Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty

Madison and I stood in front of the empty couch and looked at each other. It was all foreign territory for me. I’d never had a girlfriend or flirted with a girl before and I had no idea what my brothers were trying to do. I’d made my position clear, but they clearly didn’t care.

“We think Madison should decide,” Sloan said, surprising me again.

“Oh boy, chick flicks,” Castiel muttered.

“Hey, don’t just assume because I’m a girl that’s all I watch,” Madison said as she kicked off her shoes and settled down on the couch.

“Oh, let’s see what you come up with then,” Miles said teasingly.

“Let’s do a marathon with The Fast and the Furious, I love cars,” Madison said.

“Sounds good,” Castiel said as he searched through the movies and selected the first one.

“You can put your feet on the couch,” I said as we all kicked off our shoes and got comfortable.

“Thanks, I didn’t want to just assume,” she said and earned chuckles from everyone.

Halfway through the first movie Alexander left for the day, like he always did on Saturdays and left us to our own devices. We usually watched movies the whole day, dozing on the couches and eating junk food. It was the one day we could basically cheat.

“So, what’s up with the insane exercise regime on a Saturday?” Madison asked when the first movie was over.

“We like to keep fit,” Castiel said, earning looks from everyone. Miles and Endri burst out laughing and Miles just shook his head.

“Yeah, fine, but Kage was doing so much more than the rest of you,” she said.

“He needs to be in top physical condition if he’s going to make the team,” Sloan said.

“What team?” she asked.

“Kage plays hockey, and has already met with the Coach too,” Castiel said.

“Really, hockey?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?” I asked her. “And exactly how long were you watching us?”

“I figured you’d probably be a football jock,” she said, and we all started laughing. “I hadn’t been watching that long.”

“Sorry, I’m not your type,” I said as she smiled at me.

“Who said I was interested in you?” she asked, and Sloan laughed the loudest.

“Let’s just start the second movie,” I said. I already knew she was going to like making me look like an idiot.

“I like hockey, if you make the team, I’ll come watch one of your games,” she said.

“Ooh Kage found himself a cheerleader,” Endri said, half-singing the words.

“Idiot,” I said as Madison laughed at him.

At one point a pillow hit me in the face and I opened my eyes to see the guys all staring at us with huge smiles on their faces. I was half lying with my feet on the ottoman and Madison had somehow made her way from the other side and fell asleep on my lap.

“She likes you,” Castiel said.

“No, she doesn’t,” I said.

“You’ll have to be more specific; she could like him like we like breakfast, or she could like him like Dom and Lettie like each other or she could like him like a cow likes the slaughterhouse,” Endri said.

“So, Kage, are you and Madison the new power couple of Jamestown High?” Sloan asked.

“You’re an idiot,” I said to him as he laughed.

“Was that a blush, Mr. Hawthorne?” Sloan asked. I chuckled again, this was a new Madison I was seeing, and I thought that perhaps Alexander had been right. She seemed different here than at school and I thought maybe I could like her.

“Just play the movie and leave me alone. I’m tired,” I said and closed my eyes again.

“This is going to get interesting,” Miles said.

“It’ll only be interesting if she favors Kage over Josh on Monday,” Castiel said.

“Yeah, but I mean, it’s an easy choice between Kage and Josh,” Miles said.

“He’s got that pretty boy thing going for him,” Endri said, and they all laughed.

“Can you guys stop?” I asked.

“Go back to sleep, pudgy,” Sloan said.

“Why pudgy?” Miles asked.

“Why not, nerd?” Sloan asked.

“Nerd’s getting old, emo boy, shouldn’t you be in a corner somewhere?” Miles asked him.

“Emo boy’s getting a bit old too, geek,” Sloan replied.

I shook my head as I looked at them. “You’re both idiots. No wonder everyone here thinks we’re delinquents.”

“Oh, we’re delinquents alright and I see how some might think you’re already twenty years old but how the hell do they think we’ve all been in juvie and working here as community service when we clearly drive bikes worth more than some of their houses,” Castiel said.

“Maybe it’s because Miles likes the big girls, Kage doesn’t like girls or boys, Endri sketches everything that moves and you walk around with your girly hands in the air,” Sloan said, and we laughed again.

“Shut up, you guys will wake her,” Miles hissed.

“I don’t have girly hands,” Castiel said and glared at Sloan.

“So, you’re saying that because we keep to ourselves and do the things we love, we’re from juvie? I mean, Kage looks like he could be in juvie, he has that mean, don’t mess with me look going on over there, but me? I could pass for fourteen and innocent,” Miles said.

“No innocent fourteen-year-old likes big girls and talks about getting head from them,” Endri said.

I had no idea how the conversation had taken that turn and Miles blushed and lowered his face to his knees. None of them had any experience with girls and I wasn’t about to say anything either, my experience hadn’t been consenting, but I still had it. I knew what it felt like and what happened behind closed doors. I’d gotten head and I’d given it, I’d had sex too, lots of sex but I’d never tell them, and at times like this, I wished I was as innocent as they were.