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With a chocolate bar in hand, I push the buttons again for the gummy candy. The box whirrs back to life as the spiral cord unravels, but at the last second it gets stuck, and the bag never falls.
Grumbling, I curse, smacking the glass. The robotic spiral completely unfazed as pain shoots down my wrist. “Come on, you stupid piece of shi—”
“—Chocolateandcarbs? Going through another breakup?” Madison derides. Her footsteps quieter than her voice ever could be.
“Have you ever thought about wearing a bell?” I taunt, unbashful.
Shoving me to the side, she overlooks the comment and leans down. Lifting the flap where my snackshouldbe, it snaps back closed. She does it several times until it creates a pocket of air, and the item falls to the bottom.
Rising, she shoves it in my hand. That glint running along her pupils screams victory. Also, moron, definitely think that one is hidden in there too, or maybe it’s her smirk I’m getting that one from.
I want to smack that look right off her face, but don’t because she did something genuine and helped me for no reason.
“Alright, show’s over,” she scolds. Sharply nudging her head in the opposite direction. “Get going.”
Scoffing, she gives me a small shove when I don’t instantly do as she asks. Her annoyance is evident, but it’s overshadowed because Madison did something almost… nice?
Huh, who would have thought she was capable of it?
The whirring sound of the machine goes again as she gets her own items. The noise snaps me from my daze as she moves past.
“Wait,” I holler, whipping around.
Shoving a chip into her mouth she makes a displeased noise. “What?” she snaps. “Forget something else?”
“Why aren’t you getting food from the dining hall?”
“Unlike you, I have standards and those don’t include waiting in a lineorserving myself.” She shrugs indifferently, her pride rolling off that shoulder right along with it. “I expect my food to be placed in front of me, not the other way around.”
I want to point out that her getting food from the vending machine completely contradicts that, and I would have, had her comment not given me an idea.
A twisted, fucked-up thought stimulates my brain. I know the odds are against me and it most likely won’t work, but I decide to go for it anyway.
We needed answers and who better understands the mind of someone so self-centered? Besides, what did I really have to lose? I doubt her ego would even notice that I’m about to try and use her.
Her wrist rolls, further showing her unhappiness the longer I refuse to leave. “You got something to say?”
“Actually,” I start, and one of her perfectly trimmed eyebrows arches. “I do. See, I’m having trouble finding someone and you remind me a lot of her.”
Madison crosses her arms but doesn’t deny me, so I continue on. Here goes nothing.
twenty-four
Rory
“Whatdoyoumeanyouneedmyhelp?”
She juts out her hip, saying the words like she’s tasting acid for the first time. Bitter and slimy, but also with a bit of a metallic edge.
“We—” I correct. “Icould use your help.” The words sound foreign coming from my mouth.
“Who is thiswe, exactly?” Madison insists, not missing the hiccup.
Somehow that one eyebrow arches farther, and I’m almost relieved. She hasn’t automatically denied me as I anticipated.
Asking is a long shot, but I had to try. I couldn’t afford not to. We had to find Lorna.
Her mind and demeanor are similar to Lorna’s so she might have an idea where someone like that would go. There are no dumb ideas by this point.
