When Madison woke up on November 11th it wasn't like any other November 11th. She didn't wake up to her mother singing the Happy Birthday song to her holding a cupcake in her hands with a single candle in for her to blow out. Instead she woke up to her alarm going off like every other morning.
She stood up on the cold floor and went into the kitchen. On the kitchen counter there was a strawberry cupcake along with a handwritten note. Madison read the note before picking up the cupcake.
Happy birthday babygirl! Sorry I had to get to work early!! Let's celebrate tonight instead - you pick dinner //Mom
Madison looked at the cupcake for a moment before she threw it onto the floor with all of her force. Frosting splashed all around it. This year her mother couldn't even prioritize her on her birthday. What a great start to her seventeenth year on planet earth... She wanted to cry but held her tears back.
Instead she got herself ready for school and left the apartment with the cupcake still on the kitchen floor. At school she was met by the people who actually cared about her. Hailey greeted her with a big hug and a small gift.
"You didn't have to get me anything, Hailes" Madison sighed but Hailey just shook her head.
"Yes I did! Maddy, I'm your best friend and you deserve it!" Hailey said eagerly watching Madison unwrap the little box.
Inside the box there was a pretty thick silver ring with a hole in the shape of a butterfly. Madison put the ring on her finger as she admired it.
"I love it" Madison uttered in astonishment.
"I knew you would! But that's not it, I got a matching one for myself too" Hailey held up her hand to show off a delicate ring with a butterfly that perfectly fit into the shape on the other ring. "I figured it could be like best friend rings and I had an idea that instead of pinky promises we can make butterfly promises."
"Butterfly promise me that you will wear your ring for the rest of high school" Madison said holding up her hand towards Hailey.
"I butterfly promise to wear this ring for as long as you're my best friend" Hailey answered before fitting the butterfly on her ring into the cutout on Madison's.
Madison knew Hailey intended that sentence to mean that she never would take the ring off since they would be best friends for eternity. Every bone in Madison's body wished that would be the case but she was worried about how Hailey would react when she found out about her and Lawrence. Would she still want to be her best friend then?
"Hello birthday girl" Lawrence said as he encountered the girls in the hallway. "Hailey, did you get her a jersey too?"
"No, she got me this beautiful ring" Madison replied and showed him the ring proudly.
"Best friend rings" Hailey added in a whisper and showed him her ring as well.
"So the two of you are like engaged now?" he asked in a jokingly manner.
"Exactly! You're looking at the future Mrs and Mrs Mayers-Hill" Madison joked back and pressed her cheek against Hailey's lovingly.
The ring Hailey had gotten Madison was pretty and all but it wasn't what she had wished for. Her biggest wish right now was to be Lawrence's official girlfriend and for it to not break Hailey's fragile heart. Clearly that wasn't going to happen so she had to settle for the next best thing.
"Maddy, I have to ask you something about our chem project" Lawrence said and she knew exactly what he meant. "Hailey, if you don't mind I'll have to borrow your wifey."
"No problem, Lance. She's all yours!" Hailey answered.
Madison and Lawrence walked away from Hailey and went straight into the school library. Inside of there they went to the very back so they could hide behind a bookshelf. There was a corner filled with books about outer space that was perfect. There weren't that many people at school interested in such subjects. Yet alone interested enough to borrow a book about it instead of searching it online.
"So how's your birthday going so far?" Lawrence asked as he and Madison sat down next to each other on the floor and leaned their backs against the bookshelves.
"Not great. This birthday is already lacking special treatment. My mom wished me happy birthday on a note this morning" Madison replied leaning her head on Lawrence's shoulder. "This birthday might turn me into a birthday hater like you."
"Please don't. It's no fun hating your own birthday. I haven't gotten you a gift or anything but I would love to take you out to dinner tonight" Lawrence whispered into her scalp and kissed it. "What do you prefer - Asian or Italian?"
"Definitely Italian" Madison exclaimed.
Nobody had ever offered to take her out anywhere before. She hadn't even been on a single date in her entire life. Maybe there was hope for this birthday to turn out okay after all.
YOU ARE READING
the nickname game
Novela Juvenil𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟭 - the name game series Madison never planned to fall for Lawrence. He was Hailey's. She wouldn't take anything that belonged to her best friend. At least sober Madison wouldn't. !! 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 !! eating disorders, mat...
