[𝟒] 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 ( jay farr ) [DISCONTINUED]

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Maddie and Ben walked outside, a few people looking at Maddie weirdly. She'd expected it, since she had disappeared for days now.

"When do you think you'll be ready to go back to school?" Ben asked, glancing down at the redhead.

"I don't know..." Maddie responded with a sigh. "Before you lecture me, I know I can't hide in my room forever." She said, looking up at Ben for a moment. "And I won't... I just need time."

"You'll get yourself back to the top again." Ben smiled slightly. "It's okay to fall sometimes. You're human."

"Yeah... but when I do fall back down... I fall hard." She muttered.

"That's probably because you shut yourself off from everyone. In all honesty, I am surprised you even came to see me." Ben replied.

"So you didn't expect anything?" Maddie questioned.

"No... you are good at hiding. I'll give you that." Ben said with a slight sigh. "I knew the year anniversary of it was coming up, but I did genuinely think you were ill."

"So I can be a good actress when I want to be." Maddie laughed slightly, though it was full of pain.

"You would probably feel better if you did talk about it, Mads." Ben muttered so no one around could hear. Not that it mattered, considering they were all having conversations of their own.

"You have Elyse and Jay, your best friend and your boyfriend. They do deserve to know." Maddie tensed up slightly and frowned, falling silent. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I was just suggesting that it could help." Ben sighed. Maddie just nodded in response.

"Yeah but let's not talk here... people are around." The redhead mumbled.

Maddie and Ben walked on, hearing a few of the girls giggling and talking. Maddie looked up from the ground to see Jay and Carlos walking together.

"Why do you torture them? They all know you have a girlfriend to take to Cotillion." Carlos questioned Jay.

"I'm going solo. That way, I can just dance with all the girls." Jay smirked slightly, earning a shocked and weird look from Carlos. "I'm kidding, chill." Jay held his hands up in defence. Maddie stopped dead in her tracks and the tears that she thought had ran out stung in her eyes once again. She just stared at (who was supposed to be) her boyfriend, even though neither he or Carlos had noticed the redhead yet.

"I'm going to kill him." Ben growled lowly, so only Maddie could hear him. "I am going to murder him."

"B-Ben. No." Maddie put a firm hand on the king's arm to hold him back. She dragged him so they were both out of sight from Jay and Carlos. "Don't make it worse than it already is. Please." She begged, tears beginning to escape her eyes. "Leave it. I can't be bothered. I don't need more things to fall apart right now. Go to Mal. Go to your meeting. Please."

"Fine..." Ben relented, though his anger was still evident. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"I need to be." Maddie muttered and simply walked away from Ben without a goodbye, keeping her head down.

The redhead somehow managed to get all the way back to her room, closing her door behind her. As soon as she did, she fell to the floor, breaking into tears. She was sick of being like this. But she couldn't find her way back up.

Maddie opened her eyes, concealing a sob. Why did this make her feel so helpless? She felt lost in her own body. All because of him. She shouldn't let it control her like it was, but she couldn't overpower the flashbacks and haunting memories.
Suddenly, Maddie's phone began to ring. She was ripped from her thoughts and picked up her phone. Her mum.

"Shit..." Maddie muttered to herself. She took a few deep breaths and wiped her eyes before answering the phone, putting it on speaker.

"Hey wisp." Merida's voice came through the phone.

"Hi mum." Maddie replied bluntly, hoping to not sound upset.

"You alright?" Her mum asked.

"Yeah. Still ill... but I'm getting there..." Maddie lied. She could be a good liar when she wanted or needed to be. She had kept the whole thing a secret for almost a year.

"You sure?" Merida questioned in that 'I-can-tell-you're-lying' tone she always had. However, she wasn't one to pester thankfully. Unless she could tell something was clearly very wrong.

"Yep. I'll be going back to lessons soon I think." Maddie continued her lies. She would have to go back to school at some point, but probably not as soon as she was implying to her mother.

"Good. How're things going with Jay? He better be taking care of you." Maddie froze at her mother's words. Jay's words began to echo in her mind. 'I'm going solo. That way, I can just dance with all the girls.' "Maddie?" Her mother repeated, pulling Maddie from her thoughts.

"He's fine. We're fine. Just fine." Maddie responded, though she could feel the tears pricking in her eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Madison." Merida said sternly.

"He's just been busy with Tourney and stuff. And he's fencing too... so I haven't seen him as much. And he's been in school. So.... yeah." Maddie covered up quickly. "I just miss him."

"Are you sure? Because if he's been a dick to you-"

"He'll get an arrow straight through that tiny dick of his." Maddie finished her mother's sentence. She had said it many times before. "I know mum. And it's... fine." The redhead lied once again. A tear slid down her cheek. She wanted nothing more than to hug her mum and tell her how wrong everything was. "Mum, I need to go. Jay's on his way." Maddie said quickly, before she had another breakdown.

"No, I'll stay. Let me talk to him." Merida said firmly.

"Mum, no." Maddie said with unintended harshness in her tone. "Mum... I'll call you later okay?" She added with a sigh. "Fine..." Merida relented. "Love you, wisp." "Love you too mum." Maddie replied, hanging up the call. She placed her phone on the floor by her leg and then just let the tears fall.

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