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TEN, everybody's got to learn sometime
italics — rues narration
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maddy and liana have been best friends since they were kids.
they met during a beauty pageant, which lianas mom forced her to enter at the early age of six. she didn't want to partake in it, she hated the glitter and the lights and the idea of being scored.
maddy on the other hand, loved it so much that she could barely contain her excitement. there was something so intoxicating about getting a perfect 10 and winning a crown that kept maddy hooked.
liana was hiding in the bathroom when they first met. maddy really had to pee and liana was taking up the only clean stall, where she sat and cried because the way her hair was pinned up was hurting her. maddy was a bratty child but felt oddly sympathetic towards liana.
they were both late to stage because of how much they got along, and they continued their friendship throughout middle school and high school. they got even closer when they both hit sixteen, due to the sheer pressure of nearing adulthood and maddys declining relationship with nate.
but they drifted after liana met elliot. they hadn't been talking much, but it wasn't only an issue on lianas part. maddy had some issues going on too.
"that fuckin' dumb bitch, i'm gonna fuck her up if i see her." maddy threatened, zipping up lianas moms dress as she looked at herself in the mirror. "you know, i just can't take you seriously when you're wearing a hot pink dress." liana admitted. maddys angry demeanor changed as she broke out into a smile and rolled her eyes at liana, "shut up. it's cute. your mom has serious style." she said.
liana nodded, "because she doesn't shop at tj maxx and shit, she goes to them real expensive stores." she said. maddy shook her head, "i wish my mom didn't shop at tj maxx, that's like her go to." both of the girls giggled, maddy unzipping the dress and slipping off. she put it back on the hanger and onto the big hanging rack and pulled off another dress.
"you know, i miss you. i feel like we never hang out anymore." maddy said. "now that you got that little boy toy, or whatever he is." she muttered. "he's my boyfriend." liana grinned. maddy turned to her in shock, "officially?" liana nodded, making maddy run over to her to give her a hug. "oh my god, bitch! i'm so happy for you." she squealed.
the one thing liana really liked about maddy is that she was never mean to her. she was happy for whatever came lianas way and never let anything come between them. it didn't matter to maddy if liana had practically ghosted her for a month or two, they still had that bond that neither of them could throw away.
"so, is he a good boyfriend or what?" she asked. "he's amazing. but.." maddy raised a brow, "but?!" she asked. "i don't know, he's been pulling away from me. like, he hasn't asked me to hang out at all this week and whenever i ask him to come over he has some excuse." she explained. "you think he's cheating?" maddy asked. liana shook her head, "no, he wouldn't do that."
"ugh, i wish i had that trust in nate. but nooo, he wants to go fuck miss alabama." she mumbled. "i trust him a lot because he's good to me, he's like a direct contrast to nate. but it just feels like he's hiding something from me." liana said. maddy shrugged, "ask him." she suggested.
"ask him?" liana questioned. maddy nodded, "yeah. if he's as honest and good to you as you say, he won't lie if he's hiding something. so ask him."
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elliot could immediately tell that something was off with liana the minute she stepped foot in his room. "what's going on, pretty lady?" elliot turned on his stomach to face liana, who was sitting at his window staring off into the sky. it was barely still light out but she would rather look at the sky than elliot right now.
she shrugged, "oh, don't give me that. cmon, tell me what's wrong." elliot urged. she faced him for the first time that night, "are you hiding something from me?" she asked. elliot's stomach immediately flipped itself inside out and back again.
elliot tried to hide me as best as he could. i spent majority of my time hidden in his cousins room, and i slept on the floor in elliot's room. but liana was getting suspicious because elliot couldn't bear to lie to lianas face everyday, so he avoided seeing her as much as he possibly could.
it was eating liana up inside. she wondered if she had done something wrong, or worse, if he had done something wrong. but in reality, he was just in a fucked up situation that he knew liana would get pissed at him for.
so, he lied. again.
"no." he said. "are you sure?" she asked. he nodded, "yeah, i would never hide anything from you." he said. she stared off into his window again, not entirely liking his answer. "then why have you been acting so weird?" she asked. "weird how?" he questioned. "you haven't really wanted to see me in a while. and you won't let me come see you, except today. so i just don't know what's going on."
"i'm sorry, i am. i just have a lot of shit going on." he said. liana nodded, "you could've told me that." she muttered. "i know. but i don't want you to think i'm treating you like a therapist. because you're my girlfriend." he grinned. liana blushed at the label but still stared out of the window. "and i'm sorry i haven't been treating you like my girlfriend."
he got up from his bed and walked to his dresser, turning on his radio and switching the station until he found a good slow song. he inched towards liana and held his hand out. "shall we?" he asked. liana raised a brow at him, "come on, i see this in movies all the time." he sighed. liana rolled her eyes and took his hand, where he lead them to the middle of his floor.
neither of them knew how to dance, so elliot spun liana around a few times and then brought her back to him, where he held her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "if i ever lose you i think i'll die." he muttered.
elliot did feel guilty about lying, though. he was just trying to be a good friend and a good boyfriend, and the stress of balancing the two alone was getting too much for him to handle.
he was bound to break soon, and he feared when that moment would, inevitably, come.
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a lot coming in the next few chapters pls beware another chapter coming out today probably :p
