A Pirate's Life for Me

Chapter 18: Complication Arose, Ensued, Were Overcome

Today was the day. Nora was going to visit Jack for the first time in forever. Okay, it hadn't been that long, but it was the longest she'd stayed away since around the beginning of meeting him. She was ready. She could catch him when he was walking away from a meet and greet time and tell him that whatever he'd heard from Oliver, or whoever else, it wasn't true. She wasn't a crazy stalker girl. She didn't have a crush on him—without, of course, mentioning feelings at all. She was just your sane, average Annual Passholder girl who owned too many things with mouse ears plastered all over it that wasn't in love with Captain Jack Sparrow.

Because that would be ridiculous. She didn't know him. It was fine.

She jittered the whole way there as if she'd drank an entire Starbucks' store worth of coffee. Which was really saying something because she didn't drink coffee.

She fidget-marched up Main Street, trying to plan how to bide her time, deciding maybe going on Jack's attraction might give her a sort of pre-conversation confidence just by seeing audio animatronics of him.

That was ridiculous, but she had time to kill and it had been a good long while since she'd been on the ride.

She walked across the Adventureland bridge, coming to a halt at the sight of a familiar adult face. Miles, Naomi's dad. And it was too late to turn around and run off because he had already spotted her, clearly recognizing who she was.

She'd seen Miles around the house a few times during small group, staying to the back of the house to meet with Maddie's actual dad, but they hadn't really exchanged any words, which made it even weirder seeing him in public than it already was.

At Disney World. Her secret place that she still hadn't told anyone about.

"Hi, Nora," he said, not at all bubbly like Maddie or Naomi were.

The words rushed out of her mouth like lava vomited from a volcano. "What are you doing here?" 

He blinked. "It's Maddie and Miles day."

Nora stared. Was she supposed to know what that was? Why wasn't he explaining what that was? And either way, she assumed that meant that Maddie was here, right now, and would see her at Disney. 

How did she get out of this conversation?
           
"Well, I left my friend on the other side of the park, so I have to get going—"

"I can walk with you."

Oh, cheese sticks. "You really don't have to."

"I've actually wanted to talk to you. I didn't get the chance during our first...meeting." He seemed to be clearly remembering Maddie's dad calling her kinky and cringing from secondhand embarrassment. "Naomi talks about you all the time now. I'm glad you've become friends." 

"Where's Maddie?" Nora asked, trying not to look around hectically as they started walking towards Adventureland. She really should have led them somewhere else, but it's not like she'd had a destination in mind before.

"She went to go buy a secret dessert for both of us, which is why she left me in the hub. She tries to throw me off the scent, but I'm pretty sure she's going to get churros. I'll let her know where we are so she doesn't worry."

"Oh, you don't have to. I really need to get back to my friend."

"I'm sure it would mean a lot to Maddie to see you for a few minutes. Have you two not been getting along?"

Nora tried not to bite her lip. "We get along fine."

"I'm sorry if she's a bit much. She has a really big heart and gets so excited about everything. She's not trying to scare anyone away or be obnoxious."