Love That Never Left

After Mady walks inside her house she realizes she has some homework that she could do since she wasn’t doing anything and since she might as well get it done now so she won’t have to do it the day before it was due. Since she isn’t used to the weather she grabs her history book and makes her way over to her front lawn to lie down and begin reading for her class so she won’t have to do it later.

Zach, unlike Mady, decides he wants to hang and have fun so he grabs his rollerblades and heads out to skate around the block, and even decides to pass Mady’s house. When he passes her house he is surprised to see her lying on her stomach with her earbuds in reading her history text book. Zach smiles realizing how beautiful she looks and decides to go and talk to her considering the homework she is doing is not due the next day.

“Hi”

Mady is startled hearing Zach through her music so she turns it off and looks up at him and says, “Hi yourself.”

“What’s up?”

“History, clearly. What up with you?”

“Rollerblading alone. Rollerblading alone is no fun.” He says hinting to her.

“Well I would come with you, but I can’t rollerblade, sorry my friend.”

“I can teach you.”

“I don’t have blades.”

“I’m sure I have some old ones you can use. Hang on.” He says not taking no for an answer. He races home before she can reply finding an old pair of skates he thinks will fit her and then dashing back to her.

“Here, try these on.”

“Alright…”

“Do they fit?”

“Yes, but I hope you aren’t expecting me to stand in them…”

“Come on, I’ll help you.” He says grabbing her hands to help her get up and to keep her up.

Then the two begin to rollerblade, Zach constantly helping, teaching, and helping her when she falls. After some time passes she finally gets the hang of it and is proud of herself as is Zach.

“Hey want to skate over to In-and-Out for dinner since you have been deprived over there in the mid-west of the amazingness of the place.”

Mady laughs before nodding her head in agreement.

The two arrive at In-and-Out burger and order their food. Zach is pleasantly surprised that Mady knows about the secret menu and orders her burger animal style.

“So what is your favorite part about Chicago?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I love the water tower, not the mall, but the actual building that survived the Chicago fire. I don’t know I’ve always had an interest in that fire. It may partially be because the cause of the fire is a mystery.”

“I thought it was all the cow’s fault.”

“No, not necessarily. The fire did start in that area, but everyone said it was Mrs. O’Leary’s cow because people did not like Irish people at the time so she was used as an escape goat. The fire could have been started by her neighbor smoking in her barn and flicking his cigarette, or even some people think it was done by the people who were selling fire extinguishers trying to prove to everyone they needed their product. There are many theories.”

“Wow you know a lot about it.”

“More than you would think. I barely told you anything about the fire actually.”

“See now I feel like an idiot for knowing nothing about it.”

“You’re a Cali boy you don’t have to know about it, I’m a Chicagoan, I should know about it.”

“Well I think it’s a really interesting occurrence. Have anything else interesting to tell me?”

“Of course!” Mady says having tons of stories to tell, and loving to tell them to someone who will listen. She also was happy to talk about the stories she knows because they weren’t about her.
Before they know it they have finished eating, and it was getting late so the leave In-and-Out to head back to their houses.

“Thanks for teaching me to skate.”

“No big deal.”

“Well I should give you your skates.”

“No, keep them. They don’t fit me anymore.”

“But Zach…”

“No. They are yours.” He says taking a step closer to her.

“Zach?” She says before his lips lightly press against her before he pulls away, waves goodbye, and tells her he will see her at 7:30 the next day.

Mady walks into her house with a stupid grin plastered on her face with her head filled with thoughts of Zach. She was surprised he kissed her, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it. It was a simple kiss. It was simple enough it didn’t even need to be mentioned again.

After a few weeks of picking Mady up for school and dropping her home afterwards things were getting into a routine. The two were also getting to know one another and were getting closer and closer each day. Neither ever mentioned the kiss, and neither minded. It was something to be dealt with once one decided to act on their attraction to the other. One day Zach was running late, and his brother stopped him made him frustrated. To add on to his frustration his brother, Vic, was asking him what the rush was.

“Have to pick up a friend, Mady.”

“Oh the girl I see you flirting with all the time.”

“Dude I don’t have time for this. I’ll see you later.” He says before running out the door to get to Mady’s place.

Mady was laying on her front lawn staring at the clouds with her backpack sitting next to her waiting for Zach to pick her up. He was later than usual, and she began to consider walking to school. It wasn’t a long walk or anything, but she wanted to be with Zach alone for a bit; however, it was getting late and she needed to get to school. Just as she was toying with the idea of getting up she felt a presence lying down next to her. She turns her head and sees Zach looking at her.

“You’re late. I was considering leaving and walking myself.”

“Well I’m happy you didn’t. I want to spend time with you, alone.”

“Likewise.”

“Really now?”

“Unfortunately you’ve grown on me.”

“Well you’ve grown on me as well. Now we are going to be late if we don’t leave now, so…” Zach says getting up and offering Mady his hand to help her up before grabbing her backpack for her.
Once they were seating in his car Mady spoke up, “Thanks Zach.”

“My pleasure. So now we can talk… do you still talk to anyone in Chicago?”

“Only one friend… she was honestly the only friend I had, her name is Peggy. She is great! I miss her, but we talk a lot.”

“That’s cool. Is she going to come visit one day?”

“Yeah, probably over spring break.”

“Very nice, so I will get to meet her.”

“Only if you want to and still are my friend that time.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know… I simply don’t have the best track record when it comes to friends…”

They arrived at school just as she said that so unfortunately for him he couldn’t question her like he wanted too. What he didn’t understand was how someone wouldn’t want to be friends with her. In his eyes she was amazing, and perfect. He was going to ask her out, that day even. They had gotten very close of the past weeks, and he wanted her all for himself. His crush on her was getting bigger and bigger, and he knew it had the potential to turn into love. Love was never something he experienced, but something he always wanted to.

The pair just made it in time for their first period. Mady took notes and paid attention to class, while Zach tried to think of ways to ask her out during lunch. It was all he could think of. This girl was unknowingly driving him insane. She was all he thought about.

After class Mady was about to say goodbye to Zach and head over to her next class, Chemistry, when Zach said, “I’ll walk you to Chem.”

“But then you’ll be late for French.” Mady says clearly surprised at his offer considering her never offered previously before that day.

“My teacher won’t give me a tardy.”

“Zach…” Mady says wavering.

“Come on, a beautiful girl like you shouldn’t walk alone.”

At the word beautiful Mady blushes and mumbles, “I’m the farthest thing from beautiful.” Assuming Zach hadn’t heard her; however, she was wrong.

“You are beautiful.” Zach forcefully says only to find Mady staring at her pink converse. He tilts her head to look into her eyes and tells her, “You are beautiful, never think anything different, and never let anyone tell you otherwise.” Zach firmly tells her before taking her had in his own and leading her to her Chemistry class.

The walk was taken in a comfortable silence. Zach was thinking of how annoyed that he was that something happened to Mady that caused her to think she was not pretty. Mady was gaping and freaking out, internally, that someone had actually called her pretty sincerely. It mean more to her than Zach knew. Simply her past made her believe or realize, depending on your opinion of her, that she was ugly.

When they arrive in front of her classroom Mady smiles and makes a last second decision to kiss Zach on the cheek while thanking him before running quickly into her class.
After she leaves Zach stands there momentarily stunned, not because she kissed him on the cheek, but because the feeling that he normally gets when he comes in contact with Mady intensified by ten when her lips touched his cheek. The feeling was amazing and was something he felt he would never get old.

That day was the beginning of a pattern that would continue from that point on, Zach would walk her to every class, whether they had that class together or not, it didn’t matter, he would walk her.
The two walk to lunch joking around; however, Zach is nervous as can be because he was planning on asking Mady out then, but he did not know how. She sat with her friend Rebecca, whom of which she met in her class after lunch, sewing. He on the other hand sat with friend Cameron who for once was not sitting with his girlfriend. In other words the one day they did not sit together was the one day he wanted to subtly bring it up. Once they walked in Mady waved a bye to Zach to go sit with her friend ready to spill about him walking her to her classes.

“Hey!” Mady says approaching the table.

“Hey” Rebecca replies.

“What about you and the other Porter? What is going on there?”

“Um… nothing… we are just friends.” Mady says with her head down.

“Sounds like you wish you weren’t.”

“No! I love being his friend! It’s just…”

“It isn’t socially acceptable to make out with a friend?”

“That, and you shouldn’t be emotionally and physically attracted this much to your best friend. My stomach goes crazy every time he comes in any sort of contact with me. It isn’t normal or right. Even the guys in that past who I’ve liked have never made me feel like this. The feeling is weird… indescribable… I never want it to stop.”

“Someone is falling for their friend.”

“Oh, I’ve already fallen. I’m waiting to see what lies at the bottom, him, or a knife.”

“Speaking of the devil…”

Zach approaches the table and scratches the back of his neck as he says, “Mady can I talk to you,” he looks at her friends, “alone. Only for a minute. Nothing personal.” He adds as a last thought. He liked the Rebecca, but he wanted to talk to Mady alone.

“Um, sure Zach. I’ll be back, please watch my things.”

Zach takes her hand which results in the Rebecca giving Mady a ‘well look at that’ facial expression to which she rolled her eyes in a ‘it means nothing’ manner.

Mady looks around and realize he is leading her to the music department. Suddenly she arrives into an empty room with nothing in it, but a piano. Zach coughs awkwardly before walking and sitting on the piano bench and motioning Mady to join him. She does what he wants and looks up at him, and then his fingers as he beings to play. Mady isn’t into oldies music too much, but she liked the music because she heard it growing up, so when Zach starts to play and eventually begins to sing “Your Song” by Elton John, it takes her a moment to recognize the song. When she does, however, recognize the song she laughs lightly and smiles brightly at Zach.

After Zach is done Mady breaks the silence the lack of piano left, “That was amazing Zach! Why did you bring me here to play it though? I am, however, you did bring me here for that.”

“I did it as a way of asking you out… on a date. So will you go out with me?”

At the word date the smile on Mady’s face grows to epic proportions.

“I would love to Zach.” She says before kissing his cheek.

“We should head back to lunch, shouldn’t we?”

“Unfortunately” Mady says with a pout.

“Come on, let’s go” Zach says standing up before offering his hand to help her stand. “I’ll walk you to sewing after lunch?”

Zach walks Mady to her table with a kiss on her cheek before realizing Cameron moved their things and they were now sitting with Rebecca and Mady. Rebecca smiles and excuses herself and Mady before pulling her into the hallway.

“I’m never going to get to eat today am I?” Mady comments

“Oh shut it! More importantly tell me what was that all about?” Rebecca pried.

“Well he took me to the music room, played a song, asked me out, said he’d walk me to class, and finally he walked me here.”

“What was the middle one?”

“played a song?”

“After that”

“Said he’d walk me to class?”

“Before that!”

“He asked me out.”

Rebecca is very excited and talk about her perspective date making her feel uncomfortable, but there was nothing she could do.
Eventually approach the table again and Mady finally gets to ear
At the end of lunch Zach stands up and says, “Ready to walk to sewing Mady?”

“I can walk her, I am in her class.” Rebecca says.

“Well you can, but I want to. I want to spend some time with her.”

“And that is what we wanted to hear! Have fun you two!” Rebecca yells while grabbing the Cameron and walking away.

“Hi…”

“Hi…”

“So…”

“So…”

“Where would you like to go on our date?” Zach says taking her hand.

“I have no idea. It’s your call, but I may not be willing to do things for the record…”

“No worries. I’ll pick something good, and since you won’t choose it will be a surprise.”

“Should I be worried?”

“No, not at all. It will be good I promise. The first dates are always awkward, but I’ll try to avoid that
as much as possible.”

“I wouldn’t know…”

“You’ve never been on a date?”

Mady shamefully shakes her head while looking to the floor.
“Well then,” Zach says lifting her face to look into his with two fingers as he stops in front of the door to her classroom. “The guys you knew before were pure idiots, and I’m one lucky guy to be taking you out; however, I already knew that.”

Mady blushes and Zach gives her a small kiss on her cheek before he sprints past her in an attempt to make it to his class on time, which results in Mady shaking her head happily before walking into her class as the bell rings.

All throughout trying to make a skirt out of comics in her class Mady’s thoughts often drifted to Zach. Zach, while trying to understand Hamlet, continues to think of Mady. The fact he was not the biggest Shakespeare fan did not help his concentration at all, but he was trying. He was trying to concentrate, but failing, miserably.

Their days continue in a similar manner that the earlier part of their day went. After school Zach was leaning in front of Mady’s locker waiting for her to get the books she needs before he drives her home, not that he really wanted to be away from her, but in a way he had too. He had a lot of homework that night, and so did she. Though if he needed help with Math, which he probably would, he would make sure to ask her. She was very good at math, and him, not so much.
Mady arrived with a smile on her face because walking up to her locker felt so nice knowing Zach was there waiting patiently for her. It was a new experience thinking the guy who likes you is waiting for you. Then again a guy liking her at all was a new experience, and both of them made her tummy tingle in a way she wish she could feel for the rest of her life. A tingle she unknowingly knew only Zach could give her.

So approaching her locker her only thought was, ‘Could this last forever? Because if it can, I want it. I want to always feel the way he makes me feel…’