don't you go // lrh

/twenty seven/

/The Party & After Party/

/luke/

The Boston we've been to before was not the Boston Maddie was showing us now.

I was used to the old and new buildings nestled together in an almost perfect balance. Looks like a set from a movie, even from the view of an SUV window.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting.

The scenery changed pretty quickly. We went from city views to long stretches of huge houses that only got larger in scale. The less buildings we saw the more trees popped up in their place. With bright red and orange leaves hanging on the branches waiting to be picked off by the wind. I'd only seen stuff like this in the movies.

That's what this feels like so far. A movie.

Maddie's house with all its bricks and all its ivy literally looked like the size of our old school. It looks like more than enough room for her family. Too much room. To avoid the rain, we got dropped off in the garage that's filled with expensive and vintage cars and a golf cart.

The place is so big they need a golf cart to get around.

I was worried when we first got to Maddie's house. I was fully expecting to have to hide from her parents or something.

Calum gave me the lowdown on what happened. Amara isn't the only one who got in trouble. They all did. Hence the cold shoulder.

But Maddie didn't even seem phased. I mean she was back in L.A with Calum like it never even happened.

"They're not here." She says when she notices us all standing awkwardly in her living room, looking over our shoulders.

"Where are they?" Michael asks, getting his poor people hands all over the picture frames.

Maddie doesn't even look like herself in them. Looks strained. Her parents don't even look like parents. Like really attractive actors in the movie of her life. There's a younger girl in the photos. A sister she literally has never mentioned even once.

"Don't know. Don't care." Maddie says, dumping her shoes and coat on the floor and I wait for a second to see if servants are gonna rush to pick them up.

I always used to know where my parents were. They never left us alone for longer than a weekend.

She disappears into the kitchen, and tosses Michael some keys when she returns.

"Guest house is all yours." She says, grabs Calum's hand and leads him up a staircase.

There's another house!

I guess it's modest compared to this one but could fit two of my childhood home inside of it.

We crossed through the yard to get to it. She's got a pool. Lots of furniture as if it's a resort out here. How can people need this much space if they've only got two kids and aren't even home right now?

There were more than enough rooms to go around, it's like a guest mansion.

I tossed and turned in the almost offensively comfortable bed that night. I tried putting more thoughts on paper, preparing myself for what I'd say to her, that way the moment won't slip away from me again. But none of it made sense even when I tried turning it into lyrics. I've never been good at words.

❖ ❖ ❖

"I feel stupid." I said the following night.

"I promise. You're gold. Amara has been obsessed with dead poet's society since forever." Maddie says.