"Tell me everything. Everything, Nolan!" Madaline screams, into my ear.
Once she saw Scarlette in the driver's side of the car last night, she's been bugging me about it. Apparently, Scarlette driving me around is a sure sign that she's obtaining feelings for me. I don't believe it for a second. Scarlette was just being a good friend.
"Madaline, I told you everything. What are you expecting me to say?"
"Uh, that you two had a great time, realized your love, and are now a couple!" she goes on, and on. I ignore her, and focus on making us lunch. Madaline's parents forgot to leave money on the counter, like they said they would, so now I'm making us chicken sandwiches. Madaline is focusing on her fruit plate, like she's been wanting to since forever.
"Well, that didn't happen. Sorry to burst your sweet bubble."
Madaline throws a grape at me as I turn around, our sandwiches in my hand. She throws another one when the first one misses me. The second one misses also, resulting in her throwing a piece of watermelon. I don't think changing the fruit would matter, but I'll let her have her moment. I stand still, so the watermelon had a better chance of hitting me, but no that missed me too. Madaline slumps back in her seat, a smile now on her face at the sight of her chicken sandwich.
"Once we're done with this, you want to go to the skate park? I have some time before I have to go home, and study," I ask, Madaline, already taking a big bite out of my sandwich.
"Sure, I've been wanting to practice some new tricks on my skateboard," she answers, moving her fruit to the side.
She brings her sandwich closer to her, admiring the chicken like a love-sick puppy. I pick off a piece of chicken from my own sandwich and throw it at her.
"Stop trying to make love with it, and eat it."
"You have to admire it before it meets the big, black hole called my stomach," Madaline answers, drool practically coming from her mouth. She said that about every piece of food that was bound to be eaten by her. I rush her to eat it after her admiration takes more than ten minutes.
We end up walking to the park that's nearby, Madaline carrying her skateboard, and me teasing her about how she fell on her butt the last time we were here. Going to this park here and there is a normal thing for us; it's something we do when we just want to laugh at each other. I usually end up laughing at Madaline more, but that's mainly because I refuse to get on that death machine she calls a skateboard.
"You participated in a car race, but refuse to try my skateboard!?" Madaline screeches, pure shock coating her features.
On the way to the park I opened up a bit about what happened with Scarlette and I. It was mostly oohs and aahs from Madaline's side, but she hung onto my every word. She was still convinced that Scarlette and I's friendship would turn into something more which confuses me.
We were newly formed friends, and I've never been in a relationship before. Scarlette would want someone with experience at these things. That's something I clearly don't have. I didn't even know what she meant by 'chilling!' How embarrassing.
"Wait, who's that?" Madaline stops me as we enter the park. There's not many people, which isn't too surprising. The park is quite empty unless there's an event going on. Skating competitions, eating competitions, and more things like that.
"Who?"
"Right there!" she whisper-yells, her eyes looking in a specific direction.
My eyes trail over to a guy smoking a cigarette while flipping a skateboard with his feet. I look at him for a couple more seconds before humming, not really knowing who it is. Madaline nudges me hard in the side. My loud wince does nothing as she almost does it again. Why are we friends when all you do is injure me?!
"Scarlette's friend? We had lunch with them, and he's in our class!"
"Oh really?" I say, unfazed. "Let's go say hello."
I don't get very far, as Madaline has a death grip on my poor arm. She looks at me like I'm psycho with the way her eyes are as wide as donuts.
"Are you crazy!?" she questions.
"No?"
"We can't just walk up to him!"
"Why not?"
"Because...because!"
My eyes look towards Jackson, then to Madaline, then back at Jackson. Madaline continues on her stuttering rant, not giving me any room talk. She interrupts me when I try telling her he saw us. She interrupts me when he gets up from his spot. She also interrupts me when he begins to walk our way.
"Hey, Madaline."
"What?"
"He's walking over here as we speak. Well, as you speak."
Madaline quickly starts to freak out. I watch in clear confusion with a little bit of amusement. She fixes her hair a thousand times, and asks me if her teeth is 'Mr Clean white'. My answer was yes, but then she called me a liar and a people pleaser. Next time I'll just tell her that her teeth resemble a rotten grape. Our mini-argument is interrupted by none other than Jackson.
"Hey."
"Hey," I cut Madaline off, a smile replacing my small frown.
Jackson is a friend of Scarlette, and he seemed nice during the small time we hung out at school. There's no reason for me to not like him. I think Madaline likes him a little more than I do. I don't know if it's the way she's twirling her hair, or the way she's batting her eyelashes with a smile to match. Jackson looks at her and after a minute of silence, he turns back to me.
"How was the race last night?"
My eyes widen in shock, but not for long as I remember that he's the one who told Scarlette about it.
"It was good, Scarlette won. The other racers were so behind her, it was crazy! I did think I was going to die at some point, but here I am! Still alive!" I continue to ramble, but Jackson makes no move to stop me.
"So you had fun," he says, when I'm done.
"Yes," I exclaim.
Jackson nods, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He takes one of them out before flicking at the piece of metal that still hung around my neck. I stop it from swinging by grabbing it, and all that does is earn me a smirk from the person that flicked it.
"She give that to you?"
"Yes..."
"Interesting," he says, "you skateboard?"
Madaline takes that as her cue to join the conversation. I'm glad she did because I don't know what Jackson was hinting at, and I didn't really want to find out.
"I do, I'm trying to get Nolan to try it out," Madaline speaks up. The two talk as we walk over to a bench that's near a ramp.
They do their whole skating thing while I sit and watch. It's better being here and injury free than over there, breaking bones. I'm glad Madaline has someone to do this with though. I know she's thankful that I entertain her skating activities, but I know she wishes I would actually join. It won't happen anytime soon, but I still feel bad.
My thoughts are cut short when my phone rings, playing my least favorite ringtone. I immediately answer it, not wanting to hear the tune any longer.
"Hello?"
"Nolan, where are you? You have school tomorrow, and your teacher informed me of a test. You should be home, studying." Of course it's my mom, and of course that's what she's calling me about.
"I'm at Madaline's, well at the park right now. I didn't want to be alone, so her parents picked me up last night. Is that a problem?"
"No, of course not. We love Madaline, and her parents. Your dad is coming to pick you up, send him the address of the park."
I say okay, and we end the call. Madaline walks over to me with curiosity and I tell her that it was just my parents. We wait on the bench for my dad to come, which doesn't take too long. He must've already been driving. I hug Madaline goodbye while Jackson just nods me off. My dad looks impatient, and doesn't waste any time driving off.
"Who was the boy?"
"Jackson?"
"I guess so. Is he a church boy? His choice of clothing seems unreasonable along with all those piercings."
I stay quiet as my dad lists all the things he doesn't like about my new friend. The truth is I don't even know the answer to his questions. Jackson may be a church kid regardless of his clothes and face- wear.
"Nolan? Did you hear me talking?"
"Yes, dad, and I don't know."
He frowns at my response, and stays quiet during the rest of the ride. I don't doubt he's going to tell mom about this, he tells her all his complaints in hopes that she'll do something about it. It's all he ever does and there's not a single thing I can do about it.
Sometimes I wish my parents weren't huge christians, and sometimes I wish my dad wasn't my dad.