Friday night
*a text conversation*
Madeline: Hey
Amelia: wats rong
Madeline: Nothing. Why would you think something is wrong?
Amelia: cuz u nvr txt me 1st
Madeline: Maybe I just want to talk
Amelia: cmon Mads just tell me alredy
Madeline: ...Gilbert broke up with me
Amelia: WAAAT?!
Madeline: Yeah
Amelia: im tellin ya hun, tht Gil was bad news. u dont ned him. i dont want u 2 shed a single tear ovr this. u were tooooootaly 2 good 4 him in the 1st place. r u doin ok? do u ned me 2 cum ovr?
Madeline: No, I'm actually okay
Amelia: relly?
Madeline: Yes. It was weird. When he said it I was a bit sad, but I wasn't crushed. I can't describe it. I felt like he had a reason.
Amelia: did he tell u a reson?
Madeline: No. But he did seem a bit ambivalent. Like he didn't want to break up but he still had to
Amelia: imma get 2 the bttm of dis.
Madeline: Please don't
Amelia: no 1 just dumps sum 1 out of the blu like tht! imma find out y
Madeline: Don't
Amelia: i will
Madeline: Do you have to be so adamant all the time?
Amelia: i dont no wat tht means but im still gonna git 2 the bttm of dis
Saturday afternoon
Madeline sat at her desk hunched over a chemistry book. She had put off a few assignments and was doing her best to catch up, but the insipid language of the textbook didn't make her task particularly exciting. Just as Madeline was considering taking a break, a light and airy sound echoed through the house.
Ding Dong. Ding Dong. Ding- Ding Dong. Ding-Ding-Ding- Din-D-D-D-D
"Oh my goodness, Amelia!" Madeline snapped as she made her way down the stairs. She flung the door open to see Amelia standing on her front porch, still pushing the doorbell as fast as could.
"Hi there, Mads!" she said brightly over the incessant ringing she was causing.
Madeline frowned, reached for her friend's wrist and firmly pulled it away from the button.
"Every time? Do you really have to do that every time?"
Amelia only gave a giddy giggle.
"What are you doing here?" Madeline sighed and released Amelia's wrist.
"I'm here to take you out of course!"
"Out? Where?"
"Anywhere! Let's go!"
And before she could object, Madeline was being dragged out the door and down the driveway towards her friend's car. Amelia practically threw her into the passenger seat then skipped around the car to the driver's side.
"Seriously?!" Madeline asked incredulously.
"Aww c'mon! Don't be a stick in the mud."
Madeline was about to make a comment to defend herself but then thought, I was gonna take a break anyhow. Might as well spend some time with friend while I'm at it. So Madeline tried to relax and not ask anymore questions as Amelia drove off…
...until they pulled up to their high school.
"Wait... What are we doing here?"
"Practice."
Amelia was a tennis player and it was tennis season but... "I thought you guys didn't practice on weekends."
"Oh I didn't mean my tennis practice, I meant Gil's soccer practice."
"Amelia! I told you to drop it!"
"Oh quit it," Amelia responded in a curt manner. She got out of the car and waited for Madeline to do the same before continuing. "You said yourself that there something was weird about how he broke up with you. Don't you wanna do some snooping around?"
"I guess," Madeline answered reluctantly. "But what's your plan? March right up to him and demand answers?"
"No," Amelia answered slowly, her blue eyes becoming bright with mischief. "I was thinking...Well, I think we should follow him for a bit."
"Oh, right. So we're just going to casually stalk my ex-boyfriend for the rest of the day," Madeline said sarcastically.
"Yeah, pretty much!" Amelia exclaimed, affirming her friend's caustic comment. "Look here he comes! Duck!" Without any further warning Amelia grabbed Madeline's shoulders and pulled her down so that they were both crouching, the car between them and Gilbert.
"Honestly, I wonder why I put up with all your crazy antics sometimes-"
"Shushhhh! Don't you know anything about stalking? Rule number one: shut your face!" Amelia then peeked out to watch Gilbert as he walked off the field towards the parking lot.
"Amelia," Madeline whined worriedly after a while. "Are you sure we're allowed to this?"
"Oh calm down, Mads," Amelia responded, "You're acting like we're doing something illegal."
"We're stalking my ex! I'm pretty sure that's illegal!"
Amelia waved her hand dismissively. "Details."
Maddie sighed but peeked out as well and focused her attention on Gilbert. After all, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Gilbert walked off the field while laughing and talking with some friends, his usual affable air surrounding him. Eventually he and his friends split off, each of them heading off in their own direction. Gilbert's soccer bag was slung over his shoulder. His hands were in his pockets and he whistled as he walked. His phone chimed inside his bag, so he stopped to take it out.
Amelia and Madeline watched closely as he read the text and saw his face drop. He glanced around, suddenly paranoid. He typed a quick response, shoved his phone in his pocket and walked briskly to his car. The girls stayed crouched as he drove off, a little too fast.
"What do you this that was about?" Madeline asked.
Amelia shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that he's leaving and we'd better keep following him."
Madeline nodded and the two girls hurried into the car, following Gilbert to his next destination.