Free Judging Joey by Elizabeth John Page A

away, Madeline desperately needed a job to help support herself and her uncle and was forever grateful to Sabrina for her assistance in landing her new teaching position.
    Sabrina leaned her head back, her long, dark-brown ponytail stretching behind her. She tipped the bottle as she quenched her thirst. Dark freckles, splattered across her nose, sparkled as the sun reflected off her face. It sometimes caught Madeline off guard how much Sabrina reminded her of Allison. Madeline had never recovered from the catastrophic event that had caused the disintegration of Allison and Madeline’s strong friendship.
    Madeline’s lip quivered when she thought about how at one time she had felt as close to Allison as she did now to Sabrina.
    “You’re staring,” Sabrina said.
    Madeline glanced away. “Sorry. Sometimes you remind me of an old friend. From high school.”
    “You never mentioned that before.” Sabrina swiped a hand across her mouth to catch a drip of water.
    “Didn’t I?” Madeline strolled over to the fountain and pressed on the pedal. Cool water cascaded up and she guzzled it more out of a need of avoidance than thirst.
    “Who was she?”
    Madeline turned from the fountain and searched for Rusty, like a concerned parent after a toddler. He was playing with Pepper and another dog, named Chloe. She spotted Chloe’s owners, Chet and his brother, Steve. They both waved.
    She smiled at them, and then turned to fill her bottle.
    Sabrina waved back. “Don’t avoid the question. What was her name?”
    “Allison, her name was Allison. She was my best friend, my only friend, when I came here from New York. She had long, dark hair and brown eyes like you. But she had shiny metal braces.” Madeline smiled and shook her head. “She hated those.”
    “So what happened? Did she move? Is that why you’re no longer friends?”
    “Hardly. No, it was thanks to Joey O’Neill and his football buddies that I lost my best friend.” The venom in her voice startled even Madeline.
    Sabrina’s eyes widened like huge saucers, reminding Madeline of a cartoon character her first graders were fond of. “Well, don’t leave me hanging,” Sabrina insisted.
    Madeline sighed and looked around for an empty bench. She found one under a maple tree’s shade amongst the many pine trees. She pointed to it and they sat down.
    Pushing imaginary hair out of her face, she hesitated. She had never told anyone what had happened that night. And had just recently told her uncle part of it. Maybe she should have. Not only had it destroyed her friendship with Allison, it had caused an uncomfortable rift between herself and her guardians. They never understood what had caused Madeline’s moodiness or her loneliness during the last two years of high school.
    Her lips went dry and she licked them. “You have to promise me you’ll keep this to yourself,” Madeline heard herself saying.
    Sabrina crossed her heart. “Stick a needle in my eye and all that.”
    Madeline contemplated what to reveal as she protectively watched Rusty. Chet and Steve were throwing Frisbees to the dogs. Chloe did much of the fetching. Madeline guessed Rusty and Pepper were tuckered out after jogging with Madeline and Sabrina. But they were occupied and seemed to be entertained, so she relaxed her grip on the bench handle and sat back into the seat. A slight breeze brushed over her and added a calmness. Oddly, after all these years, now seemed the right time to get the massive weight off her shoulders. A load she had carried far too long.
    Certain that Sabrina would keep her word, Madeline decided that finally sharing the events of that horrible night might do her some good. It might be a relief to unburden herself of that still vivid memory.
    Madeline took in a deep breath. A mixed scent of pine needles and sand greeted her. She welcomed it.
    Moisture built up in Madeline’s eyes as she was about to tell the whole sordid story. Suddenly, Madeline felt a presence behind her