The Madison Jennings Series Box Set

by Kiara Ashanti

“He didn’t?”

  “No . . . he was just watching.”

  “Watching? Just . . . watching . . .” Mr. Kent’s lips compressed into a thin line. “Madison, how many of these football players were there?”

  “I dunno know,” Maddie said with a shrug. “I think I punched three of them?”

  “You did a hell of a lot more than punch, you little banshee,” retorted Coach Branford.

  Maddie swiveled her head toward him. “Maybe you ought to control your players.”

  “Don’t you take that tone with me, young lady.”

  Mr. Kent stood up. Blue fire blazed in his eyes. “I’m quite certain, Coach Branford, that when Madison’s parents arrive, they will think three on one is quite out of control.”

  As if on cue, Maddie’s parents strode into the main office. Opposite them came two other parents with a large man leading the way. “Is this the one?” he bellowed. “Is this the kid that put my boy in the hospital?”

  Like a mirror image of Coach Branford a moment before, he advanced on Maddie. He was a bear of a man, over six feet. He even had thick and hairy arms to complete the image.

  Maddie swiveled toward him. “Maybe. Are you the parents who teach their son it’s OK to pick on kids smaller than them?”

  “A child doesn’t question an adult, little girl. You may have destroyed his chances for college and the team’s chance at winning state—and over a bunch of boys roughhousing?” his voice ended the exchange in a high-pitched shrill of incredulity. Maddie’s response was snap quick.

  “Cry me a river.”

  His eyes bulged even larger than the coach’s a moment before. Before anyone could stop him, he reached out to grab Maddie’s shirt just below her throat. In her peripheral vision, she could see her father advance on the large man, but Maddie ended that before he took the second step. She moved forward half a step, slid her right hand under the man’s hand, and hooked her thumb under and around the large man’s own thumb. Placing her left hand into the crook of his elbow, Maddie pushed down as her thumb turned and twisted his thumb backward.

  It was a classic thumb lock, a move that never failed to bring down large people faster than a rock did Goliath. Bullyboy’s father grunted in pain and fell down to one knee. It happened in less than a second, leaving shocked silence in its wake.

  “Don’t ever touch me.”

  Maddie’s mother stepped in front of her father and placed a hand on Maddie’s shoulder. The gesture was gentle, but her voice steel.

  “Madison Lynn Jennings, let him go right now.”

  Maddie released her hold and stepped back. Her mother stepped around her and stared into the large man’s face.

  “If you ever threaten or assault my child again, I will end you,” said Tina.

  A smaller but no less physically impressive woman stepped up beside her husband. “Oh, I doubt that you will ever have to worry about that. I’m going to personally see to it that this little hooligan of a child is thrown out of this school and persecuted by the law.”

  “Ladies, you both need to calm down,” said Principal Devin.

  Big mistake, thought Maddie.

  Both mothers started in on the principal even as they alternated back to yelling at each other. A minute later, the two fathers jumped into the verbal free-for-all, followed in procession by the coach. Principal Devin had lost total control of the situation. A Jerry Springer episode had begun in the office with the need to protect their children breaking down all semblance of adult maturity. Only Aden’s father remained silent. He had taken a step back to lean against the secretary’s desk. Amusement danced in his eyes as they shifted to Team Maddie, Team Bullyboy, and whatever team the coach and Principal Devin were supposed to be on.

  SMACK! Someone had slammed a large book onto a table, and the resulting noise burst into and over the loud cacophony. Everyone flinched—except Aden’s dad—as the sound reverberated in the office. A diminutive man wearing an expensive gray tweed suit stood in the middle of the office. He’d accentuated his outfit with a vest, bowtie, and pocket hanky, and topped off his look with round, wire-rimmed glasses that sat on his sharp nose. The eyes behind the glasses were even sharper. They raked across the office taking in everything like a hawk surveying a field of helpless mice. Lilly stood next to him. She whispered in his ear and pointed to Maddie. The man nodded, walked into the room, and placed himself between Maddie’s parents and Bullyboy’s. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a starched white-parchment business card.

  “Benedict Senft, Esquire,” he said and handed the card to Maddie’s mother. “You can now consider yourself and your daughter my clients, though I doubt you will need my services for this little bit of nastiness.” He turned and looked at Principal Devin and Bullyboy’s parents. He was a head and a half shorter than either of them, but it made little difference. The deference toward him was palpable.

  “Gene,” he said to Principal Devin, and then to Bullyboy’s parents, “Laura. Jim. A word in Gene’s office if you will.”

  “Mr. Senft, I was just about to speak with the students involved in this incident. I really must speak with them first.”

  Mr. Senft breezed past Principal Devin as if his words were nothing more than lint blowing in the wind. He clapped the principal twice on the shoulder as he moved past him. “No, Gene, you really don’t.” He stopped at the entrance to the principal’s office and extended his arm toward the three chosen adults as if the office were his own. Without another word, Bullyboy’s parents shuffled toward the room with Principal Devin following behind them. Maddie looked first at her parents, then to Aden and his father, ending at Lilly. “Um, what just happened? Oh my God. What. Just. Happened?”

  Aden’s father provided the answer. “That is what you might call, young lady, a lesson in adult role reversal.”

  Maddie’s face remained blank with confusion.

  “When you grow up, size and physical strength do not matter. The once bullied become the bullies. I think we just saw the top bully in town walk into that office.”

  Lilly sauntered up to Maddie as she popped an ever-present lollipop out of her mouth. “My dad’s the biggest lawyer in town and top ten in the country. He’s a great white in the business and legal world. He totally rules. Whatever trouble you were about to be in, you won’t be now.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” said Maddie’s mother.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “I thought I made myself clear. No more fighting,” said Tina.

  Defiance was Maddie’s first instinct. Her mother’s narrowed eyes and rigid body language signaled that path was a bad one. Maddie decided to own it.

  “Yes, you did.”

  When no “I’m sorry, Mom” followed, Tina just nodded. “There will be punishment, young lady. Of that, you can be assured.”

  Maddie shrugged. She had not been sorry for the first fight. She was even less so now. Footballboy was a stranger. Tommy was a friend. She knew she had done the right thing.

  Her father stepped next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t like that nonchalant attitude you’re showing right now. It’s disrespectful, and I’m disappointed in you.”

  “Well, it could be worse,” began Mr. Kent. “You could have Aden as your son. Excuse me for a moment,” he finished and stepped away to punch a number into his phone.

  Ouch. Even Maddie found the remark harsh. She looked over at Aden. He sat stone-faced, refusing to acknowledge the embarrassed faces surrounding him.

  Maddie trained her eyes on Principal Devin’s door. She had expected to hear fireworks on the other side of it by now. Silence reigned supreme. It was unnerving.

  An audible pop reminded Maddie of Lilly’s presence. Maddie had been so focused, she had forgotten that Lilly was there. “Hi, Mrs. and Mr. Jennings. I’m Lilly. Me and Maddie are best buds now. My younger brother is the one that nearly got stuffed in the locker but didn’t thanks to Maddie. And Tommy is one of my besties.”

  �
��How is he doing?” asked Maddie.

  “He’s totally in love with you now.”

  “Well, thank the Lord for the small things,” said Tina sarcastically.

  “I know you’re angry at Maddie, Mrs. Jennings, but she’s awesome. I can tell she is going to be a good and loyal friend.”

  Maddie shifted around in her chair. The praise made her uncomfortable.

  “It’s sweet you feel that way, Lilly, but fighting isn’t the way to solve things,” said Tina.

  “Oh no, ma’am. It totally is sometimes. Totally.”

  Even Aden chuckled. The statement was completely incongruent with Lilly’s airy and buoyant demeanor. In response, Maddie’s mother simply compressed her lips. She looked at her husband, who just shrugged.

  “As much as it pains me to do so, I must agree with the teenager,” said Mr. Kent after returning from his phone call. “This may not be one of those times to be sure,” he continued, addressing Lilly. “Still, sticking up for others takes a lot of character—more character than standing by and watching.”

  “No one asked you. But since we’re giving parenting opinions, perhaps your son’s character is a reflection of his upbringing,” said Derek.

  Maddie buried her face in her hands. Oh God. Now I DO regret cracking that asshole. She looked through her fingers at Aden. His face reflected her own feelings. I’d love to be any place but here.

  “That was not the result of my parenting. His mother is the one who has raised him—,” started Mr. Kent.

  “Without you around. What a surprise.” Before Mr. Kent could get another word in, Maddie’s dad walked forward and placed himself a mere inch from Mr. Kent’s face. “Tell ya what. Stop while you’re ahead,” said Derek. “We’ll raise our daughter in the manner we see fit, and you can continue to allow someone else to raise your son.”

  Derek’s words had struck a tender spot. Mr. Kent’s eyes flashed. A twitch along his jawline told Maddie he was grinding his teeth. Aden’s eyes grew round as dinner plates. He looked back at Maddie. They both were waiting for round two of a parental brawl starring two papa grizzlies.

  Instead, Mr. Kent nodded in acknowledgment of the point, then turned to Principal Devin’s office. Lilly’s dad was walking out of it with self-satisfaction glowing on his face. The parents, coach, and the principal looked like they had bitten into a rotten apple.

  Andre’s parents fast-walked past everyone. Whatever had happened in the office, the glare his parents gave Maddie as they passed her let her know this was not over. Principal Devin walked straight over to Tina and Derek.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Jennings, after discussing the possible legal ramifications of this incident with your attorney, I’ve determined that expulsion and suspension are not productive ways to address this situation.”

  “I still can’t believe this,” grumbled Coach Branford.

  “Quiet, Bob.”

  “I will not be quiet, Gene. I’ve got a star player on the sideline, one we might not get back for the season and whose college career could be ruined.”

  Principal Devin gritted his teeth as he turned to the red-faced football coach. “So you’ve said—more than once. Now listen, the college prospects of Andre are a concern for his parents, not you.”

  The coach’s eyes bulged in anger. Mr. Senft stepped over toward him. He patted him on the shoulder, his hand stretching just to reach the top of the large man’s armpit. “Nothing to worry about, Coach. I’ve got a client who’s a surgeon for the NFL coming out to look Andre over. He’ll be good as new in no time at all. It’s win-win. Andre gets top-notch care, this well-meaning young lady gets to continue her fine education here at Galvin High, and . . .,” Mr. Senft paused, his tone turning from amical to sharp and pointed, “we avoid any nasty legalities that would affect the entire team and school.”

  Coach Branford nodded his assent; message sent and received.

  “Kent,” barked the coach.

  “Excuse me,” answered Aden’s dad.

  Coach Branford gave Mr. Kent a withering gaze. “Not you, old man, the young buck.”

  “My last name is Maier, not Kent.”

  Aden’s words were a bitter knife, twisting into his father.

  “I need you to fill the breach with Andre gone. You better be ready.”

  “Me? Are you kidding?” answered Aden, incredulous.

  “I never kid,” he said and stomped out of the office.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Tina Jennings’s anger toward her daughter drained like water in a sink the moment she crossed the threshold into Dr. Croft’s office. Despair replaced anger—despair and a feeling of profound failure. She expected to see changes in Madison in her teenage years. It was the natural order of life. Kids hit their teens and become someone else. But this did not feel like that, which meant neither Tina nor her husband had any clue what was happening.

  Derek sat grim-faced, holding Tina as she cried on his shoulder. In between sniffles, sobs, and tears, Tina relayed the day’s events, culminating in her fear that Maddie would become a juvenile delinquent.

  Dr. Croft’s fingers formed a triangle as they touched just under her nose. She bent her head down just enough to regard them over her glasses. “Derek, do you have the same fear as your wife?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  The words forced Tina to the other side of the couch. “Nothing concerns you. As long as you get to be the fun parent, things are okie dokie to you.”

  Derek sighed. “That’s not true. I just don’t want to make this a bigger deal than it is. Kids get into fights. I did. Hell, so did you.”

  “Just so I understand correctly, you don’t see a problem? Things are normal?” asked Dr. Croft. A hint of sarcasm colored the question.

  “I didn’t say that!” Derek snapped.

  Catching himself, Derek took a deep breath. He ran his hands through his hair and leaned back against the couch. “I’m not happy with this anymore than Tina is. I’m not sure what to think. We’ve forced her out of her comfort zone. That makes teenagers act out. They rebel. They make mistakes. It doesn’t mean they are gonna turn into criminals and ruin their lives.” The last sentence was accompanied by an incredulous look toward Tina.

  Tina closed her eyes. “I just need a normal daughter.” Yearning suffused the statement. It took a moment, but the impact of the words struck her. Her face colored red with parental shame. There was no such thing as a normal child.

  “Denying your feelings, Tina, does no good,” said Dr. Croft before the denial could be voiced. “You have gone to extraordinary lengths to give Madelynne a normal childhood, but always with a view toward outside forces. You never considered the forces raging inside of Madelynne. These forces are shaping her character and personality. What is also not helpful, Derek, is thinking or rather hoping that this is normal teenage activity.”

  Dr. Croft took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her own exhaustion seeped through the gesture. “I tried to tell you this weeks ago. As I suspected might be the case, you both ignored me.”

  Dr. Croft’s eyes bored into each parent as she searched for a way to impart the importance of them accepting their fireball of a child. She let out a long breath of resignation when no hint that her message had been received materialized.

  She stood up and walked over to her desk. Then she opened a drawer and pulled out three sets of amber-colored sunglasses. She slipped on a pair, then walked over to Tina and Derek. “Put these on, please.”

  Tina and Derek looked at each other askance. The glasses were large and gaudy. They would look more at home in the hands of a carnival clown than in a therapist’s office.

  Dr. Croft gave them a thin smile. “Humor me.” She then walked over to a dark mahogany bookshelf. The middle of the bookshelf held two glass doors and ran the entire width of the shelf. Two rainbow-hued glass vases stood behind the doors. Below the middle glass cutout holding the vases was a single section of wood with a lock. Tina had always wondered w
hat a therapist could have hidden away that necessitated it be locked away. As Dr. Croft inserted a key into the lock, it appeared the answer would finally be revealed.

  Dr. Croft turned the key and pulled a drawer out from behind the door. She reached in and pulled out another glass vase. It held a kaleidoscope of colors swirling in and out of each other. The other two vases paled in comparison. They seemed like lightbulbs, while the other vase beamed like the sun.

  “That’s beautiful, Gillian,” said Tina.

  Dr. Croft grinned. “It gets better.” She walked over to the far corner of the office and placed the vase on an empty round table. She adjusted her window shade a tad to ensure that it was at some perfect angle that only she knew. She then walked over to the office door and turned off the lights.

  From behind their glasses, the vase burst into iridescent colors like a glowing rainbow frozen in solid form. The beauty of the vase stole all words from Tina and Derek. It also distracted them from the odd turn the session had taken. One minute, serious work was being done, and in the next, the room was silent as two people marveled at a work of art.

  “Where did do you get this? How was it made . . .,” Tina began to ask, but her words froze in her mouth at what she saw in Dr. Croft’s moving arm.

  While the two parents had been gawking at the vase, Dr. Croft had pulled a hammer from inside her desk. Now she was swinging it. Beauty disappeared into dozens of pieces as the hammer struck the side of the vase . . . and destroyed it.

  “What the hell!” yelled Derek, jumping to his feet.

  Dr. Croft ignored the question as she strode over to switch the lights back on. Alarm filled Derek’s face. Tina had not turned from the shattered pieces of the vase scattered about the carpet.

  Dr. Croft let both parents stew in the moment as she grabbed a small broom and dustpan from her office closet. “In a moment,” she said to forestall their questions. “Watch your feet, Tina dear.” She continued sweeping to make sure to get all the large pieces. Then she placed the dustpan and broom by her chair, sat down, folded her hands, and smiled.