All she could think to do was sit on the bench and stare. It had all gone off an hour ago, although it had been building all day. Maddie had tried to stop it. But like a kettle when put under heat, there was no way that things weren't going to kick off.

And now she didn't know what to do.

Should she pack her bags? Should she pull a runner? It had been her patented move in the past before Sophie…

Sophie.

She choked back a sob that was stuck in her throat.

It was the look on Sophie's face as she had pleaded with her dad. Maddie saw it everytime she closed her eyes. She had seen it before. It was the same face that had she'd had with her parents on Maddie's behalf more than once. The last time she had made a promise to herself that she would never be the cause of it again. She pulled her knees under her chin. It was either that or put her head between her legs. Anything to make herself even smaller.

Maybe if she tried hard enough she could make herself disappear.

She barely noticed the ball that flew down the street.

"Ball!" she heard just before it hit the bench. Reflexively she grabbed it and held it as Simon Barlow bounced down the street towards her.

"Hey you div! What are you doing?" he shouted.

She threw the kid the ball back limply. Desperately, she tried to push a smile onto her face. It was a failure.

"Mind your own" she said harshly and instantly hated herself for it. Why did she have to do everything wrong today? She raised her knees back to her chin. "Sorry Si- it's just not a good time" she said looking at her shoes.

"Well where's Sophie? She always seems to make everything better" he smirked.

"Not right now, laddo" she sighed. "What are you doing out by the way? Who's watching you now?" she asked.

"Leeann's working and the Nazirs don't care what I do as long as I stay on the street" he laughed. Having the ball back, Simon started balancing it on his foot.

"What's wrong with your face anyway? Did someone die?" He asked first cheeky then a bit serious.

Maddie sighed and shook her head.

"Sophie's mad at me but I've done nothing wrong" she tried to explain.

And that was the plain truth as she saw it. Sophie had no right to get between Kevin and Jenny, not too mention go thru her bag. Her girlfriend had been a stroppy teenager for the past few weeks and it was doing her head in. Now Maddie understood how hard it must have been to deal with her own crap last year. The air between them had become murky as fog. She couldn't see the girl that she needed anymore.

Simon stopped bouncing his ball. Sitting down next to her on the bench. He smirked.

"My dad always said 'Son, if you've made a girl angry and you want her back just say two things…" he paused for effect. Deepening his voice he placed one hand on Maddie's shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"Wasn't your dad married three times?" Maddie asked.

"Well just because he was an alcoholic and sleaze doesn't mean he wasn't right" Simon smiled. "Just ask yourself: Are you better with her or without her?" he asked as he got up with his ball and kicked it down the street.

Maddie looked after him as he disappeared around the corner. She exhaled slowly.

Sophie's face was a beautiful mess as she opened the door.

"Soph, please let me explain" Maddie urged.

Sophie shrugged as she flopped down on her bed. Maddie looked around as she shrugged off her coat. She let it fall to the ground, not caring to bother with hanging it up. Looking around she saw that the room hadn't changed at Sally's. She brightened a bit, inhaling the air that they had once shared. Looking back toward Soph she tried to build herself up. Maddie knew what she needed to do.

"Well go on" Sophie said crossing her arms.

Maddie fell to her knees in front of Sophie's bed. Shuffling over she made a show of actually groveling at Sophie's feet as she climbed between the girl's legs. Placing her hands on Sophie's knees she looked into her girls heartbreaking eyes. She looked into her eyes directly.

"Look, I'm sorry Soph" her voice as sincere as she could make it. "I just wanted to focused on us. Our lives. Our future" her voice quivered as she swallowed down a sob. She looked down as she got flustered. She started to crumble a bit as she steadied herself and stood herself up straight.

"I need to know that you'll be there for me" Sophie urged. "I just feel as if I am all alone" she finished unable to stop shaking angrily.

Maddie reached up to steady Sophie's shuddering form. Pulling her into her arms, Sophie finally submitted. Resting her head onto Maddie's shoulder, they stayed that way a long while. Maddie's knees started to ache so she rose and pulled Sophie up with her. Forehead to forehead they both grinned at each other.

"Even if you are being bonkers" she chuckled. "Remember it's you and me, babe. Wherever you're going to sleep, then I'm going to sleep" she launched herself into Sophie once again.

Maddie could have stayed that way for an infinity. Soppy, but true.

Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.

Turning over in bed she grasped at what turned out to be a pillow.

After talking to Simon she had walked back home. Running upstairs she had ignored Kevin and Jenny's entreaties for dinner. Exhausted she had stared at her phone seemingly willing it to sound. No Text, No Ring. Radio silence.

Multiple times she had typed out entire messages and then deleted them. Her fingers hovered over the call button. And yet she did not send them.

She didn't call her girlfriend and plead for forgiveness.

She didn't apologize.

Raising her head, she exhaled heavily as she looked over at the empty space beside her. Sitting up groggily, it all hit her in the chest again. Her breath became short as the tears started again.

Her Soph. Gone.