Madeline instantly regretted saying yes to a horror-thon. Half-way through the Grudge, Madeline found herself held down to the bed by her crying twin. Oh well, Maddie thought to herself, Alfie never was one to handle scary stuff well. At least he’s not screaming to turn it off this time. Madeline giggled to herself halfheartedly. Alfred offered the marathon as a way to take Madeline’s mind off of the whole engagement situation, and while it did to a degree, she just couldn’t completely stop her mind from wandering. It felt like her heart was breaking just at the thought. Madeline became more quiet than usual, she was lost in thought. Alfred peeked up at his sister, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was causing her to go rigid. His sister sat motionless, her eyes half-hidden behind her bangs. Alfred reached up and brushed her cheek, snapping her out of her thoughts. Madeline’s eyes were watery, tears threatening to overflow at any moment. “Maddie –”
Alfred was suddenly interrupted by his phone going off. The loud pings took them both by surprise, making the already skittish Alfred nearly jump out of his skin. He answered, his eyes almost immediately going wide. He walked into the bathroom, leaving Madeline on the bed. It must be important, Madeline thought. I’m just being a burden. I’ll leave him a note, and let myself out. She grabbed the small notepad that was on the nightstand, and scribbled down a brief goodbye. She grabbed her sweater and scarf from off the floor and went back to her own room.
She flopped onto her bed and lay there for a few minutes, until her phone pinged to life. Seven missed calls and 13 text messages, all from Julchen. Madeline figured it would be best to just ignore her overly-concerned friend. She flipped her phone over and buried her face into the quilt. She had started to fall asleep when her door burst open. Alfred stormed in, with Julchen following after him. “Do you have any idea how much you scared me?!” he screamed.
Madeline didn’t bother moving; she brought her hands up to her head, clenching the blanket. She was still on the verge of tears and she knew if she tried fighting with her brother, there was no chance of her being able to stand her ground firmly. In all honesty, Madeline just didn’t want to see anybody. Julchen touched Alfred’s shoulder, getting him to shut up. She whispered something inaudible to Madeline’s ears, and Alfred turned to leave. Before he shut the door he threw something, hitting Madeline in the head, “You left that in my room!”
He slammed the door behind him. Madeline slowly lifted her head off of the blanket, seeing Kumarie lying on her side in front of her. Maddie let out a deep sigh, All I ever do is mess things up. I never should’ve come here – there was weight put on the edge of the bed that surprised Maddie, pulling her from her thoughts. “It’s unawesome to keep stuff inside, even I know zhat,” Maddie peaked out of the blanket at her now surprisingly serious friend, unsure if she could tell even her closest friend - let alone voice - the thing which weighed down her heart the most.
Julchen smiled to herself as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her precious Birdie’s ear. Julchen already knew what was on Maddie’s mind, and she knew that with a little coaxing, Maddie would say what they both knew to be true. Julchen’s heart felt like it was being crushed; the last thing she wanted was to hear those cruel words, as soon as she heard them they would become her bitter reality. Julchen swallowed her jealousy and inner turmoil, knowing full well that the reason she was there was for her precious Birdie. She knew the pain of being alone and had lost enough friends speaking her mind, she didn’t want to lose the most important person to her. “If I told you something - something I hadn’t told anyone before today - and it wasn’t necessarily something to be proud of, um, would you...hate...me?” Maddie whispered, tears still fogging up her glasses.
Gott*, she’s so goldig** when she cries! “Of course not, Birdie. Vhat is it?” Julchen asked, trying to contain her inner fangasm.
“Well, eh… When I first came here to France for vacation, I met up with Francis. And I’ve, sort of, had a...little -” she took in a quick breath “- crushonhimsincethen!” Maddie breathed hard, embarrassed. Her face was flushed, she hadn’t intended to say that last part so loud but it had come out almost as a shout, taking both girls by surprise. Julchen was taken aback. Of course, Maddie like Francis. What wasn’t to like about him? Julchen had been best friends with him for years, she’d seen countless of girls fall all over him. So of course she realized he had amazing qualities. But she just couldn’t comprehend how someone as sweet and innocent as Maddie - her precious Birdie - could fall in love with someone like that French pig, Francis. Julchen smiled, saying with sarcasm laced in her voice, “Vhat? Zhat’s all? A harmless crush? I guess I must’ve been blinded by meine awesomeness, und couldn’t see jou’re silly little -”
“It’s not silly!” the petite blonde yelled. Julchen’s eyes grew wide as she realized what she had begun to say. Julchen mentally scolded herself, and looked past her own heartbreak, peering into Maddie's eyes ready to help mend her friend’s. Maddie began crying, sobbing uncontrollably, all over again. She hunched over, clutching Kumarie this time, violently shaking. Julchen was genuinely concerned, petting Maddie’s head and shoulders, “Es tut mir leid*, little Birdie. Jou know I didn’t mean it. I just - Francis isn’t a good guy, alright? He has been vizh several ozher girls, and he’s broken all of zheir hearts. I just don’t vant him to do zhat to you. Du bist wertvoll für mich*, little Birdie.”
“What - does - that mean?” Maddie got out in between sobs.
Julchen let out a puff of air, “It means this.”
Julchen lifted up Maddie’s chin, pulling her in for a kiss. Maddie’s eyes went wide and she tried pulling away, only to find Julchen’s arm wrapped around her waist. The kiss was very faint, timid almost. After a moment, Julchen pulled back. “Ich liebe dich*, Maddie. But, um, if jou don’t -ahem- feel zhe, uh, same...I understand.”
Julchen got up to leave, but was stopped by something caught on the hem of her neon pink shirt. “I-I’m sorry I don’t know what to say, but please don’t leave me alone…” Madeline spoke just barely above a whisper. Julchen suddenly felt disgusted with herself; she needed to get out of there, not because of anything Maddie had done, but rather it was because of what she had just done. Julchen quickly brushed away Maddie’s hand, fully knowing the amount of hurt it would inflict. Without looking back, Julchen left.
Maddie was speechless. She was left sitting on the bed, confused, in a daze, and distraught. She had so many questions, and her only way of getting answers had just brushed her away. She wanted to curl up and die. Nothing was going her way today, it seemed. An image flashed through her brain; her parents before they had passed away. Before the accident she had been so outspoken. Before she could say whatever she wanted to anyone; she was so carefree! Now…not so much. “I’ll give up on Francis,” she said to her stuffed polar bear. “It’s the only thing I can do, Kumarie. I can’t stop the wedding; that’s not something I’d do.”
She looked up, towards the door. “But I can’t lose my friend!” Maddie bolted off the bed, out the door. She didn’t bother putting on her shoes, her scarf or even her sweater. It didn’t matter that it was already March. She tapped her foot impatiently as she awaited the elevator’s arrival. “Come on, come on, come on…!” she whispered under her breath. I hope I’m not too late! When the doors opened she quickly slid in, hitting the first floor button. She smiled weakly at the little girl who was holding her own mother’s hand tightly. The mother nodded to Madeline, but she had turned her attention back to the floor indicator. Madeline wasn’t trying to be rude, but she had never been good at social interactions. Plus, with her current appearance and agitated behavior taken into account, Madeline wasn’t quite sure what the mother would have wanted to talk about. The doors dinged, and the indicator shown Floor 1, and Madeline bolted. She frantically looked around the lobby, quietly hoping that she hadn’t missed her friend leaving. She peered around a plant, towards the exit, and saw Alfred…talking to Julchen! Madeline was so relieved; she had made it in time! “Alfr-” she started to call out her twin brother’s name but stopped short. “- about Antonio?”
They’re talking about something, Madeline realized. Trying not to interrupt, she walked up as quietly as she could - which was very, very quietly. “I don’t know,” she heard Alfred sigh. He took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “All I know is Francis wants me to be his best man now.”
“Wait, what?!” Maddie squeaked, involuntarily.
*God
**Cute; sweet; angelic
***I’m sorry
****You’re precious to me
*****I love you
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FanfictionFrancis is getting married to Alice. Madeline has had a crush on Francis for quite some time now and is devastated when she hears the news over Francis and Alice. She talks to her brother about it, only to learn that Alfred’s had a thing for Alice b...
