Ch. 10: Math and an Obnoxious Parent

During the rest of school and throughout detention, Alfred and Maddie would catch each other's eyes. Both would blush and look away only to resume it a few minutes later.

Now, Alfred was walking Maddie home.

"Are you sure your dad won't lock you out?" Maddie asked before she walked into her house.

"Positive," Alfred said.

"If he does, you can just come hang out here."

"Dude. You are totally awesome."

"Thanks."

"It's the least I could say to my new Gee-Eff. Well, I gotta go. I'll call you if I need a place to stay."

"Alright. Be safe."

"Yes mom," Alfred said smiling.

"Just go..." Maddie said playfully punching Alfred's arm.

"You wound me, Maddie," Alfred said holding a hand to his chest. "See ya." He waved and walked off.

Maddie walked inside, closing the door behind her.

"Papa? I'm home!"

"Cheri? Is that you? Welcome home! How did everything go? You are late, though," Francis said walking out of the kitchen.

"Everything's fine. Just went to the, uh, library," Maddie said following her dad into the kitchen. She set her bag in the chair next to the one she chose to sit in.

"Do you have any homework?"

"Yeah, but I'll do it later."

"Alright. What do you plan on doing now?"

"I don't know." Maddie smiled.

"Maybe you could help me finish dinner?" Francis suggested.

"Okay."

After ten minutes, the phone rang. It turned out that Arthur had locked Alfred out of the house. Francis reluctantly agreed to let Alfred spend the night at their house. So, Francis and Maddie quickly finished what they were doing and picked up Alfred from his house (with the help of him giving them directions over the phone).

"So this is the living room. You've been in here once before. Um, this is the kitchen. Here is the bathroom. This is Papa's room. These are the stairs. Up here is my bathroom. You can use it too. Here is my room and here is yours," Maddie said showing him everything. "Got it?"

"I think," Alfred said.

"Good. I need to do my homework still. I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Hey! Maybe we can help each other!" Alfred said. "I still need ta do mine too."

"Okay. Let's go downstairs then."

Alfred understood why she wanted to go down there. She didn't quite trust him yet. Not enough to be alone with him, anyway.

They walked downstairs into the living room. They decided to sit on the floor and use the coffee table as a hard surface to use. They began to work on math.

"What is your answer for number one?" Alfred asked once he finished it.

"Negative three. You?"

"Negative three? I got three. Lemmie see what you did." Alfred looked at Maddie's paper and reviewed her work. "Ah, I see whachu did. See, instead of dividing two by two, you divided six by six. You got everything else correct.

"It's like this. The next problem, for example. Three X times two equals 12. First you have to divide three by three because you have to get X be itself. But what you do to the left side, you do to the right so divide 12 by three also. Understand? Good.

"So now you have X times two equals four. Once again you need to get X alone. Divide two by two... You understand why we have to divide right?" She nodded. "Good. Anyway. What you do to one side, do to the other. Divide four by two. Now you have X equals two. Now check it. Three times two times two is twelve. That fits so X equals two is your answer. Got it?"

"I think. Let me try the next one." Alfred nodded. As Maddie worked, Alfred did too.

"For the next one, did you get X equals 12.5?" Maddie asked once she solved it.

"Yeah. D'you get it? Like really? I have no problem going over more with you," Alfred said.

"Yeah I understand it. Now if I can actually do it... That's a different story."

"Ah... Let me see you work problem four."

"Okay." Alfred watched Maddie try and solve the problem.

"You're left handed," Alfred pointed out.

"You're right handed," Maddie said looking up from her paper to Alfred.

"You don't say... I would have never guessed that I wrote write my right hand." Alfred laughed.

"Where would you be without me?" Maddie teased.

"I'm not sure. I still would probably be the major jerk I was," Alfred said.

"I can't see you being a jerk."

"Yep. I was. I was a jock, too. You could say a lot of people dislike me."

"Really? What did you use to do?"

"All of this was a week or two before you came but I bullied this one kid. Well, I didn't exactly bully him. He was mean to me and I gave it back. His name is Ivan Braginski. Man he is such a bastard. Stay away from him Maddie. Him and his sister Natalia. Kat you can be around I guess. She's nice. Natalia can be sometimes. But don't get close to Ivan and expect a free ride.

"I used to like Natalia. She's pretty and has an attitude." Alfred whistles. "Man was she fi-ine. But you don't have to worry. I'm in a relationship with you and you only."

"I'm glad."

"You should be. Do you know how many girls ask me out every day?"

"How many?"

"None... But still... They are just shy about their feelings towards the hero." Maddie laughed.

"Sure, sure. So you were talking about Ivan and how he was mean?"

"Oh yeah! Um, we got into this huge argument which others nicknamed 'The Cold War' because I'm American and he's Russian. Anyway, teachers found us at each other's throats, literally- still have a cut from it. Grandpa decided then I shouldn't be in football anymore because of it. That was totally unfair because he gave Ivan a warning only."

"Huh..." was all Maddie could say. Both were looking each other, not losing the other's gaze. Alfred looked down to Maddie's lips and blushed. Maddie saw this and blushed too. Other than that, she did nothing.

Maddie sensed it was coming. Alfred was slowly leaning in. Maddie was frozen. Would she let him kiss her? He was centimeters away and-and-

"Parent in the room!" Francis called walking into the living room, making Alfred jump away from Maddie. "I have dinner."

"Merci Papa," Maddie said. Francis nodded and set the two plates in front of Maddie and Alfred.

"Thanks Maddie's dad!" Alfred said getting ready to take a bit of it.

"No!" Francis said slapping his fork away. It clanked onto the plate. "You never have the first bit! Let the lady have it first!"

"Papa!" Maddie said.

"Now, now, Maddie. I must teach this amateur about real manners."

"You sound like dad now," Alfred muttered.

"Rule one: Never mumble! Let others hear you!" Francis said suddenly changing into a teacher's uniform. What was this? Some anime? That was running through both Maddie's and Alfred's mind.

"Rule two: never slouch! It makes you seem like a slob!" he goes on.

"He's only doing this because he likes you, just so you know," Maddie whispered to Alfred during her dad's third rule.

"Yeah, I can tell," Alfred whispered back.

"Papa! Leave poor Alfred alone," Maddie said walking her dad out of the room.

"We will continue this later!" Francis said before being shoved out.

What's this? Another chapter a day after the other one? *cue random audience gasping* Hoped you liked this chapter along with the other ones, gummy bears! Don't expect another chapter as fast as this one, though. I'm not sure when the next one will be out. As long as DTKIH continues to give me ideas, I'll continue writing. I basically have a draft of everything up to a certain point so it probably won't be long. Well, till next time, gummy bears~! -Love~Peace~Anime

Chapter Eight Reveiws:
Sarah: You and me both, love~ Thank you so much for the nice reveiw!

Chapter Nine Reveiws:
chibi-unicorn-girl: Mhm. Evil teachers are evil. ^^