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 Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:07 am
They went to different schools. Normally, this might prevent them from socializing as much as they would have otherwise. Theoretically they each had their own circles of friends who all wore the same uniform. They had different schedules, went to different classes, turned in different assignments.
Maisie didn’t think it mattered much. They’d met outside of school. If they wanted to get together during the week to hang out and do their homework together, they had nothing stopping them but themselves.
She was still in most of her crystal uniform when she opened the front door, but she’d taken off her shoes, the jacket, and the silly little string tie that barely made a bow.
“Hey,” she greeted Brooklyn. “Come on in. Don’t worry, my dad’s not home. He’s a workaholic.”
They lived in one of a series of well-maintained row houses in the city. The neighborhood was quiet enough for being so populated, except for the occasional plane soaring overhead and the shouts of kids playing in the street. Most of the cars parked streetside were Lexuses, BMWs, and Audis; there was a Porsche and a brand new Mercedes-Benz sprinkled in somewhere down the block. Not that Maisie could drive any of them. She had to use the subway stop a couple of blocks over.
“Sorry about the boxes. Dad’s still unpacking. I keep telling him to hire someone to do it, but he’s all ‘I don’t like other people going through my things.’”
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:01 pm
To be honest, Brooklyn was thrilled that Maisie had wanted to hang out with her again. That she had set this up, and that she was going over to her friend’s house...invited over…it felt. Good. Normal. Like…she belonged.
Perhaps that would normally feel like something dangerous, something that could easily be taken, but Brooklyn was working very hard to shoot those feelings down, and today…she was excited enough that it was working.
“You have a beautiful home…much better than any of the dumps that I’ve lived in!” Obviously. And Maisie didn’t need to know about that, so…
“The boxes are fine, what’s a house without a little clutter, right? But, on that note if your dad ever changes his mind...I am pretty good with unpacking and always need a side job here and there, especially since winter’s ending and there’s not going to be as much snow or leaves…I’m not sure what things I can do during the summer…maybe cut grass but I don’t have a mower…I don’t know. I’ll figure it out!”
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 10:40 am
Maisie blinked. Part of her wanted to ask Brooklyn about the “dumps” she’d lived in, mostly because it was so different from Maisie’s life that she couldn’t really imagine anything less than what she had. But then she thought that might not be very considerate of her, maybe like she was gloating or something, and while Maisie generally didn’t let those sorts of things trouble her too much, she was trying to keep the one friend she’d managed to make here.
So she let the curiosity go. For now. Maybe there’d be a better opportunity for it later, like when Brooklyn didn’t have a nice house surrounded by nice cars in a nice neighborhood shoved in her face.
“Thanks,” Maisie said, and left it at that, shutting the door once Brooklyn was inside.
“I’ll let Dad know. We don’t really have much of a lawn for mowing, though. More like a patio. But, like, if you’re looking for things to do… What about babysitting? You could probably make good money from some of the people around here just by sitting around watching movies with their drooling brats.”
Maisie led the way around a couple of half emptied boxes in the small foyer, walked past the living room and the dining area on the right, the stairs that led to the upper floors on the left, and brought Brooklyn into the kitchen.
“You want something to drink? We’ve got lemonade, Sprite, cherry Coke, and sweet tea if you want something other than water. I can dig out some snacks, too. Chips, popcorn, some trail mix. We’ve got a few more brownies that are just, like, layers of cookie dough and cream cheese.”
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 3:48 pm
“If I could get a babysitting gig I would love that, but I just worry that people won’t trust a foster kid, you know? Like, so many of us have bad reputations, and I go to St. Mags which doesn’t help, it’s the bad girl’s school after all.” Brooklyn didn’t seem too upset about it, maybe about the lack of a good paying job to play with some little kids but, not about the other things and she followed Maisie with interest.
“Cherry Coke sounds amazing…and…would you think me a terrible pig if I asked for chips and....one of those brownies? Or…maybe two if you’re feeling super generous, I swear I started drooling when you described them, I don’t think I’ve ever had something like that and I would like it in my mouth as of three minutes ago!”
She grinned, hoping that she wasn’t sounding too greedy, but…it all sounded amazing, and that brownie.
“I don’t think I’ve asked, and if you’ve told me I am so sorry since I’ve completely forgotten, but where did you move here from? At least, I’m going to assume from the boxes, but…your dad just might like to live out of boxes, I don’t judge. But I’m pretty sure that I have a memory of you saying you moved here…”
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Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2023 11:22 am
“Oh, yeah, we moved here in, like, January,” Maisie said, moving around the kitchen to collect all the things Brooklyn wanted with absolutely non judgment whatsoever. Cherry Coke, some chips, and two of the brownies. Maisie thought the excitement was well deserved. They were amazing.
Maisie took the last two brownies for herself, but she left the empty pan where it was on the counter. Maybe if Dad saw it when he got home, he’d take the hint and make more. She had a glass of sweet tea for herself already; Maisie picked it up once she’d passed Brooklyn her requested snacks.
“I’m from NC,” she said. Using anything other than the abbreviation was far too many syllables. “Raleigh, specifically, but my Dad’s family is originally from the beach. The investment firm he works for just opened an office here, and since my Dad’s sister is local, he figured it’d be an easy adjustment for us.”
Then, before she could think too much of it, Maisie added, “Plus my mom’s a crazy b***h and cheated on him, so he probably wanted to get away.”
She led the way back out into the hall once their snacks were secure, heading for the stairs.
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Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2023 8:14 am
Brooklyn eyed the food with a hungry expression, and didn’t even wait until Maisie stopped talking to take a bite of one of the brownies once the plate was in her hands. They were as delicious as they looked and she gave a pleased sigh as she chewed, though the subject of crazy moms…
She thought for a moment, nodding and then shrugged. “I get that though. I mean, I suppose mine was a b***h if she wasn’t crazy. Like…she dumped me in a skate park under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York? She didn’t even have the decency to drop me at a hospital or firehouse or whatever you dump unwanted babies…so I feel you on the b***h mom thing…but. That’s.”
Rolling her eyes she took another quick bite of the brownie and snickered. “That’s why they had the bright idea to name me Brooklyn Bridges. It’s better than Jane Doe though, or Baby Nobodywanted. And Brooklyn isn’t the worst name out there. God, these brownies are fantastic. Please tell your dad thank you for me, if I don’t get a chance to tell him myself!”
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2023 8:02 am
Maisie led the way up the stairs, which meant she had to look forward if she didn’t want to risk tripping or dropping her snacks, which meant she could successfully hide the conflicted expression that crossed her face as Brooklyn spoke.
On the one hand, yeah, b***h move leaving your kid under a bridge. On the other hand, Maisie had no idea how to respond. Should she go with sympathy? Commiseration? Disbelief? Which would make Brooklyn think more positively of her? The worst Maisie’d ever had to deal with were the messy divorces of her parents or the parents of her friends back in Raleigh. She couldn’t really relate to being abandoned as a baby, but didn’t want to offend her one and only friend here.
“Oh, so were you adopted?” Maisie finally asked, settling on interested but inexperienced with the topic. “I have a few adopted cousins, apparently. Or second cousins, maybe? I don’t know, that part of the family is kind of–”
Maisie was going to make a motion with her hands that was probably supposed to mean something like “weird” or “crazy” or “unusual,” but she almost dropped her plate and her drink in the process, so she had to abort the effort quickly.
“Or are you stuck in foster care?” she continued, leading the way up a second flight of stairs. At this, she was able to sound sympathetic. Foster care never sounded like a great time.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 3:17 pm
“I wish! Nah, stuck in foster care. It’s a pain in the butt, but honestly? Going to St. Mags was the best thing that could have ever happened to me, the nuns are strict as anything but they really care...which isn’t something I’m used to, but. I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Though, I’m really not looking forward to my summer break, honestly unless a miracle happens I doubt I’ll get to see you during it at all. I’ll be back with the foster family and. Well.”
She shrugged, following Maisie up the stairs, looking around as she did so. “I’m just hoping that I’ll be allowed to leave my belongings in my dorm or else I don’t know what will happen to them. But, that’s life! I’m glad that you have a good dad though, but sorry that you struck out in the mom department. I’m glad that you have adopted cousins too! I envy them, though. I’m gonna say that right off, but. It’s all good. I’ll be free in a few years so, no worries!”
Brooklyn grinned suddenly. "But this really isn't fun conversation, I'm also perfectly content if you want to change the subject! I didn't mean to make it awkward!"
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Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 7:00 am
“It’s not awkward,” Maisie assured her.
Okay, it was, a little, but only because Maisie couldn’t really relate and didn’t know what to say as a result. But she also didn’t want to make Brooklyn feel like she couldn’t talk about it if she wanted to. Maisie always hated when she had something to say but her friends shut her down before she could say it, or in the middle of her saying it.
At the top of the second flight of stairs, Maisie led Brooklyn to the only door available. She was keenly aware that her occupation of what was obviously the house’s master suite was completely at odds with anything Brooklyn might have ever had for herself, but Maisie made an effort to act as if it were totally normal and she wasn’t out of touch at all.
It’s not like Dad needed the suite, so… it made sense that he let Maisie have it, right?
“Sorry if I don’t know what to say, but I don’t mind hearing about it,” she went on, leading the way into the room.
The walls were painted pale blue. Her bed was overlarge, certainly more than enough for one person. She had a desk cluttered with a Mac and various school supplies, a large dresser between the doors that led to two walk-in closets, and a vanity scattered with make up and other skincare products. A set of large windows overlooked the street. Another half open door led into the en suite.
“Make yourself at home,” she offered, putting her drink and plate of snacks onto one of the two nightstands that sat on either side of the bed. “If you do manage to get out over the summer, you can always hang out here. Since Dad’s such a workaholic, he’s rarely home. The only other person around is the woman who lives in the basement apartment, but she’s a weird Millennial and a teacher at one of the other fancy pants schools, so it’s not like I’m gonna hang out with her.”
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Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 3:07 pm
“It’s all right, I don’t expect you to know what to say, but it’s cool that you’re not just…telling me to leave, so I’ll call that a win.” Brooklyn took a moment to stare around the room and then moved swiftly to the windows, almost, but not quite pressing her nose to the glass. “Maisie, this room is a palace! It’s so beautiful!” She felt a little thrill of joy at the idea of maybe being able to visit over the summer…if things went well...or if she simply ran away…that might work too but…having such a posh place to hang out and with such an amazing best friend…
Damn the consequences. It would be worth it.
“I’ll see if I can get away, that offer is super nice, I’d love to spend more time with you. You’re like, epicly amazing.” Turning away from the window, she walked back over to the snacks and flopped herself onto the bed, sighing in a very pleased way. “I am super happy that we get to be friends. You’re one amazing person, Maisie. And not just because you’re feeding me. You’re just super cool and fun.”
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Posted: Mon May 29, 2023 5:18 pm
Maisie struggled not the preen, thinking it might make her look conceited and uncool.
Then she did it anyway, because it’s not like she heard that sort of complimentary stuff from her friends back in Raleigh. Nothing they said ever sounded genuine. Brooklyn seemed to really mean it, unless she was just a good actor.
With a smile, Maisie flopped onto her bed, too. She already had some of her school work out, papers scattered about, a pencil lost somewhere among the bedding.
“I don’t know about amazing…” she said, trying for modesty, even if it wasn’t all that natural for her. Before she could finish the thought, she trailed off and paused, remembering the pun Brooklyn had made on her name the day they met at the makeup store.
“Amazing Maisie.” She laughed, grinning at her new friend. “You’re pretty cool, too. Like, all my friends back home were so shallow and half the time when they’d say something nice it’d sound so fake. A lot of the girls at Crystal are like that, too. It’s so annoying. Everything’s a popularity contest, and I never win.”
Maisie didn’t usually admit to that sort of thing, or let anyone know it bothered her, but Brooklyn didn’t seem judgy enough to hold it against her.
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Posted: Mon May 29, 2023 7:16 pm
“You are aMaising, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise, pardon my french, but if people at your school are so stuck up and stupid, ******** them! You’re fantastic and kind, and you’re really smart from what I can see, like. You have great fashion sense and you’re open and just…a really good friend! And I like you a lot, so…there!”
Brooklyn’s cheeks had grown warm and she flipped her hair back over her shoulder, huffing at the absurdity of Maisie not winning a popularity contest. “Look, if you were ever in a real popularity contest, I would make sure you won, even if it meant I had to pretend to be eight million people to flood your votes. I could do it. I have the audacity of eight million people.”
Her face grew serious though and Brooklyn reached out and took hold of Maisie’s hand. “You are an amazing person, and if people can’t see that, then they’re just blind and you already have me so who needs those losers.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2023 11:16 am
Maisie laughed again, her smile widening. All those snooty girls at Crystal would probably make fun of Brooklyn’s enthusiasm, but Brooklyn was right, ******** them. Maisie didn’t care if they ever let her into any of their cliques. She’d make her own! Brooklyn had a more interesting story to tell anyway.
“You’re going to inflate my ego,” Maisie warned her. Then, “Thanks.”
She didn’t know how else to vocalize her appreciation. Maisie wasn’t often in this position, supported and encouraged by a peer. Was she not gracious enough? Should she shower Brooklyn with compliments too? Or would doing so make it look like she was trying too hard, or just saying things because Brooklyn had?
Who knew making new friends could be so stressful?
“You’re right, though. I don’t need them. One good friend is better than a dozen judgemental snobs.”
Nevermind that Maisie could be a bit of a judgemental snob. Would Brooklyn like her less if she ever saw that side of Maisie?
Better not to find out now.
With a sigh, Maisie looked through the school work scattered across her bed, trying to find something that seemed like it would be interesting to work on.
“I know we said we were gonna do homework, but do you wanna go down to my dad’s game room instead? He’s got, like, vintage arcade games and pinball and, like, every system known to man.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2023 6:15 pm
“Oh my god yes. I don’t actually want to do homework I just wanted an excuse to hang out with you and that one seemed like the best thing! If you want to play games absolutely! I…” Brooklyn flushed and then shook her head. “I haven’t had much practice with games, but I love the idea of them. There was a playstation in the group home I was in and the few times I was able to get some time on it I loved it!”
Food, friend and games? This was honestly turning into one of the best days of Brooklyn’s life.
“Just for future reference, I will always pick games over homework, I might not look like it…but.” Glancing around, Brooklyn leaned closer to Maisie and stage whispered. “I’m kind of a rebel.” The face splitting grin showed that she was mostly joking but…
This was just…fun. And Brooklyn was happy.
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