Too Much

Jack

Sitting around the campfire I dazed off into the distance as I saw Alex and Allie make up, out of the corner of my dark chocolate eyes I noticed Maddie’s crystal blue staring in the same direction. Sighing to myself I wished for her to remember our kiss, I wasn’t that bad was I? Maybe she was embarrassed.

Perching down on the old piece of log I nudged Mike beside me, he looked rough I know he felt bad but they made up. We could all go back to being civilised with one another and forget this whole thing ever happened – plus Mike always does dumb shit like that when he was drunk.

Beside me I felt a shiver which brought my attention crashing back to Maddie – she was shivering uncontrollably. Possibly due to the ocean before, laughing to myself I placed my arm around her waist pulling her into my side, and warmth, of my hoodie.

Alex and Allie walked back over to the group as an awkward silence descended upon the tension between Mike and Alex. Eventually Alex closed the gap and held out his hand for Mike to shake – which he did, in a truce, turning on his heel Alex then made his way over towards me and Maddie extending his hand out for Maddie to take.

Looking at me for the answer in confusion to Alex’s gesture I shrugged my shoulders, removing my hand from around her waist she took Alex’s hand as he pulled her up off the log to meet him. Staring into her eyes with what seemed to be sadness; he engulfed her into a tight hug before whispering something, only audible between them two, into her ear.

Observing from afar I noticed Maddie wipe away fresh tears quickly before she hugged Alex back quickly and nodded, she came back and resumed her place next to me snuggled back into my side as my arm gently wrapped back around. Gazing up at Alex I gave him a knowing look; he simply dismissed my unasked question and went over to the other side of the bonfire to join Lipshaw, Patrick, Blake, Allie and Sierra.

The effects of the alcohol had slowly worn off, well me anyway and I noted that Rian had brought some marshmallows and some sticks so we could melt some over the bonfire. The night sky was fast approaching covering us in a cloak of darkness, the glow from the fire the only thing aiding our vision – it was perfect…until.

“Well I know dogs are loyal and everything, but don’t you think you two skank’s should maybe move on…It’s just a little bit, pathetic now.”

The familiar snarl of the blonde cheerleader I hated so much drew my attention, her tiny figure appearing in the light from the bonfire as a mischievous smirk played on her callous lips. She shot a playful smile Alex’s way and I shook my head at her desperate obsession with Alex, he saw Nicole’s attempt but ignored it like a pro, instead he laced his fingers with Allie’s as he wrapped that arm around Allie’s shoulder placing a sweet kiss on her forehead.

“Fucking grow a pair bitch, then get back to us!”

Sierra shouted being the furthest away as she rose to her tiny 5’3, anger raging deep within her wide, hazel eyes. Zack laughed beside me and Maddie before he got up and walked over to the other side, standing by Sierra in case the need to restrain her became appropriate.

“Little miss feisty thinks she can take us on girls, I’d like to see her try!”

Nicole taunted towards Sierra as the rest of Nicole’s cheerleading clones stepped into view, this could get messy. Maddie remained quiet besides me keeping her head down the whole time, she hadn’t seen them since they outed her little “secret”, and nervously she fiddled with the cuff of her jumper before leaning over towards me.

“Can we just get out of here?”

She whispered pleading with me through her baby blue eyes, nodding my head subtly I grasped her hand in mine and tried to escape the scene undetected. However luck didn’t seem to be on our side tonight…

“Ohhh look the little social reject is playing the sympathy card, exactly the same card she played every time she pukes her guts out in the toilet bowl…waste of space –“

Maddie slowed down and I knew she was going to either freeze on the spot again or retaliate, but both options were obviously going to make this whole situation worse I squeezed her hand reassuringly and we ignored Nicole to get to my car.

“Don’t fucking ignore me you bitch! Who do you think you are?”

The next thing I felt was Maddie’s grip on me tightening as I led the way before I heard a scream escape Maddie’s lips, turning to look over my shoulder Nicole had snuck up on Maddie yanking her back by her hair. Proving to protect Maddie and get Nicole off of her was harder than I thought as Nicole smacked her hand across Maddie’s placid cheek, however I soon had backup.

“Back the fuck up! Don’t you even dare touch my friends; get it through your sick head…I don’t love you and I never will. I love Allie you’ve met her, my girlfriend yeah? I know the only reason you’re making shit for all of us is because you’re jealous Nicole, you’re the one that’s pathetic”

Alex stood in front of me and Maddie as he held Allie back behind him protectively, his rant at Nicole soon came to an end and seeing the embarrassment burn in her cheeks she and her clones soon retreated and backed down. However the tears in Nicole’s eyes did nothing to stop an evil smirk spreading across her face one last time.

“You’ll regret saying that Gaskarth, you and all of your little friends will pay for that”

Nicole shouted over her shoulder before she disappeared off into the shadows, stepping out from the shadows however in Nicole’s defence were half of the jocks from Baltimore High, some I noticed were even in half of mine and Alex’s classes at Baltimore High.

“Really guys you really want to do this, I mean Jason you’re my bro for fuck sake!”

“I don’t want to dude, but Nicole puts up an offer I can’t refuse”

Jason and the rest of the Jocks took fast steps forward, Alex turned around to face me as he pushed Allie behind us into Maddie’s arms. Cass and Sierra soon joined there side as Rian and Zack followed our lead, Zack then proceeded to stand by me and Alex soon followed by Rian, Lipshaw, Patrick, a drunk Mike and lastly Blake.

It was like a build up in a dramatic part of a film that all ends within a few seconds, Jason charged forward swinging punches here, there and everywhere. Alex and I managed to dodge some of the first few swings, but eventually we got caught up with the other Jocks and took some beating.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth and as I licked my lip I felt a stinging sensation ripple through my body, rubbing my hoodie sleeve against my lip I noticed the large blood stain it left behind – definitely a busted lip. Alex came out of the fight with a red mark forming round his left eye, which surely and swiftly was turning a darker shade of black by the minute and Blake and Lipshaw had somehow both ended up with bloody noses.

Zack and Rian remained unscathed obviously being as they are the muscle and backbone to this group, while Lipshaw and Patrick helped a drunken Mike make his way over to the girls and keep them out of harms way.

With one last punch to the gut from Zack Jason finally backed off, running off into the shadows with the rest of Jocks. Slowly I turned around and Maddie ran up to me examining my swollen, bloody lip before tearing a strip of material from the white vest top under her jumper and dousing it in water from a water bottle that was left in the bag.

Scrunching up the material she ringed it out before pressing it gently to my lip as I moved my hand away from my lip. Wincing at the contact I pulled back a bit before taking it out of her hand to press it there myself, she punched my arm gently before I cowered in response.

“That was for being an idiot and getting into a fight”

She said out loud for the others to hear, I laughed and rubbed the arm she punched with my free hand. Maddie then looked at her Vans awkwardly before pushing up onto her tiptoes, her one hand placed on my chest as her lips reached my ear.

“I thought it was pretty hot though”

About to reply my words were cut short, the sound of sirens in the distance had captured every single one of our attention, as if we were hypnotized. In the distance we all could clearly see blue flashing lights making their way towards us on the beach. Nicole must have called them to dob us in – bitch.

“AHHHH SHIT. FUCK. CRAP. WHAT THE FUDGE DO WE FUDGING DO. GUYS ANSWER ME FOR FUCK SAKE. ARGH. SHIT. RUNNNNN!”

Blake freaked out and flailed around a bit, in all honesty he took my job. He was running around the disintegrating bonfire like a 3 year old on sugar, none of us even had the chance to answer or calm him down before he was running like a fucking monkey over to Rian’s car.

The rest of us shrugged before turning to run as fast as we could in Blake’s direction; Cass, Sierra and Zack jumped into Rian’s car before driving off. Lipshaw, Patrick and Mike jumped into Blake’s car and Allie, Maddie and myself jumped into Alex’s before he sped off and past the cop’s on the way out.

The cops followed us for quite sometime down the dark Baltimore roads, but with us being rebellious Baltimore teenagers we knew the shortcuts like the back of our hands. Alex swerved sharply down a dirt track, Blake and Rian in tow which led the blue flashing lights stuck at the top, getting further and further away the faster we went.

“Well thank fuck for THAT”

Breathing out I rested my head back against the headrest biting down on my lip by accident as I did so. Cursing like a bitch the others laughed before Maddie handed the now bloodied piece of material back to me that I had dropped. Luckily my clothes had dried out slightly from the heat of the fire from before, so I no longer felt uncomfortable especially in Alex’s car.

//

Alex drove for another good 10 minutes right down to the very bottom of the beach, at the other end you could see the faint embers from the remaining bonfire and the ant size figures of the police scanning the scene before leaving. Rian and Blake pulled up alongside us before hopping out and slamming their doors.

“Let’s all go swimming we won’t get caught here!”

Lipshaw and Patrick shouted before stripping down and running in the freezing cold water, Maddie shuddered beside me before covering her eyes while Alex covered Allie’s eyes. Blake and a drunken Mike followed, Cass and Sierra stripped down before running in hand in hand which meant finally a smirking Rian and Zack joined – fully clothed however.

“Coming guys?”

Alex smirked as he stripped off his t-shirt while Allie stripped down to her knickers and bra, Maddie laughed silently before looking up at me – we both knew what to say.

“Nope”

Popping the P, Alex and Allie shrugged their shoulders before running hand and hand into the ocean, the whooping and cheering from the others barely audible from the crashing of the waves. Jumping up on the hood of Alex’s car I gazed up at the stars in the sky.

Carefully I felt my body shift slightly as a petite little blonde jumped up on the hood to join me, extending my arm out Maddie leant back on the hood with me as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to me. It took all the strength inside me not to declare my feelings for her, she couldn’t remember, why should she even care.

Maddie and I sat in a comfortable silence as we watched the stars twinkle in the night sky, subconsciously I ran my fingers through her peroxide curls as she fiddled with the zipper on my hoodie, eventually resting her head on my chest.

Suddenly a bright flash rushed past the expanse of darkened sky, like a chalk line on a blackboard. Maddie perked up instantly a smile reaching her eyes as she pushed off my chest to stare at me, her blue eyes tinted with surprise.

“Jack! A shooting star…quick make a wish”

Smirking at Maddie I looked at the star shooting across the sky, descending higher and higher at a rapid pace. Closing my eyes and biting down on my lip I wished for the first thing that entered my trail of thought – I wished for Maddie to be mine forever.

Releasing my bottom lip from in between my teeth I carefully squinted one eye open to see Maddie staring at me intently, the moon casting a serene glow over her face.

“Done?”

“Yup”

I replied as she resumed her position on my chest again, her curls gently falling as the rising of my chest caused them to. Smiling to no one but myself I thought of how lucky I was, to have Maddie, to have the friends I did. Although I realized one thing…my wish might not come true, but it didn’t matter so long as she was always in my life somehow that’s all that mattered wasn’t it? My heart was telling me to give it one more shot.

“Madz?”

“Yes Jackabee?”

“You really don’t remember do you?”

Noting the scrunched up expression her face made as her nose twitched to one side in deep concentration, you could just see the desperation behind it. The way her brain was firstly churning through memories remembered or hidden in a last ditch attempt to try and answer my question. Sighing loudly she looked out to our friends before turning back to me, her mouth opening ever so slowly…and hesitantly.