Playing By The Rules

4. Jennifer

The chick flick that I picked was not a typical sappy romance. Nick stayed true to his word and allowed me to choose the film, so I repaid the favor by deciding on a milder movie. I didn't want to bore the two boys with a two hour sob show, though personally, that sounded like an excellent option.

Nick didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was quite supportive of my decision. That was typical of Nick. Even though this movie probably wasn't something he would choose to see, Nick backed my decision without second thought, mainly because he didn't want to influence my judgment.

Caleb, on the other hand, clearly wasn't too fond of my choice. He was muttering to himself when I announced the film we were seeing. It was hard to imagine the husky jock being a big fan of chick flicks.

There was half an hour until show time, so Nick and Caleb decided to pass time in the arcade. This was one of the newest theaters in Minneapolis and the facility was state-of-the-art. A row of coin operated machines lined the wall, a few shooting and driving games, a Dance Dance Revolution, and several basketball hoops. The arcade was filled with children and adults alike, mesmerized by the flashing lights and upbeat music.

Predictably, the two boys lined up at the basketball machines. It didn't take long for them to establish a rhythm. Basketballs went through the net with regularity and the digital score climbed higher and higher.

Madison and I watched them play from the concession on the other side of the lobby. With a drink in our hands, we sat down in one of the few chairs and made ourselves comfortable. As soon as I let my guard down, however, Madison began the interrogation process.

"Did you invite Caleb?" Madison questioned.

"No." I was surprised that Madison thought I was the person behind this. After all, I barely knew Caleb and our first meeting didn't leave the greatest of impressions.

"Nick." Madison sighed. "Did he tell you about this?"

I nodded, and Madison didn't seem surprised in the slightest. After all, it wasn't Nick's style to act in an imprudent manner.

"Why did you agree to it?" Now that the first question was out of the way, Madison decided to increase the difficulty.

I was tempted to tell her that the only reason I allowed Nick to proceed with his plan was his promise to salvage my manuscript, but Madison knew me as well as she knew makeup, so there was no sense in lying to her. Well, half lie, I supposed. The manuscript was important to me.

The other half of the reason was that I was genuinely intrigued by Caleb. Not in a romantic way, of course, but in a general sense of curiosity. He was so polarizing. For everyone who hated him, there was someone who loved him. For every Madison, there was a Nick. There weren't many people who could attain that type of status.

My thought process was complicated - I could be described as a classic over-thinker - but my answer was simple.

"I don't know."

Madison rolled her eyes. "You do know. You're just not telling me. "

I glanced at Caleb, who sent yet another basketball through the hoop with ridiculous ease. It almost seemed like he wasn't trying, but I knew that wasn't the case. There was a fierce competition between Nick and Caleb to set high scores, and even though I didn't know who was winning, Caleb's effortless technique gave me the impression that he had the upper hand. No wonder Madison said that Nick was constantly overshadowed by Caleb.

"There's something about Caleb that intrigues me. I don't know what, but I'll tell you when I do," I promised Madison.

I returned my attention to Caleb, who scored one final shot to beat Nick. The margin of victory wasn't large - the competitors were only separated by two points - but it was enough.