𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬

10

Maddie sat back in her seat once she walked back into the almost silent classroom. "What was it about?" Zach asks looking over at her. "Mr. Porter just wanted to see how I was doing with everything you know with Hannah. Claimed we were like best friends or whatever." Maddie said leaning back into her seat letting her hand intertwine with Justins. "You were at one point." Zach said and Maddie sadly sighed, that's why she blamed herself, if she hadn't ended the friendship with one stupid line after another during an unnecessary fight then Hannah might still be here. Somehow the boys could sense the change in her attitude and Zach changed the topic. "It's Friday and Bryce is throwing a party." Zach says hopping she would just say she wanted to go but she just said a sarcastic comment shoving her worksheet into her binder instead of doing it, which was different for her. "When isn't he?" She asks and Justin chuckles tensely. He still didn't want her near him, Bryce was his brother, sure, but he wasn't the same boy he was when they met, he knew that much and he didn't want anything to happen to Maddie. "You don't have to go but I am." Zach says and Maddie nodded. "Well I didn't want to but if you guys are going I might as well." Maddie says sighing slightly as she did not want to deal with the guys tonight, and she knew there'd be drugs and she always ended up doing something messing her up. "Babe I can just come over tonight." Justin offers speaking as he had decided it would be better for her to be away from him when he knew there'd be drugs, he normally went but there was a bad feeling in his stomach, he wasn't even sure why Zach was still around Bryce but he was determined to keep Maddie as safe as he could. "Alright. Just come to my window at six." Maddie says as it wasn't the first time she had snuck Justin in and he knew not to go through the front door unless with Zach.

Maddie sat at the large lunch table with the boys and Jessica. Unlike normal where she would be laughing and cracking jokes she sat silently with her hand intertwined with Justins. "Maddie you're quiet. You coming to my party tonight?" Bryce asks being the first to speak to the quiet girl besides the askings of 'you okay' from Justin. "No, can't make it got a lot on the agenda." Maddie says picking up a fry from Zachs tray with her left hand. "Awh man come on! You're always the life of the party." Bryce says laughing as Monty agreed fist bumping Bryce. The statement made Maddie slightly fidget in her chair and Justin took notice. She chuckled, though it was strained and forced, while her face showed laughter to everyone Justin could see the light distance in her eyes. "Yeah I know it's gonna be boring without me." Maddie says making Bryce nod smiling at her.

Everyone parted their ways to go to their last two classes. Justin walked Maddie to English since he had social studies beside it. He stopped her outside of her class as he always did. "Babe you good? You seemed a little stiff." Justin says.

"Yeah. Just tired and I'm not feeling so hot." Maddie says, it was partly true, she felt sick but not the kind she was saying, she felt sick at the fact that she had not noticed the pain Hannah was in. "Alright. See you after class." Justin says unsure of what to say as he walked into the class beside hers and she walked into her class turning her work into the tray and then putting in her earbuds once again having no intent on doing anything in class, she knew the teacher wouldn't take points off hers, plus it wasn't late, it was on time, she just always had her work done early.

"The butterfly effect. It started with Justin, then to you, Alex. And the rest of you." This one sentence made her feel queezy all over again. Hearing the almost giving up sound in her voice when she said Justins name made Maddies stomach turn and then to think that she would be there later down the line, one thing that hit her was they just got worse right? If she was down the line she was worse than Justin and her brother. That's what she thought anyways. She wouldn't understand till it was over.

"Who knows? Everything affects everything. Maybe these tapes will start a new butterfly effect. Shh. For the next one you need to be very, very, quiet. Because you're about to do something very wrong. Be careful. And don't get caught." The click for the end of the tape was heard in her ears as she took her earbuds out putting it her bag with the cassett player. The last few words made her tense up. She didn't know what it was that was so wrong she was going to do and she didn't know if she would be able to do it. Nonetheless she simply decided not to listen to the next tape until tomorrow, Saturday, and maybe the rest of her day would go smoothly.

It was after school in the gym during cheer, basketball, and dance practice. The basketball team had just began working on a few drills while the dance and cheer squads were still finishing up stretching. Ms. Abby, the dance coach, and the coach for the basketball team were across the room talking, or from the two teams point of view were heatedly arguing. Maddie was obviously put in chrage so she clapped her hands when they had finsihed stretching. "Alright girls we need to work on our-" Maddie was cut off by two whistles being blown. Everyone in the gym looked too the two coaches but the cheer squad went back to stretching. "Dempsey." Ms. Abby says nodding with her head for her to come forward so she stood up and began to walk over feeling eyes on her. "Foley." The basketball coach says motioning him over with his hand that held his whistle making Justin jog over, the two of them making it there at the same time. "Yes coach?" Justin asks as Maddie at the same time speaks. "Yes Ms. Abby?" The two teens stood in front of the coachs and the basketball coach was the first to speak. "Justin you know how we have a game coming up?" He asks to which Justin nods. "-Well we have a competion coming up." Ms. Abby says making both Justin and Maddie nod unsure of where it was going. "We need both of you to stay at the top of your game so we can keep the name of the school perfect." Coach says.

"So today both of you will stay after school until six practicing. After five the gym will be empty other than the two of you. Can you share the gym floor politely and still get done what needs to be done?" Ms. Abby asks making Justin and Maddie speak at the same time. "Yes."

"Alright then we will leave each of you an agenda of what you need to work on but until then get back to work." Coach says and the teens go back to the separate ends of the gym as they start practicing.

All the teams were now leaving and Zach quickly ran over to Maddie who was sitting waiting for everyone to leave. "Hey Mads do I need to come back and get you?" He asks but Justin walks up speaking for her. "Nah we'll walk home." Justin says and Zach looks to Maddie who nods. "It's Friday so Mom won't be home till late tonight." Maddie says and Zach nods. "See you tomorrow. Love you." Zach says before running out to his car most likely to go straight to Bryces.

Maddie and Justin both grab the agenda that was laid out for them and read through it. "I have all of this done already, you?" Justin asked though he already knew the answer, of course she did. "Yeah. You just wanna go home?" Maddie asks grabbing her bag when Justin nods doing the same as they walk out of the school building to walk to Maddies house.

{6.29.18}