What Deceit Looks Like | ✓

16: maddox

3 years ago

"Maddox!" Charlie snaps her fingers in my face, "Hello? We're supposed to finish writing out these save the dates."

I'd been thinking of Paige which really isn't a surprise to anyone, "Sorry. I zoned out," I apologize and Charlie rolls her eyes.

"Really because you had this dreamy look in your eye that only happens when you're thinking about my sister," She points out and I shrug.

"So what if I was? What are you going to do about it Charlotte," I tease tapping her nose to get a rise out of her.

Her nose flares, "You're walking on thin ice Maddy, I'm not sure you'd want to explain to Paige that you got a black eye by pissing off her older sister."

Charlie is a year older than me and two years older than Paige, but we met first at Harvard because of a class we had together. She then decided after I bailed her out of a project she forgot to do one night and to thank me, Charlie introduced me to Paige.

"As if you'd actually hit me and ruin my pretty face." Charlie is tiny compared to Paige and often looks like the younger of the siblings. "She should have called by now right?" It's the first bit of doubt I've had creep into my mind. It's been two and a half weeks since she left and last time she was deployed, we heard from Paige within the first week.

Charlie shrugs, "You know how it is over there; they don't exactly have the best service in Iraq. Paige will call when she can."

She's right. In Paige's last deployment, she tried calling every chance she had but those chances were few and far between. I'm just being paranoid. I can't shake the feeling that she should have called by now.

"How's Dean? Have you talked to him recently?" She asks changing the topic just as a roll of thunder shakes the window panes.

The thought of Dean brings a laugh out of me, "He's being typical Dean. You would think that him graduating in the spring would be enough to get him to start acting his age, but he's seen it as 'let's get as many parties in before graduation as possible.' He's lucky he can bullshit his way through his classes."

Charlie joins me in laughing because Dean went with the four of us on a trip last summer and gave Charlie and Paige plenty of ammo to tease him.

"Poor guy, I'm sure that once he graduates your dad will make him get serious about the company."

I snort, "Poor guy? He's automatically being handed a job after graduation in addition to his trust fund."

"That's how Nick was before he got deployed and I think he turned out okay," She points out and I shake my head. Paige and Nick served in the same unit on their last deployment. When she got back, Paige set Charlie and Nick up together to thank her for setting us up.

"There's a big difference between Nick and Dean. He cared and I get the feeling that Dean could truly care less. I love the guy, he's my brother but I wish he'd grow up a little."

Charlie gives me a look, "Not everyone came out knowing exactly what they wanted to do in life Maddox. You can't fault him for that."

I'm jealous of Dean because he has more options than I ever have, not that I'd admit that to anyone though, "I didn't exactly want to work for the company, it's just the family business. Hayes got shoved into it worse than I did with all the expectations of running the company. I just own shares."

"How is Hayes doing? The trial's been going pretty gruesome to read about." She asks changing the topic and I scratch the back of my neck.

"Honestly I'm not sure. He doesn't talk about it much when I'm with him, but there's no question that he's angry. I can't imagine what I'd do if something like that happened to Paige," I cringe at the thought.