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"I'm sorry." She sighed.
"Addy, don't let your insecurities ruin a good thing," I said, treading carefully. "You have to trust me if this is going to work."
"Are you going to homecoming with Maddy?"
I pressed my lips into a thin, tight line. I'd forgotten about homecoming. Of course, it wouldn't matter by then. Scout's week was before homecoming, and once I sent the pictures out, Addy wouldn't have anything to do with me anymore.
"I never officially agreed to go with her," I said. "But we are running together, so I guess it was probably implied that I was going with her." I shoved my hand through my hair, pushing it out of my face. "I'm not going with her," I lied. I didn't want to go with Maddy, but I knew I would end up going with her, and we would win king and queen.
"I trust you," she whispered, and something in my chest clenched at her words.
"Let's get you home," I said as the truck roared to life.
Somewhere between the party and Addy's house, she passed out. "Addy," I said, laying a hand on her hip, cocked up against the truck's center console. Her head, propped up on the window, turned as she half opened her eyes. "We are at your house." I parked in the street so I didn't wake anyone at home. She slowly sat up, and I hopped out of the truck, running around to open the door and help her out, quickly realizing she wasn't going to make it into the house by herself. "Is your bedroom window unlocked?"
"We can go in through the front door," she slurred. "My mom hasn't been home for a week, and I don't expect her back anytime soon."
"Where did she go?" I led her up the driveway.
"Who knows?" she muttered. "She probably found a new boyfriend, and she doesn't want him to know she has a kid, so..." She trailed off, not finishing her sentence. Not that I needed her to. I understood where the story was going. Addy wasn't typically this open about her personal life. I usually had to pull everything out of her. I blamed the alcohol.
Pushing through the front door, I searched in complete darkness for a light switch, feeling around the walls with one hand and my other holding Addy up.
"Where's the light?" I muttered at the same time my hand swept across the switch. I flipped the switch up, and nothing happened. "Shit." Pulling out my phone, I hit the flashlight and used it to light a path to the living room, where I dropped Addy on the couch before searching for a different light. I tried another one. Nothing. I tried another one. Still nothing. "Addy, I think your power is out." I slid the curtains to the side, noticing all the neighbors still had power and it was only Addy's house that didn't.
"It's complicated," Addy slurred.
"What's complicated?" I asked. "Why don't you have power?"
"Because I had to make a choice this month," she said, pushing herself to a sitting position on the couch. "Rent or electric."
"Youhad to make a choice?"
"My mom is a non-functioning alcoholic. She doesn't work," she said. "I work at the diner to pay the bills here, and I didn't make enough to pay both the rent and the electric." She sank back into the couch. "I figured a roof with no electric was better than electric with no roof." I nodded, letting her words sink in.
"Come on," I said. "You're staying at my place tonight. We can figure the rest of this out in the morning."
EIGHTEEN
ADDISON
Days turned into weeks, and I couldn't say I'd ever been happier. The insecurities that kept me hidden for many years slowly started disappearing.
Maddox made me feel special, even beautiful.
I stopped wearing the giant sweatshirt, which was permanently replaced with Maddox's letterman jacket, but I wasn't afraid to take it off anymore, even if it was only in private with Maddox. Baby steps. Maddox made it clear he was attracted to all of me, not just my body or my virginity.
The morning of my first-ever hangover, I made the decision to trust Maddox. I had no reason not to. I decided not to let Maddy and her pack of mean girls ruin this for me like I'd let them do with so many other things. I chose not to hide anymore.
I'd still try my best to avoid them because of how ruthless they could be, but when I couldn't, I'd offer a polite smile, shove in my headphones, and ignore them and their relentless attempts to break us up.
There was no point in arguing with any of them. I had what Maddy wanted, and she would never give that fight up. Not to me, anyway. Her giving Maddox over to the nobody dork was a slap in the face to Maddy, and she took it personally.
"How about I order out for dinner tonight?" Maddox said, looking through his fridge.
Maddox and I had come back to his place to study for his upcoming math test. If he didn't pass it, he wouldn't play next week during Scouts Week; if he couldn't play, he would lose his last opportunity for a scholarship.
"I'm not really hungry," I said, shoving my books in my bag.
