Elementary Error

Elementary Error

Monday

Her name was Melody Maxwell, and she was the cutest girl in Ms. Claire’s sixth-grade class. Every day, Thomas Cross — or Tom, as everyone called him — stared at her.

Ms. Claire had arranged the desks in a half-moon, and Melody sat directly across from Tom, a pretty backdrop against Ms. Claire’s lectures. He could look at Melody all day and still appear to be watching the teacher. But he also liked Ms. Claire. She was young and seemed more like a big sister than an adult.

One Monday, Tom decided he could wait no longer. Melody had to know he liked her. She had caught him staring more than once, and she seemed to meet his eyes longer each time.

He couldn’t just tell her to her face. Sure, he could say the words — but then what would he get? A hug and kiss? Yeah, right. It would be a scream, or crying, or just sheer terror. And what if Benny Crowe, with his huge ears and piggish eyes, overheard Tom’s confession? He would be teased for years. No, his plan was much better.

Tom wrote her a note:

Melody,

I think you’re super beautiful and that’s why I look at you all the time in class. I hope you know who I am.

If you do, wear a red bow to school tomorrow, ok?

Your secret admirer

Foolproof. When everyone else was running outside for recess, Tom simply walked by her desk and dropped the note on it, as casual as taking a pencil or borrowing a book.

Then Tom ran outside, his mind on soccer with Eddie and James.

Forty-five minutes of sweaty freedom followed.

The bliss ended with Tom dribbling the ball around a group of chatting girls, and right up to Eddie, who was guarding the goal with a look of hard determination.

Tom fired a ferocious shot at his friend. Eddie was short and chubby, but he was lightning fast. His feet were moving before Tom knew what happened, and Eddie stopped the ball shy of the goal, his foot propped on the orb like some kind of pirate.

“Another miss!” Eddie crowed, just as James lunged from Eddie’s blind side. He was expecting the challenge, though, and he danced backward, laughing while he kept perfect control of the ball, “Y’all both suck!” Eddie laughed.

Ms. Claire blew her whistle and the three sighed. Two more hours of classes, then freedom again. They started walking in, and Tom looked around for Melody. Usually, she was toward the front of the pack. He glanced at the groups of girls…nothing. He did a double-take, and, not watching where he was walking, slipped over a curb.

Eddie and James burst out laughing, but Tom ignored them. Where was Melody?

He began walking faster toward the doors. What had he been thinking with that note? He suddenly felt like he had to get it back — but the line was already forming, and if he tried to cut, he’d get in trouble. At the front of the line, practically blocking the entire school, was big Benny Crowe.  

Greasy, his clothes stained from rolling in the grass, Benny watched Ms. Claire impatiently. When she opened the door, Benny practically bowled her over, eager to retrieve his water bottle. Tom was in the middle of the line, and, unable to do anything, he simply waited. Leaving that note had been so dumb.

As Tom crossed the threshold into the air conditioning, he began to feel butterflies in his gut. The kids filed into the classroom, and that’s when he saw Melody, lifting the note and peering at it curiously. She just stared for a minute, and as Tom watched, Benny suddenly snatched the note out of Melody’s hand.

His squeal carried over the usual din of the classroom. “Oooo….M-E-L-O-D-Y. You’re super beautiful. And THAT’s why I look at you all the time in class!”

Everyone gasped.

Tom stood there, his mouth open in shock. Everyone was talking, but he couldn’t seem to hear them. Melody’s face turned bright red, and Tom’s heart constricted. Everything was moving slowly. His bones felt like jelly.

He looked around and got the strangest feeling — no one was looking at him. Some of the girls were staring at Eddie, others at James. Ms. Claire simply stood in front of the class, arms folded, letting the drama play out.

Accusations started flying. Who had written the lamest love letter on Earth? Tyler? Jason? One or two people mentioned Tom, but he was quick to deny it, and he was even quicker to call out Benny. Sweaty and loud, Benny breathlessly denied it.

“Enough! Enough!” Ms. Claire finally shouted. The talking stopped. “Benny, please give me the note, thank you.”

She placed it in her desk drawer. There was silence for a moment, then a small squeak, like the cry of a bird, came from Melody’s direction. Tom couldn’t look at her. It was all too horrible.

But he was now in the clear. No one truly suspected him, and everyone’s attention was on the girl he liked, her face covered by her hands.

“Melody, take a moment in the hall to compose yourself,” Ms. Claire said, and Melody jumped to her feet, bumping desks and chairs on her way to the door.

After fifteen minutes, she still hadn’t come back.

Ms. Claire went to check on her, and when the teacher returned, she met no one’s eyes. She simply walked to Melody’s desk, quickly put her notebooks, pencil case and water into her backpack, and took them away. Ms. Claire returned a moment later and continued the day with intense math and English lessons, permitting no time for further discussion.  

Tuesday

Melody wasn’t at school Tuesday, and Tom could only play along as everyone speculated why.

“She’s too embarrassed to ever return.”

“She’s in Ms. Brown’s class now.”

“Her mom talked to the principal and requested a school transfer.”

“Melody is just at the doctor – she’ll be back tomorrow.”

“I bet she wrote that note to herself, and the whole thing is just an act for attention.”

That last one was Benny, and his comment started another round of accusations. As far as Tom could tell, Benny enjoyed the attention. Maybe every boy in class had a crush on the skinny girl with blue eyes.

Wednesday

Her desk remained empty.

Tom barely noticed the morning announcements. History and science were a blur, and he couldn’t remember what he ate for lunch or who he ate with.

Hours later, as everyone left for recess, Ms. Claire called out to the stampede, “Thomas Cross, please remain behind. I’d like to discuss your recent essay.”

Tom stopped, and Benny shoved past him. A few other kids bumped into him as they left, and Tom scratched his head, confused. He had followed Ms. Claire’s directions perfectly, even using direct quotes from The Secret Garden.

He approached her desk.

“Tom, did you write that note to Melody?” she asked.

“What? No…no. Why would I write some dumb note?”

“Well, her secret admirer wrote that he looks at her all the time in class. So, our mysterious Romeo must have a nice, natural angle to do that from,” she said, smiling.

“That could be anyone, y’know?” he said, his face warming. His palms began to sweat, which he hid behind his back.

“And you have so many nice, red shirts that you wear to school, right? Is red your favorite color?” she asked, using the same tone as if he’d messed up a simple math problem.

Tom exhaled hard. “You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?”

Ms. Claire smiled easily. “Of course not.”

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Is Melody okay? When is she coming back to school?”

“I can’t discuss another student with you, Tom. I hope you understand.”

Thursday

Tom felt like he knew before he even got through the doors.

She wasn’t there.

Melody's absence felt like its own presence. Her empty desk seemed to pull everyone’s attention. Even the students who sat closest to her had scooted away, making the emptiness even greater. The space she once occupied seemed cold to Tom, like a tree covered in snow.

At recess, the soccer ball slammed into Tom’s cheek. Eddie kept asking if he was okay, but Tom didn’t bother responding. What was the point? The pain would fade.

During afternoon English, Christy Ann spoke up, “Ms. Claire, Melody was supposed to be my project buddy, but…”

Ms. Claire set down her chalk and turned to face the class. She looked at each student slowly, as if unsure what to say. After a moment, she went to the ceiling fan switch and shut it off. “It’s too cold in here,” she said, “and Christy, I’ll let you handle the project alone. Just do your part, and I’ll give you extra points.”

Friday

Thomas Cross walked home alone at the end of the week. Usually, he caught a ride with Eddie’s dad, but today, he opted for the twenty-minute walk. The route took him through a big neighborhood, where each house was a near-identical version of the one beside it.

“When Benny read that note, I wasn’t embarrassed,” a voice said behind him.

Tom turned. Melody stood there. How had he not seen her a moment ago? She moved like a ghost. He guessed that he’d walked by her house, she saw him through a window, and then silently followed.

She wore a white dress that flowed around her thin body. The sun shone brightly outside, and she looked a little tired, but her blue eyes were set pleasantly against a small smile. A red bow was in her hair. It looked like she’d done it in a hurry, and a few stray locks stuck out on the sides.

“When Benny read that note out loud, I didn’t care. Not really.”

“Then why did you run out of class?” Tom asked.

“Well, it was partly the note. But I was sad about something else, and then everyone laughed at me. But the note was…nice.”

“You weren’t, I mean you aren’t…embarrassed?” Tom stammered.

Melody walked up to her classmate and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ve had a lot of doctor appointments lately. Your note was the best thing that’s happened to me all year.”

Tom didn’t know what was happening. Melody had kissed him! He felt a strange thrill run through him. He was still stunned at seeing her at all! Tom thought for sure she had changed schools. Or maybe her family had gone on vacation, or perhaps…

“Wait,” Tom said, “You had doctor appointments all week? Why?”

Melody, inches from his face, looked down. “I have something wrong with me. They say it’s my blood. We’re moving to a different state so I can have the best doctors.”

“But, wait, no…”

“It’s okay, Tom. I’ve gone to our school for two years and barely made any friends. I didn’t think anyone would ever notice me. Then I saw your note, and it was the nicest, bravest thing in the world. Thank you so much.”

Tom didn’t know what to say. He was stunned.

“Someday, when I get better, maybe I’ll find you,” she said, turning and walking down the street.

Tom watched her for a moment, and then he looked down, overwhelmed. His hand went up to where her lips had been. His cheek was already dry.

When he looked back up, she was gone.  

The End