Kiss and Make Up

by Madeleine Labitan

  Don’t get me wrong. I’m not taking him back or anything. Not this early, if at all. I may no longer be angry, but the breakup still stings.

  I don’t know if I’m ready for friendship. But at least I can be civil.

  “Sorry. I’m just having a bad day.”

  He rewards me with a smile. “It’s okay. We all have that sometimes. Come on, let me walk you to class.”

  “We have the same class.”

  “Exactly,” he winks.

  I roll my eyes, smiling.

  Curious glances and whispered conversations follow us as we make our way to first period. We both ignore them, but something tells me Adam and I just stirred the gossip pot once again.

  Get real. The two of you have been stirring the pot since you broke up.

  I won’t be surprised if rumors about us getting back together is already starting to circulate around school.

  Whatever. I don’t care.

  I know the truth. And that’s what counts.

  “Madison.”

  I stop walking and turn around—with Adam doing the same—to see Mrs. Mayberry walking toward us.

  “Uh-oh,” I mutter. Adam raises a brow at me, but I ignore him. Instead, I paste on a smile at the approaching teacher. “Mrs. Mayberry.”

  Mrs. Mayberry happens to be the advisor for the Community Service club. And I’ve been studiously avoiding her. Well, until now.

  “You’ve been avoiding me.” Busted!

  “Of course not,” I lie, my smile unwavering. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Mayberry. I’ve just been busy. Like really, really busy.” Busy moping around, if we’re being specific, but she doesn’t have to know that.

  “Hmm.” She gives Adam a pointed look from behind her black rimmed glasses.

  Adam clears his throat and fidgets on his feet, looking uncomfortable.

  I bite back a smile. If there was a faculty member who never believed the cheating rumors, it was Mrs. Mayberry. She expressed her support while everyone else was quick to judge me. She also made it clear that she disapproved of the way Adam handled the whole thing.

  Which is why I’m feeling guilty that I’ve deliberately steered clear of her the last few weeks. You know, when I couldn’t find the energy and enthusiasm to work on anything. She can blame the boy right next to me for that.

  “Well, I don’t want to add to your burden, but the donation boxes need to be sorted before the week ends. A moving truck will come here on Monday to pick them up. Do you think you can give it some time?”

  Right. Our club’s latest community project is collecting stuff like clothing, personal care items and toys for homeless shelters in nearby cities. But before they reach the shelters, they need to be sorted out first. Meaning, we have to separate the useless crap.

  “Yes, of course,” I nod in earnest. I’m done wallowing in self-pity so I’m now ready to get back to work. “So, um, where are the boxes?”

  “It’s in the storage room.” Mrs. Mayberry glances at the watch on her wrist. “Do you have a few minutes? I can show you.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I follow after her as she makes her way down the hall, giving a double take when I see Adam doing the same.

  He only smiles when I lift a brow at him.

  “Don’t you have a class to go to?” I whisper.

  “I told you I’d walk you—”

  I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

  “Here we are,” Mrs. Mayberry says, opening the door to the storage room.

  I didn’t even notice we already reached it.

  “Do you think you can gather enough people to get all these sorted out until tomorrow?”

  I peek inside the room. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll make—” The words die on my lips when I get a good look at the boxes.

  The thing is, I expected to see eight or ten maybe fifteen boxes tops. But no. I’m looking at a room filled with boxes everywhere. Like dozens of large boxes.

  Behind us, Adam whistles.

  “How many are these boxes again?” I ask faintly.

  “Around sixty, maybe? Give or take a few more.”

  My eyes widen. Sixty? And she expects me to finish sorting them tomorrow? I’m already swamped with other responsibilities as it is.

  “Um, Mrs. Mayberry—”

  But Adam cuts me off. “Maddy will be on top of it. But is it possible for us to come over on the weekend to get them all sorted? I don’t think we’ll be able to finish them by tomorrow.”

  I glare at the annoying meddler. What is he doing?

  “Great.” Closing the door, Mrs. Mayberry gives us a warm smile. Suddenly, she’s a fan of Adam again. “Let me see what I can do about that. Now, both of you get to class before you get tardy slips.”

  I wait for her to walk away and disappear out of earshot before rounding on Adam. “What were you thinking? You know I won’t be able to finish sorting all those boxes this weekend. I’ll probably need more than a week to get through them all. And why did you say we?” I fold my arms over my chest, shooting daggers at him.

  “Because I’m going to help out. You’re not going to do it alone. You have me, your friends—and what about the other club members?”

  “There are no other club members. It’s just me. And I can’t expect my friends to bail out on their weekend plans just to help me.” I sigh, remembering Lexi telling me about Josh coming home on Saturday.

  I haven’t talked to Amanda yet. But she probably already has plans, too.

  I groan in frustration. What a disaster.

  “What do you mean there are no other members? What happened to Julia, Kara and Will?” Adam frowns, confusion lacing his tone.

  He’s referring to the most active members of the club. They’re the ones I can count on to rally other members when we’re working on projects.

  Well, I used to.

  Until they decided to believe the rumors like the rest of the school. They already apologized when the truth came out, but I still haven’t forgiven them for turning their backs on me. They were not just members of my club, I treated them as friends, too. So their misjudgment stung.

  So, no, I’m not going to ask for their help on this project.

  “They’re busy,” I say simply.

  “Huh. Well, okay, we can—”

  “Adam, no, we can’t. What I need to do is talk to Mrs. Mayberry and ask her to give me another week.”

  “No.” He blocks my way when I take a step. “I’ll find other people to help. We can do this.”

  Ugh. He’s really being stubborn about this. “What about Peaches? Who’s going to look after her then? Did you even stop to consider that? There’s no day care on Saturdays.”

  “Bianca will take care of her.”

  “You’re joking, right?” I scoff. “You know Bianca is always out during the weekends—”

  “I’ll talk to Dylan. If he’s willing to help babysit Peach, Bianca will stay in the house. Trust me on that.”

  My brows go up to my hairline. Is he telling me that he knows about his sister’s unrequited love on Dylan? But that’s not my concern right now.

  I shake my head. “You know what? Fine. But if this blows up in our faces, I’m blaming you.”

  He just gives me a dimpled grin. “It won’t. I promise.”

  Seven

  The last period teacher didn’t show up, so Lexi and Amanda roped me into going to the mall with them. Amanda wanted to buy the skinny jeans she’s been eyeing for a while now. And Lexi decided it’s time to add another pair to her shoe collection.

  I wasn’t in the mood to shop, contented in perusing the racks while I waited for my friends, until I laid eyes on a cute romper. Since I haven’t splurged on anything in over a month, I went ahead and bought one for myself.

  An hour later, we end up in our favorite ice cream shop. Amanda orders strawberry banana ice cream while Lexi settles with the dairy-free pistachio ice cream, saying she can’t afford to gain more pounds.

  I only roll my eyes and as
k for the raspberry chocolate chip yogurt, happy that my appetite is finally back. Mom even commented about it this morning when I managed to finish the breakfast she prepared for me.

  I guess I’m really done wallowing.

  “I saw you and Adam walking together to first period,” Amanda says casually as we claim our usual spot at the back.

  Or at least she’s trying to be casual. As if I didn’t catch the knowing look she exchanged with Lexi.

  “Just out with it.”

  Amanda lets out a sheepish smile. “Well, I was just wondering if the two of you are finally back together.”

  “No, we’re not. I just let him walk with me since we had the same class.” I give her a pointed look. “You know what he did to me. I’m not going to take him back just like that.”

  “So you’re just, what, friends?” Lexi interjects, raising a brow.

  “Of course not. We’re just being civil toward each other.” I take a spoonful of my ice cream, loving the burst of flavor on my tongue. “God, I missed this place.”

  Lexi points her spoon at me. “Don’t change the subject.”

  “I’m not changing the subject. Honestly, I don’t see the big deal about it.”

  “It’s a big deal because you were still crying over him a week ago,” Amanda says. “Remember at the drive-in?”

  That’s true. I did bawl my eyes out when we went to the town drive-in. Definitely not my finest moment.

  “We were watching A Walk to Remember,” I argue, hiding a cringe. “You can’t not cry when watching a Nicholas Sparks film.”

  Lexi nods. “True. Liam Hemsworth made me cry in The Last Song.”

  “Are you kidding?” Amanda scoffs. “That’s the least cry-worthy Sparks movie. But we can agree that Liam was so cute there.”

  “And now he’s a full-on hottie,” I smirk, secretly relieved that we’re no longer talking about Adam.

  “Yes and yes,” Lexi says in a somber voice. “But enough about Liam Hemsworth. I’m more interested to talk about Adam Hayes.”

  “He’s a hottie, too,” Amanda giggles.

  “Oh, come on,” I groan. “Enough already.”

  Seriously, why are they pushing the subject? Adam and I are still broken up. It’s not going to change any time soon. So the status of our non-relationship is not worth discussing.

  Lexi shakes her head. “Nope. Not gonna drop it.”

  I stare at her. “We already talked about this.”

  “I know.” Lexi looks a little apologetic. “But I think we should discuss it more.”

  “Why?” I practically whine.

  “Because…” Once again, she trades looks with Amanda.

  I put my ice cream spoon down. “Okay, what are you two not telling me?”

  “Don’t get mad, but everybody at school thinks you and Adam are back together.”

  Is that supposed to be news? "I don’t care. They can think whatever they want.”

  And that’s the truth. I’m done caring what people think about me. They can talk about me and Adam all they want, I refuse to be affected anymore. I’ve already dealt with worse, anyway.

  “What if we tell you that there’s also a betting pool?” Amanda says.

  I almost choke on my ice cream. “A what?”

  “There’s an ongoing bet on whether you and Adam are back to bumping uglies or not.”

  “Bumping uglies? Gross,” I shudder. “How long has this been going on?”

  “Since yesterday,” Lexi tells me. “Apparently, someone saw the two of you together Tuesday night.”

  “He was just walking me home!”

  She gives me a sympathetic look. “Well, obviously, whoever that person was jumped to the wrong conclusions. If there’s any consolation, I’ve been telling everyone that you and Adam are still very much broken up.”

  “Me, too,” Amanda nods fervently, then winces. “But I don’t think it’s working.”

  “Tell me about it,” Lexi scoffs around a spoonful of ice cream.

  “You know what? I still don’t care,” I declare with a scowl. “Between school and Peaches, and now the donation boxes that I need to sort out before Monday, I literally have no time to obsess about a stupid rumor.”

  “Wait,” Amanda frowns, “what donation boxes?”

  Taking a deep breath, I explain the predicament that presented itself this morning, glossing over the fact that Adam insisted on helping. They’re already suspicious of the status of my relationship with him. I don’t want to add any more fuel to the fire.

  But it’s a lost cause.

  Because Lexi blurts, “But Adam offered a solution, right?”

  Amanda nods. “Let’s do it. I’m free on Saturday.”

  “Me, too. As it turned out,” Lexi muttered, looking suddenly deflated.

  I’ll make a guess. “Josh wouldn’t be able to make it this weekend?”

  “Yeah,” she sighs. “He told me last night that it wasn’t possible. He has a big test coming up on Monday that he needs to study for. And there’s football practice on top of that.”

  “That sucks,” Amanda winces.

  I offer a sympathetic smile. “Oh, sweetie. Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be.” Lexi forces a smile. “I know he’ll make up to me next weekend. So this Saturday, I’m yours. Use me in any way you want.”

  Amanda wrinkles her nose. “Why does it sound so kinky?”

  The three of us burst out laughing.

  God, I love my girls.

  When I get to the Hayes’ house hours later, Adam is nowhere to be found. Bianca, who’s surprisingly the one to stay at home, said that he’s out with some friends to play basketball. After the conversation I had with Lexi and Amanda, I feel a little relieved of his absence. I can definitely use the space.

  “Great work, Peach,” I gush at the little girl after checking her work.

  We’re in their family room, sitting on the floor. I’m helping Peach with her homework assignments, while Bianca is sprawled on the couch behind us. She just got off the phone with her mom, who calls every night to check in on them.

  Peach beams at me. “Teacher said I’m one of her best students. What does it mean?”

  “It means you’re doing great, sweetie.” I comb my hand through her hair, feeling proud of her.

  “Are we done? Can I go play with my toys now?”

  “Sure. Go have fun.”

  Squealing, she runs from the family room to go up to her room.

  I glance at the wall clock. I’ll give her an hour to play before I tuck her to bed.

  “You can go home now, if you want,” Bianca suddenly speaks up.

  “Why would I?” I start to pick up Peaches’s things, putting them into her bag. “It’s still early.”

  “That’s the thing. Adam told me to let you go early because he won’t be around to walk you home.”

  My heart flutters. Why is he being thoughtful when he’s not even here?

  Although, yes, I’m planning to head out early than usual. I don’t want to walk home late by myself. I guess Adam’s words from before has rubbed off on me.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t stay late.”

  “So, you and my brother,” Bianca starts, “are you officially back together or what?”

  Great. She’s listening to the school rumor mill, too. “No. It’s just a stupid rumor.”

  “Really? It doesn’t look that way from where I’m sitting.”

  I stop what I’m doing and turn to stare at my ex-boyfriend’s twin sister.

  Although it’s a little hard to see the similarities between them, after Bianca dyed her blonde hair chocolate brown and started using dark contacts. Not that the new look doesn’t suit her. She’s totally rocking it.

  But it’s not just their appearances that make the twins distinct from each other. Their personalities are polar opposites, too. While Adam is friendly and approachable, Bianca is more aloof and standoffish. To be honest, I sometimes find her intimidating.

/>   “Well?” Her brows are raised, waiting for my response.

  “It’s… complicated.”

  “Ugh. Tell me about it,” she mutters.

  “What?”

  “What?” She blinks back, looking a little confused.

  I stare at her, curiosity getting the better of me. “What’s the deal between you and Dylan?”

  “What do you mean?” Her eyes go all shifty.

  “Um, you were fighting with him last night.”

  “Oh, that.” She picks up her phone, as if the conversation is starting to bore her. “That was nothing. It wasn’t even a fight. Just a misunderstanding. And it’s all sorted out now.” She mumbles something about needing to sleep early, then suddenly rises from the couch and leaves the room.

  I stare after Bianca. So she can’t stay mad at Dylan, just like I can’t manage to resent her twin for long. Who knew we’d have something in common?

  Eight

  I stare at the letters and numbers on the page but they’re not making any sense. Not to me, anyway.

  But then I’ve never been great at Math in the first place. The highest grade I ever got on it was a B plus. And it was only because Adam patiently tutored me for weeks.

  You’d think I have no business tutoring kids, but seriously, high school Math is very different compared to preschool and grade school Math. It’s way difficult, too. The kids definitely don’t have to worry about derivatives and quadratic functions at their young age.

  Damn Calculus.

  Reaching for the water bottle on the table, I glance around me. Instead of being inside the cafeteria enjoying my lunch, I’m out in the quad studying for a test later. The library is the most suitable place for studying, I know.

  But I like it here. I love sitting under the shade of the tree and feel fresh air on my face. It’s relaxing.

  Besides, only a few students come out here during lunch. So I’m still able to focus on what needs to be done without getting distracted by unnecessary noise. Well, Math is clearly the exception—but you get the point.