Jace

{34}

"Has anyone seen Madison?" Harry asked, bouncing his microphone after sound check.

"No," I shook my head, following the examples of the other boys.

"Guys? Are you back here?" The sweet sounding voice that hid the demons inside her echoed in the halls.

"Back here Maddi," Niall called. "We were just talking about you."

"All good things I hope," she smiled, rounding the corner and coming into view.

Zayn furrowed his brows, confused as another person followed her into our green room. "Just wondering where you were, uh Madison....who's that?"

"Everyone, this my boyfriend, Toby!" Madison smiled up at him and clung to his side. From the minute I saw him I knew I didn't like Toby. He wore a leather jacket and his hair was over gelled. He smacked his gum loudly and only acknowledged us with a nod of his head. He was bad news. And I didn't want him near my dancers.

There was an apprehensive stutter around us all as we attempted to put away our shocked looks and pull a happy phrase out of thin air. "O-oh," my eyebrows rose but my face still scrunched involuntarily.

"Are you stupid?" Louis said flat out. "No."

Madison's eyes widened when Louis said what we were all thinking, and she apologized to Toby. "Louis," she spat. "That isn't your decision. I love him and it's my life-"

"Love him?" Harry laughed harshly. "Didn't you just meet today?"

"It was love at first sight." She defended.

Louis frowned again. "Madison fucking Desii I know it's hard with Jace gone but you can't just go around making decisions like this."

"Who's Jace?" Toby's hand gripped her wrist tighter than previously before and Maddi winced. "Your last boyfriend."

"No- Toby," she whispered, "you're hurting me."

"My girlfriend," I stepped up, making it clear I was aware of how harsh he was treating her. Technically Jace had never become my girlfriend...but I needed to make a point and somehow 'the girl I was madly in love with but who didn't want anything to do with me' just didn't come across the way I wanted it to.

Toby locked eyes with me and smirked before releasing Madison. She was obviously still a bit jittery, but somehow didn't seem quite as worried about it as we all were. "Toby," she stated, taking an authoritative breath and flipping her hair off her shoulder, "is going to watch the show and then I'm going to spend the night at his place."

"I'll be damned if you do young lady!" Louis had gotten overly protective of her and crossed his arms, upset.

"You don't get to make those decisions." She stepped forward and stabbed her index finger at him, challenging him to do something about it.

"I swear to God I will send Albert and Preston out to bring you back if you leave!"

Madison narrowed her eyes. "Try and find me," she sneered before walking out of the room and dragging Toby with her.

"Over my dead body will she go with him-" Louis started toward the door but I pulled him back.

"Lou don't go starting shit. She'll figure out he's no good sooner or later."

*

It'd been a week. A week since she left. A week since I'd started my battle with sanity. A week since we'd had only two dancers. We'd had a show every night so far an it was taking a toll on the two. They'd been staying up practically all night every night trying to rearrange the dances so it flowed with only them two. And because of the lack of sleep combined with the increased amount of dancing, they were dead on their feet.