𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌'𝖘 𝖊𝖓𝖉

4

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𝖒𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖓'𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖛
She sits down on the opposite couch, curling up as I click on a movie titled 'My Girl'.
"This is what you wanted to watch?" I scoff, looking over at her. "I've already seen it."
"Have you?" She furrows her brows. "You don't seem like the type."
"Shut up," I sigh, clicking play and watching the intro.
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About 3/4 through the movie, the both of us are sitting in silence. I know she is or was crying, and I guess I could too. Just not in front of her.
Poor Thomas.
Within the next 15 minutes, the movie's over. I look over to her, her eyes closed and body relaxed. I figure she's sleeping, which wasn't the plan at all.
I turn the TV off and stand up, walking towards her. I slip my hands under her and pick her up bridal style, walking us both to my room. She's surprisingly easy to lift, which is probably a result of me working out so often.
I set her down on my bed, peeling the white sheets and grey blanket back so she's under them. I pull them both back over her, hoping she's comfy enough. She stirs slightly, and I freeze.
When she doesn't open her eyes, I turn the LED lights off and walk out.
Sitting back down on the couch, I'm overcome with a wave of pain. My arms and legs ache, and my head is starting to hurt. This usually happens in the middle of the night, so all the running from before must've sped the process up.
"Shit," I curse under my breath, squeezing my eyes shut as the pain in my head slowly fades away.
I fall into a relaxed state, leaning back into the couch cushions. I hug my knees to my chest, leaning my head back. Sounds of my comforter shuffling around echo from the hallway, but the ringing in my ears prevents me from hearing much of it.
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𝖆𝖉𝖆𝖑𝖞𝖓'𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖛
I open my eyes, immediately met with an unfamiliar bed and room. Shifting onto my back, I sit up.
The room's dark, but I can make out some records and album covers hung on the wall, as well as signs and shelves. I stand up entirely, walking out into the hallway.
Assuming I'm still at Madison's, I round the corner expecting to see her somewhere in the kitchen or living room. I see something quite unexpected. Every light is off, as well as the TV. She sits on the couch, her knees tight to her chest, and eyes closed tight. Her head is tilted back, resting on the top of the cushions.
"Madison?" I walk towards her, my brows furrowed. She doesn't answer for a moment.
"Madison."
Her eyes fly open and she shoots up.
"Shit."
She takes a shaky breath in, her hands pressed tight on the bottom cushions. I blink, then rub my eyes.
"Are you okay?" I ask, my eyesight falling to her heaving chest.
"Yeah." She nods, avoiding any and all eye contact with me. "What time is it?"
"I don't know." I shrug. "I just woke up."
She nods, looking over to the kitchen. My gaze follows, reading the time on the oven.
1:47am
"Do you need to get home?" She asks hurriedly, standing up. "It's late."
"No." I'm not sure I want to. "I'll just tell my sister I spent the night at Ri's."
She nods and exhales, fiddling with her fingers.
"Relax," I scoff, my eyes focused on her. "Just sit back down."
She sits down, and I move to sit beside her. I watch as she hugs her knees tight to her chest once more, sighing.
"Turn around and take a deep breath." I nod, my gaze expectant. "What're you so afraid of?"
  She turns so her back is to me. I comb my fingers through her hair, splitting it into three different sections.
"I'm not afraid." She mutters, shaking her head.
"Then?" I start to braid her hair, sitting comfortably.
  She rests her chin on her knees, fiddling with her fingers again. "I just woke up quick is all."
  "So.. you're anxious because I woke you up too fast?" I furrow my brows, tilting my head.
  She just stares off, blinking.
  "You're a bad liar." A smirk grows on my face, but she stays exactly how she is. "If telling me will help you feel less anxious, just do it."
  "It won't." She states, her brows furrowing.
  I finish braiding her hair, tying it off with a hair tie.
  My hands travel from her hair to her shoulders, sliding down her back. Considering how skin tight her shirt is, I can feel every abnormality on her skin.
  "Then I can't help you." I mutter.
  My fingertips graze over the one scar I can remember, trailing all the way down.
  "What if I don't want you to?" She responds, turning her head towards me.
  "Then you can deal with it on your own." I look directly at her, my eyes soft.
  "Don't look at me like that." She huffs, leaning into me a little.
  "Like what?" I tilt my head, pulling my hands back in towards my body. They rest in my lap, picking at each other.
  "Like you actually care about me." She begins to turn around, forcing me to back up. I lean against the end cushion, facing her.
  "I've only known you for a week. There's no reason for you to care so much about how I'm feeling." She continues. "Why do you care so much?"
  "Maybe because you deserve someone who cares." My eyes narrow. "I care because I feel like you need me to."
"But I don't need you to," She scoffs, shaking her head. "You can't just assume something like that."
She stares at me, fire in her eyes.
"I never asked for your fucking help."
  "And yet I'm helping you anyways." I chew on the inside of my cheek. "Jesus, Madison."
She rolls her eyes, closes them, and then takes a deep breath.
"I'm sorry." Her hands shake as she speaks, her voice faint.
I just look at her, breathing deeply. Her hands are shaky- as is her breathing, and I can tell she's blinking something back.
"Adalyn."
  Her voice brings me back to reality, my eyes snapping up to hers.
  "I didn't realize what I was saying. I'm sorry," She repeats, shaking her head.
  "I know."
But I don't. I don't know why she's refusing my help. I want to help her.
  It goes quiet, and that's when I stand up.
  "I'll catch a cab home." I state, grabbing my coat from her kitchen counter. "See you tomorrow."
  "Wait-" She calls as I walk out, closing the door and cutting her off.
.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
𝖒𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖓'𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖛
  She closes the door, cutting me off.
  I sit in silence, my hands still shaking and my heart still racing.
I can never stay calm for over one fucking hour.
  Tears slip down my cheeks, dripping onto the couch's fabric.
  I hadn't meant to say that to Adalyn, it just came out and I couldn't stop it.
  That's what always happens. I don't know how to control my emotions, and my anger always ends in someone else getting hurt.
  She doesn't know I didn't mean it. She said she did, but I think she just said that so she wouldn't seem hurt. I shouldn't have said it.
  I should've thought before I fucking spoke.
  But truthfully, I never do.
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