Trying to Fix You

Chapter 18 {New Perspectives}

Madyson woke up in her bed without any knowledge of what was real and what was a dream. She felt as if something amazing had happened. She felt good and she felt at peace, for the first time in months, she felt like her heart wasn't hanging by a thread. Walking up those steps to school didn't seem near as frightening as all the days before. She felt anxious to see her friends standing behind those doors and fix the hearts that were broken. They all needed each other and she was finally starting to understand that. She was starting to see a lot of things more clearly but the minute she stepped through the double doors of Northride High, she realized the problem she had been running from and the feelings she had been hiding weren't going to disappear. They were only getting stronger with each passing day.

~~~

Jeremy's standing at his locker taking books out when he turns just in time to feel two small arms wrap around his neck. His eyes widen for a moment before he realizes who it is. He smiles and wraps his arms around her waist as she whispers in his ear. "Thank you."

His face turns to confusion as he continues hugging her. "For what?"

She smiles and pulls away slowly. "For not giving up on my heart."

He smiles big and shakes his head, still slightly confused. "What happened? Why the sudden change?"

Madyson looks up at him with an honest expression. "Someone very special put things in a whole new perspective for me."

Jeremy smiles sadly and glances down at the ground. He came to the conclusion that this 'special person' was Noah. He knew Noah had called her last night and it didn't seem strange to assume that he had been the one to fix her. He had to remind himself that he didn't care who it was, he was just happy to see her smile and open her heart. "I'm glad."

Noah's standing at the other end of the hall, watching everything as that strange feeling rises in his stomach again. He shouldn't be feeling this anger towards Jeremy, his head told him that it was pointless because Joe was his best friend and he wouldn't dare cross that line with Madyson but his heart was the part of him that wasn't so calm and rational. Before his heart could win the fight against his head, he turns and begins walking in the opposite direction.

Dena is standing with Shayla at her locker when she notices Noah's eyes locked on the two people standing at the other end of the hall. She gives him a sympathetic expression before turning to Shayla. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Shayla nods with a small smile, completely oblivious to the sudden change of events that had just occurred. "Okay."

Dena gives her one last smile before rushing off in the direction Noah had gone. She felt a kind of obligation to help him, she needed to help him because he had helped her. He was the one who didn't judge her when she told him about Lucas. She wasn't sure she ever told him but she hoped he knew how much that meant to her.

Dena runs up behind him as he continues walking down the hall. "Noah!"

Startled, he turns around to see who's behind him. 

Dena smiles at him. "Hey."

He tries to force a small smile. "Hey."

"So...uh, how are you?"

Noah gives her a suspicious look. "...I'm okay...how are you?"

"Good." She stands there in awkward silence for a moment, smiling back at him like an idiot. She wasn't known as the comforter, she didn't have a clue what to say when someone was hurting; that was Jeremy or Shayla's job. So instead, she just stands in front of the person making them feel completely uncomfortable.

Noah raises his eyebrow at her in confusion as they stand there in silence. "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh...uh, no. Just wanted to see how you were doing." She nods with that same goofy grin. 

Noah can't help but show a small smile and points behind him in the direction he was walking before Dena had stopped him. "Well, I should probably get to class."

"Oh, right...yeah. Well, I guess I'll see you later?" She talks with a little too much enthusiasm and her smile seems to take over her whole face.

He can't help but chuckle at her awkward presence and nods once with a smile. "Yeah, I'll see you later." He gives her a quick wave before turning and continuing his walk to class

~~~

"Did you just get here?" Jeremy asks while standing at the other end of the school talking with Madyson.

"Yeah, I over slept a bit."

He scrunches his eyebrows and looks at his watch in confusion. "You slept until 1:00?" He had never known Madyson to be a late sleeper, most teenagers were but definitely not Madyson.

She shrugs with a smile but her smile is soon replaced with a strange expression and she puts her hand to her stomach.

He looks at her in concern when he sees her pained expression. "Are you okay?"

She shakes with a distressed look before her eyes widen suddenly and she quickly lifts her hand to her mouth. She turns around and drops her bag on the ground before running into the restroom behind her.

Jeremy's eyes widen in worry as he begins to follow after her but stops in front of the girls bathroom.

~~~

Madyson walks out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a drained look on her face while holding her stomach.

Jeremy's sitting beside the girls bathroom but stands quickly when he sees her walk out. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She nods her head, knowing exactly what the cause of her sudden sickness was; her body was responding to her overdose of pills last night by trying to purge them from her body. She hated this feeling of nausea but she knew it was by grace that she even woke up this morning, but she couldn't tell Jeremy that. He didn't even know she was taking prescription pills and it was just another thing she was ashamed of. She didn't want anyone to know she needed pills to stay alive. They were for depression and without them, she would probably already be dead by her own hand. 

"Yeah, it was probably just that questionable left over pizza I had last night." She smirks, trying to drop the subject. She walks over and grabs her bag before slinging it over her shoulder.

Jeremy nods, pretending to go along with what she's saying but knowing there was something she wasn't telling him.