Melanie Jayne Anderson

MJA: Prom

Victor was always well dressed. When he first met Melanie Jayne, she was under the impression that he was still wearing his costume from a play. He looked like he had just come out from the pages of a Jane Austen book. His hair was always neat and he was always so clean shaven. He had these brown eyes that would seem like he was staring into your soul whenever he talks to you. Melanie Jayne found it very difficult to speak to him because he would always seem like he was teasing her whenever she said anything. She could never tell if he was actually trying to tell her something or if he was simply making fun of her. He would never talk about anything emotionally personal which made her feel like he was incapable of real emotions.

-------------------------------------------------------

Mike went home. He could barely stay awake. Jean stayed behind and sat beside Melanie Jayne's bed. Victor intended to stay at the hospital but Nicole insisted that he looked for Sharon instead which was impossible to do at this point in time because she seemed like she had completely disappeared from the face of the earth. Nicole and Leo went home to figure out what the next course of action should be. Nicole had been on the phone with the legal team all night. If anything happens to Melanie Jayne, Samuel may be looking at murder charges.

Mike made his way into his apartment. It felt empty and quiet without Melanie Jayne. She managed to make the entire place look comfortable and livable again. He wasn't always this way. He had plans. He wanted to find a good, stable paying job and he wanted to find a nice place to live in and if he could, he would want to find someone to settle down with. It seemed  like the simplest dream anybody could have but with everything that is happening, he may have to start over once again.

He turned on the lights and saw a box on the kitchen counter. It seemed like a gift with a large bow on it and there was a card attached to it. It was from Melanie Jayne. She had Jean deliver it the morning he went to meet Victor. The card read "Congratulations on your new home. Here's a housewarming gift. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. Love, Melanie Jayne". Mike took a step back and tried to understand what he just read. Next to the box was a large brown envelope. It was addressed to him. It seemed important. It seemed like an official document. It was a copy of the deed to his apartment. It had his name on it. 

Early the next day before daybreak, Nicole sent a text message to Mike and Victor to meet her at Melanie Jayne's suite at the hospital. She had made some shocking discoveries and they needed to be addressed immediately but discreetly.

Mike entered the room and realizes that everyone was already there waiting for him. He looked at Victor who was barely awake on one of the chairs and Jean was leaning against the wall across the room looking like there was something to worry about. Nicole was seated at the other end of the room with papers and documents scattered all over the place.

Mike: Sorry, my train was late...........

Nicole: It's about damn time you got here! (standing up) I need everyone to be honest about everything we know about Melanie Jayne right now! (looks at Jean) I mean EVERYBODY.

Victor: What's that supposed to mean?

Nicole: Like why the hell is she involved with Samuel, for a start?

Mike: No idea why exactly but that guy is an asshole.

Nicole: And how would you have known that?

Mike looked at Jean trying to see if it was a good idea to let Nicole know about what happened at the bar the other night. Jean nodded at him. Mike took a deep breath.

Mike: I erm.....I got into a fight with him at the bar one night when Melanie Jayne and I were erm.....looking for something......

Nicole: Why the hell would you be at the bar with Melanie Jayne when you damn well know she doesn't even drink?!

Mike: We erm.....we had reasons to believe that Samuel had been leaking all the information to the media and.......she wanted to know why he did it........

Nicole: Well, what did he say? Did you get anything on record?

Mike: Well, the plan was to get him to confess to something........but everything backfired because.....erm....He was being an asshole to Melanie Jayne and erm.....I kinda threw a punch at him.....

Nicole rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Nicole: Men! Was anyone aware of Samuel's "business"?

Victor: He IS the media. Isn't that his business?

Nicole looked at Jean and slowly walked over to where he was standing. She slowly took off his sunglasses and squinted.

Nicole: What do you know?

Mike sat down on the chair next to Victor and watched Jean making his way to the edge of Melanie Jayne's bed. Jean was not the type to take the spotlight anywhere. He's usually in the background of wherever Melanie Jayne was and even though it seemed like he wasn't there,  he's always close enough to get to her if she ever got into any trouble.

Jean: (leaning over while holding onto Melanie Jayne's bed) I failed her. She was 16. Some senior boys invited her to a house party. It was at Samuel's house. She was so excited because it was the first time she was invited to a social event. I couldn't say no. I didn't want to ruin her fun. I told her that I was in the limo just outside the house if she needed me. That was the worst decision I have ever made. I should have followed her into the house. I told her that if anything happened, she was supposed to press the emergency button on her phone and I would get to her. It wasn't long before I heard noises like glass breaking coming from inside the house. I was about to run in but I saw her limping, coming from the side of the house. She had bruises and cuts on her. She did press the emergency button on her phone but she dropped her phone on the roof as she was making her escape from jumping out the window and off the roof. She broke her leg from the fall but she made it out.........She told me to call the police......They arrived and busted the drugs and all the business Samuel was running at the time.....

Victor: What did they do to her?.........

Jean: They......tried......to.....erm......they tore her dress......they took photos of her......But she fought them. She fought all of them. Everything I ever taught her about taking on someone bigger.....stronger than herself........(looks at Melanie) She's a fighter......I should have been there.....

Mike looked at Jean and he could see how that incident had really broke him. 

Nicole: That's why she didn't go to prom? Those photos Samuel blasted to everyone in school.........You told me she got into an accident! You lied to me! (pushes Jean) How could you lie about something like this?! She was under our watch, Jean! All of us! Why didn't you tell me?!

Mike: She didn't want you to know, Nicole! You and your dad were out of town when it happened......

Victor: You knew about this incident?!

Mike: Maybe if you tried talking to her once in a while you would have known......

Victor got up and pulled Mike by the collar.

Victor: You have no idea what we were like!

Nicole: Cut it out! (pushes Victor away from Mike) We're in a hospital,for God's sake!

Jean never got over that incident and with everything that's happened to Melanie Jayne over the past couple of days, he definitely wants Samuel Cartier to die in prison. He never left Melanie Jayne's side after that and he never will.