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"Oh look there's Feeny!" Eric shouted, interrupting his own previous thought.
Madison watched him sprint out of the classroom, leaving her and Jason to share a confused look. He had just been talking about his latest date with Andrea, the new one, and suddenly was out of the door. Madison could've sworn he had the stereotypical ADHD sometimes.
"I got this one," Madison sighed, slowly getting to her feet and calmly exiting the classroom.
Eric was right, there was Mr. Feeny. Madison approached them in time to hear Mr. Feeny read "Girls of the Ivy League". Not something you would expect your elderly principal to say.
"Goodbye Mr. Matthews," Mr. Feeny dismissed, closing the magazine Eric was holding that Madison had missed.
"Oh no wait, Mr. Feeny, Mr. Feeny um," Eric pleaded, coming to stand on the other side of him, "Have you heard of a college called Yah-Le?"
Madison could've died of laughter right then and there. She couldn't believe he had just said that.
"You mean Yale?" Mr. Feeny said incredulously.
"Yeah, is that one any good?" Eric inquired.
"It's one of the finest universities in the country. Eric... hear my words," Mr. Feeny explained, "It's no party school."
"Um well, excuse me, according to this here girl floating on the raft reading the physics book, Yale rocks," Eric defended, opening up the magazine.
"Ooh is there any Oxford ones?" Madison chirped as she made herself known to the pair.
"Oh thank god, Miss Chirley, please help me talk some sense into him," Mr. Feeny sighed, before turning back to Eric, "Yale has perhaps the highest admission standards in the country. Comparable to even Oxford."
Madison swallowed the lump in her throat at this. She was getting more and more nervous as the start date of applications loomed. It was only a matter of time before she would decide her entire future.
"Drats," Eric sighed, defeated.
"Now have you thought of applying to someplace more accessible?" Mr. Feeny urged on, "Maybe a state school? Maybe a preschool?"
"Alright, look Mr. Feeny, I have a question that I'm going to need a yes or no answer to," Eric began, "How many people get into Yale every year?"
Madison facepalmed.
"No," Mr. Feeny deadpanned.
"C'mon, you gotta know somebody there," Eric whined.
"Well, yes I do," Mr. Feeny admitted, "But believe Mr. Matthews, it would take more than your grades to get into Yale."
And with that Mr. Feeny pushed past Eric to enter his office. Madison thought the conversation had seemed pretty final, but Eric seemed to find a "hidden meaning".
"Ohhh, I'm hearing what you're saying Mr. Feeny," Eric said smugly, "And I'm winking right back at you."
Madison rolled her eyes, and lightly grasped his upper arm.
"Please don't," Mr. Feeny groaned, finally entering his office.
Eric seemed to have a plan forming in his brain as Madison led him back to the classroom.
There was only one thing that could come from an Eric Matthews plan, and that was trouble.
--
"I literally don't know what to get!" Jess whined, pretending to throw the dress back at the rack.
It was finally that time of the year. The Night of the Opera. Since they were considered old enough to go, Jess' dad had taken the two girls (Candace and Madison) along with their family's yearly opera visit. Jess' dad was a former politician in their area, so he got a lot of free stuff.
"Should I do colour this year?" Madison mused, looking at a particularly beautiful purple slip dress.
"And risk ruining your five year black dress streak? I don't think you could," Candace giggled, "That's a beautiful dress Mads."
"I think I'm going to get it," Madison hummed, smiling.
"Well I'm glad you guys know what you're getting," Jess grumbled.
Jess put a lot of pressure on herself when it came to her dad. Ever since her mom had left, it was up to Jess to take care of her two younger brothers. And after the absolute devastation that her mother caused on her father's reputation, she used all her energy to put out the perfect image. It looked exhausting.
"Babe, don't worry about it," Candace calmed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Not like there's going to be any cute guys at the opera."
"Yeah, it's usually just stodgy old men," Madison added, nudging her.
"Who knows, I might be in to that kind of stuff," Jess winked.
"Gross!" "That was not funny."
The trio continued to laugh and tease as they made their way through the store. Perks of opera night, you always needed a full new outfit. Madison didn't know why, but she was feeling like it was an extra special year. She decided to go for the high heels, and the coloured dress, and the sparkly but small hair clips, and a delicate choker - much different than her usual black one. It was chalking up to be a very good night.
"So, you guys still game for a sleepover tonight?" Jess inquired.
"Of course," Candace snorted, "Only been doing it for five years."
"I'm just checking!" Jess defended, lightly striking her in the arm.
--
"So... Eric Matthews."
"I already told you guys, I'm over it!" Madison almost shouted, head laying on the carpeted floor of Jess' bedroom.
"But you said that he called you his wife!" Jess countered.
"Or his sister! There was that bit in there too!" Madison wheezed, laughing heartily.
"Come on Mads, get real," Candace said delicately, "You like him, he might like you. End of story."
Madison put her hands over her eyes and slowly shook her head. It was hard to believe the amount of times she had had this same exact conversation with various females in her life. It was getting a tad bit annoying. Her answer was going to remain unmoved.
"Guys, I get it. You want me to be happy," Madison finally spoke, removing her hands from her eyes, "But at this point I'm not willing to jeopardize this friendship for this potentialship."
"I mean it'd be a bit weird if two siblings dated," Jess added, joking to take the edge off things.
"Oh god!" Madison cackled, covering her face for a different reason.
Madison knew this wouldn't completely stop the two of them from hounding on her, but at least it put a cork in it for the night. She wanted to be fully present at the opera tomorrow night, as it was her favourite thing to do with her friends. No way was Eric Matthews going to ruin opera night.
