Bittersweet

Chapter Twelve

Maddy couldn't believe it. The Kyle O'Brien was Ellie's boyfriend. In a way, Maddy was disappointed. She had a bit of an interest in Kyle. But, of course, the world is a crazy place, and you'll never know what will happen.

After introductions and all that stuff (Maddy and Kyle acted like they were meeting for the first time and Kyle and Jake had a little bit of tension), they all walked upstairs, carrying some gifts. Maddy unlocked the door to her penthouse and opened the it.

"Do you guys need some help?" Maddy's dad asked.

"No, I think we're fine, Mr. Lakowski," Jake said as he closed the door.

They all went to the tree and dumped the gifts onto the ground carefully. Maddy sat on the floor by her dad's feet. Ellie and Kyle sat on the love seat beside the couch. Jake sat right beside Maddy, but leaving enough room between them so her dad didn't think anything was going on.

As they all settled into watching 'A Christmas Story', Maddy's dad paused the T.V. and started up a little conversation.

"So, Jake, I've heard a lot about you," he said.

Jake looked at Ed, surprised. He said "Oh, really?" He raised an eyebrow at Maddy.

"Yes. You're playing Fiyero, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very nice."

"Very nice, indeed."

Maddy's dad looked at Kyle and asked politely "Who are you?"

"I'm Ellie's boyfriend, sir," he responded.

"Ah, okay."

After a few seconds of sitting there uncomfortably, Maddy couldn't stand it. She got up and went to her room, inviting along Ellie, Kyle, and Jake.

They all crowded around her bed, Jake sitting in her bean bag.

"So, I've been thinking about having a New Years party. What do you think?" Maddy asked.

"I think that would be a great idea," Ellie said.

"We can all invite some friends. Ellie, invite yours, Jake yours, Kyle," Maddy stuttered out his name, "You can invite some of your friends, as well."

"Hey, we should invite people from Wicked," Jake said.

"That's a perfect idea. At least we'll get to know some people."

"This is going to be a lot of fun!" Ellie squealed.

Maddy smiled. Kyle said "Yeah, sounds like fun. Um, Maddy? Do you think you could I get something to drink? I'm kinda parched."

Maddy nodded and said "Of course! Come with me."

Maddy got off her bed and went to the kitchen with Kyle in tow.

"What would like? We have tea, hot chocolate, water. Whatever you would like," Maddy said.

"I'll just have a water."

Maddy got out a cup from the pantry then she went to the fridge. As she filled the cup up with water, Madd said "So, you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend... and Ellie of all people."

"Well, we're not exactly best friends, are we? I shouldn't have to tell you."

Maddy's eyebrows rose. She glanced up to see a hard look on his face. Maddy shook her head and gave the drink to him. She hadn't seen that kind of side from him. At work, he always seemed nice enough. Maybe he had a dark side. His tone almost made Maddy dump the whole thing of water on him.

They walked back to her room. When they came into the bedroom, they saw Jake and Ellie talking. They both looked up and smiled.

Maddy went and sat by Jake. She avoided looking at Kyle again for the whole night. Finally, at around nine, Ellie and Kyle decided to leave. They said their goodbyes and they left. The interaction between Kyle and Maddy was short. They only said what they had to.

Maddy sighed in relief as they left. Jake stood by he door looking at her strangely.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Maddy asked.

"Oh, no. Um, I have to go, too," Jake said.

"Okay, then. Well, I guess I'll see you at the New Years party."

"Yeah, okay."

Jake grabbed his coat and beanie. He walked up to Maddy and gave her a hug. He whispered "Merry Christmas, Maddy," then walked out of the penthouse.

Maddy shivered when he left. The way he said her name...

Maddy went back to her room, a little dazed. To clear out her head, she went to the bathroom and rinsed off her face.

Maddy hadn't heard anyone say her name like that. It was kind of wierd, but she...liked it, oddly enough. She felt like someone actually...pays attention. For most of her life, she had been considered the odd one out, the nerd, the freak. After coming to New York, though, all of that vanished. She had people love her for who she was. And having Jake be there was nice.