**TOLD BY MADDY**
Vi is my best friend. I would take a bullet for her without a second thought, and I know she would for me too. But ever since she got with Dane, there's been a distance forming. I keep telling myself it's a new relationship and it's puppy love, you know all that good shit. There is just something about him that gives me a bad feeling. I know he cares about her, and God I know she loves him. I have this nagging feeling he's going to hurt her in the end. I don't think it's going to last. He spends Friday nights with Ant, why? They're together every single day. Why do they need a Boys Night? Every damn day is a boy's night. She's not bothered by it, I don't know why I am. I'm happy for her, especially after the year she's had. Losing her dad, that abusive asshole, her mom falling deeper and deeper into depression... I'm proud of her for taking classes and getting a job. It keeps her moving and she doesn't focus on the bad. That is part of the re
Tammys has run her mouth one too many times. Maddy is on top of her landing punch after punch. She's trying to block but she can't get her hands up before Maddy's fist comes back down on her again. Tammy manages to buck Maddy off, but she tackles her to the ground again. Ant and Dane finally get Maddy off of her and Tammy sat up, her face is already starting to swell from the assault. Blood is coming from her nose and mouth, black eyes are already starting to form. Frank helps Tammy to her feet and she shits some of the blood out onto the ground. And then there it is, she runs her mouth again, "You're lucky you caught me off guard bitch! Next time there won't be any sucker punches."Maddy starts to fight to get away from the boys. "I didn't sucker punch shit. I beat your ugly ass. And you saw that shit coming." Dane and Ant look at each other. I see a slight smile cross Ant's lips and he lets go. Maddy breaks free from Dane and she is on her again. This time she has her up ag
Maddy and I are sleeping soundly when all of the sudden Ant jumps in the bed between us."Morning bitches!!" he sounds chipper, "Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!!"We are startled awake and completely dazed. "What the fuck?!?!" I say as I almost fall off the side of my bed"Get up. It's adventure time!" Ant is using his body to make the bed bounce while laughing."Who the fuck let you in my house?" I ask pissed off as I look at the time on my pager. "And why did they let you in at five fucking thirty?""Morning Babe!!" He sounds chipper and ready to face the day. I really hate moring people. "Remember, we are going to work on my uncle's house out in Lake Palmer. We talked about this the other day silly girl." He countered my irritation with over-the-top chipperness."You said y'all were going. Not WE were going. I never signed up for a house rebuilding," I'm starting to wake up."Whos building a house at five fucking thirty in
The week starts as usual. Classes. Work. Home. Talk to Dane on the phone. Sleep... then repeat. Finally Wednesday, just two more days till the weekend, I go to class as usual. But the professor isn't in, there's a note on the door. Family emergency. See you Friday. Well, looks like I have the rest of the day off. Now what. So I stop by the math lab to see if they need any extra help and maybe I can pick up some extra hours. Nope, they don't need me today either. Well shit. I wander the campus for a little while, checking out the random sculptures placed in the grassy common areas. My pager goes off, it's Dane, odd. Why isn't he at work? I find a payphone and call him back."Hey babe!" he says "I didn't expect you to call for another thirty minutes. Arent you in class?""The professor had a family emergency. So, no class today." I say blandly "I've just been meandering around the campus. I really don't want to go home yet.""Well..." he pause
After we left the watch lot and picked up Maddy, we decided to go to Bayfield Beach. When I was a kid, we would go every weekend. My dad would fish from a nearby pier and my mom would take us down the beach to swim. Lots of good memories here. I wiggled into my usual spot next to Dane and got comfortable, completely relaxed after much-needed alone time."What made y'all decide to go to Bayfield this late in the afternoon?" Maddy asked breaking the silence."Just something to do, "Ant said. "Don't like the beach Maddy girl?""I like it just fine. It's also cold as shit. I'm not getting in the water." She said"Who said you had to go swimming? We're just going to play in the sand and hang out on the strip for a little while." Dane said."I always forget about 3rd Street," Maddy said.The truck goes silent for the rest of the ride. Ant parks near the seawall and we all get out. It's dark by the time we get there, giving the oc
It's late August in 1997, I'm eighteen and fresh out of high school. I was living with Ken, my abusive now ex, my dad died in April and I had to get away from that house so I ran to his. But... I'm back now. I couldn't take the shit from him and his bitch ass sister anymore. I was cut off from my friends and my family. It was him and his super religious family all day every day. I felt like I was in a cult. Maddy helped me get out quickly and get back to my moms' house. My mother and I already have a strained relationship, I was the kid she didn't want, but home sweet home... or so they say. Maddy had the bright idea to go out tonight. I haven't been out or seen our group of friends in six months, thanks to Ken. He hated all of my friends. He said they were trash. He was upper class, and most of us were the blue-collar type. That made them less in his eyes. He let me know every day that he was slumming by being with me. Super fun, right? "Are you ready?" I he
My 18th birthday was months ago and I just got out of the worst relationshit of my life. I knew it shouldn't have gone past the first date, but I did it anyway. He was controlling and verbally abusive from the start. It didn't help that my friends hated him and had no problem letting me know just how much they wanted to drown him in his own hot tub. My soul sister, Maddy, had a plan to knock him out and hold him down to the jets. She said it would take him out faster. But... I'm stubborn and can not be wrong; a trait I inherited from my dad. (Thanks Pops.) I don't care how right they are. Eight months of my life I'll never get back. Oh well, fuck it. Tonight we're going out and I am finally free to be who I am and not have to listen to what a piece of shit I am for dancing with my friends or laughing at someone's jokes. I love to dance and it's been months. We pull into the parking lot of Big Tex's Road Hall. It's not really a club; the owners turned their recepti
*RING...RING...RING...* "FUCK! It's 7:30 in the morning. Who the hell is calling me right now!?!" I'm growling as I look at the clock next to my bed and reach to grab the phone. "Sup Bitch... I've heard about you this morning." you can hear the smile in Chuck's voice. "What are you talking about? And why are you calling me right now... I'm going to kick your ass later." I reply coldly "So... there's someone at my house right now. He's been calling everyone we know trying to find you. Lucky for them, they showed up at the right place. What the hell did you do last night?" Chuck's tone has switched to sly mocking. I'm going over the details in my head. There's nothing standing out. Dancing. Laughing. Late dinner... (or early breakfast, however you want to look at it.) Just the normal stuff. Nothing worth remembering..... Dane... That was worth remembering. The scent of his cologne floods back into my senses.
A week has gone by and I still haven't heard from Dane. Maddy and I have decided to bypass Tex's and go straight to Tremors. I was completely fine with that after I humiliated myself last weekend. What the hell was I thinking? Hopefully, they're at the other club tonight playing with Ants new flavor of the week. I have resigned myself to it was just him giving a little payback after I left him standing by the dance floor. It's fucked up, but not really a surprise. We are making our usual first lap around the club, just seeing who's there and if there's anyone worth flirting with. FUCK! There he is. Ant and Dane are playing pool on the other side of the bar. I grab Maddy, "Nope. Let's go to the other bar by karaoke. Ant and Dane are right there. I do NOT want to deal with that shit right now." Maddy looks across the bar right as Ant looks up from his shot, they make eye contact and he smiles. "Well, looks like that's out the window. We've been spotted."