Where the hell was Sheen? Dex had had time to get a tray and find a seat and he still hadn’t seen Sheen. Now he was sitting like the loner he was
wishing that he could just go over and sit down next to Charlena. God he wished they had spent more time together over the summer. He had
seen her twice after getting her ice cream that one time, but obviously that wasn’t enough. She had come by Santa Clara with one of her friends and
that had gone...well? He guessed...No, he was lying to himself. It had been awful. The girl she’d come with was...well let’s just say comic books
weren’t her thing and she had no problem letting DEX know how “uncool” they were. Whatever. It happened a lot.
But Char had made it up to him, coming to his place for a little bit of a movie night. She told him she’d never seen Donnie Darko so they watched
it. Now that had gone well. He had been hoping there would be more of them spending time together, but summer kind of got away from her he
guessed. He ended up spending most of it with Mills when she wasn’t with that guy she liked so much. Well, at least until about the week before
school started when Sheen came back. Which brought him back to his original question: Where the heck was he?
Dex sighed, sticking a fork into what he thought was mac and cheese before taking a bite. On a scale of one to a Voldemort hug, how socially awkward
did he look right now?
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
"...and then, Amiri decided to rent out this quaint little villa and I did nothing but soak up the sun and talk to the little greco-hotties that
lived nearby...all day!" And right on cue, the circular table, packed with what looked like AJW High's entire football cheerleader population,
erupted with gasps of amazement, giggles and a few "awes". Awes of jealousy. Charlena was convinced that Madge liked those the most. Because those sad
sighs and the spark of jealousy that most of the girls at the table couldn't even hide from their eyes let Charlena know that her story had worked.
That everyone...still wanted to be her. It was so sickening. Charlena hated "sickening" and she hated Madgeline Ben Hassi. Strong words, but true.
They'd been fre-nemies from the moment they knew how to loathe each other and she was just fine with hating "Queen Madge" for the remainder of her
natural life. But...and there was a BIG "but"...she loved cheerleading. She loved everything about it. And she'd do it until her throat went raw and
she couldn't do another split or flip for fear of breaking a hip. And though it sounded so "sell out", she did it to cheer. She took all of
Madge's...absolute crap...for the team.
"So...Char. How was your summer? Do anything besides tote that bratty little sister around? It so sad. That little girl has more of a social
life than YOU do." Another eruption of giggles and the pasted smile that Charlena put on whenever she wanted to grit her teeth instead, nearly slide
off of her darn face as once again, she was made spectacle. The center of Madgeline's criticism. Not like she didn't expect it. The end of the summer
bash had been the reason for the unnecessary "shots fired" as Charlena had showed up, looking like a million bucks, skin tanned and hair streaked by
the sun although all she'd done was sit around on Weimai, cheer camp and shot the breeze the entire summer. And Madge showed up, looking half as
good...even though she'd definitely covered the "million bucks" part...which was probably how much that summer trip to Greece had cost her. "Her"
meaning her filthy rich brother who she NEVER shut up about. UGH! The only good thing about the summer was the lack of Madge and...and new fun. Not to
mention the new friendship Charlena had made in Dex. Well, she thought it was a friendship. They'd hung out a couple (meaning exactly two) times. So,
that was friendship. Right? If it was...then why was she so nervous about what to say or do when she finally DID see him?
And like her thoughts were playing for Team Unfair, there he was, sitting at a table by himself...looking at her table. At her. Resting her face on
her palm, her lips rose, a friendly smile coating them. Surrounded by all of the ridiculousness at the table where she sat and all she could think
about was getting up, leaving the crazies forever and sitting with Dex and his friends. Well...the friends that Charlena was sure existed.
She saw him. It was like she could hear his thoughts, their minds connected on some other level as she looked at him, the corner of her lips lifting a
little as she noticed him. Was he staring too hard? What kind of expression did he have on his face? Did he have food on his face? Shit. He
thought about looking away from her, but he couldn’t. That would be rude now that she’d seen him and he couldn’t play it off because he was
still staring dead at her...but he couldn’t help it. She was perfect. She had her hair curled today, swept to one side like the goddess she
probably had been in a former life. Even with the annoyed look she was giving Madgeline Ben Hassi, she was absolute perfection...He wondered what they
were talking about.
But there was no time to wonder! He still hadn’t acknowledged her smile. Maybe if he did she’d come sit with him...Ha! Right. He smiled back, his
hand raising a little in a silent hello before he decided waving made him look ridiculous and put his hand back down. He hoped no one saw that.
Especially not at her table. He already knew what the jocks were capable of when provoked and he seemed to have a knack for provoking them. Waving was
a bad idea.
But now it was done, and he seemed to be relatively safe. No one else had noticed his wave, but Charlena still hadn’t looked away from him. There
was something in her eyes today. An “anywhere but here” look that he’d caught when they had been in class before. Why would she want to get away
from her friends though?...Did she want to sit with him? Damn. Should he offer? Her getting up and coming over would make his entire school week, but
he knew that would draw unwanted attention. Probably for the both of them. Dex knew that her hanging with him was a slim possibility once school
started and he was fine with that. Honestly, he didn’t think he was worthy anyway.
Char was so much more than he could ever dream of having to himself.
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
If. The stupid "ifs". If she wasn't...if she could...if she didn't care... All of the if's were shooting through her head, firing faster than
sparks and she didn't know. She didn't know why she was sitting there thinking them instead of doing them! That was a lie...from the hot pits of hell.
She knew. Charlena knew exactly why she hadn't sprung to her feet and jetted, full speed, over to Dex's table. As much as she wanted
to care that she didn't care what her...friends thought, what Madgeline thought, she did. She was afraid of the rumors that people without better
things to do springing up faster than she could stop them. She cared about that silly spot on the squad that hung by a thread so thin that she heard
it snapping away every time she saw Madge's slippery smile in her direction. And she knew...one error, on mistake...and everything was gone. God, her
dad would freak if he heard her thoughts. The very thought that "everything" was synonymous with cheering. He would literally gag, drag her to his
office and force every college brochure that he could get his hands on into her face!
Smiling a little more, especially at Dex's slow, hesitant wave. Before she knew it, her face had left her palm and she was...waving back. And
admittedly, not as hesitantly. Oh jeez. Pausing for a moment, she looked out of the corner of her eye, checking to see if anyone had see her wave. No.
It didn't seem anyone had. Madge was talking, yet again, about the "amazingness" of her summer and every eye and ear was pinned to her...ever eye and
ear...but Charlena's. Hers were moving back to Dex's a small hopeful look there when she realized that he'd been checking for attention that they
could've possibly caught with their silent greeting, too. So, it wasn't just her. Of course it wasn't. They both knew the fine line that separated her
from being like him and the thick, bold, block of a line that separated him from being like her. She wasn't the only one that knew how dangerous it
was to even THINK about talking to someone like her. And how stupid it was to even try talking to him.
Yet, she still thought. she could just...slip away! Of course! Why hadn't she thought about that before. No one really was paying attention to her
anyway. She could just sliiiiide out of her chair and...
"Char? Where are you going? You must have somewhere more pressing to be, right?" With an eye roll, Charlena re-pasted her
smile turned to Madgeline's waiting, searching face. "No, just forgot to get a Coke when I went through the line. I'll be back..." Avoiding the
tables' collective "eye", she stood up, ignoring Madgeline's comment that she should "make her coke a 'diet" and walked in the direction of the
line...which, by chance, just happened to involve passing Dex's table!
There was a very thin line between cool and uncool at AJW on that those on the other side were careful not to cross and Charlena was no different.
Hanging with Dex meant a lot more than just a change in friends. It meant a lifestyle change. No more cheerleading, no more Friday night kick-backs,
no more social life outside of nerds and their just as lame friends. Her life would become a mix between MTV’s Awkward and every teen movie ever
made about some popular girl's fall from grace. He would not be responsible for killing her social life like that. Char deserved better.
But she didn't seem to care too much about her place on the social ladder, her hand raising in a wave much more sure than his had been. Maybe he was
over thinking things and things weren't going to be too different from the summer. Maybe they could hang out and speak in the halls and...was she
standing up? Why was she standing? She wasn't coming over here was she? No, she couldn't be. Could she? Crap. What would he say if she came
over? Hey? Was that enough? He knew his voice would crack when he said it; maybe he should just shorten it to ‘hi’.
As much as he would have liked to tear his eyes away, he couldn’t. His eyes followed her as she left her seat, pausing to allow annoyance to flash
over her features as Madgeline said something else to her before letting her walk away. She was coming. To his table. To sit with him. Or at least
stop by to say hey...or...or maybe she wasn’t. The stupid smile that was covering his face began to fade as she passed him up, headed toward the
lunch line again. Great. God, he hoped no one saw that. He just knew she was coming to talk to him, but he should have known better.
At least he hadn’t waved again.
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
A wave here. A pasted smile there. A few "Hey, how was your summer?" and then barely stopping to get the answer. Charlena was a woman with a mission.
And that mission, lest she'd chosen to accept it, was getting to Dex's table without starting AJW's most massive post-summer rumor. Oh, she could hear
them now. Did you hear that Charlena hooked up with that Poindexter kid? I heard they met at Kawaii Con. What the heck is Kawaii Con!?. Eh,
she was still trying to figure out what it was! But that wasn't the point! She was already rolling her eyes at what the AJW population could, and
would come up with given the chance. Not that she thought she was front page news or anything. But, reality was reality. She was watched like a hawk.
Every movement. Every word. If someone could've mic'd her brain, she was sure it would've happened by now. That way, the student population could even
know her thoughts. It was annoying, being the center of the petri dish. But that was the absolute joy of being in the center of it
all. You were always on display.
With a short glance in his direction, she passed his table, headed towards the short lunch line to purchase the Coke she neither cared about nor
wanted. She just had needed a reason. Not like a "reason" would make her stopping back at his table totally happenstance. She was Charlena Tucker. He
was "that Poindexter kid". Any mixing of those two things would never be seen as happenstance. It would be seen as an anomaly, like the sky turning
green. Or a twelve fingered baby. Ugh. The whole thing was already awkward and she hadn't even made it through the line yet! Couldn't she just, for
one day, sit somewhere, do something, wear something and not fear the retaliation that was sure to come? That would've been heaven. And it was surely
something she thought about for awhile. Well, not thought about. Daydreamed about. Waking up, throwing on the first thing she saw, coming to school
and talking to everyone. And then going home and just...hearing her own thoughts. Heaven.
"Thanks..." She spoke softly and smiled at the woman at the cash register. The one who never made her pay for extra fries. With her change stuffed in
her pocket, she made the trek back, her eyes planted on the table full of "her" people. "Her" crowd. And then, ever so suavely...
"Hey Dex!" Smiling again, she slid into the first empty chair she could get her butt into at his table and placed her drink on the table. "Didn't see
you sitting here!" Okay, she wasn't the world's greatest actress.
Well that was...not anything like what he was hoping for. Secretly, he had been hoping that she would stop at his table, take the seat next to his and
just say...anything. It wouldn’t have mattered what it was. ’Hey, how you doing?’, ‘How was the first week back?’, ‘Eat shit
and die.’. Anything would have been like music to him and he would have smiled and nodded like the idiot he turned into whenever she was
around. But Dex knew the score. She couldn’t stop here and he was a dumbass for even expecting it. Whatever. It was fine. Hopefully Sheen would show
up soon and he wouldn’t have to be miserable alone any longer.
Damn it all if he didn’t lead the saddest of lives. Pining after some girl that he could never have, going through high school with no standards
above making it to class without pissing anyone off and now he was eating lunch by himself...No. He wasn’t. He was finished. He could roam the halls
until the bell rang for the period change and he could get back to school work; the one thing that wasn’t lacking in his life. He started piling
things on his barely touched tray; the napkin he’d opened, but hadn’t used and a half drunken Sprite.
Hey Dex! Good. Awesome. Now he was hearing things, his mind dreaming up the things his heart was asking fo-...oh! He felt his jaw go slack as
she slid into the seat next to the one he was about to vacate and stared at her for a minute before he realized it was his turn to speak. “Oh,
Char...I mean, Charlena. H-H-Hey-,” Yeah. Real smooth. He rubbed a little extra sexy on the stutter just for her. Fucking A.
“How have you uh...how’ve you been?”
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
Yeah okay, saying that she "hadn't noticed him" had been such a lie. Of course she'd noticed him! They'd practically had a completely conversation,
just through eye contact alone, before she'd gotten up to actually speak to him! She'd noticed him...sitting by himself, too. But could she say that?
Of course not. Not now that she literally FELT eyes watching her, probably reading her lips. Wondering what the heck she was even doing sitting NEXT
to Dex, much more, talking to him. With a tiny cough, she played off turning her chair to the side, angling it so that her mouth could be hidden and
she and Dex could just...talk. And she'd really wanted to talk to him! So badly. She wanted to tell him how she'd had the most fun in the WORLD
perusing through the comic store where her worked. She wanted to talk about Donnie Darko in detail, maybe even debate the awesomeness of it!
And she wanted to tell him...how nice it was to hang around with someone who didn't break down everything she did and scrutinize it. Who saw her
for...her. Instead, she just watched him as he sat back down in his seat...his tray in his hands. Oh, he was leaving!
"Oh, you were leaving...I could just..." Great. They were talking at the same time. Him, greeting her, her...telling him it was completely okay for
him to go ahead and leave. With a small giggle, she smiled and fell silent, letting him continue on as he asked her how she'd been.
"I've been good? I guess?" Nothing had really changed from the last time she'd hung out with him. Things had gotten a little busier as she started
hanging out with the squad more in preparation for the new year. There were try outs to fill the empty slots left by last year's seniors, meetings to
organize fundraisers and the assignment of cheerleaders to their players for locker decorations and goodie bags. Yes, everything had pretty much blown
up, but the fun she'd had with Dex had never strayed far from her mind.
"And you? What did you do with the rest of your summer?" Pulling her cup to her, she took a small sip and waited for his answer.
Sure, he had been leaving but, he wasn't anymore. Not now that she was here. He had only been trying to save himself further lonely embarrassment but
now...he wasn't alone. He was with the one person that he would love to just...sit with. They didn't even have to talk about anything. With
Charlena, Dex was perfectly fine just being. Of course that was too creepy and a little weird to say in front of her, so of course they would
speak...apparently at the same time. He chuckled a little as they spoke over one another. He hadn't meant tospeak over her he just figured he should
say something.
But the awkwardness of that moment passed and she responded to him first. She had been good. She guessed. That was good, he guessed. If he had been
smoother he might have said something like 'There wouldn't be any guessing with me babe.' That would have been something jockish to say, but Dex
wasn't that guy. Obviously. So instead he just nodded as she returned the question to him. How had he been? The same.
"My summer...it was alright. Y'know, work, the family, and my friend Sheen came back from the mainland so we just cooled. Nothing special-," he
stopped. Was he talking too much? She probably wanted to get back to her table...but it didn't seem that way with the way she made herself
comfortable, taking a sip of the drink she'd just bought and leaning into their conversation. Maybe he'd been wrong.
The longer Charlena sat with him, the higher his hopes got that this year might be different.
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
Was she hallucinating or was a sort of...hush...falling over the cafeteria? OH COME ON! Was it really that serious? Was Charlena Tucker sitting with
someone who wasn't in the same social standing as she was THAT big of a darn deal? They were just talking! But as she stole a quick glance
around them while Dex spoke, she could see the eyes looking at them. The blatant stares, like there wasn't even a chance of either she or Dex looking
up and seeing them. What were they? Some sort of circus spectacle? Some sort of sideshow or? Honestly, it made her want to look everyone, every single
person who thought that staring was a great reaction to she and Dex even breathing the same air, dead in the eye and just giving them one, big,
rousing "EFF YOU". Not like she'd actually say the real words. She'd never been a "curse-er" and it probably would've sounded hilarious coming from
her lips. With a barely noticeable sigh, her eyes fell back on Dex.
"Sounds about as eventful as my summer actually." She muttered, moving closer to him, almost as if her comment was something personal, something
friends would share. Another smile broke lips at how...normal all of that had sounded. As corny as it was, it felt good to hear someone say they
just...relaxed during the summer. That they hung out with their family and their friends and just did...nothing. And the way Dex said it, it was
almost like he didn't mind it. That was familiar. Doing nothing and not feeling guilty for it was normal. And it was absolutely divine to not have a
"1 up" competition while talking about her summer. It felt great to not hear stories of villas, midnight romping in the middle of some Grecian
vegetable patch, or sunning on the beaches in Mykonos. If felt great to feel like it wasn't a SIN to be...ordinary.
"...and I'm starting to think that 'uneventful' isn't such a bad thing." Guilty confession. Well, not so guilty. Kind of freeing, actually. Tapping
her fingers against the side of the styrofoam cup she held, she grinned at Dex, her eyes refusing to go back to the table with Madge and her
"friends". For the moment, she'd pretend like the didn't exist. She'd sit there, chat up Dex and pretend like the social hierarchy didn't matter...at
least until it decided to remind her that it actually did.
"Oh and by the way, don't think that now that the year has started that you're free from another movie night with me. You up for it?"
She wasn’t hallucinating. There was a hush and almost every eye had fallen on the two of them, this princess and her pauper. But Dex didn’t
notice. That’s how it was when Charlena came around. There was no one but him and her and the rest of the world just kind of...melted in a pool of
insignificance. Nothing mattered besides what she was saying to him and what he was saying back. Their conversation in the world they’d made for
themselves. But he knew she noticed, he could see her eyes glance from table to table, careful to avoid her own, as she looked at the people looking
at her. Her and this...unknown. That’s exactly what he was next to Charlena Tucker. Unknown and to most, in intrusion in her life. One that would
have to be removed soon if he didn’t remove himself.
But he’d wait for them to remove him. He loved just being next to her, hearing her speak to him, feeling his heart beat a little faster as she moved
closer to him. Dex wasn’t in his right mind when he was with Charlena and he sure as hell wasn’t complaining about it.
“When has uneventful ever been a bad thing?” He asked with a smile to match hers. He guessed it was in a life like hers. Char and her clique were
always into something, no matter how small. Especially Madgeline, who seemed to be the one dominating the conversation at their table before Char
left. There was nothing wrong with doing nothing. Especially not her nothing, because her nothing still probably shit all over his nothing. He was
sure it...what...
“U-u-up f-for it...-,” Fuck. Why was it that when he needed them the most words failed him. He was like a fish gasping for air and that air, in
this case, was a response to her question. Clearing his throat so that his voice didn’t crack, he tried to speak again. This time he was going to
work on making sense. “I could, uh...I mean we could...We could do that.” Good. A start.
“Of course we could do that.”
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
"Uneventful" was a dirty, dirty word that was to never be spoken the presence of her crowd. Whether it described a minute, hour, day, week...whatever,
it was NOT to be used. There was no such thing as uneventful when it came to the people that Charlena hung out with. There was always some get
together, some party, some kick back that Madgeline, their fearless leader, made it almost mandatory to attend. Like they were apart of some
unofficial, unspoken secret society with rules that were NOT to be broken, under any circumstance. And if they were broken, in Madge's words, "there
would be numerous hells to pay". But, what was so wrong with just lying around, wearing the same shirt for two or three days? Okay, that could've
gotten a little stinky, but the point was "uneventful", especially with a life as busy and active and so darn difficult to maintain, sounded more and
more like paradise everyday!
"You know, no one that matters." She said, shrugging, her eyes lighting up as she giggled. It was comments like that that made her just...really
like him. It was so easy for him to just disagree with the norm. So easy for him to just speak what he thought, even if he did kind
of...stutter it out. But so what! He still said it. So much more than Charlena could even DREAM of doing when it came to Madge and her tyrannous
reign. Sometimes, Charlena just wanted to tell her where to stick it and how long to leave it LODGED there! But...she couldn't. She wouldn't. No one
would. Everyone feared Madge. She didn't get the title of "Queen Madge" for no reason. She literally ruled their school from the moment she entered
the doors. No, from the moment she drove up, with her brother in their brand new Aston Martin and bought, er, WON everyone's hearts and approval. Ugh,
sickening is what it was. Everyone was so quick to love her...only because they couldn't HATE her outloud.
Biting her lip, she cringed as she waited for Dex's answer. God, she was so stupid to try and force a movie night on him. What if he didn't WANT a
movie night with her? What if there was someone else he'd rather spend his time with...like the "friend" he probably had. Yep, Charlena was still on
that. There was no way Dex was straight. He was too...nice. Too quiet. Wait...his friend Sheen? Oh! Was Sheen his boyfriend? Oh, how cute! He had
a...oh heck. Charlena's thoughts had gotten away from her as she thought way too far into Dex's life that she knew nothing about. She almost missed
him agreeing to another movie night! Her face lit up, but before she could speak, a voice behind her spoke FOR her.
"Oh cute. Did I just witness little Char finally getting a date?" Charlena's nose flared as she looked behind her, spotting a perfectly
manicured hand twisting a perfect black, curled strand of hair. That hair sported the most perfect headband, which matched the perfect outfit. And that perfect outfit sat on the most perfect body. And all that perfect made Charlena's bile rise. Madge
"You know that is just perfect as dates come so few and far between for you, isn't that right, Char?"
Uneventful was pretty much the only word Dex used to describe his life. Honestly, there was nothing to special about it most of the time. Sure, there
were moments that were pure awesome and he reveled in them for as long as possible, but uneventful was pretty much the end all be all for his
activities. Most of his life revolved around the things he had mentioned when describing his summer. The shop, his family, and Sheen. He had been
hoping to add Charlena to the list ever since their encounter in the ice cream parlor, but he knew how much of a stretch that was. Adding Charlena to
anything that had to do with his life was a stretch.
But it was getting shorter and shorter it seemed, her lips forming words he had only dreamed of hearing from her. Another movie night? Nothing would
make him happier! Hell, any excuse to spend time in her presence was cool with him. Of course he was up for another movie night. Nothing would stop
him from making it whenever she was free. He had worked out the ‘Sure’ part of his response and he was about to ask her when she wanted to do it,
but someone else spoke before him, a voice he’d heard very little of, but could place none the less. Madgeline wasn’t someone you didn’t know
about. No matter how little you might mean in the grand scheme of things.
She was...wow. There really weren’t words to describe Madgeline Ben Hassi and there weren’t words for Dex to speak to her. At least not until he
was spoken to. He didn’t even think ‘hello’ would suffice with this girl and she’d already heard him stutter out a response to Charlena.
He’d embarrassed himself enough for the day.
She was obviously here to take Char back to where she belonged and get her away from the unknown loser she was embarrassing herself with now.
Dex had not been deemed worthy by “Queen Madge” so Charlena was definitely out of line just by being here. Stupid, but true. Madgeline ran things
at AJW and if you didn’t like it...Well the mainland had plenty of schools to choose from. Maybe he’d be finding exactly that out soon.
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
It was common knowledge. Madgeline Ben Hassi was possibly the sole possessor of the world's only social sixth sense. She could tell when all was not
right with the world, when something had shifted. When the tides changed. Every "Oh so sad" heartbreak, raunchy make-out session and VD transmission
was on her radar before it actually hit. When the big "somebody" turned into a big "nobody"? Oh, Madge was there, holding the iPhone and recording the
whole damn thing. She knew all, saw all, WAS all. And when it came to Charlena, she'd ALWAYS known. What, you ask? That Charlena Tucker was a
sniveling, goody-two shoes, in-crowd fake who's only saving grace was her "pretty" face. Using the term "pretty" loosely, of course. Fate had played
Tucker an undeserved hand. EVERYONE loved her. Why? Madgeline would never know. She was so...boring. The way she wore her hair, the way
she...smiled...all the fucking time. She was the bane of Madgeline's existence and the little whore knew it. She didn't deserve the slot she
filled...not by a long shot and Madgeline couldn't wait for her tumble from her stupid princess tower. She didn't belong there in the first place.
But it seemed the waiting game was over. The fate gods were on Madgeline's side and the end was beginning. Even though she wanted to crease her
perfectly cared for skin with a frown, in anger of Charlena's interruption to "go get a Coke", she couldn't help but smile when her TRUE intentions
for the sudden need carbonated goodness (that wasn't even DIET) were revealed. And the story that she'd interrupted...it had been one of Madgeline's
finest summers to DATE. Of course, some things were a bit...embellished upon. Had she lied about a Grecian summer? Of course not! Madgeline's brother
made Forbes' lists. Five of them, to be exact. Seriously, money wasn't an issue. But like her brother always said, "Money will always come with price.
The path to wealth is never free." That meant skimping on a few things. Like time with her. Sure, they'd gone to Greece and rented a villa, but
Madgeline saved the details about how she didn't even see her brother for one second of their "family vacation" and the only way she knew he still was
living and breathing and hadn't deserted her in Greece was watching a different woman leave their rented home almost every morning. Oh and the fact
that when she DID try to go off with the three Greek cuties, Amiri had swooped in out of nowhere and ruined the entire thing for her. He was the
eternal father/brother. Emphasis on "father"...
But who cared about Madgeline's summer vacation when Charlena was so ready to ruin her social standing by abandoning her "crew"
(eyeroll) to hang out with some nameless freak. Did Madgeline even know who Charlena was talking to? Not at all and the truth was he was probably
nameless because he didn't matter. But did Madgeline care? Of course. It wasn't everyday that her archenemy decided to commit social suicide. And what
better than to be the one that watched the entire thing commence? And not to mention, stoke the fire a bit to get the idiot's utter ruin going more
quickly.
Patting Charlena's shoulder as the stupid twit sat there, grinding her teeth at Madgeline's arrival, she pulled a chair out and sprawled, delicately
into it. What was this? The silent treatment to signal her distaste for Madgeline's presence. Wwo could play at that game.
"Oh, Char. Ever the silent one about her secret little rendez-vous. And what a secret you've been keeping you bad girl." With a
giggle, her eyes turned on the...thing...sitting there. He was quiet as a church mouse...and probably as boring as one too. Charlena and her little
"insignificant" had something in common! Amazing. Her eyes went from his...nameless shoes to those awful, emo things that he wore on his face
and probably called glasses. What WAS Charlena's purpose...at the table...with HIM?
"No introductions? Pity. Guess I'll have to do that myself. I'm Madgeline and you are?"
Saturday Night. We look alright. We're going out....
Boring.
Paris, France. Londontown. NYC... Boring.
He watched quietly as she patted Charlena’s shoulder before helping herself to a seat. They shared a silence that was more than awkward to Dex, but
didn’t seem to effect either of the girls. Madge was the first to break it commenting on Char’s “secret rendez-vous”...vous,
like plural? Meh. That shouldn’t have bothered Dex, but he couldn’t deny the small urge in him to want to know who else she met with. Of course,
he wanted to know everything about Charlena, so it wasn’t too far of a stretch, now was it? Did Char really have other nerds she hung with that she
didn’t want her friends to know about? That was his position damn it! Well, it had been until...well until they got found out.
Dex suddenly found himself self-conscious. The way he had been when he finally decided to officially introduce himself to Charlena, but, like a
thousand times worse because Madgeline Ben Hassi was the one staring him down now. To be completely honest, he was afraid of her. Not fearful like,
she would kill him in his sleep, but more like...he didn’t know what she’d do to him while he was asleep so he should just stay awake...for
the rest of his life. That kind of fear. Every question he had asked himself moments ago to ensure that he looked okay in front of Char, was
coming back to him ten fold as Madgeline looked him over. Part of him felt like he should stand in her presence, the other half didn’t want her to
see the rest of what he was wearing.
Madgeline grew impatient waiting for Charlena to introduce them, so she did it herself, her warm-honey eyes falling on his as she said her name. As if
he didn’t know. Sadly, while he did know what her name was, he couldn’t exactly remember his own. Fuck. It happened like this with
females in general, but this...She was Madgeline Ben Hassi. Everything about her was purposefully perfect, in place,
and...damn. Damn! He was staring. And he still hadn’t answered her darn question!
“It’s, uh...I mean, I’m...,” he paused, damning this entire day to hell in his mind. What had started out as something as perfect as spending
the end of lunch with Char, had turned into something so much worse than he could have imagined. He was embarrassing himself in front of Madegline Ben
Hassi; which, in essence, meant he was embarrassing himself in front of AJW. Nothing in him wanted her to know his name now and he kind of wished he
could die for a little while, but he had to finish.
“I’m uh, Milhouse? Milhouse...Wait, no. Just Dex...I mean my name is Milhouse, but Dex is a lot less...um...” Dex closed his eyes to the sound
of his own voice trying to explain his name confusion. What the hell was he doing? He easily could have left it at Milhouse! It wasn’t like she was
going to commit it to memory. Was there a point in finishing this? “I think I’ve screwed this introduction enough, so...yeah. Dex...is my...it’s
my name.”
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
And just like always, Madgeline was the only person with the irrefutable ability to make Charlena want to curse out loud and as well as do a couple of
other things that would surely land her in a youth correctional facility. Not a second had passed and Madgeline had already made everything happening
at the table about HER. The spotlight was glaring down on top of her invisible tiara and Charlena's eyes were already narrowing from the shine. She
was trying her hardest to keep the look of "go away" from showing on her face as Madgeline made something so completely innocent sound so...deceptive.
Nothing about her being at Dex's table was indecent. It was completely normal for he and she to hang out, chat...even though Charlena had lied to her
friends just to get to his table in the first place. Why did she lie? She hadn't even really thought about it. Why hadn't she just said, "Hey guys,
I'm going to hang out with Dex, a new friend I met this summer. See you in class"? Oh, right. Because she wasn't as clueless as she wanted to be. She
knew the social hierarchy and to state it in plain English, she knew her place and sadly, she knew his. Sometimes, Charlena really wanted to take the
whole status scale and set it on fire. Scratch that...all the time. Mostly because...before this summer, she hadn't really even THOUGHT about what
hanging with people outside the Madge-approved crowd would be like. She didn't question much of anything, actually. She just played her role like so
many others in her group. But her role just didn't fit lately. It squished at her, pressing in on her sides like a vice and she hated it. And the more
she hated it, the better it felt every time she just...got away. Went off on her own. Jumped in her little Toyota, turned the radio up and got lost
for awhile. Rendezvous? No more like...excursions.
Nearly shrugging Madgeline's hand away, her eyes shot to Dex as quickly as he was acknowledged. Oh God. Dex. With all those thoughts running through
her head, Charlena had nearly forgotten that he was sitting there, defenseless against Madgeline and all of her crap. And for once, she couldn't help
the expression that crossed her face as she watched his. There was no mistaking that face and the look on it. He wore the face that so many wore when
faced with a collision with Madgeline. Fear. He wore the same face that so many others donned and so many of her group wore beneath smiles
and laughs. There was no harm in fearing "Queen Madge". Totally understandable. If Charlena didn't hate her so much, she probably would've had room
for fear too.
An encouraging smile fluttered across her lips, one that if one wasn't too careful, would've probably looked like a fearful grimace. Madgeline was
addressing him and Dex looked like he was ready to poop three bricks...at the same time. The poor thing looked as if he'd forgotten everything outside
of the fact that Madgeline Ben Hassi was addressing him.
Stuttering over his name, he finally gave her an answer and it was seriously more complex than the one he'd given Charlena. Well, she didn't have to
wonder why. Those warm honeyed eyes that could go as soft as silk or as hard as amber were watching him and believe it or not, they saw all. Every
flaw, impurity, weakness. Every space in you that could be picked at or prodded enough to destroy you completely. Oh, she saw all. And she used
all...
"Oh, Char..." Madgeline sighed, purring Charlena's name as usual and grating her nerves with the sweet tinge of poison that her voice added
to it. "...he's adorable! I see why you like him so much." With another giggle, she nudged Charlena's arm, propping her perfectly cleft chin on the
back of her hand.
Well at least that was done. He could die a miserable death now that he had completely embarrassed himself in front of Madgeline; the one girl outside
of Char that made him more nervous than usual. It was different with Madgeline though. With Charlena, he was nervous because he wanted her to like
him, with Madgeline though...with her it was pure fear. As sad as it sounded, he was afraid of what “Queen Madge” was capable of, with her
limitless amounts of cash and loyal followers.
So yes. His introduction had come out completely wrong and he sounded like a complete retard, but he’d made it through and that was more than he
could have prayed for. Now he had to hold his breath for the obligatory ridicule that was sure to follow such a botched answer to a question asked by
Madgeline Ben Hassi. That he could handle; he was used to being made fun of so now it was ex--...what? Adorable? That was...not expected at all. Was
he hallucinating? Dreaming? Shit! Had he died for real and this was like...stop. What was she saying now?
“Oh! No-,” Shit. He hadn’t meant for it to come out that loud. But she was way off base...sadly, “I mean, Charlena’s great, but
it’s not like that...with us. We’re just um...” He wasn’t sure what they were and he didn’t want to make things worse for her. “We just
kinda hang out every now and then...”
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
What. A complete. Bumbling...moron. And Charlena had made it up in her deluded mind that fraternizing with someone who stuttered like a
retard on repeat was actually a viable idea? Of course she had. Because underneath all that sickly sweet perfection, she was just as pointless and
ridiculous as her new "friend". Birds of a feather eventually get together and make more unfortunate bird babies. Okay, so maybe that wasn't how the
saying went, but in Madgeline's mind, it fit. Seriously? This glasses wearing, blabbering geek was the secret that Charlena was keeping this summer?
Of course Madgeline had heard about her going "missing" at the most inopportune times. Not like parties had ever been Charlena'sthing. But
there were some pretty good ones that the only good excuses for missing out on, if you were invited, were being off the island on holiday...or dead.
Madgeline had covered the "vacation" side and wasn't able to make any of them. But Charlena, of course, wasn't a traveler and she wasn't
dead...pity. So, this was her excuse? Ugh, come on! He wasn't even cute! And from the way he could barely make two words without his teeth
tripping over his tongue, he sure hadn't woo-ed her into submission. Please say she hadn't slept with him. Frenemy or not, the possibility of that
abomination was just plain...sad.
Good thing it seemed like Charlena thought so too, as Madgeline's simple comment brought a most enjoyable "blush and death stare" combination to her
face. Annoyance rippled over those features of "perfection" as Madge smiled back, loving that she'd just gotten a bit of a reaction from her. So
Charlena hadn't lost her mind. The very thought of even touching someone like her nameless freak still embarrassed her, did it now? Oh wait, he'd
told her his name. What was it? Don? Dilbert? Danny? Something with a "D". Whatever. It wasn't important. What was important was that...
Oh! With a slight start, Madgeline's eyes rounded as she stared in his direction, his answer a bit too loud for the second of quiet that had
fallen over their table. But her irritation was quickly replaced by...utter amusement. It was true, the two weren't a couple? Fabulous. And surprise,
surprise. Charlena's "freak of nature" seemed almost adamant in getting that point across. What was this? She's great but... No, that comment
was great. Even a total "nobody" couldn't stand the fact of being with Charlena! Oh, classic. Nearly giggling with satisfaction, Madgeline forced the
best "pout" she could muster in the midst of so much pleasure.
"Oh, so...she's still on the market? How unfortunate. Our Charlena is quite the catch...even if she is playing hard to get half the time."
Madgeline laughed as she wound her arm inside of Charlena's and laid her head on her shoulder. A sneaky smile formed on her pink lips as she felt
Charlena's body stiffen against the sudden contact.
"...would've been such a cute little match, too. Although I can't say that I'm sad that you're not...otherwise preoccupied."
Saturday Night. We look alright. We're going out....
Boring.
Paris, France. Londontown. NYC... Boring.
What the hell was happening to his life right now? He was stuck between Charlena Tucker and Madgeline Ben Hassi, any teenage boy’s dream, and he
wanted nothing more that to disappear. Why was he even still here? He could have made up any excuse to leave and made his escape ages ago! But he
couldn’t think of anything viable to say. Hell, he couldn’t think of much to say period. Oh but he was quick to jump and make it clear that he and
Char weren’t together. Stupid. Now she probably thought that he wasn’t interested and with the way he’d said it...That had probably
made it ten times worse. Awesome. Great. Excellent.
But it seemed that his response satisfied Madgeline. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to see it, but there was something like a glimmer in her eye,
her perfect curls falling to one side as her head tilted just a bit. She was amused. With what he wasn’t sure, but he could have ventured a guess
after her next statement. Hmm...Maybe Madge and Char weren’t as close as he thought they were? Char did seem kind of tense from the moment Madgeline
sat down, but Dex had chalked it up to the same reason he had tensed up. He was sure plenty of people, friends or not, were a little more rigid when
Madge was around...but wait. What was she saying?
A “cute match”. He couldn’t help it, that made him smile a little. He made sure to keep it light, nothing that would get him mocked or called
out, but he smiled. Madge that they’d be cute together...He wondered if Char might have thought the same thing. Sometimes he wished he wasn’t such
a coward and he could just...ask her...No. No, he didn’t want to ask her. He wanted to tell her. Tell her how much he wanted to be with
her, just in pure innocence. He was sure plenty of guys, with more confidence than he had, had told her the opposite plenty of times, but Dex wanted
to tell her just that. How much he just liked seeing her, capturing her voice so he could play it back in his mind when he was away from her later,
and how her smile was the only sunrise worth setting his alarm for...
But he’d never tell her any of that. Fear left him sheepish...and Madgeline’s next words left him...confused. Ha! Surely she was joking, at his
expense--and that was fine, but she was obviously kidding and he wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to it. She wasn’t sad that he wasn’t
otherwise preoccupied...Right. As if his preoccupation mattered at all to Madgeline Ben Hassi. For lack of a better response he mustered up a quiet,
“Yeah...not so much-,” a small chuckle followed his words and he suddenly wished he hadn’t stacked his things on his tray to leave. He would
give anything to have something to do with his hands, anything to take his attention off of his nerves. But it seemed that’s where it’d have to
stay until this whole awkward exchange was over.
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
If Charlena hadn't been so opposed to violence, she probably would've done some really unmentionable things to Madgeline's face! Really!? Was it
mandatory that she tried to make every moment of Charlena's life unpleasant. Obviously it was. What was she even talking about? When the absolute
heck had Charlena said anything about liking Dex in the first place? Of course Dex was completely sweet and he was such a good person! The
time they'd spent together during the summer was such, for lack of a better word...fun. They'd spent a little time inside of the comic book store
where he worked, just shooting the breeze, talking and figuring out a comic that she would actually be interested in reading. Not only had she stayed
for over an hour, but Charlena'd found out that she was on her way to being a pretty big Jenny Sparks fan-girl. And then the night that
they'd watched Donnie Darko, when they'd eaten so much pizza that she'd had to start her morning jog thirty minutes early just to make sure
that some tell-tell sign of pudge didn't attract Madgeline's all-seeing, critical eye. So much fun. But so...platonic. And that was okay...especially
because she couldn't change the way he felt...who he was. She didn't want to. It was so neat that he felt so comfortable being himself and even if
that meant that he wasn't interested in people like her, that was okay.
But what wasn't okay was Madgeline's idiotic comments. They made Charlena's blood boil so violently that she was sure that the blood was curdling all
the way to her very cheeks, reddening them as her lips tightened, pressed together against all of the rude, jerky things she wanted to say to
Madgeline. Things that she knew she couldn't say, else she thought that loosing her place on the squad was that unimportant. All of the ugly things
that she wanted to say, she had to transform into something that wouldn't end in regret. But that took a lot of thinking and before she could even
collect her thoughts to react, Dex had...quite...passionatey. But correctly, she guessed...
"Yeah. Sorry, Madge. We're just friends. Right Dex?" With a smile that Charlena had to muster from way...deep down, against all of her anger, she
watched Dex, letting him know with the lightening of her dark expression, that he was right. But that sentiment only lasted for a moment before
Madgeline was talking...again. And not only was she talking, she was insulting Charlena and...flirting. Yep, flirting. As long as Charlena
had been "enemies with benefits" with her, she pretty much knew what flirting entailed. Batting those long eyelashes, pouting her overly glossed lips
and...purring. Ugh. Nothing was above Madgeline, was it? Not that the flirting surprised her. Madgeline wasn't exactly the most...chaste.
There were so many stories, rumors and whispers about what and who she'd managed to do from day ONE at AJW that nothing really surprised her
about Madgeline. The flirt didn't really shake her. But who the flirting was aimed at did. Dex?
It was true enough he guessed. He and Charlena were nothing more than friends and Dex guessed he could be thankful that they were even that much. It
was a step right? The beginning of a friendship that could lead to a relationship? He could hope, but with the way Charlena had responded he was
almost positive his hope was in vain. They were just friends and that was all they ever would be; so as she smiled in his direction, letting him know
that he shouldn’t let Madge get to him, he knew that was a smile for her friend Dex. One that she would never give to her nameless future boyfriend.
The smile Dex wanted was reserved for that guy. The one that gave her the same weird, chaotic, mix of emotions Dex got whenever she breathed in his
general direction. The guy who’s fingerprints would be littered all over her heart...Because his never would be it seemed...
But he wasn’t given the time to dwell on that. Madgeline was throwing him for a few loops because if he hadn’t known better he would have sworn on
a stack of bibles that she was flirting with him. He honestly didn’t know what to say to anything she was saying and he especially didn’t
know what to say once she told him that she wasn’t upset that he wasn’t with anyone. Was he interpreting that wrong? Maybe it meant something in
some cool kid type language that he didn’t get. That sounded dumb, but the alternative was even more preposterous. Madge flirting with him? HA! Wait
til Sheen heard that! He would kill himself for missing it Dex was sure.
Without Dex being able to figure out what to say, an awkward silence fell over the table, one Dex let linger in hopes that either one of the girl’s
would break it and save him from the inevitable drawn out ‘soooooooo’ that was soon to escape his lips. Maybe it was time for him to make a break
for it anyway...
“Well, um, this has been...cool, but uh-,” he paused, but what? He still hadn’t concocted a good excuse to slip away so what would he say.
“I’ve got some stuff to do before next period,” he stood, his eyes falling on Madge before they lingered on Char. “It’s been a
pleasure.”
It always was with Charlena.
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
Just friends? Ha. "Just friends" her ass. Her social sense's radar was going crazy. There was something there. Madge could feel it. She
could almost taste it in the air, it was so thick. Now, whether it was coming from Poindexter or Charlena, she couldn't tell. But there were lies
being told and one of them was definitely the naughty, little fibber. Could it have been Poindexter? No, he probably wasn't brave enough to even think
about crushing on someone above him. And from the terrified expression that she could see peaking through that forced stoicism, he probably was too
scared to feel anything other than fear. Then...that meant, it was Charlena. Maybe she had a little crush thing for this...emo kid. One couldn't quite
tell. But time would and Madgeline was just patient enough to wait for all to reveal itself. And then...she would strike. What? Was she supposed to be
interested in the horrible display for no reason? Of course not. Was she flirting with this...miscreant for giggles? Possibly. But there were more
important things to achieve here, now weren't there?
Rolling her eyes at Charlena's comment about "friendship", she stared into those dark brown eyes, a smirk curling the corner of her lip.
Liar. Wow. So, the good girl had a crush, huh? That was completely new. The only thing Madgeline thought Charlena loved more than being a
complete prude was Jesus. She never went on dates, never talked about guys, never hooked up with guys...never showed the slightest interest. But it
seemed there was room enough in that pure little heart for something besides her Bible. Well, she wouldn't have a crush for long, not if Madgeline had
something to say about it. And she would. She always did...
A thick silence had fallen over the table as she thought to herself, ideas swarming inside of her head. But a voice interrupted them, her liquid-gold
eyes turning to Poindexter as he spoke, excusing himself from the table...in a series of stutters.
"A pleasure? It definitely was." Biting her lip, she released it quickly and smiled his way, her eyes burning into his. Standing up, as she prepared
to make her way back to HER table. Last to arrive, first to leave. She'd be damned if she was left at that loser table by herself. Charlena could stay
where she sat...forever, if she liked. Madgeline wouldn't know the difference. Besides, if she had anything to do with it, someone would be taking her
chair soon.
"Nice to meet you, Dex. We should converse again...really soon." With a soft giggle, she turned around, her eyes still on Poindexter.
Saturday Night. We look alright. We're going out....
Boring.
Paris, France. Londontown. NYC... Boring.
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