Maddie was on a mission, and nothing could stop her: not common decency, not campus rules, and definitely not the student council. She would let them know that they messed up with the wrong best friend.
She stormed through the wide double doors of the student council office like a hurricane in Converse. Her eyes were blazing with determination, so much so that the secretary of the student council, Austin, took a step back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't just barge in like that!" Austin yelped, flailing his arms in an attempt to block her path. The poor guy couldn't even lift a chair; how could he expect to stop Maggie in her hurricane mode?
She didn't even break stride.
"Watch me," she snapped, shouldering past him like a linebacker on game day. "I have important business to take care of! Probably more important than budgeting your next out-of-country vacation."
Austin, bless his soul, tried again, chasing after her like a puppy. "They're in a meeting! You can't just—"
But Maddie was already halfway across the room, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Somebody tell me about the fucking Velocity Club!" This statement successfully drew the attention of every single soul in the room.
The council members froze, and even a few pens clattered on the floor. George, the president, sat at the head of the table with his feet kicked up on the desk.
"Who the hell is this?"A boy with glasses questioned, his eyes narrowing in displeasure.
"Who am I?" Maddie's eyes narrowed as she memorized the faces of everyone here. Her voice rose in volume as she continued, "I'm the person who's not leaving until I get some answers about Velocity!"
The room was dead silent for a beat; it was like after hearing the news that Christ rose from the dead, and everyone was just staring, unsure if they should laugh or call her crazy.
George broke the silence with a slow, lazy grin spreading across his face. "Oh my god. Nina's not the only crazy one?" He pulled his leg off the table and continued, "I had no idea she had an unhinged friend to match her craziness."
George turned to the door, his brow raised. Nina just arrived, panting like she'd sprinted the whole way.
"George, shut up," Nina rebutted, not missing a beat as she rolled her eyes at him. She rushed to Maddie's side, grabbing her by the arm and whispering, "Maddie, what the hell are you doing? We talked about this!"
Maddie shrugged Nina's hand off, standing her ground. She crossed her arms and spread her legs a few inches apart, glaring at George. She was making a statement: I'm not going anywhere.
"I'm doing what someone has to do, Nina! We need to know about this Velocity thing now! I demand an explanation." She pointed at each member of the student council, who had varying shades of confusion, anxiety, and terror on their faces.
Nina groaned, rubbing her temples. "This is not how we find out, Maddie."
George, still grinning like a Cheshire cat, leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "I have to say, I'm impressed. I didn't think anyone could out-crazy Nina, but you just proved me wrong."
"Oh, shut up, George," Nina snapped, striding toward him. Without hesitation, she stomped on his foot with the full force of her Doc Martens.
"SHIT!" George yelped, doubling over and grabbing at his foot. "Why did you do that?! You're crazy!"
Nina glared at him as she crossed her arms. "You deserved that. You had that one coming! I should have done it a long time ago, but I was afraid you'd damage my Doc Martens."
"Your Doc Martens? How dare you kick me with the shoes I bought for you?" George questioned as he pointed at her shoes, disbelief written all over his face.
"FYI, I didn't ask you!" Nina raised her foot again to stomp on him, but Maddie interrupted them.
She gave Nina a look that says "we'll talk about this later", and decisively ignored the mini-violent episode. She turned her attention back to the situation at hand. Her voice rose again as she stated, "Look, I'm not here to play games. I'm dead serious. We need to know about Velocity Club, and I'm not going away until I get the information I need."
One of the council members, the guy with glasses, tried to play peacemaker and said, "Uh, okay, look, maybe we can—"
"Don't even try it, dude," Maddie interrupted, pointing at him like a mom about to punish her kid for staying the night out. "I'm not here for your 'maybe.' We're past that. Spill it."
The guy stuttered, clearly out of his depth. "I—uh—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the door opened, and Ethan walked in. Seeing him, the council members felt like they saw salvation. His cold, aloof expression was firmly set in place as his eyes scanned the room with mild disinterest, until it landed on Maddie.
Maddie frowned at him. Ethan took her in from head to toe. Sparks crackled between them as if each of them issued a challenge.
"And who are you?" Maddie questioned, and at the same time, Ethan asked in a flat voice, "What's going on?"
He looked like he couldn't be less interested in whatever chaos was happening here.
The council members talked over each other, trying to explain the situation to Ethan. Something about a "crazy girl," "Velocity," and "George getting stomped on."
Ethan's gaze flicked between them before landing back on Maddie. She raised her chin and stared him down.
"Who's this?" Maddie demanded again, pointing at Ethan like he wronged her in a past life.
George, still nursing his foot, answered through gritted teeth. "That's Ethan Carter. Our resident genius. And apparently, the guy who's going to have to deal with you."
Maddie squinted her eyes, sizing Ethan up. This was the Ethan Carter everybody was talking about? Her brows furrowed even closer, and her eyes roamed all over him.
He was tall. Well, way taller than she expected, with lean muscles that showed through his shirt. Maddie wished she wore her heels. This was one of those days that she hated her 5'3 height even more.
Then, his brown hair grabbed his attention. It was long enough to fall over his forehead, and there was a single earring in one of his ears that added to his rebellious vibe. But it was his face and eyes that really got her: sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and blue-gray irises.
And the lips. Damn those lips. She heard about them. The so-called "most kissable lips on campus." It was red and plump. Like a cherry. It should be a crime for a guy to have lips like that!
"Do you like what you see?" Ethan asked in a gruff voice.
Maddie cleared her throat, raised her chin even higher, and subtly raised her feet an inch off the floor. "I don't care who you are!," she declared, raising her voice a notch.
But there was a small part of her screaming: Abort mission! Abort mission!
She continued as if he didn't affect her in any way. "I need answers about Velocity, and I'm not leaving until I get them."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Velocity isn't any of your business."
"Oh, isn't it?" Maddie stepped forward, hands on her hips. Her temper flared in response to his words.
She continued, "Because I think it is. And I'm going to find out what you're all hiding if it's the last thing I do."
"Okay, that's enough—" one of the other council members started, stepping toward Maddie as if to escort her out.
Bad move.
Maddie's fist flew out before anyone could stop her, landing squarely on the guy's jaw with a solid thwack.
"Jesus Christ!" George stood up, his eyes wide as the council member stumbled back, clutching his face. "Did you just punch him?"
Maddie didn't even blink. "You're damn right, I did. Now, who's next? I can do it the same way, so everyone of you sports the same style."
Nina's eyes widened in horror. "Maddie, oh my god, you can't just—"
Before things could escalate further, Ethan decided he had enough. Without a word, he stepped forward, grabbed Maddie by the waist, and lifted her up on his shoulders upside down like she weighed nothing.
"What the—HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" Maddie shrieked. She beat his back and flailed like a cat being carried to the vet. She kicked and squirmed, but Ethan didn't even flinch.
"You're done here." He marched to the door with her over his shoulders.
"No, I'm not! I'm not done! This is an abuse of power! Someone help me!" Maddie screamed, but no one in the room made a move. In fact, they all looked like their jaws were about to fall to the floor. They were too stunned to process what was happening.
Ethan carried her out into the hallway and settled her down on her feet. Maddie immediately faced him, her face flushed with anger and embarrassment.
"You can't just pick people up like that!"She snapped. "What are you, a caveman?"
Ethan gave her an icy stare, his voice low. "Listen to me. You need to stop. Velocity isn't something you should be sticking your nose into. Also…"
His eyes roamed all over, and he smirked, "You're too small for your temper. You're like a kitten scratching a lamp post or something."
Maddie blinked, taken aback by his words. For a second, he caught her off guard. But then, his first statement sank into her.
"Wait a minute," she said slowly as her eyes narrowed again. "You know about it, don't you?"
Ethan's expression didn't change. "I'm telling you to mind your own business."
Maddie stared at him, her mind racing. This ridiculously handsome cold-as-ice guy knew about Velocity. And from the look in his eyes, he meant business.
"Who do you think you are?" Maddie demanded, crossing her arms. "You can't just boss me around and expect me to—"
Ethan cut her off, his voice quiet but firm. "Walk away, Maddie."
Maddie wanted to retort, but the way he said her name, like it was sort of a warning, sent a shiver down her spine. And it was crazy because... it made her heart tingle too. What the hell?
She didn't know whether to punch him or… do something else entirely. Her cheeks heated up.
"You're handsome!"She blurted out suddenly, her brain apparently short-circuiting from the mix of emotions. "But you've got a rotten personality."
Ethan blinked, clearly not expecting that. He opened his mouth to respond, but Maddie covered his lips. She shook her head. "Whatever! This isn't over. I'll find out about Velocity, with or without help."
With that, she turned on her heel and ran away like the fires of hell were after her. When out of sight, she hid behind a pillar and slid to the floor, clutching her left hand.
"Maddie!" she screeched in a small voice, grabbing her hair. "Why did you do that? Why did you cover his mouth, you silly girl?"
She wiped her left hand furiously on her uniform, but the warmth and feel of his lips didn't go away. She let out another shrill scream in frustration.
"Maddie!" Nina appeared suddenly, scaring her.
She looked like she came from a warzone with disheveled clothes and crazy eyes. "Why did you leave me behind?!"