You saved me Maddie

The best week of my life.

We ate dinner with Buck and then he left, leaving us alone again.
"Maddie?" I asked.
"Yeah" she said distantly while she was putting away dishes.
"Do you work at 911?" I asked her.
"Yeah, why?" She looked puzzled.
"Just wondering" I said with a shrug.
She presumed cleaning up in the kitchen while I read my magasine.
After that we watched a movie again, this time Frozen 2 (and for the record, I watched the first movie to the end the morning before).
"So" Maddie shifted in her seat "who's your favourite character"
"Elsa" I said.
"Elaborate please" she said.
"I don't know, she feels real" I shrugged and shivered.
It was colder outside now. The middle of October really was cold.
"You cold?" Maddie looked at me.
"I'm fine" I said dragging my knees up to my chest.
Maddie stood up and walked over to a basket near the TV. She pulled out a blanket and handed it to me.
"You didn't need to" I said but Maddie gave me a hard look.
She sat down next to me again, and then she did something I wasn't prepared to. She stroked my hair. The gesture was subtle and small but it made something inside of me light up. She cared. I don't think she even noticed it but the rest of the night I was so happy.
When I woke up the next morning it was early. I could tell that it was early, probably around 7. I sat up, the blanket that Maddie handed me yesterday, sliding down my shoulders. When I looked over I saw Maddie, half sitting up but sleeping. I could hear her slow breathing. I let myself lie back down again and fell asleep.
I smelled the smell of pancakes when I woke up again. Maddie was in the kitchen making pancakes. I sat up and sighed.
"Morning" Maddie sang from the kitchen.
It was colder today. I stood up to search for one of my new hoodies. Maddie saw what I was doing.
"I put your hoodies in the top drawer" she pointed to a bureau.
"Okay, thanks" I walked over.
She had folded everything neatly. I pulled up a light blue hoodie from the top drawer and put it on.
"Come here" Maddie said, putting a plate of pancakes on the table.
"Thank you" I turned my head to look at her.
Maddie smiled.
"Can I ask you for help with a thing?" I asked.
"Yeah" She walked closer and sat down.
"Can you help me brush out my hair?" I touched my matted hair with me left hand.
Maddie put down her fork.
"Yes of course"
I smiled, but it wasn't a real smile. It was one of those "fake but they don't look fake" smiles. Maddie saw straight through it though.
"You okay?" She looked at me, her brown kind eyes somehow seing behind the walls I had tried to build for so many years.
"My sister used to brush my hair" I said.
"Ellie?" She scooted closer "what happened to your sister?"
"My sister was killed by my dad" I said. "He used to take us to this lake when we were younger. It was deep and surrounded by trees. He loved fishing there, even though there was barely any fish there."
I felt tears running down my cheeks.
"And then mom left and dad married this younger woman" I scoffed "Brianna"
My voice was full of spite.
"She started using not long after they got married, and my dad soon joined in. And he got very angry every time he did. He wasn't really a good dad without drugs but he became one of the worst with them. When my sister wanted to move out, find a job and live on her own my dad became very mad. He threatened to kill her if she left and she didn't listen so that's what he did. He drowned her in the lake."
I stopped. That was all she needed to know. Maddie looked at me. A sad smile flashing over her face.
"Can I give you a hug?" She asked.
I nodded as she folded me in to a hug, her arms feeling like the only safe place in the world in this moment.
Later that day she started brushing out my hair. It took hours but when we finally got it out Maddie trimmed the ends and put a hair mask in. After that she explained how you use shampoo and conditioner.

"No we gotta rinse out the hair mask." She said.
My heart skipped a beat. A shower. I haven't had a shower in ages, not since my dad touched me for the last time.

"Okay" I said.

I stood in front of the shower for a few minutes, not daring to step inside. My heart was pounding as i pulled away the shower wall and stepped inside.

I scrubbed so much, but his hands and eyes didn't wash away, no matter how hard I tried.

My skin was sore when I stepped out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around me and saw a note slipped under the door. I picked it up with one and and read it.

"I put a pair of fresh PJ's right outside :)"

I smiled to myself and slowly slid the door open. A pair of green checkered pj pants, a gray hoodie, and a pair of fluffy pink socks, was neatly folded and put on each other. I picked them up and put them on.

I went downstairs to see takeout boxes on the living room table. Maddie came walking when she heard me coming down the stairs.

"You okay?" she asked.

I nodded. I wasn't but I would be.

"I ordered takeout" Maddie said. "I didn't feel like cooking."

"Fair" I said and walked over and sat down on the couch.

"Oh I got you something" Maddies face distorted into a big smile.

She walked to her bedroom before I had the chance to ask. Maddie came back a few moments later with a wrapped small box.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Open it" her tone was chirpy.

I ran my fingers against the wrapping paper.

"I've never gotten a present before" I said.

Maddie smiled a sad smile and put her right hand on my left shoulder as she sat down next to me. Slowly I unfolded the wrapping paper, careful not to rip it. Inside was a phone box. It was the newest iPhone. I looked up at her.

"This is too much" I shook my head "Way too much."

"Don't be silly" Maddie looked sternly at me "You need a phone in which case so why not get this one."