Honor Among Friends (NaNoWriMo14)

Chapter 4-B

Several hours later, the girls walked into a busy burger joint. They ordered their food and snatched a booth near the back as they waited for their names to be called. Kelly and Avery talked about Homecoming plans while Madison pretended to listen.

In truth, her mind was on the FEC club. The official meeting was coming up shortly which meant she would need to steal something. Apprehension coursed through her. For the first time since sending that text message, Madison was starting to feel remorse. She wasn't a thief. She didn't have the first clue of how to steal or even where to start. She bit down on the side of her cheek and thought of asking Avery. But if she did that, wouldn't it be admitting she wasn't like them?

The thought of Avery not wanting to spend time with her didn't sit well with Madison. As much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed today. It'd been fun being part of a "we" again. She forgot how much she loved hanging and joking with friends. Alright, maybe the term friends was pushing it a little far where Kelly was concerned, but Avery on the other hand...well, she was a gem. She seemed to get Madison, quirks and all.

Madison was happy when her name was finally called—anything to get her out of her own head. She thanked the worker and picked up her tray. As she headed back to her seat, she heard a familiar voice yelling her name.

Carson was surrounded by a group of people. They'd taken a bunch of small tables and pushed them together to create one long table. They were wearing running gear and by the look of damp hair and sweat stains, she assumed they'd just come from cross-country practice.

"Maddy!" He waved and beckoned her over. His friends stopped what they were doing and stared in her direction. She couldn't help but notice one girl in particular looking her over. Refusing to feel self-conscious, she lifted her chin and strolled over.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Carson asked, sounding surprised but pleased to see her.

"I'm here with some friends." The sentence sounded so good to her ears she did a double take. Guess she missed having friends more than she realized.

"There's that busy social life again," he teased.

"You're one to talk," she teased back, motioning to his friends. "Do you ever slow down?"

His eyes widened at her flirty tone and then gleamed with approval. "I try not too, unless it's for a pretty girl."

"Lame line, dude," one of his friends coughed under his breath.

"Excuse my friend," another one said. He had shaggy blonde hair and a crooked nose. He was sitting in the chair next to Carson. "He usually has more game than this."

"Which one?" she asked, looking between Carson and the other boy.

"Both," he laughed. "I'm Seth and the moron over there who can't keep his mouth shut is Ben." He jerked his head to the auburn haired boy sitting across the table from Carson.

"I'm Madison."

"We know," Ben muttered.

Madison flushed. Of course they knew. Carson had just called out her name.

"Shut up," Carson ordered. He threw one of his fries at Ben, but he caught it and ate it in one bite.

"Ignore them. They haven't hit puberty yet." Seth gave her an appraising look. "How does a girl like you know a bum like Carson?"

"I'm on the newspaper."

"Ahh." He put his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers together. "And is our Carson a good editor-in-chief? I heard he can be a real slave driver."