Madison had awoken to a phone call that morning. It was Fran asking her to come in for a morning shift that day, since it was Saturday she agreed. After six hours, Madison was done and she waved goodbye to Fran and the others before stepping outside the café. The seasons changed so quickly during the first few weeks of spring; though it had been warm yesterday it was windy and chilly that day.
She had brought her backpack, as it was a habit to not leave the house without it. Setting it down on one of the plant ledges that surrounded the café, she pulled out a button up blue sweater. Pulling it on, she didn't notice when someone grabbed her backpack until she went to take it herself.
"Good afternoon." Two voices chimed.
Her eyes diverted to her right to see the twins standing with large grins on their faces. Aries held her backpack and slipped it over his shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"We have a proposition for you." Arion said with a smile.
She rose an eyebrow questioningly.
Arion continued, "Our mother is in town and we always buy her a gift, but she never wears anything we buy her. She thinks it's too gaudy."
"Get to the point."
"A hundred bucks if you help us pick out a nice gift for our mother." Aries said.
"I don't know anything about your mother. I can't help you." She reached for her backpack, but Aries jumped backwards. "Get that girl that's always with you to help."
"Kate?" Arion chuckled, "She's too small."
"Too small?" Madison grabbed onto her backpack's strap, but Aries wouldn't release it.
Aries nodded, "You're about her height and weight. It would help us out a lot."
"What does my height and weight have to do with anything?"
Aries grabbed her hand as they headed for the car, Arion followed closely behind them.
"Wait! Wait!" Madison cried out. "I haven't agreed to anything yet!"
"We'll buy you lunch too." Arion added as Aries got into the car and pulled her inside with him.
All three sat in the spacious backseat and Arion told the driver to go, as Aries handed her the backpack. "I am meeting some friends. They are probably outside the theater right now waiting for me."
Arion offered his cell phone, "Here, cancel."
Madison folded her arms.
"Come on, free lunch and a hundred bucks just for trying on a couple dresses? Are you really going to turn that down?" Aries gently tapped his shoulder against hers.
With a frown, Madison grabbed the cell phone and began to dig around in her backpack for her contact book. "Let's hope that Brianna remembered her cell phone." She opened the book and found the number.
The two boys grinned at each other.
"Hey, Bria. It's me. I can't make it." Madison sighed, "Because dumb and dumber have kidnapped me."
They laughed at her description of the situation. Arion took the phone from her, "Hey, Brianna. This is Arion. We've hired Madison to help us pick out a gift. I promise to make it up to you and your other friend." He chuckled, "Don't worry we will have her safe and sound at home before ten. Alright, take care." He hung up the phone.
"Dumb and dumber?" Aries questioned with a chuckle. "Which one of us is dumber?"
"I haven't decided yet." Madison growled.
"What do you want to eat?" Aries asked as he leaned back in the car.
"Let's just get this over with. If we hurry I might be able to make it to dinner with Alan and Bria." She said as she dropped her head into her hands.
"Sushi sounds good." Arion said completely ignoring her. "Do you like sushi?" He poked her in her arm. Madison didn't move or answer. Grabbing her French braid he pulled her head back.
"Ow!"
"Do you like sushi?"
"Sushi! Fine!" She yanked her head forward and dropped it back into her hands.
Arion leaned back and put his hands behind his head, as Aries leaned forward. He placed his head next to Madison's and whispered. "Are you angry with us?"
She turned her head slightly to look at him, "A bit. You should have asked me and allowed me to make my own decision. Not just pushed me into a car."
He grinned, "Would you have come if we asked?"
"No."
"Then it's better this way."
"And why is that?" Madison frowned.
"Because hearing you say no would have broken our hearts." He said it in such a way that it sounded more like a question.
She stuck out her tongue at him, before turning her eyes back to her lap.
"Someone needs happy kiss time." Aries said to his brother.
"What?" Madison shot up straight, as both boys wrapped their arms around her. Each kissed one of her cheeks over and over again, as they made loud kissing noises. "Stop!" She yelled, but they continued.
"Say you aren't mad." Arion informed her.
Madison laughed, "I'm not mad, stop!" When they released her, she wiped her cheeks with her shoulders, "Bunch of drooling dogs. Disgusting."
They both laughed.
"How old are you?" She hissed. "Acting like a bunch of elementary school brats."
"Uh oh, she's getting upset again." Aries teased.
"She might need another…" Arion began.
"No!" Madison put her hands on both of their chests. "No, I'm not mad… just don't do that again."
"You won't keep her out late will you? She has to work tomorrow morning." Brianna asked. "Ok, take care of her." She hung up her phone and put it back into her pant's pocket.
"What was that?" Alan asked as Brianna made her way back over to him.
"She's not coming." Brianna looked at Alan with a frown.
He sighed, "Well, you want to watch the movie anyway?"
Looking down at her feet, she pressed her lips together then looked up with a smile. "She wanted to see this movie pretty bad, but she's the one that canceled on us, right? Can't let her stop us from having a good weekend."
"I'm hungry now. Do you want to catch the one in an hour and get something to eat at that pizzeria?" He pointed to the small pizza shop across the street, before putting his hands back into his coat pocket.
"Sure." They began the short walk to the pizza shop and took as seat when they entered.
The shop had a few booths and a couple tables, but was rather small. In the back an elderly woman sat behind the register before she brought out the menu. The restaurant was empty but it was after the lunch rush so it didn't surprise them.
"You want to split a pizza?" Alan asked.
"I like pepperoni, mushroom, and pineapple." She told him knowing that he only cared for pepperoni as it had caused many arguments with Madison in the past.
"We'll get a medium with half of what you want and half of what I want. Sound good?"
Brianna smiled, "Sounds good."
She had never been alone for very long with Alan, and it was always awkward when the two were without Madison. Their common friend gave them common interests, but without her the two had nothing to say. Brianna remembered the night he walked her home, it had been silent the entire time. They road the bus and nothing was said between them.
"Crazy weather, huh?" Brianna asked after Alan gave the woman their order.
"Yeah." He nodded and looked out the window. "Cold one day and warm the next."
She looked down at the table and tapped it with her finger nails. "Oh, I didn't tell you why Madison isn't coming."
He turned his attention back to her with curiosity.
"Those twins from school hired her to help them pick out a gift."
"Twins? A gift? For who?"
She shrugged, "They didn't say for whom. And they are these two boys that hang around that guy who sent her all that stuff. Really good looking, but I haven't talked to either of them."
"Oh." Alan stretched out his arms across the table and folded his hands together before he took a deep breath. "Does she like them?"
Brianna shrugged, "Madison doesn't talk much about her feelings… at least not to me."
"Yeah, not to me either." Alan moved his hands as the woman brought their sodas.
Brianna removed the wrapping from her straw and folded it up into a small square, "She never tells me if she likes a guy… actually only guy she even talks kindly of is you."
"She's not a very open person. You know, I don't even know about her past. When I asked once, she said she was an orphan and left it at that."
"She told me the same thing." Brianna took a sip of her soda. "It's strange that we are both her best friends and know almost nothing about her."
Alan nodded, "It's strange that we both have so much in common with someone we know nothing about."
She giggled, "That's true." Brianna sighed as she looked over at the elderly woman by the cashier. "How can we have so much in common with her and nothing in common with each other? So little in common that all we can talk about is the one person we do have in common."
He placed his hands on the table, "There is always plenty to talk about when Madison is here, but the moment she leaves we have nothing."
Brianna giggled, "Ok, let's pretend that she's here."
"What?" Alan laughed.
"I'll do her part." Brianna lowered her voice, "Darick, that jackass, thinks he can buy me. I ought to bust his head against the sidewalk."
Alan laughed so hard that he had to take a moment to catch his breath, "I don't remember her being that violent."
"Oh, come on, you know that's what she is thinking. Even if she doesn't say it."
He nodded, "This is so wrong. My turn, my turn." He cleared his throat, "I hate everyone, even though I can't seem to keep people from wanting to become my friend lately."
"Or get into my pants." Brianna added.
Alan's laughed for a moment, but his smile faded. "Yeah, what is up with that? No one talked to her for a year and now all these guys are coming out of the woodwork."
"Don't know, I'm jealous too."
"I'm not jealous." Alan snapped.
Brianna cocked her head to the side, "I was just kidding, but you… you really are jealous, aren't you?"
"No, I'm…" He took a drink of his soda.
"Are you afraid that she'll stop being your friend if she dates one of these guys?"
"No, of course not." Alan rolled his eyes.
Brianna's curious frown turned into a grin, "Oh, I see."
"You see what?"
She smiled widely, "Nothing. I see nothing at all."
The only time that Aries didn't have a grasp on her, Arion did. It was as if they were afraid she would slip away from them. They had finally settled on a little black dress and some subtle diamond jewelry. Madison sat down at a table outside a café, while Arion went inside to purchase their orders. Aries sat beside her with his hand still holding hers tightly. Her own arm had felt like a leash all day long.
"You look tired." Aries chuckled.
"You two made me tired." She laid her head on the cool metal surface of the café table. "You can let go of my hand, I'm too exhausted to run away now."
Aries smiled, "I'm not holding it because I'm afraid you'll run away."
Madison looked up at him with a hint of curiosity, "Then why are you holding it?"
"Because I want to." He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.
Dropping her head back down, she rolled her eyes. "You two really are the worst flirts that I've ever come across."
"If it isn't one of the Sherard brothers." A feminine voice spoke.
Madison looked up at a girl, who closely resembled her; although the girl was obviously well of. Standing in a long blue dress, she wore an open sweater with long blonde curls cascading down her shoulders. She stood tall, though shorter than Madison and her face held no pleasantries.
"Elena, it's good to see you again." Aries said with a wide grin.
She didn't smile back, "Is this your latest victim?"
"Latest victim, whatever are you speaking of?" Arion came up behind Madison and sat down beside her. "They will bring out our order soon." He informed his brother.
"I would watch myself around them, miss." Elena's eyes set on Madison. "These two are no good. They play with girl's hearts as if they have no meaning, and toss them aside when they are through."
"Huh?" Madison sat up straight.
"Now, Elena, don't be so bitter." Arion began. "This isn't about what happened between you and us."
She snorted, "These two toyed with me. They forced my heart to be split between the two of them. Both taking me out on dates at the same time, and both holding my hands as we walked. Then one day, they ordered me to choose between them. When I picked one, they demanded that I tell them which one of them was the one I had chosen."
"You couldn't tell the difference between us, how could you have picked one over the other? It didn't matter to you which one you got." Aries snapped.
"You just spoke a name at random." Arion added.
Elena's eyes were locked on Madison, "I couldn't tell you apart physically, but I can tell you apart through your personalities."
"Then after speaking to us, who is who?" Aries asked.
She swallowed, "I wouldn't know now, it's been four years since I ran away crying from you." She turned her attention back to Madison, "They didn't even have the decency to chase after me. They're pigs. I am only warning you now. If you continue this path with them, you'll end up broken hearted like I was."
"Well, thank you for the warning, but our relationship is nothing like that." Madison told her, "They just paid me to pick out an outfit for their mother."
"That's how it started with me, only they offered me lunch and a movie." Elena held a dark brown bag in her hand and she began to dig through it. She pulled out a small card and handed it to Madison. "If you want to know more about these scumbags before your heart gets involved, then please give me a call. I want to spare any woman from what I have been through."
"Thank you." Madison answered. She didn't really care about what had occurred between the three, but she could sense this woman would argue further if she didn't agree to her terms.
"I'll take my leave. Be careful." Elena spun around and walked back towards a man who was waiting for her in the distance.
"Wow, the nerve." Aries chuckled. "I'll throw that away for you." He reached for the card, but Madison yanked it away.
"She gave this to me and I'll decide what should be done with it, thank you." She opened her backpack and placed it in front her contact book.
"You can't honestly believe a scorned woman." Arion laughed.
"She seemed sincere in her attempt to warn me away from you. She also seems to have a very valid reason for doing so, one that neither of you even attempted to deny." Madison leaned back as the waitress placed the coffees in front of them. "Besides, it doesn't matter to me. I have no interest in either of you, and I can't wait for you to be done with me so I can go home."
The two boys looked at each other briefly with looks of disbelief.
"Speaking of which, you have your gifts. Where is my money so I can go home?" Madison put her hand out.
"There is still one more thing left to do." Aries told her as he took a sip of his coffee.
Arion began to chuckle.
"What?" Madison asked as she looked between the two boys who looked quite amused with themselves.
Beyond the sitting room was a large room that looked quite similar to the gray sitting room before, except there was a picture glass window that looked over the pool, and a bar. In one of the couches sat a woman with long black, straight hair. She wore a beautiful pink business suit. She looked to be in her mid forties and was incredibly attractive.
Standing from the couch, she cried out. "Where have you been?" She folded her arms and frowned. "All day I have been waiting for you. Is this anyway to treat your mother?"
"Are you upset with us?" Aries asked.
"Very, very." She whined and stomped one of her feet.
Arion looked at his brother, "Happy kiss time!"
Their mother squealed in delight as the two boys ran over to her and began to kiss her cheeks continuously. After she had laughed for a moment, they released her and allowed her to sit down.
Madison rolled her eyes and shook her head. She understood happy kiss time much better then she had before.
"Who's this lovely girl?" She asked and pointed to Madison as she picked up her martini glass to take a sip.
"This is Madison from school." Aries told her, "Oh!" He offered her the bag in his hand, "Madison was nice enough to help us pick out a gift for you."
Opening the bag, she pulled out the box that had the dress. A smile brightened her face when she opened it, "Oh, it's lovely. Black is so elegant and classy." She looked up at Madison, "You have wonderful taste, dear. These boys would have brought me home a multi-colored fur coat had it not been for you, I'm certain!" She giggled.
Aries and Arion sat down on the couch next to their mother and she kissed them both on the cheek.
"We're glad you're happy." Both boys said in unison.
Grabbing both of their chins, their mother looked over at Madison. "Are my boys so handsome and thoughtful?" She giggled again. "They look much better then when I first got back from Italy. Did you know that one of them had their hair longer and was wearing some kind of heathen jacket?" She snorted. "Of course, you do."
Madison gave a nod, but their mother didn't notice her.
"I made him chop that hair right off. They are so much more handsome when they match each other, aren't they? Of course, they are." She smiled. "That's why I gave them similar names. I wanted to give them both the same name and just call them by different nicknames, but their father would have none of that."
"We are lucky." Arion said.
"Hush, I'm talking." She pinched his cheek, "Megan, why don't you sit down in that chair there, dear."
"Her name is Madison, mom." Aries corrected.
"That's what I said." She retorted and pointed to the chair.
Madison took a seat and placed her backpack beside the large chair. "Thank you."
"I'm Felice, since my rude boys didn't introduce me to you. I like all their friends to call me auntie, so make sure you do." She smiled and stood up from the couch to come sit on the arm of Madison's chair.
Taking Madison's face in her hand she turned her head back and forth. "You are gorgeous, dear." Felice told her. "Yes, simply stunning, indeed." She giggled as she released her face before throwing her arm around Madison's shoulder and leaning against her. She looked at her sons. "My boys are so handsome, aren't they?" She whispered, but didn't give Madison time to respond. "Can you tell the difference?"
Madison lifted her hand and pointed at one of them, "Ari…"
"I can't either." Felice laughed. "Which one do you want? I'll take the other off your hands?"
"Lady of the house's choice." Madison responded.
She laughed out loud. "Oh, I like you. I like you so much." Standing up, she drank the rest of her martini, "Alright, it's time for my nap. I'll leave you boys and girl alone." She stumbled a little and Arion jumped up to assist her.
"I'll help you to bed, mom." Arion told her.
"Oh, my boys, you are too sweet. I just love you both so much."
Aries watched his brother help his mother out of the room and smiled at Madison when they were out of sight. "She's something else. You handled her pretty well though. I almost expected you to get upset when she kept asking you questions and not letting you respond."
"No wonder you two are so arrogant. I would be too if my mother told me how beautiful I was on a constant basis." Madison leaned back in her chair.
He chuckled, "Probably."
"Why did you bring me here anyway? You could have given her the gift without me."
"After spending all this time picking the gift out for her, didn't you want to see her face when she received it?" Aries stood up and went behind the bar, "She didn't look at the jewelry I know, but she's never acted that way before when we've given her something."
"How does she usually react?"
He kneeled down briefly and came back up with three sodas, "Oh, that's nice. How thoughtful! I love you boys so much!" He placed two of the sodas on the table and walked over to her with the other.
Madison grabbed it, but he didn't release it to her. "What?" She asked as she yanked.
"What Elena said, it's all bullshit, you know? We were sixteen and my mother wouldn't let us go on dates unless the other one supervised. She took both of our hands, and she let herself get torn between us. Even though she was suppose to be dating me, alright?"
"Why didn't you say that to her?"
"We have. No matter what we say, she doesn't listen to us. She has her own version of events and it doesn't matter what anyone else experienced during that time." Aries released the soda can, but caught her wrist. "She's a selfish girl, who just wanted one of us, and she didn't care who she got. Do you believe me?"
Madison shrugged, "Like I said it doesn't matter to me, and it shouldn't matter to you what I think about the situation. It's your own private affair that has nothing to do with me."
"But it does matter to me what you think. Do you believe me?"
"It doesn't…"
"It does matter, and I won't let you leave unless you say you believe me."
Madison sighed, "Alright, I believe you already."
Aries grinned as he released her wrist, "Thank you." Leaning forward, he kissed her on the forehead, before returning to his seat.
She had brought her backpack, as it was a habit to not leave the house without it. Setting it down on one of the plant ledges that surrounded the café, she pulled out a button up blue sweater. Pulling it on, she didn't notice when someone grabbed her backpack until she went to take it herself.
"Good afternoon." Two voices chimed.
Her eyes diverted to her right to see the twins standing with large grins on their faces. Aries held her backpack and slipped it over his shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"We have a proposition for you." Arion said with a smile.
She rose an eyebrow questioningly.
Arion continued, "Our mother is in town and we always buy her a gift, but she never wears anything we buy her. She thinks it's too gaudy."
"Get to the point."
"A hundred bucks if you help us pick out a nice gift for our mother." Aries said.
"I don't know anything about your mother. I can't help you." She reached for her backpack, but Aries jumped backwards. "Get that girl that's always with you to help."
"Kate?" Arion chuckled, "She's too small."
"Too small?" Madison grabbed onto her backpack's strap, but Aries wouldn't release it.
Aries nodded, "You're about her height and weight. It would help us out a lot."
"What does my height and weight have to do with anything?"
Aries grabbed her hand as they headed for the car, Arion followed closely behind them.
"Wait! Wait!" Madison cried out. "I haven't agreed to anything yet!"
"We'll buy you lunch too." Arion added as Aries got into the car and pulled her inside with him.
All three sat in the spacious backseat and Arion told the driver to go, as Aries handed her the backpack. "I am meeting some friends. They are probably outside the theater right now waiting for me."
Arion offered his cell phone, "Here, cancel."
Madison folded her arms.
"Come on, free lunch and a hundred bucks just for trying on a couple dresses? Are you really going to turn that down?" Aries gently tapped his shoulder against hers.
With a frown, Madison grabbed the cell phone and began to dig around in her backpack for her contact book. "Let's hope that Brianna remembered her cell phone." She opened the book and found the number.
The two boys grinned at each other.
"Hey, Bria. It's me. I can't make it." Madison sighed, "Because dumb and dumber have kidnapped me."
They laughed at her description of the situation. Arion took the phone from her, "Hey, Brianna. This is Arion. We've hired Madison to help us pick out a gift. I promise to make it up to you and your other friend." He chuckled, "Don't worry we will have her safe and sound at home before ten. Alright, take care." He hung up the phone.
"Dumb and dumber?" Aries questioned with a chuckle. "Which one of us is dumber?"
"I haven't decided yet." Madison growled.
"What do you want to eat?" Aries asked as he leaned back in the car.
"Let's just get this over with. If we hurry I might be able to make it to dinner with Alan and Bria." She said as she dropped her head into her hands.
"Sushi sounds good." Arion said completely ignoring her. "Do you like sushi?" He poked her in her arm. Madison didn't move or answer. Grabbing her French braid he pulled her head back.
"Ow!"
"Do you like sushi?"
"Sushi! Fine!" She yanked her head forward and dropped it back into her hands.
Arion leaned back and put his hands behind his head, as Aries leaned forward. He placed his head next to Madison's and whispered. "Are you angry with us?"
She turned her head slightly to look at him, "A bit. You should have asked me and allowed me to make my own decision. Not just pushed me into a car."
He grinned, "Would you have come if we asked?"
"No."
"Then it's better this way."
"And why is that?" Madison frowned.
"Because hearing you say no would have broken our hearts." He said it in such a way that it sounded more like a question.
She stuck out her tongue at him, before turning her eyes back to her lap.
"Someone needs happy kiss time." Aries said to his brother.
"What?" Madison shot up straight, as both boys wrapped their arms around her. Each kissed one of her cheeks over and over again, as they made loud kissing noises. "Stop!" She yelled, but they continued.
"Say you aren't mad." Arion informed her.
Madison laughed, "I'm not mad, stop!" When they released her, she wiped her cheeks with her shoulders, "Bunch of drooling dogs. Disgusting."
They both laughed.
"How old are you?" She hissed. "Acting like a bunch of elementary school brats."
"Uh oh, she's getting upset again." Aries teased.
"She might need another…" Arion began.
"No!" Madison put her hands on both of their chests. "No, I'm not mad… just don't do that again."
---***---
Outside the movie theater, Alan watched as Brianna spoke on her cell phone."You won't keep her out late will you? She has to work tomorrow morning." Brianna asked. "Ok, take care of her." She hung up her phone and put it back into her pant's pocket.
"What was that?" Alan asked as Brianna made her way back over to him.
"She's not coming." Brianna looked at Alan with a frown.
He sighed, "Well, you want to watch the movie anyway?"
Looking down at her feet, she pressed her lips together then looked up with a smile. "She wanted to see this movie pretty bad, but she's the one that canceled on us, right? Can't let her stop us from having a good weekend."
"I'm hungry now. Do you want to catch the one in an hour and get something to eat at that pizzeria?" He pointed to the small pizza shop across the street, before putting his hands back into his coat pocket.
"Sure." They began the short walk to the pizza shop and took as seat when they entered.
The shop had a few booths and a couple tables, but was rather small. In the back an elderly woman sat behind the register before she brought out the menu. The restaurant was empty but it was after the lunch rush so it didn't surprise them.
"You want to split a pizza?" Alan asked.
"I like pepperoni, mushroom, and pineapple." She told him knowing that he only cared for pepperoni as it had caused many arguments with Madison in the past.
"We'll get a medium with half of what you want and half of what I want. Sound good?"
Brianna smiled, "Sounds good."
She had never been alone for very long with Alan, and it was always awkward when the two were without Madison. Their common friend gave them common interests, but without her the two had nothing to say. Brianna remembered the night he walked her home, it had been silent the entire time. They road the bus and nothing was said between them.
"Crazy weather, huh?" Brianna asked after Alan gave the woman their order.
"Yeah." He nodded and looked out the window. "Cold one day and warm the next."
She looked down at the table and tapped it with her finger nails. "Oh, I didn't tell you why Madison isn't coming."
He turned his attention back to her with curiosity.
"Those twins from school hired her to help them pick out a gift."
"Twins? A gift? For who?"
She shrugged, "They didn't say for whom. And they are these two boys that hang around that guy who sent her all that stuff. Really good looking, but I haven't talked to either of them."
"Oh." Alan stretched out his arms across the table and folded his hands together before he took a deep breath. "Does she like them?"
Brianna shrugged, "Madison doesn't talk much about her feelings… at least not to me."
"Yeah, not to me either." Alan moved his hands as the woman brought their sodas.
Brianna removed the wrapping from her straw and folded it up into a small square, "She never tells me if she likes a guy… actually only guy she even talks kindly of is you."
"She's not a very open person. You know, I don't even know about her past. When I asked once, she said she was an orphan and left it at that."
"She told me the same thing." Brianna took a sip of her soda. "It's strange that we are both her best friends and know almost nothing about her."
Alan nodded, "It's strange that we both have so much in common with someone we know nothing about."
She giggled, "That's true." Brianna sighed as she looked over at the elderly woman by the cashier. "How can we have so much in common with her and nothing in common with each other? So little in common that all we can talk about is the one person we do have in common."
He placed his hands on the table, "There is always plenty to talk about when Madison is here, but the moment she leaves we have nothing."
Brianna giggled, "Ok, let's pretend that she's here."
"What?" Alan laughed.
"I'll do her part." Brianna lowered her voice, "Darick, that jackass, thinks he can buy me. I ought to bust his head against the sidewalk."
Alan laughed so hard that he had to take a moment to catch his breath, "I don't remember her being that violent."
"Oh, come on, you know that's what she is thinking. Even if she doesn't say it."
He nodded, "This is so wrong. My turn, my turn." He cleared his throat, "I hate everyone, even though I can't seem to keep people from wanting to become my friend lately."
"Or get into my pants." Brianna added.
Alan's laughed for a moment, but his smile faded. "Yeah, what is up with that? No one talked to her for a year and now all these guys are coming out of the woodwork."
"Don't know, I'm jealous too."
"I'm not jealous." Alan snapped.
Brianna cocked her head to the side, "I was just kidding, but you… you really are jealous, aren't you?"
"No, I'm…" He took a drink of his soda.
"Are you afraid that she'll stop being your friend if she dates one of these guys?"
"No, of course not." Alan rolled his eyes.
Brianna's curious frown turned into a grin, "Oh, I see."
"You see what?"
She smiled widely, "Nothing. I see nothing at all."
---***---
Aries kept a firm grip on Madison's hand when she wasn't in the changing rooms. The guys even went as far as to have her hair done at one of the beauty salons. As much as she hated to admit it, her long curls looked much better with a trim up and some hairspray. The woman at the salon put a couple butterfly clips into her hair to hold the curls out of her face, and thus began the long journey around all the elite department stores.The only time that Aries didn't have a grasp on her, Arion did. It was as if they were afraid she would slip away from them. They had finally settled on a little black dress and some subtle diamond jewelry. Madison sat down at a table outside a café, while Arion went inside to purchase their orders. Aries sat beside her with his hand still holding hers tightly. Her own arm had felt like a leash all day long.
"You look tired." Aries chuckled.
"You two made me tired." She laid her head on the cool metal surface of the café table. "You can let go of my hand, I'm too exhausted to run away now."
Aries smiled, "I'm not holding it because I'm afraid you'll run away."
Madison looked up at him with a hint of curiosity, "Then why are you holding it?"
"Because I want to." He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.
Dropping her head back down, she rolled her eyes. "You two really are the worst flirts that I've ever come across."
"If it isn't one of the Sherard brothers." A feminine voice spoke.
Madison looked up at a girl, who closely resembled her; although the girl was obviously well of. Standing in a long blue dress, she wore an open sweater with long blonde curls cascading down her shoulders. She stood tall, though shorter than Madison and her face held no pleasantries.
"Elena, it's good to see you again." Aries said with a wide grin.
She didn't smile back, "Is this your latest victim?"
"Latest victim, whatever are you speaking of?" Arion came up behind Madison and sat down beside her. "They will bring out our order soon." He informed his brother.
"I would watch myself around them, miss." Elena's eyes set on Madison. "These two are no good. They play with girl's hearts as if they have no meaning, and toss them aside when they are through."
"Huh?" Madison sat up straight.
"Now, Elena, don't be so bitter." Arion began. "This isn't about what happened between you and us."
She snorted, "These two toyed with me. They forced my heart to be split between the two of them. Both taking me out on dates at the same time, and both holding my hands as we walked. Then one day, they ordered me to choose between them. When I picked one, they demanded that I tell them which one of them was the one I had chosen."
"You couldn't tell the difference between us, how could you have picked one over the other? It didn't matter to you which one you got." Aries snapped.
"You just spoke a name at random." Arion added.
Elena's eyes were locked on Madison, "I couldn't tell you apart physically, but I can tell you apart through your personalities."
"Then after speaking to us, who is who?" Aries asked.
She swallowed, "I wouldn't know now, it's been four years since I ran away crying from you." She turned her attention back to Madison, "They didn't even have the decency to chase after me. They're pigs. I am only warning you now. If you continue this path with them, you'll end up broken hearted like I was."
"Well, thank you for the warning, but our relationship is nothing like that." Madison told her, "They just paid me to pick out an outfit for their mother."
"That's how it started with me, only they offered me lunch and a movie." Elena held a dark brown bag in her hand and she began to dig through it. She pulled out a small card and handed it to Madison. "If you want to know more about these scumbags before your heart gets involved, then please give me a call. I want to spare any woman from what I have been through."
"Thank you." Madison answered. She didn't really care about what had occurred between the three, but she could sense this woman would argue further if she didn't agree to her terms.
"I'll take my leave. Be careful." Elena spun around and walked back towards a man who was waiting for her in the distance.
"Wow, the nerve." Aries chuckled. "I'll throw that away for you." He reached for the card, but Madison yanked it away.
"She gave this to me and I'll decide what should be done with it, thank you." She opened her backpack and placed it in front her contact book.
"You can't honestly believe a scorned woman." Arion laughed.
"She seemed sincere in her attempt to warn me away from you. She also seems to have a very valid reason for doing so, one that neither of you even attempted to deny." Madison leaned back as the waitress placed the coffees in front of them. "Besides, it doesn't matter to me. I have no interest in either of you, and I can't wait for you to be done with me so I can go home."
The two boys looked at each other briefly with looks of disbelief.
"Speaking of which, you have your gifts. Where is my money so I can go home?" Madison put her hand out.
"There is still one more thing left to do." Aries told her as he took a sip of his coffee.
Arion began to chuckle.
"What?" Madison asked as she looked between the two boys who looked quite amused with themselves.
---***---
Madison looked over the large mansion as she stepped into the main hallway. Ahead of her was a large stairway that split to the left and the right at the top. To her immediate right was a small dinning hall and to her left was what looked to be a sitting room. Aries took her hand and lead her towards the sitting room, while Arion spoke to one of the servants.Beyond the sitting room was a large room that looked quite similar to the gray sitting room before, except there was a picture glass window that looked over the pool, and a bar. In one of the couches sat a woman with long black, straight hair. She wore a beautiful pink business suit. She looked to be in her mid forties and was incredibly attractive.
Standing from the couch, she cried out. "Where have you been?" She folded her arms and frowned. "All day I have been waiting for you. Is this anyway to treat your mother?"
"Are you upset with us?" Aries asked.
"Very, very." She whined and stomped one of her feet.
Arion looked at his brother, "Happy kiss time!"
Their mother squealed in delight as the two boys ran over to her and began to kiss her cheeks continuously. After she had laughed for a moment, they released her and allowed her to sit down.
Madison rolled her eyes and shook her head. She understood happy kiss time much better then she had before.
"Who's this lovely girl?" She asked and pointed to Madison as she picked up her martini glass to take a sip.
"This is Madison from school." Aries told her, "Oh!" He offered her the bag in his hand, "Madison was nice enough to help us pick out a gift for you."
Opening the bag, she pulled out the box that had the dress. A smile brightened her face when she opened it, "Oh, it's lovely. Black is so elegant and classy." She looked up at Madison, "You have wonderful taste, dear. These boys would have brought me home a multi-colored fur coat had it not been for you, I'm certain!" She giggled.
Aries and Arion sat down on the couch next to their mother and she kissed them both on the cheek.
"We're glad you're happy." Both boys said in unison.
Grabbing both of their chins, their mother looked over at Madison. "Are my boys so handsome and thoughtful?" She giggled again. "They look much better then when I first got back from Italy. Did you know that one of them had their hair longer and was wearing some kind of heathen jacket?" She snorted. "Of course, you do."
Madison gave a nod, but their mother didn't notice her.
"I made him chop that hair right off. They are so much more handsome when they match each other, aren't they? Of course, they are." She smiled. "That's why I gave them similar names. I wanted to give them both the same name and just call them by different nicknames, but their father would have none of that."
"We are lucky." Arion said.
"Hush, I'm talking." She pinched his cheek, "Megan, why don't you sit down in that chair there, dear."
"Her name is Madison, mom." Aries corrected.
"That's what I said." She retorted and pointed to the chair.
Madison took a seat and placed her backpack beside the large chair. "Thank you."
"I'm Felice, since my rude boys didn't introduce me to you. I like all their friends to call me auntie, so make sure you do." She smiled and stood up from the couch to come sit on the arm of Madison's chair.
Taking Madison's face in her hand she turned her head back and forth. "You are gorgeous, dear." Felice told her. "Yes, simply stunning, indeed." She giggled as she released her face before throwing her arm around Madison's shoulder and leaning against her. She looked at her sons. "My boys are so handsome, aren't they?" She whispered, but didn't give Madison time to respond. "Can you tell the difference?"
Madison lifted her hand and pointed at one of them, "Ari…"
"I can't either." Felice laughed. "Which one do you want? I'll take the other off your hands?"
"Lady of the house's choice." Madison responded.
She laughed out loud. "Oh, I like you. I like you so much." Standing up, she drank the rest of her martini, "Alright, it's time for my nap. I'll leave you boys and girl alone." She stumbled a little and Arion jumped up to assist her.
"I'll help you to bed, mom." Arion told her.
"Oh, my boys, you are too sweet. I just love you both so much."
Aries watched his brother help his mother out of the room and smiled at Madison when they were out of sight. "She's something else. You handled her pretty well though. I almost expected you to get upset when she kept asking you questions and not letting you respond."
"No wonder you two are so arrogant. I would be too if my mother told me how beautiful I was on a constant basis." Madison leaned back in her chair.
He chuckled, "Probably."
"Why did you bring me here anyway? You could have given her the gift without me."
"After spending all this time picking the gift out for her, didn't you want to see her face when she received it?" Aries stood up and went behind the bar, "She didn't look at the jewelry I know, but she's never acted that way before when we've given her something."
"How does she usually react?"
He kneeled down briefly and came back up with three sodas, "Oh, that's nice. How thoughtful! I love you boys so much!" He placed two of the sodas on the table and walked over to her with the other.
Madison grabbed it, but he didn't release it to her. "What?" She asked as she yanked.
"What Elena said, it's all bullshit, you know? We were sixteen and my mother wouldn't let us go on dates unless the other one supervised. She took both of our hands, and she let herself get torn between us. Even though she was suppose to be dating me, alright?"
"Why didn't you say that to her?"
"We have. No matter what we say, she doesn't listen to us. She has her own version of events and it doesn't matter what anyone else experienced during that time." Aries released the soda can, but caught her wrist. "She's a selfish girl, who just wanted one of us, and she didn't care who she got. Do you believe me?"
Madison shrugged, "Like I said it doesn't matter to me, and it shouldn't matter to you what I think about the situation. It's your own private affair that has nothing to do with me."
"But it does matter to me what you think. Do you believe me?"
"It doesn't…"
"It does matter, and I won't let you leave unless you say you believe me."
Madison sighed, "Alright, I believe you already."
Aries grinned as he released her wrist, "Thank you." Leaning forward, he kissed her on the forehead, before returning to his seat.