I'm Moving Out! (Chapter 4)

For almost a week, Lizzie lived with Madeline in her luxurious condominium. Lizzie loved it while Madeline felt the exact opposite about it. She loved Lizzie and would never hurt her feelings. However, she was not in the mood to see Lizzie 24/7. They may have been best friends but that was Madeline's place.

One day, Madeline came home from work. She had been working from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. She was exhausted and just wanted to chill. When she opened the door to her condo, she did not recognize it at all. Sparkly red streamers hung from the walls. The pillows on the leather couch were replaced with girly cushions with quotes quilted on them. The balcony door had soft pink velvet curtains draped over them. Red and pink ribbons were tied around the table and chair legs. Madeline's Elysian Fields was now the infernal regions. In other words, what used to be Madeline's heaven was now her hell.

"Surprise!" Lizzie shouted, running out of the hall and throwing her arms out.

"Uh, Lizzie, what happened in here?" Madeline asked, throwing her keys on the little table by the door.

"I redecorated the place."

She closed the door. "You or a six-year-old hoodlum?"

"Me. It was all me. You likey?"

Madeline walked further into the living room, looking all around. "Lizzie, do you even know how to decorate a house?"

"Well, no. But if I were gonna get a house, this is how I would want to look like. Sorta."

"But, Lizzie, streamers? You don't decorate a house with streamers."

"Okay, maybe I can take the streamers down. But don't you like the curtains? I know how much you love pink. Everything in this place is practically brown."

"I have no problem with brown."

"Brown is the color of doo."

"Well, everything in here is expensive doo, alright? You can't just change everything in here without telling me." Madeline looked in the corner by the TV. "No, you didn't get the lamp from A Christmas Story."

Lizzie came closer and looked at the lamp the size and shape of a sexy leg with a red stiletto. "A Christmas store? They have those around here?"

"Not a Christmas store. A Christmas Story! You know, the movie."

"Uh, I didn't get this lamp from a movie. I went to a thrift store for this. I didn't know movies liked to give things away."

"Lizzie, tell me that's the only tacky thing you got for this place besides the ribbons."

"Tacky? I thought this lamp was cute. I've always wanted shoes like that. But yeah, this is all I bought."

"Thank you."

"And some paint."

"Paint?"

"Yeah, but I didn't paint the walls. I just used the paint to write with."

"Write what?"

"This." Lizzie moved to the wall by the dining table.

Madeline was surprised to see what was on her wall. The message said, "Maddie and Lizzie's Condo 4Ever" in pink paint.

"See, I wrote it in pink," said Lizzie. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"Oh, my God."

"Yeah, I can't believe I got it to be so big. I'm proud of myself."

Madeline covered her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"What's wrong? Did you eat something bad? Was it gluten?"

Madeline ran into her nice kitchen. There, she stepped on the lever at the bottom of her trashcan, opening it that way. She stuck her head inside before upchucking. Lizzie came in and held Madeline's hair back.

"There, there," she said. "Let it all out. But you do like what I've done with the place, right?"

Madeline stood up straight and took her foot off the lever, closing the trashcan. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and exhaled. "Lizzie, can I ask you something?" she said softly without looking at Lizzie.

"Sure, Mads. Ask me anything."

"Can you get out of my house?"

Lizzie paused. "Why? You want me to buy you some Tylenol?"

"No. No, no. I meant as in leave my house and never come back."

"Leave with all my stuff in here?"

"Lizzie! Don't you understand what I am saying to you?"

"You're kicking me out?"

"Well, I wouldn't say 'kick out'. It's not like I'm taking you to the door, opening it then pushing you out with my foot. I could do that but I'm not going to because I love you."

"But I don't understand. I thought we were having a good time."

"Lizzie, I always have fun with you. I just don't want to have fun with you every day. And if I'm going to have fun with you every day, I rather have fun with you not the entire time. Does that make sense?"

"I don't know."

"Listen, the only reason you're here is because you didn't have any freedom at home. I think you should talk to your mother about what you are allowed to do over there. If she doesn't want to listen or make any agreements with you, you can move back in."

"Can I really?"

"Yeah. However, there's a chance I will change my mind and try to convince Debra to let you stay with her. She has a hard time saying no anyway."

"That is true. But what about her brother? He seems like the type that will peek at me while I'm undressing."

"Then you better buy some cheap perfume and spray him in the eye. That dude is twelve years old; he doesn't need his eyesight forever."

"Maybe you're right, Madeline. I should talk to my mom and see if it works out. Thank you."

"No problem. Now untie all the ribbons before I kill you. Wait, did you touch my room?"

"Uh... no?"

"When you say no with a question mark, it's a yes."

"Then yes?"

"I see what you're trying to do."