Beach Babes (Chapter 5)

"I can't believe you guys," said Skye. "You better call DeMarcus and Calvin and tell them what you were doing."
"No way!" said Madeline. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"Then why can't you tell Calvin anyway?"
"Because he'll think I did something wrong."
"I don't mind telling DeMarcus," said Lizzie. "We tell each other everything. He once told me about the skin tag growing on his butt."
"Gross," Madeline commented.
"Yeah, gross," Skye agreed. "Can you send me a picture?"
Madeline groaned.
When the girls arrived at their blanket, Andrea, in a big floppy hat, approached them.
"Hey, where were you guys?" she asked. "Just because I was tanning doesn't mean you have to leave me."
Skye released the girls and tilted her body. "Andrea, can you turn around for a second?"
"Why?"
"Just turn around."
Andrea rolled her eyes. "Fine."
She turned around so the girls could see her back. They were stunned to see that the entire backside of Andrea was ruddier than her front.
"Skye, if you want to look at my butt, it's okay to ask," said Andrea.
"Andrea, did you remember to flip over while you were tanning?" asked Madeline.
"No, I fell asleep. I'm going to do the front later though. I'm totally tan in the back, huh?"
"Um, define 'tan'," responded Skye.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," replied Madeline, shaking her head. "You look like fire. I mean, you look like you're on fire. Yeah, you're on fire."
"This girl is on fire," sang Lizzie.
Andrea turned back around and smiled at her friends.
"So where's Debra?" asked Madeline.
"I don't know," answered Andrea. "I thought she was with you."
"Guys, I think I know where she is," said Skye.
"Where?" asked Madeline.
Skye pointed at the ocean so that's where the girls looked. Although they were far away, they could see a black female standing on a yellow surfboard in the ocean. After taking a better examination of the female, they begin to recognize their friend.
"Debra?" said Lizzie.
The four girls rushed towards the edge of the ocean and got a better look. They joined the crowd of people watching Debra riding a huge wave. She was so focused, looking ahead of herself and not at her feet. Her arms were out and her posture was straight.
Using her feet, she moved the board to and fro inside the high waters. The crowd, including the girls, cheered for her. Then Debra bent down, moving the board straight across. Water was twirling over her wet head.
Finally, the wave crashed down over her and she fell into the water. The crowd fell silent until Debra resurfaced, climbing back on the surfboard. They all cheered as she stood up, regaining her balance, and used the board to float back into dry land. Everyone applauded for her; Debra's friends ran towards her and took turns giving her a hug.
"Debra, what were you doing out there?" asked Madeline.
"Catching some waves, man," answered Debra, picking up the paisley covered surfboard and holding it with one arm.
"That was amazing, Debra!" shared Lizzie.
"Yeah, how are you so good after all these years?" questioned Skye.
"All I had to do was listen for the whoosh-whoosh," Debra replied. "You know? So I just went out there and I heard a whoosh but not the whoosh-whoosh. So I listened for the other noises like the shh-ahh and wha-whirl. And before I knew it, I'm on the board under the shh-wha. And when the water came down on me like baah, I got back up and heard the whoosh-whoosh. Then after that, it was smooth sailing."
The girls stood there and stared at Debra.
"I'm not sure if I got all that," said Skye. "But that was incredible."
"Truly incredible," agreed Andrea.
"Thank you, guys," Debra said with a smile.
"Whose surfboard did you use?" asked Madeline.
"She used mine," said the Magician, stopping by and putting his arm around Debra's shoulders. "The thing about magicians is that they must have an assistant."
Debra looked up at him and smiled. "You got that right," she agreed.
"Oh, great," Skye said, throwing her arms at her sides. "So we're all cheating on our boyfriends? Well, don't I feel like such a newb."
"What did I miss?" asked Andrea.
"In your case, apparently not the sun," responded the Magician.

 "Ain't nobody was talking to you, Spicoli."

Beach Babes (Chapter 4)

After waiting for her friends to come back, which they never did, Debra put on a sheer kimono over her orange bikini. She began to wander the beach, people-watching and looking for any adrift seashells. Then she found an area where surfboards were being held up. There were a few surfboards on the racks but a yellow one with a black paisley pattern caught Debra's eye. She began running her fingers on the smooth board.
"Can I help you?" asked a man. He was in his early twenties with long, curly blonde hair like Madeline's. The young man was wearing a sleek, black bodysuit. Debra backed away when he picked up the yellow, paisley surfboard and carried it with one arm.
"Oh, sorry about that," said Debra. "I was just admiring your board."
"Well, thank you," said the man, scanning the surfboard in his arms. He had a strong valley accent. "This used to be my grandma's board."
"Your grandma used to surf?"
"Oh, yeah. She was the it girl for surfing in Laguna Beach back in the sixties. I like to think I got some of her surfing blood in me."
"Well, that's nice to hear."
"Do you surf?"
"Oh, no. I mean, I used to but not anymore."
"Why not?"
"Well, I had been surfing ever since I was eleven. When I was fourteen, I went to catch some waves and gone too far into the ocean. The waves crashed over me and while I was in the water, I saw a shark. I knew sharks were big but this shark was too big. It went after me and luckily I swam away. But my board didn't. I assumed it was a sign that I should never surf again. So since that day, I never surfed."
"Never surfed? Dude, you should never say never."
"I know but I can't surf again. Even if I wanted to, I don't have a board."
"You can buy one."
"I don't have the money for it. Besides, it's been so long. I probably don't know how to surf anymore."
"Dude, surfing is not in the head. It's in the heart. If you knew how to surf, you'll always know how to surf. It doesn't leave like an alcoholic father. It sticks with you like a ghost who died in your house."
"O-Okay."
"Listen, I was once a kid like you once."
"I don't think I'm any younger than you."
"Just hear me out. When I was a youth, I really wanted to surf but I was so scared. But my old man said, 'Just listen to the waves. Do you hear 'em? You hear how they go whoosh-whoosh? Just listen to the waves and become 'em, man.' So that's what I did; I went into the water and heard the whoosh. I didn't hear the whoosh-whoosh but I heard the whoosh. Then a wave came up and it was like, shhh-whirl. Then another was like, wha-wha-whirl. And I was so fascinated that I stood up and just listened to the whoosh-whirl. And I rode that wave like a bull. I could hear the shh-whoosh and the shh-ahh. I was like, 'Whoa, this wave is pretty crazy, bruh.' I could feel the water over my head like shh-ahh. Then the wave went down on me like ah-baa, baah! And when I got back on my board, I heard the whoosh-whoosh. It was such an amazing feeling. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
"For some reason, I think I do. And I'm getting excited."
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about. So you think you'd want to surf again?"
"Yeah but ... like I said, I don't have a board. I really think I'm never going to surf again."
"Okay, quit saying 'never'. It grinds the gears in my ears. Use my board." The young man stood his surfboard up.
"Oh, no, I can't do that."
"Yes, you can. It's only for one day. It's better to surf one day than to never surf at all. And when you get old enough to afford a board, you can start catching waves again."
Debra took the surfboard from him. "Thank you so much. But I don't think I can do it."
"Hey, just listen to the whoosh-whoosh, man. You'll know what you're doing from there."
"Oh, gosh, thank you. Sorry for not asking earlier but what is your name?"
"My name is the Magician." The young man threw his arms in the air.
"Really?"
"Well, my real name is Carl but I prefer to be called the Magician."
"Then, thank you, the Magician." Debra grinned at him.

Meanwhile, Madeline and Lizzie were off to the side of the beach with Mat and Stefan. They were using water guns that the boys brought with them to play with. They ran around in circles, spraying each other with water. The four were having a good time, laughing and shielding themselves with their hands.
While they were busy having so much fun, Skye showed up, witnessing the whole thing. She rolled her eyes, shook her head and approached Madeline. Skye snatched the gun from Madeline's hands and used it to spray her in the face. The boys and Lizzie ceased when they saw Skye interfering.
Madeline wiped her faces and gave Skye an infuriated look. "Skye, I have makeup on!" she yelled.
"Who wears makeup to the beach?" asked Skye.
"Those who slay."
"Enough with the slaying crap. Who are these guys?"
"That's Mat and that's Stefan."
"Why are you hanging out with them?"
"Because you were gone."
"I was trying to take pictures of the girl trying to get the jellyfish off her leg."
"Then why did it take you so long?"
"You should've seen her friends trying to 'help' her."
"That's gross, Skye."
"Okay, I'll admit it. It's gross; I'm not ashamed. But what's really gross is you and Lizzie hanging out with Mat and Steven."
"It's Stefan," he corrected.
"It's Steven, okay?"
"What's wrong with making new friends?" asked Madeline.
"You guys know that you have boyfriends. Faithful boyfriends."
"We're not cheating on them."
"Yeah, I thought girls and boys can be friends without making out with each other," said Lizzie.
"They can but let me ask the boys," said Skye. "Mat? Steven?"
"It's Stefan," he corrected again.
"Whatever. Do you want to be friends with Maddie and Lizzie?"
"Absolutely," answered Mat. "Why wouldn't we?"
"Yeah, they're hot," added Stefan.
Lizzie gasped.
"Was that too much?"
"See what I mean?" Skye asked the girls.
"Friends can think that their friends are hot," said Madeline. "Hey, Lizzie, you're hot."
"Why thank you, Maddie," said Lizzie, smiling.
"Now tell me I'm hot."
"Why? You tell yourself that every day."
"You do know these girls have boyfriends, right?" Skye asked the boys.
"Now we do," Mat replied.
"So you care?"
Mat shook his head. "No, not at all."
"Nope," said Stefan.
"I stand corrected," said Skye. "Come on, girls, let's go back to our friends."
"Wait, wait," commanded Mat. "So what if you guys have boyfriends? We can at least try to be friends."
"Okay," said Lizzie, smiling.
Skye interlocked her arm with Lizzie's arm and used her other arm to do the same thing with Madeline.
"No, Lizzie," said Skye. "These guys are bad news."
"You don't even know us," said Stefan.
"Is that an Iron Maiden T-shirt? Do you actually listen to them or are you wearing that shirt because it's 'fashionable'?"
"I listen to Iron Maiden."
"Your Mohawk says you're right but your mandals say you're lying."
Stefan gave Skye a quick squirt in the face with his water gun. Infuriated, Skye sprayed Stefan incessantly in the hair. He did his best to block himself from the endless stream of water.
"Stop!" he ordered. "You're messing up my hair!"
"'Stop, you're messing up my hair'," Skye mocked him. She dropped the water gun on the ground. "Come on, guys. Let's go."
"What about our shaved ice?" asked Lizzie.
"You can get it later."

Beach Babes (Chapter 3)

Madeline and Lizzie walked in their flip-flops all the way to a small shack called Clean Cut Shaved Ice. There was no line, although there were a few people sitting on stools in front of the shack's bar. The girls stood right in front to check out the menu over the server's head.
"Hi, welcome to Clean Cut Shaved Ice," he said. He had on a blue T-shirt with the shack name in bright yellow letters. "What kind of ice would you like?"
"Cherry," replied Lizzie, "because it's red and red's my favorite color."
"Strawberry," said Madeline, "because it's pink and pink is my favorite color."
"Why is the flavor for strawberries pink when they're red?"
"Because the inside is pink."
"Oh!"
"Okay," said the server. He went to the back to prepare the requested shaved ice.
As the girls watched him, one of the guys on the stools caught their attention.
"Hey. How's it going?"
"We're good," replied Madeline.
"We're about to have shaved ice so it's going to be even better," said Lizzie.
The boys laughed.
"Let us introduce ourselves," one of them said. "I'm Mat. This is my friend, Stefan. He's a bit shy."
"No, I'm not, dude," Stefan said. He had a blond mohawk and black studs in his ears. He also had nice green eyes and smooth peachy skin. Stefan was wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt as well. "If anyone is shy out of the two of us, it is Mat, alright?"
Mat had a brunet mop for hair and blue eyes piercing right under it. He wasn't wearing a shirt, exposing his flawless white skin. He also had one of the cutest smiles that people had ever seen.
"Hey, guilty as charged," Mat said, shrugging. "I only get shy when I meet beautiful girls."
Madeline and Lizzie giggled.
"I'm Madeline and this is my best friend, Lizzie."
"Hi!" Lizzie said, grinning.
"Nice to meet you," said Mat.
The server placed two Styrofoam cups of shaved ice, one red and one pink, on the counter. "That will be a dollar and fifty cents," he said.
While Madeline reached in her purse, the boys handed the server some money.
"Oh, we'll pay for it," said Stefan.
"Yeah, and keep the change," added Mat.
Madeline smiled at the boys.
"Oh, that's nice of you," said Lizzie. "But you should've let Madeline pay for it. She is mad rich!"
Madeline nudged Lizzie in the arm hard.
"Ow," Lizzie mouthed, holding her arm.
"Rich?" asked Stefan. "What do you mean by that?"
"Listen," started Madeline, "it was nice meeting you but I think it's time for me and Lizzie to go." She grabbed her cup of shaved ice.
"Now, wait, wait a minute," Mat demanded. "It doesn't matter if you're rich or not. We're not after your money. We just want to talk to you, get to know you. Is that too much to ask?"
Madeline glanced down. "No, I guess not."
"So Madeline, Lizzie. Those are some pretty names."
"Thank you," Madeline said, smiling. "My friends call me Maddie for short."
"And my parents call me Elizabeth for long," added Lizzie.
"Interesting," commented Stefan. "So since we know your names and favorite colors, would you like to hang out with us for the rest of the day?"
"Gee, I don't know," said Lizzie, shaking her head.
"Come on," said Mat. "We're cute."
"That is true," said Madeline. "But we came here with friends."
"Do you think they'll mind?"
"Well, one friend is getting a tan. Another friend is somewhere taking pictures of a jellyfish. And the other friend... wants to collect seashells. I don't think they'll mind if we hang out with you for a bit."
"Alright!" Stefan cheered.
Mat grinned at Madeline who grinned back. She took her spoon from her cup of ice and used it scoop some of Mat's shaved ice. She stuck the spoon in her mouth and consumed the grape-flavored treat.
"Mm, yummy," she said.
"Yes, it is," said Mat.
"We forgot to get Debra something," Lizzie whispered to Madeline.
"Shh!" Madeline shushed her.

Beach Babes (Chapter 2)

Later that day, the girls made a short road trip to Laguna Beach. When they arrived, the entire beach was scattered with civilians of all ages. They wandered around together in the hot sand until they found some space to chill. Lizzie set the blanket she brought on the sand before the rest of the girls sat down on it. Madeline put her basket full of goods down. Debra brought an umbrella so she could stick it into the sand and create shade for her friends. Andrea brought a separate blanket to lay down on so she could rest in the bright sun.
"Andrea, don't you think it's a little dangerous to lay in the sun like that?" asked Skye. "You could get skin cancer."
"If I do, I'll look good with it," said Andrea, slipping her sunglasses on. She laid her head on her arms.
"That's not the right response, Andrea."
"Candy Andy is going to look like actual candy if she stays in this heat," said Madeline.
"Don't be jealous," Andrea said.
"I'm not jealous of burning into a crisp, Andrea."
"Leave her be," commanded Debra politely. "If she wants a tan, let her get a tan."
"Alright, Debs."
Debra smirked then set her eyes on the blue ocean. It was catching some pretty big waves. But what was interesting was a guy riding the waves on his surfboard. He was doing fine for a good minute until the wave crashed down on him. Some people who standing a bit close to the waters were cheering for him. He ran through the waters back onto the surface with his surfboard in his arm.
"Like what you see?" asked Madeline.
Debra glanced at her. "Oh, yeah," she said, nodding.
"I know how much you loved to surf when you were a kid."
"Yeah but sometimes people grow out of things."
"That's true," agreed Lizzie. "I grew out of my ears when I got to the eighth grade."
"She means hobbies, Lizzie," corrected Madeline.
"Oh. Well, I guess that's true, too."
"You can't just stop doing things just because you're older," said Skye. "I mean, I get growing out of coloring books and toys but surfing is different. If you miss surfing and you want to--"
"O.M.G., that girl has a jellyfish on her leg," Madeline interrupted.
"Where?"
Skye set her eyes on a young woman with a purple jellyfish stuck to her left leg screaming her lungs out. Some girls, probably her friends, followed the woman as she zipped past the quintet.
"This is what I came here," said Skye, digging into the pocket of her black hoodie. She grabbed her cell phone and got up. "Hey, wait!" she yelled at the woman. "I got to take a picture!" Skye ran after her.
"And there are some things that people don't grow out of," Madeline shared. "Skye is a prime example."
Debra chuckled.
"Can we get some snowballs?" asked Lizzie. "We walked by a shack for it."
"I think that shack is for shaved ice," corrected Madeline.
"Whatevs. Can we go?"
"Sure." Madeline picked up her tote bag. "Debra, you want to come with?"
"No thanks," answered Debra. "I'll just be here, enjoying the sunshine."
"Don't enjoy it too much or you'll look like Andrea."
"You're just mad 'cause I slay!" Andrea yelled in a muffled tone since she was face down on her blanket.
Debra chuckled again. "Can you get me some shaved ice?" she asked.
"What flavor?" asked Madeline, getting up.
"Surprise me."
"I'll get you blue raspberry."
"That's not a surprise."

Beach Babes (Chapter 1)

"Cannonballs!" yelled Lizzie, waving her arms around and gyrating.

She ran towards the pool until she made it to the edge. There, she jumped in the air and hugged her knees. Then down she went into the water, making a great splash. She swam to the top, flipping her wet, dark hair back.

"Can you do a flip into the water?" asked Skye.

"I don't know," said Lizzie. "I never tried."

"Then try."

"Okay." Lizzie made her way to the underwater steps.

"Walk out of the pool like you're Phoebe Cates."

Lizzie laughed and rolled her eyes. She walked up the steps and walked back to the side of the pool. Then she backed up to give herself space.

"I call this the dippy-flippy-flip," Lizzie declared, water dripping from her cherry red bikini.

She made a ninety-degrees turn and threw herself into a cartwheel. Then her cartwheel transformed into a few backflips. At last, she flips into the air, doing a numerous amount of somersaults before diving into the water.

Debra cheered, applauding for her friend. Lizzie rose to the surface of the water, gasping for air.

"That was spectacular," commented Skye.

"Super duper spectacular," Debra agreed.

"Maddie, did you see that?" shouted Skye.

"Yep," Madeline shouted back. She was sitting in the Jacuzzi, which was not in contact with the pool. Her arms were resting on the surface, her eyes covered in pitch black sunglasses.

"Why don't you come in? You're isolating yourself."

"You guys should come in here."

"Nuh-uh," shouted Lizzie. "You can't flip in a Jacuzzi."

"Suit yourself."

"Just come over here, you lone wolf," ordered Skye.

"Je ne veux pas aller a la piscine."

"Yeah, shut up. Andrea, did you see that?"

Andrea was on a lawnchair, resting on her stomach, baking in the sun. She was in a cheetah-printed two-piece. She was also still and unresponsive and it was hard to tell if she was awake since she had on sunglasses, too.

"Andrea!"

"What?" Andrea asked.

"Are you asleep?"

"No."

"Then why didn't you answer me the first time?"

"Because I slay."

Skye chuckled. "Yeah, right. Get in the pool. You're frying like an egg."

"I like eggs."

"So can anyone of you do a backflip?" Lizzie asked Skye and Debra.

"No, my ankles won't allow it," answered Skye.

"I can do a few tricks myself," shared Debra.

"I guess they come in handy when you're mermaid-ing around, huh?"

"That reminds me," started Lizzie. "How is your job as a mermaid?"

"It's so much fun," replied Debra. "The kids love me."

"And do the kids actually believe you're a mermaid? Because you're not a real mermaid... are you?"

"No, I'm not, Lizzie. But hey, if kids believe in Santa Claus, kids can believe in mermaids despite the fiction."

"Santa Claus is not real?"

Skye covered Lizzie's ears. "Shh, Debra," she said. "You're upsetting Lizzie."

"Oops," Debra murmured, shrugging.

Skye smiled before taking her hands off Lizzie's head.

"Anyway, it's a wonderful job and I think I'm gonna keep it until I go to college."

"The things parents pay for just so their kid can have an abnormal pool party," said Skye before shaking her head.

Madeline walked towards the pool, taking off her glasses.

"Oh, look who decided to join us."

"I don't have to join you," said Madeline, putting her hands on her hips.

"But you do 'cause we're your only friends. So where is everybody?"

"You're my only friends, remember?"

"I mean, the people who live in the condos who are allowed at the pool. Where are they?"

"Oh, everyone's at the beach. Pools are so last year."

"It's a pool."

"Pools can be trends. Anyway, beaches are, like, the hottest things right now."

Skye pushed herself to the edge and lifted herself up before becoming face-to-face with Madeline. "Then I want to go to the beach," she said, water trickling down her yellow and black one-piece.

"Yeah, the beach is so relaxing," said Debra. "I could collect seashells."

"Yeah, and sand is good for exfoliating the skin," added Lizzie. "True story."

"Looks like we all want to go to the beach," said Skye, putting her fists on her hips.

"No way," said Madeline. "There are no Jacuzzis at the beach, okay? Besides, Andrea doesn't want to go."

"You didn't ask her. Andrea?"

She didn't respond.

"Andrea!"

"What?" Andrea responded.

"You're sleeping again."

"No, I'm not."

"Listen, do you want to go to the beach?"

Andrea sat up. "¿Que?"

"According to Madeline, pools are dead and everyone is at the beach."

"Why do you want to be where everyone else is?" Andrea rested her glasses on top of her head.

"I don't. I just like it when people get jellyfishes on their legs so they can get peed on."

"That sounds like a Skye answer." Andrea walked towards Madeline and Andrea. "But who cares if no one is at the pool? We still have lifeguards. Like him." Andrea looked up at the cute lifeguard who was sitting on the tall chair. "Hey," she said, waving at him.

The lifeguard smiled and waved back.

"You have a boyfriend," Debra reminded.

"And my boyfriend's not a lifeguard," Andrea said.

"Do you want to go to the beach or not?" asked Skye.

"Hmm... I guess I can go. There's probably more sun at the beach then there is here. Too many walls."

"Great. So I guess we're going to the beach."

"You don't make the decisions," said Madeline. "I make the decisions."

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

Skye pushed Madeline, making her fall into the pool. She threw her glasses into the air and Skye caught them for her as she made a splash.

Madeline ascended to the top, wiping her eyes and gasping. Her once dry, luscious, fair curls were now dark and stringy ringlets. "You messed up my hair!" she screamed.

"Oh, please," said Skye, crossing her arms. "It's gonna look how it did once it dries."

Madeline raised her eyebrows. "That is so true."

Embarrassment Town (Chapter 5)

"Thanks for the jacket," Madeline said to the groomsman she was with earlier. "But everyone knows what kind of underwear I wear now so I might as well walk around like that."
"Just be thankful," said the groomsman before walking away.
Madeline tied the sleeves of his blue jacket into a knot so it wouldn't slip off her waist. When she turned around, Cherise was there in her face.  
"You're like a ghost," said Madeline.
"I know," said Cherise, crossing her arms. "Are you okay?"
"No." Madeline glanced down. "I have bad luck."
Cherise chuckled. "What?"
"It's not funny."
"You have bad luck?"
"Yeah, ever since I spilled that salt shaker at Cool Beans, my life has been a mess. I tried everything to get rid of my bad luck but nothing has worked. I never thought I would say this but I don't know what to do."
"Hmm, okay. Here." Cherise bent over and pulled up her cream puff of a dress.
"Ew, Auntie!" Madeline blocked her face. "I don't want that!"
"It's not what you think, you dum-dum." Cherise dug into her strappy white high-heeled shoe and pulled out a tiny plant. "I want you to have this."
Madeline took a better look at it. "A four-leaf clover?"
"Yep."
"Why do you have this?"
"When I was around your age, I walked under a ladder and bad things started to rain down on me."
"Ladders do cause problems."
"One day, I found a four-leaf clover in a field of three-leaf clovers. I kept it and good things began to occur. I take it with me wherever I go. Now I want you to have it."
"Oh, Auntie, I don't know if I can accept this."
"It's fine, Madeline. I had my years of good luck. Now I need to live life my way now. You're young; you're supposed to be having fun. If you're gonna have fun, you need good luck. So here." Cherise handed her niece the clover.
"Oh, thank you, Auntie. But what about your marriage?"
"Hey, I'm already married. One day is better than none." Cherise laughed, causing Madeline to laugh.
Suddenly, the women heard a man screaming. They brought their attention to the high stand and saw Simon rolling down the ladder. He landed on his abdomen before holding his own sides. Madeline's groomsman rushed towards him and knelt down.
"Simon, are you okay?" he asked concerned.
"No!" Simon yelled in his old man voice. "My pelvis! I think I broke my pelvis!"
Cherise slowly turned her head and looked at her niece. "Hey, Madeline," she said with an awkward smile through scarlet lips. "Do you think I can have that clover back for a second?"
Madeline began walking away. "I'm sorry," she said. "No givesies backsies."

Embarrassment Town (Chapter 4)

  "Thank you, girls, for being my bridesmaids," said Madeline's aunt, Cherise.
 "It's not like you have any real friends," Madeline's cousin, Veronique, muttered loud enough for the girls to hear. Madeline nudged her on the arm, causing Veronique to glare at her.
 "I can't believe how nervous I am," said Cherise. She was wearing a white, lacy, French ball gown, something that a princess would wear for her wedding. Her face was caked with makeup and she was holding a bouquet of blue flowers.
 "Don't be nervous," assured Madeline. "You look great... sorta. And you're gonna be fine. You're getting married."
 "I know."
 "Then keep knowing."
 "What are you? Gandhi?" asked Jeanne, Madeline's other cousin.
 Veronique snickered. "I know, right?" she said.
 Madeline squinted her eyes at her cousins. Suddenly, they all heard music playing. It was a violin-influenced version of "Here Comes the Bride".
 "Oh, that's your cue," whispered Cherise. She put her long veil over her face. "Go, go."
 The bridesmaids assembled in a line. Veronique was first, Jeanne was second and Madeline was third. They looked like sisters in their matching blue gowns. And they were all holding little bouquets of white roses. Out of nowhere, the handsome groomsmen came out and picked a partner. Steadily, Veronique entered the chapel, arm-in-arm with her groomsman.
 "How you doin'?" she whispered to him, smirking.
 The young groomsman smirked back at her. Veronique moved her head around so her long, red locks could bounce all over the place. Walking down the aisle, she continued to seduce her partner, only with her little emeralds for eyes.
 Jeanne walked steadily down the aisle with her groomsmen, avoiding eye contact with each other. She was too young for him anyway. The groomsman had to be in his thirties, making her at least ten years younger than him. Jeanne just moved her blue eyes to the kaleidoscopic windows of Jesus Christ. She used her free hand to fix her lustrous, brown hair.
 Then it was Madeline's turn. Interlocked with her groomsman, she walked down the aisle, yards away from Jeanne. She held her head high and simpered at everybody in the wooden pews. Nothing pestered her until the groomsman she was with accidentally stepped on her foot.
 "Ow!" she yelled, leaping. "Watch where you're going," she whispered to the groomsman.
 "I'm sorry," he said.
 "You should be."
 Madeline tried to continue to walk with confidence. But her foot hurt so much that she was practically limping. She continued to smile, hoping her big, white grin would distract the attendants from her weird bunny-like hopping. Madeline's partner did his best to be careful walking with her. But just when they were feet away from the minister, Madeline stepped on the foot of her partner.
 "Ow!" he yelled.
 Madeline gasped. "Sorry," she said.
 "You should be."
 "Don't get snippy!" Madeline pushed herself away from the groomsman, tripping and tumbling onto the floor.
 Almost everyone in the pews gasped when they saw Madeline fall. She lifted herself up and regained her balance.
 "I'm okay, people," she announced, throwing her hands up. "I'm okay." She giggled awkwardly before pulling the groomsman to her side. "Get over here," she muttered.

 After the ceremony, everybody headed to the reception. It took place at a hotel that was ten minutes from the church. The reception was held in the biggest ballroom in the world. Newlyweds Cherise and Simon, who had to be twenty years older than her, were the first ones to be there. Everyone else who entered were astonished by the white curtains and tablecloths with silver dishes and chandeliers. However, what caught Madeline's attention was the ten-foot stand clothed in white with a long table on top right across from her.
 She approached her aunt. "Auntie, what is that?" Madeline asked, pointing at the shocker.
 "Oh, you know how in England, people have high tea?" Cherise asked. "Well, I like to call this 'high reception'."
 "That's not a thing."
 "Well, I made it a thing."
 "Please don't tell me we have to sit on that."
 "Fine, I won't tell you... but we are."
 Madeline scoffed. "All of us?"
 "No, just me, Simon, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, my parents and my siblings."
 "Can I sit somewhere in these tables? These are nice tables. They're low, they're regular tables."
 "No, Madeline. Why don't you want to sit with me? Are you afraid of heights?"
 "Yes! I'm afraid of heights and if I get up there, I'll die. Or have a nose bleed."
 Cherise giggled. "Oh, Madeline, the stand is a hundred percent safe. It's sturdy enough to hold fifty Sumo wrestlers."
 "Are you making that up?"
 "Yes. Now stop being a Grinch." Cherise walked off to be with her new husband.
 Before Madeline knew it, everybody assigned to sit at the high table was making their way towards it. From afar, she can see them climbing up a ladder on the side of the stand. Seeing that ladder chilled Madeline to the bone. Her eyes were popping out of her head and she gulped so loud that she heard it echo. With hesitation, she began walking towards the stand.
 "Come on, Madeline!" shouted Cherise from the top.
 Everyone sat in their seats with some of them watching Madeline from the bottom. She examined the ladder like it was an X-ray of a broken bone. She could hear her heart thumping as she grabbed onto the cold, steel bars. Little by little, Madeline climbed up the ladder, staring hard at the bars.
 "Hurry up, Madeline!" ordered Veronique. "We're all waiting for you."
 "Shut it, Ronnie!" Madeline shouted.
 It took her two minutes to get to the middle. When she looked at the top of the stand, it looked like it was taller than she expected. She tried to be as careful as she could, though. Then, as five minutes approached, she was at the top. She was crouched over on the edge like a monkey. She took a deep breath and looked at her befuddled relatives.
 "I made it," she said, standing up. "I made it!"
 Before she could make her way to her seat, she felt a tug. The bottom of her dress was caught on a snag on the railing, which was guarding the table. As she attempted to look behind herself, she felt as if the snag was pulling her back and she tripped on the edge. When the people on the stand witnessed Madeline descend, they all stood up.
 "Madeline!" yelled Cherise.
 Madeline didn't hit the ground as her dress was still attached to the railing. Half of the dress tore on Madeline's way down, though, ripping at the backside. Therefore, Madeline hung a foot from the floor, twirling around, involuntarily showing the ground-level attendants the rainbow pattern on her underwear.
 "Huh, so this is what it's like to be Spiderman," said Madeline, staring at the floor upside down.

Embarrassment Town (Chapter 3)

 The day after, Madeline invited the girls over to her place. She just recently admitted that she does have bad luck and it's going way too far. The girls rang the doorbell and Madeline yelled that it was open. They let themselves in but didn't see Madeline in the living room at all. They moved further in and caught Madeline in the kitchen chopping up a stick of sage with a butcher knife. She is also wearing multiple bejeweled necklaces and bracelets.
 "Hey, sisters," she said, smiling at her friends.
 "What are you doing?" asked Skye.
 "Chopping up sage. No big deal."
 Andrea chuckled. "What are you doing that for?" she inquired.
 "So I can burn it."
 "Why?" questioned Skye.
 "You guys ask a lot of questions." Madeline put down the knife. "I'm trying to get rid of the bad luck, okay?"
 "With sage?" inquired Lizzie.
 "I looked online on how to get rid of my bad luck and it says that burning sage helps. And being around crystals and gemstones help ward off evil. Good thing I own jewelry with the finest stones. It makes me feel like an Egyptian princess."
 "Good for you, Cleopatra."
 Madeline continued to chop up the sage. "Whatever, Skye. Although, I do admire Cleopatra as an important figure." Madeline picked up all the chopped sage with her hands and dropped it in a black bowl. "Now the big finale." She took out a matchbox and picked a random match. She rubbed it on the table, causing it to ignite. Then she dropped the match into the bowl, setting all the sage on fire.
 Lizzie yelped at the sight of the fire.
 "Don't worry," assured Madeline. "This bowl is fireproof." She grabbed an oven mitt and began carrying the bowl. "Can someone open the window please?" She walked out of the kitchen with the bowl.
 "I'll get it," said Debra. She entered the kitchen and opened up the window.
 Madeline carried the smoking bowl to every corner of the dining and living room. 
 "Uh, are you sure that this stuff is working, Madeline?" asked Skye.
 "Well, nothing bad has happened in the last five minutes so yeah," answered Madeline. "I got to try all the methods, though."
 "What methods?" asked Andrea.
 "Well, I got to declutter my home from the things I don't want or use. I'm starting to become a hoarder. Also, I got to rearrange the furniture in my house. I don't mind doing that. And I got to turn all the lights on. No darkness can touch this room."
 "And that's all?" Skye asked sarcastically.
 Madeline put the bowl of burning sage on the coffee table. "Not quite. There were other methods I've tried. I bathed in salt water, I burned incense, and I saved all the broken pieces of my favorite handheld mirror. And--Oh! Do you like my shirt?" Madeline tugged on her gray sweater, which had a big green four-leaf clover on it.
 "Cute!" Lizzie commented.
 "Thanks. But I feel like I'm forgetting some things."
 "Have you tried cleansing your chakras with fresh flowers?" asked Debra, standing by the dining room.
 "No, I have not. Thank you, Debbie. And I also need a horseshoe. My mom owns some horses so getting a shoe shouldn't be hard to do."
 "You know what else you could do to throw away your bad luck?" questioned Skye. "Donate all the money you hide from us."
 "Donate? No way. I got to think about myself first."
 "Of course you would say that."
 "Madeline, are you sure you know what you're doing?" inquired Andrea. "I mean, you're doing a lot."
 "The more, the merrier," said Madeline, putting her hands on her hips. "I spilled salt and broke a mirror. I need to get lucky fast."
 Right there, Debra felt something brush up against her leg. She looked down and could not help but smile. "Aw!" she uttered.
 The girls looked at her and saw a white rabbit on the floor, wiggling its black nose.
 Debra picked it up and took a better look at it. "Where did this little bunny rabbit come from?" she asked.
 "Oh, I bought it after I got off from work," Madeline replied.
 "You bought a rabbit?" Skye questioned.
 "It's so cute," Debra remarked. "I didn't think you'd get another pet."
 "Oh, it's not a pet," Madeline corrected. She picked up a cleaver, which was sitting on the coffee table. "I just need it for its foot." She approached Debra but stopped when she turned around, shielding the animal.
  "What?" Debra shrieked. "You are not cutting off its feet!"
 "Relax, I only need the left foot."
 "I don't care which foot it is. You're not harming this bunny. I won't let you."
 "Why do you have a cleaver in your living room?" asked Skye.
 "You ask too many questions," said Madeline, pointing the cleaver at her.
 "Madeline, I love you but esta loca!" uttered Andrea. "Girl, you can't buy a rabbit just to cut off its foot. I better call PETA on your tail."
 "Look, I just want to have good luck."
 "But nobody's lucky," said Skye. "Good luck isn't real. I'm starting to think your bad luck is a coincidence. I mean, nothing bad is happening to you right now."
 "That's because I got all this stuff."
 "Listen, I don't think it's working. I think it's a placebo. It's all in your head."
 "I don't have to listen to you. You're not the one with the bad luck. You know what? I don't need a rabbit's foot. I just need sunlight. Lizzie, can you open the balcony door? I want to let all the sunlight in and air out the sage."
 "Nobody wants to smell your sage," said Andrea.
 "It's not for them. It's for me. So can everybody calm down?"
 "We're calm," said Debra. "You're the one with the cleaver, threatening to cut off this bunny's foot."
 "Yeah, you're being ridiculous," agreed Skye. "Or in your language, ridic."
 "I'm not being ridic," said Madeline, putting her knife down on the dining table. "I just want to be safe and sound for this wedding. Okay? I am a bridesmaid."
 "Maddie, you don't happen to have a cat, too, do you?" asked Lizzie loudly.
 "No. Why?"
 "Because I happen to see one."
 The girls joined Lizzie on the balcony. They looked down and saw a black cat chilling on the grass outside of the building, twirling its tail.
 "Oh, my God," moaned Madeline.
 "Whose cat is that?" asked Lizzie.
 "Possibly a witch's," joked Skye.
 "Hey!" Madeline yelled. "Get out, cat!"
 "Cats don't speak English," said Lizzie.
 "I know, Lizzie."
 "So I guess you're gonna be needing that horseshoe, huh?" asked Skye.

Embarrassment Town (Chapter 2)

Two days later, the girls used their free time to do something fun. So they decided to go to a laser tag place a few blocks from Madeline's condo. They bought their own gear -- which involved goggles, bulletproof vests and laser guns -- and went against each other on the playing area. The walls and surface of the area were black and gray, riddled with various-sized obstacles. The whole area flickered with green light, which came from the guns. Every time someone would shoot at another, a green light would go off on their vest. Some of the girls would pretend to die every time they got "shot".
After a half an hour of battling, the girls decided to sit down by the little tables beside the playing area and take off their gear.
Madeline sighed, flipping her blonde locks. "That's enough sweating for today," she said.
"I hope it is," said Skye. "I can smell you all the way over here."
"No, you can't."
"Should we order some food?" asked Andrea.
"Oui, je suis un peu faim."
"Speak English, girl."
"Yes, I think we should order something. I'm a little hungry."
"I'll buy us some food if you give me some money." Andrea put her hand out.
"Fine." Madeline rolled her eyes before handing Andrea a few dollars.
"Sweet." Andrea grinned.
"Mind if I come with you?" asked Debra.
"Sure, girl."
Andrea and Debra got up and walked over to the snack bar.
Madeline combed her hair with her fingers. As she did that, Skye leaned in from across the table and took a good look at Madeline. She looked up and made a face of confusion.
"What?" Madeline asked.
"Did your zit get bigger?" Skye questioned.
"Shut up."
"No, it's true," said Lizzie. "Your zit does look a little big."
"What?" Madeline took a little mirror from her pocket and looked at herself. The pimple by her nose became more inflamed. "Aw, man. You said it wasn't that noticeable."
"Well, it's noticeable now," said Skye.
"I don't understand why I'm breaking out."
Lizzie gasped. "Maybe because you have bad luck."
"No way."
"Then why else would you break out?" asked Skye.
"Maybe some products are getting old."
"You use your products every day. You have to buy new facial washes every two months because you use all of them up. There's no way your products are getting old. Face it; you have bad luck."
"If I have bad luck, then the sky is falling."
"You know what's gonna be falling?" asked Skye. "A piano right on your head."
"And Elton John's going to be playing that piano," Lizzie added.
Skye chuckled.
"Stop," Madeline demanded. "Alright? Just stop. There's no such thing as bad luck." Madeline accidentally dropped her mirror. It bounced off the floor, cracking the glass.
"Ooh," Lizzie uttered. "Now your bad luck is going to be even badder."
"No way. So what if I broke my favorite handheld mirror? That's not gonna do anything."
Soon, Andrea and Debra came back. Andrea was carrying a tray of burgers, French fries and salads while Debra carried a tray of drinks.
"We're back," sang Debra, putting the tray down on the table.
"I can't believe you used my money to get hamburgers and fries," said Madeline.
Andrea put her tray down. "Don't you see the salads, you witch?" she asked.
"She's just cranky 'cause she has bad luck," said Skye.
"I don't have bad luck," Madeline asserted.
Debra passed the drinks around. "I can't believe we're still talking about this," she said. "Bad luck does not exist." While she said that, she unknowingly knocked over the glass for Madeline, spilling the drink all over her lap. When Debra realized what she did, she gasped.
"Whoopsie," said Andrea.
"Madeline, I'm so sorry," said Debra.
"Don't be sorry," said Skye. "It's not you, it's the bad luck."
Madeline gave a shivering sigh. "I don't have bad luck," she hissed, banging on the table. "That was an accident. Everything happening is an accident."
"So you admit good things don't always happen to you?"
"Well, let's not go that far." Madeline tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. When she pulled her hand away, her fingers were webbed with numerous blonde hairs. Madeline widened her eyes at the sight.
"Are you sure?" asked Skye. "Because I would go that far."
"I'm going to the bathroom." Madeline pushed her chair back and stood up.
"Why?" asked Andrea.
"So I can clean myself up."
"You think you can get cleaner than this?"
"Do you know who I am? I think I can get myself clean." Madeline began walking away from the girls, looking for the bathroom.
The girls watched her leave and caught a large brown stain on the back of her white pants where her bottom was.
"Apparently, she can't stop herself from having diarrhea," said Skye.
Debra looked at Madeline's chair and found a blue, torn wrapper in the middle of the big, brown mess. She picked it up and showed it to the girls. "I don't think it's diarrhea," she said.
"Oh, that's where I put my candy bar," said Lizzie.

Embarrassment Town (Chapter 1)

The girls decided to spend their afternoon eating at a cafe. Instead of going to their new spot, The Tea Room, the girls decided to go to a cafe that Lizzie used to go to, Cool Beans. They sat at a booth, waiting for Madeline to arrive since she just got off from work. It only took twenty minutes for Madeline to come through the door. Lizzie squealed when she saw Madeline approaching them.
"Girls, I'm back by popular demand," said Madeline melodramatically.
"Yeah, yeah," said Skye. "Just sit down."
Andrea and Debra scooted down so Madeline could have room to sit. "Somebody missed me," Madeline said, smirking.
"How was work?" asked Lizzie.
"Work-y. I realize how hard lawyers have to work. Thank God we have lawyers in the world."
"Amen," said Debra.
"You say that like you need one."
Andrea and Skye laughed.
Soon, Wade, the waiter came to the girls' booth with a notepad and a pencil. "Hello, girls," he said. "Hello, Lizzie."
"Hi, Wade," Lizzie greeted back.
"Wow, this is the first time we weren't referred to as 'Madeline and the girls'," noticed Skye.
Madeline squinted her eyes at her.
"How's your boyfriend, DeMarcus?" asked Wade.
"Big and black," Skye answered for Lizzie.
"Oh, that's how my new girlfriend wants me to be."
Skye and Lizzie chuckled.
"What do you girls want to order?"
The girls looked at their little menus.
"Hmm, can I have the steak and fries?" requested Madeline. "Well done, please."
"Can I have the same thing," asked Lizzie, "but make the steak pink inside? I want it slightly raw."
Wade scribbled on his notepad. "That's what she said," he muttered.
"That's what who said?"
Wade shook his head, jiggling his grayish brown bangs. "Nothing. How about the rest of you?"
"I'll have the cheesesteak sandwich," Skye responded. "I'm on a no-pork diet," she said, mocking Madeline while eyeing her.
Madeline sneered at Skye.
"I'll have the chicken and waffles," requested Andrea. "Don't tell my parents."
"And I'll have the Caesar salad heavy with honey mustard dressing," said Debra.
Wade finished scribbling. "Alright," he said. "B.R.B." He walked away.
"B.R.B.?" repeated Skye. "That's a weird thing for a guy to say."
"Wade is always weird," mentioned Lizzie.
"Did I mention one of my aunts are getting married?" asked Madeline.
"Oh, no," Debra replied. "Tell us about it."
"Well, my aunt Cherise got engaged to Simon, the richest man alive, last year."
"I thought Donald Trump was the richest man alive," said Lizzie.
"No, I think that's Bill Gates," corrected Debra.
"Anyway," Madeline continued, "they're getting married on Saturday and the wedding's taking place in Canada so my family and I have to fly there on Friday. And I can't chicken out because my aunt made me a bridesmaid."
"Aw, you're a bridesmaid?" asked Debra.
"Yeah, my aunt doesn't have many friends so she made me a bridesmaid. She also made Veronique and Jeanne bridesmaids, too."
"Ugh, Veronique," groaned Skye. "I remember her."
"Who can forget about her?" asked Andrea. "Miss I-Don't-Play-Baseball-But-I'll-Swing-a-Bat-Over-Your-Head?"
"You swung a baseball bat at somebody before," reminded Madeline.
"Yeah, but I wasn't losing my mind when I did it."
"Oh, forget about Veronique," said Lizzie. "This is about your aunt Cheryl."
"Cherise," Madeline corrected.
"Cherise. She's getting married; why would chickening out be on your mind?"
"I don't know. She's just a little strange. Like Holly Golightly strange. She's strange 'cause she's fancy. Maybe even fancier than me. I just don't want to go to her wedding and it's not at all what I expected. What I do expect is that she's gonna put me in an ugly dress because you know how brides are. And there are going to be pictures of me looking like somebody mixed crack with their toothpaste." Madeline threw her arms out, being dramatic, only to knock over a salt shaker, spilling salt all over the table.
"Oh, no, you didn't, Madeline," gasped Andrea.
"What?"
"You just knocked over that shaker of salt," said Skye. "That's bad luck."
Madeline scoffed. "Yeah, right."
"Throw it!" Lizzie commanded.
"What?"
"Pick some salt up and throw it over your shoulder. It's supposed to get rid of the bad luck. Also, pat your head and rub your stomach. I heard that works, too."
"No, it doesn't, Lizzie," said Skye.
"I'm not gonna throw salt over my shoulder," said Madeline. "That's just stupid. Besides, I can't get salt on this sweater. It's cashmere."
"Well, if you're gonna have bad luck, you might as well look good," said Andrea.
"Will you stop? Bad luck doesn't exist."
"She's right," agreed Debra. "Bad luck isn't real. So let's not worry about it, okay?"
"Fine," Skye mumbled.
"Wade forgot to ask me for something to drink," mentioned Madeline.
"Drink the salt you spilled all over the place," Skye asserted.