Procrastinators on Stage (Chris Kendall/crabstickz fanfic) *unedited*

Part 16- I Don't Like Not Living With Maddie

My nails tapped against my laptop keys in an almost synchronised action, the sound and look of my black painted nails making me feel considerably professional. Alright, it was as professional as you could feel when attempting to write a blog post. I tried to update my blog every two days, more or less, as it kept me writing, set deadlines, and sometimes helped me to think through everything that was happening in my life at the time. It was enjoyable to re-read old entries and either cringe at my writing style or relive memories that my mind had long since encased in a net of cobwebs and dust.

I wasn’t exactly unpopular with my blog. The blog itself was entitled ‘A Thorn Amongst Roses’, which, much like my sign off, was something hideously cliché I’d come up with when I was younger and first started the blog, but, I was now known as the Thorn of ‘A Thorn Amongst Roses’ and I wasn’t too keen to change the name. I sometimes got messages or questions about my blog, maybe four or so a day at most. Be it queries about their own situations, questions about my blog, and even questions on my identity. There was an odd quality to being semi-popular online.

As I’d been in London for five days now, I was due to Skype Maddie. Seeing as I had to tell her about the call back, the whole Dan/Mia/Chris love triangle, and then about Chris in general, Skyping was what we’d agreed on doing. Maddie lived back in central England with her dog, where she was a journalist for an entertainment magazine. She, therefore, had a fairly busy lifestyle, which now made keeping in contact difficult as we didn’t see each other naturally every day in person any more. It was like trying to book an appoint to talk to her now, but I think it was worth it.

The sound of my Skype toned loudly, sounding like a beeping beacon which had been dumped underwater. I casually accepted the video call and wasn’t surprised when I was greeted by the crumpled face of Maddie’s black pug Marvel (yes, named after the graphic novels), as she sniffed the webcam.

“Marvel even recognises your pixilated face, Jay!” Maddie chuckled as Marvel was pulled away from the camera and set down on my friend’s lap. “Do you think that she can smell your digital scent, too?”

“That dog of yours is insane, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she could,” I said with a roll of my eyes at Maddie’s attempt at humour. Pranks and slapstick humour were areas of humour that she could achieve and even succeed with. Verbal humour and jokes were not her forte. “Anyway, how are you and the insane one doing?”

“Same old, same old. Marvel made a new friend at the park today.” Maddie scratched her dog’s ears with one hand whilst using her other hand to readjust stray strands of her dyed black hair which obscured her face.

“And did this ‘dog friend’ have an owner?” I prompted her. Maddie loved Marvel a great deal, and was more thrilled by animal company or places she could take Marvel to than just about anything else.

“David’s nice,” Maddie spoke casually, still looking at an attentive Marvel rather than me. “I’m hoping to meet him again tomorrow. You want to see your friend again, don’t you Marvel? Yes, you do!” She rubbed her hands over Marvels floppy ears, which made the small dog attempt to scrabble up Maddie’s top to lick at her face.

“David, huh?”

“He’s just a fellow dog walker, Jay, and besides, you’re the one who’s on the big adventure!” She finally set Marvel down on the floor, where she scrabbled off into the background whilst Maddie wiped at her face with the baggy sleeve of her purple hoodie. “Do tell, do tell!”

I filled her in on everything, lingering more on Chris and Mia than anything else. I asked Maddie about what I should do about the whole debacle.

“I’d say prank them,” Maddie suggested with a tip of her hand.