𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬

15

Maddie sighed while sinking into her seat which was beside an opened window since they were supposed to be working on their essays, though Maddie had hers done the day it was assigned. Maddie looked out the window to see Justin and Bryce sitting on one of the benches having a conversation that Maddie couldn't make out though she could see the obvious anger written on both of the boys faces. The conversation, or arguement, kept going until Bryce felt a stare and looked up making eye contact with Maddie who immeditatly after being caught looked down. Justin sighed seeing what Bryce was staring at and knew he would have to make something up to keep Maddie from trying to figure out what it was, Maddie was beyond confused but when she seen the two boys sigh and walk away from each other she shook her head telling herself it was one of their disagreements that would be solved by lunch and she put in her ear buds after putting in the new tape. Maddie was unsure of if she should hit the play button, so far her day seemed good, she had enough sleep and everything was going her way, but she shook her head yet again and hit the play button setting the walkman in her lap as she opened her laptop to proof read her essay though it was already sent into her teacher to grade.

"Boys are assholes. Some are assholes all of the time,  all are assholes some of the time. That's just how boys are. Well, maybe not all boys. " Maddie nodded her head lightly in agreement to the words being spoken by the past girl as she numbly pressed the down arrow on her computers keyboard. Justin was definitly one of the assholes she had been talking about no doubt and Maddie couldn't help but wonder if Clay was the boy she was mentioning in that instant. Maddie was never very close with the awkward boy but she knew of him, he was friends with Jeff and he was probably the nicest person to Hannah, Hannah had even confided in Maddie about her infactuation with the jacket wearing boy, though Maddie wasn't lucky enough to know how that had ended, or if it had even started.

"Mostly boys are assholes. But girls? Girls can be evil." Maddies now shaking hand quickly pressed the pause button. The first words in the tape had made Maddie believe that the tape would be pointed towards a boy, making it slightly easier to listen, now she knew that it would be to a girl, and she was nervous it was pointed towards her. Her breathing and heart rate would have gone down if she had thought about the fact she hadn't heard Zachs tape yet and he was before her, but yet, she wasn't thinking.

"Courtney Crimsen, what a pretty name. And what a pretty girl, with her perfect family. Coffee together every morning." Hannahs voice sounded full of envy, and also full of longing. Maddie kept telling herself to just simply listen to the words and to stop thinking so deep into it yet she couldn't help herself. It was a problem she had, she always wanted to be involed, always wanted to help. And even though she was too late to help Hannah she was still trying as if Hannah were still here and Maddie could walk right up to her and help her through what was happening, she couldn't, it was too late.

"And you're also very nice, Courtney. Everyone says so." Maddie couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows. She had never liked Courtney much, mostly because she was actually very rude, Maddie being one of the people who stuck up for herself, and others, had multiple arguements and debates with the girl and she knew she was not that nice, granted she wasn't the worst person at liberty she was not the nicest either. And then another thing had struck Maddies mind, if she was so nice how did she end up with a tape? Had everyone on the tapes been terrible to the queit girl? Or was she simple adding in the people she was closest too? Yet again unaware of the answer she pressed play.

"You're nice to everyone, all the time. You're one of the most popular girls in school. You're just so...nice. Right? Wrong. I hoped we could be friends, Courtney. I needed a friend. I think you did too. You had some secrets you needed to keep, even from yourself." The bell sounded signaling that it was time to leave first period. Maddie took in a sharp breath and pressed pause taking out her ear buds and pushing them into her bag along with her walkman and logs out of the laptop getting up to leave. "Alright, I want those essays sent in by nine o'clock tonight or ten points is deducted each day it's late. Madison please stay after class." The teacher says bored as if she had resited this line athoasand times and Maddie sighs leaning against her counter waiting for the other students to leave nodding to Justin showing she was alright. "I have read and graded your essay Ms. Demspey. I must say this is some of your best work." Maddie let out a sigh at the teachers words afraid that the teacher was going to say how it needed to be improved. "Actually I wanted to know if you would be interested in an advanced writing group. There are only a few other students in it and it would look amazing on your college appilication." The word college made Maddies breath stopped she hated thinking about the future mostly because she was scared of the unknown, and for Maddie, college was the biggest unknown she had. "I would love that thank you." Maddie said uneasy as she nods her head. "Alright, wonderful I will have the papers for you tomorrow, and you can start whenever you have them filled out, you may leave now." She says and Maddie smiles nodding to her and leaving the classroom. "Mads that's awesome! You can finally further your writing." Justin says smiling brightly down at his shorter girlfriend and Maddie couldn't help but smile impressed that he had paid so much attention to rambles of what she wanted to do. "Thanks J." Maddie said blushing as she turned to go into her next class. "Hey, we'll talk at lunch alright?" Justin asks and she knew he was refurring to her catching his and Bryces interaction and she nods walking into the class room.

"For days after Tylers picture went around I tried to catch your eye. You acted like I wasn't alive for weeks. Soon I decided enough was enough, I went to talk to you. I mean we were in this together, weren't we? Turn the tape over for more." The click showing the end of the audio stopped and Maddie was able to let out a breath taking out her earbuds and putting them into her pockets. She was slightly confused, if she hadn't been in the loop to know the awful rumors and things that Courtney had brought up and threw around the school she would have thought Hannah had made a mountain out of a mole hill. Her mind raced, the way it seemed too after each tape, the way peoples minds raced during a test they didn't prepare for, it made her feel sick. She closed her eyes and took in a breath. How could Courtney throw around lies as easily as she did? She threw lies around about someone who did nothing too her because she didn't want the truth about herself to come up? Did Courtney not know how much of a wrong she had done? Maddie opened her eyes and looked to the front of the room where the black haired girl sat, thankfully her back was too Maddie so she didn't catch the hard glare that was sent her way. Courtney looked the same as she did any day, dressed nice, head high, and her ego higher. Maddie wanted to cause a scene so badly it made her hands shake to stay in her seat. She wasn't sure what had made her so upset about this, maybe it was the fact that Courtney had done so many things wrong to so many people and got away with it, maybe it was how she acted as if she never did anything,or maybe it was the stress of worrying about what she did to people. The bell rang and just like any day Courtney grabbed her books into one arm and pulled her long purse strap up with the other being the first person out of the classroom.

Maddie quickly threw her bags onto her arms and all but ran out of the room with a plan in mind, though it wasn't finished or actually thought out all she did was let her feet guide her to the girl. "Hey Mads-" Her brother started as he stood beside her boyfriend ready to walk with her too lunch but he was cut off by the girls abrupt walk out of the classroom. With unsure look between the two boys they simply and reluctantly walked off to the lunch room. When Maddie caught up to the girl she grabbed her shoulder and yanked her into the bathroom to the right with a squeak from Courtneys mouth. Lucky there was no other girls since most were in the lunch room or in the bathroom closer to it, so she could lock it with a sigh and a deep breath. Courtneys hair had been scrunched up near her shoulder showing how the low held ponytail almost fell out and her purse was down her arm. "What do you want?" Courtney asks her voice sounded squeaky but yet snarky. "How could you do that to Hannah?" Maddie asked, this was what she hoped to be her breaking point, she had put up through everything and this was the most crazy thing she had done in a long time and it wasn't even that bad, so she hoped it would end here and her mind would be clear and everything would be over. But sadly that's not really how things work, is it?

{9.3.18}