Maddy pulls an apologetic look. "Oh, my bad. Sorry."
"Yeah, way to judge, Maddison." Finn throws her a shit-eating smirk, to which Maddy responds with an exaggerated eye roll.
I almost smile, but it feels wrong with all the horribleness currently surrounding us.
Our silence is abruptly interrupted by the ringing of Maddy's phone.
Looking confused as hell, Maddy fishes it out of her pocket. "Who the heck's calling me this late at night… Crap, maybe it's my aunt." She perks up at that, her fingers noticeably trembling as she holds her phone. When she notes the name on the screen, her puzzlement magnifies. "It's Lily."
That surprises me. "Didn't you just text her?" I ask Finn as Maddy answers the phone.
Finn nods while checking his phone. "She never replied."
I frown confusedly. "Yeah, she didn't respond to any of my texts either."
"Hey," Maddy answers, pushing to her feet. "Huh? You'll have to talk louder. I can't hear you." She winds around the sofa and starts pacing while chewing on her thumbnail.
Finn and I watch her as she bobs her head up and down, listening to Lily talk. I can't hear what Lily is saying, but I'm worried.
"Yeah, I know where that is." Maddy finally stops pacing. "They already know you called me. They're right here." She pauses, and her gaze skates between Finn and me. "Okay, just stay locked in the bathroom. Don't go anywhere... I will. See you soon." She hangs up and faces us. "We have to go to northside."
"Why?" Finn questions at the same time I say, "What's going on?"
"You have to promise not to get upset before I tell you." Maddy crosses her arms and stares us down. "At Lily, I mean."
Finn shakes his head. "No way."
She narrows her eyes at Finn. "Then I guess I'll go alone." She whirls around and strides toward the elevators.
Finn and I chase after her, our footsteps thudding against the floor.
"Where are you going?" I call out after her.
"To the bus station." She stops in front of the elevator and smashes her thumb against the button.
"Why?" Finn asks as we reach her. "We have cars you can borrow."
"I don't have my license, remember?" She tosses him a look over her shoulder, then returns her attention to the elevator button, impatiently tapping her foot as she waits.
"Right." Finn nods. "I can drive you to northside then."
She reels around to face him as the elevator doors glide open. "Not unless you promise not to get upset about why we're going there." She backs toward the elevator.
"Maddison," Finn warns, his lip twitching. "Tell us what's going on."
Maddy wrinkles her nose. "So, I'm Maddison when you're annoyed with me, huh? Good to know." She gets all the way onto the elevator and waggles her finger at him. "I'll handle this alone. Bye.” The doors begin to shut.
Finn dives forward and slams his palm against one of the doors, stopping them from closing. "Fine, I won't get upset,” he tells her.
Maddy raises her brows at me. "And what about you?" she asks haughtily.
Goddammit, that sassy mouth of hers makes me want to kiss her, lick her lips open, and taste her again.
"I promise," I tell her, dragging my teeth along my bottom lip.
Finn chokes on a laugh. "I'm pretty sure my brother would promise you anything if you pushed hard enough."
I shove Finn, and he stumbles into the wall, laughing. But the laughter fades as reality sets in.
