Chapter 12

I wake up on Monday morning and, yet again, it's raining very hard. I'm starting to grow more and more hate-filled with every passing, rainy day. It never rains this much back home yet I come here and a day without rain is a harder to come across than a four leaf clover. As a result of the bad weather, my cousin got sick this past weekend and will be remaining in bed while I go to school. If I had my license, I probably would've asked my aunt to let me use Vivica's car but because I don't, I'm left having to walk in the torrential downpour. With an indecisive grumble, I look at my phone, which is on the dresser. Heaving a sigh, I swallow my pride and send a text to Maddox.

I send a simple six word sentence: Nice weather for walking, isn't it?

I don't know. You tell me. I stare at his response, sigh, and grit my teeth. He's going to make me ask him. My phone buzzes again and I find another message. Unless, of course, you're willing to ask me for a ride.

I groan quietly and send the message I know I'll regret: Will you give me a ride to school?

I have to wait an agonizingly long time for a response, and when I receive one, it simply says: I'll be there at 6:40. I thank him, put my phone down, and ignore the knot in my stomach.

Maddox arrives at 6:40 just like he said he would. I exit the house while fixing my uniform shirt. When I get into the car, Maddox looks at me with a smirk. "What?" I ask him.

"Oh, nothing," he says with a shake of his head. He peeks into the driveway and spots Vivica's car. "Where's your cousin?"

"In bed," I explain. "She's sick so she's not coming to school."

"How unfortunate," he replies sarcastically. I simply shrug in response and keep my thoughts to myself. The rest of the ride is silent.

+ + +

I find out my plans for Christmas break via text message from both my aunt and mother. On the 22nd, the last day of school before break, my mom's going to pick me up and bring me back home, where I'll stay until the third of January. Then I'll come back and stay with my aunt. School doesn't start until the seventh, so I'll have time to unpack and get my vacation work done.

I'm so excited and nervous about going home that I'm too busy thinking about it in last period to realize that the bell rang. I'm slowly packing away my things when Maddox speaks from behind me. "I'll save you the embarrassment of asking and assume you want a ride home," he announces and I feel skepticism building in my chest. Why's he being so...kind? That's word is a stretch for him but he's actually offering me a ride. Is he going to drop me off in the middle of the highway and leave me to fend for myself? Or worse, drop me off in the middle of the woods to fight off wolves and bears?

I glance out the window and frown when I find that it's still raining. I just shrug in response, and walk beside him as we exit the classroom. "Something on your mind?" he questions me after a moment of me staring at my feet.

I scoff in response. Is he serious right now? "Are you asking me because you actually care or because you want leverage over me?" I wonder with a dubious expression written across my face.

He rolls his eyes and shrugs quickly. "Fine, don't tell me. Not everything I do has bad reasoning behind it," he grunts as if I'm supposed to be aware of his good intentions.

For some reason, I felt as though I should tell him. Maybe it's because he opened up to me, or maybe it's because I just want someone to talk to and he seems willing to listen. "I'm going home," I mutter as I approach the passenger's side door, kicking at the mud as I wait for him to unlock the car. I notice that he's stopped fiddling with his keys and is now looking at me.

"For good?" he asks me with furrowed eyebrows. If I'm not mistaken, I hear a trace of sadness in his voice. Deciding not to revel in happiness that I'd be missed by him if I left, I shake my head.

"No, not for good, for Christmas break," I explain and he nods and returns to the task of getting us out of the rain and into the car. "But I'm nervous."

As he presses the button on his keys, I tug the door handle and get in. "Why? Aren't you happy to be visiting home again?" he wonders as he whips out of the lot at an alarming speed.

I shrug. "Yeah, but I don't want to get attached just to leave again, you know?" I mumble as I rub my hands together.

"How long are you going to be gone?" he asks with a quick glance at me.

"From the 22nd to the 3rd of January," I relay the dates. "To me, that's long enough to get attached."

"Are you going to school on the 22nd?" he questions with a tilted head.

"I think so," I confirm. "I just don't want to enjoy myself too much and come back here just to miss home again."

"I take it you don't like Harrington?" he questions me and I'm silent for a few seconds.

"No, I do, it's just that it isn't the same as back home in Warrensville," I reply. It's not home is what I mean to say.

"I think you're doing pretty okay here. You have friends and a weird romance with my brother; you're probably going to get this job," he lists. I stare at him for a minute before tilting my head back and laughing. "What?"

"Is this you being nice, Maddox?" I tease him with a small grin on my face.

With his cheeks tinging pink, he rolls his eyes. "Shut up," he bites with a small glare. "I'm done talking to you." He stays true to his word and lets the rest of the ride take place in silence. I don't complain as I try to compare and contrast my old home with my new home. We eventually reach my Aunt's house and he pulls to a slow stop. "I can't wait for you to go back to Warrensville."

"Really?" I ask him with raised brows. He gives me a confident nod and I let out a surpised laugh. "That's weird because I'm almost positive that I heard some traces of sadness in your voice earlier when I told you that I was leaving."

"Get out of my car," he groans as he tilts his head back against the headrest. I laugh, unbuckle my seatbelt, and open the door.

"Thanks, Maddox," I reply in a serious tone.

"For what?" he asks, getting over his slight frustration.

"Listening," I answer, "And being nice for once."

"Get out of the car, Olive," he retorts with a hint of a smile playing at his lips.

+ + +

On Friday, I'm dragged to the mall by my friends to take pictures with Santa. I know. Seventeen year olds want to take pictures with Santa? I don't complain because it gets me out of spending the day at home with Vivica, who's elated at the idea of nearly two weeks without me. Maddox picks me up and we drive there together. If you guessed that he's also against taking pictures with Santa, you're right. I learned halfway through the ride that Jackson and Nicholas won't be making it. Parker, Winona, and Cassidy will be. I press for a little more information from the new and improved nicer Maddox and he reveals that Raven is still keeping her distance. For some reason, I'm grateful.

When we arrive, Winona and Cassidy insist that we go see Santa immediately but the rest of us argue that we should get food first. Parker's nervous because he doesn't want to get dirty looks from parents as we wait in line. I'm guessing he's received them before. After we have a nice meal of Subway, we make our way to the Santa line and find that it's humongous. I look at the others and sigh. They're really going to wait in this line? Maddox seems to read my mind because he speaks up immediately: "I'm not waiting in this line."

"What? No!" Winona frowns with a pouty lip. "You have to!"

"This line is way too long," he rejects the idea altogether. "We're going to be waiting here for hours. I have better things to do."

"Come on!" Cassidy pleads. When she sees that I'm slowly backing up, she groans again. "You too?"

I shrug with a half frown on my face. "I don't want pictures with Santa," I defend my point awkwardly.

"At least wait with us!" Parker complains.

I shake my head as I examine the length of the line again. "Yeah, not going to happen," I reject the idea.

Because I don't know this mall as well as the one in Warrensville, I follow behind Maddox. Of course, there's a thirty-something foot gap between us and I occasionally lose him behind a group of rushing parents, but I'm still following him for the most part. I don't realize that we've arrived at the men's bathroom until we're standing outside of it. I'm a good twenty feet away from him but we make eye contact. He turns on his heel and slowly approaches me with his hands tucked in his pockets. "Is there a reason why you're following me?" he wonders.

"Me? Psh, I'm not following you," I scoff with a shake of my head. I look around at the empty hallway. 

"Oh, really? Then why are we standing outside of the men's bathroom?" he inquires as he leans against the wall. He tucks his phone away in his pocket and I make it a point to dramatically acknowledge the symbol on the bathroom door.

"Men's bathroom? I thought this was the women's!" I retort dully as I lightly slap my hand to my forehead. I swivel my head around in search of the ladies room.

"Over there," he points to a similar door across the aisle. I grow nervous as I stare at the distant door. If I go in there, he'll undoubtedly leave and I'll be lost.

"Okay, so maybe I was following you," I begin the backtrack awkwardly. He looks at me and allows his eyebrows to knit together. A small smirk makes its way onto his lips and I feel a little surprised at how much better he looks when he's not glowering. His green eyes appear amused and he blinks slowly, as if assessing me. My face grows hotter the longer I stare at him. I think he notices, too, because he let out a huff of air before looking away from me, silently shaking his head. "But it was only because I don't know this mall! I don't want to get lost! My phone is only on 27%! I'll use it so I won't look like a loner and it'll die, then I'll have to face my fear of socializing with people my age and ask for directions back to Santa, and who knows if Winona, Cassidy, and Parker will still be there? And I know for a fact that you'll leave me in a heartbeat if I'm not at your car waiting on you hand and foot."

"Okay," he confirms as he kicks off the wall. He starts back in the direction of the stores and I stare at him, wondering what I'm supposed to do. Do I follow him? Or was that his way of telling me to get lost? I'm surprised when he turns around and raises his hands questioningly. "Well, are you going to just stand there, let your phone die, face your fear of social interaction and ask for directions only to find that our friends are no longer there and that I left you?"

I think he's telling me to come with him. I slowly trail after him and let out an annoyed grunt when I see the mischievous grin on his face. "You're so dependent, aren't you?" he asks me when I catch up to him.

"I'm not!" I scowl defensively. "I just don't like being alone in unfamiliar places!"

"Okay, okay," he mutters. "Dependent."

I glare at him before reaching out and punching him in the arm. He seems slightly surprised so he nudges me back, which gets another light punch in response. This goes on for a while.

+ + +

"What are you looking for?" I question Maddox as he wheels the cart through the aisles of Target with searching eyes.

"Nothing in particular," he mumbles as he assesses each row of items.

"Then why does your face look like that?" I inquire as I stare at his side profile.

"Good genes," he grunts in response as a smile plays at the corner of his lips. I want to laugh but hold it back. He's not funny.

"That's not what I meant," I retort dismissively.

"I know," he replies as he abruptly turns a corner. Before I can ask him again, he decides to ask a question of his own. "Why do you always wear mismatched socks?"

"Because I like to," I trail, confused as to why that thought is on his mind.

"It's stupid," he states his unnecessarily strong opinion that no one asked for.

"I like stupid things," I concur as I follow behind him slowly.

"Explains why you like Abel," he nods as he turns another corner.

"Abel isn't stupid," I defend his brother. "And I don't like him."

"You sure do blush a lot around him," he acknowledges, which almost makes me blush.

"I blush a lot around everyone!" I grunt, slightly annoyed at the fact that everyone still thinks I like Abel. We're just friends.

"You're not very convincing," he sings as he speeds up down the aisle. I follow him angrily.

"You know what? I don't need to convince you! Who I like is none of your business!" I snap at him.

"So you do like Abel," he assumes once again.

I glare at him and let a groan rip from my mouth. "Shut up."

This arguing also goes on for hours.

It isn't until seven o'clock that Cassidy, Winona, and Parker get their picture with Santa. We've been waiting since three and they made the mistake of stepping out of line for a minute. They assumed the person behind them would let them get back in their spot but that person didn't even bat an eyelash when the three approached. That earned them another hour of waiting.

I, unfortunately, had to deal with Maddox for the four hours that our friends spent waiting for the jolly guy in a red suit and white beard. It wouldn't have been that bad had Maddox not been, well, Maddox. He decided to take a workers motorized cart on a joyride around Macy's and got us kicked out. Security was threatening us and he was only laughing loudly. I have to admit; it was funny and reminded me of the sort of things I'd do at home, but it was with Maddox, which made it irresponsible and reckless.

On Saturday evening, I decide to text Cassidy and Winona, who are both at the mall. And out of pure curiosity, I ask who's with them. It seems as if everyone is with them aside from me. Maybe I wasn't invited because I was asleep until noon and they'd been there since ten. When I ask what they're doing, Cassidy says they're shopping and Winona says that they're just walking around. I feel bad about not being invited but I don't think too hard about it. I'll be home before I know it and I'll be able to hang out with my old friends once again.

And on a lighter, much happier note, I got an email from Burger King.

I got the job.