Drifting Softly

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick sat on his broom floating in the air blissful. This wasn't for quidditch practice or anything; no if anything it was more of what he did last year on this pitch. He could have gone out for Quidditch team or at least Derrick thought he was allowed to but preferred instead to just drift on the field whenever it was free. This year though he would go out for the team putting his flexibility and surprisingly keen reflexes to use. Derrick was agile there wasn't any doubt about that but that was something that would escape everyone at school. It seemed to be the only time he was noticed was when he was in fact nervous about being noticed and this caused him to be extremely clumsy in most cases. Turning a bright shade of scarlet that would put any banner of the Gryffindor's to shame he recalled what a majority of the incidents looked like. Broken bags, spilled ink, ruined books, and one too many falls from a high shelf or two in the library. Scratching his head he wondered why he had done it. Now that he was talking it all seemed so futile to avoid human contact. It was after all quite refreshing but the only two people he'd ever real been close to were dead. Maybe that's why he shut people out. That didn't make any sense though he had taken a liking to the people who worked at his house and of course his adoptive parents. Those people though were no where near as close his real parents though. No one was at the moment but his guard was down now and......

"Stop it you dolt."

Derrick couldn't believe he was thinking about this. That he was analyzing himself again to this extent was ridiculous. He should be admiring the pitch and how well kept it was. He should be flying around on his broom the wind blowing through his hair and his hands gripping the wood gently. For what reason though he didn't at the moment and Derrick sat there his legs gripping the top of his broom and the rest of his body relaxed laying back onto his head resting on its stiff prickly bristles. It was soothing the wind as it blew gently across his body almost as if the air was giving him a massage. That's what he was aiming for though, in all honesty Derrick was just looking for some quiet at the moment, and after all what was wrong with that. If being here now was wrong he didn't want to be right. That made him think though about whether he was allowed to be here or not. He had never been caught before but he had never really considered what consequences could come from flying on the pitch. It was usually only used for games and practice but there was always a free hour or two when it came down to it. So what if one random awkward Hufflepuff decided to cruise the sky for a bit? What was so wrong with that. It wasn't as if he had broken out a full scale pick up Quidditch match. It was just himself, Derrick Riley Breckenridge the weird muggle kid who didn't talk much but was good at magic. Derrick was good at most things he wanted to pursue. It actually had gotten to the point where it was the only thing that bothered his step parents.

"Maybe that's my problem though."

Sighing he knew that was most likely the main issue with himself in most cases. Derrick had his hands in to many trades so to speak. The only constant was music and magic; the rest fell to the wayside only being picked up again when he was bored or saw fit to do so. It was like marking check marks off the list of things he'd done in the world that others would spend a whole lifetime practicing. Over the summer before his first year up until he received his books he spent most of his time in the fields drawing and painting. Sketching everything that would stand still and then drawing and painting his room walls to resemble those of one particularly beautiful meadow he had seen on a hike one day. They were all just phases and while he still drew from time to time he could also juggle, build, solve puzzles, fix most of his step mother's and her servants dining tools, and pick out a stunning pair of drapes. He would trade all this though, especially the bit about the drapes, for social graces and didn't know who wouldn't kill for those. Shaking his head he decided to fly and did so.

Sitting up he began slowly inching his way forward and then quickly he dropped into a dive plunging straight from the ground pulling out of it at mid point. No point in hurting himself here and now before he even made an attempt to try out for the house team. Shaking this from his mind he darted around the pitch. What would today hold for him after all? He could know, he very well wasn't sure, but just knew that for now he would fly and if he ran into someone hopefully they'd be someone decent enough to have a conversation with him. After all what more could he really ask for.

Closed-Maddy

[Maddyson Cross]

"I see a mansard roof through the trees, I see a salty message written in the eaves. The ground beneath my feet, the hot garbage and concrete. And now the tops of buildings, I can see them too."

Maddy had always been known for her positivity and her optimism, as well as the mischief the girl got up to. She had never been one to care what people thought, and when she got in trouble of the professors, she toned up the innocence that came to you as a thirteen year old as easily as butter spread on bread. It was rare to see the girl without a smile on her face, she never got in trouble for things like not doing homework, or staying up too late, it was always something that was mildly dangerous that she did just for the adrenaline rush she got.

Like the time she went on her little expedition through the forbidden forest, or when she went searching in the black lake for the giant squid, of whom she was looking for a friend in. The couple of times that she got caught skateboarding through the corridors probably didn't add to the likeness that the professors had with the girl; she was cheeky, but in a lovable way. In other words, she was as immature and as hyperactive as she was sure girls her age were meant to be.

The Argentines collapse in defeat, the admiralty surveys the remnants of the fleet. The ground beneath their feet is a nautically-mapped sheet as thin as paper while it slips away from view."

Okay, so she wasn't the best singer in the world, but it was more the obscurity in the song choices that won her the attention of people. And the decibels that she rose up to probably drew the gaze of a few more people. If you knew Maddy, you'd know that she hated the attention being off her, not that it was most of the time.

Running up to the large doors that entered in to thw Quidditch Pitch, Maddy brought her hands to her mouth, cupping them like a megaphone. "Woooohooo?" She yelled questioningly, to see if there was anyone there. Instead of waiting for a response however, Maddy threw her leg over her broom and rocketed up into the sky. She was quite a good quidditch player, she always gave it her all, she never backed down from a challenge, and she was always everywhere on the field; she hated staying in the same place. Seeker was the best position for her because of this, but she knew that she'd have trouble getting that spot on the team, seeker was the most favourited position.

Noticing a familiar face across the field, Maddy grinned all the more, and let go of her broom long enough to once again cup her hands, and scream "Derrick!" across the field. Waving her left hand as her right returned to the broom to steady herself, Maddy sped off in the direction of the boy, circling him in decreasing circles until she was next to him. "Hey buddy!"

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick heard a noise and at first wrote it off. Stopping to try and see if he could hear it again he assumed after a few seconds that he was either hearing things or someone was making quite a ruckus from a distance knowing that it really made no difference to him. Sighing he sat on his broom arms crossed thinking for a moment at the possibility of being insane, which he didn't deem as doubtful at all, before he heard more noise. Turning he couldn't help but feel his faces lit up like a light bulb. It was Maddyson and she was headed in his direction of all places. Derrick checked himself though where else could she have gone. She was on a broom in the Quidditch pitch and he was the only other person there. Smiling as she drew nearer he gave a small wave and then watched growing dizzier by the second as she circled around him. As she pulled up aside of him Derrick smile grew bigger and even though he attempted to hide it he knew that was not a possibility at that moment. Her buddy comment shocked him but only because it was a new phrase for him. It wasn't something he was used to hearing directed at him no matter what the context was.

For a brief second Derrick couldn't help but wonder if he was that invisible before these past few weeks. He rarely bumped into people and even when he did there was no response they just kept walking as if nothing had happened. There was no "watch yourself kid" or "move it buddy" just odd and awkward silence. Derrick let those thoughts drift away though as he turned and faced the girl still all smiles.

"Hello there Maddyson how are you today?"

This girl amazed Derrick for so many different reasons. The main overriding factor of it though was she was everything he wasn't. He was jealous of her ability to have so much confidence in herself and her actions that she obviously didn't seem to care what other people thought of her actions and she performed them regardless. Derrick of course was the same way but he did so silently and it was more of a quiet rebellion if anything. Maddyson did so loudly and with courage and that was most likely more then Derrick could ever hope to achieve. His outside voice was everyones inside voice and singing was the only time such things changed. Sighing Derrick couldn't help but stare at the girl and as soon as he realized that he was in fact committing this act he brushed his hair to the side and looked out into the distance. The last thing Derrick wanted was for the girl to realize he had been staring at her. If Maddyson did in fact realize hopefully she wouldn't think he was too odd although Derrick was in fact odd which made that situation quite the predicament.

"So what are you up to on this lovely day? Other then flying of course."

Stupid question thought Derrick and wished he hadn't asked. It sounded so generic but what else could he have said at that moment. Gosh your cute and quite frankly I'm amazed by the way you carry yourself because I wish I could be the same way. No he doubted that would fly and also it was a thought he would never actually vocalize. Not now at least he barely knew the girl or at least it felt like it. They had just met not too long ago. Sighing he began to drift forward a little bit humming as he did so. It was an odd habit he had and one that he didn't usually notice when it started. At that moment Derrick was trying to remember what exactly he had been obsessing over before Maddyson had appeared. Derrick realized though that he was in fact humming and stopped himself. Turning he looked at the girl and smiled a bit hopelessly as he scratched his head.

"Sorry about that I drift off sometimes it's a bad habit I have. I'm trying to stop now that I'm talking to people more."

It was odd how he said it and Derrick knew that he was digging himself yet another grave to jump into. He had to stop saying exactly what was on his mind so much. At least he held back the things that would really humiliate him should he let them slip out of his mouth. Sighing he stared up into the sky hoping he wasn't making a fool of himself too badly.

[Maddyson Cross]

When looking at her family, even with her identical twin, you never would have guessed that Maddy belonged to it. She was loud, she was somewhat violent in her actions (she never hurt anyone, it was more just the spontaneity, the speed, and the ferocity), and she was careless. Eryn, Maddy's twin sister, was almost the exact opposite. She was mellow, she was caring, and she was quiet, somewhat of a bookworm when it came down to it. Jordyn was a little like Maddy, but he too was quiet and caring, and her parents couldn't be more different.

Perhaps it was growing up in Hogwarts, surrounded by her best friends, with hundreds of places to explore, to discover, that hunger that she had for life had never been filled, just expanded, and she had never been forced to slow down. She rarely got in trouble off the professors, mainly because none of them were ever to be seen, and when she spoke to her parents, all she could say was about all the adventures that all of her and her friends had.

"Ridgie." She said with a nod, remembering back to a certain conversation that had been shared in the common room. "It's Maddy. Remember?" She knew that the boy found it hard to call her that, he had taken a liking to Maddyson, for some reason, but that didn't mean that she was just going to let it go. Maddy was always trying to get the boy to get out there, like she was, but no one seemed to like doing the stuff that Maddy liked, all of the girls were too stuck up, too 'mature' to behave like Maddy, and all of the guys seemed to be chasing those girls. Idiots, in Maddy's opinion. Utter idiots.

"Oh you know, the usual. All of the girls were busy doing their nails, Matty was hanging with Tianne, all of the boys were sitting with jaws dropped just watching the girls being fake, and no one wanted to hang out with Maddy, even though they'd have a much better time, so I decided to entertain myself." She said, though she spoke so fast that it all came out within ten seconds. Easy enough to understand, but whether the boy took it all in, Maddy wasn't sure. Giggling as she realised what she did, Maddy did a loop on her broom, speeding up before going upside down in a circle that had a diameter of about two meters. Returning to the boy, Maddy grinned.

"Eh, some of the time when I'm talking, I don't actually listen. I know what it's like."

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick couldn't help but chuckle at the nickname. At the same time though he blushed but not too deeply. The fact that she remembered seemed to stun him a bit. Derrick knew he was a very forgettable person in most cases besides music. The name thing though was a struggle for him. He enjoyed names and pronouncing them in there full profound glory. It was odd Derrick knew but he supposed he was a student of names. He took note of them and which ones he enjoyed and disliked and the ones that he associated with bad happenings. For instance Derrick had never once meet a Phil he enjoyed. Only bad experiences and memories came from that name. Maddyson though was different in all his years he had never encountered a girl with that name. It was new so it didn't hold any bad connotations but at the same time it didn't exactly hold any good ones either. The way it sounded to and rolled of his tongue he just simply enjoyed it. It would be hard to refer to her as anything else but if she wanted him to he would try to call her by the nickname. Smiling ruefully he looked at the girl and nodded.

"I'll do my best to try Maddy."

It felt odd but if it was what she wanted what could he do? Sighing he listened to her about what she had skipped out on in the common room. Leaning back on the broom with his legs wrapped around the handle he thought for a moment how effortless it was for him to smile around her. It was odd and something that with most people he had to force or try to do. With her it came with ease and without much thought. Derrick's mind flashed back to the common room. It was why he disliked and strayed away from other students. Maybe that was why he hadn't encountered the girl sooner. It had just been that they were exploring at different times and places. That and she didn't seem to spend as much time in the library as he did.

"Well I'm glad you decided to come out here instead of attempting to hold domain over the entire shallow and pointless conversation they're holding inside Maddyson. It's much nicer out here anyway. I find stuff like that a waste of time I'd much rather live then watch other people do so or attempt to do so. Anyway if you're going to stare at least try to do something while doing it instead of just staring."

Derrick shifted his weight feeling odd now on the broom. It was more at what he had just said then at anything else. He had called her Maddyson again instead of Maddy, how could he fail so quickly? He also felt as if he had said far too much in the situation. Derrick shook his head at himself and watched the girl as she performed her tricks on the broom. Stopping she spoke and Derrick thought she missed the point of what he was saying but at the same time wasn't to sure about that. Shrugging it off Derrick checked himself mentally before he spoke.

"So Maddy what do you want to do?"

It was simple and that was why Derrick liked it. He couldn't screw it up or at least he couldn't do so too badly.

[Maddyson Cross]

Nicknames were also a so-so to Maddy. It was a tad bit hypocritical in the way that Maddy thought that people shouldn't make up, or try to enforce, their nicknames, that they should be given them, but Maddy always found herself trying to get people to call her Maddy. This was mainly because she hated the name Maddyson, it reminded her of home, and the weird spelling didn't make her more fond of it. Sure, she had been called Maddy ever since she was born (her parents seemed to realize their mistake as soon as the birth certificate was printed), but she preferred that to Maddyson.

"Thank you." She said with a grin and a giggle, tilting her head from side to side in amusement. When there wasn't much happening in the conversation, Maddy tended to do this, although she knew with Derrick that the conversation could never be dull, but it was sometimes a plea to avoid awkwardness, something that appeared a lot in her conversation, mostly because the third years that she had met had been... not quite there.

"Conversation? Ugh, if you can call it that." Maddy smiled. Most people thought that the young girl wasn't too bright, that she was dumb, but the blonde could usually prove them wrong. When it came to English and Literacy, Maddy was intellectual and intelligent, but the more complicated subjects, she passed, but she wasn't so great. She was great at wand subjects, and she was good at potions and care of magical creatures because she loved them, but history of magic and astronomy were a bore.

"What do I want to do?" The young hufflepuff said, lifting her finger to her chin, in a mock 'thinking' way. "Hmm..." Maddy teased, though she didn't actually know what to do. The one thing she liked about flying were the tricks that could be done, but for some reason, Maddy didn't think that the boy was that into tricked. Shrugging her shoulders, with a smile that for anyone that knew her would have known that she was up to something, Maddy raised her eyebrows. "How good of a flyer are you?"

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick chuckled at her observation and knew it to be a true one. What would you call what those people did in the common room if not conversation though. It reeked of a possible mating ritual that Derrick would never subject himself to. He would much rather die alone in an alleyway somewhere by ways of a blunt object then actually do what those fools called a good time. Looking down at the ground he knew the number of times he had been interrupted in his attempts to read by such rituals and this was most likely why Derrick stuck to the library anymore unless it was past midnight. The common room wasn't a safe place for a soul such as Derrick's a majority of the time and all that her recap of what that had happened reassured him of his decisions to evade the room today. Silently he watched the girl move about and do as she would on her broom. He didn't know it why but he found it all of her mannerisms adorable. The way she giggled for no apparent reason didn't seem annoying when Maddyson did it when compared to most girls Derrick wanted to strangle them. Maybe because it seemed that behind those blue eyes she had something to be giggling about. Derrick centered himself though and addressed her question with a shrug.

"I like to think I'm alright."

Derrick was being modest and he knew it but would much rather have his abilities on the broomstick be a surprise then something he bragged about. Even when it came to his ability with the guitar he only ever deemed himself as being alright. It was odd he supposed but due to his limited social interaction Derrick would not know the difference. After all there had to be some people who preferred being low key much rather then letting their abilities shine. Maybe that was why Jeremy acted the way he did but then of course Jeremy was the hardest book to read. Sighing he stretched casually and quirked a brow at his companion a small grin crossing his face as an idea formed. Derrick like in most of activities was confident because he started small and built up and in this case literally. Most of the things he could do on a broom he had started by doing two feet from the ground as not to hurt himself too badly and now that would all come in handy much sooner then the first Quidditch match should he of course make the team.

"Care to match trick for trick?"

He said it simply and tried to control the small competitive drive he possessed. Was this a need to impress her? What was wrong with him? Derrick could answer neither of this questions but wished he could. He wished in general he had words for the feelings the were growing in his chest whenever he looked at Maddyson. Shrugging it off the for the moment he awaited the girls response stretching once more. He never thought that he'd manage to but somehow he was getting restless on his broom despite being far from the ground and having a large amount of open space in which to act. It was odd he knew but that was him odd and awkward. Shifting his weight Derrick began to fly steadily around the pitch. Nothing flashy just his usual simple maneuvers. He would save the tricks for if she excepted the challenge. Why waste perfectly good ammunition that he could win with? There it went the small competitive streak he had and for whatever reason Derrick didn't know why it was rearing it's ugly head now.

[Maddyson Cross]

If one were to look at Maddy at that moment in time, they would know that she was having fun. The somewhat crazed grin on her face, that no matter what was not going to be wiped off her face, well, it was a bit of a giveaway. It wasn't the other smile that she usually had plastered across her young face, no, it was a smile that she only got when she was around her friends, and actually had a reason to smile. Even though they had only met a few times, Maddy considered Derrick to be one of her closer friends; he actually amused her, and could hold up a conversation.

Ever since she was a first year, Maddy's life had revolved around flying, quidditch and her dreams. She wanted to be a professional player, though she wasn't sure whether that was ever going to happen. But a girl had to dream and wonder, it fueled Maddy to do even better than her best. Sure, she had a competitive streak as well, in fact, probably larger than anyone else at Hogwarts, but to her, quidditch wasn't just something you played to win, she played for fun, and experienced the full sense of the word every game.

Shrugging at the boys offer, as her finger trailed down her chin, Maddy continued to tilt her head from side to side. "I guess, but what's the stakes?" The young girl asked playfully, as she assessed what the consequences would be. The boy was obviously competitive, the idea of what to do told that, but Maddy didn't want her side to get the better of her. It almost seemed like a hufflepuff trait, competitiveness, although one that wasn't talked about. I mean, they didn't talk about Gryffindor's stupidity; they called that 'bravery'; and with Ravenclaw they didn't acknowledge the arrogance; they liked to refer to that as 'wit'.

"Okay."

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick stopped in the air and waited for a moment as she seemed to be turning it over in her head. He watched her movements with interest then of course Derrick never really did or observe anything that interested him. Sighing at himself Derrick ran his hand through his hair and watched Maddyson as she bobbed her head from side to side. The way she did it all so light and carefree made it impossible for her actions to be interpreted as awkward. Which is exactly what they would be had Derrick attempted them. With a sigh though Derrick continued to wish he could be like his blond house mate. Her question though caught him quite off guard though. It was one he had not expected and therefore really didn't know how to respond. Straightening up though Derrick gave a shrug because he truly didn't know.

"Up to you I guess I've never been good at deciding such things."

Derrick looked down and didn't say anything for a few moments. This of course was to question if he had done exactly what he should have in this situation. Had she expected him to have something in mind and if so what? Derrick didn't know what he should possibly but up for grabs in such a situation. There weren't a lot of things that Derrick owned in value and what could he possibly put up for grabs in such a situation? Derrick let it drift from his mind though knowing that it probably wasn't a big deal and he shouldn't dwell on it. He was bound to now although that would be later as he lay in his bed. Why did he always have to over think everything? It never seemed to work out for him so why did he always do it. Sighing Derrick decided to delay that kind of thinking until later though at least because right now it was hard to be negative on himself. Maddyson was here and for whatever reason she made it hard for him to be hard on himself. Derrick continued to watch her movements though and found himself unable to worry for whatever reason they soothed him. Derrick gave a curt nod and a shy smile to her as she spoke.

"I'm ready whenever you are then?"

Derrick readied himself gripping the broom lightly. Stretching wasn't an issue it was more that he hoped Maddyson could follow him. He had never actually seen her fly because unlike most students he really didn't go to Quidditch matches. If he did Derrick didn't pay too much attention to who was actually on the broom and spent most of the time trying to draw the people who sped past on their brooms. He was sure she could hold her own but didn't know for sure that being said Derrick would be more then happy to let her go first.

"Ladies first then Maddyson."

There it was again letting her full name slip. Derrick hoped that he'd manage to get this under control soon.

[Maddyson Cross]

Although she was incredibly comfortable on a broom, Maddy was quite scared that she'd make a mistake. She didn't want Derrick to think that she was so totally uncoordinated, which was almost the exact opposite of the truth. Maddy was prone to nervous stuff ups, they happened probably once a game, in quidditch, but Maddy wasn't really sure whether it was nerves, or just lack of commitment that was the cause of the mistake. Before games, Maddy never experienced jitters, she had grown to love the roaring crowd, and she was confident in her game. It was a mess, but it was just the was she is.

"Let's just say, that the winner gets the dignity of winning." Maddy voiced, though she was unhappy with as soon as she finished. "No, loser treats a butterbeer, next time we're at Hogsmeade." She corrected herself, knowing that she played better when the stakes were higher. Maddy wasn't sure how many tricks she knew, but as she was pretty confident on the broom, Maddy felt safe that she wouldn't fall.

"Okey dokey." She said, repeating something that her mother used to say all the time. It annoyed her that she had picked up a few of her families tendencies, but Maddy was willing to accept it; it brought her closer to home, anyways. She said, as she began her broom moving, although only slowly enough so that she could hear the boy's next comment. Giving him a stern look, before giggling at the attempt that she made to enforce the nickname, Maddy stopped her broom about five meters away from the boy. She was never the fastest person to catch up with herself, and it seemed that she had fallen behind.

"I don't think I know very many tricks." She said, flinging her leg over the side of her broom stick, so she sat casually, placing one hand into her lap while she did so; the grip of her legs and the one hand being enough for her to feel safe.

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick as he waited for her response taking the time he was given to just continue observing the girl. Derrick was past the point of caring or thinking he himself was creepy by the actions he took when he was around her. She was just to attractive for him not to take an interest especially with her hair. It struck him now that in his mind it was probably her most endearing feature and if he had the chance he would run his hands through it or at the very least simply touch it. It was the kind of hair that Derrick believed would look good no matter how the girl cut it, styled it, or did whatever else it was that one could do to their hair. Derrick decided that he may have too look into such things before he thought about them because now he was quite curious about what someone could do with their hair. Granted it was for the most part knowledge he would never actually use but being informed on such matters couldn't hurt could it. No matter what he read though Derrick would most likely stick with the way his hair had always been and not mess with it he was after all comfortable with how it felt.

Derrick though brought his mind back down to earth and once again despite his best efforts became self conscience about the way that he gazed at his house mate. Why was he acting this way was the only question that seemed to really plauge his mind as the thoughts of hair drifted away gently and far off into the distance. Derrick wished silently that for once in his life that he wasn't so awkward that he could put the feelings he had into words without being so blunt. Derrick shook himself mentally and righted himself quickly knowing that he shouldn't allow himself to get so down. Simply because he knew his face sometimes was a bit too telling when it was relaxed as it was now around Maddyson. Why did he have to feel so comfortable around this girl, this girl who was in a course of a few short weeks able to pull his insides out and spin them around as if he didn't know them anymore at least that was the way Derrick felt. Whatever this amounted to he could not put a name to it so for once Derrick thought it best to not attempt to do so.

Hearing what Maddyson decided to declare the stakes Derrick smiled lightly knowing that this was not too far of a stretch at least and it was at the end of the day nothing that would make either of them feel uncomfortable or more importantly that they would miss. Derrick took note of how she changed her mind and decided that possibly the girl just simply wanted to have something worth fighting for. Of course ones dignity was important but it wasn't real, touchable or something at the end of the day you could hold over ones head. Derrick had to admit that the appeal was there for him to although he wouldn't hold anything over anyones head at any point. Shrugging though Derrick let out a small sigh and nodded

"That's fine with me as long as you have the cash to pay later Maddy."

Derrick usually didn't make jabs like that or for that matter like to sound that over confident but for some reason it felt right to joke around when he was with Maddyson. He had this time he made note managed to force the nickname out which to him was a step in the right direction. Listening to her speak though again Derrick shrugged and wasn't sure what to say. Watching the girl move Derrick could not help but start staring again and began to wonder if she herself was aware of her grace and beauty. Derrick once again though realized he was staring again and forced words out of his mouth hoping he wouldn't look or sound too foolish at the moment.

"I take it your asking me to go first then?"

Not knowing what to make of himself anymore Derrick turned things over as he waited for her reply. It was odd the girl made him want to be more out going but at the same time made him feel shyer then he had ever been and constantly second guessed his actions around her. Shaking himself mentally Derrick hoped that their little contest would begin and take his mind off such things.

[Maddyson Cross]

Pushing her hair back off her face, Maddy found it rather hard to wipe the smile off her face. So she hadn't known Derrick that long, but considering that all of her friends had up and left her; Summer, Jethro, Sally, Benji and Larissa, she was more than happy to find someone her own age that she could truly call her friend. She didn't want to be one of those girls that was overly positive, though never seemed to be able to make any friends, she wanted everyone to like her. Of course, it didn't make any difference either way, and Maddy wasn't going to change herself, but no one wanted to be hated, did they?

Poking her tongue as a rather childish reply to the boys smart comment, Maddy leaned back on her broom. She didn't really know what it would have been like to have your subconcsious holding you back from doing everything, she didn't really have a subconscious. That was the problem with being so free spirited; she didn't think before she spoke, she didn't assess the consequences before she acted, and she didn't think about anyone feelings before she tried something. Some wouldn't call it spontaneous. Some people would call it stupidity.

Answering the boy with a simple tilt of her head and a smile that truly was as bright as the sun, Maddy moved herself back. She wasn't in a talkative mood, she was in an action mood. You know the saying, less chit chat, more action, that was one of the ones that Maddy based her life around. A life is for living, so live it up. It was pretty simple.

"You're move, Rick." She said with a teasing tone, her eye brows raising as her eyes widened. She had no idea what he was going to do, but really, she hoped that it was going to be good. Then Maddy would get to show of her real skills.