The Boy Who Broke Me

Always Asleep

GAVIN

Madison leans her head against my chest, letting her hair drip down over my shoulder like a river made from silk. I breath deep, filling my chest with the smell of it when she suddenly jumps to standing.

"Shit! I left my phone at TST."

"Are you sure?" I ask. "You didn't just leave it in my car?"

She looks up to the corner of the ceiling, thinking. "No, I'm positive. Ugh, I left it on the seat when Mr. Gilner was talking to you but never went back for it later."

"Don't call him that."

"Call him what?"

"Mr. Gilner, it's weird. But, whatever, it doesn't matter." I laugh. "We can just go get it."

"Won't it be closed?"

"No" I tell her, putting my shoes on. "He always stays later afterward doing paperwork or something. I think the guy might even live in that office. Anyway, it's fine. Let's go."

Madison quickly slips on some shoes and throws her hair up into a ponytail before walking out the door. Before we make to the end of her driveway, she takes a couple quick nervous glances up and down, checking that her parents aren't coming home early. It makes me feel like a criminal, but I laugh it off, and we jog down the street to my car together, climbing into the blistering heat.

"Why are you so worried about it?"

"In case my parents call me." She says, looking more worried by the minute. "If they call and I don't answer, they'll go ballistic."

"It might take a while because it's almost rush hour" I tell her as she nods. "We might not get back here before them."

"I guess I can just walk home from the bus stop. I'll tell them that I missed the first one." She says, wringing her hands in her lap.

"Or you could tell them that you were with me?" I say, shooting her a smile.

"Someday." She says, smiling back at me before fastening her seatbelt.

Traffic is worse than I expected it to be, and the drive takes us at least twice as long despite me taking every shortcut I know and speeding. Each time we get stuck in a gridlock, Madison bites her nails and looks pale.

"Almost there."

She nods but keeps her knees pulled up to her chest, her fingernails bitten down to red and angry stubs. After an eternity of traffic, we finally make it to our exit and pull off onto the street for TST.

Madison unclips her seatbelt before I can turn the engine off, ready to jump out the door.

"I'll just run in, wait here."

"No, I'll come with you" I tell her, not wanting to look like a lazy dick who just waits in the air-conditioned car.

She smiles but I can still see that she's freaking out on the inside. Totally ignoring Gil's warning, I take her hand in mine before we climb up the familiar steps together. The place is open, just like I knew it would be, and thankfully all of the lights are still on. Madison and I walk straight to the gymnasium together, staying quiet in case Gilner hasn't left yet.

"There it is" she says with a huge sigh, picking up her old flip phone from the circle of metal chairs. "What time is it?"

"We've got about an hour" I tell her, looking at her phone. "Did your parents call?"