My Brother's Best Friend

Chapter 27

Cameron

My run turns into a sprint, and I burst into the hallway, desperately trying to find her. My first thought is that she's out in the parking lot still by his friend's car, whichever car that is, so I start there first. All of the cars are off though, not a light on in sight.

If he so much as hurt her in the least bit I'm going to kill him. I don't care if people piece two and two together. I don't care if they think I'm into her. The rumors don't matter, the gossip doesn't matter. All that matters is that she's okay.

I enter back inside the school, and just when I'm about to take out my phone to call her I hear sniffling. It's coming from two hallways down, and when I round the corner my heart breaks into two at the sight. Maddie is on the floor, her knees hugged up to her chest as she sobs her heart out. Makeup is running down her face, and she's shaking from head to toe.

"Mads." I fight back tears and drop to the floor beside her. "Hey, come here."

She doesn't budge, continuing to sob into her hands.

"Mads," I repeat, and this time her eyes finally meet mine, nothing but anger hidden behind them.

"What do you want, Cameron?" She seethes, and I hate that she used my full name. She knows I hate that. "Honestly, what the hell do you want? I'm fucking fine! You can go back to Kelsey now."

"I don't want to go back to Kelsey," I reply honestly. "I want to be here with you."

She doesn't have anything to reply to that, she just continues to sit there and cry until she suddenly shakes her head and throws her hands up. "How could I have been so stupid? Why else would he want to take me to that car? H-he was so rough, and so forceful that I thought for a second I was going to be-" She pauses and lets out another chortled sob, and I'm thinking of all of the ways I'm going to murder Mark.

"I was just doing it to get back at you!" She erupts like a volcano, her true feelings finally spilling out. "I didn't even want to leave with him, but you were with Kelsey, and you acted like everything was fine. You've been fucking fine for the past week when I've been losing it! How do you hear what I said in the closet and not say anything at all? Then go and ignore me afterward? That's so fucked up!"

She's getting herself completely worked up, and eventually, she stands up from the floor to pace back and forth, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"And I had to go through the entire week knowing that Kelsey was the one you'd be bringing. I had to watch her wear your stupid fucking jersey and parade around when that should have been me! I thought you felt the same. I was that much of an idiot to ever think that to begin with." Grabbing tightly onto her clutch, she takes a big step back from me when I stand up and try to reach for her. "No," she warns. "Now you want to be here with me to see if I'm okay?" She laughs out of anger, and again, I seem to be speechless. "Fuck you, Cameron. I don't need your pity, I don't need your sympathy, and I sure as hell don't need you. I'm going to be just fine by myself."

Leaving me alone in the hallway, she storms off to leave and I feel all of my emotions begin to bubble up at once. I'm fighting the tears back, shoving my anger inside, but everything is just getting to be too much.

I love her.

I'm in love with her.

I can't keep fighting this.