Nodding, Maddie scratched a place on her head. She understood wanting to be smart. Or at least being able to understand more things. For her, it was a lack of focus issue. Constant and annoying and keeping her in the dumb category. Because of this, she hated learning. Resented it, was more like. Because she had to struggle so hard to achieve very little. She shrugged. “Maybe someday they'll work out a school system. Or maybe there's a teacher around here who'd be willing to help you learn things.”
“Maybe. Radios or something. If the cold weather doesn't freeze all the power lines. Thinking about it kinda makes me glad I live here and not up there.” Cabin fever had to be a whole lot worse up in Alaska.
Maddie twisted her mouth sarcastically and shrugged a shoulder. She was well aware that she made herself unlikable. Trouble was, she was too stubborn to put a complete stop to it. Wasn't like she had much to contribute to the colony anyway. Her thoughts drifted to that kid, Ledger, she'd helped. “They can think what they want. I don't care. I can be helpful when there's something I can do.”
Butterflies. Not a completely new feeling, but one she hadn't felt for a long time. Something as simple as a small smile from her best friend could bring that on was... indescribably good. Maddie had never considered herself close-minded, yet it felt like she was finally opening her mind up to herself. In it's early stages, it could only be described as a two-sided crush, but maybe that was a start. Maddie took a sip of her coffee to cover up her own smile.
It was Maddie's turn to raise an eyebrow. “Yeah, I still don't get that. They just met each other a couple weeks ago. She hasn't had time to make an important impact on him.” It had taken a while for Maddie to completely open up and trust Caitie, but then, Caitie was a fellow thief. Thieves didn't easily trust other thieves. In that same vein, Maddie didn't buy into the popular opinion that just because it was the end of the world, people had to rush into relationships. Rushing things made them mean less.