"Please take it off."

"I made one for you too-"

"Maddox. Take it off."

Begrudgingly did the boy slip it off of his messy blond hair, setting it besides his diner plate as his dark eyes fell. Nerves biting under his skin at what he heard earlier that day.

Doctor Cawley ate across him silently. Watching him pick measly at his food from across the oak table of the home they shared. He could see it in his face that he was upset.

"What do you believe today?" He asked quietly. Silence falling over them both as his silverware clattered as he set it down.

Maddox was far more timid than most 10 year olds. The boy talked endlessly to his toys and his little friends, but when confronted with anything, he had a tendency to clam up. Call it a loading period if you will.

"Robbie Simmons told me radio waves reprogram your brain..." He poked at his hat.

"And you believed Robbie Simmons?"

"He had his own hat. So I thought it'd be smart to do it too-"

"You'll be fine without it, Maddox. Throw them away before you eat."

The conversation ended there, and with finality and defeat, Maddox knew his justifications had no ears.

"Yes, Doctor-"

"Mister."

"Mr. Cawley." The boy pulled his hat to his chest. Excusing himself to throw it out in a small trudge. Taking his time to reach the kitchen, knowing that no matter what, his food was already cold. Very faintly did he stop to listen to the gentle clinks and scrapes of the man's silverware as he resumed his dinner.

Maddox looked at the hat now. Small and dingy as it sat on a high shelf in his room. He didn't throw it away like he was asked, of course, and there was something about it that seemed to just force him to hold onto it for so many years.

Does he know why? No, not at all. He kept a lot of things over the years, all in there place in neat order until the day he believes he might not need it anymore. But that itch in the back of his head keeps that day very far away, he'll need it. He knows it. The fake truths tugging on his view of what's right and what's not, it was scary, they where lies. But what if they suddenly weren't?

He fell back into his bed. Tired, head aching, and sure that he would miss it once he moved back into the dorms again. He tapped his fingers tentatively over his forehead. A repeating three touches like someone who had a piano might play the keys.

Shutting his eyes, he simply thought of the feeling, of his own touch on his skin. Of the rhythem he felt with each drum of his fingers, the blackness behind his eyelids, and the way the world spun in the spaceless void with the people the size of fleas atop it.

In sync did three knocks ring on his door. He shot up in bed, hopping to his feet, and with haste did he try to open the door, twisting the doorknob four times before pulling it open. Face to face with his caretaker.

"Your friend came by looking for you."

That was all he needed to know to breeze down the hallway. Thanking Cawley before nearly falling down the stairs. The sight of Izzy just what he needed right now.

She smiled with a small tilt of her head and with the faintest of smell of vodka on her breath mixing in with her perfume, he grinned as he tugged her out the door.

"Hello to you too-" She mused sarcastically as they made their way outside, Maddox having no problem in tugging away her purse to fish for her keys. He would drive, as unsafe as that was despite their other option.

"Hi Izz, sorry, but you just saved me from my head caving in on itself. So I'm just basking in relief."

"I mean, you answered almost none of my texts, I had to stop by to check on you. Make sure you didn't lock yourself in a bunker or something." She laughed. Glistening sunglasses low on the bridge of her nose as she looked up at his smiling face.

"Sorry, I broke it chasing birds."

"As I guessed you might you big lug. I'm guessing... Diner?"

"You read my mind."

Her lips curled into a ruby red smirk as he suddenly frowned.

"Stop it."

•••

"You could at least order a soda or something, you aren't 4."

"You have a problem with chocolate milk or something?" Mads asked defensively after they placed their orders. But the girl only shrugged her shoulders in clear amusement. He was too childish for his own good sometimes.

"I'm just saying. No need to bare your teeth buddy." She cooed. Which only made his frown deepen. "But like, as I think about it, I don't think I've seen you drink much else besides chocolate milk and water."

"Well... Caffeine doesn't sit to well with me. It's bad for you you know" He leant on his palm as the other hand tapped at the table.

"So that bottle of tequila last week surely had a lot of health benefits- okay, gotcha-" She snickered making his face redden as he thought about it too. Thoughts running to make a better retort.

"I just like milk, okay?"

"But when you say it like that-" She laughed, nearly a full blown cackle as his face continued to steam. Bad choice of words. Per usual. He never was an eloquent one. 

If it weren't for their food arriving, Maddox might have just slammed his head into the table, but this was still such a nice change of pace, a welcome, friendly frustration that never failed to lighten his mood. It was these things he enjoyed most after all. Kept him from "going cryptid" as Izz liked to say. 

"Sometimes it's hard to believe you actually like girls-" 

"Sometimes it's hard to believe I actually like you-"

"Ouch, I was just joking Mads, no need to toss our friendship into the garbage." She feigned hurt as she put her hands over her heart, both their dark eyes looking down into their steaming plates.

"Yeah yeah," He muttered as he picked up his burger, taking a monstrous bite to keep himself from saying anything more as Isadora played around with her milkshake. 

"But do you like boys, Mads? I haven't heard you say no..." She asked curiously, the subject making him want to simultaneously roll his eyes and bury his head in the dirt.

"How am I supposed to know? I haven't even kissed a girl I liked, much less a guy." He shrugged, ketchup and mustard on the corners of his lips that he hurriedly wiped away. Soliciting a very unwanted "Awwwww"

"You're such a dork." She cooed. "But at least you haven't had your poor little heart broken. You're already so mopey, imagine the alcohol we'd pour through-"

Maddox snickered at the thought. They where both the type to, he knew it.

"I'd follow by your example of course, you're my friend. And dork by association." He grinned.

"Too bad I'm immune to cooties, Jackie-" She laughed, her eyes wandering behind Maddox, which he couldn't help but notice. Tilting his head to block her view as she zoned back in on him.

"Maybe you should try and give em to that guy over there... He's kinda cute." She smirked.

Without prompting, Maddox twisted his head, accidentally catching eyes with the guy across the restaurant, big smile, brown curly hair, and dark eyes he had to quickly look away from. Which he did. Immediately turning back in terror of having made full on eye contact.

"I didn't mean to look!" She giggled as she watched his pale face go red. Her eyes looking up to see if he was still looking over, only to find that he was busy in his own things, looking into a flip phone from who knows what century.

"Funny, I've been seeing a lot of new people around. Our age too. We've probably got a lot of transfers this year." Isadora couldn't help but want to stare, but Maddox continued to block her view with his pouting face.

"What? Mad you found him cute?" She grinned.

"No! You set me up! Besides, who cares about the new students, we get a bunch all the time... They don't last very long anyways... The whole religion part of our prestigious school is apparently a big turn off." He poked at his stack of fries.

"Don't be so negative-" She huffed. Popping the cherry off her milkshake between her lips, tossing the stem at the blond's head.

"I have a feeling this will be a school year we'll never forget."

•••

(it's a bit all over the place but I wanted to play around with Maddox and Isadora's friendship a bit XD)
-parabellums
rosedaIe
makingmeblush
daringIy
-wow-pink-
mg-honeybee
SqoobySnaqs
teethmeat