Madison's POV:
Walking up to the cashier I shouted us the croissants, and was handed two slips of paper. One was the receipt, as is to be expected, but the other had been torn out of a small notepad and read, in messy cursive: Emily Canavan- 917 170 4562. On the reverse were the two words Call me followed by a hastily scribbled love heart.
Assuming it was from the girl running the till, she seemed nice and all, and was beautiful in an understated sort of way, but I just wasn't interested.
Thomas walked up to me, and promptly spoke. "We still have over an hour until the start of the movie. Let's head to the playground across the road for a little." Wow. That took an unexpected turn. Nodding silently I strolled beside my friend, finding comfort in and gaining confidence from the lively metre of his gait. The richness and subtlety of his voice filled an empty space I didn't even realise existed until then- he completed me.
Once we reached the park we both instantly gravitated towards the swingset, and I was briefly reminded of all that we had in common.
Jefferson's POV:
Being a kid is underrated. Like seriously, just kicking yourself up off the ground and laughing beside your quiet yet intelligent best friend is a sort of euphoria unable to be matched by anything, really.
I just let myself go. Soaring upwards then plummeting down and coming up again backwards- a beautiful rhythm, a dulled sense of adrenaline.
I looked over at James and we both smiled- his was just so pure and it filled me with joy to the point where I thought I just might burst, and all that happiness would explode over the heads of the children in this park like one big, joyful firework.
The warm, rubbery swing seat beneath me, the childish madness ensuing as I sat to the corner of the playground observing... this was the stuff of memories.
Madison's POV:
Thomas had practically become a different person, become a child again. He looked like what would happen if the spirit of an eight year old had been trapped inside the body of a sixteen year old. Checking the time I noted that we had fifteen minutes until the movie began. Jefferson and I have that kind of bond where we can convey just about anything without opening our mouths so we both made our way out of the park together.
Jefferson's POV:
The movie was mediocre in my opinion. The plot wasn't too bad but it was just cliché. It didn't manage to elicit any emotional response from me.
James, however, was a different story. In the scene where Rapunzel and Eugene released the lantern I saw a single tear trickle down his childlike face. During that stupid movie I had an epiphany. I loved him. I loved James Madison, and had for some time. I loved that babyface of his, loved his ability to connect with people so easily, I even loved his loopy cursive when he scribbled down notes in English. I thought I had loved him as a brother but I loved him as so much more. Normally I was confident, but he just made me feel so... Helpless.
As we walked out into the theatre's foyer I pulled him aside. "James?"
Madison's POV:
"James."
"Yeah?"
"I have something to say..."
"Well, spit it out then. I haven't got all day."
Thomas inhaled. He looked... nervous? I had never seen this guy scared to say something before. I didn't even think he was capable of feeling fear.
"I'm not straight."
"WHAT? Okay, stop right there. If my English isn't getting through to you, just let me say this: Je ne comprends pas. You've always seemed interested in girls."
"Only to appear normal. Only to stay popular with everyone. Only so people didn't think I was weird and I didn't become a total outcast."
"That kind of makes sense... But why now? And why does this concern me?"
"I'm gay... for you."
I backed away, unaware of my surroundings. I was screaming at the top of my lungs but no sound escaped. 'This, this had to be some kind of sick joke. In a few seconds he'd turn around and say "Psych!" or something stupid like that. I couldn't believe it. I had thought Jefferson was my friend. I would never expect him to do this. It must have been Laurens. He must have told someone, Jefferson must have overheard something, maybe even had a rumour passed along to him. That's how he would have known. That's how...'
"You are horrible. You are cold, cruel, horrible. Making a joke like this when we spent time building up all this trust, after getting to the point where I wouldn't even take one bullet for you, I would take three, four, even five in all the most painful places. I would die for you. I would die the longest, slowest, most painful and most terrible death if it meant you would survive. And then you do this? This is how you repay me? Don't talk to me. Don't utter another goddamn word. I'm sick of this, I'm sick of you, I'm leaving. Au revoir, b****.
Jefferson's POV:
Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. I thought this would have gone better. I had been overconfident, hadn't thought through how he'd take it. I had gotten ahead of myself and now my best friend and possibly my soulmate was furious at me for something I didn't do. Even more heartbreaking than this, though, was that his response implied that he had liked me at some point, and maybe even did still like me. And I had put an end to that with my little moment of self discovery. I should have known better. I should have done something differently.
"Madison- wait!"
I sprinted up to him. There was no way that this was going to be fun.
" I've done my waiting. Two months of it. Two whole months of mixed messages, trying to understand you, trying to get inside your head, trying so very hard to gain your appreciation, just trying to make you like me."
"But I-"
"Don't interrupt me," he continued, clearly interrupting me. "I'm normally quiet and introverted and I won't say anything worth saying so listen up: I can't believe you'd go and make friends with me, make me believe you were a good person, make me believe you were worth impressing and then just throw it all away like this! Bye, friend." He spat out that last word as if it were diseased, as if leaving it in his mouth too long would cause him to catch the plague. As if it were a filthy old bit of sushi stuck in his teeth. I felt like a filthy old bit of sushi.
Once again my cockiness had gotten me into a spot of bother- and I couldn't blame anyone else.
The subway home was lonely, and I nearly forgot to tap my card getting off, had it not been for a child to my left who quietly reminded me with a little "Tap your card, mister". I tried to manage the friendliest smile I could- how I wish I could still be naïve like that.
I said something wrong now I long for yesterday~