Closets

ONE

Beep beep beep beep.
My alarm sounded at 7:00 am just like it had every Sunday morning for as long as I could remember. I grabbed the outfit I had laid out the night before and headed to the bathroom. I got dressed and did my hair into one braid on the side of my head. I did my face and eye makeup lightly and finished  with a bright red lipstick. I smiled at myself in the mirror and went downstairs to make breakfast.
I heard my mom call from her room. "Madeline, Are you finished yet?"
"Almost ready!" I called back as I loaded a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of orange juice on to a tray and carried it upstairs to my mother's room. "Here you are mother." I said setting the tray on her bedside table.
"Thank you dear. I don't know what I would without you."
I sat down on my mother's bedside "How are you feeling today mom?"
She sat up and rested her head against the wall behind her. "Good, better than I was yesterday."  I smiled at her she smiled back.
"Now hurry out." she said to me. "Don't want you to be late for church now." I nodded and kissed her on the head.
I skipped down the hallway and down the stairs. Then finally I hopped in my baby blue bug and head pulled out of the driveway.
I pulled into the parking lot of Little Valleys Community Church just in time for service to start. After service I enjoyed the refreshments of homemade chocolate chip cookies and donated orange juice from the local supermarket. I talked with the pastors, the elderly and some of my other church friends.
Dear old Mrs.Holiday came up to me during this
  "Oh my dear Madeline, I just want you to know that I'm praying for you and your mother." I smiled and thanked her.
About  4 other people came up to me and said something similar. I've gotten used to it. It's been the same every Sunday for the past 3 years. Ever since mother fell sick, it's always been the same with the prayers and the weekly casseroles. That's just how it is when you live in the some little town of Sunny Village, everyone knows everyone. Especially if you go to only church within a 10 mile radius. I grew up in the church, and it's where I've made a lot of my good friends. Which with mother  sick, and dad off in another state, is good to have.
When I was done with my cookies and juice I began walking down the hall to meet up with some of my friends from youth group.
The hall was quiet until suddenly a closet door was opened in front of me and I was grabbed and pulled into it, I let out a quick, startled scream as the door closed behind me. It was hard to see in a dimly lit closet but then my attacker pulled the light string.
In front of me was a boy with big brown eyes and dirty blonde hair that went down to just above his eyes. I was facing my life long best friend, Daniel Tanner.
"Da-" I begin to shout before I was cut off. He grabbed me hard by the shoulders and pulled me forward, and then kissed me hard on the mouth. I was shocked and quickly pulled away, he released my shoulder and I took a step back. "Danny!" I shouted, the tint of my red lipstick now stained all around his mouth ."In the name of all that is holy what are you doing?!"
"Shhhh!" He told me and then whispered. "Did you feel anything?" He asked me. "Like did you feel any spark of connection between us?"
I was highly  flustered and confused about what was going on, I  whisper yelled "What?! No! I felt nothing, you know I will never like you like that!" Now Danny was  terribly flustered, and began whisper yelling. "Well neither did I! I felt absolutely nothing either!" Then he knelt on the ground, buried his face in his hands and began sobbing. "I thought that if I kissed you, that I would feel something. I knew that if there was only one girl that I could feel a connection with like would be you, and I felt nothing!" , his words were muffled by his hands. I knelt beside him and put my arm around him. He was not being is usual self. I had seen Danny through thick and thin, but right now I had no idea what was going on. "Danny what are you talking about?" He still sobbed.
  "Danny, please tell me. You know you can tell me anything." Slowly he lifted his head and looked at me, his big brown eyes looking sad and dreary. "Madi," His voice shook. "I'm gay."