Crushlationship

Chapter3

After that night, the two began to feel a little more comfortable near each other. It was so odd not to be arguing with him all the time...though Audrey did get her fair share of pranks and surprises.
It was on the eve of Melvin's tenth birthday that Audrey found herself upset. it was no fair. How come he got to turn into a vampire five months ahead of her?
Her mother was out somewhere tonight, and the only person in the house were her and Zoe. That soon changed.
A harsh rap came at her door. "Open up!" Shrilled Zoe.
Audrey reluctantly opened her door. "What do you want, She-Mummy? To eat my brains out? If so, go ahead."
Zoe rolled her eyes. "I'm going out to meet Maria and Stu. Stay inside, don't open the door to strangers, and DON'T BURN THE HOUSE DOWN."
"No guarantees, but, you're not supposed to be leaving." Audrey shrugged. She then realized that she didn't care. "Whatever. I sneak out all the time."
"Good. If I'm not back by the time mom comes home, just tell her that Maria was having a heart attack and I went to help her." With that, Zoe slipped away.
——
It was almost nine o'clock when the doorbell rang. Audrey debated opening it for about one second, and then rushed to the front. She opened the door.
"Audrey! I have come to suck your blood! Bleh bleh bleh!" Melvin said. He had fangs and everything...it was real!
Audrey half-screamed, half-laughed, and went running at top speed into the hallway. She hid behind a table and peered out at Melvin.
He was laughing his eyes out, clutching his stomach. "Your face!" He pointed at her. "Priceless!"
Audrey growled. How could she be tricked so eaisily?
"So it didn't really work?" She stood up cautiously and edged towards the laughing boy. "Huh. I guess Super Todd was just confuzzled."
Melvin glanced around the house. "You home alone? I saw Zoe doing some cheers with Maria in the park. It's kind of late, though."
"Yeah. Hey, come here." Audrey grabbed his wrist and pulled him into her room. "You like it?"
Melvin looked around her room, which had Crush4you posters along with skateboarding ones, and many Blaze Trickle action movie billboards. Her clothes were strewn everywhere, and her bed was messy.
"I like it." He said at last. "Reminds me of my own room."
Audrey sat down at her desk. "So, Melvin, I was thinking. What would happen if someone found out about...you know..."
He cocked his head. "I mean, bad things would happen. There's no doubt. But it's going to get out there eventually. Somehow. We all know Bobby isn't the most trustworthy Elder."
Audrey sighed. "It's just...I don't want to feel like I'm doing something badlegal."
"Hey. If it helps, I'm glad it's like this now. And it's not illegal. We're both our own person."
"Wow. You sound so wise," Audrey replied.
"Well, sometimes I just use phrases I hear in books or movies. Makes me sound cooler."
"I use mashed-up words, apparently." Audrey shrugged. "But I think my english is completely legitareal."
Melvin chuckled. "Yeah."
The two kids sat there, sort of staring aimlessly at the roof. Then, Audrey blinked. She had realized something that she had been reluctant to admit before...maybe being in a crushlationship with Melvin wouldn't be so bad. They were different in many ways, but also shared common interests and ways of thinking. They were both rugged, and brave, and they loved unusual ways of playground warfare. Audrey blushed as she rubbed her arm.
"Melvin...I think...I think I want to be a...Relationcrush. I mean, a crushtionship. I mean-"
He laughed. Audrey flushed bright red. Melvin shrugged and stood up. "It's fine with me. If you want to make it official, I have an idea."
Audrey cocked her head like a puppy. "What do you mean?"
Twenty minutes later, the two were standing on the porch of the treehouse. Audrey marveled at the splintery wood and graffiti along the worn sides of the house. She had been up into the treehouse before, but never legally. It had either been in a fight, or trying to sort out one of the Bloogey Boy's spats.
"The Bloogies have a tradition," Melvin began. "Whenever we have something big to announce, like a new member, we write about it somewhere on the walls."
Audrey nodded. "Kay."
"I was thinking we could write our names here. Not too big, so that the others can't see. Just...for the two of us." they met each other's eyes, and for once, Melvin looked almost shy. "So...ladies first?"
Audrey grabbed a black marker and scrawled her name on a piece of greenish wood. Melvin followed, and soon, their names joined the array of black marks covering the inside of the treehouse. They grinned at each other, smiling as if school had been canceled forever.