THE MATCHMAKER ➢ JB MZ

eight

THE FINAL BELL RANG and joey left his last period class as fast as he could. he remembered that he needed to talk to maddie more than anything right now. he spent all of his afternoon classes not paying attention and just staring at the clock. time went by so slowly it was such a relief when he got out.

he looked around for maddie, but he couldn't find her. eventually, there she was, standing at her locker. she was in the middle of putting things away when he came up to her.

"hey maddie," he greeted her. she smiled at him, which he adored.

"hey joey," she replied as she grabbed her bag. she shut her locker and then turned to face him. he couldn't stop thinking about how pretty she looked, which he never really thought about until now. "what's up?"

the vanessa talk could wait, he had an idea. "i know someone who likes you."

"is it lucas? because yeah, you already told me," she laughed. joey shook his head, which caused her to raise an eyebrow. she then started thinking of who could possibly like her. was it greg?

"nope," joey said, on the verge of laughing.

"then who?" maddie asked him curiously. she needed to know, but then she realized how he felt when she was talking to him about vanessa liking him.

"i was sworn not to tell," he mocked her, and then she rolled her eyes playfully. "but this guy thinks you're the cutest girl to ever exist. he likes how funny you are, how kind, and just everything about you."

they made eye contact while he was telling her. her heart was beating fast, and she couldn't control it. it was pounding in her chest, she could hear it.

"that's sweet," maddie could barely talk.

what is going on with me? she was so confused, she couldn't even explain her feelings to herself.

"yeah, it is," joey replied. "would you date this person if you found out who it was?"

maddie thought about it for a moment. "maybe, just maybe."

for the first time ever, she was nervous around him. this is different, really strange. maddie couldn't control her thoughts. calm down, joey isn't saying these things about you. some random guy is. and somehow and someway, she wished it was joey saying these things about her, and not this mystery guy.

"but also, i like this one girl," joey mentioned. maddie raised an eyebrow.

"really! who?" maddie was eager to know.

"not saying!" joey laughed about it. "but i can't get her off of my mind, no matter how hard i try."

maddie felt upset for some reason, but a part of her felt like it was her he was talking about. shut up maddie! it's definitely not you.

"that's sweet," maddie tried smiling. "but why can't you tell me?"

"why do you think?"

"good point," laughed maddie. maddie just wanted to know the girl he liked, and the guy who liked her.

"well i better go now," joey announced. "don't forget how this guy feels about you, remember!"

maddie smiled. "i won't, at least i'll try not to."

she didn't really care who liked her, she just wanted to know who he liked. that was all she cared about.

joey grinned at her and then started backing away. "bye maddie," he said, then turned around, and walked away. soon, he disappeared in the crowd full of kids trying to go home.

what the hell just happened? maddie asked herself. she was feeling some type of way, toward joey. she shouldn't feel that way, she couldn't feel that way. what is going on with me?

then she remembered vanessa and the plan, and she automatically hated herself for even thinking of joey.

she was lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize the boy standing in front of her. greg marks.

"earth to maddie?" greg snapped his fingers, and snapped her back into reality. "good, so, i heard the conversation."

"you hear every conversation!" maddie practically yelled.

"okay true, but that's not the point i'm trying to get at," greg laughed, confusing maddie. "so, you know i'm joey's friend, right?"

"no, i didn't know that."

"sarcasm, i get it." greg leaned against the lockers. "but what if i told you that i knew who he liked?"

"you know! really?" maddie questioned, excited that she just might found out from troublemaker marks.

greg nodded vigorously. "it's vanessa obviously."

maddie was shocked to hear that, what the heck? she was supposed to be happy, her plan was going to work. yet she couldn't help but feel sad knowing that joey liked another girl, that wasn't her.

seriously maddie! stop it! so many thoughts ran through her head and she couldn't stop them.

"really?" maddie barely could talk, it was almost like she was sad. but she couldn't feel sad! she could finally matchmake and go through with her plan. she internally sighed when greg answered her.

"yeah, he's in love with her," greg said. "he can't stop talking about her. vanessa is all joey thinks about."

"but i thought he thought she was annoying and obsessive?" maddie asked, almost at loss for words.

"no, no," greg responded. "he just uses that as a cover up. you know, like, playing hard to get?"

"oh yeah." maddie looked down at the floor. "i understand."

greg grinned, not actually but in his thoughts. "and the guy that likes you-"

"watch it be lucas."

"no, actually, i think it's charles," greg explained. "but i'll see you around maddie!"

"charles?!" maddie was shocked. what is my life coming to?

pretty soon, greg was gone and no where in sight. maddie walked to the exit of the school. she was so caught up in the conversations, she hardly realized that it was just her in the hallways.

she couldn't stop thinking about joey, and she felt so guilty for it. but what was she going to do about it?

he liked vanessa, and she was supposed to be happy about it.

yet she just couldn't, no matter how hard she tried.

a/n

this chapter is wild! but i also loveeeee greg he's so cool. HAHA BYE LEAVE A VOTE AND COMMENT PLEASE