I guess I'll begin by accepting your apology," Jeremy said slowly. "And offer my own apology in return."
Madison laughed. "You apologize to me? Whatever for?"
"Excuse me," a man interrupted from behind them. He and a woman were walking with their tenspeeds. "This is a crosswalk. If you want to talk, there are plenty of places to do it over there." He pointed back to the park, by the lake.
They shared an embarrassed laugh. Then Jeremy led Ruby to a park bench and motioned for Madison to sit down. She perched on the edge of the bench, scratching Ruby behind the years. Jeremy pushed the hair out of his eyes and said, "I've relived that moment at Homecoming a zillion times. I felt so awful about pushing you onto the field, I didn't know what to do."
Madison asked the question she'd wanted to ask for two and a half long years. "Did you really think I'd won? Did you confuse McKenzie Madsen's name with mine?"
Jeremy shook his head. "I didn't even hear the announcement. I was holding Reed's place in the drinks line because he'd left to hear the announcement. When he came back, Reed told me you'd won. He ordered me to go tell you."
Madison slapped her hands on her legs. "I it! When Reed called it a harmless joke, I it had to be him. But why would he do that to me?"
Jeremy shrugged helplessly. "It turned out it really was just a joke. He had me tell you that so he could get your hot chocolates."
Madison's jaw dropped. " why he did it?"
"He was tired of standing in that long line." Jeremy kicked at the ground with the toe of his sneaker. "But I didn't know that at the time. When I pushed you onto the football field, Reed nearly fell over laughing. He thought he was so clever. I wanted to kill him!
Madison laughed. "You apologize to me? Whatever for?"
"Excuse me," a man interrupted from behind them. He and a woman were walking with their tenspeeds. "This is a crosswalk. If you want to talk, there are plenty of places to do it over there." He pointed back to the park, by the lake.
They shared an embarrassed laugh. Then Jeremy led Ruby to a park bench and motioned for Madison to sit down. She perched on the edge of the bench, scratching Ruby behind the years. Jeremy pushed the hair out of his eyes and said, "I've relived that moment at Homecoming a zillion times. I felt so awful about pushing you onto the field, I didn't know what to do."
Madison asked the question she'd wanted to ask for two and a half long years. "Did you really think I'd won? Did you confuse McKenzie Madsen's name with mine?"
Jeremy shook his head. "I didn't even hear the announcement. I was holding Reed's place in the drinks line because he'd left to hear the announcement. When he came back, Reed told me you'd won. He ordered me to go tell you."
Madison slapped her hands on her legs. "I it! When Reed called it a harmless joke, I it had to be him. But why would he do that to me?"
Jeremy shrugged helplessly. "It turned out it really was just a joke. He had me tell you that so he could get your hot chocolates."
Madison's jaw dropped. " why he did it?"
"He was tired of standing in that long line." Jeremy kicked at the ground with the toe of his sneaker. "But I didn't know that at the time. When I pushed you onto the football field, Reed nearly fell over laughing. He thought he was so clever. I wanted to kill him!
( Jahnna N. Malcolm )
[ Perfect Strangers ]
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