Shattered Hearts

Chapter 5

Liam
4 Years Ago
My parents were actually home for once.
They claimed it was because school was starting tomorrow, but they definitely had an ulterior motive.
Madelyn's dad was home, and they had invited them over for dinner, which they only did on holidays. They usually let them be alone on the rare occasion he was home, because he was always traveling for them.
But tonight was different, tonight they were here too.
We all sat around my parents' giant dining room table. Charlotte sat across from me, sipping her wine more than she was eating her food. She kept eyeing me over the rim of her glass, like she knew what was happening, and she was trying to gauge how I'd react.
But she always acted like she knew what was going on, even when she didn't.
Madelyn sat to my right, and Charlie sat across from her. She was talking to him about something, a book they were reading for English I think. I wasn't really paying attention, because Charlotte was unnerving me.
Then I felt something brush my leg.
When I looked down, Madelyn's hand was retracting from where she's dropped a piece of paper on my lap.
She hadn't even broken conversation with my brother.
I opened the note under the table.
Charlotte and I are gona go swimming at Crystal Lake after dinner, you in?
I laughed softly.
This had become sort of a yearly tradition for them.
Crystal Lake was a half a mile walk from our house, and we'd spent countless summer days there, and Charlotte and Madelyn always went for a midnight swim the night before school.
She turned to me and I nodded.
As she smiled at me, my mother hit her fork against her glass.
"Excuse me everyone!" Her sickly sweet voice overtaking all the conversation that was happening.
Once the room was quiet, she began to speak.
"So. There's a reason Madelyn and Dean are here with us tonight." She smiled at Madelyn's dad, and he nodded at her.
"We've been discussing this for a long time..."
She trailed off and we stared at her expectantly.
"What? The suspense is killing me." Charlotte butted in sarcastically.
My mom shot her an angry look before continuing, "That we think this year is the perfect time for Madelyn and Charlie to... make their first appearance at an official couple. A coming out of sorts."
My mom clapped her hands together like this was the best idea she'd ever had.
Madelyn choked on her wine next to me.
I accidentally crumpled the note in my hands as I bawled them into fists.
"What is that suppose to mean?" Madelyn asked through coughs as she tried to get the wine out of her windpipe.
"You kids would make appearances at some of the yearly galas and events to show the world that Charlie has decided to court you."
Charlotte snorted and had to cover her mouth to stop laughing.
Madelyn looked like someone had shot her dad.
Charlie looked surprised, so this wasn't his idea, but he didn't look unhappy at all.
The motherfucker didn't even notice Madelyn looked like she was about to die.
"Do I get any say in this?" Madelyn asked, her voice small.
Her dad reached over and squeezed her hands, "This is a great opportunity sweetie. Plus you and Charlie have been friends since you were children, whose to say it can't become more?"
I wanted to say something. Anything. Madelyn looked like she was about to burst into tears, and all I wanted to do was help. But if I spoke I was afraid I'd throw up all over the table.
This whole thing was making me sick.
Now I guess she really was my brother's.
And there was nothing I could do.
•••
Liam
Present Day
Charlie and I had started running together every morning while we were both home for winter break.
His semester started in a few days, but he hadn't gone back to the city yet.
I swear he decided to stick around a little longer after I told him Madelyn was coming.
As we entered the gates to the estate, I immediately noticed the car sitting in the driveway.
It was Charlotte's black Range Rover.
Madelyn was here.
I almost broke out into a sprint, then I remembered Charlie was there.
He let out a small laugh, "Hey, look whose here."
He said, nudging me and pointing to our sisters car.
She hadn't been home since the Fourth of July.
We heard the screaming as we approached the house.
Charlie shot me a look and laughed.
"Sounds like old times."
I pushed the door open, and as we entered, we found the source of the screaming.
Charlotte was running down the stairs with something waving over her head.
Madelyn was running after her, practically leaping down the steps, screaming, "Give that back you bitch!"
They made it all the way down the stairs and once they got the foyer they both stopped in their tracks.
Charlotte hid whatever she was holding behind her back, and both of them stared at us like kids who'd been caught stealing candy from the pantry.
Charlie let out a small laugh, "Hello ladies."
Charlotte snorted and tried to swallow her laughter.
Madelyn inched towards her friend and obviously tried to grab whatever she was hiding.
"No." Charlotte muttered, yanking it away from her friend.
"Just give it to me." She muttered.
"No."
The girls slowly devolved back into their argument, pulling at the thing until Charlie and I had to go in and pull them apart.
I pulled Charlotte away as Charlie wrapped his arms around Madelyn, pulling her away too.
I looked down to see what was in Charlotte's hand.
It was a red notebook.
I laughed softly as I put Charlotte down.
"What is that."
I asked, nodding towards the book.
Madelyn leaped across the room and grabbed the book from Charlotte, hugging it into her chest.
"It's nothing."
"Doesn't look like nothing."
Charlie laughed, looking to the book then back to Madelyn.
"It's nothing." She repeated, more forcefully shooting, Charlotte a look like she was going to flay her alive when they were alone.
Charlie let out another small laugh, "Okay. I'm gona go shower before dinner, so I'm not in the crossfire of whatever Maddie is about to do to Charlotte."
He backed away and headed up the stairs, leaving the three of us in the foyer.
Charlotte saluted us and backed towards the stairs as well, "You two have a lot to talk about. So I guess I'll leave you to it."
When I looked over at Madelyn, she could've just stepped out of a time machine.
She looked so different on the surface, but she was still the same Maddie from four years ago.
Independent. Fiery. Looks like she wants to murder me.
Same old Maddie.
"So, that book.." I nodded towards the journal she was still holding close to her chest, "That's your diary from high school, isn't it?"
Her eyes widened a bit, and she took a deep breath. "What, did you read it or something?"
I chuckled softly and shook my head, "The night before your junior year. Crystal Lake. You had it with you."
She softened a bit, and let out a small sigh, "That was a good night."
I nodded, "Yeah. It was."
When our eyes met, I saw something that I hadn't seen since before I'd left for college.
A small spark. Just enough for me to see. Enough to ignite the torch I'd held for her all those years again.
Fuck.
This was going to end badly, wasn't it?