𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑒

Chapter 7 ~ Messy

Maddox

I messed up... bad. I don't know what was going through my head when I outright denied that I knew Willow.

That's the thing, I don't think I was thinking. I think it's the fact that I was with my friends and they had spoken before I could get a word in. I was this close to hugging her when she thrusted the brownies in my face.

My eyes lit up and my stomach growled. But my head, well, I guess it didn't like the idea of being made fun of.

I wanted to go after her when she ran out, but I knew that if I did, it would make things worse on both our parts.

It was upsetting when she didn't show up the whole week or even to the book club. I was fighting for my life there trying my best to act like her absence didn't bother me. I had been down all week and trying to avoid my friends talking about her.

I knew that if I didn't hang out with them, they would forget about the situation and let me be. I'm glad no one found out about what happened, I might have gone insane if I heard one bad word about Willow coming out of someone's mouth.

And then, when I saw her walk into class, my eyes did the same thing, light up. But they went back when she didn't even bother to turn to me. I could tell she was still upset.

What I thought was weird, is that after that class last week, I went to that tree because I thought for sure she would be there. But she wasn't.

And so I took my chances to talk to her after that class which was a mistake because she obviously didn't want to talk to me and I was forcing her too and she ended up having an asthma attack.

I didn't know what to do but I tried to help her. When she told me she didn't have her inhaler, I almost wanted to get mine out and give it to her and I feel like I would have if her breathing didn't calm down.

I know what it's like to have asthma, it's probably one of the worst breathing conditions ever and it's the most uncomfortable thing ever. I knew that if I didn't have my inhaler, I would have to do my best to calm my breathing until I could reach it again.

I'm glad I was able to help her but now I'm worried because she drove off without letting me say anything, and I don't know if she is okay or not.

I was definitely not going to follow her home because then she would send me to jail and then I would never be allowed near her ever again. So I just prayed that she wasn't dead and that I would see her at school tomorrow.

🌿

She's not at school, dang it. I do my best to keep calm but something inside of me is screaming at me to go and do something.

I had to miss out on my last class because the anxiety was getting worse and I just had to go see if she was okay. At this point, I don't care about boundaries because if something was wrong, she would end up thanking me for overstepping.

I got in my car and drove to her complex just in time to see that she was in the parking lot talking with a huge group of people. She was okay.

She was laughing and having a good time with whatever people she was with. I can't back up. I stay staring at her because I have never seen her so carefree. Her smile grows wider when the older person next to her says something.

She throws her brown hair head back in laughter, she laughs so loud that I can hear it and it's the most beautiful sound ever.

I sigh as I begin to back up and head back home when I remember that I live here too. Dang it. Well I don't live in this complex, I live in the one next to it but we share a parking lot. At least she won't think I'm stalking her.

I go to my normal parking space and turn off my car. I hop out only to open the back door to get my bag. I lock my car and walk away keeping my head down. Obviously, that was a bad idea because I end up bumping into someone hard.

I force myself to look up and see an older man, not just an older man, but an older man that is the male version of Willow. Crap, crap, crap.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going." I apologize as the man nods and tells me it's alright.

"Maddox?" That voice calls me, I let out a groan and throw my head back. I look to see Willow walking up to us. "What are you doing here?" She asks through clenched teeth. "Did you not know our complexes share a parking lot?" I would have assumed she did.

"Then how come I have never seen you here before?" The older man, who I assume is her father, is watching our reaction with close eyes.

"Maybe because you hate me so much that once you leave school I'm not even a thought?" I question her as her mouth closes. We stood for a while staring at each other.

"Did you get your inhaler?" I found myself asking.

"Yes." She grits out but I can tell her teeth are clenched tight. I nod my head, "Well I will go now, bye Carter." I move past her, brushing my arm against her harshly but harsh enough for her to know I'm messing around.

I smile at the other people who were looking at me as I walk to my complex in peace. What a day.