Remember

Chapter 3

The car ride was silent since your radio wouldn't work properly. As you followed Madison, you noticed her license plate on her old Pontiac: 43VRFUN. You laughed a little and had another flashback:
The ground was slightly damp as you and Madison jumped through the sprinkler in your back yard. The water felt cool against your skin, compared to the blistering summer heat, it was pure bliss. Your mom was standing at the back door, smiling at the two little girls playing around in the water.
Your laughter ceased at the memory of your mother. She was beautiful when she smiled, but after the incident at Bambino's, she hasn't fully smiled since. You thought about how she was doing with your stepfather, a rich playboy who just so happened to own a chain of fancy restaurants. Sure, your mom laughed and smiled, but it wasn't the same smile or laugh when your father was around. He was your mother's heart and soul. The red lights in front of you made you quickly snap back to driving and realized you made it to her house. It was a quaint home, with flower beds lining the dainty white porch, which stood out against the dark grey walls. The sunset burned against the orange toned sky. The orange was dusted with pink and blue, almost like a painting.
"Are you gonna stay in your car all night?" Madison spoke, slightly muffled by the closed window. You shook your head and got out of the car.
"On the way down here I called the boys and asked them if they'd be willing to meet us here tomorrow morning!" She spoke with such enthusiasm it made you sick.
"Ok, let me grab my stuff, I'm kind of tired," you said, turning to the backseat.
"Let me help!" She said cheerily, heading to the other side of the car. No matter how hard you tried, you still couldn't figure out why she could stay so happy all the time. You grabbed your pillow, blanket, and one of your duffel bags.
"Jeez what did you put in here? Bricks?" She questioned, concerned with the weight of the other duffel bag you brought.
"It's just my electronics," you stated, "my laptop, camera, and my personal favorite, my gameboy,"
"You still play on that thing? It's like what, twenty years old?" She exclaimed.
"No, its twenty years young," you spoke with dignity. She laughed as you two both entered the house, leaving the feeling of worry behind. After a few seconds, a strange feeling of guilt came over you, but you shook it off. When you enter her home, the living room, illuminated by the fancy lamp in the corner, made you drop your bags.
"What's wrong?" Madison asked, looking at you.
"When did you become rich?" You asked, grabbing a plush throw pillow off the couch and feeling it.
"Oh I inherited it from my late grandmother. Apparently she was rich the entire time but hid it from the world," she spoke, placing your heavy bag gently on the floor by the large staircase. You shrugged, kicking off your shoes by the door and grabbing your bags.
"Where can I sleep?" You ask, hoping you weren't going to be alone, but also hoping you were.
"You can sleep with me!" She said with enthusiasm. Walking up the stairs, you thought about your old slumber parties. The door to her room opened and she flicked on the lights.
"Sorry about the mess," she said, picking up a few pieces of clothes. She must've been joking, her room was spotless. Everything was dust free and almost looked preserved.
"Are you sure you want me to sleep with you?" You spoke, regretting the step you took into her room.
"Yeah it's no problem, I sleep in a king sized bed all by myself, it gets lonely sometimes," she trailed off at the end. You pulled out your tattered plaid pajama pants and your torn purple quarter sleeve shirt from one of your duffel bags.
"What the heck happened to your pajamas?" She asked, grabbing the shirt from your hands.
"It was just a branch, I got lost last night and that's how I ended up at the bakery," you said nonchalantly.
"Well can't you get a new pair?" She questioned.
"They're my favorite," you commented, looking down at the tattered plaid pants.
"You do know we have matching pajamas," she said, pulling out the same pair, almost just as old as yours.
"So you did keep them!" You exclaimed, grabbing the newish pair out of her hands.
"Of course, I always thought you'd come back eventually. Sorry if they're a bit small," she said. Of course, you were built way different than the girl in front of you. The pajama pants were a little short and the shirt was tighter than before but you could move in them.
"See?" She spoke confidently, " they're small but still the same pajamas!" You smiled as genuine as ever.
"Thank you so much!" You said, giving her a warm hug.
"No problem, really!" She slurred as a yawn approached mid-sentence. You both climbed into the comfy king sized bed and drifted off to sleep.