The Boys Next Door, chapter 11
Finally, the next day came. Madison got out of her bed and walked across the ruff carpet. Following her morning ritual, she headed towards the window and looked outside. Everything was the same as usual. Same cars, same houses, same sadness. The night before replayed in her mind as if it were a broken record. She felt so bad for what she had done to Billie. Even though she barely knew him, she could tell that he was a great person. Someone to talk too. Perfect.
"Hey is that...?" Maddie said to herself, as she squinted her eyes. Outside, she could see a figure running around in circles, on Mike's lawn. She opened her window to see more clearly.
"What the hell?!" Maddie said, laughing. Mike looked up in surprise.
"Hi, Maddie!"
"What the fuck are you doing?" Madison asked.
"Running," Mike replied, still running around in circles.
"Running? Okay, it looks like you're playing duck duck goose by yourself."
"Haha, very funny," Mike said. He stopped for a moment to take a quick drink. Putting his water bottle down, he looked up at Maddie. "Okay, I can't take it anymore. What happened with you and Billie Joe last night?"
I knew this was coming... Madison thought. "Nothing."
"Ok, don't go there. Bill went there, and it wasn't pretty," Mike explained. Madison gave Mike a surprised look. "Now seriously, what happened?"
"Mike, I know you want to know, but I... I... I don't know what to say," Maddie tried to tell him. "I have to go. See you later." Madison closed the window quickly. She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't.
Mike stood there, staring at the window. "Okay, this is really weird. Something must have happened if neither of them want to tell me... I just gotta find out what it is..."
--
2:00pm, and there was nothing to do. Bored like the usual, Maddie signed onto her MSN.
"Hmm.. Hey, someone added me." Clicking the "add contact" button, she knew right away who it was.
-MSN Conversation-
BJA.Owns.You@hotmail.com Signed in
BJA: Hi, Madison.
Madison paused for a second. The minimized conversation window was flashing rapidly. She didn't know what to do. "I guess I have to talk to him some time..."
Maddie: Hi...
BJA: Okay, listen, before you block me, I want to tell you something...
BJA: I know why you were sad last night.
BJA: I talked to your friend, Hilary. She's my neighbor... I saw her last night and she told me about your phone call and stuff. I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but I don't care. I'll do anything, as long as you understand.
BJA: She told me that it was something to do with some guy named Matt... Who's that?
Maddie: .....
BJA: ....?
Maddie: Okay... Matthew was my old boyfriend. He was hit by a drunk driver outside of my house last year. When I rushed to see, I knew that he was dying. The ambulance came and took him to the nearest hospital. He was there for a few hours. I was with him the whole time. He was unconscious, but then he woke up. When his parents came, his heart monitor started beeping insanely, and the nurse kicked us all out.
Maddie: The last thing he wanted me to do for him was kiss him good-bye. And I didn't.
Maddie: He died just a few minutes after.
Maddie: Ever since then, I've never been alright. People would tell me that it was my fault that he died, and that I planned it. They said that I'd never have anyone fall in love with me because I'm a jinx, and even if someone did, he'd probably get into a freak accident soon after.
BJA: That's not true. Who ever said that to you is going to get their head shoved up their ass.
Maddie: Thanks...
BJA: ...So that's why you didn't kiss me?
Maddie: ....
Maddie: Yeah... I just... I don't want to offend Matt.
BJA: I see...
Maddie: I'm sorry, Billie. Maybe I'm not the one for you...
Maddie Signed Out
Billie Joe sat there stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just read. He wasn't sure what to think. Is she just saying that so she doesn't hurt me? Or does she really not like me? Billie couldn't think at all. His head was spinning with all these negative thoughts. All he knew for sure is that he wanted one thing. Madison.
Billie Joe ripped out a piece of paper from the back of his notebook and found a pen. He wrote down a few lines. It wasn't much, but Billie Joe knew this would be the only way to win Maddie over.
Look this direction, I know it's not perfection... It's just me,
I want to bring you up again now.
Forget all the disappointments you have faced,
Open up your worried world and let me in.
"Hey is that...?" Maddie said to herself, as she squinted her eyes. Outside, she could see a figure running around in circles, on Mike's lawn. She opened her window to see more clearly.
"What the hell?!" Maddie said, laughing. Mike looked up in surprise.
"Hi, Maddie!"
"What the fuck are you doing?" Madison asked.
"Running," Mike replied, still running around in circles.
"Running? Okay, it looks like you're playing duck duck goose by yourself."
"Haha, very funny," Mike said. He stopped for a moment to take a quick drink. Putting his water bottle down, he looked up at Maddie. "Okay, I can't take it anymore. What happened with you and Billie Joe last night?"
I knew this was coming... Madison thought. "Nothing."
"Ok, don't go there. Bill went there, and it wasn't pretty," Mike explained. Madison gave Mike a surprised look. "Now seriously, what happened?"
"Mike, I know you want to know, but I... I... I don't know what to say," Maddie tried to tell him. "I have to go. See you later." Madison closed the window quickly. She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't.
Mike stood there, staring at the window. "Okay, this is really weird. Something must have happened if neither of them want to tell me... I just gotta find out what it is..."
--
2:00pm, and there was nothing to do. Bored like the usual, Maddie signed onto her MSN.
"Hmm.. Hey, someone added me." Clicking the "add contact" button, she knew right away who it was.
-MSN Conversation-
BJA.Owns.You@hotmail.com Signed in
BJA: Hi, Madison.
Madison paused for a second. The minimized conversation window was flashing rapidly. She didn't know what to do. "I guess I have to talk to him some time..."
Maddie: Hi...
BJA: Okay, listen, before you block me, I want to tell you something...
BJA: I know why you were sad last night.
BJA: I talked to your friend, Hilary. She's my neighbor... I saw her last night and she told me about your phone call and stuff. I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but I don't care. I'll do anything, as long as you understand.
BJA: She told me that it was something to do with some guy named Matt... Who's that?
Maddie: .....
BJA: ....?
Maddie: Okay... Matthew was my old boyfriend. He was hit by a drunk driver outside of my house last year. When I rushed to see, I knew that he was dying. The ambulance came and took him to the nearest hospital. He was there for a few hours. I was with him the whole time. He was unconscious, but then he woke up. When his parents came, his heart monitor started beeping insanely, and the nurse kicked us all out.
Maddie: The last thing he wanted me to do for him was kiss him good-bye. And I didn't.
Maddie: He died just a few minutes after.
Maddie: Ever since then, I've never been alright. People would tell me that it was my fault that he died, and that I planned it. They said that I'd never have anyone fall in love with me because I'm a jinx, and even if someone did, he'd probably get into a freak accident soon after.
BJA: That's not true. Who ever said that to you is going to get their head shoved up their ass.
Maddie: Thanks...
BJA: ...So that's why you didn't kiss me?
Maddie: ....
Maddie: Yeah... I just... I don't want to offend Matt.
BJA: I see...
Maddie: I'm sorry, Billie. Maybe I'm not the one for you...
Maddie Signed Out
Billie Joe sat there stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just read. He wasn't sure what to think. Is she just saying that so she doesn't hurt me? Or does she really not like me? Billie couldn't think at all. His head was spinning with all these negative thoughts. All he knew for sure is that he wanted one thing. Madison.
Billie Joe ripped out a piece of paper from the back of his notebook and found a pen. He wrote down a few lines. It wasn't much, but Billie Joe knew this would be the only way to win Maddie over.
Look this direction, I know it's not perfection... It's just me,
I want to bring you up again now.
Forget all the disappointments you have faced,
Open up your worried world and let me in.
