Free Bracing the Blue Line by Lindsay Paige

weight to her left foot and decides that that isn't all. “Actually, there is something else. You can totally say no, and there won't be any hard feelings. I promise.”
    “Spit it out already, Maddie,” I order gently. I don't like watching her squirm with her words. Whatever she wants to say, she should say it. It's only us here.
    “Promise me one thing first?”
    “What's that?” What does she want to ask me?
    “Don't call me a baby or anything of the sorts?” She tilts her head back a little to get a better look at me.
    “Promise.”
    “Could we hang out and watch a movie or something? I'm feeling a little homesick, but I don't want to call my parents and say so. You're the closest thing to home I have here.”
    “Go,” I drag my eyes over her body one more time, “change and drive over to my place. We can watch a Madea movie or something. Text me with what kind of sub you want, and I'll pick it up.”
    Suddenly, Maddie hugs me. “Thanks, Winston. It'll be like an hour from now. You're the best.”
    “Yeah, yeah. I'll see you later.”
    And then she's off, running back the way she came.
    I wish she would stay away from me, but I know what it's like to miss home. There's no way I was about to tell her no. I run to the sub shop before going home with her preferred choice, some 6 inch sub.
    A knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts. Maddie gives me a sheepish smile as I step aside for her to come in.
    “Hey, Winston.”
    “Hey. Food is in my room.” We head that way.
    “Thanks. I'll have to repay you somehow.”
    I wave my hand at her dismissively. “Don't worry about it. After we eat, I need to do a little homework, but you can start the movie then anyway.”
    She nods, takes a seat on my bed, and unwraps her sub. I go to the couch. We don't say much as we eat, but I watch Maddie. She blows my mind, nibbling on her food, though she eventually finishes it.
    “You won't tell Dave that I missed home, will you?” she asks after taking a sip of her soda.
    “No. Why are you worried about that? Everyone gets homesick every now and then. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”
    Maddie crisscrosses her legs. “I feel like I shouldn't. Like I'm too old. I'm in college and after a bad day, I wanted to go home to my own room and be around people who love me.”
    I return my focus to my last bite after saying, “You sound pretty normal to me, Maddie.”
    She doesn't say anything as she hands me her trash, so I can go throw it away. Once I return, she goes to start the movie, and I grab my books to do a little homework. I could've done it yesterday, but I pushed it off until today. Maddie ended up being an unexpected surprise, so I'm having to work around her presence. Every time Maddie laughs, a little loudly, I end up peeking a glance at her. She's sitting with her back against my headboard as she watches the movie while I'm on my couch. Usually, a loud laugh irritates me, but Maddie's and how she looks when she laughs is cute. Maybe it irritated me before because it reminded me of her. After about thirty minutes, I lose my concentration completely.
    “Done already?” she asks as I slam my notebook and textbook close.
    “Yep,” I lie, setting them down on the cushion I previously occupied before moving over to the bed to sit next to Maddie and watch the movie.
    The only sound we make is our laughter. When that one is over, Maddie puts in another. As she slips the disc into the DVD player, she looks over her shoulder with gratitude. “Thanks, Winston.”
    “No problem.”
    She crawls back into bed on the side closest to the wall, laying on her side, careful not to touch me. I slink down further to get more comfortable, stifling a yawn. My phone vibrates with a FaceTime call, but I reach over and silence it, turning off the lamp as well. I don't really feel like talking tonight. What a crappy friend I'm being to Maddie. She's missing home and the best I can do is try to stay awake. But this is what she