The Not So Infinite Playlist

I. Mad Maddie

"You know that movie, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist?", Keith asked.

Noah looked at him confused, "What about it?" 

Sarah, Jen and Drew exchanged glances, laughing a bit.

"Well," Keith replied, "this situation we are currently in. This is the adult version of that. But instead of trying to track down a well loved band, we are tracking down an infamous, very irritating female, whom you have been pining for since... oh I don't know, forever!"

                                          -------------------------------------------------------------

4  hours ago, around 12 midnight....

"You have got to be kidding me?", Keith said annoyed.

"This is the emergency?", Jen asked sarcastically. "I mean really, Noah?"

"So she texted you to in her words, alert everyone, meet you here, and then she ended her text to you with, find me?", Drew asked with his voice slightly going a pitch higher. "Do you realize what time it is? Do you realize how crazy this is?"

"Come on guys," Sarah said trying to calm Drew. "Let's cut him some slack. You do remember the last time she did this, right? Unfortunately we can't just ignore this."

"Really sorry guys," Noah finally said. "We all know the drill."

Madeline Brewster. An influencer, has her following, but according to Keith, she's really not that famous. To friends and family, she is Maddie. To Keith, Jen, and Drew, she is mad Maddie.

"So," Noah said after heaving a deep sigh. "We all know where she last went after her date with Carl. All we have to do is go there, get the clue from whoever is working in that place she last went to and...."

"Go on a wild goose chase, while she posts everything on social media, using that as a pretense to further the popularity of our company," Keith remarked.

"Keith, please," Sarah said as he tried to calm Keith down.

"For someone according to Keith who is not famous, she sure is getting a lot of likes," Drew commented as he looked at his phone. 

"She's not famous," Keith said. "Infamous, yes. Notorious yes. Very irritating, yes!"

"We get it!" Noah interrupted him. "Let's just do this. We don't want her getting in to trouble again, right? She is still our friend, no matter how Maddie she can get."

"Don't you mean how mad Maddie can get?" Jen said.

Noah gave her the, "Very funny," look, to which Jen just sneered at.

"Fine!", Keith exclaimed. "I'm driving!"

"Thanks, bro," Noah replied.

As they walked toward the car, Sarah pulled Noah aside and allowed the others to walk ahead of the two of them a bit. As soon as they are far enough, she asked, "You okay?"

Noah sighed and shrugged his shoulders, then said, "Who else would rescue her, huh?"

First stop of their "mission" of finding Maddie was at a convenience store, where the owner, an elderly couple, gave them a piece of paper with the writing:

Bake it til u make it! - M

"Oh Maddie," was all Noah could say.

"Your friend is nuts!" said the man who owned the store. "Bat crazy!"

"Thanks sir," Noah said to him, "We'll be on our way. Don't!"

"What?", Drew said to him.

"Oh you know exactly what. Come on!"

"I wasn't going to say anything," Drew said to Jen.

"You were thinking it,".

"Then how come I'm the only one he snapped at?"

"Because handsome you may be, but subtle you definitely are not."

"You think I'm handsome?"

"Shut up, Drew."

                                            ________________________

Six months ago.

"It was fun!" Maddie exclaimed as they walked toward Noah's car. "Come on! You had fun, admit it! And look! 1k likes and counting!"

"Maddie, you can't just do this and expect us to not go out of our minds from worrying! You could've gotten hurt!"

"Except I didn't," she replied. "Besides, I knew you, specially you would find me in time. After all, you're my bestie Noah! Always there to the rescue!"

"Is this going to be a habit of yours? Whenever a date doesn't go well you're going to get us all out in the middle of the night, in the middle of wherever this is, just so you could get over your bad date?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. This is for exposure for our company. A free advert for our advertising company. See? More likes coming in and oh the comments! Loving them! Hashtag Riley and Co.!!!", she said as she took a selfie.

Meanwhile, Sarah and the others are waiting in the car.

"Why does she keep doing this?", Sarah said.

"Oh you know why," Keith answered. "She goes out on a date, it didn't work either because of the guy or her, mostly her, and as an impulse, she'll go on this little adventure of hers dragging us along with her."

"Don't be so hard on her. And don't be so hard on your brother either."

"I didn't say anything about Noah."

"You were thinking it."

"Does Maddie really think we buy it when she says this adventure is for exposure for the company?", Jen said.

"Does she care if we don't?", Drew answered her.

"Well, " Sarah began. "she is making our company popular. We've gotten a lot of clients because of her adventures. Hashtag spontaneous fun advertisers."

"She could've gotten badly hurt by those muggers, you know," Keith said in a serious tone. "And if we were just a little late in arriving.... ugh damn it! And why doesn't she want to go to the police? Because she didn't want her followers get the wrong idea on why we were in a police station. Pfft! As if that's what she really cares about."

"Thank you, Noah," Maddie said as she put her arm around his. "I knew you wouldn't fail to find me. I knew you'd be the one I can count on in getting the others on board the Riley and Co.'s Adventures."

"You know I'd never let anything bad happen to you. Even if it is not your intention to be reckless or to dangerous things whenever you decide to these adventure, you could've gotten hurt, Maddie. Could you please, I beg you not do this anymore? Or at least do it at a time where it's daylight and criminal activity is down?"

"And where is the fun in that?"

"Maddie?"

"Fine... I promise. It won't be much fun, but fine."

"Thanks."

"Love you, Noah!", she said as she let go of him and ran toward the others.

Noah heaved a deep sigh, and then said to himself, "Love you too."