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'A girl, huh.' Madeleine said, sitting up straighter. Derek had never been someone for just one girl. There was always a catch. From past dating experiences, Derek would go for anything in a skirt.
Derek ignored her sarcasm, and continued. 'And she'll never know how I feel. Like ever.' He sank back into the lawn chair set up in Madeleine's bedroom balcony. He had been out here so many times that this particular chair would always be known as his.
'But don't you already have a girlfriend?' Madeleine asked, as she crossed her legs, Indian style.
'Yeah, sure. If that's what you wanna call her.' Derek grimaced, as he thought of Kendra. They had been going out for four months, and that had been enough for Derek. He had been avoiding her; not answering her phone calls, not sitting with her at lunch, but she didn't seem to get the message. She would always be the annoying, clingy girlfriend, whether he liked her or not.
'Okay. Tell me then, who's the chick?' Madeleine asked, pulling her long hair into a ponytail. She was good at helping with these sorts of problems. Derek and Sam had been coming to her for years, whether it was about girls, or homework, Madeleine usually had the answer.
Derek mumbled something incomprehensible, and looked away.
'Say what?' Madeleine said, looking amused. There hadn't ever been a time where Derek had been flustered by a girl. Normally, he was cool and confident towards the opposite sex; this was going to be quite a show.
Derek took a deep breath. 'Calli Stuart.' He said quietly, turning a shade of deep red. He looked into his hands, while waiting for his best friend's reaction to this turn of events.
'You don't say.' Madeleine smirked. She knew that this would happen one day. He was the assistant captain of the school hockey team, and she was dating the captain. He was bound to get jealous. 'And why, exactly, can't you tell her how you feel?'
'Her monster of a boyfriend, that's why.' Derek said, looking rejected. 'I'm sure he's nice and all… but, seriously. He can intimidate anyone, even me. And that's hard to do.'
'Hmm.' she said, looking thoughtful. 'First of all, I'm sure he really is nice, and secondly, Calli's on the cheerleading squad with me... I could probably talk her into going out with you.'
Derek sat up straighter. 'You'd do that?'
'For my beloved Derek? Of course I would.' She reached over and ruffled his hair. It was really no big deal; Calli and Madeleine were pretty close, being on the cheerleading squad together and all.
'So I'm your Derek, huh?' he mused, looking thoughtful. If he could get Calli to like him, then he would be the happiest guy on the earth.
'You know it.' Madeleine said, standing up. 'I'm gonna go and get something to eat. I'll call her today, so come over later, eh?'
'Sure.' Derek said, fishing his iPod out from his pocket. 'I should probably go anyways; my dad might have a conniption fit if I'm not home soon.'
He walked down the stairs with his best friend, said good bye to her little sister, told Madeleine to call him, and walked out the front door.
And with that, they parted ways for the time being, and Derek walked home feeling hopeful.
--Dating Lessons--
'Are you sure you're not Smerek's girlfriend?' Derek heard Marti interrogating whoever was on the phone. 'Cause he said he doesn't like Kendra anymore.'
Derek bound down the stairs, two at a time, to relieve whoever was on the other line from Marti's incessant chatter. 'Smarti. What have I told you about talking to my friends on the phone?'
Marty sighed, looking defeated. 'Sorry, Smerek. I think it's Maddie.'
'Thanks, dude.' Derek said, patting her head as he took the phone. 'Hello?' he walked towards the kitchen.
'It's me.' He heard Madeleine's voice come through the phone. He had been waiting for this call all day. Derek had never been a patient person, and that day had been agony.
'Did you talk to her?' Derek asked, opening the fridge and sticking his head in, in search for food.
'Yes.' She said, almost teasingly. 'And guess what?'
'What?' he asked, through a mouthful of day old pizza. He hadn't had any lunch, and at three in the afternoon, this was the best he could come up with.
'Calli and her boyfriend broke up!' she exclaimed. 'Isn't that the best news ever?'
'They did?' he asked, straightening up, and hitting his head in the fridge.
'Yes! Julie was telling me about it.' She continued, talking about another one of her friend, Julie Haynes, another member of the cheerleading squad. 'There was a big fight over the prom, and then she dumped a glass of Coke on his head.'
'Really?' Derek asked, grinning over the stupidity of her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Lampert. He was the captain of the hockey team, student body president, and easily the most popular guy Thomson High.
'I wish I was there to see it.' She grinned. 'Daniel didn't want to go to prom; he thought it was stupid or something. But get this; Calli wants to go with you!'
'Me?' Derek said, skeptically, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.
'Yes! Isn't that amazing?' she was practically jumping up and down with excitement.
'So, you're telling me, that she actually wants to go out with me?' he asked, grabbing a can of soda.
'Derek. Of course she does.' Madeleine winced, waiting for his reaction, 'So I arranged a date for the two of you.'
'You did what?' Derek cried, jumping when he opened his soda, only to find himself drenched with sticky, purple liquid.
'She said that there was a movie she wanted to see, and I told her that you would be glad to take her.' She shrugged, as if she played matchmaker everyday.
'Oh.' Derek said, 'okay.'
'That's it?' Madeleine said, 'You're not mad? Not going to plot against me or anything?'
'Well, that's for later.' Derek said, smirking. 'So what time is the movie?'
'7:20.' She informed him. 'And Sam and I are coming.'
'So this is like a double date… but not quite, 'cause you have no boyfriend, and Sam is with the Space Case?' Derek said, not thinking clearly.
'Thanks, Der. You sure know how to charm 'em.' Madeleine said, sounding hurt.
'Maddie. You know I was kidding.' Derek said, trying to apologize for his insensitivity. She had broken up with her long time boyfriend a few weeks before, but she was still sore. Sam and Derek had done all they could to console her, including loads of ice cream, and stupid movie marathons.
'Whatever. I'll see you tonight.' Madeleine sighed, before hanging up on him.
'Good going, D.' Derek said out loud. He hated it when he offended her. They had been best friends, along with Sam, since Kindergarten, and he was always saying stupid things to her. She was always forgiving, but he suspected that there was something more. Whether she would tell him or not wasn't a big concern, but he preferred to be on her good side.
He sighed, and dialed the ever familiar phone number, and waited for someone to pick up.
'Hello?' a little girl's voice streamed through the phone.
'Sax. Hey, it's Derek.' He tapped his fingers on the counter, waiting for Maddie to come to the phone.
'Hi, Der. Do you want Maddie?' Saxton asked, sounding worried. She was usually happy to talk to Derek, and contented herself with telling him about her days at school, until Madeleine came and got the phone.
'Yeah. Is she there?' he sank down to the floor, his back against the cool stainless steel of the refrigerator.
'Nope. She went out. But I'll tell her to call you when she gets back. She's out with some guy named Daniel.'
'Daniel. As in Daniel Lampert?' Derek asked, astonished. He hadn't thought of his best friend being interested in Daniel. Usually, she told him how most of the guys in school were jerks, and she wouldn't date them if they were the last guys on earth. Her last boyfriend had gone to a nearby high school.
'I-I think so.' Saxton stammered, sounding guilty. 'But I don't think that I was supposed to tell you that.'
'She told you not to tell me that?' He scratched his head in confusion. This didn't seem like the kind of thing that they would keep from one another. Normally, Sam and Derek told her everything, and in turn, she did the same.
'Yeah.' She said. 'She said that if I told you, you wouldn't want to go to the movies tonight with Calli. But I don't think you should go with Calli; I think you should go with Maddie. That way, Marti and I can be sisters!'
'I'll think about it, kiddo.' Derek laughed at the kid's lack of understanding about marriage. He was still confused about Madeleine's lack of trust, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. Saxton was only seven, after all. 'Well, tell her to call me, eh?'
'Sure thing, Derek. Bye!' Saxton said, hanging up the phone.
Derek got up from his position on the floor, and walked up to his room, to prepare for his date with the girl of his dreams.