Putting In The Pieces

two

"Shut up."

Ella smacks her gum extremely loudly and laughs hysterically on the phone with her boyfriend. Natalie has her lunch out as she devours it. Emma just sits there the way I wish I could, opening a book. Maddie sits there, and I hear her smirking. And Alyssa just sits with her earbuds in. 

We were the Super Six.  However, I'm the weird one. 

I hear something slam. I jump and I realize Maddie took action, slamming Emma's book on her finger.

"Now" Maddie says,  "You deserved it."

Maddie smirks and leaves Emma's fingers red. Maddie is on her phone.

"Screw it."

"Bad Mandi! Bad Girl! No bad words!"

Maddie, who I realized is the hater of curses, the screamer, and the girl that will not call me by my real name, is screaming at me. 

"That wasn't a bad word, Maddie" Natalie announces. "You're being mean."

"Maddie" Alyssa says. 

"SHUT UP, NATALIE NOELLE TUCKER!" 

They're all staring as Maddie yells. 

I hear Ella laugh. 

It feels like a bomb will go off. 

I can't take it anymore. 
I run. 

Into a bathroom, into a stall. 

I check my texts. One from Emma, two from Maddie.

Maddie's all bossing me around. Meet me at homeroom. Do this, do that. 

Emma's is from about a week ago.

Are you okay?

My mouth runs as everything I think of makes me feel better. All things I've known from movies. Song lyrics. Movie quotes. Book quotes. The number 13 rolls out thirteen times. 

The "quad-triplet-twin thingy" outfits Maddie made us wear, the gray sweater, the jeans and the high-heeled boots is making me feel like I'm dying. 

My makeup, the pink lip, the things used to cover the pimples, and all the mascara seems to like take off my face. 

And before I know it, I feel it. I feel my mascara slide down my face. I know I'm turning into a firework, so uncontrollable and messy. 

And yet, somehow, Maddie seems to do this to me every day, and then she goes "I'm only joking! Pretty please come back!"

And I go back, because she doesn't seem like she's kidding. 

I have to eat in this stall for now. 

And I never want to leave.