Following Zach’s advice, Madison stayed in Carson’s line of sight during class for the next two days. She never approached him, never talked to him. In fact, she didn’t even look at him. She just worked in close proximity and the most amazing thing happened—it started to work!
His eyes constantly tracked her movements, following her when she got up and moved around the classroom. He also became more distracted, often stumbling over words or trailing off mid-sentence. And more than once she saw him start to move towards her, but then stop mid-step and force himself to retreat. But as wonderful as it felt to know she still affected him, it wasn’t enough. She wanted all of Carson.
Friday afternoon she pondered how to achieve that as she walked to Mr. Perez’s room for her after school detention. The first day she showed up in his room, she wasn’t sure what to expect. After stuttering her way through an awkward apology, the man pointed to his trophy case and ordered her to clean and polish each medal. She immediately did as instructed. It took her the whole detention, but each medal shimmered and gleamed inside the case. When she walked into his room the next afternoon, he pointed to the trophy case again and ordered her to clean them. She was about to protest when she noticed the watchful glint in his eye. That’s when she realized it was a test. So without uttering a word, she opened the case and started re-cleaning each medal.
This went on for the rest of the week. So when she stepped into his classroom, she was already prepared to start polishing. However, today he stopped her before she could take off her backpack and beckoned for her to follow. She trailed close behind as he exited his room and started down the hallway.
“I’ll be honest, Ms. Chase, I was prepared not to like you,” he told her, picking up his pace. “After all, you were a random student who chose to take something precious from me.”
“I understand, sir,” she puffed, her breathing heavy as she ran to keep up.
“But over the course of this past week you’ve impressed me. You’ve worked hard and took your punishment without a word of complaint. Not many students would have done so.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“This doesn’t mean I fully trust you, but since you’ll be with me for the rest of the year, I’m hoping we can work on that. So starting today, you’ll be helping me with my cross-country team.”
She stumbled at his words. “C-Cross-country?”
“Yes. You’re going to be recording everyone’s time as they come in.” He handed her a clipboard with names and dates. “I hope you understand how essential it is to write down the correct times. We keep meticulous records so we know who’s improving and who’s not.”
“I won’t let you down,” she promised.
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
Her heart thudded as they jogged down to the track. She could see Carson. He looked happy and relaxed in his running clothes. He was busy chatting with his friends and stretching his muscles when she approached.
Mr. Perez clapped his hands, gaining the team’s attention. “Alright everyone, listen up.”
Smiling, Carson looked up, but then did a double take when he noticed Madison. His smile slowly faded and his eyebrows furrowed together.
“This is Madison. She’s my new assistant.”
Madison’s expression was pained as she forced her lips to curve into a small smile as their gaze focused on her. Several snorted at her attempt, but she ignored it and kept on smiling.
Mr. Perez continued, “She’ll be helping me record all your times. So when you finish today’s run, you’ll come over to her and tell her your time.” After that, he went on to tell them about the route they would take and everyone forgot about her.
Well, almost everyone.
Carson didn’t glance away. He kept staring at her, his hazel eyes quietly appraising while he wore an inscrutable look. She gave him a smile—a genuine one this time—hoping to break through his impenetrable walls, but his expression didn’t change. Discouraged, she dropped her head and stared at her shoes.
Before she knew it, Mr. Perez blew his whistle and the runners were off. He told her to take a seat and work on her homework while she waited for them. Time passed slowly and it was nearing forty-five minutes before the first runners started trickling in. Dutifully, she wrote down the times.
When Carson came to her, she forced herself to act calm and composed even though her pulse was racing. Just the sound of his voice was enough to shatter the façade, but she quickly blinked and re-grouped. After she wrote his time, he looked like he was going to say something, but before he could he was pushed aside by Lauren.
“You’re holding up the line,” she teased.
“Uh, yeah, sorry.” He shot Madison an apologetic look before moving away.
Madison wasn’t proud of the names she called Lauren in her head, but good Lord! The girl was everywhere! All week long, she watched as Lauren hung around Carson. Talking. Laughing. Flirting. It was enough to make a girl crazy with jealousy!
Gritting her teeth, she recorded Lauren’s time, pressing so hard on the pen that it tore through the paper. She was thankful when the girl was whisked away by a friend. She was afraid if she had to spend more than two seconds in her presence she would start yelling.
It wasn’t until she recorded the last runner’s time that Carson approached. He stopped a couple feet away from her, putting plenty of distance between them. His stance stiff, he rubbed the back of his neck and said, “Hey Maddy.”
The banal comment seemed so out of place considering everything they’d been through. But she guessed that’s how their worked relationship now—trite pleasantries and awkward looks.
He looked over his shoulder to where his friends were congregated. “Some of us are going to get pizza. Do you want to come?”
Sadly, she shook her head. “I’m pretty much grounded till eternity. Not much social interactions for me except school and community service.”
“Right,” he murmured, his eyes flicking to her and then away. “I heard about that. Where are you volunteering?”
“At the local soup kitchen. I’m starting my first shift tomorrow.”
“That’s a good cause. Did you get to pick it or did they choose for you?”
“I did. Well, we did,” she corrected. “I talked to Avery and the others and we all decided to volunteer there together.”
“Yo Carson!” one of his friends called out. “Are we going or what? I’m starved.”
“Give me a minute!” he shouted back, sounding hassled. He turned to her and sighed. His face set in resignation. A sinking feeling took hold as he said, “Look, Madison I’m not sure how to say this but—”
An arm was thrown over his shoulders. A boy, whose name she remembered was Ben, interrupted. “Dude, let’s go. My stomach is about to eat itself.”
“You better go,” she told him in a weak voice. She didn’t need to hear the rest of his sentence. It was pretty clear what he was going to say.
“You heard the lady. Let’s go!” Ben started to pull him away and she whirled around and headed in the opposite direction. Holding back tears, she walked into the bathroom and grabbed a handful of tissues. She took a few shuddering breaths and blew her nose.
“You okay in here?”
Madison bit back a groan. “I’m not in the mood for girl talk if that’s what you’re after.”
Lauren rounded the door and walked into the bathroom. “That’s fine. You don’t have to talk, just listen.”
“Lauren, I really want to be alone right now and no offense, but I certainly don’t want to be around you.”
She held up her hands. “I understand completely. We haven’t exactly gotten off on the right foot, but just give me a few minutes of your time. I promise you won’t regret it.” When Madison still hesitated, Lauren offered a heartfelt, “Please. For Carson.”
“For Carson,” she agreed.
Lauren went over to a sink, turned around and sat on the edge. Folding her arms, she pursed her lips and admitted, “I like him. I like him a lot.”
“That isn’t exactly news to me.”
Lauren chuckled. “Well, it was news to him when I confessed my feelings Sunday night.”
Her gaze sharpened at her words. “Oh?”
“Yup. We were hanging out at a friend’s house and I pulled him aside and told him I’ve liked him since the start of the summer.”
Madison was taken back by the blunt, factual tone of her voice. “What happened?” she asked, her palms starting to sweat.
Lauren bit her lip like she was contemplating something before cocking her head to the side. “Do you know Carson had a big crush on me our freshman year?”
“He may have mentioned it,” she answered evenly.
“I thought it was adorable back then. He would stutter whenever he talked to me and blush if I touched his arm.”
“But you didn’t like him,” she stated more than asked.
“Not back then, no. He was my buddy, my friend, not a potential boyfriend.”
“So what changed all that?”
Her lips twisted into a rueful smile. “Ironically enough it all started with you.”
That was the last thing she expected Lauren to say. “Me? How is that even possible? You didn’t know me back then.”
“I was hanging out with Carson and all of our friends when I overheard him talking about you. It was a couple days after the first time you two met. He was telling Seth and Ben all about you. How gorgeous you were, how much you two had in common, how you made him laugh.” She rolled her eyes. “The boy wouldn’t shut up. Seth finally shoved a burger in his mouth just so he could have a chance to respond.”
“Really?” Madison asked incredulously. “I wasn’t exactly on my best behavior when I met him.”
“I know. I heard something about a laundry room and skeletons. I don’t pretend to understand but hey, whatever floats your boat. I don’t judge.”
Madison couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her mouth. “Not that I’m sad to hear about this, but how does this connect back to you liking Carson?”
Her lips turned down as her forehead lined with concentration. “Listening to him talk about you was eye-opening. It wasn’t what he said, but rather how he said it. The conviction in his voice, the way he described you with such passion took me by surprise. He wasn’t the stuttering boy I knew any longer. He had such confidence about him and I started seeing him differently. But by then, it was too late. You already had him. Hook, line and sinker.”
For a second, hurt flashed in her face. Then she quickly covered it up with a short laugh. “And the sad part? You didn’t even know. I became so frustrated with you. Every time he would invite you out and every time you would say no. I tried to change his mind by flirting and calling him more, but he didn’t get the hint. He firmly placed me in the friend zone and there’s no way out. I’m stuck there forever more.”
Madison gave a small snort. “Well, I’m right there with you.”
Lauren shook her head. “No, you’re not. There’s nothing friendly about his feelings toward you. I thought he was going to rip Zach Brewer’s head off the other day at lunch.”
“B-But he just told me…” she trailed off, confused by what she was hearing.
“Look, I don’t know what he said, but he still likes you.”
“But he asked me for space!”
“Which you gave. Can I be honest?”
“Please.”
“Carson is an interesting contradiction when it comes to girls. He’s bold when it comes to certain things and gun-shy with others.”
“I’ve noticed that. He was incredibly nervous while asking me out on a date, yet we already admitted we liked each other.”
“Exactly. Don’t ask me why, because I have no clue. All I know is that now and then he needs a little nudge. Yes, you gave him space, but sometimes too much space can be a bad thing.”
“You sound like someone else I know,” she muttered. “And I haven’t been giving him too much space! I’ve been around more.”
“Yes, but from what I’ve seen and heard, you’ve been ignoring him. He thinks you’ve started to move on.”
“But I haven’t!”
“I know. I see it in your eyes every time you look at him.” She uncrossed her arms and stood up. “My suggestion? Speak to him.”
Madison remembered his plea for space. “But shouldn’t I respect his wishes and wait for him talk to me?”
“Carson has always been the one to chase you. He’s invited you out repeatedly despite you continuously saying no. Don’t you think it’s about time you chased him?”
She let that sink in for a moment. Then she asked, “Why are you helping me?”
“Carson’s always been there for me. He’s a good friend and I want him to be happy, even if it means being happy with someone else.” She moved past Madison and paused near the door. “I walked away from Carson once. Don’t make the same mistake I did. You’ll regret it.”