All Men Are Not The Same

A Strange Feeling Called 'Happiness'

There are certain things that happen when we least expect them to, like the blossoming friendship between Maddox and the two girls he met at the park.

Maddox who has not been able to make any friends after the departure of his past best friends now had two new friends - the beautiful Angelica and the cheerful yet mischievous Deborah.

After their first meeting and the 'blue or purple ball' incident, Maddox least expected to come across those girls again, and being their friend was a thought which has never even crossed his mind.

Yet, the following Saturday as Maddox was carrying his usual routine of spending some moments alone in that park, trying to escape his reality which has been tarnished with the pressure reigning in his house, his eyes fell on the two girls again. He saw them sitting under a tree, on the ground and chatting with each other. He felt like saying 'hi' but he did not want to disturb the girls who seemed engrossed in some serious conversation. Angelica had her head bent down and she was twisting her fingers while narrating something which grasped all of Deborah's attention.

After some seconds spent deciding whether to say 'hi' or not, Maddox stood up and walked by them, pretending not to see them. He just wanted them to notice him and he was successful in his intention.

"Hello Maddox!" Deborah greeted as the boy turned towards her trying to fake a surprised look on his face.

"Oh! Hi Deborah! Hi Angelica!" he waved cheerfully as he walked towards them wondering why Angelica looked sad. Yet, he did not ask anything in this regard as the girls got him entangled in a long conversation which consequently changed the cute little blonde's sad mood.

"So, you people are new in this area," Maddox said. "I used to live here too. But now I have shifted to the town center at Cathedral Square."

"Oh! That's a wealthy part of town!" Angelica commented.

"Yup," Maddox grinned.

The trio sat and spoke for nearly an hour, getting to know each other better and sharing occasional laughs from time to time.

Finally, Maddox stood up as he glanced at his watch, "Girls, I have to take your leave. I have to get home and complete some school work. We'll surely meet again soon."

"Definitely, Mr Maddox Err... What did you say your surname was? Oh yes! Maddox Coward, isn't it?" Deborah laughed as Angelica threw her a severe look, attempting to dissuade her from making fun of Maddox.

"Howard!" Maddox smirked.

"Oh! That's kind like the same thing! Howard and Coward! Oh I love the way the words rhyme!" Deborah added with a mischievous look stuck to her face and her dark eyes gleaming as she laughed even louder than before.

"Yeah yeah. It's kind like the same thing to you, just like blue and purple right? Or Deborah and zebra!" Maddox said sarcastically as he pointed to the brunette's knee-length black and white striped dress. "Oh I love the way Deborah and zebra rhyme!" he winked.

"Huh, stupid Maddox. You shouldn't make fun of girls!" Deborah complained.

"Okay, okay, I will make up for that. Wait I will make a poem for you," Maddox cleared his throat and went on, "Dressed like a Zebra, her name is Deborah. She looks like king cobra, yet she thinks she is the queen of this era. A queen with no tiara...errrr...well etcetera etcetera."

"Thanks for having dug your useless mind in trying to find words that rhyme. Hats off to your poetry skills," Deborah commented, trying to hide a smile which was trying to make its way to her lips as she was faking an angry tone.

"You are welcome lady!" Maddox chuckled as he shared an amused look with Angelica who was laughing so hard that tears rimmed her eye lids.

That day, when Maddox left the park, he really looked forward to meet the girls again, especially Deborah whom he liked to tease. He felt a strange unexplainable feeling roaring in his chest and he kept smiling to himself all along his way back home. It took him some time to recognise that feeling which he had not felt for years now, that feeling which he lost and never expected to find again. It was the feeling called happiness. Maddox was finally happy.

From that day onward, the three new friends kept meeting up at the park each weekend. The two girls saw in Maddox, a kind and humorous friend until one day, an untoward incident threatened to change their opinion of Maddox drastically.

Will his happiness be short-lived? Will his friendship survive that incident?