We were just finishing up breakfast when Maddie stood up to leave. The morning had been relatively calm, despite the earlier teasing from Beth and Tooney. I felt a sense of relief that things were starting to feel somewhat normal again.
Just as Maddie was about to walk out of the breakfast area, the door swung open violently, and Emily stormed in. Her face was a mix of anger and hurt, her eyes locked onto Maddie with a fierce intensity.
"What are you doing here?" Maddie asked, her voice laced with confusion and a hint of dread.
Emily didn't answer. Instead, she marched straight up to Maddie and shoved her hard, causing Maddie to stumble back a step. The room fell silent, all eyes turning toward the unfolding confrontation.
"Emily, what the hell?" Maddie exclaimed, her anger rising. "What are you doing?"
Emily's face contorted with rage. "I thought it was just a one-time thing with Leah. But now I find out it's more than that? You lied to me!"
Maddie took a step forward, her fists clenched at her sides. "Emily, you need to calm down."
"Calm down?" Emily scoffed, her voice dripping with venom. "You're nothing but a liar and a cheat. How could you do this to me?"
The harsh words cut through the air, and I could see Maddie's fists tightening even more. Emily noticed too and stepped closer, pushing Maddie again. "Go on, then. Hit me. Show everyone what a violent bitch you really are."
Maddie's eyes flashed with fury, but she managed to hold herself back. "Emily, stop this. You're making a scene."
"Oh, am I?" Emily pushed her again, harder this time. "You deserve this. You deserve everything coming to you."
Maddie's face was a mask of barely controlled rage. "Emily, I'm warning you. Stop."
But Emily didn't stop. She pushed Maddie one last time, harder than before. Maddie stumbled, but she didn't retaliate. Instead, she shouted, her voice echoing through the room, "Enough!"
The room fell into a stunned silence. Everyone watched, holding their breath. Maddie straightened up, her voice trembling but firm. "I'm not going to hit you for gods sake, Emily."
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the breakfast area, leaving a trail of shocked silence in her wake. I quickly followed, my heart pounding with a mix of anger and concern.
Just as I reached the doorway, Emily turned her fury on me. "And you, Leah! How could you do this? I trusted you!"
"Emily, it wasn't planned—" I started, but she cut me off.
"Don't give me that crap! You both betrayed me," she spat, her eyes blazing with anger.
"I'm sorry, Emily. We didn't mean for it to happen this way," I tried to explain, feeling the weight of her accusation. The room was still silent, everyone watching the scene unfold.
"Sorry? You're sorry?" Emily's voice was shrill with disbelief. "You think that's enough? You think that makes it okay?"
She took a step closer, her face inches from mine. "You disgust me," she hissed. "Both of you. You deserve each other."
With that, she stormed out of the breakfast area, leaving a tense, charged silence in her wake. I stood there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened, before I hurried after Maddie.
Tooney's pov:
The breakfast area was buzzing with the usual morning chatter until Emily stormed in and everything went sideways. I watched the whole scene unfold with a mix of disbelief and concern. Emily shoving Maddie, the heated words exchanged, and then Maddie storming out with Leah quickly following. It was like watching a slow-motion car crash.
