13
About the same time as Maura and Stani had their Heart to Heart, Maddison exited the campus from the front of the building, the only light source there were the large street lamps in Victorian style design and shape that lit up the front of the campus at night.
It appeared that no one else was outside at this time, which Maddison was thankful for, as he had just had a horrible night and was self conscious, and shy, about expressing his inner feelings to strangers.
Tears began to well up in the Red Tabby's eyes as he slowed down his running needing a rest. Due to his upbringing he did not want to be seen like a young man crying his eyes out like a child, but he was very much hurt inside, as what should have been a romantic night turned into a horrible fight, and he really needed a tissue or a handkerchief to dry his eyes and hide his hurt.
But when he reached into his coat pocket, the only thing he found was the love letter, that very same love letter in a pink envelope with a heart sticker seal written by Eva, the rat whom insulted him while breaking his heart, to him.
Just looking at the letter, which had enchanted him with mystery, now only brought frustration, sadness, and anger from the mere sight of the letter and invitation.
In a blind rage he ripped the letter to shreds and growled angrily at the letter, throwing it on the ground, screaming in anger, which only made the hurt he felt inside, grow worse. As the anger burned out, the poor boy could only sob, he didn't want to but he couldn't keep his composure as well at this time.
It wasn't until his feelings began to weaken out of defeat, he heard a soft voice in the dark shadows that made the red tabby feel naked in public.
``M-Mister Hertlem?'' said the voice,
Almost by instinct he lifted his face from his palms, feeling ashamed, scared, and worried that someone may have seen him, or worse, was planning to cause harm to him.
Fight or flight kicked in as he turned around to face the darkness, thinking that the night could soon hit rock bottom if whomever out there was going to physically hurt him.
From the darkness, a figure walked forward to the street lamp, allowing the light to show Maddison whom they were from the shadows, with only the light reflecting green from the eyes from the shadow unmasking herself.
When the light took over, and Maddison could see this person, it was Sabrina Yamamoto, looking like a regal princess, in her red, long sleeve prom dress, with a small red purse in hand, and a serious face like that of a female samurai. With her green eyes focused deeply at Maddison, he was mildly intimidated from her person, as he worried how much of his emotions she saw, or if she thought less of him if she did see his outburst.
Neither one spoke until Maddison broke the silence, asking ``Wh-what are you d-doing out here.'' though he quickly covered his mouth with his hands, ashamed of his stuttering, and sniffling, afraid of how this encounter would go.
Sabrina walked closer to him, his fear growing with each step the black cat made towards him. Finally, she spoke. ``T-The party wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be.'' Sabrina confessed, half telling the truth, but half hiding the real reasons.
She was unsure of how much to explain. There were some logical reasons, like the music being too loud for her, she didn't really want to go to the dance in the first place, the dress was starting to be a chore to wear, and that other people at the dance were uninterested in her and weren't even giving her or Maura the time of day.
However, there were other reasons she was too scared to confess to a stranger she barely knew. Whether she really had connected with the spirit world, had psychic powers, or if it was something as logically simple as Eva's smile, body posture, or even the smell that the rat gave off that clued Sabrina in that she was not a nice person, and was possibly going to hurt Maddison once he opened up. Her glances to Sabrina and her friends of anger and malice victory at sticking it to Sabrina and her friends confirmed Eva's intentions.
Looking down to Maddison's chest in a manner of vulnerability, she expressed to him that it was the loud music and unkind nature of the other people at the dance that rubbed her the wrong way and that she wanted to get some fresh air to cool off.
Maddison listened to her, feeling sympathetic for the Black Cat as she explained her reasons for standing outside the campus on a cold December night, away from the dance and festivities.
``To be honest I really, really did not want to come to this dance in the first place!'' Sabrina proclaimed with a hit of anger, giving full eye contact to the college campus, as if telling the building off for bad behavior.
She then slowly closed her eyes and turned back to Maddison to confess, ``I was forced into going because Mother demanded this, She should know that I barely know anyone here, I am uncomfortable in this situation.'' she expressed to Maddison opening her eyes and feeling weird telling him this.
``I see,'' Maddison responded turning away from Sabrina, covering his eyes to hide the tears welling up, ``At least you're heart wasn't crushed into a million pieces!'' He sobbed, as tears streamed down his cheeks, and turned his back on Sabrina, ashamed of his expressing his feelings.
Sabrina walked behind him, and sensing his shame, caressed his back to comfort him. She then, wanting to restore his dignity, asked ``Mr. Hertlem, may I please dry your face?''
The red tabby turned back to face Sabrina, and nodded yes.
with her hand touching his back she motioned him to take a seat on the metal bench by one of the side exits. After he took his seat, she pulled her handkerchief from her purse and began to dry his face.
After his face was dry and clean, she knelt down, careful not to ruin the dress, picked up the torn pieces of letter and put them in the near by trash bin.
``I am sorry about all of this Sabrina.'' Maddison apologized, ``I mean, I feel like I brought your night down, I guess you think I am weak or something.'' He expressed to Sabrina, grabbing his tail to comfort himself.
Sabrina glanced up, grabbing his ticket from the torn shreds of letter and envelope.
``Mr. Hertlem, I appreciate your not wanting to appear vulnerable, but...'' At this point the black cat shook her head ``no'' to herself, as inside she felt there was no way to sugarcoat the truth.
``Mr. Hertlem, you don't have to apologize for this, I didn't see what happened but she clearly didn't want to love you, it seemed she wanted to see if you were worthy, I think, and belittling others, essentially, she was using you as a prize, which I confess is a strange thing for a girl to do.'' Sabrina blurted out matter of fact way with an honest reasoning without a shred of modesty in her voice.
Upon seeing Maddison's mildly shocked expression, seeing her shyness melt away so suddenly, made Sabrina extremely self conscious, as if she crossed a line, and was unladylike at that moment,
``I-I am sorry, that was going too far.'' Sabrina blushed deep crimson, ashamed of her assertion.
``Ah, No-no.'' Maddison interrupted, ``I am sor... It's ok,'' He paused, himself getting self conscious about apologizing so much, his cheeks then grew red. The red tabby cleared his throat.
``No, you got it right on the dot, She was being mean to me, and I presume to you three, and got angry when she discovered I wasn't the same politically, which is something she must have picked up after the time we were in high school, and before she joined this college.'' Maddison explained.
``I see,'' Sabrina sighed, a little sad to learn that people could still hate others for not rigidly following a political way of life, in a way making Eva's behavior seem far worse than what Sabrina had imagined. ``This is something I really wouldn't know about, Mr. Hertlem .''
She then handed Maddison the ticket back and he put it inside his coat pocket. She then grabbed her dress and joined Maddison on the bench.
``It's ok, it's way too deep of a topic for me to get into.'' Maddison sighed sadly again looking down to his shoes. More tears were falling from his eyes but now, with Sabrina by his side, it was easier for him to keep his composure.
``Frankly I don't know what happened to her, she used to be a kind, down to earth type, with a thick Russian accent, but now, with her new American accent, stuck up attitude, and love of humans, I guess,'' Maddison swallowed wiping his eyes with the fur of his hands, ``I guess I must accept she has changed, and move on with my life.''
Sabrina nodded, then handed him her handkerchief. He instinctively wiped his eyes again.
``Yes, this is true Mr. Hertlem, at times we must accept people can change their hearts and feelings over time due to circumstances beyond our control.'' Sabrina nodded to him.
``I don't know why and maybe she will come around and accept you, but, it would be best to give her space, and if this change is here to stay and that is who she wants to be, then I guess the best thing you can do to love her is to let her go.'' She finished as he handed her handkerchief back to her and she gently accepted it.
``You are absolutely right, and thank you very much for talking to me and taking the time to cheer me up.'' Maddison smiled softly, as if signaling he was ready to start moving on.
Sabrina instinctively bowed. ``It is a pleasure for me to help you, I and my friends can always help you,'' she expressed getting shy again feeling a need to explain, ``I-I think we could become great friends, I think we could really help each other.''
``Thanks, That is sweet.'' Maddison expressed, trying to smile to re-assure. ``Though, you can call me Maddison if you would like, miss, miss.''
Sabrina looked back at Maddison, a little shocked at such a casual promotion. ``Um m-may be, perhaps uh, steps?'' She stuttered
``I-it's ok, I didn't mean to be pushy and rude to you.'' Maddison explained.
``No you aren't rude Mr. Hertlem..'' she paused worried she offended him.
There was a short pause before Maddison cleared his throat. ``I would like to meet your friends, you three seem sweet.'' He told the black cat, before the night began to get to him.
``It's getting late, I should check out and collect my things,'' he paused to think for a moment, ``You should come with me, at least until we reunite you with your friends, Then I guess we should meet each other again or we can keep contact.'' he offered but before could add anything Sabrina interrupted him.
``Ma-Mister Hertlem, please,'' she began, ``Please may I make a request?''
He nodded to her and she began,
``M-Maddison,'' she began again, with a stutter, ``I may not have wanted to come here tonight, but I was really looking forward to having that moment, where for once, I could be like the princess, instead of watching one, and for once know what it is like.'' She proclaimed opening her purse.
``All of the men turned away from me, and never asked me, and no one wanted to give me that moment.'' As she said this she pulled out her cell phone.
Maddison was wondering where she was going with this.
``But since you have been so kind to me and since your night was ruined, maybe I could fix your night for you,'' she said flipping the music on her phone to a specific song, ``Mis-Maddison, may we have this dance?'' she asked as she extended a hand to the red tabby in a blue 3 piece suit.
Maddison gently gasped as he saw the black cat, in a red dress make her offer. She did ask, and since he didn't have a date anymore, as no guy seemed to want to entertain her, he wasn't sure about taking the dance.
However, she did ask him, she was quite beautiful, and it seemed to cruel to say no. If he wanted to be with them, he might as well fulfill the shy cat's wish.
He took her extended hand, as she pushed play on the song. She put the cell phone on the bench with her purse, and took his other hand, and the two cats began to dance.
slowly the two kept time to the melody off an old 1980's World War 2 movie about cultures colliding, with a hint of a love between a British Soldier, and his Japanese prison guard. A curious choice of a song to dance to, but she selected it, and if she wanted to dance to the slow synth melody, then he might as well entertain and dance with her.
Looking deep into each other's eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. In return, he wrapped his arms around her waist. It was pure bliss as it appeared their shyness melted away as they grew closer. Near the end of the song, they moved so close that they were within kissing distance. Caught within their aroma, the two leaned in about to kiss at the last notes of the song.
When suddenly,
*PFFFFFFFFFFFFRRRRRRRRRTTTT*
Both cats stopped the kiss they were about to make when they heard a loud flatulent sound.
At first both instinctively stared at each other, then both blushed bright red, wondering if one or the other let their nerves get the best of them, and allowed their stomach's trumpet blast a loud sour poot from their, or the other's rear end.
Then they heard rustling in the bushes as the strong odor of rotten vegetables and spoiled dairy products, like moldy cheese, offered the two cat's fragile noses.
Though from the source of the movement, they quickly learned who it was.
Standing behind the bushes was Stani, who unfortunately stood behind the butt blast got a good whiff of the flatulent odor. She stood there with her left paw covering her nose at the end of her muzzle, and with her right hand, fanned the air to get rid of the awful smell.
the other was Maura who looked very angry as her body interrupted what would have questionably been the best part of the night. She was visibly angry and was the first one to speak.
``Oh Stomach, Why do you ruin everything for me!'' Maura yelled unhappy at herself.
``Maura, how come you didn't stop at a bathroom before we went outside?'' Stani complained, sounding nasally as she held her nose from the offensive odor.
``Because you wouldn't let me, we never had the chance Stani!'' Maura complained.
``Oh really? Because I remember you stuffing yourself and failing to get a dance, and sticking with me.'' Stani Responded with a tired anger about Maura's complaining.
``Well that is irrelevant about that!'' Maura snapped back which caused the pair to argue.
During said argument Sabrina walked over asking:
``M-Maura? S-Stani? you were just hiding there the whole time?'' Sabrina asked but her question was ignored.
``H-How could you have done this, it's not nice to hide like this let alone ignore me when I am talking to you both!'' and Sabrina joined the argument.
The argument got so bad and such a fever pitch, before the loud sound of a man?s laugh caused all three of them to stop and find the source of the laughter.
It was Maddison, all of the stress, coupled with the romance and the fart was too much, so much that he couldn't keep it in, and just had to laugh off the pain while shedding tears in the process.
All three girls stopped and watched the cat and his laughing fit, unsure what the matter was.
``I am sorry, I kind of needed a break from the day, and you three have helped turn this day around.'' Maddison replied cooling off from his laughing fit.
The girls looked concerned, not knowing what to expect.
``I was wondering though, I had this on mind, but how about I treat you three to a light dinner, That way we can at least get to introduce and know each other, I will treat you.'' The Red Tabby offered.
After thinking about it, the three agreed, with that the four had checked out of the dance, grabbed their things and leave the dance hall.
The events of the night had left them a little hungry, especially for a change of atmosphere.
