Gems of a Different Rock

(By Me, Stephy D., with some ideas from Kat!)
(Disclaimer: IN NO WAY are any of these characters modeled after
people we know!  So don't be paranoid if you know me and you
think I wrote a stupid story about you when I was a freshman!  You
know who you are, Paranoid One.)

In the sweet mid-spring, Melody and Claire, the tightest friends
ever in the entire universe (yes it's true!) were shopping at the mall.

"Lookit Melody, here's our favorite shop!" Claire pointed to the
Zebra Shop, the shop completely devoted to selling things about
zebras.

As they entered, a striped wonder absorbed Melody's vision.  "Look
at this T-shirt!" she exclaimed.

Claire was searching through zebra-hoof keychains when she
spotted something much more interesting.

Two rather handsome young men were in the talking zebra head
section.  Melody's jaw dropped when she saw the one with sandy
blonde hair, and she watched Claire approach the dark-haired
one with confidence.  Melody soon followed.

"Hi, I'm Claire, what's you're name?"

"Uh, it's Ken."

"You like zebra heads?"

"Yeah, especially ones that talk."

"I love zebras."

"Wanna be my girlfriend?"

"Okay."

And soon they made out.  Melody watched and then finally
approached Ken's friend.  His friend had eyes like pine trees and
they looked at her.

"Hi, I'm Melody," she said.

"Luke.  It's a pleasure," said pine-eyes, shaking her hand.

"So," said Melody, "I guess my friend is your friend's girlfriend.  Isn't
that interesting?"

"Yeah," he said, "So we'd be hanging out.  Isn't that super?"

"Yes, I'd like to hang out.  It would be, uh, super."  Melody was
rather startled by this usage of vocabulary.  She figured that this
guy must be a special one.

The next day Melody, Ken, and Luke gathered at Claire's house for
a tea party.  Claire had special cups that chewed gum could not
get stuck to, but that's not important.  The cups were blue.

"Why are they blue?" asked Ken.

"Because I like the color blue," Claire responded.

Ken frowned.  "Well I don't like it," he retorted.

"Well," said Claire, "If you can't like my cups then you might as well
not like me at all."

"What?  What?  But I thought what we had was special!" Ken
shouted while on his knees.

Enraged, Claire continued to break the awkward conversation
between Luke and Melody.  She sat between them.

"So Luke, do you enjoy diskettes?" she wanted to know.

"Yes, I do."

"But I'll bet you prefer CD-ROMS, don't you?" asked Melody.  
Melody knew what was going on.  Claire wanted to go out with
the guy that Claire knew Melody liked.  Oh, this would be a silent
war.

"Do you like Cars or Motorcycles?" Melody knew this game.  Claire
was going to use Cars as something to symbolize her because her
name began with a C.  Melody was Motorcycles because her
name began with an M.

"Neither," said Luke, who was obviously familiar with this mind
game.  "I like Water."

Claire tried to but could not think of any girl she knew with a first
name beginning with W.  Oh well.  She went back into the
kitchen.

Ken was making toast!

BUM BUM BUM!!!

"How dare you use my bread when you dissed my tea cups!"
Claire shouted quietly.

"I'm sorry Claire, the toast is for you, as a token of my apology.  I'm
sorry I don't like blue."

"Oh, thank you Ken!" Claire said, and then they made out.

Outside the kitchen again, Melody and Luke sat on the sofa
looking forward.

"So, Luke, is your nickname Lukeroo?"

"Yes, in fact, is your nickname Meleroo?" Luke retorted in an
agitated tone.

"No," said Melody, who was trying to be oblivious to his negative
vibrations.

"You know what?" Melody started.  "I know about the first letter of
the name game.  I see how it is.  You like someone whose name
begins with a W."

"Yep, Wills pretty sweet," said Luke.

This sentence startled Melody.  "Will?"

"Yeah," said Luke, "my boyfriend Will."