"Everyone set?" asked Curtis as he took his own bag as he put it behind him.
"Yes" came the voice of Annie, Maddie, Matt, and Ollie as Matt was carrying his bag, Annie's bag, and Maddie's bag, but it was no trouble for him, he could carry them all with ease.
"Alright then let's go" said Curtis as he led the way and they all began to walk, their journey on the mountain continued, and they were not even halfway done with it, they had only begun, and it would take them a while to realize and get used to it.
They were slowly progressing up the mountain even if it didn't feel like it, luckily for them, they were still on relatively level ground.
Annie left where she was walking with Ollie as she moved to Maddie, and Maddie noticed that Annie was trying to catch up to her, so she slowed down as she and Annie walked at the same pace as Ollie just walked beside Matt in silence.
"Maddie, are you upset with me?" asked Annie as Maddie turned to look at her.
"No, of course not Annie I'm not upset with you… I am upset with that annoying blondie prince" said Maddie as she sighed but she kept that last part to herself, she did not want to make Annie upset with her, again.
"But you don't look happy at all" said Annie.
"Look Annie, the thing is that, it hurt me when you went against me just because of that blondie Prince who doesn't need to be defended by you, I mean, I was hurt that you chose to defend him and not me" said Maddie as she sighed, she was just telling the truth, it did hurt her.
"I am sorry that I hurt you Maddie it's just that… the way you treat Prince Oliver isn't nice" said Annie.
"I know that Annie" said Maddie as she sighed.
"Its not nice at all, he doesn't deserve that" said Annie as she explained.
"But I just don't like the guy, is it a crime for me to openly express my dislike for someone?" asked Maddie.
"No, no it isn't" said Annie.
"But you are not just showing your dislike for him, you are also treating him unfairly" said Annie as she explained.
"Prince Oliver is just nice, he might be too much sometimes, but he's nice, and he doesn't deserve to be treated as badly as you treat him" said Annie.
"I didn't want to make you upset with me" said Maddie.
"Look Maddie, your my best friend, and I don't want us to fight, but I can't stand it if you are being mean to him for no reason at all" said Annie.
"Fine Annie, fine, I won't be mean to him" said Maddie.
"That's all I ask from you Maddie" said Annie.
"And you got it, I won't be mean" said Maddie.
"Oh thank you Maddie I…" said Annie as she was cut off.
"You didn't let me finish" said Maddie as she cut Annie off.
"I said that I won't be mean, but that does not mean that I have to like him" said Maddie as she gave her clause.
"I don't expect anything more from your Maddie, as long as you don't be mean to him" said Annie as she smiled, she knew that Maddie was even making an effort by assuring her that she would not be mean to Ollie, she knew that was the best Maddie could do, and she had to meet her halfway, so she did.
"Good you know Annie" said Maddie as she frowned, she could not believe that she had just promised Annie that she would no longer be mean to Ollie, that meant that all her plans of harming him were now null and void, she could not lay a finger on him, or at least physically that was.
She wondered if she could get away with it if Annie didn't see her, but then again, she was sure that, that blondie Prince would go running to his guardian angel Annie to defend him, and then she would be put in the bad books… again.
"Oh thank you Maddie, thank you" said Annie as she smiled, she knew that Maddie would listen to her, she always did.
"Yeah, yeah Annie, don't make me regret this even more than I already do" said Maddie as she forced back a smile, but she could not hold it in, so she ended up smiling in the beginning.
"Of course Maddie, of course" said Annie as she smiled and Maddie shook her head, Annie was going to be the breaking of her, she was just too much, too cheerful and happy, it made her heart feel like exploding from all the innocence.
"I don't know what you see in the guy anyway, to me, he's just plain annoying" said Maddie as she sighed and she shook her head, only someone as accepting as Annie would suddenly become friends with the annoying blondie Prince.
"He's nice, he has a good heart, he's not as bad as you and Matt make him out to be" said Annie as she smiled.
"Well my dear Annie, that's because he's way to nice to you for reasons that are clear to my experienced eyes" said Maddie.
"What sort of experience are you talking about?" asked Annie as Maddie sighed and she shook her head, she was like the older sister here, the one who knew everything, while Annie was the naïve little sister, the one who would probably not notice when someone had a huge crush on her.
"Oh my dear Annie, my dear, sweet, innocent, Annie" said Maddie as she looked at Annie.
"You will understand when you are older" said Maddie as she smiled.
"You do know that you are just a year older than me right?" asked Annie as she did not know what Maddie was talking about.
"Yes, I know that, and that is why I tell you to wait till you are older" said Maddie as she laughed.
"I am suspicious of you Maddie" said Annie as she shook her head.
"No need to be, just know that I have your back always, and I will chase away any pesky flies that dare come your way" said Maddie as she smiled.
"Oookay??" said Annie as she did not even want to ask, it was best for her to leave Maddie to her riddles.
Ollie smiled, the girls were talking like friends again, he was so glad that they were not fighting because of him, it made him feel way much more better, because earlier he had felt guilty that Annie had stood up for him at the expense of Maddie and Matt being upset with her.
"The girls look like they have made up" said Ollie as he looked at Matt and he smiled, he and Matt were the guys, Ollie did not know whether to count Curtis as part of the guys as well, considering that he was just a book in a human form, but well he would have to ask Matt about that later.
"They never fight" said Matt as he replied plainly.
"But they did today" said Ollie.
"Yes, and that was because of you" said Matt as he scoffed.
"I know that, and that is why I am glad that they made up, I don't want to cause any trouble" said Ollie as that was not his intention at all, all he wanted to do was to be accepted by Maddie and Matt who still seemed to dislike him.
"But well you did" said Matt.
"Hey Matt, do you have a problem with me" said Ollie.
"I mean, did I do something wrong for you to be upset with me?" asked Ollie as he was curious, it was obvious to see that Matt had been in a bad mood for a while now, and well he was taking out that bad mood of his on Annie, who did not deserve it at all.
"What did you not do?" asked Matt as he was trying not to sound too aggravated.
"Well that's the thing, I don't know what I did to make you upset with me, and I will not know what I did until you tell me" said Ollie as he did not get it, they were guys, weren't they supposed to solve everything calmly with no drama at all?
"It's nothing Prince Oliver." said Matt as he just walked ahead, who did Ollie think he was to just come here and act like everything was fine, when it was not fine at all.
"Well I tried" said Ollie to himself as he sighed deeply, he guessed that he would just have to try harder, after all he already had Annie on his side, and he hoped that Maddie and Matt would soon see him as their friend soon, because that was all he wanted in the end.