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

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Maddie was sat at her desk with her glasses on, completing some of the catch-up work she had been given to ensure she didn't fall behind during her time off for 'illness'. Elyse had left around an hour ago, giving Maddie a bit of time to calm herself down and change into her pyjamas. She was trying to make her life seem as normal as possible, trying not to let the whole thing affect her. And surprisingly, she was managing.
Although what Jay had said earlier kept creeping to the front of her mind, she desperately pushed it back each time the thought resurfaced. Her schoolwork did seem to be the right distraction though. Maddie pushed her glasses up her nose and turned upon hearing a knock on her bedroom door.

"Maddie?" Jay's voice came from the other side. Instantly, Maddie's grip on her pen hardened and she froze for a moment. "You're in there, right?" He asked. Maddie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Act normal, she thought to herself. The drama isn't worth it currently. She had more things to focus on. She wanted to shoo him away, but also didn't want him to suspect things were wrong. Usually, she'd have confronted him straight away, but right now, she needed to not fall apart. Not yet.

"Mhm." Maddie called, looking back down at her paper as she heard the door open.

"Not even getting up to open the door, Red?" Jay questioned as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. She turned slightly, looking at him over her shoulder.

"I'm busy." She nodded towards her work.

"Too busy for your boyfriend?" He asked, to which she rolled her eyes. 'But apparently you're allowed to dance with other girls at Cotillion...' She thought, but pushed it to the back of her mind once again. "Wow, I'm offended." He held a hand to his chest as he walked towards her, leaning over her shoulder and reading the top of her page. "Balancing Equations?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because apparently we have to know it for life." Maddie shrugged. "I personally don't see the point." She said, her eyes skimming over the next question.

"Well it looks stupid and confusing." Jay said, plopping down on Maddie's bed, which was next to her desk.

"Like you then." Maddie shot him a smile. She couldn't tell if her comment was genuine or a joke, honestly. Jay pouted.

"Well that was rude." He then used his foot to pull Maddie and her chair towards him. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her from the side, resting his head on her shoulder. "I've missed you, Red." He muttered, pressing a gentle kiss to her neck. She frowned slightly but quickly covered it up with a smile.

"You literally saw me a few hours ago." She pointed out, glancing at him.

"A few hours too long ago." He corrected, burying his head into her shoulder. "You should come back to school." He said, his voice slightly muffled.

"When I'm better." She responded, her head falling to rest on top of his.

"And how long is that gonna taaaaake?" He questioned. Maddie just shrugged and lifted her head. Suddenly, she got an idea.

"Let's just hope I'm better by Cotillion." She responded as he let go of her, lifting her head. Maddie pulled her chair back over to her desk and turned back to her work. Jay frowned and blinked rapidly a few times.

"Wait... you actually want to go to Cotillion?" He asked with a bit of shock in his tone.

"Well, no." Maddie turned to face him again, placing her pen down on her desk. "But I have to go. For Ben. And the girls." She shrugged. "Why?" She questioned. Though really, she knew exactly why. He stayed quiet for a moment.

"No reason." Jay replied after being in his thoughts for a short time.

"But there is a reason, isn't there?" Maddie thought aloud, and then instantly regretting saying it. She didn't mean to. It just kind of... came out.

"What?" Jay furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Nothing." Maddie covered up quickly. She wasn't blowing up. Not now. She had been through enough breakdowns today.

"Red..." He reached out to touch her hand.

"I said it's nothing!" Maddie snapped, snatching her hand away from him. His facial expression faltered to pain and sadness. Her own expression softened, and her gaze moved to the floor.

"Maddie..." He said softly.

"Jay... I think it's best if you go." Maddie muttered in response, tears brimming her eyes. He let out a sigh, in order to avoid an awkward and deafening silence. Jay stood up and began to walk towards the door. However, he stopped in his tracks and Maddie looked up at him just as he turned around.

"No." He protested, his eyes wavering over the redhead.

"What do you mean, no?" She questioned, her eyes falling to her hands and then back to his face. Jay didn't respond at first, walking over to Maddie. He took her hand, pulling her up from the chair she was sat on and leading her to the bed. They both sat down on the edge of it, Jay keeping a hold of her hand.

"You're going to talk to me." He said seriously, looking into her eyes. Maddie met his gaze for a moment, but couldn't hold it. Her eyes flickered down to their hands and darted around the room, trying to find something to focus on.

"There's nothing to talk about." She replied bluntly, letting go of his hand. She turned her head away, staring at the wall which had small dents in it from a time she had punched it previously. "Jay, really. You should just go." She muttered.

"Red." He said sternly, placing a hand on her shoulder. The contact made her tense up. Noticing this, Jay brought his hand back, a frown crossing his lips. Maddie kept her eyes fixated on the wall as she listened to Jay's footsteps heading towards the door. Neither of them spoke another word before Jay opened the door and just left, closing the door behind him.

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