Her | Maddox x OC | HSMTMTS

Episode 4 -- Part 2

The read-through took forever. Between Corbin trying (and failing, mind you) to stir up drama and the fact that Frozen: the Musical is an approximately 2 hour-long show not including all the stage directions (and there are a lot of stage directions. Safe to say, Maddie and I will be busy this year.), that's most of the day for you.

Oh! And not to mention that Jet (aka Hans aka Maddie's younger brother) disappeared on us, and stressed out Maddie significantly more. She was clearly worried about him, no matter how much she denied it. My brother and Gina did an impromptu performance of "Love is an Open Door," and my brother's curly-haired friend made it evident that subtlety was not his forte. Corbin and Camera Guy also tried to make a B-roll, and had us all look anxious and confused. It wasn't hard.

But back to the present.

Maddie and I were outside, working on painting the sets, when my cousin showed up. Of course, Maddie being who she is, meaning completely oblivious, did not realize that my cousin was there for her, and said, "If you're looking for Corbin, I saw him and the camera guy pacing by an oak tree."

"Nah, I don't think they want what I'm selling," my cousin replied. "Hand me a paint brush?" Maddie quickly handed her one, smiling a special smile. The kind that Madison used to get. Oh, God, it was like I was already third-wheeling a relationship that didn't even exist yet. "Back home, I used to help my boyfriend with crew," Ashlyn explained. "The smell of turpentine makes me feel closer to him."

"Must be nice having someone waiting for you back at home," Maddie said.

"What about you?"

"I used to. Yeah. Here at camp, actually. Madison. We were kind of camp royalty. Mad and Mad." I could see Maddie start to get lost in the memories. She brought herself back to Earth though. "Yeah. But, you know, now it's complicated." She paused. "What's ironic, though, is that for the longest time we hated each other."

"But you were obsessed with each other," my cousin put in. Maddie nodded. "Of course. The classic Jane Austen marriage plot."

"I guess so." The two just kind of stood there for a minute, only mildly dopey grins on both of their faces. I just kind of stood there awkwardly.

"I should go check in with Val," Maddie finally said. "See if she needs any help with the Movie Night."

"Save me a seat?" my cousin asked, hopeful.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure," Maddie replied. She left, leaving me with Ashlyn.

***********

My cousin and I worked in silence for a little while, painting quietly. Eventually, Ashlyn spoke up. "So how are you?" she asked.

"I'm okay," I said. To be polite, I added, "How are you liking camp so far?" She lit up.

"Oh, it's so much fun! The vibe is great, and the traditions are fun. And..." she trailed off, hesitating. "You can't tell Maddox I said any of this." I nodded.

"I won't."

"She just- she confuses me. Like one moment, she's really fun and nice, and the next it's like... like she's attacking me."

"Well, the Maddie I know couldn't hurt a fly. She just has a lot of opinions and likes to share them," I said, trying to defend Maddox. Ashlyn shrugged.

"It's just- I mean, I go near her, and it's like all rational thought leaves my mind." Yeah, she has that effect, I think to myself. But I've learned over time to keep my mouth shut and wait for people to be finished. And my cousin is not finished. "It's like... I have Big Red, and I miss Big Red, but... it's almost as if I have a- a thing for Maddox." I just nod. "But I mean, I don't even know if she reciprocates, and I'm with Big Red, and he's an amazing boyfriend. Oh, God, am I cheating right now?" I stop her there.

"No, you're not. You're just... confused. That doesn't make you bad. Just confused. And, I mean, which will you regret more: going for it and risking it not working out, or never trying at all?" I watched her think hard.

"I- the second one. I would regret the second one more."

"Then there you go."

"You know," Ashlyn starts, "For someone that's never been in a relationship before, you give some pretty great relationship advice." I just shrug.

"Well, you don't need to have been in a relationship to have loved someone." Her face crinkles in confusion. "Well, I believe it's time for us to head over to Movie Night." I start to walk away, letting her follow.

***********

Here I was at Movie Night. By myself. Not really though. I'm exaggerating a little. Maddie was just a little ways off. She was going to get us popcorn. I heard her talking to Ashlyn in the back. Well, that was going to take a while. They were probably discussing Jet and his return. I saw Ashlyn leave to go back to her seat, assuming that Maddie would soon follow suit. But then I heard her talking to my brother. Probably discussing Gina now. I had half a mind to go after Maddie or something, but then I realized I didn't know what I would even say. And it's not like she had to sit next to me or anything.

I turned my head, seeing her walk over to Ashlyn, who was eagerly waving her over. She didn't seem to even spare a second glance at me. Oh, well. Here we go again. It's hardly as if this is the first time this has happened. And I'm mostly to blame anyway for being too cowardly to go for it when I had the chance.

So I didn't say anything the next day about how she chose to sit next to Ashlyn. How she was probably eventually going to start putting her above me. And that was okay. That's just the cycle I've been in with her. I just sat back and watched the movie.