About Everything

Joey Granger had one goal for the day: be forgotten.

His anonymity at school was, in large part, by design. He wasn’t the kind of guy who wanted to make a splash, get noticed, or even be celebrated. Getting yelled at was one thing, but getting yelled at in front of everyone was worse.

Way worse.

To top it all off, after emptying his stomach of all the bile it held, his hangover had barely eased off. He sipped his sports drink, hoping each time the plastic touched his lips that relief would follow, only to be met with more waves of discomfort.

His history test loomed large in his mind, but not as large the confrontation with Madison Ashford. He tried to put the memory behind him, but found that every time he allowed himself to relax, he was brought back to it, replaying in his head over and over. He could still hear her sharp voice ringing in his ears, her insults clawing at his fragile sense of self-worth. Why would someone like Madison, queen of South Point High, a girl who had everything, want to make someone like him feel so bad? Even worse, to do it so publicly? What would she have to gain by it? Joey was pretty sure she'd never even noticed him before. Now to draw so much of her ire defied logic.

Joey sighed and adjusted the strap of his backpack. It didn’t matter. People would forget about it soon enough, just like they always did. He wasn’t important enough to stay on anyone’s radar for long.

But then he saw her.

Standing by her locker, Madison was chatting with one of her friends, her laugh bright and confident as always. Her perfect golden hair cascaded over her shoulders in glossy waves, framing a face that could’ve been plucked from a magazine cover. She wore a tight white top and a pleated lavender skirt, her posture exuding effortless elegance as if she owned the entire hallway. The sunlight filtering through the windows hit her just right, making her seem almost too perfect to be real.

Joey froze mid-step, half-convinced that her gaze would cut through him if she looked his way. But when her eyes finally landed on him, she didn’t glare.

She smiled.

A quick, friendly smile. Warm, almost shy.

Joey blinked. No way. He had to be imagining things. He turned his head, looking behind him to see if she was smiling at someone else. A teacher? A jock? Anyone but him. But no—her eyes were still locked on his, her smile unwavering.

He hurried past, heart pounding in his chest.

It’s nothing, he told himself. You have a history test to pass. Ignore Madison. She’s probably still making fun of me. Or worse, planning something. She’s not actually smiling at me. That would be crazy.

And so Joey continued his day. By the time he was done his test, the headache was finally starting to subside. He probably could have done better, but he was confident that he passed, which meant that he wouldn’t have to High School to finish that one credit. A feeling of satisfaction started growing inside him. He would graduate! The trauma of the morning’s conflict was fading along with his hangover, and Madison’s weird smiling trolling was behind him.

But as the day went on, it happened again. And again.

In math class, as Joey tried to focus on the lesson he saw her out of the corner of his eye, slowly walking past the doorway. Madison. She moved her hips from side to side in an exaggerated fashion, her body on display, eyes locked on Joey. She twirled a strand of her perfect hair absently around her finger, putting on a show that would have to be described as deliberate. It only lasted a moment, but it was obviously aimed at him. His stomach churned. Was she mocking him? He kept his head down, gripping his pencil tightly, pretending he hadn’t seen her.

At lunch, he felt her eyes on him before he even spotted her. She was sitting across the cafeteria, her chair tilted slightly toward him. When he finally dared to look, she was leaning forward, giving a show of the cleavage displayed from the buttons she had loosened on the top of her blouse. Her chin resting on her hand as she stared at him with a look of longing, her lips parted just enough to be noticeable. Her gaze followed him as he poked at his tray of mystery meat. Then, in a move so theatrical it had to be on purpose, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and took a slow, exaggerated sip from her water bottle, making a show of teasing the straw with her tongue before it entered her mouth. His face burned. What was her game? It was ridiculous. There was no way this was real. She was up to something, and Joey didn't like it.

Gym class was even worse. Joey was already bracing himself for the inevitable humiliation of dodgeball when he saw her again. She wasn’t just walking past the gym. This time she was standing in the middle of the doorway, obviously watching him. Her hands rested lightly on her hips, drawing attention to her curves displayed in her pleated skirt. When she shifted her weight, she gave her rear end a little wag while pursing her lips, eyes locked on his. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and licked her top lip seductively.

The ball slipped out of his hands and bounced pathetically onto the floor as he stared at her in shock. Madison Ashford smiled at him. Not a smirk, not a laugh, but a real smile. He froze. Was she laughing at how pathetic he was? Or was this some kind of elaborate act to make him feel even smaller?

By the time the final bell rang, Joey’s nerves were fried. All he wanted to do was go home, be left alone, and press reset on the day. Maybe tomorrow Madison will have forgotten he ever existed again, and his life could go back to normal.

He made a quick show of grabbing his books from his locker and heading for the exit, eyes fixed firmly on the floor. Once outside, he felt relief. Somehow Joey had managed to avoid Madison on the way out. He was free. The warm sun touched his skin, something he could now appreciate with the hangover behind him, and he took his first step toward home.

But she was again, leaning casually against the bike rack. She gave him that same smile, her eyes lighting up as though she’d been waiting for him all along.

Joey’s pulse quickened. This was unacceptable. He knew he was lower on the totem pole than she was, but there was no way he was going to put up with bullying. Noting that there were very few people around, a big improvement from that morning, he took a step toward her. She took a step toward him. Then another. Then another. Joey opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

"I'm sorry," Madison Ashford said meekly, her smile hopeful and hungry, "You were absolutely right. About everything. Thank-you for explaining it to me."