Lizzie rung the doorbell on the door of a pearly white mansion.
"I hope my sister is alright," she said to Debra, accompanying her. "Andrea said she looked sick."
"Maybe she was," Debra responded. "That is probably why she didn't go to lunch yesterday."
"That can't be it. Madeline rarely gets sick. She said she's too wealthy for that."
"Then why is she using layaway?"
"Because she is a liar, Debra. Ever since I've known her for the last ten years."
The door opened. "Hello," an old gentleman greeted to the girls. "Come on in."
The girls entered the nice-looking house.
"Thank you," said Lizzie. "Is Madeline alright?"
The man closed the door. "I don't know. She's been locked in her room for hours. Every time I knocked on her door, she would yell or do some sort of mating call. I assume it's P.M.S., but you girls can take care of her, right?"
The girls stared at him blankly. Lizzie then broke her stare and giggled uncomfortably. "Yes, we sure can, Mister King."
"That's the spirit," he winked. "Cover up more, will ya?" He then walked away as if the things he said did not bother him.
Lizzie made an annoyed look but got over it and walked upstairs with Debra following her. They walked down the long hallway until they saw a door with Madeline's name as a sign on it.
Lizzie knocked on the door. Soon afterwards, the girls heard a violent, animal-like scream. Debra rubbed her ears as the scream was piercing to her eardrums.
"Maddie, it's me," Lizzie shouted.
Madeline opened the door and peaked her head outside. "Hey, my sisters. Come on in," she smiled.
Lizzie and Debra entered her bedroom and looked around. Madeline closed the door and walked up to the girls to put her arms around them.
"What is new?" she asked.
"Your room," Debra responded.
"Yeah, did you get new stuff?" asked Lizzie.
"I sure did!" Madeline patted on their backs. "I got a nightstand, an ottoman, a little couch to do some reading in."
"And what is that horrid smell?" asked Debra.
"My other couch," Madeline answered. "After my idiotic dad cut off my credit card, I've been 'finding' stuff. So I got that chair from a dumpster."
"Ugh!" Lizzie exclaimed.
"I know, it's gorgeous, right?" Madeline grinned.
"What else did you get from the dumpster?" asked Debra.
"Um... a lamp, some pillow cases--"
"Pillow cases?" inquired Lizzie. "No way. You are not gonna break out over some pillow cases. Maddie, I think you have a problem."
Madeline covered her ears. "No! Don't say that. I never felt so free. So alive. I'm learning."
"Learning what? That instead of not taking a shower, you can just get the stench by rubbing dirty pillow cases on yourself? We are worried about you."
"Well, there's nothing to worry about. I'm like a bird. You should be happy for me."
She walked over to the zebra-printed chair beside her closet and picked up the pastel pink sweater laying on its back.
"Did you buy that sweater recently?" asked Lizzie.
"Yeah, when I had my card," answered Madeline.
Lizzie walked slowly towards Madeline. "May I see it?"
Madeline squeezed her sweater. "What are you going to do?"
Lizzie reached out her arms. "I'm not going to do anything."
"You're a liar! You've been lying ever since we knew each other ten years ago!"
Lizzie quickly grabbed the sweater but Madeline managed to still hang on to it. They both screamed as they fought for the sweater as if they were having a mini tug-of-war.
"Where are your receipts?" shouted Lizzie.
"I threw then away!" Madeline answered, holding onto Lizzie's neck with her free arm.
"Now I know you've really lost it," Lizzie grappled Madeline's leg with her leg.
"Her receipts are visible in the trash can," said Debra, glancing into Madeline's pink trash can by the doorway.
"Then we have lots of returning to do," Lizzie commented, yanking the sweater harder and harder with Madeline still holding onto it.
"You're not taking my stuff!" shouted Madeline, forcing her elbow into Lizzie's stomach. "I own them!"
"Girls, girls," called Debra. "There is no need to fight. Let's just all calm down and talk it out."
"Enough with your hippie mess, Debra," growled Madeline. "That will never work."
Debra stared at Madeline. She walked over to her and pinched her shoulder. "Don't be callin' it 'hippie mess', nappy girl," she snapped.
Suddenly, Madeline fell to the floor, flat on her back, unconscious. Lizzie and Debra stared at her in shock.
"What did you do?" asked Lizzie, folding the sweater.
"I hit her pressure point," Debra answered.
"She has a pressure point?"
"Guess so."
"You didn't know that before you knocked her out?"
"I was just trying to help. I only wanted to pinch her because don't you feel weird when someone pinches you between your neck and your shoulder?"
"Yes, I do," she nodded.
The girls continued to stare at Madeline, who was not budging.
"Well, try to revive her," mentioned Lizzie.
"Black people aren't magicians."
"Well, we can't leave her there. She could be dead."
Lizzie looked around the room until she noticed an article of clothing on the floor. "Maybe that sock will wake her up."
She walked over to the sock and picked it up with two fingers. She passed it to Debra to place it on Madeline's face. Quickly after, Madeline shot up to the foul smell.
"Why is a dirty sock on my face?" she asked, throwing the sock to the side.
Lizzie ran over to Madeline and helped her up to hug her. "You're back!"
"What happened?" Madeline questioned. "What happened to my room?"
"You don't remember?" asked Debra.
Madeline continued to ask questions: "Did I do this?" She scratched her head. "Are these barrettes?"
"Madeline, you were insane," Lizzie noted.
"So insane that Lizzie knocked you out," Debra pointed at Lizzie.
Lizzie gave her a confused look.
"I went crazy?" asked Madeline. "Is that why my room looks like a yard sale?"
"I guess you can't handle being poor," said Lizzie.
"Oh, guys, I'm so sorry," Madeline sighed. "I let my wallet get the best of me. I don't need materialistic things to be happy. I'm already happy. Because I have you guys."
"Aw, apology accepted," Lizzie said, hugging Madeline.
Debra joined in on the hug. "Yeah, welcome back, girl."
The girls released and together let out a big sigh.
"Now can you guys help me return this stuff?" Madeline asked. "I really want my room back."
"Sure," answered Debra. "Where's your dumpster?"
Madeline squinted her eyes. "My dumpster? Oh, now I remember. Why did I take stuff from the dumpster again?"
"I don't know," said Lizzie, throwing the pink sweater on the bed. "Maybe you have different tastes than us."
"Yeah, rank tastes," Debra responded.
Madeline sighed and slapped her forehead. "I'm too rich for this."
"Yeah, you're too rich," Lizzie responded. "Do you want me to take your receipts out the trash?"
No comments:
Post a Comment