Chapter 25: Anything We Have Known, Anything We've Forgotten
Autumn's POV
"So, it's not much and wouldn't even start Friday, but-" I cut off when we got to my pathetic machine I called a car. It would be pretty cool, if it ran half of the time. I shoved my hands into my hoodie pockets and looked at Madison.
"A '70 Chevelle?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.
I blinked. "I just got so much more respect for you."
She smirked. "My dad's a car nut." Her gaze dropped sadly, which made me think back to the conversation with Cory, which made me change the subject.
"So, should we go?" I offered. "Maybe it'll start today." We both got into my car and I dug the key out of my backpack before tossing it into the back. "The moment of truth." I shoved my key in the ignition, turned it, and, to my surprise, it started. "Hey, it's working!" I cheered.
Madison laughed before cheering a little with me. We left and drove to my house in silence, but, oddly enough, a comfortable one.
I let this be the time, for some strange reason I don't know of, to piece together the thoughts of what I was doing. I never thought I'd give Madison a chance, and definitely never thought I'd be taking her to my house. I was hoping my mom would hear me out about what I was trying to do, even though I had no idea what that was. But I do know that I'm sick of fighting with her.
Yup, I'm losing my mind.
"So, this is it." I pulled into my driveway behind my mom's car and cut the engine. We grabbed our backpacks and walked into my house, Madison following me shyly. I opened the door. "Mom, I'm home!" No response as Madison shut the door. "Mama!" I yelled, but it was more of a whine.
"Kitchen!" she called back. Setting my bag down by the stairs, Madison following, we both walked into the kitchen. "Autumn, can you- Oh, hi." My mom smiled at Madison.
Madison smiled and waved shyly. "Hi."
"Um, Mom, this is Madison," I said. "Madison, that's my mom."
"Oh." My mom shook hands with Madison then looked at me. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
I nodded and Madison said, "I'll just wait by the stairs," before walking out of the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.
Mom turned to me almost immediately. "What are you doing with her and why did you bring her here?" she asked, confused.
"I have absolutely no idea," I sighed. Then I told her what happened from the conversation with Cory to my thoughts in the car.
My mom sighed then smirked. "Way to be the bigger person." I smiled, rolling my eyes. "She's staying for dinner," she pretty much decided.
"Thanks for getting it, Mom." I smiled before walking out of the kitchen to find Madison sitting on the steps. "Wanna go to my room?" I asked, picking up my backpack and handing hers to her.
"Sure," she smiled.
Alex's POV
"Is it bad that I'm slightly scared for Autumn's life right about now?" I asked all of the guys. We had just got done with band practice and were currently in my kitchen.
Jack and Rian shook their heads while Zack just looked confused. "What happened?" he asked.
So then we told Zack about today's events. Autumn had told us what she was doing after school, and I had done nothing but worry. Someone isn't going to make it out alive tonight.
Zack shook his head, confused. "Why the fuck did she-?"
"We don't know," Jack answered. "We do know that she's trying to be nice, but, I don't know, I'm so sketchy on this." He put his face in his hands.
Then I remembered Jack dated Madison and that he was in a daze ever since lunch. "What's up, dude?" I asked.
"The only reason I broke up with her was because everyone said she cheated on me. But she denied all of it, and I wanted to believe her, but I was so confused and I didn't know what to do," he explained. "And then Autumn gives her a chance, the last person I would've ever expected to give her a chance, and then I thought that maybe she's not as bad as I thought or everyone else thinks." He folded his arms on the table, laying his head on them. "I'm confuzzled."
Rian shook his head, Zack rolled his eyes, and I chuckled. Leave it to Jack to make something totally serious not so serious anymore. "Wait and see if something happens between Autumn and Madison." I shrugged. "It would happen to her first."
Switching conversations totally, Rian said, "So, did you get your grades up so you can go to prom with Autumn?"
Jack looked up and Zack asked, "You're going to prom with Autumn?"
"Mmhmm." I nodded, smiling a little.
Something crossed Zack's face, but I couldn't read it. "I, uh, gotta go. I promised my mom I'd be home right after practice." He got up and walked out of my house saying, "See ya guys later," the door shutting behind him.
"What was that about?" Jack said. Rian and I just shrugged as a response.
Autumn's POV
As the night went on, Madison and I got to know each other more. We have a lot more in common than I thought, mainly music taste-which surprised me the most. At around nine, I was about to take her home and I had enough guts to ask for her cell phone number.
"Oh, I, uh, don't have a cell phone," she confessed, shrugging, as she put a math textbook back into her backpack. Oh, yeah, I also helped her with math.
"Oh. Okay," I said. "Do you need a ride home?"
"No, I can walk." She shoved some clothes that I was letting her borrow into her bag.
"Madison, I'm not letting you walk this late at night."
"It's okay, really-"
"Madison, no. I'm driving you home." I grabbed my car keys and her hand before walking her downstairs.
"Thanks for letting me stay for dinner," she said to my parents.
"You're welcome, Madison. Anytime," my dad said from the dining room table.
"I'm gonna take her home. I'll be back soon."
"Okay, be careful!" my mom called as we walked out.
Madison lived a good thirty minutes from me, a good forty-five from the school. She told me to drop her off at a block, but I insisted I'd take her all the way home. I could tell she was embarrassed and I found out why when I realized we were in one of the worst parts of Baltimore city, not the suburbs. I was praying my car wouldn't break down here, scared for my life a bit. I stopped in front of an old run down apartment building, feeling awful because I knew everything Cory said to me was true, and I didn't want to leave her here. But what else could I do?
"Thanks, Autumn." She smiled at me. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said before getting out of the car and walking into an apartment on the first level.
I was stunned and couldn't even mumble a goodbye. As I drove away, I felt guilt grow inside me. She had next to nothing, and all I did was make everything worse. On the bad side, I couldn't tell anyone I knew, so I was stuck keeping this secret for her. But it sure put things into perspective.
The Next Day
Alex's POV
Autumn's car wasn't working this morning, so I was giving her a ride to school. I'm currently waiting in the driveway in my mom's car for her. I didn't notice her come out of the house, so when the passenger door opened, I was surprised. "Hey, thanks for this," Autumn said as she shut the door.
"No problem." I smiled and backed out of the driveway.
"So, my mom said she's gonna try to find me a new car that will probably really be a used one."
"Fun?" I questioned.
She shrugged. "I'm excited for it. My dad wants to try to fix my current car. Like, totally rebuild it. And I think that's the main reason."
"Would you get it back afterwards?"
"No." She shook her head.
I laughed. "Awesome." Then, feeling way too curious, I said, "So, what happened with Madison?"
Autumn bit her lip then said, "To my surprise, we actually get along pretty well."
"That's vague."
She shrugged. "We like the same music, we like the same TV shows, and she's just not as much of a bitch like I thought she was."
"Well, you guys hit it off. Do I have some competition?"
Oh, yes. I was in full on flirt mode now.
"Yes, Alex, I'm sorry," she played along.
I laughed and we pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. Autumn kissed my cheek as I grabbed her hand before walking in. "Thanks for picking me up."
I smiled, but said, "Stop it, Autumn. You're embarrassing me," playfully.
"Oh, really?" She turned to face me then brought my lips down to hers.
I put my hands on her hips, lost in the kiss. But we broke apart laughing when Jack yelled, "Get some, Alex!" from across the parking lot. Autumn hid her face in my shoulder, both of us still laughing a little as Jack came up. "Aw, is Autumn embarrassed?" He poked her side.
"Shut up, Jack," she mumbled, still hiding her face.
I wrapped my arms around her, smiling because this was cute. "He's a dick, Autumn. It's a typical Tuesday for Jack."
She looked up, stepping back from me completely and punching Jack's arm before walking into the school. "Ow! That hurt!" he called after her, clutching his arm where she had hit him.
"Good!" she called back over her shoulder then pulled the hood to her hoodie up.
Jack grinned at me, to which I rolled my eyes and walked past him towards the school. "I'm sorry, but wasn't it you that said you guys just seemed like friends a month and a half ago?" Jack asked, catching up to me.
"Yeah."
"And wasn't it me who said you guys would make a good couple?"
"Yeah."
"And who was right?"
"Fuck you, Jack."
"That's what Autumn's for." He clapped me on the back.
I shook my head, pulling the door to the school open. "That's messed up. Don't talk about her like that."
"Oooo, defending her. You liiiike her," he sang.
"I thought this was already established?" I turned down the hallway towards my locker.
"Alex and Autumn sitting in a tree-"
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G."
We both looked up from my locker to see Rian walking towards us with Kara. "I'm gonna punch you guys. With the exception of Kara," I said.
"First comes love," Jack went on, "then comes marriage."
"Then comes a baby in a baby carriage!" Kara and Rian sang together.
"Yup, you guys are gonna get punched," I said.
"Except me?" Kara asked.
"Except you." I shut my locker and turned away from them, walking to my first class.
Autumn's POV
When I walked into Foods class that morning, I saw that Madison's re-dyed hair was curly, she had little make-up on, and was wearing the skinny jeans and band shirt she asked to borrow from me. But what stood out to me the most was that her "friend," the one that yelled at me the day Madison did, was bitching her out.
"Madison, you look fucking ridiculous. I can't believe this. It's-"
That's when I stopped her with, "Hey, Madison, wanna sit by me today?"
Madison looked up from her notebook with a thankful look. "Sure, Autumn." She stood up, completely ignoring the other girl's stunned expression and sat by me since I had an empty seat next to mine. I knew the teacher wouldn't care, so it would be okay.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but it took you in school suspension to realize you were a bitch?" I said bluntly.
She took that comment seriously and shrugged. "I guess so. I always knew it, but I just...needed something to make me change. What I said to you Friday was just a bitch move and I'm sorry."
Once again, I could tell she was being honest. I made a friend with an enemy. Look at that. Man, the tables are really turning.
"I think an apology on my part is due," I said. "I'm sorry for beating the crap out of you."
She smirked. "That's another thing I admire about you. You're blunt." She smiled at me then said, "I would've done the same if I were you. But, thanks."
"And I'm also for sorry for all of the shit I did in response to your shit."
"Fair enough." She smiled then bit her lip. "Wanna just start over?"
"I guess that is what we are doing, huh?" I said.
She nodded. "Seems like it."
People really do change, I guess.