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˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
GRIEF WAS SOMETHING Madelyn had went a long time without feeling, even if it was an emotion she had quickly grown accustomed to. At eleven years old, Maddy had grieved the loss of her parents and herself all in one. They still passed by her in the halls of her home, or even spoke to her on special occasions such as her birthday, but Madelyn had always been nothing but a ghost to them.
It was at thirteen, she discovered her true family, four meddlesome boys and their grandfather. To her, Tobias was everything her own father never could be. He was the one who attended every parents evening, every competition and anything in between. And when she graduated high school, it was his smiling face in the very front row.
The day she received the news of his passing, the world became a darker place. She confined herself to her bedroom, unable to listen to her parents try to pretend like they cared. And then, a week later, she packed her things and left for Texas. Madelyn had always felt most at home inside the walls of the Hawthorne mansion, just standing there now, looking up at the building gave her more comfort than her mother and father had her whole life.
Memories of riddles and games with the boys played inside her mind like a movie, consuming her being with such happiness her lips unintentionally turned up at the ends. This place was her whole life, and shockingly she owed it all to her parents. Her mother had been the closest friend of Skye Hawthorne since college, and her father was a highly esteemed business man known all around America. Which in simple terms meant Maddy's parents were filthy rich.
But all Madelyn really wanted was a family. She kept that to herself though, not wanting to come off as ungrateful, after all there were others in situations much worse than hers. She had money and a place to live, did it really matter if she felt lonely sometimes? So she kept it all bottled up, and never let anyone see her crumble.
Regaining her composure, she took a deep breath and began walking towards the house. The sound of her shoes against the gravel alerted whoever was inside they were not alone, and in that moment, multiple heads turned to face their unexpected guest.
Maddy's cheeks flushed at the sudden attention, she had never been one to enjoy being in the spotlight, mostly because of the traumatic third grade talent show when she fell over on stage in front of her whole class. But before she could even comprehend who was standing in front of her, a body crashed into her own, nearly sending her backwards.
Their hands squeezed her sides as they lifted her off the ground, spinning around with her in their arms. A breathy laugh escaped her lips as the person holding her cackled so loud it echoed through the empty halls. It was then she realised who had launched themselves at her. A smile took over her nervous features and she wiggled out of her best friends arms, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. He scrunched his eyebrows, feigning a hurt look as he rubbed his side. She said nothing, unsure how to even react. It had been so long since she had seen Xander in person, and the distance only made her appreciate him more.
