IDEA - 9-9-2020
by
Patrick Ryan
1,550 Words
Melanie doesn't fit in at her high school. She's pretty, and the other girls know it; out of fear of losing their boyfriends, they ridicule and talk about Melanie behind her back, slut-shaming, online harassment, and telling the boys she has STDs. She has a crush on Simon, who's not going to give her the time of day, not with her bullies still in the picture. Melanie has a gift for creative writing, and to get the bullies off her back, she created a story where she had a boyfriend. It wasn't just a short story; it was an elaborate project, complete with social media profiles, photo-shopped images, and online personalities. So programmed by formula writing, all the students thought they knew a person was completely made up. For about a month, her school life had become a dream. But her new friends' pressure was growing to meet this guy they only knew through the internet. Melanie had to act; she staged a dramatic series of events that would require her to dump her boyfriend and start dating a new guy. Right out of the teen drama, the entire school was captivated by her stories. This made her the most popular student in school, all the girls wanted to be her friend, and all the guys wanted to get to know her. Not only did this stop the harassment, but now she was in charge of the bullies; she could manipulate them with one paragraph of creative writing. Students would lie and say they were friends with these imaginary people to try and fit in. By the end of the year, her little project had grown to four main characters, four supporting characters, and more than six locations. She knew the series had to end before it jumped the shark. The series finale would be at the senior prom, where else? Three of her sexy imaginary boyfriends would show up to a post-party and fight for her honor. The live stage reading would have three actors, planted props, and, of course, one innocent Melanie who would be heartbroken, in need of comforting by her real crush, but has she taken it too far?
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