Chapter Text
1997.
Melissa ‘Mel’ King was one hell of a shy little girl.
She had a hard time talking to kids her age, to her teachers and even to some relatives. Her cheeks would turn beet red, and she’s start stumbling over her own words.
The only people she could actually communicate with were her parents and her twin sister, Becca.
So, it was only logical for her to be enrolled in theater classes – at least that was what Helen King said to convince her husband to add another expense to their monthly bills. Mel was six years old, wore a ladybug shirt and had her blonde hair into two braids when her mother dropped her off for her first class.
Mel sat on the corner of the room and every time her teacher – a sweet middle-aged lady with red hair, named Susan – made an attempt of talking to her, she’d melt more and more into that corner, like she hoped she’d get swallowed by the walls.
But, somewhere amongst her shyness, she manages to find theater intriguing. Mrs. Susan would ask the kids to spread around the room, shake their bodies or to crawl like animals.
When her mom picked her up, an hour later, Mel begged and pleaded to come back soon.
And Helen had a really hard time saying no to her little girl.
It took five weeks and ten classes for Mel to start participating though. But once she did, it was like a star had been born. Every time Mrs. Susan gave them a script – simplified and shorter than usual scenes – Mel would have it memorized within a couple of days and managed to show every emotion requested.
Mel’s first play was The Wizard of Oz, and she was chosen to play Glinda, The Good Witch.
Helen couldn’t believe that her rational and so literal little girl could be so soft and bubbly on stage, but she was. In their homemade tape, her cries were muffled, but could still be heard.
After the play ended, Mel received a bouquet of lilies from her parents and smiled for the picture her father took, even with a couple missing teeth.
That night, she was sure she was meant for that. Acting. Being on stage. Being praised.
1999.
She was eight years old when Mrs. Susan pulled her mother aside.
“So, I’m friends with this TV producer and they’re starting auditions for their new family TV show.” Mrs. Susan said.
Helen stared at her for a second blinking, then nodded after coming to her senses. “Okay…”
“And there’s a role I think will be perfect for Mel.” Mrs. Susan reached out and rested her hands on Helen’s arms. “As soon as he told me about it, I immediately thought of her.”
Mrs. King bit the inside of her cheek and looked at her daughter sitting in the middle of the room, chatting with some of the other girls.
Theater had done wonders to her kid, who now managed to talk to everyone without being told to do so, and who loved to ‘play pretend’.
But was television what Mel wanted?
The following night, her parents sat her down and sent Becca upstairs to their room – They needed to hear what she really wanted without the influence of her twin sister.
It wasn’t uncommon for Mel to change her mind because of Becca. Not because her sister had requested, but because Mel had the biggest heart of all and hated that her sister would be left out of things just because she was in the spectrum and the other kids perceived her as ‘weird’.
Helen and Richard explained to Mel what it meant for her to do an audition for TV and what it meant working in a series. She’d spend about three hours working five or six days a week.
And for Mel, all that was a big Wonderland, even if it meant they had to move to another city. She’d be able to play pretend everyday and get her hair done – maybe even wear make-up!
So, the following week, Mel and Helen left their teeny town in Absolutely Nowhere Kentucky and headed to the warm and busy Los Angeles.
Mel glued her face to the window of their cab, completely amazed by the colorful lights of Hollywood Boulevard. Their hotel room was small, but it was still extremely glamorous for her. She started to jump on the bed and earned a shout-whispered “Melissa Anne King get down now!” from her mother.
The next morning, after filling her stomach with syrup-soaked waffles, and making sure she had all her lines memorized, Mel and her mom headed to The Pitt, one of the biggest TV Channels in the country.
The room was filled with moms and their kids. A few moms looked like madwomen whilst others just tried to make sure their kids knew their lines. That was the first time Melissa King realized that Hollywood was one big competition.
She sat on one of the plastic chairs beside a somewhat read-haired boy with big wide eyes like a deer, who was about her age. “Hi, I’m Melissa, but everyone calls me Mel.” She introduced herself to him.
He stared at her extended hand, looking a little frightened but still shook her hand anyway. “I’m Dennis.”
Mel smiled at that. “Nice to meet you, Dennis.”
They continued talking until Mel’s name was called, she stopped by the opened door and turned to her mom. “I wanna do this alone, mum.”
Helen seemed shocked at that but nodded anyway and sat back down.
At the table two thirty-or-forty year old guys and a younger black woman stared at Mel with amused faces. She walked up to them and handed them her picture and resume – barely any information anyway. “Hi, I’m Melissa King. Everyone just calls me Mel.”
The adults looked amazed by this little blonde girl with bows in her hair and gigantic heart-melting smile on her face.
“Hi, Mel. I’m Jack Abbott, one of the producers.” He introduced himself. “And these are Michael Robinavitch, we just call him Robby, he is part of the cast of the show, and Heather Collins, she’s our casting director.”
“Is nice meeting you, Mel.” Said Heather.
“You too.” She replied, grin still on her face and head tilted to the side.
She did the scene, and the adults still looked marveled by her. And that made her feel content with herself.
The following morning – the morning they were supposed to leave – her mom received a call from Mr. Jack Abbott himself, asking if Mel could do a chemistry-reading the next day. Both King girls did not hesitate to accept.
That afternoon, they explored the City of Angels and bought a brand-new outfit for Mel’s chemistry-reading. A baby-blue polka-dotted dress and white sandals.
They ate at a 50’s themed dinner that played the Grease soundtrack on a loop. They ordered the special pancakes and before they could eat a forkful of fluffy goods, Helen stopped. “Make a wish, Babygirl.”
Mel frowned. “But it’s not my birthday, and there’s no stars.”
“Yes there, are Melly. Make a wish, Honey.”
Mel closed her eyes tightly and wished to be able to do this forever. Los Angeles and breakfast for dinner with her mom and her dad and Becca.
The next day, she was more than thrilled to see that her chemistry-reading partner was Dennis, the boy she met in the waiting room.
“Dennis!” she exclaimed when she entered the room.
She wasn’t that fond of hugs, still, she allowed the boy to give her one quick and weak embrace.
“Hi, Mel.” He seemed less nervous than the last time they’d seen each other.
This time, they had a camera in the room, and the adults now stood by the wall.
The kids had fun doing the scenes and the adults seemed to as well. Mel and Dennis got along so well, their mothers exchanged numbers so they wouldn’t lose contact.
Two days later, Mel and Helen were back home and showered their family with gifts. Becca loved her new pair of fuzzy slippers, and her dad appreciated the bottle of scotch carefully picked by her mom.
It took a couple of weeks, but Abbott called once again this time saying Mel had gotten the role. The little girl was so happy she couldn’t stop jumping around the living room, overwhelming Becca for a second.
So, she stopped jumping and sat down on the couch, her cheeks still hurting from how hard she was smiling.
But that didn’t make her any less excited.
A few nights later, she left her room to get some water but stopped on her tracks when she heard her parents whispering in the kitchen. She stayed hidden in the dark hallway, eavesdropping on their conversation.
“So? You want to move our whole entire family to fucking California just because she got a part in a TV show?” said her dad.
“Richard, this is a big opportunity. Mel loves this, she’s so happy. And you and I both know we can’t separate the girls.” Her mom explained.
“We sell the house and take a risk like this, Helen? We can’t.”
Mel’s eyes started to flood with tears, so she did her best to go back upstairs without being heard.
Two months later, they were back in L.A, this time with Becca, but without her father.
Mel was a kid, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew there was a high chance that her parents would get divorced anytime soon.
Still, she tried to shove that to the back of her mind. She couldn’t let her parents’ problems ruin the ‘Hollywood Magic’ for her.
Back on The Pitt, Mel met Dana Evans, who would play her mother on the show, and Cassie McKay, who was cast to play her sixteen-year-old cool older sister. The show was named “Three too many” and would tell the story of Noah – played by Robby – and Katie - played by Dana – and how they raised their three kids in New Orleans.
Mel was more than thrilled to find out that she and Dennis would play twins, which meant they would have most of their scenes together.
And falling in love with the show was the easiest thing Mel ever did.
She fell in love with the sweet crew who adored her as much as she adored them. She fell in love with Kim, the lady who did her hair every morning and would add her so beloved bows on her braids and pigtails. She fell in love with how nicely Abbott would treat her and Dennis and Cassie while directing the scene and telling them exactly what he wanted from them.
But most of all she loved the cast. She loved every minute she’s spend with Dennis, it was like gaining another sibling – it was her first time having a brother, and his first time having a sister since he had four older brothers back home in Nebraska.
She loved Cassie and how cool she was. Even though they had a whopping eight-year age gap, Cassie never acted like hanging out with Mel was a burden. That made her feel like the coolest eight-year-old.
And she loved Robby and Dana and the way they’d sometimes parent her when her mother had to take care of Becca.
She even adored Perlah and Princess who played the family’s nosy neighbors – they’d give her and Dennis some candy in secret.
The pilot aired halfway the shooting process, and it was an immediate hit. Four million viewers just for the pilot and that secured them a new season even before wrapping the first one.
While Dana and Robby were busy giving interviews to every talk show imaginable, Cassie, Mel and Dennis would be in photoshoots or shooting scenes where the siblings scammed how they’d make their parents furious that week, or in Cassie’s hotel room – financed by the Channel – watching said interviews.
(“Are three too much in reality as well?” asked Conan O’Brien.
Both Dana and Robby laughed. “Well, uhm, our kids, our TV kids they’re angels, I swear!” Dana answered. The crowd and Conan giggled. “Taylor’s a devilish little schemer on the show, but in reality, Mel’s the sweetest girl.”
“Oh, but that Munchkin can be really persuasive.” Robby added and the crowd laughed. “Especially when she and Cassie combine forces, it’s almost impossible to say no to them!”
Dana laughed louder. “And Dennis, bless his heart, is always dragged into their plans.”
“We’re hostages to the most amazing kids. We love them a lot, and working with them is like working with tiny adults.” Concluded Robby.)
By the time they wrapped, they had become somewhat of a family. Meaning, Mel had the hardest time saying goodbye to all of them – even though she’d be back in three months.
She didn’t want to go back to Kentucky. She had just spent the past five months living in L.A, with people she loved, doing what she loved. They hadn’t even gone back home for the Holidays. Dana invited the entire cast and crew to her house for Christmas dinner, and they watched the ball drop on New Year’s from their hotel room.
After Abbott yelled the last ‘Cut!’ everyone started to cry. It was one big emotional moment for all of them.
Dana and Robby hugged and then engulfed all three of ‘their’ kids into a tight embrace. Dennis clinged onto Dana, not letting go of her.
Mel was in Cassie’s arms, sobbing, her arms around her neck and legs wrapped around her waist. “I don’t wanna let go.” She mumbled.
Cassie caressed her back while whispering sweet nothings. “Oh, MelBear, we’ll be back together really soon. You don’t wanna see your friends back home? Hm? Go back to school for a while. It’s gonna be fun!”
It wouldn’t be fun. Not without Cassie. Not without Dennis.
Still, she went back to Kentucky. She went back to her normal, ordinary, boring life.