Beauty & the Geek

Chapter 15

From the moment Maddy woke up on prom day, she knew it was going to be one of the most emotionally challenging days of the school year. Even the taste of breakfast was different, as if everything had been divided into two distinct periods: BD and AD (before disagreement and after disagreement.)

Maddy watched her tall, slender grandmother crack eggs to make the delicious breakfast quiche. She thought her spat with Steve was a lot like those eggs because she had stayed up half the night trying to break it down into minor and major offenses, maybes, and what-ifs. And no matter what side the argument fell on, their relationship had a significant crack. There was no need to keep rehashing everything and picking at the damage. It was done. How it happened didn't matter anymore.

As the quiche baked, Sadie turned to Maddy, her hands freshly washed. Her gaze held a mix of concern and determination as she said, "I want you to take Steve a plate of the quiche." Maddy's heart raced, torn between the longing to heal their relationship and the fear of the aftermath of their disagreement.

Maddy's head shot up, groaning, "Gran!"

But Sadie wouldn't back down. "No. You'll give it to him and tell Steve it's from me. Now, I realize you didn't make class valedictorian like you wanted, and that stings, but I also know you've been holding onto that hurt like one holds onto a bunch of old junk they no longer need." Her words were filled with a wisdom that only age and experience could bring, and Maddy couldn't help but feel a pang of reality in them.

Maddy so terribly wanted to disagree with her grandmother but couldn't because she knew it was true. Instead, she sat there, her heart heavy with the weight of her own pettiness. Sadie's words had struck a chord, and Maddy was beginning to see the situation from a different perspective. "I wonder, Madison, if, at any time after the state championship loss, you thought to ask yourself how Steve was handling it."

Maddy sat frozen in her chair, her mind reeling from the emotional onslaught. She thought holding him as he cried was enough but had never truly questioned it or pressed him about it. Now, feelings of helplessness and inadequacy washed over her. Her tears mingled with the taste of ash spilling out of her eyes, "Geez, Gran, it feels like you're twisting the knife deeper into my heart with every word."

Giving her granddaughter a stern look that radiated resolve, Sadie asserted, "Alright, let me twist it even further. Have you ever thought about Steve's post-graduation aspirations? Did you know he and I talk a lot, my darling."

Maddy was completely unaware of that. As she heard the surprising news, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in response. "Steve would often visit while you were at the hospital with your father," her grandmother confirmed. "I would sit and listen as he talked. It's important for him to have an adult who listens, especially with his parents being the way they are. We talk about many things, and your name comes up often, but only in the best way. I have found out that Steve carries a lot of expectations on his shoulders and inadequacy for not meeting them."

The blonde understood the situation, yet she made the deliberate decision not to engage in a conversation with Steve about it. In her perspective, staying silent seemed like the wiser choice, as she was averse to causing unnecessary tension due to her strong aversion to conflict. Maddy conveyed her standpoint to her grandmother, who reprimanded her for it.

Sadie joined her granddaughter and gently placed her hand on top of hers. "Madison, that isn't love. That's burying your head in the sand. When you love someone, you go through the messy things with them whether you want to or not. Life and love aren't about hiding away from the storms; it's about surviving them, and when you love someone, you care enough to ride it out together."