School's Out (Chapter 5)

A few days after, the girls arrived at Samantha's house with swimsuits under their stylish outfits. They were let in by one of her friends and walked through the inside of her house towards the back door. Out the door was the party which was full of twenties of teenagers: half were on the sidelines, half were in the big, blue pool.
"Where should we sit?" asked Debra, looking around.
"I see an empty beach chair," pointed Lizzie.
"We're just gonna sit in one chair?" questioned Skye.
"It's not like we're fat, Skye," said Madeline.
"Why don't we just use the chair for our clothes and take a dip?" suggested Andrea.
"I feel like it's too early to take a dip."
"It's not too early. If it's hot, be cold."
"Alright."
The girls walked through the crowd of swimsuit-clad people and stopped by the only empty chair. They dropped their bags on it and started to take off their shirts, shorts, skirts and sandals.
"Whoo! Take it off!" hollered a strange guy from the distance.
"In your dreams!" Andrea hollered back.
"But we are taking stuff off," said Lizzie.
"Whatever, Lizzie," said Madeline. "It's over with."
The girls, now in their bathing suits, walked together towards the end of the pool to chill by the shallow side. Lizzie and Debra walked down the steps into the pool while Skye sat down on the edge then dunked herself into the water. Madeline and Andrea just sat on the edge.
"I love pools," remarked Lizzie. "They're like oceans but smaller and without fish."
"I love pools, also, Lizzie," agreed Madeline. "In fact we should go to a pool every week."
"We could," started Andrea, "but all I'm going to do at the pool is tan."
"So you're going to stop putting on self-tanner when we go to the pool," inquired Skye.
"No, I don't want to be pale going out of the house."
"Well, we need to do something together that involves physical activity," said Madeline.
"Why do you keep bugging us about the same old thing?" asked Skye.
"I'm not bugging you."
"You kinda are," said Lizzie.
"Why, I never."
"No, you do."
"I mean I'm offended that you would say 'bug'. I'm not trying to bug you all. I just want us to spend more time together."
"It's not like we're busy every day," said Skye.
"I know but one day, it's going to change."
"What do you mean, Madeline?" asked Debra.
"I mean we're all getting older. And once we leave school, who knows what type of colleges we'll get into. We'll drift apart and there will be no more us."
"I never really thought about us actually splitting up," admitted Andrea.
"But we should because it could happen."
"I don't want to stop being friends with you all," said Lizzie.
"And we hang out almost all the time anyway," reminded Skye, "so it's not like we'll part tomorrow. So maybe you should try to chill on the planning."
"Maybe you're right," said Madeline. "Maybe I've been a little edgy."
"More like very edgy," shared Andrea.
"Or just crazy," added Skye.
"Very crazy," Lizzie commented.
"I think 'obsessed' is the word," said Debra.
"Alright, guys," said Madeline, putting her hands up. "Geez, I said I was edgy. It's not like I need a straitjacket."
"Too bad," said Andrea. "You'd look good in one."
"You think so?"

School's Out (Chapter 4)

The next day, in a bright and sunny afternoon, Madeline was at home alone, hanging around in her kitchen with her white, furry dog, Crystal. She took a red apple from the bowl of fruit on the central counter. She polished it with a paper towel before taking a bite. While she ate her apple, she read an article from the newspaper. After finishing the article, she heard the doorbell ring. The sound made Crystal bark two times. Madeline laid her half-eaten apple on the paper towel and walked out of the kitchen into the hall towards the lobby where the door was. She looked out the peephole then opened the door. Facing her was a Caucasian girl about Madeline's height with straight, blonde hair and green eyes.
"Hi, Samantha," Madeline greeted.
"Hello, Madeline," the girl greeted back.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to invite you to a pool party next week."
"Oh, cool."
"Yes, it is."
"Not to sound rude but why couldn't you have invited me over the internet or something?"
"I wanted an excuse to look in your house." Samantha tilted her body to get a better view of the lobby behind Madeline. The inside of Madeline's home was white and silver with auburn-colored tables to contrast. It was the nicest looking house Samantha has ever seen and she has never been inside Madeline's house. "Yep. Looks good. And clean."
Madeline scrunched her eyebrows. "You can come in if you want."
Samantha straightened. "No, that's okay. A peek is good."
Madeline chuckled. "Where is the party?"
"At my house. I have a pool." Samantha unclipped her small handbag and pulled out a white card. She handed it to Madeline. "There's more information on that card."
"Thanks."
"You smell like apple juice."
"Thank you."
"And you can invite anyone you like."
"Like four people?"
"Yes, Madeline, you can invite the only four girls you hang out with."
"There are not the only girls I hang out with."
"Can you spell, 'liar'?"
"L-I-A-R."
"Yep, that did it."
Like lightning, Madeline's dog, Crystal, crawled up to her and petted itself on her ankle.
Samantha cooed. "Is that a pomegranate?"
Madeline picked up Crystal and held her like a baby. "Pomeranian. And no, she's a shih tzu."
"Bless you."
"Excuse me?"
"Madeline, I got to go. See you at my party?"
"Most def'."
"I love that guy."
"Okay, Sam."
Samantha turned to leave as Madeline closed the brown, wooden door. She walked back into the kitchen while carrying her dog. She held her with one hand and used the other hand to reach into her pants' pocket. She pulled out her cell phone and turned it on to start dialing Lizzie's number. She held the phone to her ear and listened to the ringing until Lizzie answered.
"Hello?" Lizzie responded.
"Hey, Lizzie. I know what we can all do first."
"Hello? Maddie, are you there?"
"Lizzie, don't do this to me right now."

School's Out (Chapter 3)

A couple days later, the girls were at home, spending some quality time alone. However, they all made a plan in the past to video chat over the weekend around two in the afternoon. Once two hit, Madeline was the first to get on Skype. She opened her pink laptop, laying it down on her lap as she sat on her bed, and clicked on the application. She sent signals to all of her friends' accounts to remind them of their chat. In under five minutes, all of the girls turned on their web cameras and opened windows of each other to view one another.
"Good afternoon, ladies," greeted Madeline.
"'Sup, girls?" responded Skye.
"Hi," Andrea and Debra replied, waving.
"Hello?" called Lizzie.
"Lizzie, can you see us?" asked Madeline.
"Hello?"
"Lizzie," called Skye.
"Is anybody there? My screen froze. Hello?"
Madeline started, "Liz--"
"Hello?! Guys?"
"Lizzie."
"Hello?" Lizzie banged on the side of her laptop.
"Lizzie."
"Girls, can you hear me?"
"Can you hear me?"
"Hello?!"
"Lizzie!"
"Yes?"
"Can you hear me?"
"No."
"Try-- What do you mean, 'No'? You just heard me."
"Oh, yeah, I can hear you."
"Is your screen still frozen?"
"No, it's alright now."
"Okay. Let's move on, shall we?"
"We shall," replied Debra.
"Alright. Any ideas for any plans this summer?"
"Were we supposed to think of some?" asked Andrea.
"Yes."
"Okay."
"We could go to a concert," Skye recommended.
"Ooh, good idea! Somebody thought of something."
"Whatever, Maddie," said Andrea.
"What concert can we go to?"
"Well, Marilyn Manson is coming a state around here," Skye responded.
"Yeah, I don't think I want to see a zombie man with boobs showering me with blood and guts."
"His boobs weren't real."
"How about we see Taylor Swift?" insisted Lizzie.
"Yeah, we can see Taylor Swift once my foot falls off."
"So next week?"
"You guys, it has to be something we can all do," Madeline reminded.
"What about an amusement park?" inquired Andrea.
"You just came up with that five seconds ago?"
"You don't know what I do."
"Amusement parks are fun!" commented Lizzie.
"They don't seem so," Debra disagreed. "Everybody's screaming and crying when they get on the roller-coasters."
"Uh, that's the point," said Skye.
"Debbie, please don't tell me you don't like amusement parks," said Madeline.
"I just don't find them calming," spilled Debra.
"Because they're supposed to be exhilarating and heart racing. That's why people who fall in love go to the parks to play games and get on the roller-coasters to fall in love some more."
"I want to fall in love," admitted Lizzie.
"Yeah and people fall off roller-coasters and break their necks and backs," added Debra.
"I don't want to fall in love."
"That is what seat-belts are for," said Madeline. "Are you serious? And your argument isn't so calming."
"Hey, I'm calm," Debra lowered her voice.
"Come on, guys. Doesn't anybody want to do anything?"
"Not with you with that attitude," replied Andrea.
"I'm just frustrated."
"Then un-frustrate," demanded Lizzie. "Of course we want to do something. We're just all different and we get more different when the years go on."
"Lizzie's right, guys," agreed Skye. "For some reason."
"There's one thing we can do," said Madeline. "I know it."
"Well, while you figure out what that is," started Debra, "I'm going to go meditate... which is fun."

School's Out (Chapter 2)

Once second period was over, every teenager in Laguna Beach High School was let go. A whole bunch of students ran out to immediately start their summer break. Madeline walked out with her friends at a moderate pace after meeting up with them on the inside. They sat down on a bench of cement blocks beside the school in no rush to leave.
"I waited for this day to come," confessed Madeline.
"Everybody loves a Friday," Lizzie commented.
"But I'm going to miss my teachers and fellow classmates. Also the pop quizzes and group work."
"What kind of person are you?" asked Skye.
"A person with a future."
"Don't worry, Madeline," said Lizzie. "You'll have to deal with quizzes and teachers next year."
Andrea groaned. "Don't even say, 'next year'. I'm so glad to even be let out of that prison."
"More like a resort," Madeline disagreed.
"Yeah, prison."
"I sorta agree with Andy," shared Debra. "Summer break is plenty of time for me to do more meditation."
"You're going to meditate all summer?" asked Madeline.
"Yeah, it's what I love."
"Do you want to do something better?"
"Better than meditating?"
"Yeah. Summer break is basically a time where we can do whatever we want together."
"You're right. You guys can meditate with me."
"I'm sorry but is meditating like taking medicine for leisure?" asked Lizzie.
"No."
"Then yeah, we can totes meditate together!"
"No," said Madeline. "I was thinking of something more fun."
"Isn't meditation fun?" Lizzie asked Debra.
"Yes," Debra answered.
"Debra said yes."
"I mean something actually fun," Madeline clarified. "I want our summers to be better than the last because next year, we'll be seniors and after that, we'll be college freshmen. There's a chance we won't go to the same college."
"How do you know we'll all be able to become seniors next year?" asked Andrea.
"Because I believe in you, Andrea."
"Oh, you do?"
"Yeah... sometimes."
Andrea frowned while glowing an evil look from her eyes.
"I don't want to be a freshman again," admitted Lizzie. "Everybody made fun of my nose."
"It's college, Lizzie," said Skye. "I'm pretty sure everybody will make fun of something else on your body."
"We don't have to worry about college now," stated Madeline. "What we can worry about is how much fun we're having together."
"But what if I want to have fun with my family?" asked Debra.
"How much fun we're having together."
"You're kinda right," Skye agreed. "Does anybody want to get some lunch?"
"Oh, that sounds like a splendid idea, Skye."
"Thanks. Let's go to Panera Bread. Madeline's treat."

School's Out (Chapter 1)

The girls were situated in their assigned class for second period on one early morning. It was the final day of school and the girls were taking their last exams for the classes. In every classroom, the desks were aligned separately so the students didn't sit in their exact assigned seats. Madeline was prepared for her test. She was prepared for every test she had. That day, she had to take a test for her English class. She thought that that test would be a piece of cake since she memorized every piece of literature that was thrown at her. Her teacher laid down a piece of paper with a prompt on every desk with a student by it. She instructed every student to take out a loose leaf of paper and a Number Two pencil before declaring further instructions.
"Alright, kids, are you prepared? I don't care. Okay, on the paper right in front of you, it asks for you to write a two-page essay on what lesson do the books and stories you all have read share and explain the similarities in three paragraphs. However, you need to write five paragraphs which include an introduction and a conclusion. You have all period to complete this exam so when done, please bring your essay to my desk." The teacher patted her desk which was near the front of the room. "Please wait quietly and patiently until everyone is done or else I will fail you then tell your mothers. Alright, you all may start now."
"Here you go, Missus Atlantis," said Madeline, getting up from her seat and taking her piece of lined paper that was completely filled. She walked down the aisle and handed the teacher her essay. "Don't worry; I checked for errors."
The teacher looked at Madeline's paper, front and back, before setting it on her desk. "You always impress me, Madeline," she said.
"I know."
"But now you have to wait an hour until school ends."
"Oh, that's okay. But may I have permission to file my nails?"
"Sure."
"My bestie, Lizzie, tripped me this morning. Good thing I wasn't wearing any nail polish."
"Woman, I said, 'Sure'."
"Alright." Madeline threw her hands up.
She walked back to her desk down the aisle. She sat in her chair and slid it up so her abdomen could touch the desk. She picked up her pencil pouch from the floor and unzipped it. She took out an emery board and started filing the fingernail on her middle finger on her right hand.  

Pump Up the Prom (Part 2) (Chapter 5)

After almost a half an hour passed, Warren parted ways with the brunette. He walked towards Lizzie who waited for him as he conversed with the attractive girl.
"Hey, what took you so long?" she asked. "Who was she? Was she really looking at me?"
"That was my ex-girlfriend, Dawn."
"So she wasn't looking at me. Why were you talking to her so long? Did you forget about me?"
"No, it's just that... she was talking about getting back together."
"Well, that's not going to happen. You're with me."
"Yeah, that's the thing. I think I want to get back together with her."
Lizzie's smile faded away. "Why? You can't; you're my boyfriend."
"We've been only going out for a few months."
"A few months is long. Kim Kardashian was married to Kris Jenner for a few months. Longest time of my life."
"Kris Humphries. Listen, Lizzie, I like you but I still have feelings for Dawn. I always have. That's why I can't lead you on, Lizzie. I have to listen to my heart. I'm really sorry."
He kissed Lizzie on the cheek before walking off. She stared in grief at Warren locking arms with his new girlfriend.
"I don't know if I should listen to my heart right now because my head is saying a lot of bad words," she said to herself.

Madeline sat by herself at an empty table while watching her friends on the dance floor. Lizzie and Andrea found each other and decided to hang out together since they lost their dates. Meanwhile, Skye had fun with her official boyfriend while Debra was having a good time with Kyle. Madeline was happy that her friends were happy but was envious as well. She wished that she could have had fun with someone on her first night at junior prom. She began to wander her eyes throughout the whole gymnasium to observe happy couples and smiling groups of companions. She then gazed at the open entrance and suddenly spotted a boy entering. He was familiar to Madeline's eyes. He had short dark hair and pasty skin and was clad in a navy blue suit with a black tie. Madeline's eyes widened, realizing it was Terry from Fake Cabo. She jumped out of her chair and zipped towards Terry as fast as a lightning bolt. He looked at her once she stopped three inches away from him.
"Hi, Terry," Madeline greeted.
"Hi, Madeline," Terry responded.
"W-What are you doing here?"
"Well, since I received a ticket and bought a dapper suit before you broke the news to me, I thought why waste such things. So I'm here for a good time and a new pretty lady. Where's your date?"
"I told him I couldn't do it. I felt bad for bringing him to the prom when I promised to bring you."
"You felt bad?"
"Yeah because I've been wanting to go out with Jackson for so long and I was finally given the chance. But I didn't consider your feelings which was cruel of me. I was dumb to even think that what we had was only a one-time deal because I really liked you."
"I really liked you, too, until you hurt me."
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to."
"Well, I can't be mad at you forever, superstar. You're too pretty."
Madeline giggled. "You're prettier than me right now. Your suit is wow!"
Terry smiled. "Thank you."
The two looked away from each other and let the soft rock song by Ed Sheeran from the speakers sink into their ears. They then looked at each other again.
"Do you forgive me enough to take a dance with me?" asked Madeline.
"Yes, I do," answered Terry.
Terry held out his hand for Madeline to grab. He led her out into the center of the floor and turned to face her. Madeline placed her hands on Terry's shoulders while he placed his hands on her waist. They rocked slowly from side to side while staring deep into each other's eyes.

"Sixty degrees outside in Laguna Beach while it's eighty-five degrees inside its school," stated Skye to her sitting friends. "Oh, yep, there's a contrast."
"I can't believe Warren dumped me for his ex-girlfriend," shared Lizzie. "But it makes sense because she's so much prettier than me."
"She's not prettier than you, Liz'," said Madeline.
"You've seen her before?"
"No. But that doesn't mean she's prettier than you. I'm sure you're way prettier than her."
"Thank you, Mads."
"You don't need Warren, Lizzie," said Andrea. "He's an idiot just like Kevin. And if he doesn't stay fifty feet away from me, I'm going to cause some serious problems."
"Don't let him get to you, Andrea," said Debra. "It's prom; have fun."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm having fun. I just can't believe he would even look at that turd monster."
"Hey, name calling isn't nice," reminded Lizzie. "At least Pamela didn't steal him away like how that sea creature stole Warren away from me."
"Yeah, sea creature is the nicest name you can give somebody."
"Why are you guys making it sound like all guys are terrible?" asked Skye. "There are some good ones like Jeffrey."
"Ooh, defending your boyfriend, Jeffrey?" Madeline asked. "I'm sorry, not-your-boyfriend, Jeffrey."
"Actually, I can't say that he isn't my boyfriend."
"You made it 'offish'?" asked Lizzie with wide eyes.
"I made it offish."
"Oh!" uttered Madeline. "Make it rain, make it rain!"
"Skye has a boyfriend, Skye has a boyfriend," sang Lizzie.
"I was afraid you would do that," said Skye.
"Oh, what is it like to be off the market?" asked Andrea.
"Uh, my life is pretty much the same. I just have to use certain words now like, 'I'm a girlfriend'."
"Yes, you are," grinned Madeline.
"I'm very happy for you, Skye," commented Debra. "And you were right: not all guys are terrible. Kyle obviously has a crush on me but fully comprehends that we can only be just friends."
"Oh, but he's not going to treat you like a friend if he likes you," said Andrea. "More love letters coming soon."
"He's not going to give me any more love letters even though I liked them."
The girls turned their heads when they heard the front door open. They saw Terry holding the door, looking right at Madeline.
"Pretty lady, are you gonna keep me waiting?" he asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," Madeline responded.
"Take your time. But I would like another dance if it doesn't bother."
"Hmm... okay."
Madeline stood up and shook her big dress to get any dirt off. She waved goodbye to her friends before walking towards Terry who held the door open for her.
"Don't Marvin Gaye and get it on!" called Lizzie before Terry let the door close. She looked at her friends and said, "Let's pray they don't."

Pump Up the Prom (Part 2) (Chapter 4)

Meanwhile, the couples separately dealt with each other while on the dance floor. Lizzie slow-danced with her boyfriend, Warren, to the sweet pop song, "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes. While trying to feel comfortable with her arms wrapped around his neck, she spotted a pretty girl with brown hair and a long, ruby dress from afar eyeing her.
"Uh, Warren?" Lizzie scrunched her eyebrows.
"Yeah, Lizzie?" he responded.
"There's a girl feet behind you and she's looking at me pretty hard."
Warren turned his head. When he saw the girl, his eyes widened.
"She's probably looking at you. But if she's looking at me, it's a compliment, right? Even though I like boys?"
"Uh, can I break away for a minute?" Warren asked, looking at Lizzie.
"Sure."
"I'll be right back."
The two released each other so Warren can walk over to the mystery girl who seemed happy to see him. Lizzie stood still and watched the two make conversation.

"Have I told you yet how I missed your smile?" asked Kevin.
Hearing that made Andrea flash her white, straight teeth between her glittery, glossy lips in a grin for him.
"Your laugh..."
Andrea giggled seductively.
"Your accent..."
"Oh, muchacho, estás tan loco."
"But most of all, I just missed being with you. You make me happy, Andrea. You're the only girl who can make me happy."
"Aw." Andrea then closed her eyes and puckered her lips to insinuate that she wanted a kiss.
Kevin leaned in but got distracted when he saw Pamela, a member of the Cow Belles, talking to Mauricia while wearing a fitting, flowing red dress with silver glitter. Mauricia wore the same type of dress except the dress was silver with red glitter.
"Kevin, are you still there?" Andrea asked with her eyes still closed.
"Yeah," he began to pay attention to his date. But his eyes still twitched at Pamela.
Andrea opened her eyes and turned her head. "What are you looking at?"
Kevin grabbed Andrea's head and turned it to him. "You, baby. Just you."
"Kev', don't lie to me." Andrea turned her head and saw Pamela with Mauricia feet away from her. "Were you looking at Pamela?"
"McAdams? No, of course not."
"Kevin, if I see you looking at her, problems will be present."
Pamela heard her name coming from Andrea's mouth so she decided to approach her.
"Oh, don't you look like an oversized sponge cake," she commented with a smile.
Andrea glared at Pamela. "Can you not mess with me? I'm trying to have a conversation with my date at prom."
"You look beautiful, Pamela," Kevin shared.
"Why thank you," Pamela grinned while posing.
Andrea stared at Kevin. "Kevin, what did I say about looking at her?"
"Don't hate because your boy rather try a cherry than be stuck with a rotten cantaloupe."
Andrea pursed her lips in anger. She reached towards the nearby snack table and picked up the ladle from the clear bowl of red fruit punch. She shook it so there would be no punch present on the ladle. She then walked towards Pamela with the ladle raised like a sword. Witnessing Andrea's serious glare and her handling of the punch ladle frightened Pamela, making her run away before damage was done.
Kevin snatched the ladle out of Andrea's hand. "Andrea, you can't beat someone with a punch ladle," he said.
"I wouldn't have to if you weren't making googly eyes at Miss Congeniality over there, you bag of douche. Stay away from me or I will shove that ladle in a place on your body so far up that you will never be able to get it out."
Andrea spun 180 degrees before marching away from Kevin. He dropped his shoulders and sighed, realizing his mistake.

"I'm thirsty," confessed Jeffrey to Skye. "Do you want me to get you some punch?"
"Sure... buddy."
"Buddy?"
"Buddy means friend."
"I know what 'buddy' means. What, am I just your friend?"
"Well, you're not my boyfriend."
"Why?"
"Because we've never discussed it."
"Did we have to?"
"I don't know. Yes?"
"Were you going to make the first move?"
"I thought you were getting me punch."
"Skye, if you want me, tell me. You know how I feel about you but I'm not going to keep making the moves. So tell me who am I or I'm gonna get you some punch and be your friend forever."
Skye squinted her eyes while looking deep into Jeffrey's eyes. "You're stern today."
"This outfit gave me a lot of power."
"Jeffrey..." She sighed. "You are my boyfriend."
"So that makes you my girlfriend?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes."
"Awesome."
Jeffrey squeezed Skye who smiled and squeezed him back.
"Now punch?" joked Skye.

Pump Up the Prom (Part 2) (Chapter 3)

The sun rested by the horizon and the doors at Laguna Beach High School opened for the juniors to enter for prom. The girls glamorized and beautified themselves individually, putting on their dresses before taking pictures with family members. Around seven P.M., Andrea drove to the school in her car and picked up her date, Kevin Christie, on the way there. She parked right on the side and waited for the street to be clear to get out. She hopped out of the car and closed the door; Kevin practically did the same. She sprinted around her car while putting her keys inside her sparkly gold purse which matched her short dress. Kevin, who looked dashing in a classic black suit with a red tie, walked next to Andrea as they walked towards the open doors.
"Are you sure you can walk in those heels?" Kevin asked.
"Kevin, I've been in heels for almost a year," Andrea answered. "I think I can handle them."
Once the couple was several yards away from the door, Andrea halted, making Kevin stop as well.
"Why are we stopping?" he asked.
"Because I promised the girls I would say hi to them before we go in," Andrea responded.
"Alright. You look so good in that dress."
"I know."
The couple soon spotted a silver car that came and stopped in front of the school doors. Out the front doors were Lizzie's parents and out the back doors were Lizzie and her date, Warren Kerr. Warren, who happened to be wearing a gray suit, helped Lizzie get on the sidewalk as she was wearing a tight polka dot dress and red pumps. Lizzie's father raised his photo camera with his wife standing next to him.
"Smile," he demanded.
Warren wrapped his arm around Lizzie's waist as the couple smiled for the camera.
"Hands off!"
Warren frantically removed his hand from Lizzie's waist and kept his hands to himself. Lizzie glanced at him before paying attention to her father. The two resumed smiling until Lizzie's dad snapped the picture.
"Oh, you look so cute, Lizzie," her mother commented.
"Thanks, mom," smiled Lizzie.
"May God protect you."
"Thanks, mom," Lizzie's smile turned crooked.
"Waldo, can I talk to you for a minute?" requested Lizzie's father.
"My name is Warren," he corrected, walking up to Lizzie's dad.
"Yeah, listen." He began whispering into Warren's ear, "Make sure when you slow dance with my daughter, you make room for God. I'm saying this because he's always there. He's watching you and he'll be telling me what you'll be doing because we're cool like that. So touch my daughter inappropriately and you'll be touched... by angels."
He pulled away from Warren who had a scared look. He smiled at him then patted him on the shoulder. Warren turned away and relaxed his face so Lizzie wouldn't worry. He walked up to her while Lizzie's parents went back into their car.
"Have a good time, sweetie," Lizzie's mom waved out the window.
Lizzie waved back before the car drove off to disappear. She and Warren approached the waiting Andrea and Kevin.
"Candy Andy, you look dandy!" Lizzie commented.
"Why thank you, Lizzie, who's making me dizzy from all those polka dots," Andrea remarked, "which is good."
"Kevin, you look dashing."
"Thanks," Kevin nodded with his hands in his pockets.
"Lizzie, don't look at him," said Warren playfully. "Look at me."
"Okay," Lizzie accepted, staring at her date.
Kevin chuckled, making Andrea snicker a little bit.
Just seconds after, a black car drove up the street and ceased by the curb. Skye and Jeffrey opened both doors at the end and wormed out at opposite ends. They closed the doors and walked on the sidewalk. They walked together and approached the two couples with Skye waving at her friends in a black dress with silver sequins. Jeffrey was also looking cute in white button-down and black slacks with a silver neck tie.
"Oh, my gosh," Lizzie squealed. "Skye, you look so cute!"
Skye giggled. "Be quiet, Lizzie."
"I should take a picture."
"I don't want to take a picture by myself."
"You won't be by yourself. You're with Jeffrey."
"I don't want to be with Jeffrey." Skye then looked at him. "Not that I don't want to be with you."
"Awkward," whispered Andrea.
In a few minutes, the teens gazed upon a gray Mercedes-Benz from afar that stopped within a parking lot. Madeline came out the driver side in a pink princess gown with her date, Jackson, leaping out the front side door. Debra in a floral dress and Kyle in a dapper tan suit wormed out of the passenger doors. The four walked together after closing the doors and crossed the street towards the open doors that were fronted by their friends.
Andrea walked a bit closer to the group. "Hi, Madeline... and James Bond." She took a look at Jackson who was in an old-fashioned tuxedo. "You guys look fabulous."
"Thank you, Andrea," responded Madeline. "You look so beautiful. You all look beautiful."
"Thank you," Kevin adjusted his red tie.
"Can we go in now?" asked Warren. "I fear that they won't let us in."
"That's not what you should be fearing but okay," said Andrea.
The whole group walked with each other and entered the school's doors.
"I smell French fries," shared Lizzie.
"Madeline replaced the gas in her car with vegetable oil," said Debra.
"It was the only way she'd get in the car," admitted Madeline.
The group spotted a table in the lobby with older people behind it. They formed a line in front of the table and gave away their tickets and showed forms of I.D. They were all directed to the gymnasium which had tables on one side and just space on the other. The walls were covered in multicolored balloons and streamers. Against the wall was a D.J. in between two large speakers. Teenagers were dancing on the dance floor while some of them sat at the tables, making conversation.
"Oh, this is my song!" said Andrea, beginning to dance to the electronic-driven music. She danced deep into the dance floor with Kevin following her.
The rest of the couples moved into the dance floor except for Madeline and Jackson when Madeline stopped inside the gymnasium near the door.
"What's wrong?" Jackson asked.
"Nothing," Madeline shook her head.
"Are you sure?"
"No. Jackson, I have to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"After I asked you to the dance, I asked someone else to go with me."
"Okay. What happened after that?"
"I told him not to go with me... today, this morning."
"Alright. It's a little shady to tell me this so late but at least you're telling me. And now we go dance."
Madeline shook her head. "No."
"No?"
"No. Jackson, I think it's best that I don't go to the prom with you."
"But you're already going to the prom with me. Actually, we're already here."
"I know that. It's just that I feel guilty and uncomfortable and truly remorseful. I've always wanted to spend time with you for so long but I'm not the right person for you to hang out with. I'm really sorry. Is it okay that you hang out with your friends like you planned?"
Jackson sighed. "Sure." He cupped his palm on Madeline's cheek. "Maybe we can hang out at a good time someday."
Madeline smiled. "Someday."
Jackson smiled back before walking away from Madeline and searching for his friends by the tables.
Madeline relaxed her shoulders with her eyes to the ceiling. She then growled softly to herself. "Why do I always drive boys away?"

Pump Up the Prom (Part 2) (Chapter 2)

The girls eventually got off of Skype to resume their preparation for their school prom. Madeline continued to take out the rollers in her hair and brush it afterwards. After finishing fixing her perfect curly hair by tying the top layer into a ponytail, she heard her name being called by a female voice from downstairs. She exited her bedroom into the hallway down the ageless stairs to see her twin mom in the lobby with an older, stylish woman of Asian descent holding a briefcase.
"Madeline, honey, do you know who this is?" asked her mother.
Madeline took a look at the older woman. "Our new maid?"
"No."
"Good because I like Sonya. I trust her."
"Okay. This is Lynn."
"Hi," Lynn greeted.
"Hello," Madeline responded.
"Lynn is one of the best makeup artists in California," stated Madeline's mom.
"No way."
"Way. She beautified celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift and Ashanti."
Madeline gasped. "I like two of those people. Can she make me look like them?"
"Madeline, she can make you look like whoever you want."
"Oh, thank you," Madeline squealed while squeezing her mother.
"Don't worry, Miss King," said Lynn. "I won't fail you. Now go upstairs."
Lynn followed Madeline upstairs into her bedroom. Madeline sat in a chair while Lynn opened her briefcase and used the makeup inside to start applying onto Madeline's clear face. While Lynn applied a primer onto the girl's eyelids, Madeline asked a question:
"Lynn, do you mind if I make a phone call?"
"Go ahead," she answered.
Madeline pulled out her cellphone from her pants' pocket and began swiping the screen with her thumb with open eyes. She dialed Terry's number; she was anxious to give him some news. She pressed the phone to her ear, waiting for him to answer.
"Hello, pretty lady," he greeted.
"Oh, stop, Terry," she smiled.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing. Actually something. I want it to be nothing but it's something."
"What's wrong?"
"Terry, before I asked you to prom, I asked someone else."
"Okay."
"He rejected me so I thought it would be okay to ask you."
"Where is this going?"
"After you said yes, Jackson -- the someone else -- said yes. And I told him, 'Okay'."
"You told him, 'Okay'?"
"It was a mistake. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. You eventually told him that you couldn't go with him?"
Madeline froze. "No."
"No?"
"That's why I'm calling you. I decided to go with him instead."
"Are you serious?"
"I did ask him first. Look, what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. I guess I understand. I got to go. See you, Madeline."
"What happened to 'pretty lady'?"
Terry hung up. Madeline looked at the phone with regret in her eyes. She sighed then tucked the phone away in her pocket.
"Man, you screwed up big time, Madeline," Lynn commented.
"Shut up," Madeline sneered her lip. "You probably have, like, thirteen cats at home."
Lynn leered at Madeline. She took her big brush of compact powder and flicked it towards Madeline's face. Madeline barked a prolonged series of coughs inside the choking cloud of white powder. Lynn smiled while patting her brush back into the compact.  

Pump Up the Prom (Part 2) (Chapter 1)

The girls woke up over the weekend individually on the day of the most significant event in their teenage lives: prom. They all had different routines planned on that day. They all, of course, brushed their teeth and washed their faces. Steps of their morning routines were different, which included showering and shaving. The day before, the girls agreed to chat with each other on Skype. So when nine A.M. hit, the girls grabbed their laptops and clicked on the application so they could communicate with each other via web camera.
"Bonjour, mes amis," Madeline greeted. "Today's the day."
"Flag day?" inquired Lizzie.
"No, prom."
"Oh, yeah. That, too!"
Madeline rolled her eyes and smiled.
"I'm excited," shared Debra, wrapping a small piece of brown paper on a lock of her frizzy, red hair.
"Debbie, what are you doing?" asked Andrea.
"I'm straightening my hair."
"With a paper bag?"
"I can't use a curling iron. It requires electricity."
"So does microwaves," said Skye.
"That's why I eat a lot of salads."
"I can tell," noticed Lizzie. "You look really lean, Debra."
"Thank you."
"I didn't go on any diets," admitted Andrea. "I'm going tanning later anyway. Also, guys like a little meat in the packaging."
"When you say, 'guys', do you mean Kevin?" asked Madeline, strategically taking out a roller from her rolled-up blonde hair.
"Possibly."
"He's going to love the way you look," promised Lizzie.
"He should. If he doesn't, others will."
"But he will. He still has feelings for you so it's obvious he's been thinking about you."
"Or no one actually wants him but Andy," guessed Skye, curling a lock of her blonde hair with a straightening iron.
"Skye Carter, are you curling your hair?" asked Madeline with a smug look.
"Shut up."
"Are you trying to look extra nice for Jeffrey?" asked Lizzie.
"No. Jeffrey doesn't care what I look like. Besides, it's prom so of course I'm curling my hair."
"But if you've never met Jeffrey, you'd probably go as yourself," Madeline surmised.
"Please, I'm going as myself. I'll just look different."
"Speaking of dates, who will be your date to the prom, Maddie?" questioned Andrea, drying her hair with a white towel.
Madeline answered, "Jackson... and Terry."
"Madeline," Debra cocked her head.
"I just couldn't tell them."
"Madeline, you can't go to the prom with two dates," said Lizzie. "That's like putting ham and turkey in your sandwich."
"I know. I'm a horrible person."
"You're not a horrible person," said Skye. "You're just not a good person."
"Madeline, you need to pick one and tell the other that you can't go with him," ordered Debra.
"I don't want to hurt any of their feelings," confessed Madeline.
"Well, you should've thought of that before you decided to not tell the truth to Jackson."
"Uh!"
Andrea took a glimpse of her underarm. "Can you tweeze armpit hair?"

Pump Up the Prom (Chapter 5)

After that incident, Madeline met up with her girlfriends at the mall. They went to a dress shop to shop early for prom next month. Madeline thought that shopping time was the right time to tell her friends about what she did.
"Guys, you will not believe this," she started.
"You're pregnant," Lizzie guessed.
"No."
"With twins?"
"No! Remember how I asked Jackson to the prom?"
"Yeah, he rejected you," responded Andrea.
"Yes. Well, he changed his mind and wants to go to the prom with me."
"And you accepted?" asked Debra.
"Yes."
"Well, that's good."
"No, it's bad."
"Bad?"
"Yeah because before I agreed to go with him, I called Terry from Fake Cabo and asked him to go with me."
"And he said yes?" asked Andrea.
"Yes."
"No."
"Madeline, why did you agree to go to prom with Jackson if you're going with Terry?" questioned Skye.
"I don't know," replied Madeline. "I just always wanted to go out with Jackson so when he felt the same way, I said sure without thinking."
"You're smarter than this, Maddie," commented Debra.
"I know, I know. I feel awful."
"Then tell Jackson you can't go with him," said Skye.
"Oh, no, I can't do that."
"Then tell Terry."
"I can't do that either."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to hurt their feelings. I'll seem like a jerk."
"You are a jerk."
"I know but I don't want to sound like one."
"Well, you're going to hurt their feelings when they find out they're sharing a date," said Debra.
"Ah, I know. I'll figure out a way to tell them. Trust me."
"I can't believe that you and Kevin are getting back together," Lizzie told Andrea.
"We are not getting back together," said Andrea. "We're just going to prom together and talk about getting back together."
"Oh, you know how boys hate to talk," joked Skye.
Andrea giggled. "Well, we're going to have to if he wants a piece of Candy Andy."
Madeline looked through a rack of sparkly dresses. "Yeah, girl!"
"Skye, how do you feel about finally asking Jeffrey to the prom?"
"I don't know," she answered. Skye started to look at one of the racks in the store. "But I'm actually really excited."
"I'm sorry, are you Skye?" said Madeline.
"Seriously, I'm genuinely excited to go to prom."
"So you changed your mind about the itchy, sweaty prom?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Oh, that's so great to hear!" squealed Lizzie. "I want to help you pick a dress, Skye. How about a pink, fluffy--"
"Now stop right there. I will not wear pink anything."
"You have pink hair."
"So I don't have to wear it."
"Oh, ex-squeeze me."
"Just shows that some people don't really change," said Madeline.
"Which can be a good thing," said Skye, "except for you, Maddie the liar."
"I do not lie!"
"Oh, please, your nose is growing."

Pump Up the Prom (Chapter 4)

The next day, after school, Madeline stood by the bulletin board and pulled out her cellphone. She was a bit upset about her crush, Jackson, rejecting her prom proposal. So she started thinking about who could be her date. After deciding who she could ask out, she thought about asking out Terry, a distant friend that she once had a fling with. So before leaving school, she called Terry's phone number.
"Hello?" he picked up.
"Hey, Terry," she said.
"Hey, pretty lady."
"Oh, stop."
"You called me just in time. School just ended for me. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to ask you a question."
"Shoot."
"Prom is coming up and I don't have a date. I could've snatched one up but you're on my mind, like, all the time. So I was wondering if I could buy you a ticket and you could drive out here and get it so you could be my date."
"Madeline, of course. I would love to be your date for the prom."
"Fantastic! Call me again?"
"Sure thing, pretty lady."
"Oh, stop calling me that."
"Does it bother you?"
"No, 'stop calling me that' is girl language for 'keep calling me that'."
"Okay. Bye."
"Later."
Madeline hung up with a smile on her face. After pushing the phone in her pocket, she was ready to head out. However, she stopped when she heard a boy call her name. She turned around to see Jackson running up to her.
"Oh, hi, Jackson," she greeted him. "What's up?"
"Prom is what's up," he responded. "I change my mind. I want to go with you to prom."
"Jackson, what's with the decision?"
"I came to a realization that I shouldn't mope around and think being alone will help me become a better person. Somebody likes me. Somebody cool and beautiful likes me. I thought I should take a risk and see where this goes. Therefore, I want to go to the prom with you."
Madeline froze, making Jackson feel a bit confused. "Oh, Jackson, I'm so glad," she eventually said through a grin.
Jackson smiled. "You are? Phew, I thought you were going to reject me."
"Nope, not at all."
"Hey, I'll call you?"
"Sure."
"Alright. See you later."
"Later."
Jackson walked by Madeline out the doors feeling really confident. Madeline, on the other hand, was feeling the opposite.
"What did I do?" she said, dropping her grin, bearing her teeth out of terror.

Pump Up the Prom (Chapter 3)

A couple days after that, the rest of the girls were destined to get dates. For Andrea, she was awfully surprised to get the date that she had. It all started in art class where she partnered with a couple of girls for a project. When the teacher went out of the classroom, as Andrea was standing by her table for room, she was approached by Kevin Christie, her handsome ex-boyfriend.

"Looking good, Andy," he commented from behind.

Andrea turned her head. "You like what you see?"

"More like seeing what I like. What's that on your shoes? Cheetah?"

"Leopard."

"Ah, I'm not surprised." Kevin placed his hand on her shoulder. "You always knew how to rock it."

Andrea faced him. "That's not the only thing I know to r-- Wait!"

Kevin took his hand off. "What?"

"Why are you flirting with me?"

"Because I miss you."

"I thought you hated me."

"'Dislike' is a better word."

"Look, are you trying to snag a prom date?"

"Yes and no."

"Explain both sides."

"Yes because I don't want to go alone and I don't know who to go with. No because I really do miss you and I think that we should work it out."

Andrea looked up at the ceiling. "I do regret breaking up with you the way I did."

"I broke up with you."

"Do you want a prom date or not?"

"Alright."

"Then you got one."

"Oh, bueno." Kevin wrapped his arms around her waist, charming her again like he used to.


When lunchtime had started, Debra went to her locker to put her books away. After dialing the combination and opening the door, a folded up piece of paper fell from the top onto the floor. She bent down and picked it up. She opened it and on it was a little letter written in black ink:

Dear Debra,
Roses are red, violets are blue
I would really like to go to prom with you
Sincerely,
You know who this is

Debra smiled. She turned around, feeling somebody there. It was her friend, Kyle, the guy with short purple-dyed hair.

"Hey, Debra," he said. "I see you've read my note."

"Yes, I have," she confirmed.

"Hmm, I wonder what your answer will be. Could you tell me it?"

Debra giggled. "I could tell you yes but you do know I'd rather go as friends, right?"

"I saw it coming."

"Then yes."

"Great." Kyle smiled.

"Corny letter but it's the thought that counts."


After school, Skye took her "friend", Jeffrey, to a diner a few blocks away from the school. There, they both ordered a philly cheesesteak, paying individually, and ate them outside. While they lunched, sitting on the curb, they had a regular conversation like they usually do on their little date.

"So my friends are making prom seem like a big deal," started Skye. "I'm going to go but I don't really care about it. All I have to do is put on a dress and go there with you. It's practically something that I do now and then."

"So I'm your date?" inquired Jeffrey.

"Don't change the subject, Jeffrey. I could go with you or I could go with my friends. Either way, it shouldn't be a big of a deal."

"So if you decide to go with me, I'd be your date?"

"Jeffrey, you're not listening. I said it doesn't matter. We would just be there being us, not making any difference. Prom will basically be like any other day with us just like right now."

"Well, we're on a date. So if we go to prom together, we would each other's dates."

"Why are you repeating yourself?"

"Because you won't ask me to be your date to the prom. It might not be a big deal to you but it's a big deal to me."

"I didn't know that. If you want to go with me, then ask me."

"No, you should ask me because you've been probably thinking about this more than I have."

"Oh, please."

"Don't play dumb."

"I'm not playing; I'm actually dumb. Who discovered science? I don't know. See, dumb."

"Skye, if you like me, then why not do this for me?"

She sighed. "Because I don't know how to."

"It's easy. Just repeat after me. Jeffrey--"

"Jeffrey."

"Will you..."

"Will you..."

"Go to..."

"Go to..."

"The prom..."

"The prom..."

"With me?"

"With you?"

"Skye!"

"I'm just playing. Jeffrey, will you go to the frickin' prom with me?"

"Frick yes."

"Frickin' good."

The couple shared a laugh before taking a bite of their submarines.

Pump Up the Prom (Chapter 2)

A few days later, the girls were in school, getting their education. After third period, lunchtime had started. Students used the time to put their books in their lockers before walking to the cafeteria. Madeline skipped putting her books away to approach her crush, Jackson. She had a crush on Jackson before but got over it when she found out that he had a girlfriend. But hearing that he's newly single, she decided to go for it. She practically followed him all the way to his locker. When he dumped his books in there, she sprinted up to him.

"Hey, Jackson," she greeted with a smile.

Jackson closed his locker. "Hey, Madeline."

"How are you?"

"Good. How are you?"

"Very good. How's soccer?"

"Really good."

"That's good! You know, I go to a soccer game once in a while just to cheer you on."

"You do?"

"Of course. I'm the one who calls out, 'Whoop, Jackson!'"

"You're the 'Whoop, Jackson!' girl?"

"Can you believe it?"

Jackson chuckled.

"So... prom's coming up."

"Yeah."

"Since I don't have a date and you don't have a date hopefully, I was wondering, would you like to have the best time of your life by going to prom with me?"

"Oh, Madeline, I'm flattered. But I was just gonna go there by myself."

"Great! Do you think you can pick me-- What?"

"I don't want a date for the prom. I've been enjoying the time of being single so I was going to go to prom with a few friends. Sorry."

Madeline paused. "Don't be sorry, Jackson. It's okay. Being single can be really fun. Trust me, I'm very single. Don't worry about it, alright?"

"Thanks, Madeline."

Jackson walked away with Madeline looking at the back of him.

"What do I look like where guys say no so easily?" she asked herself.



Meanwhile, Lizzie met up with her boyfriend, Warren. She usually greets him before going to lunch since they don't have the same lunch period to talk. But Lizzie expected to get her "ask" during the time she was required. She greeted Warren with a hug and a grin.

"How are you?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm doing good," he answered. "It's been a good day. How have you been?"

"Jolly like Santa Claus."

"Oh, you're going to give me a Christmas present?"

"Oh, Warren, you're so crazy! Am I supposed to?"

"No, forget it."

"Okay. So have you heard?"

"About what?"

"You know, prom."

"Oh, yeah. Yes, I've heard."

"You've heard?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Did you know it's an event in high school where teenagers dance and socialize?"

"Yes, Lizzie."

"Okay. Lots of people think it's important. I don't really care; I just want to go."

"Okay."

"Yep."

"Do you want to go?"

"Where?"

"To prom?"

"Yeah, I just said that."

"No, I mean do you want to go with me?"

"Oh! Oh, Warren, this is all so sudden. Are you sure you're ready?"

"Lizzie--"

"Don't speak anymore! I will go with you."

"Great! Thank you."

"You are so welcome."

Pump Up the Prom (Chapter 1)

Madeline entered the cafeteria a few minutes late with what seemed to be tickets in her hand. She walked up to her table and slammed the tickets down, almost surprising her girlfriends.

"Boo to the yah," she said before sitting down.

"Are those?" inquired Lizzie.

"Yep, prom tickets."

Lizzie squealed while clapping.

"We could've bought our own tickets," reminded Skye.

"I know," said Madeline. "But I wanted to make sure that we all had them."

"Oh, thanks, Maddie," smiled Debra.

"I love it when you buy us stuff," Andrea commented.

Madeline picked up the tickets and read through them. Individually, she handed one to each of her girlfriends. As she did, she said, "This one's yours, that one's yours, here you go and that's yours." She was left with one ticket. "Here's mine."

"Oh, I'm so excited for prom," confessed Lizzie. "I've been dreaming of this day since I was a child."

"Ah, prom," started Skye. "The biggest event of school in the history of events. Just weeks of allergic reactions to new makeup products, sweating in dresses that your mom wants you to wear and bruising your skin from waxes and razors. Oh, yeah, I'm so prepared."

"Orale, Tim Burton," remarked Andrea. "Why judge what you haven't experienced?"

"Because I'm not a girly girl. You guys know me."

"You're right, we do know you," said Madeline. "And you are a girly girl."

"You have no proof."

"Proof? We're your friends. We need no proof."

"Skye, you don't got to be a girly girl to enjoy prom," said Debra. "Plenty of goths go to prom."

"I am not goth," said Skye.

"But what would you rather be: a goth or a girly girl?" asked Madeline.

"Overruled."

"So a lawyer?" inquired Lizzie.

"Guys, of course I'm going to go to prom. I've never been to prom before. It's just that it shouldn't be a big deal."

"Uh, it's a pretty big deal," said Madeline. "I got to be my hottest. I don't want people to look at me and think, 'Okay.' I want them to look at me and think, 'Okay!'"

"Well, I don't care what people think."

"Is that why you dress like that?"

Skye glared at Madeline.

"I'm kidding! But if you're worried about not having a good time, ask your boyfriend to be your date."

"He is not my boyfriend."

"Oh, are we still playing this game?" asked Andrea.

"We never had talked about it."

"You probably don't have to," said Madeline. "Jeffrey probably calls you his girlfriend to his friends."

"Are you okay with that?" asked Lizzie.

"If Jeffrey thinks we're in a relationship," started Skye, "then we don't have to have the talk."

"So you want to be his girlfriend?" questioned Madeline.

"Yes but I'm not so..."

"Skye, if you like him, then like him."

"He knows I like him."

"He's just not your boyfriend?" Debra inquired.

"Right."

"Then what are you to him?" asked Andrea.

"His special friend."

"Okay, so if Jeffrey went back to Marla, would you be okay with that?" asked Lizzie.

"Of course... if he wants to die." Skye took a sip of her can of Pepsi.

"You're lucky Jeffrey can't be with Marla," said Madeline, "because she's going out with Lizzie's Hank."

"Figures," said Lizzie. "But that's okay because I'll be going with Warren to the prom."

"Did he ask you?" asked Debra.

"No, not yet. But I'll get him to."

"If you already want to go with him, why don't you ask him?" asked Andrea.

"Because it's like a marriage proposal: if he doesn't ask me, I won't get a ring."

"Is the ring the corsage?" questioned Debra.

"What's a corsage?"

"It's flowers," responded Madeline.

"Like a bouquet? Gee, I'm planning my wedding already."

The Camping Trip (Chapter 5)

Everybody on the campsite packed up their bags and helped each other disassemble their tents as the trip was coming to an end. The top ranger used a remote to deflate the shared chaperones' tent. Several students, including Debra and Madeline, helped the chaperones clean up the site as well.

The Cow Belles loitered, not bothering to help anyone after preparing themselves to leave.

"Thank God that we get to leave this dump," Pamela shared with Mauricia.

"I'm glad you had fun," the ranger overheard.

Pamela scoffed.

"Thank you for letting me use your hot comb," said Mauricia, playing with her fixed, curly hair. "You are my hero."

"Oh, you are my hero."

"Thanks, girl."

After Madeline closed a suitcase for a chaperone, Speed walked up to her. She wanted to ignore him but thought she might as well listen to what he has to say.

"Hi, Madeline," he greeted.

"Hi," she responded, not looking into his eyes.

"Look, I assume that you're mad at me about something. So I want to say I'm sorry."

"Funny how you're talking to me and all of these people are staring."

"I don't care at this point. Do you think you can forgive me?"

"I don't know. You and me reside in two different worlds. I'm smart enough to know who I should be with and that guy can't be you. Sorry, Speed, I'm letting you go."

"You're not gonna think about this?"

"Oh, I've already thought about it. But don't worry, you'll find another rich girl to feed off of, Phineas Georgestown."

"Please don't call me that."

"Call you what? Phineas?"

"Shhh."

"Come on, everybody knows your name is Phineas."

"Not everybody. Be quiet."

"You don't like that, Phineas?"

"Shut up." Speed ran away from Madeline as soon as he felt eyes on him.

"What you running from, Phineas?!"

"I hate you!"

"Your name is Phineas Georgestown!"

Andrea walked up to Madeline, giggling. "His name is Phineas?"

"Yes. Please tell as many people as you can."

"Okay. Listen, I'm sorry it didn't work out between you and Speed."

"It's okay. We weren't meant to be. I sort of saw it coming."

"Hey, 'Phineas' is better than 'Madeline', right?"

"Way better."

The two were soon approached by the Cow Belles. The girls rolled their eyes but directed their attention to them.

"Thank you for letting us sleep with you, girls," said Pamela.

"You're welcome," smiled Madeline.

"But can we give you a tip?" asked Mauricia. "Lose more weight; that tent was getting a little claustrophobic."

"You're claustrophobic," snarled Andrea.

"Whatever, elephant thighs," said Pamela, putting her hand up.

Andrea started to get a crazy look in her eye. Madeline held her back just in case she was going to strike. The Cow Belles rolled their eyes at them before walking away. As they did so, Pamela accidentally kicks a squirrel on the ground.

"What the--?" said Pamela.

"What is it?" asked Mauricia.

"Nothing. Just some stupid squirrel. Get out of my way, creature," she glared at the small animal.

The squirrel began chattering loudly. Then it crawled up Pamela's leg onto her body. Pamela tried to shake the squirrel off but it had a tight grip. Then the squirrel jumped from Pamela's shoulder onto her face and started to attack her. Pamela's screams muffled on the squirrel's body and she ran around in circles, trying to tear the squirrel off. But the squirrel was too strong, holding onto her face with its claws and chewing on her skin with its buckteeth. Mauricia followed Pamela, attempting to help her while Madeline and Andrea stared at the action.

Andrea began smiling and dancing with her arms in the air while singing cheerfully, "I ain't worried bout nothin'. I ain't worried bout nothin'. I ain't worried bout nothin'."

The Camping Trip (Chapter 4)

When there was enough wood, the ranger told everyone to stop and made a fire naturally by rubbing two sticks together. He dropped them into the large pile of sticks, igniting the whole pile, creating a bonfire. After the sun went down, he instructed the teenagers to sit together around the bonfire so they could all engage in more activities that include "bonding".

"Stick your sticks above the fire, kids," instructed the top ranger, "so your marshmallows can get toasted."

All of the teenagers moved closer to the bonfire and raised their skewers with marshmallows stuck on them above the cackling fire.

"Why didn't you get a marshmallow, Maddie?" asked Lizzie, looking at Madeline from behind as she toasted her marshmallow.

"Because I'm on a no sugar diet," answered Madeline. "I don't want to wake up tomorrow with bags under my eyes."

"Everything you eat has sugar in it, Maddie," said Andrea, observing her toasted marshmallow.

"I disagree with that statement."

"Oh."

"Now who would like to tell a ghost story?" asked the ranger.

"I would," said Skye, raising her hand.

"Of course Casper the Ghost wants to tell a story," commented Pamela.

"Don't forget: you're sleeping in my tent."

Pamela snarled and nudged her head.

"Okay, once there was a kid; let's call him Jimmy. He was a prankster, a practical joker. He loved making himself laugh and he would do so by messing with others. Some found his pranks hilarious while others found them annoying because that's all he would do. So one day, he was staying at his grandmother's house because his parents were getting sick of him. His grandmother was losing her hearing so Jimmy took that fact to his advantage. He saw her in the kitchen chopping onions for a stew. She didn't see him so Jimmy decided to tiptoe into the kitchen and sneak up on her."

"Oh, lord, she done chopped his head off!" shouted Andrea.

"I'm telling the story! So... yeah, she chops his head off. And his grandmother freaked out but she didn't want to call the police because they would've arrested her. So when night fell, she digs a hole in her backyard and buries his body. She cleaned up the evidence and told everyone that Jimmy ran away. Yet she had no idea herself that even though she buried Jimmy's body, his hijinks would never stop. So one night, a month after the accident, Jimmy's grandma got up from bed to get a glass of water. She walked down into the kitchen and tried to open the cabinet for a cup but it wouldn't opened. It was as if it was glued. She pulled harder and harder until it opened. However, there weren't any cups; there were knives. Butcher knives that fell down on top of the old lady with one of them cutting her hand!"

Skye showed her hand which was covered with a red substance. She shrieked, making most of the teenagers scream. They were wide-eyed, squirmy and stuck staring at her. Skye began to laugh, making the campers calm down and some of them look at her with confused faces.

"Skye, your hand," said Lizzie.

"Oh, relax," smiled Skye. "It's ketchup. I found it outside the chaperones' tent and I decided to keep it."

"I knew we had more ketchup," said the ranger to himself.

After the bonfire, everyone was told to go to bed. All of the boys and girls dressed in their pajamas and tucked themselves into their sleeping bags inside their chosen tents. The girls were surely asleep by midnight except for the best friends and the Cow Belles.

Lizzie wriggled inside her sleeping bag before laying on her side.

"What's wrong, Liz'?" muttered Madeline, blinded by a sleeping mask but sensing it was Lizzie moving.

"It's hard for me to go to sleep," Lizzie answered. "It's so cold in here."

"I know," agreed Andrea. "It's colder than a Pamela's teat in here."

Pamela took off her sleeping mask and sat up. She glared at Andrea but Andrea had her eyes closed. Pamela put back on her mask before laying back down.

Lizzie switched sides and tried to keep still. But she opened her eyes when she heard rustling as if the leaves outside were being vigorously shaken.

"What was that?" she asked. She then gasped. "Is it a bear?"

"It can't be," said Andrea. "Mauricia's right here."

Mauricia slipped off her sleeping mask then sat up to stare at Andrea, whose eyes were closed.

The tent itself began to shake with the rustling noise still continuing. Madeline took off her mask, hearing the noise.

"Oh, my God, what if it's Jimmy?" asked Lizzie, sitting up.

"Jimmy's not real," said Skye.

The tent continued to shake but harder than before.

Pamela pushed her upper body up and pushed up her mask. "Okay, what is going on?"

The tent's door unzippened and a strange boy popped his head inside.

"There's Jimmy!" shouted Lizzie, pointing at him.

Suddenly, more boys put their heads inside and raised up water guns. All several of them began to shoot water at the girls. Except for Debra, all of the girls screamed and squirmed. They put their hands out to block the water but it didn't help them. The boys kept shooting at them as the girls crawled towards the back of their tent. Pamela held up their sleeping bag in front of the girls while Madeline opened the tent's "emergency exit" and slithered out, doing it almost out of notice. However, the boys didn't stop until all of the girls were drenched with water. The boys backed out of the tent and zippened the door closed. The girls put down the sleeping bags and gasped and panted while wiping the water from their faces.

"Where did they get super soakers?" screamed Andrea.

"Oh, my God," whined Mauricia, petting her head. "My hair."

Debra sat up from her sleeping bag then stretched and yawned. "What happened?" she asked while dripping with water.

"You didn't feel that?" asked Skye.

"Feel what?"

"Wait, where's Madeline?" Lizzie asked.

While the boys were shooting the girls with their water guns, Madeline slipped away and took a trip within the forest. She thought the prank was a distraction so that Speed could get some alone time with Madeline without anyone really noticing. She scrambled through the trees for a while, searching for Speed.

"Speed? Speed," she whispered and called.

Madeline kept walking until she saw a lake from afar. From her left, she saw Speed, but he was with his punk friends. She hid behind a tree so the group wouldn't see her.

"So are you and that Madeline still running around with each other?" asked one of the friends.

"Yeah, I spoke to her today," Speed answered. "She is pretty hung up on me."

"How long are you going to stay with her?"

"Until she makes me popular. Madeline knows that we can't date publicly because I'm nothing like her. So, based on her personality, I can tell that she'll make me join the committee and convince the members to take me in. And before I know it, I'll be running the school. Heck, I might convince the students to make me president and inauguarate her."

"Shoot, man, you're a mastermind," said the other friend. "I like that."

"Yeah. Also, Madeline is rich so free gifts."

Speed's friends laughed.

"Come on, let's get out of here. This lake is boring."

The group walked up the hill into the forest towards the campsite.

Madeline was appalled. They promised to not tell anyone about their relationship and even though she told her friends, their relationship was based off a plan to become popular. She was being used and she was disgusted, even though it wasn't the first time. She entered back into the forest and clambered through the trees, leading herself towards the campsite. When she found her tent, she unlatched the back door and stuck herself inside the tent. She crawled tediously inside of it, almost scaring some of the girls. Pamela and Mauricia scooted away from her to give her space. Once she was all the way in, Madeline sat up.

"Madeline, where the freak did you go?" questioned Skye.

"I got an idea to get back at the boys," Madeline said.

Half an hour later, the boys were inside their tents, laughing about the prank that they planted on the girls. Speed and his friends laughed along with them although they missed the action. Just when most of the boys got themselves situated in their sleeping bags to get some rest, they heard strange voices. The boys could see odd shadows moving around on their tents. A certain group of boys could see a hunching girl's shadow outside of their tent and hear constant coughing. One of the boys crawled toward the tent door slowly and with a shaking hand, unzipped the door. In front of the tent door was nothing until Skye, covered entirely in mud and leaves, jumped out. She spit out what seemed to be mucky water at the boys, scaring them and making them scream like little girls. The boys in the other tents could hear the screaming, creating anxiety inside themselves. In one tent, a girl who was also covered in mud tore a hole in the tent with a pocketknife. The boys inside shrieked as the girl crawled in through the hole and started growling like a monster. In another tent, the boys inside noticed a strange lump of dirt settled on the edge. When one of them moved closer to it, a dirty hand shot out of the lump and grabbed the boy by the wrist. A girl in mud slithered underneath the tent through a tearing hole, freaking the boys inside out. She shrieked at them like some wild animal. The other boys in the other tents were confused about the distant noises. So in one tent, one of the boys opened their tent and facing it was a girl holding two open bottles of a pink liquid. She chucked the bottles at the boys inside, drenching most of them with the liquid. The same thing happened to the rest of the tents, especially Speed's tent with which Madeline poured two bottles of a perfumed liquid on top of Speed and his friends.

"What the freak, Maddie?" he flipped out. "Now I smell like girl."

"Good," said Madeline before throwing one of the bottles at his face and leaving.

Yards away from her, she could see Skye being driven out of a tent by the boys who eventually knew it was her. As they walked out of their tents, Andrea and Lizzie, helping each other, chucked a bucket of mucky water at the group of boys. They stood surprised, drenched, disgusted and freezing. Two other girls did the same thing to a group of boys trying to get out of their tents. The boys who were outside went back inside their tents, feeling defeated. The large group of girls huddled together, swimming in success of their plan.

"Don't mess with this, don't mess with me," Andrea yelled at the boys.

"I'm the queen of everything," stated Madeline arrogantly.

"Whatever you say, Maddie," said Skye, rubbing her mud across Madeline's cheek.

Madeline flinched and sprinted away from Skye who began to laugh.