Ten

Madison

“You think she’ll make it?” Alice asked.

“Scott lives only a few blocks away, she’ll get there in time,” Madison said. “From the sound of that call, David must have just told Scott. There’s nothing Scott could have done in the last few hours that Haley can’t fix.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Scott doesn’t seem like an impulsive guy. He wouldn’t just head out and hook up with a random girl for revenge.”

“No, never.” Madison shook her head. “That’s not him.”

“Did you have dinner?”

“Not yet.”

“Want some salad?” Alice offered. “I made extra.”

“Sure.”

Madison watched Alice set the table for two and plate the salad. They sat and started eating together.

“Mmm,” Madison mumbled after the first forkful. “This is delicious, what’s your secret?”

“Balsamic vinegar glaze.”

“Awesome.”

“So…” Alice paused. “Besides having an amazing cook for a roommate… how’s everything else going? We didn’t really get to talk after the… ah… wedding.”

“Yeah, sorry for bailing on you and making you go home with Ethan and Rose, that must’ve been awkward.”

“Your cousin was a bit grumpy, but now I understand why. And his girlfriend… Well, Rose is too damn nice to dislike, even for me. Plus, I found a nice surprise when I got home.” Alice couldn’t help smiling a little. “So I can’t complain.”

“Yeah, your surprise tried to talk to me, but I blew him off.” Madison paused to swallow. “I’m so happy you guys are finally together, you deserve to be happy after waiting for so long.”

“Maddie, it’s only been a few days.” Alice dropped her fork and stared into space. “But it’s like everything I imagined, only ten times better.”

Alice’s smile was so radiant, and Madison tried to match its warmth, but how could she when her chest had transformed into a huge empty box with nothing in it?

Alice must’ve noticed, because she said, “Haley told me David has not been very gracious about your breakup.”

Madison scoffed. “What else could I expect? You warned me about him, everyone did, but I didn’t want to listen. I don’t know, David seemed like a perfect distraction. And the breakup didn’t hurt so much because I didn’t care about him. I honestly wasn’t that into him. He was a pretty face and great sex—don’t tell Haley…”

“No way.” Alice’s eyes widened. “Our roommate is already confused enough.”

“Anyway, it wasn’t because we broke up that it got to me, it was how it happened. When David gets mad, he’s scary and mean… I’ve never had a guy yell at me like that… And now I’m just glad it’s over.”

“And what about Scott?” Madison was about to deny everything as usual, but Alice anticipated her. “And please don’t say you haven’t got feelings for him,” Alice added, “because we both know that’s not true. I get why you don’t want to talk with Haley about it, but I’m here. You can trust me, and you need to open up to someone about it. So, out with it.”

Madison pushed her empty plate away and after flattening her palms on the table, she rested her forehead on the back of her hands. “Am I that obvious?”

“Only to me.” Alice squeezed her arm. “Is it getting any better? It’s been a few months now…”

Madison stood back up, shaking her head. “In a way, it’s getting worse.”

“How?”

“Before, Scott was this cute guy in my class I admired from afar. But since he’s been going out with Haley, I got, you know, to meet him. He started talking to me. When we have a class together, he stops to say hello or sits near me. The other night I bumped into him when he was coming back from a basketball game—”

“Yeah,” Alice said. “Jack was out playing too.”

“Anyway, Scott walked me home.” Alice raised an eyebrow. “Only because he wanted to see if Haley was still up,” Madison justified herself. “And we talked about books and what we like to write. Oh, Alice, knowing Scott makes it so much worse. I want nothing more than for all these stupid feelings to melt away. I don’t want to like him. I don’t want to feel this way about him. But I can’t control it, it won’t just go away. No matter how wrong it is.”

“It’d be wrong only if you tried to steal him from Haley. This way it only sucks. And I know exactly how you feel; I spent the last three years of my life with that same exact feeling…”

“Yeah, but you got the guy in the end. I can’t even hope for that because it’d mean Haley is heartbroken. I just don’t know what to do.”

“Listen, Maddie.” Alice took her hands in hers. “Who knows if Scott and Haley will stay together, or if you’ll ever get to be with him, or even want him anymore? You could meet someone who sweeps you off your feet tomorrow… And our lives are going to be so completely different in a year when we graduate, anyway. You just have to be strong and pull through. And whenever you feel like banging your head against the wall, or when you feel the impulse to do something crazy and stupid like, I don’t know, kiss the groom at someone else’s wedding…” Alice gave her a little squeeze that let her know it was okay, that she understood what had brought Madison to that extremely bad choice. “You come to me instead. Madison, you’ve always been there for me when I was down for Jack. I know I’ve been distant lately, but that’s only because I’m an idiot. I got mad and petty, and I’m sorry…”

Madison’s eyes prickled with tears. This was the first real conversation she’d had with Alice after the Jack fight. Their friendship hadn’t felt the same since then—at least, not until today. And now Alice’s warm smile told her things were finally back to how they were before—minus the weight of untold secrets looming over their heads.

“No, it’s all my fault,” Madison said, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I closed up in a ball of misery and left everyone who cares about me out. But I love you, and I missed our friendship so much.”

Alice, too, was sniffling a little. “I know, I love you too. Together we can get past anything.”

“Thank you,” Madison whispered. “I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

They hugged and shared a good old cry, just like best friends do.

Haley

“Scott, open the door.” Haley pounded her fist on it again. She’d been trying to convince Scott to let her in for five good minutes now. She was hammering the door with one hand and compulsively pushing the doorbell with the other. “Scott, I know you’re in there. Open up. Please, I need to explain to you. It’s not what you think.”

“How is it, then?” his strangled voice came from inside.

Haley stopped the attack on the door. “Please let me in.” She rested both her hands and her forehead on the cold surface, imagining Scott on the other side doing the same.

A few long seconds stretched out before the lock clicked. Gingerly, Haley pushed the door open and stepped into the apartment. Scott was facing away from the entrance, presenting her with the sight of his broad shoulders. Haley closed the door behind her and stepped forward. “Scott…?”

He turned, face red and blotched from crying, eyes bloodshot.

“Oh, Scott.” She made to throw her arms around his neck, but he stepped away.

“Is it true?” he asked in an angry whisper.

“It’s not what you think.”

“Actually, it’s very simple,” Scott said in a glacial tone. Then he shouted, “Did you kiss him or not?”

“I did.” Fresh pain registered on Scott’s face, making Haley’s heart crack. “But I didn’t know who he was, or that he was your brother. I hadn’t even met you yet.”

Confusion now marked Scott’s features. “What are you talking about?”

Haley dared to take another step forward; she grabbed Scott’s wrists and dragged him toward the couch, where they both sat down. He seemed too shocked to protest. “Last summer,” she explained. “I went to this masquerade ball upstate. It was one of those stupid parties where everyone has to wear a period costume and a mask—”

Scott yanked his wrists free. “Why are you telling me—?”

“Please let me finish,” Haley interrupted. “Let me tell you the whole story, and then I can answer all your questions. Okay?”

He nodded.

“That night at the party, I met a guy. He was wearing a huge mask that covered most of his face. I danced with him, we took a walk in the park, and he kissed me.”

“I don’t need to hear about all the guys in your past.”

“You need to hear about this one.”

“Why?”

Haley sighed. “Because it was David.”

The look of confusion on Scott’s face intensified. “I don’t understand.”

“David and I met that night, we kissed, and that was it. Immediately after the kiss, the security staff came running after his friend because they were crashing the party. The guards chased the friend all the way through the garden to where we were standing. They ran away together, and I never saw his face or learned his name. I didn’t recognize David in Hawaii, but I think he recognized me, and that’s why he acted so aggressive from the start.”

“You kissed him a year ago?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t know who he was?”

Haley shook her head.

Scott stood up and started pacing around scratching his head. “So this is all a twisted comedy of errors?”

Haley wasn’t sure what a “comedy of errors” entailed, and the situation couldn’t be any less comic, but she nodded all the same.

Scott’s features relaxed for a moment. Then his jaw tightened again. “How long have you known?”

“Only since Monday night. When I left here after seeing you, I forgot my phone. I came back to get it and David started acting all nasty as usual. We got into a fight, and that’s when he told me.”

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me the past few days?”

“Yes,” Haley admitted.

“Because you like him.”

“No, Scott. I love you.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” He was near yelling again.

“Because I was afraid!” Haley shouted back, standing up from the couch.

Scott seemed taken aback by her sudden scream. “Of what?”

“That you would look at me differently, that you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore…”

Scott shook his head. “He made it sound as if you’d cheated on me.”

“I didn’t.” Haley took a step forward. “I would never do that to you. I’ve just been stupid, I should’ve told you right away… but I was so worried. I thought waiting a couple of days wouldn’t be such a big deal. I should’ve known David was going to be a dick about it. I’m sorry.”

Scott sank back on the couch, dropping his head into his hands.

“Scott?” Haley sat next to him.

He looked up at her. “I wish you’d told me right away.”

There was a haunted look in his green eyes that made Haley shiver. “Why?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“David never lies,” Scott said. “When he said you two had kissed, I… I…”

“You what?”

“I believed him…”

There was something he wasn’t telling her. “And?”

“I took the internship in California.”

Haley breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment she’d imagined Scott going to town to make out with the first girl he saw. But the next second she wondered if Scott moving to the other side of the country was really any better.

“To punish me?” she asked.

“No. Yes. I don’t know. I was blinded by rage and it sort of happened.”

“How could it sort of happen?”

“I was looking at your texts from the past few days, trying to figure out what was happening, and they sent me a follow-up email. Without thinking, I replied that I was going.”

“Because you wanted to get away from me.”

“From you both.” Scott lowered his head. “I thought you were going to leave me for him.”

Haley took his face into her hands and lifted his chin. “Scott, look at me.” He did. “I will never leave you for him. I love you. It will always be you.”

Scott pressed his lips to hers. An urgent, passionate kiss that mirrored all of Haley’s feelings. The way he pulled her close, the intensity of his need, was fueled like hers by the dread of losing each other, by the relief at it not being so, and by the longing already present for the time they would have to spend apart.

Scott lifted her bodily from the couch, and without ever breaking the kiss or saying another word, he brought her to his bedroom. They made love as if it was the first and last time, their bodies speaking to one another the way words never could…