Close - Ella Toone

Chapter 27

22:45

Ella's POV

"Yes, Mom, I'm fine. Just a bit scraped and bruised. That's all" Madison said down the phone to her mom.

The police officer was still sitting in the room with us all, waiting to question us.

"I'm going to be fine! Yes, I can play on Friday. Mom, stop worrying. Go have fun,"

I held the ice pack over her right eye as she lay across my lap with her feet on Georgia. Her right hand was holding her phone, and Alessia was watching a video on how to wrap up her left wrist.

Lucy was talking to the officer, telling him what happened to the best of her knowledge. Rachel was just kind of sitting there, talking to Stanway about what we all just saw.

"Then Lucy shoved the other girl away, and I pinned her against the side of the house. Then the police came and I finally let her go 'cause I knew she couldn't go anywhere now," Georgia said.

"All that? I missed that because you told me to hold Ella back?" Rachel said facepalming.

"I'm sorry I made you miss it. Ella is a bit sensitive so I didn't want her to get upset," 

"Hey! I'm not sensitive!" I said.

"Yeah you are," Madison said looking at me before talking to her mom in Dutch.

"Whatever," I huffed, lifting the ice off her eye to take a look at it. "It's swelling,"

"That's okay," Alessia said, finishing watching the video and walking towards us with the stuff to wrap up her wrist.

"How much longer? It's cold," Madison complained.

"10 more minutes, Mads," said Rachel looking at the timer on her phone.

"UGH!"

"You'll be fine kid,"

"You can do it. You literally just got straight-up assaulted. I think you can keep ice on your eye for 10 more minutes," Georgia pointed out.

"Alright, who made the call to us?" the officer asked.

"That would be me," Rachel said.

"Let's go into the other room so I can ask you a few questions. This could take a while. So hang in there," He said before walking into the dining room with Rachel.

"I'm sorry this happened, Madison," Georgia said quietly after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Me too, babes," Alessia said sitting nearer to us.

"Don't call me that," She responded.

"What do you say?" I said firmly to her.

"Thank you," She replied quickly.

"She's okay. She doesn't have to say anything" Georgia said.

"Stop treating me like 'poor little Madison'. I hate that. I'm fine," She said sitting up straight.

"This is a big deal, you know that, right?" Lucy said quietly.

"No, it's not,"

"This isn't something you can downplay, Mads. You can't just pretend nothing ever happened," I said.

"Yes, I can. I'm going to go to practice tomorrow and I'm playing on Thursday. Then I'm going to enjoy the rest of my break before I have to go back to full training," she replied causing me to sigh.

"So you're going to pretend that none of this happened?" Rachel asked.

"Yep. Exactly that,"

"How do you plan on doing that?" I asked.

"When I get paid, I'll bail her out, get a restraining order and continue as I am,"

My eyes widen meeting Alessia's.

"Then I'll check her back into rehab, and hope it works this time,"

"You're too good for this world," Georgia says.

"Most people that just experienced that would be pressing a lot of charges and never talking to them again," Lucy pointed out.

"Well I'm not and I don't care what others would do,"

"Have you thought this through?" I asked her.

"You may have a concussion," Stanway said.

"Well don't tell anyone that because I'm playing on Thursday and really don't wanna go through that protocol," Madison said.

"Fine,"

"Madi," I said.

"Yeah, Ella?"

"First of all, put the ice back on your eye. Second of all, I need you to be serious for a minute," I said looking her into her eye that wasn't covered by the ice.

"What is it, Ella?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! I've said that a million times!" She yelled standing up and walking away from all of us.

"Madi-"

"Just leave me alone," She said so I sat back down.

Georgia stood up without saying anything and put her arm around Madison's shoulders. As she did this you could see Masison relax a bit. Stanway whispered something to her which caused her to relax even more.

"Now talk to Ella, okay?" She said.

"Okay," Madison turned to me and apologized before actually replying to my question. "Am I okay physically? Probably not. I'm in pain. I just got nearly every part of my body punched. Mentally... I'm destroyed,"

"How so?" I asked patting the space next to me she was just sitting on.

"Everything. Just everything,"

"Does this include anything outside of what happened tonight?"

"No,"

"Not football related?"

"No. Just, everything right now. Everything that happened in the last 45 minutes.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really,"

"Maybe later?"

"Maybe later," She said, her voice cracking and her tears finally falling.

Silent tears fell down her very bruised face.

"First time you've cried all night," I said.

"She cries now?" Alessia asked.

"Only took all night," Rachel said.

"Mhm," Madison said as she buried her face into my shoulder.

"That has to hurt," Lucy pointed out.

"Like hell. But where else am I supposed to hide my tears?" Madison said.

I looked around and saw the sad looks on everyone's faces. Georgia reached out to pat her back as tears formed in her eyes.

"It'll take time," Georgia said.

"I'll be fine tomorrow," Madison said.

"Tomorrow it's gonna hurt even more. Both physically and mentally," Alessia said.

"I'll be fine,"

"Madi-"

"Just let her be," Lucy said.

"Who's next?" The officer said reentering the room with Rachel.

"I'll go," Madison said standing up to go with him.

"Please god help her," Georgia said.

"I hope she says the right things," I said.

"Me too," Georgia said before questioning Rachel about what the officer said to her, as I slowly fell asleep.