Page 13 of Charm on the Rocks
Madison walked out of the hallway and managed to squeeze her way through the crowd. Even though security was currently ushering out the determined journalists, photographers, and cameramen, they were shouting out questions, sticking out microphones to whomever they encountered, and resisted the mandated exit as much as possible. She managed to squeeze into the female locker room without being noticed, and found the majority of her team positioned in a semi-circle in front of Lara.
“Okay,” Lara said in a quiet voice and then marked something on the clipboard she carried with her. “Just waiting for two more...”
Madison furrowed her brow as she went over to stand next to Amanda. “What’s going on?” she whispered. “I mean, I know what’s going on out there but what’s going on in here? Why aren’t we changing?”
Amanda shrugged. “Honestly, I have no clue,” she replied. “Obviously this whole Brandon Thorpe thing has sent everybody into a tizzy, so Lara’s probably going to make some kind of announcement.” She looked around and then, in an even lower whisper, said, “This is going to sound silly, but...” She swallowed. “Is it just me or do you feel intimidated? Like something bad might actually happen. I don’t mean someone’s going to kill me, but with all these people protesting, and with how crazy the press is getting, and this whole Brandon Thorpe thing, I just feel... Kind of scared.”
Madison paused, unsure of how to proceed. It wasn’t until Amanda had mentioned it that she realized something like getting injured – whether it was on purpose or accidental – was an actual possibility, and she didn’t know how she felt about it. Sure, she remembered seeing people react to the news of Kobe Bryant’s alleged rape trial on the news, but South Haven, Michigan didn’t really produce Lakers fans and she thought that maybe people were blowing things out of proportion on both sides. To be honest, she didn’t actually think people reacted like that in real life.
But this was as real as real could get. This was her life. And there was a very good possibility that a riot could break out.
“Nothing’s going to happen,” she managed to say, wrapping her arm around Amanda’s shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. “Yeah, things are pretty crazy right now but it’ll be all right. We’re not going to get hurt or injured or anything, except maybe the occasional bump. Okay?”
Amanda nodded, but it took a moment before she was able to say, “Distract me.”
Madison thought for a minute. What would adequately distract Amanda from worrying her pretty, Orange County-bred mind from getting bruised by a rather rambunctious crowd? And then it came to her, as fast as lightning striking metal.
“I had social psychology today and you know what that means...” Madison tried to raise her eyebrows suggestively but from the way Amanda was now laughing at her, she felt that perhaps she looked constipated instead. “Brady. And he sat down next to me. Again.”
“Oooh!” Amanda exclaimed. It was like flipping a light switch; she completely forgot that she was scared and her entire face beamed.
Boys. Amanda’s trigger was boys. Madison wasn’t all that surprised.
“Dish!” she continued.
“First, tell me why we aren’t changing right now,” Madison asked, looking around. Sure enough, the other Girls were still in their street clothes, confused stares touching their faces as though they, too, had no idea what was going on.
“Lara wants everyone here before she makes some kind of announcement,” Amanda replied. “Probably about Brandon Thorpe. And then we’ll change. I think we’re waiting for two more Girls. Anyway, who cares about the right now? Tell me what went on with Brady.”
In all honesty, there was really nothing to tell. The two students had just shared a conversation about criminal trials and how Madison was certain that good looking defendants got acquitted than defendants that were unattractive. But Brady pointed out that looks only helped out when sentencing came around – the good looking person got a lighter sentence compared to the ugly one. In fact, sometimes good looks actually hurt defendants because jurors assumed the defendants were just taking advantage of their looks.
As Madison continued, she realized that maybe Amanda wouldn’t get it. Because it wasn’t the actual subject of the conversation that mattered, but the fact that they conversed in the first place. That Brady thought she was smart enough to talk to her about something other people might not understand. It was the way he looked at her with those odd, beige colored eyes, how they lit up when they talked about something he so obviously loved. The way his lips curved into a smile. The way his gentle freckles outlined the definition in his face. The way his hands moved more animated the deeper he got into the subject.
But Amanda seemed to understand that because she asked Madison to describe how he looked at her and how he pronounced certain words.
It was a win-win situation because Madison was allowed to gush like a fool and Amanda was distracted from the current situation they were in. It felt good to feel ridiculous instead of being the serious oldest sister who prioritized school and work over boys.
“So do you think he’s going to ask you out?” Amanda asked once Madison was finished.
The brunette shrugged. “I don’t know,” she answered, and she hated that she sounded so worried about it. “I mean, I feel that we have something between us, but maybe he doesn’t feel the same way, you know?”
“Would you ever ask him out?”
“No!” She shook her head as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m independent and everything, but I still think a guy should ask a girl out.”
“Good for you. I totally agree.” She paused, twirling a red lock around her finger. “So, okay, question: do you think Brandon Thorpe would get convicted or acquitted. Going back to the conversation you had with Brady. In terms of Thorpe’s looks.”
Madison chuckled. “He didn’t do it, though,” she pointed out.
“Oh, and every person who goes on trial is guilty?” Amanda asked, raising a questioning brow. “Come on. If I was on a jury, I’d totally let him go free. He’s pretty cute, right? Not in the obvious way or anything like that, but he has that whole brooding thing down as well as Bruce Wayne. And we all know how hot Bruce Wayne is.”
“Oh my God,” Madison said, shaking her head.
“Hello!” Now it was Amanda who sounded obvious. “It would be the perfect discussion for you to have with Brady. You’d be applying the knowledge he gave you to current events. God, I’m a fucking genius.” Faye’s head snapped in Amanda’s direction – though Lara Stinson didn’t seem to have heard – about to say something when Amanda said to the captain, “We’re not in uniform.”
Faye closed her mouth and turned back around, but the look on her face said that she was not happy.
“Good one,” Madison whispered, nudging the red head with her shoulder.