FicWad

I yanked the phone off of the receiver, dialing Made's number. I don't need a phone book to remember, it just comes swiftly. I suck in a breath of air; my foot thumping on the tile flooring. I bite the tip of my finger; tears blinding my eyes. On the fourth ring, and when I expected to hear the answering machine, somebody picked up the phone. I let my breath escape.

'Madison residence, Mrs. Madison speaking.' Came a motherly reply on the other end. I blinked. For an odd reason I couldn't produce any words to speak. How does one simply ask for their friends? There was an agitated sigh on the line. I jerked my head and began to stutter.

'This i-is Lilly...um...is Made there?' I ask. I hear Mrs. Madison call to Made. I sink to the floor; leaning my back against the cabinet door. The theme song to C.S.I plays in the background. That is Made's favorite show. I hear a quiet 'thank you' and the passing of the phone.

'Hello?' she asks; her mouth slightly stuffed with food. Sugar cookies I presume. She makes the best ones. I gasp; it's the only 'hello' I could speak. I just begin to sob dramatically into the phone. For one, my abusive Mother walked out on us, two, she took most of our money, leaving my Father and I to be avicted from our house. We weren't that rich to begin with. And three, when my Dad watched Mom leave, he turned to me and slapped my cheek. It hurt. AND he even had the nerve to blame Mother walking out on me!

'M-my M-Mom l-left.' I choke. There is silence on the other line; no television, nothing of Mrs. Madison cooking, and definately no breath. As I continued to sob like a five year old, and waiting patiently for a reply from Made, I looked around the kitchen for a sharp untensil I could use to bare the rest of my family less pain. But to my luck I could find nothing; no knives in sight.

'Lilly! Oh my God! I am so sorry!' she gasped. I smiled slightly in all of my pain. It's times like these that I'm glad Made is my best friend. She seems to be the only one who cares for me, other than Ryan. I love him with everything I have. My sobs had turned to hiccups, and now I was trying to suppress them.

'Made.' I hiccuped. 'Could you come over?'

'Of course.' she replied softly. 'Do you want me to call Ryan?'

'Yeah, if you could.' I reply; same low voice. 'That would be great.'

'I will.' she promised. 'We'll be over soon. Try to be strong.'

I hiccuped again while replying a shaky 'alright'. And soon after I hung up the phone; placing it beside me on the floor. For the next fifteen minutes I heard nothing but the ticking of our clock. Dad was probably asleep, or had fallen asleep by drowning himself in liqor. Dad used to be non-alcoholic when I was a little girl, and before Mom started to get abusive. But ever since then his refuge has been bud-lite. I've got that same problem myself, but I was just too upset to go and get a beer for myself. Though I have the reputation of being the 'bad-girl' at my school, I can be the biggest sissy. I think you have witnessed that already. But when I'm at school, it isn't cool to let my troubles bother me. Bad-girls' are not supposed to cry. It's said that they shouldn't even have tears. But to everybody's disbelief, they do. We are just like normal people.

'Lil?' I heard from down the hall. I immediately stood up, darting across the kitchen, and placing the phone back onto the receiver. Causally I tucked my long, raven black hair behind my ear, wiping at any tears that could be on my cheeks, and walking toward my Dad. As soon as I stood before the darkened corridor, I saw his head peek from his door; the television's dark, blue shadows creeping along the hall wall. I stood before him now, and he smiled a weak smile at me.

'How is your cheek?' he asked. I shrugged.

'Fine, I guess.' I mumble.

'I'm very sorry about taking...' but the doorbell interrupted him. I looked at him with a pleading eye to discuss the conversation later. I had friends that I wanted to see, and badly.

'Could we talk later?' I ask, looking back toward the front door. Dad nods. I smile, and turn away. Dad steps back into his room and closes the door behind him, the volume of the television coming on full blast. I blinked and shook my head. For the first time when he's been depressed he wasn't drunk, but sober. I guess since he's lost his everything he is trying his best to change. It is funny that it only happened three hours ago, but strange that he hasn't gone for the alcohol. Weird. I'm awakened from my questioning thoughts by the doorbell ringing three more times. I sigh and walk down the hall and to the door.

I open it, and there stands Made and Ryan. Made, which is her usual expression when it comes to me, smiles sympatheticly, and Ryan bites on his lip, which isn't unusual either. With no hesitation, Made wraps me in a hug, Ryan soon follows. I notice that the sky is thickened in rain clouds. And after Made and Ryan hug me, I notice that they're wet, because I'm soaked.

'You guys walked in the pouring rain, for me?' I ask disbelievingly. Made raises both of her eyebrows.

'Well duh doofus, we're your friends!' she exclaims. 'Of course we'll stand out in the blistering weather for you!'

'Yeah, what did you think, that we'd leave you to suffer all on your own?' Ryan asked. I smile at the both of them, feeling better.

'I'm glad you're here.' And i invite them in.