Madison
I unzipped my bag and then answered my ringing phone, balancing it between my shoulder and ear so I could continue packing my clothes. It was Tuesday morning, and after talking it over with Serena and getting her opinion on the situation, I had decided to leave today. J seemed immeasurably happy about this, as did Scott. I was yet to talk with my father about this which surprised me; I had figured he would be straight on the phone to me about it. He usually had something to say about everything I did, or at least that was how it felt to me. Since moving to Coffs Harbour, I had managed to lessen his involvement in my life and even my mother had stepped back and given me the space to live my own life. She was the kind of woman who had to have a say in just about everything her family was involved in. I was feeling quite apprehensive about immersing myself in the club life again; I had fought hard for my independence and wasn’t about to give it up for anybody.
“Hello?” I answered the phone.
“Madison,” it was Blake, “What time are you leaving?”
“Soon, honey. Have you got time to come over so I can say goodbye?” I really needed to see him before I left. Serena was my best friend but Blake was the person who always calmed me, and I could use some calming right about now.
“I’ll be there,” he replied and we hung up.
I opened my closet and started throwing clothes into my bag. My plans were so up in the air that I really had no idea what I would need so I just filled the bag, figuring I could buy more later if I needed it.
Serena breezed in and sat on my bed watching me pack. “That man of yours is moody. I’ve been trying to make conversation but I give up,” she said.
“Let’s get something straight. He isn’t my man,” I said, as I finished packing my bag.
“Why did you two break up?” she asked.
I sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. “There were a lot of reasons we broke up, but he was the one who ended it when I accused him of cheating on me. When I found out later that he didn’t cheat I thought we might have had a chance at getting back together but stuff happened, and he told me to get out of the club, to leave town. He was done with me.”
“Fucker,” she rocked a dirty look; best friends were the shit. I loved that Serena never pressured me for more information than I was willing to give. Even though we had been best friends for two years now, she had never pushed me to talk about this stuff from my past. She knew I had been through something that I didn’t like to talk about, and knew that I had had a messy breakup, but was happy enough to leave it at that.
“Yeah, fucker,” I grinned and hugged her. “God, I am going to miss you.”
She hugged me hard and then pulled away. “I know. Me too. Maybe I could come and visit soon,” she said.
I shook my head. “I don’t think you should, honey. From what J and Scott have told me it is pretty messed up at the moment. I don’t want you getting mixed up in all of that.”
“Fuck that. I can’t leave my best girl alone when she needs me. I am sure that J and his boys can look out for both of us.”
I laughed out loud. “You’ve got no clue but I do love you. Now, get your ass off the bed and help me carry my stuff out of here.”
We carried my bag out to the living room and ran into Blake who had just walked through the front door. He pulled me into a hug and we stayed like that for a moment. It would be tough leaving him as I had come to depend upon him over the last two years. He was my voice of reason when my level of crazy hit epic proportions, and he was the steady influence in my life.
“You know where I am if you need me, baby girl,” he murmured in my ear and then let me go.
My eyes met his and I smiled at him, “Absolutely. You’d better keep your phone close all the time because I’m sure I’ll be calling you often. I’ll need you to talk some sense into me when I lose my shit. Okay?”
He nodded and grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “I mean it, Maddy, if you need me, I am there.”
A phone started ringing and I looked around to catch J staring intently at Blake and I. He was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, and I had not heard him come in. It was his phone ringing but he wasn’t rushing to answer it.
“Are you going to get that?” I snapped.
He scowled at me and stabbed at his phone to answer it. “What?” he barked into it and walked back into the kitchen, away from us.
I rolled my eyes and turned back to Blake and Serena. “Are Rowan and Faith able to come and say goodbye?” I asked Blake.
“No, they are busy, but I think they will both give you a call later on,” Blake answered. He jerked his head towards J, and asked, “What was that all about?”