[b][u][color=f49ac2][h3][center]~Melody Hemlock~[/center][/h3][/color][/u][/b]
Peggy’s hand whipped across Abigail’s face with a resounding [i]slap. [/i] Melody froze, wide-eyed.

That asshole musician guy started singing a nasty little ditty. Swinub-boy started laughing hysterically.

And all Melody could feel was [i]anger. [/i]

No. That was wrong. It was more than that.

She’d never really had friends before. She’d spent most of her life transferring from school to school as her parents went from one promotion to the next. When had she ever had time to build a lasting relationship? She didn’t know [i]how[/i] to have friends.

So when they’d started out on this whole Pokemon journey thing, a happy little group of eight, she’d… she’d thought that maybe they could all get along.

She’d thought wrong, clearly.

Jackson’s singing and Blake’s laughter rang in her ears. They… they were all on Abigail’s case because she’d been being mean, but… they were being just as awful, weren’t they?

Deep down, Melody knew Abigail wasn’t being a particularly nice girl. And… it wasn’t like she [i]liked[/i] the things that Abigail was saying, no matter how grateful she’d been about Abigail not preferring Peggy to her.

She’d been so lonely before she'd become a trainer. It was odd, really, how alone you could feel even when you were surrounded by people. But Melody had never [i]known[/i] those people. She’d always been the new kid, who’d be gone within a few month’s time anyway. Who would bother with her?

But Abigail had given her directions even though she’d been a total stranger at that point. Abigail had said that they’d look out for each other. She and Abigail were a [i]team. [/i] 

How could she [i]not [/i]want to help Abigail achieve her dream? She didn’t mind the fact that Abigail was probably using her. Who [i]was [/i]she, if not someone who could stand by Abigail, and help her, and protect her?

So maybe none of these people were going to be her friends. She hated Jackson and Alex already. Peggy, she’d thought, could have been her friend…. But clearly not. Melody could never be friends with someone who’d hurt Abigail.

And she'd make them pay for what they were doing later. But… not now. Not in front of Abigail.

And then Avery, clearly misinterpreting the situation, jumped in to embrace both Abigial and Peggy. [color=f7941d]“Aww… GROUP HUG~!”[/color]

[color=662d91]"G-get off!" [/color]snapped Abigail. She was blushing, but… she didn’t look too unhappy. So Avery had managed to defuse the situation? Wow. Melody really did like that boy. [color=662d91]”Arceus Avery, warn me next time when you're going to go touching people! Some of us don't...don't like...uhm...the whole...touching thing."[/color]

She turned back to Peggy. [color=662d91]"You know,"[/color] she continued. [color=662d91]"I'm not going to waste my time on someone with such hideous taste in clothes. I mean really, green? That is the most disgusting color in the history of mankind. I think you'd actually look better in...maybe a bright red? Perhaps a blue or a yellow."[/color]

That was fashion advice… and actually very true. Melody thought that Peggy really would look better in blue.

But she didn’t care about Peggy anymore. Peggy wasn’t someone who Melody could be friends with anymore.

She felt a pang of sadness that she brushed off hurriedly, and jogged off to catch up to Abigail, who was walking off. She didn't even give the rest of the group a backwards glance. They weren't worth her time… except Avery, maybe. And she didn't know much about Ryley either.

Awkwardly, she wrapped Abigail in a quick hug, but let go fairly soon. Abigail had said that she didn’t like physical contact, right?

[color=f49ac2]“Um,”[/color] she said, mumbling in the exact way that her mother had always scolded her about. She didn’t want the others to hear her, but she wanted to make Abigail feel better, anyway. [color=f49ac2]“Abigail… they’re all idiots. You know that, right? Your suggestion was just as good as theirs, and they had no right to act the way they did. But, uh… I’ll always be your friend. And I’m always on your side. Okay?”[/color]

She smiled self-consciously. It didn’t matter if the rest of them didn’t like her. It didn’t matter if the rest of them thought she was nothing but a follower, always trailing after Abigail.

As long as she had Abigail… as long as she had her best friend, she could do anything.