Four of Clubs

31

I followed Daniel outside, reaching the screen door just before it slammed behind him. "Daniel!"

He didn't respond to my voice, continuing to walk down my lawn, towards his car. "Dan!" I called again, catching up to him as he turned sharply.

"What?"

"I just- I-" His harsh tone caught me so off guard that I couldn't even think of what to say. I'd never heard him sound so harsh.

He sighed, shaking his head as he looked at me. "I tried to stop this, Maddie."

"Daniel-"

"I knew partaking in this dumb contest would end up like this and I tried so hard to stop it. But I couldn't, and look where we are now."

I shook my head, not understanding. My stomach sunk as my mind began to connect the dots, jumping to a conclusion that I didn't want to believe. "What are you saying?"

"The basketball court," he snapped, confirming my suspicion. Still, the admission made me flinch, a pang of hurt and anger stabbing at my heart. "I tipped off Hanks-- he was supposed to get there before you guys. I was trying to prevent it from ever happening."

My mind reeled, thinking of our other shortcomings. "And the homecoming game?"

He nodded and let out a sigh, now looking more remorseful than angry. "I didn't plan to, but after you told me about what happened with Ian... I was so mad, Maddie. I just wanted this whole thing to be over. I told security I saw a guy going into the girls' bathroom."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "How could you do that to me? To the group?"

"Believe me, if I'd have known you'd take Roy's place, I wouldn't have done it."

"But it would've been fine if it ended our chances at winning?" I questioned. "If you didn't want to be in this thing, you could've just left-- you didn't need to try to sabotage the rest of us."

"I was looking out for you," he defended himself, keys jingling in his hand as he pointed at me. "You've lost focus on everything that matters, Maddie. Your grades have been slipping, we haven't hung out just the two of us in months, and if what you did with Ian is any indication, this competition has turned you into a completely different person."

"Do you know how much I've been hating myself for doing that to you?" I asked him, searching for recognition in his eyes. "The guilt has been tearing me apart, I can barely stand to be around you or Ian because all I can think about is what I almost did. But you don't even seem sorry for what you did do to me." I blinked back tears, my heart pounding in my chest. I felt nauseous, sick with disbelief.

"What I did, I did because I was trying to help you. What you did..." He shook his head. "You can't even compare it, Maddie."

"I don't think we should be together anymore," I managed to say, watching as his face contorted into confusion, sadness, and quickly back to anger.