Research

Madison Ashford perched on the edge of her bed, the plush lavender comforter barely crinkling beneath her. Her room, decorated in pastel tones and lined with fashion magazines and designer bags, was a shrine to perfection. But for the first time in years, she felt out of place in it. It wasn't the room, it was her. She didn't know who she was anymore.

Her long, dirty-blonde hair hung loose over her shoulders, its usual soft waves tangled from the hoodie she’d pulled on earlier. After her research, Madison had glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror by the closet. The cute, preppy girl who had looked back—a tight white top clinging to her busty figure, a pleated lavender skirt showing off her toned legs— had felt wrong. She tugged at the hoodie’s hem again, trying to imagine herself as one of those girls, the kind Jake said Joey liked.

Madison bit her lip and flipped open her notebook, its pages already filled with scrawled notes. The text exchange with Joey’s friends and her wide-reaching social media inquiries hadn’t yielded much, but Jake had been a goldmine. She frowned at her own reflection as she replayed the conversation in her head.

Jake wasn’t exactly the type of guy she’d normally talk to. Cocky, a little crude even, but he’d been willing to help. And Madison was ****.

“So, Joey’s kinda shy, you know?” Jake’s voice had sounded amused over the phone. “But he’s definitely into girls. I mean, what guy isn’t?”

She had pressed for more, her pen scratching across the page.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Jake continued. “He likes a girl who can wear a hoodie and jeans—chill, low maintenance. But he really likes it when a girl can dress up and show off for him. Like, give him a real show when he wants it, you know? Eye candy, but it's his candy bowl.”

Jake hadn’t stopped there.

“I mean, come on, he’s a dude,” Jake had added with a snort. “Like, he’s never gonna say no to a girl with big tits. I mean, who would, right? Not Joey, that’s for sure. If you’ve got it, flaunt it," Jake paused, considering, "But don’t be, like, too obvious about it. You don’t wanna scare him off.”

Madison’s hand had trembled as she wrote, but nodding along on the call, her voice softly thanking him, imploring him to continue.

“Oh, and another thing,” Jake said, really getting going now, “He'd like a girl who could just hang, you know? Like, watch a movie, maybe crack open a beer... not that he drinks much, but still. None of that girly drama crap. Just be cool, like one of the guys.”

She hesitated. “One of the guys?”

Jake paused, then laughed. “Oh, not like that. He’s into girls. Don’t worry, sweetheart. He’s into all the stuff normal guys are into. Short skirts, tight tops, big boobs—it’s just that he wants a girl who can chill, too. Someone who likes the stuff he likes. Lord of the Rings, gaming, whatever.”

Her pen flew across the page, capturing every thought.

"And, like, he's shy. I said that, right?" he paused, "So he doesn't need some girl jumping in and being all flashy and drawing attention his way. She needs to be able to take care of herself, but when she's with him, he'd do a lot better if she'd, you know, follow his lead."

The conversation had taken longer than she expected, but Madison hadn’t minded. Jake’s crudeness normally would have made her block his number on the spot, but she hung on every word. She needed to know. Joey deserved a girl who could give him everything he wanted, and she would figure out how to be that girl.

The Gospel of Jake. By the time the call was done, Madison felt an enormous feeling of gratitude toward Jake, a man who had opened up the world of Joey to her.

There was so much to do. She had a tight rope to learn to walk. Become easy going. Learn to follow Joey's lead. Figure out what the deal with Lord of the Rings was. Discover when he wanted her to look sexy, and when he wanted her to look casual. It was a lot, but Madison wasn't afraid of a little hard work.

Madison glanced back at the mirror. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing her face perfectly. Her pink lips were bare now—no gloss, no lipstick. Her long lashes, usually coated in mascara, looked plain. The hoodie hung loose over her figure, swallowing the curves she’d spent so much time perfecting at the gym.

“You’re just too dumb to have figured it out on your own.” Joey’s words haunted her, but she clung to them like a mantra. If she hadn’t been smart enough to see her flaws before, she would fix them now. Joey deserved a girl who could make him happy. A girl who could earn him.

Madison stood and smoothed her skirt, her resolve hardening. Tomorrow, she’d go to school in jeans and sneakers. She’d ask Jake more questions if she needed to. She’d try to watch The Lord of the Rings tonight. Whatever it took, she’d do it.

She smiled faintly at her reflection. “You’d be lucky to have a guy like me,” Joey had said. And he was right. She would be lucky. But luck wasn’t enough. She’d work for it.