The week passed by at an obnoxiously slow rate and was rather boring without Maddox around.
I'd planned to read books and basically do nothing all summer—but now that held no appeal to me.
Staying in the house day in and day out was getting annoying.
At least it was Sunday, which meant I had Sadie's barbeque to attend this afternoon and Maddox would be home tonight.
I'd heard from him several times every day—and he got antsy if I didn't give him regular updates on Sonic.
It was cute how much he worried about the hedgehog.
As if he was triggered by my thoughts alone, my phone flashed with a text.
Maddox: See you tonight. Give Sonic a kiss for me.
I laughed.
Emma: What time are you getting in? And, no, I'm not kissing him.
Maddox: Pls? 4 me? And we should be in by 10pm but u know how flights can be.
Emma: Actually, I don't.
Maddox: Don't what?
Emma: Know how flights are. I've never been on a plane.
Maddox: I guess it's a good thing we're jumping from one. ;)
Emma: I forgot about that.
Maddox: Don't chicken out on me.
Emma: I won't.
Maddox: Hey, sorry, I have to go.
Emma: K. See you later.
I set my phone aside and looked at Sonic. "He'll be back soon."
His little head perked up, like he knew what I said.
I opened the cage and reached in to take him out. After giving him a brief cuddle—which was hard with the quills—I proceeded to coo and tell him how cute he was per Maddox's instructions. Seriously, he put it in writing.
I set Sonic on my bed while I got ready. I changed into the pretty dress Sadie got me, fixed my hair in a messy bun, and applied some makeup. I didn't normally wear much—only mascara and lip-gloss—but I decided to do a little more today. I rubbed the foundation on my face watching my freckles nearly disappear.
When I finished with my hair and makeup I went in search of my mom. "Are you ready?" I knocked on her door.
"Almost!" She called.
I went back into my room to put my shoes on and gasped. "Sonic?" I looked all over my bed. "Sonic?" I moved some pillows around, thinking he was hiding behind them. "Sonic!"
Oh no! I'd lost Maddox's hedgehog!
I dropped to my knees on the floor, looking under the bed. "Sonic?" I couldn't see him, but then again it was so dark under there that I couldn't see anything...and I was pretty sure I'd hidden some Cheez-It crackers down there. Maybe Sonic found them and was having a little hedgehog feast. Did hedgehogs even like cheese crackers? What if cheese was bad for them?
Oh my God, I was going to end up inadvertently killing Maddox's hedgehog with Cheez-Its!
I grabbed my fancy new phone and turned on the flashlight—and seriously, how cool was it that this thing had a flashlight?
I shined it under the bed, but Sonic wasn't there.
The Cheez-Its were though.
"Mom!" I called. "Mom! Come here!"
I was really starting to panic now.
"What?" She stumbled into my room, her hair half done.
"I can't find Sonic."
"What do you mean you can't find Sonic?" She practically screeched. "Isn't he in his cage?"
"I took him out and put him on my bed while I got ready. I felt bad for him cooped up in that cage and I didn't think he'd wander." I clutched at my chest, gasping for air. "Maddox is going to kill me."
"Don't panic," my mom warned, "he couldn't have gone far."
She moved the pillows around, just like I had, but Sonic definitely wasn't there.
"Oh God," I muttered. "This is bad. So bad."
"Calm down, Emma," she grumbled. "Wait...what's that?" She pointed to the pillow I slept on which contained a mysterious lump.
"Sonic!" I cried. I lifted the pillowcase and reached inside to grab him. "You scared me!" And then I proceeded to kiss the hedgehog, just like Maddox had wanted me to. I guessed he always got his way in the end. I put Sonic back in his cage and made sure everything was secure. "You're not going anywhere now."
"I'm going to finish getting ready," my mom said as she backed out of the room. "Try not to lose the hedgehog again."
"Don't tell Maddox!" I called after her.
Her only response was to laugh at me, and even I had to admit that it was pretty funny.
***
"Emma!" Sadie shrieked, running towards me. I only had a moment to brace myself when her thin arms wound around my shoulders as she crashed into me. "I'm so glad you're here. I can't handle all these old people," she muttered, looking around at her various family members that were gathered in the backyard. "Grandpa keeps asking for potato salad, and every time we give it to him he bangs his fists against the table and says, 'I did not ask for this! Bring me potato salad!' And then he doesn't believe us that it is, indeed, potato salad."
"Wow."
"Yeah, I know."
I looked around. "I thought you invited some people from school."
She shrugged. "I did, but it seems like everyone is having a more fun summer vacation than we are." She threw an arm around my shoulders, guiding me to one of the tables covered in food. My mom had brought a cake and tea...iced tea this time, and not her traditional hot tea. "Whatever happened to that guy you went on a date with?"
I'd always shared everything with Sadie, but suddenly I just...didn't want to. Maddox seemed like a fairytale to me and I was afraid if I started telling her about him it would break the spell.
I was kind of shocked that she was just now asking me about him, since I'd promised—and failed—to call her the night of our first date.
"Uh, we've just hung out a few times," I shrugged casually. "No big deal."
She gave me a doubtful look. "Sure. Let me know when the wedding is."
I laughed. "You're crazy."
"And you've never even batted your eyes at a guy before. This is a big deal."
I picked up one of the paper plates and started piling food on it. "Hardly."
Sadie settled into line behind me. "We should see a movie tomorrow," she suggested.
I frowned. "I don't think I can."
She snorted. "What could you possibly be doing? Reading? Come on, Emma. Wait..." She paused. "Are you going to be with him? Mystery boy?"
I blushed.
"You are!"
"I don't know that," I mumbled. "And he's not a mystery."
"But you hope," she countered, "and he is to me. I know nothing about him."
"He's amazing," I finally muttered. "I really like him, okay? We're just friends, though."
"You went on a date," she reasoned as we headed to one of the tables to sit down, "so that means you're more than friends."
"It does not," I grumbled. I searched for any topic that didn't have anything to do with my own life. "So, who do you have your eyes set on this summer?"
Sadie never stayed with one guy very long, but she usually picked one guy for the summer and then when it was time for school to start she cut ties. "Meh," she shrugged. "Everyone hot is gone for the summer. Figures." Smiling, she added, "I'm trying to get my dad to let me spend the summer at my aunt and uncle's beach house." She licked her lips like she was already imagining the guys she'd find there.
"I'm sure your dad is being really agreeable about that," I laughed.
Mr. Westbrook was one of the strictest parents I knew, but it was only because he cared so much about his kids. He wasn't an asshole like my dad. In fact, growing up, I'd often wished I could have Sadie's dad. The kind of dad that would've thrown me up on his shoulders, taken me to the zoo, and just spent time with me.
She huffed. "He's being an ass about it. But I'm going to be eighteen in a few months, so I don't see what the big deal is. I'm an adult."
Calling Sadie an adult was laughable.
"At least your dad is looking out for you," I commented. "He cares."
She flipped her brown hair over one shoulder and peered at me with searching honey colored eyes. "Your dad cares about you, Emma. You're his daughter after all."
I eyed her. "He has a funny way of showing it."
"It's been two years," she said softly.
"I know," I sighed. "I'm over it, I am. But sometimes it's all too easy to get mad."
She smiled sadly. "Maybe when you get mad you should think about how much better off you are with him gone."
Sadie could be crazy. She could be loud. She could even be annoying.
But at the end of the day, we were best friends for a reason and sometimes she was wiser than me.
"You're right."
"You say that like you're surprised," she laughed. She stood and came around the table to hug me. "I love you, Emma, like a sister and I hate it when you get sad."
"I know...where do you think he is?" I whispered.
She pulled away and gave a small shrug. "I don't know anymore than you do, but wherever he is, I hope he's getting the help he needs."
"Yeah," I agreed.
My emotions were always a rollercoaster when it came to my dad.
I was so angry at him for leaving us—for not being the dad I needed—that if he showed up at our home today I'd probably slap him.
But another part of me was sad and missed him. He might not have been a great dad, but he was my dad.
And then, like Sadie said, I also hoped he'd decided to get help.
I might've hated his guts most days, but I still didn't want him to suffer.
Sadie sat down once more and changed the conversation to lighter things.
Soon thoughts of my dad disappeared, along with the light from the sky.
Once it started to get dark was when the true party started.
Mr. and Mrs. Westbrook had twinkling lights strung up around the yard, and music pumped from a set of Bose speakers.
"Come on," Sadie grabbed my hands, "let's dance."
I let her drag me into the middle of the yard, where her older brother, Sam, danced with one of her baby cousins.
Sadie started to dance crazily and I mimed her movements. We looked like goofballs, but I didn't care. I was having fun.
My mom laughed at us from the table where she sat with Sadie's parents. I waved her over to join us.
"No!" She laughed. "Y'all keep going."
I smiled and reached up to pull the elastic from my hair. I let the blonde strands flow around my shoulders as I danced and sang.
I felt like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon.
And even though Maddox wasn't here, I couldn't help thinking that he was responsible for my metamorphosis.