Chapter 3! I'm sorry, I've been so busy so I can't update. I wanted to update The Black Swan, but I forgot the plot so, I have to go think about that, and then there's the Book of Ship Names which I'm having a hard time writing. These are the top three stories I'm thinking about updating. As for my other stories, you guys can tell me if you'd like them to be updated, but I will definitely think about it. I might also update I Saw her First!, Crushing, and Mother's Day.
It was Friday night. The big bookball game. Inside the gym, Daring, Sparrow, and Cerise were stretching in a
corner, while Hopper, Hunter and Tiny were listening to the coach's pep talk for the billionth time. Alistair and Dexter were chatting to each other.
"So, how're you liking Ever After, Alistair?" Dexter asked. Alistair couldn't keep a smile off of his face; this place was growing on him. It was full of magic and surprises that Wonderland didn't offer. And it also made him feel… normal.
"It's good, we're enjoying ourselves here. It's fun to see our friends again, and meet new ones, too!"
"Yeah, that's cool. You're friends with Maddie, right?"
"Yes… why do you ask?"
"Has Maddie ever told you.. I mean well I don't know if she would confide in you, but it's kind of—" Dexter rambled.
"Spit it out, little bro!" Daring yelled from his corner. Dexter blushed and hung his head. "Uh," he whispered, "has Maddie ever told you anything about Raven?"
What an odd question. "Not much. Just that they're best friends, she's not evil, and she wants to get to know some guy better. Oh and she can sing really well," Alistair answered.
"Which guy?" Dexter asked eagerly.
"I dunno… hey," Alistair started, lowering his voice, "Dex, do you happen to like Raven?"
"Would you laugh at me if I said yes?"
"No, man. That's wonderlandiful. You two are so different, but I bet you are much alike in some ways, too," Alistair beamed.
"Are you some kind of love expert?" Dexter asked.
Alistair thought of Bunny. "Nope, cause if I was, my own love woes would be solved."
Dexter shook his head. "Love," they sighed in unison.
Just then, the doors of the gym slammed wide open and Faybelle and the cheer team, came in, looking quite preppy.
"Who's gonna win?" Faybelle shouted. There was crickets in the room.
"I said, which team is going to win?"
"EVER AFTER! EVER AFTER!" the teams chanted.
Alistair decided that Ever After was a great place. The schools were a lot different from Wonderland, and it was a lot easier for making new friends. In the midst of all the shouting, Alistair spotted Bunny's eyes. They twinkled, and he knew she now felt the same way. This was their second home.
"And…and I just don't know what to do!" Raven sighed. She was talking to Cerise and Cedar about Maddie acting off.
"Yeah, it's been like this ever since her friends came back from Wonderland," Cedar noted.
"You said she was having boy troubles?" Cerise asked. She didn't like to be involved in too much drama, but Maddie brought joy to everyone at Ever After. She accepted everyone, just the way they were. And Cerise could appreciate that.
Raven nodded. "But Maddie wouldn't get upset over a crush. There's got to be another reason."
"I mean, she left after she asked you about a boy. Maybe it's a childhood friend or something," Cedar added.
Raven didn't know. She just wanted Maddie to feel better again. They were seated in the Rebel's common room, when two tall boys entered.
It was Dexter and Alistair.
"Dex! What's up?" Raven asked, beaming. Cerise and Cedar eyed each other knowingly as they knew Dexter had trouble smooth-talking. Especially around Raven.
"I'm pretty great, Raven! Pumped for the big game tonight. Are you coming?"
There was silence, because for Dexter to say whole and comprehensible sentences in front of Raven was a surprise.
"Uh, yeah! Yeah, I can't wait to see you guys play! I'm sure we'll win!" Raven smiled.
Then Cedar burst out of her chair. "I can't take it anymore! It's obvious you two like each other, and you should go out!" Cedar then covered her mouth, embarrassed at what she had said.
Silence again. Then Raven burst into laughter.
"Cedar, don't apologize. Um, I don't know if you guys didn't know this, but Dex and I already went on a date. To the movies."
Dexter suddenly became his old self again and looked at the ground. "Yeah, yeah we did. It was great."
Raven smirked. "And I'd love to do it again."
Dexter brightened up and pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Really? Okay, does next Friday work? At 6 pm?"
Alistair put a hand on Dexter's shoulder. "You've been putting a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"
Everyone laughed. "Yes, yes I have," Dexter said.
"Dad, do you miss Alice? And Mr. Blanc?" Maddie asked her father. She was working a shift at her dad's tea shop.
"Oh yes! I miss them like a hat would miss its owner and its rabbit. I'm also missing my heart and my grin."
Maddie knew he was talking about Alice, the owner, the rabbit, Mr. Blanc, his heart was the Queen of Hearts and his grin was Kitty's mother. Of course she popped in every once in a while, but not enough for her dad to be satisfied.
"So, my dear Madeline, what makes your smile upside down?"
"Dad… I don't know how I feel about Alistair and Bunny coming back! I thought when I'd get my friends back, everything would settle down a bit, but now I feel like the Wonderland 5 has become the Wonderland 3 featuring whatever Alistair and Bunny are," Maddie said.
Narrator: Maddie, you must be really upset, because you just made sense for the first time in a long time.
Maddie: That's a bad thing, isn't it?
Narrator: Maddie… with you being down, I think you're losing your madness… you're becoming un-mad.
Maddie: That wouldn't be too bad, right?
Mad Hatter: Excuse me, Miss Page, if I can interrupt. Maddie, I want you to think. What did your mother* say when she was ready to give up? What did she always say?
Maddie: To be waken up from our slumber means the wind is calling us to travel the current again until we reach the sky.
Mad Hatter: Exactly. Our hearts can't be found, if our mind stays on the ground. I know it's hard, with your friends being back, but that's okay. No one should blame you for your feelings. That's what makes us… us!
Maddie looked up to her father's eyes.
"Dad… I've never heard you say anything like that before!" Maddie said.
"When I think about your mother, I become a bit emotional. I certainly do miss her," he said wistfully.
Maddie nodded. "Me too." After a moment, Ginger came in, holding bags of flour and sugar.
"Hi Maddie!" she smiled. "Hello Mr. Hatter! Thanks for letting us bake in the shop!"
"Of course Miss Breadhouse, I knew the school depended on it! Well, I've got to hop and wriggle to a shop by the corner! See you later, and have spring forth into the sun!"
Ginger looked lost.
Maddie laughed. "He said to have fun!"
"Oohhh," Ginger smiled. She and Ginger were going to cooking treats for the game tonight, and they knew how one would settle for candy.
They entered the kitchen and got to baking. A while later, a jingle was heard through the door.
"Maddie! Maddie, are you here?" came Alistair's voice. The tall blonde boy looked around for his friend. The shop was empty, but he heard high-pitched giggling from the kitchen. Not wanting to disrupt Maddie, he stopped at the entry of the kitchen and peeked into the doorway. There, Maddie was covered in flour, laughing at Ginger, who was a whole mess of pink batter. Ginger looked uncomfortable, but still managed a laugh. Maddie looked happy here. Of course, it was the one place that reminded her of home.
Home. Alistair thought of his mother, and everyone else in Wonderland. Was it right for him and Bunny to stay here? He always thought it was great to see his friends again, but now more than ever, it would be harder to confess what he wanted to say for a long time.
"Hey, Maddie, everyone noticed you were down the other day. Are you okay?" Ginger questioned, as she took out a tray of Wonderlandian jawbreakers out of the oven. The pink balls weren't like traditional jawbreakers, these had a chewy cover but the center was an almost impossible-to-chew rock candy. Alistair liked those. Bunny did not.
Maddie sighed. "I'm okay, now! My friends are always so supportive, and Alistair and Bunny are here, so that's great too. I just have something heavy on my chest. I can't tell anyone though."
So Maddie still was down in the dumps. Great. Alistair wondered what could be wrong with her. Ginger looked over into the doorway, and Alistair managed to duck his head out of the way.
"Why? I'm sure Raven could help you," Ginger offered. Maddie shrugged. "I dunno. I don't even know what's wrong with me! It's like a weird feeling! I've had it for such a long time, but now it's even worse! I thought it would go away, because this is definitely not how things went out in my head!"
Maddie wasn't making any sense. But that was just like her. Ginger shrugged it off. Alistair decided now would
be a good time to leave. He swiftly went out the front door.
"Sorry, we're closed!" Maddie called. She went outside of the kitchen to find who the perpetrator was, but couldn't find anyone. "That's odd…" she said.
Friday night lights. A game between two schools. One from Ever After, one from Neverland.
Alistair was excited to play his first game, but wasn't surprised when Coach gave them a less than enthusiastic pep talk in the locker rooms.
"Well, boys—and girls," the coach started, looking at Cerise, "this is… this is it! Hopefully this game will be better than the one against the Giants. No offense, Tiny."
"Oh, none taken," the shy giant said.
"We won that though," Sparrow said.
"Yes, we did Mr. Hood, but only after Cerise came to save our behinds! If she weren't there, you'd still be cowering behind a table, am I correct?"
Sparrow stuck out his tongue at his distant cousin. Cerise sighed and looked away.
"Um… Coach? Shouldn't you try to encourage us?" Alistair asked.
The baked man glared at the blonde boy like he was an idiot.
"Alistair, please do not tell me how to run my own team!" Coach Gingerbread growled. Alistair shied back.
"Okay, team," Daring exclaimed, "hands in the middle. It's time."
The teens put their hands in the middle. "On three," Daring said. "One, two, three!"
Alistair had never felt anything like it. The screaming crowd, the blinding lights, more screams. It was immense. He glanced at Dexter, who gave him a half-smile that Alistair decided was one of encouragement. He tried to put Maddie, Bunny, and all other things out of his head. Out on the field, Alistair saw the flurry of red, purple, and gold, against Neverland's green and black. This was the moment he was waiting for.
Bunny Blanc was the most nervous she had ever been in her life. Probably. In a few minutes, she would be cheering on Alistair—the bookball team to victory. They had to be encouraging! They had to be entertaining! And most of all, they had to be LOUD!
Faybelle faced her team. "Are you ready for the biggest game of the season?"
"Yeah!" they cheered.
Faybelle eyed Bunny and saw her eyes lighting up. She knew that Bunny had joined the team to support her best friend Alistair. She figured that they were something going on with them. It seemed like perhaps Bunny held affections for Alistair. And maybe he felt the same.
"Alright, we've practiced this plenty of times!" Let's do this!"
—-
Maddie settled in a seat with Lizzie, Raven and Kitty in the bleachers. Lizzie and Raven had painted their faces in the school colors and Kitty was holding styrofoam fingers and flags. Maddie tried to feel excited, but something was making her feel like there was nothing worth celebrating.
She watched her friends below. Cedar and Justine were chatting excitedly. Faybelle was cheering excitedly...and Bunny was chatting to Alistair. Of course. They were seated in the front row, so they were the closest to all the action. Maddie watched as the Neverlandians in their black and green gear roared their support for their players.
The game had begun. Cerise was the quarterback, and executed the game perfectly. Maddie watched in anticipation as the bookball was thrown to Cerise, and she hit over the touchdown line!
Raven cheered loudly as the Home score changed to 6. Maddie smiled and waved her flag in support. She squinted carefully as Alistair carried the ball—
"Ooh, and number 13, Alistair Wonderland has been tackled again by Neverland's MVP, Jake Smee!" the commentator yelled.
Maddie sighed. She hoped they would win. Alistair would be so disappointed if he lost his first game. She crossed her fingers and wished for good luck.
Ginger began to pass around the Wonderlandian jawbreakers and other treats which Maddie eagerly dug into.
"Enjoying the game, Maddie?" Ginger whispered. Maddie nodded and looked at the score. "We're kind of losing right now, though."
Maddie thought. "Maybe the cheerleaders aren't cheering loud enough." She leaned in and listened closely to the chant.
"Showing school spirit, in purple, gold, and red, come on Ever After, knock em' dead!" the cheerleaders said. Faybelle started with a backflip and met Bunny halfway, and she also did a backflip.
"That's an...interesting cheer," Ginger laughed. Ginger knew it was a tired out rhyme. Maddie had to agree with her. "I like it...it's creative!"
Maybe if the cheerleaders tried a different cheer, the players would be more inspired to play. It seemed that everyone was tired; the cheerleaders, and the players, too. Even Cerise looked worn out.
It was now halftime, and the Neverland Pirates were beating Ever After by 10 points, 6 to 16. Alistair and the other players trudged onto the bench. From far away, Maddie could see the anger on the Coach's face, and the disappointment on the players'.
Raven turned to Maddie. "What do you think is going on? We've never lost this badly in the first half before."
Maddie shrugged and looked on worriedly. Then, she had an idea.
—
Bunny dropped her Pom-poms and ran over to Alistair. He looked so upset, and she wished she could tell him something that would help them win.
"Alistair...are you okay?"
Her friend looked up. "Coach wants to sit me out for the second half."
Bunny gasped. "What? But… you've been practicing so hard! You can't get benched!"
Alistair shrugged. "I guess I'm not helping the team enough."
"Bunny, come on, we have to get ready for our routine!" Faybelle called to her. Bunny placed a supporting hand on Alistair's shoulder and ran back to her team.
She would cheer louder, harder, and prouder than ever before. For Alistair. For the school.
The game resumed. Faybelle had ordered they begun their routine and keep chanting the same cheer. In Bunny's opinion, it was getting kind of dull.
"Who's gonna win the game? Ever After, all the way! Who's gonna win the game, Ever After, hip hip, hooray!" came a shout behind them. Bunny and many people in the crowd turned to see Maddie standing up and shouting. She was… cheering?
Faybelle flew over to Maddie's spot. "Uh, what are you doing?"
"Cheering! I figured the team could use some more spirit...cause the old chant...I mean...it's getting kind of old. You say it every game! Not that there's anything wrong with old things! I love old—"
"Listen, Hatter!" Faybelle said through gritted teeth. "We are going to use our old cheer, cause it always works. We. Will. Win."
Justine shrugged. "I dunno Faybelle, I like Maddie's cheer. I mean, it would be good to have something different."
Cedar and Humphrey nodded heads.
Faybelle raised an eyebrow. "I am cheer captain! Maddie here isn't even on the team, so why would we listen to her!"
Bunny placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Hey, Faybelle, maybe people would like you better if you listened to them for once instead of yourself."
It got quiet. Faybelle glared at Bunny, then shook her head. "Fine, have it your way. But if we lose, you can blame her." Faybelle walked back to her position. "Hey, Hatter...can you start us off? Everyone, get in position."
Maddie took a deep breath and started. "Who's gonna win the game? Ever After, all the way! Who's gonna win the game, Ever After, hip hip, hooray!"
Slowly, Bunny, Rosabella, Holly, and the rest of the cheer team joined in. Even Faybelle. The audience got in on it, too. The cheers were loud and joyful. The cheer great executed their routine perfectly! It was simply wonderful.
On the field, Alistair felt a surge of energy. He was ready to play. He spotted the cheerleaders chanting a different cheer.
"Wow, I'm glad they changed it, I was getting tired of the other one," Daring said, running past Alistair. He nodded and spotted Bunny from far away. It seemed she was smiling the brightest. Did she come up with the cheer?
He'd ask her later. Now it was time to play. Dexter passed him the book to him. Neverland may have been beating them before, but now it was Ever After's time to play. Game on.
—
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" The buzzer went off. Ever After had won! 28 to 16! The Ever After side erupted into cheer. Maddie stood up and hugged Raven, Lizzie and Kitty. "We did it! We did it!"
Maddie watched from the crowd as the players slapped each other's hands in a good sportsmanship manner. Bunny ran over to Alistair and jumped into his arms. They looked happy.
Raven placed a hand on Maddie's shoulder. "Maddie, let's get to the after party!"
Maddie smiled and followed her friend out. She wasn't in a partying mood, but she had to celebrate her friends' success! She linked arms with Raven, and headed out to the Red Shoes Club, where the after party was being hosted. Maddie found herself walking in front of all the bookball players and cheerleaders, talking loudly together. On the way there, Alistair and Bunny fell behind them, but still was in front of Raven and Maddie. They were in earshot, too. The cool night breezed over Maddie's face as she focused in on the conversation the narrator was relaying over.
"You were great out there, Alistiar," Bunny said, squeezing her friend's arm. Alistair squeezed back, still reeling from the exhilaration of the game. He was so proud of his team, and the cheerleaders too.
"The cheer you guys did out there was great!" Alistair beamed. Bunny smiled. "Faybelle didn't allow us to cause she likes to stick to the old, but after I convinced her, she agreed," Bunny said.
Alistair laughed.
"It was all Mad—"
"Alistair, Bunny, get up here!" a voice interrupted them. Alistair didn't pay heed to what Bunny was going to say and dragged her to the rest of the crowd. It looked like she was going to give Maddie credit, but she didn't get the time.
"She'll do it eventually, right?" Maddie murmured to herself. Why did it matter if Bunny took the credit? It would help her and Alistair's relationship. And that's what she wanted, right?
Raven told Maddie she was going to catch up with Dexter and ran up to the football players. It seemed even Raven had partnered up with someone. Maddie suddenly felt very lonely.
She decided that the party wouldn't be the best place for her and she turned around and went back to the school.
She trudged through the wind, which had grown stronger. Her curly hair kept blowing in her eyes and she could barely see.
Finally, Maddie made it back to the dorms, where the school was nearly empty, save for the freshmen and some of the staff. She entered her room and sat on her bed, pulling out lemongrass tea out of her hat.
"Earl Grey, do you think that I'm not fun anymore?" she asked her dormouse. Her mouse squeaked in reply.
"I mean, Alistair and Bunny are so close, and I rarely see Lizzie anymore, Kitty's always disappearing, and Raven is always off with Dexter! I don't mind all of these things...but I can't help but feeling that no one wants to be around me anymore. Is that true?"
The dormouse seemed to shake his head and Maddie gave a small smile. "You'd say that. Thank you, Earl Grey."
—-
The lights were flashing and the party continued on. Raven was getting drinks by the punch table when she begin to wonder where her short friend had gotten to. She had left her behind and caught up to congratulate Dexter, but she never saw Maddie enter the club at all.
"Hey, Kitty," have you seen Maddie?" Raven asked the cat girl. Kitty shook her head. "I haven't seen her, either. I thought she would be here, but she has been acting pretty strange lately...hmm," Kitty said, before disappearing.
Raven shrugged. She'd turn up. Maddie would never abandon a party of friends.
"Raven, dance with me!" Dexter shouted. He pulled Raven by the arm and she laughed. "Dex, you sure are confident today!" she yelled over the music.
"I'm getting better!" he yelled back, spinning her around.
Meanwhile, Bunny was wondering where Maddie had went. Alistair was talking with some other people, so she was hanging out with Lizzie when Kitty suddenly appeared.
"Have any of you seen Maddie?" Kitty asked. Lizzie shook her head. "No!" Bunny exclaimed.
"Huh. Alright, thanks," Kitty said, before fading away.
Bunny thought. She never got to tell Alistair that it was Maddie's cheer that had inspired him. She would tell him. Eventually.
"Bunny, Lizzie!" Alistair called to them. Bunny laughed as Alistair attempted to do a popular dance move on the floor. She took Lizzie's hand and did the tango with her. She'd worry about Maddie later. Tonight, they'd celebrate.
Please review! I'll try to update quickly! I will start reading my reviews for questions and comments, so please tell me! PM me with any concerns or questions and thank you for reading!
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