Crossing her arms over her chest like a petulant child, Maddie replied with, “I can say any word I want.” Was she really arguing with someone who wasn't yet 'allowed' to use swear words? Apparently. Shaking her head at herself, she let her hands fall back to her sides.
“Everybody has a favorite word they use all the time,” she said by way of explanation. “Some people just don't realize they say it a lot. I know I use my favorite word a lot. What's your favorite word?” Asking questions of a kid was risky. Either they understood it, or they gave some nonsensical answer and expected a response. Maddie hoped she wasn't setting herself up for the latter.
The young woman nodded her agreement. “Dogs are noisy. I like dogs, but the noise is why I have cats instead. And birds, but they're not always quiet. Cute is a good reason to have a pet.” Well, one reason, anyway.
“Maddie,” she answered after a brief pause. Giving the kid her name wouldn't hurt anything, would it? Unless this encounter came back to bite her in the ass somehow. She didn't know how that could happen, but getting in trouble was likely whether she was doing anything bad or not. “What's yours?”
Maddie scoffed when the boy pointed out the obvious. As if she could've known that asking would be the way to get a kid to follow her. Know-it-all. Stuffing her hands into the warmth of her pockets, she said, “Good.” Holding the boy's hand would've been more awkward than she wanted to deal with. “Well. Will you come with me while I look for your mom?”