Psych Investigation Episodes: Episode 1 (A Young Adult Scifi / Fantasy) Read Online Free Page A

bleachers
and waited for the show to begin.
    “ Hey, I know you,” Melissa said.
“You’re that kid that sits in the back, the one that’s always
getting yelled at by the teacher. I remember, because last week the
teacher was yelling that you’ve missed every single assignment this
term. You’re Jack Harris, right?” The two girls behind Melissa
giggled. Even Adam, who was normally indifferent to such comments,
let out a chuckle from where he observed on the wooden
bleachers.
    In a sadistic sort of way, it amused Adam to
watch his friend struggle to find a reply. Most people would quit
while they were ahead, but not Jack. No, he wouldn’t be satisfied
until he made a complete fool of himself.
    “ Well, I guess you could say that’s
me,” Jack said. “But come on, homework is a waste of time. Anyway,
how about that fire in class today, eh? It was scary,
right?”
    Melissa glanced at Jack with a puzzled
expression. “I think that’s pretty obvious. Personally, I can say
I’ve never seen anything like it. A girl has to learn to accept a
lot of things in life, but having her desk turn into an inferno for
no apparent reason, well, that’s not one of them. So, is there
something that you wanted, Jack?”
    Adam refrained from snorting with laughter as
he watched his friend try and muster the courage to move forward.
Melissa’s tone wasn’t unfriendly, but it certainly wasn’t warm.
Adam felt the oncoming embarrassment in place of Jack, as he had
done so many times before.
     “ Well, you know, I just kind
of wanted to say hi, and all. I saw you standing here and I thought
hey, another classmate, maybe we could talk about that crazy fire,
and you know, some other stuff.”
    Melissa yawned and scratched dirt from under
her nails as if nothing Jack said mattered to her. “It was really
weird,” she said. “Another mystery of life, I guess.”
    “ You know, I actually didn’t do the
homework last week, and as bad as a fire is and all, I’m actually
kinda glad. Now that everyone’s homework has been burnt to a crisp,
Mr. Munson’s kind of out of luck, isn’t he?”
    Melissa cocked an eyebrow and then walked to
the bleachers with her two friends. She took a seat before
continuing to speak. “Well, some of us, Jack, actually worked
pretty hard on that assignment, and won’t be glad if we have to do
it over again.”
    Jack tensed, probably realizing he’d said the
wrong thing. He let out a breath and took a seat next to Melissa.
She gave no indication it bothered her.
    “ Well, at least we’re not in class
for the time being.”
    “ I suppose if you’re someone who
hates school that would be something to smile about.” She paused.
“What do you really want, Jack?”
     “ Well,” Jack began, “Melissa,
I really like you, and I have since the very first time I saw you.
Now I know that I’m not exactly smart, and I know that I’m lazy,
but if you gave me a chance I know I would make you
happy.”
    Adam thought he’d fall off the bleachers. He
couldn’t believe the bluntness with which Jack asked Melissa out.
Not only was it poorly executed, but coming from Jack, it sounded
unreal.
    Melissa also noted the awful attempt. She and
her friends looked at each other and shook their heads.
    “ I’m sorry, Jack, but that’s going
to be a ‘no’. You’re a nice guy and all, but.” Melissa paused for a
moment. “To put it nicely, you’re a mess. And as a friend, let me
tell you—a girl wants a guy with at least some sense of fashion.
Get a haircut, put on some muscle, and gain some
ambition.”
    Jack’s mouth fell open. He looked as if his
heart had been ripped out of him and then detonated with
explosives. He tilted his head down towards the grass and avoided
meeting Melissa’s eyes. It was cruel, but it was life. Adam was
only moments from going to console his friend when Melissa shocked
everyone by putting down her books and placing an arm around Jack’s
shoulders.
    Her impassive voice