_swing F R O M a { tree branch, .:open:.

[Joshua Blake]

Joshua glanced down at the watch around his wrist. 2:30 He had just gotten out of his last class of the day, Biology. He was supposed to be home by 3 so he could get ready for a party he was supposed to attend tonight. But, of course, Josh never did anything planned. Sure, he would go to that party ... he'd just be late.

At the moment, he was sitting in a tree. Yes, in a tree. He had been sitting on a bench, but it just felt too usual, so he decided to climb up the tree. Which had been kind of hard with his black sandals. He had slipped them off and then climbed up the tree. Which explained the twenty splinters in his feet which he was currently attempting to get out.

He looked down at his outfit for a moment. He was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a blue and white polo. His hair was spiked and he looked great. As usual. As far as he remembered, he couldn't think of a time when he had looked bad.

Joshua looked around the park through his aviator sunglasses, still picking at his feet and watched at all the people. There was a kid and his dad playing ball. A daughter throwing a Frisbee to her dog. A couple that looked like they were in middle school walking through the park holding hands. And so forth. Everyone looked like they were having fun. All, except him.

[Melany Taylor]

Melany had just gotten out of her last class of the day not too long ago. Being the type to never stay indoors for too long she decided to get out of her dorm and do something. That something being going to the park. She didn't know why there and she didn't exactly care to to know why. She watched her surrounding as the rays of light bounced off the earth. Today was truly a beautiful day to be in the park. Her favorite bag was slung across her right shoulder. She had always loved that bag. It carried everything she needed in it and didn't need.

She looked around searching for the perfect place to sit. Spotting a bench she smiled. Perfect. She thought. It was shaded enough by a nearby tree but had enought sunlight that she could read.Her dress swayed in the slight breeze and the soles of her boots padded against the cement sidewalk. Not to far away from the bench, a small child came running. Probably from a friend or their parent judging by the big smile on his face. That smile soon fadded as the little guy tripped over an untied shoe string. Yup, classic case senerio. The little boy began to cry and scream.

Mel looked at him as she walked. Wondering if maybe his mom or dad or someone would come and help him. But after a few moments no one came. Being the caring person she is, Mel walked up to the little boy and bend down.

"Hey , hey there. What wrong little guy?" She asked in a subtle , calm tone.

His bright green eyes looked up at her with tears falling. "I..I..I..fw-fwell." He stammered to get out between his tears.He couldn't have been a day over four years old.

"Well its okay. Dont cry." She soothed rubbing his shoulder. "How about we go over to that bench there." she pointed , "And I clean that up for ya?"The little boy nodded and Mel grabbed his hand in hers and stood up. Together, they walked over to the bench. The little guy sitting on it and Mel getting on one knee in front of him. She sat her bag down and rummaged through it. Pulling out a small alcohol wipe pack and a bandaid. Those were just two of the things that she didn't need in her purse. But look, they came in handy now didn't they.

"My names Melany. But everyone calls me Mel. What's your name?", she asked the little boy hoping to distract him why she cleaned it off. Knowing full well that it would sting a little.

"My names Ben." He answred her not even noticing the sting of the alcohol.

"Well..Ben..you should keep you shoe strings tied. So you dont fall." She advised expertley applying the bandaid. She patted his knee and look up at him. He smiled whipping his eyes. "So wheres your mom and dad?" She inquired looking up at thim. Just then, a mother in her late twenties and a father of the same age came running yelling his name. "Uh..over hear." She yelled at them. The two young parents came rushing over. The smothered the boys with hugs and kisses but at the same time scolded him not to run away. Melany just stood and watched. The two parents thanked her numerous times and then were on their way.

"Interesting beginning to the rest of my day." She thought sitting down on the bench. She reached into her bag and pulled out a book. The first book in the Twlight series Book 1 Twlight by Stephenie Meyer . She had just gotten it and was excited to begin reading. Hopefully, it would be worth the $20.89 plus tax she paid for it.The only reason she had gotten it in the first place was because of her friend who had been begging for her to buy it for the past three months.

[Joshua Blake]

Joshua had still been staring out into space when he noticed a young woman, probably around his age or maybe a little younger walk up to the bench beneath him. He smiled.

She really was pretty. She had dark almond eyes and clear, tan skin. It made him want to reach out and smooth his hand down over her smooth-looking brownish hair. And that dress ... it was baggy, but it looked great on her. It accented all the right features and ... wow.

After a few seconds of inspecting her beauty, he saw a small boy fall down in front of her. He was just about to jump out of the tree when the girl jumped up and helped him. Likes kids too ... he thought, inspecting how she handled the situation.

Not only that ... she's good with em' too.

After watching the parents run up and thank her, he realized what she said her name was. Melany. That name sounded familiar. He had heard it somewhere. But where he had no idea. He know he had never met her before so he just passed it off as hearing a class-mate talk about her.

After watching the kid and the parent left, he watched her pull out a book. The Twilight Series. He had read the first few books, but not all of them. In fact, he was on the third one now. She read, which was a good thing. A very good thing in his book. He liked girls who read. God, he found himself falling for a girl he hadn't even met.

He slowly made his way down the tree silently before walking up to the side of the bench and taking a seat. "Hello, Mel." he said, smiling that genuine to-die-for smile.

[Melany Taylor]

She was taken back by the sound of a calm and smooth voice adressing her. The soft curls of the brunette fell over her shoulder as she tilited her head towards him. A subtle smile came across her face.

"Uh, hello." Mel said exaimining him.

The guy was godly. I mean, hot damn was he.. hot! And not to mention that killer smile.

"Sorry if I seem off but, I'm just wondering how a stranger knows my name?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow and soft smirk. Her trademark cuteness look. Atleast, that what her friends said.

"I've seen him somewhere. But where?" Her mind wondered as she awaited his answers. Probably at school was the best bet. Little did she know she was sitting with the school's 'Mr. McDreamy' .

[Joshua Blake]

Josh looked down at the beauty in front of him and took a seat beside her on the bench. After sitting, he realized that maybe he shouldn't have sat down until she asked him to. Too late now. Yes, he definitely should have waited. He had been rude by just ... sitting down. He sat there, hoping she wouldn't slap him across the face ... although ... he had a feeling she wouldn't.

"Well, I just saw you helping that little boy." He motioned over to the little boy with a nod of the head. "Ben?" Again, that too gorgeous smile. Man, he always had a habit of doing that. And it wasn't even like he knew his smile was that great. It was just from what other people had told him. OH MY GOD! YOU HAVE THE GREATEST SMILE EVER!! and other things like that. Yes, someone had actually said something like that to him.

"I'm Josh." he said, holding out his smooth yet muscular hand for a shake.

He knew from the beginning. This Melany was definitely a girl Joshua would get to know. A lot better. At least, that was what he hoped.

[Melany Taylor]

"Oh...well..ya know..I saw a kid in trouble and I wanted to help." , she stated with a nod and humble smile, "Motherly instinct I guess."

Automatically she wished she had never said that. Who said things like that to people? Mothers. Thats who and Mel definatly wasn't one of those.

"I mean..no. I dont have kids. I haven't even had se- Oh dear God! Tell me I didn't just say that.That came out wrong." She said in a nervous mix of words. That was good ole Mel for ya. She was defiantly not your average girl.She stopped to catch her breath and then laughed. "Just forget I ever said any of that. I like kids. Period." She suggested with a nod of her head.

Nice goin Mel! Just try not to make a COMPLETE fool of yourself!

Her head turned towards the now happy Ben that was playing with his parents. "Yeah..cute , right?" She asked absently mindely looking at the sweet boy. She turned back to face Joshua and smiled. "Nice to meet you." She said with a big smile as she shook his hand. Letting go of his hand , she picked up Twighlight and put it back in her purse. She wouldn't be getting much reading done.

"Im guessing you go to Millbury Academy?" She said tilting her head to the side a bit. It was a stroke of habit. One she had always hated because her best friend once told her it made her look like a lost puppy. And according to the love "expert" aka Hannah aka the best friend, guys didn't like lost puppies.

[Joshua Blake]

Josh watched as Melany came for a loss of words. He wasn't sure why, but it made her so adorable. Her face got a slight shade of red and you could tell she was embarrassed and frustrated with herself. He wanted to grab her and tell her to calm down but decided to let her figure it out by herself. After all, it was slightly amusing. After she had finished he let out a small chuckle. "I know what you mean." he said, smiling and still chuckling inwardly. It was kind of hard to believe that Melany had never had sex. Most of the kids at Millbury had, including him. Looking at Melany, he guessed that it was her decision, not the guys. After all, any guy would have to be crazy not to want to have sex with Mel. She was gorgeous.

The fact that she tilted her head slightly to the side made Josh want to reach out and run his fingers along her cheek. He wasn't sure what it was, but she looked so delicate and vulnerable like that. He just wanted to reach out and hold her in his arms. He restrained himself, of course. Joshua may be outgoing, but not quite that much.

"Yeah. Junior." he said smiling. "I'm guessing the same with you?" he said, raising his eyebrows in a questioningly fashion.

[Melany Taylor]

"Yeah..im a freshman." She answered him back.

She laughed mentally as she thought of the circumstances. A junior talking to a freshman. In high school, that wouldn't have happened. Well, unless it was a junior guy who just wanted to take advantage of a young ,freshman girl. But this wasn't high school and she was pretty sure it was normal for people of ALL ages to talk.

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend." She thought to herself,"Probably, I mean the guy is gorgeous! But I shouldn't be worrying about it anyway. Guys like him only want to be one of two things. A player or the best boyfriend. Whichever he is, I'm out of luck."

Mel snapped out of her own thoughts and say up a bit straighter. "So..." She tried to think of something to say but nothing came to mind. "Whats your major? She asked not being able to think of anything else.

[Joshua Blake]

Josh's face instantly hit to the ground. Every single time every girl had ever asked him what his major was, he had been reluctant to answer. When he did, finally, they looked at him like an idiot. They all just assumed he was this big dork since he was taking his major. The truth was, he was everything but that. He was one of the most popular guys in his school and most popular in the school ... but for some reason, a lot of girls found his major a turn-off. They apparently weren't interested in smart guys.

"Major: Frenzics; Minor: Biology." he whispered just loud enough for her to hear. He turned his gaze back to her gorgeous face.

God, it was so hard to believe that she was only a freshman. She looked so much older and sophisticated. He would have at least guessed sophomore. In fact, he wouldn't have ruled out senior. Oh well. He never was good at guessing ages. Everyone now days looked older and older. He figured it had something to do with the hormones in the meat. But then again, how did that explain vegetarians?

"How about you?" he said, smiling. He seriously needed to find a new path of conversation. He was sitting here with what appeared to be a brilliant, gorgeous young woman and he had no ideas of what to say. This was definitely a first.

[Melany Taylor]

Melany was never one to discriminate someone based on how intelligent they were. She actually saw intelligence as a good thing. It meant that you probably had a future or atleast you wanted to. She stared at him for a second wondering what he was hesitating for. He didn't seem like the type of guy to hesitate.

"Frenzics and Bio?" She thought carelessly to herself. He just didn't look like that type of guy. Though, as they say, looks can be decieving.

"Really?" She asked with a smile. "Wow..I major in medicine and minor in health anatomy. So basically..im pre-med." Mel had always been proud of herself for choosing to go pre-med. Being a doctor would be the perfect career for her. Even though it took years of hard work to achieve it, it was all worth it in the end.

"I have a friend from back home who majors in frenzics. He said its really interesting. So like..what exactly do you do?" She inquired.She was a big , dorky nerd and was the first to admit it. She could quote Romeo & Juilet from the heart, her favorite movies were those old teeny-booper 80's flicks like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Not to mention her idea of a good friday night. Probably get some good reading in on whatever current book and then have a girl's night in. Popcorn, candy, chocolate, pop , movies and pjs. All the works.

[Joshua Blake]

He smiled. She was the first girl that had actually not completely flipped out when he had answered the question. That was surprising. In fact, not only was he smiling. He was grinning like an idiot.

"Oh. Well, right now we're working on DNA identification devices." he said, not sure how else to say it. "It's like this little palm pilot thing where you put in the DNA information and it can identify anyone who's fingerprints are in the computer. It's pretty cool." he said, still smiling.

Pre-meds. That was cool. He had even thought about going into medicine himself. Later, though, he decided against it. He wasn't sure what had turned him off, but something had. He had just always loved the lab work and the idea of solving murders. Hence why he changed his mind.

"That's awesome." he said, gazing into her eyes. "I thought about going into something like that."

Should he? Or shouldn't he? That was the question. He had the idea flashing through his mind. But he wasn't quite sure if she was ready for it. But, of course, he wouldn't know unless he tried.

"Listen, this weekend ... I was thinking about going out into town, renting out a few movies, and bringing them back to have a movie-night by myself. But. I'd love it if you'd join me. What do you think?" he said, turning to face her full on. He hoped and prayed on the inside that her answer would be yes, but he wasn't about to get his hopes up. He'd been let down before. Not very often, but it had happened.

[Melany Taylor]

"DNA identification. Thats great! I think we're studying it next term." She exclaimed with much joy. Then she cleared her throat after she realized how much of an idiot she must have looked like saying that.

"Sorry....I..get a little into it." She apologized.

She looked at him for a moment and her heart almost stopped. He was looking directly into her eyes. God...he might have even been gazing. And she couldn't say anything and she couldn't hear anything. For a moment, it was like this time warp that intangled her in the moment. Then like a ton of bricks it slapped her so hard she could hardly tell what was going on.

"YOU... are inviting ME... over to your place?" She asked almost in disbelief.

As if the heaven's weren't messing with her head enough, her began to ring. The lyrics of Paramore's Misery Buisness spilling out into the open air.

I'm in the business of misery, let's take it from the top
She's got a body like an hourglass it's ticking like a clock
It's a matter of time before we all run out...
When I thought he was mine, she caught him by the mouth.

She searched deperatly around in her purse to find that little panda covered sidekick of hers. Sucess! She answered it only to be met by the strong and flamboyant spanish accent that was only her grandmother's. She spoke in Spanish this time.

"¡Hola grandma!" She said holding up one finger to Joshua to let him know to hold on a sec. Ah, universal sign language, the best creation.

"¡Buena tarde, melany! ¿Hows su semana sida? Discurso de eso. ¿Usted justo se olvida de su abuela? ¿Por qué usted no llama siempre? ¿Para busy ser algún estudiante de universidad? De todas formas, deja para conseguir a la cosa importante verdadera. ¿Usted ha satisfecho a hombres?" Senora Marie de Hernadez-Julio .aka. Mel's grandmother repsonded.

That was Senora Marie for you. She'd be mad at you for not making time to call one minute and then asking about men the next. Melany's mouth dropped. Did her grandmother really just ask that? She hoped to God that Josh didn't know spanish. Her grandmother always talked to loud on the phone it sounded as if she was on speaker phone. Anyone within a close range of Melany could hear her.

"Grandma!" Mel said in a scolding but also embarrassed tone of voice.

"¿Qué? ¿Biselo pregunto si mi nieta está teniendo alguna suerte con los hombres? Usted era siempre tímido. El dar encima de esperanza que ningún hombre le quisiera. Usted sabe, eso realmente va a suceder si usted no arrebata encima los buenos. ¿Por qué está usted tan enojado? ¿Hay un muchacho con usted sabe? ¿Cuál es su nombre? ¡Deseo hablar con él!" Her grandmother said getting more and more excited by the moment.

"¿Qué usted significa lo que? ¡Y no, usted no puede pedirme eso! " She replied back. Thats the type of realshionship she and her grandma had. They could argue , fight, laugh, cry and laugh somemore in the end for doing all of those things. "¿Qué usted está diciendo? ¿No tengo suerte con los individuos? ¡No! Nevermind. No deseo saber. ¡Estimado No. del dios! ¡Usted charla linada a él! Significo… ningún canto de .you."

Uh oh, boy had she said the wrong thing. A long and fustrated sight came from the other end of the phone. "¡Cresta-Ceris Taylor de Melany! ¡Usted dejó a su grandma hablar con ese muchacho! ¡AHORA!" Her grandmother's booming voice came screaming out into the phone.

Mel was in no position to argue now. All she could do was give up a and do as she was told. So with a mixed face of emotions, she handed the phone to Joshua. She was fustrated. She was embarassed. She was nervous. She was defeated. She was praying to God that her grandma didn't make her look anymore idiotic.

[Sorry I bought the grandma into the mix. I though it'd be funny. And dont worry, Mel will accept Josh's invitation. Not directly, but she will. ]

[Joshua Blake]

Josh smiled, waiting for an answer when the ring tone came blasting. Wow, that thing was loud. He gaze shifted from her gorgeous eyes to her bag laying beside her. He watched her shuffle through it and pulled out a little panda sidekick. That was cute. As soon as he saw her open it, he heard the loud, distinctive voice as what he took as a strong, Spanish woman. Woah.

Joshua took her finger signal and the woman's voice on the other line. He was very thankful that Melany could speak English. It was true, Josh could not speak Spanish. He had taken a class in middle school but had never truly learned. But he could definitely read body language. Mel's grandmother had definitely said something embarrassing.

He watched as Mel argued a few more minutes before handing over the phone. For a moment, he simply stared, not sure what to say or do. "For me?" he said, gently taking the phone from her hands. He didn't know what the heck to say. He gently pressed the phone up to his ear, hesitantly. Gosh, this should be interesting.

"Hello ... ?"

He glanced up to Melany as of some sort of clue as to what was going on, but she was just looking away, red-faced, and he guessed --- embarrassed. Oh well. Guess he was on his own.

[Melany Taylor]

"Hola hombre joven. ¿Así pues, usted está hablando con mi grandaughter? Significo. .so apesadumbrado. Usted no no habla probablemente español. " Her grandmother replied. Melany couldn't hear much of what her grandmother said. Only that she called him 'young man' and said sorry for assuming he spoke spanish.

"Now that you can understand me.."The elderly woman laughed a hearty laugh. "We can talk about Melany. You like her?" Ha..you had to give her credit..she was never one to sugar coat anything.

All poor Mel could do was sit back and watch things unravel.

[Joshua Blake]

Joshua's face turned from blank-ness to utter confusion as he listened to the woman ramble in Spanish. He had absolutely no idea what she was saying. "Uh ..." was the only thing to escape from his mouth.

After a few seconds of translation by the grandmother, he realized what she was asking. He looked up at Melany again to see any sign from her face. She was still looking away at the ground, though.

"Yes, I believe I do." he said, a smile spreading across his face. He did. He really did. And he hoped that Melany had heard both ends of that conversation.

He had to hand it to the grandma, though, she did not like to dance around the subject. She seemed like a straight-forward person, which he had no problem with. He could be very straight-forward too.