mess it up, ˢᵃᵐ ᶜᵃʳᵖᵉⁿᵗᵉʳ

𝟎𝟎𝟒.

Madison sat alone on her worn-out couch, the soft glow of the TV flickering across her face as she spooned ice cream into her mouth.

The movie played on, but her mind was somewhere far away, until the sudden sound of her apartment door swinging open shattered the quiet. Her heart skipped.

A wave of déjà vu washed over her the moment Sam stormed inside, unannounced and unapologetic.

"Ooh, I'm getting déjà vu," Madison said, voice tight but tinged with sarcasm. "What can I help you with, Samantha?"

Sam didn't waste a second. Her eyes locked onto Madison's, fierce and determined. "We need to talk."

Confusion flickered across Madison's face, was this a joke? A trick? They hadn't had a proper conversation in years, and now Sam just demanded a conversation?

"About?" Madison asked cautiously, her brows furrowing.

Sam rolled her eyes, a flicker of hurt breaking through her usual guard. "About us, Madi."

Madison couldn't help but laugh, bitter, sharp, and raw. "Us? There is no us, Sam. You made sure of that."

The words hung heavy in the air, but Sam pressed on, voice softening. "Madi, we need to talk about whatever's left. I never got the chance to apologize, and I think we owe it to ourselves to do this."

Madison rose slowly, anger bubbling beneath her skin like molten lava. "Fine. You wanna talk? Then sit down, shut up, and listen."

Sam didn't hesitate. She sat, resigned but ready.

"We were together for nearly four years, Sam. Four years of being happy, no, more than happy. We were in love. In fucking love. And then, two weeks after you turned eighteen, you packed up and left. You left me behind."

Madison's voice cracked, tears spilling freely now.

Sam stayed silent, the weight of her absence crashing between them like a tidal wave.

"You don't understand what that did to me," Madison's voice broke into a whisper. "I didn't sleep. I didn't eat. You broke me. And then you come back, waltz into my life like it's nothing, help me kill a guy, and pretend like none of it ever happened." Her shoulders shook with sobs, a storm of pain unleashed.

2021

The night everything shattered was still fresh in Madison's mind. After decapitating Amber, she stumbled into the hallway, tears blurring her vision.

Sam was struggling, locked in a brutal fight with Richie. Madison's hands trembled as she dropped the axe, adrenaline flooding her veins.

Without thinking, she lunged, wrapping her hands around Richie's throat, pulling him off Sam with desperate strength.

Sam was fierce, she straddled Richie, stabbing him over and over, her rage untethered. Madison stood frozen, the horror of what she'd done with Amber still gripping her.

When Richie teetered on death's edge, he muttered his last words, unaware of Madison's shadow creeping behind him, axe raised.

"What about my ending?" he whispered.

Sam's nod was barely perceptible.

Madison swung the axe down, her second kill, sealing a darkness she never wanted but couldn't escape.

Present

Madison wiped her tears, took a shaky breath, and confessed the secret she'd locked deep inside.