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Madeline's POV

If Pepito was trying to make me jealous...he really was doing a good job. Hours went by in the hazy French sunlight and he continued to flirt mercilessly with all my friends. Brilliant. I just wanted to go home.

Sulking, I finished my drawing and set the pad in the grass. Oh who cares about dumb Pepito. Aggie tapped my shoulder.

"Madeline? Are you okay?" she asked nasally, why did she always sound like she had a cold? I nodded miserably, packing my stuff up. It was time to leave.

Pepito led the way home, a girl on each arm. Our eyes met for a second but then his flicked away as he whispered something to Chloe's ear. She giggled batting her eyelashes and looking at me.

I clenched my fist restraining myself. When we finally made it back to our vine covered house, all the girls waved by to Pepito longingly. As if he didn't live RIGHT NEXT DOOR. After every girl had went inside I ran after Pepito who was halfway to his motorbike.

He slowed his gait hearing my shoes tap the ground behind him.

"Yes Madeline. Is there something you need?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips. That only made me angrier.

"What were you saying back there!? I'm not jealous Pepito. If you think I am then you have another thing coming!" I said shaking a glove covered fist at him. He smirked taking my hand and bringing it closer to his tan face.

I yanked it away. "What are you DOING you bad hat?" I asked incredulously.

"I was seeing if your gloves were softer than the ones I got you. And they're not." He laughed starting to walk backwards to his bike. I grit my teeth digging my heel into the lawn.

"Pepito WHEN will you stop being so...so..." I looked for the word. "STUPID!" I yelled feeling embarrassed. He stopped walking and looked at me emotionlessly.

"Tonight. Meet me tonight outside of the shed, if you dare." he challenged. I shot him a look.

"Pepito you must have rocks in your head if you think that I..." I trailed off looking at what he pulled from his pocket. My embroidered handkerchief!! He waved it like a flag.

"Come tonight. Please?" he asked. I looked back the house, seeing Mrs. Clavel's ashen face in the window.

"No." I said turning on my heel and walking away.

I refused to look like one of those girls that he managed to weasel into his abode every night.
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That night before I went to sleep, I heard something against the window of me and my schoolmates room. Aggie looked to me sliding into bed.

"Did you her that Madeline?" she asked rubbing a hand under her nose. I scrunched my own nose pulling my robe on and getting out of bed. I went to the window looking out and seeing nothing. Suddenly, a pebble flew at the window with a muffled tap and there was a whistle.

Making sure none of the girls had come into the room from the bathroom, I cracked the window looking to the ground. Pepito was standing there, bike keys in hand.

"Come down!" he hissed. Aggie came over leaning out, her brown hair whipping around her face.

"Is that Pepito?" she asked incredulously. I turned to her putting a hand to her mouth. Her eyes were wide.

"Aggie, please don't tell." I pleaded hearing Pepito call my name again. Aggie shook her head rapidly.

"You're not going right?" she asked dumbly when I removedly hand, her watery blue eyes worried.

"Madeline! Come on!" he said. I ran to my bed taking out my 'recreation clothes' that miss Clavel had made for when we weren't in class.

I pulled my nightgown off flinging it on the floor. Aggie motioned to Pepito to hold on. She came over helping me tug the light brown sundress. I pulled on my shoes and smoothed down my hair as Nicole walked in.

"What's going on?" She asked confused. I brushed past her.

"Oh nothing." I said defiantly racing down the stairs.

"Madeline? Is that you?" I heard someone call behind me as I ran out of the house and shut the door quietly behind me. Pepito ran up to me taking my arm.

"Come quickly, and don't make a sound." he whispered taking my wrist and taking me into the night. We climbed over to his estate, his vespa was sitting waiting. He tossed me a helmet.

"Have you ever been on one of these?" he asked putting his on and starting the machine. I shook my head, feeling a bit stupid for running off with Pepito. But then I remembered girls like Chloe and Nicole and climbed onto the vespa wrapping my arms around his waist. It felt very wrong to be wrapping my legs around him in this fashion and I blushed for even thinking about it.

"Just go."

I squeezed my eyes tight and he accelerated the engine going fast out of his driveway and onto the street. Burying my face into his jacket I felt the wind rip through my hair like a fine toothed comb. His jacket smelled of gasoline and almonds, like fresh pavement after its laid down.

"You're suffocating me Madeline, don't worry okay?" he reassured me over the sound of the vespa's motor. "I won't let you fall." I loosened my grip and opened my eyes looking to the murky night sky. The city lights rushed by like watercolor running down a canvas. I almost giggled at how I must look to passerby's.

They might talk about me to Miss Clavel...they might assume things...

"Where are we going? I thought you were plotting to lure me to the shed, I want my handkerchief by the way." I yelled as he hit a bump and almost sent me flying. But like he promised, he didn't let me fall.

"I have another birthday gift for you." I instantly felt bad for not wearing his gloves, if only he knew that I felt as if they were too pretty to ruin.

Pepito arrived in a shadowy part of Paris, where there were still cobbled stone and sagging buildings. He parked in front of what looked like a brothel. I looked up at its tall windows and swallowed, feeling stupid in my plain brown dress. Where were we?

Pepito put out a hand for me to hold on to as I slid off of the vespa seat, they were rough and callused, compared to my hands. I could feel rain coming from far away, they heather glow from the flat above beckoning for us to come in. A group of men escorted s few very drunken women into the building and paid Pepito and I no mind. When the door opened I heard jazz music tumble out into the street with an almost palpable thrum.

A woman sidled up to me, the buttons on the top of her dress popping apart.

"Come on in kids." She said pulling a flask from her bosom and handing it to Pepito. "The band's swingin' tonight." She said in a thick French accent, it was as if someone had given her an American phrases handbook. She probably picked up some slang from the American soldiers that had inhabited Paris because of the second World war.

To my curious surprise, Pepito raised the flask to his mouth and swigged from it, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and giving the flask back to the stranger.

"You heard the lady, lets go!" He said bounding off to the door to open it for me.

Pepito's POV

Madeline looked astounded at the fact that I just drank after the barfly, like she had never seen anything like it. It was funny. As soon as we stepped into the nightclub, I realized that the woman was right, the band was hopping. Couples swung and flipped and jigged to Choo Choo Ch'Boogie by Louis Jordan and his Tympany. Madeline looked around in awe, as women snickered at her from behind a cloud of smoke from their cigarettes.

"Just got out of the baby sing sing honey?" One woman cackled as we passed her to get to the bar, but Madeline didn't hear, she merely smiled at the trumpeter who blared his instrument in her direction. I popped a cig from a box in my pocket and watched as a daring couple danced the dirty. I bet she's never seen anything like this, I wondered, remembering how she would frown profusely at things like this when she was a kid.

She sat at the bar while I stood and puffed thoughtfully. The bartender came up to her, winking and looking her over.

"Whaddaya want kid?" He asked boldly. Madeline looked at me for a second and them rested her arms on the counter.

"A Shirley Temple on the rocks." She said keeping eye contact. The bartender nodded and disappeared.

"So what do you think?" I asked her as a pincurled blonde made a kissy face at me, I tore my gaze away and looked down at Madeline, who raised an eyebrow.

"It's different. Definately not one of Miss Clavel's parties." She pursed her lips and took the drink the bartender handed to her. She sipped it, taking the cherry out and sliding it into her mouth, pulling the stem out and smiling. I looked away as the band started another song.

"We're taking it back a few years everyone, we're going to Sing Sing! Benny Goodman doesn't have anything on me!" The performer said as the band began. Madelines eyes lit up.

"I LOVE this song!" She said. I took her by the waist and pulled her off the chair. Her stick thin hair flailed as I spun her in a circle.

"Then lets dance, you and me."

I saw a lump in her throat bob and then she nodded. It was then that I noticed past her, Evette watching from the corner, her red lips in a tight thin line.