* IN THE PROCESS OF BEING EDITED/UPDATED *
Madison has dealt with abuse and heart ache her whole life thinking that it was what she deserved. First her parents then her boyfriend. When her older brother left for college on bad terms with their paren...
I'm jolted awake by a loud knock at the door. I groggily blink and try to shake off the lingering fog of sleep. Jules bursts into the room without waiting for an answer, all energy and bright smiles. "Hey babe, you're finally awake!" she says, her voice upbeat.
I force a smile, still half-asleep. "Good morning... what's up?"
"Well, technically it's good afternoon," she says with a laugh, "but anyway, Jake told me not to bother you, but I couldn't resist. I just wanted to let you know that we're all heading down to my family's beach house this weekend, and you're definitely invited! Oh, and me and the girls are going shopping today to get outfits for it—are you in?"
I sit up a little straighter, my heart lifting at the thought. "Oh my god, yes! I'm totally in!" The excitement floods through me. I can't remember the last time I went out just to hang with friends. Back home, when I was living with my parents, I wasn't allowed to go out much. Cade definitely didn't let me do anything for fun, and it feels like a lifetime since I've had the chance to just... be myself.
"Awesome! We'll meet you in the living room when you're ready," she says, practically bouncing out of the room.
As soon as she leaves, I quickly grab my phone to check the time. It's already past noon. I really need to get dressed and get moving. I jump out of bed, feeling a little disoriented, and head straight for my duffel bag. I'm still half in sleep mode, my mind racing over what to wear. I don't have many options since I packed quickly, and most of what I brought is just sweatpants and oversized shirts. That's all I've worn for so long—around Cade, anything else would have either shown off my bruises or drawn unwanted attention to my body.
I rifle through my clothes and pick out a sweatshirt and some jeans—something simple but at least decent enough for shopping. I try not to think too hard about it. It's just a casual day out. I pull them on quickly, then slide into my white sneakers.
After looking in the mirror, I quickly run my fingers through my hair, gathering it into a messy ponytail. I don't have time for anything fancier, and I'm honestly not sure I care right now. I just want to get out of here and enjoy the day, without overthinking everything for once.
I take a deep breath, trying to push away the nagging feeling of not being fully prepared. I'm still not used to this freedom, and it's almost too easy to fall back into old habits of second-guessing everything. But I push through it, grab my phone, and head out to the living room to meet the girls.
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Just as I step out of the room, I almost run straight into Jake.
"Fuck, Jake, you scared me," I laugh, clutching my chest.
His expression is serious, his eyes filled with concern. "How are you doing?"
I hesitate for a moment, glancing up at him, before trying to brush it off. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
He takes a step closer, his voice dropping low. "Mads, you looked terrified last night. You really scared me. What were you dreaming about?"
I try to shrug it off, giving a dismissive wave. "Oh, it was nothing. Just a bad dream."
