𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 - 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬

three | real families

-THREE-

Three days later

Leo had packed up his bag and was ready to catch his flight back to Conneticut. Caleb, his soon-to-be boyfriend, was ready with the Uber outside.

She hugged him tightly, "I'm gonna miss you, asshole." He patted her head and hugged her close, as if he'd forget how her hugs felt. (She was much shorter than him, considering the fact that she was 5'4, and he was 6'1. )

"I'll miss you too, dumbass." He replied. "Don't let anyone fuck with you, and call me whenever."

"I will," she said, crying into his shirt. "What if the fighting gets bad?"

"Then go straight to Katie's and call me." He nodded. "I love you, you little shit."

She sniffled and said, "I love you too, you big douchebag." She pulled him down by the shirt and noogied his curly brown-haired head.

Caleb ran inside and said, "Lee, time to go."

"I'll be right out," he replied, shoving his sister off himself and looking at the black-haired boy's lips for a moment too long. He turned back to Madison, "Bye, then."

"Bye." She nodded, tears still going down her cheeks.

The door shut as he left, and she broke down crying. She dialed Katie's number on her phone and felt her heart flutter upon hearing her best friend's voice. "Maddy?" Said Kate. Upon hearing the girl's sniffles she asked, "Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong?"

"Leo just left to go back to college." Replied Madison, wiping her tears.

"Come on over, Mads."

"I'll be there in five."

--Time Skip--

Katie opened the door, and the first thing she did was pull her bestfriend in for a hug. Madison broke down, whimpering, "I miss him," over and over again.

"I know, I know," whispered the brunette, stroking her friend's soft blonde locks gently. "But he's only a phone call away, you can call him whenever."

"I know, but--" the blonde sniffled, "It won't be the same."

"Hey, Mad--" Allison walked in to see her makeshift daughter crying and asked, "Honey, what's the matter?"

"Her brother's left to go back to college," Katie explained, rubbing conforting circles on her friend's back.

"I--I though m--mom would be here to--to tell me it's--it's okay, but she--she's not here..." Wailed Madison. "I want my mom, and--and I want my brother back--"

"Oh honey..." Allison cooed, gently taking the broken girl from her daughter. She hugged her close and said, "It's okay, cry it out. You're gonna be okay..."

The three of them sat on the couch, with Maddy clinging to Allison as if the woman was her own mother. Her sobbing slowly ceased, and turned into soft, trembling sniffles, which was when she leaned into Katie's embrace.

"Have you eaten anything till now, sweetie?" Asked the woman, as Katie wiped her best friend's tears away. Madison shook her head, and the woman said, "We've just finished lunch, and we've got some leftovers."

"I'm not hungry," scowled Madison, cuddling into her friend as the brunette played with her hair. "I just need my red lollipop at this particular moment."

"What is it with you and red lollipops?" Asked Katie, concerned.

Finding one in her jacket pocket, the blonde replied, "ADHD medication. I refused to take it like an old person as a pill, so now I just have to eat one medicated lollipop every day. And the red ones are the best, so..."