Beauty & the Geek

Chapter 16

The summer season arrived with scorching heat, reminiscent of an inferno. Throughout the spring, Maddy had observed various facets of Steve Harrington, but their final poetry assignment revealed a different shade of him. While Maddy decided to write about perseverance during challenging times, Steve took an alternate creative direction.

It's true he may not be the best poet, almost childlike, but when he puts pen to paper, the guy can take something simple and turn it into something meaningful. Who knew there was depth to that tornado poem? So, when students began to read their masterpieces one by one, Maddy was on the edge of her seat, eagerly anticipating Steve's, and he didn't disappoint.

Steve stood in the front of the classroom, his heart raced, and his palms grew clammy, nervous as crap. The athlete's mind raced back to all the risky things he had done in his life, and the times he had skirted by without consequences. Despite all that, Steve's vulnerability at that moment was unparalleled because exposing his work to the scrutiny of others was an incredibly uneasy, risky position.

As Steve cleared his throat, he began to read it. "Sometimes life gets in the way. It gets all up in the way. But then you stop and realize it's not so bad because a flicker of hope reaches your shoulder and stays."

Maddy felt a peculiar sensation while he read. She could feel his voice resonate in her stomach, which was odd. Typically, voices cease at the ears, but in this instance, it seemed to bypass that point and sink down into her very soul, akin to the way a toasted marshmallow melts over chocolate, creating a gooey s'more. That was exactly what Steve's voice did: it liquified her emotions, softening and making Maddy melt.

Then Steve stopped reading from the page. He knew this part by heart because that's where it came from. So, he looked up straight at Maddy and said, "Somehow, someone made all these paths merge. It wasn't on a to-do list, a road map, or an equation. Now, my past has been scourged for the occasion. My future isn't clear. But every day with her, there's no fear."

While some people might have taken his words at face value, Maddy didn't. She knew to look beneath the surface. It's not the fear that matters in life. It's the decisions people make in spite of it, and the most daunting decision of all is love. This is why the upcoming summer would prove to be exponentially challenging.

Little did the blonde know that her father had done something incredible! At the beginning of the school year, Bob had booked a trip to Hawaii for Maddy, her friends, and himself. It was a graduation gift, except he wasn't there to give it.

One Thursday in May, the Newby residence received an unexpected call from the travel agency. At the time, Maddy was in classes, and she was completely unaware of the mind-blowing message the agency had left. However, Sadie, who had returned from the farm, pressed play on the answering machine and promptly took the initiative to return the call. She meticulously jotted down pages of notes outlining the intricate details of the potential trip. When Maddy eventually arrived home, she was in for an unexpected surprise.

The whole time Grandma Sadie explained everything, Maddy's face looked shocked. But when the lady was finished, Maddy's surprise turned into glee. "So, wait," the blonde had stated, holding up a hand. "My dad, my humdrum, let's go on a road trip to see the world's largest ball of twine, dad; booked a trip to Hawaii for a month?"

Sadie nodded and said, "That's the gest of it."

Maddy's excitement was so overwhelming that she leaped up from the sofa and released a high-pitched shout of joy! The most incredible part of it all was the fact that she would get to bring her best friends, Jen and Katie, along with her. Without wasting any time, Maddy reached for the phone and handed it to Grandma Sadie, urgently requesting her to contact Jen's and Katie's families. The grey-haired woman asked them all to come over, including their parents. However, the Sinclairs had a better idea and decided to host a fun outdoor cookout for everyone at their house.