy as a pig in mud’.
‘Oh wow, look’ Leelee said. ‘Bella’s brought Brendan along. Watch all the teenyboppers go mad’.
‘Is she serious? He’ll get mobbed’ Danni said, staring over at Bella and Brendan Urie, who already had a decent crowd around him. He was signing autographs, like the nice guy he was.
‘Nah, they’ll settle down’ Leelee said. ‘They’re in the midst of 44 Collingwood players. One rock star isn’t going to hog all the limelight’.
‘Oops, guess who else is here’ Danni said. ‘This’ll be interesting’.
They watched as Heath Shaw’s girlfriend for five minutes, Lola, walked over to Heath in a sexy backless number. Her hair was dyed a flaming red colour and she wore killer six inch heels. ‘Wow’ Leelee whistled. ‘Mel’s got some competition’.
‘He doesn’t like Lola anymore’ Danni started to say, but was shocked as Heath led Lola to the dance floor. ‘He’s just being nice’ she tried to say, but after watching the couple dirty dance to the Potbelliez’ “Don’t Hold Back” she was forced to change her mind. ‘Mel’s not going to be happy’ she said. ‘She was sure they were well on their way to becoming a couple. Or at least, she was working on it!’
‘Look at his eyes’ Leelee said to Danni. ‘Is it just me or does he look like…’
‘He’s under a spell!’ Danni said, finishing her sentence. ‘Poor Heath!’

*****

‘Oh my God’ Courtnie gasped. ‘Is that thing real?’
Ben laughed. ‘Yeah, it was my mother’s. Put it on’.
Courtnie stared at him. ‘You’re serious? I’d feel strange wearing something so valuable’.
‘Oh don’t be silly’ Ben said. ‘Mum told me to give it to you’. He took the ring out of the box and held it out to her. ‘I know this was meant to be a friendship ring, but Courtnie… Will you marry me?’
‘Yes!’ Courtnie cried, and flung her arms around Ben. ‘Of course I will!’ Everyone in spitting distance clapped at the sight of the happy couple, kissing and hugging like there was no tomorrow. Sharrod Wellingham strolled over to the DJ and had a quiet word to him. The opening music to Madonna’s “Crazy For You” started and Ally, Sean and Welly pushed the newly engaged couple out onto the dance floor. In minutes they were joined by Danni and Nick, Em and Nathan Brown, Bella and Brendan, Sharon and Strauchanie, Taylah and Jerry (her Biggest Loser boyfriend); Mick and Nanette, Eddie and Carla, and assorted others. The only ones not dancing were Leelee; who was sitting miserably in the corner; and Melissa, who was also sitting miserably; watching Heath drool all over Lola. It had to be a spell. Just had to be!
‘May I have this dance?’
Melissa looked up. Standing before her was Marty. ‘It won’t mean anything. Not if you don’t want it to. I just… Missed you, that’s all’.
Mel wiped a tear from her eye. ‘Okay’ she said. ‘One dance’.

*****

Halfway through the evening, Jarrod Malloy took the microphone. ‘I’m your MC for the night’ he said. ‘And I’d just like to call up our wonderful co-ordinator Lee Lonie, who has done a brilliant job in organising all of this. Could you please put your hands together for Lee?’
Leelee dragged herself reluctantly up to the stage. ‘Hi’ she said, ‘I’d just like to thank you all for such a great turn-out. This is a favourite club event every year and you’ve made it very special, again. We have some announcements – apparently Ben and Courtnie are engaged, and Danni and Nick are having twins. Congratulations to both couples’.
It was all she could do to stay up at the microphone at that point. She wished Jack was here just so she could vent her spleen. Things had been so great – why did he have to ruin it by being married?! If that were even true!
She waited for the applause to die down. ‘So I hope you all have a great night, and if you do drink, please find another way home. Don’t drink and drive’.
Walking off the stage, she spotted Ryan coming at her. Oh no. That was one thing she just couldn’t handle right now! ‘I’m sorry’ she blurted. ‘I’m really not in the mood for a chat’.
‘I don’t want a chat’ Ryan said. ‘I got a phone call from your Mum. Rose got hold of some of your Mum’s heart medication. She’s been taken to hospital’.
Leelee nearly fainted. Ryan grabbed her and held her up. ‘Don’t flake on me now’ he ordered. ‘You’ve got to be strong. Come on. I’ve brought the car around’.
Leelee and Ryan rushed into Accident and Emergency at The Alfred. Ryan gave the nurse his daughter’s name as Leelee was stunned into silence by everything that was going on, and they raced to Rose’s bedside. Lee’s mother was sitting by the bed, crying into a hanky. Bob was asleep on a chair in the corner. ‘What happened?’ Lee said, finally finding her tongue. She stroked her daughter’s cheek and kissed her forehead. The little girl looked so much like herself it was vaguely disturbing.
‘I had just taken my pills, I turned around for less than a minute and Rose was shoving them in her mouth! She thought they were lollies! I don’t know how many she took, but I raced her in here just in case. They pumped her stomach, and gave her some charcoal. They said she’ll be fine, but she has to stay in for observation so they can monitor her heart’. Her mother shook her head. ‘I am such an idiot! Why didn’t I put them away, straight away? I was so concerned Bob would pull the gravy off the stove onto himself that I turn around for a couple of seconds…’
‘It’s okay, Mum’ Leelee said, tiredly. ‘I know you would never hurt them deliberately. I don’t blame you’.
Her mum sobbed, probably in relief. Leelee sank into a chair beside Bob, and lifted her three year old son onto her lap. He was snoozing away like he didn’t have a care in the world. She kissed his cheek, and a tear spilled down hers. She was very aware that she might have lost her daughter that night. While she was sitting moping at the Ball, wishing Jack would call and explain himself, her daughter was in the hospital. She could have been killed. And she had been thinking about her lying, cheating boyfriend!
Stuff you, Jack, Lee thought, angrily. I don’t care what explanation you give. I don’t want to know! From now on, you’d better get in line, ‘cause my kids come first!

*****

‘Hey’ Heath said, tapping Marty on the shoulder, ‘Can I cut in?’
‘Okay’ Marty said, not looking at all happy about it. But he didn’t argue, and stepped aside. Heath took Mel’s hand and put an arm around her expanding waist. ‘How you doin’?’ he asked, grinning.
Mel barely cracked a smile. ‘Not as well as you, apparently! Made up with Lola, have you?’
He frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh come on, I saw the Lambada you guys were doing, earlier! Auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance, or something?’
‘You jealous?’ Heath challenged. ‘Look, I’d love to dance with you like that but I think your OB/GYN would probably have a coronary! You’re nearly seven months pregnant, remember? Apart from putting my back out just lifting you, I’d be endangering the baby’.
‘Okay, okay’ Mel said. ‘Although for a minute there, I thought she’d put a spell on you! You couldn’t take your eyes off her’.
Heath grinned devilishly. ‘You were taking that much notice?’
Mel blushed. ‘Yeah well, when two people look like they’re having sex on the dance floor it’s pretty hard to look away from! Everyone was staring, not just me’.
‘Is that right?’ Heath asked. ‘I thought Ben and Courtnie were vying for the title of Worst Public Display of Affection, myself. That tonsil hockey is truly revolting to behold’.
‘Funny, that’ Mel said. ‘Bit like you at your housewarming’.
‘Again with the jealousy’ Heath said. He stared at her intently. ‘Would you like me to kiss you like that?’
‘Oh…Uh… Wha…?’ Mel started to say, and then he was kissing her, right out there on the dance floor!

*****


Epilogue

The world was bright. Too bright. Her eyes hurt even to open. Her throat felt closed. She opened her mouth and nothing came out. Not even a whisper. She tried to get a handle on her surroundings. She was lying in a bed. How she got there, or even where she was, she didn’t know. The last thing she remembered was feeling Heath’s lips on hers. Possibly the best feeling in the world, except for that other thing, and when she thought about that she felt her cheeks get warm. What had happened? Why did she feel so… weak?
She opened her mouth again, but barely a squeak came out.
‘Don’t talk’ said a voice. Was that her mother? It sounded like her mother! She felt like she hadn’t heard her mother’s voice in years!
She tried to open her eyes again. This time, her mother must have closed the blinds because the light was dimmer. It still hurt, but not as much, and as she slowly opened her eyelids, the world came into focus. There was a tray on wheels against the wall, and on the tray were a vase of flowers, and a jug of water. She tried to lick her sore, chapped lips but her tongue wouldn’t do as it was asked. It was as though every inch of her had to fight to move.
‘Don’t try to talk’ her mother said, again, from her bedside. ‘You’ll get your strength back. There’s no rush’.
Tell me what happened, she wanted to say. Tell me why I don’t remember a god damned thing past the Black and White Ball. Was I in an accident? Am I all right? Is Heath all right? Oh God, Heath…
‘Heath?’ Her mother said, sounding concerned. ‘Who’s Heath?’
She turned her head toward her mother. Her head felt heavy on her neck. ‘What?’ she tried to say. Apparently the word Heath was easier to say with a painful throat than the word What. At the very least, it didn’t require you to move your lips!
What do you mean, who’s Heath? She wanted to ask. He’s my boyfriend, for God’s sake! Or he will be, if I have my way! She knew she’d told her mother about him. Surely she had!
‘Mel’ her mother said, ‘The doctor will be in here soon. He’ll give you something for the pain, and then you might be able to talk. And then you can tell me who this Heath character is. Oh… By the way, your friend Lisa dropped by this afternoon. You haven’t seen her since you finished high school last year! Won’t it be great to catch up?’
What happened? Who’s Lisa? Her mind screamed. It vaguely remembered a Lisa, but she hadn’t been friends with her, and certainly not in high school! High school… last year?! What the hell was going on?
Her mother must have seen the look on her face, because she stroked her daughter’s forehead, concerned etched on her own, lined face. ‘Don’t worry, darling. It will all come back soon enough. Do you remember going along to training? You and your friend Sharon? She said you were standing near the fence around the boundary, and a football hit you. Sharon said you were out before you hit the ground! You also hit your head on the fence on the way down. You’ve been in a coma ever since! Your father and I had almost given up hope! Oh don’t worry – Sharon gave me your jumper. She had it signed by all the players…Isn’t that lovely of her? They even sent in a card when you first came here’. Her mother held her beloved Collingwood football jumper up for her to see. She held a hand out and touched it. It was covered in the signatures of twenty-odd players. Her mum turned the jumper over. On the back was the most prized signature of all – Heath Shaw’s – right on the number 39.
‘Melissa Jensen’ a voice said in the background. She looked up and saw a doctor at the door to her room. ‘Welcome back’ he said. ‘I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Do you know you’ve been in a coma for a year?’


The END

Okay so that was ending number one, folks. I like to call it the “Wizard of Oz” ending. The way this works is like Choose Your Own Adventure. I give you two endings, you pick your favourite. Easy-peasy, right?


Epilogue

She opened her eyes. The room was dark but not so dark she couldn’t see that the bed was empty beside her. What had happened? She was so sure that after the Black and White Ball, she and Heath would come back here, maybe get a little wine into their systems, pick up where they left off and things would logically conclude here, in her bed. She was no slut but she didn’t want to wait any longer for him. She felt like she’d been waiting all her life to meet a guy like him. A guy she was sure she’d never grow tired of, even if he refused to put the toilet seat down, or kept leaving the lid off the toothpaste. She wondered what she’d done to turn him off coming back to her place. Had she really been that drunk?!
Great, Melissa thought. I’m never going to get back to sleep now! She tried to push the covers away but found her hand wouldn’t move. Something was lying across her wrist, preventing her hand from going anywhere. She tried to feel with her other hand what that something was, but her left hand wouldn’t move, either!
What the hell is going on here? She thought, starting to panic. Did I somehow fall, did I have an accident on the way home from the Ball… Why can’t I move my arms?!
She tried calling out, just in case she was in a hospital and there were nurses who could tell her what had happened. Her voice sounded slurred but otherwise there was nothing wrong with it. It was exactly as she’d expect if she’d had a bottle of wine at the Ball – did she have an entire bottle of wine at the Ball? She couldn’t remember drinking that much!
Finally someone decided to answer her call. A nurse slipped in and turned on the light above her bed. ‘Hello Melissa’ she said. ‘Or is it Danni today? I can never quite tell which one of you I’m talking to at any given moment’.
What the hell was she on about? Why would I be Danni? Mel wondered.
‘Are you completely stoned?’ she asked the nurse. ‘I’m Melissa! I think you’ve got the wrong patient. In fact, I think you should have taken a right turn and headed down to the psych wing, ‘cause you’re insinuating that I’m crazy, and I’m NOT crazy’.
‘Oh no, of course not’ the nurse said, a little condescendingly for Melissa’s liking. ‘So what is it you wanted? You know you’re supposed to be sleeping. You’ve got early group tomorrow morning. You know how group takes it out of y’all’.
‘Group? Group what?’
‘Group therapy, of course’ the nurse said, chirpily, and went to switch the light back off.
‘Wait! Why am I having group therapy? Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?’
‘You’re having group therapy because this is the psych ward, and you’re one of our long term patients! But don’t worry. A nice dose of Xanax is on its way’. The nurse, a chubby, altogether too cheerful nurse patted Mel’s hand. ‘I’ll just go get the doctor. You seem more coherent than usual tonight’.
What the hell is that daft bird on about? Mel really started to panic, pulling at what she now knew were restraints, ready to knock that self-righteous smile off the chirpy nurses’ face. I’m always coherent! It’s everyone else who can’t string a sentence together without drooling about sexy footballers or babies…
Babies! She lifted her head as high as she could under the circumstances, but couldn’t see her belly. Where was her pregnant belly? What had these halfwits done with her baby?!
She’d heard of barbaric practices in psychiatric hospitals, but removing a seven month old foetus before it was born was behind the pale! Where was her baby? Mel hadn’t realised it but she was actually screaming for her baby when a group of male nurses and an officious looking man she guessed was the doctor walked in. Not running, not anxious to see what they could do for her, but walking like they had all the time in the world. ‘This one’s interesting’ the doctor was saying as if she wasn’t even there. ‘She’s a Dissociative, which in the old language means Multiple Personality Disorder. She has at least five or six distinct personalities who all share the same delusion – that they are married to or dating various members of the Collingwood Football Club. Oh – except for one called Bella. She’s dating a rock star!’ He said this with a fake smile on his face, as if to say, “Look at the complete loon. Do you see what I have to put up with, here?”
‘So, what brought all this on, Doctor?’ One of the med students asked. She was carrying a notepad and looked like she would have been one of those kids who took names when the teacher was absent.
‘What do you mean?’ The doctor asked, getting out what Mel thought looked like a huge hypodermic syringe from a kidney bowl by the bed. He pierced a bottle of clear liquid and began to draw the syringe as though he was performing mental torture. You are not going to stick that in me, Mel thought, but of course he did. Right in the hip!
‘Ouch!’
‘Now, now… that didn’t hurt, did it?’ the doctor said, patronisingly. He turned to the nurse who had asked the question. ‘It’s a sad story, actually. Her mother killed her father – poured boiling hot cooking oil over him while he was asleep in his armchair – and lit a match. She’d suffered years of abuse from him, but because it wasn’t in self defence, she got life in prison. But it was too late for young Melissa here. She saw too much violence over the years, and her mind fragmented into different personalities to cope’.
‘Ah. I see’ the nurse said. She tapped her huge lips with her pen. Mel wanted to stab her through the temple with it. But things were suddenly starting to get very hazy.
‘My ba…’ she started to say, but then everything went black.

The End.

So there you are. Ending number two, or what I like to call, the "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" ending. I would have called it the Gothika ending but I'm not sure if anyone would get the reference. Anyway, let me know which you liked the best. As for TPS, this is obviously the very last installment. No more! [/i]

[mel_kay39]

yeah my fave is number two, too. I like the whole multiple personality idea. All you guys were just in my head!
If you're looking for anything to read though, i've just posted The Unemployables, my answer to Kath and Kim...