Amazement

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

***

"Done, done, and done." Maddie glanced down at her shopping bags with a look of pure satisfaction.

"Lucky," Penelope chided. "I'm barely done with my family."

Penelope and Carlo had taken Maddie out Christmas shopping. Fortunately for Maddie, she only had to shop for a short list of people: her mother, Mickey, Penelope, Carlo, and Mr. and Mrs. Gregory.

Carlo and his girl of the week, Ginger Goodman, stopped a few paces in front of then.

"I won't see you for, like, a month," Ginger whined as she wrapped he arms tightly around Carlo's torso.

Carlo winced. "I'll totally miss you," he forced, gently pushing her away.

Maddie rolled her eyes and turned away from the couple. "Fro-yo?" she asked Penelope.

Penelope pinched her flat stomach. "How many calories are in a small?"

"You are not fat!" Maddie told Penelope, not for the first time.

"You totally aren't," Brian Harper, who was Penelope's current boyfriend, cooed.

Penelope sighed loudly. "Fine. Lets go. Are you two coming?"

Ginger pulled away from her and Carlo's now heated embrace. "Uh no thanks," she said quickly, her face flushing. "We'll be in the car." She tugged Carlo away.

"Ew," Penelope muttered.

Together, the two girls and Brian made their way towards the food court. Once they'd gotten their Fro-yo, they sat down on colorful plastic chairs.

"What flavor did you get?" Brian asked Penelope as he glanced at her colorful smoothie.

"Passionfruit," she replied. "Wanna try it?"

Brian took a sip from the plastic straw. "Sweet. Just like you."

"Oh my gosh you are way too adorable," Penelope gushed, before leaning in for a long kiss.

Watching the two together, although Maddie knew they wouldn't last very long, Maddie couldn't help a twinge of jealousy.

"I need a guy," she muttered as Penelope and Brian returned to their food.

"Uh, you have one," Brian said with a smile.

"What?"

Penelope and Brian exchanged an astonished glance. "Maddie," Penelope began slowly. "Everyone at school can see that Luke is very, very fond of you."

Maddie's face flushed. "Shut up," she mumbled around her mouthful. But as Brian and Penelope returned to their PDA, Maddie's entire body began tingling with a sensation that she had not felt before.

***

Luke and Ophelia stood in one if the many toy aisles at Target. Ophelia was staring opened mouth at some sort of Barbie Dream Boat.

"And it has two extra bedrooms," she was babbling to Luke, who at first glance, seemed to be paying more attention to his phone. "And a little play area for the dogs. And if you get batteries, the grill and radio make sounds! And if I put it in a pool it would run because there's an engine thing!"

Luke glanced up and looked at the bright pink box, taking note of the name.

"Ophelia, we have to go," Luke told his sister, glancing down at the shopping cart full of random items from a list given to him by his mother. She had finally bought her diner. It was still in the renovation process, and she had sent Luke out to buy some items for the diner. Ophelia had tagged along.