Survive 2

Chapter Nine

Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

November 13, 2022.

Madison Stone's Point Of View.

I open the door and am happy to see my friend. I called Ashley to come over after the boys left, but just like I asked Bryan, I also asked her to not tell our other friends that I'm back, because I want to surprise them tomorrow at school.

"Madison!" She walks in and gives me a long, tight hug. "What were you thinking when you ran away?" She says bickering with me as we let go.

"I needed some time to get my head on straight."

"You are going to tell me everything that happened while we eat this chocolate ice cream I brought. By the way, we'd better eat it soon or it will melt," she says stretching out the bag with the pot and I laugh.

"So let's go in the kitchen to get two spoons and then we will go into the dining room to eat the ice cream and talk."

"Great." She says excitedly, and we start walking toward the kitchen. "By the way, you look beautiful with that cut." She says enthusiastically and I am happy.

"Thank you! You're beautiful, as you ever were." I say smiling.

"I know." She runs her hand through her hair, tossing it back and we laugh. "Where is Mrs. Stone?"

"She went to take a shower." We enter the kitchen and Ahsley greets Marilyn, who gives us the spoons, the cups, and a pot of strawberry topping to go with the ice cream.

"Thank you Marilyn," we thank her and leave the kitchen, going into the dining room and sitting down there.

"So Mad.. you can start telling me everything," and I agree, starting to tell her what she wants to know as we open the pot of ice cream and start to serve ourselves.

I tell her what happened in the principal's office after the moment we met in the school hallway that day, that Andrey and I broke up that same day too, which she already knew, and I tell her where I went, where I stayed, and what I did these past few days.

"Are you going to report the teacher and the principal to the police?" She asks and puts some ice cream in her mouth.

"Yes. Before I called you to ask you to come here, I was talking to a deputy." I say and she agrees.

"That day must have been hard for you, huh? Besides going to report a crime to the principal and not being treated well, you and Andrey still broke up."

"We weren't supposed to break up," I say looking at the ice cream.

"He didn't tell me why you broke up."

"Why not? He always tells you everything," I lift my gaze to face her.

"Because he said I was going to hit him," and I agree, holding myself back from laughing at the image of him telling her why we broke up and her hitting him.

"We broke up because he preferred to believe what Sarah told him than what I was saying," I take another bite of the ice cream and put it in my mouth angrily.

"Wow," she says surprised.

"Yeah.. your friend let me down pretty badly that day." Not only on that day, but also in the last few weeks.

"Tell me more about what happened," she asks as she puts more strawberry syrup on her ice cream.

"I was angry about the fact that he would rather believe her than me and I told him that since he believed in her more, he'd better stay with her and instead of him apologizing for what he did, he said it was really better to stay with her," I say seriously, trying to hide the sadness I feel about what happened.

"He's not with her. I haven't even seen him talking to her anymore and it's just that he's only hanging out with me, Ryan and David." She says and that reassures me. "And just like you said that because you were angry, he may have done that too."

"Yeah.. it could be." I say and she takes a deep breath before answering me.

"Look, I know I've always defended him and I know he's made mistakes and ugly ones, but Mad.. I know he really likes you. I never saw him the way he is after you broke up and disappeared. He came here every day, it was clear that he was worried about you."

"But what do you want me to do? Do you want me to run after him? He's the one who made a mistake."

"I don't know, but.. I felt sorry for him when you told me that he doesn't know you're back yet."

And when she says this, even though I don't want to, I feel sorry for him too, because according to the people around me, he was, and still is, since he doesn't know I'm back, very worried and did what he could to help my mother and the delegate.

"By the way, I admire the fact that he hasn't sent you any messages these days. Although the boys and I have also sent several messages and didn't even reach your cell phone, they did." And I agree.

"He texted me just before I got on the bus, asking where I was and calling me to talk, but I didn't answer, I just turned off my cell phone and didn't turn it on again so as not to be traced, so I don't know if he texted me anymore and I didn't see yours and the boys' messages," and she agrees, eating more of her ice cream.

"Then take your cell phone and turn it on to see if he sent any more."

"Okay. Hold on," I say and get up, leaving the dining room.

I walk up to my room and grab my cell phone, the same one I haven't touched since the moment I turned it off that Monday. Even to call Ashley, I called her on my home phone and I don't even know if it's a good idea to turn it on now, because if I do, the messages he sent me will come and he will see it.

I leave the room and go back to the dining room, watching Ahsley finish the ice cream she brought.

"Did you see if he sent anything?" And I deny it.

"I'm turning on the cell phone now," I sit back down where I was and we wait for the cell phone to turn on, which it does seconds later.

The phone vibrates as messages and notifications from other apps on it arrive. I pick up the phone and check along with Ashley by the notification bar for the messages that have been sent to me.

"If you don't answer me right now Madison Stone, I will give you a hair pull," I read one of the messages that the girl next to me sent me and she gives me the smile of a kid who knows she's messed up, but wants to act innocent.

"I said it in the moment of anger," she says and I laugh, continuing to read the others.

I read David's, Bryan's, and Ryan's messages, which are of concern as well, but unlike Ahsley's, they are cute, and last I see Andrey's, the same ones that, except for the one I had already seen, are:

"Madison, I know you are angry, but let's talk, please."

"Madison, your mother, our friends and I are worried about you."

"As soon as you see this message, call me."

"He must have seen that there was no point in texting you, because they weren't coming for you," Ashley says, trying for some reason to comfort me and I nod my head in agreement.

"Yeah.. at least he sent something." I look at my friend and smile. "But we've talked about too much about me, let's talk about you now. Any news about your life? How is your relationship with Ryan?" I change the subject and she smiles, starting to talk right away.

"Ryan and I are so happy. He is..." she speaks with a passionate look on her face and I am happy for her as I listen to her talking about the cool things they do together.