Behind Her Smile (9 page)

“What’s going on?” Michelle asked. “You’ve known all along that we needed to meet any guys you were going to date. Why is it upsetting you so much tonight?”

Madison tried not to cry, but one stray tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She wiped it off with the back of her hand and turned away from her mother, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “I finally find a guy who actually noticed me and wants to take me out, and now it’ll probably never happen because of this stupid rule. What guy is going to want to go through some approval process just to take me to the football game?”

“A guy who’s worth it,” Michelle replied gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Madison pulled away, knowing that her mother’s touch could set off a torrent of tears. “Yeah. Well, we’ll see about that,” she replied under her breath.

Things were silent for a moment, and then she heard the kitchen door swing and her father’s voice ask, “Everything okay in here?”

Michelle nodded.

Steve placed some plates on the counter. “Okay, I’ll be in my study if you need me. I’ve got to finish that brief for tomorrow.”

After he’d walked out, Madison said, “Maybe I’ll just go to the game with some friends that you know. I think Lucy might be going.”

“What about your date? Why don’t you give us a chance? We’re not going to give him the third degree, Madison. We just want to meet him first and talk to him for a few minutes before we let you drive off with him.” She paused and then asked, “What’s his name?”

“Miles.”

“All you have to do is invite Miles in when he comes to pick you up. Let your dad and me talk to him for five minutes. I’m sure he’ll be fine with that, and it will give us a chance to be fine with him, too.”

“And if you’re not?”

“Fine with him?”

“Yeah.”

Her mother studied her face. “Then you can’t go.”

“Oh, great,” Madison replied sarcastically. “You’ll just tell him to go away?”

Michelle sighed. “What do you want me to say? That we’ll let you go with him even if we have a bad feeling about him? Is that what you think you’d do if you were the parent?”

“I think I’d trust my own daughter to know if someone was okay or not,” she said, immediately regretting her tone but not the message of her words.

“It’s not that we don’t trust
you
, Madison. It’s
him
we don’t know about. Your dad and I have been around a lot longer than you. We’ve had more experiences with people and judging character.”

“Doesn’t the Bible say not to judge?”

Her mother shook her head, looking exasperated. “God has put your father and me over you as your parents. Part of that is to protect you. That means we need to use our discernment to help us judge the character of someone you will be dating.”

Madison turned away and started rinsing the dishes.

“I hope you’ll give us a chance with Miles,” her mother said.

She just shrugged.
So much for dating,
she thought to herself. There was no way she could ask Miles to get her parents stamp of approval, and it didn’t look like there was any other way to go out with him. Unless… Her mind began searching for another way. Maybe this could work after all.

“What do you think, Steve? Are we being too old-fashioned?” Michelle asked, second-guessing herself as she felt her closeness with Madison slipping away.

“You’re kidding, right? Think of all the stories you’ve told me about your students. And don’t forget Amber,” Steve added, referring to the biological mother of their adopted son, who’d gotten pregnant in the eighth grade while a student in Michelle’s English class.

Michelle sighed. “I know. I just feel like we are losing our daughter. She and I used to be such pals. Now it seems like we are constant adversaries.”

Steve nodded and pulled her close. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he replied, “Yeah. Guess we should be thankful we’ve made it this far without more confrontations.” He gave her a little squeeze and then released his hold on her. “Madison will find her bearings, honey. We just need to hold the line and give her time.”

She knew he was right, but suddenly images of Madison and Luke listening to music on his iPod together, talking and laughing and holding hands all flashed through her mind. She needed to get over this whole notion of Madison and Luke being together.
God, You know Your plans for Maddie. Help me trust You to bring them to pass.

“Are we still on for tonight?” Miles asked before the bell rang to begin history class.

Madison felt her heart pounding. “Yeah.”

Their teacher approached the podium and began flipping through his roll sheets.

Madison scribbled Lucy’s address on the corner of a piece of notebook paper and tore it out. “This is where you’ll be picking me up. Turns out I’ll be at a friend’s house after school for a while.”

He took the paper and nodded, shoving it into his pocket. “See you at six-thirty,” he said as the bell rang.

Madison couldn’t concentrate on the rest of the class. She was thinking through her plan, and what she’d say to Lucy. She could have just told Miles she’d meet him at the game, but the idea of him picking her up made it more of an official date. It just wouldn’t work to have their first date start with a parental inspection.

“So what do you think, Madison?” the teacher’s voice broke into her thoughts. She could feel her face turning bright red as students turned to look at her.

“Uh, could you repeat the question please?” She fumbled through her notebook and pulled out the discussion sheet for the lecture. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Miles laughing quietly to himself.
Great. Now he thinks I’m a fool.

A couple of other students raised their hands, and the teacher moved on to their responses. She noticed the girl next to Miles glance over at him after she gave her answer. He smiled and flashed her a thumbs up. Grinning back at him, she glanced over her shoulder at Madison, flashing a smile at her, too. Madison noticed her short skirt and long, thin legs. Miles seemed to be checking her out, too.

I need to run more, Madison thought. Maybe I can start doubling up on weekends.

When the bell rang, Madison collected her books and headed toward the door. She noticed the same girl flirting with Miles as they walked side-by-side. Filtering into the hall, Miles turned and gave Madison his heart-melting smile. “See you at six-thirty,” he said with a wink. And her world was good again.

Thankfully, Madison had no problem finding Lucy at lunch break. “Is that all you’re eating?” her friend asked, gesturing to Madison’s apple.

“Yeah. I had a big dinner last night.”

Lucy shook her head. “You worry me sometimes.”

Brushing aside her comment, Madison ventured, “I have a favor to ask.”

“Okay. What?”

“I was wondering if Miles could pick me up at your house tonight for the game.”

“Why?”

“Because my parents won’t be home, and they don’t want Miles to know the house will be empty.” Madison hoped her voice sounded matter-of-fact and convincing. She wasn’t used to lying to her friend.

“Okay. I’m sure that will be fine.”

Relief mingled with a sense of guilt, which she promptly brushed aside. “Great! I’ll tell my parents.” In actuality, she’d just tell them Miles broke their date, and she was going with Lucy instead. That would take care of everything. Then she’d just need to make sure her parents didn’t see Miles drop her off. She’d figure that out when the time came. For now, she knew she could go out without being embarrassed by her parents interrogating Miles.

When her mom got home from work, Madison approached her about the evening. “How was school?” she asked, hoping to make small talk first to get her mother off guard.

“It was fine. The kids were taking a test today, so it was pretty uneventful.”

“No cheaters using their cell phones to text answers?” Madison asked, remembering a recent account her mother had shared about two girls sending each other answers on their phones.

“Nope. I collect all the phones now before the tests.”

“Junior high,” Madison replied knowingly.

Her mother smiled at her. “So tonight’s the big date,” she said. “What time is Miles picking you up?”

“Actually, the date’s off. He wasn’t feeling well at school, so he cancelled.” Madison felt the knot in her stomach tighten.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, honey.” Her mother’s sympathetic expression didn’t help the guilt building inside Madison.

“It’s no big deal. I’m going to the game, anyway,” she replied. “Can you drop me at Lucy’s around six? We’re going with some of her friends.”

“Sure. No problem. What about dinner? Are you eating here or at the game?”

“At the game.” Madison was determined not to eat much dinner. With her stomach in such a knot, she might as well take advantage of her loss of appetite.

“Okay. I think I’ll order pizza for the rest of us, then, and I can pick it up on the way home from dropping you off.”

“Cool. Caleb will be happy about that,” Madison replied.

“Yeah. Your brother could eat pizza every night and never get tired of it.”

Impulsively, Madison reached out and hugged her mother. “You’re a great mom,” she said.

“Thanks! You’re pretty great, yourself,” her mother replied with a smile.

Madison put on her snuggest fitting jeans and a crewneck sweater, stuffing her off-the-shoulder top into her backpack before she grabbed her jacket. “Let’s go, Mom,” she called out as she hurried down the stairs.

Her mother came out of the kitchen with her purse slung over her shoulder. “Be right back, Steve,” she said as she poked her head into his study. “Caleb’s out shooting hoops.”

“Is he finished with his homework?” Steve asked.

“Yeah.”

“And you’re picking up dinner?”

“I’m on it,” Michelle replied. Then she turned to Madison. “Okay, I’m ready.”

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the Johnson’s house. “Am I picking you up here after the game?” Michelle asked.

“No. I have a ride home,” Madison replied.

“Great. So we’ll see you around ten?”

“I was thinking more like ten-thirty or eleven,” Madison said. “Just in case the game goes longer. And that gives us time to hang out with our friends afterward.”

“Okay. Eleven at the latest. Call me if that is a problem.”

“I will.” Madison patted the pocket of her backpack where she kept her cell phone.

Her mother watched her walk up to the front door and wave. Thankfully she drove away as soon as the door opened, so Madison didn’t have to worry about any conversation happening between Lucy’s mother and hers.

“Hi, Maddie,” Logan said as he swung the door open wide. “Come on in. Lucy’s in her room.”

Madison quickly disappeared into her friend’s bedroom before her mom showed up to greet her.

“Hi, Luce,” she said as she walked in and sat on the bed.

“Hey,” her friend replied casually. “So where are your parents going tonight?”

“Some dinner thing for dad’s work.”

Lucy nodded. “What’s Caleb doing?”

“He’s at a friend’s house overnight.” Madison’s stomach clenched again. One lie kept leading to another. She hoped this date with Miles would be worth it. “Can you keep a secret?” she asked Lucy.

“Like what?”

“I wanted to wear my new sweater like we talked about, but I was afraid Mom would freak out, and we’d both end up being late. So I brought it in here.” She patted her backpack. “I thought I’d just put it on before I leave.”

Lucy smiled. “Your secret’s safe with me. Just wear your jacket, so my mom doesn’t say something to your mother.”

Madison nodded. “Good plan.” She pulled out her sweater and quickly changed tops, adjusting the shoulders just the way she wanted them. Then she pulled out her makeup bag and added more eyeliner and some glittery eye shadow. “What do you think?” she asked as she glanced at the full-length mirror.

“Perfect,” Lucy replied. “Miles will love it.”

Madison’s phone beeped, and she pulled it out of the backpack. “I’d better go out front. He could be here any minute.” She pulled on her jacket, closing it to conceal the revealing sweater underneath. Thankfully, Kelly was in the kitchen cooking when she slipped out the front door. “Tell your mom thanks for letting Miles pick me up here,” she said to Lucy as she headed down to the curb. A black Honda was pulling up, and she could see Miles behind the wheel.
Yes! It worked!
she thought to herself, feeling elated to be off on a date with a guy who was starting to make her heart race.

Miles reached across the front seat and opened her door. “Hey, you’re ready.” He sounded surprised.

“Yep.” She slid into the passenger seat and closed her door. As they pulled away, it suddenly felt awkward being alone with him. What would they talk about?

Miles must have been thinking the same thing. He reached over and flipped on the radio.

A few moments later, he asked, “Did you eat dinner?”

“No. I’m not that hungry,” she replied. Then noticing his face drop a little, she added, “But I’m happy to stop somewhere.”

He glanced over at her and smiled. “Great! Burgers sound good to me. Where’s the closest drive-through?”

Madison gave him directions, and soon they had their order in hand.

“Wanna eat in the car?” he asked, tipping his head toward the adjoining parking lot. “Or at the game?”

“This is fine,” she replied.

Miles slipped the car into one of the open spaces and shut it off. Madison pulled his two burgers and fries out of the bag on her lap and handed them to him, then got her small order of fries out.
There are probably a ton of calories in these,
she thought to herself, but that was the only food that sounded good to her with her stomach all tied in knots.

Miles shifted in his seat, turning toward her and leaning back against his door. “So tell me more about your family. I thought I might be meeting them tonight.”

Madison looked over and tried to offer him a relaxed smile. “It wasn’t a good night for that. Everyone was busy.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Just one brother. He’s eleven. Name’s Caleb.”

Miles nodded.

“How about you?” she asked.

“Nope. Just me and my mom. My dad split when I was seven.”

Madison tried to imagine what it must be like to have only one parent and no siblings at all. “Do you miss him?” she asked.

“Who? My dad?”

“Yeah.”

He looked away, gazing out the windshield, then down at his food. “Sometimes,” he replied, taking another bite of his burger.

She took a deep breath. Should she ask more or let it drop? Maybe she’d better not pry.

Miles balled up the empty wrapper of his burger and fished the last of the fries from their paper pouch. “We’d better go.” He reached for the bag on her lap and added his trash to it. They made eye contact, and Madison saw something in his eyes that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. It was a longing of some kind. And it unnerved her a little.

She looked away, trying to maintain her composure. Something told her she was heading down a road that might lead to more than she bargained for. But Miles was so cute. And he seemed to really like her. She pushed away her discomfort, deciding all girls must feel this way on a first date.

After he pulled the car out of the parking lot, she remembered she’d covered up her favorite sweater with her coat. Sitting forward in the seat, she slipped off her jacket and tossed it on the back seat. Shifting her shoulders as subtly as she could, she lowered the neckline on the left side, revealing her black bra strap and bare skin.

Miles glanced over at her and smiled. “Nice sweater,” he said.

“Thanks,” she replied, a warm rush surging through her body. Then she felt something she’d never felt before—desirable. Physically desirable as a woman. And although it scared her a little, it also felt really good. Her nervousness began to melt away, replaced by a newfound rush of confidence and appeal. Why had she never felt this with Luke?
He’s more like a brother to me,
she thought to herself.

Miles glanced over. “Almost there,” he said.

As they walked into the stadium from the parking lot, she felt a chill.
Maybe I should have brought my coat,
she thought. But before she could say anything, Miles draped his arm over her and pulled her close. She could feel his hand guide the right side of her sweater off her shoulder, too.