Status: FIN (:

Weak, But Not Defeated

risky business

The next day Maddie woke up alone. Her eye lashes were stuck together from her cascade of salty tears and next to her in her bed was Gilbert, in place of John.

She walked downstairs and the house was cleaned up. John had done the dishes and washed all the bloody cloths from his head wound. Maddie smiled to herself; she wished he could be a jerk so that maybe she would miss him less.

She made some breakfast for herself. It was Sunday and she should be going to iHop, but she knew John wouldn’t be there so there was really no point. While she ate her cereal in silence at the kitchen table her door swung open and Garrett made a dramatic entrance.

“Oh, Maddie?” He called, carrying out her name in a singing voice.

“In the kitchen,” she laughed.

He walked in and went straight for the refrigerator, pulling out some orange juice. He took a drink from the carton as he sat next to her. “Hey boo, you look wrecked.”

“Thanks Gare, you look fantastic yourself,” She said, pointing out his sponge bob boxers and his bed head hair.

He smiled, “Want to do something today?

“If by do something you mean sit at my house eating popcorn and watching movies then absolutely,” she said.

“Why do you think I didn’t get dressed?” he wiggled his eyebrows.

She laughed and rolled her eyes as she washed out her bowl. “I need to shower really quickly,” she started walking towards the stairs.

“Oh, I’ll join you,” Garrett followed her.

“Oh, okay great,” she joked along. But when she made it to her bathroom Garrett was still behind her. “Go away,” she laughed.

“Come on, Maddiee! My hot water is broken!” he begged.

“You can shower after me!” She pushed him away.

“Let’s just do a bathing suit thing like we did when we were younger!” he said.

“We never did that!” she said.

“COME ON!” He began to take off his shirt.

Maddie screamed and ran into her bathroom. She slammed the door in Garrett’s face and when she felt him stop pushing against the door she backed away and turned on the water. But before she could strip her clothes the door flew open and Garrett rushed towards her and she pushed against him, laughing.

“I know you looove me, Maddie!”

“Not naked!” she said, planting her feet and pushing his shoulders. He gripped her wrists and she stopped pushing when she realized it was of no use.

“So you do love me?” he said, looking into her eyes. Garrett tried to make his joke sound serious but the smile pulling at the corner of his lips made her roll her eyes.

She reached behind her and pulled the shower head off of its hook and sprayed it over Garrett’s hair.

He nodded his head as the water drenched him. He smiled as she laughed. She finally turned the water off and he wiped his eyes clear, “You done?”

“Hey, you’re clean,” she smiled.

He grinned before he picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. He set her down carefully in the bathtub and turned the water on, covering her in ice cold water.

“No!” she laughed, “Garrett, please stop!” She couldn’t control her laughter. The cold water was hitting her skin like needles and it tickled her.

“I’m just getting you clean, Maddie!” Garrett said as he held her down. Finally she reached the faucet and turned it off. She pushed past Garrett and ran out of the bathroom. She realized she was dripping all over the house but she couldn’t risk getting caught by Garrett again.

She made the quick decision to take off her sweat pants, leaving her in her tank top and blue boy shorts. Garrett walked out of the bathroom and smiled as he raised his eyebrows.

He held a cup that was filled with water and when Maddie saw it her eyes widened and she rushed for the stairs. Garrett chased her down them and she ran into the living room and shielded herself with the couch.

“Garrett, this is a four thousand dollar couch and if you get it wet my mom will kill you,” she warned.

Garrett sighed and put his arms in the air, still holding the cup, “Truce?”

Maddie walked from behind the couch slowly and kept her hands in front of her. When she stood about five feet from him, Garrett opened his arms. She inched slowly to him, giving him a hesitant hug. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and she relaxed.

“Oh, Maddie,” Garrett said, talking to her like she was an idiot. They kept their arms around each other but she pulled away to look at him. At that moment he lifted the cup over her head and poured it into her hair.

She cringed as the water flowed over her face. She narrowed her eyes and jumped onto Garrett, wrapping her legs around his torso. She brought him to the ground and straddled him, she rung out her hair over his face.

“Gross,” he whined.

She smiled triumphantly. Garrett put his hands on her waist and rolled over, now putting her on her back and him straddling her waist.

“Now we’re both clean,” he smiled.

“That wasn’t necessary, not at all,” she said.

“That was our annual water fight, don’t tell me you forgot.” He pursed his bottom lip.

“Annual means once a year, Garrett, not whenever you feel like it. We already did it once this
year!”

He grinned, “You’re right, I just do it when you’re wearing a white shirt and a black bra.”

She gasped as she looked own at her completely see through shirt, “You pig!” she said.

“You whore!” he said, “Who does that!?” he laughed.

She shook her head, “I hate you so much.”

“Love you, too.” He shook his head like a dog, leaving water droplets on Maddie’s face.

Just then Maddie’s front door opened and John walked in. Garrett jumped off of Maddie and stood far from her. Maddie lay on the floor, shocked and very nervous. John looked at both of them, confused.

He studied Maddie’s bare legs as she looked nervously at Garrett. He wanted her so badly. When she stood up he snapped is attention to her face. He was holding a flower pot in his hand.

“Um, I broke your mom’s plant holder last night when I was coming in, so I bought a new one,” John said sheepishly.

Maddie took it from him. “Oh, well, thanks.”

“So, whatcha guys doin?” John swayed on the hells of his feet.

“Water fight, bro,” Garrett said casually.

“Right, right. Well, I’m going to go.” He started to walk out the door. Maddie followed him out and shut the door behind them.

“John?” she called. He turned around and didn’t meet her eyes, “It’s not what it looked like.”

He nodded his head and gave a fake smile, “Go inside, Maddie. You’ll catch a cold.”

Maddie was shivering now as her wet body reacted to the winter weather, “Thank you for staying last night.”

“No problem,” he said, still looking at his feet.

Maddie took a gulp of air before she started again. “So, um, since you fired my tutor,” she paused, watching John’s face turned flushed, “Does that mean you’re willing to take over?”

He looked at her and didn’t respond. He didn’t know if he should. He knew he wanted to. But he was getting good at resisting things he wanted to do. Like, right now, he wanted to give Maddie his jacket and hold her quaking body, but he didn’t. He wanted to be a tutor, but he shouldn’t be.

“John, I’m dying here,” her teeth were chattering.

He smiled lightly, “You can come over after you get out of school tomorrow.”

Maddie smiled and her heart fluttered. “That’s a very best friend thing of you to do.”

“Maddie,” John said as a warning.

She raised her hands, “Sorry, that’s a very John thing of you to do, better?” She was annoyed.

“I’ll see you,” he said as he walked away.

“Thank you! Bye!” she said quickly as she ran into the house.

Garrett was wrapped snugly in a fleece blanket, lying on the floor of the living room. Maddie walked to him and swiped it off his body as she lay next to him.

“Hey!” he shouted.

“I’m so cold,” she pouted.

Garrett scowled before inching closer to her, “At least share.” He snuggled in under the blanket. The sides of their frigid bodies were touching but they were both numb. Maddie closed her eyes, thinking of the one hundred and twenty degree weather from four months
ago.

“So, what’s up with you and John?” Garrett asked.

Maddie didn’t open her eyes, “We are no longer best friends.”

Garrett looked at her, sitting up. “What?”

“He says we were never best friends,” Maddie said, the sadness apparent in her seemingly uninterested voice.

“Yeah, okay,” Garrett said sarcastically as he lay back down.

“That’s what I said!” Maddie raised her hands in the air.

“Ugh,” Garrett sat up again. “It makes me so angry. Why can’t everyone just get along? Everyone needs to get over it and accept the fact that you’re in love with me.”

Maddie sat up in surprise; expecting him to say John. Garrett grinned at her and she laughed as she lay back down. “You’re completely right about everything until you said that I’m in love with you.”

“On a serious note though, I’m sorry John said that to you.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said, her eyes closed again.

Garrett wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. He placed his chin on the top of her head as her cold toes touched his. “I’ll be your best friend, Maddie,” he said sweetly.

Maddie looked up at him and smiled lightly. “I’d like that, Garrett.” She wrapped her arm around his stomach and rested her legs on his.

He kissed the top of her forehead. Maddie love having Garrett around. He always comforted her and it never meant more than what it was. She knew now that Garrett would be her best friend. Not the kind of best friend you fall in love with, but the best friend you can spend all your time with and keep it completely platonic. And God knows she needed that right about now.

**

“Maddie, you are not going to pass your AP Government exam with that kind of essay! You can’t BS this stuff. Either you know it or you don’t!” John paced around his kitchen, frustrated, as Maddie buried her head in her arms.

“I don’t know it!” she groaned. “John, I have five and a half months before the test!”

He sat down next to her, “If you want to get a five on this exam and get into Harvard then you have to start now.”

She lifted her head and rested her chin against her right hand, “Maybe I don’t want to go to Harvard.”

“Shut up, Madeline. You’re going to Harvard,” John said, looking at her essay again.

“You don’t even care that I’ll be living in Massachusetts? That’s on the other side of the country!” she said, offended.

“You can’t pick your future based on what your friends want, kid,” John said.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m a child, John!” She stood up. “Talk to me like a person! Like a
person that wants their best friend to stay in their lives.”

“We’re not best friends, Maddie!” He stood up to. He was sick of having to explain it to her. They had been studying like this every day for the past week and every single day she brought it up. She didn’t understand how much it hurt him to lie and say he didn’t want to be close with her again.

She huffed angrily and sat back down. He followed her lead and pulled out her folder. “What does the Rule of Four decree?”

“Something about four justices deciding what goes to Court,” Maddie said.

“Close enough,” he sighed. “I think we’re done for today.”

“Come on, don’t be mad. I have a test on Monday,” she pouted.

“Maddie, it’s eleven on a Friday night. I have plans,” he said.

She looked down, embarrassed. “Right,” she packed up her things. John felt bad for kicking
her out but he was tired of the small talk and awkwardness.

He opened the door for her as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Thanks,” she mumbled. John watched her walk down the stairs of the apartment complex and get in her car. When she drove away he watched as another car took her place.

The blonde walked up the stairs, clad in high heels and a low cut top. She smiled her perfect teeth at him and he smiled absent-mindedly. She met him at his door and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi,” she said, twisting her fingers with his.

“Hey baby,” he said as he kissed Courtney on the lips.

He didn’t like calling her baby; as a matter of fact he hated it. That affectionate nickname belonged to Maddie.

But he needed someone who would call him baby, also. So he led Courtney in as they went to his bedroom, letting her fill the missing piece of him that Maddie had taken with her when she left.
♠ ♠ ♠
So this is a definite filler, but does anyone else looove Garrett as much as I do?
The lack of feedback on this story makes me sad because I really, really love writing it.
Give me your thoughts guys, you'll put a smile on my face (: