Chapter One

"Mad, Maddy, what's the answer to question 5b?" Tommy said throwing a rubber at me.

It hit my head and dropped on the floor.

"Mad. Madison!" Tommy said and dragged his table nearer to mine. "Are you ignoring me?"

I ignored him and went onto question 6a.

"You are aren't you?" he said and shuffled closer again, "Why are you ignoring me?"

"Go away." I said.

"What have I done?" he cried, "Is it just me or Jared and Chris as well?"

"You and Jared." I said.

"What? Tell me! You know I'm clueless unless you tell me." He said, "Is it because I ate the last blueberry muffin? Because mum said you already had one so I ate it."

I knew he ate it. "It's not about the muffin."

"I can't think of anything else." He muttered.

Be calm Madison. He is just stupid. Thank God I'm not blood related to him.

"Maddy. Please tell me the answer to 5b."

I shrugged. Question 7.

"Oh I know! It's because we went to Frangos without you isn't it?"

THEY DID? "No. It's not that. Think a bit harder Thomas."

"I don't know. I can't think of anything else that's important."

That's it. "You don't think breaking my boyfriend's nose is anything important? How about he has so much bruises that he isn't fit to be seen in public?!" I whispered fiercely.

"Who?"

"Argh!" and I threw my rubber at him.

"Simon Wells? He isn't your boyfriend!" Tommy laughed out loud.

"Yeah. He was my boyfriend." kay, strictly speaking he wasn't but we might have been a couple if given the chance!

"Aww Maddy."

"Don't 'Aww Maddy' me. I'm still angry." How did you solve question 9?

"What'll make you not angry? Muffins?" Yum. Still I'm not that easy.

"No. This is serious Tommy."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Leave. Me. Alone!"

"That's impossible. If you want to date let us choose a guy for you. That way everyone's happy."

"How is everyone happy? I'm not happy! You'll choose someone that's only interested in rocks or something!" and I know nothing about rocks. Aren't rocks just harden version of sand? Tommy was so selfish. Thinking only of his happiness.

"Well. We'd be happy because we chose him, he'll be happy because he's dating you. You'll be happy because you're dating. That makes everyone happy." He said content with himself. I threw my pencil at him.

"I don't want you to find me a guy. I can find a guy by myself! If I was given a chance to even go on one date with him!" So true just not with rock guy.

"Fine, fine. If we let you date one guy of your choice will you tell me the answer to 5b?"

Did he just say he'd let me go on a date with a guy? A GUY?! Of my CHOICE? Am I hearing things right? "What?"

"Choose a guy and I'll let you date him. As long as it's not Simon Wells and as long as you tell me the answer to 5b, it's really hard."

"Are you serious?" I asked, if he wasn't I was going to throw my fountain pen at him, and the nib will hurt.

"Yeah, I swear it's a trick question or something cos how can you find the Standard Deviation if-"

"No, I meant about the guy part. You'll let me choose a guy?"

"Oh right. Sure, go on choose, I'll talk to Jared and Chris as well."

… Who to choose? Luke McIntosh! "Urm. Mikey Laurence." What are you doing Maddy?!

"No way." Phew.

"What?! You said I could choose." HUH?! What are you saying? You don't want to go out with Mikey Laurence. He tried to look up your skirt remember?

"Someone else. Do you think Jared will say yes?"

"There isn't anyone Jared will say yes to." I said grumpily.

"Fine. Someone Chris will say yes to then."

"Okay. Michael Laurence." HUH? That's the same guy!

"That's the same guy!" he said. I know.

"Oh. Yeah." What can I say I was under pressure!

Wait, this wasn't a trick question to find out who I liked so they could beat him up was it?

"Herbert Busters." WHAT?! Maddy! That's even worse! This guys talks about rocks! Remember rocks?

"Herbert Busters? The president of chess, biology and Latin club?" he thought for a bit, "Sure why not?"

"Are you going to beat him up?"

"Urm. No. You just had a massive go at me. I'm not going to go back on my word. Are you sure you want to go out with Herbert Busters?"

"No! I was joking."

He lifted one of his eyebrows at me, me too Tommy, me too.

"Urm… I want to go out with… well I like the look of, no, urm… wouldn't mind going out with Luke McIntosh." I whispered the last bit.

"Who?"

"Luke McIntosh." I mumbled.

"Can you speak up?"

"Luke McIntosh okay?!" I snapped. The girl in front looked back giving me a weird look. I smiled at her.

"Luke?" Tommy smiled, "Great guy huh. Looks a bit like me."

Eww, "No. Tommy. He has more goldenish blond hair, you just have blond hair."

"Are you sure you don't want to go out with Herbert Busters?" yes!

"Yeah."

"Kay, I'll talk to Chris and Jared. What's the answer to question 5b?"

"Is that it?" I asked, quite not believing my youngest brother.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll just let me date Luke McIntosh?" the buffest, nicest, buffest guy on planet.

"If he'll ask you. Or you ask him. Either way." He said.

"So all this years of 'protecting' me from guys that just looked at me, including that blind guy in Times Square, you're just going to let go?" or were they just seeing sense now?

"Hey, that guy wasn't blind."

"Yeah he was! He had that sign that said, 'please give me money, I'm blind.'" Poor guy.

"This is precisely why we won't let you date! If they said, 'Hey, Madison, wanna do it with me?' you'd just say, 'Sure' and you were far too young to date. Now that you're sixteen we're giving you a chance. Like you wanted. Besides we'll still 'protect' you as you put it, if he tries anything you have to come to me. I'll show him to-"

"We're not even dating." I said and bit my lip, "Are you sure? You won't stalk us or anything like that?"

"No. Now question 5b."

"835." I said. This was weird. He just let me date whomever I want. Just like that. "Did mum threaten to cut your allowance if you kept bugging me?"

"No." even though he coloured a bit.

"She did didn't she?"

"It's because Jared kept getting detention because he kept fighting and the school wrote to her saying that they'd have to expel him if he kept doing it."

"Then, doesn't that mean you'd have to stop me seeing guys, so that he doesn't beat them up?"

"Jared is just scared, as Chris and I are, that you'll get hurt. If you choose a guy that will be for a long term, it'd stop other guys staring at you. Therefore he won't get in any fights. It's just Luke McIntosh isn't it? Anyone else?"

"No. Why?"

"Well. If anyone else looks at you, we can beat them up."

God, so much for my brothers finally seeing sense. "But what if he doesn't like me!"

"Well you can't go out with him then can you?"

"Would I be able to go out with anyone else?"

"I thought you liked Luke!" he said.

"I do like Luke but what if he doesn't like me!"

"Well you can't go out with someone who doesn't like you." He said, "It doesn't wok like that."

Duh. It's not like I'm going to stalk him, "That's why I'm asking you if I can go out with someone else then?"

He suddenly narrowed his eyes at me, "Who do you have in mind."

Uh oh. He's mad. Urm… "No one!"

"Maddy." He said scarily.

Say something! Say no! Say no! "Mikey Laurence." Oh sugar.

You murderer!

I know I know!

You killed him Maddy!

I know! And I feel bad. But still… Can I have Luke McIntosh now? Have I mentioned that he is the buffest, nicest and buffest guy on the planet? Have I?

A/N: Please do review