Out of the Ordinary

Chapter 30

"You WHAT?!"

"Merry Christmas, everyone," I said before choking down the rest of my coffee.

"Madelyn Jane Freeman..."

"Mom, please..."

"You sat here all through Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner and decide that now, after spending forty-eight hours with us... now is when you decide to tell me you're going to England?!"

My brothers were snickering, both slumped down in their seats with their hands over their mouths.

"Uh, Lil," Jenny said, standing and picking up her daughter. "Why don't we go play with some of your new toys?"

It was probably for the best to get the small child out of dodge. My mother looked like she was ready to do damage, and I wanted to keep the casualties to a minimum, especially where my niece was concerned.

"I'm, uh..." I started to say. "Yep. The flight's tomorrow."

I didn't think it was possible, but my mother turned even redder, and started to shake, filled to the brim with anger she had no way to expend—except to scream at me.

"Maddie," my dad said, and I could sense the disappointment in his voice before I even turned to find it in his eyes.

I knew this would be bad. That's why I waited until now to do it, waited until less than twenty-four hours before I left to tell my family that I'd be going to England to meet Harry's, waited through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations to reveal to my mother that I wouldn't be under her thumb for the better part of two weeks. I knew that waiting would piss her off, but I figured the longer I waited, the less time she had to try and stop me.

What I didn't count on was how upset my Dad might be. And I stared at him, the guilt sending the coffee and cookies I'd just had creeping up the back of my throat. He looked totally defeated, and more than disappointed in me.

"Why didn't you say something sooner, kid?" he asked.

"Yeah, Maddie," Mark said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table, a nasty smirk on his face. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I would shut the hell up, if I were you, Mark," I said, staring at him and hoping he could see in my eyes that I was not opposed to telling our parents about his indiscretions, or the fact that he was living with me for the past month and a half because of them.

"Boys, get out of here, would ya?" My dad said, his voice booming through the dining room.

Will smacked Mark lightly on the back of the shoulder as he stood, beckoning him to do the same, and Mark gave me a warning glance before rounding the table. Will tried to smile as he followed him.

"I'm just..." Mom was holding her fingers to her temples when they left, elbows on the table. "I'm trying to understand where I went wrong with you."

"Oh, Mom stop -"

"Don't tell me to stop, Madelyn!" She was yelling, and I knew correcting her was a mistake, but couldn't help it—couldn't take the dramatics. Rather than make her even more upset though, I sat there quietly, letting her get it out, letting the guilt gnaw away at my insides all the while. "How could you do this? How could you deliberately lie to me for two days? The holidays, no less. I'm afraid to even ask how long you've known about this..."

She stopped there, leaning forward, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. They felt like fire on my skin.

"So... I shouldn't tell you then, right?"