Stolen Angel

Chapter 21: Guilty

That night Frankie had a different nightmare. Only this time it wasn't a nightmare, it was a memory of the last time he saw Maddy before she disappeared:

(Flashback)

"Hey Frankie guess what," said Maddy excitedly as she bounced onto the couch next to him.

Frank was waiting at the Phillips house for Addy to come home like he did practically every day. She always had some afterschool activity to do. Fortunately, he had Maddy to keep him company. "What?"

"You're mom said that I could come over tomorrow and she was going to teach me how to make spaghetti," she informed him.

"Oh really? Sounds like fun," he lied.

"You're lying."

He chuckled. "Ok so cooking isn't really my thing but I'm glad for you if you're excited about it."

"I am. I was actually hoping you could pick me up from school and you could walk me to your house."

"You know how to get to my house," he said.

"Yes but I want you to walk me there. It's not like you have anything better to do, you're just going to be hanging out in my house waiting for my sister to get home only this time you'll be alone," she said rolling her eyes.

"Hey I have a life," he said pretending to be hurt. She wasn't buying it. "Ok, I'll meet you out front as soon as the bell let's out."

She grinned and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you!"

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The next day Frank left school and headed toward Maddy's school when he heard a voice call out from behind him. "Frank!" He turned around to see a guy David jogging toward him. David was cool guy they had talked a few times before they like a lot of the same music but Frank wouldn't really consider him a friend. "Hey man," Dave said once he'd finally caught up to him, "Um, I just wanted to ask you, me and Charlie Bolden were talking about starting a band together and I know you play. We were going to go hang at Charlie's just to talk about it if you want to come see what it's all about."

Frank thought. Being in a band sounded like fun, both is father and his grandfather were in bands they were drummer, Frank had decided to be a rebel and took up guitar. Maddy, she would be ok, it wasn't that far to his house from her school and she knew where it was. She would be mad at him yes but how often to he go hang out with the guys after school (or ever for that matter). "Alright, yeah I'll come check it out," he said letting Dave lead the way.

(End Flashback)

Once again Frank woke up out of his sleep. He couldn't get back to sleep. The secret he'd been trying to hide all these years wouldn't let him. He was the reason Maddy disappeared; the reason she has no memory and got hit by a car; the reason her father became an alcoholic and killed his family. All because he had been selfish and left her to walk home alone. If he hadn't none of this would have happened. That was why it was his job to find Maddy and now it was his job to take care of her. He had to right his wrong or he might never have a peacefully night's sleep again.