The Madison Jennings Series Box Set

by Kiara Ashanti

  “Hey, recognizing and appreciating eye candy, even if it’s a little seasoned in age, is a teenage girl’s privilege. It seems to be missing in you. Maybe it’s a nutritional deficiency. You should get your levels checked out.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Don’t skip college for the comedy tour.” Maddie rose. “Come on. Let’s take a few shots. Maybe Mr. Stevenson will make your day and touch your elbow or something.”

  “I, I can’t,” Tiffani stammered. Before she could say another word, her phone rang. She opened her purse wide to grab it, and Maddie’s eyes flashed. Seeing Maddie’s surprise, Tiffani looked down. A group of needles wrapped in rubber bands lay clear as day on top of the other contents of her purse.

  “Oh,” said Tiffani, embarrassment glowing from her. She reached down, glanced around, then grabbed the needles and quickly put them in a side pocket. Then she answered her phone. “Hello, what is it? I thought my brother was going to do that.”

  Maddie could hear noise coming from Tiffani’s phone but could not make out the words. Her mind was adrift, eyes zeroed in on Tiffani’s purse. What is she doing with a bunch of needles? Maybe she’s diabetic.

  But Maddie knew that made little sense. Insulin had to be kept at a specific temperature. If Tiffani had diabetes, she would go to the nurse for her shots.

  Maddie tore her eyes away from the purse and brought them to Tiffani. The phone call must have been bad news because Tiffani looked angry. Her nostrils were flaring, her face red. “I’m not sure calling me in the middle of the school day is the best time to remind me of my responsibilities, especially since I am quite aware of them, Uncle. I also have responsibilities here. If my brother cannot do his chores, it’s not my job to do them for him. Well, you are right there! Why don’t you do it? It’s not as if you have a job to be at.”

  Loud, angry, and mumbled words in a foreign language spilled from the phone. Tiffani ended the call, then powered the phone off. She took a deep breath and put her phone back into her purse. Then she placed it on her lap and patted the top before turning to Maddie. “That’s not what it looks like. Promise.”

  “It looked like needles,” Maddie replied, her tone flat.

  “Yes, but not for drugs. Well, not the fun kind anyway.”

  Immediately, Tiffani could tell the joke had fallen flat. She reached out and placed a hand on Maddie’s leg, then leaned in close. “I have a condition. It’s called hypercoagulable disease.”

  “Hyper what?”

  “Hypercoagulable. It’s excessive blood clotting, like the opposite of hemophilia.”

  “You mean like the people who cannot stop bleeding if they get cut?”

  “Yes, but this is the opposite. My blood clots too much, so I get shots that control that. If it clots a lot, I’m in store for a bevy of fun events like stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, or my favorite: an embolism.”

  “Where you basically just drop dead immediately. That sucks.”

  “Yuppers. That’s why I’m never in gym class. Can’t risk getting hurt, or even bruised, badly. First time I got, you know.” Tiffani nodded downward.

  “First time for what?”

  “Come on, you know . . . a visit from Auntie Flo.”

  “The Progressive girl?” Maddie asked, confused.

  “Oh my God, you are such a pathetic girl. In every other multiverse, you’re probably a dude. The first time I got my period,” Tiffani hissed under her breath.

  Maddie brought her hand to her mouth now that she understood the context. “Ooh, yeah. I haven’t met her yet. Thank God.”

  “Late bloomer. Not surprised, but anyway, it damn near killed me. I have this medicine I take to control it. It’s a new kind that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Anyway, I try to keep all this on the DL.”

  “Gotcha. Your secret is safe with me.”

  Tiffani laughed then tossed a stray hair from her face. She gave Maddie a sheepish smile. “Well, it’s not a secret. The school knows. They just don’t know I carry some of my own meds and needles around with me. But thanks. I’ve told no one before. It feels nice to tell someone though.”

  “I understand. Trust me. I understand more than you know.”

  A bell sounded, signaling the preliminary end of gym class. Anyone sitting on the sidelines had twenty minutes more to waste on their phones or gossiping. Anyone else had time to shower before their next classes. As Maddie rose to head to the locker room, Tiffani grabbed her hand before she could walk away.

  “Are you going to study hall or the career fair?”

  “Definitely the career fair.”

  “I’ll wait for you.”

  “Cool. Be right back fresh and clean . . . but no perfume. Definitely no sweet water.”

  “Don’t give up fighting for the comedy tour, you girl brute,” Tiffani hurled at Maddie’s retreating back.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Maddie walked out of the locker room to find Tiffani and Tommy waiting for her. Tiffani was glaring at Tommy, who was eyeballs deep into his phone. Maddie raised a questioning eyebrow at Tiffani, who then cleared her face and smiled. Maddie, puzzled, turned to Tommy. She spotted a picture of a bikini-clad girl on his screen before he clicked it off. He smiled then slipped his arm around hers.

  “I’ve been sent to escort you.”

  “Before we get to ‘sent by who,’ does escorting me require hugging my arm like a snake clinging to a tree?”

  “Yes,” Tommy answered, unperturbed.

  “A bit rude if you ask me,” said Tiffani.

  Tommy leaned forward, looking like he just realized that Tiffani was walking with them. Given his usual focus on his phone, Maddie would not be surprised if that realization was indeed the case.

  “You’re right, Tiffani.” He let Maddie’s arm go, then moved in between the two girls and placed his arms around each of theirs. “A boy of my stature should be walking between you two wonderful ladies, especially when one of them smells so sweet and good.” He ended the compliment with fluttering eyes directed toward Tiffani. She cut her eyes at him but did not remove his arm from hers. “Lilly and the girls are waiting for us at the fair. I told them you would be there, but they insisted on making sure you didn’t go to the library and do something as awful as schoolwork.”

  “As if,” said Tiffani.

  “I’m really going to call you Netflix girl, you know that,” said Maddie. “Tommy, is that BS you just uttered a second ago how you get these chicks around the world to send you pictures on your phone?”

  “I’ll have you know I have excellent text game, but no. The secret to that is not to ask for them.”

  The school had dedicated a back hallway for the career fair. It was close to the main gym and locker rooms, so it did not take long for them to reach it. Lilly, Allie, and Zara were waiting for them outside the gym doors. All three sent their eyes skyward upon seeing Tommy between the two girls, especially given they were taller than him.

  “Hey, Maddie, Tiffani,” the three said together.

  “That was creepy,” said Maddie.

  “Definitely,” agreed Tommy.

  “Like the Cuckoos,” said Tiffani.

  “The who?” the three girls asked together.

  “Oh God. That’s horrible,” said Tommy as he took a step back. He held his hand out with two fingers formed into a cross until Lilly, Allie, and Zara each gave him the middle finger. He turned to Tiffani and brought up his hand for a fist bump. “Excellent vintage X-Men reference.”

  Tiffani fixed him with a withering gaze, then turned away. “Let’s go inside, shall we?”

  “Hey, you can’t leave a brother hanging like that.”

  “You’re not black, Tommy,” said Zara, who was black, over her shoulder as they walked inside, leaving him to either catch up or be left behind.

  Maddie was familiar with the concept of a career fair even though she had never been to one. Still, she did not expect what was laid out in front of her. The gym looked like the site of a small business con
ference with each table set up with elaborate signs, posters, and marketing paraphernalia. A stage with four rows of seats and a curtained wall separated it for question-and-answer sessions.

  Galvin High School serviced the Edgewater community—a planned community. Planned in the true sense of the word, it was not the usual hotshot developer idea turned politician grab bag of promised economic growth with no rich mansions. Edgewater was a community planned to the nth degree to have everything a community needed within the community itself. The businesses, hospitals, shopping centers, restaurants, and even the office buildings had been designed to provide a robust and affluent experience.

  The lead developer had set his eyes on young and middle-aged professionals with clear, ambitious eyes on the future. These young worker bees also had a clear eye for what they wanted for their children. Success was a given in the minds of the parents living in Edgewater; ultrasuccess for their kids was the goal. That meant the Galvin High career day was an event.

  Students could decide when they attended, but attendance was mandatory. Two of the secretaries from the front office checked Maddie and her friends off on the list, then handed them wristbands with scanner codes. Any company or career area they were interested in just had to scan a barcode on the wristband to get the student’s email address, and more information would be sent to them. To make sure the students did not just show up and hang out doing nothing, every student had to speak to at least three vendors, ask questions, and have their wristband scanned. Slackers would show up later for Saturday morning detention.

  After signing in, Maddie and her group moved to the side to allow others to enter and get the lay of the land.

  Aden walked in behind the group. He kept looking behind himself, back into the hallway. He rushed through signing in, then wiggled his fingers, signaling to the attendant to hurry with his wristband.

  After he spotted Maddie, he quickly stepped over to her. He either did not see, or ignored, the sour look Tiffani gave him. He leaned in close to Maddie’s ear.

  “Watch this,” he whispered.

  Moments later, Dorete and her crew walked into the gym. One secretary pushed the sign-in sheet toward Dorete, but she ignored it. Her eyes were scanning the gym until she saw Maddie and Aden. Dorete gazed at them for a moment, then turned to sign in. She did not bother waiting for her two flunkies before heading over to Aden and Maddie.

  “Madison,” she said coolly, then she turned to Aden. Her eyes brightened and formed a cavity-inducing smile. “What’s up, Aden? Which companies are you planning on talking to?” Maddie’s eyes swung back and forth between the school’s queen bee and Aden. The boy was at a loss for words. He reminded Maddie of a deer crossing a busy road in the dead of night, looking at an incoming eighteen-wheeler.

  Tommy spoke into the silence. “I can’t decide whether to start with Twitter or Google. What do you think, Dorete?”

  Dorete eyed Tommy like Cersei looking down at a peasant from the Iron Throne. “Your name isn’t Aden.”

  “Don’t be a bitch,” said Maddie.

  Dorete ignored Maddie and slipped her arm around Aden’s. She waved her free hand in the air. “I already know I’m gonna be a network anchor. I’ve already got an internship set up courtesy of my dad.”

  The comment felt like nails across a chalkboard to Maddie. “Wouldn’t you rather get the internship on your own?” she said.

  Dorete looked at Maddie like she had sprung a third head. “Why would I care about that? It’s important I have one, not how I get it. Aden, if you haven’t decided, I’ll walk with you and help you choose.”

  Maddie regarded everyone with disbelief. “Is this chick serious? He’s not six years old, you know. Where’s Andre?”

  “Um, thanks,” Aden began before Dorete could respond, “but I have to do it with Madison. Principal Devin said we had to talk to everyone together.”

  “What on earth for?”

  “I don’t know . . . something about bonding or something.”

  It was a weak lie, but Maddie did not contradict Aden’s ruse.

  “Whatever,” said Dorete. “Come on, girls.” Dorete and company headed away, but she stopped after three long strides. She turned her eyes on Lilly. “Are we all set for homecoming?” she asked.

  “Not quite, but we will be.”

  Dorete frowned, making it obvious the answer was not satisfactory to her, but she said nothing more. This time, she waited till she was thirty feet away before looking back and sending Aden a smile full of flirtation and promise.

  “Jesus, she is freaking me out. She’s been near me all damn day. What the hell,” hissed Aden.

  “I fail to see the problem, Sparky,” said Tommy.

  “Jesus, Tommy, she was just a total bitch to you,” said Maddie.

  “She’s a bitch to everyone. Well, everyone except her girls and our newest football star, Aden Maier.” Tommy punctuated the comment with clapping hands.

  Aden grimaced. “Shut up before I go back to stuffing you into lockers.”

  Maddie leaned over to Tommy to whisper in his ear, “I think I’ll let him this time.” Tommy sent her a pout worthy of awards, which she duly ignored. To Aden, she said, “Don’t ask me what her deal is. The ways of teenage blondes are beyond me.”

  “Of course they are. Never ask a tomboy to answer what only a true libertine can know. Ladies, should I enlighten our two rubes here?”

  “Bring the knowledge,” answered Lilly, Zara, and Allie, once again in unison.

  “Stop doing that! It’s freakin’ everyone out,” said Tommy. “Now then, Aden, you have been chosen.”

  “Chosen for what?”

  “If you’re lucky, for a little under the bleacher action, but I’m getting ahead of myself.”

  Allie huffed. “Can you explain without being a perv?”

  “For reals,” agreed Tiffani.

  “Andre is old news for now. You’re the new kid on the block. In the social jungle that is a high school, the top, um, kitty cat has decided her social status demands the new hero be by her side. That’s you, at least until you screw up or Andre comes back. I’d accept the swift current here, buddy. You might get a little action before that happens.”

  Maddie followed Tommy’s words with her own. “Oh God, that’s . . . that’s so Pretty Little Liars.”

  “No, that’s nature,” said Tommy.

  “I don’t get it,” said Aden.

  “No, I imagine you don’t, but you just might.” Further explanation was forgotten as Tommy’s phone beeped and he wandered away, lost once again in the virtual world of social media.

  “Whatever. Let’s go join the career fun and see how we’ll all become rich.”

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” said Allie, following Maddie.

  As Maddie and her friends walked into the heart of the fair, she still could not believe she was doing this in a high school in the middle of the day. She looked around the gym in astonishment at the number of flat screen displays running information loops on companies and industries. A few even had interactive displays.

  “So, where do we start?” said Aden.

  “For you and the girls, I have no idea. I already know I’m not doing any corporate crap. So, I know where I’m going.”

  Without another word, Maddie veered to her left, leaving her group behind. Lilly, Allie, and Zara headed toward a table showcasing music videos. Tiffani and Aden followed Maddie.

  Maddie withdrew into her own world as they made their way through the gym. The more tables she walked by, the more she thought she would not be speaking with anyone at all. She had a vague sense of her life’s goal but so far had seen nothing even close here that would help her achieve it. The tables were extravagant but still dominated by career choices you expected to see in affluent enclaves like Edgewater. Her mother had quit teaching years ago—though she had homeschooled Maddie in recent years—and she stayed at home now. Her father was an engineer. Maddie had no interest in either profess
ion.

  Thinking about her parents made her think about Aden and what Lockdown, one of her nicknames for government operative Gyeong “George” Rhee, had told her about Aden’s dad—that he was an FBI agent. She gave Aden a sideways glance. Though she knew the answer—and suspected Aden did not—she asked anyway, “Aden, what does your father do?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “How the hell do you not know what your parents do for a living?” Tiffani practically shouted.

  “Easy. You don’t ask, I don’t care.”

  The flat way Aden spoke told Maddie all she needed to know. Issues. Leave it alone.

  Aden got back at Tiffani by looking her in the eye and asking, “What about your parents?”

  Tiffani hesitated before answering, “My parents were doctors.”

  The past-tense usage was lost on Aden. “Was? Did they retire?” he asked before a sharp elbow from Maddie could stop him.

  “They both died years ago. I live with my uncle. He’s a structural engineer.”

  “My dad’s an engineer too,” Maddie offered. “Maybe they’ve run into each other.”

  “I doubt it. My uncle travels for his work a lot.”

  Tiffani’s lack of providing further details about her parents told Maddie there was still pain inside. She would never know just how much Maddie understood. It reaffirmed what Maddie had felt for some time: She and Tiffani had more in common than anyone else she had befriended.

  When the trio reached the last turn in the gym, Maddie spotted something of interest. A large table was set up in the corner with three flat screen televisions behind it. Images of people jumping from planes, swimming in the ocean, and running across a desert were playing. Behind the table stood three men and one woman, all in uniform.

  Tiffani followed the line of Maddie’s gaze, and she frowned. Neither Aden nor Maddie caught the expression. Tiffani turned her eyes on Maddie, then looked past her.

  Aden snorted when he saw what Maddie was eyeing. “Jesus. I should be surprised, but I’m not.”

  “You got a problem with the armed forces?”