The Apparel That Madeline Bought From The Mall

No dumpster items included

Credit Card Cut Off (Chapter 5)

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

Credit Card Cut Off (Chapter 4)

Days after came a slow day around eleven O'clock. As the teacher was giving out a long speech, Andrea decided not to listen and focus on something else. While a boy in front of her leaned against a desk to help a fellow student, she stopped taking her notes and started to gaze steadily at the boy's buttocks.
The teacher walked past her desk from behind and banged on her desk loud and hard. "Pay attention and write your notes," he demanded. He resumed walking and continued his speech.
The boy in front of her turned his head around to look at her. "Not concentrating, Andrea?" he chuckled. "Are you daydreaming again?"
Andrea giggled in a nervous way but not nervous enough for the boy to notice. "Yeah, I'm-- I'm kinda tired. Plus, world history isn't my jam."
The boy chuckled.
Andrea smiled. "But, hey, I'm passing."
"Every class?"
"Yes, Kevin."
"So am I. But not English. It's not really my jam."
She giggled.
"What are you doing tonight?"
"Nothing. Just studying. Actually, I'm lying. I don't study. Why though?"
"There's this diner by Daylight Street. I'm thinking about going and I was wondering if you want to check it out with me."
"On what day?"
"Friday. Where it'll be a clear day to just talk."
Andrea grinned to herself. "Bueno, cuando lo pones de esa manera ..." she muttered.
"What?"
"I said yes. I'll go."
"I didn't hear yes or si."
"Well, 'yes' doesn't have to mean 'si' all the time. But yeah, I'm up for it."
"Nice. Or bueno."
"Bueno."
They smiled flirtatiously at each other.

The bell rung, signaling that everyone should go to their next class. When Andrea exited her history class, she noticed Madeline walking feet in front of her. Andrea rushed up the hall and started walking next to Madeline.
"Madeline! You're not going to believe it. But my friend, Kevin Christie, asked me out for dinner. And why do you look like a Christmas tree?"
Madeline turned her head at Andrea, making her long, dangling earrings make a chiming noise. "Um, I got some new stuff."
"Oh, did your parents give you an allowance?"
"Of course! I'm such a good girl."
"Okay... was it a big allowance? You have a lot of stuff on you."
"I used the credit card," Madeline said in a fast tone.
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm not poor! I should be able to buy whatever I want."
"Okay, crazy. You are not poor but you can't just use a credit card that is only for emergencies."
"Oh ,I know. Because my father canceled the credit card. So I can't buy anything right now. But I refused to return all of my stuff. I touched them. My DNA are on them. You can't return something with your DNA on it. I don't want a clone!"
Andrea paused. "Okay, I know you know way much better than that. Maddie, I think you have a shopping problem."
"You have a shopping problem!" She pulled down the sleeves of her fuzzy, green sweater.
"I haven't been to the mall since two weeks ago."
"You can lie all you want but it won't make you any prettier!"
"Okay, don't be yelling at me! You know I can drop you. Okay? You need to get yourself together. I'm telling the girls."
"Don't tell them anything. I am fine."
"Like China or cheese? Because you look rotten."
Andrea walked off to a hallway beside them as Madeline walked straight in anger. 

Credit Card Cut Off (Chapter 3)

A couple days later, Madeline found herself back in the mall. After she entered, she immediately went to one of her favorite stores which was called "Golden Paradise". She roamed around inside the store, just looking at the items. She had no intention in buying anything; just looking.
"Do you need any help?" a female, blonde employee went up to her, noticing her idle roaming.
"No," Madeline answered, quietly.
"Well, if you do need help, just ask." She walked away to go back behind the counter with the other employees.
Madeline continued to look around until she spotted a sparkly, gold top that dazzled in her eyes. She took it from the hanger and approached the counter, which had no lines.
"I'd like to put this on layaway, please," she demanded, nicely.
As the other female employee picked it up, Madeline noticed the tag, hanging down from the collar of the shirt.
Two dollars and thirty-five cents? she thought. I could pay for that. But I don't have my wallet. But I did stash my credit card in the pouch inside my purse.
She unsnapped her purse and got out the credit card from the unzipped pouch on the inside. "Wait!" she shouted before the employee was about to turn away. "I changed my mind. I'll just pay for it."
"Okay," the employee replied. She took the sweater off the hanger and laid it down.
Madeline swiped the credit card into the machine and started typing. This is a total emergency, she thought.
The employee handed Madeline the bag with her sweater in it. "Here you go."
"Thank you," Madeline smiled.
"Ooh! We're giving out some accessories each worth five dollars. Would you like to purchase some?"
Madeline took a pause to think about it. She then answered, "Sure. Why not?"
The woman squatted down behind the counter and stood up, placing a round rack of jewelry on top. "Pick out what you like."
"Well, I'll take half of them!" Madeline chuckled.

An hour later, in the middle of the mall, Madeline typed into her touch-screen cellphone with five shopping bags hanging from her arm. She then pressed her phone against her ear, waiting for an answer. Soon, Lizzie picked up:
"Hello?"
"I've done a terrible thing," Madeline said in a guttural voice.
"What do you mean, Maddie?"
"I just bought, like... twenty-something items."
"Oh, so you have money?"
"Yeah... my dad's. I used the credit card."
"The one you're supposed to use for emergencies?"
"What other credit card I'm gonna use?!"
"Okay, okay. Why did you use the credit card?"
"Well, the sparkly top that I bought was an emergency. And the blue jeans that I bought can be considered as an emergency."
"You have a billion clothes. Those are not emergencies."
"They can be! I can wear the sparkly top when I'm doing a test to blind off the cheaters who sit behind me. That can be an emergency because cheating is academic dishonesty."
"Madeline, you are much more smarter than this."
"I know! I bought, like, twenty rings and some I don't even like. But I paid for it."
"I don't care. Just return all of your items and you won't get in trouble."
"Alright. I'll try."
"Don't try. Just do."
"Fine. I'll try to do it."
"No! Don't try; just do."
"Okay, I'm going to try to see if I can do it."
"No! You-- Just return your freakin' clothes."
"Alright. I'll try to return them."
"Yeah, right, okay. Bye, Maddie."
"Bye, Doll."
Lizzie hung up.
"I'm keeping the shoes, though," Madeline said to herself.

Credit Card Cut Off (Chapter 2)

The next day, after twelve O'clock, Madeline entered the cafeteria at school and walked towards the table that she always sits at with her friends, who were already there. She took off her cross-body lunch bag and laid it on the table between her friends, Lizzie and Debra.
"Hello, girls," she greeted. She sat right in between her friends. "What's new?"
"I got back my test in geometry," Andrea replied, "to see the grade."
"And you passed?" Madeline took out a container from her bag.
"No, I failed. But Ms. Adams put a sticker on my paper!"
"Yeah, a frowning face," the blonde girl next to her responded.
"It was a happy, frowning face!" Andrea tilted her head.
Madeline giggled. "Don't be spiteful, Skye."
Skye shrugged her shoulders.
"What's new with you, sister?" asked Lizzie. "Besides the layaway method?"
Skye and Andrea giggled.
"I got a new credit card," answered Madeline. She grabbed her shiny, silver wallet from her lunch bag and swiftly took out her credit card. She flashed it in all of her friends' faces.
"So now you have more money?" asked Andrea.
"Actually, it's just for emergencies," Madeline put her card down.
"So now you still have no money?"
Skye snickered.
"I have money," Madeline responded. "My family is very rich."
"Wow, please rub it in our faces," Debra said, sarcastically.
"Just because your family is rich doesn't mean you are rich," Lizzie stated.
"Very true," agreed Andrea. "My parents only give me, like, twenty-five dollars a month."
"Okay, I am not... as rich as my parents," said Madeline. "But the money in my wallet seems to keep increasing. Explain that."
"The tooth fairy," answered Skye.
Debra and Andrea both giggled.
"So why did your parents give you a credit card for 'emergencies'?" asked Lizzie.
"You know," responded Madeline, "in case of hazards."
"Like if a fire forms in your house?" inquired Andrea. "That's a good example. You can purchase a fire extinguisher."
Lizzie chuckled, opening the container sitting in front of her.
"Just make sure that you don't use that card for own personal uses," Debra mentioned.
"Please, Debra," Madeline scoffed. "What am I going to use this card for?"
"Emergency nail polish?" Andrea inquired, sarcastically.
"Ha, ha," Madeline laughed in feign. "That is so funny that I forgot to laugh."
"But you said, 'Ha, ha'," noted Lizzie.
"Then, that was so funny that I forgot that I did laugh."
"Ooh, great cover," said Andrea.
"I can slice you with my credit card," Madeline joked.
Lizzie giggled and picked up one of her celery sticks from her container.
   

Volume 1: Credit Card Cut Off (Chapter 1)

"I don't care, Samantha! You need to get your car washed," Madeline commented into her cell phone.
"My car is fine," uttered her friend from the inside of Madeline's phone.
"If your car is supposed to smell like dirty diapers while looking like the Lochness Monster in a coffin, then yes, your car is fine."
"Look, I got to go."
"Well, okay. Bye."
She pressed the "Hang Up" button on her touch-screen phone. She then dropped her phone into her hot pink tote bag and tucked her bright-blonde, wavy hair behind her ear.
"Samantha needs to wash her car sooner or later," she said to her Latina friend, walking up next to her. "And I pick sooner."
"Yeah, no joke," her friend responded in a sweet Latina accent. "I once mistook her car for a leather couch."
"A leather couch, Andrea?"
"What? It looks bad!"
Madeline lifted up the sleeves of the various pink sweaters hung on one of the racks.
"What are you looking for, anyway?" asked Andrea.
"Andrea, we're girls. We never know what we want."
"Yeah, that's true."
"Besides, I can't really buy anything. My money in my wallet is lowering and I'm trying to save it up so I can actually buy something."
"So you're just looking?"
"No, I'm going to put some things on layaway. Why leave something that should be yours?"
"Why save something that you're not gonna buy?"
"I'm gonna buy it, Andrea! I'm just saving my money."
One of the employees walked up to Madeline.
"Hi!" she greeted. "Do you need any help?"
"Yeah," responded Madeline. She grabbed out the hanger, holding a light rose sweater and asked: "Could you put this on layaway for me?"
"Sure," answered the woman, taking the sweater. "Let me sign you up."
"Fantastic," sighed Madeline.
She followed the woman to the counter.
Andrea tucked her sunglasses, which she was holding, to the top of her head, lifting up some of her light-brown curls in her hair. She went over to the racks with the multicolored plaid blouses and pulled a couple out to see their full details. As she glanced over the rack to look for more blouses in sight, she spotted a tall, brunette girl slowly walking by the store door.
"Lizzie!" Andrea called out.
The brunette stopped and turned her head.
Andrea ran out of the store. "Lizzie!"
"Hey, Andy," greeted Lizzie.
They both gave each other a quick hug.
"Girl, why are you so late?" asked Andrea.
"I'm not late. You guys came here at two O'clock," she looked carefully at her silver wrist-watch, "and it is only three thirty-one. Okay, maybe I am late."
Andrea giggled.
"So what's new?"
"Well, Madeline has no money so she's putting the clothes she wants on layaway."
"Layaway? Ever heard of, 'If you love something, set it free'?"
"Well, apparently, she's going with, 'If you love something, put it on layaway and wait three months to get it'."
Lizzie chuckled. "But if she's saving her money, then she shouldn't be at the mall."
"I know but she was already in my car before I drove it today."
Both girls laughed.
"Lizzie!" shouted Madeline.
She ran out of the store and headed straight to Lizzie. She gave her a quick hug and laughed.
"How did you get here?" Madeline asked.
"Samantha drove me," Lizzie answered, pulling down her deep-blue halter top.
"Oh, Christ's sake," uttered Andrea.
"You got into her car?" asked Madeline.
"Yeah, I'm not proud of it," said Lizzie. "But I didn't want my parents to drive me here. They talk to me."
"They're your parents," said Andrea.
"I know. Isn't it weird?"
"Well, it doesn't matter," said Madeline,"... Kind of. The good thing is that you're here."
"And the weird thing is that you use layaway."
Madeline frowned. "Andrea..."
Andrea started uttering in Spanish. "¿Me hablas a mí? Porque no tengo ni idea de lo que está pasando aquí..."
"I can understand you, Andrea!" said Madeline. "Don't play with me."
"Sister, you can't go to the mall if you're not supposed to buy anything," said Lizzie.
"I know. I was just looking... and falling in love... with the sweater and the yellow sandals and the plaid headbands that I got placed into layaway for me."
"I didn't see you put away any sandals or headbands," said Andrea.
"Please, Andy, you're ruining the moment."
"Listen, how about we get some fries at the Chili King and not go to apparel stores afterwards?"
"Can we at least go to Forever 21?" asked Andrea. "I want to see if that canary cardigan is still there. That bruja Lindsey has been ogling at it earlier and she knows I want it."
"You can go there," replied Lizzie, "but Madeline has to stay with me."
"I saw something cute also at Forever 21," Madeline mentioned.
"What's more important, Maddie? A collared shirt or a scholarship?"
Madeline paused. "You suck, Lizzie."