Too Much

Jack

“Dude, we’re all set up now for later so just chill yeah?”

Zack informed me, slapping me lightly on the back of my shoulder. Shrugging in agreement I swiftly jumped down off the stage as the music from the local DJ engulfed the whole room, people beginning to dance almost instantaneously.

Pushing through the mass of sweaty, grinding teenagers I spotted Maddie and Alex up at the bar, she sympathetically patted his shoulder before walking off in the opposite direction. Scratching the nape of my neck in confusion I pondered what was up with Alex, I decided I would question him later so with that my legs began making their way over to Maddie instead.

As I began approaching Maddie she hadn’t realized I was behind her and with my jokester attitude, I decided to scare her a little bit. It started with her hips, which were now my main aim of target; quietly I slowed down my steps making them undetectable as I reached out my arms before roughly tickling her hips.

“WHATTT THE FUCKKKKK DO YOU……..JACKKK!”

She screamed whilst she literally jumped six feet in the air, twirling around quickly as her platinum blonde strands caught loosely in her heavily coated lashes.

“Jackass”

She smirked playfully before nudging me in the ribs and playfully slapping my arm. She twisted a piece of her hair around her finger still smirking; I stared down at her lips. Totally unaware I’d been staring at them for long, I tried to pull myself together, yes right now in this moment I would want nothing more but to kiss her, but she’s Maddie she’s my best friend.
The club went quiet momentarily as the DJ decks quickly flowed into the next song…Usher’s Love in this club. Grinning foolishly over at Maddie, she eyed me suspicious before I asked her my thoughts.

“Maddie…would you care to converse with me on that little wooden dance set up?”

She giggled and nodded almost straight away, however I noticed her crystal blue eyes get lost, side tracked even, beyond my shoulder as they suddenly widened in terror. Confused I followed her gaze, I turned around and was confronted with two bouncers at the door, they weren’t looking over just happily chatting between themselves.

Maddie flushed a ferocious red as she hung her head down low allowing her hair to disguise and mask her identity. Allowing a raspy chuckle to escape my throat, I lifted her chin and looked her square in those eyes I’d grown accustomed to.

“Maddie, its okay you’re with me they won’t kick you…”

I began to explain but Maddie was having none of it, instead she shuffled on the spot and continued to shake her head at me.

“No Jack you don’t get it, them bouncers….they’re mine and Allie’s dad’s. They don’t know we’re here let alone drinking!”

She explained stumbling every now and then over a few words, she tried to get the story out as fast as she could. Sighing heavily, my body froze as I thought what would happen if they found out, they would almost definitely shift the finger of blame upon me and Alex.

Pulling my iphone out of my pocket I opened up the number pad screen and handed it over to Maddie.

“Call your mum tell them you and Allie are here…make up an excuse like say your battery died or something”

Maddie tapped in the number eagerly in a last ditch attempt to save her and Allie’s skin, she mouthed a thank you to me while she held the phone to her ear and awaited a pick up.

“Hey mum, yeah its me….listen I know I’m sorry my phone died on the way here. Well here, yeah about that I’m watching Jack and Alex play at Rock Cave down the road, Allie is with me. Yeah I’ve seen him around, urm I don’t know don’t wait up. I might be staying at Jack’s anyway with Allie and Alex”

My eyes shot up to meet Maddie, my brows knitting together in confusion and shock. She noticed my startled response and mouthed a rushed don’t ask before bidding her mum goodbye and ending the call.

“What was that about?”

“I’ll tell you later, but right now I want to dance!”

She jumped up and grabbed my arm as she rapidly tried to make her way to the centre of the dance floor. However still attached at the hands I hung back and Maddie soon realized, turned around to confront me with a pout.

“Jackkkk, come dance!”

“I’m sorry I will but I think we’re going to have to keep this dancing PG if your dad’s about”

I chuckled shifting awkwardly from one foot to another; she looked up at me with a raised brow

“Barakat! What on earth gave you the impression it was going to go beyond PG”

“See this is why you’re my best friend”

Pulling Maddie into a bear hug she desperately tried to escape but I held onto her good, she smelled nice…like vanilla.

“Let me go you big softie, or I’ll resort to hurting you!”

I felt her mumble against the fabric of my t-shirt.
“Go for it, I dare you”

“Wrong move……JACK ATTACK”

Suddenly I felt her finger poking into my side over and over again, resulting in me squealing like a little child and eventually loosening my grip around her.
“Told you”

Maddie fixed her hair that had become dishelved against my t-shirt before fixing her outfit and sticking her tongue out at me.
“How mature”

I rolled my brown eyes at her, before taking on a more serious tone, one she would listen to.
“I’m really glad you agreed to be my best friend, I know Alex is pretty close to me as a friend. But it’s just sometimes I feel like the odd one out you know? You may say I’m being stupid but having you and Allie here makes me feel like I’m not totally alone”
“Jack what have you been drinking!”

She laughed in response to my one moment of serious conversation I have ever had or started with a girl.

“Don’t joke Maddie I’m being serious!”

“Jack you couldn’t be serious if you tried, hell Charlie Sheen is more serious than you”

I grabbed at my shirt where my heart is to mock my upset over her last comment, she stepped closer to me closing the little gap there is between us before gently pecking me on the cheek. I swear my face surged violently with heat, and she must have felt it as she pulled away sharply at first, but then more hesitantly.

“I get what you mean Jack, you’re welcome I’m glad I could be there for you. But I wanna dance!”

She demanded as her urge to dance intensified as we stood near the bar conversing. She grabbed my hand in hers wrapping it round her torso and resting my hand and hers on her lower abdomen. Her dad hadn’t seen us still, but I was now fully aware of how awkward this whole thing had got, what if he did see us, I’d be dead.

“Maddie not that I don’t want to dance like this with you”

I interjected as she slowly and seductively moved her hips in a rhythm against me that quite frankly was making me go insane.

“But what about your dad”

I heard her sigh in frustration as she ran her hands through her hair shaking it up a bit. She rested her head back so it was supported on my shoulder before looking up at me with them baby blue eyes I couldn’t resist.

“Forget about him, I have, Heck forget about everyone, me and you…we can conjure up something rad on that dance floor”

She explained her eyes glazing over with a devilish tint. So that’s exactly what I did I began to move my hips in perfect motion with Maddie’s as she in return tightened my grip around her abdomen. This was going to get more than a little heated. But did that mean she maybe liked me too?

“Come on let’s take this to the dance floor”

I demanded out of nowhere as I whispered against her neck just under her earlobe, causing her to shiver in my arms. I chuckled to myself and grabbed her hand as we parted, only for her to remain stationary.

“Shit I left my purse at the bar with Alex, I’ll be right back promise”

15 minutes later and still no Maddie, I was beginning to worry I had done something wrong. Cautiously I made my way to the bar to see Maddie sitting down on a bar stool minus Alex, looking quite solemn yet angry all in one. As I approached I could see her glaring at a group of girls at the other end of the bar and on closer inspection I noticed it was Nicole, Sophie and that gang; but I soon understood Maddie’s expression and emotion the nearer I got.

“He’s such a dweeb, that Barakat he is never going to get laid. Alex however…”

“He is a class A loser, it’s just fact”

“Does anyone even know his name, isn’t it john? Anyway I agree nobody likes him the only reason I tried to talk to him once was to get into Alex’s pants”

They all giggled out loud in unison as my heart sank into the pits of my stomach. Not because of their hurtful and damn right rude comments, but because I noticed Maddie head in her hands seemingly just absorbing their comments, like…like she agreed.

Shaking my head in disappointment I began to retreat, Maddie didn’t know I was there and she never would. I didn’t expect this friendship to last forever, I just trusted it to be real for the time being, but I was let down or was I?

Because it was at the exact moment that my ears were filled with the sound of a screech of wood scraping against wood; Maddie had pushed off of her chair, full on storming into the group of plastics.

“That John…is actually JACK”

She used vivid hand gestures to illustrate the fact I was called Jack, as if it would sink in their brains any quicker

“And he has more heart than all of you combined. If you think slagging him off is going to get you Alex you’re more fucked up than I first thought”

They all gasped in horror and disgust at her choice of cussing, but she just rolled her eyes and flipped them off

“And lastly I’d be honored to have sex with him; he’s worth 10 of all of you. So if you excuse me I’m going to find him and dance with him….Problem?”

She demanded her chest rising and falling as she calmed herself down, before getting in the personal spaces of a lot of them. They all recoiled frantically shaking their heads. Maddie chuckled to herself before turning around and craning her neck, perched on her tip toes seeking me out….she didn’t have to look very far.

“Shit you heard all of that didn’t you. Jack forget about them their douche bags”

She mumbled slightly embarrassed at her sticking up for me speech, but I just shrugged and stared at her.

“Why did you do it Maddie? I am just a dweeb really, I’m useless and I don’t deserve people like you sticking up for me”

I replied, biting down on my lip to stop myself looking weak and broken in front of Maddie. She didn’t need to stick up for me; I should be doing that myself.

“I’m nothing special Maddie”

I finished slowly; she could do way better than me. She’s so pretty and what do I have to offer…nothing. Maddie glared at me furiously, I was actually petrified she might hit me, but that was before she stood up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear.

“You’re more than special Jack”

That was the moment it struck me that this friendship we had going was going to get a hell of a lot more complicated. Why? Because I think I just fell in love with her. I wanted her.

Beaming stupidly, revealing my full set of teeth I hugged her gratefully before intertwining our fingers to mold each other’s and pulled her down to the dance floor.

So as we approached the dance floor my hands found her hips easily as we swayed to the beat, my head was filled with instincts and nothing more. Another song swiftly started, a dance one, so I danced alone…bad idea. I made a fool out of myself and everyone was staring at me and my lack of dancing skills. I tried to stop but if I did wouldn’t I just highlight the fact I knew everyone was watching? I’d be admitting defeat. So I carried on watching nervously at Maddie who looked shocked to the core, she was embarrassed I thought.

But then again she went and proved me wrong when she started howling with laughter before joining in with my wild dancing in front of everyone, which was when I noted mentally that Maddie Wilson was something special.