Several hours later, the girls walked into a busy burger joint. They ordered their food and snatched a booth near the back as they waited for their names to be called. Kelly and Avery talked about Homecoming plans while Madison pretended to listen.

In truth, her mind was on the FEC club. The official meeting was coming up shortly which meant she would need to steal something. Apprehension coursed through her. For the first time since sending that text message, Madison was starting to feel remorse. She wasn't a thief. She didn't have the first clue of how to steal or even where to start. She bit down on the side of her cheek and thought of asking Avery. But if she did that, wouldn't it be admitting she wasn't like them?

The thought of Avery not wanting to spend time with her didn't sit well with Madison. As much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed today. It'd been fun being part of a "we" again. She forgot how much she loved hanging and joking with friends. Alright, maybe the term friends was pushing it a little far where Kelly was concerned, but Avery on the other hand...well, she was a gem. She seemed to get Madison, quirks and all.

Madison was happy when her name was finally called—anything to get her out of her own head. She thanked the worker and picked up her tray. As she headed back to her seat, she heard a familiar voice yelling her name.

Carson was surrounded by a group of people. They'd taken a bunch of small tables and pushed them together to create one long table. They were wearing running gear and by the look of damp hair and sweat stains, she assumed they'd just come from cross-country practice.

"Maddy!" He waved and beckoned her over. His friends stopped what they were doing and stared in her direction. She couldn't help but notice one girl in particular looking her over. Refusing to feel self-conscious, she lifted her chin and strolled over.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Carson asked, sounding surprised but pleased to see her.

"I'm here with some friends." The sentence sounded so good to her ears she did a double take. Guess she missed having friends more than she realized.

"There's that busy social life again," he teased.

"You're one to talk," she teased back, motioning to his friends. "Do you ever slow down?"

His eyes widened at her flirty tone and then gleamed with approval. "I try not too, unless it's for a pretty girl."

"Lame line, dude," one of his friends coughed under his breath.

"Excuse my friend," another one said. He had shaggy blonde hair and a crooked nose. He was sitting in the chair next to Carson. "He usually has more game than this."

"Which one?" she asked, looking between Carson and the other boy.

"Both," he laughed. "I'm Seth and the moron over there who can't keep his mouth shut is Ben." He jerked his head to the auburn haired boy sitting across the table from Carson.

"I'm Madison."

"We know," Ben muttered.

Madison flushed. Of course they knew. Carson had just called out her name.

"Shut up," Carson ordered. He threw one of his fries at Ben, but he caught it and ate it in one bite.

"Ignore them. They haven't hit puberty yet." Seth gave her an appraising look. "How does a girl like you know a bum like Carson?"

"I'm on the newspaper."

"Ahh." He put his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers together. "And is our Carson a good editor-in-chief? I heard he can be a real slave driver."

She glanced over Carson and playfully narrowed her eyes. "He's not so bad as long as he doesn't lose everyone's articles in the disaster he calls a desk."

The table of people roared in laughter. It seemed everyone was aware of Carson's clutter problem.  

"One time during a track meet the coach mistakenly gave his keys to Carson for safe keeping." Seth shook his head. "Took three hours of searching to realize Carson had placed it in his track shoes. Trust me, he never made that mistake again."

"That was freshman year," Carson complained. "I'm not so bad anymore."

Seth looked at him in disbelief. "You spent an hour yesterday combing through your car to find your Spanish book."

"That wasn't my fault. How was I to know Ben took it because he lost his own?" He ignored Ben's snarl and looked at Madison. "Anyway, what have you been up to?"

"Shopping for a homecoming dress." She thought of the deep green gown Avery had found. It was nothing like the previous dresses. Sleek and simple, it complimented Madison's body while bringing out the green in her eyes. It was love at first sight. And not only did she buy the dress, she bought a pair of silver high heels to match.

"You're going?" Carson asked.

"Looks like I am." She had to go now. There was no way she could spend that much money and not go. Her dad would kill her.

"Who are you going with?"

"My friends. We're going all together."

Carson nodded his head. "Awesome. Me too."

The girl, who'd been looking at Madison a little too closely, spoke up. "You are? I didn't know that."

Carson's eyebrows furrowed together as he glanced at her then Seth. "Didn't we all decide to go as a big group?"

"Oh. I thought...." The girl pushed her food around the plate. "Never mind."

Madison took a closer look at her. She was pretty in the classical sense—high cheekbones, flawless skin and pink lips. She had dark mahogany hair that curled just under her chin and rich brown eyes that were framed by long lashes. She didn't wear much make-up letting her natural beauty shine through.

Madison hated her on sight. How could a girl who just ran at least a couple miles look like that? It wasn't fair to the rest of the female population. Madison's skin turned bright red after vigorously walking, not to mention the amount of sweat her body produced.

Carson noticed her staring and said, "Maddy, this is Lauren. One the senior girls on the track team." Lauren look up, her gaze fixed on her. "Lauren, meet Madison. She moved here a couple months ago."

"Nice to meet you," Lauren said in a pleasant tone. "How do you like our fair town?"

"It's okay," she said, giving a noncommittal shrug. The truth was that it was starting to grow on her. She liked the laid-back attitude of a coastal town. Everyone seemed to take things in stride. She appreciated that, especially after the hectic lifestyle of living in a big city. 

"Well, if you need any help or want someone to show you around, you can call me. I know pretty much every inch of this town. Carson can attest to that."

He let out a chuckle. "That I can. I went with her on a run one time and she took me down these crazy back allies that led me straight to the beach with a huge boulder in it. So impressive."

Lauren gave him a wide smile. "I remember that. We spent two hours figuring out how to climb to the top of that thing before giving up. We should go back sometime and try again. I'm determined to reach the top."

"Deal," Carson agreed. "I have some rope."

Ben moved his eyebrows up and down. "Sounds kinky."

Madison's stomach churned at the thought of the two of them spending one on one time together. It was stupid considering her and Carson were nothing—less than nothing. They were so nothing, it was nonexistent. But that didn't quell the ache coursing through her.

"Get your head out of the gutter, perv," Carson told him.

"I'm just stating the facts. You're the one planning to bring rope when you meet with a girl," Ben argued. 

Carson's eyes flashed, the muddy green becoming more predominant. "Shut up. You know Lauren and I are only friends."

Lauren's face blanked at his statement while Seth watched with fascinated eyes, occasionally glancing at Madison.

Madison, however, felt decidedly uncomfortable. Clutching her tray full of food, she announced, "I better get back to my friends. Enjoy the food."

Carson's eyes swung to her. She couldn't read his expression, but his piercing gaze struck something deep inside of her. For a second, she imagined him chipping away at the granite to her heart.

"See you later, Maddy," Carson finally said, his eyes fading back to normal. "Before I forget, can you stay after school tomorrow? I have an idea for an article I want to run by you."

"Sure. I'll see you then." She forced herself to turn around and walk back to the booth.

"What was that about?" Avery asked as soon as she sat down.

"I was just talking to the guy who runs the school newspaper."

"I heard about him. He's some big hotshot who won a national award," Kelly said, straining her neck to look over at the group of runners. "He's cute too. Do you think you can introduce me?"

Madison's nostrils flared as she gripped the edge of the table. She didn't want Kelly anywhere near Carson.

"Uh, Kelly, I don't think that's such a good idea," Avery said, pointing to Madison's hands.

She looked down. Her knuckles were white. Quickly, she released the table and flexed her fingers.

Kelly smiled knowingly. "I get it. Don't worry. Friends don't poach." She looked over her shoulder at Carson one more time. "But you don't mind if I look, do you? Because I got to tell you, that boy's smile is gorgeous. Those dimples!"

Madison felt herself relax. "I know. It completely changes his look."

Avery sent her a sly grin. "So, do you like him?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know," Madison said, changing her mind as she thought about recent events. "I didn't at first, but lately...."

"Tell us everything, girlfriend, and don't skip the details," Kelly said, eagerly leaning forward.

And Madison found herself doing just that.