3

Charlotte -

The week passed faster than I imagined, in the week I approached to talk to the literature teacher and told him that for the moment I did not want to participate because I was still not sure how much this would mean for me in my last weeks of high school, since in enough of one thing so that the little I have left here became a hell. Fortunately he agreed, but he told me that this could define a lot about a recommendation for college, so he repeated to me that I considered it, not for him, but for my future, which is something I do care about. In addition to that, I stayed with the number one, two, three, four and five guys where we would go out to that express date at Jhonny's Cafe, taking advantage of killing two birds with one stone, going to the college boys' event and getting rid of these desperate ones.

Without further ao, the weekend arrived.

I met with Mara and Abby at Jhonny's Cafe before the event started, that for this, they were already aware of my plan to get rid of those guys and would help me by controlling the time so that I would throw them away as quickly as possible.

- Well... so, you know what to do, right? - I asked them to make sure they had understood everything.

- Yes! - said in unison.

- Perfect - I mentioned.

- Girls, I want to tell you something... - Abby commented.

- What happened? - mara and I asked.

- It's that... - Abby said when she was suddenly interrupted by those who least expected me.

- Hi Charlotte! - five boys said they were coming in our direction.

I turned to see them and as soon as I saw them, I looked out to my friends to save me, but they were shocked to see them.

- Char... are these the guys you have a date with? - they asked in whisper with a tone of disgust.

- If... I know, I know, I ruined it, but Tayler was there, I couldn't refuse... - I whispered in a tone of regret.

- Well... - mara sighed - everyone makes mistakes, right? - she asked.

- Yes, I just committed five in a single instant... - I said with regret.

I straightened myself, put on my best face and turned around to greet them.

- Hey guys! I didn't expect them so punctual - I said with surprise and a hypocritical smile.

- We were going to come earlier, but we didn't want to seem desperate - commented number four.

What sincerity! Thought.

- Well..., let's go to that table - I pointed them to accompany me.

Luckily the girls and I had already booked a table with Jhonny, as he has known us since we were girls and did us the favor.

Without further ao, the express appointments began.

Boy number one: I was just talking about Star Wars, I didn't pay attention to it at all, that kind of movie doesn't interest me, and the conversation was becoming one-sided every time, which made me wonder that if that's how we started with the first one, I didn't even want to imagine what the others would be like, that terrified me.

- Time is up - Mara said giving me a wink, saving me from this torture continuing, so surely time wasn't over yet.

- Well, let's go with number two - I said rushing things.

By this time the college kids were fixing the microphones on stage, I wonder what this event will be about...

I rested my face on my hand, as my spleen was leaning against the table.

Boy number two: this one wasn't talking about Star Wars, he was talking about Star Trek, GREAT!, another fan of this type of movie... I let him speak as he nodded without having the slightest idea of what he was saying and looking anywhere.

I ordered a drink.

- That's all friend - cut off the one-sided conversation, Abby, with a neutral expression.

wow! This must have been totally boring enough for Abby to put on that face, I thought.

- Number three, your turn - I said pointing it out.

I sianed.

Boy number three: Going back to the future was all that came out of his mouth, that he wanted a skateboard that floated and a thousand other things that I didn't pay even the slightest attention to, don't these guys know about other kinds of movies?

I rolled my eyes to look the other way and let him keep talking, until my gaze was focused on someone who was fixing some things with the university and it seemed familiar to me but couldn't recognize... i swear I've seen that back somewhere else, I'll try to see his face but...

My thoughts were interrupted by Mara's voice saying that time was up.

I sianed at how exhausting this was for me.

- Number four, you go on - I said reluctantly.

I swear this was becoming an eternity and the event was about to start, I didn't want to have to miss anything because of these guys, Agh! At a bad time I accepted this.

Boy number four: Transformers was their theme to choose, have they never had a date?, did they split the only movies they knew to be able to talk to me?, why don't they tell me anything else?, I swear that at this point I already wanted to hang each of them, the idea did not displease me, I was already imagining it , and I think it would be the only good feeling they would cause in me in their entire life...

- Ok... I think this is enough guys, they should go - mara said, expressing her dissatisfaction with all this. I couldn't help but be surprised by his reaction.

- What do you mean? - asked boy number four.

- Yes, what do you mean? - the others asked.

- Don't you see his face? - abby asked with obviousness - she's getting bored, they don't have interesting topics to talk about, all they mention are movies that to be honest, are boring - she finished with severity.

I bowed my head at the shame I had about hanging out with them.

- If you don't make an effort and don't let the other person talk, it's not a date - commented a female voice that made itself known to me.

I couldn't help but look up and to my surprise, there she was... the cutest being I've ever seen in my life, Madison... I felt like I was smiling...

- Mads, you came! - abby said, taking small jumps to hug her older sister.

I was still surprised to see that I was back in town... why didn't I find out about this?

- Hello Mads - greeted Mara with a smile and hugged her.

- Hi girls, I missed you - Madison said with a huge smile.

- Aren't you going to say hello to me? - she asked me.

- Huh? Ho... hello... - I said embarrassed as I reached out of my seat to give her a kiss on the cheek.

- Hello... - she greeted me with the beautiful smile that characterizes her - are you bothered? - she asked me about the five boys who were there surprised to see her, since Mads was one of the most popular girls in school, there was no boy or girl who was not in love with her.

- N... no, no, in fact we were already leaving - they mentioned four of them.

I smiled with relief but...

- I'm not leaving, I'm missing my appointment - said boy number five.

- Well... I think that won't happen, she's with me now - Madison said staring at boy number five - but if you want, you and your friends can stay to see what a real date is - she said challenging him.

- I demand my date with Charlotte - said sternly boy number five.

- Didn't you understand that she's with me? - Mads was enraged to see how she was being provoked - Well, I'll show you that she is with me - she said with annoyance, since she knew I shouldn't prove anything to anyone.

At that moment I felt Madison pass his hand behind my back, holding me by the waist and sticking to his body, I couldn't help but blush and we looked at each other at the same time and I could see the smile that formed on his face from the fact that he had me so close.

I felt like all the memories with her kissing us last year passed before my eyes, as I used to hold my waist the same way I was doing now, as she looked at me every time our sights had contact...

Madison held my chin to bring our faces closer together and I could feel my heart speed up because we had never done this in public, let alone my friends knew, not to mention that we hadn't spoken for a year... suddenly we were interrupted.

- Good! I already understood - said boy number five with everything of defeat.

- Then go - I answer Madison in a dry and distant tone.

The five boys were finally gone.

I separated from Madison causing her to look at me without understanding why she was doing that, but I can't be around her after all, I still feel things for her, but I found out she had a girlfriend in college, or something like that abby had mentioned to us a long time ago.

- Why did you do that Mads? You almost kissed Char! - he claimed Abby from her older sister, tapping her on the shoulder.

- She couldn't let them keep bothering her - Madison said in her defense, as she laughed.

I was still stunned.

- What... What are you doing here? - I couldn't help but ask her with curiosity and surprise to see her again.

Madison turns to see me.

- I came for the event being organized by those of my faculty - he replied with a smile.

By this time, I hadn't realized that the event had already started. They were reading some excerpts from books that I had read before or that Madison had read to me last year in our many quotes.

(Narrates a girl)

"Hope" is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I've heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

- Emily Dickinson. - concluded the girl with her interpretation.

I was immersed in the poem, I remember it's one of the ones Madison read to me a long time ago, when we had only kissed for the first time. I remember we were in the gras of some forest we used to go to to get away from school and she would sit down so I could lie on her lap to sleep while she read to me, that day was like any other back then, but now that I remember Madison's interpretation of the poem makes my body shudge when I hear the poem.

Madison said that Emily Dickinson with this poem did nothing but express her feeling of hope, that she wished, longed and hoped that what she craved could be realized, but that in turn she felt doubt and lack of something. Remembering this made my heart sing and look at Madison.

I sipped in a sign that I understood what that poem conveyed and Madison turned to see me and I could see that I had red eyes as if he were stopping to cry, I could not help but surprise myself and bend my head, because I felt the pain in his eyes, the pain that ours never happened formally , that we had both ruined the opportunity we had because of our insecurities, and that as much as we wanted this to be a thing of the past, it is something that haunts us to this day.

The event continued as normal. I, however, tried at all costs to avoid contact with Madison, when suddenly Mara and Abby approach me surprisingly from behind.

- Hey! - they said in unison with a drunken smile.

- What happens? . I asked with a smile.

- You see... - mara began by saying - we've been thinking about it and we think we know why you don't do well with the guys - she said.

- So what do you think? - I asked incredulously.

- We think you're in love with a woman... or at least we think you should try to date one - Abby replied this time.

- Oh yes? - I asked mocking them.

- Yes, it's more, I think you should go out with my sister... I think she's liked it for a long time and that would make her really happy - Abby confessed in her drunken state.

I couldn't help but be astonished at that confession made by my great friend who was in a complete state of drunkenness; Could it be that Madison told Abby that she liked her? Why did she never tell me?

I looked at Madison who was on the other side of the Café.