𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕝 - 𝕜𝕒𝕚 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕖𝕣

05

The next day at school, Maddie couldn't shake the awkwardness in the pit of her stomach, feeling strange embarrassment whenever her mind pictured Kai running out the window to avoid the kiss. It was just too much, she cringed every time her mind went back, each time her brain making it worse and worse. 

During lunchtime, she sat across the table from Carly at their usual table, picking at her food as she replayed the events of the previous night in her mind over and over again. She was paying no attention to her friend, who stopped talking and was looking at her intensely.

"Madelene I swear to god" the unpleasant tone of the blonde's voice broke through her thoughts.

Maddie looked up, meeting a gaze that could kill.

"Yea?" she replied, trying to sound casual like she didn't just completely ignore her friend for the past fifteen minutes while nibbling on watery mac n cheese.

Carly folded her arms across her chest, clearly frustrated. "Are you even listening to me? I've been talking to you for ages."

Maddie winced at the edge in Carly's voice, feeling guilty for zoning out and ignoring her, "Sorry, Carly. I've just got a lot on my mind lately."

"You always do, but you never want to talk about it. Do you not trust me?"

Maddie's heart sank at Carly's words, guilt washing over her. She knew she hadn't been the most open with Carly, but it wasn't because she didn't trust her, things would be so much harder if she knew about supernatural things. Some things felt too complicated to share.

It was a constant battle in her head. Now that she had Kai, it was easier not to share certain stuff but leaving Carly out felt just rude at a certain point. 

Truth be told Mddie loved that Cary did not know anything about that part of her life. It was so nice to pretend she was just a normal teenage girl. 

They met during freshman orientation, Carly had a mouth full of braces and hair pinned up in two buns that looked like horns and she was smiling and talking to everyone. She approached Madelene during the first three minutes of spotting her sitting alone and going through a brochure with extracurriculars that she had never planned to pick up. Sure she tried out for cheerleading that year, but Bethany Cameron told her she needed to lose a few pounds and try next year, but she never did. 

"It's not that I don't trust you, Carly," Maddie began, her voice softening with sincerity. "It's just... some things are hard to talk about. Especially when I'm still trying to figure them out myself."

Carly's expression softened. "I get that. But you know I'm here for you, right?"

"I know. And I appreciate it more than you know."

Carly offered her a warm, soft smile "So, what's been on your mind lately? You know you can tell me anything."

Maddie took a deep breath, steeling herself to open up to Carly. She knew she couldn't keep everything bottled up inside forever, especially when her friend was offering her a safe space to share.

Maddie's cheeks flushed, a knot forming in her stomach. "There is this guy, we are neighbors... and things got weird between us last night."

Carly raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Weird how?"

She hesitated, unsure of how much to share. "We almost... kissed."

Carly's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth forming an 'o' of shock. "Wow, really? What happened? you never mentioned this guy before...or any guy to be honest, I gotta say I was pretty sure you are a lesbian but not ready to tell me yet" The girl offered her an awkward smile.