Chapter Text
1
Maddy headphones couldn’t even block out her parents fighting downstairs. She tries to bury the outdated buds as far as possible, turning the sound up to max.
It didn’t work.
Maddy rolls her eyes as she hears the screams. Her father had taken full advantage of her not walking across the stage and losing her full-time scholarship as an excuse to not have to answer his comings and goings all through the night. Maddy pulls black sweatpants up her legs and a black hoodie. She opens the door and sneaks down the stairs the words becoming louder and intense.
“—I told you that boy and those friends were no good, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“Don’t you dare put this on me. If you weren’t out late with gods know who and here helping me raise our daughter things would have been different. I can’t do it all. I’m keeping the lights on as it is.” Her mother snaps back and Maddy gives her credit for finally sticking up for herself.
“You’re the mother.” Her father lamely throws back in her face. “You’re supposed to keep up with these things.”
“How!” Her mom snaps. “How. I work the nightshift and mornings at the salon to cover for your inconsistent job.”
The kitchen becomes quiet and then Maddy can hear the fridge opening and slamming. She peaks around the corner to see her father grabbing two cans of beer. She rolls her eyes annoyed and hurries out the front door.
No one noticed her.
It’s been a full year since her parents were notified that she wasn’t allowed to walk across stage. She didn’t care. But, that day the world ended apparently. And not because her best-friend was sleeping with her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend, she thinks. But, because she lost her scholarship because of the stupid fight at the stupid play—it didn’t matter that she was top of her class.
So, here she was stuck.
And…Maddy had a plan of course. She always has a plan. She was saving up to get out. And even though it sucked the life out of her being stuck here. She knew her savings and patience would reward her in the end.
It’s late when Maddy pulls up at the 24-hr 7/11. She hurries inside to grab some snacks before retiring to her car to doom scroll for a few hours until she’s sure her mom is gone for work and her dad is passed out on the couch. She’s done this a couple of times—no one bothers her and its enough light to be safe. The bell rings above and she moves up and down the aisles to find something. She settles on a bag of chips and a drink before heading to the counter.
Rue is the last person she expects to cash her out. But, before she can say anything Rue is looking bored before her eyes widen at noticing her—which, Maddy gets. She’s currently wearing an oversized black hoodie and black sweatpants.
“Maddy?” Rue eyes go from shock to a smile. “What’s up.”
It takes a moment for Maddy to reply. She hasn’t seen anyone from high school for months. Not that she’s looking for them—basically avoiding—and it was easy because most of everyone left for college.
“Um Rue.” She clears her throat. “Hey. I didn’t know you worked here.”
Rue arches her eyebrow at the greeting, mostly accustomed to the smaller girl wrapping her arms around her neck, stretching, getting on her tippy toes like she’s reaching for the sky. But, Rue doesn’t take it any type of way. She leans on the counter happy to have someone familiar to speak to, “I got hired last week.”
“Oh.” Is all Maddy says.
Noticing that Maddy really didn’t want to talk. Rue scans the items. Flaming Hot Cheetos Lime and a frosty Gatorade and gives the total. Maddy hurries and taps her card before disappearing out of the store.
This was her hideaway spot and now she must find another place to chill away from home. She cranks up her car and shoots down the street to the nearby grocery store and settles in her seat.
However, she’s not there too long when the parking lot goes dark.
“Weird.” Is all Rue thinks watching Maddy drive off before her thoughts are pulled someone else. It’s her phone vibrating. She rolls her eyes. A new post from Jules. She ignores it—for now.
When she gets home it’s late. Gia had already graduated a few weeks ago and didn’t waste any time throwing her things into the car and heading far far away. Which Rue understood. So, now it was just her and her mom.
“How was work baby?”
“Work.”
She can hear her mom sighing.
Rue is trying. She really is but she really didn’t know what to do with herself. She is almost a year sober but, she still can feel the itch sometimes of saying fuck it and going to get high. So, a year really didn’t feel any different from six months ago.
One thing Rue learned was keeping busy was a good way to not think about getting high. She had three jobs she rotated out of the week. Flipping burgers at a local burger joint, washing cars on the weekends at a car wash, and now—the 7/11 night shift. Also, the money wasn’t too bad either. It gave her something to obsess over which was buying shoes.
All kinds.
New releases, classics, and collectables.
They line up and down her closet.
Rue falls into bed and scrolls on her phone. She instantly clicks on Jules ghost account that she thinks no one knows it’s her but it’s obviously her. It’s supposed to be some online journal about how she’s feeling.
Rue loved it and hated it because most of the posts were about her.
She reads the latest post.
Your voice keeps me here—your touch keeps me grounded.
There’s a painting attached to it and Rue can’t really make out the multiple colors blended into one but, Rue can tell that art school is doing Jule’s justice because she can see her getting better.
Rue reads the post again.
—your touch keeps me grounded.
This post wasn’t about her. It was about someone else. She squeezes the phone tightly trying not to take it personally. It’s been a year since she’s last seen Jules and basically 5-months since the last time she spoke to her. The text, obviously, being a drunk text. Rue goes back and forth with herself on whether that counts or not. Rue moves to her main page, with her ghost account and scrolls through her page.
So, she’s moved on.
She was in the city as expected and attending art school. Her main page includes mostly her art and pictures with her and friends. But, today—there wasn’t just a post with her and friends. But, a post with her and a guy. A nice-looking guy.
She’s moved on. Rue thinks, throwing the phone across the floor causing a loud thud.
“Rue?” Her mom knocks softly on the door.
“I’m good.” Rue shouts at the door. “It’s nothing.”
She can see the shadow of her mom’s feet behind the door before she finally thinks it over and move on to her own bedroom.
Rue just lays back and stares at the ceiling. “You’re doing good.” She tells herself over and over again. “You’re doing good.”
It’s the end of the week when Rue sees Maddy again—it’s after 11PM and she pushes through the door with a pair of black sweatpants and a black hoodie with the hood over her head and a pair of black shades. She almost missed her. “No hoods.” Rue mutters boredly pointing at the rules on the door that says—
Must have shoes
Must have shirt
No hoodies or shades.
There’s a huff and then the face of Maddy Perez is being revealed.
“Oh.” Rue mutters. “Hey.”
She begins to scan everything—Flaming Hot Cheetos, Starburst, and Lemonade. Maddy gives a short hey and Rue gives the total and say, “I didn’t know it was you—
“That was the point.” Maddy replies.
“Oh.” Rue replies, confused.
Rue begins to bag everything one by one. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Maddy mutters.
Rue watches her disappear and then the car drives off. Maybe around 1-hour later. Maddy black car is returning and parking right out front. The lights and engine cuts and Rue gives it at least 30 minutes before she’s taking a ‘lunch’ and going to investigate. She approaches the car to see Maddy leaned back on her phone while snacking.
Rue knocks on the window softly.
Maddy jumps and then looks up irritated. “What?” She ask, rolling down the windows.
“I was just checking to see if you were good?” Rue is confused. “Do you need a jump?”
“No.”
“Do you—
“Rue I don’t need anything.” Maddy snaps.
And that’s how that started. Maybe once or twice a week. Maddy comes in a hoodie and sweatpants. Shielding herself from the world. She grabs snacks and then disappears to her car for a couple of hours before driving off. She doesn’t say a word to Rue and Rue just respect her wishes. It’s not like she wanted to get on Maddy dark side or anything. It’s not until it’s another two weeks that Maddy says something to Rue.
“Where were you last week?”
“What?” Rue looks up confused. She was so used to this exchange being nothing but the sound of the machine scanning items.
“Last week. Some weirdo was here.”
“Oh.” Rue replies. “I had a situation.”
Maddy stands there like she’s waiting for an explanation.
Rue shifts, “Gia. She’s moved into an apartment and needed help. I wasn’t in town.”
“Oh.” Maddy replies grabbing her bag. “Okay.”
She then turns to leave but Rue stops her, “That’s it?”
“Yeah.”
Rue is not sure. Maybe it’s the pent of frustration of her mom long speech about the future on the way to Gia place, seeing how well Gia is doing and being praised for it, Jules moving on with her amazing life and amazing boyfriend, and Rue—still here, still itching for a high. That gives her the will to ask, “Why you come in here almost every night to just sit in your car?”
Maddy pauses but turn and answer anyway, “To get out of the house when my parents argue about my failures in life.” She leans her hip on the counter and Rue is shocked that she continues talking. “I don’t care that they argue—it’s nothing new but, I rather not be reminded on how I’m basically stuck here.”
“Oh.”
As if she’s being snapped out of a trance. She huffs, “And the grocery store across the street is too dark. You don’t want me here?” She asks with a hint of an attitude. Rue takes in Maddy—actually, sober. She’s small. The sweats and hoodie almost swallowing her. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail and Rue can tell she’s been depressed by how the polish on her fingernails are chipped.
Definitely not the Maddy Rue remembers.
“I like you being here.”
Maddy, surprised by that answer, gives Rue an odd look. Rue has always towered over her, where she would have to get damn near on her tippy toes to hug her. Maddy takes notice of the fact that she looks even taller behind the counter. Post-high school—or maybe it’s her being sober that makes her look different but also still the same. Same eyes but they shine brighter, same voice but it’s not sluggish like she has to think of her next words, same hair but it’s bouncer—Maddy gets lost in her curls and think how they would look even better if she had the right products and clips them ends.
“It’s nice to see someone familiar.” Rue brings her attention back. “The shift is long. No one comes this way after 11PM.”
Maddy opens her chips, “I wouldn’t have cared about you wanting me here or not anyway. I can chill where I want.”
Rue snorts “No loitering.” She points at the sign on the door.
“Shut up. You don’t even id.”
Rue laughs, “I do—sometimes. What’s the point if their old anyway.”
“I don’t know.” Maddy opens her candy. “Something about expired licenses I guess.”
“How you know I don’t id anyway? You watch me through the windows?” She teases.
“Girl you wish.” Maddy is quick. “Isn’t your type sad and blonde.”
Rue doesn’t take the bait. Too invested in this. She smiles instead, “There are stools in the back, so you don’t have to watch me from your car like a creep.”
Maddy rolls her eyes
“No seriously. I’m sure it’s cramped in there.”
“It’s fine.” Maddy replies.
“Then why you’re still standing here talking to me?” Rue counters. “I’m good company.”
“Barely.” Maddy replies but her lips curve in a smile.
Maddy scrolls on her phone and continues to eat her snacks. Rue blurts something random. Not really wanting this moment to end.
“How’s Kat? Heard she’s doing good.”
Maddy suddenly becomes defensive. “Why?”
“Um I don’t know.” Rue notices her mood changing. “I was just asking.”
Maddy roll her eyes, “I don’t talk to her anymore.”
“Why?”
“Is this twenty-one questions or something?”
Rue shrug, “It could be. I’m bored.”
Maddy snatches her things off the counter. “Well. I’m not here to entertain you.” She then storms out of the store moving back to her car and slamming the door shut. However, this time she doesn’t stick around.
She drives off.