Morning, Handsome

Madison Ashford stood outside Joey Granger’s house, shifting her weight from one high-heeled foot to the other, the early morning chill brushing against her bare legs. She had been standing there since seven in the morning, unwilling to risk missing him. Their relationship, yes that was what she had decided to call what they had, was in its infancy and would require work on her part in order to bring it to maturity. But a little hard work had never chased Madison Ashford away.

Her shorts were short, shorter than she usually wore to school, but that was the point. She had been told many times that her legs were some of her best assets. What Madison needed Joey to see when he looked at her was a woman. Not just as a driven, smart young woman who had been chosen to be valedictorian, but also as a sexy, available young woman who would do whatever it took to make him happy.

And so she had chosen the shorts, the same ones that her father had looked at her with storms in his eyes when she had originally brought them home. They were quite revealing, frayed bottoms, cut so high they barely skirted decency. They had a distressed look, as if she'd worn them hundreds of times, despite the fact that she'd only had the courage to leave the house with them on twice. Once to make her father angry, and once more when she had been trying to make an ex-boyfriend jealous earlier in the year. These shorts normally occupied a corner of a drawer that rarely got explored in Madison's dresser, but if it was the kind of thing that would keep Joey's attention, they'd have to start making regular appearances.

A tight pink spaghetti-strapped top barely adorned her torso, giving a show of both her well-toned stomach and her naturally sizable breasts. Madison looked slutty, she knew it. Standing outside Joey's house, waiting for him to appear, someone might think that she was ****.

They wouldn't be wrong.

Madison needed to be with Joey. Her parents had raised her to pursue the best things in life, to aim high, to not compromise. And so, knowing full well that Joey would be the best possible thing for her, Madison knew that if she failed she wouldn't just miss out on a guy she'd be lucky to be with, she'd be letting her parents, her teachers, even herself down.

But it was more than that. Joey had exposed a huge hole in her life plans. Despite the fact that they'd been in close proximity for their entire scholastic career, she'd been too dumb to notice him! How many other things had she been too dumb to notice, to figure out? Joey wasn't just a man she needed in her life romantically, she needed him for his insight! She could be missing out on the most obvious things in the world, and without a sounding board like Joey, Madison would never feel confident that she was on the right track again!

The air still held its damp chill, which reminded her of her abbreviated attire. She had packed a hoodie for later, for when they got to school, and Madison was tempted to put it on to warm up. But no, what would happen if Joey came outside and saw her covered up? All her efforts in looking hot for him would be wasted. Yes, she would put it on before they reached the school, but in the meantime she wanted Joey to have something to look at, to enjoy. As Joey's friend Jake had told her, she needed to be eye-candy, but only Joey's eye-candy. And so she would be.

Her mind went back to the previous day, as it had so many times since. The milkshake had been disgusting. But the kisses had been divine. Not that Joey had been a particularly good kisser. Madison suspected that he had very little experience in that realm, and so she could excuse him for how clumsily and greedily he had kissed her. She didn't care, to be honest. It wasn't how good it felt to be kissed by Joey Granger that mattered, it was what it meant. Despite acting like a monster to him when he'd bumped her, despite having ignored him her whole life, Joey liked her enough to kiss her! It was more than a start. It was a first leg of what she hoped would be a long and fruitful relationship.

She took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and smiled. Madison wouldn't be a failure. She could make Joey like her. Even love her, she suspected. Not for the first time she wondered about love. Would she ever love him? She wasn't sure. Joey Granger wasn't exactly the type of guy that Madison usually fell for. He wasn't even the type of guy who usually drew her eye. But she was going through a bit of a recalibration those days, and perhaps when it was done, she'd realize that guys like Joey were what she was looking for all along.

Not that it mattered. Even if she didn't love him, Joey Granger was the best possible thing for her. She'd, in fact, be lucky if she could have a man like him. She hoped that with enough time she would find love, but if not, she was a good faker. As long as Joey was convinced that she was head-over-heels, she was sure she'd be able to keep him. There was no way she was going to settle for anything but the best in her life. If that meant being willing to sacrifice love, then so be it.

Madison rolled her eyes. Why was she being so melodramatic? Joey didn't like high-drama girls. He liked easy-going, chill girls. That was something she would have to be aware of. Old habits die hard, and all that. Besides, she didn't NOT love Joey Granger. She just didn't have any particular feelings. But they were still in early days. It could take days, years, or even decades to get to that point.

She thought of that movie series that she'd been told Joey liked. Lord of the Rings. After Joey dropped her at home, Madison had started watching the first one. It was about these little guys, hobbits, who had to get rid of a ring. It was hard, they were uncomfortable, scared, even in danger, but they did it anyway. The hobbit guys (she couldn't quite remember their names. It was something like Frogurt and Sammy), despite all the hardship and sacrifice, still pressed forward to get rid of the ring. All because it was the right thing to do.

She was like Frogurt. She knew that the right thing to do would be to pursue Joey Granger, no matter what it took. She had decided that she would sacrifice what she had thought her future would be. In exchange, she would get something much more than she deserved. Joey Granger was a catch, someone she'd be lucky if she got a chance with.

And so Madison Ashford stood in the cold, fluffed up her breasts, and waited for the man she needed. If she played her card rights, he wouldn't just be a guy she needed, he'd be more. He'd be her boyfriend.

Now that would be an accomplishment worth celebrating.

She checked her phone. 7:36 AM. He had to come out soon. Well, Joey didn't have to do anything he didn't want to, not in her books. No, she hoped he would come out soon. Just because Joey had helped her realign her priorities didn't mean that she wanted to entirely give up on her scholastic pursuits. If it turned out that Joey wanted the kind of girl who got a well paying job so she could financially take care of him, well it would suck if she had limited her options by failing her last few weeks of school. On the other hand, if Joey wanted the kind of girl who stayed home, got pregnant, and served her man dutifully, it wouldn't hurt having the schooling down pat even if she wasn't using it. Heck, if Joey only liked girls who were as dumb as a rock, she could always pretend. It might be kind of fun!

Her heart pounded as she heard movement from inside the house. Her breath caught. This was it.

The door swung open.

Joey stepped outside, eyes still heavy with sleep, his backpack slung lazily over one shoulder. He blinked at the sight of her, confusion flickering across his face.

Madison’s smile widened.

“Morning, handsome.”