Just Friends || h.s.

12

**Song: It's You by Ali Gatie

• • •
Madison

The minute the front door swung open, I was engulfed in a tight hug by bulky arms.

"Hey, kiddo! I've missed you."

"I missed you too, dad." I chuckled, hugging him back before pulling away so I could come in and shut the door. It wasn't exactly sunny and warm outside and it won't be for a while. I slip my boots off and leave them by the door before walking deeper into the house.

"Maddie!" My future step-mom squealed as she stood up from the couch and sprinted over to me, excitement clear on her face.

"Faith!" I exclaimed in the same tone, accepting her comforting hug. I love Faith to death because she is everything my mom wasn't. She is sweet, she's extremely nice, she has a sense of humor, and she acts more like a mom to me than my actual mother does, and I've only known her for two years.

"Where are the girls?" I asked her, noticing the house was quieter than it should be.

"Taylor is giving City a bath upstairs. You should go surprise them." My dad popped in.

"Okay. I'll come to the basement after." I tell him, walking up the stairs. I go into the first bathroom where I heard water running and I saw Taylor's brunette head and her back facing me.

I bring my hands to her ears and slam them together to create a loud clap. She shrieked and squeezed the shampoo bottle in her hands, making bubbles fly out.

She stands up and her eyes widen when she sees me. "Holy crap, Madison." She wraps her arms around my waist, and I notice how tall she has gotten.

"Hey, Taylor." I snickered at her reaction. I know I'm short but now I'm almost the same height as a seventeen year old. I guess that's what I get for drinking almond milk instead of regular milk. Taylor goes back to her two year old sister and wraps a towel around her before pulling her out to dry her off.

"Are you helping your dad paint?" She asked as I followed her to City's room.

"Yeah. How've you guys been?" I asked, grabbing the towel and drying City's body while Taylor grabbed her clothes.

"Good. I finally got my driving permit." She told me, sitting next to me in front of our sister to help her get dressed.

"Dede!" City squeals loudly when I bring the towel down her face. She smiled brightly, showing her little teeth that were growing in.

I match her smile and tickle her sides. "Hi! Did you miss me?"

She nodded vigorously as Taylor slid a shirt over her head, putting her pants on soon after.

"Alright. I've gotta go help my dad." I grunt as I push myself off of the floor and stand back up.

"Bye bye." City waves as I walk out and I turn around back around.

"I'm not going anywhere." I chuckle, going back downstairs. I met my dad in the basement and saw he had already started taping the walls.

"Hey, do we have plaster to cover the small holes in the wall?" My dad asked, handing me a roll of painting tape so I could do the trim at the bottom.