What Maddie Wants

05 | Maddie

"What are you going to wear?" Jules asked Maddie, who was lying on her bed with her laptop balancing on her stomach, watching her second episode of Stranger Things that day.

"Uhm, probably my black jeans and off the shoulder top. Why?"

"Oh good. I wasn't sure if you had planned or not." Jules said, taking a seat in front of the mirror and applying a fresh coat of mascara.

Maddie decided to not tell her that she actually hadn't planned; she had thought of it just then. She liked fashion, but looking her best all the time, especially at school, didn't mean much to her.

"How long before we leave?" Maddie asked, pausing the episode. All the clocks were turned away from her so she tilted her head towards Jules.

"Half an hour," she replied.

"Ok," Maddie said, sliding her laptop off her and onto the bed before jumping up and opening her wardrobe. She grabbed her clothes before changing and walking over to the mirror. She tried to ignore specific points in her reflection; the ski slope of her nose, or the annoying mole near her left eye, or even her short finger nails.

Like every person, she had her insecurities. She didn't like to blab about them, not even to Jules, but sometimes they made her self-conscious, so she chose to ignore them when she saw her reflection, and focus on the things she liked about herself instead. Like the shiny nose ring she wore, or how her eyes were a dark blue rather than a deep brown like her parents, or the sparkly green varnish she wore.

"Ooh, you look nice." Jules said.

Maddie smiled, grabbing her eyeshadow pallet and adding a layer of golden shadow to her lids so her eyes would pop with her dark green top. "So do you," she replied.

They were both excited for the evening, only for different reasons. While Jules was excited at the idea of drinking and seeing other classmates outside their normal friendship group, Maddie was looking forward to the actual band. For once, it was a group her and Ren both agreed they liked, which rarely happened.

"You ready?" Jules asked, grabbing her purse and phone.

"Yep," Maddie said, grabbing her own belongings before switching off the light and following Jules out of the house. The caught the bus around the corner from Maddie's house, and jumped off twenty minutes later.

"Ooh look! There's Arty and Ren," Jules said, guiding Maddie towards their two friends who were stood in the corner, waiting for them in the cold. Maddie wrapped her pink puffer jacket around her tighter, the harsh wind nipping away at her.

"Finally," Ren said when the girls arrived. "I didn't think you were gonna come."

"Of course we were." Maddie said. "We wouldn't miss The Knuckles playing." Ren smiled at her as they made their way towards the doors and handed in their tickets Arty had given them earlier.

Once they entered, ten minutes before the band were due to come on stage, they found themselves a table right beside some of their school friends and set down their coats and bags.

"I'm gonna get a drink!" Jules said loudly over the noise. "Who wants one?"

They all nodded, Ren following Jules to the bar, their IDs in hand. Once they returned, Maddie grabbed her cider and they all made their way slightly closer to the stage.

"Hey, Maddie!" Alyssa, Maddie's old biology partner said, making her way over to her with her best friend, Samu, hot on her heels.

"Oh hey. I didn't realise you were coming tonight," she said to Alyssa. Truthfully, she didn't care much for her; she was someone she'd smile to in the hallways or offer a hello outside of school, but otherwise, they didn't interact.