Mino, Behind The Reality (Maddie and Gino)

Chapter 15

Maddie's POV

  Daphne's tears fall in a steady stream. I'm stunned, while Rachel just looks plain confused.

  Wordlessly, Daphne gets up from the table and runs away, leaving the two of us dumbstruck.

  I'm about to follow her when Rachel grabs my arm. "What?!" I snap at her. "Don't go, she clearly needs some space," she says, calmly. This time, she sounds like the old one.

  For a good minute or so, we sit there in complete, utter silence. Finally, Rachel breaks the air of awkwardness, "Did I say something wrong?"

  She looks at me so guiltily that my heart can't help but melt like a popsicle in a steaming, hot desert. I swear, sometimes she's so sweet that my little heart just can't take it.

  I shake my head furiously. "No way!" I reply, giggling. She manages a polite smile, and I know that in her heart, she still thinks that she was wrong.

  My head swirls, just thinking about Daphne. Out of the blue, I get a text message from Mackenzie.

•••••
Mackenzie-Kenz
Maddie-Madz

Kenz: Hey Maddie! Ms Abby wants us back at dance, it's an impromptu  rehearsal for the comp this week. Come home ASAP.

Madz: Oh sure. I'll be back in about 20.

Kenz: And I mean ASAP.

Madz: Um...ok?

•••••

  After texting Mackenzie, I look at Rachel, filled with dread. Before I can even open my mouth to speak, she somehow reads my mind and says, "You've got dance, don't you? Well, get going then. See you soon."

  "Sorry." I wave reluctantly to Rachel before taking off.

  Mackenzie sounded so insistent that it was just strange. There was definitely more to it than just dance.

•••••

  I burst through the front door. Mackenzie is standing right in front of me, probably waiting for my arrival. Before I can say anything, she drags, or maybe I should say 'hauls', me off to her bedroom.

  "What's with everyone and not letting me speak today," I mutter.

  When she shuts the bedroom door, she starts to lay out information quickly while finding a video on YouNow.

  "Mom's having a nap. We're only needed at ALDC in 2 hours. Didn't want your friends to see this just in case. Gino. Bad video about you just posted. Prepare yourself."

  I didn't even have time to react or process anything she said when she hit play on the video and turned the laptop to me.

  I was immobilised after the video. Gino was despicable. I hated him. I hated myself for trusting him. I hated myself for treating him as a good friend and even...maybe...liking him.

  And my little heart that melted for Rachel's sweetness turned into stone...before it broke into two with a hammer made by the hardest materials my mind could imagine up.

•••••

Gino's POV

  After the boys posted the video, my stomach started to twist and turn and my heart was being crushed by the weight of a mass of guilt. I instantly regretted doing the video. Maybe telling Maddie about Lia Kimmes would have been better...

  No. No. And no again. I can never tell her about her. She must never know.

  But still, I felt so bad, so incredibly bad that my entire body felt like scrunching up into a ball and never going back to its original shape.

  "Hey Gino! Lighten up a bit!"

  "That was awesome - awesomely funny!"

  "Did you see his face the whole video? So fake! Like he wanted to be anywhere but here!"

  "He's really in love, OMG!!"

  "Guys, stop it," Lucas says angrily, coming to my rescue.

  I give Lucas a half-hearted but grateful smile before grabbing my things and walking out the door, out into the cool air. When I look up, dark clouds are rapidly taking over the sky, promising a soon to come shower. My phone is blowing up with billions of notifications, buzzing like mad in my pocket. What could only be hate.

  As the first droplets make their way down from the sky, I feel them being soaked up by my blue tee, making my tee look a darker shade of blue, a colour that perfectly describes my feelings. My heart seems to be wringing out all the water that comes into contact with my skin, squeezing so hard that it my just explode in my chest.

  Maddie, please forgive me.

•••••

Maddie's POV

  "Please, Maddie, don't be like this. Talk to me, cry it out. For the love of cute little animals that dominate our YouTube recommendations, just scream if you need to. Take it out on me if you want, just don't be like this," Mackenzie pleads.

  I've been completely unresponsive for the past five minutes. Thoughts have been running through my head for these five minutes after watching the video.

  At first, I was in denial. I had to watch the video again to see if it was real. I told myself that it was just a dream. I waited for Gino to call me, text me, and tell me it was all a lie, a joke.

  Then, I started to get hysterical. Was it always a lie? How funny that a video like this should come out! My life is so complicated! Basically, weird thoughts like that.

  After that came my current stage, anger and sadness all mixed in an emotion blender. Betrayal, disappointment and heartache - in which two out of three emotions I had never thought I would experience.

  Mackenzie was still giving me her desperate look. She was shaking me and holding my big hands in her cute little ones, squashing all the life out of them. But I didn't feel any pain in my hands. The only pain I felt?

  It wasn't in my heart, not like everyone else.

  It was in my soul.

•••••

Ayeee! Guys I am SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY for not updating!! I feel so horrible omg. I will try - keyword being try - to update more often. No promises though. But really, I've been MIA for almost a month and I really feel very bad about it :-(

Anyway, comment on what you think is gonna happen to Mino!! :-( ×2 Please vote as well!

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experienceddazzler <3