Free Picturing Perfect by Melissa Brown, Lori Sabin Page B

seeing at the movies.
    "Shut up! It's starting," Auden said, pushing the bowl of popcorn onto Haddie's lap.
    Thirty minutes later, Auden's cell phone rang and she whispered to Haddie that it was some guy named Chad. Auden squealed a little bit before hopping off the couch and walking into our father's office on the other side of the basement.
    "Who was that?" I asked.
    "He's in her algebra class. She's been into him for a while."
    "Do I need to be concerned? Kick his ass maybe?" I asked, laughing, karate chopping the air, which probably made me look like a total dork. I wasn't exactly the guy that got into fights. I pretty much lived by the mantra "live and let live." Haddie knew that about me. Her small giggle said it all. She got my humor. She ran her fingers through her hair and placed the popcorn bowl on the coffee table.
    "Nah, he's fine."
    We didn't say anything else for a little while. As much as I hated to admit it, the movie sucked me in. I really wanted this Andie girl to get the guy. And it pissed me off that she didn't think she was good enough for him. When I scoffed at Blaine for the third time, Haddie laughed and turned towards me.
    "You're really into this," she said.
    "It's all right." I shrugged. Lie. I was totally into it. There was no way I was going to miss the ending.
    "It'll end happily, don't worry," she teased me. Her golden hair was hanging in loose curls down past her shoulders and I wished I could run my fingers through it. Instead, I kept my hands in my lap, waiting for Auden to walk back in and destroy my night entirely.
    A loud laugh came from Dad's office and Haddie shook her head knowingly.
    "She's going to be in there for a while," she said, smiling.
    "Good." I smiled and watched as Haddie's pale cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink.
    Without wanting to seem too obvious, I sat up on the sofa, shifting so I was a few inches closer to her. She swallowed hard as I moved closer and I knew I was making her nervous. I didn't want that so I didn't get any closer. After a few minutes, her breath seemed to even out and she seemed to be engrossed in the movie once again.
    When the final scene came on the screen, I watched Haddie smile as Blaine professed his love to Andie and gasp as Andie followed him out to the parking lot for their big kiss. God, I wanted to kiss her.
    When the credits rolled, Haddie reached for a tissue to wipe her soaked cheeks. Even when she cried, she looked beautiful.
    "Did you know that John Hughes changed the ending?" she asked, turning her body to me, moving a few inches closer.
    "Really?" I was intrigued.
    "Yeah. In the original ending, Duckie got the girl."
    "Duckie? Seriously?"
    "Mmm-hmm." She smiled proudly. "But, test audiences hated it. They wanted her to be with Blaine."
    "Interesting," I said, leaning my body to face hers, putting my head on my elbow.
    "What?" Haddie asked, her cheeks getting redder by the second.
    "Well, you tell me. Blaine or Duckie?" I asked.
    "Blaine." She smiled, and her cheeks turned red.
    "Why?" I'd always been fascinated by stories and characters. No wonder I became a writer.
    "Because he's romantic and handsome. Because he deserves her, even though he doesn't think he's good enough. And because everyone else pales in comparison," she said, looking into my eyes. Her forehead creased with anxiety.
    "Good point." I nodded.
    "Do you think she should've been with Duckie?"
    "No, I don't," I answered honestly. "The entire movie is about her and her feelings for the popular guy. For her to end up with the geeky best friend, that'd just be weird."
    Leave it to me to dissect the plot. I knew that wasn't what Haddie was really asking me. But, my writer brain always seemed to take over.
    "I agree. She didn't like him like that."
    "Exactly." I nodded. A long pause hung in the air as I tried to decide what to do. Just as I was getting the balls to tell her that I liked her. That I would never treat her the way Blaine treated Andie. That she was the coolest