Piper continued. “You are like Rory. You are much smarter than you let on and have that whole I’m such a good girl vibe. There is that boy in your neighborhood/school/whatever and you can’t help but to start liking a little more than you should. It could be that Jessie kid or Tristian.” “That Tristian kid was hot!! Let’s hope it’s Tristian. He has blonde hair and nice eyes like Kyle has.” Madison put her head down on the floor. “You guys watch too much TV. Especially that Channel 9 crap!” Apparently both girls didn’t hear her. “I don’t get my part though. Who likes me?” Madison and Cali fell over. “I can’t believe you don’t know.” “It’s Michael you dummy!!” Ashleigh was done color her picture and began turning it to another page, but she was having trouble finding one she wanted to color. “I think I’m dumb sometimes. You beat me though! Congrats!” “Huh?” Madison moved the crayons and coloring books and laid down. “Michael is head over heals with you Piper! Completely. Even more so than I am with T.J.” Cali smiled, “And that’s a lot!” “I totally don’t believe you. He doesn’t like me like that. He told me so.” Duuuhhhh!!!” Ashleigh shook her head like a little kid. “Geez. Like you would ever admit it to the person you like that you like them. C’mon.” “Still. He doesn’t like me like that. He really doesn’t cause of his brother.” “Eeee! I’m Jon. Eeee,” Ashleigh began doing her mimicking. “I doesn’t know how to dance or sing. I’m a really a horndog and I want it all the time. Eeee I’m overbearing… eeee you didn’t call me…eeee. I’m mad at you…eeeeeee!!” Ashleigh kept murmuring things underneath her breath, but Piper and all the other girls ignored her. “He just doesn’t okay?” While the girls were at Ashleigh’s, the boy’s were at The Wilson household planning a movie night. They called the girls, but their cell phones were all off. “It’s Cali. I’m not here. You can try my boyfriend’s phone. I’m usually with him. Sorry I missed ya!” “You have reached the voicemail of, ‘Madison Andrews.’ To leave a voicemail stay on the line. To …” “I’m not here, leave a message and I’ll get back to you.” “Doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doooo Leave a message!! Doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doooo!!” “That girl watches too much tv,” Kyle noted as he hung up his cell phone. Fred was reading the Sports Illustrated that was left on the floor. “So the girls aren’t answering their phones. What do you guys want to do?” “Eh. I don’t know.” “Just sit here I guess.” Michael stood up. “This is pathetic. We’re waiting around for the girls. This is remarkably sad.” The boys nodded in agreement. “Since when did we have to wait around for them. As guys, it is our job to have them waiting in the wings. Hey!” Kyle’s cell was ringing. “It’s Ashleigh’s house,” he told the boys. “Hello…Yea. I called. Oh, nothing. The guys and I wanted to watch a movie or something. Uh huh. Oh, at my house. Do I have anything to eat?” “That’s obviously Ashleigh asking that!” “You just ate though….snack. That was a snack. Just get the girls and come over. Bye.” He hung up the phone. The three guys looked at him. “They are all at Ashes’s, I guess. They’re coming over in a bit. Do I have anything to eat at my house? She’s such a freak.” “But a hot freak huh??” Kyle rolled his eyes. “Come on guys. You know perfectly well that me and Ashes are friends that flirt.” Tyler snorted. “Flirt a lot. It’s like second grade and you’re teasing the girl you like.” “You know that’s not true. I never teased them when I was little. If I liked them, I went for them. Who could resists this manly charm?” “I forgot. You were the kindergarten Casanova.” Kyle folded his arms, “Damn straight.” He looked over at his twin. “And don’t get on my case about Ashes. You have enough to deal with Madison.” “You guys for the last time…” Fred laughed, “We know you like her…everyone knows you like her. You are worse than Kyle is. At least Kyle pretends not to like her like that.” Kyle nodded at his brother. “Whatever guys. I think I just like Maddie like a sister.” “Don’t you dare turn our family into some southern hick job. You like her more than that.” The guys laughed. Tyler laughed too, but shook his head. “If Maddie liked me, than she would have said so. She’s not the type to just hold back.” “Well,” Fred flipped a page. “She is a girl. There is that possibility that you aren’t just one of her random crushes. Plus, she might be scared that you don’t like her back and that whole thing that we all work together.” “Yea. We can never escape from them.” Kyle moved his seat to the reclining chair. “Hellllooooo!!!” “Ashleigh!! You can just open another person’s door…” “Well, they should have locked it then!!” Ashleigh bellowed back. “I said, ‘Hello!!! Anybody home?’” “Downstairs.” Two seconds later the girls were downstairs. “So what are we watching boys? Some kinda porno…” The guys shrugged. Ashleigh rolled her eyes. She turned and went into the video cabinet. Cali sat next to her and looked with her for videos. “Hmmm. Hell no. Maybe. Too guyish.” Her and Cali continued to finger their way through the movies. “So what were you guys doing?” “Coloring,” Madison admitted. The guys laughed. “No really, what were you doing?” “Really. Coloring.” Kyle laughed. “You guys really color. That’s just funny.” Tyler agreed. “Yea it is.” “We have come to a decision.” Ashleigh held up ‘Ferris Beuller’s Day Off’ in her hands. She put it in the machine. “I love this movie. It is one of the best. The best!!” Cali took her usual seat of leaning up against the couch. Ashleigh giggled and sat on the armrest of Kyle’s recliner. Fred was on the chair still looking at Sports Illustrated. Michael, Piper and Tyler James sat on the couch. Madison was lying down on the floor. The entire group was sleepy, but it was impossible to sleep. ‘Ferris Beuller’ is not a movie that you watch when you want to get some sleep. It was especially hard because Madison and Ashleigh were laughing at every part that came up and talking about how it pertains to each person in the group. It was really funny, because it was true. The movie ended. Of course they had to wait for one of Ashleigh’s favorite parts which is the very last part. Ferris did his ‘it’s over, go home’ bit and the group decided to put in a another video because it was still early. It was only 10 o’clock. Fred decided to put in another movie. It didn’t matter, because everyone fell asleep about twenty minutes in. Madison woke up startled. She sat up. “Where was the clock in this place?” she thought. Then she remembered she had a watch on and looked at it. It was only a little after midnight. The movie was over and static was on the screen. She looked at all her friends. Cali must have left to go see her boyfriend, because she was no where to be seen. Unless she was in the bathroom. Nah. She was gone. Piper’s head was drooped on the right side, leaning on Michael’s shoulder. Michael was standing up straight but tilted to his one side. Maybe and effort to make Piper more comfortable. Madison wondered who fell asleep first. Both of them were in deep sleep. Madison yawned and turned her head to the reclining chair. Ashleigh and Kyle looked couple-ish. She was curled up against Kyle with a childish smile on her face. Kyle had a similar face, his head leaning on Ashleigh’s. They had their arms around each other. The chair was reclined, unlike earlier. She looked over at Fred, who sat in the chair, with his mouth open. Light snores came out of his mouth. Madison had to admit that he looked cute. “Where was Tyler?” She thought. She sat up and went up the stairs to find the bathroom or at least something that would interest her. She yawned. In mid-yawn she bumped into Tyler. “Oh hey.” “Hey you’re up. Everyone’s sleeping.” “Yea, I know. They look so cute.” Madison glanced down the stairs to the movie room where all her friends were. “You know. I’ve been to your house a hundred times, but haven’t seen the upstairs.” “Well…there’s really nothing up there except for…I guess I’ll just show you.” Tyler took Madison’s hand and headed up the stairs. It was true though. Madison has been in the Wilson house many times, but only saw the first two floors. She never saw the upstairs. “Okay. This is my parent’s room. Nothing good in here.” He closed the door and went to another door. “Kyle will kill me, but this is Kyle’s room.” He opened the door and led her in. “Try not to step on anything. This place is a mess. If you do touch anything, he will know. I don’t know how he does though.” There were clothes everywhere. For someone who mostly dressed in pajama’s, there were lots of normal clothes around. There was a dresser with more clothes hanging out. It had a mirror on top. There were basics on it. Deodorant, cologne, some change on it, some mints, and… “What is this??” Madison pointed to a picture and giggled. Tyler came over and looked. He laughed. It was a picture that Madison took earlier that year when the group was playing football. It was a close up of Ashleigh and Kyle in a muscle man pose. “I told you he would kill me. C’mon I’ll show you where it’s safe.” He led her into another door in Kyle’s room. “This is the bathroom. We both share it, which sucks, but we live with it.” Madison laughed. There wasn’t a single girly thing in this place. Unless she counted the gel and mousse that was leaned up against the mirror. Even those were ‘manly’ gel’s. Tyler opened a door on the opposite side of Kyle’s. “This room is mine.” Madison walked in like it was high-light of her life, like she was finally entering the shrine of her god. Luckily Tyler wasn’t turned that way, so he couldn’t see her gawk. She looked around. Typical guy’s room. It was similar to Kyle’s but not as messy. The wall was painted blue, instead of the green that Kyle had. Madison touched the stereo and the picture frame on it. She hoped to see a picture of her and Tyler, but the picture was of the group. She turned around and above T.J.’s bed was a shelf full of trophies. She looked at them closely. Soccer, volleyball, basketball… Tyler noticed. “It’s not a lot. Kyle lets me put his up here too because he would break them if they were in his room. I don’t mind. Makes me look good doesn’t it??” Madison laughed. She sat down on the bed. “And this makes you look even better!” She grabbed a floppy dog off his bed and made it dance. “Very manly.” Tyler sat next to her and took the stuffed dog from her. “No one makes fun of Mr. Woof.” Madison edged closer and took the dog from him. “Not even me. I’m disappointed.” She made the dog dance again. She felt like Ashleigh playing with one of her many stuff animals. She looked up at Tyler, which wasn’t far because he was only inches away from her face. Maddie gulped nervously. She hated how T.J. had this effect on her. If he was close, she got all nervous and full of tingles. He looked at her with the same look that she was giving him. He inched closer and closer and Madison closed her eyes waiting. He leaned in completely and for a brief moment both of them were completely happy kissing each other. Madison leaned forward and Tyler pulled her in. Her hip let out a sting of pang from being in an awkward position, but she shrugged if off without a moment’s notice. They have been kissing for ten minutes before Tyler broke away and pushed Madison gently off him. He scooted two feet away from Maddie, his legs over the side of the bed. She kept staring at him, confused. They continued to sit on Tyler’s bed in silence. None of them had moved an inch or said anything. “Uh. That was a weird moment.” Madison shook her head. She didn’t think it was weird. She knew the girls were wrong. Tyler didn’t like her like that. But then why did he… “MA-DI-SON!! Hellooo!!!!” Madison’s thoughts were interrupted by Ashleigh’s squeaky voice. “No, I’m going to find them…HEY!!! You’re such a cheater!!!” Someone knocked on the door. Both Madison and Tyler were happy to have the awkward silence broken. Kyle stuck his head in. Maddie could see Ashleigh trying to get through. “I found them first. I did. Not you.” Kyle rolled his eyes and looked at Ashleigh. She spit her tongue out. “C’mon Maddie. Hate to break this up, but Piper needs to get home. She has to wake up early and take her brothers to school.” Ashleigh grabbed Maddie’s arm and pulled her away. “Bye boys. Bye Tyler. Bye Cheater!” Then the both of them hopped down the stairs. Madison was far from hopping down them, but being linked with the human bunny didn’t help. Piper was already outside by Madison’s car. Ashleigh put her head on Maddie’s shoulder. “So…wanna tell me what’s wrong?” “Huh?” Ashleigh faced Madison. “I may not be the smartest person on earth…” Piper snorted at Ashleigh’s remark. Ashleigh laughed nervously at Piper, but continued. “Okay, so I may be the smartest person. It only proves my point that an unhappy Madison in Tyler James’s room is a very depressed Madison.” “You were in his room??? How did it go?” Piper came closer to the two. Madison sighed. “You guys…he doesn’t like me like that.” “Did he tell you??” “Yea did he? What happened?” “Nothing.” She looked at her two best friends. Nothing wasn’t going to cut it with them. “We kissed okay? And then he broke it off. He said it was weird or whatever.” “Ouch.” “Ashleigh!! Have some empathy, will ya?” Ashleigh nodded, “Sorry.” She looked at Madison, “Ouuucch.” Piper elbowed her in the stomach. “What??” “I don’t feel like talking about it guys. Can I just tell you tomorrow or something?” Piper nodded. “Sure. Take your time.” Ashleigh nodded in agreement. “Just don’t get mad or think too much cause you have to drive us home. I don’t want to get in a car accident.” Piper elbowed her again. “Gawd Piper!!! You do that one more time and…” “Then stop being stupid.” All girls got in to the car. Madison smiled, “I don’t think that’s possible for her.” “Hey!! Stop taking it out on me!!” She whined. “But it’s sooo much fun!!” “Whatever…u guys suck.”