Chapter Three
Maddie woke up to her sister shaking her shoulder and the sound of Tijuana parrots squawking through the house. She opened her half expecting to see a bird flying around the living room but instead she was looking at her sister who was holding Maddie’s phone up to her face. Maddie blinked her eyes trying to adjust to the sudden awake state she was just brought into and realized there were four texts from Angel over the last fifteen minutes. Maddie sat up quickly and grabbed her phone from her sister. She scrolled down through the messages which read:
Angel: Maddie wake up I have news.
Angel: Seriously, get your red headed ass out of bed, plans have changed.
Angel: Don’t make me come over there, I hate leaving the city, people are so hippie there.
Angel: Okay listen plans changed, you leave for Ohio tomorrow so pack your overalls and yeehaw your way back to Oberlin. Call me when you wake up. Kisses.
Maddie kept her face down as she realized her sister had probably read these messages and the cat was now out of the bag. She slowly lifted her eyes to Sophie and realized she was standing on the other side of the living room; her arms crossed, foot tapping, and a serious frown on her face. Maddie sighed, put down her phone, and looked up at her sister.
“Sophie,” Maddie said kindly. “I didn’t have a choice. We have to escort Alexandra Brownstone around our hometown because she wants to see how “normal” people live or some crap like that. It’s only two weeks I promise.”
“Two weeks!” Sophie shouted dropping her hands to her side in a theatrical pout. “But I have surf lessons planned, and I made new friends, and...wait. Did you say we are escorting Alexandra Brownstone around? Oh. My. God. That is the coolest thing ever!”
“Yea,” Maddie scoffed. “Don’t get your heart set on her; she’s not the most stable human being ever.”
Sophie looked at Maddie with a confused face but then glanced over at the dry cleaning, and the crumpled white shirt was thrown onto the counter. Instead of realizing that apparently, something terrible had happened Sophie just got more confused and turned her head sideways at Maddie.
“Look,” Maddie said exhausted from explaining herself. “Alexandra is kind of a primadonna. She isn’t as nice as she is made out to be in the media. Either way, we are taking her to Ohio for some r&r, and there is nothing I can do to change that. So, go pack a bag, call your friends back home, and put a smile on your face because we leave tomorrow.”
Sophie dropped her hands to her sides and stuck out her lip in a pout. Maddie hated when she did that, it worked on their mother but not on Maddie. She only felt punched in the gut because Sophie was being a normal kid and not appreciating all the sacrifices Maddie has made to keep them together as a family.
“Oh,” Maddie said as Sophie started to walk away. “Do NOT tell any of your friends about why we are coming home. The last thing I need is a mob of country bumpkins crowded around our house when we get there. Alexandra doesn’t want anyone to know where she is going, so keep the trap shut.”
Sophie rolled her eyes and stomped into her room. Maddie sighed and dialed Angel’s number to get all of the details. He picked up immediately and chastised Maddie for sleeping in. After that was over, he gave her all the travel information including car rentals and flight information. At least the company sprung to fly all three of them first class; Maddie couldn’t imagine the horror of being stuck in coach with either one of the girls.
Sophie packed her bags and gabbed excitedly with her girlfriends back home while Maddie went through her clothes trying to decide what to bring with her. She was planning on showing Alexandra around and then leaving her to her own devices, so she decided not to pack too many professional outfits. Maddie wasn’t picky and was fully packed within an hour, including her backup toothbrush she kept for such occasions.
The rest of the day was beautiful and quiet for Maddie since Sophie decided to go to the beach for the day and the parrots had flown the coop. Maddie sat in her chair by the open window reading some of her favorite books, skipping the boring chapters she had read a thousand times and going straight for the action. Oddly they all were books that Alexandra starred in the movie version of, so the superstar ran through Maddie’s head just about all day.
By the time the sun was setting Maddie’s school girl crush was back in full force and she forced herself away from the books and upstairs to bed. Though the flight wasn’t until four in the evening, Maddie wanted to make sure she was prepared for, what could be, a very long trip to Ohio. Sleep came quickly to Maddie that night, and she dreamt of her mother and father, but this time her dreams were full of hugs and smiles instead of the circumstances surrounding their tragic accident.
Maddie woke the next day feeling completely refreshed and ready to face whatever Alexandra had to throw at her. She woke her sister for breakfast, and the two silently ate in front of the open windows. When breakfast was made Maddie and Sophie hung out watching television until it was time to call the cab, and then quickly loaded their luggage into the car and headed for the airport.
Maddie made a point to arrive early so that Alexandra wouldn’t have to wait for them but to her surprise, she was already standing in front of Starbucks when they got through security. Alexandra was wearing large sunglasses and had the hood of her black chiffon sweater pulled up as if that was a real disguise. Alexandra waved and smiled at Maddie, and she became instantly suspicious of her new friendly attitude.
“Oh,” Alexandra said looking at Sophie. “You brought an assistant. Perfect.” She tossed her carry-on into Sophie’s arm and started walking away. Sophie looked over at Maddie with irritation and Maddie rolled her eyes as she took the bag from her sister.
“Um,” Maddie said running to catch up with Alexandra. “That is not my assistant that is my sister, Sophie.”
“Oh,” Alexandra said stopping in front of their gate and looking Sophie up and down. “I wasn’t aware this was a family trip. I figured you would leave your siblings with your parents or something.”
Maddie could see Sophie’s hands clenched, and she looked at her with kindness, shaking her head. Sophie took a deep breath and smiled forcefully at Alexandra. The three sat down at their gate and pulled their phones out in an attempt to avoid an awkward conversation. They were about an hour early for boarding, so Sophie put her headphones in and Maddie began answering emails on her phone. Alexandra sat quietly, skimming through the latest edition of Style Magazine where she was featured on the cover.
Finally, they began the boarding process, and the three girls entered the plane. Maddie sat next to Alexandra and Sophie sat across the aisle, gawking at the amenities first class came with. Neither of the girls knew anything about luxury, not that they were poor, but they were more coach than first class. As the plane took off Alexandra clutched the arms of the seats, anxiety is written all over her face. She pulled out her bottle of water and swallowed some sort of pill that Maddie assumed was Valium.
As the flight leveled out and they began their routine trip to Ohio, Alexandra put her magazine away and pulled the blanket onto her lap. She gazed out of the window and for a second seemed more like an average person than the crazy lady from two days ago. Alexandra looked up from the view and over at Maddie who was still playing with her phone.
“I’m sorry for the other day,” Alexandra whispered. “I had a complete meltdown, and no one deserves to be treated that way.”
“Oh,” Maddie said acting as if she didn’t remember the atrocity that happened in Angel’s office. “It is no big deal. I understand, well, I guess I have no idea what your life is like, but I am sympathetic to your feelings over the article. It was hard enough having my friends look at me funny when I came out; I can’t imagine the whole world scrutinizing my love life.”
“You,” Alexandra paused as if she wasn’t sure what she was asking was appropriate. “You are gay as well?”
“Mhmm,” Maddie hummed as she poured the diet soda into her cup. �
��Yea I knew my whole life, but it took me until my late teens to tell anyone. I mean I didn’t really have anyone to tell besides my sister.”
“What about your parents? Are they supportive? You seem like a very nice person, and apparently forgiving so I would assume they are proud of you,” Alexandra asked as she opened her dinner tray and poked at the sandwich with her fork.
“Oh,” Maddie sometimes forgot that not everyone knew about her life now that she had moved. “My parents died several years ago. I have raised my sister while I was finishing high school and going to college. I never had the chance to tell them I suppose.”
Maddie jumped a little as Alexandra reached over and squeezed her hand, butterflies shooting though Maddie’s stomach. Alexandra seemed surprised by her reaction to their touch and looked down at their clenched hands and swallowed hard. She looked up at Maddie with her dark brown eyes, and they held that stare for several moments until the airline steward cleared her throat in the aisle and they pulled free of one another.
“Well,” Alexandra said with a happy tone. “Tell me what I have to look for in Oberlin, Ohio!”
“Ha!” Maddie rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. “Well, it's a tiny town despite the college being there. Everyone knows everyone’s business, the old people are judgmental, the young people are dying to get out, and everyone goes to the diner on 3rd Street every Friday night for milkshakes and fries. I guess you could say the town is stuck in the 1950’s while the fashion is stuck in the early 90’s.”
Maddie and Alexandra looked at each other and laughed hard. This was nice, having someone her age to talk to and laugh with. Maddie never made many friends since she wasn’t able to do the typical teenage girl stuff, having to take of her sister and an entire household as a teen has serious disadvantages.
“It sounds amazing,” Alexandra said looking back towards the window, still giggling to herself.
“Well, I will try to show you the best parts and leave you to relax. We will have to go shopping; my house has sat vacant since I moved, so it’s pretty cleared out, except for furniture, all the furniture is still there,” Maddie said looking down at her phone.
“Okie Dokie,” Alexandra said yawning. “Oh, and please call me Alex. I hate how stuffy everything always is. My friends call me Alex. Now. I am going to let this Valium take me to sleep land. Wake me when we land?”
Maddie smiled and nodded as she pulled the blanket up further on Alex and tucked her in as well as she could on a plane. Maddie felt higher than the clouds, and not because she was on a plane at 1500 feet, but because she felt like Alex and her connected. Maddie crossed her arms and leaned her chair back, catching a nap as well.
Maddie’s eyes opened as the decline in pressure increased since they were making their descent. She looked slightly to her left and realized Alex had turned and was sleeping on Maddie’s shoulder; her beautiful dark features lost in dream land. Maddie pushed on Alex gently to wake her, and as her eyes opened, she smiled a big smile at Maddie. Maddie immediately began to blush and helped Alex sit up in her chair.
“We are making our descent,” Maddie said calmly.
Alex nodded and began to straighten her hair and move her things around to be more prepared for exiting the plane. They landed smoothly, and the exit and luggage retrieval went off without a hitch. Maddie helped Sophie carry some bags, and Alex insisted on handling her things as they made their way to the car parked out in front of the rental desk. The company had gotten them an SUV so loading their luggage in was simple. The drive was quiet, and they played the local radio station as they made their trek through town and to Maddie’s house.
It was late by the time they got in the house and settled down, so all three of them found their ways to their rooms for the night. Maddie lay in her bed knowing Alex was directly on the other side of the wall that her headboard sat up too. She smiled at the way Alex made her feel, and she drifted to sleep thinking about what the next day would bring.
Chapter Four
The rain was pouring from the sky when Maddie, Sophie, and Alexandra made their way downstairs, still groggy from their trip. Maddie opened the front door and stood in the doorway breathing in the smell of rain on the warm ground. Alexandra joined her, pulling her sweater jacket tightly around her as she smiled at the calmness of the morning.
“Even as a child,” Alexandra quietly spoke. “I grew up in the spotlight in Southern California. There weren’t rainy days like this, and I lived in a huge southern style mansion facing three other southern style mansions in The Hills. I always saw movies with scenes like in this and wanted so badly to be a part of it.”
“Well,” Maddie said taking in a deep breath and stretching her arms high above her head. “You are here for two weeks so soak it all in.” Maddie smiled and walked back towards the kitchen where Sophie was sitting in the breakfast nook. Maddie sat down next to her and put her head on Sophie’s shoulder.
“What are your plans for today?” Maddie asked.
“Um,” Sophie began as she flipped through her phone. “I am going to go over to Chrissy’s house and hang out and then we are all going to the diner tonight.”
“Cool,” Maddie said yawning. “You want to go eat breakfast with Alexandra and me before you run off for the day?”
“Sure!” Sophie said hopping down from her stool and whizzing past Alexandra who was standing in the doorway smiling.
“You good with that?” Maddie asked Alexandra. “Then I thought since it was a rainy day we could catch a movie, not one of yours of course, and then mosey over to the grocery store and pick out dinner.”
“Sounds great,” Alexandra said looking down at her pajamas. “I’ll go change and throw my hair up real quick.”
Maddie smiled as Alexandra ran up the stairs, almost as excited as a small child to go to breakfast and the movies. Maddie leaned her head in her hands and thought about a quiet life with someone like Alexandra; it would be nice. Maddie shook her head and pulled her butt from the stool, she needed to get dressed as well. She made her way upstairs, threw on a pair of jeans, gray t-shirt, flip flops, and she tied a hoodie around her waist just in case it got cold. She pulled her bright red hair back in a ponytail and threw a baseball cap on, pulling the long strands of hair through the hole in the back. She walked out of her bedroom and stopped dead in her tracks as she looked up at Alexandra.
Alex was wearing a pair of ripped jeans, black Chuck Taylors, a white t-shirt tucked in, with her hair pulled back and sunglasses on top of her head. She was holding an umbrella that Sophie had given her and was peering down inside of it as if she wasn’t sure how it worked. Alex looked up at Sophie and smiled her million dollar smile and held the umbrella out, shrugging her shoulders. Out of nowhere, the latch clicked, and the umbrella flew open, knocking Alex backward. She lay on the floor laughing hysterically as Maddie rushed forward and fumbled with the umbrella until she got it to go down. She reached her hand out to Alex, still smiling, and pulled her up to her feet.
“Watch out,” Maddie said with a smirk on her face. “These rubber ducky umbrellas are known to be silent killers.”
The three girls walked towards the diner in the rain. Alex laughed as Sophie went running towards a large puddle and jumped in the center of it sending a wave of water at Maddie. Maddie jumped to the side and pointed her finger at Sophie laughing.
“Ah ha!” Maddie said. “You missed!”
Just as the words exited Maddie’s mouth, a car drove by and splashed water all over her. Sophie and Alex started laughing, and Alex walked up to Maddie with a fake pout on her face. She wiped the water from Alex’s brow with her shirt sleeve, grabbed her hand and pulled her along after Sophie. She didn’t let Maddie’s hand go when they caught up, and Maddie could feel her cheeks burning red. They reached the diner, and the three of them took a seat in a booth in the corner.
“Maddie,” the waitress said with excitement. “Back from the big city all ready?”
“Oh,” Maddie said smi
ling. “Just a little-unexpected vacation.”
The three girls ordered and Sophie switched to the other side to sit next to Alex as she showed Sophie some of the pictures she had taken from the Academy Awards last year. Sophie’s mouth fell open every time Alex switched pictures, and she asked about a hundred questions about being famous and knowing all these people. Maddie smiled to herself as Alex gracefully explained the real truth behind all of the glitz and glamors.
“Well Sophie,” Alex began. “These people are just ordinary people. Well, I guess normal isn’t quite the right word. They still get dressed every day like everyone else. They just have a different kind of job. We spend 12 extra hours a day on set in any weather, we get poked and prodded all day by makeup and wardrobe, and most everything we wear cuts off circulation to at least three parts of our bodies. So even though we look fabulous, sometimes it sucks.”
“I don’t know,” Sophie said as she took a huge bite of eggs. “I would die to go to an awards show and have everyone tell me how awesome I was. And of course meet Luke Boston, he is my favorite!”
Maddie laughed and handed Sophie a napkin. Alex smiled coyly and took a bite of her egg white omelet with a side of tomatoes, roughly as healthy as the diner could get. Maddie looked down guiltily at her stack of pancakes which Alex must have noticed because she smiled and reached across the table, taking a huge fork full of pancakes and stuffing it in her mouth. She rolled her eyes back and groaned as if she had just tasted the most delicious food ever. The three girls laughed and spent the rest of breakfast talking about Alex and her life in California.
“Well folks,” Sophie said as she jumped up from the booth. “It’s been grand, but I have a date with my bestie.”
One Little Letter_A Bad Boy, Second Chance Romance Page 66
