Madison's Code

[bbykimmy]

18 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

On the contrary, your analyses are really fun to read.  And pretty accurate in most cases.

The struggle between wanting to confirm a reader's theories versus not wanting to spoil anything is real.

[ELLIE52]

8 minutes ago, bbykimmy said:

The struggle between wanting to confirm a reader's theories versus not wanting to spoil anything is real.

It is a real thing.  Sometimes when I have a theory, I say the least.

[Sophie ♥]

Five.

    I hated to admit it, but my days were significantly less interesting without Madison Bell.  At lunch, the Writing Workshop was empty.  In class, there were no notes on the corners of my desk.  Polly had started yearbook club and could only hang out on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Was I lonely?

    It was late November when we were given our semester finals in Biology.  We had a week to write a collaborative essay on a chapter of our choosing.  I was aiming for cell structures or DNA replication - those were my forte.  But there was a problem.

    “You’ll work in pairs,” Mrs. Hancock finished just as the groans started up.  No one liked group projects. “Don’t worry, though.  This time you can pick your partner.”  

    There was a lot less groaning after that.  I watched from the back of the room while everyone’e eyes darted around.  Short, small hand signs confirmed pairings in the silence before Mrs. Hancock passed out the rubric.  My eyes lingered to Madison against the window, who was pouring through the table of contents in her Biology book.

    When the bell rang, everyone gathered to discuss their papers.  I watched a girl hurry up to Madison’s desk - a short brunette with two clips in her hair.  I couldn’t hear her over the commotion of backpacks being zipped.  Madison smiled her usual smile and nodded over and over.  I sunk into my seat.

    Then, unexpectedly, Madison turned her head to look at me.  For a single second, our eyes made contact.  One second.  Then my eyes darted down to my book and I started to pack up my things.  I didn’t look up until I almost bumped right into Madison, standing with her hands behind her back and smiling at me.

    “Wanna be partners?” she asked.

    “Uh.” I looked around for the brunette.  I couldn’t find her in the sea of faces.

    “Oh, you don’t have to!  I know after last time, I’m probably not the ideal partner.  I shouldn’t have—”

    “No, uh.  Sure.  Yeah.”

    “Yeah?”

    “Yeah.”

    “I promise you won’t regret it!” Madison said as seriously as she could, which wasn’t very serious at all.  I wasn’t sure how this girl made it through high school…

    “Do you have a particular topic you want to do?” I asked.

    “Oh, um.” I watched the exuberance slip away from her.  She played with her fingers in front of her and the tops of her cheeks turned a rosy, soft pink.  It was a cute color on her…

    “No idea then?”

    “Not really,” she admitted, smiling.  It was that smaller, wrinkle-less smile from last time.  Then I thought of the word for it.  Forced.

    “What about DNA replication?” I asked her.

    “With the letters and the RNA and stuff?  I don’t really get it.  But if you want to!”

    “No, it’s fine.  What about cell structure?”

    “Yeah, I can do that,” she said with certainty.  I was starting to recognize the difference in her when she was sure of something.  She was sure of this.  

    “I’ll tell Mrs. Hancock,” I told Madison. “And we can look up articles tonight and reconvene tomorrow?”

    “Yes, let’s do that!” She waved goodbye and smiled that same smile again.  Now that I thought about it, she smiled like that a lot.

    I spent my uneventful lunch period looking up biology articles on the Writing Workshop’s computer.  I found a few things that supported the stuff we talked about in class, and the textbook itself helped give me some big names to look into.  By the end of the period, I had already found five sources on my own.  By the next morning - Thursday - I had printed, highlighted, and copied the articles.  I wasn’t going to be the downfall of another project with Madison Bell.  

    For Biology, we met in the library.  The entire class period was allocated to discussing the project, picking a topic, and coming up with sources.  Little did Mrs. Hancock know, I’d already done all that.  When Madison came in, the bell had already rung.  She snuck in without being seen: that sort of thing was hard to do in a classroom, but easy in a library.  But something was amiss…

    “I have a few articles here,” I said, handing her the copies I’d made for her. “They should give us a good place to start.”

    “Me too,” she said, reaching into her bag and grabbing a few papers herself.  She had four.  They had sticky tapes on the edges with little arrows pointing to what she thought was important.  And still, something just wasn't right…

    “Alright, I’ll look these ones over and you can look those ones over?” She nodded and we traded papers.  But after a minute, a quiet minute, I looked up at Madison.  She had her cheek on her hand, reading through her glasses.  Her eyes scanned slowly left to right, then flicked all the way back to the left again.  I watched quietly for a while before I recognized what was wrong with this picture.

    She wasn’t annoying me.

    “Uh, are you alright?” I asked.  Madison shot upright like I’d poked her with a needle.  She turned to me with a bright smile and nodded her head.

    “Of course!  I’m sorry, I didn’t sleep well.  I don’t mean to be antisocial.”

    And though I hadn’t yet found a way to crack the code that wrapped around her words, her inflections, her tone, I had broken one code already.  That smile.  Madison was… lying.

    What was I supposed to do now?

    I went back to reading her papers and she went back to reading mine.

    The bell rang at the end of the hour and the students started to file out of the room.  Amanda waited by the library door for Madison.  No one waited for me.  But before Madison could pack up all of her books, I asked something I never thought I would ever in my life ask Madison Bell.

    “Would you want to come over today?”

    I think she may have been more surprised than I was.  After all, we never really got along.  Not really.  Not until recently.  And then this, after I’d turned down this exact invitation only weeks ago.  Her eyes searched mine for answers.  I didn’t have any to give her.

    “Today isn’t great for me,” she said quietly, slowly: two words I’d never been able to use to describe Madison Bell. “Tomorrow?”

    “Polly and I have plans.” Did we?

    “This weekend?” she asked.

    “You know,” I said with the shake of my head. “Never mind.  We are all over this project; we can probably finish it at school next week.”

    “No!”  She almost cut off the last word of my sentence.  I saw those same brown eyes, still searching for answers, well up with worry.  They flickered side to side, like she couldn’t find which of my eyes she was supposed to be looking into.  Until, finally, after the most awkward silence of my life, she managed, “Today’s fine.”

    She fished out a scrap of notebook paper and wrote down her phone number.  She pushed it into my hands and hurried out of the library without the usual spring in her step.  I stared down at the paper.  She dotted the ‘i’ in Madison with a heart.

    Annoying, I smiled to myself.

[bbykimmy]

Uh oh... something happened to Madison, and I have a feeling that she's having problems with her parents.  I have a feeling that we're about to meet said parental figure, and it's not going to be pretty.  Judging by Madison's behavior, I see one of two scenarios:

1. She's completely ignored at home - her parental figure is entirely hands-off, and Madison is left completely to her own devices.  She shows signs of emotional neglect.
2. She's verbally or physically abused if she shows any negative emotion

But abusers and neglecters rarely show themselves openly... but Jamie is very attentive, very astute.  She's working on Madison's code... will she be able to see the truth at home?

It wasn't very kind of her to manipulate Madison that way, however.  I don't think she realizes just how much she likes Madison, and isn't ready to admit it even if she's starting to.  Jamie's manipulation there is a bad sign.

[ELLIE52]

Sophie can definitely take us on a tour of emotions.  Be prepared is all I can say.  I'm liking this story, not finding it boring at all.

[Wannatripbaby]

Again, I don't have much to say except that I love this story and these characters. Maybe I'm too intimidated by Kimmy's astute observations to try to articulate my own? Maybe I just don't hve much to say because half the time in your stories I'm screaming at the villian and so far there is no villian? Who knows?

Anyway, love this story. 

[Sophie ♥]

4 hours ago, bbykimmy said:

It wasn't very kind of her to manipulate Madison that way, however.

Jaime didn't really know what she was doing. >_< She just doesn't like to plan things.  So she was making up excuses and stuff.  She didn't think it was going to change Madison's mind.  Though my failure to convey that was my fault as the author.

4 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

Maybe I just don't hve much to say because half the time in your stories I'm screaming at the villian and so far there is no villian? Who knows?

There is a villain!  But it might not be what you expect.  The obvious villains are more Pudding's thing.

[bbykimmy]

50 minutes ago, Sophie ♥ said:

Jaime didn't really know what she was doing. >_< She just doesn't like to plan things.  So she was making up excuses and stuff.  She didn't think it was going to change Madison's mind.  Though my failure to convey that was my fault as the author.

There is a villain!  But it might not be what you expect.  The obvious villains are more Pudding's thing.

I totally believe she didn't do it intentionally, she didn't set out to make Madison change her mind - but she went with it, she didn't correct it, even though she could tell that Madison was unhappy about it, she could have corrected - or at the very least, talk about Madison's feelings.

But I also know that she noticed that Madison caved, and I fully expect her to use this tactic on her later since she knows it works.

[diaperpt]

OK. I only noticed this now, so I just read 5 chapters plus all the analysis as well. So I get that Madison has fallen for Jamie and is looking for ways to get closer to her. I don't quite buy that she's as inept as it may seem. I wonder if she's faking some of it for Jamie's sake. I'm not quite sure of Jamie at this point. First of all, I'm waiting for that dream to come back in play. It just plopped into the story and sat there. It's going to come back. Sounds like her Mom is a single Mom at this point and they don't have two cents to scrape together. While Jamie seems confident on one level, I sense either she's confident in her writing but not much else, or its pretty much all bravado.

She's friends with Polly but in a very easy way. Madison may be truly annoying or Jamie's way of trying to avoid her and problems she thinks about when it comes to relationships. Madison has done a good job of creeping into Jamie's life, with Jamie suddenly surprised to find the annoyance factor has disappeared.

I can be pretty oblivious though and frankly I'm surprised that others are reading so much into the story and seem to be right on. I've gotten stung often with my thoughts on stories, so while I made these few comments, I don't have a lot of confidence in them. 

 

[Sophie ♥]

1 hour ago, diaperpt said:

I can be pretty oblivious though and frankly I'm surprised that others are reading so much into the story and seem to be right on. I've gotten stung often with my thoughts on stories, so while I made these few comments, I don't have a lot of confidence in them. 

On the contrary, I am super happy with your analysis, as well as other's.  I mean... the way I see it.  If you guys have so much to say, there must be a reason for it.  If you have theories, that means I've given you clues or reasons to believe in those theories.  That means I'm writing mostly trivial scenes with enough characterization and intrigue that allows you guys to form your own opinions - opinions strong enough that you are willing to share them without proof.  And that's pretty amazing.  

Right or wrong, theories show that a reader is invested, and that means I did something right.  Honestly, it's such a great compliment.  

[DLSweetheart]

While I may not have theories, I do have opinions. Your stories are always exceptional, and this is no exception. I look forward to seeing how this plays out, however it does so. Keep up the great work!

[bbykimmy]

15 minutes ago, Sophie ♥ said:

On the contrary, I am super happy with your analysis, as well as other's.  I mean... the way I see it.  If you guys have so much to say, there must be a reason for it.  If you have theories, that means I've given you clues or reasons to believe in those theories.  That means I'm writing mostly trivial scenes with enough characterization and intrigue that allows you guys to form your own opinions - opinions strong enough that you are willing to share them without proof.  And that's pretty amazing.  

Right or wrong, theories show that a reader is invested, and that means I did something right.  Honestly, it's such a great compliment.  

Exactly!  This is why I love it when people pose theories and guesses on my stories, too!  Which is why I do it for stories that I'm reading <3

Writing with no comments is the worst.  Writing where people go "This is good!" is better, you know people are reading.  But if people take the time to tell you how your characters make them feel, if you can see them picking up on the little clues that you're giving (rightly or wrongly), for a writer that's very satisfying.

The whole reason a writer posts a story is to share it and hopefully interact with the audience!

[thedman]

I have comments and thoughts and theories about this story but I'm not sure that I want to elaborate on them just yet. I kinda like to play my cards when they are ready. But in any case this is an amazing story so far @Sophie ♥. I honestly didn't know if you could write without your other more evil half contributing lol

[Sophie ♥]

2 hours ago, bbykimmy said:

But if people take the time to tell you how your characters make them feel, if you can see them picking up on the little clues that you're giving (rightly or wrongly), for a writer that's very satisfying.

  Perfectly said.

2 hours ago, thedman said:

I honestly didn't know if you could write without your other more evil half contributing lol

Yeah well, as you can see, it's certainly less exciting. XD  But characterization is my strong point and world building is hers.

ALSO check out Bits of Molly! (though my writing is much better now)

[thedman]

2 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

  Perfectly said.

Yeah well, as you can see, it's certainly less exciting. XD  But characterization is my strong point and world building is hers.

ALSO check out Bits of Molly! (though my writing is much better now)

OMG I forgot about Bits of Molly. I remember reading it but I'm gonna have to go back and re-read it now.

And I like the way that this story is building out. Just little subtle hints of what is to come but still enough to keep the reader hooked. 

[Sophie ♥]

Six.

    Madison Bell had apparently come to her senses.  When she knocked on the door to my apartment, she was wearing a winter coat and jeans.  Maybe it was getting too cold for dresses and stockings.  Her blonde curls looked flatter today.  She almost resembled a normal human being, rather than an angel.

    “It’s cold,” she said, more to herself than to me.  She had just taken off her coat when I realized the heat had been off for two days.  I was growing acclimatized, wrapping myself in blankets or wearing jackets to bed.  But now I had company, and…

    “I’ll turn up the heat,” I told her, embarrassment coloring my cheeks.  Mom would probably scold me when she got home, but she wasn’t home yet.  I just had to make sure Madison was gone before then.

    The thermostat said 55.  I set it to 68.

    “Make yourself comfortable,” I told her. “I set up my books at the table there, and I have juice or milk or whatever if you want some.  We don’t really drink pop, but there’s iced tea.”

    “I’m alright, thank you.” She sat at the kitchen table and wrapped her arms around herself.  I turned the thermostat up to 72.

    “I thought we could start with this article,” I said and sat beside her at the table.  Time trickled on.  The house warmed up.  The essay was forming slowly and surely.  

    But the longer we worked, the more I realized how contrary Madison was acting.  When I would talk, she would nod her head.  Her eyebrows didn’t tilt together in concentration.  There were no smiles on her lips, even forced ones.

    When we were working on citations, I watched her from the corner of my eye.  She would read a passage, left to right, and forget to go to the left again.  She’d stare at the right-most word on a line, one second, two, three, four, and with a blink she would start again.

    Finally, in the early evening, I made the mistake of asking: “Are you sure you’re alright?”

    Like a light switch, Madison Bell was Madison Bell.  It’s like how pine trees become Christmas trees.  Suddenly, for one week, they just are.  Bright, beautiful, everywhere.

    “What?  Oh yeah!  I’m sorry, so much studying just burns me out, you know?” Then she smiled.  A forced one, but a smile nonetheless. “Maybe a snack would help - do you have any snacks?  I don’t mean to put you out!  And you know, I love the way your kitchen is set up, it’s so cool.  My kitchen is way too big and no one even uses it, it doesn’t make sense.  And you have to walk from one side of the room to the other if you want to use the oven.  It’s so stupid.”

    I sighed.  Why did I have to say anything? 

    “Let me see if we have some chips or something.”

    Over the next hour, Madison and I ate chips and worked on our paper.  It wasn’t due until next week on Friday - over a week away - but by the end of the night we were almost done.

    There was something else I noticed.  Though Madison had asked for the chips, she only ate a few.  And though she could snap on like a bright bulb in a dark basement, she fizzled and faded like a candle on a breezy evening.  At six o’ clock, I was hardly able to see a difference between the girl who had shown up at my door and the one who was leaving through it.

    “I had a wonderful time,” she said with only the tilt of a smile.

    “Well you know how fun biology is,” I quipped. “What’s not wonderful about that?”

    “Uh huh.”

    I rolled my eyes. “It was a joke.”

    “Oh.” She paused, then smiled again.

    “See you tomorrow,” I said.

    “See you.”

    Maybe it’s the editor in me - the girl who can’t help but notice the stupid, insignificant details - but I could see something in Madison, something I couldn’t understand.  And for the first time in what would be many times more, I was worried about her.

[bbykimmy]

28 minutes ago, Sophie ♥ said:

And for the first time in what would be many times more, I was worried about her.

And Jamie finally realized that all her quirks, her forced happy and her fake smiles were hiding some hurt.

So, Madison is from a wealthier household and Jamie from a poorer one.  I remember the days of 55 degree thermostats - they won't go lower while still in "heating" mode, and you only set them there because if your pipes freeze, it costs way more than the amount you spend on heating.  I hope Jamie doesn't get in too much trouble.  The guilt that comes along with that really does not feel good - it's a no-win situation, make your friend uncomfortable (something you're so used to, you don't even think about it) or spend money your family doesn't have (something that's hard even for a teen like Jamie to understand).

This revelation also lends itself more to the neglectful parentage on Madison's side.  Someone "chasing the dream" often doesn't have time for their kids, even if they give them every advantage they can.  The tradeoff isn't always worth it.

She didn't eat the chips because she wasn't really hungry.  Madison has probably never felt hungry (really hungry) in her life, and it's not something that makes sense to Jamie.

Another lovely addition, thank you kindly for sharing <3

[diaperpt]

Yes, something is going on with Madison. Her hair was flatter, she wasn't dressed as Jamie would have expected, she was so quiet - and then tried to cover by saying maybe a snack would help, but I think she knew it had nothing to do with snack. Something big is going on at home - or just isn't and that has Madison upset. 

She was apologetic about the kitchen at home and went to great lengths to say how nice Jamie's is. I'm going to take a stab that maybe not only does she like Jamie, but she may be envious of a feeling of 'family' that shows even in spite of the poorer surroundings. Madison may well be the classic poor little rich girl... THIS is total guesswork and is reading in a lot that doesn't really seem to be there... yet.

But, Jamie is also continuing to warm up to Madison - in spite of herself.

...and we're left hanging just a bit, which is good in that it creates suspense, not so good in that I WANNA KNOW!

[thedman]

So I'm gonna go out on a limb here...

 

Given the previous hesitance to coming over and then the sudden wardrobe change before she arrived I'm gonna guess that Maddison has something to hide. Perhaps something that is hidden better by jeans.... I'm just putting it out there

[Sophie ♥]

Ohh you guys are so fast to comment. o_o Thank you for all the kind words and theories!  I can say that at least one of you is right about at least one thing. ^_^; 

Um.. want another chapter?  Since I'm here?

[Guilend]

16 minutes ago, Sophie ♥ said:

Um.. want another chapter?  Since I'm here?

always 

[Sophie ♥]

Seven.

    Madison Bell was not at school on Friday.  In Biology, no one seemed to take much notice of her empty seat.  Finally, halfway into the lecture, I leaned over to talk to Ellen.  We weren’t close, but when you sit next to someone every day for four months you build a sort of bond.

    “Where’s Madison?”

    “Dunno,” she shrugged. “Worried about your paper?”

    “No, not really.  I was just wondering.”

    “She misses a lot.  It’s not that weird.”

    She missed a lot of school?  That sounded weird to me.

    Amanda Simmons sat near the front.  She was a weirdly popular athletic girl with the confidence and tact of a semi truck.  I knew her and Madison were friends, but then again, who wasn’t Madison’s friend?  Did she have a best friend, like I had Polly?

    When class ended, I took the initiative to get to the front of the classroom.  As the twenty-nine students shuffled impatiently through the door like sands through an hourglass, I made sure Amanda was just beside me.

    “Madison’s not here?” I asked.  She gave me a strange look, maybe deciding whether or not I was worth acknowledging.  Amanda and I were not in the same social circles.  Maybe this breech was an act of war or something.  Why was I going to such lengths for this girl anyway?

    “No, she’s out today.” In the end, after her internal conflict, Amanda sided with an amicable approach.  Maybe that had something to do with Madison herself.  She was a remarkably positive influence on high schoolers.

    “Do you know why?”

    “We don’t hang out a lot.”

    Another dead end.

    “Do you know if she has any other friends I could ask?”

    “Are you stalking her or something?” Amanda was getting annoyed, that much was obvious.

    “Uh, no.  She’s my project partner.”

    “You’ve got a week.  Chill out.”

    The crowd broke and Amanda took one path down the hall with the brunette who wore two hair clips.  I stood against the wall in defeat.  Damnit, why was I so worried?

    At lunch, alone in the Writing Workshop, I sent her a text.

<< Hey are you sick?  Want me to get your homework?

    I sighed and put my head down on the desk.  After a minute, I sent another text.  This one, to Polly.

<< Meet in the workshop?

    Polly came bearing Little Debbie’s snack cakes and juice box from the cafeteria line.  She put them down in front of me and took a seat on the other side of the table.

    “Well damn, Jamie.  You look to be in good spirits today.”

    I stuck out my tongue and opened up one of the snack cakes.  I was so hungry; I hadn’t had breakfast.

    “So what’s up?  Are we going to that movie tonight, or did you want to go to the football game?”  I groaned.  Football games were boring.  More boring in November.  It was the last one of the year.

    “What do you know about Madison Bell?” I asked her through a mouthful of cake.

    “That she’s annoying, says you.  And that she’s a giant ball of sunshine, says everyone else.”

    “Anything else?”

    “Nope.  I’ve only met her like, twice.  But she’s hard to forget.”

    Hard to forget.  That was the best way to describe Madison.  I sighed.

    “You seem uncharacteristically interested in this girl,” Polly said around her juice box straw. “You smitten with her?” 

    “No,” I said coldly, shoving another snack cake in my mouth.  Smitten?  Who even talks like that?

    “Then what’s up?”

    “I think something’s wrong with her.”

    “This again?” Polly sighed. “People are allowed to be happy, Jamie.  It’s not the end of the world.”

    “No, that’s just it.” I had to think about what I was saying before I said it.  I had to make sure I used the right words. “I think maybe… she’s not happy.”

    “And what has you thinking this?”

    I sighed. “I don't know.  It’s just a feeling.  It’s little things.  Like her smile, or the way she talks.  I can’t figure it out yet, but…”

    “Yet?” Polly asked with a smile.  I frowned at her.

    “Shut up.”

    “You are smitten!”

    “You’re an ass.”

    “No, really, I think it’s good!  I think you should take an interest in other people.  And hey, if Sunshine can rub off on you, all the better.”

    Polly didn’t get it.  Then again, I barely understood it myself.  How far would I go for one feeling, with no evidence, with no motivation?  Why should I care if Madison Bell is unhappy?  I shouldn’t.

    But I did.

[diaperpt]

18 minutes ago, thedman said:

Given the previous hesitance to coming over and then the sudden wardrobe change before she arrived I'm gonna guess that Maddison has something to hide. Perhaps something that is hidden better by jeans.... I'm just putting it out there

Oh yeah!!! And so being distracted!! Wow! I think you're on to something!

And Sophie, do we want another chapter?? YES!!!!!!!

[ozziebee]

Yes, please!

[diaperpt]

Uh... Jamie? Jamie?... yeah you... in the story... Hey Jamie, face it. POLLY DOES get it.... you don't! YOU"RE SMITTEN! And there's nothing wrong with that! Hey, I'm wondering why Madison isn't in school too... I'm smitten too... yup... with the story!