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Dude You're Insane!
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2022-09-24 14:04:16Related chapters
We Were One D-Day
When I arrived at Madeline's house, I was greeted with the usual giddy hug and kisses I was used to. She was especially full of squeals this time, given the huge bouquet I arrived holding. After handing the birthday gift to her, I pulled out my anniversary gift and she went silent.She set the bouquet down on the table just inside the door. Before she even took the other gift, her hand was already at her mouth."Happy anniversary," I said, handing it to her.She smiled even as her eyes welled up and she reached for it. I hoped the fact that I wasn't down on a knee was heads-up enough before she got too ahead of herself about what it might be. She opened the box and her hand was back over her mouth. "I know it's not much, Peanut," I said with a wince. "But it's just a promise ring. A promise that someday I'll have so much more to offer you."With her face already crumbling and her sweet brows pinching tight, she took it out of the box, but I reached for it so I could slip it onto he
Last Updated : 2022-09-24We Were One I Told Her
Tense was probably the best way to describe the entire build-up to the actual moment we told Loretta. But it was done and now we could move on. When I heard from Madeline again a few hours after I'd left the hospice that day, she explained what I'd expected. Loretta had had a whole lot to say once I was out of there. Mostly, she had questions, some more alarming than others. How long had this gone on? Was she certain there was no basis to my bastard kid stories? Had she slept with me yet? At first, to my utter relief, Madeline lied and said we hadn't."I spared her having to hear about how I was the one who insisted we could go there," Madeline had explained. "But only because I could tell she was looking for something negative to say about all this. If she'd made a single comment about how it's likely all you were in this for was sex or that you pressured me into anything, I would've told her exactly how it happened. I didn't want things to get ugly."Turned out Madeline had a few s
Last Updated : 2022-09-24We Were One You Got On His Fucking Bike?
The twins, like my brother Nolan, were officially high-school graduates now. Although Nolan had had his GED for months. When he left to do his internship, he switched to doing school online and finished that way. We'd talked about taking a road trip to Chicago this summer before Maddie started college in the fall to check out some of the art museums there, but just after she graduated, she was temporarily promoted. While she'd already told her boss she'd be quitting once she started school, she was asked if she'd stand in as the store manager at the Little Caesars where she worked at for a few weeks while they found a full-time replacement. Madeline was actually a little excited about it. She was already a shift manager, so she knew she could handle the added responsibility, but she was more excited about getting our dream going.So, our road trip would have to wait a few more weeks, which was fine. Only drawback to her temporarily higher-paying position was she was putting in a lot m
Last Updated : 2022-09-24We Were One Bad Feeling
Loretta liked to say Grandma Betty held on to see her granddaughters graduate from high school because just a few weeks after they did she died. I'd never say it out loud, but I was pretty sure mentally she was gone long before then. She'd lost both legs up to her thighs near the end there, but the people at the hospice ultimately just made her comfortable, ignoring any other pointless surgeries she might still need. The last time I'd seen her, which was days before she passed, she wasn't even talking anymore. She was so lethargic. Only good thing about it was, as close as Madeline was to her, she had time to process and accept the fact that she was losing her. By the time she did go, as sad as my peanut had been, she was more relieved her grandma was no longer suffering.Madeline having to work such long hours as she continued with her temporary promotion also helped. It kept her too busy during those first few weeks of mourning to think too much about it.It wasn't until near the e
Last Updated : 2022-09-24We Were One God No!
"She didn't answer," Nolan said, only making my already beating wildly heart, thump harder."Fuck!" I said, running my fingers through my hair, and tried Madeline again. "Come on, Maddie," I said, lowering my voice. "Answer your phone, baby.""Why?" Nolan asked; then his eyes went wide as he watched me pace with the phone at my ear. "You think maybe . . .""Check that local news group on Facebook," Xavier suggested, and Nolan got right on it.I walked over to Nolan because at this point I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I wouldn't be able to concentrate now on anything until I heard from Madeline. "Did they say anything else about the accident, Dad?" I asked as Nolan scrolled through his screen."No, Hijo. The guy just said he heard it was a bad accident.""Here it is," Nolan said, and everyone's attention was on him now.He skimmed quickly, reading out loud through the post about it, skipping over everything that didn't give us any facts."A single-car accident involving a
Last Updated : 2022-09-24We Were One First Year
What we knew about the accident at the very beginning was that somehow Madeline lost control of the car and it flew off the side of the embankment. They'd had the car's convertible top down, and all three were ejected from the car as it rolled over several times. It'd been confirmed the fourth person hadn't been a passenger in the car with them, so I knew, if there was the slightest hope the newscaster had it wrong and Madeline hadn't already been gone, she would be soon.Then I got the call from Loretta that confirmed my worst nightmare. My peanut was gone. She and Shelby had been pronounced dead at the scene while Maggie had been flown to the trauma center in Livingston. Only time anyone was transported there was when their injuries were as critical as Maggie's apparently were.I fell apart all over again, just as I did every time I woke from my drug-induced slumber—the only slumber I could get during those first agonizing days and weeks that followed her death.I knew I had a fam
Last Updated : 2022-09-24We Were One Questioning My Sanity
The only reason I didn't shake my head adamantly and argue was because this was my father. He should've been part of the reason why I needed to move on. "It's okay to grieve, Hijo. You should. Take all the time you need. I lost your mama and felt those deep, deep feelings of despair too, but I won't sit here and say I know what you're going through. This is your grief. No two people are the same, and so no two people will grieve the same way. It may take you months, years, to heal. All I can promise you is, in the end, it will happen. Trust me. I know." He took a deep breath and sat back. "When your mama passed, I, too, had moments of feeling like I just wanted to die. Mind you I had four little boys who were counting on me to be there for them and those thoughts still crossed my mind. Don't let those feelings make you feel weak. They're perfectly normal. Accept them; just please don't act on them. They will pass, and little by little the memories will be what you'll live for." He hugg
Last Updated : 2022-09-24We Were One She's Trying To Tell Me Something
The first anniversary of the accident came and went and was as hard as I thought it might be, despite my efforts to ignore the inevitable headlines about it. The candlelight vigil Shelby's mom held at the side of the river where the girls lost their lives was all over the local television and radio channels. Just like when they first died, many of their friends and work acquaintances were once again interviewed about their relationships with the girls.Everyone was still at a loss as to why neither Loretta nor Maggie had bothered to contact anyone. They both had co-workers and even close friends I thought they would've at least checked in with. Nolan had tried in vain for months to track Maggie down. All I could think was maybe her injuries were so physically devastating Loretta might be too consumed with Maggie's rehabilitation to think about anything else. In spite of my suspicions that, just like Loretta had known all along about Madeline and me, she also knew about Maggie and Nola
Last Updated : 2022-09-24
Latest chapter
We Were One Epilogue - Maddie's POV
MadelineThe coughing in the living room followed by the moaning only made me want to giggle. But I dared not. Mama had warned me what big babies men can be when they're sick, and I'd seen it more than once, but it'd never annoyed me the way it did her. Why they had to moan after every cough and sneeze I'd never know, but unlike Mama, who rolled her eyes when her fiancé Don did it, I thought it was hilarious.Besides, I wouldn't have dreamed of complaining when it came to taking care of Nico. He would have gallantly taken care of me if needed. Not that I'd ever gotten this bad when I was sick. But my entire pregnancy the man went above and beyond taking care of me. That last month when I was on strict bed rest orders, he catered to my every whim. And unlike when it was my turn to do the nursing, between him and Ama, I got some delicious real home cooking"Who's ready for some yummy warm chicken soup?" I asked as I walked into the living room, carrying a tray with a bowl of the hot s
We Were One You Were-ARE-Mine
"I didn't say that. You did." She ran her hand through my hair. "But it was the first time I'd seen him since I broke up with him." She explained a little more about that but then added something more. "I do remember you being jealous, though," she said, looking up at me all whimsically. "Whose bike did I get on that had you seeing red?"Feeling my brows shoot up in reaction, I searched her eyes some more. There was only one time when this happened, and I made sure it never did again. "You remember that?""I had a visual just today when I realized I couldn't stomach him touching or kissing me anymore, not after this weekend." Going tense again as what she just said sunk in, I felt her fingers caress the side of my head, and just like that, I was able to breathe easily again. "Whose bike?""Some douche named Shane. I couldn't stand the way that fucker looked at you."She smiled. "I know you don't wanna hear about it, but after Ryan said 'you're mine' to me one time and it set off a
We Were One Preaching to the Choir
Madeline hugged her mom and their body language said the same thing. It's finally over. As if Loretta, too, had been living under unimaginable stress all these years, wondering when not if the straw would break the camel's back and it all would come tumbling out. She'd said it herself; she knew there was nothing she could do to keep us apart.I watched them, inhaling deeply, my insides filling with pride and emotion. This was really happening. I had my peanut back, and it was all because of her tenacity. Had she not been so bound and determined even after all these years, she may never have caught what she hadn't even known she was chasing. Just like me all this time, her gut kept telling her there was something missing and she needed to get to it.She explained to me as we drove to her hotel room how she'd gotten the room so she wouldn't have to face her mom just yet. She'd told Loretta she was working so she wouldn't be home when her mom got home from her weekend trip."I just nee
We Were One You Can't Make This Shit Up
Loretta explained how she also couldn't take the chance of telling anyone—including me. "Her waking to no memory of her past, while tragic, I considered it a blessing, a sign that I'd done the right thing. I knew my biggest challenge would be getting her to agree to leave Huntsville—leave you. I knew there'd be no way in hell I'd convince her to, and if you weren't willing or able to leave with us, she'd be willing to risk her secret getting out. As discreet as you two were when you were sneaking around, I knew it'd be just a matter of time before the townsfolk got word that Nico was now in love with Maggie. It'd raise too many brows and questions."Madeline chimed in to explain about the birthmark. "Mama said it was an afterthought. Since she hadn't anticipated me waking up with no memory, it wasn't until she was getting ready to make her move and get me out of Huntsville that she thought of it.""I figured I should plant the seed early on," Loretta said, shaking her head. "And then
We Were One This Better Not Be a Dream
None of the random lies Madeline's mother had fed her over the years made any sense, but she said her mother lying about how her grandmother had actually died finally did. "A few years ago, my doctor suggested I have the birthmark on my neck checked. It turned out to be fine." Maggie turned to mom with a raised brow. "But because of my grandmother's supposed death from melanoma cancer, I elected to have it removed anyway."I still couldn't grasp it; though my heart was already leaping to accept it. Afraid to speak for fear of my voice betraying me, I managed one word. "How?"That did it. Instantly, my eyes blurred, and I felt my throat constrict until something else hit me. All these years I'd suffered an anguish I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, and Madeline had been dealing with thinking she was going mad. All because of her mother.The overpowering emotion I'd begun to feel was clouded momentarily as my insides were suddenly on fire, and I turned to Loretta. "Why?"Maggie . . .
We Were One I'm Not Maggie
I didn't even bother telling them to stay put. I could already hear them scrambling to grab their shit and come after me, but they weren't stopping me. At least they had the sense not to try. "The address, Nolan," I barked as I jumped on my bike outside the shop, and Xavier and Quino worked fast to lock the shop up.He was already racing toward his bike as he scrolled through his phone. In the next second, the envelope with the forwarded text popped up on my screen. I tapped it into the navigation app on my phone and squeezed it into my handlebar phone mount as my brothers articulated their loving words of wisdom and heeded warnings."Calm your ass.""Don't drive like an idiot.""Remember we're all following you," Xavier cautioned, knowing full well this one would likely be the only warning I'd be taking seriously. "We'll be right behind you. So whatever stupid maneuvers you make, we'll be making them with you."Fuck me.As if I didn't have enough to worry about, I'd for sure hav
We Were One The Unthinkable
Nolan spoke so fast I had to stop him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, holding my hands up. "You're talking too fast. Take a breath, man, and start over."I was still trying to wrap my head around what he'd first said. Skipping the taking-a-breath part, Nolan went on a little slower but just as urgently. "Her mom lied about a whole lot of shit. Kept so much from her it has her completely confused, but she still hasn't questioned her mom because she's trying to gather more evidence of what she suspects. She told me all this yesterday. It's why when I saw the engagement post today I immediately called her on it. How could she be getting engaged if she still doesn't know for sure if you two are soul mates?"That last part sucked the air out of me, but I refused to get my hopes up. Every time I did, that tiny voice of reason in the back of my head cleared its throat and reminded me about the physical proof that she wasn't Madeline. Nolan reeled off, too fired up to let any of us get a word i
We Were One Delusion or Deception
As if he knew without having me say it, Nolan didn't push for me to finish explaining. Instead, he nodded in understanding; though he still looked a little unconvinced about Maggie not having ulterior motives."I don't talk to her too often," he explained. "She drops me a text when she has questions regarding something she just remembered or whatever. Last I heard from her was when she called to ask about the pier. She'd had a dream about it, but didn't remember anything about the pier."Hearing about her dreams reminded me of Maggie dreaming of me. Of course I'd kept this to myself. I hated how, on top of what a confusing mess this was, I had to be mindful that this was a girl Nolan had slept with. One who though he didn't admit it then I could tell he was beginning to fall hard for. Even if he was long over her now, it'd still be weird as shit.He had nothing more significant to tell me but assured me if he heard or remembered anything else he'd let me know. As far as I was concer
We Were One A More Plausible Theory
Even this had me feeling a mixture of something I only ever felt when Madeline was alive—a strange but urgent sense to protect. But protect who? Maggie? And against who? My brother who was only concerned for me? Of that, I had no doubt.So I chose my words and tone carefully. After taking in another spoonful of cereal as nonchalantly as ever, I posed the burning question. "What are you getting at, Nolan?"Tapping his fist softly on the counter in a nervous pattern, he started telling me what I'd suspected already: that since Maggie showed up in Radcliffe, he'd kept in touch with her but hadn't mentioned it because he didn't think I'd want to hear about it. Mostly they'd texted but he'd talked to her on the phone a few times as well. "That blow to the head she took must've been real bad because even after all these years she still seems really confused and has lots of questions."I nodded, trying my damnedest to focus on what he was saying and not my unreasonably heating insides. Ins
