Verré

“Go ahead. Walkout, block me, ignore me. Do as you please,” his firm tone rings in every corner of his living area and pierces through her ears. She continues to grab her things but he sees her jaw clench and unclenches. “Ring me when you're sure to be telling the truth.”

Madison stops tying the strings of her chunky boots and he stands up to start walking. Just as she thinks he's going to stop on her post, he doesn't and instead goes towards his bedroom. He slams the door a bit too harshly.

“Stone-faced heartless insensitive weirdo!” she shouts after she finishes tying and runs to the door of Sid's house and goes back to her house. 

FAKE - I

“You're fake,” he murmurs as her friends were drowning themselves in high-pitched laughter meters away from them. She stills and her grip on his wrist loosens. Madison empties the half-filled juice he accidentally spilled on her brown chunky boots on the tray beside him, spoiling his lunch. A taunting smile creeps on her mouth but he sees her becoming tense. “Obviously, so fake.”

“C'mon girls, this freak just proves he's a complete loser with those glasses,” she rolls her eyes on him as she says that and either of the girls laughs at her remarks. He only looks at her through his glasses and she rolls her eyes one more time. “Get out of my way, weirdo!”

That wasn't the first and last time their ways have crossed. They're classmates and seatmates in Math.

“We have homework?” she murmurs with shock evident in her voice. Of course, she doesn't know. It's Math for goodness sake. Unknown to what she's doing, her eyes were glued to watch his side profile and he feels it, but he doesn't have the guts to look back. Not when she shines bright, against the light coming from the window. “I did mine. Don't know 'bout you,” he successfully avoided her eyes and pretended to continue to read manga on his phone.

“Ah, manga again. A total freak,” she rolls her eyes when he doesn't respond and proceeds to grab his worksheet. Even when she snatches his math homework, he never meets her eyes to send her any look—annoyed or intimidated, anything. It irks something in her. He should be giving her reactions. “You don't mind me copying this, right?”

“Don't care,” he finally gives up scrolling on his phone and just dips his head between his two arms to attempt faking sleep. Or maybe an attempt to not have a longer conversation with her.

Thankfully, she stays silent until their teacher comes. Another subject that they shared was PE, the subject that she dislikes the most.

“Stalker,” she accuses him but doesn't push him when he touches her sprained ankle. He moves quickly to kneel next to her as if he's used to tending to people. Madison feels more irritated when she sees him furrowing his eyebrows when she whimpers with the simple pressure he applied. His serious expression awakens something in her. “Are you sure you're not making it worse, weirdo? I'm going to call everyone's attention if you hurt me more.”

“Shut your mouth,” his baritone voice sounds demanding and he twists her ankle gently but with force. Madison stilled, her hands clutching on either of her sides, against the dusty cold floor. There was still the pain but it had thankfully lessened. She visibly relaxes when she feels her ankle at ease and he's quick to stay away from her scrutinizing eyes. He never meets her gaze and it irritates her for an unknown reason. “Call your fake friends and tell them to bring you to the infirmary.”

“They're not fake,” she bites her lower lip and looks at her foot as he moves to put it back in her black Chuck Taylors. He follows her gaze and shakes his head, unconvinced of what she had said. “Can't you just carry me there? I left my bag in the locker and I can't just shout. Also, if I make you call—”

She was cut off when he suddenly held her lithe back. Sid carries her bridal style and it's a good thing that students were in their classes because if not, she'll push him off even when he's the only support she has. Madison can't be seen with this funky guy. That was what she's worrying about, but on top of the list, it should be the fact that she was in his hold, his arm and hand on the expanse of her legs and the other on her back. The injured one feels the hot feeling in her whole face.

“Weirdo. Move your hand off my waist,” she slaps his left hand but he doesn't move nor say anything. Still no response. She frowns at that and gives a scrutinizing gaze to him. Sid doesn't mind her judging face. The probability of her doing a 'fashion evaluation' on him isn't low. “Why don't you wear a silver frame instead? This brown frame gives grandpa vibes.”

As she's about to touch his eyeglasses, he pushes the door with his foot and she's automatically squeezed between his arm and chest. She purses her mouth and stills momentarily. The next second she opens her eyes, she's already on the bed. The nurse comes over and he's gone.

Nothing changes. She and her friends still pick on him whenever they have the chance to. Madison doesn't know why they do, but she does because she got used to it. Besides, it's not like Sid was telling them to stop. He doesn't give them any reactions at all.

One time in History, he decides to cut class and he coincidentally spots her on the bench behind the building with her head down. That's his favorite spot on campus. She shouldn't be bothered, he thinks. Sid was planning to climb the tree instead of sitting on the bench. He walks silently but she still feels his presence. They locked gazes and put her head down again to wipe her tears that very moment. 

“Go away,” she lifts her head, side-eyeing him when she's sure her eyes don't have any trace of tears. But what about the tear-stain of her cheek? Sid looks rather annoyed as he marches on her spot. She doesn't dare to look up when he sees a pair of black chucks. “Go away. Or I'll shout.”

“Stop with those empty threats,” he holds her chin with force, and even when she wants to fight it, she eventually meets his eyes. Madison gulps and almost tears up when he sees his expression. He sure sees right through her that it pains something in her chest because no one just gets to do that. Was she imagining things or Sid looks like he's close to tearing up as well? “What are you doing?”

“You were crying. No need to deny it when it's very much obvious,” his solid finger caresses her chin and she almost stumbles down with how much that gesture weakens her. She secretly wishes for a hug, but she knows that would be straight up odd to ask. Madison's other wish was to meet his eyes but his gaze was hovering all over her face except her eyes. “Quit acting like you're perfect.”

Her mind was probably having some problems but she was able to revive her senses to slap his hand away only for him to grip her wrists. Not those words.

“You and your group of friends act like you're on the surface,” his deep voice sends shivers on her skin. Wind whirls, some of her hair strands went array but he was quick to push them to the back of her ears. Whatever he's trying to do wasn't helping at all. It's stirring up everything in her hazy mind for the reason that she can't be exactly mad or be touched with how he perfectly perceives her. “Making it seem like you're all put together when you're just like everybody else. Except you're better at taking photos.”

“Per usual, you and your funky thoughts," she throws her a smug smile and forcefully pushes him. He lets it be this time and handles the challenge of maintaining eye contact that he never accepts before. The reason behind why Sid keeps on telling him things like this, or the fact that he's maintaining eye-contact with Madison sends a strange tingle through her bloodstream. “If that's how you see it, that's because it probably is. I look all put together because I am. Everyone knows I'm exceptional and yes, I definitely take better photos than anyone in this school.”

“You're making everything a show. Not a hard thing to see,” even when they're so close to drawing a line just to mark their 'space', they stand a little too near next to each other. “It's not hard to see when you're an outsider. When you're not involved, or get the littlest exposure to the scene, you will get to read and see more,” his words struck the right plucks in her insides. However, she's not exactly open with admitting that this instant. “Quit with these words, weirdo!” her voice seethes with his blunt words but she knows deep down that he's speaking the truth. Stone-faced slowly gives a tight-lipped smile, as if wanting to just get that reaction from her and was now satisfied because he was successful.

“Only if you stop as well,” he smiles bigger, teeth flashing, a smug one at that and she feels her heart swell. Sid sat down next to her uninvited, but not unwelcome nonetheless. Madison had stopped crying and she felt him move to lie down with arms behind his head. She shamelessly stares and he pretends he doesn't feel it. “No need to be fake with me. I won't buy it.”

FAKE - II

If it was fate that brought them to be partners for that research project, she thinks it's all twisted. She has to deal with seeing him even on weekends to make her part. It wasn't really having to meet him, it was because of the words which keep on going out of his mouth, directly hitting her on the rightful spots. Why does he have to be that good in seeing what's the real thing about her, Madison asks herself at times.

“I fucking hate this library. I fucking hate this project and I fucking —” she curses under her breath and Sid doesn't give her any reaction until the librarian rings the bell and points on their direction. Sid offers the librarian an apologetic look and Madison scoffs. He finally shoots her a look, “Shut your mouth and work.”

“Fuck you,” she hisses and grabs the paper he's handing her. Her eyes follow his serious face once he's down in reading his printed material. Sid feels it. Madison was certain he felt her stare. How could he not if she has unabashedly tilted her head just to watch his side profile? “Yeah. You do that?”

“Weirdo,” she hisses when Sid rudely puts the signage from the library about keeping the silence in the vicinity on her face to shut her and to put a barrier from her sight. Madison hears him let out a snort. Even the snort was unnecessarily charming.

The next time they meet on a weekend, he brings his dad's rover. She crosses both arms on her chest and gives a disgusted look towards the innocent car. Madison was unimpressed with it. It looks like one of the vehicles used in the movie for having a poor appearance but the core was full of strength. Rolling eyes meet bored gaze.

“What? Are we going somewhere? Are you trying to kidnap me?” She eyes the silver rover and rolls her eyes once more when she finally sees his getup. Full getup. Sid knows that scrutinizing gaze. It's his outfit for sure. “You said you don't like the library. We can continue at my house,” he puts his hands in the pocket of his hoodie and kicks the rock with his black chucks.

“What?” she attempts to see his face but that stupid hoodie with that stupid fluffy hair hides it so her eyes fall on his black track pants. Just how many track pants does he have, she asks herself. “You heard it. Decline if you want to. Give me that bag and we'll go to the library now,” he extends his hand to carry her heavy laptop bag and Madison almost has her mouth hanging with how fast he changes his mind.

Of course, Madison moved to the car door quickly and they continued the research in his living room. A woman, probably not his mom, since he doesn't look like the one in the old family photo serves them food.

“Much more quiet here. Should've brought me here the first time we had this shit,” she opens her laptop and frowns when he doesn't say any.

It was much more comfortable when he let her have the whole long sofa and he settled on the carpet still with his hoodie on. They worked quietly and exchanged minimal conversation. The woman offers them freshly squeezed juice and some homemade cookies. With some moments recurring in her mind, she keeps silent but Sid doesn't question her, being so engrossed with finishing their task. Perhaps too eager to not see her any longer.

“It'll be the last week next time. I'll revise it by Sunday then we're done,” he closes his laptop and whips his head to see Madison has fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position.

He rearranges the blanket he offered her when he noticed that her plaid skirt would make her uncomfortable to move and puts another cushion to build leverage to support her neck.

Sid sets the alarm to wake her up hours later and he sits back on the carpet to read his manga. When she wakes up, he drives her to the city center as Madison says that she still has somewhere to go before she heads home.

“Your car sucks by the way," she says while she buckles the seatbelt. No word, no reaction. She huffs a loud breath and he eyes her when her face contorts into something unknown to him. He was a bit concerned because he knows the woman doesn't make fantastic cookies. If something happens to her stomach, Sid would seriously feel bad. “Your house has both exquisite interior and exterior so I don't get why your car looks like this.”

So it was still about the car. Without any words, he starts the car and receives her frustrated sigh. “Won't be surprised if a director rents this awful rusty car for a horror movie,” she says yet again and Sid only shakes his head. What was that for, she wants to ask. But she suddenly realizes he doesn't plan on saying anything to her. “Fine. I won't talk anymore.”

Fortunately, the drive didn't last for more than half an hour. When he's back, he fixes his things and reheats the Chicken Tikka Masala his aunt cooked and finishes his early dinner in no time then goes straight to the bathroom.

He strides his way to the kitchen as soon as he finishes his bath with just his boxers on and the towel lazily placed on his shoulders. Sid remembers that his ice cream pint is on the verge of being stolen as his older brother arrives that Friday evening.

The doorbell rings, maybe his brother's hookup— he doesn't know, doesn't care. He inches for the spoon and now the door is being banged as well so he walks up to the door. He hastily opens it and is ready to shout for his brother's name but his eyes must be deceiving him.

“Can't you wear your fucking hoodie?” she grimaces but her eyes travel to study his torso. He almost smirks at her pretentious acr but his gaze was now directed to the strings of her backpack. With her infamous cheekiness, she was the quicker one to raise an eyebrow. Not that it's important but she has already eyed his veiny arms. “Uh, let's finish our project tonight.”

She doesn't wait for any answer and pushes him to make her way in using her bag to avoid contact with his skin. His eyes travel to her backpack once more and study her outfit. She's in her usual soft grunge outfit but there's something unusual on her. It was the additional duffle bag she wasn't carrying hours ago.

“Where's your bedroom?” She starts to walk further but he catches her left wrist quickly. The cheeky girl eyes it but doesn't struggle with his grip. They just look at each other with him trying to read her. “I'm busy tonight. Go home,” his gaze falls to the strap of her bags which looks a bit packed. He doesn't see how she glowers at his words.

“I'm busy tomorrow," her voice comes out whiny and he stills at that. What in the underworld was she trying to do pulling that tone and face. “Do you want me to drive you—” her smirk pushes him deep in his trance and she makes use of the situation to run upstairs and he catches up until she freezes on her feet.

Ragged breaths and whiny moans ring across the hallway. Sid held her wrist and they silently went down. He adjusts his towel to cover anything it can as he pulls her towards the kitchen counter. She's muted and he's close to being apologetic but it was her fault.

“You can't just barge in on someone else's home,” he opens the fridge and grabs a bottled sports drink. She eyes it with confusion and he motions his hand to show he's got nothing in his ref except those. One taste and her face grimaces. “Dad's arriving by 9. I can drive you until then if you don't like to take the cab.”

“Can't I just sleep here? Didn't you see my bag?” she plays the cap of the bottle and remains her head down. He crosses his arms and eyes her bag that's placed on the counter. This girl and her twisted stubborn mind. “No, you can't. Why would you?”

“I told you already. I'm busy tomorrow and so I'll do the last part tonight. If you're that busy, you can just let me do it here,” she motions her hand in the living room and he shakes his head. “Or if you must, I can pay a night for sleeping on your sofa.” he sighs then mumbles she doesn't need to and she knows he won't ask anymore. Sid starts to boil water for the instant noodles he would feed her and she waits while she scrolls through her Twitter and Instagram.

“Yes… I'm at my friend's… No, she's just in the bathroom… No, no… I really can't VC you at the moment… Yes…” she senses his presence get near so she sits straight and avoids his blank face. Boring guy listens to their conversation, his right foot getting numb so he shifts the weight to his left foot. The wooden tray on one if his hands, the other one holding another bottle of sports drink. “Oh, she's done… I'll call you girls back tomorrow morning… she'll paint my nails… Yes, I will… Bye!”

He puts down the black bowl with the tray along with the spoon and fork. No words exchanged and her face forms to something between embarrassed and prideful. Another scene of him seeing how she lies through her teeth. Madison is undoubtedly a person full of lies. For whatever reason she may have, Sid wouldn't ask.

“You don't need to wash any. Put them in the sink. There's one more yogurt milk in the fridge. Sadly, I can't paint your nails. Knock when you need a hand," Sid goes into his bedroom which is just situated next to the living room. Embarrassment fills the silent air Madison is situated in. “Wait,” her voice comes out in tiny. He stops for a moment but doesn't look back. Better, she thinks. Wolf girl can't face him. “Thank you.”

She eats silently and is on the verge of crying but she stops herself. Cheeky girl suddenly feels so vulnerable. Two hours later, Sid shows himself with his hoodie and track pants on. It's his style, except for his hair is messy, maybe he just got up, some of his hair sticking up in random directions and his eyeglasses were not hindering his captivating pair of orbs.

“C'mere,” he waited patiently for her to stand up and asked Madison to gather her things. They walked into his bedroom and she's baffled by how empty it looks. The nerves she's feeling are normal. She really is inside the bedroom of a stranger. The first time. A stranger that she stupidly thinks is harmless no matter how many times he had downright told her plenty of moments he doesn't like her attitude. “Dad will arrive in no minute. Just sit wherever and don't go out until I let you. Got it?”

With such strange instructions, Madison can't help but feel the shiver run down her spine. Or maybe it was his deep voice in his dimly lit room. But the possibility of Sid on his boyfriend-look could also be the reason why she feels weird.

When he feels like she won't say a word, he turns his back to walk near the door. “Wait. I'll use your bathroom,” she cringes with the tone which suddenly came out of her mouth. Good thing sid's meters away. “Can I?”

“Do whatever you need," and he's out. Madison finally lets out the breath she doesn't know she's holding in.

She makes sure not to move any unnecessary things in his bathroom. A pair of grat bed slippers were next to the bed and Madison wore it because her feet felt cold. After her ceremony, she sits on his bed and hugs that one polar bear plushie he has apart from the two pillows and gray duvet he has.

Her eyes suddenly felt heavy so she opted to close them for a moment. Suddenly, a loud bang can be heard from the other side of Sid's door. She jerks to sit up and looks at the door. Worry creeps up on her and she hears the shattering of glasses the next second.

A man's voice comes next, shouting something that she's thankful was muffled because of her AirPods. She lets herself on the bed and curls herself into a circle as tears fall down her cheeks. For a moment, she thinks of Sid's calm and expressionless face or how she's never seen him smile genuinely nor be annoyed at the rate that she'll get intimidated.

Three more songs and she sees a light reflecting on the wall which indicates that someone's opened the door. Madison was quick to sit up and meet his blank face.

The thing about Madison was that she tends to be touchy when she's in her vulnerable state. So even when her rational side tries to argue with her impulsive self, she doesn't stop the latter to win. She runs on Sid's post and throws herself to hug him. The guy doesn't move but when she hears him sigh, she knows it somehow works. Hugs always work perfectly with the right timings.

“I'm okay,” he whispers against the top of her hair, and his hand moves to touch her head. Madison tightens her hold on him and his hand finally moves to the back of her head. She involuntarily sobs and he quickly pulls himself. “Why were you crying?”

When she didn't say a word, he led them towards his bed and sat there silently. Her sobs died down and she's secretly thankful for his warm hand which caressed her back for some minutes.

“Does he always shout at you like that?" she whispers and watches his face. He nods but his face doesn't show any emotion. Curiosity gets the best of her. “Why? Why do you still go out if he does that?”

“I don't care about it. He's my father and he doesn't do that every night, just… almost. Besides, he still gives me what I need,” he removes his hand off of her and puts it in his hoodie pocket. His eyes fall on his socks and sees some cartoon characters printed on them. Madison frowns at that, she doesn't know why. “Don't you feel anything?”

“What d'you think?” He smiles at her with a smug expression and his hand suddenly finds a place at the back of her neck. There was no sign of discomfort on her face and if anything, Madison wishes he'll do more than that. For the first time, Siid smiles at her, the no smug, no insulting smile and something in her chest tugs. Her eyes show how much she's taken aback with the delayed realization. “I… don't know. Maybe not?”

He chuckles and lets go of her as he stands up. Sid has the habit of stretching when he stands up and she had noticed that many times in PE class. Her eyes would watch him because it's a nice view in front. Unconscious with her eyes, he rolls the sleeves of his hoodie and Madison gets another glimpse of the veiny arms. Why would she deny gazing when it's for free?

“Don't worry about me. I know how to protect myself,” he removes his hoodie in front of her and another tug happens. Thankfully, there's his tank top underneath. He looks at her with his playful smile. Sid just never fails to get her insides in shambles. “It's you who should be careful all the time. Don't just throw yourself on strangers.”

If Madison had heard it from another person, she's sure she would have slammed their face with annoyance. But since those words came from him, they just felt comfortably flirty? Perhaps, purely teasing? That's what she thinks.

“Wait up. I'll just get something,” Sid was quick to go out and get in his bedroom with a paper bag in his hand. Madison accepts it and she feels heat travel to her face when she feels the bed deep beside her. Another heat from the person beside her. “At least he bought your water.”

“We could've just bought outside, you know,” she says but smiles. He doesn't notice the quick action and instead, he watches how her eyes looked once they saw what's inside. She doesn't have to say anything for him to know she likes them. Was it the 'outsider' thing? She smiles to herself. “I ain't walking with you while you're in your chunky boots. Another option given is to leave you here with my brother screwing someone upstairs, which doesn’t sound like a choice either.”

She nods and tears the Tim tams while Sid quietly basks in his view. Some people may have said that she looked like a bunny when she eats, her eyes kind of bulging as she eagerly bites and chews.

“It doesn't really seem like you're from a problematic family. I mean, no offense,” Madison says as she now snacks with her fifth. She hears him chuckle again and shakes his head. “How should it look like if someone came from a broken family, then?”

Madison is stunned, that's undebatable. Sid's gaze seems more intense towards the former. She's unsure whether to look away or just say something mean to avert his attention.

“I don't know how you perceive me but my eyes really are quite blank and plain. Everyone else has their burdens anyway. If I'd dwell on them every second, I'd probably do more stupid things.”

Words were only heard when one was willing to listen. Right words only hit the right person. Truth hurts because they were hidden to comfort people with more heartbreaking white lies.

There's one more bite but she has truly lost her appetite when she realizes the weight behind those words. The other takes notice of this and gently grabs the pack out of her hand. Her tears started to fall continuously and he's left in panic until he decided to hold her hand as a form of kind gesture. Madison's head automatically falls on his shoulder and he tries to soothe her with his thumb constantly running over hers.

“Do you think I'm stupid?” she doesn't have enough courage to lift her head and meet his possibly judging eyes so he puts his other hand to pat her head instead. Why was he so gentle on her despite the words she had thrown towards him? “Careless is the right term. Don't worry. No one from your friends will know.”

“T-that's not it,” she sits properly to look at him and he retrieves his hand. Sid waits for her to continue but she looks rather conflicted so he tries to understand but nothing comes. The crying girl only looks at him and waits for him to read her like how he always does. “What I'm trying to tell you is to be careful. I understand that this is your way of—”

“My stepdad kind of hurts me when mom's out for work,” a loud sob comes out when she can't prevent herself anymore. She shakes her head to prevent herself from not recalling the moments. “Whenever he sees me, he's reminded of my mother's infidelity and how he's such a scumbag for being infertile. If mom's not around, I just feel so unsafe so I tend to sleep over my friends.”

Sid doesn't say anything because he can't think of the right words to utter so he stares at her.

“Don't throw me that look. I despise that kind of gaze. Pity is not what I need to receive,” her eyes fall to her lap and she clenches her jaw to stop herself from crying more. Sid still hasn't said anything and she stands up with a plan to gather her things. Maybe make another careless decision but he's quick to pull her hand. “I'm not pitying you. Don't think of planning to sleep in someone else's home. Sorry.”

“Don't be. I should be the one saying that for always setting you up for laughs,” she removes her hand off his grip. Sid nods. This time, when she moves and walks away, he just lets her. She enters the bathroom to avoid the topic.

Never, did she ever think of crumbling down in front of the person she calls 'weirdo' twice. Madison mentally slaps herself for being so mean, fake and careless. Minutes later, she goes out of the bedroom to see Sid near the door with his hand on its knob.

“You can have my bedroom. Guess I'll have to endure my brother's sick routine for tonight,” he displays that unreadable expression again before he twists the knob. “No,” she exclaims and sid stops to face her completely. “No. I mean, don't go there. Sleep here. We can just share the bed if you're fine with that.”

After minutes of exchanging words as to why they should or they shouldn't share the bed, Madison convinces him that she'll feel safer if he's next to her considering that he's got a drunkard and fucktard housemate.

“You know what, you're actually not bad,” she turns to her side and looks at the man whose arm is settled on his eyes.As usual, he doesn't say a thing. The space between them reflects how much he doesn't like to be near her and Madison feels fine with it. Maybe. “Can I ask you something?”

Seconds later, he still doesn't respond. Madison, who's so impatient, pinches his arm and Sid immediately catches her wrist before she does it again.

“What?” he hisses but his voice comes out husky because of the tiredness which had worn his energy down. She's met with a slightly annoyed face and Madison can't help but pout. “Can't we just sleep? Don't provoke me. I have no energy to satiate your roguishness.”

“I'm not a rogue! Take that back,” she uses her elbow to lift herself and she finally gets his whole attention. His eyes travel to her now exposed shoulder and she feels her face get warm so she lays down at once, eyes fixated on the ceiling. “I was asking you nicely but you turned me down fast.”

Silence. She wonders if his heartbeat was feeling ecstatic as hers but her ears won't give her any help.

“What's it?” he asks with a gentler tone this time. The rogue woman looks at his side and she's met with his blank gaze again. She just looks at him and he starts to feel frustrated when he feels like she wants him to read her mind. “Can you embrace me? It's alright if you don't want to. I just think you're—”

He scoots near her and when their faces are centimeters apart, Madison feels her breath hitch. She feels the warm air coming out of his nostrils fan her temple and when he puts his right arm above her head, she gets the hint. Now she feels his warm breath against her temple and it sends her to blush deeper.

“Thank—” once more, she's cut off by him. But this time, he shushes her and she can't help but frown at that. Warm breath fans the side of her face and that lulls her. “You're warm. Don't pull until I fall asleep, okay? Weirdo.”

Unknown to the both of them, smiles were plastered on their faces before dozing off to sleep.

FAKE - III

Nothing's changed. They still argue for minutes and empathize with the other the next. The cycle goes on.

“You're caught in someone's Snap story talking to that freak,” Meg shows her the screenshot and Madison feels annoyed with her tone. Sara arrives too with her phone on her ear, not bothering to pay them her attention because of her new boyfriend. “Care to explain?”

“Tch. Do you seriously think I like talking to that guy? He's my research project partner. Can't help but respond to that kid since it's got an oral presentation,” she rummages her hand in her bag to find the pressed powder and checks herself in the mirror before meeting their judging eyes all at once. “When did I ever talk to losers with sincere purpose?”

Who is she kidding, a month has already passed since they submitted that project. She still goes to his place to seek his assuring words or simply because she wants to hang out. He was truly harmless, not advancing even once and Madison was the one who always initiated the touches. After they laughed with their infamous high-pitched voices, Meg and Sara stopped a stranger once they're out of the lavatory.

“Faded brown sweater tucked in skin-tight jeans with those thick frames of yellow eyeglasses,” Meg points out every part of her outfit, and Sara's grin widens. The former raises an eyebrow at her which means it's Madison's turn to evaluate her. People along the hallways gathered and some of them scowled, pitied and ignored the scene. “Looks like a getup for a middle-aged boring office lady who hasn't gotten laid for a year.”

People laugh and the two were the ones with the loudest. Her eyes randomly look at the people who have witnessed the scene and she doesn't fail to immediately eye whom she wishes wasn't there.

“Rating: 2/10. Girls, never! wear! these!” Sara concludes their daily fashion evaluation and after the second wave of laughs, disgusted and pity looks, people disappeared. The girl runs away and Madison forces a laugh even when she's honestly tired of it.

The crowd had dispersed but there's still one person who hadn't moved a single inch and so the two other girls noticed his unamused gaze towards them—mainly towards her.

“Ooh, look who we have here,” Sara fakely cooes as they walk towards the guy. Madison lifts her chin when she feels Meg's sharp gaze. What? Were her eyes giving off heart eyes? Hopefully, no. “Oh? It looks like someone has changed his frame! I bet it's Madison who's given you the advice to change them, no?”

His blank face meets Madison's least favorite look of his: fake.

“Aw, how sweet of you! What do you think of his new frame, Madison, sweetie? I think he's trying to impress you,” Sara holds her arm and pulls her near him. She maintains eye contact and notices that he's changed the color to silver. It does look better and she feels her hands get clammy when her instinct was to remove them instead. But Meg pats her shoulder and she's back at it. “Well, I know my taste in fashion is untouchable but apologies, you're far from being impressive.”

Both Sara and Meg laugh wickedly at her words. Madison can only push a smile and avoid his gaze but still keeps her chin up. He holds the strap of his body bag and wordlessly walks away from them.

That night, she appears on his doorstep with her backpack that he's grown accustomed to. She does this now and then but not on a Monday. He frowns. Deep inside, he appreciates her arrival. A man and his weakness.

“What? I know your mom arrived last night,” he spits the moment he opens the door knowing it's Madison. One ungentle word and reaction from him and she's disheartened already. She looks at him in despair and when she's about to turn to the other direction, he pulls her inside. “I asked you. Give me that talk.”

“I'm sorry,” she hangs her head low and her hands clutch the straps of her backpack. He lets out a loud sigh and moves to the kitchen counter. Sid turns the coffee maker on and stares at the steam starting to grow. “You just apologized but why do I feel guilty as well?”

Even when she's lost and fazed, Madison still walks towards him and attacks him with a hug when he finally faces her. Her chunky boots help her with the height gap and she inhales his musky spice scent.

His hand was quicker to react than his mouth as it moved to pat the back of her head. Yeah, a man and his weakness. When she pulls herself, he holds her face and squishes her cheeks.

“Such an easy guy,” she comments with a scoff and he does that too before he lets go of her cheeks. He opens the refrigerator to hand her the cold chocolate drink and she sits on the high stool with her legs unintentionally swaying. He shakes his head when he finds himself smiling at her cute habit.

They called for a delivery and ate by the counter. He lets her wash the dishes he has used earlier that morning as he takes a quick shower. The work was quick and Madison smiles to herself when she senses stealth movements behind her.

Warm fingers travel from her shoulder to her waist and she tries to ignore the disturbance. They move on her waist and form patterns which she thinks were cute but somehow a bit too much. A bit too provocative. It makes her doubt if it really was Sid.

She turns around and just as she's about to react with his questionable acts, a pair of tanned toned arms cornered her to the sink tiles, shivers went through her spine.

“Don't touch her,” Sid pushes his brother with enough force to make a space for her to move behind him. The other guy puts his arms in the air as if to show he surrenders and Madison glares at the other man. He only smirks and winks at her. “Ah, I see. My little cold-hearted brother got himself his chic. Sorry miss but no offense. You could've—”

Sid was quick to grab her backpack and use his other hand to hold her then they walk towards his bedroom but Madison takes note of that maniac laugh. Once they're inside, she excuses herself from taking a bath since Sid won't do or say anything to her at all. Only his disturbing silence and deep heaves rang in her ears.

Once she's out and dressed, she's not expecting to see Sid sitting on his side of the bed with his eyes focused on her, not even blinking once. She feels warmth crawl to her face but she still walks towards the bed.

“Are we good?” she asks once she's sat beside him but with respectable space. He's still on with that blank piercing gaze and the confused girl can't help but bite her lip in nervousness. She's conflicted whether to say by herself that she's fine or to wait for his question until he's ready. “Did he touch you?’

Still, with her lip between her teeth, Madison shakes her head. Unaware that she makes a frown of thinking what Sid can do if he knows his brother has touched her a bit. He brings her back to reality as his thumb pads remove the lines which contort the former's face and her eyes follow his.

The distance between them is hairbreadth and she closes her eyes but his lips never collide with hers. Instead, her face was cupped and tilted until his mouth touched the juncture between her jaw and neck. 

“I was scared,” his mouth latches on the skin and Madison's reaction was quick as her hand grips his soft black locks. Her hand brings him closer and she feels him smile against her skin. He bites the skin gently and she tilts her head to offer more space. “Don't be. I'm… fine. Don't worry.” 

Sid pulls himself a bit and she feels warmer when his breath fans near her ear. The desire to push it further was there but Madison knows he wouldn't want anything more than that. He levels their eyes again and he pinches her cheeks. She's frustrated, for the nth time, that he never lets her kiss him on his lips.

They lie down with twined hands and he hugs her closer when she yawns.

“About earlier, I didn't mean any of the words I told you. You know that right?” he hums and she presses her fingers on his to get his divided attention. Madison wonders what goes inside his head, a bit envious that he often knows her thoughts but she can't do the same. “You're not unimpressive… huh? What I meant was… tch. Are you mad?”

“I'm not mad or anything with you for what happened. The clothes I wore are the most comfortable ones. A bit upset maybe, but that's because you do that to other people,” he holds her chin and she's compliant to give her full attention to him. She relaxes with how soothing his voice is even when he's trying to confront her. No one has ever done that to Madison.

His hand moves to comb her honey-colored hair and she hides on his chest to feel the warmth he naturally has. Madison's fingers travel to his exposed arm but Sid was quick to stop her because it tickles him. Her command to wear a tank top whenever she comes over is already too much for him.

“What if that girl has no money to buy fancy clothes that you wear? Or what if she's experienced some harassment which led her to wear those clothes to cover her skin?” His words sink in her mind and she's disappointed once more. “I'm—” he cuts her off immediately with how he clicks his tongue so loud. She meets his unimpressed face and gets even more confused. Sid thumbs her cheek. “Don't apologize to me. Neither am I hurt nor sad. Besides, even if you say you're sorry but your actions remain the same, apologizing becomes meaningless.”

Not that she's trying to justify her actions, but what can she do when her younger self wasn't mindful and thought that what they did wasn't exactly bad. She was clouded with so much pity on herself that she didn't know she's also making other people miserable with such reckless words.

“Do you get my point or you're shamelessly gawking at me again?” his confident tone doesn't go unnoticed and Madison raises her eyebrow. “We're getting cocky now, nerd?” Sid only chuckles and shakes his head. “You're obvious when you do that,” he uses his index finger to draw a circle in the air between them, gesturing to Madison's expression seconds ago. “As if you don't fancy me!” she blurted with confidence oozing and Sid just hides his face in embarrassment, not confirming nor denying her exclaim.

If not for that research project, maybe she'd still be poking on her muted classmate which by the way is hot whenever he's pissed or getting impatient. She only laughs at him. Another night spent with his warmth embracing her. What a good night.

The next morning, he wakes her up early for them to go to school at different times.

“Who's to blame for pulling a sleepover on a Monday?” he tries to pull his arm but to no avail. She looks up at him with a pout, a now-familiar scene for Sid. A man and his weakness. He relaxes his body and lets her draw random things across his clothed chest. “You're always grumpy. Can't you be softer to me?”

His gaze softens but he still clicks his tongue. When she tugs his other arm, she throws it on her shoulder and giggles. A smile creeps on his mouth and she mirrors him.

“I make you smile,” she announces proudly and props her elbow to level her face with Sid's. He scrunches his nose and she plants a kiss on it. Once. Twice. He had lost count when she giggles every time she does it. “Good morning!”

Madison offers to cook them a simple sunny side up and they eat together with the toasted bread that Sid has prepared. Once they're out, he rides his scooter and she stares at his black messenger bag.

“What? Do you want a ride? Hear an earful for being seen with a weirdo?” he asks with a playful tone and her face looks grimmer. Does he regret saying that? No. He needs to, because he might end up agreeing to her again and she would have to lie once more in front of her friends. The girl looks down and tries to pick on her nails but he stops her. It'll ruin her cute expensive nails that he paid for her. “Can you not say that? You know I never meant calling you that. I was just… being insensitive and stupid.”

“I know. But spouting names to your crush isn't advisable,” he gives her a playful smile and she was about to pinch him but he's quick to catch her hand, the smile long gone. He releases her hand fast anyway. His stone face was on again and he felt bad when a bead of sweat rolled on her right cheek. “What do you want?"

“I want a ride,” she rolls her eyes after confessing that and his smile comes back. He motions her to come closer and she does to hear his answer. This is when Sid finds an excuse to inhale the breathtaking scene in front of her. “Soft no. Walk with those chunky boots.”

“You're being mean," she makes a long face and he looks at her unamused. sid clicks his tongue and makes a space for her. Pretty eyes. Cute nose. Jutted lips. Nervous gulp and his heart falls in his ribcage. “Just until the convenience store, okay? Hop fast.”

That's the widest smile she made that day. She grabs the opportunity to be touchy and hugs his waist. He clicks his tongue again and starts driving.

FAKE - IV

Most of the time, Madison is conflicted upon confronting Sid about their setup but she's also scared of admitting to herself what she truly feels about him. If it was too shallow or was she just hallucinating with how life seems to be lighter with him beside her. Or what her friends would tell her when they discover this setup.

During PE class, they were paired for a duo dance. It's ballroom, nothing hard for Madison who's from the dance club. But her eyes can't help but hover on the partner across the dance studio. One more time, dancing is an easy thing for her but the concept is Bolero and Sid accepted the gutsy girl's invitation. She still remembers how the scene unfolds in front of her and Madison wishes she didn't.

“W-will you be my dance partner, Sid?” her cheeks visibly reddens. Madison dislikes how he hasn't moved his gaze towards the girl or how he hasn't rejected her yet. He opens his mouth and Madison holds her breath with her hand clutching her towel as she reads him say, “Okay.”

Now, Sid has his focus on her partner as she moves them both to the steps their teacher explained earlier. Unknown to what she's doing, the innocent paper which contains her and her partner's paper was already crumpled.

“Are you alright?” Nick asks with an amused tone as his hand gets the paper from her monkey grip. Madison glares at him and hisses once she's noticed what she has done. “Don't ask. Let's just get this straight.”

That was the longest two hours of her life. She goes out of the class with her grim expression and even rejects the school's boy next door's invitation to eat lunch. When Meg and Sarah see her, they immediately meet her halfway to ogle about Nick.

Like all of the times her mom had done to her, Madison breaks a promise to herself. Another 'fashion evaluation' had just finished. Her eyes travel to spot him but he's not there to witness it. Harsh words and evil laughs rang in the cafeteria. She feels guilty this time but she shrugs it off.

Madison blocked his number and never batted an eye on him the next day they sat together in Math class. He doesn't inquire about her act. He's even unaware that she blocks him until it's Friday and Madison doesn't come over.

Sid calmly closes his phone and turns on his computer to spend his Friday night gaming. There was not much homework to finish so he rode his scooter towards the convenience store.

Tranquil Saturday afternoon. He eats the corn dog as he watches the view at the playground he used to play on. The phone in his pocket vibrates and his expectation is not met when he sees another name on the screen.

From: PE dance partner

Are you that guy with the scooter?

He whips his head and is met with the waving girl. She runs on his post and smiles, showing her dimple and her cute snaggletooth.

“We're in the same neighborhood. How come I never see you,” her hand moves to put stray hair behind her ear and Sid remembers doing that to Madison. She smiles once more and sees his finished corn dog. “I can be your company.”

His mind travels somewhere else and even before he can say a word, she pulls him. They sat on the swing and she asked him questions. He answered some of them and some were left hanging in the air. Rudeness isn't his nature.

“You can send me back home. I'll quickly show you our homework and tell me what you think about it,” she's almost there to pull him again but he stands up quickly. The girl walks towards the scooter and waits for Sid to start it but he doesn't. “Let's walk. It's out of gas.”

Of course, he's lying. He just recalls Madison complaining about him not bringing the scooter when he has it. Sid reasoned out that he doesn't want to be near her so he brings his dad's rover instead. Madison didn't like his attempt at a joke.

Once they're outside her house, he tells her that he'll just wait outside. He's quick to get the pen and wordlessly writes the corrections. Sid hands her the paper and politely excuses himself.

He comes back to the playground and drives himself back home. One more vibration and he feels upset when it doesn't show who he's been anticipating for.

This is what he doesn't like about meeting and spending time with people. Growing up in this kind of setup made him crave attention he doesn't know of. With his dad showing up late at night, him only seeing his mom whenever she wants to show up and his brother shutting him off once their parents split, he's better off being alone.

Madison walks in on his life and now that he supposes she's done with him, he's baffled. Should he have let her kiss him? What if she's gotten tired of him because he's a bore in bed? Sid doesn't like judging people but he can't stop himself from thinking of unhealthy thoughts. 

Besides, he's only hot when he's pissed, she claimed. He's only got minimal experiences with girls and in that one time he did that, it was because of his brother. sid doesn't prefer slutty girls.

If he contacts Madison on Twitter, would she think it's a desperate move? But if he doesn't, he'll just think of it more. The grip he has on his phone is the answer. He messages her with a 'hello' meme. He gets an immediate response, a 'fuck off' meme.

He sighs. Okay. Then at least he gets the closure that they're done. With a sigh, he moves to his desk to lock his phone in his drawer and throws the key somewhere across the room. It's hard to think of someone when they don't care, Sid concludes.

Monday comes around quickly and he's wearing his AirPods which by the way is prohibited in class. He was using his iPad that day since he can't and won't open his drawer. This is why he's not surprised when her PE partner waves her hand to point out his illegal act. He removes them and his eyes get a glimpse of her seatmate.

They didn't talk again. In their PE class later that morning, Madison excuses herself to the infirmary. He shouldn't care but his guts tell him to follow her and he's right when she goes in a different direction instead.

“Quit following me, weirdo. You're not slick,” she stops walking but doesn't face him. Sid pokes his head from the post and reveals himself completely. What a sight, he tells himself internally upon seeing a couple of bunny hair clips on her hair. “This isn't the way to the infirmary.”

“I know. You shouldn't be bothered to follow me and tell me that,” she faces him and crosses her arms. He rubs his nape and looks away. Is this the actual closure, he mentally asks himself. If this was it, Sid can't do it today. “Why did you follow me, weirdo?”

“Just checking if you can reach the infirmary unscathed. You're fine. I'm going now,” he announces and he's just as fast as he says those words to run away.

Maybe he wasn't ready to hear the end of it. Next time, maybe.

It goes on like that for two more days. He doesn't meet her except for the two classes they share. After their performance, Sid's partner tugs him into the gazebo near the cafeteria to eat. There are not many people and the sky isn't too bright either. It was plain okay, she doesn't speak too much and if she does, he has the ability not to hear whatever she's saying.

“Madison and Nick's performance was so lit, right? They look good together,” she says while she opens her pink lunch box, and under that is another layer that she hands to him. Sid only looks at it, she has finally gotten his attention— all ears. “C'mon. I messaged you last night that I'll let you eat what I'm cooking today.”

He still hasn't gotten his phone in his drawer. Too lazy and too avoidant because he might do something stupid. Nonetheless, he still eats what she gave him. Besides, buying lunch slipped his mind. Was Madison eating enough?

Once they're done, they walk up towards the cafeteria to use the sink adjacent to it. Sid just stood there and his eyes were bored to the building across the cafeteria. It was silent until he spotted familiar faces and that one stance he still misses walking towards the cafeteria.

“Oh, look who we have here,” the blonde says and he pays her no heed but his partner whom she hasn't known the name of still stops from washing her lunch box. There's nothing they can see from his blank face but the other target has her hands shaking as she finishes washing her lunch box. “Nerdy got himself a girlfriend who happened to be of the same kind as him.”

“What time is it, girls?” another voice comes and he feels people gathering around them. The same people who always watch, listen and just walk away whenever the same scene unfolds. She finishes and turns around to lock eyes with them. Sid wants to pull her away from the scene but Madison opens her mouth, obviously not wanting to look at him. “Fashion evaluation.”

“Round collared blue blouse over purple jeans,” black hair adds and they all give them a stinky eye. Sid feels her hand on the hem of his hoodie and he suddenly remembers the situation he's in. He held her wrist and they managed to get out of the circle. Before that, he hears Madison say something about their outfit and how much her eyes ache from seeing them. “… Failed attempt to look cute.”

Sid doesn't comfort her but stays next to her. He offered his handkerchief and they went to their separate classes minutes later. That same afternoon, he stays in the playground with his iPad to play with. It becomes a bit hard for him to stay in his bedroom. Was he overreacting? Maybe, no. Apparently, yes.

He goes back home when he can't take the number of insects trying to get a taste of him. What he's not expecting was to see Madison in his living room, smiling and listening attentively to the woman who's currently pouring them tea.

“Aunty,” he whispers and by then, he also sees his brother in proper clothes, a rare occurrence but not surprising when their aunt is around. Madison still hasn't looked at her and the woman pulls him to sit with them. Beside her. He suddenly thinks if he smells nice since it was a bit hot outside. “I saw her outside when I arrived. How incautious, Sid André.”

“Sorry, Aunty,” he softly says and she only raises her eyebrows. Sid swallows the bile in his throat and looks at the other woman in the living room. A small smile on her face. “Sorry, Maddie…son”

His Aunty might've told her too much like how he has never brought a girl there and how intriguing it is that Madison came twice. After that, she gives a mouthful to his brother who looks like a kicked puppy.

“I suppose you two have to talk. Go on. Remember no—”

“Sid won't do anything, Aunty,” Madison smiles at her and she returns it. His brother scoffs at that and he glares towards him. When her hand gets tugged, he excuses them and goes towards his bedroom. He honestly wanted to kick himself because he acted by habit. Sid should've brought her elsewhere.

“Until when were you planning to ignore me?” she slaps his hand and that's when he realizes that he was holding it. He looks away, afraid he might just tear up or do something stupid. Stupid, like attacking the breathtaking person in front of him. Or kneel in front of Madison and beg to take him back—another stupid thing. No words can come out of his mouth. “What. I blocked you for ten hours and that one meme I sent you on Twitter really stopped you that quick?”

So it wasn't what he's been moping around for nights? Madison blocked him for ten fucking hours? He's so close to losing his sanity and punches himself in front of her.

“Sorry,” he says after letting out a heavy sigh and moving his gaze to look at her. Sid missed seeing her frown in every little thing he said and when a tear escaped her eye, he was dumbfounded. His hands can't move and it's probably more stupid of him when he realizes how she's still pretty even at this state. Madison slaps his chest. “Jerk! What do you even read in the manga? Wipe my tears! Hold my face! Tend me with gentle words! Kiss my tears away!”

As if he gets struck with lightning, he comes back to reality— the ever-commanding Madison. He lets out a fit of chuckles but moves closer to do the first two of her commands. Sid never follows his parents and brother, but now he follows women: Aunty and Madison.

“Sorry,” he clears his throat before he cups his face to wipe her tears gently. Another batch of tears escapes her eyes along with those painful sobs and his chest aches with that. His hands shake along with his attempt to tend her. “Why… What do I do next?”

“Nevermind. Next time, read some romantic genre in the manga so you know what to do,” she pushes him so his arms fall on either of his sides. She moves to sit on the edge of the bed and he stands dumbly in the middle of his room. Should he follow her, Sid asks himself. “Argh! Sit here and let's talk about what you did.”

Confused guy shakes his head and mentally pats his back to gather some confidence. Whenever his brother would refer to him as cold-hearted and snob, he kind of thinks he is. The other part of his brain argues that he just doesn't have anyone to share his affection with. Maybe Sid can be romantic after all. He walks to her side and puts her head on his shoulder. Madison giggles at that and looks up at him to share the sweetest smile he's ever seen.

“Why did you accept that girl to be your dance partner?” She moved away from his shoulder with a straightened posture and used a scary tone. She's back at it again. He holds both her cheeks and she melts. “I can't reject her in front of her friends cheering her up. Besides, all she wanted was to be my partner in PE. Nothing more than that.”

“You could've asked me before she even goes to you,” she uses the serious tone again but it's mixed with dejection. He moves his thumb to feel her skin and feels satisfied when it becomes warmer. A small smile forms on his lips and he talks more gently this time. “I can't risk you being seen with someone like me. As much as I want to, I need to think about you. Your friends might badmouth you. Sorry.”

With dejection still written on her face, she nods and pushes an understanding smile for him. He looks at her eyes which shone differently because of the light the dimmed lamp gives. His gaze falls on her straightened lips and moves up to her anticipating eyes again. Sid tilts his head and slowly closes his eyes to reach her cherry-tinted-glitter lips.

He feels his heartbeat go wild and his hands start to gradually feel itchy. When she feels his hesitancy to go further, he clutches his hoodie and slowly starts to move her mouth to deepen the kiss. Madison feels how tense he is so she ends it by biting his lower plump lip and flashes him a seductive bite against her lip. Sid looks so conflicted. Madison mentally laughs.

“I ain't mad anymore. Wait, I wasn't even mad. Just a bit upset,” she smiles with triumph printed on her face. Sid can't help but leave another chaste kiss when she smiles. She smiles wider. “Tch. But why did you not tell me she was your aunt?”

“Was I supposed to tell you that? Besides, Aunty wasn't exactly interested in you,” he confesses and she makes a questioning face. Ah, he can't believe she's here again. Now, he just wants to squish her cheeks but he's afraid she'll be upset once more. “I told her I'll bring a famous kid the night before and Aunty said that she won't bother us as long as you won't insult me. That day, you fell asleep halfway after finishing your part. You didn't hear her say that you look beautiful.”

“Ah, that!” She holds her face dramatically and he finds it adorable seeing her face being squished. Madison's face still is a bit red from the kiss or maybe it was because she heard him say 'you' and 'beautiful' in the same sentence even when the compliment came from another person. A smile creeps on his mouth as he knows he's the reason behind it. Another kiss. “Oh, now you're being touchy.”

Before they dozed off to sleep, she doesn't forget to say thanks to him for making her happy. In his mind, he wants to argue that she made him feel like he had a hit of dopamine so he's more grateful. But saying that would probably make them awkward. Madison likes touches more than words.

Sid finally gets his phone from his desk and Madison lets out an amused laugh. She dotes on his transparent personality and whispers that he's cute. He almost dies when feels the warm breath she puffed out near his ear. For how long does he have to adjust so he would not get flustered every single damn time.

FAKE - V

They get back on meeting secretly, although most of the time, he refrains himself from meeting her on the school premises especially in between classes. One time, his classes ended earlier and he made the mistake of telling her that.

If he tells Madison that he lent Heaven a hand again today, he's certain she'll make another scene, not a good option. The next option is to meet Madison halfway to the library and ask her to go back to class. He rushes with his steps to reach the art club's faculty to get his phone right away but Sid comes to a halt when he hears a disquieting noise behind him.

There Heaven is, with the broken box and art materials dropped messily. He rushes to her side and asks if she's fine as they picked up the materials to put them in a pile. Sid stands up and offers her a hand. Distinct clangs of heels echo in the almost empty hallway. He recalls her wearing Mary Jane's today, as she has bragged earlier and it kind of sounded like what he just heard.

Even when the possibility of meeting Madison in the hallway is very unlikely, he still hopes it wasn't her. Good thing that it's Heaven's art instructor. He helps them bring the materials and quickly dashes without hearing their thanks properly.

Thankfully, Sid manages to convince Madison to attend her Chemistry class and they eat in a cute café which is an hour away from their school. He shrugs it off when she doesn't hold his hand, thinking that maybe she's not in the mood for a simple touch.

“Sara saw you today. With Heaven, again,” she starts when their sundaes arrive. Sid holds his neck and scratches it. He tries to observe if she's annoyed but her face is just blank. “You gave her a hand, yeah? Art club.”

“No one would've given her so I did,” he carefully says and pushes a soft smile. Madison grabs her spoon and shrugs her shoulders as she starts eating her order with forceful stabs against the innocent food. When Sid inches for her hand to soothe her, he is rejected. He moves his hand away. “Sorry.”

“It can't be helped, right?” she smiles and Sid aches when it doesn't reach her eyes. They spent the whole hour exchanging short conversations with Sid unusually asking her questions. He pays for their bill and drops her in the city center. Worry overpowers him but she insists on not going home or staying over his. 

Once he's reached home, he immediately fishes for his phone and nervously sends her a message. He breathes his nervousness away and starts finishing his homework so he can Facetime her. She doesn't block him. Even when she doesn't respond, he's relieved that she didn't block him.

In Math class, he discreetly writes a letter to her asking if she needs his answers for their homework. Madison just crumples the paper and whispers that she's finished it. When their Math teacher gives them an activity by pair, he is fast to write his and Madison's name even before Heaven asks him or even before Madison accepts others.

“I got too lazy to stand up,” he reasons out. Heaven chuckles and says that next time she'll get to him faster. Madison's reaction was obvious when she pulled the textbook below Sid's elbow to interrupt their talk. He looks at his partner then back to the other girl, “Your partner's waiting.”

Sd asks her if she's fine but Madison only rolls her eyes. “Tch. Finish them chop-chop then explain which I should recite later,” she rolls her eyes once more and puts on her AirPods which she had hidden with her long wavy hair. Sid watches her shamelessly and something ticks his head. He reaches out his hand to remove them with slight irritation in his eyes. Madison glares at her and puts her precious babies back in their case. “Watch me do it and listen while you do it on your own.”

Originally, she wants to rile him up more but when he pulls her hand under their desks as he reads their task, Madison's heart just melts. Defenseless, that's what she truly is when it comes to this cold-hearted guy beside her.

Weeks passed by quickly. That's just how time works when people are blissful. On the other hand, time seems real slow and painfully dead when one is miserable.

Madison wishes time would fly by fast. It terrifies her insides to see the scene occurring on the other side of the gym. There Sid sits, with Heaven next to him as she tends the boy. His wound was bleeding again when that infuriating damsel-like tried to receive the volleyball Madison had directed towards her, her feet suddenly twisting and when she's about to meet the ground, she reached for him then they fell, Sid hit the ground.

Her insides burn whenever she sees how the other girl touches Sid's arm, or whenever he politely and awkwardly smiles at her because that's just him. If she has felt this way before, she doesn't care. Getting rid of that feeling is what Madison wants to do at that very moment.

That scraped arm and the other bruises on his elbow were all because Madison asked him to teach her how to drive. When they were near the bump, she forgets what to do, and luckily unlucky, Sid was fast enough to maneuver the motorcycle away and prevent her from falling. She cries when she sees blood or when Sid pretends to pass out.

Once she can't take it anymore, she excuses herself towards the lavatory. She holds the sink as she stares at herself. If only she was not being selfish, she could've been taking care of him whenever, wherever.

One thing's for sure, she's not jealous— simply just can't be. A forced smile was painted on her face as she came back to their class to resume playing volleyball with the other students.

It's Friday night and usually, she'd spend it lazing around sid's house.

But now, she's still undecided whether to cancel or push through. Her hand clutches the phone she's already holding and proceeds to Sid's last class with heavy loud steps. Sara calls her but she ignores her and successfully spots the guy she's looking for in his last class with a dustpan and bin in either of his hands. In front of him of course was Heaven.

“I'm seriously fine,” he held her hand to move it away from his arm even when his hands were almost full. Sid politely smiles as Heaven dumbly nods her head. If she was that low, Madison could've scratched her across that annoying cute face. “Thanks for the gauge, by the way. I'll go now.”

That's when Sid sees her, a bit surprised but his face was quick to go blank. Madison was completely aware that he's not mad or anything but something just irks her. It's either he can't smile at her when they're by the hallway or when the people around them are at least ten.

Something ticks in her head when she goes his way to stop him from completely walking away and he stops. With her back facing the other students, Sid looks at her with confusion. She's making a scene.

“Kiss me,” she demands him and her hand clutches the hem of his hoodie. His eyes bulged and Sid was close to looking back at Heaven who's now walking her way towards them. “Kiss me or I'll block you.”

“What? Kiss? Now?” he panics and when Madison's cheeks turn red, he knows she's dead serious. When she repeats what she had just said, his eyebrows furrow. Without further discussion, he pecks her lips the very moment Heaven reaches their side. It was quick but he felt his insides burn. She smiles triumphantly as she eyes the other girl who's looking down. “There. Don't block me.”

“Okay. See you,” she removes her hand off Sid's hoodie and doesn't forget to give Heaven a mocking smile. The petty girl flips her hair as she walks away and when Sid turns around to watch her, she does a flirty wave.

The consequences of what she's done is something she should think about later. At times like this, Madison can't help but show her petty side more, simply because she knows he won't let her down.

Later after that scene, she finally decided on not showing up in Sid's house. Her mom arrives and so she has a reason to tell him without having to lie. Besides, she also has other plans for the weekend.

FAKE +1

Three years ago, she met two girls: Sara and Meg. Madison was then on her senior high school level, and since her family recently moved to this city, she was desperate to make friends.

Everyone seems like they already have their group of friends since most of them went to the same school, just from a different department. The newcomer was afraid of being alone, like how she had always experienced. So when the two came to compliment her bag, she beamed and made it her mission to be their friends.

At first, she didn't think they were doing something mean, thinking they had a point and they were helping other kids to dress better until they threatened her to be treated like the other kids if she would be nice to them whenever they do their daily 'fashion evaluation'.

Madison locks then unlocks her phone for the nth time, getting more and more fidgety because she knows what's bound to happen. When her phone vibrates, she hurriedly clicks the notification but it was a message from Sid instead.

Just in time, the doorbell chimes and she locks her phone before she shoves it in her purse. Meg was sporting her high waist denim boyfriend jeans and an easy black crop top together with her black combat boots. Atop of her head was a gray beret which matches her crop top.

Seconds later, she spots Sara who's kissing her boyfriend goodbye. Unlike the two of them, her taste in clothes was more on the cuter side. Today is the day she wears purple. Her purple floral tank that she rocks well with her eggplant purple wide jeans which have white hearts all over it and her feet were just as soft as her clothes in her periwinkle purple platform heels.

Madison knows they haven't seen her because she was wearing something so plain— or maybe 'lame' as they like to call it. Their eyes scan the café, and they'd usually meet in Starbucks but she wants to get a hint of something. Hopefully they did.

When she feels like they're getting impatient with spotting where she is, she raises her hand to wave. Meg raises her eyebrow at once and Sara perks up a bit but a frown soon paints her cute face when she sees Madison's getup.

“Hey,” she greets them with a forced smile and suddenly gets antsy as she accepts their hugs. When they were all sat down, she forced another smile before she opened her mouth. “We need to talk about something.”

“Yeah, I know. That's why we're here, right?” Meg's unfriendly tone tugs something in her chest. Madison's hands were splayed on the table and she visibly stiffens when Sara holds them. “What is it about? You can tell us anything.”

“No. If it's something stupid, let me know already so I won't have to—” Madison cuts her off when she half-shouts what she's been meaning to say for months. “I like Sid! I like him and I don't want to do that stupid 'fashion evaluation' because it's plainly evil.”

Meg still has her one eyebrow up but this time, her arms were crossed on her chest. Sara has her mouth hung open but her face doesn't show any judgment at all.

“What? Aren't you going to tell me things? Call me names for liking a 'weirdo'?” Meg now raises another eyebrow. Madison was desperate to hear anything. When Meg lets out a heavy breath, Madison clenches her hands together with Sara. “Okay. You're out of the group then.”

“That's all?” she asks in disbelief and Meg just rolls her eyes. As she's about to stand to say 'thanks' and bid her goodbye to Sara, Meg speaks again. If not for being in public, Madison wishes to scratch her face. “Just be ready when I taunt you and your loser boyfriend next time we cross paths.”

“Meg, isn't that completely unnecessary? I don't think—” Sara gets cut with Meg's glare and seething tone. She pouts and Madison suddenly wants to shout at her too. Why can't she see that Meg was the real loser for inventing that stupid evaluation thing? “That's right, Sara! You don't even think. Months ago, you were eyeing that guy with me. And please, don't tell me the things Sid made you realize. I've had enough chick-lit fics.”

“No. I would never pull a Cady Heron on you. This pointless conversation ends here. Your imperfect life would remain as it is,” Madison finally stands on her feet and crosses her arms to throw Meg a demeaning gaze. Meg wouldn't understand when she jumps from a boy to another one like how the weather changes. “If you think I didn't notice that you only pick on him because you secretly wish he's yours, you're completely wrong.”

Meg was exhaling heavy breaths and Madison knows she shouldn't push further but she can't help it. Not when she calls Sid like that. “I just have to say I'm moved by your effort to get his attention but sadly, he'd only talk back to me,” she leans on her mortified face and gives her a mocking smile. “Bye. It wasn't really nice talking to you.”

Before Meg opens her mouth to say something, Madison starts walking with heavy steps but she keeps her chin up. As she's finally out of the café, she fishes out for her phone and calls sid.

“Pick me up, please?” she didn't have to plead because Sis will, especially when she sounded like she's going to pull another baby-cry moment. Her hands were shaking because she finally did something about it. “Text me the address. I'm on my way.”

The moment his door is closed, Madison turns to the other person in the room and watches him. By now, Sid already knows what to do when she's sad. He pulls her for an embrace, his hands moving by themselves. One on the side of her face, one on her side and he moves his hand ever softly just to calm her nerves. “What happened?”

“Nothing important,” she smiles at herself when his smell invades her senses. Sadness could easily and quickly go away when she's just close to him because his mere presence was enough for her to lose her mind. With the stupid hoodie that he wears every single time, his restless hands and his loving gaze. But something ticks in Madison's mind and she suddenly pushes him. Not forceful and the guy even smiles at her gesture. Acting tough, he thinks. “What? I didn't do anything.”

“Meg messaged you and you didn't tell me,” she crosses her arms when he's about to pull her again. Sid's eyebrows meet in the middle in confusion. His playful smile was still on and it met her tightlipped expression. “Meg who?”

“Don't you know my friend?” she asks in an impatient tone and Sid's mouth hangs a bit. Now Madison gets what he's trying to ask and Sid is slowly shaking his head when her expression becomes darker. His hands were quick to react and hold both sides of her face. “So Meg from BSA messaged you too? Or was it from the Nursing department?”

“I don't think that thing matters,” the tone he used was tranquil, like how his aunty used to talk when he was younger. He was hopeful it works as his thumb moves to caress her right cheek and her eyes flutter unintentionally. “Would you believe me if I say that you're the only one I flirted back to?”

Her only response was to eye his face and how each syllable forms variant shapes on his lips. The only thing she wanted to do that moment was to shut his mouth when all she had to hear was what he had exactly uttered. So that's what she did. His mouth moves pliantly with her lead as Madison's arms move to circle at the back of his head. The other pulled her closer until their foreheads bumped accidentally. It was Madison's turn to remove his horn-rimmed glasses. He's hot when he's wearing them, even sexier when they're not covering his eyes.

“No doubt. Whatever you say, I would believe it,” she confesses with her delighted smile. He only shakes his head and pulls her for another chaste kiss. The cheeky girl was back and her hands were working down towards the side of his pants. Sid, the ever gentleman he is, tries to stop her ministrations but sooner finds out that she's fishing for his phone. “Can I borrow your phone for a bit?”

To nod was the only response he can think of when she blocks his face when Sid tries to pull her once more to claim his treasure of a glittery pair of lips. Oh, was he really the most chivalrous? Maybe. But Madison knows they're on the same page. 

Sid props his elbow to wear his eyeglasses and takes his phone from the bedside table as the other sleeps soundly. He turns on the other side carefully and opens the gallery to see if she had deleted some of her photos he secretly took. They were complete and if not, there were two more photos added. However, he did not bother looking at it intently, noticing it's a photo of his hoodie he had discarded hours ago.

When he turned on the WiFi, notifications popped up plenty of times and most of them came from Instagram. It rarely happens since he doesn't use it daily nor weekly. He clicks one without reading it and sees what the fuss was about. Sid feels his heart beat slow down and pound with nervousness. It was a photo of him hours ago that Madison must've taken as she instructed him to play on his PC as she was busy with his phone. He doesn't have to panic, Sid tells himself internally.

But that wasn't just a simple photo when she was included, one of her arms was wrapped on the middle of his torso, her cheek squished on his back, the other side of her face purposely shown. The other one was her, in a rather messy state of her hair, her eyes looking suggestive with how she was looking straight at the camera with her heavy gaze and her lips contrasting the suggestiveness of all the other elements in the photo with how innocent that small smile is.

Heat travels quickly on his cheeks and his neck feels the same itchy warmth. How she managed to do that, he can't and won't imagine. Was it when she told him to go out and buy her a drink? His trail of thoughts were bothered when an arm suddenly draped on his stomach and a warm blow of air came next for his ear.

“You liked that?” a playful tone wraps every word she enunciates and then she laughs maniacally when Sid stopped as if he was struck by lightning. He sits hastily and looks at her with disbelief written on his face. “Thinking about what you told me months ago— that I make everything a show, or that I take better photos than those fake bitches, I came up with that! Surprise!”

She shouldn't sound that cute when she said and laughed at things which embarrass him. His sigh only makes her laugh once more and she even clutches her stomach with his betrayed face. Madison would never know what he feels.

“Don't tell me you forgot those?” she smiles at him when his expression doesn't falter. This time, she holds his hands and his eyes glanced at the number of likes which keeps changing as people continue to like them but his eyes revert back to her now serious face. “You even told me that because you were an outsider in my life, you were able to see more,” she sweetly smiles at him and it was enough to end his agony, especially when she adds a sweet kiss on his cheek. “Those girls should get the hint, right? Right. I'm sorry. Maybe I should've not posted that. Did it seem so fake? Or you were uncomfortable with displaying these things?”

The phone beside them was still on, comments and likes kept coming because Madison tagged herself. She was about to grab it and delete the photos but Sid prevented her.

“No. Let it be,” he moves his hands to play with her fingers as she reads Sara's comment on the post too. A smile creeps on her mouth and Sid watches her even more eager. Madison feels his unwavering gaze so she looks back. They shared a minute or two just studying each other's faces until Sid cracks the silence. “Just promise me you will never use that skill on me. I won't buy any fake gestures and words, remember?”

Madison nods and cuts the space between them. “There were things that I can't face yet but I would never do or say anything to break your trust towards me,” her eyes stayed on level with his and Sid can't help the foolish grin from his face when he recalls how she looked in the second photo. “But those looks, I don't think we should share more than what you already did.”

“I did that to let those bitches know you're taken, by me—by a beauty like me,” she claims with a conceited tone and Sid must feel something else, but he was truly fond of her that he only cups her face to steal another kiss. “Language, rogue.”

“Stop calling me that! I've been treating you nice for weeks,” she retaliates and jutted her lips at his playfulness. Sid only looks at her, with no plans of getting his words back. She understands. It must've been because she often commands him to do things or that she sometimes lashes out on him. Madison pouts even more and silently accepts that he'll never do that. Maybe it's his way of giving her a warning that she's being too much again. “Go back to sleep. I'll send you to the center by 9 am.”

She only looks at him, dejected, but does what he told her. Besides, she really has a plan to hang out with her mom for the weekend. They went under the sheets, with Madison facing the right side and Sid was on his back.

“Night,” she murmurs, because she can't help it and in no minute, Sid puts an arm on her waist to pull her near him. Instantly, a smile creeps on her mouth. Even wider when he plants a kiss on her jaw. “Sleep tight, my rogue.”

Happiness doesn't seem so hard to reach when she's with him, especially when Madison's with him. There were times when she had received an earful from her mom, saying she'll someday meet her match. That one day, Madison will receive words that will shut her big mouth. She smiles as her mother's voice just echoes in her ears and mind. Madison was never threatened anyway, thinking she does need someone like that.

If anything, Madison wouldn't mind hearing those words because she needs to hear some. All the agonizing things which have appeared in her past, how she'd almost lost her mom or how she acts tough in front of her just so she wouldn't have to worry whenever she's not next to her daughter.

His words may seem harsh and at many times hurt her ego, but Madison is willing to hear the truth she wouldn't and couldn't escape. The truth that she can be her realest, defenseless and craziest with him.

This guy she adores a lot may have walls—but those were mirrored— and she might have her fair share of layers but that's the wonderful thing about him, he's someone who sees what she truly is because of his skill to reflect.

It's not every day that a guy wouldn't take advantage of her sick stunt when she first slept on his bed. Or that someone like her would receive genuine bigheartedness that he shows him.

With him, she doesn't need filters literally and figuratively. An unsaid vow was done in her mind and her mission was to secretly fulfill what that promise was. Madison leaves one last glance at him before she dozes off.